"All life is six to five against." – Damon Runyon

Chapter Thirteen: End Game

….

"Um, I think you got their attention, son." Gideon smiled up at Three Dog who seemed as surprised as anybody that the super mutants would be so touchy.

"Everybody's a critic." he said. Rather than force glibness that he didn't feel, he closed his mouth and jumped down off the platform. "Some people are born annoying and others have annoying people thrust upon them" he said, recovering his aplomb long enough to paraphrase some old recording from the GNR archives. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"We have a few minutes yet." said Gideon. "The first floor is a bit of a maze and the turrets and 'bots will keep the mutants busy for a few minutes yet."

"Do you think I should keep up the blather?" he asked, looking at the wireless microphone questioningly. "They seem pretty pissed off, but they don't have the longest attention span, either."

"Perhaps if you gave them some, ah, encouragement every few minutes …." Gideon suggested.

"No problem. I haven't had this much fun since …. Well, let me get back to you on that." he said.

"OK, and I'm going over there to see what Maggie and Vikia are up to." Gideon said, indicating the other side of the roof. He climbed over a low panel to where the two women stood in what appeared to be an animated conversation.

….

"Oh God, they're coming this way; they're all coming this way!" Vikia's eyes went wide and Maggie was sure that the deep, ragged breaths the android was sucking in were an unfeigned reaction to the sight of the mutant mob. "Why would they program fear into an android?" she wondered. "Maybe for survival? A fight or flee response?"

The raider chieftain put her curiosity aside, however, and asked "What god would that be, Vikia?"

"Beggars can't be choosers, Maggie. Any god that will turn those creatures aside will do."

"I remember the writings of some prophet named Ben Franklin in one of those old holy books. He said 'God helps those who help themselves.' Maggie recalled out loud. "Maybe we should try to figure out who's controlling these beasts and where they're hiding."

"We better do this figuring really fast then, because they're already pounding on the walls. I can hear the turrets and the robots opening fire. It won't be enough, Maggie."

"Your eyes are better than mine." said Maggie, still under control but feeling a bit frayed around the edges. "Take a walk around the perimeter of the roof with me."

The two women strode along the edge of the roof as far it extended. Where it had been blown away, they jumped down to Gideon's penthouse and walked along tiled floors and worn carpeting always looking out over the darkening landscape. After circumnavigating the top of the rectangular theatre they sat, by unspoken mutual consent, on a low, brick wall facing east over the Potomac.

"Vikia, do you keep visual data records of your environment?" asked Maggie

"Yes, I keep a continual record of all my sensory input for several hours post real-time." she answered. "The exact length of time depends on the amount of change going on around me. If I'm in a closed room for several hours, my memory will begin to purge the minutia after several minutes. In a fluid environment such as the one we're experiencing currently, I won't purge anything until the volume of input gets back to normal."

Maggie nodded and rested her chin on her fist. "I want you to check your current visual imagery against your record of this area one hour ago, two hours ago and so forth. I want to know if there are any anomalies – is there anything that's changed that shouldn't have, or for that matter, is there anything that should have changed but didn't?"

Vikia immediately sat upright, almost inhumanly rigid. Perhaps the subroutines that help her mimic human mannerisms are considered superfluous when she's called upon to perform a critical task like the one I just requested thought Maggie. She noticed the pupils in Vikia's eyes contract and flicker while her sclera appeared to widen. If she was human it would have looked as though she was experiencing shock.

"The boat." said Vikia.

"Come again?" asked Maggie.

"It's the boat. It's been adrift in the Potomac since we've been here, but its changed position twice in the past hour. We haven't seen a crew but someone must be moving it and keeping it in position." Vikia said.

"Couldn't it just be drifting?" asked Maggie.

"If it began to drift it would've floated out to sea by now." Vikia insisted. "No, I have thousands of views of that river and no one has ever come up on deck to drop an anchor. What's more, the last time the boat changed position, it moved upriver."

"Damn. I guess it up to us to do something about those bastards." said Maggie resignedly. "There's just one thing we're going to need to pull this off."

"What's that?" asked Vikia, taking the bait.

" A plan."

….

"Where the devil are they going?

"You're not complaining, are you Owyn?"

"No, damn it Reg! I just hate surprises." Owyn Lyons struggled to control his emotions; elation at the wrong time could be just as deadly as despair. Still and all this was a bizarre turn of events.

"First the super mutants turn up as though it's an FEV convention." the Brotherhood's Elder noted. "Then they sit around for two days like they're waiting for the show to begin. Then, by God, the show does begin and it's Shakespeare, from the bloody Shakespeare theatre, only it's not the old ghoul who lives there that's broadcasting, it's that disc jockey from Galaxy News Radio. What's the hell is he doing here? Why's he reciting Shakespeare? And why does it piss off the bloody mutants?"

….

"Farrell! If you're going to slouch, slouch like a knight of the Lyon's Pride. Here, let me show you how it's done." Sarah Lyons had been standing next to Initiate Sean Farrell with her back to the wall next to the front gate. She let her feet slowly slide out from under her as she slid to the ground.

"See? Head back against the wall, butt on the ground, legs akimbo." she said. "Don't fret; you'll get the hang of it after a few battles like this one."

"Ma'am, did you just make a joke?" the young fighter asked.

"I wouldn't presume, Farrell." she said. "Life is peculiar enough without me adding to the divine plan. You fought well, by the way. Just don't get cocky."

"No chance of that, Ma'am." he said. "No chance at all."

….

"This is the last of them." Liam said as he connected the wires on the last of his charges. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His sweat stung and he thought he must be dehydrated.

"I'm done, too." said Daniel. "Let's get back to the roof."

He glanced over at Liam and said "So is this what I have to look forward to when I get old? Simple tasks taking it out of me; sweating like a pig after an hour of hard work?"

"Who says you're going to live to get old?" Liam cracked back. "Children who don't respect their elders … "He paused in the middle of his comeback. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. We're too far from the Atlantic for it to be the ocean." said Daniel cautiously.

"A low, dull roar that gets progressively louder." Liam pondered. "Sure sounds like the ocean to me – except for the automatic weapons fire and the explosions, of course."

"Yeah, fish don't normally have that kind of ordnance." said Daniel. "Maybe we should get back upstairs. I've got one of the detonators; how about you?"

"I have the other in my pocket." Liam answered and moved to the stairwell where, belying his age, he took the steps two at a time.

….

Liam could hear grenades and small arms fire before he reached the top of the stairs leading to the lobby of the theatre. Daniel pushed past him and shouldered open the fire door while lowering his rifle.

"Kid, wait!" cried Liam even as his followed. "I hear ..."

Liam grabbed Daniel by the shoulder and pulled him back into the stairwell. "… a missile launcher." he finished. The hydraulic arm pulled the door shut just as the missile exploded. The door was solid but it still flew off its hinges and bounced off the far wall.

"Thanks." said Daniel, and he rose and launched himself through the smoking hole in the wall where the door had stood. Liam shook his head and stepped over a twisted jamb. He slipped his night-vision goggles down over his eyes. They stood in a short hallway that led from the lobby to one of the theatre's service doors. They were hidden by the dust and the mutants were occupied with the remaining turrets. Perhaps a dozen heat signatures appeared in Liam's display; he set his rifle to automatic and fired.

Daniel was taking single shots at the mutants and Liam admired his shooting as he replaced the clip in his own weapon. He was still hidden by the debris as he brought his gun to his hip and saw the last remaining super mutant turn to face Daniel. The mutant had a great poker face. The muscles and tendons around his eyes and mouth were stretched taut giving him that characteristic mutant sneer. Most humans assumed that this simply reflected their limited emotional range; once you got past the rage there simply wasn't much left over.

The mutant facing Daniel swung his gatling laser in an almost leisurely maneuver, shifting his center of gravity to the leg closer to his target. His mouth closed to hide his teeth as his cheeks were pulled up even closer to his eyes. What passed for the mutant's lips curled upward. Daniel thought this was perhaps the first time he had seen a super mutant smile.

"Got you." the mutant whispered.

Daniel realized that a moment's idle curiosity was going to cost him his life. Instinctively he raised his own weapon though he knew he was going to be just an instant too late. He didn't have time to feel regret, he just … watched the Overlord's head explode. He turned to his right as Liam was lowering his AK. Daniel shrugged and exhaled. He felt relief wash through him. Then the wall fell in.

"It's just a hole," Liam protested, "not the entire wall." For a moment he had thought the building was coming down too soon. Three mutants came through the new entrance to the lobby. They fell in a hail of bullets but already there were shadows taking form behind them.

"Let's get back into the theatre." said Liam.

"I'm right behind you." Daniel replied.

They turned and ran to the end of the short hallway and through the service door. It led to the front of the theatre, stage left. They were alone for the moment but the raucous intruders were close on their heels.

"Up here." said Daniel as he climbed onto the stage.

"I always thought you must be a bit of a prima donna." said Liam, "and here's proof."

Daniel took the needling in stride and cut between the curtains. With Liam following, Daniel began to climb a ladder that rose to the catwalk above.

"I hope this isn't a dead end." Liam remarked.

"If it is, it'll give new meaning to the phrase." replied Daniel, continuing to climb while gesturing at the mutants who had begun to enter the performance hall. Liam fought an irrational urge to cry out "Tickets, tickets please." He watched Daniel reach the top of the ladder and move to his left along the metal scaffolding. At one end of the catwalk was a small door into which Daniel disappeared.

"You might have told me that there was an exit up here." scolded Liam.

"What? And ruin the surprise?" answered Daniel. Then he explained "Gideon showed me the blueprints, remember?"

Liam showed his teeth in a sardonic grin but before he make a riposte the theatre speakers came to life with the now-familiar voice of GNR-come-to-the-Potomac.

"Hey, how're you Frankensteins liking our theatre? If you have any questions or complaints, please speak to your nearest usher so he or she can tell you to EAT SHIT AND DIE! Does that make you angry? Well too bad, you can't do anything about it. I think I'll just sit on this microphone all night and tell you how stupid you are. Big, stupid mutants; can't even find a few humans, can you? Hahahaha. Come and get us, muties."

"I think they're good and provoked by now." said Daniel. "I know that old saw about an angry opponent being already defeated, but still …. There's just something about antagonizing ten-foot tall monsters that speaks to my sense of self-preservation."

"I know what you mean," said Liam, "but I think that was for the benefit of the mutants still outside in the Plaza."

"I may have to revise my opinion of raiders' intelligence." cracked Daniel.

"Famous last words?" Liam retorted.

"We're going to have to blow this building soon, remaining mutants or not." said Daniel.

"OK, let's get back to the roof and see how many are still wandering around outside." Liam said.

…

"Major, MAJOR!" The trooper who had stuck his head down the companionway was asking to have it cut off. Nevertheless, he persisted in his nearly hysterical rant long enough to get his commander's attention.

"I don't recall asking for a wakeup call, trooper. Is there a reason that you're shouting at an officer or shall I just schedule the court martial?"

"It's the super mutants, sir. They're not attacking the Citadel any longer. They've moved to the building next door. We thought the building was empty but someone is in there and he's provoking the mutants to attack." The trooper was the only member of the crew who was notfrom the Hellfire battalion. He was there because he was a Pilot. He came from a family of river sailors and was himself familiar with this river. This particular boat belonged to his uncle. Boats, however, were not a priority for the Enclave. The Enclave was not a naval power.

"When did this happen?" D'Urberville snapped.

"We aren't sure, sir. There are no lights on shore. We've been hearing gunfire and explosions all along. We know there's been a battle in progress since this afternoon; we just didn't realize it had shifted its focus."

"Are the Brotherhood's troops holding the building that's under siege?" asked the Major.

"Unknown, sir, but I don't think so. They have speakers mounted on the building and they're using them to provoke the mutants."

"Provoke them? How?" D'Urberville was nearly apoplectic now. Lieutenant Tubbs came down the companionway having heard the commotion. Sergeant Mitchell walked in from the cabin housing the technical equipment into the main cabin. He had heard the Pilot inform the Major that the mutants were being provoked. He was as curious, in his own way, as the Major was about what could incite the mutants to reverse their field and attack an empty or nearly empty building.

"Shakespeare, sir. They're reading … Shakespeare." the Pilot said, as if he wished he could have said just about anything else.

"What? Are you serious, Pilot? If this is a joke, it's in very poor taste." said the Major.

"Shakespeare always pisses me off." Tubbs commented wryly. He smiled until he saw his commander's expression.

"Turn off the transmitter and shut down the chem. tanks." ordered D'Urberville. "If they clear their heads and revert to character they'll realize that they're on the doorstep of the Citadel in force. With any luck they'll turn back around and finish melting their walls into slag."

"They need to get the hell out of that empty building first." said Sergeant Mitchell. "There're only a few hundred of them left in the Plaza. D'you see the firefight goin' on in that building? Who the hell are they shooting at?"

"Who cares!" yelled D'Urberville. "Once their neurotransmitters come out of high gear they'll start acting like their old, stupid, vicious selves. Now turn it all off."

The gunny sprang into action turning off the valves and shutting off switches. D'Urberville crossed into the fo'c's'le and Mitchell commented softly "What a loser. He manages to get damn near every mutant in the Capital Wasteland to move to the Brotherhood's front door, and then he loses control of 'em."

"Stow that bullshit, Gunny." said Tubbs. "We're not out of the game yet. Give the man a chance."

"I'm talkin' FUBAR here, LT." Mitchell knew he was bordering on insubordination here, but his frustration was driving him. "It's like that cartoon rabbit said, 'What a maroon.'"

Tubbs just shook his head and said "Just keep your eyes on the Plaza."

….

"Gideon, can we get any of those spotlights from the amphitheatre up here to the roof?" asked Maggie.

"Yes, if the mutants haven't reached the third floor yet. That's where the lights are mounted so they can illuminate the grounds." the old soldier answered.

"What about power?" Maggie asked, looking for power cables or other sources of electricity.

"The building hasn't had power in years," Gideon answered, "but I have several fission batteries that will work nicely."

"Let's go get them." Maggie said. She moved to descend the stairs but paused and bent to pick up Daisy.

"Hanu, will you keep Daisy with you? If something happens to us while we're fetching these lights I don't want Daisy to become a meal for one of these mutants."

"Of course, Maggie. I'll keep her with me at the back wall. If I see any mutants, we'll both be down the side of the building."

"Just watch out; she isn't really house trained yet." Maggie warned.

"If the mutants break out onto the roof," Hanu replied, "Daisy won't be the only one who wets herself."

"OK then, let's go."

….

Maggie, Vikia and Gideon headed down the stairs cautiously. The mutants had reached the building only a couple of minutes earlier, so the main body had to still be on the main floor. With any luck they'd be pinned down by the robots and the defensive turrets for the time being. Isolated groups might find their way to the upper floors, however, and Maggie wasn't taking any chances.

She used a Stealth Boy and passed one each to Vikia and Gideon. Gideon took the lead as he knew the most direct route to the equipment they needed. They reached third floor without incident and began unbolting the spotlights from their perches on an exposed porch overlooking the north side of the theatre.

Maggie could see that the Citadel had been nearly abandoned as a target of the super mutants. This might be cold comfort for the Brotherhood, however; should the theatre be reduced, the horde might easily turn back and renew their attack upon them. The bolts on the lights had rusted in the 200 years since they had last been used, but Vikia's strength proved sufficient to force them.

She picked up one of the lights and Gideon made to carry the second. He bent at the knees, wrapped his arms around the frame of the lights and rose to his feet – and dropped right back down to his knees.

"How did you …." he looked at Vikia and trailed off. "I can't even …" He shook his head and bent at the knees, gamely wrapping his arms around the surprisingly heavy fixture again. Vikia stopped him with a gesture.

"I'm an android, Gideon. Please allow me to carry them both." She picked up the second light with her free hand and followed Maggie to the door leading to the stairs.

Gideon stared after them. "I guess I'm not the only one here with a story." he sighed, and trailed along providing a rear guard.

As he trailed the two women, Gideon took stock of his companions. They certainly were an unusual lot; androids, raiders, slaves, heroes. They were actually heroes, one and all, he supposed. Why else would they be trying to save the Citadel when they could have scurried away and been safe, at least for the time being. He was pursuing this line of thought further when he walked into the spotlight that Vikia was carrying behind her. He looked up just in time to see Maggie dive to the left into the shallow recess provide by a doorframe. Further down the hall stood several super mutants who looked as startled as he himself felt.

The spell cast by mutual surprise was broken in an instant. The normally-phlegmatic ghoul shouted "Crikey!" and jumped to his right, where a smaller hallway led to a closet. Vikia, loath to drop her equipment froze for a moment. The mutants recovered their wits and seized the opportunity, firing assault rifles and a laser pistol at Vikia, the only target left to them.

At the last second, Vikia raised the spotlight that she was carrying at her waist and it shielded her from the bullets that would have pierced her upper body and face. Still, she took several shots to her legs and arms and was hurled backwards down the hall and up against the wall where she slumped to the floor. The mutants ceased their attack and moved ahead intending to root out Maggie and Gideon.

Maggie had managed to get the door open and had pulled a grenade from her belt and tossed it back out the door into the hall. It exploded at the feet of one of the mutants. The explosion took off his lower body up to his waist. He uttered a plaintive "Hurt" and expired.

Unfortunately for Maggie, this left four more mutants to deal with and there was only an old desk for cover in the room into which she had fled. Gideon could have retreated into the closet to his left, but he chose not to abandon his companions and so lifted his own rifle with which he imagined he would make his last stand. He moved back towards the main corridor from which he had just retreated. As he approached the junction he felt a breeze as he noticed a large object fly down the hall from his left, where he had last seen Vikia lying on her back, to his right, the direction from which the mutants were advancing.

Gideon stopped in his tracks and heard a sickening STRUNK, followed by cracks and thumps and then cries of pain and anger from the mutants as their bones broke and they hit the floor. With his feet still planted to the floor, he raised his rifle and leaned his head forward barely into the main corridor. He saw Maggie in the room diagonally to his right. She was doing the same as him and he saw her eyes widen as her peripheral vision apparently picked up the flight of the second spotlight hurtling down the hall into the already stunned mutants.

Once again he sprang back reflexively – at least a second after the light had passed by him, but then instinct didn't always kick as quickly as one would hope for. Again he heard the sounds of bones cracking and the reaction of mutants which followed. Knowing that Vikia had nothing else to fling at the mutants Gideon stepped into the corridor with assurance – just in time to feel a spray of bullets fly past his head and into the tangle of mutant bodies which littered the floor of the corridor in front of him.

For the third time he jumped back down his hallway. He was becoming quite attached to this safe haven; perhaps he would stay there for a while longer. When the fusillade stopped he looked across the main corridor and saw Maggie poking her head out. In deference to the fury of Vikia's attack, Maggie looked first to her right – in Vikia's direction, to determine any danger. Only then did she look to her left where, as she expected, five large bodies lay in various states of dismemberment.

Maggie and Gideon converged on Vikia, asking whether she had been injured by the impact of the bullets on her limbs.

"No, I'm not badly injured." she said. "I'm just glad they didn't have a flamer or a missile launcher. I guess we better go back for a couple of more lights."

….

They managed to fetch two more lights without incident. Gideon's generators worked as advertised and the spotlights were soon in place on the eastern edge of the roof. Three Dog watched them installing the lights until his curiosity got the better of him.

"OK, I'll bite. What the hell are you going to do with those lights?" he asked.

Maggie explained as succinctly as possible under the circumstances. "You see that boat in the river?"

"Sure. It's been there for days." Three Dog replied.

"Actually," said Maggie, "it hasn't. It's been anchored in several spots, all of them in the river but each of them chosen to best catch the prevailing winds coming off Chesapeake Bay and blowing in the direction of the plaza next to the Citadel."

Three Dogs mouth formed a speechless "Oh" as understanding hit him. Then he narrowed his gaze out over the river and asked "What do you want me to do?"

"Well, most of the mutants are in the building already, but there are still quite a few left in the plaza. We thought 'Why should we have all the fun?' Maybe the folks on that boat would like a chance to meet a real, live super mutant. Do you think you could make that happen?"

A grim smile spread on Three Dog's lips. It held no warmth at all and it never reached his eyes. "Oh yes, I can do that. I'd be very happy to invite those mutants to go for a swim."

…

Liam and Daniel went through the door at the top of the stairway and locked it behind them. Out on the roof they could see Sylvia and Hanu with Daisy in her arms. Maggie, Vikia, Three Dog and Gideon were huddled around some equipment on the east side of the building. Suddenly night turned into day as the two spotlights came on illuminating great swaths of the Potomac. With some adjustment the lights converged on the small boat that had been floating offshore for the past couple of days. Three Dog brought the mike to his lips.

"Hello CHIIIILLLLLLDREEEENNNNNN, or maybe I should say MUUUUTTTTANNNTTTS. Three Dog has been watching you run around like Centaurs with your heads cut off for hours now, and you know what? Three Dog feels sorry for you! That's right; the great and powerful Three Dog says it's time to give you stupid mothers a hint. You want to know where we're hiding? Well listen up 'cause Three Dog is gonna tell you."

Looking over the northern wall of the theatre, Liam could see that the rush into the building had halted. There were perhaps four or five hundred mutants still clustered around the hole in the wall leading into the lobby. Now they stepped out of their ragged queue and looked up at the spotlights expectantly. Some of the mutants shot at the lights themselves; others just shot at the twin beams of light stretching out across the water. The lights were out of range for weapons on the ground and shooting at the water was as effective as might be expected. Then Three Dog dropped the other shoe.

"We're in the boat, you stupid, hulking morons! That's where we've been all along. And you know what? You can't get us out here because you can't swim! So have a nice trip back to Vault 87 or wherever the hell you come from because you're never going to get us – we have a boat! Ha, ha, ha! This is Three Dog at Galaxy News Radio: bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts."

…

"Major!" This time the trooper came down the companionway and came to attention before speaking. "We're lit up, sir; lit up like a, a … I don't know, like a, a …. They have spotlights trained on us, Major. They can see us!"

"You think I can't see that?" asked D'Urberville. He stood up and walked to the porthole. The cabin was nearly as bright as it would be in broad daylight. He saw that the spotlight beams were trained amidships. He could see the shore clearly and he assumed that they could see him just as well – better since the lights were now in his eyes. Further, he saw mutants launching themselves into the water. Fortunately, the current was carrying them downriver, but some of the mutants had apparently learned from their earlier crossing and had moved north, almost to the Citadel fortifications, before diving into the frigid, fast-moving water.

With secrecy no longer an issue D'Urberville swept onto the deck, aft of the main cabin. He found Lieutenant Tubbs at the wheel. Sergeant Mitchell was above in the cockpit tower observing the mutant's progress. The Major viewed the tableau with the expression of a man watching his home burn to the ground. Horror, fascination and finally resignation crossed his face. In defeat he displayed an almost noble mien. He turned to Tubbs and said "Cut us loose, Lieutenant. We've done what we can here."

"Yes sir." replied Tubbs. "Trooper, raise anchor and fire the engines. Next stop is Chesapeake Bay."

The crew jumped to their tasks, eager to put the former Capital behind them. D'Urberville tugged at Tubbs' sleeve, an strangely intimate gesture in these circumstances. Quietly he said "I won't be going with you, Lieutenant. I'll be leaving the boat at the ramp just downriver. You'll be in charge now; get the crew home safely, eh?"

"Sir? You can't mean to stay behind. I know this is a disappointment but …."

"No Lieutenant, it's simple good manners. Someone has to stay behind and report the final outcome of this endeavor. Also, I'd prefer a quick death in the Wasteland to a slow debriefing at the hands of our interrogators."

Surely not, sir. Augustus Autumn is dead." said Tubbs, his consternation growing in proportion to the realization that his commanding officer was utterly committed to this plan.

"Colonel Autumn was a symptom, Lieutenant; he was not the cause of the Enclave's political and philosophical depravity." said D'Urberville. "I'll be taking the spare radio, and of course a plasma rifle and the ship's chems and its war chest. I have no illusions of living to a ripe, old age, but there's no sense in making it easy for the bastards to kill me."

Tubbs smiled in spite of himself. Gunnery Sergeant Mitchell couldn't have been more surprised if President Eden was revealed posthumously to have been leading a double life as the voice of Galaxy News Radio. They set the Major ashore next to an old tub named the Duchess Gambit. The crew of the ferry seemed to consist solely of one young woman who vigorously waved to Sergeant Mitchell as the boat pulled up to the shore.

"I think she likes you, Gunny." said Lieutenant Tubbs.

The Sergeant hurried below muttering something about "… make a train take a dirt road." He didn't come back on deck. Major D'Urberville walked to the gangplank, turned and saluted Tubbs and walked down the pier to the shore carrying his gear. He disappeared into the complex of buildings and didn't look back.

…

"I just found this recorder. I hope it works. I'm Hanu … My name is Hanu Staley. If we're going to die I hope that whoever finds it will let my brother know what happened to me. They're probably going to call this 'The Battle of the Citadel' or some such thing. My brother is Gary Staley. He lives in Rivet City and he, … he has a diner called Gary's Galley that he runs with his daughter Angela. Remember I was there, Gary. You tell my niece, too. Tell her that her aunt was there with the Lone Wanderer and his friends."

"Three Dog is here, too! Yeah, the DJ from Galaxy News Radio. You know, 'Thanks for listening chilllldren! 'Awwooooh!.' Crazy, huh? He got all the mutants to attack us here in an old theatre where Gideon lives – Gideon's this old ghoul who's been living here forever. It's his home but we're going to blow it up now. He's OK with it I guess. He says it's better than getting killed."

"OK, I'm coming. Hey! Wait for me! We're all going over the roof now. There's rope and we have to tie ourselves to them with these breaker bar things that Gideon had. They slow you down while you're going down the rope so you don't get killed. I'm so afraid! If I fall from here I'll die, I know I will. "

"Maggie and Liam are already on the ground. They make it look easy; they even took Daisy. Go on Three Dog. Oh, man. He puked over the wall. Look out Liam! There he goes. He still looks sick. Sylvia's going down the other rope. What? I can't hear… Oh, that's not a nice thing to say. She doesn't like me recording all this."

"Do I have to? Now? OK, OK. It's my turn. OK, I'll put it away. Oh shit! Here come the mutants! They're coming out of the hatch. Daniel and Gideon are shooting at them. There, over there! … How do you turn this thing …."

…

"I made it! I'm on the ground! Daniel and Gideon are almost on the ground, too. Liam gave me Daisy to hold again, that's the whimpering – not me. Oh, no. I can see mutants on the roof. Everyone's shooting at them. Daniel's on the ground. Jump Gideon! Ah! NO! The mutant fell off the roof! Or maybe he jumped. I think he jumped! Ohmygod!"

…

"Hurrrtts."

"Goddess, he fell right in front of me. He's all twisted up. He sounds like Daisy now. I'm going to be s…."

…

"I'm running … as fast … as I can … Daniel! OK? This is OK? Good, I can't run another step."

"I can't even see the Theatre, now. We're a couple of blocks south, or west or something. Liam and Daniel are checking their little boxes. They're going to blow up the building! I know I shouldn't feel bad for the mutants. They were trying to kill us, but they used to be human! That's what Maggie and Vikia were talking about, anyway. They didn't ask for this; didn't ask to be thrown into a pot full of viruses. Now they have guns and they want to kill us, or turn us into them! But that mutant sounded just like Daisy when he got hurt."

…

"I didn't think anything could be so loud. It went on and on and …. What? I can't hear you …I'm not shouting! I …Oh, OK. It must have been the explosion. Is all that dust from the Theatre? Then, they're all …. I'm finished for now. I'm alive, so I guess I don't really need to record this anymore. You want this, Three Dog? OK, here. Bye."

…

Note: Just wanted to thank everyone who's reading this story; especially if you've written a review and/or sent me an email. This Friday I'm leaving on a cross-country trip. I'm taking my three dogs for a ride in my VW van. We're driving from Carolina Beach, N.C. to Western Massachusetts and then on to Lodi, California. In these times you have to take work where you can find it. It might be a few days or more before I get the next chapter up, but be assured it will be uploaded just as soon as I can manage it. To paraphrase John Paul Jones, "We have not yet begun to …lay pipe."