Gate: Thus the Brotherhood of Steel Lyon's Pride Fought in Their Land

Chapter Thirty - Nine - Adam

Taking the children back to the airport had been the best option. Adam kept telling himself that it wasn't a setback. That what they were doing was the right thing, and that saving these children was the best possible outcome of a bad situation. Granted, he understood that all of the children were likely insane. There was little doubt in his mind that any of who they had been was ready to be awakened. No, he was certain that their entire sense of self was lost to a thick mire of insanity.

It was an unfortunate situation, and one that he wished wouldn't have fallen onto innocent children. The idea that those children were left there to essentially rot by those that had cared for them made him feel ill. It was beyond wrong. He wanted to rally against those that had done so, but the only one left alive was Doctor Braum. Of course the good doctor was stuck inside of his virtual reality. He would forever be trapped inside of the digital world that had been created for him.

His body was too frail to be moved, and doing so would ensure his death. He was alone, with no one else, and stuck for all time. It didn't matter how he changed things, how much he altered the world, none of it would ever matter. He would forever be stuck inside of a virtual world completely alone. He couldn't harm anyone else, and that was the only thing that gave him some solace. He knew that for all rights and purposes Doctor Braum was locked away for good. He would forever be a prisoner of his virtual world. There would be nothing that he could do to anyone, and nothing he could do for himself. It was a punishment that was deserved, but it wasn't one that he felt was right.

Still, that was something else, and he was dealing with what was before them. Luckily it wasn't just them that was moving the children. The minute men had been rallied, and they were helping to move the children that had been locked away for two hundred years. As Adam walked he saw the collected good around them.

Even in the wasteland there tended to be good. Although he wasn't a big fan of hearing the phrase heroes. Three-Dog had told him that the wasteland had a tendency of doing one of three things to heroes. The first was that the wasteland warped them into something that was unrecognizable. They became the very monsters they fought against. The second was that the wasteland beat them down until there wasn't a damned thing left that they could do, and the third was that the wasteland destroyed those that it couldn't do the first and second to. It completely wiped them from existence.

The wasteland was a creature, a monster, and it looked to devour all that it could come across. One of the ghouls in Underworld had talked about a prewar city that was similar. She'd said that it was called Roanapur, and that the city was the land of the walking dead. What she had said was that Roanapur was the kind of place that collected people. It collected the criminal element, and it did so with the greatest of ease. He'd listened to her as she explained the various factions that made their way there, and he listened as she talked about someone called Eddie Winter. From what she'd said he'd been some kind of crime boss in prewar, and she'd been one of the girls that followed him around. He'd even taken her, along with his actual girl, to Roanapur once.

She explained how dangerous it was, how frightening it was, and how much she missed Eddie. A small laugh had escaped her lips before she turned away from him. He remembered as she walked off, and she told him, "Not that any of it matters. I'm sure that Roanapur, it's people, and everything else is long gone, and I'm sure that Eddie is gone too."

The way she had talked about him, about the criminals of that time, it sounded romantic, but then he thought of the raiders. They were basically the same exact thing. They were, for all rights and purposes, criminals of the same sort that likely existed in this place. He didn't need a time machine to see what Roanapur was like. Instead the sickness that likely engulfed that place had spread across the entire wasteland.

He shook his head, keeping his mind clear. The last thing he needed to do was be too distracted as they moved the children back to the airport. He walked carefully, listening to those around them as they continued. It was Rory that moved closer to him, "Something weighs heavily on your mind," she said, the comment being exactly what was needed at the moment, "So, speak, tell me what it is that has you so preoccupied."

He looked ahead and laughed, "I was just thinking about how much the wasteland can be like a monster," he stated as they made their way, "It tends to corrupt everything, everyone, and those that it can't then it tries its hardest to kill them. These children we're taking back with us, they've been corrupted by it, and all of them are prewar. They came from a place of plenty, and now they're to a world that will have plenty, but they've likely lost themselves. And I'm not sure that there's enough people to help them."

Rory nodded, "What you are saying isn't wrong," she said, and then she breathed out, "This world, this wasteland, is hard, but it has created hardened warriors. It has made people that are able to adapt, and those that adapt know how to survive. It has bred people that know hardship, and they are better for it. It is a place where heroes and villains can thrive. The heroes that can truly thrive here are those who can withstand the onslaught of violence and horror it has to offer."

She grinned as she spread her hands, "And yet look around you. Despite all of the horror, all of the violence, and all of the terror that exists there is much beauty to be found here. Plants and animals that have adapted to live, families that do what they must in order to continue to exist, and even budding villages where there were once cities. All of it is beautiful in its own way. These children are more examples of that beauty. They have survived, thanks to our assistance, and they have a chance to see a whole new world ahead of them. That is cause for celebration more than anything else."

He nodded, "Guess that you've got a point there," he replied, "Sorry, I just got a little melancholy about the entire thing."

She grinned, "It is good to know that even a warrior such as yourself is capable of feeling the effects of the world around him. Know that not all of it is simply this world. The god I spoke to before, he does much to influence it. The much younger god is trying to figure out what it is that he wishes to do. I don't feel true malice from him. Instead, I feel a sort of uncertainty, and a need to establish himself. Perhaps he will be benevolent to those that live, perhaps not, but regardless, he will likely do for those that follow him."

"Yeah, well, just remember that I'm the one that healed them, and I call dibs!" Aqua shouted from behind them, "I mean it, these children are now protected and secured in the Axis Religion! We're gonna train them up right! I see priests, priestesses, business owners, cooks, and even tailors. They're gonna be led by my people, and they are going to become a whole lot more than this terrible place would let them become!"

"You are still very grating on the nerves," Rory replied, "Hearing you speak is like hearing an ill mannered dog bark. It knows not when to shut up, nor does does it truly understand when it potentially could be in danger. That is you."

"Hey! I'm not a dog!" she shouted, "Kazuma tell that pipsqueak that I'm not a dog!"

"Aqua," he said as they walked, "To be honest that is the best description that I've heard in a while. You're constantly either getting drunk, racking up debt, or getting all of us into some kind of trouble that we wouldn't be in if it wasn't for you," he stated before he grinned, "But to be honest you're our friend. Sure, you're annoying as a little sister, but you are our friend. And as a friend believe me when I say that you need to hear something like this, and please please learn from it."

She growled as she stopped, "No!" she shouted before turning toward him, "What can I learn from some pipsqueak and an unknown god?! I'm Aqua, goddess of the Axis religion! I have devoted followers that grant me the power that I have, and these children will become more followers! I can already feel more power thanks to what I've done so far!"

Adam listened to her carrying on, and the entire thing actually reminded him of the mythology classes in the Vault. The old stories of the Greek gods, and how the acted. Aqua seemed to be cut of the same cloth. Which, in a way he supposed that it made some sense. There wasn't a full explanation of how gods and goddesses acted anyway. Although, from what he'd seen Rory was actually far more approachable and level headed than Aqua. Maybe it was because Rory was more connected to humanity, but he couldn't be sure.

"Please keep your comments to yourself," Sentinel Reeder stated, "While we are moving in a direction that seems more or less devoid of dangers I do not want to bring down more trouble on us. We do not need to have ferals flocking to us right now. So, for the safety of everyone around us, including these children, keep your communication at a level that only those next to you can hear, and not the entire neighborhood."

There was a moment of quiet before Aqua stopped again. Adam readied himself for it, "I'm not a loudmouth!" she shouted, "Kazuma, tell that walking tin can that I'm not a Loud Mouth!" she whined, "I'm a goddess! I'm supposed to get delicious food, be waited on hand and foot, given expensive bubbly to drink, and to have all of the attention of those around me on me! I'm special, I'm unique! I'm the goddess AQUA!"

The lone shot was one that could have been heard if it wasn't for Aqua. It came out from the right, behind the last standing wall of a crumbling building. Evidence pointed to it being one of the surviving raiders of the area. The shot barely missed Kazuma, nicked Megumin, and hit Aqua. Those that traveled with Aqua wondered what would happen if she was harmed with mortal weapons, and the answer was present to them. The blue haired goddess jumped, screamed, and began rubbing where she was hit.

To his surprise Kazuma didn't see blood, but he saw a bruise. It was present there on her right ass cheek. The angry looking goddess turned toward the building, "Oh, you've asked for it!" she screamed before her hand began to glow, "Face the power of an angry goddess! Face the day of your judgement! Vile bandit! You shall rue the day that you've decided to touch a goddess in anyway other than that of respect!"

"Aqua, wait!" Kazuma said before she took off toward the building, "Goddess Requiem!" she shouted as her fist collided with the brick work. Adam was expecting to see her just break her hand, but to his, and everyone else's surprise her fist went through the brick as if she was wearing power armor. She then pulled what looked like a fifteen year old girl out from behind the now full collapsed building, "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME WITH YOUR PITIFUL WEAPON?!"

The raider seemed to sense that she had truly fucked up. Her eyes became large, her lips quivered, and she began to shake her head, "No!" the girl screamed, "I shot you, when you get shot you die! Shooting you in the ass means it lasts longer! You can't be doing this!"

Kazuma moved toward her, "Aqua, she's just a kid, let her go," he said only to see a steelie glare from the goddess, "Back off Kazuma."

He did as she instructed, feeling bad for the kid, but knowing that she'd more or less done this to herself. He hated it for her, he really did, because honestly it was likely that this world had helped make her the way that she was. He didn't doubt for a moment that she didn't start out as a raider, but then again, maybe she did. Maybe her parents were just like her, and this was all she ever knew.

"You want people to believe in you, ya?" came the voice of Kait, "Then how about you practice a little of that forgiveness. Seems to me that you got a chance to convert this scrapper. That, or prove that gods and goddesses dunae care for normal people. That while you're real, the reason this world is a shithole is 'cause you don't give a flyin' fuck."

Aqua growled, and held the girl, "Drop your gun, knives, extra gun, and anything else that can hurt anyone, and do it now."

The girl looked at her, definitely, "I ain't gonna drop everything so that you can have your armored friends run a train on me," she said, "Naw, I'm gonna back away, and leave you cunts alone. Just pick out the next group that comes by."

Adam moved toward her, "Wrong answer," he said before hitting her. She went limp, and then he looked at Aqua, "Drop her," he said, hoping that she'd listen. The goddess studied him for a moment, dropped her, and then he took the gun, a pipe assault rifle, a sawed off shotgun, a small revolver, and two hunting knives off of the girl. He didn't want to think about where she had basically hidden everything. It was disturbing enough that she had that much on her, but then again it was the wasteland.

"There's a reason for the raider policy," said one of the minute men, "I get that she's a kid, but raiders have to be dealt with. Leaving them alive is a bad idea."

The answer was one that he expected, and he looked toward the others, "Sure, but then again if given the chance maybe we can do something about it. It could be that she's too far gone, or maybe she's still young enough that she can be changed. I don't know, but I know that it is the steps that we take now that define us. We cannot allow ourselves to be at the same level as the wasteland itself. If we want to return civilization back then we have to take the steps to do so."

Those that were with him studied him, and to his surprise it was Sentinel Reeder that stepped forward, "Very well," he stated, "Then she will be taken to our headquarters in the Capital Wasteland. There she will be given the most basic of choices. Join with the Brotherhood, become something more, or perish. Despite what you may believe Paladin Jefferson we are very much in the wasteland, and it does dictate much of our decisions."

Adam nodded, "I get it," he admitted, "But I want us to do better. I believe that we have to do better."

The response was something that he felt to be true. Inside of him the knowledge that the world wouldn't just return to its prewar splendor on its own. It would need help, a lot of help, and it would take more than just the physical aspect. He knew that it would take changing the way they looked at things. It would take seriously changing the world to become something far better. He looked at the knocked out girl. Part of him knew that it was unlikely that she could fully change, but he had to hope. He really had to hope that she could become something more if given the chance, and the guidance.

He lifted her, his Power Armor making the act effortless, and he slung her across his shoulder. She was about the same age he'd been when he'd taken the G.O.A.T. in the Vault. She was barely an adult, and there was an entire world and life ahead of her. How that life turned out would ultimately be her choice, but he could only hope that she would actually take a chance. He looked toward Kait who seemed to be lost in thought as well, "Kait, what's your thoughts on this?"

The youngish Irish sounding woman shrugged, "I dunno," she admitted after a moment, "I really dunno. Maybe she'll become something else, maybe not. Can't rightfully tell ya either way. Could be that she's nothing but a pile of lost cause, and you're carrying right back to your camp. Still, you're doing more than most, and that should stand for something."

He nodded, glad to have another perspective, and they made their way toward the airport. He looked at those following him, the children that were being moved, and he considered exactly what would be happening for all of them. There was potentially a far better life, although he was still uncertain about how to help all of them. Maybe that foolishness on his side, he wasn't sure, but he hoped that whatever foolishness he had it would be better than simply accepting that this girl needed to die.

The trip didn't take as long as the one to where they had been. Mostly because now they knew the routes to take. The moment they made it back to the Airport it was a simple matter of heading toward the Vertibird. Adam also noticed that the single Vertibird wasn't going to be enough for all of the children and their newest possible recruit. He looked around the airport itself. Most of the jets that were here had been completely destroyed in the bombing. Moving they made their way to the field.

He watched as the pilot looked toward them, the collection of people, and then shook his head, "Sentinel Reeder, sir, I can take a load with me, inform then that they need to head back, and then do what we can from there. The other option is that I believe this Airport has a transmitting tower. I believe it was used to communicate with aircraft, and it should have enough capability to communicate with our forces in the Capital Wasteland. I think that if you can restore power to it, we can contact them, and then we can ask them to please send the other needed Vertibirds."

Paladin Jefferson nodded, "Sounds good," he replied, "I'll check the basement, see if the generator is there, and see what needs to be done for it."

With that he headed down toward the doors leading into the service parts of the airport. The HUD in the Power Armor did exactly what it was supposed to. The mapping feature was already pulling up the local map, slowly completing it as he walked. The sounds of water dripping, the popping sounds of metal as it was likely walked on the first time in two centuries was echoing around him, and he could feel the slight way the metal stairs kept wanting to canter to the side.

Soon those stairs made way for what appeared to be made of stone. He moved further down, watching as the lamp on his Power Armor illuminated the area around them. A sort of quiet silence was more than enough to make him consider what this place could have been like two centuries ago. He moved toward a closed metal door, and trying the handle it found it locked. He groaned, stepping back, and opening the power armor. When he did he moved toward the door itself. His skills at picking locks hadn't disappeared.

It was something that he'd done time and time again in the wasteland, but more than that he'd done it a bunch of times in his Vault. There wasn't a desk drawer, safe, or anything else that had been locked that he hadn't been into. He'd snuck around like a thief in the night, and he'd discovered a ton of secrets about those living with them. None of it was information that would actually do much for him. Most of it had been about some of the couples that were secretly seeing other people.

It was more than enough to ruin a few lives, but he hadn't wanted to do that. He'd been curious about the world he was in. He'd been curious about the Vault. He'd even wanted to visit the section of the Vault that had been closed off for visitors. The section that was considered off limits due to the fact that it was supposed to be irritated beyond repair. What he'd found, when he finally opened the door, was room. It was just more open room. It looked like it had been a section that was meant to house those working on the Vault when it was being created. It wasn't anything extravagant, or strange, but instead just beds that folded out from the wall, a couple of small storage rooms, and a few card tables with empty bottles on them.

The mystery had been better than the discovery. Still, the door to that section had taken incredible skill to get through. It had been enough to challenge his budding skill, and now he felt similar to how he'd felt that day. There was likely nothing more than a few prewar generators on the other side of this door, but the mystery itself was tantalizing. It was part of the reason he went instead of letting Kazuma do it. He wanted to feel that excitement again. He felt the tumblers aline, the lock clicked, and the door opened. There before him was hundreds of ghouls, and all of them were quietly milling around.

This was different from the section of the Vault. This was something that did change things.