Chapter 32: The Wanderer Returns

Megaton, one month after the events at Point Lookout...

"Goooood morning, Capital Wasteland! It is I, Three Dog, coming to you from my fortified bunker in downtown D.C. Time for some news. This, faithful listeners, is the story of a little boy. A little boy... named Bryan Wilks. You see, Bryan's from Grayditch, a small settlement that was recently overrun with overzealous Giant Ants. Bryan, sadly, was the sole survivor. That's where the kid from Vault 101 comes in, and where our story, thankfully, gets better. You see, not only did the Lone Wanderer stop the Ant problem, he also found little Bryan Wilks a new home. So if you see Bryan and his new parents, wish them all good luck. Kid, if you're listening - you did a good thing. Please, for all our sakes, keep it up. There are enough evil assholes out there already. Until next time, this is Three Dog awwwwww, and your listening to Galaxy News Radio. Bringing you the truth...no matter how bad it hurts. Now, some music..."

Marcus turned off his newly purchased juke box and smiled as he remembered the look on Byan's face when he brought him to his aunt, Vera Weatherly at Rivet City. The poor kid watched as his father and everyone he knew had been killed by giant, fire-breathing ants. When Three Dog reported that contact had been lost with the residents of Grayditch, Marcus decided to investigate. He expected to find Raiders, or Super Mutants...but nothing prepared him for what were the real culprits. When he discovered the ants had been genetically modified by a "Doctor" Lesko, Marcus was more then pissed. Two months ago Marcus would have put a bullet in his head, but instead he punched Lesko in the nose, and ruined his precious experiment by killing the ant queen. It was a tough fight, and if it hadn't been for his healing factor and RL-3 backing him up, he probably wouldn't have made it.

Dogmeat jumped up on the couch, and Marcus scratched behind his ear. "Hey boy. How you feeling?"

Dogmeat responded with a bark. The dog had nearly met his end at Grayditch, when he charged head on at an ant soldier. Neither of them knew the ant's sprayed fire... until Dogmeat was almost on top of him. If not for the dog's quick reflexes, and Marcus' shooting, the canine would have received more then just a cinched coat and a burn on the left side of his face.

"Don't worry boy, chicks dig scars."

Dogmeat licked his face. Marcus stood up, put on his Robco coveralls, and headed outside. The sun was shinning (as always, since it never rained) and he made his way down to Craterside Supply. He passed a few of the Megaton residents, who gave him a polite, but wary greeting. Marcus saw this as progress, since last month they would either head the other way or ignore him completely. Surprisingly, the only people who didn't give him a cold shoulder when he first returned were the Vault 101 traders. Apparently they were more forgiving of Marcus since it was their Overseer he had avenged. Susie Mack tried to talk to him a few times, but the conversations were always awkward. She did tell him that Herman Gomez, the Vault's new Overseer, put a bounty on the heads of all the remnants of Talon Company. Without their leader, and with every merc and Regulator hunting them down, Talon Company had been decimated.

Marcus walked inside, and spotted Moria Brown coming out of the back room of her store. "Good morning, Moria."

Moria's face beamed when she saw him. "Hi there! How is my favorite research assistant doing?"

Marcus sighed as he closed the front door. "Better - now that the research is over."

"Well, it was worth it! I have so many orders for the Wasteland Survival Guide that I'm running out of paper." A sad sigh escaped from her. "It's too bad there are no trees anymore."

Marcus chuckled. If he had a sister, he'd want her to be like Moria. Her carefree, child like innocence (which could be dangerous at times, considering what she dabbled with), was a breath of fresh air in this hell. Since he'd returned from Point Lookout, she was the only one of the Megaton residence that gave him the time of day, so when she asked him to help her research the Wasteland Survival Guide, he jumped at the chance. He probably wouldn't have been so eager if he knew a head of time what she wanted him to do. After two weeks of testing mole rat repellent, sneaking into mirelurk nest, fighting Raiders for food, and intentionally breaking his leg (thank God for the healing factor), the guide was ready. It was such a big hit that even Three Dog had given them an endorsement over the radio. Not long after that, his neighbors attitudes towards him began to thaw.

"Well if you need me to scavenge for more paper I will."

Moria smiled. "Ahhh, you're the best assistant ever."

Marcus tried to look over her shoulder into the back room, but Moria quickly closed the door. "I told you...no peeking!"

Marcus playfully tried to get past her. "When are you going to show me what's back there?"

Moria slapped his hand away as he reached for the door knob. "Inside is my greatest invention and I'm not showing anyone until it's finished."

Marcus pretended to pout. "Alright. So, do you have it?"

"Yes!" She walked behind her counter, reached down, and pulled out a rather crude looking blue print. "Tadaaa! The nuka grenade!"

Marcus stared down at the instructions. "Now...you're sure this is going to work, right?"

Moria smiled. "Of course. I would never blow up anything by mistake!Well...unless I wanted to."

Marcus sighed and shook his head. "So the main ingredient is that Nuka Cola Quantum?"

"That's right. One bottle of Quantum, a few other ingredients and BOOM! Your target is vaporized by a sweet, refreshing blue flame."

Marcus was impressed. Moria might have had the mind of a child, but that same mind was able to invent pretty amazing things (though, half of her inventions ended in total failure). He rolled up the blue prints. "Thanks, Moria." He headed for the front door. "I'll got back to my place and start putting a couple of these together."

Moria waved to him and smiled. "Try not to die!"

Marcus was at his workbench assembling his second nuka grenade when there was a pounding on his door. "God damn it!" He cursed as he almost dropped the components. 'I really need to get a do not disturb sign on that door', he thought.

He made his way over to the door, looked through the peephole - and his heart nearly stopped. "I don't believe this!" he whispered. He ran over to his locker, grabed his desert eagle, and cocked it. Dogmeat let out a growl, and RL-3 appeared on the stair case. "Is there a problem, sir?"

There was more pounding on the door, and Marcus swallowed hard. "I don't know, sergeant. Just, stay there and be ready."

"Sir, yes sir!"

Marcus made his way over to the door, took a deep breath, and slowly cracked it open. He kept the gun behind the door; the .50 caliber rounds could easily go through it if they had to. He cautiously showed himself to his visitors. "You know you're a lot closer than one-hundred yards, right?"

Paladin Tristen stood there stone faced, and he was flanked by two more heavily armed Knights. "We need to talk, Wanderer."

Marcus tightened the grip on his pistol. "You heard the Elder. I'm out! Talking to you could mean death, so if you'll excuse me..." He began to close the door.

"Sarah and the Pride have been captured by Super Mutants!"

Marcus froze. A moment later, he cracked the door open again.

"Now that I have your attention," Tristen said, "can I come in?"

Marcus stared at the battle hardened Paladin. He didn't know what kind of game Tristen was playing, but if Sarah and the Pride were in trouble...

"Alright." Marcus pointed his finger at him. "Just you! You two, stay out here!" He fully opened the door and walked inside.

Tristen turned to his two Knights. "It's okay, wait here."

The Knights saluted, and the Paladin entered the house. He froze when he saw the Mr. Gutsy hovering by the stairs with it's weapons primed and ready.

"It's alright, sergeant." Marcus said as he put his gun on the work bench. "Stand down."

"Sir, yes sir!" RL-3 secured his weapons, and headed up the stairs.

Tristen watched the robot until it had left, and turned back to Marcus. "I'm not even gonna ask."

"Good. Now, what do you mean Sarah and the Pride have been captured by Super Mutants? How is that even possible!"

Tristen walked towards him. "Do you remember Vault 87?"

Marcus' throat went dry. The hell he witnessed inside the Super Mutants' main nest still haunted his dreams. "Unfortunately yes."

"Two days ago we launched an all out assault on the Vault to rid the Capital of the Super Mutants once and for all. The plan was simple. We would use artillery and snipers to draw as many of those ugly bastards out of the main entrance as possible. While they were distracted the Pride, except Paladin Kodiak who is ill, and Star Paladin Cross, would enter through the back door you used at Little Lamplight. Once inside, they would plant explosives in the FEV chambers and blow them to hell." Tristen clenched his fist. "Instead they walked right into a trap!

"Less then an hour after they entered, Star Paladin Cross crawled her way out of that Vault. Her right arm had been torn off, and her skull had been fractured. If it hadn't been for her cybernetics, she never would have made it. The door slammed shut behind her, and it was disabled from the inside." Tristen gritted his teeth. "We could hear those bastards laughing at us on the other side! Taunting us to come in and get them!"

Panic filled Marcus as Tristen described Cross' injuries. "Will Cross be alright?"

Tristen nodded. "She's in a comma, but she'll live. Rothchild says it will take weeks to rebuild her cybernetics. That means you are the only human being left who's been inside that Vault and lived to tell about it. And against my objections, the Elder has sent me here to ask for your help."

The last part nearly floored Marcus. "When did the Pride go in?"

"Almost twelve hours ago."

Marcus began to pace, and his hand went up to his mouth. Twelve hours! He didn't want to think about what was happening to them. What was happening to her. "Alright." He stopped pacing and stood directly in front of the Paladin. "If I go in, I'm going in my way! That means I need my tech back."

Tristen's jaw hardened. "Out of the question!"

Marcus didn't back down. "Wake up, Tristen! If you want me to get them back I'm going to need more then a repeating rifle and a shotgun! I need those weapons. All of them!"

For a moment both men stood eye to eye, neither of them backing down. Finally, Tristen took a deep breath. "Fine." he growled. "They'll be waiting for you at the Vault." He pointed his finger in Marcus' face. "But you will not get your armor back! You don't have the honor to wear it!"

The last statement stung Marcus, but he didn't let it show. "Fair enough. I'm also going in with my team."

Tristen snorted. "Yes...I had a feeling you'd want to put the 'nuke squad' back together. There's a Vertibird outside of town. You can use it to gather your team. Just tell the pilot where you need to go."

Marcus nodded. "Alright. Once I'm ready, I'll meet you at the Little Lamplight."

Tristen gave him a nod and headed for the door. Just as he was about to open it, the Paladin stopped and turned towards Marcus. "Just so we're clear, Wanderer, this changes nothing. Once this operation is over, you are still exiled from this order. Understand?"

Marcus stared daggers at the Paladin. "Crystal." he spat.

Tristen turned and left. Marcus went to work and finished assembling the nuka grenade. "Two will have to do." he sighed. He then quickly put on his Ranger armor, but decided to remove the Regulator duster since it could hinder him in the tight confines of the Vault. After grabbing his desert eagle, "Lucy", his 40mm grenade launcher and all the ammo he could carry, he knelled down in front of Dogmeat and rubbed his head. "I'm sorry boy, but you can't come with me."

The Dog whined.

"I'm sorry, but you're still healing and that Vault..." he hesitated as the terrible memories flashed in his mind. "...trust me, it's no place for you."

The Dog whined again.

"I'm gonna leave you with Billy Creel. You could play with Maggie, would you like that?"

Dogmeat barked and wagged his tail.

"Good boy." He stood up. "Sergeant! Front and center!"

RL-3 was soon hovering in front of him. "Yes sir!"

"We have a mission. Several of our soldiers have been taken prisoner."

"Damn commie bastards!"

Marcus had to hold in his laughter. "We're going to infiltrate the enemy base and get our people back."

"Yes sir, no one gets left behind!"

"There's a Vertibird right outside the gates, I'll meet you there."

"Yes sir."

RL-3 did as he was instructed, and after Marcus dropped Dogmeat off with Billy Creel, he went to Craterside Supply to see Moria.

"Moria, I need to ask you something."

Moria could see the sense of urgency in his eyes. "What do you need?"

"You said you were working on a way to reverse some of the mutations caused by the FEV virus, right?"

Moria's face beamed. "Why yes, I've been working on that for about five years now. The last batch of test were very promising."

"So it works?"

"Welllll, sort of. It worked great on bloat flies that were exposed, but not so much on a Centaur."

Marcus' jaw dropped. "How did you capture a...never mind!" Marcus was grateful to be ignorant of about half of what Moria did. He had no idea where she'd gotten a sample of FEV - and he didn't want to know. "What about humans who have recently been exposed?"

Moria cocked her head to the side and looked to be deep in thought. "Well, I've never tried it on a human before, but if I can get to them in time then...yes, it should work. In theory."

"In theory?" He shook his head. "Well I guess it's better then nothing. Do you have it ready?"

"Of course!" Moria disappeared into the back room. Marcus could swear it sounded as if there was a bar fight going on inside, until finally she emerged with what looked like a rather large, bulky backpack. She tossed it up on the counter. "Here you go! I made it portable so that you could take it into the field."

Marcus looked at the strange device. It was covered in switches, dials, and had several tubes hooked up to it. "Looks...complicated."

"A little. Why do you need it?"

"Some...people I know have been captured by Super Mutants and taken to Vault 87. If they've been exposed to FEV, this may be the only chance they've got."

Moria's face seemed to light up. "You're going back into a Vault? How exciting!"

"So just show me how it works."

"IIIIII don't think that's gonna work. You see, it's a very delicate process and since everyone is different, that means you have to use different calculations. It would be impossible for me to show you how to do this in one afternoon."

Marcus cursed under his breath. "I can't bring them back here, Moria. By then it will be too late."

Moria thought for a moment. "Yeah, you're probably right. So I guess I'm going to have to come with you."

Marcus nearly fell over. "What? Moria...you're not exactly a field scientist, you said so yourself."

Moria rolled her eyes. "I know. It's just that, well...hearing about all of your adventures has made me kinda...envious. Besides, what kind of a scientist would I be if I don't get out there and see things for myself every now and then? Besides, I've always wanted to go inside one of those Vaults."

Marcus sighed and shook his head. "It's not really a Vault, Moria. It's hell."

"Still, It would be quite an opportunity for first hand research. And...it's the only way we'll be able to help these people if they've been exposed to FEV."

Marcus stared at the young woman. He couldn't believe she was serious...or that he was actually considering bringing her along. "I guess I have no choice. Okay Moria, but you have to stay behind me and do exactly what I tell you and when I tell you. Got it?"

Moria threw her arms around Marcus and nearly knocked him over. "Oh thank you! This is going to be sooooo exciting! I'm going to go get ready. Wait here."

Marcus paced inside Moria's shop as he waited for her to emerge from her sleeping quarters. When she did, his eyes bulged out of his head as he took in the sight. She was wearing an advanced radiation suit, and was carring so much equipment it looked like she would fall over at any moment. "What...is all of that?"

"Well I'm gonna want to take pictures, soil, water and air samples, test the metal composition of the structure..."

Marcus lowered his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Moria...we're just going in to get the people out, that's all." He could see her start to pout. "If we have time, I'll download some files from the Vault's computers to my PIPBOY, okay?"

Moria continued to pout. "It's not the same...but, okay." She dropped all of her excess gear, and it landed with a loud thud.

Sarah Lyons woke up in the research lab of Vault 87, stripped of her armor and strapped down to an examining table. She had no idea how much time had passed since she'd been unconscious. Her head was pounding, and the dried blood on her blonde hair was further evidence that she had a concussion. She looked over to her left, where Knight Commander Colvin was restrained in the same manner. "Colvin? Are you still with me?"

At first there was no response, and Sarah feared the worst. Then, she saw him begin to stir. "Yes, Sentinel." His voice was very weak. "I still...draw breath."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "Just hang on," she struggled to say, "the Brotherhood will be here soon."

Colvin swallowed and slowly turned his head. "I know they will."

Sarah turned her head back and stared up at the ceiling. She had given up long ago trying to break free from her restraints that were cutting into her wrist and ankles. During the hours she had been strapped down to the table, the events that led her to this position kept replaying in her mind. The operation started off without a hitch. Cross led them through the Little Lamplight entrance, and they encountered very little resistance at first. It was easy - almost too easy. She should have realized they were walking into a trap, but Sarah believed the Brotherhood's diversion was working, and so she pressed on.

Everything went to hell when they entered the Vault's FEV chambers. The cells opened, and Super Mutants poured out of them. To their credit the Pride kept their heads, and they gave as good as they got. Super Mutants fell before them by the dozens, but the ugly bastards kept coming. Glade, brave and magnificent Glade, was the first to fall. He bravely held the forward position, firing his Gatling laser until the barrel melted down. That's when the Super Mutant Overlord, who was no doubt directing the assault, turned the Knight Commander to ash with fire from a tri-beam laser rifle.

Sarah and the Pride desperately fought their way back from which they came, but when they reached the atrium, more of the bastards were waiting. Star Paladin Cross threw herself at them, swinging the ARM and dropping Super Mutants all around her; desperately trying to creating an opening for the Pride to escape. Two Masters managed to over power her, and her cybernetic arm was ripped from her body, along with the coveted ARM super sledge. But she had created the opening they were hoping for, and Sarah ordered the Pride to retreat.

As they were withdrawing, Knight Commander Dusk was knocked to the ground, and was dragged away kicking and screaming by a Super Mutant Brute. Colvin, desperate to save the woman he loved, disobeyed orders and charged after her. Both of his legs were shot out from under him, and he too, was soon dragged away.

The last thing Sarah remembered was her ordering Gallows to help the wounded Cross and get to the back door. The Sentinel held her ground, screaming at the top of her lungs and blasting away with her rifle as she desperately tried to buy time for the last of her squad to escape.

The next thing she knew, she woke up strapped to this table wearing nothing but her underwear and tank top. Both Colvin and Dusk were in the same room with her and in the same condition, but Sarah held out hope that Gallows and Cross had made it out. That was until the Super Mutant Overlord, with a sinister and tooth filled grin, showed her Gallows' helmet - with his head still in it! The same Overlord had the sacred ARM strapped to his back, and Sarah nearly broke her wrist trying to get to him.

After tossing Gallows' head over his shoulder, the mutant removed Dusk's restraints, and dragged her out of the lab. Colvin screamed himself hoarse, begging the Overlord to take him instead. They could hear Dusk screaming down the hall for what seemed like an eternity. Then, they heard nothing.

"I'm not gonna make it, Sentinel." Colvin whispered.

Sarah's head jerked to the side. "Don't say that! You will make it, soldier."

Colvin weakly shook his head. "It's okay. I've...made my peace with God."

Sarah struggled to hold back her tears. As Colvin's leader, she couldn't break down in front of him. "Just hold on. They're coming, Colvin. You have to believe tha..."

The door flew open, and the Super Mutant Overlord entered the room, flanked by two more Mutants. Sarah steeled herself for whatever horror was about to befall her. The Overlord looked the two captives over, then pointed his finger at Colvin. "That one." he growled.

Panic filled Sarah, and she began struggling against the restraints once again. "No, NO! COLVIN!"

As the two Mutants removed Colvin's restraints, the Overlord slapped Sarah in the face so hard she saw stars. "Your time next!"

Sarah continued to struggle. "YOU BASTARDS TAKE ME! TAKE ME!"

The Overlord just laughed. Colvin's shattered legs were dragged across the room as the two Mutants took him out. "Do not...mourn me, Sentinel." He struggled to speak. "Soon...I will be with her again."

The Knight Commander was taken out, and Sarah could no longer hold back the tears as she pleaded. "COLVIN NOOOO! NOOOOOO!" She screamed herself hoarse as sobs racked her body. "Please, I can't be the only one!" She cried into the empty room. "Not the only one..."It took only a few minutes for the BOS Vertibird to reach the ghoul city of Underworld. After the war with the Enclave, Fawkes had decided to make the museum his home, and he spent hours combing through the ruins indulging in the the history of the old world. As Marcus exited the aircraft, he was reminded of the last time he was here. A few days after returning from Point Lookout, he'd come to Underworld to apologize Fawkes, and his best friend Charon. While it took surprisingly little effort to attain Fawkes' forgiveness, Charon was especially difficult. The terrible things Marcus had said to him (even though he was drunk at the he'd said them) hurt Charon deeply. After the ghoul had finished serving Marcus a large helping of "humble pie", and a well placed right hook to the face, he forgave his friend and the two men embraced. They spent the rest of the night at Carol's Place, drinking and sharing war stories. Marcus told Charon all about what had happened at Point Lookout, and the ghoul told him about his missions with the Rangers.

Marcus entered the city and immediately spotted Fawkes in his usual spot: sitting in the lobby reading a book. "Fawkes!" he called out.

The Meta Human pried his eyes from the book. "My friend!" He stood up and shook Marcus' hand. "It is good to see you again."

Marcus smiled. "Good to see you too. Is Charon here by any chance?"

Fawkes looked up and pointed to the staircase behind Marcus. He turned and sure enough there was his friend Charon, descending the stairs with two female ghouls on his arms. "MARCUS! Ladies, this is the famous Lone Wanderer. Marcus, this is Katie, and this is Tara. They're identical twins."

Marcus looked at the two smiling females. "I...can see the resemblance."

Charon and his companions made it to the bottom of the stairs. "So Marcus, are you here on business or pleasure?"

"Business, unfortunately."

Charon sighed. "Will you excuse us, ladies?"

Both women kissed him on the cheek and left. Charon noticed the look Marcus was giving him. "What? I told you I was a stud."

Marcus chuckled and the two friends embraced. "It's good to see you, brother."

"Same here. So tell me, what mess have you gotten into this time? I certainly hope it doesn't involve another demonic book."

For a moment Marcus shuttered at the memory of their journey to Dunwich to destroy the evil Krivbeknih. Marcella's warning about the place turned out to be true. The moment they entered they felt uneasy, and the deeper they ventured inside they could feel a dark...presence. It was as if someone, or something, was watching them. The feral ghouls certainly didn't help, but he, Fawkes, Charon, Dogmeat and RL-3 were able to make quick work of them. When they finally reached the obelisk, deep in the bowels of the Dunwich building, they could just feel the evil in the chamber. After pressing the Krivbeknih to the obelisk the ground shook, and the book was turned to ash. No one said a word as they left the building; each of them just wanted to get the hell out of there. Afterwards, Reilly and the rest of the Rangers used their Vertibird to level the building. Reilly couldn't understand why it was so important to destroy it, but after seeing the look in Marcus and Charon's eyes, she ordered the strike.

"Actually, this time it's not me who needs help. Sarah and the Pride have been captured by Super Mutants...at Vault 87."

No one said a word for a few moments. All three of them remembered the hell that was Vault 87. "Damn!" Charon finally said.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah. Elder Lyons has asked me to go in and get them out."

Charon's eyes bugged out. "So let me get this straight: the Brotherhood throws you out, and now they need you to pull their ass out of the fire again, is that right?"

"I think we can all agree I deserved a lot worse for what I did. But that doesn't matter now, I'm not going to leave Sarah and the Pride to rot in that hell." Marcus took a deep breath. "You know I would never ask either of you to go back in there unless I had no choice, but with Star Paladin Cross in a comma, we're the only ones left who have been inside that place."

"Say no more," Charon said, "regardless of what happened...no one deserves that. You can count me in."

Marcus was grateful, and he turned to Fawkes. "I'll understand if you don't want to go back in there, Fawkes. I know how long you fought to get out of there."

Fawkes lowered his head, and seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he responded. "Being in that place for so long is exactly why I must go with you. I cannot condemn the Pride, or anyone, to the horrors of that place. As always, I will have your back, my friend."

Marcus smiled and released the breath he was holding. "Thank you. As soon as your ready there's a Vertibird waiting outside. Moria Brown is coming with us."

Charon's jaw dropped. "Moria. Oh, this is going to be interesting."It didn't take long for his two companions to get ready. Fawkes grabbed his Gatling laser and super sledge, and Charon donned his Ranger armor and grabbed the Terrible shotgun. Soon they had boarded the Vertibird, and headed West towards Little Lamplight.

The five companions made their way inside the now open gate of Little Lamplight. The Brotherhood had set up a temporary forward base, and many Brotherhood Knights and Scribes were scurrying about. The looks they gave the Lone Wanderer were less than friendly.

"I see you're as popular as ever." Charon whispered.

Marcus looked into the eyes of his former brothers; eyes burning with a mixture of suspicion, curiosity and anger. "Yeah."

"Something doesn't add up." Charon said. "You remember how adamant MacCready and the others were about keeping adults out of here, right?"

Marcus nodded his head.

"So suddenly they allow half the Brotherhood to just move in? Doesn't add up."

"Yes." Fawkes said. "I find the whole thing very strange."

While Marcus hadn't given the situation any thought, he was concerned now. "Well, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

A minute later they had entered the Great Chamber, and made their way towards the Vault 87 back door. As they approached, they saw the answer to their previous question - and Marcus' blood began to boil. Several metal cages had been placed near the back door, and inside them were the Little Lamplighters. Fawkes, Charon and Moria stood with their mouths gaped open. Marcus marched over to a group of Brotherhood Knights, and without warning, punched Paladin Tristen in the face. The Paladin was knocked on his ass, and three BOS knights had to restrain Marcus.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE, TRISTEN! THOSE ARE CHILDREN!"

More Knights arrived with their guns ready. Charon, Fawkes and RL-3 drew their's. A standoff ensued inside the Great Chamber, and all it would take was one spark to ignite the powder keg.

Tristen was back on his feet and rubbing his jaw. "STAND DOWN, ALL OF YOU!" He walked over to Marcus. "Let'em go!"

The Knights let him go, and Marcus got right in Tristen's face. "You locked them up!" he growled.

"We had no choice. We tried for days to reason with them but they wouldn't budge, so we subdued them. None of them were harmed, and once this operation is over they will be set free."

Marcus clenched his fist till his knuckles turned white. He inched closer to Tristen. "You dared stand in judgement of me," he tilted his head towards the cages, "and then you put children in cages!"

Tristen stepped forward, and the two men were practically nose to nose. "At least they weren't atomized!"

The last statement struck a cord with Marcus. While what Tristen and the Brotherhood had done with the Little Lamplighters was inexcusable, it was no where near as horrible as what Marcus had done to Tenpenny Tower. "I'm going to let them out." He put his finger in Tristen's face. "DON'T try to stop me!"

The Lone Wanderer marched over to the cages. The Knights guarding them looked over at Tristen, who waved his hand to let Marcus pass. As he approached, the haggard looking Little Lamplighters saw him and began to stand up. All of them were shocked to see him, and several of them began calling out to him.

Marcus walked up to the cage holding MacCready, Lucy, Sammy, Squirrel and Bumble. "I'm sorry kids." He released the door's latched and pushed it open. "Are you alrig..."

Without warning, MacCready threw his body against the cage door, hitting Marcus square in the face with it. As Marcus stumbled back in pain and surprise, the mayor of Little Lamplight charged the Lone Wanderer and began pounding on his chest. "MOTHERFUCKER! YOU LYING SONOFABITCH! YOU PROMISED!"

Marcus recovered from his surprise and held the child back with his left hand. "I didn't know..."

"BULLSHIT!" MacCready continued his vain assault, rage and tears in his eyes. "YOU FUCKING LIED TO US! FUCKING MUNGO..."

MacCready was suddenly lifted off his feet by a rather large hand on his shirt collar. Fawkes held the child up, who (undeterred by the fact that he was being held by a Super Mutant), continued to throw punches. "Let me go you ugly fucker!"

Fawkes held the child and watched him struggle.

"Fawkes!" Marcus said. "Put him down."

The Meta Human obeyed, and MacCready finally stopped fighting. Marcus knelled down in front of the child. "I swear to you MacCready, I had no idea they were doing this."

MacCready quickly wiped his tears away, trying to look tough. "You promised! You said the mungos would never find out about this place!"

Marcus' heart broke as he stared at the child. "I know...and I'm sorry. I was away, and if I had been here I never would have let this happen."

MacCready sniffled. "Yeah right!"

"RJ." It was Lucy, and the young girl put her hand on MacCready's shoulder. "I believe them."

The boy seemed to calm down, and Marcus stood up. "You're not going to be in those cages anymore. You're free."

MacCready nodded. "Good. NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" He screamed so that all could hear him.

Marcus took a deep breath. "I can't - not yet. My...friends were captured by the monsters in the Vault. I have to get them back."

"I don't give a rat's ass about your friends!"

Marcus tried to put his hand on the boy's shoulder, but he pulled away. "After we get them out, we'll make sure the monsters never bother you again. They'll be gone forever."

MacCready wiped his nose. "Then you'll leave?"

"Yes. I swear on my life."

MacCready looked at the other children through blood shot eyes. "Fine. Go get your friends. Then I don't want to see you ever again!" He stormed off, and the other children followed. The looks they gave Marcus nearly brought him to tears.

Tristen cautiously walked up behind Marcus. "Are you ready to get down to business?"

Marcus clenched his fist as the rage coursed through him. He wanted to pound Tristen into the dirt, but he pushed the anger down and faced the Paladin. "Where's my tech?"

Tristen pointed to a table. "Right over there."

Marcus and his companions walked over to the table, and he examined his weapons. They were all there. His plasma rifle, tri-beam laser rifle, the Precision Gatling Laser, and half a dozen plasma grenades. He examined the plasma rifle, and slapped in a micro fusion cell. He then picked up the Precision Gatling laser and handed it to Fawkes. "Here you go, my friend. This packs a better punch then the one you've got."

Fawkes produced a tooth filled grin when he picked up the weapon. "Yes. This will do nicely."

Marcus handed four of the plasma grenades and his tri-beam to Charon. "Just in case." He said as he handed over the rifle.

Charon nodded. "Right."

Once they're weapons were ready, the rescue team made their way over to Tristen. "So how do you plan on getting through that door? It's been disable from the inside."

"We're not going through that door." Marcus said. "There's another way into the Vault."

Tristen's eyes went wide. "Where?"

Marcus pointed over his shoulder. "There's a back gate that leads to a place called Murder Pass which will take us to the Vault. Perhaps if you hadn't put the children into cages they would've told you."

Tristen's eyes narrowed. "Fine! I'll order the Brotherhood to begin a bombardment of the main entrance."

Marcus shook his head. "No. I want you to order a retreat."

Tristen's jaw dropped open. "WHAT! The Brotherhood of Steel does not retreat!"

"The Super Mutants may be dumb, but they know we cannot attack them at the main entrance; we can only harass them. They've been under siege for two days now. Once they believe we're gone, they will want to go out and look for more captives and supplies." He turned to the Meta Human. "Tell them, Fawkes."

"It is true. The need for them to bring captives to the FEV chambers resembles an animal's need to procreate. Once your forces lift the siege, they will leave."

Marcus turned to the Paladin. "Pull your forces back, but keep a well hidden scouting party nearby. As soon as the Mutants empty the Vault, we'll go in. Once the Pride is safe, we'll plant whatever explosives you have and blow the FEV chambers to hell." He stood eye to eye with the Tristen. "Remember, we're doing this my way."

Tristen's nostrils flared as he stared at Marcus. "You better be right about this, Wanderer." He turned and as he walked away, he touched his ear piece. "This is Paladin Tristen to all surface forces. I'm ordering a full retreat, I say again: all forces fall back."

Marcus turned to his companions. "So, everyone ready to go back into hell?"

"Hu," Charon said, "you mean we actual left?"

Marcus laughed. "RL-3, you've got the motion sensors so you'll take point when we go through the pass."

"Yes, sir! Hoorah!"

Marcus turned to Fawkes. "Once we get inside the Vault, you'll lead us."

Fawkes nodded. "I will."

Marcus turned to Moria, who looked visibly nervous. "Are you alright?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah...I just...whoa, feels like I've got butterflies in my stomach."

Marcus led her over to a chair and the young woman sat down. "You don't have to go in there, Moria. We could bring the Pride out and you can treat them here."

Moria shook her head. "No...I'm okay. I want to do this. When we get back, this will be quite the story to tell. Maybe I'll write a sequel to the Wasteland Survival Guide!"

Marcus chuckled. "Just no more dangerous experiments, please."

Moria playfully smacked his arm. "You're no fun."

Marcus smiled, but he soon found his thoughts on the Pride. He didn't want to think about what could be happening to them now. Even though they parted on bad terms, the members of the Lyon's Pride were his brothers in arms and he would die for any of them. There was one member, however, that he desperately wanted to save. 'Hold on, Sarah. I'm coming'.Sarah awoke to the sound of her cell door opening. The Super Mutant Overlord stepped inside and towered over her grinning. "Your friends leave. You are all alone now."

Sarah's eyes went wide. No. This had to be a trick! The Brotherhood would never leave her. Her father would never leave her...

The two Mutants took off her restraints and dragged her off the table. The Sentinel was so weak she was dead weight in their arms. She was taken to another room, and thrown into what looked like a dentist chair. After her arms and legs were secured, the Overlord shoved a large needle attached to a tube into her left arm. He flipped a few switches on a machine, and Sarah could see green fluid travel through the tube and into her arm. Almost immediately her arm felt like it was on fire. Then, it was her whole body. Whatever fight that was left in her evaporated, and Sarah could no longer contain her screams.