Chapter 33: To Hell and Back

"Time to kick some ass!" RL-3 boomed as he fired a salvo of plasma bolts, turning a Super Mutant to goo. Fawkes let out a battle roar of his own as he cut a Super Mutant Brute in half with the Precision Gatling laser. The caverns leading from Little Lamplight to Vault 87 were appropriately named "Murder Pass", as Marcus and his squad fought their way through well dug in Super Mutants. The Lone Wanderer was grateful for his tech being returned, for without it, he doubted they would've reached the Vault entrance without loosing someone. Taking a moment to catch their breaths, Marcus checked on Moria. "How are you holding up."

Moria, who was visibly shaking, ripped off her radiation suit's helmet and threw up. When she was finished, the young woman took a deep breath and tried to look brave. "Hu...shouldn't have had that last gecko I guess."

Marcus was more then concerned. "Moria, I think you should head back."

Moria shook her head. "No, no..." she took a deep breath, "...I'm okay. I can do this I just, can't believe you guys do this all the time."

Marcus put his hand on her shoulder. "You get used to it." he grimly stated. Moria put her helmet back on, and Marcus activated his PIPBOY and began hacking the door. It only took a couple of minutes, and when the door opened, they were immediately greeted by rifle and machine gun fire. Charon tossed a plasma grenade, killing two Mutants, and Marcus took out a Brute with two shots to the head with his plasma rifle.

They proceeded deeper into the Vault, and though most of the mutants were gone, the fighting was still intense. Fawkes was up front with RL-3 backing him up. Charon kept his eyes on the rooms their right, and Marcus watched the left. Moria was right behind Marcus and stayed on him like glue. When they were halfway to the FEV chambers a group of Mutants had erected a crude barricade in the hall and opened fire. During the exchange Marcus felt something wrap around his left ankle, and he was yanked off his feet. The Centaur's tongue felt like a vice around him, and it was pulling Marcus into a side room.

"MARCUS!" Moria shrieked.

Charon rushed over, and just as the Centaur was about to strike, the ghoul blasted the creature in the face with his Terrible shotgun. Marcus drew his knife and cut the tongue off his ankle. "I owe you, brother."

Charon helped him up. "I'll just put it on your tab."

The last Mutant behind the barricade was burned alive by RL-3's flame thrower. "Score one for Uncle Sam!"

Charon groaned and they continued forward. "You really need to update him on current events."

Marcus rolled his eyes. "I would - if I could go five minutes without people trying to kill me!"

Charon chuckled. "That will never happen."

They were almost to the FEV chambers, and encountered no more resistance. The 'nuke squad' thought they had caught a break...until the door to the chamber opened and a Super Mutant Overlord stepped out. He immediately opened fire with a tri-beam laser rifle, striking Charon in his left arm. Marcus pushed his wounded friend to the ground, getting him out of the line of fire.

Fawkes pulled the trigger on his Gatling laser, but after only a few shots the electron charge pack was dry. Roaring in frustration, the Meta Human drew his super sledge and charged. "NOW YOU WENT AND GOT ME MAD!"

The Overlord grinned, dropped his tri-beam and drew the Brotherhood's coveted ARM. The two mutants screamed and charged at each other; their super sledges ready to strike. When they collided, the mighty Fawkes was knocked back ten feet and landed face up. The left side of his face felt like it was on fire, and he could taste the blood pooling in his mouth. The Overlord stood over him and raised the ARM, ready to end his life. A plasma bolt to the face caused the Overlord to scream and drop the ARM behind him.

"Eat hot plasma you motherless son of Karl Marx!" RL-3 stated as he pressed his attack.

The Overlord quickly recovered and punched the Mr. Gutsy, denting his chassy and knocking him back. RL-3 surged forward again. "Is that all you got!" The robot boomed as he unleashed a stream of fire from his flame thrower. The Overlord screamed in pain as his left side was burned, but he grabbed the robot's weapon and ripped it off him. The Mutant delivered two more devastating punches, knocking RL-3 against the wall. Sparks flew from the impact zones, and the robot could barely hover off the ground.

All of this was witnessed by Marcus and his other two companions. As the Lone Wanderer's mind raced to come up with a plan, he felt someone tugging on his armor. He looked down, and Moria pointed to his belt. "Marcus! Nuka grenades!"

He looked down at the two home-made grenades. He had a plan. "Charon, you and Moria run back down the hallway."

Charon was about to object, but he never got the chance.

"Go! I'll be right behind you!"

Charon stood up. "You'd better!" He grabbed Moria by the arm and they both started running.

Marcus stood up and fired a plasma round, getting the Overlord's attention. "Hey ugly! Come and get me!"

The Mutant, being drunk on over confidence, screamed and charged at the him. Marcus activated his VATS, aimed for the Overlord's right leg, and fired his last plasma round. The Mutant screamed as his knee was shattered, and Marcus turned and ran down the hall. The Overlord was slowed down by his wound, but he kept coming. Marcus turned a corner, and he spotted Charon and Moria at the other end of the hallway behind a metal table. It would have to do.

"Get down!" He yelled as he readied one of the nuka grenades. The three companions ducked down behind the table, and the Overlord rounded the corner. Marcus pulled the pin and tossed the grenade, and it bounced off the Overlord's chest. The Mutant stared at the object, and it began to harmlessly puff smoke.

Marcus stared at the young scientist. "Moria?"

Moria swallowed. "Well...maybe it needed two quantums..."

The explosion atomized the Super Mutant Overlord, and the three companions could feel the heat from the flames. Their ears were ringing, and when it was over, they could see that the metal table they were hiding behind was nearly melted.

"What the hell was that!?" Charon asked.

Moria took a moment to observe the destruction. "That is what scientist call a low-yield nuclear device."

Marcus grinned. "Moria you're a genius!"

Moria beamed with pride. "Thanks!"

They made their way over to their fallen comrades. Fawkes was just beginning to get back up, and RL-3 was still sparking. Marcus and Charon helped the Meta Human to his feet. "Are you alright, big guy?" Marcus asked.

Fawkes spit out a bloody tooth and rubbed his head. "I am...fine."

Marcus looked over at the Mr. Gutsy. Moria already had his chassy open and she began conducting minor repairs.

"Can you still fight, sergeant?"

"Just point me in the direction of those Bolshevik bastards, sir!"

After a few more sparks, Moria completed her repairs and buttoned up the robot. His flame thrower was destroyed, but he still had his plasma cannon. Marcus checked his armor for more micro-fusion cells and found none. He turned to Fawkes. "Is the Gatling out of ammo?"

The Meta Human grimly nodded. "Yes." He reached down and picked up the Brotherhood ARM. "But I can still fight with this."

Marcus turned to Charon. "What about you?"

Charon injected a stimpak above the burn on his left arm. "Half an ammo drum left, but I still have the tri-beam. I only have one grenade left."

Marcus nodded. They were low on ammo, but not out of the fight yet. He shouldered his plasma rifle, reached down and picked up the Overlord's tri-beam. It was still functioning and had almost a full pack. "Alright, let's go."

They entered the FEV chambers and began the painstaking work of searching for the Pride. Just as before they discovered the horrible remains of the Super Mutant's failed experiments. Moria was both terrified and fascinated at the same time, and it was all Marcus could do to stop her from taking skin samples of the carcasses. On the outside the Lone Wanderer was as calm as any veteran, but on the inside his heart was racing. They were two-thirds of the way into the Vault's science wing when they heard the muffled sounds of a woman crying in pain. Marcus took off running, and his companions were right on his heals. The cries were getting louder, and Marcus threw caution to the wind and took off in a full sprint. He stopped at the room the cries were coming from - and his mouth dropped open when he looked through the observation window.

Sarah Lyons was sitting in some kind of examining chair, hooked up to a machine he didn't recognize. Her left arm had swollen to almost double it's normal size, and the finger nails on both her hands had grown to six inches in length. Her skin was a strange, yellow tint, and the left side of her face had what looked like greenish blisters on it.

Marcus turned to his best friend. "Charon!"

The ghoul knew exactly had to be done. "You got it!" He raised his shotgun and fired a single round at the observation window, shattering it. Marcus leaped into the room, and Charon was right behind him.

"Turn that thing off!" Marcus yelled as he ran over to Sarah.

Charon, deciding to be quick instead of neat, fired a twelve gauge round into the machine. Sparks flew, the lights on the machine went out, and the green fluid stopped going through the tube in Sarah's arm. Marcus carefully pulled the large needle out of her arm and began to undo her restraints. "Sarah! Sarah it's me! It's Marcus."

Sarah stopped squirming and she turned her head towards him. That's when he noticed that her left eye was no longer blue, but dark green. She stared at him for what seemed like forever, and Marcus held his breath.

"Marcus?"

Relief washed over him. She remembered him. It wasn't too late. He began to gently stroke her hair and smiled. "It's me. I'm here."

Sarah reached for him with her right hand; desperation and fear in her eyes. "Marcus...help me, please! Don't let them..."

By now Charon had opened the chamber's door, and Moria rushed to Sarah's side. Marcus noticed that Sarah felt like she was burning up, and he did his best to calm the Sentinel down. "We will! We're going to help you, but you have to trust me, okay? Trust me."

Moria placed the device on the ground and began flipping switches and turning the dials. "I need to know her blood type and weight."

Marcus pulled Sarah's holotag off her neck. "Here, her whole medical history should be on this."

Moria plugged the tags into a USB port on the machine. "Perfect!" Once the device was set, she removed two tubes with rather large needles attached to them. Moria pulled Sarah's tank top down revealing most of her left breast, and Marcus found it difficult to avert his eyes. In one quick motion, Moria injected the needle into Sarah's heart, and she nearly jumped out of the chair. As Marcus held her down, Moria injected another needle into her right arm. Finally, Moria took out a syringe containing a strange blue fluid, and she injected it into Sarah's mutated arm and the soars on her face.

"Okay," Moria said, "keep your fingers crossed." She turned on the device, and it began to make the sound of a small pump. Sarah winced as more blue fluid traveled through the tube and entered her heart. She looked up at Marcus. "Dusk and Colvin. They may...still be alive. Find them...please!"

Marcus looked over at his companions. "RL-3, you guard the main passageway."

"Sir, yes sir!" The robot exited the room.

"You two try and find the rest of the Pride. I'll stand guard here."

Both Charon and Fawkes headed down to the rest of the FEV chambers. Sarah had passed out from the ordeal, and Marcus forced himself to back away and let Moria work. As he stood watch, Marcus began pacing back and forth. He couldn't bare to see Sarah like this, and he said a little prayer that Moria's machine would work. He then began to wonder what he would do if it didn't. He knew Sarah Lyons enough to know she would not what to live like this, and she would surely ask him to put her down. Could he do? Could he really kill her, even if that's what she wanted?

His thoughts were interrupted by Charon and Fawkes. Judging by the looks on their faces, it wasn't good.

"Did you find them?"

For a moment, neither of them responded. Finally, Charon shook his head. "We were too late. They're gone."

Marcus' throat went dry, and it felt as though his heart was down in his stomach. All of them. The entire Lyons Pride who had entered the Vault with Sarah, his brothers who fought by his side during the war with the Enclave...all gone. Marcus was about to dart out of the room when Charon stopped him. "No!" He shook his head. "You don't want to see them - trust me! Just...remember them as they were."

Marcus reluctantly agreed, and he felt his grip tighten around his rifle. "This ends now!" He growled. "Fawkes, you stay here and watch over Moria and the Sentinel. You still have that C-4, Charon?"

Charon produced the Brotherhood's satchel. "Yes - and I know just what to do with it."

Without saying another world, the two companions began setting explosives inside each of the FEV chambers. By the time they had returned, Marcus noticed Sarah's arm had shrunken almost completely down to it's original size, the soars on her face were fading, and her skin was almost back to it's original color. "Is it working?"

Moria checked her vitals and placed her hand on Sarah's forehead. "Well her blood pressure is returning to normal, and she's no longer burning up." Moria could barely contain her excitement. "It looks like this actually works!"

She must have seen the looks everyone was giving her, because the young scientist began to blush. "What I mean is...results are proving to be exactly as I expected.

Marcus let out a deep breath. He didn't know how Moria did it...and that was probably a good thing.

"Sir!" RL-3 burst into the room. "Multiple hostiles in coming!"

Fawkes tightened the grip on the ARM. "The scavenging parties must have returned."

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Why can't anything be easy! Can we disconnect her from this thing, Moria?"

Moria shook her head. "Not yet; it's going to take a few more minutes to purge the FEV out of her system."

"We don't have a few minutes!" Charon snapped.

Marcus had to think fast. "Moria, you take the device. Fawkes, I need you to carry Sarah out of here. We'll keep her hooked up to the machine as we head out. RL-3 you've got point while Charon and I cover the rear."

Everyone acknowledged and did exactly what they were told. The retreat out of the Vault was anything but easy. Fawkes tried to move as quickly as he could with his precious cargo, and Moria had to stay right on top of the Meta Human to ensure none of the tubes were prematurely pulled out of Sarah Lyons. To make matters worse, the Super Mutants had caught up to the squad when they were halfway through the Vault, and a running gun battle ensued. After using the last of their plasma grenades, Marcus drew his 40mm grenade launcher and began firing the explosives down the hallways. He didn't care if he actually killed any of the mutants; he just wanted to keep them back long enough for everyone to get out.

A Super Mutant Master charged down the hallway and tossed a frag grenade in the middle of the squad.

"Grenade!" Charon yelled as he and Marcus hit the deck. Fawkes used his body to shield Sarah and Moria, and when the grenade went off he screamed as shrapnel pierced his back. Marcus cried out as a piece of shrapnel pierced his left leg, but he managed to get up on one knee and fire a 40mm grenade into the Master's chest, blowing the top of his torso off. The Lone Wanderer was back on is feet, and he immediately began to check on his team. "Everyone alright?"

Charon coughed. "Still here."

Marcus ran over to Fawkes, who was down on one knee. "Fawkes, can you make it?"

The Meta Human gritted his teeth and stood back up. "I...will make it, my friend. The Sentinel is unharmed."

Marcus let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Moria are you..."

He froze when he looked down and saw that she wasn't moving. Marcus knelled down and tried to roll her over - and that's when he saw the gaping wound just under Moria's heart.

"Oh no!" He gasped. "Charon!"

The ghoul came running over and knelled down beside her. "Here, get this thing off her."

The two men removed the cumbersome machine from Moria's back...only to discover it had been damaged beyond repair.

"DAMN IT!" Marcus cursed. He looked over at Sarah, who was still passed out in Fawkes' arms. She had returned to almost her normal state.

By now Charon was injecting Moria with a stimpak, and he was holding his hand over her wound. "We've got to get her out of here."

Marcus agreed, and he began unhooking Sarah from the now broken machine. He silently prayed that the machine had been hooked up long enough to reverse the mutation completely.

Charon slung his Terrible shotgun and picked up the wounded Moria, who groaned in pain. "I don't...feel so good."

They could hear more Mutants coming down the hallway, and they continued their retreat with Marcus covering the rear. He fired the last of his grenades down the passageway, then he began blasting away with his tri-beam. All of the rage he had been suppressing came to the surface, and Marcus was screaming wildly as he blasted more and more Super Mutants to oblivion. Since he didn't bother to use a stimpak, blood was running down his left leg, but his adrenaline and rage helped him to push through the pain. Finally, they reached the exit to Murder Pass, and as soon as his companions had exited the Vault, Marcus tossed his last nuka grenade for good measure. The explosion obliterated any Super Mutants in it's path, and Marcus staggered out of the Vault. Just before he shut the door, Marcus pulled out his detonator and pushed the button, blowing the FEV chambers sky high. The Lone Wanderer sealed the Vault door, ensuring that the FEV was contained inside.

Vault 87 was gone. The Super Mutants were finished.

The rescue squad limped back to Little Lamplight, where Tristen and the rest of the Brotherhood were waiting. One look at Marcus' team and the Paladin knew they had gone to hell and back. Everyone of them, even the robot, had been wounded. Fawkes gently laid Sarah Lyons down on the ground, and the BOS medics immediately went to work. Marcus glanced over at the Sentinel. Her skin color and arm had returned to normal, and the soars on her face were completely gone. The Lone Wanderer let out a wary sigh of relieve. At least on the surface, it looked like Moria's anti-FEV process had worked.

Moria. Marcus ran over to where Charon had laid her down. The ghoul was applying bandages to her wound, and Marcus began taking off the helmet to her radiation suit. Her entire lower torso was covered in blood. Marcus ran over to the BOS medics, and after a little "persuasion", one of them finally began to treat Moria.

"We have to get her back to the Citadel." the female BOS medic stated. "She's lost too much blood." She signaled for some Knights to bring a stretcher.

Marcus knelled down beside Moria and held her hand. She was very pale and barely conscious. "Marcus?"

He forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood. "Hey...I guess this means your done with field research for a while, hu?"

Moria responded with a weak smile. She then placed something in Marcus' hand, and her voice was barely above a whisper. "Greatest...invention."

Marcus looked at the object. It was a key ring containing a brass door key and a USB memory stick. Before he could ask her what it meant, Moria suddenly started gasping for breath and coughing up blood. The BOS medic pushed him out of the way and straddled her. "She's gone into cardiac arrest! I need the crash cart now!"

Marcus stepped back and watched as the medic began doing compressions. The terrible images of Amata and Marcella dying in his arms flooded his mind, and Marcus closed his eyes tight as he tried to push them away. 'Please God,' he prayed, 'not again! I can't loose another one!' When he opened his eyes, another medic rushed over with a defibrillator, and after cutting Moria's suit open, they applied the paddles and shocked her.

Nothing.

The medic set the voltage higher and tried again. Still nothing. A third time - nothing. All that was heard in the Lamplight caverns was the terrible sound of a flat lined heart beat. The medic hung her head and turned off the machine. "Call it." She stood up and stared at Marcus with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry. We did all we could but she'd lost too much blood."

Marcus was numb. This couldn't be happening. He fell to his knees near Moria's body and began to weep. He'd lost friends in battle before, and it hurt each and everytime...but Moria was not a soldier. She was a scientist, an inventor, an innocent...and he had failed to protect her. After Sarah Lyons had been evacuated, Tristen and the remaining BOS soldiers watched the tragic seen in silence. Most of them, even the hardened Paladin, felt sympathy for their former champion. Off in the distance the Little Lamplighters were watching, and all of them, (even MacCready) had tears in their eyes.

Marcus carefully picked Moria up. The BOS medic tried to treat his leg, but the Lone Wanderer refused. He just wanted to get back home and bury his friend.

That night the town of Megaton said goodbye to their friend Moria Brown. It was a simple ceremony, and a few of the residents said a few words about the young inventory who brought joy (and a few scary moments) to their lives. Marcus couldn't bring himself to say anything. He blamed himself for Moria's death (and based on some of the stares he was getting, many of the residence did too). After the funeral, Marcus bought a bottle of whiskey from Jenny Stahl and retired to his house; fully intent on destroying himself. He was just about to take his first swig when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he yelled.

The door opened and Charon stepped inside. He was greeted by Dogmeat and the ghoul rubbed his back. Once inside, Charon immediately noticed the bottle in Marcus' hand and sighed. "You know that's not going to help."

Marcus stared at the bottle, then placed it down on the table. "How many more, Charon? How many more people are going to die because of me?"

"You didn't kill Moria, Marcus those damn Super Mutants did."

"I shouldn't have brought her. She was an innocent girl and I should have left her here where she was safe!"

"And if you had then Sarah Lyons would be dead...or worse."

Marcus picked up the whiskey again. "So I traded a life for a life." He took a long swig from the bottle.

Charon let out a sigh and he sat down next to him. "You know...I served in the Great War. 1st Marine RECON battalion."

Marcus chuckled. "I always wondered where you learned those fighting moves."

Charon nodded. "I was part of the main push into Anchorage. That was real war, my friend. These dust-ups we've been in are nothing compared to fighting half a million Red Chinese in minus forty degree weather. I lost a lot of friends. Then after the bombs hit..." his voice began to crack. "...I lost my wife and daughter."

Marcus was stunned. After everything he and Charon had been through, this was the first time the ghoul had shared anything from his past.

"For the longest time I wondered why...why was I spared when so many died. I spent decades trying to find the answer. I only recently found it." He leaned in closer. "There is no answer. All we can do is move on and remember them, and make our lives mean something. That is how we honor them."

He pointed his finger at Marcus. "The fact is for every friend you've lost, you've saved hundreds, maybe thousands of people. You lost Vargas at Project Purity, but you stopped the Enclave from killing everyone in the waste, and you've provided everyone of them with fresh water. You lost Lucy West, but you destroyed a settlement of crazed cannibals who preyed on wastelanders. And even though we lost Moria, you saved Sentinel Lyons and ended the Super Mutant threat here in the Capital forever. If you want to honor their memory, you have to keep doing what you're doing." He looked down at the bottle. "Or you can crawl into that and never come out."

Marcus sat in silence and listened to everything his friend was telling him. He stared at the whiskey bottle - then he went to dump out it's contents.

"Hey, hold on!" Charon said. "I said not to crawl inside it, I didn't say to waste it." He got up and retrieved two shot glasses from Marcus' kitchen, and after pouring whiskey into both of them, the two friends held them up.

"To Moria." Charon said.

"To Moria."

The two friends clinched the glasses together and drank the whiskey down.

"So what was it that Moria gave to you?"

Marcus reached into this pocket and pulled out the key ring. "I honestly haven't thought about it. She said it was her greatest invention..." It was if a light bulb went on inside his head. "Come on."

Marcus used the key to unlock the door to the back room of Craterside Supply, and when he and Charon entered their jaws dropped. In the center of the room was a massive video screen connected to a large console. All around was an assortment of scavenged computer equipment, and it had been crudely wired together.

"What is all this?" Charon asked.

Marcus didn't answer as he cautiously approached the main console. He immediately spotted the USB port that had been circled with red ink, and had the words "Put in here" written with several arrows pointing toward it. He stared at the memory stick.

"What do you think is on that?"

Marcus continued to examine it. "Well knowing Moria, it could be anything from pictures of kittens...to Skynet."

Charon looked over the large console and shrugged. "Well...only one way to find out."

Marcus held his breath as he inserted the memory stick. They could hear the equipment warming up, and both men took a couple of steps back. The monitor came to life, and at first there was nothing but static. A few seconds later, the static was replaced by the image of a very familiar inventor. "Oh, hey guys! Nice to see you again!"

Charon nearly shit a brick. "Oh fuck! It is Skynet!"

Marcus' jaw was on the floor. "Moria?!"

"Yeah, it's me! Well, it's not really me because...well...if you're talking to me like this it means I'm dead."

Marcus and Charon both stared at each dumbfounded. Marcus had a million questions, but all that could come out was: "How?"

"Well one day I was downloading some data on a back up drive, and then I thought 'what if we could download and back up our own brains?' So I've been experimenting for...about eight years now on how to do that."

"So you managed to actually interface with a computer's mainframe?" Marcus asked.

The image of Moria cocked her head to the side and seemed to be deep in thought. "If by interface you mean hooked my brain up to the computer's brain, then yes! I tell you it was pretty touch and go for a while, and more then once I suffered short-term memory loss."

"That explains a lot." Charon grumbled.

"But I think it was worth it! So tell me, how do I look?"

Marcus looked over at Charon. This was a lot to take in. A few hours ago they buried Moria Brown, but now here she was...talking to him as if nothing had happened. He knew it wasn't really her...but she was so life like. "You...look good, Moria."

The Moria avatar smiled. "Ah...you're sweet!"

Charon turned around and headed for the door.

"Where you going?" Marcus asked.

Charon opened the door and turned around. "I'm heading back to Underworld. You see I'd like to hook up with the twins one last time before we're all rounded up and used for batteries."

Marcus smiled and shook his head. He walked over to his friend and shook his hand. "Thanks again, Charon."

"No problem, brother. Don't be a stranger."

"Same to you."

Charon left the room, leaving Marcus alone with his strange knew companion. "So Moria...what now? I mean...this is great and all but...you're kinda stuck here."

The avatar smiled. "Well if you'll be a little patient and do exactly what I tell you, you should be able to download me into that little PIPBOY of yours."

Marcus looked down at the devise on his arm. "You mean...you could go inside my PIPBOY and come with me?"

"Of course. That little computer has more memory then all of these old ones combined."

Marcus stared down at his PIPBOY once more. He never thought about the possibility of having an artificial intelligence installed in it, but now he was...intrigued. That and having Moria back, even in this form, would help ease the pain and loss he felt. "Alright Moria, let's get to work..."

Two days later Paladin Tristen returned to Megaton, and informed Marcus that the Elder wanted to speak to him personally. While his reception at the Citadel was not the warmest, it was better than Marcus had hoped for. He was led into the Elder's private quarters, and Tristen left him alone to wait for Lyon's to arrive. Marcus brought his PIPBOY up to his mouth. "How are you, Moria?"

Moria's avatar appeared on the PIPBOY's touch screen. "Woooow! This place is amazing! And with the PIPBOY's wireless hacking abilities I could..."

"Don't even think about it!"

Moria pouted. "Party pooper!"

Marcus heard the door latch, and he quickly turned his PIPBOY off. Elder Lyons stepped inside and shut the door. The leader of the Eastern Brotherhood immediately shook Marcus' hand. "I wanted to formally thank you for bringing my daughter back to me, Marcus. Once again...you have surprised us all."

Marcus nodded. "Thank you, sir. I just wish we could've been there in time to save them all."

Lyons hung his head. "Yes. Though the operation was a success, the loss of the Pride...it is a devastating blow. It has left a void that we must fill, and soon." He looked Marcus in the eye. "I've done a lot of thinking this last few days about the future of our order, Marcus, and I have come to a conclusion. Despite everything, the Brotherhood still needs you, and I wish for you to join our ranks again."

Marcus was speechless. In his wildest dreams, he never dared hope for this moment to come. After a few moments, he finally found his voice. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that, sir."

The Elder smiled.

"But...I must decline, sir."

The Elder's smile quickly faded, and it was replaced with a look of confusion. "You...decline to rejoin our ranks."

Marcus found it difficult to look the man in the eye. "I feel I do not have the honor to be part of this order, sir. I betrayed you - all of you. Nothing I do can change that."

Lyons sighed. "Marcus do you know why you were spared at your court martial?"

Marcus was confused by the question. "You said it was because of my past service."

The Elder shook his head. "That was a lie, Marcus. I am a fair man, but when it comes to upholding the codex I am firm in my resolve. Though it broke my heart, I was prepared to sentence you to a firing squad for your crimes."

"Then...what stopped you?"

"The night before your trial Sarah begged me to spare your life."

Marcus was floored by this revelation. "The last time I saw her, she said she wished I was dead."

The Elder laughed and shook his head. "Oh Marcus you are such a bright young man...yet you are clueless when it comes to women."

Marcus began turning red from embarrassment, and he heard a faint giggle from his PIPBOY. Lyons noticed it too, and Marcus quickly began pushing buttons on the device. "Sorry sir it's," he gave it a good smack, "just a glitch I have to work out."

The Elder shifted his gaze between Marcus and his PIPBOY before continuing. "I had never seen my daughter act that way about anyone before. I had my suspicions, but it was in that moment that I knew how much she cared for you. And I suspect, you feel the same about her."

Marcus swallowed as his throat went dry. "I...care about Sarah very much, sir."

Lyons nodded and he placed his hand on Marcus' shoulder. "At your court martial I stated I thought of you as a son, and I meant it. You say you have no honor, but we have been monitoring you since your exile. We heard about Point Lookout, and while we do not fully understand what happened there, it is clear the experience changed you. The man who destroyed Tenpenny Tower and killed all of those people...that man died in the swamps of Maryland." The Elder stepped back and opened his arms. "And now like the Prodigal Son, you Marcus Lincoln...the Hero of Project Purity, the Savior of the Citadel...you have returned to us."

Before Marcus could respond, the Elder walked over to his desk and pushed the intercom. "Bring them in."

The door to his quarters opened, and Scribe Jameson and one of her assistants entered carrying a set of T-51 power armor. Marcus felt a lump in his throat as he recognized the set.

"We kept your armor." Lyons said. "It is yours again if you wish."

Marcus' hand was shaking as he placed it on the armor's chest plate, and he could no longer hold back his tears. Almost two months ago he was a man without a home; abandoned by the only family he had since his father's death. Now, by some miracle, they wanted him back. He wiped his tears away and cleared his throat. "I won't let you down again, sir."

Marcus made his way into the Citadel's infirmary where Sarah Lyons had been since her rescue from Vault 87. Looking through the observation window Marcus could see she was awake, but was lying perfectly still and staring at the ceiling. He heard foot steps to his right, and Head Scribe Rothchild approached. Marcus stiffened; he hadn't spoken to Rothchild since his exile, and he was not sure how the Head Scribe would react.

"Marcus." Rothchild said in a neutral tone.

"Scribe Rothchild."

They stood there for a few awkward moments, neither man saying anything. Marcus decided to break the ice. "How is the Sentinel doing?"

Rothchild cleared his throat. "Physically she is doing well. Nearly all the mutation was removed from her body. Whatever your friend did...was an extraordinary scientific achievement! It's a shame the procedure was lost with her."

Marcus glanced down at his PIPBOY and had to hide the smile trying to form on his face. "She...would've been honored to hear you say that. You said nearly all the mutation had been removed."

Rothchild stared at the ground. "Yes. It's nothing serious. Her eyes are...different. You'll see when you get closer."

Marcus' heart sank. He feared Moria's machine had been destroyed before it had removed all of Sarah's mutation. "Does she know?"

"No - and we need to keep it that way. Emotionally she is...fragile. She won't sleep and when she does she has terrible nightmares. She refuses to eat or interact with anyone. She either ignores them or lashes out in fits of rage. Even her own father couldn't get through to her. We've dealt with PTSD before, but I don't know if she will ever recover from this trauma."

Marcus turned and stared at Sarah through the window. Not since she was in a coma after Project Purity had she looked so fragile. He refused to accept that after everything they had been through...it would end like this. "Can I see her?"

Rothchild hesitated, but he soon relented. "You can, but be careful. There's no telling how she will react to you."

Marcus took a deep breath and went inside. He slowly made his way through the infirmary and sat down next to her bed. "Sarah."

No response.

Marcus decided to take a chance and he carefully reached over and placed his hand on her forehead. "Sarah."

Her head suddenly jerked towards him - and that's when he saw her eyes. The right was still the brilliant blue he remembered, but the left was now a light emerald green. He tried his best to hide his surprise, and he gently stroked her hair. "Sarah it's me, it's Marcus. Marcus Lincoln."

For a moment she just laid there with a blank stare, but then her head lifted slightly. "Marcus?" she whispered. "Is it really you?"

He forced a slight smile as he mentally braced himself. "Yeah, it's me. I'm back."

What happened next was something no one expected, especially Marcus. Sarah began sobbing uncontrollably, and before he knew it, Marcus was sitting on the bed and holding her.

"They're gone!" Sarah muttered between sobs. "They're all gone, Marcus!"

Marcus felt his own tears starting to form and he held onto her. "I know." he whispered.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes. Finally, Marcus managed to pull away and he stared into Sarah's eyes. Despite what had happened to them, Marcus still found them...beautiful.

"It's my fault!" Sarah cried. "I killed them! I killed them all!"

Marcus shook his head. "No, Sarah, it wasn't your fault..."

"YES IT WAS! I was in command! They trusted me and I led them into a trap!"

Marcus' heart broke for the young woman, and all he could do was hold her again.

"You should've left me." she sobbed. "I should've died in there!"

"I could never leave you." Marcus whispered, and the weight of his words had not dawned on him until after he'd said them. He managed to pull away for a second time. "You need to rest, Sarah."

She nodded and wiped her tears away. "Would you stay with me?"

Marcus agreed, and he curled up in the bed with her. Sarah laid her head on his shoulder, and Marcus gently stroked her hair. It wasn't long until her breathing began to slow, and Sarah drifted off to sleep.

This time, the nightmares never came.