Chapter 49: Chapter 49

[Message decrypted]
Urgent.

With all due respect, but who the fuck sent out the infiltrators to rile up the raiders? I thought Father agreed for us to keep away from Questor’s lands until more details can be gleaned about his relations with the Railroad?

What happened to trying to get him on our side? We could have easily initiated talks at least, even with the Railroad’s presence.

Is this an attempt to draw out more information from him? If it is, what makes any of you assume we can make sense of anything he shows off? The man already proved that he can somehow appear miles out at sea in no time at all with some sort of underwater structure, and if memory serves me correctly nobody in any division can figure out how he did it.

What makes you think this time will be any different? He’ll just whip out some impossible weapon that’ll waste our time scratching our heads, at best. At worst, he finds out you idiots were behind this and we’d have irrevocably pushed him into the arms of the Railroad, or he’d actively counter any of our efforts on the surface.

Seriously, how did this get past drunk theoretical bullshitting?

This will not end the way any of you fuckwits expect, mark my words.

I am cancelling my leave. Do not send anyone to bring me back.

End of report.

*****

Putting down the report, Shaun regarded his directors and senior scientists. “Well now, this is surprising,” he stated calmly, noting how some of them shifted in their seats. So it was a joint effort from Robotics and Advanced Systems. This was disturbing. The last time anyone went behind the Director’s back, it caused the so-called Broken Mask Incident and brought damaging and unwanted attention upon the Institute. It seems that the damage this time might be just as significant.

Dr Ayo remained straight in his seat as he met Shaun’s gaze. “I’ve checked the logs for our expedition to contact Sev. Their mission parameters were to build relations as ordered.”

There was silence as some shared confused glances, while a noticeable group had a far more guilty look to them. Shaun slowly picked up said report and scanned through the document for show.

“So their mission was changed after being sent up?” Virgil asked.

Ayo shook his head curtly. “No such outgoing traffic was logged. If they did, it wasn’t through official channels.”

“So runaway synths and backdoor communications? It seems that the security holes are much larger than we thought, Justin.” It wasn’t a fair stab at the man, Shaun knew. Justin was probably the best at the position until Dr Zimmer returned, but this notable vulnerability had to be addressed before things got worse.

The SRB steward blanched a bit but still gave a determined nod, a testament to his dedication. “I’ll review and revamp our protocols. This will not happen again, Father.”

“I’ve no doubt it won’t. Now then, as for the current matter at hand...” Shaun fixed his gaze on a little clique of scientists at one end of the table. “Dr Howard, would you care to explain why you and your fellows decided to sabotage our agreed efforts? Or perhaps Dr Trent? Dr Quentin?”

As Shaun rattled off the names of the conspirators, the other directors and scientists focused their gazes on them with a mix of confusion and severe disapproval.

It was Dr Quentin who finally had the balls to speak up. “It was supposed to be a false flag operation. Send a sufficient threat to Sev’s borders and we stage a decapitating strike before they got too close.” The man meekly shrank in his seat as he finished off his explanation. ”The updated mission went as planned, but...we...couldn’t secure the...coursers needed in time for...for the second phase...of...the operation...”

The ambition of the plan was laudable, though trying to subvert a courser from SRB should have obviously been what killed the plan and stopped it from being enacted in the first place.

Dr Ayo was understandably angry at the thought that someone would try such a thing.

Shaun kept his tone calm, compartmentalizing his own anger and frustration at the fools. “So, not only have you actively disobeyed orders, your reckless attempt would sabotage not only the goal of the mission, but our entire operations on the surface as well.” The air was thick with disgust and wrath directed at the perpetrators, who squirmed in their seats. “We’ll review your punishment later. Justin, if you wouldn’t mind securing them?”

“With pleasure.” The conspirators were led out by coursers, leaving the meeting room in a different state of tenseness.

This development had the potential to ruin any hope of the Institute gaining any insight into Sev’s technology, other than trying to seize scraps from a battlefield. It was hard enough trying to relearn and replicate old technology in their intact but rusted state, but advancements like Sev might as well be considered magic for all the Institute’s vaunted knowledge.

Official studies had to be shelved indefinitely due to the neverending debates over. No one could agree if Sev had access to matter transference or some sort of advanced tunnelling system to allow for maintaining a presence out at sea, for example. And the rumors of the so-called ‘healing arches’ sounded like a child’s fairy tale. Coupled with the new breed of robots he had sporting proof of more unknown technology, the Institute did not have the luxury of pretending Sev did not exist and hope to replicate what he had.

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“Now then,” Shaun started, giving the others a tired and beseeching look. “How do we salvage this situation and what further...issues should we anticipate from this?”

*****

It was a straightforward and ambitious plan when you boiled it all down. Unite some gangs and tribes, sack the bountiful but heavily secured territory that was ‘Sev’s land’, and stop a growing threat to a raider’s way of life. Sure, lots of them might die in the attempt, but play your cards right, and it’s some other gang taking the shots, leaving you and your friends with more loot to share.

Little surprise that it was the newer leaders who took up the call, fresh faces that needed to establish their authority and reputation and what better way to do so than by being part of something big like this? More than seven hundred men, Doyle had never seen so many raiders and psychopaths gathered before, and there was barely anyone trying to kill each other.

As agreed by the cooperating leaders, organization was mixed in such a way to prevent one gang or tribe from taking too much heat, or too much glory. Didn’t stop from deals and favors being made to switch places, at least for the ‘common’ raiders like himself. Those in power armor were gathered into a single group to be used as a mighty hammer, while the slaves they had rounded up were herded in front of the army to eat up some shots.

Doyle heard a brainier Blade Monger give the estimate that the united army would suffer at least sixty percent casualties once they reached the prizes of New World 81, R&R 81, and Vault 81. It sounded plausible, the robots over there sounded scary from all accounts, though that’s what the missile launchers and Fat Mans were for.

The raider army marched at a steady pace, their numbers scaring away even the super mutants in the way while allowing them to utterly devour any hapless settlers or Minutemen in their way. Like some, Doyle was disappointed that they couldn’t slow down to play with their food, so to speak, but he was smart enough to understand that they shouldn’t dally too long. The fast pace was meant to maximize the advantage of surprise, so surviving captives were just slapped with an explosive collar and sent to the front.

Doyle couldn’t wait for the fighting to start. He and his crew were positioned comfortably in the middle lines, so once the shooting began and the army’s front began to thin down, he’d be able to hopefully snag some kills and be right up front for first pickings.

They were one day away from the unofficial borders of Sev’s lands. News of their arrival must have spread, because no other settlers or Minutemen were encountered over the past two days. There were signs of recent evacuation from shanties and camp sites, but it was a small matter.

As they dusk settled the raider army settled down in the nearly levelled ruins of some residential area. The shells of houses were commandeered for the night, guard duty was handed out, and the slaves chained at the front in case of any night attack. There was no mood for partying or playing with the captured women, everyone was anticipating the inevitable fighting tomorrow. Even the coalition leaders just stayed in their command post, probably discussing the final details.

Come morning, Doyle woke up to confused murmurs. Walking out, he followed the crowd and saw massive structures jutting out from the ground, just shy of a hundred yards away from the northern outer perimeter. He could see seven of them spaced out like border posts, massive spikes that curved slightly like a deathclaw’s talon towards the camp. Doyle could make out the tips on each structure shining with red glass or metal.

Were they a threat, a warning to back off? Or did they serve a different purpose?

A sense of foreboding filled the air, but a few bellows and barks buried the dread with discipline and the standard fear of a pissed off gang leader. The slaves were unchained and herded forward as the raiders got into formation.

*****

The collar itched as it dug into Terrence’s skin. That was all he tried to think about right now, all he forced himself to think about. Better than the fact that it might go off at anytime, taking his head out, or that he was forced to run towards some unseen and surely waiting position that might shred him to bits with gunfire, or the fact that the raiders behind him could very well do the same for giggles.

It was bad luck being caught in the raiders’ path, and while Sophie also was captured, Terrence was thankful to whatever god up there that the raiders were just happy to slap a collar on her neck and hurry them along instead of raping her.

They were most likely going to die, but at least the suffering before that was reduced a bit.

He prayed to the God of old, to the Atom, to whatever other deity he knew, even the devils and demons, for a chance to survive this, or at least for Sophie to make it out of this alive and well. Terrence was a good man, his wife a good woman, they’d done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve this horrible fate of being a bullet sponge.

Crap, he failed to distract himself from that thought. He wasn’t supposed to cry, he was supposed to put up a brave face, let that be the last thing Sophie saw instead of being a pitiful wreck wailing to live.

Terrence ran hand-in-hand with Sophie towards mysterious structures that loomed ever closer. They and the other collared captives made it past the curved spires without incident, but a round from behind them blasted the brains out of some luckless man not too far to his left, a signal for them to keep running.

So they kept running of course, even when figures were spotted in the distance, lined up with their weapons at ease, even when things from above swooped down over their heads and made everyone scream in panic, even when the gunfire and explosions rattled off behind them.

Only when robots burst up from the ground before them did the blind charge falter and die, and Terrence was dragged to the ground as Sophie stumbled and fell. They fearfully hugged each other as they looked up at the floating forms of countless Mr Handy robots moving amongst the prisoners, their sawblades whirring and claws clacking.

Their fears eased up when the robots began speaking.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm so we may attend to your collars. By orders of Sev, on behalf of the Nexus Severalty, you will be freed. Please follow our instructions so you may be evacuated from this battlefield safely.”

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