Futuristic The Last of the Enclave

[Obsidian]

Four left.

Out of a squad of twenty soldiers, only four had managed to survive the ambush at the ruins of Raven Rock and then the battles through DC, only to make it to Adams Airforce Base just in time to see the mobile crawler be completely destroyed by orbital bombardment. Even the outposts that Jonathan's team visited were not spared, with only corpses and battle scars to be found, as well as teams of their newly revealed enemy, the Brotherhood of Steel. The Enclave and the Brotherhood were hardly friendly with each other, but neither side had fired on the other while they both operated in DC. Clearly, something had broken that peace, though Jonathan does not know what. He has found no Enclave survivors, nor has he been able to receive word from anyone on any frequency. He and his team are completely alone, and quite possibly the last bastion of Enclave force to left.

And now he only has four troops left, out of twenty.

After seeing the mobile crawler destroyed and Adams Airforce Base overrun, Jonathan ordered his team to the south, to escape out of Maryland to Virginia by Memorial Bridge. He had seven soldiers left when he gave that order, and ever since then Brotherhood forces have been crawling out from under every rock and sewer pipe they run across, gunning down yet another of his troops every time. The Brotherhood suffered worse, but clearly the Brotherhood can throw the lives away.

Now, Jonathan and his four remaining troops have managed to make it out of DC, and fled all the way the Newburg. They had not seen any further Brotherhood in at least 36 hours, but the troops were still wary of every shadow and ruined building. Jonathan did not mind this, however. Better for them to be on edge, waiting for battle, rather than them to start thinking about their losses. Friends. Family. Homes. All gone now, with only this small team left. And as if out from some fever dream, Jonathan and his men started to hear something, the sounds of blades and an engine, the sound of a vertibird. Sure enough, as they turned behind them, they would see it, an Enclave vertibird, heading in their direction.

Jonathan hung back, watching the vertibird grow closer carefully, but the others stepped toward the vertibird, already starting to wave down the gunship. And it soon straightened it's flight toward the squad. But something... felt wrong about this. As the gunship came within range, Jonathan used the scope on his Gauss Rifle to look at the gunship. On it's side, where the Enclave emblem should be, it had been scratched off and replaced with a crude copy of the Brotherhood emblem.

"Everyone, take cover!" Jonathan ordered, to the surprise of his squadmates, who turned to him stupidly before he added, "Enemy vertibird!"

It was too late, however. The gunship was quickly brought in range, and it opened fire on the exposed Jonathan's squadmates, missiles raining down on them as they vanished in explosion that followed, Jonathan barely having a moment to throw himself behind cover as debris fell from the air all around him.

"Bastards," Jonathan hissed to himself, unable to believe that the Brotherhood had now captured Enclave vertibirds of their own, and that they even know how to use them. That's it. That's all of them. All of Jonathan's squad, gone. He had known some of them for years, worked for him for years, and now their gone. Taken by the Brotherhood. Rage boiled under Jonathan's armour, readying himself, bloodthirst scratching at the back of his throat. Jonathan heard the vertibird fly over to his right, wanting to flank him, expecting him to run or hide. But he's done running and hiding. Jonathan stepped out from behind cover, brought his Gauss Rifle up, aimed at the cockpit of the vertibird, and fired.

Guess Rifles can fire solid bullets at a speed unmatched by any other gun known to man. And Jonathan's bullet punchered straight through the supposedly bullet-proof glass of the cockpit, hitting the pilot and killing him instantly. The vertibird than shook and swerved, spun and veered off to Jonathan's right, crashing into the ground before exploding violently. Jonathan won, and the Brotherhood are dead, but there will be more before soon. There are always more.

Jonathan turned and hurried off to Memorial Bridge. And in Virgina, perhaps he will finally be beyond their reach.

 

[GlitterBomb]

Elyssa had been on the run for days. After the destruction of her home - Raven Rock - she'd been almost all alone. Together with a few scientists and two soldiers she'd stood on the other side of the canyon, watching the mountain go up in flames. The violent explosion had sent debris flying all over and Brotherhood forces advanced in to erase any survivors of the blast. The Enclave was done for, the president dead, and for what? She'd picked up some rumors about a purifier while working about a week ago but didn't think much of it. They had plenty of clean water and food down in the bunker so instead of caring about these rumors she kept to herself, just focusing on treating the patients coming in.

If she'd only known what this was all about, she might have gotten more time to prepare for the escape. More time to gather vital medicines, instruments, ammo cartridges and other supplies. The only reason this little group had survived the blast was the fact that they were out on a mission close to the bunker, gathering materials needed for experiments. It wasn't long before the area was swarming with enemy soldiers, shooting everyone in sight that seemed to belong to the Enclave. That fact made Elyssa's little group move quickly, disappearing into the barren wasteland that had once been a beautiful part of America.

One by one they were picked off. The enemy soldiers had ambushed them in the night, killing at least three people while the other remnants of the group escaped. It didn't matter how much Elyssa wanted to pull the trigger to her beloved plasma pistol, they had no chance against fully armed soldiers in power armor.
But hope hadn't left their hearts just yet, and without time to grieve for the loss of friends and family the group pushed on, following a signal coming from an air force base Elyssa didn't know much about. In hindsight, she wished she had eavesdropped a lot more in the mess hall, listening in on the soldier's stories from the outside world... apparently her own world had been very small as she knew practically nothing about other bunkers or missions out here in the wilderness.

The trek to the air force base demanded three more lives before they realized it was a dead end. An unnecessary journey that cost three lives for nothing, just to find that the base that should have provided safety... just exploded high in the air. Desperate for refuge, Elyssa and her two remaining companions returned into the mountains, finding their way back toward D.C. Maybe they could lay low for a while in the old ruins while trying to figure out where to go next? It was as good a plan as any, had the others survived. In the end, Elyssa was the only survivor after a group of super mutants ambushed them in the early hours of the morning. The others had been torn to pieces... but the lone woman managed to survive, managed to escape. Now, all alone with only her pistol as her companion, Elyssa thought to take a break from running by sitting down by the river on a broken bench. It felt... casual, releasing almost. Like all the burdens and responsibilities in the world had let go... along with all of her friends. Her brother, her parents... everyone gone.

 

[Obsidian]

Elyssa may have been able to feel him before hearing him. The thud, thud, thud of power armour shaking the ground would be unmistakable. Jonathan had decided to stay off the main roads, heading instead towards the river and making it to the bridge by walking along the water front, for Brotherhood soldiers would surely by chasing him up the road. He could already see the bridge, old and corroded after centuries of neglect, barely standing over the river after all this time. Next to the bridge stood a power station, one that Jonathan already knew about and searched three years ago. It's not a nuclear power station, but an old oil power station, shut down and fallen into disrepair even before the bombs fell. Now it's just a collapsed shell of twisted metal and concrete.

As he walked along the water front, he would be able to see someone sitting on a bench overlooking the river, and he immediately raised his rifle up to fire at her. But he stopped within a hair's breadth of pulling the trigger. He could see her uniform, see the Enclave sigil along with the medic's emblem, and he stood there for a few long moments just staring. Was he imagining it? Or has the destruction of everything that he ever knew sent him spirelling into hallucinations and insanity?

Only one way to find out.

Jonathan lowered his gun and approached the woman, slowly and carefully, watching her to see what she does. And watching his surroundings too. He's experienced more than enough surprises, he will not be fooled by yet more.

 

[GlitterBomb]

As soon as the ground softly started grumbling beneath her feet, Elyssa knew that someone was nearby. Someone who was probably an enemy clad in power armor, like all the enemy soldiers she'd come across during her long flight from Raven Rock. For a moment she stayed on the bench, catching her breath while looking out over the calm river, separating her from the rest of the city. But only husks and broken vehicles lay on the opposite side, not really welcoming her. This forsaken wasteland didn't want her here, didn't even want her in the bunker. Then just where did she belong?

Elyssa tightened her grip around her pistol before getting on her feet and turning around to point it at the soldier coming closer. Inside her chest, her heart pounded violently - she was tired of running, but far from giving up just yet. Maybe the enemy could spare her just this once, or maybe she'd be able to shoot her way out of the situation and escape yet again? "Stop right there! I won't hesitate to kill you!" Ready to fire her gun, Elyssa stared down the person who'd just invaded her personal space, her personal temporary refuge. But wait... there was something familiar about this one. The armor... it wasn't what she'd expected. But it could still be an enemy in disguise, could it not? With renewed fire, Elyssa snarled and waved her gun.

"Who are you? Enclave or Brotherhood? Tell me!"

 

[Obsidian]

"Oh my God," Came a voice through the grill of the helmet, the soldier's posture suddenly relaxing as he looked at her, "Elyssa? You're... you're one of the medics from the Raven Rock. You probably don't recognise me in my armour..."

Then, Jonathan took a look around him, making sure that the coast was clear, before setting down his gun on the ground and then raising his hands to his helmet. With a tug, the air-tight seal of the helmet hissed as it broke, lifting the helmet clear off of his head, revealing his face; short brown hair, pale complexion, hazel eyes, and stubble that suggested he hadn't shaved in a week.

"I'm Jonathan. Jonanthan West. Do you remember me?" He asked her, "You've treated me a few times before, and my soldiers too. I'm the 1st Lieutenant of the Reclamation Division, 23rd Squad. You helped save one of my men from severe radiation sickness when he was exposed during a bust operation in a nuclear facility. I don't think I ever got around for properly thanking you for that."

Not that it matters now, of course. The man she saved was called Elliot Sayars. He spent two weeks in a hospital bed before finally recovering, all thanks to the Enclave's cutting edge medical science, and the work of the medical team. Elyssa's work.

"I am glad to see that you survived. Too many... you're the first survivor I have found." Jonathan would ask, stepping closer to her, a look of genuine sympathy on his face, "Are you alright?"

 

[GlitterBomb]

Never before had Elyssa been so relieved to see someone. With shaking, tired hands she lowered the gun while realizing that this man was an Enclave soldier, probably on the run just like her. Was there any survivors from Raven Rock who wasn't on the run? But she remembered this one; at least his name. And maybe that face too... it was familiar in a way that brought her comfort. "I... I remember you. You came in once with a piece of your armor crushed by a deathclaw. How could I forget?" Elyssa remembered now. This man had once appeared at the clinic, wanting to get a checkup after a close call with a deathclaw. Luckily he'd just gotten away with a few minor wounds and bruises thanks to his power armor. And now that he mentioned the man put under intensive care for radiation sickness, she was sure that it was real. This Lt. West really was here in front of her in the flesh.

Elyssa put away her weapon before smiling with a mixed emotion of relief and sadness. "I'm... I guess I'm alright. I'm alive at least, aren't I? And how about you? Your squad...?" Where were the rest of this man's team? What happened to them? A question not really needed to be asked since she could figure it out by herself. They had been slaughtered, just like everyone else. Sighing, Elyssa put a hand to her forehead, trying to rub away some of the dirt which had gathered all over her in the last few days. "This is crazy. Who are these Brotherhood-people? What do they want with us?"

 

[Obsidian]

"Likely to destroy us, though I do not know what happened. We have known about the Brotherhood ever since they arrived here decades ago, but we typically stayed out of each others way. Until now." Jonathan told Elyssa before staking his head, "It doesn't matter anymore. We need to get out of Maryland before they hunt us down. And I have discovered today that they have even managed to take and use our vertibirds. I shot one of them down, but there'll be more. Let's go, and if we run into any fighting then stay behind me. You're not exactly equipped for combat."

With that said, Jonathan took up his rifle again and started to lead Elyssa further south, the decaying husk of Memorial Bridge coming into view, hanging precariously over the Potomac River. "That is our way out of Maryland." Jonathan says, pointing out the bridge, "The bridge will take us into Virginia, and hopefully out of the Brotherhood's reach for now. Watch your footing while we cross the bridge. It will be littered with holes, and you really don't want to drop into that water, trust me on that. There'll also be plenty of wrecks and debris that could trip you up too."

They would both soon reach the start of the bridge, the road stretching further and further out over a vast plain of water, not even able to see the other side of the river it was so vast. As sure enough, the bridge was indeed covered with wrecks and holes, old cars and trucks that crashed when the bombs fell, some of the wrecks can be seen by the rocks on the river's edge were they careened off the bridge and struck the embankments beneath. "I'll lead," Jonathan said, "Keep your wits about you."

 

[GlitterBomb]

Elyssa felt relieved that this man actually had a plan of where to go. Alone, she'd probably hide in the ruins before trying to sneak out of the city somehow and wandering the wastes to gods-know-where. This vast space of wasteland was easy to get lost in when you weren't experienced, and she certainly wasn't. Looking over at Memorial Bridge, she suddenly felt a small glimmer of hope. The journey wasn't going to be easy, but she'd rather brave super mutants, raiders and whatnot than staying here, waiting for the Brotherhood to find and kill her.

Jonathan was right in that she wasn't exactly equipped for combat, but she still had her plasma pistol should the need arise - it's not like she was completely defenseless and she was glad for all the shooting lessons she've had during her upbringing in Raven Rock. They proved invaluable this day and forward.
"Have you been to Virginia before? I've seen it on the maps... and the dot where our old bunker used to be. You think it's still abandoned?" Elyssa shuddered at the thought of something nasy inhabiting their old bunker even though it was probably impossible. Most of the safe houses around America were inpenetrable... well, until now.

The wreckages of old cars and trucks littered the bridge, together with big holes threatening to pull anyone down into the river if they weren't careful. Elyssa minded her step, careful not to trip on some of the debris. But she was tired after all the running and sometimes had to hold onto the parts of the railing still in place. Otherwise, only the wind rustled through the old husks of the vehicles. The silence was almost deafening, like an illusion waiting to disappear and call out chaos at any moment. "We're gonna... meet mutants of all kinds, aren't we? Are they as bad as they say?"

 

[Obsidian]

"It really depends on what kinds of mutants we might encounter," Jonathan begins, starting the long journey across the bridge, the steel beams groaning and the wind howling as they go, "The super mutants are some of the worst. Big, green, and viciously violent. Best to keep your distance from them. I've seen men, even in power armour, get torn apart by super mutants. Luckily, they are not very bright, and will often just charge at their opponents. Setting up traps and ambushes are always the best ways to dispatch them quickly and cleanly. And they don't wear much in the way of armour, so plasma bolts melt straight through them. You haven't lived until you've seen one of those things cry in sheer agony from multiple plasma bolts."

"Ghouls are another common mutant," Jonathan goes on, "Weak creatures, but they often travel in packs and they can swarm you if you're not careful. Some ghouls are stronger than others, and a few rare ones are so irradiated that they even glow. The radiation is so high around the glowing ones that you can get a lethal dose very quickly it stays near you for long enough. Best keep your distance from ghouls in general. Since they come in swarms, using explosives is effective against them, and even if you don't kill them all you would likely cripple any remaining. You just have to--"

Suddenly, out from one of the wreckages on the bridge, a rotten and atom-blasted corpse springs to life, crawling out of the husk of the vehicle before charging at speed straight for Jonathan and Elyssa. But Jonathan was prepared for this. It one smooth motion, Jonathan raised his rifle and aimed before firing, all in the space of a seconds, and the corpse was blasted by the high velosity shot, practically exploding into visera before crashing against the tarmac on the bridge, stopping just a few feet from them. Jonathan looked down at the creature in disgust, even though his expression could not be seen through his helmet. And Elyssa would be able to see a ghoul in the flesh, so to speak.

"Disgusting creatures," Jonathan growls, before turning to Elyssa, "This is a ghoul. Hard to believe anything like this could still be alive, isn't it? Like a zombie from those old pre-war films you might have seen back at Raven Rock. Don't touch it, though. It's still irradiated, but we'll be fine as long as we move around it."

And so Jonathan moves on, walking around the dead ghoul before forward on over the bridge, staying alert to any other threats that might show themselves.