Chapter 49: Dwindled Numbers
Afton was silent as the group continued through the canyon path. Adah tried a few times to get him to respond, but he really just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts...
The Brotherhood laid down mines behind them as they continued, any NCR who followed them would have to contend with enough Plasma mines to start nuclear fusion.
Along the path there were a few threats, the primary one being what seemed like an army of Rad scorpions. Seems like the insects had made this passage their breeding ground, fortunately, the Brotherhood was more than equipped enough to deal with them, even if they were exhausted from the previous battle.
After an hour or two or walking, the ground finally existed out into a large area, metal wire fences block entry inside as some sort of dust storm rages on, preventing anyone from seeing inside it.
McNamara had some Knight use their Thermic Lances to cut the fence before turning to address everyone, he has them all holding one another so no one gets lost in the storm, as well as having everyone wear something around their mouths and noses to protect against the dust.
Everyone does as they're told and follow the new Elder as he leads them, there's the occasional sound of a Gauss Rifle discharging at a Rad scorpion, but other than that everything is blared out by the storm.
Occasionally they'd pass by a small bunker, bu the Elder walked passed it. A thirty minutes later and they'd finally arrived to a bunker that resembled the rest... Spray paint and other graffiti had been written on the metal door and concrete walls, something that had a few of the members grimace at the disrespect.
McNamara lead them inside, it was... Quiet. The temperature was fine and the airvents seemed to be working at full efficiency from what they could tell. They reach a door at the end of a large room and the Elder presses the button on the Intercom placed next to the door, "Knight, this is your new Elder Nolan McNamara, the time has come."
No one says anything on the other side of the Intercom, but the door clicks open anyway. The group steps inside and finds themselves walking down a seemingly endless stairway. Truly this bunker was built to withstand anything besides a direct hit by a Nuclear Missile.
Once they reached the bottom they were greeted by a Knight in Power armour, Afton didn't know his name and hadn't seen them around Helios One before, which meant they had probably spent most of their time in this bunker.
"Elder." they say, folding their arm across their chest in a salute.
"Wilson. Everything has been prepared?" he asks as the rest of the Brotherhood stream into the room, crowding it.
The Knight nods, "Reactor is stable and will last a projected three hundred years at a minimum, as you probably saw outside the DERVISH camouflaging system is online. We've also managed to get the combat simulators working at 80% efficiency. We have enough supplies to last a month... Had our numbers been the same... With what's left of our Chapter, we could live down here without resurfacing for..." the Knight does a quick headcount of everyone who'd survived, "Atleast half a year..." he finishes.
McNamara nods, "Could I ask you to give everyone a tour of the facility? This'll be our new home for the seeable future, once done I want everyone gathered as I have an announcement to make."
Afton and the rest of the surviving members of the Brotherhood are lead around the bunker, there were a few Brotherhood of Steel flags placed around, but all in all everything was metal and clinical. Most of the floor was made of grates, and under them were even more rooms, this was presumably to save space and energy for the air filtration systems.
He and the other Initiates would all be given a barracks, the younger children would be placed with them as well but... They didn't make it. Not even the pregnant women were left alive by the NCR, so the younger generation had all but been wiped out. The youngest members they had in the Brotherhood now were ten...
It was fortunate Christine wasn't still with them, if lesbian relationships weren't scorned before, now you'd likely be exiled for even mentioning such a thing. Over half of their members had been killed by the NCR, the Chapter was just a shadow of its former self, and there was only one person to blame for it... Elder Elijah.
Everyone there knew it, the resentment for the man was through the roof. If he somehow made it down into the bunker, he'd likely be shot on sight. Not only was he a traitor, but his leadership had lead to the deaths of many people.
Once the tour was over Afton followed the group lifelessly as they left to see what Elder McNamara had to say.
The Elder was sitting in a chair that was surrounded by a circular desk you'd only see Vault Overseers use. On the wall was a huge holographic map with a few scribes working on it.
Upon seeing everyone arrive, McNamara stood up, he'd taken off his Power armour and was now in the typical dark blue Elder robes. "Greetings brothers, sisters... I know you are all exhausted by the ordeals you've struggled through, but there are a few things I need to make clear before we get comfortable. First, I am declaring a complete lockdown, no one but that given authority by Head Paladin Hardin or me is allowed to leave the bunker. The NCR is likely looking for us at this very moment, and are probably already through the canyon passage as we speak, if we want to evade them, we'll need to do our best to remain undetected.
Second, our numbers have dwindled considerably, we are in dire need of people and as such I implore any who are able to think about having children. I will not force the matter, but any who does so will be rewarded with extra supplies and more comfortable lodging.
And third, I will not tolerate insubordination at such a crucial moment for our Chapter. Any seen to be flaunting the rules or intentionally causing trouble will be punished most severely... Right now, we are unable to exile anyone, and so it pains me to inform you that the only other option is death. Hopefully it will never come to that, but I must look out for the interests of the collective. Ad Victoriam Brothers, you should all get some rest, there is much to do."
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Niggross
Niggross Hope you bois enjoyed the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
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