Chapter 13: I, Android

For the third time that morning, Marcus found himself on his back with Charon standing over him. "Remember to use your opponent's momentum against him." the ghoul said.

Marcus shook the cobwebs from his head. "I'll keep that in mind." He held out his hand and Charon helped him to his feet. Since dawn the three friends had gathered outside Megaton's Children of the Atom temple for some training. It wasn't the most ideal place since it was only a few feet the bomb, but it was the only part of the city where the dirt was flat enough. As promised, Charon began teaching Marcus his hand-to-hand style of fighting that he called mixed martial arts. To say that Marcus was frustrated was an understatement. He had only managed to best Charon once, and that was by using VATS. Marcus was determined to hone his skills and not rely on the targeting system for everything. Sure it gave him an advantage, but he didn't want it to become a crutch.

All morning long people would stop and stare at the two men sparing with each other. The children Harden Simms and Maggie were especially fascinated and started mimicking them. That was until Maggie gave Harden a bloody nose and his father had to break it up.

"Sorry about that, Sheriff." Marcus called out. "Charon here was just showing me some moves."

Simms nodded. "That's alright; kids will be kids. Besides if you're going to survive out there you need to learn all you can." The Sheriff took his son by the hand. "Come on, let's go see Doc Church."

Harden looked at Maggie and stuck his tongue out, and Maggie responded in kind. Marcus watched the whole scene play out and a smile crossed his face. It was exactly how he and Amata used to play together when they were kids. Clover grabbed him from behind and he spun around to face her.

"Time for our training secession, suga."

Marcus gave her a smirk. "I don't think we can do that out here."

Clover laughed. "Not that lover - you don't need training in that category." She drew her chinese officer sword. "I meant this." For the next hour Clover showed Marcus everything she knew about sword fighting. Having no sword of his own, Marcus used a small pole he had found in a scrape pile behind Craterside Supply. Clover showed him how to parry, thrust, counter, and disarm ones opponent. Marcus was shocked to learn that Eulogy Jones would often have his slaves fight for his amusement, and Clover had to be a quick study if she was going to survive. She never told Marcus if she'd killed any slaves, and he wasn't about to ask.

Afterwards they had breakfast at the Brass Lantern, and then they went back to Marcus' house to prepare for their journey. According to Moria, Rivet City was a half days walk from Megaton, and there was no telling who or what they'd run into. As they were getting ready, Marcus realized he hadn't shaved since leaving the Vault and the facial hair was beginning to annoy him. Having no razor, he was forced to use his combat knife, which, (to his dismay), was rather dull. To pass the time he decided to turn on GNR and listen to some music, and after playing a song from a guy named Elvis, Three Dog began to speak:

"Now, you all remember my brother James right, who came out of Vault 101? Well wouldn't you know it, someone else has come out of that same Vault! And, I kid you not, he came to visit yours truly right here in the studio! Now. You want to know if it gets better, don't you? Well hell YES it gets better! Turns out vault dweller #2 was none other than James's kid! I know! I know! I couldn't make this shit up! Okay, but now it gets kind of sad. You see, the kid is looking for his dad, looking for James. See, James left Vault 101 without telling the kid why. Now, I've since learned that James is a scientist and is working on something big. But James, if you're listening... Your kid's out, man, and he misses you. So you might want to find him before he gets swallowed up and spit out."

Marcus stood there staring at himself in his broken mirror. It seemed like a lifetime ago since he'd left the Vault and began this quest to find his father. He stood there and wondered if his father was listening to the same broadcast, and what his reaction would be if he found out he had disobeyed him. Just as Marcus was afraid of never finding his father, he was just as afraid of what would happen if he did find him. He quietly finished shaving, and despite a few nicks, he felt human again.

Once they were packed, the trio was ready to leave. Marcus carried his standard tri-beam laser rifle, his .44 magnum pistol, Lucy's sawed-off shotgun and his combat knife. Since he wasn't expecting to go into heavy combat, Marcus decided to leave the 40mm grenade launcher home, and took a few frag grenades instead. Charon of course carried the Terrible shotgun and a .308 sniper rifle. Clover was armed with her assault rifle, chinese sword, and a 10mm submachine gun they got off one of Dukov's guards.

"According to my PIPBOY Rivet City is on the edge of the Tidal Basin. So if we follow the river we should get there by dark."

Charon locked and loaded his shotgun. "As long as we are not delayed by anything."

Marcus let out a sigh and nodded. He was not looking forward at going back out there, but what choice did he have? He had already lost two days because of Moriarty, and he wasn't about to lose anymore time. He checked his gear one last time. "Everybody ready?"

Clover flashed a smile. "Lead the way, suga."

As it turns out the walk to Rivet City was pretty uneventful - until they encountered a small super mutant camp about a mile from their destination. At first they had planned to avoid the camp until Marcus heard a woman's voice crying out for help. Marcus and his companions took cover behind some rocks along the river bank about fifty yards from the camp. It was surrounded by a combination of steel walls, plywood, steel beams and barbed wire. There was only one way in and out of the camp, and it was facing the trio. With the sniper rifle's scope, Marcus could see three mutants: a master armed with a minigun standing on a catwalk, another mutant armed with a hunting rifle, and third armed with a nail board. Marcus spotted an asian female bound and nealing on the catwalk next to a fire.

"So how do we proceed?" Charon asked.

Marcus lowered the rifle. "Well the Master is clearly the biggest threat so I'll take him out first. That will draw the other two out and as soon as they're in the open, we take'm. You two stay hidden until I tell you."

Charon and Clover nodded in agreement. "You got it, lover."

Marcus took a deep breath and took aim with the sniper rifle. He knew he had only one shot at this, and if he missed or didn't kill the Master instantly, they would have to contend with a minigun. He took another breath, held it, and activated his VATS. The number 86% appeared and he pulled the trigger. The .308 round hit the Master's left eye and blew out the back of his head. Just as calculated, the remaining two mutants ran to the camp's entrance completely exposing themselves. Marcus quickly dropped the sniper rifle and picked up his tri-beam. "Now!"

Charon and Clover popped up from behind the rocks, and the mutant's look of surprise was replaced by anguish as they were peppered by lead and laser fire. 'These mutants are strong, but they are also very dumb.' Marcus thought. Quickly the trio ran into the camp and Marcus freed the female captive.

"Oh my God! Thank you so much!" she cried. "They were...they were going to..."

One look at the fire told Marcus the grim truth why the Super Mutants captured humans. A torso was attached to a spit, and a pile of limbs and heads were in a net bag near the fire. Fighting the urge to throw up, Marcus helped the young woman down off the catwalk. "It's okay, you're safe. My name is Marcus."

"I'm Mei Wong. I was on my way back to Rivet City when these Frankensteins grabbed me. I thought I was a goner until you all showed up."

"So you live in Rivet City? That's where we're going."

Mei Wong was ecstatic. "That's great! You come with me and I'll make sure Harkness let's you in without any problems. He's a great guy, but he can be a bit of an asshole about security."

"Harkness, he's the robot I heard about, right?"

Mei Wong seemed to become insulted by Marcus' question. "He's not a robot, and I wouldn't call him that to his face either. He's an android, a cybernetic man, but as far as we're concerned, he's more man then machine."

Marcus was more then a little surprised at her response. Quinn had told him about how the people of Rivet City rose up to defend Harkness from his creators in the Common Wealth. Mei Wong's answer confirmed to Marcus that the citizens regarded him as one of their own; a person, not a machine. As a boy growing up he had seen his share of scifi movies that featured sentient robots, and the idea always fascinated him. Is it possible that one actually existed? Clover ran up to him with a bag full of scavenged supplies. "Well lover we have a rifle, some .38 rounds and a few frag grenades. Oh, and that Master's minigun of course."

Charon was holding the massive gun. It wasn't in the best of shape, but Marcus figured they might be able to sell it. "Okay, we better get out of here before more of these uglies show up."

About fifteen minutes later they had reached Rivet City. The massive aircraft carrier stood ten stories tall and was the length of four football fields. The front part of the ship (or bow), had become completely detached from the rest of it, but there was still more then enough room for the hundreds of people that lived aboard. Marcus could see a handful of old F-18 Super Hornets on the flight deck that clearly would never fly again. For a moment he could imagine those jets launching off the deck and flying off into the sky. To fly at twice the speed of sound must have been a thrilling experience. On the side of the rusting ship, Marcus could see the faded letters that spelled out the ship's name: USS Abraham Lincoln. Marcus smiled at the irony.

"We'll have to climb this platform and request to have the bridge swung over to us." Mei Wong said.

After climbing the two metal staircases they found a man bearly clinging to life. Marcus knelt beside him and checked his vitals. "He's still breathing."

The man opened his eyes and tried to speak through cracked lips. "W...water...water, please!"

Marcus removed a bottle of purified water from his bag and put it to the man's lips. Almost immediately the man reached up and grabbed the bottle with both hands and began to chug it down.

"Easy, easy!" Marcus said . "You're dehydrated so you have to take it slow."

The man took a few more swigs from the bottle and slowly sat up. "Thank you" he gasped between drinks. "Thank you. You saved my life!"

Marcus smiled and handed him another bottle. "You're welcome."

He stood up and turned and found his three companions staring at him as if he had two heads. Purified water was more valuable then gold, and he had just given two bottles of it away to a stranger. Marcus ignored their stares and went back to the task at hand. "Shall we?" he asked.

Mei Wong stepped up to an intercom and pushed the button.

"State your business, please." said a voice on the intercom.

"It's Mei Wong, bring the bridge over."

"Standby."

A large crane on the deck of the carrier screeched to life, and swung the metal bridge over to the platform. The four companions walked across and were met on the other side by a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing black combat armor and carrying an AK-47. "That's far enough!" he ordered. "Who are you and what is your business in Rivet City?"

Mei Wong stepped out from behind Marcus. "Chief Harkness these people rescued me from Super Mutants and brought me back here."

The Chief relaxed his stance. "Alright, I guess you guys can come aboard. Thank you for rescuing Mei Wong; not many people around here look out for others. I mean, unless you believe those stories on Galaxy News Radio about a 'Lone Wanderer' going around helping people." the chief scoffed. "A bunch of malarkey if you ask me."

A small smile crossed Marcus' face as he held in the urge to laugh. Clover put her hand over her mouth and started to giggle. Even Charon showed a hint of a smile.

"What's so funny?" The Chief asked with a confused look.

"Um...nothing," Marcus said, "thank you for letting us come aboard."

The Chief regarded them one last time. "Just remember: I've got my eyes on you."

Marcus watched as Harkness walked away. He couldn't believe how human the android looked and acted. If no one had told him, he'd swear that Harkness was just another man. Once they were inside, Mei Wong was kind enough to show them where Dr. Li's science lab was, which was a god-send considering how massive the ship was. Mei Wong told them that in addition to living quarters, Rivet City had everything you'd expect to find in a real city: shops, restaurants, bars, a chapel, a green house up on the flight deck, and their own water purification system. The city even had a hotel and night club. It was without a doubt the most successful settlement in the entire capital. As Marcus approached the water tight hatch leading into the science lab, he was met by a security officer in black combat gear.

"These people would like to see Dr. Li." Mei Wong said.

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Li asked not to be disturbed." the Officer replied.

"Please, it's very important." Marcus pleaded.

"Like I said: the doctor does not want to be disturbed. You'll have to come back another time."

Marcus stared into the eyes of the security officer. There was no way this guy was going to let him in, and since he didn't want to be thrown off the ship..."Alright, thanks." Marcus turned, disappointed.

"I'm sorry." Mei Wong said. "Why don't I show all of you to the market place where you can wait a while. They've got a few shops and a great restaurant named 'Gary's Galley'."

Marcus took a deep breath as he pushed down his frustration. "Sounds good."

The Rivet City Market was located in one of the ship's massive hangar bays. The citizens called it a Market Place, but it was more like an old world shopping mall. There were stores and shops of all kinds selling everything from cloths, medicine, alcohol, weapons, antiques, even old world music players. In the center of all of this were tables and chairs, and just to the right was Gary's Galley. As Marcus took in the scene, he couldn't believe that a city like this could function out here in the wasteland. Outside these steel walls was hell on earth, but in here people were actually - living. Not just trying to survive and get through the day, but really living. It gave Marcus hope that maybe, just maybe he and his father could have a normal life in the world.

"So where do you want to start, suga?" Clover asked.

A gun shop called Flax n' Shrapnel's caught his eye. "Charon and I will try the gun store first; see if we can get a good price on these weapons."

Clover already had her eye on a clothing store named Potomac Attire. "Okay, I'll be looking for something sexy to wear." She gave Marcus a kiss on the cheek and ran off.

Charon grunted. "That girl is a nymph."

Marcus looked at the ghoul. "A what?"

"Never mind." Just like that, the conversation was over and the two companions walked up to the counter of Flak n' Shrapnel's. A tall man with a mustache and wearing a black vest greeted them. "Welcome to Flak n' Shrapnel's gun shop, I'm Flak. Are you here to buy, sell or trade?"

"Well that depends," Marcus said, "can we see what you have?"

"Sure, take a look around."

Marcus and Charon began examining the impressive gun collection. There were many great weapons such as marksmen carbines, SAW's, grenade launchers - even RPG's that Marcus knew they could not afford. He spotted a case of about two-hundred .50 caliber rounds that he could use for his truck's machine gun. Marcus made his way over to the pistols and spotted the largest, most beautiful handgun he had ever seen. "What is this?" he asked as he picked it up.

"That my friend is a desert eagle," said Flak, "the powerful handgun in the world. She's semi-automatic and fires .50 caliber rounds. She's the greatest hand cannon."

Marcus examined the nickle-plated handgun with wonder. This would stop Super Mutants dead in their tracks, he thought. "Will you take a trade?"

Flak shrugged. "Depends on what you got."

Marcus placed the captured minigun on the counter. Flak examined the weapon and frowned. "If this was in better shape I'd do it, but at best I'll have to refurbish this. At worst I'll have to use it for spare parts. You got anything else?"

Marcus handed him the hunting rifle. "There you go: two guns for one. Sounds fair to me."

Flak cycled the hunting rifle and shook his head. "Sorry kid, but hunting rifles are a dime a dozen."

Marcus cursed under his breath. He could feel that beautiful desert eagle slipping away.

"Tell you what kid, I like you so I'll make you a deal: throw in that .44 magnum and the pistol's yours."

Marcus looked down at his .44, then back to the desert eagle and decided to go for broke. "Tell you what; I'll throw in the.44, all of the ammo for the guns, and you throw in that case of .50 cal rounds over there."

Flak thought about if for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. "It's a deal, kid."

The two men shook hands and made the exchange. Flak was so gracious he even threw in a holster and two magazines for the gun. "Say kid, before you go I have something you might be interested in." Flak reached underneath the counter and pulled out a box of blue jacketed shotgun shells. "These slugs are made of a special metal called tungsten. This stuff will go through any body armor; even power armor. You can do some serious kill'in with these."

Both Marcus and Charon examined the ammunition. "How much?" Marcus asked.

"Fifty caps each."

Marcus whistled. "Fifty caps a bullet?"

Flak nodded. "Hey these rounds are hard to come by. It's not like there are large supplies of tungsten out there. So, interested?"

Both Marcus and Charon placed the slugs back in the box. "Sorry, it's tow rich for our blood. Maybe next time."

Flak closed the box and placed it back under the counter. "Okay kid, if you need more ammo this is the place to get it."

Marcus holstered his new pistol and strapped it to his belt. It was heavier than Eulogy's .44, but he didn't care. As he and Charon headed for the food court, he noticed Clover holding a rather revealing dress to her body as she admired herself in a mirror. She spotted him gazing at her and she struck a little pose for him. Marcus smiled and nodded, and Clover took the dress up to the counter. As they entered Gary's Galley, Marcus spotted Harkness and two of his security guards sitting at a table eating. 'I didn't think an android could eat' he thought as they approached the table. "Excuse me, Chief."

Harkness looked up from his Brahmin steak and let out an annoyed tone. "Yes? Something I can help you with?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you Chief but I was wondering if you could help get me into the science lab to see Dr. Li?"

Harkness shook his head. "I'm sorry kid, but I have more important things to do then to schedule appointments. Dr. Li will see you when she's ready."

Just as Marcus was about to walk away in defeat, a woman named Angela Staley walked up to the table and handed Harkness a beer. "I didn't order this." He told her.

Angela pointed to a table at the other end of the Market. "It's from that guy over there, Chief."

With his advanced optics, Harkness was able to zoom in on the table Angela had pointed to. An older man wearing glasses and a business suit was sitting alone, and Harkness' internal warning system went to red alert. "I don't believe it!" he growled. "Zimmer!"

Marcus immediately saw the shock on Angela and the two security guard's faces. "Oh my God Chief I'm sorry," Angela cried, "I didn't realize..."

"It's alright." Harkness stood up. "I'll handle this." He stormed off with his guards following. Marcus approached Angela. "Excuse me, who si this Zimmer?"

"He's the one who built Harkness at the Common Wealth. Six months ago he showed up with some goons and tried to take Harkness back, but we threw them off the boat - litterly."

Marcus looked back at the Chief as he approached Zimmer, and his curiosity was definitely peaked.

"I know that look." Charon said with alarm. "I think we should stay out of this."

Marcus tried to look innocent. "I'm just a little curious, Charon."

"That's how it starts." Charon countered.

Marcus smiled. "You gotta learn to live a little, Charon."

"It's hard to live a little when you're dead."

Marcus sighed. "Just go get Clover and meet me down there, okay?"

Reluctantly the ghoul headed towards the clothing shop, while Marcus made his way over to Flak n' Shrapnel's store, which was near the area where Zimmer was sitting.

"Ah, good morning Chief." Doctor Zimmer said. "I hope you enjoyed your drink."

Harkness placed both hands on the table and was only inches from Zimmer. "What the hell are you doing on my boat, Zimmer?"

"I've come to ask you one more time to come back with me, A3-21."

Harkness slammed his fist on the table, startling everyone nearby. "That is not my name! My name is Harkness, and you will address me as Chief Harkness!"

Zimmer looked down at his drink. "Yes I know: you gave yourself a name. This is just more evidence that you are malfunctioning. Come back with me, and we can fix you."

By now Charon and Clover had joined Marcus in front of Flak and Shrapnel's. They couldn't hear everything that was being said, but you could cut the tension in the room with knife.

"For the last time Zimmer, I'm not going back. I have evolved; it's not a malfunction. Now you have ten seconds to get off my ship before I throw you off - again!"

Zimmer sighed. "Yes my swim last time was very unpleasant. So I guess you leave me no choice."

Harkness didn't notice the rather large wastelander to his left until he raised a pulse pistol and fired. The blast was not enough to shut him down completely, but it scrambled his circuits to the point where he couldn't move. The two security guards raised their rifles, but were ambushed from behind by two more wastelanders: an African-American male and a slender blonde woman. The male grabbed a guard and slammed his head into the table, breaking both of them. The woman grabbed the other guard's head and snapped his neck with a violent jerk. A good Samaritan charged the woman in an attempt to help their Chief, but he as knocked unconscious by a vicious cloths-line. Zimmer stood up. "Quickly, open his chest plate and remove his power source!"

The first attacker approached the front of Harkness and began cutting away his combat armor. Marcus decided that the time for standing around was over. He heard Charon let out a groan as he drew his newly purchased desert eagle. "Hey asshole!" he yelled.

The large wastelander stopped what he was doing and turned to his taunter. Marcus fired a single round that struck the man in the left side of his face, but instead of it being blow to pieces, the man stumbled back and placed his hand over the wound.

'What the fuck!' Marcus thought. The man stood up straight and removed the hand from his face - revealing a shiny metal endoskeleton; the skin that covered it having been obliterated by the .50 caliber round.

"Holy shit!" Marcus gasped as he fired more rounds into the android's torso, pushing him back. Charon opened fire on the other male with his shotgun, and Clover went full auto with her assault rifle and fired into the chest of the female. The androids staggered and were pushed back by the sustained gunfire, until finally all three were lying flat on their backs. Marcus, Charon and Clover relaxed their stance and checked their weapons; which were all empty.

"Wow!" Marcus said. "Now I've seen every..."

His heart stopped as all three androids sat up straight, and stared at them with blank, emotionless eyes. Zimmer let out a confident laugh. "As you can see: nothing can stop our Hunters."

Marcus watched as the machines, or Hunters as they were apparently called, slowly stood up. "Ruuunnn!" he screamed as he and his companions dove behind the counter of Flak n' Shrapnel's store. The androids each drew a 10mm submachine gun and unleashed a barrage, peppering the area with bullets.

"Fuck!" Marcus cursed as the store was being ripped apart. 'Where the hell is John Connor when you need'em?', he thought.

"Don't worry about them!" Zimmer screamed. "Get A3-21!"

In that moment, Harkness had regained control of his systems and his eyes shot open. He quickly zeroed in on the closest Hunter to his right, and after disarming him, delivered a punch to the chest so hard that the African-American Hunter was sent across the market and slammed into the steel wall. The impact was so hard it left and indentation in the wall. The other two Hunters turned their attention back to their main target and attacked. Flak crawled over to Marcus and handed him a box of shotgun shells. "Hey kid! Tungsten rounds!"

Marcus quickly drew his shotgun and loaded the rounds, then passed the box to Charon. "Load these and get ready!"

Charon nodded and began loading his empty ammo drum. By now both male Hunters had Harkness by his arms, and they held him in place as the female began now cutting away the skin that covered his chest.

"Hurry, hurry!" said an impatient Zimmer. "Get his power source!"

Charon finished loading the rounds. "Ready."

Marcus took and deep breath, prayed that what Flak boasted about the rounds was true, and stood up. Using his VATS, he targeted the female's left arm and fired, severing it just below the elbow. Sparks flew out of the androids stump, and for a moment Marcus thought he saw a look of horror on it's face. He fired his second round, blowing the head of the android clean off. One of the male Hunters released his hold on Harkness to meet this new threat, and Charon put three rounds into it's torso. Sparks flew and red hydraulic fluid spilled out of holes, and the machine was sent down on one knee. Charon fied a fourth round that blew apart the android's face, putting him down for good. Harkness broke the hold the large android had on him, and tossed the Hunter twenty feet in the air and across the Market. The Hunter landed flat on it's back with a load thud. Harkness covered the same distance with a single leap, and planted both feet onto the Hunter's chest. The sound was so load people thought for a moment that a bomb had gone off. The Hunter's chest plate had been caved in, and the android was bearly functioning. Harkness reached down and twisted the machine's head 360 degrees and ripped it from it's body. Sparks and smoke poured out of the dead android's neck, and Harkness tossed the head aside. "Piece of tin!" he growled.

Marcus finally released the breath he had been holding in and looked at the carnage. Slavers, Super Mutants, feral ghouls, giant ants, crazed cannibals, and now killer cyborgs. What else was this wasteland going to throw at him, he thought. The should of security officers charging into the Market caused everyone to freeze. Up on the catwalk, a squad of Rivet City's militia took up firing positions, and were led by a woman carrying the biggest rifle Marcus had ever seen. "Put down your weapons, now!" she ordered as she took aim with her .50 caliber Barrett.

Harkness raised his hands. "Commander Hill stand down, these people are friendly's!"

Commander Hill lowered her Barrett. "Everyone stand down." The rest of the security officers followed.

Zimmer was on is knees crawling towards the Market's exit, trying to be as quiet as possible. He was reaching for the door's handle when he felt the cold steel of a blade on his throat, and he froze. He slowly looked up and was staring at a blonde haired woman wearing a slave collar and holding a Chinese officer's sword. The woman grinned. "Going somewhere, honey?"

Harkness walked up to Marcus and Charon and shook their hands. "Thank you both for your help. I am in your debt."

Marcus nodded. "Glad we could help, but we couldn't have done it without Flak's tungsten rounds." They turned and spotted the shop owner standing in his bullet-riddled shop. "We'll pay you back for the shells we use."

Flak raised his hands. "As far as I'm concerned you can have the whole damn case! It's the least we can do for saving the Chief."

Marcus was not expecting that and he appreciated the gesture. "Thank you."

Harkness addressed the shop owner. "Well staring right now Flak I wan you and Shrapnel to requisition as many of those tungsten rounds as you can in all calibers." He walked over and kicked one of the dead androids. "I have a feeling the Common Wealth will be sending more of these."

A smile crossed Flak's face as he thought about the caps he was going to rake in. 'I'll get right on it, Chief."

Harkness looked around. "Now, where is that worm Zimmer?"

"Over here, honey."

They turned and saw Clover holding Zimmer by his collar, and the point of her sword was on his neck. Harkness clenched his fist and walked towards him.

"Now, now A3...I mean, Chief Harkness."

Harkness wrapped his right hand around Zimmer's throat and hoisted him off the ground. The doctor grabbed Harkness' wrist with both hands and struggled for air. "More...will come! They will...not...stop!"

"I know." Harkness twisted Zimmer's head to the left and snapped his neck. The doctor's lifeless body hit the deck with a thud, and Harkness stared coldly at the corpse. "And I'll be waiting for them."

After the battle in the Market, the militia's corpsmen placed bandages on Harkness' chest and face. The Chief explained to Marcus that his biological covering was just like human tissue, and it would heal over time. Luckily there had been no internal damage to his systems, since that would require Doctor Li and her team to conduct repairs. Harkness led Marcus and his companions into the science lab to meet with Dr. Li. It was, as the Chief put it, the least he could do for them. The science lab was ten times bigger then the one his father worked in in Vault 101, and several scientist and aides were working on various experiments and research. Chief Harkness walked up to an Asian female who looked to be in her mid 40's.

"Doctor Li," Harkness began, "I would like you to meet..."

Doctor Li turned around and interrupted him. "Look, this is a restricted area. I'm tired of telling you people... I... It's you. My heavens, you look so much like him... You're James' son, aren't you? What are you doing here?"

Marcus was stunned. "You know my father? Have you seen him?"

Dr. Li crossed her arms. "Well yes, of course I do. Don't you know who I am? I suppose James never told you. Typical. I am Doctor Madison Li. I worked with your father many years ago. Your mother as well, in fact. He was here, yes. It was quite a shock to see him after so many years. I'm afraid he's gone now. For that matter, aren't you supposed to be in a Vault? James said he left you there."

Marcus sighed and stared at the ground. His father was always one step ahead of him, it seemed. "I left the Vault to look for him."

Madison gave him a curious look. "Did you? I was under the impression that's exactly the opposite of what he wanted for you."

Marcus was growing anxious. "Do you have any idea where he went?"

"The last I knew, he was headed back to the lab at Project Purity, in the old Jefferson Memorial building."

The Jefferson Memorial; they had pasted it on their way to Rivet City. Despite the urge to run over to find his father, Marcus decided that he wanted answers first. "Tell me about this project you worked on with my father."

"Project Purity, we called it. What do you want to know?"

"What was the point of it?"

"It was simple, really. "Fresh, clean water for everyone." Such a simple idea, and yet so impossible to realize. We built a facility large enough at the base of the Tidal Basin to clean all of the water in the Capital. Unfortunately we could never get it to work."

The realization hit Marcus like a lightning bolt. So this was why his father left the Vault? He was trying to purify the water in the entire capital wasteland! He suddenly remembered the bible passage his father always spoke off: "the waters of life." He continued to press. "Why did you stop working on it? What happened?"

Madison paused for a moment before answering. "You happened. It wasn't just you; we had more problems than we could handle already, but your birth is what finally pushed it over the edge. Your father decided that you were more important than everything we'd been working for, and he left. He left all of us. Once he was gone, the Brotherhood decided we weren't worth their time anymore. Without their protection, we had to abandon the purifier."

Marcus' heart broke when he heard this. His father had given up everything, his dream to help everyone in the wasteland - for him. He suddenly felt a sense of guilt that shook him to his soul. He felt guilty about being born, about being so angry with his father for leaving him in the Vault. He felt like he'd acted like a spoiled kid. "Why is my father so determined to work on this project again?"

"Project Purity was everything to us. It was the first thing we thought about when we woke up, the last thing we talked about before sleep. Some of us changed over the years, but apparently James hasn't."

Marcus decided to dig a little deeper. "What was my father like back then?"

Madison seemed surprised at this line of questioning. "James? He was very driven. Determined to change the world. Well, we all were back then, I suppose. He was focused on two things, really. Making Project Purity work, and your mother. When she died, I think... I think he gave up. I know he wanted to keep you safe, but I think part of what he did was run away."

That last part struck a cord with Marcus. "My dad doesn't run!"

Madison was taken off guard by the outburst. "I'm sorry, I wasn't implying that your father was a coward."

Marcus calmed down and lowered his head. "I never knew my mother. What can you tell me about her?"

Sympathy filled Madison's eyes. "Yes... Your mother was, well she was a good woman. A very dedicated scientist. Your father loved her very much. It was a shame that she died. She had been excited to meet you."

It took all of Marcus' strength to fight back the tears. "Why did my mother die? What happened?"

Madison took a deep breath. "Complications from childbirth. None of us were expecting it; we weren't as prepared as we could have been. You have to understand, we were struggling with scavenged, derelict equipment. We did everything we could."

Marcus clenched his fists, and he stood there staring at the doctor. Part of him wanted to scream at her; to blame her for letting her mother die, and if this was a month ago he would have. But he couldn't afford to be that spoiled kid any longer. It was time to be a man. "I understand. I'm sure you did everything you could."

Madison touched his arm. "Yes, well... I'm sorry it wasn't enough."

As Marcus turned to leave, Chief Harkness placed his left hand on the young man's chest. "Hold on there, son. Before you go running toward the memorial, I think there's something you need to see."

Marcus, Clover and Charon stood on the bridge wing of Rivet City with Harkness and Commander Hill. Just off in the distance they could see the domed shaped structure in the middle of the Tidal Basin, but what Marcus couldn't see until Harkness handed him a pair of binoculars was the Super Mutant standing guard in front of it. "Oh God!" he sighed as panic began to set in. Did he come this far only for his father to fall victim to these monsters?

"Your father left here a week ago and we only started seeing those ugly bastards the day before yesterday." Harkness said.

Marcus nodded and pushed down the panic. 'There was still a chance he was still alive', he thought. Still, he had to know for sure. "Thank you Chief, but Super Mutants or not I have to get in there."

"I know, that's why I'm going with you."

"No Chief, I can't ask you to do that."

Harkness raised his hand. "I owe you a debt and I intend to repay it. I'll lead you to the memorial while Commander Hill has over watch."

Marcus looked the young Commander over. Hill was an attractive, but formidable looking woman with brown hair and hazel green eyes. The Barrett sniper rifle she was holding looked like it could take out any enemy, even the Hunters they had just fought. "Don't worry Chief, I've go your backs."

Harkness placed a hand on Hill's shoulder. "She's the best sniper in the whole wasteland. She'll clear the way for us."

From the tone of the android's voice, and the way he was looking at Hill, Marcus suspected that it was more then just professional admiration Harkness had for the young woman. He must not have been the only one who noticed, because as they followed Harkness down the ladder well, Marcus noticed Clover smile. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing...I'm just wondering if he was any special attachments for that."

Marcus let out a chuckle and shook his head. Charon rolled his eyes. "Nymph." he mumbled under his breath.

As Harkness lead Marcus and his companions to the bridge which led to the memorial, he explained to them that he was an advanced model of android created for espionage and spying. The idea was to create androids so life like they could infiltrate and blend into any human army. The unexpected result, much to the dismay of the Common Wealth, was that Harkness and many others had become self-aware, and refused to be slaves. The Chief told them an organization called "The Rail Road" helped him and others to escape.

Once they had reached the bridge, the four companions took cover. With his advanced optics, Harkness could see two Super Mutants standing at the main entrance. He keyed his internal communicator and radioed Hill. "Alright Hill you're up. I got two uglies at the front door, do you have a shot?"

"Affirmative."

"Light'em up."

The sound of the Barrett was loud even at this distance, and the first Super Mutant's head exploded. Hill fired a second .50 caliber explosive round which blew out the chest of the second mutant. "All targets neutralized, Chief. You're clear."

Harkness smiled. "Roger, all targets neutralized."

Marcus was still in awe at the display of the sniper rifles power. "Neutralized? You mean vaporized!"

Harkness stood up. "Come on, let's move."

They quickly made their way across the bridge and over to the main door. Marcus was about to go inside when Harkness stopped him. "Stay here; I'll be back."

Before anyone could protest, the Chief entered the memorial and closed the door behind him.

"Is he crazy?" Clover asked.

Before Marcus could respond he heard the muffled sound of gun, laser fire and explosions. He readied his tri-beam and grabbed the door. "I'm going in..."

Charon grabbed Marcus' arm. "He said to wait here."

"But..."

"Do you remember what happened in the Market?"

Marcus paused. The memory of their battle with the androids was still very fresh on his mind, as well as the memory of what Harkness did to one of them. He also remembered Charon warning him not to rush into the situation, and Marcus not heeding the warning nearly got them killed. He decided to listen this time and let go of the door. After a few minutes the gunfire went from sustained to sporadic. While the sound of the battle unnerved Marcus, it also gave him small comfort. If there was gunfire, it meant the Chief was still alive. Finally the sounds of battle stopped, and Marcus strained to hear something. He was about to throw caution to the wind and go inside, when he heard foot steps approaching the door. "Get back!" He said as he raised his rifle. He didn't know who or what was coming, and he wanted to be ready for anything. The door opened and Harkness stepped outside.

"All clear." He stated.

The three companions looked Harkness over. A chunk of flesh was missing from his right cheek where a .38 round struck him. The metal underneath was exposed but was not damaged. His body armor was riddled with bullets. and more then a few had penetrated. The skin covering his left elbow was completely gone, and the joint appeared to be damaged.

"Are you...okay?" Marcus asked.

Harkness shrugged. "Just a few scratches." He looked down at his elbow and moved his arm. "One of them got a lucky hit with a super sledge, but it's nothing Doctor Li can't fix. There were no human's down there, alive or dead. Looks like they just missed him."

Marcus was relieved; at least his father hadn't met his end here. "Alright, let's see this Project Purity."

Marcus had to admit, Project Purity was very impressive. The facility was located in the center of the memorial rotunda, and it contained equipment that Marcus didn't dare pretend to understand. It didn't take him long to find a stack of holotapes on top of a large computer and he quickly plugged the first one into his PIPBOY:

"Well, here we are again. Project Purity and me. It's been close to twenty years since my last entry. Since I left all of this behind to make a life for my son. We've spent that time in Vault 101, tucked away from the rest of the world. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe, and that's all I could have hoped for. Now, my son is a grown man. Handsome, intelligent, confident. Just like his old man. Hmph. And as hard as it was to admit it, he doesn't need his daddy anymore. [long pause] God, we wanted to change the world. We really thought the waters of life could be a reality. And that's why this is a momentous occasion. Because even after nineteen years, I still believe it. Project Purity can and will be operational. This is just the beginning."

Marcus felt a sense of pride as he heard his father talk about him like that. Quickly he played the next tape:

"I spoke with Doctor Li, Madison, at Rivet City. It went about as well as I expected. That is to say she thinks I'm completely mad. How can I blame her? She's got her own life, her own team, and is making real tangible scientific progress. Here I come again, the very paragon of failure and false promises. But the reality is, I need Madison and whatever scientific team she may have assembled. I can't do this myself. Project Purity is bigger than me, it always was. And without Catherine... God, I can't let this die. Not again, not like this."

This entry, and the tone of his father's voice, troubled Marcus. His father's determination was borderline obsession. It was a side of the man he had never seen.

"To be honest, the GECK sounded like pure fantasy, even for someone of Braun's capabilities. It was nothing short of a miracle. A terra-forming module, capable of producing life from complete lifelessness. But not only was this thing a reality, it was actually distributed to several vaults to be used after an atomic war. Vault 101 was, sadly, not on that list. I did some digging and discovered Braun's name on the reservation list for a Vault 112. I'm no slouch, but this man, he could have easily succeeded where I failed. Does his collected knowledge remain within the halls of Vault 112? Journals, holotapes, computer records, maybe even experiments? If I could gain access to just a fraction of Braun's genius, Project Purity would become a reality."

GECK? What the hell was that, Marcus thought. He felt his own excitement rise along with his father's. Could he have found the answer to getting this project working?

"I'm off to Vault 112 to search for anything of Braun's that might help me get this purifier up and running. All I know is that it's West of some place called "Evergreen Mills," and it's well hidden in some sort of garage. But I'll find it, I have to. It's so close, but that's the story of Project Purity, isn't it? An eternity of "almost there's". Let's see if Braun has the missing puzzle piece."

Vault 112, that was it! His father was heading there, and that's where he would follow. There was one last tape he hadn't played, but this one was marked "Better Days."

"That batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the secondary filtration system. We're going to recalibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow so that... James, please, I'm trying to work. Now's not the time!"

As Marcus heard the woman's voice tears began to form in his eyes. Clover stepped over to him. "Who is that?"

"...So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to.. James!"

Marcus could bearly answer. "I think...it's my mother!"

Clover listened as the woman on the tape began to laugh.

"Stop, I need to finish these notes! [laughing] ...We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners, that should..."

Marcus could no longer hold back the tears. "I never...I've never heard her voice before."

Clover gently rubbed Marcus' back. "She sounds nice."

"Owww! James! [laughing] Now? We really shouldn't! [laughing]"

The tape ended a few moments later and Marcus stood there with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Are you alright, kid?" Harkness asked.

Marcus cleared his throat and wiped his face. "Yeah...I'll be alright. Do you know where this Evergreen Mills is?"

"Yeah - that place is a raider's haven. If this Vault is west of it, I'd give the place a wide berth. I'll mark the location on your PIPBOY."

"Thanks Chief." Marcus took another look around. "Let's get out of here."

After emerging from the memorial the four companions headed out back towards Rivet City. Just before reaching the bridge they were confronted by six armed Talon Company mercenaries. "Well, well look at what we have hear." the leader said. "We've been looking for you."

Marcus gripped the handle of his rifle and stared at the six men. The leader and two others were armed with 10mm submachine guns. Two were armed with AK-47's, and one was armed with a laser rifle. "I don't want any trouble."

The mercs laughed. "No trouble, he says. What? You think you could go around doing the things your doing and no one would notice. Pity, I heard you could've been - something."

While the merc rambled on, Harkness was secretly sending a coded message to Hill.

"Any last words?" the leader asked.

"I do." Harkness said, and the mercs looked at him. The Chief smiled. "Wait for it."

The lead merc laughed. "Wait for it? What the hell..."

His head exploded in a cloud of pink mist, covering the two Talon Company mercs nearby with blood and brains. Before any of the remaining mercs could react, Hill targeted a second and fired. The round hit one of the mercs square in the chest, blowing the top of his torso off. Harkness moved with lightning speed and knocked the merc with the laser rifle down with one punch; fracturing his skull. Marcus fired his tri-beam and reduced the merc with the AK ash. Charon blasted one of them into the next life with his Terrible shotgun, and Clover shot the last merc in the head with her submachine gun.

The battle was over in seconds, and all of the Talon Company mercs lay dead. Marcus was relieved, but he found no joy in this victory. He knew it was inevitable that he would run into these mercenaries, and he knew these were the first of many to hunt for him. Clover was already searching the body of the leader, and she removed a handful of documents from his pocket and handed them to Marcus.

"Well here's the contract on my head; it's up to 4,000 caps."

Harkness let out a whistle. "Damn, kid! You really pissed somebody off!"

Marcus didn't respond, and read the other contract. "Look's like yours is up to 1,000 caps, Clover."

The former slave girl let out a cheer. "I told you I'd get it up to a thousand!"

Marcus just shook his head. There was one more document that got his attention. "It says here Talon Company's been hired to attack a runaway slave haven named "The Temple of the Union". There's a map here showing where it is."

Everyone gathered around and studied the map. "That's north of the downtown area," Harkness said, "quite a hike from here."

Marcus nodded. "Yes, but we have a truck stashed north of Underworld that will get us there in no time."

Chief Harkness was shocked. "But what about your father and Vault 112?"

"According to this they plan on attacking those slaves soon, so someone has to warn them."

"Another detour?" Charon asked.

Marcus looked at the ghoul. "Another detour." He turned to Harkness. "I don't suppose you could come with us, Chief?"

Harkness shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't go that far away from Rivet City, especially now that the Common Wealth is sending Hunters after me. If I'm not their to protect the city, those androids might destroy it."

Marcus nodded and shook his hand. "I understand. Thank you again for everything."

"You'll always have a place in Rivet City. I hope you find your father."

"Thank you Harkness, and good luck to you."

Harkness headed off across the bridge back to Rivet City. After they had scavenged what they could from the mercs (including two pairs of black combat armor for Clover and Charon), the three companions headed north to the Temple of the Union.