POV Rio
"Sir, we got several bogeys coming our way," Pequod reported.
"It seems they sent a welcoming party. Don't deviate, let them approach," I reply.
I am the first to spot the 6 Vertibirds they sent our way. The Vertibirds surround us, and some aim their weapons at us, but don't seem intent on firing unless we start something first. Quiet smirks and even chuckles a bit.
"You want to share with the rest of the class?" I ask.
"Just reminds me of my first trip to Mother Base. The response was pretty close to this," Quiet says with a smirk, but then becomes serious again.
"So is that good or bad?" Loona asks.
"Bad. It shows they are well equipped, and 6 Vertibirds is likely not a bluff," I reply for Quiet.
Quiet nods, and Loona looks a bit nervous.
"Don't worry, if they wanted us dead, we would be dead by now. No, they have plans for me," I say to Loona.
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Loona says with a more pronounced frown.
"Oh, sorry," I reply.
Pequod gets a message from the control tower, and we are told to land on platform A2. The base we approached was odd. It was built in an old quarry. Beyond that, there were at least several thousand soldiers all over the base. I even spot my companions. They seem fine physically, but they had collars on, which I wasn't fully sure what they did. They looked like shock collars, but they seemed designed in a way that didn't fit that model.
'The scumbags.'
As we land, we are met with a man in an Enclave Colonel's uniform, with the colors being navy blue instead of the usual desert tan color. The man was flanked by several soldiers in Power Armor, and they all had laser rifles ready to shoot at me. A smart choice, as plasma would be too slow, and laser guns are at least faster than most combustion weapons. They don't actually shoot lasers, but it's close enough.
"You must be Rio. The Grand Admiral is expecting you. Follow me," the man says.
We start to follow him, and we are led deeper into the quarry. The strangest part was the fact that the entire place seemed too disjointed. The deepest part of the quarry was made of an extremely thick box, but the rest of the place was the usual prewar infrastructure. We were led to an office that seemed slightly more built than the rest of the area, and when my friends tried to follow me in, they were told to stay outside.
"The meeting is between Rio and the Grand Admiral; nobody else needs to be present," the man says firmly.
Loona and Quiet both seem to want to argue, but I stop them. They seemed annoyed, but they followed my orders. I enter the office, and the first thing I see is several items spread throughout the office. The items are all related to my friends or me in one way or another.
"Interesting, isn't it?" says a woman standing behind the desk.
The woman had pitch-black hair, ghostly pale skin, and when she turned around, I saw her crimson eyes.
"It seems you collected quite a bit," I respond.
"Yes, I find that to understand one's foe, you must know their culture and beliefs. Only then can you defeat them," the woman says.
"Such as kidnapping my friends?" I ask.
"Indeed. You care for your friends, just as you care for your subjects. You have repeatedly made choices that are strategically unwise in order to protect those under you," the woman responds.
"You know me, but I'm at a disadvantage. I don't know who you are," I reply.
"I am Grand Admiral Theodora of the Alliance," Theodora introduces.
"Rio, now may I know why you brought me here?" I ask.
"Indeed. I brought you here for several reasons. For one to finally meet the foe that has been my adversary. I have studied you, your friends, the Minutemen, and everything related to you, but I haven't had the chance to meet you until now," Theodora responds.
"Yes, and yet you didn't come in person," I reply.
"I assumed you would see through that. And yes, I have not come in person. You are by far the most dangerous person I have ever seen. I am not so foolish as to believe that being alone with you in the same room would be wise. Your abilities... They constantly evolve. Adapt. Grow. It's fascinating. But also a grave threat. You have to be removed, but previous attempts all failed. I have come to believe it is because you have some ability to either see the future or travel through time," Theodora says while studying me closely.
I don't respond to her dangerously accurate guess.
"If that was the case, then why are we talking? Surely I could have foreseen this or avoided it," I reply.
"Indeed. Why? I think you have already answered my question. You can't control it without some external factor... Death perhaps. It would explain why you only seem to change when you are heading towards dangerous areas. Or how you could predict the trap so effectively and survive," Theodora explains, and even I was impressed by her deductions.
"That still leaves an obvious hole in your theory. Why don't I just kill myself and avoid this entire mess? If I can travel through time or whatever else, then surely I could avoid this scenario completely," I ask.
"As with all theories, it's not perfect. But then again, your psychology can fill in some of the gaps. You're smart. Likely the smartest on the planet. As such, you would be easily able to deduce that we have planned for this for some time. Your friends have been in our custody for quite a while. They haven't been physically harmed unless they struck first. But given their inability to die, I doubt that would be a problem... Of course, we have found quite a useful way around that," Theodora says.
"The collars?" I ask.
"Correct. I must admit the creator was quite the... sadist. He created what he calls the Agonizer. Directs neural stimulation. All of them. Imagine the worst pain you've ever felt in your life, times a thousand. Now imagine that pain continuing forever. That is what they can do. Even the toughest of minds we have tested them on only lasted a few seconds before breaking," Theodora explains.
I have to hold myself back from reacting. I wanted so badly to just destroy this puppet in front of me and go rescue my friends, but I didn't trust that I would be fast enough.
"Of course, we haven't used it on your friends... yet. Which brings me to my main reason I brought you here. I cannot kill you. At least I don't believe I can permanently. Thus, I have created a plan to deal with you, the only other way I know how. Containment. I am sure you have seen the box. 10-meter-thick walls on each side except the top. Made of an alloy made up of various metals for the sole purpose of countering any possible escape ability you have. You will enter the box, and you will be sealed inside. Then buried. Then, after 1 month, your friends will be set free. We will not harm them, and we will not accost them or the Minutemen in any way. A truce will be enforced, and neither side shall harm the other. The companions you came with today and the helicopter shall be let free as soon as we are done here today," Theodora responds.
"And how do I know you will keep your word?" I ask.
"I am sure you have a magical ability that can force me to keep my word. But even if you don't. You can trust that I will follow the best course of action for the Alliance. If I break my word, then a war with the Minutemen will follow. And while I am confident that we can defeat them, given time, it would be far too costly to be worth it. The most strategically viable option is for me to keep my word to preserve my forces," Theodora responds.
"Magic, you say? And what makes you think Magic is even real?" I ask with feigned surprise.
"I am not a fool. I have enough records and reports to confirm the existence of magic. Too many things related to you are too far from science to be achieved by anything short of supernatural powers," Theodora says with a calm and composed tone.
"Let's say I can use magic. What stops me from using that to somehow get out of this situation?" I ask.
"I must admit, the mysteries of magic are an enigma to me. But for all those abilities, all the power, humanity still fell. Thus, Magic cannot be all-powerful; it has limitations," Theodora responds while staring into my eyes.
"Time will tell," I reply.
"So what will it be? Will you surrender? Or will you fight?" Theodora asks.
I think for several moments and realise that going along with this is the best course of action if I want everyone to get out alive. As for the box. I had no doubt I could escape with enough time. Just one of my perks was enough to ensure I could escape. Not to mention the various items in my inventory that could be used for an escape. And it would buy the Minutemen some time to figure out where this enemy is from, as this quarry is clearly not their main base.
I look Theodora right in the eyes and give her my answer.
"Deal," I reply.