Chapter 66: Freedom isn't Free.
"They are ready for you Dr Chalmers," the smartly dressed Lieutenant said as she stepped out into the corridor where she waited for them upon a large soft leather couch, it had been a very long time since she had been to the command bunker, she didn't know whether the rumours of them having a moon base was true as not even her clearance was high enough for stuff for like that.
She straightened up and stretched herself out before smoothing out and creasing from her immaculate lab coat and blouse.
Nodding to the young-looking Luitenant she strode passed her and into the meeting chamber that had a collection of some of the most powerful people within the Enclave sitting around a large circular wooden table that had been nicknamed Camelot but the more arrogant among them.
As she entered all of the people at the table looked up not that she could truly see them as like the vast majority of the Enclave they really liked their secrets and their privacy so even in a face-to-face meeting like this steps were taken to hide their faces and identities using clever use of shadow pools.
"Greetings Dr Chalmers, good of you to join us," one of the people said in a deep voice that she instantly recognised as the Chairman.
The Chairman was a very important person within the organization and one of the most powerful men in the Enclave, he was a man that if he was speaking you fucking well listened or you might not get another chance you might very well just vanish into thin air like you never existed at all.
"Thank you, Chairman, and to all of you for having me," she said respectfully, she might think that most of the people in this room were idiots but she knew the power they held and she herself was not an idiot and she knew how to deal with these kinds of people, the trick was always the ego.
"I'm sure you are aware that we have heard the most disturbing report, of us losing an important foothold just outside of DC, we were building up that site for a full-blown FOB and tactical staging area, but from what we have read from a transcript of radio broadcasts received and from one of our scout teams it appears that we have lost two hundred of our soldiers some of them were even pure-blooded Enclave and the rest were conscripts, but from what we have read it would appear that the perpetrator was someone you would appear to know," he said sliding a folder along the table towards her which she stopped with a single hand and opened it to see some grainy pictures taken from a very long distance using a telephoto lens from what appeared to be a Vertibird as well as some satellite pictures and she recognised the face instantly.
"Number Seven," she said quietly and even through the shadows she could see the nodding of heads.
"Exactly, Number Seven and what's more we have also received other reports that he very well might be responsible for us losing a very valuable tactical asset as well as a very important weapons cache, unfortunately, there were no survivors and given the site was completely destroyed we are kind of lacking in the evidence department, but what our agents did manage to steal out from under the Brotherhood seemingly points a finger squarely at Number Seven and his band of undesirables and animals," the Chairman said.
Dr Chalmers looked at them and nodded, "I am not surprised honoured Chairman and to be fair I did warn the Generals that this may very well happen, this is specifically why I requested authorisation to deploy not just hunter squads but to allow the full use of my project and if this doesn't prove the full viability of it I really don't know what will, Number Seven is one of the test subjects that had the highest potential ability just as I reported and if this does not prove it I don't know what will, he littraly has beaten everything we have thrown at him at every turn, we need him back if I am going to be able to turn him back to the proper side of things, I also think we should consider taking his pet deathclaws in as well, other than the control helmets we had limited with the so called sentient genus and no success with the Gatorclaws non-sentient or sentient alike, by the comparison of his group he seems to have found a way to tame them so that knowlage would be invaluable to a whole host of programs our bioweapons are running, I believe now that maybe you realise the importance of the recovery of Number Seven asap" she said somewhat smugly.
The Chairman gestured for one of his attendants to come forwards and he joined him in the pool of shadows and the two conversed quietly before the attendant left and no one said a single word until they had returned with what appeared to be a file and set of holotapes which the Chairman somehow seemed to be reviewing in the shadows.
"Well Dr Chalmers it does indeed seem that you did bring your reservations to those in authority over about the efforts being made to recapture Subject Seven and I am wondering why only now I am being made aware of this especially since all the damage that he has inflicted to our glorious organization, from this moment onwards I am granting you full autonomy to use whatever assets you deem necessary to recover Subject Seven and I am issuing capture or kill orders on his entire team, but hear me and hear me well Dr Chalmers, the responsibility of this now rests squarely on your shoulders, any success will be credited to you and rightfully so but likewise so will any failure and you will answer directly to me and only to me, if I find you lacking in performance you had better be ready to explain it," the Chairman said.
"Thank you, honoured Chairman, I will not let you down," Dr Chalmers said as she felt her chest swell with pride, finally she was going to be the one in charge of things as well as she deserved to be.
"See that you don't you may go now," the Chairman said and Dr Chalmers bowed and left pulling out her portable radio as she did.
