I own Knight Captain Marcus, all else to Bethesda.

a/n:

Hi. Idk what I'm doing here. A new fallout games means an obligatory story. We'll play this by ear.

Knight Captain Marcus was never afraid of anything. He had been with the Brotherhood since their trek east and with the true Brotherhood since the Lyons insurrection. He had faced down Super Mutants, packs of feral ghouls, and whole squads of Snyths. But, he would be lying now if he said he wasn't terrified.

His squad was on patrol in the ruins of North Boston. They were clearing out areas for the scribes to investigate. The mutants and ferals were easy targets. But something else was here and it was hunting him. One by one, his squad was picked off, until only he remained. Even in his thick power armor, he shook like a leaf on a windy day. His minigun rattled in his hands and a cold sweat broke out on his skin. He switches his internal radio on, desperately trying to hail Cambridge police station; their closest outpost. "This is Knight Captain Marcus, calling any nearby Brotherhood. I am under attack from unknown assailant. My squad is dead and I am in need of back up. If anyone is near my coordinates please come assist. This message repeats."

The response is immediate. "Knight Captain Marcus, this is Cambridge Outpost. We received your transmission, over."

Marcus sighs in relief. "Thank God, Cambridge. I'm about four klicks south of the Outpost. Unknown assailant has been stalking me and my squad. It has picked them off, one by one. I am the only one left, please advise, over."

"Knight Captain Marcus, return to base. A squad will meet you halfway. Copy, over."

Smiling, Marcus nods his head. "Hard copy. See you there, over and out." Turning, Marcus begins to tromp back the way he came, when he is confronted with a dark plated Sentinel. The figure is housed in black power armor with the exception of green eyes. Snarling, he raises his minigun at the figure, only to have it snatched out of his grip. Eyes widening, he can do little but limply block the blow that sends him into the rubble filled earth. The Sentinel stamps a foot down on his chest, keeping him pinned. Franticly, he sends out a message. "Cambridge! Cambridge! I am pinned by assailant. They are in power armor. Repeat! Repeat! Assailant is in power armor and is damn strong too!"

"You can stop that now," The Sentinel rumbles out. "We have your communications jammed."

Shaking, Marcus smacks at the armored leg fruitlessly. "Who are you?"

The Sentinel chuckles. "Has it been so long, Marcus, that you don't remember my voice?"

Looking at the Sentinel strangely, he cocks his head. Suddenly, however, his eyes widen. "No fucking way. The Lone Wanderer?"

The Sentinel chuckles again. "Very good. Knew there were some brains left in there, Marcus. Now it's time of the kicker." The Sentinel motion off to their right and another figure appears out of the fog of Boston. Marcus gasps at the sight. The woman marches up to the pinned Knight Captain with purpose. Her armor is black as well, but with a lion painted on the breastplate. Her golden hair is tied up in a bun and a black eye patch rests on her right eye.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Marcus spits out.

"I got better," Sarah Lyons sneers at him. She kneels before Marcus and flexes her jaw. "I want you to send a message."

"I'll never do anything for you, traitor!" Marcus yells. The Sentinel leans down and punches him hard, twisting his head to the side. Lights and sensors go wild inside the suit as the HUD works desperately to re-correct itself.

"Wrong answer." The Sentinel hisses. "Cooperate, Marcus, or we'll send the message from your corpse."

Marcus sighs and lays his head down gingerly. "What kind of message, traitor?"

Sarah smirks. She stands and lets out a whistle. Out of the fog several more shapes appear, like monsters from a children's nightmare. Each one is clad in black power armor with the Lyons Pride symbol painted on the breastplate. Marcus' eyes widen at such a force. "This is only the beginning. I will lead a force that will drown Maxson and his band of upstarts. He will feel my fury for leaving me to die. And if any of the other brothers and sister dare to side with the traitor Elder they will suffer in my righteous anger." She motions to the Sentinel, who steps off Marcus' chest. "Go and spread my message, Marcus, for the reckoning is at hand! We are the Brotherhood of Lyons and we shall feast on Maxson's cold, dead, heart!"

Marcus pulls himself to his feet. He sneers at the Brotherhood of Lyons before he limps away, disappearing into the fog. The Sentinel watches him go, before turning towards Sarah. "Do you want me to have him taken care of?"

Sarah shakes her head. "No. He'll be a useful reminder for Maxson. What I do need is for you to start visiting these other factions."

The Sentinel nods. They motion for Sarah to follow them. They lead her into the fog and past the other Brotherhood of Lyons members. "My intelligence indicates that Maxson has made enemies out of the Railroad and the Institute, along with the various communities of Ghouls and Snyths scattered around the Commonwealth. I would suggest that we start with those."

Sarah nods her head at this information. "I agree. You should start with the Railroad and then work towards the Institute. The Ghouls should fold to our side, as will the Snyths."

"And after we kill Maxson?" The Sentinel asks. "These settlements will want to know how we are different from him."

Sarah smiles and places a hand on the shoulder of the Sentinel's armor. "Simple. The Commonwealth is not our land and we have no business here. Once we deal with Maxson, we leave back towards the Capital Wasteland to repair the damage he has done there. We care not about the Commonwealth, only for the upstart tyrant ruining the name of the Brotherhood."

"And unofficially?" The Sentinel asks, leaning their head in.

At this, Sarah's smile turns rueful. "The technology of the Institute sounds valuable," she whispers. "If possible to gain access to that technology and use it for good, then that is an opportunity we cannot pass up. At best, we could convince all sides to work together along with a token force of Brotherhood soldiers. We could set up a provisional government to work with the one we will set up in the Capitol."

"And at worst?"

Sarah shrugs. "An accident could befall the Institute. Since we want to help these people, they turn to us and we will bring this area under our control. We win either way."

The Sentinel smirks beneath their armor. "Sounds good. See, you're getting the hang of this after all." They tenderly brush an armored finger against the cheek of the Elder Lyons. Sarah blushes at the contact and leans into their cold but warm touch.

Sarah moves her hand from the shoulder to the chest of the Sentinel. "That's only because you are here at my side. I couldn't do this without you."

The Sentinel smirks and drops their hand. "Of course you could have. You're a strong woman, Sarah. That is why your father chose you as the next Elder. You Lyons don't back down from challenges or hardships."

Sarah's face softens at the mention of her father and the encouraging words. She smiles and nods her head as she pulls her hand back, not trusting her voice to hold. The Sentinel seems to understand this, as they salute Sarah before turning and marching back into the fog. "Be safe and come home, my wanderer," she whispers as she watches them leave.