Chapter 19: Shattered Dreams

The journey back to Rivet City was a slow and arduous one for the small band of survivors from Vault 112. Not only did they have to trek more than fifty miles through the wasteland, but the ten Vault residents who had been in stasis for over two-hundred years had difficulty walking, so they crammed into the back and cabin of Marcus' truck. This left no room for him, his father, or Dr. Li and her team, so Charon was forced to drive a mere five miles as hour, while the others walked beside it. Despite all of this, Marcus didn't care. He and his father were walking ahead of the small caravan, and they had not stopped talking since leaving the Vault. Marcus told James everything he had done since his escape from Vault 101, and his father listened with a mixture of wonder and horror. Ultimately, James was proud of his son. Proud of everything he had accomplished, and proud of all the people he had helped. But when Marcus told him about his return to Vault 101, James' heart began to break. Marcus told him everything; even confided in him that it was his idea to be exiled so that Amata could lead the Vault.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, son." James said. "I know how much Amata meant to you."

Marcus tensed up. "How long did you know?"

James grinned. "For a while. I figured it out before the Overseer did."

Marcus stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his father.

"You look surprised." James observed.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah. I'm surprised I'm still here."

James chuckled as they continued walking. "Alphonse called me into his office one night and confronted me about it. I believe his exact words were: give me one reason why I shouldn't throw your son into the brig!"

Marcus couldn't help but smile. "And what did you say?"

"I calmly told him that if he did that, he would not only lose a doctor, but he would almost certainly lose a daughter as well."

Marcus couldn't believe that had worked. "That's it?"

James nodded. "For all of his faults, there was no doubting Alphonse's love for Amata."

Marcus scoffed at that statement. "Yeah...that's why the last thing he did was put a gun to Amata's head and force her to kill him."

James could hear the hatred in his voice and decided to change the subject. "Well, anyway...it was a tremendous sacrifice you made." He let out a tired sigh. "I wished things had worked out differently." He gestured to the wasteland before them. "I didn't want this life for you."

Marcus decided to ask the question that had been on his mind for weeks. "Is that because it was once your life?"

Now James tensed up, but he kept walking. "How did you find out?"

"A scumbag named Collin Moriarty."

James cursed under his breath. "I never should've trusted him. You know he was just a two-bit hoodlum when I first met him? When I took you into the Vault I gave it a year before someone would put a bullet in his head. Imagine my surprise when I found that he was not only still alive, but controled Megaton with an iron fist."

Marcus grinned. "Well, he doesn't have that kind of control over the city anymore."

"I heard." He put his arm on Marcus' shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, son."

Marcus quickly swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Thank you, Dad."

They continued to walk for a while in silence, carefully keeping on eye out for anything dangerous. "So Dad, what do you plan on doing now?"

"Well, after we get these people medical attention at Rivet City, I'm going to try to convince Madison and her team to help me with Project Purity." James looked at his son. "It would mean a lot to me if you could help me, Marcus."

Marcus stared out into the wasteland and took a deep breath. "I don't know, Dad. I made a promise to Amata that I would do everything I could to make this Wasteland a safe place to live. There are a lot of very bad people out there; people who need to be stopped. I don't see how I can do that at Project Purity."

James was silent for a few moments as he contemplated what Marcus had said. He reached down and picked up a handful of dirt, and showed it to his son. "You see this soil? It's dead. Lifeless. Useless. This is what the people out here have to wake up to every morning. No hope of growing crops. No hope of raising animals. No hope period." He let the lifeless dirt fall between his fingers. "You can kill a hundred Super Mutants and a thousand Raiders, but as long as this," he stretched his arm out towards the horizon, "is all there is, things will never change." He tapped his finger on Marcus' tri-beam rifle. "You can't change that with the barrel of a gun, but you can change it at Project Purity." James stopped walking and stood face to face with his son, and his words almost failed him. "You're a grown man now; I can't tell you what to do, and you've accomplished more in the last few weeks then I have in a lifetime. But this...this was my dream. It was your mother's dream. And I would be honored to have my son by my side."

As strong as he was, Marcus could no longer hold back his tears. Everything his father said made sense, but it also sounded too good to be true. Could he actually put down this rifle and still fulfill his promise to Amata? Standing there, with his father, Marcus made his decision. "Okay, Dad. We'll do it together."

James placed his hand on the back of Marcus' neck. "That's my boy."

The group of travelers watched as father and son embraced.

After bringing the former residents of Vault 112 to Rivet City, James succeeded in convincing Madison to help him with Project Purity. He explained that while they did not have a GECK, he believed they were closer than they had ever been to a breakthrough. Dr. Li gathered the rest of her team, which included Garza, Anna Holt, Janice Kaplinski, and Dr. Alex Dargon. While he didn't like the idea of the entire science team being off the ship, Chief Harkness agreed to send two of Rivet City's guards to accompany them. When they arrived at the Jefferson Memorial, to everyone's dismay, James went right to work. The team, including Marcus, had hoped for a break after the long journey across the Wasteland, but there was no stopping his father. He had never seen the man so excited and full of energy. At one point he over heard Madison tell one of her assistants that James was quote: "As giddy as a school boy." Still, Marcus was happy to help, and he and Garza spent the rest of the day fixing the flood control pumps in the memorial's sub-basement. It was hard, dirty work, but Marcus found it both rewarding and relaxing. 'Better than dodging bullets and laser fire', he thought.

When the day was finally over, Marcus made his way up to the memorial's basement where cots and bunks had been set up for the science team. Most of them were already snoring by the time Marcus slumped down on a bunk inside a small room that was next to his father's. He was just beginning to doze off when a knock on the wall caused him to sit up.

"I'm sorry," his father said, "I didn't know you were in bed."

Marcus swung his legs over the side and rubbed his eyes. "It's okay." he yawned. "Long day."

James entered the room. "I know; but a productive one." He sat down at a small table, and that's when Marcus noticed the bottle and glasses he was carrying.

"I've been saving this for a very long time." James began as he looked at the bottle. "It's 200 year old scotch from the old country. Your mother and I planned on opening it the day Project Purity was completed, but..." He removed the bottle's cork. "...I think you joining me on this is just as special an occation." He began to pour the contents in the glasses, and he handed one to Marcus. "I trust you've had a drink before?"

Marcus reached for the glass. "Yeah. As a matter of fact I had my first hangover a few days ago."

James raised his eyebrows. "How was that for ya?"

Marcus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Bad."

James laughed. "Well, this will seem like heaven compared to that post-war swill you've been drinking." He raised his glass. "Cheers."

Marcus raised his. "Cheers."

They both drank it down at the same time. James closed his eyes and savored the taste, while Marcus was pleasantly surprised at how smooth it went down. "Dad I ah...found a tape with mom's voice on it."

James poured another shot into his glass and started to blush. Yeah, I ah...left in such a hurry that I left it behind. I should've let you hear her voice sooner."

Marcus held out his glass and his father filled it. "It's okay. It sounded like it was a...private moment between the two of you."

James grinned. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure that was the night you were conceived."

Now Marcus began to blush. "Okay Dad, that's a little more then I needed to know."

James laughed. "Okay, okay. Since leaving the Vault has there been anyone else?"

"Well, there was this girl named Clover. She and I escaped from Paradise Falls together. We had a fling for a little while, and I care about her a lot, but..."

"Nothing like what you felt for Amata?"

Marcus nodded and stared at the ground. "Yeah. What about you, Dad? Was there anyone after Mom?"

James stared at the contents of his glass and sighed. "No. After your mother...I just never thought about it."

Marcus could hear the pain in his father's voice. He couldn't imagine being lonely for that long. "Well, what about Dr. Li? I caught her looking at you a few times."

James' eyes widened. "Madison? Well...she's a very loyal college and a brilliant scientist."

Marcus smiled. "And she's not bad looking either."

James shifted in his seat. "Hey, I'm the one who's suppose to be giving you advise."

Marcus let out a laugh and lifted his glass. "Here's to the women in our lives...where ever they are."

They clinked their glasses together and drank.

Marcus spent most of the next morning in the basement of Project Purity replacing fuses and trying to get the computer mainframe back on line. Even though Charon and the two Rivet City security guards were patrolling the memorial, Marcus still wore his Ranger Armor and sidearms as he worked. After two months of fighting for his life, Marcus found it impossible to completely let his guard down. He quietly hoped that someday that would change. "Okay Dad, I think I got it." He said into the intercom.

"Yes, that's it. Everything looks good on this end. Good job. There's still one thing left I need you to do. Madison told me there's a blockage in one of the main drain pipes. It's probably a closed valve. I need you to head down to the storm drain maintenance tunnel and open it. The entrance is in a small room across from the memorial's entrance."

"Ok Dad, I'm on my way."

The storm drain was less cramped then Marcus had expect (though not by much), and it didn't take long for him to find the valve. It was located just below a large access grate, and Marcus could feel the breeze coming off the ocean. He had just opened the valve when a strange sound from outside caught his attention. The sound was getting louder and louder, until it seemed like whatever causing it was right on top of him. A guts of wind suddenly shot through the grate, and Marcus shielded his eyes from the dust and debris. As he squinted, he could see two large, green flying machines that he had never seen before, hovering over the memorial. Based on old-world pictures he had seen in his class, these looked like a cross between a jet airplane and a helicopter. On the side of one of the aircraft he could make out a large E with white stars around it. The aircraft landed, and several heavily armed men in power armor quickly filed out. Marcus quickly began to make his way back down the storm drain, and he pulled out a radio that Chief Harkness had given him at Rivet City.

"Charon! Charon, are you there?"

"I'm here, kid."

"Who the hell are these people?"

"I don't know, but they don't look friendly. They're at the door now..."

Marcus heard the sound of gunfire over the radio before it went dead. "Charon! CHARON! Rivet City security, anybody!"

Silence. Marcus picked up the pace and he quickly climbed out of the storm drain. He could see the door of the memorial open up, and he ducked back into the maintenance room. As he peeked around the corner, Marcus could see six men wearing power armor and carrying strange energy weapons, being led by a tall man with grey hair wearing a tan trench coat. "Alpha team will secure the outer perimeter." He ordered into his head set. "Delta team, you're with me." The seven men rounded the corner and headed into the memorial's gift shop area.

Marcus looked down at his pistol and sawed-off, the only weapons he had, and cursed. He knew these men were headed to the Rotunda, where his father and the rest of the scientist were. He had to do something. Quietly he drew his desert eagle and made his way down the hallway. He quickly peeked around the corner, and spotted two of the power armored men standing guard behind a pile of sandbags at the gift shop entrance. Marcus took a couple of deep breath, took aim, and activated his VATS. He aimed for the first one's head, and looked in two shots. The second guard he aimed for the torso, locked in the third shot, and fired. The first 50 caliber round struck the helmet with a load clang, and while it had absorbed the shot, the second round smashed through the now damaged armor with ease. The man's head exploded inside the helmet, and he was dead before he hit the ground. The third shot Macus fired found it's mark, and though it knocked the guard back, he quickly recovered and opened fire. Marcus ducked back behind the wall as beams of strange, green light flew past him. The beams struck a stack of filing cabinets in the corner of the hall, and Marcus watched in horror as the beams melted the steel cabinets as if they were nothing.

'Holy shit! No way my armor can stop that!' Marcus took aim and fired until his magazine went dry. He could hear some of the bullets hitting the guard's armor, and at one point, he thought he heard the man scream. But the guard was determined to hold his ground, and he continued to fire the deadly weapon; which was now causing the corner of the wall that Marcus was hiding behind to disintegrate. Marcus quickly moved back along the wall, reloaded his pistol, and checked his PIPBOY. Still thirty more seconds before he could use his VATS again. "Damn it!" he yelled.

The sound of several shotgun blast from inside the gift shop caused Marcus' heart to jump. He knew that shotgun; he could recognize the sound anywhere. He looked around the destroyed wall and spotted Charon, standing behind the now surprised armored man and blasted him at point blank range with the Terrible Shotgun. The man let out a blood curtailing scream before he finally collapsed and died. Marcus ran out from behind his cover and over to the ghoul. "Charon! You alright?"

"Yeah." He looked down at his left arm. "Took a laser blast to the shoulder."

Marcus looked around. "Where are the Rivet City guards?"

"Dead. These bastards turned them to ash before we could even say hello. I barely got away."

Marcus kneeled down and looked at the bodies. "Who the hell are they?"

Charon shook his head. "I don't know. They're not Brotherhood, that's for sure. I don't even think they have tech like this. It's a good thing these tungsten rounds can penetrate that armor."

Marcus picked up the strange, green rifle and examined it. "This thing makes laser rifles look like toys. I saw Lyons use what she called a plasma grenade in our fight at GNR. This weapon seems to fire the same kind of energy. It looks like it's powered by micro-fusion cells."

"Well since most of our gear is still in the basement, I suggest we take what we can off these assholes." He reached into his pack and pulled out Marcus' grenade launcher. "It's a good thing you loaned me this. There's only one round left, so make it count."

Marcus took the weapon. "Thanks." He and Charon looted what ever weapons they could from the corpses. Marcus kept the plasma rifle and ammo for it, and he and Charon found two frag grenades, and two plasma grenades. They were about to head out when a low voice began coming from one of the corpses.

"This is Colonel Autumn, is everything alright? We thought we heard gunfire outside."

Marcus realized that it was coming from one of the dead guard's helmets, and he quickly reached down and removed it.

"I say again, this is Colonel Autumn. Give me a sitrep, over."

Marcus had an idea, and he quickly found the mic inside the helmet and spoke. "This is - Delta team. Everything is alright. We found a couple of hostiles but they have been eliminated. Over."

Marcus held his breath as he waited for the reply. "Good work. Remain at your post. Colonel Autumn, out."

Marcus let out a deep breath. "Come on, I think they're in the Rotunda. If we're lucky we can take them by surprise."

James calmly stood in front of the main control panel of Project Purity. To his right was a visibly frightened Janice Kaplinski, and they were both flanked by two men in power armor. At the bottom of the stairs, just inside the Rotunda entrance, Doctor Li, Doctor Dargon, and Garza, were standing with there hands above their heads as two more armored men covered them. Anna Holt was no where to be found. Standing in front of James was the obvious leader of these invaders, and he began to address the scientist.

"By the authority of the President, this facility is now under United States Government control. The person in charge is to step forward immediately and turn over all materials related to this project."

James took a step forward and cleared his throat. "That's quite impossible. This is a private project, the Enclave has no authority here. I'm going to have to ask you to leave at once."

The Colonel glared and James and placed his hands behind his back. " Am I to assume, sir, that you are in charge?"

James nodded. " Yes, I'm responsible for this project."

"Then I repeat, sir, that you are hereby instructed to immediately hand over all materials related to the purifier."

" I'm sorry, but that's..."

The Colonel put his hand up and cut James off. " Furthermore, you are to assist Enclave scientists in assuming control of the administration and operation of this facility at once."

James clenched his fist. Little did this Colonel realise, but James already knew who these people were. These men where the Enclave: a band of fascist and xenophobes who claimed to be the descendants of the United States Government. They were here for one reason: to take Project Purity away from him and use it for their own sick agenda. This is why he had already set things in motion; before the Colonel and his goons had entered the room. Slowly the pressure in the reactor was building, and all James had to do was enter the final sequence. He just had to buy a little more time. " Colonel - is it colonel? I'm sorry but the facility isn't operational. It never has been. I'm afraid you are wasting your time here."

Colonel Autumn's jaw hardened. "Sir, this is the LAST time I'm going to repeat myself. Stand down at once and turn over control of this facility."

James glanced over at Janice, who was trying her best to contain her terror. He took a deep breath. "Colonel, I assure you that this facility will not function. We have never been able to successfully replicate test results."

The Colonel stood there motionless, and stared at James with cold eyes. Then, without saying a word, the Colonel drew a 10mm pistol, and shot Janice right between the eyes. Down inside the Rotunda, Madison let out a scream, and an enraged Garza tried to run towards the steps, but was quickly knocked back down by one of the guards. James stared at Janice's lifeless body, and his blood ran cold. He stared back at the Colonel, and there was no emotion on the man's face.

" I suggest you comply immediately, sir, in order to prevent any more incidents. Are we clear?"

James had to resist the urge to go for the man's throat. " Yes, colonel. I'll do whatever you want, there's no need for more violence."

The Colonel holstered his pistol. "Then you will immediately hand over all materials related to this project and aid us in making it operational at once."

A sigh escaped from James. "Very well, give me a few moments to get the system online." He turned around and looked down at his gauges. 'Just a few more seconds', he thought.

The doors of the Rotunda burst open, and the two Enclave soldiers guarding the scientist were gunned down by a hail of shotgun and plasma fire. Autumn drew his pistol and grabbed James by the arm, while one of his two remaining guards stepped through the airlock, laser rifle at the ready. Three blast from Marcus' plasma rifle turned the soldier to a pile of green goo, and Autumn held his pistol to James' head. Both Marcus and Charon climbed the steps, and stopped just outside the airlock. Marcus aimed his rifle at the Colonel. "Let'em go!"

The Colonel pressed the gun against James' temple. "You are in no position to give me orders, boy!"

Marcus stared at his father, then back to the Colonel. "If he dies, you die!" he growled.

The Colonel sneered. "Son, do you have any idea who we are?"

"Yeah - just another bunch of assholes who think they can take what doesn't belong to them."

When James realized that it was Marcus coming to his rescue, the first thing he felt was panic. He was hoping that his son had somehow managed to get away, or had the good sense to hide until all of this was over. But seeing him now, standing against the might of the Enclave, James never felt prouder in his life.

"We are the representatives of the United States Government," The Colonel said, "and we are fighting for the glory of America!"

A small laugh escaped from Marcus. "I don't know if you've taken a good look outside, pal, but the war's over. You lost!"

"We haven't lost anything! We will rebuild this great country to it's former glory; the way it was meant to be..."

As the Colonel went on his rant, James turned and looked down at his gauges. The pressure was in the red, and time was up. He had to act fast, and he stared at his son for what would probably be the last time. He was going to miss him, and it broke his heart knowing he would not be there for Marcus. But as his son stood up to Colonel Autumn, James smiled. 'He's going to be fine; I raised him right.'

James shoved the unsuspecting Colonel with all his might, knocking him into the other Enclave soldier. Before Marcus or Charon could react, James hit a switch on the control panel, and the airlock slammed shut.

Marcus pounded on the glass. "Dad! What the hell are you doing?"

James turned and began to type in the final sequence. Colonel Autumn regained his footing and fired two bullet's into James' back. Marcus watched in horror as his father slumped over the now blood covered controls.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he pounded even harder on the glass.

James struggled to stand as blood poured from his wounds. He looked over at the Colonel, and to everyone's surprise, James presented him with his middle finger. He then used that same finger to push the final button on the panel, and an explosion rocked the facility, knocking everyone off their feet.

Marcus quickly got back on his feet, and looked into the chamber, desperate to find his father. James crawled towards the airlock, and Marcus dropped to his knees. "Dad! Open the door!" He pounded on the glass. "You can make it! You just have to open the door!"

James placed his blood covered right hand onto the glass and looked at his son. There were so many things he wanted to say to him in that moment. He wanted to tell him that he was proud of him, and that he loved him more than anything, and that he was sorry for leaving him in the Vault the way he did. He wanted to wipe away his son's tears, and tell him that it was going to be alright. That both he and his mother would always watch over him. Instead, only one word could escape his throat. "Run. RUN!"

Marcus placed his palm over the glass covering his father's, and he watched through tear filled eyes as he took his last breath. James' hand slipped down, leaving only a bloodied hand print on the glass. Marcus began to shake violently. "Nononononono!" He stood up, grabbed his plasma rifle, and took aim. He was going to get his father out of there no matter what. He was about to pull the trigger when Charon grabbed the rifle and stopped him.

"Marcus no!"

Marcus fought against the ghoul with all his might. "I'VE GOTTA GET'EM OUT OF THERE!"

Charon held fast. "MARCUS! HE'S GONE! LOOK AT YOUR PIPBOY!"

Marcus stopped struggling and looked at his right arm. The radiation readings in the room were rising quickly.

"The whole compartment is flooded with radiation!" Charon said. "If you open that door now everyone in here is dead!"

Marcus pushed against the ghoul and continued to struggle for his rifle. "I DON'T CARE..."

Charon shoved him against the wall. "MARCUS! HE. IS. GONE!"

Marcus stood there, tears streaming down his face. Slowly he relaxed and stopped struggling, and Charon let him go. He stared as his father's lifeless body, and let out a tortured scream that echoed through the Rotunda. He slumped down on the ground and sat there, sorrow, anger and rage coarsing through his viens. All of those weeks of searching, everything he had been through - and it all ended like this. Marcus shut his eyes tight; hoping that when he opened them again that this would all be just a terrible dream.

Madison came running up the stairs. "We have to get out of here. More of them will be here any second."

Marcus' eyes shot open; rage and blood lust filled them as he stood up and began heading for the Rotunda entrance. Charon ran passed him and blocked the door. "Marcus don't!"

"Get out of my way, Charon!"

"If you do this you'll get yourself killed."

Marcus tried to push past him. "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! THEY KILLED MY FATHER AND NOW I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!"

"MARCUS! We can't fight them all! Your father sacrificed himself so that you could live. He wouldn't want you throw your life away like this."

Marcus stopped pushing and stared at his friend. Charon glanced over at the team of scientist. "We have to get these people out of here. There will be a time for revenge, I promise you. But right now, we have to go!"

Marcus looked over at the terrified scientist. Every fiber of his being was telling him to charge out of the Rotunda, and slaughter as many of these Enclave bastards as he could before being cut down. But Charon was right; that is not what his father would've wanted. His father sacrificed himself to save lives, not to satisfy a lust for revenge. Reluctantly, Marcus looked at his friend and gave a weak nod.

The relief was evident on Charon's face. "Alright, let's go." The ghoul quickly looted what he could from the two Enclave corpses: a laser pistol, more micro-fusion cells and two more grenades.

"There's a man-hole cover just outside this door that leads to the Taft underground tunnel network." Doctor Li said. "It's our only way out, come on!"

She and the rest of her team ran out the door, with Charon right behind him. He turned and saw Marcus, standing still and staring at the room where his father had died. "Marcus! Come on!"

Marcus took a deep breath, and his voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, Dad." He forced himself to run towards Charon, and the two of them quickly made their way into the tunnels.

The Taft tunnels reminded Marcus of the metro tunnels that he had traveled in, only there was no rail line to follow. According to Madison, these tunnels led underneath the old Pentagon, which was now known as the Citadel: the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Steel. They had made it down the first tunnel, and were in a large central chamber that branched off into more tunnels, when the first feral ghouls appeared. The scientist, who had obviously never seen combat before, ran back towards the tunnel, as Charon and Marcus opened fire. The fight didn't last very long, and the four feral ghouls had been dealt with.

Just as the last ghoul fell, they could hear movement from down the tunnel that they had just come through. "Oh my God! Madison cried. "They're coming!"

Marcus cursed under his breath. 'Feral ghouls in front of us, Enclave soldiers behind us', he thought. "Charon, you stay up front and take care of any ghouls we run into. I'll keep those bastards off our tails."

Charon nodded. "Alright, but make sure you don't fall too far behind."

Marcus gave his friend a slap on the arm and ran to the rear of the scientist. "Come on, move!"

The group quickly ran into another tunnel, and Marcus stood just inside the entrance of it, turned around, and readied his grenade launcher. He could hear the Enclave soldiers running down the other tunnel, and he took aim and waited. The first soldier appeared, and Marcus activated his VATS, targeted the man's torso, and fired. The explosion blew the soldier's armor and chest apart, and a second Enclave soldier standing behind him was wounded. Marcus ducked into the tunnel and ran towards the rest of the group.

Alpha team's commanding officer, Captain Jones, was nearly knocked down when the grenade exploded, killing one of her men and wounding another. The blonde hair, blue eyed woman picked up her officer cap, and urged her men on. "Keep going; don't let these fuckers get away!"

Leaving their wounded and dead behind, Alpha team moved forward. They entered the second tunnel, and when they rounded another corner, were met by a hail of plasma fire. The first round hit one of her soldiers directly in the face, and the man screamed as it was melted off. Jones ducted back around the corner, but then returned fire with her plasma pistol. 'How can a savage fire an energy weapon like that!', she thought. She was about to order her men to advance, when she heard the thud of a frag grenade land near them. One of her soldiers yelled "Grenade!" and knocked her to the ground. The explosion shattered the soldier's leg, knocking him out of the fight.

Jones quickly got back up. Two dead, and two men wounded. She was beginning to get pissed off. "Open fire!"

A hail of plasma and laser fire flew down the tunnel towards Marcus, and he barely rounded the corner in time. He quickly made his way back to the group, and he could hear gun fire up ahead as Charon dispatched three more feral ghouls. Madison managed to open up a large, metal blast door which led into another central chamber. Once they were through, Madison closed the door, and Charon shot the controls with his shotgun. "That should hold them for a while." He said.

Marcus took a moment to catch his breath. He was covered in sweat, and every muscle in his body ached. Suddenly, they could hear laser and plasma fire hitting the blast doors; the Enclave was trying to get in.

"We have to go!" Marcus said.

Madison grabbed his arm. "We can't!"

Marcus looked at her wide eyed. "Are you crazy? Why not?"

"It's Garza; he has a heart condition and the strain of all of this is too much."

Marcus looked at the engineer, and he was indeed sitting on the ground grabbing his chest and breathing heavily. "What can we do?" he asked Madison.

"He needs nitro pills otherwise his heart will give out."

Marcus looked at Garza. "Well do you have any?"

Garza struggled to speak. "No. I...left them...back at the - memorial."

The sound of a plasma grenade going off outside the door startled everyone. The doors were still holding, but it wouldn't be long.

"Well we can't stay here! Charon said. "We have to move now."

Marcus tried to pull Garza up. Madison ran over to stop him. "No, the stress will kill him!"

Marcus struggled to get the man to his feet. "We don't have a choice! He has to move or we're all dead!"

Garza reached out and grabbed Madison's arm. "Leave me here, Doc. Save...yourselves."

Marcus stopped struggling, and Garza sat back down. Madison shook her head. "No, that is not an option..."

"I'm not gonna...make it." Garza whispered. He looked at Marcus and held out his right hand. "Give me a weapon. I'll...hold them off as long...as I can."

Marcus stared into the eyes of the dying engineering, and he could tell that though he was afraid, the man had made peace with the situation. It broke Marcus' heart, for in the few days he worked with Garza, he had grown to like him. The sound of compressed air got everyone's attention, and to their horror, sparks began coming through the top of the blast doors. The Enclave were using a plasma torch to cut their way through. Charon handed the laser pistol he had looted from the dead soldier to Garza, then he dragged a frantic and screaming Doctor Li towards the next tunnel. Marcus removed a frag grenade from his belt, placed it in Garza's right hand, and pulled the pin. "Keep holding it like this."

Garza nervously nodded his head. "Keep them safe."

Marcus nodded, then headed down the tunnel. Garza had positioned himself behind a pile of old sandbags, and he tried his best to control his breathing. He clutched the live grenade close to his chest, and took aim with the laser pistol. If he was going to go, he was going to take some of these bastards with him.

The doors were pried open, and Garza opened fire. The first couple of shots went wide, but he quickly adjusted his fire, and scored a hit on the arm of one of the Enclave soldiers. A laser blast struck Garza in his left soldier, and he cried out in pain, but he kept firing. Captain Jones took aim with her plasma pistol and fired a round into Garza's head, killing him instantly. The soldiers moved into the central chamber, and Jones stood in front of the tunnel that the remaining group had just ran down. One her soldiers went over to the dead body and reached down.

Jones lunged forward. "Don't touch him..."

Too late. The soldier rolled Garza's corps on it's back, and the live grenade rolled out of his hand. The explosion sent shrapnel through the soldier's power armor and into his chest, killing him instantly. Jones was knocked on her feet, but aside from some ringing in her ears, so was alright. "I want their heads!" she shrieked.

The explosion was heard by the rest of the group, and they all stopped for a moment as they realized what it meant: Garza was dead.

Madison looked down at the ground, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "He's...he's gone. We left him to die. How could we do that?"

Doctor Dargon placed his hand on Madison's shoulder. "He gave his life for us; that has to count for something."

Madison weakly nodded. Charon slapped a fresh ammo well into his shotgun. "How much further?"

"We're almost there." Madison said. "There should be a blast door at the end of this tunnel."

As quickly as their exhausted bodies could carry them, they had finally made it to another set of large blast doors. Madison began typing on a console. "I just hope they haven't changed the code. It's been a long time."

Her answer came when the door opened, and they were greeted by three Brotherhood of Steel Knights, standing behind sandbags in a make-shift guard post. One of them was holding a Gatling Laser, and he was obviously shocked that someone had managed to open the doors. "Halt! Identify yourselves!"

"We don't have time to explain!" Madison shouted. "The Enclave is right behind us!"

Though no one could see past their helmets, the BOS Knights were dumbfounded by her statement. "The Enclave? Here? Lady, you must be..."

"HERE THEY COME!" Charon yelled, and everyone ran through the door, just as laser and plasma fire flew down the tunnel.

The confused BOS Knights readied their weapons, not sure of who or what they were about to face. A moment later, Captain Jones and what remained of Alpha team appeared in the doorway. For a brief moment both sides stood their in utter disbelief, and it was clear to Marcus that while these two groups knew each other, neither side expected to actually be facing the other. Captain Jones raised her pistol. "Fire!"

The head Brotherhood Knight was quicker on the trigger, and he unleashed a deadly stream of laser fire from his gatling laser, cutting the Enclave soldier next to Jones in half. Jones continued to fire, and a plasma round struck another BOS Knight in the arm, causing him to drop his laser rifle. The fire from the BOS Knights was too intense, and Jones watched as another of her soldiers was cut down. Having now lost half her men, and not being prepared to face the Brotherhood, she had little choice.

"Retreat! Fall back to the Purifier!"

Alpha team quickly reteated back down the tunnel. One of the BOS Knights ran over to the control panel and sealed the doors. Everyone took a moment to catch their breaths.

"Jesus Christ!" The Head Knight said. "You're right; it was the Enclave." He looked over at his wounded soldier. "Are you alright, Simins?"

The BOS soldier was holding her arm. "I'll be alright, sir."

The head Knight turned to Madison. "Who are you, again?"

"My name is Doctor Madison Li, and it's imperative that I speak to Elder Lyons. Please, he has to know about this."

"No argument here. Simins, take these people to the Citadel and get that arm looked at."

Simins protested. "I'm fine sir; you'll need me if the Enclave comes back..."

"You have your orders, Paladin."

Simins sighed. "Yes, sir."

The Knight turned to Madison. "I'll radio ahead to the Citadel and let them know you're coming."

Madison was grateful. "Thank you."

The small group of survivors climbed the ladder to the surface, where sunlight and fresh air greeted them. They found themselves in front of the old Pentagon, which had three of it's five outer rings blow out during the Great War. As they made their way to the Citadel's entrance, Marcus took a moment to look out across the Potomac River. He could see more of the Enclave's aircraft landing at the Jefferson Memorial. The hate and anger that he had pushed down in order to save the scientist, was now coming back. As he stood there, Charon walked up beside him. "Don't worry, kid. We'll get it back, I promise."

Marcus' gaze never left the memorial. "We're going to do more than that, Charon." He growled. "We're going to kill them all!"