Moments after John's interrogation
Takoma Police Headquarters

The metal door cries in pain as it opens up, revealing a small office. A small dead tree stood in a big red pot by the door. A metal desk stood in the center littered with papers. A microphone stood by a small military grade radio at the edge of the table. A man whose seen better days with his hair spilling out of his black combat helmet in short spools and a five o'clock shadow covered his cheeks. His Talon Company armor didn't look so better looking as if they are glued to his chest and hasn't been removed in weeks. He was in the middle of yelling into that microphone as I take a seat and light a cigarette.

"What do mean the Supermutants are breaking through from the eastern perimeter? Take some from the southern perimeter and push them back!" ye shouts before slamming the microphone onto the desk with a loud clank.

"What can I do for you Commander Jabsco?" I ask, a slick smile on my face as I exhale a puff of smoke.

"You're goddamn stunt at the Vault-Tec HQ led a pack of Supermutants knocking down our doorstep from two different sides and we are at the verge of getting overrun. Gonna have to put your interrogation on hold."

"And you couldn't have one of your lackeys tell me that. What? Your boys can't handle a few muties?"

Suddenly the metal door screeches open and a soldier steps in.

"Sorry to bother you sir but the interrogation cell is empty," he says looking at me.

"Take me to the interrogation cell," I said practically jumping out of my seat. "I'll deal with you later. This is on you," I said pointing at Jabsco while glaring at him. He just stares back before I leave the room.

Gun shots echo as the soldier and I hastily walk down the hallway. Where another hallway intersects the one we're walking through, a group of soldiers stood in the center in the kneeling position firing off their guns. Loud, inhuman screams echo from the hallway the soldiers are shooting at. The soldier guiding me stops me as one of the soldiers gets hit and falls to the ground clutching his chest and groaning in pain.

"Sir, it's too dangerous. We'll have to take another way," The soldier says, unslinging his T93 Chinese Assault Rifle from his shoulders.

"Nonsense trooper. We just have to be fast. Let's go," I said and continue my hasty pace. Bullets zip by me as I reach the other side. The soldier quickly follows, ducking as bullets zip by too.

Shortly after we reach the interrogation chamber, its door wide open and the soldier I tasked to keep an eye on John lying dead on the floor. A trail of blood leads out of the room and down the hallway opposite from where we came from.

"Looks like dear John left us a blood trail for us to follow," I said pointing at the trail of blood. Down the hall we came across a dead soldier by an open door, his rifle missing and an empty Med-X syringe next to him. Beside him just by another door way lied three more dead soldiers.

The trail continues down the hall until it ends with another cutting through. Turning right I see another dead soldier but the trail continues left. After a few steps the trail leads to the barracks with several more dead soldiers lying in the bathroom. The trail of blood ends there. I kneel down by one of the corpses and pick up one of the few shells lying on the floor. I take a sniff from the top of the shell and then toss away the casing.

"What are you doing sir?"

"Sniffing the gunpowder residue. Your bullets use pre-war gunpowder that has a distinct smell but this doesn't smell like our own. Cheaper, more home made. Someone helped him. He got all the way here and these guys almost had him and then bang, bang, and bang," I said imitating a gun with my hand and 'shooting' each of the three dead soldiers lying on the ground.

"But the trail ends here sir."

"Not exactly," I said as I leave the barracks and then look both ways of the hallway.

"He came from that direction so clearly he went this way," I said pointing down the hallway.

Further down more bodies lie before us right where another hallway cuts through and beyond that more greet us. At the end of the hallway is a large metal service door. More dead soldiers and a dead Supermutant greets us.

"Dead end sir. He wasn't here," the soldier says as he glances at his dead comrades.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Help me here," I said as I notion at the dead Supermutant lying on the floor belly down. After we push him over I check the bullet holes in its face and knee.

"Just as I thought. That empty gas grenade over there and the placings of the rounds indicate that these poor chaps here just got hit by the crossfire. These are John's doings. One in the knee to stun the beast and then the rest in its face. Tell me, where does this door lead to?"

"This is the emergency tunnel and leads out to the streets. We avoid it cause that area is teeming with Supermutants."

"I see. Take me back to Jabsco's office," I said as I turn around and head back the way we came.

"Of course sir.

"You guys had one job. How the hell did he escape?" I ask, leaning back on the surprisingly soft chair, lighting up my cigarette.

"We were kinda preoccupied when a pack of Supermutants attacked the compound Church," A man in black combat armor with the Talon logo on the chest plate but with a star on top said, sitting on the other side of the table. His face is covered in sweat and his hair is a mess.

"All I hear is excuses Jabsco. I hired you for one thing. Extracting intel from the Vault-Tec HQ. Now granted no one could predict that someone beat us to it and wipe the servers. But your guys were able to nab him but before I could extract the information I want you call me in here, whining about how it's not the Talon way to hold a fucking hostage. And then he escaped. How?" I say, flicking ash onto the floor.

"Are you here to belittle me Church? Give me a fucking break. We had muties to deal with."

"I am. Where is he?"

"The fuck do I know. He was spotted near the factory but my men got slaughtered out there by another group of Supermutants. Oh and a fucking behemoth too!"

"That means he's still near that factory. Send out more men and get him!"

"Did you not hear what I just said? My men are pinned out there because of that fucking 30 foot tall Supermutant and its pack!"

"That is none of my concern. It seems I have to use other means," I said as I get up and approach the door to the hallway.

"The hell does that mean?" Jabsco shouts angrily.

"That is none of your concern. As of now your services are no longer needed and you'll find the agreed upon payment in my desk. Good day," I said before leaving his room.

As I walk down the hallway I ignore the aftermath of the Supermutant assault. Bullet shells litter the ground, and bullet holes cover the walls. A group of soldiers, while grunting, were moving dead Supermutants and dead comrades, dropped weapons, and sweeping up bullet casings to a big pile. At the end of this hallway another crosses where two Talon soldiers approached me, their T93's in the ready position.

"It's time. Get the others ready and inform Fort Bannister. I want the Vertibirds ready to depart on my go," I said.

"What of Jabsco?" one of the soldiers asks.

"He'll be taken care of now go."

They nod and split off, one going right, the other where I came from. I look back and see the soldier talking to the ones cleaning up the mess. They immediately drop what they were doing, unsling their T-93's and follow that one soldier.

I turn left where I get approached by another soldier carrying a clipboard.

"Mr. Church?" he asks.

"Ah Harrison my good man. What can I do for you?" I said flashing the soldier my famous smile. I could see my smiling image reflected from his tinted lenses of his gas mask.

"Your packages have arrived," He says handing me the clipboard.

"Excellent! Right on time," I said as I study the notes, flipping through the typed up notes on the paper. "Did any of Jabsco's men see them?"

"No sir. I personally made sure of that. An unfortunate loss during the Supermutant assault,"

"And you did an excellent job leading the muties here Harrison. Where are my packages?"

"In the hanger sir. The Vertibird is also fueled and ready to go sir. When is the uh-assessment gonna happen sir?"

A loud explosion suddenly echoes the hall from afar.

"Right now. Jabsco just got his rightfully earned payment. Send out the signal and come with me," I said as I continue moving down the hallway.

"Yes sir," Harrison says while pulling out a hand wave radio from one of his pouches. After tuning it to the agreed upon open channel he shouts "Alert! Alert! Raiders infiltrating the northern perimeter! Raiders infiltrating the northern perimeter! Everyone head to the northern perimeter and repel those raider filth."

Soldiers began running past us as we make our way to the hanger before I could hear a barrage of gunshots and the sound of men dying. We enter a room roughly the size of a high school basketball field. Crates are piled up to the left corner and in front of us stood two Vertibirds with their logo and black paint scratched off, giving them a post-war look. Beside them, standing by a large garage door, stood a large military supply truck and a M46 Patton Heavy tank, both with their green army paint still well intact. Beside one the Vertibirds hovered my packages; four Eyebots, robots the size of basketballs hovering in the air with antennas pointing out its back and bottom backward with a face that resembles sort of like a radio. They also had their paint scratched off and given a beat up look. One of them spots me and floats towards me. Then a blue laser appears from a little laser array underneath its radio like face, scanning my face before beeping in approval and the others approach me.

"Alright here's the target," I said as I pull out a black and white picture of John tied up to chair, grimmingly looking at us. "His name is Jonathan Lloyd. I want you four to keep an eye on him. I want to know what he eats, how often he shits, what he likes to drink, food he eats, every single little thing. You, will keep an eye on him. You've been outfitted with stealth boys and state of the art reconnaissance cameras and listeners. You can hear and see a fly crap from 500 yards away. The key to your mission is to stay hidden. He cannot see you, know that you are there. If he does it will compromise the mission and I will be forced to deactivate you all. Do you four understand?"

The four Eyebots let out an affirmative beep.

"Good. He was last seen around the old factory here. He's either in the old Mechanics shop or in one of the houses here. Remain unseen. This little handy dandy Pip-Boy Slim here," I said holding out a small tablet slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes,"You will keep me updated at all times. Now go," I said before motioning Harrison to open the hanger ceiling door.

It split in two in a large squeal, revealing the bright blue sky and skeletal buildings. The Eyebots fly out of the hanger and into the Wasteland with another affirmative beep. A group of soldiers, roughly 30, then arrived in the hanger with their Talon logo scratched off their chest plate.

"It's done sir. Received the all clear from Fort Bannister as well," one of the soldiers said as all 30 stand at attention with their T93's down.

"Well done Sergeant Banks. Tell Fort Bannister we are heading there now. Take any supplies you can and as much as you all can carry. Harrison get the bird ready for take off and 10 of you accompany. The rest move the second Vertibird, our fixed up tank here, and the truck after I send out the go,"

"Yes sir!" The thirty men say in unison.

"You-uh-son of a bitch," came a voice from the exit of the hanger.

I turned, the thirty soldiers aimed their rifles, at an angry Jabsco with his left hand clutching his chest and his right branding a N99 10mm pistol aimed at me. His combat armor has a large blast mark on it and I can see a small dried up blood trail starting from the bottom of his chest armor to his left leg.

I raise my left hand to the soldiers and they lower their weapons. Harrison, who was in the middle of climbing into the pilots seat of one of the Vertibirds, who then got down and aimed his pistol at the wounded Jabsco, put his pistol back into its holster.

"Well well. Didn't expect to see you again. Well that's what I get for going easy on the explosives. What can I do for you Commander?"

"What can you do for me?" He angrily asks, groaning in pain as he talks. "What the hell are you doing Church? Trying to kill me, turning my own men against me!"

"Well not all of them. Some were still loyal to you but they were quickly dealt with. But tell me, what's your plan here? Take on all of these men here? Or just shoot me before you get riddled with bullets?" I ask while lighting another cigarette. Smoke filled the room as I exhaled deeply.

"Yeah. At least I'll take you with me," He says as he cocks his gun and aims it directly at my face. I glance at one of the soldiers directly behind him and give him a quick nod. Before Jabsco could pull the trigger the butt of a T93 hits him in the side of the head. His pistol clanks as it hits the ground and Jabsco hits the ground with a loud thud. The soldier I nodded to then aimed his rifle at the now unconscious Jabsco.

"There's no need for that Private," I said as I place my hand on the soldiers T93, lowering it. "He's no longer a threat and what's left of the Talon Company will still need leadership to do what they were originally hired to do. Lock him and any survivors of his up in the brig, hide the key in there somewhere not too subtle and let's go. We wasted enough time as it is. Move out. You know what to do!" I shout before stepping into the copilot seat of the Vertibird that Harrison is powering up and flicking away my cigarette. Ten soldiers step into the Vertibird and take a seat before the hatch closes. The remaining men split off, some carrying crates of supplies to the truck, two carrying the unconscious Jabsco away, and the rest prepping the tank and second Vertibird. I smile as I see my plan take shape, the hatch of the Vertibird closing before me and we take off.