Chapter 48: United We Stand

She sat on her throne listening to the human's speech. Normally she would not care for the concerns of these creatures; after all, she had made it her mission in life to exterminate the entire species. In fact, from the sounds of things, the humans were doing a good job of eradicating themselves, and she found herself laughing at times during the news reports. But then this Lone Wanderer said something that made her blood boil: the savage humans were heading for Canterbury Commons and were determined to destroy it.

This she would not tolerate. If the humans wanted to destroy themselves, so be it. But Canterbury Commons was her town, and if anyone was going to destroy it...it would be her.

"Come now, my faithful followers." Tanya Christoff, aka The AntAgonizer said as she addressed the dozens of giant ants in her subterranean lair. The ants, who would not hesitate to kill any other human that got near them, listened to her every word. Twenty years ago Tanya had lost her parents to ants similar to these, and she had found refuge inside this network of caves and tunnels she now called home. What she didn't know at the time, was that one of the caves was covered in Forced Evolutionary Virus, and when she waded through it, something miraculous happened: she was able to communicate with the ants. Since that day the very ants who had killed her parents protected her, and when she had matured, they regarded her as their queen. And as their queen, the AntAgonizer would see to it that the noble ants would take their rightful place at the top of the food chain. "Let us go to Canterbury Commons, and greet these barbarians."

He finished the repairs to the last Mr. Gutsy, and the machine came to life and hovered off the ground. "Unit RC-14 ready for combat, sir."

Scott "Bean" Wollinski, aka The Mechanist, looked out at his small army of thirty-seven combat robots of all kinds: Protectrons, Sentry Bots, Mr. Gutsy's and Robo Brains. When he'd heard that this army of slavers was heading for his beloved town of Canterbury Commons, the "super hero" immediately went to work, scraping together every robot he could inside the electronic's store he called home. He knew that thirty-seven robots would not last long against an army of three-thousand, but superheros never run from a fight. Canterbury Commons needed him, and The Mechanist would be there.

"Come on, Derek!" Ernest Roe, also known as Uncle Roe and the mayor of Canterbury Commons, yelled as he threw his last bag onto the wagon. "We gotta go now!"

Fifteen year old Derek Pacion, Ernest Roe's nephew, came running out of their home was his arms filled with old comic books. His uncle was less than pleased. "I told you we don't have room for that junk!"

"Oh come on, Uncle! We can fit a few of them..." the boy stopped mid sentence, his jaw hung open. "Look! It's the Mechanist!"

Roe turned, and sure enough, there was the Mechanist, clad in his suit of armor and proudly walking down the main road with his army of robots following.

"Oh no!" Uncle Roe groaned. "This is the last thing we need!"

The Mechanist stopped in the center of town and activated his suit's voice amplifier. "Citizens of Canterbury Commons! Fear not! For I, The Mechanist am here to defend this great city from the evil army of Pitt Raiders that are, as we speak, descending upon us. My army of robots will send this horde back to..."

"Oh, blow it out your ass, Bean!" Dominic D'Ellsadro, one of Canterbury Common's two enforcers, yelled as he approached with his partner, Machete.

Uncle Roe approached the "super hero". "Listen Be - I mean, Mechanist...we don't have time for this right now, okay. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't have a chance. There are three-thousand of those animals coming, and by the looks of it that means you're out numbered a hundred to one!"

"Then perhaps we can improve those odds." said a menacing, female voice coming from the other side of the street. Everyone turned and took in the sight of the AntAgonizer approaching with several of her faithful giant ants following.

The Mechanist immediatly drew his laser pistol. "The AntAgonizer! So, you have allied yourself with these Raider scum in order to take over our town!"

The costumed villain raised her right hand. "On the contrary human," she spit out the word, "I have come to destroy this army of barbarians."

The Mechanist scoffed at her. "You can not fool me, villain! Someone as evil as you is incapable of helping others!"

An evil laugh escaped from the villain. "You are correct, Mechanist. I am not doing this to help any of you vermin. I am doing this because these mammals think they are going to take my town - but they are wrong. If anyone is going to destroy this town and the rest of humanity, it will be I, the AntAgonizer!"

The towns people stood between the two costumed figures, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads during the entire exchange. Except for young Derek, who was so excited he looked like he was going to pee himself.

The Mechanist slowly lowered his laser pistol. "A truce, then? To fight against our common enemy?"

The AntAgonizer reluctantly nodded her head. "Agreed. But know this: when these vermin are defeated, you and I will once again be sworn enemies, and all of you will bare witness to the rise of my ant empir..."

"Alright, we get it!" Machete yelled, cutting of the "super villain".

Uncle Roe ran his hand down his face in frustration. "Okay...well, you two have fun. We're heading south." He was heading for the caravaan when Dominic stopped him. "Hold on, Roe. Listen um...I know this is gonna sound crazy but..."

Roe's eyes shot wide open. "You can't be seriously thinking about staying here with these two crazies, are you!?"

Dominic shrugged. "I can't believe it either but...yeah, that's what I'm say'in."

Machete quickly joined her partner. "Well if you're stay'in then so am I."

Roe placed both hands on his temples. "Why! For the love of God why?!"

"Because this is our town, Roe." Dominic said. "We built this place with our own hands, and if there's even a chance that we can defend it, then I'm going to do it." He could tell the mayor was not convinced. "You heard what the Lone Wanderer said. These guys won't stop until they take the entire Capital. Soon there won't be anywhere left to run to."

"He's right." Machete chimed in. "And I'd rather die on my feet then live on my knees!"

Uncle Roe pointed at the two comic book characters. "Even with their help, there's no way we can stop an army of three-thousand raiders!"

Dominic stretched out his arm. "Look, Canterbury Commons is surrounded by rock formations, which means the main road is the only way in or out. We dig in, funnel them down the center of town, and their numbers will mean nothing. I was a merc for a long time, and I'm telling you will can hold out here; at least until help arrives."

Uncle Roe stared at his two enforcers, then at the two costume clad characters and sighed in defeat. "I can't believe we're doing this." He mumbled. "Alright. You two!"

The Mechanist and AntAgonizer approached. "We've decided to stay and fight...but Dominic is in charge, you understand? That means both of you follow his orders, or the deal's off. Okay?"

The super hero and villain both shared a skeptical glance. Finally, they both agreed.

Derek's eyes lite up. "Oh man, this is going to be awesome! The Mechanist and the AntAgonizer, fighting side by side..."

"You young man are going with the caravan." Uncle Roe said.

The young boy was crushed. "Oh come on, Uncle Roe! I want to stay and..."

"No butts!" Roe snapped. He took a deep breath and approached his nephew. Placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, he spoke in a low voice. "This is not a comic book, Derek. People are going to die, understand? Now I want you to go with Joe and head south for Megaton. You'll be safe there. Okay?"

The boy hung his head, but reluctantly nodded his head, and threw his arms around his uncle; wondering the whole time if he'd ever see him again.

At dawn the next morning, Marcus stirred awake inside the private quarters both he and Sarah shared at the Citadel. The Lone Wanderer wiped the sweat from his face, and he felt Sarah begin to stir beside him. Despite the tensions between them over the revelation of his son, they were both too exhausted to fight and simply crawled into bed together after evacuating GNR. The fact that Sarah still wanted to sleep in the same bed with him was a good sign that she was getting over things.

Despite their exhaustion sleep did not come easy, and Marcus figured he was lucky if he'd gotten three hours of it. Between the events of the last forty-eight hours, and the impending mission, his mind was a raging torrent of worry. There were so many unknowns when it came to the Pitt, and so many things could go wrong. On top of all of this was the real possibility that none of them would be returning from this mission. Marcus came to terms with his own mortality long ago, but it was the people he cared about: Sarah, Charon, Clover, Elder Lyons, Cross...even Tristen, Butch and Jericho...he didn't want to loose any of them. And now, there was someone else he had to worry about...Max, the son he has never met.

Marcus touched the screen on his PIPBOY, and the image of Clover with his son appeared. He smiled as he studied Max's face. The boy had the same brown eyes he did, but instead of black hair it was dirty blonde. Marcus began to image what it would be like to be a father. He could see himself taking Max to Christine Kendell's school in Megaton. Afterwards, he, Sarah, Clover and Dogmeat would take him to the park...

A park. There was no park in Megaton. Marcus decided in that moment that when this war was over, he was going to build a park for his son.

A knock at the door brought him back to the here and now, and he felt the mattress shift as Sarah sat up. The door slowly opened, and Reilly stuck her head inside. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Marcus shook his head. "No, it's okay."

"Good," Reilly stepped inside and closed the door. ",because I have to talk to both of you."

Sarah rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn. "What's on your mind?"

Reilly placed a chair in front of their bed and sat down. The merc leader was visibly troubled, and took a deep breath before speaking. "My guys and I have been talking, and if you're planning to go to the Pitt then we want in."

Marcus was filled with a mixture of surprise and relief. He intended to ask Reilly if she and the Rangers would take them to the Pitt. Still, something was definitely troubling the red head. "That would be great, Reilly...but is something wrong?"

Reilly let out a sigh, and she stood up and began to pace. "The contract we had to map the Capital. Remember when I told you I thought the client might be someone in Pennsylvania?"

It took Marcus only a few seconds to figure out what she was alluding to. "You've gotta be kidding." he sighed.

Reilly shook her head, and was clearly fighting back tears. "I didn't know who he was until yesterday while we were monitoring their communications. He always used a middle man whenever we did business, a guy named Wernher. After the assault on the Citadel, we heard this Ashur use his name over the radio. There's...there's no doubt about it. We...I...I literary drew a map for this bastard right to our front door."

Marcus felt a knot form in his stomach. He must have mapped nearly half of the Capital for Reilly, and she had unknowingly passed that information onto a warlord hell bent on conquering it. That was how these Raiders knew where and how to hit them. Marcus stood up and approached the Ranger. "Reilly, you had no idea about any of this - none of us did."

Sarah swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "He's right, Reilly...you couldn't have known."

"It doesn't change the fact that I'm still responsible." she said, her voice cracking. "Which is why I'm going with you - to make this right." Reilly's expression went from despair to rage. "I'm gonna take all of those caps Ashur paid me, place them in a bomb, and drop it right on his fucking head!"

A smirk appeared on Marcus' face, and he and Reilly clasped their hands together. "Then let's get ready."

Fort Independence...

Casdin, the leader of the Brotherhood faction known as The Outcasts, sat in his office of their main headquarters, along with his newly appointed Protector, Rockfowl.

"Report." Casdin deadpanned.

Rockfowl cleared his throat. "After monitoring the communications of these Pitt Raiders there is no question that Ishmael Ashur is their leader."

Casdin clenched his fist. "Damn it! We need every piece of intel we can gather on this invasion force, and we need it ASAP."

Rockfowl shot his commander a confused look. "With all due respects, sir, but why should we give a shit if Lyons and his Brotherhood get slaughtered by these savages? If you asked me, this is karma come back to bit them in the ass."

Casdin stood up and walked around his desk. "Normally I would agree with you, Protector...if not for Ashur. It's one thing to consort with these knuckle dragers, but Ashur used his knowledge and training as a Brotherhood Paladin to raise an army of them, and he's using them against his own brethren." He shook his head. "No...this we cannot ignore. There will be a reckoning with Lyons and his Brotherhood, but it will be up to Lost Hills, not at the hands of a traitor and his army of savages. Besides, there is no doubt in my mind that once he is done with Lyons, Ashur will turn these primitives on us."

Rockfowl's jaw hardened. "Then let them come! We are the true Brotherhood, born and bred! Lyons has poisoned his ranks with so much Wasteland trash it's no wonder they are losing."

Casdin shook his head. "Alone even we wouldn't stand a chance against a force this size. As distasteful as this is, a temporary alliance with Lyons is our only chance of survival. Now, muster everyone in the mess hall...we have work to do."

The Citadel...

Later that morning, the team chosen to infiltrate the Pitt assembled in the Grand Hall for the last time. It would consist of Marcus, Sarah, Clover, Kago, Charon and the rest of the Rangers. Since he had spent half his childhood in Old Pittsburgh, Gregg "Kodiak" Bear would be joining them. Their plan was to take the Ranger's vertibird and land just outside of the city ruins, infiltrate the Pitt, locate the cure, then destroy the factories.

The plan had such a low possibility of succeeding, that Clover half-jokingly called them "The Suicide Squad". No one else cared for the name. Marcus had hoped that the prisoners taken at GNR would give up some intel on the Pitt, but just as before, most had committed suicide rather then talk.

The truth was, Marcus and his team were going in blind.

There was a glimmer of hope, however. When he awoke this morning, Marcus expected to hear that Canterbury Commons had suffered the same fate as the Republic of Dave. Instead the news was both surprising good...and strange. "Run that by me again." Marcus said.

Paladin Tristen, who was also in attendence, along with Rothchild and Cross, read the report again. "According to Paladin Sanchez the Pitt army has been stalled at Canterbury Commons. His report states the residents are putting up a hell of a fight, and are being aided by..." he stopped for a moment and shook his head; still unable to believe what he was reading. "...a woman dressed in an insect costume who apparently has the ability to control giant ants, and a man dressed like a robot leading a company of robots."

Silence and confused stares were all that greeted the Paladin. Finally it was broken by Reilly. "Hold on: those aren't the two freaks that Three Dog's always taking about, are they?"

Marcus' eyes went wide open, and he pointed his finger at the red head. "Oh yeah, I remember those two! They called themselves the Mechanist and the AntAgonizer."

Charon busted out laughing. "The Mechanist? AntAgonizer? Who's next, Jangles the Moon Monkey?"

Marcus shrugged. "Hey at this point if Jangles shows up with a minigun, I'm putting him on the front lines."

Everyone busted out laughing (except for Tristen, who waited for it to die down). "Regardless of what they call themselves, they've given us the one thing we are in short supply of: time." He turned to the display, and the map of Canterbury Commons appeared. "These rock formations on either side of the town forced the Pitt Raiders to funnel into this narrow street in the center, which means their massive numbers mean nothing. No doubt this has allowed the defenders of Canterbury Commons to keep them bogged down."

Butcher gave Marcus a slight nudge with his elbow. "Just like Thermopylae, hu?"

"Looks like you lite a fire under everyone's ass with that speech, kid!" Brick said with her long southern drawl.

Cross nodded. "It's true. All morning we've had volunteers showing up to the gate, looking to join the fight." The Star Paladin shrugged. "Most of them probably wouldn't last five minutes...but they've definitely got the spirit."

Head Scribe Rothchild jumped in. "We've also heard from the Overseer of Vault 101, and in addition to increasing their water production, he has pledge the support of his militia when the time comes."

A slight smirk appeared on Marcus' face. He still couldn't believe how far the residents of his former home had come in less than a year. "That's great news. What about the Zetians? Have they arrived yet?"

Tristen cringed at the mention of the aliens, and he was clearly still apprehensive about working with them. "Yes. The a...aliens arrived late last night. We smuggled them in from Megaton, and more of their weapons are arriving as we speak. We're trying to keep a lid on this but...soldiers have a habit of talking too much."

"Working with these creatures is fascinating!" Rothchild eagerly said. "With their assistance, I am confident we can have most, if not all of our suits of power armor fitted with personnel shields. And the weapons they are providing us are a Scribe's dream." He turned to Marcus and Sarah. "It almost makes up for the two of you keeping all of this a secret."

Sarah shrugged. "I'm sorry Rothchild, but like we said...we had our reasons."

Rothchild responded with a quiet grunt.

There was a knock on the door. "Enter." Tristen said.

The door opened, and Knight Danse sheepishly stepped inside. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interupte."

"Spit it out, Knight." Rothchild snapped.

Danse quickly composed himself. "Yes sir. One of the prisoners we brought in last night is awake and is ready to talk, but he says he will only speak to Knight Commander Lincoln."

All eyes in the room fell on Marcus. "Did he say anything else?"

"He only gave us his name: Wernher."

Realization hit Marcus and Sarah like a thunderbolt, and they both turned to the Rangers; all of whom had a look of murder in their eyes. Marcus stood up. "Thank you, Danse." He addressed the rest of the group. "We'll meet again in the courtyard once final preparations for the mission are made. Reilly, come with me, please."

Once the meeting was adjourned, Marcus, Sarah and Reilly made their way to the infirmary, where they were greeted by two Brotherhood guards standing by the door. "The prisoner is ready, sir."

Marcus thanked the Knight, and the three companions stepped inside. The prisoner had several laceration on his face, and his clothing had been cringed and chard. He was lying in a hospital bed, and was shackled to the side rails. An IV tube was hooked to his right arm, and Sarah thought that was more then the scum deserved.

Marcus turned to Reilly. "Is that him?"

The Ranger stared daggers at the prisoner and nodded. "Yeah...that's him. That's Wernher."

Upon hearing his name, Wernher lifted his head. "Hello Reilly." he said with a horse voice. "Been a long time."

Reilly menacingly approached him; rage clearly on her face. "You're lucky we aren't alone, you piece of shit! I'd take your head and mount it on the nose of my vertibird!"

Marcus placed his hand on Reilly's arm. "We need him, Reilly, okay. We'll take it from here."

Reilly understood she was being asked to leave, and she made it a point to spit in Wernher's face before walking out of the room. Marcus stared down at the Raider with contempt. The man looked pathetic. "Well you wanted me...here I am."

Wernher responded with a cough. "Could I have some water?"

Sarah was about to tell him to go to hell when, to her shock, Marcus began to pour water into a cup for the Raider. He held it up, but kept it just out of reach. "That depends on what you have to say."

If Wernher had the strength, he would've thrown every curse he knew at the Lone Wanderer. Instead, he relented and began to speak. "So you're the famous Marcus Lincoln. Aka the Lone Wanderer. Aka the Savior of the Citadel and Hero of Project Purity." He chuckled. "Funny, I thought you'd be taller."

Marcus was already loosing his patients. "Are you writing a book?"

Another cough escaped from Wernher. "No. You're good, I'll give you that. It's clear we underestimated you. But even with these victories, you don't have a chance. Ashur is a ruthless bastard, and if he has to sacrifice two thirds of his army to beat you he will not hesitate."

Marcus placed the cup on the table, still out of the Raider's reach. "If you've brought me down here just to threaten me, I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of Knight Danse; and he doesn't like you very much."

Wernher shook his head. "No. I'm just telling you the facts. You don't have a chance - without my help."

Marcus scoffed at him and crossed his arms. "You're Ashur's second in command...and you want me to believe that you want to help us?"

Wernher nodded.

"Why?"

"Because for two decades Ashur has had his boot on the necks of my people. The only reason I'm not working myself into an early grave in the Mill, is because I bowed lower then my fellow slaves. I never complained, or gripped. And when it was my turn in the arena, I was the last man standing. I played the game and bide my time, waiting for the opportunity to take down that sonofabitch."

Sarah wasn't buying any of it. "Being his second in command, I suspect you've had plenty of chances to kill him. Why haven't you taken it?"

"Because Ashur's followers believe that he's a god, and you don't kill a god in the shadows. You do it in front of his flock. Besides, I may be his second in command, but he doesn't completely trust me. The only person on Earth he trust is his bitch of a wife, Sandra. She's just as ruthless as he is, and she's also the scientist who came up with the cure for the Troglodyte Mutation."

Marcus' left eyebrow went up. "You know about the cure?"

Wernher nodded. "Yes. I know exactly where it is...and I can help you get it!"

"How do we know you won't betray us the moment you're back behind your lines?"

Wernher struggled to prop himself up on his elbows. "You don't...but without me, you're going in blind! Once I get you in, I'll help you make contact with Midea; she's the unofficial matriarchal of the slaves. She can help you to get the cure, and once we have it, my people will rise up and take the Pitt. Without the supplies and weapons from the Mill, Ashur's army will wither and die. Or, you can take your chances once it gets here."

Marcus studied the Raider closely, looking for any signs of deceit. He couldn't tell if Wernher was telling him the truth or playing him...but he was right about the fact that without him, they were going in blind. Without saying a word, Marcus handed the cup of water to Wernher, then he and Sarah left the room.

"You do realize this is a trap, right?" Donovan asked.

The team had gathered in the Lyon's Den to discuss what Wernher had said. Marcus was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and he appeared to be deep in thought. "It crossed my mind."

Reilly spread her hands out. "Then why are we even discussing this? I say we get whatever information we can out of Wernher, put two behind his ear and be done wtih him."

Marcus took a deep breath. Reilly's plan was definitely tempting. "Two reasons. One, if he is telling the truth, then this is our best chance of getting this cure, and liberating the Pitt."

"That's a pretty big if." Kodiak said.

"And second," Marcus continued, "every other Pitt Raider we've captured has bitten down on a cyanide capsule instead of talk. All of them except for Wernher."

Kago sneered in disgust. "All that means is he is a coward with no honor. All the more reason not to trust him!"

Charon nodded. "I'm inclined to agree with Samurai Jack over here. Once we're there, we will be completely alone and without back up. All it will take is one word from this guy and we're all dead."

"He is right, though." Butcher grimly stated, to Reilly's surprise. "We have little to no intel on this place. We have no idea how many Raiders there are, their defense capabilities, and more importantly, we have no idea where this cure is."

Kodiak let out sigh. "I hate to admit it, but I only remember so much about that place. The truth is, I've been trying to forget about it...and I was very young when the Brotherhood rescued me."

"Don't you mean kidnapped you?" Charon mumbled, causing Sarah to stare daggers at him.

"You don't know what that place was like, Charon." Kodiak said. "I know you may find this hard to understand, but the purge was the best thing that happened to that place. And, the Brotherhood gave me a chance for a better life. I just wish my two older brothers could have joined us. They were...too far gone by the time the Brotherhood arrived."

No one responded to the young Paladin's account. Marcus unfolded a crudely drawn map and placed in on the table, and everyone gathered around it. "From what Wernher said, there's a single bridge that leads into Pittsburgh. The Mill and the factories are here, next to the steel yard, and the slaves are kept here." He turned to Kodiak. "Does all of this sound familiar?"

Gregg nodded. "I think so, yes."

Marcus pointed to an area on the map. "On the other side of the bridge, out of sight from the rest of the city, is a train yard. We take out the Raiders there, then use it as a staging area. Now you're right, I don't trust Wernher and we shouldn't, so I have a plan on how to keep him in line. But just to be safe, I think it's best if I make my way into Pittsburgh and make contact with this Midea."

A chorus of gasps and objections filled the room; and the most stern was from Sarah. "You are not going in there alone!"

Marcus shook his head. "I won't be alone. Clover. Kago. You two are masters of hiding in the shadows, so you will be my back up. I will pretend to be a runaway slave who decided that life outside the walls was just too dangerous. Once they return me to the slave area, I'll make contact with Midea, find the cure, and the slaves will do the rest."

Marcus could tell by the silence, (and gawks) that no one liked this plan. Sarah was especially objectionable to it for many reasons - not the least of which was the fact that he was going behind enemy lines with her. "No! That is unacceptable! Once you go in, there is no way for us to know if you're in trouble."

"Both Clover and Kago will have flares." He looked at his two companions. "Once we have the cure, or if things go south, fire one off." He turned to Sarah. "That will be your que to fly in with the calvary and extract us."

Sarah remained stubborn. "So you expect me - us to just sit around with our thumbs up our asses, while you take all of the risks!"

Marcus addressed the entire group. "If anyone else has a better idea...now's the time." Nervous shuffling and blank stares was the only response he received. "Then it's settle."

Sarah shook her head in disgust and slammed the door as she stormed out of the Den. An awkward silence filled the room until finally, it was broken by Charon. "An insane plan with about a million things that can go wrong, and it has almost no chance of success." He shrugged his shoulders. "So when do we leave?"

Canterbury Commons...

Roe sat behind the make-shift barricade in the center of town, reloading his hunting rifle. It had been twelve hours since the first assault from the Pitt Raiders, and aside from the occasional lull, they were not letting up. To be honest, the mayor was surprised they had lasted this long. The Mechanist and his robots were taking the brunt of the assaults, and while a few of the robots had been destroyed, they were killing ten Raiders for everyone of theirs. The Sentry Bots had even managed to take out one of the Raider's armored vehicles. It was the AntAgonizer's ants, however, that really kept the Raiders on their toes. The giant insects would burrow under the ground and pop up behind the attackers, then proceed to tear them to pieces. The Raiders tried to outflank them by going through the unused buildings on the edge of town, but Dominic and Machete had booby-trapped those, and after several dozen of them had been killed by collapsing buildings, the Raiders abandoned the tactic.

Dominic came running over to Roe and sat down; taking a moment to catch his breath. "Looks like they're getting ready for another push."

Roe let out a haggard breath. "These guys just won't stop! Have you been calling for help?"

The ex-merc nodded. "On every radio channel. So far, nothing."

Roe cursed under his breath. "I don't know how much longer we can hold out like this."

Dominic didn't respond. After reloading his AK, he looked over the barricade. "Here they come again!"

The Raiders, with two of their technicals up front, charged down the street and ran into a wall of machine gun, laser and missile fire. The AntAgonizer stood behind cover, and mentally directed her ants in the assault, while the Mechanist stood at the head of his robot army, blasting away with his laser pistol and directing his robots.

As Roe and Dominic fired their weapons into the Raider horde, Machete frantically ran over to them. "THERE'S FIGHTERS COMING UP BEHIND US!"

Panic filled both men, and they turned around and spotted a large group of armed men, along with about half a dozen jeeps, coming up the main road.

'This is it', Roe thought. 'It's over!' He was about to raise his rifle and open fire, when Dominic pushed his barrel up. "Wait! It's the Regulators!"

Roe squinted his eyes and looked again, and as the group came closer, he realized they were wearing the trade mark tan dusters of the Wasteland law bringers. The mayor released the breath he was holding, and smiled for the first time all day. "I don't believe it!"

The Regulators quickly joined the defenders at the barricades, and added their own fire to the chaos. Roe watched a woman standing in the back of one of the jeeps shoulder an RPG and fire it at one of the technicals, blowing it sky high. A second later the other technical met the same fate, and once again the Raiders were forced to retreat.

The female Regulator placed the weapon down, and jumped out of the vehicle. She calmly strolled over to Roe, and his mouth was gaped open as the woman stood over him. "Mayor Roe?"

Roe slowly nodded his head.

The woman smiled and tipped her hat. "Sonora Cruz of the Regulators at your service."

The Citadel...

Sarah knocked on the door to her father's private quarters, and when he didn't respond, she took it upon herself to enter. Military prodigal demanded a subordinate not enter their CO's quarters without permission, but Sarah was in no mood to be "by the book". The absence of her father at the last briefing made her feel uneasy, and she wanted to make sure he was alright before heading out on her mission. "Father?" She called out in the dark room.

A moment later a lamp was turned on, and her father was sitting in a chair, staring at nothing. "Hello, Sarah. I suspect you are ready for your mission?"

Sarah cautiously made her way over to the bed, and sat down at the foot of it. "Yes Father, we are." As she looked at her father, she could tell immediately that he hadn't slept. "Are you alright?"

Lyon's let out a long, tired sigh, and he reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Half of my order has been either killed or wounded. The Citadel is in shambles, our air power has been destroyed, Project Purity has fallen, and now...now my daughter is about to go on what maybe a suicide mission. No Sarah, I am not alright."

It broke Sarah's heart to see her father so...defeated. She stood up from the bed, knelled down in front of him, and took his hand in hers. "You always told me that no matter how hopeless a situation is, a leader had to be strong. Even if you don't have any answers, your men had to believe that you did. Father, this was not your fault."

For the first time in her life, she saw a single tear run down her father's cheek, and the Elder's voice cracked. "Yes, Sarah...it is." He stared up at the ceiling, trying in vain to stop more tears from falling. "For over twenty years I feared...that my sins would return to visit me...and now they have. This is punishment, Sarah. This...this is karma."

Sarah had to fight back her own tears as she gently placed her hand on his cheek. "No dad, this is not karma. This is war! A war that Ashur started, not you!"

A slight smile appeared on the Elder's face as he appreciated her attempt to comfort him. "I wish I could believe that. But now...now the two people I care for most in this world...have to go into hell itself to fix my mistakes."

Sarah, no longer able to hold back her own tears, threw her arms around her father. They did not care about how much time had passed. No words were spoken. No goodbye's were said.

Marcus was in his quarters making final checks on his weapons, when Star Paladin Cross entered. After she closed the door, the two stood there for several seconds just staring at at each other, until finally, Cross gave him a curt nod. "Knight Commander."

Marcus returned his attention to his weapons. "Star Paladin."

Cross slowly walked over to him. "Marcus I um...wanted to wish you good luck...on your mission. I wish...I wish I could accompany you."

Marcus placed his weapon down and turned to face her. "So do I." More awkward silence. "Was there something else?" He asked.

Cross' shoulder's seemed to sag. "No...that was all." She turned and headed for the door.

"Just tell me one thing, Cross." Marcus said, causing her to stop and turn around. "I know what I did was wrong, and the Brotherhood had every right to punish me. But after what happened at the Pitt, I would think you of all people would at least cut me some slack."

Cross' face turned to granite, and the Star Paladin's hands balled into a fist. "Don't you dare compare your crimes to what happened at the Pitt!"

Marcus shrugged. "I slaughtered civilians, you slaughtered civilians. Seems like a fair comparison to me."

It took all of Cross' military discipline not to hit him. "I was under orders!"

Marcus crossed his arms. "Oh, so because the Elder told you to do it it's okay? War criminals have tried to use that defense before."

"You weren't there!" she snapped. "You have no idea what we went through, or what we saw!"

"I think I have a pretty good idea."

Cross got right into his face. "You think because you've known war that you can put yourself in the Elder's shoes?" She shook her head. "Everyday that man wakes up and he carries the entire wait of this order on his shoulders. Everyday he is faced with the fact that if he makes the wrong decision, that if he makes just one wrong move, it could bring disaster to us all! He has to order young men and women into battle, knowing that not all of them will come back, and then he is the one who has to comfort their loved ones! That man has spoken at more funerals then I care to image. That is the burden of command!"

She jabbed her finger at him. "Someday you will be forced to make an impossible decision, where there are no good options...only ones you'll have to learn to live with. And when that day comes, I hope the people around you will still be able to look you in the eye." Cross turned on her heels and stormed out of the room; slamming the door so hard Marcus was surprise it didn't come off the hinges.

Just before dusk, the team gathered in the Citadel's courtyard next to the Ranger's vertibird. As Marcus was going over the plan one more time, Knight Danse arrived with a handcuffed Wernher in tow. "Sir, the prisoner is ready, sir."

Wernher sneered and lifted up his hands. "Are these really necessary?"

"Yes!" Everyone said in unison.

Marcus stepped in front of the Raider, and held up a silver slave collar. "Recognize this?"

Wernher swallowed hard. "Yes."

Marcus placed the devise around Wernher's neck and locked it in place. He then handed the key to Knight Danse. "The key stays here. Several of us will have a detonator, so if we even suspect you've betrayed us, you're head is going to become separated from your body. Understand?"

Wernher stared daggers at him. "I understand."

Marcus smirked. "Good. Put him onboard the Vertibird, and a Danse...make sure he's strapped in nice and tight."

An evil grin appeared on the Knight's face. "With pleasure, sir." He then practically lifted Wernher off his feet as he dragged him to the aircraft.

Marcus turned to his team. "So, is everyone ready to go?"

Sarah stepped forward, and looked right at Clover. "I actually need to speak to you...in private."

Alarm bells went off in everyone's head, and Clover looked over at Marcus. He didn't say a word, but she could see the concern on his face. The Ghost operative swallowed hard and turned to Sarah. "Sure...lead the way."

The two women walked a good distance away from the group, and once they were out of ear shot, Sarah turned and spoke. "Before we leave on this mission I need to know something."

Clover responded with a shrug, and Sarah took a deep breath. "What are your intentions with Marcus?"

Clover smirked and shook her head. "Honey, my only intention is to keep him alive. Look, I'm not gonna lie...what Marcus and I had was damn good. The fact is, nobody ever treated me the way he did. We both needed each other at the time, but now..." she glanced across the courtyard at him; a sad expression on her face. "...I've seen the way he looks at you. He never looked at me like that. He loves you, honey, no doubt about it."

Sarah's hardened exterior began to fade as she listened to the ex-slave. "Alright. Just so we're clear, there is to be no more flirting with him. No more sexual innuendos. No more calling him suga, or honey, or sweety pie, or pumpkin, or any other pet names you have for him. Got it?"

Clover raised her right hand. "Scout's honor."

Sarah stepped closer, until she and Clover were practically nose to nose. "And if anything happens to Marcus. If you fail to protect him in anyway...you'd better not come out of that city alive!"

Clover's eyes narrowed. "Honey, I spent five years as a sex slave to the most ruthless slaver in the entire Capital Wasteland. Do you really think you can intimidate me?"

The two women stood there for several moments, their stares burning into each other. On the other side of the courtyard, a chill went up Marcus' spine as he was all but certain the two were about to throw down.

Finally, Clover broke the stand-off. "Don't worry about Marcus. I will die before I let anything happen to him."

The look in Clover's eyes told Sarah she was not lying, and the Sentinel backed away. "Good. Then let's get moving, shall we?"

Clover nodded, and the two women made their way back to the group. Marcus let out the breath he was holding, and he looked over his shoulder and spotted Charon handing Reilly a handful of caps.

"Sorry," the ghoul stammered, "but I bet Reilly ten caps they were going to start an epic cat fight."

Marcus rolled his eyes, and addressed the two women. "Is everything...okay?"

"Yeah." Sarah answered as she approached him; a slight smile on her face. "We came to an understanding so...we're good."

Marcus stared into her beautiful eyes. "And you and me? Are we good?"

Sarah smiled and playfully jabbed him in the shoulder. "Yeah, we're good." She pointed her finger at him. "But I plan on holding this over your head for a long time."

Marcus shrugged. "You're a woman...I would expect nothing less."

Sarah pretended to be insulted and playfully jabbed him again, be it a little harder this time.

Charon let out a cough. "If you two a - love birds are done, we have to go save the world now."

"Hold on, now." Clover said. She turned to Marcus and pointed over his shoulder toward the main gate. "There's someone I think you'll want to see first."

Marcus gave her a confused look before he turned around. His heart nearly jumped inside his chest when he saw Hannible Hamlin, the leader of the Temple of the Union, along with the rest of his followers, walking through the main gate and into the courtyard. As they approached, Marcus felt his knees becoming weak.

"Marcus!" Hannible shouted as he embraced his friend. "It's good see you, my friend."

Marcus returned his embrace, but remained speechless.

"As you requested, I sent some of our fighters to the Washington Monument, to reinforce your defenses there. Once we get the non-combats to a save area, Simone and I will be joining them. Clover asked us to stop here first. She said...there was someone here you'd like to meet."

As Marcus stood their frozen in place, a middle-age looking woman made her way through the group of ex-slaves, caring a baby wrapped in a brown blanket. Clover immediately scoped up the bundle, and smiled as she brought the child over to Marcus. "Max, this is your daddy, Marcus. Marcus...this is our son."

Marcus' hand immediately went up to his mouth as he began to choke up. He stepped closer and studied his son's face. The boy clearly had his eyes, and as Marcus' trembling hand touched his face, Max reached up and grabbed one of his fingers.

A nervous laugh escaped from Marcus, and tears began to form in his eyes. "That's a...quit a grip he's got there."

Clover laughed. "He's strong...like his father."

Marcus began playfully tugging on his finger, and Max smiled.

"Would you like to hold him?" Clover asked.

Marcus could hardly speak. "I um...I really don't know - how I..." Before he knew it, Clover was handing the child over to him. "It's okay. You just...hold him like this and support his head."

Marcus stood completely still as he held his son for the first time; scared to death that he would drop him. But soon the fear gave way to joy, and he began slowly rocking his son and smiling at him. "He's beautiful."

The sight of Marcus holding his son unexpectedly made Sarah's heart melt, and she quickly wiped away a tear running down her cheek.

Boarding the Vertibird and leaving his son was the hardest thing Marcus Lincoln had ever done. As he watched Citadel getting smaller and smaller, he could not hold back the tears. Everyone looked away from the new father out of respect, for they all understood what he was feeling. It was a pain every father who had ever gone to war has had to deal with, and even the toughest of them had to cry from time to time.

Marcus Lincoln, the Lone Wanderer, was no different.

As he stood on the wall of the Citadel watching the Vertibird disappear from view, Knight Danse placed his fist on his chest. "Ad Victoriam, brothers." he whispered. As his gaze shifted to the horizon, he spotted a large group of armed Raiders heading across the bridge towards the Citadel's main gate. "RAIDERS! TO ARMS! TO ARMS!"

The alarm was repeated throughout the entire Citadel, and soon BOS soldiers were scrambling to their posts. As Knight Danse took aim with his laser rifle, Paladin Tristen joined him on the wall to see what was happening. "HOLD YOUR FIRE, HOLD YOUR FIRE!" he screamed.

For a moment, Knight Danse thought the Paladin had taken leave of his senses. "Sir?"

"They're not Pitt Raiders." Tristen replied.

"Is there a difference?" Danse mumbled under his breath.

Tristen ignored the Knight's comment, and waited for the group of Raiders, which numbered at least eighty, to reach the main gate. It didn't take him long to spot the two individuals in charge of them. "Butch! Jericho! What the hell is all of this?"

Butch responded with a smirk. "Well, we heard you guys needed an army so," he looked to his left and right, "we brought ya one."

Jericho stepped forward and spit on the ground. "Now how about you let us in, soldier boy, and we'll get down to business."