Shephard looked over the gathered Super Mutants with a critical eye. The Overmaster was wearing the new armor and equipment that Zap had created, the warbands were prepared, and the Behemoths had been carefully prodded into position. All they needed now was the signal.

As if the thought alone had been enough to summon him, Zap appeared out of thin air with a loud pop and a flash of purple light. He was clutching a twisted staff made out of scrap metal, human bones, and glowing purple crystals. “Everything is ready, yep. All troops are in position, yep, and the Rainbooms are breaking Talon Company, yep.”

“And Wilbur’s Heart?” Shephard asked.

“Is already summoning the others, yep,” Zap replied.

Shephard nodded with satisfaction. “Good. We lost a lot of Mutants getting that thing from Dunwich, so it had better work.” The Overmaster clapped Zap on the shoulder. “It is time. Lead your forces to victory, but don’t forget to come if I call you.”

As Zap nodded and teleported away, Shephard turned and faced towards the next target. Hiding the bulk of the Super Mutants from enemy spies had been difficult, almost as hard as keeping the other Overlords and Masters on a tight leash, but it was worth it now that their goal was just a short walk away through the ruins ahead. With any luck, Talon Company would be able to take out a couple of Rainbooms in their death throes, but that would just be a bonus. All that mattered was that the girls were distracted. War had come, and by the time the girls noticed it would be too late for them to change the outcome.

Mind filled with visions of conquest, the Overmaster grinned and raised its ax, grabbing the attention of every nearby Super Mutant. “The humans are waiting for us up ahead! Now, we slaughter them all!”

“Raise your hands above your head for me again.” Horrigan dutifully did as he was asked. Sienna noted something down on her clipboard before looking back up. “And lower them again. Good. Are you still getting any tenderness?”

“No,” Horrigan replied.

Sienna raised an unamused eyebrow. “You certainly aren’t getting any better at lying.”

Horrigan heaved a sigh and rested his head on the oversized pillow he had been given. Sienna didn’t miss a trick, which was part of the reason he had been stuck on a modified cargo trolley in the Exodus building’s basement since the battle at the Citadel. “I’m fine, doc. This isn’t anywhere near as bad as what I felt after going a round with Liberty Prime.”

“So Unity doesn’t hit as hard as the greatest weapon ever seen in human history, big deal,” Sienna said flatly. “She still threw you around like a ragdoll, plus getting hit by a giant magic friendship beam of doom nearly turned you into the world’s most expensive paperweight. You’re tough, but you’re not unbreakable.”

“Yeah, I seem to be getting that lesson a lot these days,” Horrigan noted sourly.

“Then maybe you should start telling the truth when I’m trying to get you healthy again,” Sienna shot.

Horrigan would have rolled his eyes if he could. “My sensors say I’m back up at nearly ninety percent. I’m fine.”

Sienna threw her clipboard on Horrigan’s chest and leaned over to scowl at him. “You and I both know that your systems have been out of whack since you were blasted. Have you managed to figure out how your own magic has changed?”

“It’s blue instead of green,” Horrigan replied mulishly. Seeing her scowl sharpen, he sighed and waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t know the full extent, but I have a fair idea. Unfortunately, I can’t test myself properly while I’m stuck down here.” He fixed the doctor with a pointed glare.

“You can give me that look all you want, you’re not getting out of here until I’m satisfied that you’re perfectly healthy,” Sienna said firmly. Almost as soon as she said it, a shrill alarm started blaring.

“An attack?” Horrigan tried to sit up, but she stopped him with a simple hand on the chest.

“Not so fast. Protocol says that, in the event of an attack, no-one is allowed to move between the surface and basement without authorization,” Sienna reminded him. “You wait here, I’ll check what’s going on.”

Horrigan considered radioing out for authorization despite her instructions, but, before he could come to a decision, the door to the room suddenly slammed open. He looked up sharply to see a technician barge in. “Sorry, Sigma Leader sent me! He needs to know if Horrigan is ready for combat?”

Sienna raised an eyebrow. “Does Vincent really need Horr-”

“Super Mutants are attacking! Hundreds of them, and they’ve brought Behemoths!” The technician interrupted.

Horrigan snorted and hauled himself to his feet. “There’s my authorization. I’ll be back once I’ve dealt with these mutie freaks.”

Project Purity was as busy as it ever was, with civilian scientists, Rivet City security officers, Brotherhood Scribes and Enclave engineers hurrying everywhere as they tended to the massive task of maintaining the purifier and distributing the water.

Star Paladin Cross watched over them all impassively alongside Liberty Prime and the Wonderbolts. She had been sent to rest at the purifier facility until the Rainbooms returned, but something about Talon Company’s actions just didn’t feel right to her. The treachery itself was unexpected, if unsurprising, but Cross couldn’t help feeling that there was something more going on. Some would call it paranoia, but she had learned to trust her instincts.

“THE DEFENSES ARE STRONG,” Liberty Prime boomed, as if reading her thoughts.

“You’ve got that right,” Paladin Metzger said with a snort. “It’s like seeing the liberation of the purifier from the other side, with all the energy fields and artillery everywhere.”

“TOGETHER, WE CAN DEFEAT ANY ENEMY. EVEN COMMUNISM,” Prime belted out.

Cross nodded slowly. “Perhaps. When is the next water shipment leaving?”

“IT IS DUE TO LEAVE FIVE MINUTES FROM NOW,” Prime replied.

“Delay it,” Cross said simply. The others all stared at her in surprise, so she explained, “Something doesn’t feel right, there’s more to this Talon Company situation than we’re seeing, I’m sure of it. Until we hear back from the Rainbooms, I don’t want a single caravan, escort or Vertibird leaving this facility.”

One of the Wonderbolts immediately sped off to inform the people in charge of distribution of the change in plans, while another was sent to ensure that all defenses were in top working order.

“Do you really think Talon Company will try something here?” Metzger asked quietly.

“Them or the Super Mutants,” Cross replied. “They’ve both gone after our water caravans before, but this is the first time that Talon Company has gone after us so directly. Besides, I’ve fought Commander Jabsco before, there’s a reason they call him Jetting Jabsco. Antagonizing the Brotherhood, the Enclave, and half of the settlements of the Capital Wasteland in one fell swoop is a ballsy move. Too ballsy for that sniveling little cretin.”

Metzger grimaced at her words. “So there’s a chance that either someone put them up to it, or they’re being manipulated too. I’ll contact the Elder and let her know what’s going on.”

Cross just nodded as the Paladin turned on her heel and headed inside. She considered recommending that all non-combat personnel stay indoors for the time being, but she decided against it. There was no point in kicking up a fuss until she was sure that there was a problem.

Unfortunately, it seemed that not everyone felt the same way, as only a few minutes later an irate Scribe slammed open the doors of the Memorial building and stalked over to her. “Star Paladin Cross, why the hell are you blocking the next water shipment to Arefu?!”

Cross raised an eyebrow at him, surprised and more than a little annoyed at the man’s impertinence. “Is there a problem, Scribe Bigsley?”

“I just told you the problem!” Bigsley snapped. “Delaying the Arefu shipment will throw off our whole distribution schedule!”

“Arefu shipments are handled by the Enclave, so your schedule shouldn’t be affected in the slightest,” Cross countered. Bigsley opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off before he could get a word out, “If the Enclave has questions, I will gladly discuss my concerns with them, but I will not tolerate such insubordination again. Is that clear?”

“Insubordination?! But you’re a z-” Bigsley caught himself before he could finish his sentence, but Cross could guess easily enough what he had been about to say.

The Scribe wilted beneath her furious glare, realizing his mistake far too late, before she could give him a well-deserved dressing down there was a loud commotion from the nearest crate station. “Star Paladin, we’ve just got word that Super Mutants are attacking the western defenses!” An Enclave soldier called out.

“How many?” Cross asked, letting the Scribe escape punishment for now.

“At least fifty, and one Behemoth,” the soldier replied.

Liberty Prime turned and made to head off. “I SHALL DESTROY THEM.”

“No! We’re much better off having you stay here as a last line of defense!” Cross shouted quickly. Thankfully, Prime stopped and nodded, so she turned back to the Enclave soldier. “Get Paladin Metzger and have her take the Wonderbolts out there. The rest of you, get to your posts and get everything locked down!”

Everyone immediately jumped into action, apparently galvanized by the orders. Cross herself just stood next to Prime, just as still and silent as the robot, while inside she seethed with rage. She had suspected that there were those in the Brotherhood who were reviled by her condition as a zombie, not that anyone had complained when the previous Elder had turned her halfway into a robot. But to have it thrown in her face by an impudent Scribe with an attitude problem was enough to make her blood boil.

The sudden sound of gunfire from the east snatched Cross’ attention.

“MORE COMMUNISTS ON OUR FLANKS!” Prime bellowed.

“Stay here! Defend the purifier!” Cross yelled, already thundering towards the walkway that led around the memorial building. The route between Project Purity and Rivet City was patrolled regularly by Knights and Liberty Prime, so the defenses on that side consisted of only a handful of troops and a few turrets. They would never stand up to a determined assault, a fact which their attackers had clearly noticed.

A small group of troops from all factions joined Cross as she sprinted onto the walkway. She grimaced at the sight of the brave but lightly-armored Rivet City security officers running to join the fight. “There’s no cover out here, so those of you without power armor stay behind those who do!” She ordered.

The group was barely halfway around the walkway when they saw a pair of Knights falling back ahead, pausing and firing over their shoulders every few steps. Behind them came a howling mob of Super Mutants.

“Drive them off!” Cross ignored the bullets sparking off her armor as she charged past the retreating Knights and barreled into the midst of the oncoming mob. A wide swing of her hammer took the head of the first Super Mutant clean off, while her backswing shattered a second’s ribcage. The rest of the Mutants piled in, unfazed by their losses, forcing Cross to fight with her body and the haft of her hammer, throwing in a careful swing whenever she found the space.

Gunfire crackled as some Super Mutants slipped past Cross’ onslaught and got picked off by the rest of the defenders. Trusting the others to do their part, the Star Paladin focused on keeping the bulk of the mob occupied. A few heavy blows slipped past her guard, weapons breaking against her armor, and a few Mutants even managed to get off point-blank shots, but Cross shrugged it all off as she dropped foes left and right.

“I’ll stop you, yep.” A Super Mutant wearing incredibly thick black robes pushed through the others, but before Cross could get a good look at it there was a bright purple flash that almost blinded her.

Wind whistled past Cross’ ears and her stomach lurched as the ground disappeared from beneath her feet. Her vision cleared just in time for her to get a glimpse of deep water below, right before she splashed into it and sank like a stone.

Horrigan flexed and rolled his shoulders as the cargo elevator slowly ascended. He knew that Sienna had his best interests at heart; truth be told, he had felt off since the battle with Unity, but he couldn’t ignore his duty. Right now, that duty involved kicking the shit out of a bunch of upstart Super Mutants while Exodus’ civilian personnel were all evacuated to the basements.

The cargo elevator finally shuddered to a stop in the surface building’s parts warehouse. Horrigan stomped through racks of assorted spare robot parts, mostly rusted and useless, until he found the main shutters. They slid smoothly open at the press of a button.

Things had changed a lot since the last time Horrigan had been outside. Crackling energy fields had been erected on top of what looked like every wall around the whole perimeter, with laser turrets placed at each emitter, and a sheltered walkway had been built around the edge of the building so personnel could move around outside without having to suffer from the elements. Laser fire flashed from the roof of the building, blasting winged Super Mutants out of the sky.

A handful of cadets in old scout armor were quivering behind the nearest wall. They looked around as Horrigan stepped out of the warehouse, and he had to resist the urge to chuckle as they all yelped and tried to snap a salute just a little too late. “What’s the situation?” He asked with just a hint of amusement.

“Super Mutants are attacking, uh, sir,” one of the cadets replied weakly. “They’re going for the front and back gates mostly, except for the ones with wings.”

“What about the Behemoths?” Horrigan pressed.

“Two at each gate,” the cadet told him instantly. “The Praetor is handling the back gate since it's tough enough not to get killed by our minefield accidentally, but the front gate is struggling and we don’t have air support.”

Horrigan was glad to hear that the Praetor was still around, especially since he had heard that Senator Lily was under house arrest for her experiments. It was a tougher bastard than he had expected. “I’ll secure the front gate. Get on the radio if anything breaks through the flanks or rear.” Horrigan turned to run towards the front gate before they had finished replying.

The sounds of combat grew louder as Horrigan approached the courtyard. Just before he rounded the corner to the front of the building, he heard a huge explosion coupled with electrical crackling and the bellowing of a massive creature. Horrigan skidded to a halt by the corner and quickly scanned the area.

Metal pre-fab barricades had been placed at strategic locations around the courtyard, all of which were manned by soldiers and robots, and a pair of bunkers covered in energy field emitters had been set up on either side of the gateway to both defend the entrance and project the gate itself. All of the outer turrets had been destroyed, but the real problem was the severely injured Behemoth kneeling in a shattered section of wall with an energy field emitter clutched in one charred hand.

Even as Horrigan watched, sustained fire from the defenders brought the beast down for good. Unfortunately, that small victory came at a price, as the lesser Super Mutants used its body as a bridge to get inside the perimeter while the second Behemoth was being goaded into smashing down another emitter. The Enclave mowed down every Mutant that clambered through the breach, but it was clear that they were only seconds from being swamped.

Horrigan wasn’t about to let that happen. He unshackled his magic, the runic script and mist billowing from his armor now aquamarine instead of the old green, and glared at the Super Mutants clambering over the dead Behemoth to get inside. “Hold the breach as long as you can, I’ll thin them out!”

The firepower from both sides faltered as Horrigan’s magnified voice drowned out all other sound. He used the lull to launch himself into a sprint, crossing the courtyard in the blink of an eye. The first Super Mutant barely had time to raise its weapon before Horrigan slammed into it. He kept up his bull charge, smashing muties aside as he charged over the Behemoth’s corpse, then dove into the sea of mutated flesh on the other side of the breach.

Now that he was outside the energy barrier, alone in a horde of mutants, Horrigan created a disc of magical flame in his palm and hurled it at the second Behemoth. He caught a glimpse of the monster’s head exploding before the lesser mutants swarmed over him.

Bullets, lasers, magical blasts and everything from lead pipes to massive super sledges bounced off Horrigan’s armor as the Super Mutants all piled on the enemy in their midst. Horrigan just laughed as he fought back. He mulched bodies with every punch, reduced others to ash with gouts of sapphire flame, and casually ripped off the occasional mutated limb just to keep things interesting.

The Super Mutants didn’t pose any real threat to Horrigan despite their numbers, so all he had to do was keep most of them focused on him while the rest of the soldiers dealt with the dregs. If, by some miracle, the muties managed to wear him out before they all either died or ran away, he was confident that he would be able to fall back behind the energy field and help the defenders hold the breach.

A winged Super Mutant latched onto Horrigan’s back and tried to haul him into the air, but he was far too heavy for it. It made a satisfying splat as he grabbed its arm and hurled it overhand at a nearby building. One of the bigger and uglier mutants managed to get off a point-blank shot with a tri-laser, but Horrigan calmly punched the bastard’s head off with one hand while patting his smoking chestplate with the other. This was almost too easy.

Right as he thought it, Horrigan heard a loud thoom and a wave of energy knocked the surrounding mutants off their feet, almost making him stumble.

“Crush the others, this one is mine!” A hulking Super Mutant Overlord stomped towards Horrigan. It was wearing crude armor and gloves made out of scrap metal and glowing crystals, and was carrying a vicious-looking battleax encrusted with more crystals. “You must be Horrigan,” it said in a surprisingly soft voice. “I am Shephard, Overmaster of-”

“I don’t give a shit.” A disc of blazing magic blasted Shephard backwards. Horrigan snorted and got back to butchering mooks, but before he could maul more than a handful of them something slammed into his side and knocked him off-balance. He looked around just in time to see the battleax soar back into Shephard’s hands with its crystals glowing brightly. “You’re tough, for a mutie.”

“I’m full of surprises.” Shephard raised the ax high and charged with a bellowed war cry.

Horrigan calmly caught the haft of the ax mid-swing, knocked Shephard back with a jab to the face, then walloped the mutie with its own weapon. He chuckled and broke the ax over his knee. “So much for a fucking surprise.” Horrigan tossed the broken halves aside and advanced on the Overmaster. “Time to die.”

“For you!” Shephard lunged forward and threw a mighty haymaker, armored glove blazing with magic.

Horrigan parried the blow with ease. He delivered a few choice blows to the Overmaster’s ribs and kidneys, then finished with a brutal kick to the paunch that knocked the creep flying. “Pathetic. Now, where was I?”

Those few foolish Super Mutants that had stopped to watch their leader fight were the first to die as blue fire washed over them. Naturally, that got the attention of the ones charging towards the breach, who screamed in fear and agony as Horrigan tore into them once again.

He didn’t laugh this time. The pile of Mutant corpses lying in the breach showed that the defenders were going above and beyond, but the sounds of desperate fighting coming through the radio told Horrigan that more than a few had gotten through while he was distracted. That needed to be rectified. Horrigan fought his way back to the breach, intending to block it and hold back the horde single-handedly if need be, only for something to slam into his back and pitch him face-first into the snow.

An infuriatingly familiar voice called out from behind, “I am not defeated so easily!” Horrigan surged to his feet and glared back at Shephard. Smoke wafted from the Overmaster’s fists, the gemstones in its gloves glowing brighter as the beast lumbered forward and reached back for another haymaker. “I will break you!”

“God-damn cockroach!” Settling into a boxer’s stance, Horrigan easily blocked the punch and unleashed a rapid-fire series of devastating blows. Each was carefully placed to ensure maximum impact without accidentally knocking Shephard out of range. It tried to fight back, but dumb muscle was no match for Enclave training.

Slapping aside a clumsy swing, Horrigan planted a solid downward jab in Shephard’s kidney. A sharp hook snapped the Overmaster’s head around. Seeing it stagger, Horrigan crouched before launching himself into a colossal uppercut that connected with a resounding boom, snapping the Overmaster’s head back in a spray of spit and blood.

Shephard tottered for a moment before keeling over backwards.

“So, you can bleed,” Horrigan spat. He felt a moment of savage glee as he realized that all of the nearby Super Mutants had stopped in their tracks and were watching in shock. “Now, let’s see you die.”

Shephard blearily muttered something under its breath, faint green light pulsing through the veins in its neck, but Horrigan just snorted and stamped on the Overmaster’s face. “Magic won’t save you now.” With a contemptuous laugh, he threw his arms out and incinerated the nearby Super Mutants while grinding Shephard’s head into the dirt. Shattering the horde’s morale would help the defenders as much as holding the breach.

Just as Horrigan assured himself that this part of the battlefield was under control, a massive explosion echoed from within the Exodus compound. A second later, every defensive energy field atop the walls started shutting down one by one. Panicked voices crackled over the radio. Most of them were calling for everyone to fall back into the Exodus building, but Horrigan’s blood ran cold as he recognized the voice of the cadet he had spoken to earlier desperately calling for backup: A Behemoth had broken through the defenses on their flank and was attacking the building itself.

“Shit!” Horrigan immediately turned and belted for the Exodus building. It galled him to leave Shephard alive, but the cadets didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell without him. Instead of climbing over the pile of corpses in the breach, Horrigan vaulted over the perimeter wall and hit the ground running just as another explosion tore through the air.

A handful of sentry bots still fought in the courtyard, trading fire with the Super Mutants that had slipped through, but the soldiers were covering for each other as they retreated inside. Horrigan could only help by splattering a couple of Super Mutants as he sprinted through the yard. He thundered around the corner of the building, already charging his magic for a strike, then skidded to a halt when he saw what had broken through.

The Behemoth was like nothing Horrigan had ever seen. It was taller than regular specimens, skeletally thin, with translucent skin that pulsed with a crimson glow. Bony chimney-like growths on its back pumped foul black smoke into the air. Even as Horrigan watched, the smoke suddenly stopped and the pulsing in its chest grew brighter and brighter until, with a roar of superheated air, the Behemoth spat a blinding beam of coruscating power from its mouth. The beam tore through the Exodus building like butter, liquifying concrete and steel alike.

Early Exodus reports labeled it as the Hell-Belcher, the beast that had slaughtered Squad Sigma.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, more Super Mutants, winged and otherwise, were using the opening the Hell-Belcher had created to charge into the Exodus warehouse, taking pot shots at the last moving cadet as he took cover behind the racking. Cold fury gripped Horrigan’s heart as he realized that the Super Mutants were going for the charred hole where the cargo elevator had once been, and the melted-open entrance to its hidden maintenance stairwell. The civilians sheltering below would be slaughtered like lambs.

“Bastards!” Horrigan summoned two blazing magical discs in his palms, but just as he threw them there was a purple flash and the whole world seemed to shift. “What the-?”

The Exodus building was gone. Instead, all Horrigan could see was rolling snow-covered terrain stretching out in all directions. The glittering peak of Raven Rock was just about visible on the horizon.

“Got you, yep,” a gravelly voice said.

Horrigan whirled around, fists raised, but all he caught was a glimpse of another purple flash. He looked around wildly, hardly believing his own eyes, but, aside from Raven Rock, there was nothing but featureless land in every direction. There was no way he would be able to get back to the Exodus building before the battle was over. “No… No!”

Overwhelmed by rage and helplessness, Horrigan sank to his knees and roared in impotent fury.

Cross shook with barely suppressed rage as she trudged along what she suspected was the bottom of the river. She had understandably panicked when she had been dropped in the water, bitterly cursing her own stubborn refusal to wear a helmet with her power armor as her lungs filled with water. It was only as she realized that the lack of air wasn’t painful, or even uncomfortable, that Cross remembered that she was actually a zombie.

It seemed that being an undead monstrosity came with a few perks.

Thankfully, the magical lightning in Cross’ hammer had gone haywire in the water, locking her hand in an iron grip that she couldn’t break if she wanted to, so at least she hadn’t lost it in her initial panic. The sound of muffled explosions cut through the water, so she couldn’t be too far from the battle. Cross just hoped that she was moving in the right direction. Visibility at the bottom of the river was unsurprisingly low.

Even as the thought came to mind. Cross felt the ground start to rise. She pushed forward with renewed effort, crushing rocks and rubble beneath her feet, until she finally broke the surface. Shaking water from her eyes, she looked around to get her bearings.

Cross was surprised to see that she had emerged from the river on the Rivet City side, not far from the walkway to Project Purity. About a dozen Super Mutants were still battling the human defenders, pushing them back slowly, but there was also a trio hanging back, all armed with missile launchers. Smoke billowed as they all fired, followed by explosions blasting apart the pipes that fed water into the purifier.

Seeing them target the purifier confirmed Cross’ suspicions that this was no ordinary raid. Gripping her hammer tightly, she spat up a concerning amount of water and charged towards the Super Mutants.

The first was still reloading in blissful ignorance when a wide swing took its head clean off. The second turned around at the noise, frowning curiously, and got its face pulped before it even knew it was in trouble, while the last managed little more than a shocked yell before Cross smashed its legs out from under it. One final overhead swing ended the beast permanently.

With the missile launchers neutralized, Cross checked to see if the other Mutants had noticed her, then glanced over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn’t about to be blindsided by reinforcements. Satisfied, she turned her attention to the mob still trading fire with her defenders.

There were only a handful of the Super Mutants left standing now, not enough to pose a real threat to the purifier, but Cross wasn’t about to take any chances. Hefting her hammer once more, she launched herself forward.

The Super Mutants were so focused on their firefight that they didn’t notice their predicament until the Star Paladin was already amongst them. Cross took two down with sharp blows to the head, followed by a tremendous swing that buried the head of the hammer in the chest of a third. The remaining Super Mutants instinctively turned to face the new threat only to get cut down by disciplined fire from the other defenders.

“Star Paladin?! You’re alive!” The Enclave and Brotherhood troops hurried towards her, with the Rivet City security officers following more slowly.

Cross tried to ask where the Mutant that had teleported her was, but the water still remaining in her lungs made her voice come out as a gurgle. As she tried to cough up the last of it, earning concerned looks from the others, a bright purple flash made her skip away and whip around.

A bizarre Super Mutant was standing in the middle of the walkway. It had thick leather robes, tattered bat-like wings, and greasy purple hair tied back in a messy ponytail. In one meaty fist it clutched a crude staff made out of scrap metal, human bone, and glowing purple crystals. The Super Mutant looked around at Cross and its dead fellows with wide eyes. “Not good, yep.”

Every soldier raised their weapons, but the Super Mutant slammed the butt of its staff into the ground and all of them were knocked to the ground by a wave of powerful magic. “You should be dead, yep, and why didn’t the robot move, yep?” With an annoyed huff, the Super Mutant waved its staff and the bodies of the dead Super Mutants shifted as magic pulled all manner of grenades and missiles from their pockets. Another wave sent them flying through the air to explode amongst the pipes leading into the purifier. The Super Mutant nodded curtly, then disappeared in another flash of purple light.

Sienna fought the urge to swear loudly as another muffled quake from above shook dust from the ceiling. Normally, she wouldn’t have bothered holding her tongue, but Tara had asked her help to corral the personnel that had been brought down from the surface, and she tried to stay at least relatively civil when dealing with scared crowds. Fortunately for her, most of them were distracted by the swirling pillar of magical wisps that dominated the room.

“Do you think everything’s okay up there?” A shaky voice asked.

Sienna turned to see a young girl staring up at the ceiling anxiously. She couldn't have been a day older than fourteen, and was wearing the tan and red uniform of the new Outreach Cadets that Becky had set up. God alone knew what the girl was doing at the Exodus building. “Try not to worry. It’s probably just Horrigan going overboard, as usual,” Sienna assured her. though she wasn’t particularly confident herself. The rumbles sounded like they were coming from directly overhead, and if there was fighting going on in the building above then things were going really badly. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Oswalt, Cadet Oswalt,” the girl replied.

“Alright, Cadet Oswalt, I’ve got a job for you.” Sienna gestured at the surface personnel milling around who needed to be kept away from anything that was particularly classified. “I want you to help m-”

Muffled gunfire cut her off, soon accompanied by terrified screams and guttural roars that Sienna found horribly familiar. Shrill alarms started blaring only a heartbeat later. “We’ve been breached?!” Looking around the room, Sienna’s stomach dropped as she realized that there were only two soldiers downstairs to protect the non-combatants.

“Sienna!” Tara’s voice was understandably strained as she hurried over. “What’s going on? Who set off the-”

Her question was answered as a huge explosion blasted open the door that led to the cargo elevator. Everyone watched in shock and horror as a Super Mutant stomped through the smoke, hefting an oil-streaked flamer. “Burn!” Before anyone could react, the brute unleashed a great gout of chemical fire over the crowd.

Sienna flinched away from the heat as half a dozen people were instantly turned into human pyres. Their agonized screams were only barely drowned out by the terrified screaming of everyone else, as well as the laughing of the Mutant. The two soldiers quickly moved to intercept it, but more were flooding into the room after it and firing indiscriminately into the panicking crowd.

“Shit!” Sienna whipped out her sawed-off shotgun and turned to Tara. “Get to the elevator, I’ll cover you!”

Tara looked at her as if she were insane. “I can’t just ditch everyone here!”

“You’re the only one who can get that fucking portal working!” Sienna snapped, ducking instinctively as a bullet whizzed by overhead. “Don’t rob Becky of a girlfriend just because you’re stubborn!”

“That’s not fair!” Tara spat, though it was easy to see that the words had stuck. “Fine, bu-” All of a sudden she twitched and let out a sharp gasp. Tara and Sienna both looked down just in time to see a red stain spreading across the front of the scientist’s lab coat. “Oh…”

Sienna barely managed to catch Tara as she fell. A second red stain was spreading across Tara’s back, showing where the bullet had gone in and through. “Shit.” Sienna looked over at the elevator only to see that someone else had already taken it in a bid to escape. They were trapped. “Fuck!”

Pulling Tara’s arm over her shoulder, Sienna turned away from the combat and barked at Oswalt, “Cadet, help me with her!” The girl jumped and ducked under Tara’s other arm. “Get pressure on that wound! Good, now help me get her to the infirmary.”

“What about the Super Mutants?” Oswalt asked as they shuffled as quickly as they could towards the corridors.

“Either the soldiers will handle them, or we’re fucked six ways from Sunday,” Sienna replied flatly. “If you want to survive this, then focus on one thing at a time. Doctor Strong is the most important person in this whole building, so let’s save her life for now and worry about everything else later.”

“R-right.” Together, the two shoved their way through the crowd, carrying the barely-conscious Tara between them.

Oswalt risked a glance over her shoulder when they reached the corridor, but Sienna didn’t bother. The air was filled with screams, gunfire, and the sickly sweet stench of burning human flesh, she didn’t need to see it to know what was going on. Thankfully, through some quirk of acoustics, the noise died away fairly quickly once the pair had turned a couple of corners in the tight corridors.

Sienna wasn’t surprised to see that a lot of other personnel had fled into the corridors too. She tried to guide those she encountered to rooms with sturdy doors and potential hiding places, but she didn’t dare to slow down with Tara’s life ticking away with every passing second.

“In here.” Sienna kicked the infirmary door open and practically dragged Tara and Oswalt inside. She felt a spark of relief that the auto-doc was still untouched, nestled in the corner next to a bed. Once Tara was on the bed, Sienna quickly got the auto-doc running and set about cutting open her clothes to get to the wounds. “Thanks, now stay out of the way and watch the door. If you need a weapon, grab something sharp or heavy,” she called out over her shoulder to Oswalt.

Everything else faded into the background as Sienna worked. Her hands flowed constantly from one thing to the next, setting up blood and fluid transfusions, clamping blood vessels and stitching together whatever she could. The auto-doc worked around her with mechanical efficiency, sucking away excess blood and applying biogel along with innumerable other tasks that a surgical team would usually assist with.

Oswalt tried to say something to Sienna at one point, but she ignored it. It was only when gunfire and harsh laughter echoed through the corridors outside that the doctor’s focus was broken.

“Lock the door!” Sienna hissed. She snatched up her shotgun as Oswalt did as she was told, then gestured for the cadet to hide under the bed.

Tense silence fell as the two waited with bated breath. All too soon, Sienna heard the distinctive heavy tread of Super Mutants approaching. She raised her shotgun, determined to defend Tara and the cadet to the last, and tried to get her racing heart under control.

Sienna flinched as the door was suddenly smashed off its hinges. A Super Mutant stepped through the doorway, clutching an assault rifle. It fell to the ground a split second later with a fist-sized hole blown through its chest.

“I will feast on-” Sienna blew the second’s head open before it could finish its threat. She reloaded rapidly, but the sudden crackle of laser fire and the loud thump of a body dropping made her hesitate. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest until a familiar little eyebot floated into view.

“ED-E, you beautiful little bastard!” Sienna exclaimed. ED-E let out a trill of happy beeps in greeting. “I’m happy to see you, but there’s more of those things out there and I can’t leave Tara.” Sienna jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Tara and the auto-doc that was still working on her. “Do you think you can hold them off?”

ED-E beeped loudly and floated aside. Sienna felt her heart leap back into her throat as a misshapen form stepped into view, veins pulsing with a sickly yellow glow. Gore dripped from his hands.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Bohn, I come in peace,” Turner said, his cheery voice utterly at odds with his monstrous appearance. “I’m not exactly chuffed about having Super Mutants running loose down here, so I’m more than happy to deal with them for you. In return, though, perhaps we could have a little chat later about my accommodations.”

Shephard sat on the steps leading up to the Capitol Building, one meaty hand clamped over what felt like a broken nose. Horrigan had been much much stronger than anticipated. The fact that the soldier was that powerful despite lacking a Geode just felt unfair somehow, as if the Enclave had been cheating somehow.

A bright purple flash announced the arrival of Zap. The mechanically-minded Super Mutant had proven himself to be the most valuable of Shephard’s underlings by far over the course of the day. If only the rest of them had been half as useful. “Well? How badly did the battles go?” Shephard asked.

“Could be worse, yep,” Zap replied. “Water purifier pipes are broken, yep. Should take a while to repair, yep. Also, fighting is still happening at Enclave place, yep, but Burny Behemoth is still alive, yep, and lots of Enclave peoples dead, yep.”

Shephard hummed thoughtfully. “That’s actually better than I was anticipating. And Rivet City?”

Zap nodded and grinned. “Just checked, yep, and looks like Wilbur’s Heart is working, yep. Dunwich monsters are on the move, yep.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 175 - Shadow Over Rivet City Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 40 Minutes