49 Chapter 47: Molon Labe

Marcus hadn't moved or said anything for several moments. He just stood there in the middle of the courtyard, staring at the image on his PIPBOY. Clover was holding her breath as she waited to see what his reaction would be, but as he stood there almost catatonic, she was beginning to get worried. "Marcus?"

The Lone Wanderer suddenly felt like his legs were about to give out, and he carefully sat down on a small pile of rubble; his eyes fixed on his PIPBOY the entire time.

Charon studied his friend. "I think he's in shock."

"His heart rate and blood pressure are higher then normal." Moira chimed in.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marcus' voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke. "How could this have happened?"

Charon couldn't resist. "Well you see Marcus, when a man and woman love each other very much..."

"I know HOW it happened, you dick!" The sudden outburst caught everyone by surprise, and Charon had to restrain from chuckling as he stepped back. Marcus turned his attention to Clover. "I mean why didn't you tell me?"

Clover let out a sigh and sat down next to him. "I didn't know I was pregnant until two weeks after we parted ways at the memorial." She stared at the ground and shook her head. "I wanted to tell you suga. Hell I wanted to march into GNR, grab the microphone from Three Dog and announce it on the radio."

Marcus turned his body so that he was facing her. "Then why didn't you? I would've dropped everything to come back here. I would've taken care of both of you!"

Clover couldn't help but smile at his sincerity. "That's exactly why I decided not to tell you, suga." She must have seen the look of shock and hurt on Marcus' face, because she quickly explained. "If I had sent word to you about Max, you wouldn't have found your father, or stopped the Enclave, or turned on the Purifier, or done any of the other great things you've accomplished. The truth is Marcus...the wasteland needed you more then me." She placed her hand on his. "I wasn't alone anymore; I had the people at the memorial, and they've treated me like family."

Marcus listened to what Clover was saying as a tidal wave of emotions flowed through him. Part of him could see the logic in what she was saying, but the other part of him..."You should've told me, Clover. I had a right to know!"

Clover could hear the anger in his voice, and it caused her to pull her hand back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For over a year she had gone over this moment in her head, planning out what she would say. Now that the moment had arrive, she found it more difficult then she'd imagined. "There was another reason why I decided not to say anything, Marcus. I heard about what happened to your...your girlfriend; from the Vault. How they used her to get to you."

Marcus' jaw hardened and he looked away. He knew where this was going.

"I knew if any of your enemies found out that you had a son..."

Marcus swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he finished the sentence. "They'd come after him."

Clover nodded; tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Marcus. I did what I thought was right."

Marcus stared into her tear filled eyes, and the anger he felt towards her began to wain. "I'm not...I'm not mad at you, Clover...I'm mad at the who situation." He stared at the picture once again. "I should've been there."

Clover smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. "The things you've done have more then made up for that, Marcus." Both parents took a moment to stare at the picture of their son. "He's beautiful, isn't he." Clover said.

Marcus' voice cracked. "He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He took a deep breath. "I have a son." In that moment, Marcus Lincoln experienced a torrent of emotions all at once: fear, joy, anxiety, pride...love. He knew that he would do anything for this child...even die for him if necessary.

Charon slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Then let me be the first to say, congratulations...dad!"

"Congratulations on the birth of your son, sir!" RL-3 proudly stated. "Hooray!"

Moira's avatar jumped for joy. "Yay! Little baby, Marcus! I can't wait to teach him how to mix chemical compounds!"

Even Dogmeat let out a bark and waged his tail.

Marcus smiled as he whipped a tear away. "Thanks, guys."

Clover smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "Now you see why I have to come with you."

Marcus lowered his PIPBOY. "Clover this is exactly why you can't come with me! Both of Max's parents cannot go on a suicide mission! If I don't come back then you're all he's got!"

"I told you, Hannibal and his people are his family, too. They'll take care of him if...well, you know."

Marcus placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Clover, the boy needs his mother..."

"Marcus! Do you know what will happen if we don't stop Ashur? Our son will become a slave. He will grow up with no freedom, no hope..." she began to choke up. "...no love. He will not be a person, but someone's thing. An object that can be abused and discarded like trash!" Tears were now streaming down her cheeks. "I would rather die then see that happen to our son, Marcus. I'm coming with you...and that's final!"

The last part of her statement really caught Marcus by surprise. 'Has she really changed that much in the past year,' he thought. He looked over at Charon, and the ghoul responded with a shrug. "We could...use all the help we can get, Marcus."

Marcus shook his head in defeat. If he couldn't stop Clover from fighting in this war, then better for her to come with him so that he can watch over her. "I guess there's no way of stopping you. Okay...we'll do this together."

Clover let out a cheer and threw her arms around him. "Wahoo! It'll be like old times, suga. Well...without all the sex, I'm guessing."

Marcus let out a groan. He'd forgotten about Sarah. He had to tell her about Max...and she was already pissed at him. "I've gotta tell Sarah about this." He looked up at Charon. "How pissed do you think she'll be?"

The ghoul cringed. "Well, let's put it this way: it's a good thing your testicles are being protected by power armor."

Marcus let out a groan as he stood up. "Alright. I'll talk to her."

"Don't you want me to come with you?" Clover asked.

"No! That would only make it worse. I'll talk to her alone. In the mean time Charon, keep trying to get in touch with the Rangers. They may not break radio silence but that doesn't mean they can't hear us."

Charon nodded. "You got it. And Marcus..." he slapped Marcus' shoulder. "...it's been nice know'n ya."

Marcus gave the ghoul a death stare before heading into the Citadel to find Sarah. He suspected that she'd headed for the Den, and sure enough there she was, sitting in a dusk covered sofa drinking a beer. Marcus carefully closed the door behind him, took a deep breath, and turned to face her. "Sarah listen, I..."

Sarah interrupted him by raising her hand. "Marcus...it's alright. I'm sorry." She placed her beer down, stood up and walked over to him. "I know I've been acting like some stupid jealous teenager. It's just that...seeing you with her makes me so..."

Marcus took both of her hands in his. "I know, but that part of my life is over, okay. I'm not going to lie, what Clover and I had was...good." He could feel her tense up. "But it was nothing compared to what you and I have. I love you, and no one else."

Sarah could see the sincerity in his eyes, and she smiled up at him. "I know that...and I love you too."

Marcus took her into his arms, and the two lovers shared a passionate kiss. When they had separated, Marcus let out a sigh. "That's good because...there's something I have to tell you. It's a...I just found out about it myself." He could feel Sarah tense again in his arms. He took one more deep breath before giving her the news.

Once the last Super Mutant corps had been removed from the house chamber of the Capital Building, Ashur sat down into the Speaker's chair which overlooked it. Two-hundred years ago the third most powerful man in America, sat in this same chair...and it was from here where Ashur would rule over this land. His second in command Wernher, along with one of his lieutenants, stood before him.

"The Capital Building is secure, my Lord." Wernher began. "The remaining Super Mutants have retreated across the Mall to the Washington Monument, and it appears they have joined up with the Brotherhood garrison there."

Ashur sneered in disgust at the thought of Brotherhood soldiers fighting along side Super Mutants. It was, in his mind, further proof that Lyons and his chapter needed to be eradicated. "What is the current location of the main force?"

"Forty miles north of a settlement called Canterbury Commons, my Lord."

"Are there any forces there we need to worry about?"

Wernher shook his head. "No, my Lord. Only a small group of settlers and traders. Do you wish the army to bypass the town or capture it?"

Ashur shook his head. "Neither - burn it to the ground like the other one. The people of this wasteland need to learn their place."

Wernher responded with a nod. "Yes, my Lord. Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Ashur growled as he stood up. "There is the matter of your failure."

Wernher tensed up, but remained silent as Ashur slowly approached. "You told me that all of the Brotherhood's Vertibirds had been destroyed. But apparently your agents missed one...and it cost us nearly the entire armada."

By now Ashur was standing face to face with Wernher, who was doing his best not to show fear. "Forgive me, my Lord. I will not fail you again."

Ashur stared at his second in command for a few more moments. "I know you won't." In one quick motion, Ashur's powerful right hand was wrapped around the Lieutenant's throat, and the Lord of the Pitt's eyes never left Wernher's as he choked the life out of the underling. The Lieutenant's body hit the ground with a thud, and it took all of Wernher's strength not show his master fear.

"I'm glad we had this talk, Wernher." He turned his back to him. "Dismissed."

Wernher struggled to find his voice. "Yes, my Lord." He turned and began making his way towards the door.

"And Wernher."

'Damn,' Wernher thought as he turned around.

"That radio station...GNR? Gather an assault force. I want that Three Dog off the air by the end of the day."

Wernher clenched his fist as he stared at the man who had been the bane of his existance for too many years. "It will be done, my Lord."

Sarah threw the doors to the courtyard open so hard that it got the attention of every BOS Knight and Scribe in the bailey. As she stormed outside, Marcus was not far behind her. "Sarah will just listen..."

"Stay away from me!" she shrieked; never once breaking her stride. "I can't even look at you right now!"

Marcus reached out and grabbed her arm. "Will you PLEASE stop..."

Sarah pulled her arm away. "DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!"

For a moment Marcus thought she was going to hit him, but instead she turned and continued to walk away. He ran ahead of her, and took the risk of standing directly in her path. "SARAH PLEASE! We need to talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about!"

Marcus was not about to give up. "I'm sorry, okay! I didn't mean for any of this to happen..."

"Well it did happen!" Sarah's face was almost completely red with anger.

"Look, all of this happened before you and me, okay! I mean it's not like I was a priest before we met, you know! And besides," he got in closer and lowered his voice, "you weren't exactly a virgin, either."

Sarah responded by slapping him in the face. "Do you think I give a shit that you fucked half the girls in the Capital! That I can take...but to have a kid with...with HER!"

Marcus looked over at Clover, who was standing at the other side of the bailey with Charon. "Sarah I'm...I'm really sorr..."

"We have a mission, Knight Commander!" Sarah interrupted, her demeanor now returned to the battle hardened soldier. "Now you get your ass in gear and meet me outside the Citadel in five minutes! Do you hear me?"

In that moment, Marcus' heart sank, and his desire to carry on the discussion had left him. "I hear you...Sentinel."

Sarah walked around him and headed for the main gate. Marcus stood in the middle of the bailey and watched her go, and he could hear a chorus of mumbles all around him as the BOS soldiers who witnessed the scene went back to their duties.

Clover and Charon cautiously approached. "Well," the ghoul began, "at least there wasn't any gunfire."

"I'm sorry, suga. I'm guessing she didn't take it well?"

Marcus snorted. "That would an understatement."

"Word of advice," Moira said, "never bring up a woman's virginity during an argument."

Marcus rolled his eyes and sighed. "Noted. Sarah and I are going to meet up with our...friends."

Clover grinned. "You mean the aliens in their spaceship?"

Marcus took a quick glance around. They weren't prepared to tell the entire Brotherhood about Zeta; not yet. "Yes. I think it's best if we go alone. Charon, keep trying to reach the Rangers, and Clover is there anyway you can contact Hannibal at the memorial?"

The Ghost operative nodded. "Sure thing, honey. All I need is a ham radio."

"Good. Ask him if he could spare some people to send to the Washington Monument. The garrison there could use all the reinforcements they can get."

"You got it, suga."

"RL-3, you and Dogmeat stay here and help the Brotherhood defend the Citadel."

"Sir, yes sir!"

Springvale, just outside Megaton...

Sarah had not said a word to Marcus during their trek towards Megaton, despite his best efforts to spur a conversation. After a while he'd given up, and figured she just needed time to calm down. At least, he hoped that's all it would take. When they arrived in Springvale, all of the rebuilding that had gone on for the last few months had grinned to a halt as residents of Megaton and the Vault 101 militia hastenly strengthen the barricades around the communities. Once Sarah and Marcus came within view, they found themselves mobbed by people trying to ask them what was going on, and among them were Lucas Simms and Herman Gomez.

"Marcus, what happened?" The Overseer asked. "Three Dog's on the radio talking about an invasion!"

Lucas Simms stepped up beside him. "We could hear explosions and see smoke coming from the Citadel."

Marcus raised both his hands as he tried to calm everyone down. "The Citadel was hit, but the Brotherhood managed to beat them back. Unfortunately they've taken Project Purity and Rivet City was hit pretty bad."

He was greeted by gasps and even more questions.

"Who are they?"

"Is it the Enclave?"

"Will they come here next?"

Marcus raised his voice just enough to be heard. "All I can tell you is they are an army of slavers from the Pitt." More gasps and shrieks. "Now the Brotherhood is planning to strike back...that's all I can say for now." He turned to Gomez. "It would be a big help if the Vault can ramp up it's water purification."

The Overseer nodded. "Consider it done."

Marcus was grateful. "And I would suggest bringing the non-combatants from both towns into the Vault. If the Brotherhood fails to stop these people...your only chance may be the Vault's fail safe."

Gomez cringed, and his left hand instinctively felt for the Vault cave's detonation switch in his pocket. "We'll be ready."

Marcus thanked both leaders, and he and Sarah made their way into Megaton and quickly entered Crater Side Supply. Karen nearly jumped out from behind the counter. "Oh thank God, Marcus! Sarah!" She quickly embraced both of them. "When I heard about the attack on the Citadel I thought..."

Marcus nodded. "It's okay, we beat the bastards back...but we're going to need help from our mutual friends."

Karen's eyes shot wide. "Okay...it's back here."

As they headed towards the store's back room, Moira's avatar appeared on the PIPBOY's screen. "Hey Karen! I love what you've done to the place!"

Karen seemed perplexed as she unlocked the door. "But I...really haven't changed anything."

Moira cocked her head to the side. "Hu. Well that must be why I like it!"

Karen smiled and shook her head as she opened the door and stood off to the side. "There it is...right where you left it."

After Marcus and his friends were safely back on Earth, both he, Sarah, RL-3 and Karen, secretly moved the alien ship's transport beacon back to Megaton, and hidden it inside Crater Side Supply. The equipment Moira had used to transport her consciousness into Marcus' PIPBOY had long ago been cleaned out, and in it's place was the five foot tall, glowing white cylinder. Their Zetian friend known as Bob had explained to them the beacon's power core would last over a century, and Marcus could use it anytime he wanted to return to the ship.

Taking a deep breath, Marcus turned to Sarah. "You ready?"

Sarah didn't say anything. She simply stepped over to the beacon and placed her hand on it. A sigh escaped from Marcus as he too, approached the other side of the alien device and placed his hand on it. "Okay Moira, do it."

The avatar smiled. "Okydoky!"

The light from the beacon started to become more intense, and Karen stepped back. "Good luck!" she called out.

There was a blinding flash of light, and both Marcus and Sarah were gone.

Mothership Zeta...

"Captain on the bridge!" Sally beamed as Marcus and Sarah stepped off of the transporter on the alien ship. The Lone Wanderer knelled down and hugged the child. "Hello Sally." He released his embrace and stared at the girl. "Sally are you...taller?"

Sally's face lite up. "I sure am! Elliot and Bob figured out how to reverse what the other aliens had done to me. I'm finally going to be an adult!"

Marcus smiled at his young companion. Any good news right now was welcome. "I'm happy for you Sally." As he stood up, Elliot Tercorien, the long-lost soldier from the Great War, presented a hand shake. "Marcus, it's good to see you."

The two men shook hands, and were joined by Sally's sister Mary, and the Samurai Warrior Toshiro Kago. Mary immediately embraced both of her friends, while Kago presented a bow to the fellow warriors. "Lincoln-san. It is good to see you."

Marcus returned the bow. "And you, Kago." Thankfully, Elliot and the others had finally convinced the Samurai to accept the Zetian translator nanites, allowing him to communicate with his fellow crewman.

Marcus took a look around the bridge. "Where is Hardigan and the rest of his team?"

"They are currently back on the Martian colony." Mary said. "While they had to dig out most of their gear, they said it was surprisingly in good condition. They've made several supply runs in the last few months, and we don't expect them back for another few weeks."

Marcus sighed. "That's a shame...we could really use their help."

Elliot nodded. "We know. One of the things I do up here is monitor all radio traffic back on Earth. We heard about the invasion," he turned and approached the captain's chair. ",which is why I ordered Bob to position us over North America. As bad as things sounded, I had a feeling we'd be hearing from you."

As if on que, the doors to the bridge slid open, and their alien companion stepped inside. "Captain Lincoln, Ms. Lyons. It is good to see you...though I wish it was under better circumstances."

After shaking hands with Bob, Marcus sat down in the captain's chair, and plugged in his PIPBOY. "Moira, are you interfaced?"

The avatar appeared on the bridge's monitors. "Sure thing!"

"Zoom in on the Capital and find us that main invasion force. We need to see what we're up against."

Moira's image was replaced with one of North America, and within seconds the alien ship's surveillance camera zoomed into the Capital that was thousands of miles below them. It's didn't take Moira long to find what they were looking for, and she high-lighted an area to the north-east. "There it is!"

Everyone on the bridge stared at the large column of troops and vehicles making it's way south. Both Sarah and Marcus' throats went dry. That was definitely more then one-thousand soldiers. "How many are there, Moira?"

"According to these readings, approximately three-thousand soldiers and just under one-hundred vehicles of various types."

A chill ran up Marcus' spin, and he risked a glance at Sarah standing behind him. Even she could not contain the dread on her face, and both of them knew that in their current state, the Brotherhood didn't have a chance of stopping this army. Marcus' thoughts were interrupted by Elliot. "Looks like mostly tansport trucks, but they have a few of the old armored personnel carriers." The army medic visibly tensed. "I remember them from the war. The rest are what we used to call technicals: pick-up trucks and jeeps with guns mounted on their backs."

Sarah took a few steps closer to the monitor. "Can we use the death ray from here to wipe them out?"

Bob shook his head. "Unfortunately the guidance system used for orbital bombardment was damaged during our battle with the mothership. Firing it this close to the Capital could be catastrophic."

Sarah stared daggers at the alien. "That was months ago! Why the hell haven't you fixed it!?"

Everyone was taken aback by the outburst, but Bob managed to answer. "I am sorry Ms. Lyons, but the fact is we have no access to the replacement parts needed since we cut ourselves off from the rest of the fleet. We have had to make due with what we have."

Sarah shifted uncomfortably. "I'm...I'm sorry, Bob. I know you're doing your best."

Marcus turned his attention back to the monitors. "What is the army's current location, Moira?"

"They are less than twenty miles from the settlement of Canterbury Commons. I estimate they will be there by the end of the day."

Marcus sat back in the captain's chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And since all the Hercules has left are nukes, Elder Lyons won't use it this close to a settlement." He slammed his fist down on the console. Only Sarah knew the real reason behind his frustration. The reason the Hercules had no more of the bunker buster warheads left was because Marcus had used the last ones when he destroyed Tenpenny Tower. Despite being upset with him, Sarah reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. The Lone Wanderer looked into her eyes, and was grateful they were not filled with anger. Marcus gave her hand a quick squeeze and composed himself. There would be plenty of time to blame himself later.

"So what's your plan, Marcus?" Elliot asked.

Marcus sat there for several moments scratching his chin. There weren't many options left. "Sarah and I plan on leading a small team into Old Pittsburgh." Without having to be told, Moira switched the image from the Capital to the Pitt. Most of the once great city was now covered in a grayish haze, making it impossible to see what was down there. "Once we're there, we'll find the factories being used to supply their army and take them out."

Elliot nodded. "Good strategy. An army without supplies can't last long in the field."

Sarah walked to the front of the monitor. "In the mean time the Brotherhood is going to need all the fire power we can bring them." she turned and stared at Marcus; a solemn expression on her face. "I know you wanted to keep these weapons as far away from Earth as possible, Marcus, but without them..." she let the sentence go unfinished.

Marcus hung his head in defeat. "I know...we have to even the odds." He looked up at Elliot. "We're going to need every zetian weapon we have on board, and the ammo that goes with them."

The expression on the army medic's face indicated he wasn't keen on the idea of Earth being exposed to alien weapons either, but as a former soldier, he also knew when your back was against the wall. "The armory's full. I'll have the engineers begin transporting them down right away."

Mary stepped forward. "We'll also send down more of the adapted biogel to help the wounded."

"Captain Lincoln," Bob began, "I understand your scientist have been unsuccessful in their efforts to reverse engineer our personnel shields."

"That's right. Only myself, Sarah, Cross and Tristen have power armor with zetian shields."

"Then allow me to accompany a team of our best engineers to your Citadel. Perhaps we can speed up the process, and allow more of your soldiers to be shielded as they go into battle."

A wary expression crossed Marcus' face. It was one thing to bring alien technology to the Citadel, but for the aliens themselves to make an appearance was something no one had considered. "Okay...but you should give us time to prepare everyone for your arrival. People down there are already rattled, and we don't want to start a panic."

Bob nodded. "I understand. I will gather my team and we shall be standing by for your word."

"Bob and I have been working on a few things down in engineering that should help you." Elliot said. "Come on, I'll show you."

The group of companions followed Elliot down to engineering, and they found themselves standing in the room they had been held up in during their battle on the ship. It had been converted into a lab/workshop of sorts, and the counters were littered with parts and components that Marcus did not recognize. Elliot picked up a metal spear with blue lights. "This is something I came up with after our fight with the alien crew. Basically I used the same cryogenic material in our sleep pods and placed it in a grenade. I call it a cryo-grenade for short."

Marcus took the weapon and studied it. "So this will freeze anyone caught in the blast?"

Elliot nodded. "That's right. In it's purest form this stuff is like liquid nitrogen. I've only made about a dozen, but we've got enough materials for your Scribes to make more."

Marcus was impressed. "That's great Elliot. Do you mind if Sarah and I take a few...they might come in handy."

"Sure, here you go." He handed each of them three of the grenades, and walked over to another counter. "This is something Bob and his engineers came up with. It's an alien blaster attachment for your PIPBOY. They gave it some weird name so, I just call it the gauntlet."

Marcus examined the strange looking weapon. It was a glove made of a thin metal, and in bedded in the palm was a green crystal. As Marcus slid the gauntlet over his hand, he was surprised at how little it interfered with his range of motion.

Elliot reached over and showed Marcus how it connected to his PIPBOY. "Now all of the alien's weapons have a crystal inside of them, which focuses it energy; giving it that punch that our weapons lack." He pointed to the crystal. "This will allow you to do the same thing with your PIPBOY's power source."

Marcus' eyes seemed to light up. "Are you saying I'll be able to fire lasers out of my hand?"

Elliot shrugged. "In a manner of speaking - yes."

Moira's avatar appeared on the screen...and she was grinning from ear to ear. "I think this calls for a field test!"

Marcus smiled like a kid on Christmas morning. "Fuck yeah, it does!"

In the back, Sarah placed her hand over her face and groaned. "Oh God."

Elliot led Marcus down to the storage room, and it was clear that all manner of testing had been going on since they'd left. Elliot and Kago stacked three metal containers on the opposite side of the room. Marcus stood a good fifteen feet away. "So how does it work?"

Bob provided the answer. "Since it is connected to your PIPBOY, which is connected to your nervous system, all you have to do is focus. It may take some time for you to..."

Before Bob could finish, Marcus raised his hand and a blue laser blast flew from the palm, and blew a hole in one of the containers. "Whahooo! Did you see that?" He fired again, blowing apart another crate, then fired a third blast. But when he tried to fire a fourth time, nothing happened. "Moira, what's going on?"

"Sorry, but since the system appears to be tied in with VATS, you only get three shots before it has to recharge."

Though he was a little disappointed with that detail, Marcus was still very impressed and smiled as he looked over the weapon. "Eat your heart out, Iron Man."

Elliot smiled. "You know that was the first thing I thought of when Bob came to me with the idea."

Standing off to the side, Mary looked to Sarah and rolled her eyes. "Boys love their toys, don't they?"

Sarah snorted and shook her head. "Don't get me started."

When the excitement died down, Kago approached Marcus and bowed. "Lincoln-san, I wish to help you in this fight the only way I know how: to accompany you on your mission to this place called the Pitt."

Considering what the Samurai warrior had been through, Marcus was surprised that he was now eager to return to Earth. "Are you sure that's what you want, Kago? There's a good chance this is a suicide mission."

Kago did not falter. "I do not fear death, Lincoln-san. I swore that your enemies would be my enemies, and it would be a disgrace for me to remain here while you go into battle against such odds. Together, we will crush this Ashur, or die trying."

Marcus could see the determination in the warrior's eyes, and he knew that he meant every word. Perhapes it was Kago's sense of loyalty that was compelling him to join them, or maybe the Samurai had found a place where he belonged: the field of battle. "We would be honored if you would join us, Kago."

The Samurai grinned and responded with a bow.

Moira suddenly appeared on the PIPBOY's screen. "Marcus! I was using the ship's sensors to monitor the radio traffic from Earth, and it sounds like Galaxy News Radio is under attack!"

"WHAT!" Marcus and Sarah shouted in unison. The group ran back up to the bridge, and stood in front of the monitors. "Moira, show us GNR now!"

The image quickly zoomed in, and they could clearly see a large fire fight going on outside the GNR building's main entrance.

"How many Raiders are attacking?" Sarah asked as she tried to control the panic in her voice.

"Sixty. The Brotherhood Garrison is less then half of that. They are holding them off, but the Pitt Raiders are armed with heavy weapons and a couple of those technical thingies."

"Damn it!" Marcus cursed. "We can't let them take GNR! We'll never be able to rally the people of the Capital without it! Moira, are there any Brotherhood forces nearby that can assist them?"

"I'm afraid not. The nearest patrol is ten miles to the west, heading back towards the Citadel."

Sarah clenched her fist. "That's too far. They'd never make it in time on foot."

Elliot stepped next to her. "We still have one more transport beacon left. We could insert you at a point just behind the Raiders. That will at least allow you to take them by surprise."

"Elliot!" Mary blurted out, clearly shocked by his suggestion. "Even if they take the Raiders by surprise, they can't possibly..."

"We'll do it!" Marcus and Sarah said in unison. This earned them a wide-eyed look from Mary, and Marcus provide her the reasoning. "We're the only chance they've got."

The explanation did little to reassure her, and Elliot placed his arm around her shoulder. "I know it's risky, and normally I wouldn't send soldiers into a situation like that...but if anyone can pull it off, it's Marcus and Sarah...and Kago, of course."

Mary stared at her three companions, and had to fight back the tears as she wondered if it would be for the last time. She gave Elliot a quiet nod, and the army medic responded with a kiss on her forehead.

"Eww, I hate when you two do that!" Sally whined.

The tension was so thick in the room that everyone burst out laughing at the young girl. "Do they do that a lot, Sally?" Marcus playfully asked.

Sally crossed her arms. "More then I'd like."

Elliot nervously rubbed the back of his neck, while Mary began to blush.

Galaxy News Radio...

The radio studio shook again as another mortar slammed into the GNR building. Three Dog simply swiped the dust and specks of debris away from his equipment, and continued with his radio broadcast. "It sounds like the bombardment is getting worse out there, people. The Brotherhood soldiers are putting up a hell of a fight, and are making this Pitt bastards pay for every inch they take. But...unless some miracle happens here pretty soon...I'm afraid this may be my last broadcast, children. But don't you worry, All Three Dog's not running. I will be right here, broadcasting all of the intel I've got on these bastards so that all of you will be ready to carry on the good fight."

Marcus, Sarah and Kago were beamed down two city blocks behind the Pitt Raider assault force. After destroying the transport beacon so that it wouldn't fall in the wrong hands, the trio made their way through the DC ruins, and soon they found themselves standing on the third floor of the Dawn Elementary School looking down at the chaotic battle.

The irony was not lost on Sarah. "Dechavu, hu?"

Marcus grimly nodded. "Yeah." He could see the Raiders pressing in from all sides, and were backed up by two mortars and two technicals armed with mounted .50 caliber machine guns. "Almost makes you wish we had a Behemoth, doesn't it?"

The slightest of grins appeared on the Sentinels face as she recalled the image of Marcus covered in gore after killing the Super Mutant Behemoth. "How do you want to play this?"

Marcus took a few moments to survey the battlefield. He could see a group of Raiders right below them, who were oblivious to their presence. "Kago and I will take care of our friends down there. You stay here and target that technical. While you've got'em pinned down, I'll get close enough to use the grenade launcher to take it out."

Kago drew his sword. "I will watch your back, Lincoln-san."

Marcus grinned. "Good to know." He stared at Sarah. There were some many things they still had to talk about, and he just hoped they'd have a chance to. "Are you ready?"

Sarah readied her guass rifle. "Let me know when you want me to start shooting."

Marcus and Kago proceeded down to the ground floor, while Sarah took up a sniper position on the third. Marcus activated his armor's cloak, and both he and the Samurai cautiously made their behind five Pitt Raiders, who had no idea what was about to happen. Like harbingers of death, Marcus and Kago struck. The first Raider was run through from behind by Marcus' shock blade, and let out a blood curtailing scream. Not wanting to dishonor himself by striking his enemy in the back, Kago waited for the others to turn around, and he slashed two of them across the chest with his katana. Marcus raised his right hand and blasted a hole in the chest of a fourth Raider, then withdrew his shock blade, spun to his right, and slashed the fifth Raider in the throat.

With all five Raiders dead, Marcus and Kago crouched down behind cover. For the moment, it appeared no one was alerted to their presence. Marcus removed his grenade launcher from his back and spoke into his ear piece. "Okay Sarah. Light'em up!"

Sarah took aim at the first technical gunner's head, and blew it to pieces with a single shot. Before anyone nearby could register what had happened, Sarah loaded her guass rifle, took aim for the truck's driver, and splattered his brains on dashboard.

Somewhere in the chaos, someone yelled "SNIPER!", and Sarah managed to squeeze off a third round, killing another Raider before she began receiving fire. Marcus and Kago took advantage of the distraction and made their way towards the first technical, silently killing four more Raiders along the way. Finally, Marcus was confident he had the range, and after activating his VATS, locked in the target and fired. The grenade sailed in the air and struck the pick-up truck, blowing it sky high, and killing three more Raiders.

By now Wernher, who was standing by the second technical, was aware of what was happening. "We've got people behind us! Take'm out!"

Marcus and Kago had taken cover behind a pair of burned out cars, and began taking intense fire. Marcus decided now was the time to try out Elliots cryo grenades, and after priming one he tossed it at a group of five Raiders charging them. The explosion was like a flash of white light, and two of the Raiders caught in the immediate blast were frozen instantly in place. Their now lifeless bodies stayed upright for a few seconds before falling to the ground and shattering into a million pieces. Another Raider who was just on the outside of the blast zone had his right arm completely frozen by the cryo fluid, and his screams resembled more of an animal's then a man's as his arm shattered and broke off his body. The other two Raiders were close enough to breath in the mist let off from the grenade, and their lungs were frozen instantly. A sickening gasping sound could be heard as they suffocated to death.

Marcus ducked back down and stared at the last two cryo grenades. What they did to those men, while effective, was also horrible. The Lone Wanderer had to take a moment to swallow the bile threatening to creep up his throat. Closing his eyes and taking a breath, he knew he had no choice. This was war. There would be time to pity the enemy later, after they were defeated.

Sarah managed to take out the gunner on the second technical, but now her position had been discovered, and a hail of gunfire rose up to meet her. Despite this, she would duck down behind cover, wait for her shields to recharge, then pop up and fire again. She had to be careful not to let her shields drain too much, and at least one bullet nicked her armor. Marcus was adding his own fire with his guass rifle, and Kago stood by ensuring that no one would sneak up on him.

Wernher watched the two Brotherhood soldiers with a mixture of admiration and frustration. 'Whoever those two are, they're good...'

The technical behind him blowing up knocked him out of his train of thought, and sent him flying halfway across the plaza. Sarah and Marcus heard the explosion, and took advantage of the sudden lull of the gunfire to peek out from cover to see what had happened. A squad of ten Brotherhood Knights, that a moment ago were pinned down in front of the GNR building, were now cutting a path through the bewildered Raiders towards their position. The lead Knight (who seemed rather young to be leading a squad, Sarah thought), shouldered an RPG and fired, killing a group of Raiders who had been firing at Marcus and Kago. Deciding that it was now or never, Sarah made her way down to the ground floor.

By now the Raiders had been thrown off balance, and they slowly began to fall back. Sarah quickly fell in with the Brotherhood squad, and before long they had made it to Marcus and Kago.

The squad leader addressed the trio. "Knight Commander Lincoln. Sentinel. Thank you for the assist. Please, come with us."

Once they had made their way inside the GNR building, the full extent of the damage could be seen. Only twenty BOS soldiers of the original garrison were left; the others having been either killed or wounded. The young Knight who led the counter attack handed the trio each a bottle of water, before he eagerly chugged one down for himself. "I'm glad you showed up when you did, ma'am. I don't know how much longer we could've held out."

Sarah looked around at the dead and wounded. "What is your name, Knight?"

The soldier stood up straight. "Brotherhood Initiate Danse, ma'am, assigned to Bravo company."

Sarah's eyes shot wide open. "Initiate? Where's your commander officer?"

The initiate hung his head. "The Paladin is dead, ma'am. Our Knight Commander is wounded and in a comma."

Sarah tried to hide her shock. "So you launched that counter attack without orders?"

Danse appeared to tense up, and he stood up straighter. "Yes ma'am, I did. I know as an initiate I over stepped my bounds, and I am prepared to accept any punishment you deem fit, ma'am."

Sarah had to struggle to suppress the urge to smirk. "Danse, as Sentinel I have the authority to bestow battlefield promotions if the situation requires it...and if the individual is ready. Therefore I am awarding you the rank of Knight, and putting you in charge on this garrison."

For the first time since they'd met him, Danse seemed to loose some of his military bearing, and his jaw hung open. "I...th-thank you, ma'am." He recovered his composure and saluted. "I won't let you down, ma'am. What are your orders?"

Sarah returned the salute. "Those bastards will no doubt regroup and attack again. We're going to send out a call for help, so for now we need to hold this building for as long as we can."

"Yes, ma'am!"

While Danse headed off to his new duties, Marcus, Sarah and Kago made their way into the GNR studio, where they were greeted by a grateful Three Dog. "Man, you two never cease to amaze me. I just knew you'd bring the calvary."

"Well Three Dog," Marcus began, "the truth is, we are the calvary."

Three Dog's smile disappeared. "Oh. Well...we're still better off then we were a few minutes ago so, that's something. So, I'm guessing you're here to once again rally the people of the Capital to fight against the forces of evil."

"That's right. There's an even larger invasion force heading this way, if we don't unite against it, the entire Capital will be enslaved."

Three Dog raised both his hands. "Hey, you're preach'n to the choir, kid. Do you know what you want to say?"

Marcus shrugged. "I've been trying to think of something all day but...I think I'll just have to wing it."

Three Dog smiled. "Hey, it worked great last time, kid."

They were interrupted by an explosion that shook the building. Outside the studio, they could hear Knight Danse yelling "TO ARMS, BROTHERS! TO ARMS!"

Sarah raised her rifle. "They're attacking again! Do what you have to do, we'll hold them off!"

Marcus wanted nothing more then to take Sarah in his arms and kiss her before she went into battle without him, but the Sentinel stormed out of the studio, with Kago right on her heels. Marcus turned back to Three Dog, who reached over and picked up his micro phone. "Boys and girls, this is I, Three Dog! That's right, I'm still here...and guess who's in the studio with me? He's the Capital's one true Messiah, the Last, Best Hope for Humanity, and he's gonna kick every last one of these bastards back to the Pitt, that's right! It's the Lone Wanderer himself, Marcus Lincoln!"

The disc jockey handed the mike to Marcus, who let out a sigh before clearing his throat. "This is Marcus Lincoln. By now most of you have heard that the Capital has been invaded by an army of slavers from the Pitt. Now while the Citadel has not fallen, Project Purity has. Rivet City has been hit pretty bad, and as I speak they are attacking this building, hoping to silence us. To the east, an army of three-thousand strong is advancing towards Canterbury Commons. Their plan is to link up with the slavers already occupying the Capital Building, and from there crush all who oppose them.

"I'm not going to sugar coat it: things look bleak...just as they did a year ago when we fought the Enclave. But as powerful as they were, we still managed to defeat them, and it wasn't because of a giant robot, or power armor, or plasma weapons. It was because we were united, and we proved that no weapon on Earth is as powerful as the will of free men and women. It is a weapon that this army of slaves does not have, but it IS a weapon that we here in the Capital DO have!

In that moment, for some reason, Marcus was reminded of a movie he and his father used to watch: The 300 Spartans. "History is filled with examples of freedom loving people defeating impossible enemies. Thousands of years ago at a place called Thermopylae, three-hundred brave Greeks, known as Spartans, stood against an army of nearly a million Persians. For two days the Spartans held this army at the hot gates, and though they were eventually overrun, their courage inspired a nation to unite as one, and the Persians were defeated soon after. At the height of the battle, when all hope seemed lost, the Persian's demanded that the Spartans lay down their weapons. The Spartan king Leonidas defiantly said: Molon Labe...come and take them!

"So I say to you, Ashur, Lord of the Pitt, if you want our land, if you want our freedom, then you come and take them! And to my fellow citizens of the Capital, I'm asking all of you who can hold a rifle to join with me and fight...and together, we will drive this army of slaves back to the Pitt where they belong!"

Then, Marcus Lincoln said what would become the Brotherhood's battle cry. "Ad Victoriam...forward to victory!"

The Capital Building...

Ashur turned his radio off, and his Lieutenants could tell that the Lord of the Pitt was less than pleased. "Find Wernher." He growled. "I want this Lone Wanderer's head...and I want it mounted on the Capital dome."

"It will be done, my Lord." his Lieutenants said in unison, and then they scurried out of the House Chamber.

Though he would never admit it, for the first time since starting this campaign, the Lord of the Pitt felt...uneasy about the days ahead. He wondered who was in that lone vertibird that foiled his attack on the Citadel, and his instinks told him it was Marcus Lincoln. Sure his spies had informed him of this so called legend, but Ashur dismissed the stories as Brotherhood propaganda.

Now, he was beginning to think there was more to the legend then he initially wanted to believe.

GNR building...

"MEDIC!" Knight Danse screamed as he held the dying initiate in his arms. It had been forty-five minutes since Marcus' radio broadcast, and the Pitt Raiders, though not as coordinated as before, were still pushing their attack against the Brotherhood garrison. Marcus and Sarah were manning the barricades with their brothers, doing all they could to hold the Raiders off, but it was clear that if help did not arrive soon, they were going to be overrun.

"We're getting low on ammo!" Sarah shouted as she fired her guass rifle again.

Marcus checked his own supply and cursed. "Danse!"

The Knight made his way over to Marcus, who noticed his power armor was covered in blood. "We need to find a way out of here! Can we make our way to the Dupont Northeast metro?"

Danse shook his head. "We already thought of that, sir, but these bastards had it blocked."

'Damn', Marcus thought. 'It's like they're one step ahead of us!'

There was a sudden roar overhead, followed by explosions that tore into the ranks of the Pitt Raiders. Marcus looked up, and his heart jumped inside his chest as the vertibird, (with a white shamrock and two crossed swords painted on it's tail), flew over the plaza. Danse and the remaining BOS garrison raised their rifles and cheered as the remaining Raiders ran for their lives. Sarah was so excited she'd forgotten she was mad at Marcus, and the two lovers embraced for a brief moment.

The vertibird landed inside the plaza after it had been cleared, and the first one to step out was Reilly, proudly walking with a large cigar in her mouth. She was followed by Donovan, Butcher, Charon and Clover. Marcus, Sarah, Kago and Danse rushed to join them.

"Hey there, kid." Reilly said with a huge smirk on her face. "Heard you needed a rescue."

Marcus responded with a lopsided grin. "We had under control."

The two friends laughed and embraced. Once all of the greeting and introductions were over, it was time to get to business.

"Butcher, we've got a lot of wounded here." Marcus grimly stated.

"I'm on it."

Sarah turned to the Brotherhood's newest Knight. "Knight Danse, take half your men and set up a perimeter around the vertibird and look for survivors. A few live prisoners might come in handy."

Danse's eyes burned with hatred. He was in no mood to take prisoners, but orders were orders. "Yes ma'am."

"The rest of your men will help load the wounded into the vertibird. Move it, soldier!"

Danse saluted, and headed off to carry out his orders.

Marcus approached Charon. "I assume you managed to get in touch with them?"

The ghoul nodded. "They never broke radio silence but they heard our radio broadcasts and came to the Citadel as soon as they could. We heard your speech...and I think you topped the last one."

Marcus shrugged. "I just hope it will be enough."

"Marcus!" It was Donovan, who ran over to him and handed him a sealed letter. "Before we left the Citadel, the Elder asked us to give you this."

Marcus opened the letter...and his shoulders immediately sagged.

"What is it, suga?"

"The Elder is ordering us to abandon GNR. We are to evacuate all Brotherhood personnel and the wounded to the Citadel."

Charon blew out of his mouth. "Man, Three Dog's gonna be pissed."

Marcus shook his head. "It doesn't make sense I mean...we won! The building's secured."

"It actually makes perfect sense." Sarah said. "We don't have the forces available to defend both GNR and the Citadel. I know it sucks but...I don't see how we have a choice."

As much as he hated to abandon the beloved radio station, Marcus knew that she was right. "Okay. We'll have to use multiple trips with the vertibird, Reilly. Just have Brick stay out of range of their weapons and she should be fine."

Reilly took a drag from her cigar. "No problem, kid."

Wernher's body felt as though it was on fire. If not for the pain, he'd swear he was dead. He wasn't sure how long he'd been under that pile of rubble before he felt a set of strong hands begin to pull him out. At first he thought it was his men here to rescue him, but his hopes were dashed when he saw the blood covered Brotherhood power armor. The soldier wearing it spit in Wernher's face. "Raider scum!" the soldier growled.

Danse held the half dead Raider by his shirt collar. "You killed many of my brothers today, and for that I should put a laser through her head. But unlike you, I have my honor...and my orders." He roughly lifted the Raider up, and dragged him to the waiting vertibird.

It took three trips, but the Ranger's vertibird managed to evacuate everyone to the Citadel by the time the sun was setting. Marcus, Sarah and Charon were the last ones at the building, and Marcus was having no luck convincing Three Dog to leave.

"You're not fighting the good fight by throwing your life away, Three Dog!"

The disc jockey remained adamant. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, kid...really I do. But I've made my decision. I told you when we met, Galaxy News is my baby...and you can't expect someone to abandon their baby. No. If I'm gonna die, then it will be sitting behind that micro-phone, kid. It's my life, and it's my right!"

Marcus stared into the eyes of his friend, and he knew there was no changing his mind. The Lone Wanderer took a step closer, and placed his hands on Three Dog's shoulders. "I understand, Three Dog...and I'm sorry."

Before he asked what for, Three Dog was knocked unconscious by Marcus' right hook. He made sure the disc jockey didn't hit the ground, and he hoisted him over his shoulder and walked out of the studio. He knew Three Dog would be pissed, but Marcus had lost too many friends already...and he was not about to loose anyone else.

As the vertibird lifted off from GNR for the last time, Marcus pushed the button on his detonator, and the explosion that followed destroyed all of the transmitting equipment inside the GNR studio. While they all felt a sense of loss, Marcus felt this was better then allowing Ashur to use their beloved station to transmit his propaganda.

That night, an errie silence fell over the Captial, as the last voice of freedom had been silenced.