POV Rio
My bad luck seemed to hold as I didn't get intangibility for another week. From my estimation, I had been in this cell for nearly 2 months, and I was more than ready to leave. The only disappointment was that I didn't get to see how much damage I had done to the Alliance. But I figure I would find that out later.
Intangibility is a very strange power. It makes you feel like you are constantly falling or like you are both in reality and not. I felt as if I wasn't present. To be fair, I did fall a lot. I fell through the ground and felt like I had no control over my movement. Which was technically true. Learning to control my movements was very difficult. I was very fortunate to have experience being incorporeal, which helped a decent amount.
The first issue was the sinking, in which case I had gotten dangerously close to the Earth's Mantle. I was not looking to find out if Martians could phase through magma. I knew they were scared of fire, but technically, magma is sort of like fire, but regardless, I didn't want to find out, so I barely managed to stop myself from sinking too far.
Once that was done, I had to figure out how to ascend. That was almost as hard as sinking. I had no control over how fast I moved, so I started zooming through the Earth like a Molerat on Super Jet. Which brought a far greater risk. I was decently sure I wasn't invisible while phasing. Which meant if I didn't stop fast enough, I would break the surface and be spotted likely decently quickly. Now, that wouldn't be the end of the world per say as I look nothing like I usually do, but a strange, floating, intangible, green-skinned, red-eyed man wearing a stripper's outfit might cause some complications. At best, they assume I am some sort of Aberrant Super Mutant. Thankfully, I managed to stop myself around 5 feet below the surface.
'I'm starting to second-guess this plan.'
After that mess, I had to learn horizontal movement. That was thankfully not as bad because I have learned ascending and descending movement. The only issue I found was that I was slow. Like really slow. I was moving at a slow walking pace at first. But thankfully, I slowly increased the speed. I really only topped out at 20 mph, but it was better than the 2 mph I started at. But that still meant I was going to have a very long walk home.
'Sigh. Well, I guess it's not the end of the world.'
When I had less than a minute, I surfaced in an abandoned building that stunk of death. And I don't mean the smell of rotting flesh, but the conceptual energy of death. It was a deeply uncomfortable place to be. It also meant things couldn't really live here. Not that you would want to, as it has some nasty side effects if you stay exposed to it for too long.
Once I surfaced, I was still a good 10 days away from Boston. And I couldn't use most of my transport options as I needed to avoid attention. So that meant no flying. It also meant that I had to be disguised to avoid being noticed. For that reason, I had already thought of a disguise perfect for being noteworthy but also very different than what anyone would associate with me. I decided to go with a rough, no-nonsense, old-fashioned cowboy that doesn't take anything from anyone and has a constant don't mess with me look. Someone that you wouldn't want to walk up to and talk to. So I chose Clint Eastwood
[Image Here]
For equipment, I went with an old Cowboy Duster with two six-shooters strapped to my sides and a Lever Action Rifle strapped to my back. Of course, the best part was the traditional cowboy hat. The only thing I was missing was a horse. I was really tempted to make a robot horse or something, but I thought it might be noticeable if someone looked too closely. That, and I would still be stuck at no higher than 30 mph. Which is technically the normal gallop speed for a horse, but I could go faster if I traveled on foot. And it would be easier to avoid trouble on foot. Lastly, horses are thought to be extinct, so it would draw even more attention if I rode into town on one.
'That and I don't want to think about the moral ramifications of riding a horse, given that several of my subjects are sentient horses.'
I figured that this disguise was the best for avoiding trouble or having to speak to almost anyone. I was armed enough to dissuade some folks from trying anything, and looked unapproachable enough that others would avoid me if they saw me.
'I suppose Raiders might still try something… Eh, that's future me's problem. You know, one of these days, a future me might get me back for making all this trouble for future me. But I suppose that would be future me's problem, or I guess it would be future me being accosted by future future me. And… I'm just going to stop before I give myself a headache thinking about time travel shenanigans.'
I left the building and started walking my way home.
POV Theodora
I enter the command room that has broken terminals and smoking components from recently put-out fires. Occasional sparks fly from open wires or broken machines. Soldiers are moving the dead bodies and broken robots from the command room to the recycling plant. I ignore them to continue towards the person I came here to see.
"Colonel Winter, have we found the traitors?" I ask.
Winter seems shocked by my question or perhaps by my presence in such a messy and damaged area. Either way, when he went to reply to me, a nearby terminal burst into flames, and he had to quickly put it out with a fire extinguisher.
"Apologies, ma'am, we're still in the process of cleaning up the mess. As for the traitors, I'm sorry to report that we have a few unaccounted for. Several units with our New Kowloon base fled into the city, and it's possible the locals are sheltering them. We tried to pursue them, but after losing 11 soldiers, we fell back, as I deemed it wiser to stabilize our current messy affairs before we try to apprehend the traitors," Winter reports.
"What are our losses?" I ask.
"We have 1300 living survivors and 300 robots, with another dozen or so injured survivors. We suffered heavy damage to numerous facilities, and one of the platforms is on the verge of collapse. I've started emergency repairs to stabilise the damage, but we're stretched incredibly thin," Winter reports.
The losses were far more severe than I originally anticipated, but I didn't let my shock show on my face.
'1600 soldiers will have to do for our current operations.'
"And what of our key facilities?" I ask.
"Rio's prison is completely stable. Only one of the people present was controlled, and they were very quickly apprehended. The Sub suffered no damage or interference as the members were shielded from psychic influence. The Vault has massive flooding in 20% of the Vault, but structurally its stable. Besides that one platform, the rest of HQ is still stable, and the repairs shouldn't take too long. New Kowloon suffered moderate damage, but it pulled through. The research base was dealt with swiftly thanks to Agent Horrigan's team," Winter replies.
"Has the captured given any information?" I ask.
"Not yet, ma'am, and I am not sure if they ever will," Winter replies.
I raise my eyebrow, and he continues.
"The captured traitor seems to be in some sort of trance. They keep repeating the phrase good soldiers follow orders. But are otherwise unresponsive. The most info we have gotten was not from them, but from those who resisted the enemy's influence. From their reports, it seems like this might have been perpetrated by a person trying to avenge Vault 13. Enough of those who resisted corroborate the stories to seem decently credible. Of course, it was the Enclave that attacked Vault 13, but I suppose us being lumped in with the group we came from is plausible," Winter reports.
I didn't know why, but that explanation didn't sit right with me.
"Have the Minutemen made any moves?" I ask.
"Not that I have heard of. Do you think they might be involved?" Winter asks.
"Hmm, No. They have just lost their leader, and we still have a truce. They are also still busy trying to figure out how we captured them all without being noticed. The recent reports even suggest they are trying to locate our agents and bases. If they were involved, then I would have expected some movements by now. Not to mention, we have found no evidence of a person with such power being among their ranks. The only reported Psyker died during the siege of Sanctuary. Thus, it is unlikely. But they might use this weakness if it is discovered," I reply after some thought.
"I will make sure we keep an eye on them," Winter replies.
"We must be very careful. Our enemy has knowledge that most wouldn't have. Those who know we come from the Enclave are few outside our numbers, and those who remember the destruction of Vault 13 are even fewer. I would suggest you cross-reference those who would know both. While I doubt we had a mole or traitor in our midst, it is best to be sure," I order.
"Yes, ma'am," Winter replies.
After our discussion ends, I move to assist the men in the cleanup. While I wasn't knowledgeable about the mechanics of the equipment, I could at least assist them in cleaning up the rubble and the dead. Colonel Winter tried to suggest I not lower myself to such menial work.
"One must never allow oneself to become complacent. The mind and body are linked together in a meshwork of oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and neuron health. Physical exercise drives this meshwork, stimulating the brain and freeing one's intellect. A change in focus can allow the subconscious mind to focus on unresolved questions," I reply.
"Uh? Sigh. Very well, ma'am," Winter replies, and we all start working on getting the command center operational again.