OOC: I have edited Numberone's post above. It seems I didn't include Stream's character. I have already apologized to Stream and wish to offer apologies to everyone else here in the Project.

Cain
"Good Evening, and welcome aboard." The Brotherhood Paladin gave me her hand. It was the black woman. "My name is Cross, rank Star Paladin." I did not take it. I just climbed in and sat down, nice and snug.

The bald man opened his mouth, certainly with disgust. "Why is this...." My hand shot to my gun. No "z" word allowed. "ghoul...on board?"

"Elder Lyons is worried. His daughter facing an unknown threat? That's why the highest ranked Brotherhood are all asked to be sent there. You are the action commander, and who know when we will need you, Paladin Tristan."

"If I am the action commander, I should back in A ring planning an assault on the mutant's hold at Fall's Church, not sitting here with a..." My fingers curled around trigger of my trusted weapon. "highly radiated creature...here?" The bald human was close. Very close.

"Have some respect for him. He brought in at least fifty vials just the last month alone. That's more than half the amount our patrol brought back. And you do know how many patrols we have now." The Star Paladin was very good at calming others. Well, at least she tamed this Paladin Tristan.

"Whatever." With that, the bald Paladin stared at the wall, as if there was a window there.

I copied his actions. Very soon, I would be making some money. I shook the little pouch, full of caps freshly earned, wondering would there be any liquor on sale in that town that they called Megaton.

Number Twenty Four

Number Three's sudden appearance came as a shock to her. She might have the best perception among the 99's but her eyes can only see what's in front of her, not behind. His blood red build towered over her. T But however surprising his entrance was, his words was natural and expected.

"...we can engage them in conversation lowering their guard to a point where our blades may rend their unsuspecting throats from their bodies."

His voice was dead cold and reek of a merciless cunning. Instantly Thirteen's chuckle was heard. Six and Seven both shook a bit. Number One listened tentively. Oh, so very not good. They like the idea. Of course, of all the natures of the 99's killing was always appreciated above talking. "That, of course is merely a suggestion. We should leave the final decision to our intrepid leader."

What made her angry though, was that he took part of her carefully thought out plan and twisted it into a much darker one. And his last words also touched Number One's soft points. As the leader, he had always been appreciating praise. Other wise, his number was 21 higher than hers. Her words are worth nothing next to his. But there is still hope...

Twnety Four didn't speak her thoughts out loud. It was unnecesary for she had lost already. But there is perhaps...something that she can do. She shook her head. It was her way of getting a view of everything around her. Two large insects was far away, posing no threat and she had no current usage of them...but she found something interesting near the two bugs, something that can be of use. "There is a high ground over there." She unhooded herself and pointed to a ruin not far off, ontop of a hill, with a wall at least three storeys high, with a piece of ceiling still intact.

"If I can get up there, I will have clear view of the surrounding areas." She pulled off her cloak, revealing a strange clump on her back. It was action time. "I suggest Number One, Six and Seven meet them head on in attempt to speak, while Three and Thirteen go around the building. That way, even if they open fired, my two melee brothers with lacking armor would not be caught in the cross fire. And I trust that they can launch a sneak attack if necessary, for they are masters at stealth." Wah woo...these words could have never came out of her mouth days ago, but in this situation, she found herself able to speak up...and other than that, Number One listens well.

Another quick look around, she found that two more armored humans had joined their brethren at the front of the building, making a total tally of seventeen. Strangely, the hidden population in the ruins beyond also stirred, and more activity was noticed. She got a glimpse of the dirty rag that the hidden ones wore. Raiders. She smiled. Believe it or not, a large band of raiders actually attempted to kill them some months ago. It took a record short time to dispatch them, almost less than five seconds. One seconds to react, one second to pull of their guns, one second to aim, two seconds to finish every one of them off. As usually she had not pulled out her gun then. But now...they are cautious of the so-called Brotherhood of Steel's movements? An idea came to her. She looked at her hands. This might work. Yes, she might kill someone, but the less death the better.

"What are you all waiting for?" They were staring at her.

"I...will do whatever it takes to get the FEV." She muttered under her breath. And she unbuckled her straps that had held her secrets for a long time.

The plans being tossed around by the group were much of the usual; one wanted no violence, one wanted negotiation, and everybody has a soft spot for some of the old ultra-violence. Number Six stared at twenty Four, waiting for her to get moving over to the overlooking hill. He turned back to One and Seven.

"I'm glad to hear that you're finally coming around. It's great to solve a problem without cutting it in half, but that's just me. Most of the great battles in the world were fought not with weapons and brute force; they were won with strategy and diplomacy. A battle is only a small part of a war..." he paused for a moment, realizing his rambling. "but I digress. Negotiation is a fine idea. You usually never let me work this out, and you usually murder the person after I do."

His pistol was strapped neatly to his side, ready for a quick draw nonetheless. As much as he loved diplomacy, he knew the tactics of wastelanders. They themselves were quick to fire on heavily armored and intimidating men, and without Twenty Four's somewhat innocent appearance, they chances of attack were higher. That, and people had a "tendency" to fall into Number One's arm blade.

"Twenty Four, be careful. It's careless not to wear armor in a hostile environment. We don't know what's out here. This isn't the Badlands; Ninety Nine is dead, we don't need you gone too," he turned nodded towards One. "not sure his heart can take it right now." he said half-laughing.

The rest of the team looked just about ready. It was time. He turned back smiling to the entire group.

"Shall we?"

Number One

He was happy now. It was not so much that they had a plan, but it was that they had all contributed to it. They had a way to get the information they sought. After which they would be able sate their bloodlust. He was also happy for the words of Twenty-Four.
"What are you all waiting for?" . She seemed to be as anxious to do this as the rest of them were. He knew that Twenty-Four didn't like to kill, but it was good that that she was willing to do anything to acheive their goal. Each of them would be able to utilise their skills to further their goals. He felt at this moment that their bond had become stronger. And once they had the FEV, they would be ustoppable.

"Check your weapons and move out! Number Six. You have the lead." He said the words with a strong commanding voice, but his face still wore a smile.

They would soon have all that they wanted.

Number Twenty Four

She watched them leave, their tall silhouette that stretch on the ground elongated by the streaming sun light. The two buckles released, and the stretched cloth behind her back losened suddenly, feeling as if she dropped her gun....in other words, somehow relieved yet empty. the two sleeves that hung limp around her waist now slid down slowly, as if unwilling to let go.

From the depth of her dress, she pulled two bottles of water. It was the only remaining ones, but it was enough. Twenty Four unscrewed the cap and drank. Instantly, she felt the water rushing into her blood, thinning it. It was one of her mutations, being able to absorb water quickly. Yet at the moment she was not desperately in need of hydration. Her heart pumped harder, and she swallowed another mouthful. There was a shearing pain in her back, as the two sleeves completely unfolded. They were dragging on the ground, until the very beginning where the bulk of her dress is sewn with the two sleeves began to bulge outwards. She dropped the empty bottle, and drank from the other. It should be enough water. The pressure in her body was building up, and they were directed to the very back of her dorsal side, where the sleeves and the awkward lump was. Then, slowly, like a butterfly from a freshly split chrysalis, two hands poked out of the ends. Then it got bigger. And bigger. And longer. And longer.

Oh, it hurt like how fire torches one's skin, a pain that Number Twenty Four had been afraid to endure until she made up her mind just then. It was not a pain she enjoyed, and she would not like to shared with others. The two pale white arms' skin stretched, with a moisture glistening on the whitish epidermis that made it look some what alien-like. Well, she had not used this after finishing with her experiments, which had been quite centuries ago. She had not used it in the trip across the post apocalyptic world or did she shown it to anyone else. Number One perhaps knew, or a few others, but this pair of arms was something she had tried to hide for a long time.

The ghostly fingers flexed, and Number Twenty Four felt the incredible strength its fingers had. She moved the two hands and place the palms on the ground. With a silent count to three, the new arms hoisted her off the ground. She attempted to make a step with it. Not very good. She almost fell flat onto the ground. The lack of practice made it like baby steps, one at a time and cannot be rushed. She slowly increased her speed, and by the end, she was almost sprinting faster than most single digits of the 99's can run.

The wall was high, but her extra hands climbed with no obstruction at all. And then she got to see the part of the Capital Wasteland for the first time. She was right, it did give her a clear view of pretty much everything, and she had spotted her brothers, making their way across, closing to their targets, the so-called Brotherhood. There was still no sign of wind, and she knew she can hit pretty much anywhere with her rifle. It is a given fact. She unstrapped the gun from her back, leaving the glass panel on her back (she might need it later to defend herself with), and anchored herself as she found the perfect view. There was enough of the ceiling and her hand will grab on to the pillar behind her, providing the support she need for the recoil of her gun.

And she looked into the scope...watching...

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Sara paused for a moment and quieted her tone, "Though I don't think I could if I wanted to. Could I?"

Jill looked at Sara funny. Jill lowered her arms finally and drew in a short breath. She crossed both her arms across her stomach, blocking the wound.

"I don't know Dr. Carter, I've always been afraid of Doctors," Jill paused and looked around the city gates, a crowd was beginning to form, this wasn't good for Jill, "Where are you going?"

The sentence Jill blurted out was almost uncontrolled. She wanted to get away from the growing crowd of people, no matter the cost. Her identity was her sacred possession.

Sara Carter


"I don't know Dr. Carter, I've always been afraid of Doctors,"

Sara could sympathize with what Jill had said about not liking doctors. Until she became one she really didn't like them either. The probing. The prodding. The tests that were ncessary. All of which could be painful, but were crucial to the survival of the patient. She could remember the times as a child when she would be given examinations by the Enclave doctors Doctors that were not sympathetic their patients. Doctors with no emotion. Doctors like her. But this time it was different. Although she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to have Jill in a lab for the purposes of dissection, at this moment she genuinely wanted to help.

There was also the sense of fear that Jill was experiencing due to the ever increasing crowd of people that were on hand to witness the scene.

"Where are you going?" Jill had blurted out the words and a frightened tone accompanied them

Why didn't this woman want any of the people to see her? Perhaps Jill was afraid of what they would do if they knew what she was.

Sara needed to confirm her suspicions. She could remember hearing about a holotape that had been dismissed as a hoax. The tape that had mentioned an android from the Commonwealth. The thought of this was screaming in her head. She looked over her shoulder where her enemies were, no doubt, listening to the tale of the creature that Benjamin had killed. Sara didn't know how much time she had. She needed Jill on her side. She had to think quickly and choose her next words carefully.

"Look Jill," She was still smiling, but her tone became more serious. "You need to believe me. I'm not going to hurt you. I understand that you are afraid, but you don't have to fear me." Sara paused for a moment and stopped smiling. She lowered her head and looked at the ground. When she began to speak again her words had taken on a sad tone.

"I really do understand why your afraid. I know what it's like to have people be afraid of what you are without knowing who you are." Sara paused again. "I... I am a member of an organization called the Enclave." She forced a tear and continued. "The Enclave has done a lot of really bad things. Things I wasn't a part of." She was like a spider spinning an elaborate web for a helpless fly. "The Enclave were stopped by the Brotherhood of Steel, with the help of the man who stopped me from shooting you."

Her next words had to be perfect. She had to be perfect. She looked directly into Jill's Eyes.

"I wasn't responsible for any of the atrocities committed by the Enclave." Sara began to sob. "I am a doctor and a scientist. I help people. But because I'm with the Enclave," she brought her sleeve to her face to dry her crocodile tears. "people automatically assume I am as bad as the people who committed the atrocities. People like the ones over there." She motioned in the direction of the Brotherhood.

The smile returned to her face and her tone became compassionate. "You can trust me. I know for a fact that you should be dead from your wound. And I think I know why you're not. Let me put a bandage on your wound to at least conceal it from the others and you can be safe in the knowledge that I won't let anything bad happen to you."

The web was spun. Even Sara could almost believe the lies that were spewing out of her mouth.

"Right now we all need to work together. Something new has come to the wasteland. Something that may have the power to destroy us all."

Sara couldn't help but be a little distracted by the sound of the vertibird approaching. She knew it couldn't be the Enclave. The Enclave wouldn't move until she had reported in, something she needed to do soon. She hoped Jill had beleived her performance for she needed an ally here. Still, if Jill didn't beleive her, Sara still knew something the glorious Brotherhood didn't. She knew where the Ninety -Nine were going.


The Lone Wanderer

Benjamin couldn't help smiling at the perturbed look on Sara Lyons' face. It was a look he had seen before. It was the same look she had given him the first time they met when he was looking for his father, the day he had spoiled their ambush. It seemed like so long ago. So much had happened since then. He had helped the Brotherhood to defeat the Enclave, and in doing so, had brought hope to the people of the wasteland. Now the Enclave were here, and he couldn't deny that they would be useful.

Benjamin reached over and patted Trajan on the shoulder, and started to head towards Jill and Sara, who were now engaged in conversation. He stopped when he heard the vertibird approaching. For the moment, the Enclave would have to wait. Right now he needed to meet Cain.


Number One

Numbers One, Seven and Three were walking a few paces behind Six. He didn't like the idea of not leading his brethren into battle, but for now, it was the right thing to do. They could decimate the base after they had the information. They were getting closer now and he could see the small band of raiders that were approaching the fort. He hoped the raiders would attack. He and his brethren could wipe them out in a matter of seconds and it could go a long way towards gaining the information they needed. The information that would make them invincible. There ween't many of the raiders and more of the soldiers had come to the gate in anticipation of the raider attack. The soldiers outnumbered the raiders and Number One didn't think they would attack. Especially once he and his brethren come into view.

When they came into the area where the advance soldiers were stationed he immediately noticed the turret which had been installed into the remains of a bridge. It was pointing in the direction of the raiders. The soldiers that were there, he counted six, were stunned for a moment by the formidable shapes which entered the area. The soldiers immediately trained their weapons on them. One of the soldiers began to speak.

"I don't know who you are or what you want but you better turn around and walk away if you don't want any trouble!!"

The soldier's voice was shaky and Number One couldn't help nudging Number Three because of the exquisite joke that the soldier had just told.

He wanted to take out his weapon and destroy them all now. It would be easy. He felt his bloodlust start to rise and waited for Number Six to get the information they required. He would be silent for now. And once they knew the location of vault 87, the Brotherhood would be nothing more than a stain on his bootheel.

The yelling of the armored soldiers could've riled up the other spectating squad members, but they were skilled enough to know when something was going wrong. The guard seemed tense in his tone of voice with a tad bit of fear. After all, this is the equivalent of a snake slithering through the grass towards a lonely mice. Number Six raised his hands slowly to signify his innocence.

"We're not going to attack. Our weapons are going to stay holstered. Killing and violence isn't something we favor." he said, keeping himself from laughing. It was common knowledge Number One preferred problems to be solved with a few head kicks.

The soldier raised his weapon a bit more at the group, but his arms and legs relaxed. His shoulders drooped slightly as a sign of calming down. The adrenal glands had probably closed.

"Answer my question! Who the hell are you?" he yelled.

Number Six stepped a bit closer and lowered his hands to his waist. The palms of his hands were flat in front of him, lowered to about belt level. With each step he watched the movement of the guard. He tensed up a bit more, but nothing drastic happened.

"You can call us prisoners of circumstance. We're here to find our fallen comrade. I'm sure you know the same feeling, having one of your own abandoned out there. Our friend is dead. We only want the body. His last known transmission talked of a Vault - Vault 87 to be exact. Do you know where this is?" he said, o stopped a few meter from the guard. Several other soldiers piled up behind him, staring down the trio.

"Vault 87? Good luck with that one. Better hope your armor's able to absorb 500 RPS. That place is a death trap. It's crawling with muties too. We gave up on that place long ago." He smiled for a moment before realizing what he had said. "Wait, how the hell did your friend get into Vault 87?"

Number Six smiled under his helmet. Sympathy and innocence had run their course. Giving a nod at Number One and Three, he walked at a normal pace towards the group of soldiers. A few raised their weapons, but the majority stepped back, as if preparing to rout.

"You've never seen this armor. You've never seen anyone like us. You have no idea what we're capable of. I'm not here to answer anymore questions. We just want to know the location of Vault 87."

The guard looked back and forth between Six and Three, weighing his options. He was obviously hesitant of making any decision. Part of Six thought he was simply stalling in the hope that they would just leave.

"Follow me."

Cain
Getting used to the chopping noise was great. I can finally take a nap.

"We will be landing in five minutes." A voice called out. D[censored] it. For the love of dead super mutants, can they ever give me the time to go to sleep? Those armored freaks, always so caring for the poor wastelanders...and never cared to let a poor old ghoul have a good snore.

"Paladin Tristan, the Pride will be waiting for us at Megaton. Please lead your brothers in steel to construct some sort of defense structure."

The bald paladin growled. "Orders taken. But may I ask why?"

"Alien weaponry had always been the greatest weapons around, even in bad condition. It took many shots from an alien rifle that Benjamen Burnley carries to take it down.

It? Alien weaponry? Things are getting more interesting by the sound of it. I have to wonder. I might have came at the perfect time.

That Paladin Tristan certainly didn't like the smile that crept up my mouth. "Star Paladin Cross. I don't think you should release top secret information to this...highly irradiated man." He escaped his certain doom once again....if he just began the "z" to of the forbidden word...

"Doesn't matter. He has to know." I was beginning to like this Star Paladin. "Listen up everyone. The Pride was called in earlier today to Megaton from a call by Sentinel Benjamin Burnley, aka the Lone Wanderer. He said that he shot dead a being, no, a monster who refuse to go down even after taking hits from alien weaponries multiple times. I believe everyone here had seen what a simple alien pistol can do? Even our newest Power Armor melt like..."

"Like super mutants shot in the head with a plasma rifle multiple times." Paladin Tristan finished her sentence. "There are only three or possibly four known copies of such amazing goo makers, one in Burnley's hands, two in our Armory with one lost recently. The Outcast might possess another one, we cannot confirm." Interesting. So the Outcast huh? Yes, they are such bloodsvcking leeches that live only for technology. A "technologically advance nightwear" would most certainly delight those maniacs. Well, I probably can't barge into the Citadel's armory, but Fort Independence...That's another story. My ancient heart skipped a beat. Ah, how I very much wanted this "amazing goo maker".

"Thank you, Paladin Tristan. And Sentinel Ben also stated that it was not highly intelligent for it charged him even when he had much superior fire power. Yet its armor can withstand such a large amount of shots, implying it was excellent, made with technology that we had never seen now and probably won't for another thirty years. It also means that some one intelligent, at least with the ability to produce and maintain such technology is out there. Who know the next wouldn't carry weapons so advance that our Power Armor would be worthless against..."


Number Twenty Four

She watched them approach the gray building. Then she turned her scope to Number Thirteen. He was fading into the terrain, darting from shadow to shadow. Such agility, it took her all her focus to watch him sneak. Then there was a commotion where Number One was, leading Seven, Six, and Three, with Six, the slick talker at the front. They were being yelled at. My brother can handle that easily. He had once convinced a pack of Mercs not to touch us, and then slaughtered them when their back was turned. Very efficient...and Twenty Four did not like the killing part a bit. When she turned her scope back to the general direction of where Number Thirteen was, he disappeared, vanished. She had the best eyes, but still, the shadowy Thirteen is uncatchable with the naked eye when he doesn't want to be seen.

More movements from the ruins beyond the building the so-called Brotherhood guarded. The yelling from the armored soldier must have stirred them. She estimated how many Number One would notice. Of course, he knows some raiders are there, for his senses are beyond exceptional, but whether he can tell how many of those bothersome humans are there, she is sure that he would not know the exact amount. More movements was seen through the scope. There was some building that they had taken as their quarters, for more and more appeared, like mutated ants swarming to protect their queen. No, she can't see them, for there are annoying ruins along the the line of sight, but from the dust that rose from the increasing movements...now there were equal or more raiders present than those armored humans.

Number Six approached the yelling soldiers. It was too far away, and the soldier was helmeted, so she couldn't read his lips, but the posture of Number Six was clear enough. He was trying to calm the armored soldier down, and was probably succeeding with it. She zoomed into the soldier. Yes, he was most definitely less tense. Number Six was just a little closer to her, and they formed a straight line towards Number Twenty Four. She zoomed in more, staring at his head. That kind of armor, isn't it the...

Some thing hit her on her arm, where it was exposed though the sleeves of her dress, sending sharp pain up her delicate and short arm. She yelped...and her hand closed suddenly. Unfortunately, her finger was curled around the trigger. Even more unfortunately, she had lifted her gun slightly when the bullet existed the muzzle with a flash and deafening crack.

The shot ricocheted in the empty lands. Even with her eyes torn off her scope, she saw...the armored soldier who was already giving in jerked his to the side, then back to facing Number Six, also meaning facing her....NO! She screamed in her head. Dodge...don't just stand there....The armor that was so protective of his face and body had so generously left an opening between his chest and head. And the bullet took this generous offer. The throat was gone in a startling display of advance-bullet vs ancient-power-armor's-weak-point. I...I killed...someone?

She closed her eyes. What had she done? Then another projectile hit her. What is it? She opened her eyes and watched as another projectile arch through the air, just over her white hair. It came from somewhere beyond the wall on the other side. It was a fly. A bloat fly. A stupid ulgy fly that flew so very close that she can see the reflection of her face in its compound eyes. One of those two insects that she thought posed no threat. How can she....Number Six had warned her about the lack of armor. She leaped off the ceiling, flung one of her long arms in a wide arch, catching the fly in her palm while the other grabbed the edge of the ceiling, swinging back to her original position. The fly was already crushed when her feet touched the ceiling.

Yet unfortunate events comes in series. The moment she landed, the ruin gave away to the violent movements, crashing down. In the last second, her longer arms caught pillar, and, slowing her fall, set her gently on the ground. With that, the pillar also collapsed, leaving only a pile to show for what this ruin once was. She was standing on top of the ruins when she looked once again to the direction of the armored soldiers and the gray building that she realized the lost of height sliced many things out from her view. While a minute ago, she could've picked off the raiders by carefully tracing the dust kicked by their movements, now she couldn't see a thing other than the remnant of past glory, the top of the gray building, and perhaps a bit of the bridge.

How did it come to this? Number Twenty Four felt neither fustration nor sorrow, just a deep emptiness. For all of what she had thought of, it still had come to her to ruin their chances of getting the FEV. It was then she saw a head of a raider passing by a window, into a section of a room covered by wall. A wall that her shots might not penetrate...but most definitely the wall meant nothing to her secret weapon.

She made a snap decision. One of her long arms removed the black metallic bracelet from her dress' pocket while the other jerked a gleaming black cylinder from her necklace. The three pairs of black metal that were once bracelets clipped onto the barrel of the gun like an insect's feet curling around a stick, sparkling with energy as the bracelets, in truth super magnets, hum softly, and the black cyclinder slid into a hole in the back of the gun. The gun was already eye level when she looked into the scope and stared a dirty wall far across the barren lands. Please, let me hit a raider. And please, don't let him die. And then please...let the raiders realised they are under fire. And...please...her family must not get hurt when the war breaks out.

She pulled the trigger. Even with her longer arms pushing on the floor to provide excellent support, she still flew when her sniper rifle, now a heavy rail gun, released the bullet faster than the speed of sound as the tremendous recoil slammed the scope into her right eye.

The last thing she heard was somethings like roars of guns. Different kinds of guns, mixed into into a choir of lullaby...and she closed her eyes as her senses fade away.



OOC: I am so sorry for the enormous post...I was typing...and typing...until I realized it was this long. If you don't like it or I somehow changed the plans of things, I am happy to change it...a PM would be nice in this case.

Jill listened intently to Sara's story. Trying to wrap her head around the emotions she displayed. It was tough for Jill to understand why she was having certain emotions, she'd never experienced it, nor seen it. Her only experiences were with cold blooded scientists that only cared about 'the progress of science', and Raiders, who were almost all were insane. Still, she felt that Sara was trying to help, and it sounded like she had an idea of what Jill was. It was important for Jill to make sure Sara wouldn't tell anyone else about it, and it seemed she would be a kind friend to her.

"Okay, patch me up Doctor," Jill said quietly, "And if you don't mind me asking, can you tell me what is going on?"

Jill wasn't sure what she was getting herself into. She needed to get away from Megaton though, and make sure Sara was trustworthy. She sure sounded like she was, but Jill's processing system told her to gather more data on Sara.

The Lone Wanderer


The vertibird descended, coming to rest not far from the gate of Meagton, which was now was clogged with people all trying to get a good view of the events that were taking place. The Megaton sheriff was standing in front of the crowd trying to contain them within the gate. Although some of them had managed to get into the area to better observe the scene, they did not interfere. When the Brotherhood and the Enclave were in the same place, people had a tendency to get shot. And none of them wahted this to be their fate.

The hatch on the vertibrid lowered and more Brotherhood soldiers appeared on the scene along with a ghoul wearing blood stained combat armour. He could clearly see the words "Cain Rules" carved into the front of the armour. He was hoping that this Cain wasn't a loose cannon.

One of the newly arrived Brotherhood approached him. He was someone Bejamin knew well. He liked Paladin Tristan from the first moment they met. He rememberd back to the day they lost Liberty Prime. A lot of good soldiers lost their lives that day, and if not for Paldin Tristan, he would have been one of them. Benjamin and Tristan exchanged greetings and Benjamin once again related the tale of the creature he had killed. When he had finished he turned to Nick and Trajan.

"Whatever happens, I want you two to follow my lead. We need to get information right now. And we need to get it from the Enclave representative." He motioned in the direction of Sara and Jill.

He really couldn't be sure if Nick and Trajan would follow his lead. He didn't know much about NIck and really couldn't be sure if he could be trusted. He knew this man used to be of the Brotherhood, but for whatever reason, he had left them behind. Right now he needed to know he could trust everyone to the fullest. Although he liked Trajan, Benjamin was worried about his eagerness. Trajan had spirit, and if he wasn't careful, it could cost him his life. There was also the sense of trepidation that seemed to be directed towards Nick and the woman from the Enclave.

He now turned his attention to Cain and examined him more closely. Cain's eyes had the look of someone who had seen death on many occasion.

"Cain, I am pleased to meet you. My name is Benjamin." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "The Brotherhood has said that your skills might prove useful. I certainly hope for all our sakes that they weren't exaggerating."

OOC: From this point on I will breaking up my posts a little more to keep the story rolling along a little better. It's too hard to keep the story rolling if I only ever post all three chars. at the same time.

Sara Carter


"Okay, patch me up Doctor," Jill said quietly, "And if you don't mind me asking, can you tell me what is going on?"

Sara smiled at Jill and approcahed, removing a roll of gauze bandage from her med kit. She began to relate her tale to Jill while bandging the wound.

"Earlier today,"

She had to concentrate on her story which was becoming increasingly harder to do. She had become distracted by the wound which appeared to be healing itself. Sara could see inside the wound clearly now and although the subdermal layer was almost completely healed, she couldn't help notice the tubes, which appeared to be made of some kind of plastic, inside of Jill. She wanted to open Jill and reveal the secrets of this technology, somehting she couldn't do at this moment She felt like a child who had been given a wondrful new toy, but wasn't allowed to play with it. Despite the distraction in front of her, her duty to the Enclave came first.

"An Enclave outpost was attacked by a group of technologically advanced creatures who called themselves the Ninety-Nine." She wondered if the technology Jill had was superior to the creatures. Sara continued to wrap the bandage around Jill concealing the wound.

"They let one of the officers go, but not before they asked about the location of Vault 87." She smiled at the thought of what the dying officer had told the Ninety-Nine. This officer would be considered a hero if she had survived.

"The officer had told them that the Brotherhood knew the location of the vault and sent them off in that direction. I managed to get the information from the officer before she died from her wounds." and from the death that ran through her veins courtesy of Sara.

"We also intercepted a communique from Benjamin Burnley," she pointed to the man wearing the T-51b power armour. "In the message he said that he had managed to kill one of them but it took alien tech to bring it down." She had finished the bandaging the wound now and rose to face Jill. She was still smiling and continued to look innocent.

"We assume that the Brotherhood does not know where the Ninety-Nine are going but I do, and I need the Brotherhood to help us save the people of the wasteland from the threat they pose." She really couldn't be sure that Jill did trust her. Sara needed to make sure that Jill was stripped of any remaining doubt. She moved closer to Jill and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"I will keep your secret and I suggest that you do not tell any of the Brotherhood what you are. The Brotherhood are obsessed with technology and would have no qualms about dissecting and studying you." She looked over her shoulder. The second Brotherhood vertibird had now landed and more troops had arrived. She could see the shape of the combat armour that one of them wore. She knew he wasn't Brotherhood by the armour he wore. Sara could not make out his face at this distance and wondered who he was.

"Jill, we have to stick together. No Matter What!" She said the words sternly to impress upon their importance but sitll kept her smile. She removed her coat and handed it to Jill. "Here. Put this on. Even with the bandage a skilled doctor will be able to tell that something is not right. And we have to keep your secret."

Number One

They started to follow the soldier. Number One's smile was growing wider beneath his helmet. In a few moments they would have their information, and then these Brotherhood would be nothing more than a memory. He thought of the ways they would die. He could already hear their screams of pain, crying out for mercy that they would not receive. The Brotherhood were nothing more than insects, and soon they would be exterminated.

They approached what looked to be a makeshift command post just outside of the fort's gate. A computer terminal was on a table. Wires ran from it to a small generator which was placed underneath the table. The other soldiers were still on their guard but seemed to be a little more relaxed now. It was at that moment that something unexpected happened.

The sound of a single gunshot rang in the air. The guard that was leading them had turned to face Number Six, just at the moment a bullet tore into his throat. Blood sprayed from the wound into the face of Number Six and the soldier's now lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Number One couldn't be sure where the shot had come from, but he had his suspicions.

Twenty-Four, what have you done?

It was at that moment that the group of raiders, now totalling twenty, decided to make their move. They rushed forth from their cover and proceeded to launch an attack on the fort. The turret began to fire at the raiders and managed to take out five of them before being destroyed.

The guards of the fort had now raised their weapons and opened fire on anyone who was not one of them. Number One took the rail gun from his back and fired at the soldier that was closest to him. The blue energy exploded form the barrel of the gun, hitting the soldier in the chest, sending him sprawling through the air. Number One could hear an alarm being sounded and more guards exited the building and began to open fire. He turned his attention to the raiders who were advancing towards their position. The energy leapt at them with a lethal accuracy. The raiders were falling quickly and he had no worries that the rest of his brethren would be able to take care of the soldiers. He could hear the bullets bouncing off his armour and that of his brethren. None of these soldiers had weapons powerful enough to take them down.

Number One was enjoying the battle. Although he was hoping for more of a fight, he was still satisfied by the scene of bodies accumulating around him. He was determined to kill them all and his attention was focused entirely on his prey. Perhaps a little too much so, for he did not notice the soldier who had exited the fort brandishing a gatling laser, taking aim at Number One.

Number One

Right at the wrong moment, all of his mind suddenly went into turmoil; causing him to literally drop his weapon and fall to his knees. His mind was burning with a strange sensation, it was almost like it wasn't HIS. Growling he noticed the light from the laser leap towards him, with a rash growl he leapt to the left; picking up his gun along the way. The man obviously wasn't completely well trained with it, as he hadn't even moved the laser with his movements.

Looking back at the group he noticed them finishing off the raiders and turning to the men who might actually pose a threat to them. He rose slowly and felt a cold chill down his spine, he arched his shoulders and almost felt something in his ears pop. Lifting his rail gun he took aim at the man with the gattling laser, he aimed at his head but a voice in his head urged him not to shoot. He shook his head and brought the sights down to the man's leg, he pulled the trigger.

The recoil was dangerous to him in this state but he was fine, the shot leapt from the rifle and plunged into the mans leg; tearing it off. With blood spurting from the destroyed limb he fell to the ground screaming, dropping his weapon in the process. One grumbled something to himself and then rose his voice, "Shoot to injure! Don't kill them if you can help it! We need these men to still find out some information..." In truth, he didn't care anymore. Something was different.

The bloodlust was fading from his limbs, he almost felt sick at the thought of killing someone in the base. He shook his head violently and raised his weapon, aiming at a man's arm. Pulling the trigger the man's hand was turned into a bloody mess, he wouldn't be using his rifle any time soon. One didn't grin or laugh though, something was different now.

OOC: In case you guys haven't figured it out yet. Francois will be helping me with the character of Number One. I personally am looking forward to seeing more of his posts.

OOC: Yeah, I'm back when I can be back, it's just like Stream's RP; I'm here to add a little flavour when I can. I hope to have fun with you guys some more and all that jazz!

Lone Wanderer

Something was giving him suspicions about the Enclave, but now was not the time; now was the time for planning and information. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around, looking straight towards the Enclave Officer and another woman. The Officer was just handing her coat over to the woman, who said something and put the coat around her. With a small smile inside his helmet Ben's mind went flying in all different directions at why someone from the Enclave would do this.

He settled on one choice and decided to play along with her game, the Enclave were their allies now... But they weren't all that friendly anymore, but Ben planned on making them friendly. Walking over to the two ladies he gave a small cough; as the Officer turned to look at him he gave a small bow and laughed. Looking back up he quickly said, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, I think you tried to say something to me a while before; but as you can see I got distracted."

With a quick sigh he continued, "My forces are ready to head off in any direction and since you have troops with you but not many I'm ready to bolster you with a few troops. As well as that, if you have any information on this threat yourselves it would be appreciated; I'm sure the Enclave is still powerful. Even in such a time I know that the Enclave is still a powerhouse," He gave a small smile then a quick cough. The helmet was starting to hurt his neck and he was tired of the heat.

He brought his hands up to the helmet, then turned it to the left until he heard a small hiss; he lifted the helmet from his armor and brought it to his side. His blue eyes began looking around with a normal view again, the insides of the helmet had a lot of systems to help him in combat. His brown hair was tussled and full of sweat, wiping his right hand through it he looked at Sara again, "So, where do you think we should start heading?" He quickly blinked then laughed.

"Oh I apologise, I'm Sentinel Benjamin, call me Ben; make's life easier. I never caught your name either...?" He trailed off, waiting for the woman to talk back.

"I will keep your secret and I suggest that you do not tell any of the Brotherhood what you are. The Brotherhood are obsessed with technology and would have no qualms about dissecting and studying you.

"Jill, we have to stick together. No Matter What! Here. Put this on. Even with the bandage a skilled doctor will be able to tell that something is not right. And we have to keep your secret."

Jill listened intently to what Sara had to say, nodding every once in a while. She had figured out Jill's secret, but Jill didn't feel worried. Sara seemed like a good person. Absentmindedly she took the coat that was handed to her, buttoning it up to cover her wound and bandages. She readjusted her weapons to fit better with the coat too. The extra heat of the coat didn't affect Jill much at all.

The man in the t51b powerarmor approached the two and began speaking to Sara. She looked at the Sentinel, Sara had warned her about the Brotherhood of Steel. If they were to find out what she was she would be hunted by more than just The Institute.

Sara Carter


"Oh I apologise, I'm Sentinel Benjamin, call me Ben; make's life easier. I never caught your name either...?" He trailed off, waiting for the woman to talk back.

She looked into Benjamin's eyes for the first time. They were the eyes of a gentle soul. Eyes she wanted to add to her collection. Still, there was something in them that made her curious about what lay behind those beautiful, blue eyes. She felt strangely attracted to his appearance. He was not at all what she had expected. She had expected to his face to be that of a battle hardened warrior. Someone devoid of feeling. Someone like her. Thoughts began to form her head, but they weren't the usual thoughts of death and pain. She actually felt the desire to get to know this man a little better. She knew he could be useful. She could always kill him later. For now she had to tread carefully. She remembered an old saying, something to do with catching flies with honey and Sara could be sweet indeed.

She took a moment to look over the rest of the group that had come over to her with Ben. She started by looking over Sara Lyons, the self righteous leader of the Pride. Sara could immediately picture her writhing in agony as she was gutted.

She had already seen the man with the holotags. The one without power armour. She couldn't help feeling that this man might prove difficult to manipulate. There was just something in his eyes.

Her attention turned next to Trajan, the newest member of the Pride. He was younger than others, excluding of course Ben, and she couldn't help feeling he might be useful to her. She was practiced in the art of seduction, not just of the body but of the mind as well, and she felt that he could possibly be manipulated to serve her needs despite the fact that he did not appear to like her very much. She couldn't help wondering what he might think if he knew the things she had done. She smiled playfully at Trajan and turned her attention to the next man.

She had never seen a ghoul before and she was shocked by his appearance. She felt the urge to scream,

Must Stay In CONTROL!!!!

but she choked it back in her throat, instead stepping back slightly, the smile never fading form her face.

She then turned back to Ben and looked once again into the eyes of blue.

"Mr. Burnley. Ben. My name is Dr. Sara Carter. I hold the rank of lieutenant in the Enclave. You may call me whatever you wish, but I prefer Sara, or Doctor Carter.

She had to mention her rank. Not so much for Ben's sake, but for the others who were there. They were bound to show more respect to a member of the military than they would a scientist.

"On behalf of the Enclave I would like to thank you for the offer of resources to assist in this time of crisis." How she hated politics. Better to just kill them all now.

She took a moment to collect her thoughts and then continued.

"Earlier today, an Enclave outpost was destroyed by a group of creatures called the Ninety-Nine" She could see in their faces that they already knew.

"One of our officers was let go, but not before she was questioned about a specific location by them." She paused for a moment. She couldn't tell them yet. She needed to control the situation.

"Why should we trust the Enclave?!?" It was Sara Lyons who spoke the words and they had a tone of hatred behind them.

"With all due respect Miss Lyons," Sara wasn't happy that she had been interrupted and made no point of keeping it a secret. She now had to fight back the urge to cut out Lyons' tongue and feed it to her. "We know something that you don't. We know where the Ninety-Nine are going." She turned her attention back to Ben.

"These creatures are powerful, you yourself have seen them. The Enclave feels that we need to put aside our differences and work together. They sent me here cause they felt my skills could prove useful in this situation." She paused again exhaling. She really didn't think this would work. "In exchange for the information I have, the Enclave requests that we pool our resources and that I be given the full cooperation of the Brotherhood of Steel."

She really didn't expect the Brotherhood to cooperate with her. But she hoped that Ben would be willing to follow her lead.

"I managed to catch sight of the Ninety-Nine moving across the wasteland while I was on my way to Megaton. They are on foot but they are very fast and I really don't know how much time we have." She did have a good idea though, even at the pace the Ninety-Nine were moving it would still take them at least another day to reach the Citadel. Not to mention the distance they would have to travel to reach Vault 87.

"If you decide to acquiesce to our request we will have all that the Enclave has at our disposal." Unfortunately with the state of the Enclave that wouldn't be much. The Enclave needed the Brotherhood more than The Brotherhood needed them.

"Ben." She had lowered her tone and was speaking softly. "This is something we are going to have to work together on. You don't have to believe me, but the Enclave has changed and we want to work together for the sake of everyone." Her tone was sincere and her voice was unwavering.

"The choice is yours. I only hope you can find it within yourself to put aside our differnces." When she said these words she knew that Lyons' would be a problem. Sara hoped that Ben not olnly believed her but that his influence in the Brotherhood would be enough.

OOC:Just wanted to say welcome back to Francois, excellent posts.

Lone Wanderer/Benjamin Burnley

Ben gave the smallest of laughs in his head, most people expected him to be something different... He never was what they thought of course, he guessed he'd had the same effect on Sara. With the smallest of smiles he listened to what she had to say, it was a worthy speech he had to admit. Even if some bits weren't even directed towards him, he knew her type; there was more than she was letting off to. That was typical among the Enclave, but he didn't really mind these days.

"The choice is yours. I only hope you can find it within yourself to put aside our differnces." She finished off, he could see her eyeing Sarah Lyons as she finished saying it. Oh yes, of course the choice is mine! It always is these days, it's all I truly got for saving the Wastes from utter destruction isn't it? With a small shake of his head he turned back to have a quick look at the others. All the people who didn't have helmets on didn't look as though they wanted to trust her.

Perhaps with good reason, but as Ben turned around he knew that their was something in her eyes... Perhaps not a good thing, but then again; not a bad thing either... She had something different about her, she'd seen things like he'd seen them; but she'd seen things he didn't want to. The eyes told a lot about a person, and he could see that there was something more to her eyes than she let off. She came off as sweet but after his many years of traversing the Wastes he could hear the bitter edge.

With a small grin he looked at Sara in the eyes, "Well, Sara, I'm sure I trust you to some extent of course; but there are always problems with any choice. I understand that we have to work together to deal with this threat, but at the moment I'm wondering how exactly we should tackle the problem. You have information that we obviously need, and I'm sure you aren't going to give it to us for free. Look, I'm sure that you aren't going to like this but..."

He trailed off then took a breath, "Well, it's time to lay the chips down on the table shall we? You have information that's important, and quite obviously the Enclave needs our help to take down the threat. I'm happy to give my support and that would mean that everyone here would have to follow along with my hunch..." He sighed, "But of course, this is quite a dangerous choice I'd be making if you did anything rash of course. But, I don't have a choice in the matter do I Docter Carter?"

He shook his head to himself and ran his hand through his hair again. He looked up towards the sun for a split second then looked back at Sara, she looked like she was absorbing what he'd said at least. With a small laugh he extended his hand, "I'll accept your offer, I don't have much of a choice do I? Did you know that when that Enclave messanger came down to the Citadel I was the one who had to convince them that we should accept the offer? Nobody these days like the Enclave."

He turned and waved his hand at the soldiers, "I'm quite sure all of these people think I'm a fool, but I know that the Enclave do have some people who are right among them," he turned back to Sara, "I really hope that your one of them. I don't want to be entrusting my life to someone who's going to throw it away in a heart-beat." He took a short breath and closed his eyes for a split second. As soon as he opened them again he looked straight into Sara's eyes.

He extended his arm out to her, "So, are we in agreement?"

B-B-B-Bump!

He extended his arm out to her, "So, are we in agreement?"


Sara took a moment to consider this. It was far too easy. And there was bound to be objections from Ben's other companions. She couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to be a very dangerous game, and sometimes, those were the best to play.

The smile stayed on her face as she shook Ben's hand. "We are."

There were many things to consider now. First of all there was the Lyon's Pride to consider. Sara was confident that Miss Lyons would follow Ben's lead. Her concern was the young paladin, Trajan. Though the intel she had was limited she could see by the look on his face that he was suspicious of her and didn't like the idea of working with the Enclave. She looked him up and down and then, staring into his eyes for a moment, gave him a smile that had a touch of lust behind it. She would sooner gouge out her own eyes than let Trajan touch her. But he was a man and could possibly be swayed by the idea that he stood a chance.

Sara then regarded the man with the holotags. She really couldn't tell what he was thinking at this moment. He appeared to be waiting to see what was going to happen next. She could see the pain behind his eyes. She didn't know the cause of this pain, but if she could find out, perhaps it could be exploited.

Then there was the ghoul Sara found herself truly repulsed by him and could feel the pangs of fear. She was finding it increasingly more difficult to not show her repulsion at this monstrosity before her.

ConTrol

She turned back to Ben and looked into his eyes again, a friendly smile on her face.

"I look forward to working with you." She still wanted to kill him but she first wanted to understand the kindness in her eyes. Sara Couldn't understand why Ben, who could rule the wasteland if he chose, helped the people of the wasteland. A people who were no better than the slime on her boot heel and deserved nothing more than extermination. Before she could brief Ben there was something she had to do first.

"I need a moment to advise the Enclave of my situation and then I will tell you everything I know." Well not everything, she still had her backup plan.

She could only think of one reason why the Ninety-Nine would want to go to vault 87 since the GECK had been removed. The FEV. Although she didn't know what the wanted it for, it was something she had easy access to through the Enclave. She couldn't help thinking that it might be possible to bargain with the creatures. She could give them the FEV, in exchange for destroying the Brotherhood and leaving the Enclave in peace. For now, this was a gambit to be played later in the game.
She turned back to Jill for a moment and gave her a friendly smile. She turned back towards Ben speaking.

"This is Jill. I have bandaged her wounds and she has offered to help us. I have no doubt that she will prove useful in helping us accomplish our task." She paused again and her face and tone became more professional.

"I will return to my vertibird and request troops and resources to aid us. I shall return in a few minutes." She then looked back at Jill again. "Come with me." She was sure that Jill would have some questions, and a few moments away from the Brotherhood would allow this to happen without having to reveal Jill's precious secret.

She also knew It would give Ben's companions time to voice their objections, or what they felt about her intentions without Sara listening in.

Bump

Another "bump" and this gets closed. Forum rules apply to this forum as well. :stare:

OOC: Naz, I think we should let this go... Because no one else has posted when obviously you got PM's saying that they would, I don't know when they said they would but... Naz, I think you should work on Armageddon, it has a better chance at this and I'm working on SCAR a lot now so... It's up to you, but I think that Armageddon is better, work on that. :shrug: Your choice, sorry for the OOC I would put in a little post but I left it for someone else to do it otherwise...
It'd just turn into Naz and I.