*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
"WON'T YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Gregor yelled. He ran and started kicking the loading bay doors. The group had been locked within the back of the Super-Duper Mart for over an hour.
*BANG* *BANG*
"Errrrrgh. Going to kill those things when I get out of here" Gregor said, pacing.
"Just do a gear check. Pass the time 'til we get help" Carter suggested.
"Checked the damn sack five times already. No, I need to kill something. We get the door open a bit think we can get a few?" Gregor asked. He strode to the door but the Paladin stood up to block his path.
"I don't fucking think so" she said.
"Move, or get run over. Your call" Gregor ordered.
Carter put himself between the two power-armored soldiers.
"Should we really be doing this? Now of all times?" he asked. Gregor backed up and cussed to himself under his breath. "Alright. How about we exchange names? I'm Carter, this is Gregor, Mendez... uh, some other guys I don't know"
The Paladin took a few steps back and sat on a nearby table, it creaking at the weight being put on it.
"Soph" she said.
"Short for?" Carter asked.
"Soph" Soph replied.
"Oh. And you?" he asked, pointing to the East Coast Knight counting bullets in the corner.
"Bryan" he answered.
"Okay, hobbies?" Carter asked.
"Carter?" Gregor muttered.
"Yeah?"
"Shut the fuck up. Nah, I am curious though. How's Boston?" Gregor said and turned to the Paladin.
"You've been to Boston?" Soph said, raising an eyebrow.
"Aye. Diamond City, born and raised" Gregor responded.
"Damn. Thought there was something that tasted awful about you. Upper stands I take it?"
"Yeah. Course by the time I could hold a gun had moved off and went around a bit. Where I spotted some of you" Gregor said.
"I can't imagine what you're referring to" Soph said, a smile creeping.
"Scars. Someone with less experience would chalk 'em up to accidental burns, maybe laser fire. Nah, those'r intentional. Forged" Gregor said and nodded. "Last time I saw one of you was..... oh, probably about the time I met Shepherd. Tried roasting some synths. So how exactly does a Commonwealth raider come to be a Brotherhood Paladin?"
"Wrong place, right time. Minutemen idiots were cracking down on us, caught a few. Caught me. Destined for the execution block 'til some fuck forgot to lock the cell door. Found some BoS a few days later and figured why the hell not? Free food, bed, get to kill if I'm lucky" Soph answered.
"You lucky bitch" Gregor started laughing.
"And a spoiled DC brat ends up fighting in Chicago how?"
Gregor shrugged. "Free food, bed, get to kill if I'm lucky. Railroad first, Brotherhood after. Plus helps to have something to fight for out-"
"DONE!" Mendez yelled, raising his arms up triumphantly.
"You serious?" Gregor said and ran to the radio, grabbing the mic.
"Some interference out there. Think I got us past it"
"You know I'll kill you if you're wrong?" Gregor pressed the trigger on the mic. "Conrad. You bloody fuck, you better hear me"
For a few seconds there was nothing but buzzing from the radio. Gregor stared menacingly at Mendez.
"Gregor? Gregor! Why the hell haven't you been answering!" Conrad yelled from the other side.
"Radio wasn't working. Look, we are in some serious trouble, we need guns here now"
"I'm aware. Looking at your position now, swarmed"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hampshire Smith peered over the dune to see Savior Installation swarming with mutants of all shapes and sizes, but none familiar to him despite all the years he'd spent in the wastes. He turned to assess the relief forces. Forty soldiers. Paladins, Knights, some deathclaws and mutants. But not enough unless Hyde could pull through with his plan.
"General?" Conrad asked.
Hampshire looked to the side and noticed his nephew standing a few yards away. Almost a splitting image of himself, albeit younger, much younger.
"Conrad. I see you've decided to join in on the assault" Hampshire stated.
"Alpha and the rest of Sigma are protecting the APCs in case there's any trouble on the way to Bunker Alpha. Well, the rest of Sigma and Alpha not trapped. One of your men said you're waiting on Hyde?" Conrad said.
Hampshire sighed. "Aye. Against my better judgement, I voted in favor of Hyde's plan to combat these... things. It would make me a hypocrite to deny his help now"
"By Hyde's plan...."
"Yes. Dangerous, but we do not have a choice"
Hampshire looked to the roofs of Bunker Sigma's Red Rocket cover and several low surrounding buildings. East Coast soldiers huddling together to escape the mutants. The vertibirds flown away to avoid the steaming acid from the strange scorpions.
"They don't seem to differentiate between us and them, do they?" Hampshire asked.
"No, no they don't. But something weird happened in the sewers. They ran past Harris, a super mutant on Alpha, like he was nothing"
"Hyde did mention the possibility of a sort of blindness to mutants from the Forced Evolutionary Virus. See them as their own"
"So you knew about these things?"
"The council has known for some time about.... undocumented mutants in the area. Until recently, with the documents you delivered to Head Paladin Shepherd, we didn't realize the threat they posed. Which is why I've also voted in favor of Shepherd's plan. Strangely enough, that passed with fewer votes than Hyde's mad idea"
"Head Paladin Shepherd's plan sir?"
"You know what I mean. What he's been talking about since day one of this war. Talking it out"
"But Maxson will never accept that, not unless we're surrendering"
"We aren't surrendering. But I'm sure a few dozen of his men testifying to this new menace will surely get him thinking"
The low rumble of approaching vehicles could be heard increasing. Sure enough, Hampshire and Conrad looked to see several trucks with tarped cargo nearing the makeshift camp of soldiers.
Hampshire stroked his beard and took his sidearm from his belt. "Hyde and his machines. Get ready to move out Conrad"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Annnnnnnnd dead" Carter said, putting down the radio mic.
"Lo siento friends. I'm not sure what could even be causing this interference" Mendez said.
Gregor rubbed his lips. "No, it's fine. We got ahold of the boss, he's coming. Said if there was any other problem he'd radio in. We've just to hear what he's saying now"
Soph walked to the loading bay doors and touched the spots where it had become dented from the mutants' constant pounding. Streams of light peered in from almost microscopic holes, but enough to worry everyone inside.
Bryan shuffled his gun between his hands nervously. "Grayditch all over again. We're dead if your squad leader doesn't show" he complained.
"He'll be here" Carter said. "I've already seen him lose one squad. I doubt he wants to lose another"
"So what happens when they get here? Execution or imprisoned?" Soph asked.
"Imprisonment. But don't worry, we've got some of your buds locked up too. Icicle, what was that one dipshit's name you and Conrad brought in? Ryan? Rice?" Gregor said.
"Rhys" Carter answered.
"You have Paladin Rhys? We thought he was dead" Bryan exclaimed.
"Yeah, but you can't see him because he happens to know a very special secret" Gregor chuckled.
"Wait. Do you hear that?" Soph asked.
"Quiet everyone" Mendez said.
Gunfire had started off in the distance, and the mutants outside had become even more riled up, surging away from the door and to this group of incoming combatants. Yelling had also begun, but from the mutants or soldiers no one could tell.
"It's the fucking cavalry!" Gregor yelled. "Yes!"
Carter tried to peer in one of the small holes, but none were big enough to see through.
"I can't see anything" he said.
"Bet it looks like some glorious carnage" Gregor said almost too happily.
"No. Something isn't right" Carter added.
New sounds joined the fray. Tearing noises, metal clashing on metal. A pair of heavy footsteps were coming forward, closer and closer to the loading doors. Everyone ran to the back and help out their weapons, readying themselves for whatever was coming.
"Gregor?" Carter asked.
"Yeah?" Gregor responded.
"If I'm about to die, just want you to know you have a dirty mouth. And I'm starting to hate the name Icicle"
Carter said.
The maker of the footsteps stopped outside of the bay. The door began to creak as it was pulled out of place, ripped, and finally pieces tossed aside in a loud crash and plume of sand. Conrad and two Knights ran through the opening guns drawn.
"Took you long enough boss" Gregor said. Everyone began to lower their wespons. "Now before you go yelling at me for not tying up some prisoners, I've just got to-"
"Not right now, more pressing matters" Conrad said.
"Like?" Soph asked.
Not a second later the door began grinding again as a new shape attempted to enter. It crawled through and Carter was amazed to see a machine he hadn't seen since before the war, at the military parade. A tall, one-eyed robot, a C-27.
"The fuck?" Gregor said.
The bipedal robot looked back and forth between the soldiers, it's eye assessing each and every one as a possible threat, then stepping forward.
"Greetings. This unit is here to rescue you"