Corporal Watkins, Charlie Squad, 2nd Platoon - Overlooking Vault 106

Watkins grinned beneath his helmet, seizing the bag from Ray.

"Yeah, now get the [censored] out of here," as the St Catherine scav team started to leave, climbing the hill away from the Vault Watkin's yelled. "Ask your God where he was in 2242!"

As the team left Watkins motioned for his men to regroup and move-out back to Vault 101.

Catherinian Scavenging Team - The Wasteland

The team moved along and the Enclave soldier yelled something from the year of 2242. They were puzzled by the outburst.

Minutes later, the team was nowhere near the 106 and where walking in the desolate Capital Wasteland.

Collin Moriarty - The Republic of Megaton

Moriarty pulled out a rifle and along with six others pointed it at the regulators. He yelled in his Irish accent

"What the bloody el, do you think yer doing boys! You think yer can come in here and just blow away me costumers. You thought wrong,now speak for yourselves.On what authority in Megaton gave you permission to come in her and shoot a man in my bar,in my district, in our city?.And don't you move a muscle until I say."

Before the men could answer the Irish fellow, Lucas Simms walked into the bar armed and told "I heard gunshots,Moriarty explain!?"

"They killed one of me customers, just walked him and shot him!"

Lucas Simms also then took out his gun and asked. "Well,care to explain yourselves,it might just save some lives."

Paradise Falls Slavers

Crowley smiled and got up from his couch, drink in hand, he slowly walked over towards the back wall and stared at it in contemplation for a few moments. He then reached over and pressed a button his desk, and with a whirl, a large projector screen was gradually lowered down from the ceiling, covering the back wall completely.

Within a few moments, the Cinema's old projector which was located on the second floor of the old Cinema turned on and began to project an image of the Capital Wasteland on the old cinema screen. Key points of interest were clearly marked with a handwritten red-ink pen, including what appeared to be various trade-routes and even marks indicating future locations designated for capture.

"I'd say you have a deal Mr. Ramsey," Crowley replied, looking over the map, "You know, Eulogy Jones never thought beyond the walls of Paradise Falls. He was a businessman first and foremost, respectable enough, but he never had any ambitions aside from making caps. I mean to change that. As of now, Paradise Falls is poised to carve a swathe through the Capital Wasteland, and with your help: enact total domination over the north. I've already contacted Talon Company as of today, and they've agreed to a similar proposal to aid the Falls in the south."

Crowley smiled and traced his hand over the projector's screen from Paradise Falls to various major settlements and locations throughout the Capital wastes.

He then turned back around and faced Ramsey,

"Tell Lord Ashur that I'll have his slave order ready soon. I've already sent one of my under-bosses out on a massive slaving operation. He's going to burn a path from the Falls to the Temple of the Union and from the Union to Big Town. I've given him enough men to enslave half the north."

"As for the matter of payment," He continued, "We need weapons and ammunition. Large quantities of it at that. Manufactured metal would be welcome as well, for the use in construction materials."

"Do we have a deal then Mr. Ramsey?"

Regulator Adam Monroe at Megaton

(Regulator Bounty hunting)

Each regulator aimed at a different person when the guns around them started to get raised, it slightly worried Adam but he knew these people wouldn't fire, if they did, they would have more casualties then it'd be worth,

Quickly Adam aimed his 12.7mm submachine gun directly at the Irish man,

"This is Regulator business, lower the weapons" Adam said sternly, it was more of an order then a request

A man then walked in behind them, turning around Adam immediately noticed the old regulator duster the man was wearing.

It was obviously the older duster as it didn't have the armor upgrades that the new models had, the man wore a sheriffs badge as well,

When the man raised his weapon Adam spoke,

"Now now, no need for blood shed..." Adam said then said "unless it comes to that" in his head then gave a slight smirk

The man spoke to them,

"Well,care to explain yourselves,it might just save some lives."

"this is official Regulator business.. this man here" he said while looking at the dead corpse "owed the regulators a hefty sum of caps, as you can see we don't take kindly to that"

Lucas Simms - The Republic of Megaton

"I will ignore the fact that a regulator killed somebody over money,however this is 7 versus 3. You came into our city and ignored our laws, at least set things right and pay up some caps to compensate Mr.Moriarty here."

Alan and Ben at Georgetown

"That sounds great" replied Alan " We'll hold up our end of the deal, your men are free to come and go as they please through the metro and we'll supply you with as many arms as we can muster." Alan then added, "Are army largely consists of feral's, so we don't use many guns. However the ghouls such as me and Ben here would be able to supply you with a suitable amount of arms."

He looked at Ben who just finished off the last of the milk he was given. He then looked at his own cup of coffee and finished it off as well. "If there is any problems, don't hesitate to ask, I'm sure my feral's would provide adequate support in any given situation. Don't worry by the way, they are kept in order by some of are ghouls and they won't attack you." Alan got up and gestured for Ben to do the same. His brother looked slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be receiving any more milk, but he always listened to Alan. "If their is nothing more that we need to discuss" said Alan "I guess my brother and I will be leaving."

Kyle Labhart - Georgetown

Kyle looked back up at Alan and Ben as they finished elaborating on their end of the deal. "No, I don't believe that there is anything else to discuss. It sounds like the Atomic League knows exactly how to hold up its end." He stood, slowly strolled toward the door, and opened it. "I thank you for personally coming to my town... I know that it would have been easier to send a few of your men. Feel free to stay in Georgetown as long as you like before being on your way. But, if you cannot stay, I understand. These are crazy days, and we all have important things to do. Such as I, which is why this negotiation must be short, I'm afraid."

The wind outside was beginning to give a moderate chill to Georgetown. The overcast skies had shut out the sun's warmth. Kyle walked the two ghouls outside and bade them farewell in a quick fashion. He had a lot of work to do.

***

Georgetown was exactly what Kyle wanted it to be. A fully functional, self-sustaining town. It was quite easy to defend, as the only entrances to it were four metro systems, all-of-which had barracks built inside for the soldiers. Nothing was going to walk into the town with ease. After the recent integration, the town was over a hundred strong. Sixty five of the hundred and six residents were soldiers who were all equipped in some manner. The rest of the residents, which were the women, children, or men who (in Kyle's words) were 'not cut out of soldiering', lived relatively normal and productive lives. The early residents lived in the larger townhouses, while the newer additions were given apartments in what used to be the Maision Bouregard hotel.

Indeed, Georgetown was a city inside of a city. The small, man-made river which cut through the town invited a sense of peace to the quiet streets, and tables with lawn chairs had been set up around it. Georgetown had a grocery store, although that was a rather formal name for what really was a station in charge of assigning monthly rations. It also had an electronics store, which was run by a family of engineers that Kyle had taken under his wing, in what used to be the radiation king store. In addition, the industry was beginning to find its legs. A modest industrial plant rested inside the heart of the city, which, after months of hard labor from many of the citizens, had become functional to create steel. The industrial plant could only chug along, however, and could only produce a small amount of steel.

Kyle had always placed an emphasis on literature and education. He asserted that getting an education was a proper way of being brought up, and often encouraged his peers to write and publish stories for the rest of the town to read. So, in addition, Georgetown housed a small school.

It seemed like Georgetown was everything Kyle could have hoped for, and it was, but he wanted more, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Regulator Adam Monroe at Megaton

(Regulator Bounty hunting)

Adam looked back at the dead body when Lucas simms said to Compensate Moriarty

Walking over to it he looked through the mans inventory, he found a .44 Magnum, Purified Water, and some canned food,

Stepping away he looked at Moriarty,

"You may take what the man has on him, the gun itself should be enough to compensate you, they sell for a lot"

Looking back at Lucas Simms,

"Now we'll be on our way"

Lucas Simms - The Republic of Megaton

"Alright then,but consult me before you do your business in the Republic again."

Alistair de Burgo
The De Burgo Compound, Tenpenny Tower

The ever familiar lobby music of the Tenpenny Tower droned in Mister De Burgo's ear. It hummed the same dull tone all day and night, and was at some point in history designed to soothe its listeners. He sat still in a torn arm chair, which was a stained shade of fuschia, and had moldy cushioning coming out of its bottom. He was poised with a cigarette in his left hand, and only a dim light pouring in from the outside through small holes in the metal sheets which shuttered the once extravagant floor-to-ceiling windows. He faced a bare wall, with the steel doors to the balcony just behind him. He looked off into nothingness for a few long moments, and then he finally broke the lonely silence of his luxury suite.

"Damn it man, say something!" he yells, with a firm bass in his voice, arching forward and dropping his cigarette. He was not worried about anyone hearing his screams, nor did he expect anyone to ask him about them. "Just, please...say something." he begs with desperation. His fine white pinstripe suit was wrinkled, his tie entirely undone, and his hat laid on the floor. He was sitting in that same spot for the last few hours, and his breath reeked of strong gin -- the empty bottle from which he drank sat broken on the far end of the room, with its shards imbedded in both the walls and the carpeting.

Mister De Burgo placed his face firmly in his hands, and drunken sobs of pain and sadness tore through him and the room. He couldn't shake his feelings of loneliness. In his room. In his building. In his world.

He takes a deep breath, with tears dripping past his fingers, and onto the carpet. He opens his eyes, and sits upright, moving slowly. His breathing becomes steady, and the tears stop. Mister De Burgo had calmed himself down, and he stood. He approaches the wall he had been staring down, and calling out to, and begins to run his finger along its surface. Tiny ridges bump the tip of his finger, and he digs his nail into one of the crevices. He crouches to his knees and picks up a shard of broken glass, which had once been part of a mirror, and had been sitting there every day for the last two hundred years. He grasps it tightly, and his palm begins to bleed. Mister De Burgo strikes a single tally into the face of the wall, looking out to the thousands of others he struck long ago, counting the days.

Scout Unit 2 - Arlington Cemetery

"Well we should probably be getting back to Saint Catherine. No workable radio tower for the Chapter to occupy.

"Too bad the only one working is in D.C and is operated by that Three Dog guys, or whatever his real name is."

It was sunset at Arlington as a Templar Scoutting unit was walking through its cemetery. The tombstone of the thousands of American Military personnel laid beneath here. The wars they fought in, the years they were born, and where they were born. Flowers stood tall in front of the tombstones. It was reminiscent to them to those Templars who died in the Northern Crusade years back.

"Hey David, what battlegroup you particapted in during the Northern Crusade?"

David one of the Templar Knights thought for a moment, coming to realization.

"It was the 3rd Battlegroup under the Prince of Warwick? Why do you ask?"

"My brother was in your unit. Died at the Battle of Sudbury. Meadowian archer shot an arrow that pierced his neck.

"A lot of good Ambrosians died in that war against those damn heathens. It's best to not think about" said David.

"Walking through Arlington reminds me of the graves at Elysium. I try not to think about it but walking here...you get the idea" as David's other Knight abruptly stopping at that statement.

"Ya, I get it. Best not to lament yourselves over it. Many of us have lamented over the lost of our friends and family in that war."

As the where at the ruined gates of Arlington, David turned around to see the chilling beauty of the sun setting at Arlington. He putted his hands together in a picture frame form. Good picture for another drawing David.

"Its getting dark Knights. I say we take shelter in that old Food plant" as David pointed at an abandoned factory.

Abandoned trucks, tires and miscelanneous trash surrounded the factory. It was turning into night and they need to find a safe place, or lest take the risk or traveling back to Saint Catherine in the night.

One of the Knights spoke.

"I dont David, that factory, there is something odd about."

"What about it."

"Well, I have that weird intuition that something lurks in their. Women's intuition. I know that this place is bad."

David scoffed at it.

"Bull, the factory shows nothing of habitation. We'll be fine."

The female Knight looked at the factory and still had that weird intuition about that factory.

"No, I suggest we stay at that House we passed."

David thought about it for some minutes and had a decision.

"Alright, lets go back to that house. Anyway I would rather spend the night in place that jas beds instead on the floor of a factory."

It was nighttime already. The scouting unit turned around and started to head back to Arlington.

Chainsaw Ramsey - Paradise Falls

Ramsey took in the sight of the marked locations and various other writings on the projected image. It seemed the other factions really were gearing up for war, to make moves all across the board. Not just the radicals either, even others were planning for something. The Chainsaw hadn't much thought of it but it occurred to him, he needed to make certain that he cemented his claim to the north and fortified it all. The Pitt camps would need more supplies; food, water, all that sort of thing. Maybe more men, if it came to that. For now though, Ramsey felt that there were plenty of raiders with plenty of guns. They were all experienced and one of them was worth at least 2 or 3 of the cheap wasteland raiders like the ones in the ruins of Bethesda.

The Chainsaw rose to his feet and nodded, with a bit of a grin. " We do, Mr. Crowley. We sure do, " he affirmed as he extended his hand. " We'll get along just fine, I'll send a few boys down this way to start getting the place in order. I'd been planning to start expanding our operation down toward this area and getting the place defensible, a few will bring the weapons and ammo too, with some steel to boot. Hate to see some yokels come over here waving guns around expecting us to hand this land over. Lord Ashur will be pleased with his shipment so far along. All in all Mr. Crowley, I think we've made some great steps today. "

Ramsey shifted onto his foot for a moment, then eased back and scratched his beard in thought. " I have to admit though, I'm not too sure about those Talon Company types. Seems like they'd be hard to keep tabs on, uppity from what I hear, maybe too eager for their own good. I suppose as long as they stay clear of my boys, they won't be a big issue for us in the north. Be careful though, Mr. Crowley. "

Taking another drink after raising his glass to his lips, the Chainsaw sighed and looked fully back to the slaver. " I'm trusting that'll be all then? With good things coming, I don't think there's much else to talk about. "

Collin Moriarty Junior - Paradise Falls

Moriarty Junior walked up to the slaver door man in Paradise Falls. Moriarty Junior was wearing a white business suit with a fedora,he was young around aged 17,and looked quite alot like his father. He had two armed mercenaries at his side.

"I am looking to conduct a business transaction,let me pass" He said with his Irish accent.

"No,now piss off or I will slap,a collar on you and your friends." replied the slaver

Moriarty threw a bag of caps at the Slaver who studied the bag of caps for a little while,smiled,then unlocked the door

Moriarty Junior walked in with his body guards, he saw a slaver and said to him while giving him a bag of caps. "Direct me to a man in charge.I wish to conduct a transaction."

Robert Dobbs – Vault 112


“Ha Ha Ha Ha!”, laughed Betty in her childish voice, then momentarily slipping into a deep male voice in German as the feral ghoul chased a young woman in a red woolen robe around the outside of the Henderson’s old house, “Mein Gott! Ich habe nicht so hart in Jahren gelacht!”

“Es war mir eine Freude, Doktor.”, said the well dressed ghoul sitting next to her. “Wir hoffen, dass noch einige weitere Spielkameraden für Sie bald zu erhalten.”

“I forget myself, Doctor Dobbs”, Betty replied, switching back to English, and a childish female voice, “It is rude not to speak to a guest in their own language if one is fluent in it.” She then added, “Your German is quite good, however.”

“Thank you, Dr Braun”, Dobbs replied, “It’s been a very long time since I’ve had the opportunity to use it. I get more practice with my French, though the dialect they use in Montreal these days is closer to gibberish then the language of Voltaire, really.”

“I can imagine”, Betty replied, gesturing at a second feral running across the street towards the Henderson’s. “It’s fascinating to see the sort of things you have to contend with out there. I’m curious, though, how your mental facilities are undamaged when you appear to share their mutation.”

“We’re not sure”, replied Dobbs. “We have had some of the finest minds in medicine working on that for centuries now and there is still so much to learn. We suspect a number of contributing factors, such as strength of will, general health, frequency of contact with other people…also there seem to be genetic factors involved. I can send for some of the best works the Life Sciences Department has compiled on the subject so far, if you’re interested.”

“I’d appreciate that”, Betty said, “But back to our guests….what is the group the second individual came from again?”

“They call themselves ‘Outcasts’”, Dobbs said. “They were part of the group Miss Yearling came from, called the ‘Brotherhood of Steel’. Basically they are a tribal group descended from a Pre-War Army unit. They collect Pre-War technology. As far as we can tell they don’t try to advance science, or even apply what they find, they merely hoard it and try to keep it out of the hands of the masses. The main group seems to have largely abandoned the tribal dogma and started helping the local Wastelanders instead. The ‘Outcasts’ left the group in protest and consider themselves to be, for lack of better terms, ‘Orthodox’ and the main group to be ‘Heretics’. Basically they are all children with scavenged military weapons and armor. Containing them both is part of the reason we are here.”

Suddenly, a man in recon armor spawned in the front yard of the Henderson’s house. The woman, Yearling, ran around the house, darting around the man and ran off without stopping. He had just realized there was a tire iron at his feet and bent to pick it up when a feral ran around the corner and with a hissing cry rushed at him. The man moved out of the way and swung the tire iron, dropping the feral to its knees with a single blow. He then ran after the woman as the feral struggled to collect itself as more ferals rushed by.

“Oh, look”, said Betty, “they are barricading themselves in the Old Lady Withers’s house.” At that moment, a toy phone on the ground before Betty began to ring. She picked it up and put the receiver to her head. “Yes”, she asked petulantly. Someone spoke, after which she handed the receiver to Dobbs. “It’s for you.”

“Dobbs here”, he said into the phone.

“Mr Dobbs”, came the voice of Jacobs, the Agent in charge of the group that had accompanied him here, “Everything is in readiness. OSCAR 413 will be in line of sight in ten minutes….Carson says we will only have a 26 minute window due to solar activity.”

“Very well”, replied Dobbs. “We’ll be ready in five.” He then put down the receiver and looked over at Betty. “We need to get ready, broadcast is in ten minutes.”

“So be it”, Betty said as she clapped her hands once, and the ferals trying to get into the Withers house suddenly froze like statues. “They’ll be here waiting.” Suddenly the surroundings shimmered and they were sitting on a leather couch in a luxurious wood paneled office. Betty was gone, in her place was a wizened old man in a Vault 112 jumpsuit that was Braun’s true appearance when he went into his Tranquility lounger centuries ago. In front of them was a large television, on the screen was a timer counting down from 10 minutes. “This is more appropriate for business, I think.”, said Braun sardonically in his real voice. “It wouldn’t do either of us any good if the Council got the idea I was crazy, Ja?

“It’s more a matter of respect, Doctor”, Dobbs replied smoothly. “Given what you’ve been through, I’m confident the Council will be forgiving regarding any…eccentricities you may have developed over the years.”

Together, they waited for the timer to reach zero.

Kyle Labhart - The D.C. Times Headquarters, Fourth Floor.

"Tommy, you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Is the boss?"

"No, I don't think so."

Kyle, contrary to what the soldier had asserted, was wide awake, wrapped up in his ripped sleeping bag. The dark, fourth floor room that the group of soldiers had decided to stay in for the night was a precautionary measure. Kyle was afraid that mutants would be out-and-about during the late hours. And he had been right. A few parties of them had walked by, on the ground. There were five men in total. Kyle, three other soldiers wrapped in their sleeping bags, and a man leaning against the open window, holding his rifle. Kyle had assigned him there to keep an eye on the ground and make sure that there wasn't any activity on the ground.

One of the soldiers in the room stood up and walked over to Kyle's sleeping bag. He was interested in eavesdropping on their conversation, so, naturally, he feigned sleep.

"Yeah, he's asleep. Why?" asked Tom.

"Have you been around Joe's Diner recently?" asked the other voice.

"No...Jerry, why do you keep asking me so many damned questions?"

"I promise, I have a point, man."

"Make it. I'm tired as hell, and the boss is only giving us six hours on the clock to hit the hay," said Tom.

"The group that Labhart integrated. It's mostly new blood for the military . Something like twenty soldiers. But, along with that one old couple, a girl came along too," replied Jerry.

Tom didn't respond for a few seconds, and Kyle stirred in his sleeping bag. He was curious as to what Jerry had to say about the girl. However, he remembered that he would have to be considered asleep for the conversation to continue. He became still.

"Oh...Now I know who you're talking about. The short one. What was her name?" asked Tom with interest.

Jerry yawned. "Hayley."

"Yeah, that's it. She's fairly easy on the eyes, from what I've found. Anyway, where are you going with this?"

"The boss. He was with her at Joe's Diner. They were eating together."

"Oooooh..." said Tom humorously.

Jerry began to whisper. "He looked like he was going to have a heart attack. He was sweatin', shakin', the works."

Kyle began to fake snore. The sniper at the window overheard the conversation and joined in. "That's odd. Labhart isn't the type to hang around women. He treats them like he'll melt if he's touched."

"I've heard that he's afraid of women because he was married and his wife died. Or something like that," said Jerry.

"And I've heard that he's an Enclave deserter. We can't believe every rumor we hear, can we?" groaned Tom as he got back into his sleeping bag and tried to get comfortable.

"Maybe he's both?" replied the sniper near the window.

"Nah. I doubt it. Those guys in the Enclave are so hard-pressed into duty, they're practically celibate," replied Jerry.

"Back to what you were saying, Jerry," said Tom. "I want to sleep."

"Oh, that's all I was going to say. I just thought that it was unusual for the 'high-and-mighty father wolf' to be out with somebody. He's never done that since he brought me in. I would know if he had. If something happens in public, everyone in Georgetown will know by the top of the next hour."

The last soldier, who had been curled up in his sleeping bag and too deep into sleep to be part of the conversation, suddenly spoke. "Jesus, Jerry. You're not a teenager anymore. He went to Joe's with the new girl. So what? Yeah, it's unusual as hell, but the boss is an enigma, if he can be described by one word. We don't understand any of it. Now, shut the [censored] up and let me sleep."

Jerry scoffed and laid back before finally going to sleep.

***

Dawn approached Pennsylvania Avenue, and the light of the morning shined through the window. Kyle was the first to wake up.

"Alright, get your asses up. I'd like to find what we're looking for and get home before sundown."

Jerry groaned as he crawled out of his sleeping bag. "Boss, why don't we just sweep through the National Guard Depot again?"

"We got most of it the first time through. Not to mention, the Regulators have moved in there now. They've probably raked their claws into everything we didn't pick up," said Kyle.

"Oh. Where are we going, then?" asked Jerry.

"If we take Dupont, and follow it with no issues, there's a gun store right next to the station on the other side. Last time we scouted the area, it hadn't been ransacked yet. Let's hope that's still the case."

Fort Bannister (Dex)

Morning has come and the assault on Little Lamplight can begin. As Dex was helping one of the soldiers load his pistol he saw some men approach in the distance. He looked closely and realized it was LT. Bradshaw with some other people. Bradshaw entered the the Fort with 10 slavers following him. The Talon Company mercs looked at the slavers with a questioning look on their faces.

LT Bradshaw went up to Dex

"Sir the deal with Paradise Falls was successful, they had some of their men come with me so that we could hand the children off to them."

Dex looked past Bradshaw and at the group of slavers.

"Welcome to Fort Bradshaw, our assault on Little Lamplight will begin soon, go inside and help yourself to ammo, food, or whatever you want. I'll give my men the go ahead."

The slavers went inside and got what they wanted. Dex looked back at Bradshaw

"Good work son, Is there any other news you need to bring me?"

Bradshaw looked at Dex

"On my way to Paradise Falls a vertibird was heading towards megaton, Mr Crowley said that it was enclave. I thought that the Enclave were over with. He also gave me this letter and wanted you to read it"

Dex took the letter and read it

"So, an alliance with Paradise Falls. This could be what we need. However, if more powers are rising then its time we send out a message. Bradshaw I trust you can lead the assault into Little Lamplight I have something I need to do. Also tell the slavers I accept the offer between Paradise Falls and Talon Company."

Bradshaw with somewhat of smile on his face.

"Yes sir, I wont let you down."

Bradshaw shouted to the soldiers

"Alright everyone we're moving out. Everyone get to Little Lamplight we will meet up just outside of the cave."

The soldiers began to move out and heads towards Lamplight. Dex went into his office and told the slavers that they were heading out. The slavers packed their things and followed Talon Company to Lamplight. Dex went into his office and grabbed a chain, a regulator outfit, and a folded up sheet. Dex then walked out of his office with his assault rifle thrown on his shoulders and the things in a dufflebag. He was heading towards the North East.

--

Little Lamplight (LT Bradshaw)

Bradshaw was just outside of the cave with about 20 men in Talon Company and the 10 slavers. he looked at the slavers

"This is a Talon Company job, why don't you guys stay out here guard the entrance that way you wont get injured if bullets start flying"

The slavers looked at Bradshaw and nodded.

Bradshaw looked at his men

"Ok, i'm going to go in first once we are inside clear out the place and rally up the children, anyone raises a gun...kill them."

Bradshaw and his men went into the cave. He soon approached a gate made of broken steel parts. He saw a man with a rifle over his shoulders. the man shouted at him.

"What busniness does Talon Company have here in Little Lamplight?"

Bradshaw was shocked to see a man stand there, intel reports said that only children were allowed in Lamplight. Bradshaw had his hands on his pistol almost ready to draw it. He looked back at the man at the gate.

"Where are the children of Lamplight and why are you guarding it?"

The man looked back at Bradshaw with an angry expression on his face.

"They are in the cave back here, I helped them out with gathering supplies outside of the cave they thought i would be better to guard the cave rather than the mayor! I ask again what business does Talon Com... "

A shot was fired from Bradshaw's pistol. The sound echoed through the cave, as the body hit the ground all you heard were screams of children. Bradshaw ran up to the gate he ordered his men to raise it up slightly. The mercs raised it up, and Bradshaw crawled underneath. He then found the mechanism for the gate and opened it for Talon Company to go inside. After about ten minutes of no gunfire, all the kids were rallied up and brought to the gate. Bradshaw had all of them on their knees next to each other. he looked at everyone of them in the eyes.

"My name is Bradshaw, me and my friends will be taking this cave for Talon Company if any of you feel you need to speak out against our actions now will be the time."

None of the kids said a word all anybody heard was the sniffling of some of them hoping they would die.

"You will be taken to a place away from here, you will all survive but live a different kind of life, good luck"

Bradshaw brought all the kids out to the slavers. he went up to them

"Here are all of the kids in there, about 12 healthy children for Paradise Falls. Also let Mr Crowley know that Talon Company accepts his offer. One more thing before you go who did Mr Crowley see after I left, it sounded important."

One of the slavers looked at Bradshaw with a concerning look on his face.

"All i know was that it was someone from the Pitt. Thank you for the children, we'll be on our way."

Bradshaw looked back at his men and shouted and raised his gun in the air.

"Little Lamplight is ours!!!"

the men all cheered and raised there weapons in excitement.

--

An overpass north of Fort Bannister (Dex)

Dex was on top of an overpass, as he looked out over the vast openness of the wasteland he knew now was the time for the message to be delivered. He looked down at the body of a raider he just shot and killed. Dex opened the dufflebag and got the chain, the outfit, and the sheet out of the bag. Dex stripped the slavers outfit and put him in the regulator outfit. He then wrapped the chain around the neck of the body. He tied the chain to some exposed re-bar in the concrete of the overpass ledge. He then threw the body off the ledge. The body was hanging about 20 feet above the ground, it could be seen from a few miles away. He then unwrapped the sheet and had it hang off the edge next to the body. On the sheet read

STAY OUT OF OUR TERRITORY!

The logo of Talon Company was drawn next to the message. This was a warning sign for all regulators not to trespass in Talon Company territory.

Thomas Edfield - En route to Megaton

The platoon of Outcast soldiers marched along the broken highway that was the road to Megaton, weapons held at the ready. The prisoner from Fairfax was held in chains in the middle with a burlap sack pulled over his head, he occasionally tripped on the broken asphalt and was yanked back up onto his feet by a nearby trooper, the trip continued more or less uninterrupted until they reached the overpass on the outskirts of Megaton. Two snipers took up position on a fallen piece of the overpass and scanned the town for threats while Edfield met with the rest of his men.

"McKinley, Adams, you two stay here for backup, anything comes up I'll signal over comlink. Jefferson, grab the prisoner and come with me."

The made their way through Springvale, weaving their way through the shacks and burnt buildings towards the fortified gate of the city. Once inside Thomas asked a resident where the mayor lived and was pointed towards a large shack on the Western side of the city.

"Wait here." Thomas and the prisoner preceded into the shack, where it appeared the leader of Megaton was already entertaining guests, an Enclave man no less.

"Pardon the interruptions sirs, but is this wastrel a citizen of Megaton?" Thomas removed the sack from the prisoners head and forced him onto his knees. "Because if not I'm about to blow his [censored] brains out of his skull. Pardon my French." Thomas pointed his plasma pistol at the back of the prisoner's head and awaited a response.

Orville Connelly - The Republic of Megaton

Orville Conelly was surprised at the outburst and left the Enclave Colonel by himself for a secound. He looked at the prisoner for a few secounds. He felt this was a personal act of aggression. As much as Conelly wanted to yell at them,he felt it was wise to stay on the good side of the armed folks.

"Yes,this man purchased a house in the Springvale residential area of the Republic of Megaton. As such he also applied for citizenship a while back. Now what has he done,to provoke the outcasts?"

Thomas Edfield - Megaton

"Stealing from me and my people and suspect of being a Brotherhood spy, not to mention trespassing. We kept mentioning Megaton even after several hours of questioning, he was either from here or remarkably well trained for a Brotherhood lackey. In any case, since he is a citizen of Megaton and under his jurisdiction, you must atone for his crimes. What say you?"

Thomas holster his plasma pistol and awaits the man's response.

Orville Connelly - The Republic of Megaton

Conelly thought for a moment and said.

"Well, I believe if you committed a transgression against a society,you must be punished by that society. Do with him what you will.."

Veronica Belmont, Grandmastress of the Chapter and Leader of Saint Catherine - Upper Catherine

Saint Catherine, from a small Metro settlement grew into a sizable city in the wastes. Grandmastress Belmont observed the cities from Larunda Garden. A section of the city filled small trees and flowers. She sat at one of the benches, looking onto the many businesses that opened. The Lord's Pub, Grocer's Food Store, the Catherinian Arms Company Store and etc. People walked around whether in the average wasteland attire or those who were religious, in American style attire. The homes, some ruined pre-war styles homes held a flag, similar to the old American flag or some others homes built from the cement and rubble when clearing out Saint Catherine. The flag had a white star in the middle with a red circle and the rest of the color blue.

Yet Saint Catherine was growing with much higher crime rates. Drunkenness, rowdiness, heavy use of drugs, from Columbians who were never educated in the moderation thought back in Providence. Belmont observed as 2 Local guards took away a man for rowdiness and drunkenness, as evident from Malcolm the owner of the Pub explaining the situation to the guard. He would be taken off to Taratarus Cells for a few days and educated by the Monks on moderation.

Belmont stood up from her seat and walked down away from Larunda to be at Main Street. Caravans from the East flocked here, either heading to the Towers or Megaton. A group was walking towards Veronica and she looked at him. From her view, it looked like one of the scavenging teams as evidenced from their light clothing.

“Grandmastress, I have something very important to tell you. My team over here will also tell you about.”

Belmont spoke in a latin phrase.

“Latina, propter ipsum, qui non debet publice audite.”

“For those that cannot speak the tongue of the ancient Red Empire, you are dismissed” as Ray spoke in front of his team.

Veronica, Ray and those of the scavenging that can speak Latin went towards the Saint Catherine Metro. The others made a brisk pace towards the Pub, for rest, especially their frightening encounter with the Enclave.

Paradise Falls Slavers

Crowley grinned at Ramsey's mention of his distrust for Talon Company,

"I'll worry about Talon Company, Mr. Ramsey. Their operations will only affect the South in any case. I can understand your lack of trust in them, but mercenaries like those in Talon Company are usually motivated by one thing, and I believe I know how to play to that. Besides, they are one of the most heavily armed groups in the Capital Wasteland at the moment: it would be foolish to ignore them completely."

"That'll conclude our discussion here Mr. Ramsey," Crowley finished as he turned off the Cinema projector once more and the screen began whirling back up into the ceiling, "I look forward to future business with your people. If you happen to return to the Pitt, give Lord Ashur my regards. His business is always welcomed by Paradise Falls."

With that, Crowley shook the man's hand and left to begin walking upstairs to his private quarters, while Clover offered to escort Ramsey out.

As they exited the Cinema, Clover noticed an individual just entering the main gate with a group of bodyguards behind him, immediately alarms went off in her head. They didn't even look like they disarmed. After leaving Ramsey to regroup with his men, she immediately went up to the newcomer. All she had heard was that he wished to "speak to a man in charge."

"How about a woman?" She said as she looked suspiciously at the group and then barked out an order to them, "Drop your weapons, now, and maybe we'll talk. I don't know who let you in here without taking your guns first, but we don't allow walk-ins with guns tramping around the Falls."

Alan and Ben - walk back to Metro Central

The walk back to the metro was a short one, but it had taken them longer then expected. Alan and Ben had been about to cross the river when they found a body blocking their way. Naturally, the two went over and checked the lifeless corpse. What they found was something quite unexpected, he was still living. Excitement raced through Alan and for most, this might have been an unusual reaction. For Alan however, this was perfectly normal. The past years in Alan's life had been full of experiments and tests, one of which being the transformation of humans into ghouls. It had been so long since he had been able to perform his little "test" on a live human being and now was his chance. Now, you may think Alan cruel for such an atrocious way of thinking, but he had never done anyone harm and he didn't wish do to it now. In his eyes he was merely converting this human to another path of life. Sure, not all survived his "path to another life" but if this human were left on the ground he would surely be dead before sunrise. So with a simple command from his brother, Ben heaved the limp body onto his shoulders and they continued on their way home.

After walking for several minutes, Ben spoke to Alan about his usage of the human being, "You make human 'nother test person?"

Alan responded in the calm tone he always managed with his brother, "Yup, I hope this one works.You know I think the reason the last human didn't make it was because she just wasn't strong enough."

Ben struggled to understand,"What you mean?"

With a regretful face, Alan continued in a softer tone, "I just think that maybe well... if we had treated her better, she might have been better able to withstand the radiation." Then with a more confident voice, he spoke, "I won't wrong this one though. We'll make sure he's at full health, well fed, and well rested. Then will dip him in the vat and let it do it's magic." On a final note he concluded, "You know I don't like it when they die Ben, it's just we need more rational ghouls like you and me. I have a good feeling about this one though."

Ben struggled to see what Alan meant, but he did understand the last part. He nodded, speaking in a solemn tone, "Me know Alan."

Alan smiled, grateful that he could share his thoughts with Ben. Even if he didn't quite get it, it was good to know his brother was there for him.

They continued onward, at last reaching the entrance to the metro. Ben went inside to lay the man down on one of the beds in there settlement beneath the surface. Alan, before entering, stretched out his arms and yawned. It had been a tiring day but successful all the same. He took one look back at Georgetown far to the West. Their pre-war flag still flying high in the wastes. Alan was reminded of his new found ally and with it, remembered to someday ask the wolf leader about his use of it. Finally, he descended back into his underground abode.