Chapter 51: Everything Goes to Shit

The Lady of the Pitt confidently stood before Marcus, so close she could feel his hot breath on her face. Her smile resembled that of a black widow's as she lured her prey into her trap. As Marcus' eyes shifted between her and the young child sleeping in the crib, Sandra knew what his answer would be – for only a crazy person would say no to the offer she had just presented.

Marcus' body tensed, and his hands were clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white. His focus was now completely on Sandra, and when he finally spoke, his voice resembled a low growl. "Who do you think you're fucking with."

Sandra was clearly taken aback by his response, and she could not keep her jaw from dropping. The two guards standing behind Marcus looked at each other and shrugged.

"Excuse me!" Sandra managed to say.

Marcus spoke a little louder this time, but his tone was no less menacing. "I said: who do you think you're fucking with!"

For the first time Sandra's confidence seemed to wane, and she took a step back. "I don't….I don't understand…."

"Then let me enlighten you." Marcus interrupted. "Because I don't think you understand just what kind of a man I am. I'm the guy who shot his way out of a Vault, the only home I'd ever known, to find my father. I killed people I had literally known my entire life…. because nothing was going to stop me from finding him. And after I'd finally found my father a bunch of assholes called the Enclave, I'm sure your husband knows about them - killed him right in front of me.

"Do you know what I did? I took control of a weapons satellite and dropped a billion tons of ordnance on their base, wiping them out – but not before I beat the man who shot my father within an inch of his life, and then I drowned him in a pool of water.

"Then, sometime later, a gang of mercs kidnapped the woman I loved. You see there was a bounty on my head, and when they couldn't get to me directly, they decided to grab her instead. Well I shot my way through their base, and I slaughtered every one of those bastards trying to rescue her." For the first time during his rant, Marcus found it difficult to control his voice. "But I was too late. She died in my arms. I then proceeded to gouge out the eyes of the lone survivor until he gave me the name of the man who put the bounty on my head. Alistair Tenpenny. He was a very wealthy man who owned a tower much like this one, only bigger."

He leaned in closer to Sandra, causing the guards to tense up. "So I hijacked that same weapons satellite that I used to wipe out the Enclave, and I turned his precious building into ash! I didn't care that there were a hundred people living in it – I just wanted him to suffer! And once that was done, I put a bullet into his brain! And now...I had to kill the brothers of a very good friend of mine….just so that I could get access to you."

He leaned back and stood up straight. "So after hearing all of that, do you really think that I am above adding kidnapping to that list?" Marcus shook his head. "I've tried to do the right thing…. God help me I've tried! But people like you keep coming along and forcing my hand." A bitter laugh escaped from him. "I guess maybe you're right; your husband and I are more alike than I'd care to admit. Because there's almost nothing I won't do to save the people I love from a maniac like you."

Sandra stood there in stunned silence as she listened to the Lone Wanderer's story. The silence was broken when she slapped him across the face. "How DAREyou!" She spat. "Are you mad! Are you insane! Do you not realize the opportunity I am giving you? And do you not understand what will happen if you do not accept this offer!"

Marcus only sneered at her. He was getting under her skin. "I understand – and if I had a cap for every time one of you assholes gave me the 'I'm conquering the world for the greater good' speech, I'd be a very wealthy man…."

He was cut off by one of the guards hitting him in the back with a baton, and the Lone Wanderer was sent to his knees. As the guards restrained him, Sandra walked over to a cabinet, and removed a 10mm pistol. "Such a waste." She sighed. The Lady of the Pitt stood over Marcus, and grabbed him by his chin. "Before you die, know that I will be watching as my husband burns your home to the ground! And everyone in your precious Brotherhood of Steel will be nailed to a cross – and that you failed to stop it!" She stepped back and pointed the gun at his head. "It's a shame. You've come all this way just to die alone."

Marcus presented her with a smirk. "Who said I was alone."

Before his words could register with her, Sandra watched as a Chinese officer's sword sprang from one of the guard's chest; killing him almost instantly. The cloaked attacker drew a silenced 10mm pistol, and put a round between the eyes of the second guard before he could react. Sandra levied her pistol at the shimmer, but before she could fire Marcus leaped forward and tackled her to the ground. A brief struggle for the gun ensued, and ended when Marcus punched Sandra in the jaw, knocking out one of her teeth. The Lone Wanderer was quickly on his feet, and as he held Sandra at gunpoint, Clover decloaked in the center of the room.

"GUARDS!" Sandra shouted as blood dripped down her chin.

The door to the lab flew open, and both Marcus and Clover spun around; their guns at the ready. But instead of the rush of armed Raiders, Kago stepped inside holding a blood stained samurai sword.

Marcus released the breath he was holding and smiled. "Kago!"

The Samurai nodded. "The way is clear, Lincoln-san."

Marcus' smile quickly faded as he remembered Sandra and spun around, just as the Lady of the Pitt was standing up. "You may have taken care of my guards," she seethed, "but the turrets outside will cut you in half!"

Moira's avatar suddenly appeared on the PIPBOY's screen. "Oh, you mean the two turrets I hacked while you were droning on, and on, and on! Yeah – they won't be a problem."

Sandra let out a scream of rage and lunged forward, but stopped after only a few steps when Clover also raised her gun. "I wouldn't do that, honey."

Sandra could only stand there and tremble with anger. Clover glanced over at Marcus. "What do you want to do?"

As Marcus stood there pointing his pistol at Sandra, he glanced over at Marie's crib. Amazingly, though she had stirred, the child was still sound asleep. He swallowed as his throat went dry….he had made his choice. "Clover…. take Marie. We're getting out of here and meeting up with Wernher." There was no mistaking the hate in his eyes. "I'd like to have a few words with him!"

Sandra's eyes shot wide open. "You sonofabitch! Do you really think I'm going to let you just take my baby!" She took a few more steps forward but Marcus stood directly in her path; his gun now aimed directly at her head. "You'd better pull that trigger!" She growled through gritted teeth. "Because if you don't, I will hunt you down and when I catch you, I will skin you alive! You say that we're the monsters! You're the one who's about to kill an unarmed woman and steal her baby!"

Marcus tightened the grip on his pistol. He knew that if he didn't kill Sandra now, she would never stop coming after him. He knew this because if someone ever kidnapped his son, Marcus would hunt that person down to the ends of the Earth. But she was unarmed. It would not be self-defense, but an execution….the one thing he promised never to do. But would it be the same thing knowing that she would come after him, and that he would have no choice but to kill her then.

As the internal struggle raged inside of his mind, Clover placed her left hand on top of the barrel of his gun. "No, Marcus." She said as she gently pressed the gun downward. "She's right….you're better than this."

It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as Marcus slowly lowered his gun. Sandra, though she was still staring daggers at them, appeared to let out a breath she was holding.

As the tension in the room began to subside, Clover turned to the Lady of the Pitt – and flashed her an evil grin. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not."

Before Sandra could scream, the 10mm round entered the front of her skull and exited the back; splattering the back wall of the lab with grey matter.

Wernher's hideout was located inside one of the abandoned substations inside the steelyard. No one in Haven had heard the struggle inside of Sandra's Lab, and this allowed both Marcus and Kago to calmly walk past the remaining Raiders and back into the Downtown area. Clover managed to follow close behind caring Marie; her cloak concealing them both. After the Ghost operative had killed the Lady of the Pitt, Marie suddenly began to wail as if she could sense that her mother's soul had departed this Earth. Clover managed to put the child back to sleep with a small dose of Med-X; which she explained was a trick she had learned while helping runaway slaves with small children escape from their masters. While Marcus didn't feel comfortable with giving a child that small such a powerful drug, he trusted that Clover knew what she was doing. Following Midea's instructions, the trio found the entrance to Wernher's hideout, and when they entered, the former Raider was standing in what looked like a small, makeshift lab with a crib.

"Ah, you made it! I've got everything ready and there are plenty of tests to run, so hurry up and put the brat in the crib."

Marcus strolled up to Wernher and delivered a hard right hook to the man's face, sending him to the ground. The former Raider groaned in pain as he rubbed his jaw. "What the hell, man…."

Marcus grabbed Wernher by the collar of his jacket and hoisted him to his feet. "Why didn't you tell me the cure was a child!?"

"Because you would've just whined about it!" Wernher spat as he whipped blood from his mouth. "I knew you wouldn't have the stomach for it, so I left that part out. I figured once you were face to face with the bitch you'd have to man up and do what needed to be done."

Marcus let the man go, and jabbed his finger in his face. "You lied to me!"

"No I didn't…. I just didn't tell you the whole truth."

Marcus pulled back to hit him again…. but stopped himself at the last minute. A clearly disgusted Kago spit at Wernher's feet. "You are a man with no honor!" He shouted in Japanese.

Wernher turned to Marcus. "What the hell did he just say?"

"He called you an asshole!"

Wernher threw his hands up in frustration. "Fine! I'm an asshole, alright! But what's done is done! Now that we have the cure…."

"Her name is Marie!" Clover growled as she cradled the child.

Wernher ignored her. "Now we can begin phase two. I'm assuming you've noticed all of those blue, ultraviolet lights around Haven, right? Well those lights are the only things keeping the Trogs from overrunning Haven. The bastards can't stand direct sunlight – for obvious reasons. I've got guys working inside the power station, and in exactly," he stopped to look at his watch, "twenty-three minutes, they're going to take the station and turn off those lights."

The thought of an army of Trogs rushing into a populated area sent a chill up Marcus' spine. "How will you stop them from overrunning Downtown?"

Wernher smirked. "The same walls those bastards built to keep us in, will keep the Trogs out. My people have been making weapons for a long time – they're ready for this. Once the bosses are dead, we'll take the Mill and this place will be ours."

Marcus tilted his head towards Marie. "And what happens to her? How do I know that once you get your cure, you're not going to just feed her to the Trogs?"

Wernher shook his head. "Midea is going to look after her. I give you my word."

"Well that's not good enough." Clover deadpanned.

"Well it's gonna have to be!"

"It's not just you I'm worried about." Marcus said. "She is Ashur's heir, and when word gets out, the slaves here are going to want to tear her apart! Are you going to protect her for the rest of her life?"

The former Raider remained silent, and Marcus stared at the man with contempt. "That's what I thought."

Wernher gritted his teeth in frustration. "Look, just bring the kid over here, and you can walk away. You can go back to your precious Capital Wasteland and end Ashur once and for all. We'll handle the rest."

The two men stood practically nose to nose for several moments; neither one of them prepared to back down. Finally, Marcus broke the stalemate. "Fine. We're going."

Wernher smirked in triumph.

"And she's coming with us!"

Now the former Raider's smirk disappeared, and was replaced with a hung jaw. "What!?"

Marcus made his way over to Clover, who was still holding the sleeping child. "We're taking her back to the Citadel. The Brotherhood has Scribes and scientist who can synthesize a cure. It shouldn't be difficult for them to recreate what Sandra did. She'll be well treated, and she'll be under my protection."

Wernher's eyes shot wide open. "You can't be serious! We had a deal!"

"I said I would get you the cure and that's exactly what I intend to do. But it will be done at the Citadel."

Beads of sweat began forming on Wernher's forehead as he realized that his plan was falling apart. "So that you and your Brotherhood can hold it over our heads like Ashur? No fucking way!"

Marcus stepped in front of Clover and the child, and turned to face Wernher; his hands at his side. "We're not leaving her here with you. That's all there is to it."

"No! I'm not trading one master for another!" He pulled a .38 revolver out of a hip holster, but he never got a shot off. Marcus, having anticipated this, activated his VATS as soon as Wernher's hand went to his hip, and he fired a single 10mm round into the man's head. As Wernher's body crumbled to the ground, Marie once again began to wail. Clover took her off to the other side of the room, rocking and trying to calm the child down.

Marcus slowly lowered his pistol as he stared at Wernher's body; the full weight of what had just happened starting to seep in.

"Lincoln-san." Kago said. "We must leave this place. With him dead, I fear now the slaves will be our enemy, in addition to their masters. And, it will only be a matter of time before they discover that their Lady is dead."

Not five seconds after he'd said it, alarms began to sound all through the Pitt. Marcus let out a sigh and shook his head, as he wondered just how everything had gone to shit.

Clover came running over to them. "I think it's time to call in the Calvary and get the hell out of here, Marcus."

The Lone Wanderer stared at the small child in her arms….and he was reminded of the day he first held Max in his. Part of him was screaming to run and leave this hell behind so that he could hold his son once more. They could fly away as the Pitt tore itself apart…. but another part of him knew he could not take that chance. The Raiders could put down the slave rebellion, and even with Sandra dead and the cure gone, the Mill would still be feeding Ashur's army. Even if he could make it back to his son, there would be no home left for either of them. No, they had to see this through to the end. "Alright, send the flares up….but we're not leaving." He reached over and stroked Marie's hair, and soon the child began to calm down. "We're going to finish this." He gave both of his companions a look of steeled determination. "No matter the cost."

"WE'VE GOT A FLARE!" Donovan screamed from his perch on the top of the train yard's abandoned control station. Almost immediately Sarah Lyons was ripping the binoculars out of his hands, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw a second flare go up. "THEN WHAT ARE WE STANDING AROUND FOR? LET'S MOVE, PEOPLE!"

Brick jumped up and ran for the Vertibird. "Yeeeehaaaa!"

Charon grabbed his Terrible shotgun and donned his helmet. "Bout time. I'm tired of all this sit-in around."

Kodiak and the rest of the Rangers double-timed it to the aircraft. Reilly was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, while Donovan and Butcher manned the port and starboard miniguns. Soon the strike team was flying over the city, and they could see the fighting and chaos going on in the streets below. "Damn!" Kodiak said. "All hell's breaking loose!"

Charon let out a chuckle. "Yup. If you ever need to find Marcus, just follow the chaos and explosions."

Sarah was not laughing as she remained focused on her one goal. "Were did those flares come from?"

"It came from the western part of the city." Donovan answered. "The Steelyard I think."

"Then that's where we're going."

Brick banked the Vertibird to the left. "Yes, ma'am."

Kodiak continued to watch the chaos in the streets of his former home. "Not that I'm complaining but, why isn't anyone shooting at us?"

Charon shrugged. "My guess is everyone's busy trying to kill each other….and they probably don't know what to make of a Vertibird appearing out of nowhere."

As they approached the Steelyard, Reilly spotted another flare and pointed towards it. "There! Take it down, Brick!"

Brick flew in low, and they soon spotted Marcus, Clover and Kago standing outside of the abandoned substation. Since there was nowhere to land, the only way for them to board was to use the aircraft's rescue basket. Unfortunately, it could only hold one person at a time, so the process had to be repeated three times. Clover, who was still holding Marie, was the first to be taken up. Next was Kago, and it took some time to convince the Samurai to enter the small metal basket. Just as Marcus had climbed inside and given the thumbs up, Moira's avatar appeared on his PIPBOY's screen. "Contacts!"

Marcus ducked down just as bullets whizzed by his head. A group of Raiders were perched up on the roof of one of the abandoned buildings, and began shooting at the Vertibird. Sarah gritted her teeth, took aim with her guass rifle and fired; blowing off the head of one of the Raiders. Butcher swung the port side minigun around and fired a full burst, shredding two more of the Raiders and forcing the others to retreat. "Clear!" The medic shouted.

A few moments later Marcus was being pulled into the Vertibird's cabin. "Go, Brick!"

Brick gunned the throttle and soon the aircraft was out of range of the Pitt Raider's weapons. Marcus and Sarah took a moment and embraced each other, neither of them caring that they were in a tight space, surrounded by others.

"Ugh." Charon grunted. "I swear those two are getting worse."

Clover responded by slapping the ghoul in the back of the head.

The two lovers finally parted, and Sarah immediately went into what Marcus jokingly called 'her soldier mode'. "Did you find the cure?"

Marcus swallowed as he throat went dry. "Yeah….we did." He motioned towards the child in Clover's arms. "Everyone….this is Marie. She's Ashur's daughter….and the cure."

Everyone's jaw dropped as they stared at the child. Sarah looked back to Marcus, her eyes wide open. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Hey!" Clover snapped. "Language."

Sarah shot the Ghost operative a sideways glance before turning back to Marcus. The Lone Wanderer stood before her shaking his head. "I wish I was….but it's true. Wernher lied to us. I didn't know until I was face to face with Sandra in her lab."

Reilly looked over her shoulder. "I take it the Lady of the Pitt was not too keen on you taking her kid?"

Marcus sighed. "No." He didn't give any more details – it wasn't necessary. "And I wasn't about to hand her over to Wernher; I didn't trust him. When I told him we were taking her back to the Citadel he went for his gun….so I killed him."

For the second time since they boarded, the cabin of the Vertibird was silent except for the roar of the engines.

"So basically," Charon began, "you've managed to piss off everyone?"

Marcus could only respond with a sheepish shrug. "I didn't mean too."

Sarah sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "What now?"

Marcus cleared his throat. "Wernher's people have started their uprising, and that includes taking down the ultraviolet flood lights that keep the Trogs out of Uptown. We'll take advantage of the chaos and destroy the Mill, but we need to get Rosie and her kids out. I owe them that much."

No one disagreed. "What's the plan, Knight Commander?" Kodiak asked.

"Myself, Sarah, Charon and Kago will be inserted near the entrance to the Mill. Once we're inside we'll override the furnace safeties and shut the exhaust dampeners, and the pressure build up will blow them sky high. While we're doing that, the Vertibird will make its way Downtown, and Clover and Kodiak will be inserted into the courtyard, and make their way to Rosie's quarters. Chances are that's where they'll be hunkered down."

"What if they're not there?" Clover asked.

Marcus took a deep breath as the grim reality that he might not be able to get everyone out alive began to set in. "Then we'll have to continue on without them."

As the Vertibird approached the Mill, they immediately began taking small arms fire from both Raiders and slaves. Brick unleashed a barrage from the aircraft's Gatlin laser cannon, and after several attackers were turned to ash, the others quickly ducked out of site. The aircraft's wings turned ninety-degrees, and hovered fifty feet off the ground. Four tactical rappelling ropes were tossed from the cabin, two on either side. A moment later four heavy armed people descended those ropes. Gunfire rang out from one of the adjacent buildings, but a quick burst from Donovan's minigun quickly silenced it.

Marcus quickly disconnected himself from the rappelling rope. He was back in his shielded T-51 armor, and he was caring his usual weapons: the guass rifle, his desert eagle, "Lucy", and the gauntlet. "We're all set, Reilly!" He said into his ear piece. "We'll meet you back here in ten."

"Roger that. Good luck, Marcus."

The Vertibird lifted off and headed towards Downtown. Marcus, Sarah, Charon and Kago made their way inside the Mill, their weapons at the ready. Chaos reigned inside as the Raiders desperately were trying to put down the slave rebellion. Bodies from both sides littered the floor, and more than once Marcus and his companions nearly slipped on the gore covered surface. They were almost to the Mill's control booth when Everett, who had just shot a slave in the head with a 10mm pistol, spotted the four heavily armed intruders from the top of a catwalk. "You motherfuckers!" He screamed as he opened fire.

A bullet harmlessly bounced off of Marcus' shield, and the Lone Wanderer activated his VATS, locked onto Everett's head, and fired his guass rifle. The micro fusion round found its mark, and Everett's head disintegrated in a pink mist. Two other Raiders saw what had just happened and raised their infiltrator rifles, but Charon put them down with two blasts from his Terrible shotgun.

The team continued to move forward and just as they had reached the door, three slaves armed with auto axes and other melee weapons attacked them from behind. Kago sliced the first slave across his gut, spilling out the man's intestines. The two remaining attackers hesitated at the sight of their friend's insides spilling out on the ground. A fatal mistake. The Samurai descended on them like death himself, beheading one of the slaves and stabbing the last one in his chest.

Marcus tore open the door to the control booth – and what he saw made his jaw drop. Argyle had just literally ripped the heart out of a Raider's chest, splattering the Mill's control console with blood. The ghoul, unaware that anyone else was in the room, stood over the body and tried to catch his breath – the heart still in his hand.

Marcus slowly approached. "Argyle?"

The former man servant spun around. "Oh, hey kid!" He nonchalantly tossed the heart over his shoulder. "I had a feeling this was your handy work. If you and your friends are trying to take this shithole down, then I want in."

Marcus turned back to the rest of his team. Charon responded with a shrug. "I'm not gonna argue with him."

Marcus turned back to Argyle. "Grab his weapon and cover the entrance."

Argyle picked up the infiltrator assault rifle and smiled. "I've waited twenty years for this."

Marcus pulled the dead Raider off the main control console and plugged in his PIPBOY. "Ok, Moira. You know what to do."

Moira's face lite up. "Of course!" She immediately began to hack into the system. "Okay, I'm in. It will only take a few minutes to override the safeties, but the dampeners will have to be closed manually."

"The controls are those levers on that wall behind you, kid." Argyle piped in.

Marcus nodded. "Okay, Moira. Make it quick!"

Downtown….

The attacks against the Vertibird seemed to intensify as the Raiders and slaves had gotten over their initial shock. Butcher and Donovan had to lay down a constant barrage of fire just to clear on LZ in the Downtown courtyard. Clover and Kodiak could hear the bullets whizzing by as they rappelled down. Once they were clear, Brick once again lifted off, but stayed close so that they could pick up their two companions, and hopefully Rosie and her three children.

"How's our cargo, doing?" Reilly yelled from over her shoulder.

Butcher glanced over at Marie, who was securely strapped into the center seat. It took a bit of jerry rigging (which included straps and duct tape) to secure the small, one year old child into one of the seats, but so far she was okay. Amazingly, despite the chaos around her, the child was cooing and playing with a small stuffed teddy bear that Marcus had found in Wernher's hideout. "If I didn't know any better….I'd say she's enjoying herself!"

Brick laughed. "Well hot damn! She's already Ranger material!"

Down below, Clover and Kodiak used the alleys to make their way to Rosie's quarters; trying to avoid the battles going on around them. Just like inside the Mill, the Downtown area was littered with bodies. The two companions hide behind a burned out car, and watched as a group of slaves literally tore two Raiders who had surrendered apart. Years of torment and pent up rage were on full display, and it was clear the slaves were not in the mood to show their masters mercy. Finally, they reached the door leading to Rosie's quarters, and Clover held her breath as she hoped they would be inside. She pushed the door open….and had to duck as a pot came flying towards her head.

"Stay back!" Rosie cried as she stood in the middle of the room, a frying pan in her hand, and her children cowering behind her. "I swear to God if you try to hurt my children…."

"Rosie!" Clover shouted with her hands raised. "Marcus sent us."

Rosie slowly lowered her "weapon". "Marcus? Marcus Lincoln sent you?"

Clover nodded. "Yes. We're getting you and your children out of here."

Rosie's heart nearly leaped out of her chest, and she began to weep. "Oh thank you! Thank you!"

Kodiak tightened the grip on his laser rifle as he heard the sound of gunfire getting closer. "We've gotta go! Now!"

Rosie and her children quickly followed their two rescuers outside. Clover and Kodiak lead them down the same alleyways they used to find them, and soon they were near the courtyard. "Okay Reilly." Clover spoke into her ear piece. "We're ready for pick up."

"Roger that, Clover, we see you! Just give us a moment to clear the way."

The Vertibird swooped in and unleased another barrage from its main cannon, and Brick fired a couple of rockets for good measure. The Raiders and slaves still alive made a hastily retreat, and the aircraft hovered seventy-five feet off the deck. "You're clear, Clover." Reilly said. "Go!"

The group quickly made their way underneath the hovering Vertibird, and waited as the rescue basket was lowered down. Rosie's two oldest daughters managed to muster the courage to get inside, and were both hoisted up to the aircraft, but the youngest was crying in shear terror. Luckily, since the child and mother were small, the basket was able to carry them both, and soon Clover and Kodiak were the only ones who remained in the courtyard.

"Go on." Clover said. "I'll be right behind you."

The Paladin nodded as he climbed in. "You'd better – Marcus would kick my ass if we left you behind." He gave the thumbs up, and he was hoisted into the air. It seemed like forever, but in less than a minute the basket had made it to the aircraft, and Kodiak reached out for Rosie to help him inside.

No one saw the .50 caliber machine gun that a group of slaves quietly set up on one of the roof tops overlooking the courtyard. They unleashed a full barrage from the weapon, striking the Vertibird's starboard engine. The aircraft jolted violently, and Rosie, her children and Marie screamed as Brick struggled to maintain control.

Clover watched helplessly as Kodiak tumbled out of the rescue basket. She screamed his name as the Paladin's body slammed onto the concrete below with a loud thud. Meanwhile, the .50 cal continued to punish the Vertibird, and Brick gritted her teeth as she swung the nose around and fired a barrage of rockets. The explosion lite up the night sky, and the machine gun was silenced. "AND YOUR MOTHER, TOO!" The Ranger screamed.

Clover ran over to Kodiak, who was lying face down and unmoving. She grunted as she rolled him over onto his back….and she could immediately tell that he was gone. The fall had clearly broken his neck and fractured his skull. "No." she whimpered.

"THERE THEY ARE!"

The scream caused Clover to look up, and she spotted Midea with at least a dozen armed slaves standing behind her at the edge of the courtyard. The slave leader pointed towards the Ghost operative. "Kill her!"

The slaves rushed forward, and Clover looked down at Kodiak's corps. "I'm sorry." She whispered. She waited till the very last second before activating her cloak, and the slaves stopped in front of the dead Paladin's body, searching in vain for their target.

None of them noticed the two frag grenades Clover had attached to Kodiak's body, and when they went off, two of the slaves were killed outright, and four others were wounded. Up above, the Vertibird was receiving small arms fire from all directions, and Reilly had to make the hardest decision in her life. "Take us out of here, Brick!"

Butcher could not believe what he was hearing. "RIELLY!"

"The LZ's too hot, and I can't risk anyone else! Take us out of here, Brick. That's an order!"

Brick did as she was told, and the Vertibird flew out of range of their attacker's weapons. Down below, Midea was enraged as she ran over to the carnage. "You idiots! Find her…." She was cutoff as rounds from a 10mm submachine gun tore into her from behind. Two more slaves fell victim to the weapon, and the remaining slaves began firing wildly into the courtyard. Little did they realize, Clover had run off towards one of the alleys after emptying her weapon's clip….but not before a stray round from one of the slaves struck her in her left thigh. She fell to the ground, but managed to drag herself into the alley and propped herself up behind a dumpster. Clover had to suppress a scream as she applied biogel to the wound….and that's when she realized her suit's cloaking ability had been damaged. "Fuck!" She took a moment to catch her breath. "Marcus. Marcus, are you there?"

Inside of the Mill, Marcus could hear Clover's transmission through his ear piece, but it was garbled. "Clover? Clover, is that you?"

"Marc…. wounded…. I can't cloak….. alley behind…. dumpster. They're…. for me. Hurry!"

Panic began to fill Marcus to his bones. He couldn't lose Clover…. but the mission. "Moira, how much longer!?"

"Safeties are off-line, all you have to do is operate the levers."

Marcus looked to his friends, and Charon nodded. "Go! We got this!"

Marcus ran out of the control booth, with Sarah hot on his heels. "Moira, can you home in on Clover's transmission?"

"Ummmmm, yeah! I got her!"

Clover's position was highlighted on his PIPBOY. "Clover stay there, we're on our way. Reilly, do you have eyes on her?"

"I'm sorry Marcus but the LZ was too hot. Our number one engine is smoking and every Raider and slave is taking pot-shots at us." There was a pause on the radio. "Marcus….we lost Kodiak."

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. "WHAT!"

They could hear Reilly's voice cracking on the radio. "We were hoisting him up when we got hit. He….he fell. I'm sorry."

Sarah felt a pit in the bottom of her stomach. She had lost him. She had lost them all.

Marcus had to swallow the lump forming in his throat. Kodiak was one of the few in the Brotherhood who had welcomed him back without reservation. Now, like the rest of the Pride, he was gone. Marcus gritted his teeth as he was filled with another emotion: rage. "We're making our way to Clover. We'll send up a flare as soon as we find her."

"Roger that. We'll lay down as much cover fire as we can."

As soon as they had exited the Mill, they were immediately met by gunfire. It seemed that both the Raiders and slaves realized what Marcus and his team were up to, and they were determined to stop them. As bullets bounced off his shield, Marcus took out a Raider with his guass rifle, but before he could reload a slave charged at him from the right. Marcus raised his right hand and fired his gauntlet, and the blue laser beam sliced through the man's chest. Another Raider charged from his left, and Marcus unleashed another Zetian laser, turning the woman to ash.

Sarah fired her guass rifle, blowing a hole in the chest of a charging slave, but as she was reloading another rushed the Sentinel, swinging an auto axe. Sarah moved to her right, avoiding the weapon, then responded by smashing the butt of her rifle into the slave's head.

True to their word, the Rangers brought the Vertibird in low and unleased hell on the attackers in their way. No one was worried about who was and who was not a hostile anymore. All anyone was thinking about was finding their wounded teammate….and not losing anyone else.

Clover finished wrapping the bandage around her leg. The bleeding had stopped, but it still hurt like hell. She quickly checked the ammo of her submachine gun. One clip left. "Damn it." She mumbled. Movement and voices from the other end of the alley caught her attention, and she peered around the dumpster she was sitting against.

Three Raiders armed with Infiltrator assault rifles were meticulously searching the alley; slowly making their way towards her position. They hadn't seen her yet, but with her stealth suit damaged it was only a matter of time before they would stumble onto the Ghost operative. Clover tried to control her breathing as she readied her submachine gun. She thought about her son, and worried that she would no longer be there for him. 'Marcus will watch over him. He'll be safe.' The thought brought little comfort, and Clover closed her eyes; preparing for the inevitable.

The Raiders were standing on the other side of the dumpster Clover was hiding behind, when two simultaneous shots rang out. Blood and gore rained down on Clover as two of the Raider's heads were blown to pieces by the micro fusion rounds fired from Marcus and Sarah's rifles. The third Raider spun around, and spotted the two power armored attackers at the end of the alley. He raised his assault rifle, but was riddled with bullets from behind by Clover's submachine gun.

Marcus and Sarah ran over to Clover, and the Lone Wanderer knelled down in front of her. "Are you alright?"

Clover responded with a smirk. "I guess we're even now."

Marcus chuckled and shook his head. "Reilly, we found her. I'm sending up a flare." He fired the orange flare straight into the air, and it wasn't long before they could see the Vertibird coming in over the buildings.

"We can see you." Reilly said. "We'll come to you and begin…." She stopped as she spotted movement on top of the Mill. "RPG!"

The rocket propelled grenade flew towards the Vertibird, and Brick swung the aircraft to the left in a desperate attempt to dodge it. Everyone in the back was thrown to the right, and Donovan grabbed Flower's hand just as the young girl was about to go over the side. The rocket veered to the right, barely missing the aircraft and flew off into the night. Machine gun and small arms fire erupted from all directions, and the Vertibird's starboard engine burst into flames.

The console in front of Brick lite up like a Christmas tree, and the Ranger began shutting the engine down. "Ladies and gentle, if you look to your right you will see that the right engine is on fire. I am now turning on the fasten seat belt sign..."

Donovan, who was barely holding on to his lunch, was not in a joking mood. "THIS IS WHY I HATE FLYING, YOU CRAZY FOOL!"

Butcher was laying down surpressive fire with his minigun. "Brick, get us out of here!"

Despite having only one engine, the Vertibird was able to climb back out of range of their enemy's weapons. "Marcus I'm sorry." Reilly said. "Your gonna have to make for the bridge. We'll clear the way for you, but we can't risk another pick up."

Marcus, Sarah and Clover all cursed under their breaths. The idea of making a be-line for the bridge with every Raider and slave trying to kill them was less than ideal – especially given that Clover was wounded. But each of them knew that Reilly was right. If the Vertibird was taken down now, none of them were going to make it out of here. "Roger that, Reilly. Give us as much cover as you can."

He helped Clover to her feet, and draped her left arm over his shoulders. "Come on….I know where we can hunker down and catch our breaths."

The trio made their way across the courtyard, taking and returning fire the entire time. More than once both Marcus and Sarah's shields went down, and their armor began taking rounds. Using her free hand, Clover fired her submachine gun until it ran out of ammo, then she threw the weapon down and drew her pistol. After what seemed like an eternity, Marcus pushed open a door, and the trio stepped into Midea's quarters. Marcus lowered Clover into a chair, then both he and Sarah began pushing a table and other furniture against the door; barricading themselves inside.

The three of them were exhausted, and for a moment all that could be heard was the sound of their heavy breathing. Marcus opened the fridge, and found three bottles of water. No one cared if it was purified or dirty, they were just grateful to quench their thirst.

"Charon, can you hear me?"

The Mill….

Charon had just pulled the last lever to the dampener's controls when Marcus' transmission came through. "Go ahead, Marcus."

"The Vertibird can't pick us up. We gotta make for the bridge."

There was a moment of silence on the radio. "Copy that. Where are you?"

"Midea's quarters."

Charon looked over to the Samurai. "I know where that it is. Follow me."

The ghoul nodded. "Sit tight, Marcus. We're on our way." He turned to Argyle. "You come'in?"

Argyle locked and loaded his rifle. "Lead the way."

The fighting in the Mill had died down…. everyone was pretty much dead. Charon turned to their new companion. "I'm Charon, by the way."

"Argyle."

Charon cocked his head to the side. "Argyle? You mean from the radio show?"

The former man-servant shot him a confused look. "What radio show?"

Marcus knelled down and examined Clover's leg. "Can you walk?"

She carefully stood up and cringed as she put some weight on it. "The biogel's…. working." She nodded her head and forced a smile. "I can make it."

Marcus looked over at Sarah, and noticed she was wincing in pain as she tried to reload her guass rifle. "Sarah?" He made his way over to her….and that's when he saw the hole in the upper right shoulder of her power armor. "You're hit!"

Sarah shook her head. "It's just a scratch." She said through gritted teeth.

Marcus immediately began to remove the upper part of her armor to administer some biogel. Sarah tried to protest, but the Lone Wanderer was adamant. "I've lost Kodiak." He whispered. "I'm not losing you, too."

His comment was enough to make her smile despite the pain, and the battle hardened Sentinel relented. He had just finished applying the biogel and securing her armor, when there was a knock at the door. Marcus and Sarah quickly stood and either side of it; their weapons at the ready. There was another knock on the door…. followed by the worst imitation of a female-Spanish accent any of them had ever heard. "Housekeeping! Housing keeping, you want me fluff pillow?"

Marcus rolled his eyes as he lowered his rifle and opened the door. Charon was standing there with his usual goofy grin. "Will you get in here!"

The ghoul chuckled as he and his two companions filed inside. Marcus quickly latched the door behind them. "Is the Mill all set to blow?"

Charon nodded. "It should be anytime now."

"Then as soon it goes, we'll use the confusion to make for the bridge. Once we're out there, do not stop for anything, understand?"

Everyone nodded, and silence filled the room once more as they waited. Marcus looked at each of their faces – as if he was trying to burn their images into his mind just encase….

There was so much he wanted to say to each of them, but he couldn't recall any of it in that moment. He closed his eyes and quietly prayed: "Please God, get us all out of here….and please let me see my son again."

As he opened his eyes a tremendous explosion shook the building they were standing in. It was followed by another, then another. Each explosion was louder than the last, and dust and small pieces of debris began falling from the ceiling.

The inside of the Mill erupted in an unholy combination of fire and pressurized steam, as the mighty furnaces exploded one by one. To add to this hell, the fuel tanks which supplied them were also ignited, and soon the foundation of the entire Mill began to crumble. As the once proud building began to collapse, hundreds of Raiders and slaves ran for their lives, but many of them never made it. Even though it felt like the entire world was about to shake apart, Marcus forced himself to crack open the door. He could see the top of the Mill implode, and a geyser of fire shot up into heavens.

"That's it! Move, move!"

The group bolted out the door, with Marcus in the lead. "Reilly, we're on the move. Clear a path for us."

"Roger that, Marcus."

Brick was struggling with the Vertibirds controls….and this fact was not lost on Donovan, who was using a fire extinguisher to put out a small electrical fire in the cabin. "How much longer do you think this bucket of bolts is gonna fly!?"

Brick turned and jabbed her finger at him. "How now, don't you be bad mouth'n my baby like that!" She turned back to the console and flicked a switch….and quickly recoiled as sparks flew out of it. "Come on, baby, hold together." She whispered.

The Vertibird swooped in low and fired a barrage of missiles at the first checkpoint, blowing it sky high and killing the six Raiders manning it. They continued towards the bridge where Brick staffed it from one end to the other, killing the snipers and blowing up unexploded cars and mines. "The door's open, Marcus. I'm pretty sure I got most of the mines on the bridge, but I'd still be careful if I was you."

Down below, the six companions did not run into any resistance until the bridge was in sight. Raiders and slaves began taking shots at them from all directions, but the attacks were unorganized and sporadic. Marcus and his team worked together like a well-oiled machine, calling out contacts and covering each other as they continued towards the bridge. Argyle took out a couple of slavers with his rifle, but the ghoul soon dropped it so that he could help Clover. Her left felt like it was on fire, but the Ghost operative continued to force herself forward; firing her pistol at any hostiles she could see.

The Vertibird was circling above them, keeping the team in sight….when something from the Downtown area caught Reilly's eye….and it sent a chill up the Ranger's spine. "Oh my God!" She gasped. "Marcus! Marcus you gotta move!

Marcus slowed down for a moment to catch his breath. "W-what is it?"

"When the Mill collapsed it must've blown a hole in the wall separating Downtown from the Steelyard. Trogs are pouring in, attacking anything that moves! They're heading your way, and there's a mass of humanity coming with them!"

Marcus stopped dead in his tracks, and the rest of his team did as well. He turned around, and he could hear cries of terror and screams off in the distance getting closer with each passing second. Then, he spotted the beginning of a human tidal wave of Raiders, slaves, women, children – everyone in the Pitt running for their lives as hundreds of Trogs seemed to attack from everywhere. Those with guns were firing in all directions, some of the bullets striking the abominations, while most hit innocent victims. The weak and sick were run down first, and their cries for help went unanswered as they were torn apart.

"RUN!" Marcus screamed, and the six companions continued their flight with new found vigor. "Reilly, slow them down!"

"You heard the man!" Reilly ordered.

Butcher stared at the massive crowd beneath him. "Reilly there are women and children…."

"JUST DO IT!" The redhead screamed. "THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Butcher shot her a look of utter contempt….then gritted his teeth as he pulled the trigger.

The firing from the Vertibird was slowing down the crowd, but it was still steadily gaining on them as the team reached the bridge. By now dozens of Trogs had run ahead of the mass of humans, and were running straight for the bridge. Marcus turned and fired his guass rifle, taking out one of the abominations. Charon quickly tossed a grenade, killing three more, and Sarah tossed a plasma grenade, killing four.

It did not slow the others down. They continued to get closer at an amazing speed, and even the fire from the Rangers Vertibird barely slowed down the tidal wave of abominations.

"We can't stay here!" Charon yelled as he blasted another Trog with his shotgun.

As Marcus frantically looked for a solution, Kago calmly walked out in front of him, his sword in his hand. "Go, Lincoln-san. I will cover your escape."

Marcus' jaw dropped open. "That's not an option, Kago…."

"Lincoln-san! This is where I must be! I know that now."

Marcus stood up and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm not losing anyone else!"

A slight smile appeared on the Samurai's face. "Death is nothing to fear. Go. Save your home." He placed his hand on Marcus' shoulder. "Lincoln-san…. you greatest Shogun."

Before Marcus could say anything, the Samurai turned and charged headlong into the advancing Trogs. The Lone Wanderer bolted after him….and ran smack into Sarah. "Marcus no!"

Marcus didn't listen. He tried to push past her, but Sarah had suddenly become like a wall. "MARCUS STOP! Let him go." Her voice was stern, yet pleading at the same time. "He's gone, Marcus."

Marcus began to choke up as he looked over her shoulder, and watched as Kago spun on his heels and cut the first Trog in half above its waist. Another abomination attacked from his right, but the Samurai sliced the Trog from its groin to its neck in one swift motion.

"Marcus please! We have to go!"

Marcus continued to watch, but he began to back away; quietly accepting what was happening.

Kago continued to dispatch Trog after Trog, and soon bodies and parts of bodies were laying all around him. But more of the abominations arrived, and soon the Samurai was covered in gouges and scratches. Kago struggled to stay on his feet, and he scrambled to the top of a burned out car, trying to reach higher ground. The Trogs swarmed him from all directions, and the last anyone saw of Kago he was standing on top of the burned out vehicle, slashing and hacking the abominations scrambling to reach him.

The remaining members of the team, out of breath and exhausted, had pasted the bridge's halfway point when the mob of people and Trogs were at the foot of the bridge. Marcus glanced over his shoulder….and that's when he realized that even if they made it across the bridge, there was no way they could escape what was coming after them. He and his friends would either be crushed by the mob of people fleeing, or be torn apart by the hundreds of Trogs coming after them. And once these abominations managed to escape the Pitt, God only knew where they'd go next. They could make their way to the Capital, his home. His son's home.

"Someday, you will have to make an impossible decision."

Cross' words now haunted him like a bad dream. "Reilly, do you have any rockets left?"

"That's affirmative. Why?"

Marcus felt like he was about to throw up. "Once we make it across…. take out the bridge supports."

Silence is all that greeted him. "Say again, Marcus."

"I want you to take out the bridge."

Silence filled the Vertibird, and all of the Rangers stared at each other. "Marcus….do you know what you're asking…."

"It's the only way any of us are getting out of this, Reilly, and you know it! If these things escape….they could make their way to the Capital. We can't take that chance."

The battle hardened leader of the Rangers began to choke up, and the rest of her team was not faring much better.

"Do it, Reilly!" Marcus swallowed the bile threatening to come to the surface. "It's my call."

Reilly clenched her fist and pounded it on the console. He was right. There was no other way. "Roger that. We'll….take out the bridge once you're across."

Brick, who was usually able to joke during any situation, remained silent. There was no joking what was about to happen. "God….damn it!" She whispered.

Before long Marcus and his remaining companions had made it to the other side of the doomed bridge. All of them collapsed to the ground, struggling for air and covered in sweat. Marcus was practically whizzing into his ear piece when he gave his order. "We're clear…..do it!"

The crowd of people and Trogs was halfway across the bridge when the Vertibird fired it's rockets. It took only two salvos, but the supports gave way, and a terrifying scream erupted from the crowd as they realized what was happening. The doomed people surged forward, trying to reach safety, but it was too late. A horrible sound of creaking and bending metal rose up from the bridge and it began to buckle. Marcus and the others watched as the bridge and all of the souls who were on it disappeared into a cloud of dust in debris.

An eerie silence followed the destruction, and for a few minutes no one moved. Whether it was from the exhaustion, or the shock of what had just happened, or both, no one said a word as they stared at the now empty expanse of water. Soon Marcus managed to find the strength and will to stand up, and though his friends were staring at him, he could not bring himself to look them in the eye.

As the Lone Wanderer turned and walked away, he could hear the cries from the hundreds of people still trapped on the other side of the river, as the city of Old Pittsburgh burned.