Senator Devall spread out several sheets of paper on the table in the middle of the room and stood aside to allow the Lieutenant Colonel to scrutinize them.

"These are the latest reports from the Air Force Base?" Andrew asked. Devall nodded. "What's all of this activity around Raven Rock?"

"Mining operations," Devall replied. "Several groups have taken an interest in the magical crystal, though they are only taking small quantities from the surface so far. Most of the people that venture inside don't come back out." He ran a finger down a list of different factions. "Aside from the Enclave itself, our eyebots have spotted people from the Brotherhood of Steel, the slavers of Paradise Falls, at least three different raider gangs, Talon Company, the Super Mutants, and a local cult based in a settlement called…" Devall checked the list again, "Megaton."

"What the hell do they want with the crystal from Raven Rock?" Andrew asked.

Devall raised an eyebrow. "I imagine they want it for the same reason we do; the magic contained inside."

"Shit," Andrew huffed. "The last thing we need is more magic in the hands of lunatics."

"Agreed. Unfortunately, I don't think that there's much we can do about it that isn't already being done," Devall said.

"If what's being done doesn't get us killed," Andrew spat.

"What's going to get us killed this time?" Becky asked as she and Tara entered the room.

Devall nodded in greeting. "Doctor Shoichet, Doctor Strong, it's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too. Now, what's going to kill us?" Becky asked again, more insistently.

Andrew sighed and stepped away from the table, gesturing at the reports. "People from around the wastes are trying to mine Raven Rock's crystals."

Becky scowled and complained loudly about idiots and psychopaths, but Tara just crossed her arms and looked at Andrew curiously. "I get that that's not exactly good news, but how does that equate to getting us killed?"

"The Senate has decided that action must be taken to secure as much of the magic crystal as possible," Devall answered gravely. "To this end, it has been decided that a strike force will be sent to Raven Rock to acquire as much crystal as they can for our experiments. Horrigan will accompany the strike force to provide additional protection."

Becky and Tara shared a shocked look. "Horrigan?!" Becky cried. "But he's Project Exodus' primary defense! The only reason the Brotherhood of Steel hasn't attacked us is because we intentionally let slip to their scouts that Horrigan is based here! Without him, there's nothing stopping them from launching a full scale assault!"

It was an understandable reaction, one that Devall would normally have accepted, but his recent discussions with Agent Drops had given him cause to be suspicious. It was time to test his theory. "Forgive me, Doctor Shoichet, but I don't believe that Horrigan's presence is the only reason that the Brotherhood of Steel hasn't attacked Project Exodus. After all, if the Brotherhood knew exactly where their greatest threat was residing, surely they would have sent in their new robotic superweapon by now." Becky and Andrew's reactions were flawless; showing offended surprise at Devall's words, but the flash of fear that crossed Tara's face before she could hide it all but confirmed his suspicions. "In fact, I highly doubt that those Brotherhood scouts were actually scouts at all."

"What exactly are you implying?" Andrew asked in a tone of deadly calm.

Devall was suddenly forcibly reminded that the Lieutenant Colonel was highly trained, proven in combat, almost certainly armed, and more than willing to kill a man in cold blood if it meant protecting his family. Needling him would not end well. It was time to either step back or press forward, and Devall had no intention of backing away from this. "I've heard, from a very reputable source, that there is a certain… movement… gaining traction here at Project Exodus. I believe our goals may align."

The others glanced at each other in surprise. After a brief pause, Becky asked, "Where did you hear about this?"

"From me." Everyone turned as Agent Drops closed the door and locked it, taking up a position next to it apparently out of habit.

Andrew stared at her blankly. "Agent Drops? I didn't even know you'd escaped Raven Rock. How the hell did you get down here without security notifying me?"

"I'm very good at my job," Agent Drops replied smoothly. "Also, I've got a contact here who helped me sneak in," she added. In response to three very confused looks she smiled and said one word, "Lyra."

"The technician?" Becky narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you giving up your contact's name so casually?"

"Because we want you to trust us," Devall answered. He spread his arms to show that he had nothing to hide. "Let me put this bluntly. "We suspect that you three are attempting to put together a secret band of mutineers, a splinter faction, or even a full rebellion against Acheson and his ilk. Agent Drops and I wish to join you."

The ball was well and truly within Andrew's court now. All he had to say was that he was doing no such thing, and he would be well within his rights to execute both Devall and Agent Drops for treason. It was a colossal risk and yet, somehow, Devall was certain that it really was no risk at all.

Andrew glanced between the two, apparently sizing them up. "How do I know that I can trust you?"

"Evidently you already do or you wouldn't have bothered asking," Devall replied with a small sigh of relief. "However, to answer your question, I have a child on the way, and I get the feeling that she's more likely to survive and have a safe childhood if we work with the Brotherhood of Steel rather than letting Acheson and Lily mess around with forces that they don't understand."

"As for me, I'm in the market for an Enclave that actually gives a shit about the rest of humanity," Agent Drops put in.

"Aren't we all?" Becky muttered. She then said a little louder, "Alright, our options are either to let you in or shoot you, and I'm not in the mood to shoot anyone right now, so I guess you're in."

Devall smiled wryly. "I'm glad to hear it. Since we're going to work together, perhaps you'd like to have this." He pulled a thin file from inside his jacket and dropped it on the table. "Everything I've managed to gather on the magical experimentation going on at the Air Force Base. It's not much, but it's all I've been able to get my hands on discreetly."

Tara swiped the file before Devall could even finish his sentence, devouring the contents so quickly that her eyes were a blur. Agent Drops spared her an exasperated look before shaking her head and addressing the Lieutenant Colonel, "How large is this group so far? And what exactly are you aiming for?"

"Our goals are simple," Becky replied. "We're looking to turn the Enclave into the beacon of civilization that we taught about when we were kids. If that means splitting off from Acheson and his power-crazed compatriots, then that's what we'll do."

Andrew nodded. "There's not many of us who're directly involved yet, but we're recruiting more people every day. Lieutenant Bles and Lieutenant Rogers are with us, as are most of each of their platoons, but I'm not sure about Lieutenant Simpson; he was very close to Colonel Autumn."

"Aside from them, we've got about another forty technicians, scientists, engineers and civic personnel that are all on board," Becky continued. "We're working on bringing Horrigan around, but we have to be subtle about it. His loyalty to the Enclave is unshakable, but if it splits in two, we have to be sure that he sees us as the 'true' Enclave."

"Which leads back to why you're keeping him here," Devall prompted.

Andrew sighed and braced himself against the table. "We weren't lying, Horrigan is a huge part of our defence. This building was designed as a factory and a front, not a fortress."

"That's not the only reason though, is it?" Agent Drops asked.

Andrew shook his head. "One of the reasons we want him here is so we can keep working on him; find out where he stands on us against Acheson and the rest of the Senators, but the main reason is to keep him away from the Brotherhood of Steel."

"So you are working with them!" Devall exclaimed.

"Not quite," Becky cut in. "The Brotherhood doesn't entirely trust us yet, and the feeling is mutual. We've communicated with them using coded messages sent to the Rainbooms, but so far our cooperation has only really extended to leaving each other alone and not engaging each other's troops in hostilities."

"We're actually in the middle of setting up a series of radio relays so that we can contact them directly and securely," Tara said without looking up from the file.

"Speaking of which, we should probably let them know that Horrigan is heading to Raven Rock, just in case they have troops in the area," Andrew added, almost as an afterthought.

Becky whipped around to face him, her eyes wide with shock. "You're sending him out?!"

"It's not like I have much of a choice," Andrew grumbled. "The Senate expressly voted to send Horrigan to provide support. I could try to use my authority to defy them, but it would be as good as drawing a line in the sand. We cannot afford to make our move just yet."

Devall sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I tried to fight against it. Even Senator Lily was vehemently opposed to sending Horrigan out, but Acheson managed to get the rest of the Senators on his side."

"It's fine, we'll manage." Andrew straightened up. "You should get some rest, take some time to get a feel for the place. This facility is a maze."

"Good idea. I should go and make sure that Fleur is settled." Devall held a fist in front of his mouth as he yawned. "I must be getting old. All of this excitement and all I want is a nap."

Andrew watched impassively as Devall and Agent Drops left the room. When they were gone, Becky carefully checked to make sure that no-one was in the corridor outside before closing the door. "Are the precautions in place?" She asked.

Silently cursing the circumstances that made this deception necessary, Andrew nodded. "I had Vincent bug the radio in their Vertibird. If they try to betray us, we'll know about it."

"Good," Becky sighed. I just hope they're telling the truth."

"So do I," Andrew said softly. "Anyway, we should get a move on, we've got a lot to do in a very short amount of time. Tara?" His sister looked up from the file she was still perusing. "Fetch ED-E and send him to Project Purity with a coded message for Twilight, tell her everything that we've discussed here. I'll go and see how the radio relays are coming along."

Acheson hummed thoughtfully as he regarded the glass beakers laid out on a table before him. There were seven in total, each containing the distilled magic of one of the Rainbooms. There were vast quantities of each stored in various places around the base, most of which was being actively experimented on, but these seven samples were special.

They were all a perfect mix of ordinary magic and their dark variant.

It had taken days to achieve, and it would probably take another few days before the process could be replicated reliably, but for now, Acheson could be content with this small achievement. Either on its own was incalculably useful, but when mixed together the resulting compound was far more versatile and potent than the standard forms, though with the trade-off that it was far trickier to work with.

"Doctor?" Acheson turned to see that Doctor Anna Holt had returned from her errands. "I've spoken to the team working on integrating magic into the plasma weaponry. They're running ahead of schedule, and are confident that they'll be able to bring you what you asked for tomorrow."

Acheson nodded. "Good, and the heavy munitions team?"

"They've finished cleaning up after the failed experiment with the darkened Loyalty magic, and are preparing to go ahead with the testing on the darkened Honesty magic instead," Anna replied.

"It's about time," Acheson huffed, though he was glad that the other teams of scientists had adopted Doctor Holt's suggested magical classification system so readily. The former Project Purity scientist was hardly a genius, but she was quick enough on the uptake and her experience in working with the Rainbooms' magic was proving invaluable. Of course, it also helped that access to the Enclave's advanced technology had bought her loyalty completely.

"Are those for the Daybreaker prototype?" Anna asked, gesturing to the beakers of magic on the table.

Acheson shook his head. "No, those are for something else." He glanced over at the suit of power armor propped up on a frame in the corner of the room.

It had originally been a suit of Hellfire armor, more advanced and powerful than standard Enclave power armor, but with every drop of magic added it warped further, its color shifting from black to a pale gray and its limbs becoming slender and elegant. The biggest change, however, was going on inside the armor.

There was a creak as the helmet tilted slightly to stare back at Acheson. He shivered and looked away. For some yet unknown reason, every suit of power armor that was infused with magic ended up gaining a measure of sapience; a fact that raised interesting questions about Horrigan, but they would have to wait until later, assuming he survived the coming trials.

Shaking off the creepy sensation of being watched by an inanimate object, Acheson turned and stepped over to a collection of odd pieces of equipment arranged carefully on another nearby table. It consisted of a metal breastplate covered with electrical circuits and sensors, a metal backplate bearing what looked like a miniature gasoline powered generator with two thin exhaust pipes poking up from it, and a pair of thick leather gloves studded with metal plates and covered with more electrical circuits. The fingertips of each glove ended in small claw-like antennae, and the whole collection was connected to each other with a messy web of wires, cables and tubes.

"Here, help me put all of this on," Acheson said gruffly.

Anna frowned curiously, but did as she was told. Putting the equipment on without getting tangled up in wires wasn't easy, even with someone helping, but together they finally managed it. "What is it?" Anna asked when they were finally done.

Acheson allowed himself a small smile as he flexed his fingers inside the gloves. "It's a new tool, built using everything I've learned about manipulating magic over the last week. It should make the construction of magical equipment a lot quicker, easier and safer. At least, I hope it does. I'm calling it my Thaumic Integration, Restoration, and Extraction Kit."

"You'll have to come up with a snappier name than that," Anna shot.

Acheson threw her a glare, then snorted and rolled his eyes as she realized that she was just teasing. "I don't care what it's called, as long as it works." He rolled his shoulders and strode over to a door at the back of the workshop, gesturing for Anna to follow. "Come on, doctor, let's put it through its paces."

Focusing a lot on the Enclave this time around, but don't worry, the girls will be back in the next chapter!