Chapter 276 - Dreadful Tapes

Afton's throat becomes somewhat hoarse after listening to the Holo-Tape... Christine was here?... And she was hunting Elder... Former-Elder Elijah. He wasn't sure what the Brotherhood of Steel circle was, but from the sound of it, it was some kind of special forces department of the faction. Is that why Christine left? She was invited to become one of them?

He shakes his head and focuses on the more problematic part of the tape... Christine had been here, and an Auto-Doc had operated on her, cutting open her head like the 'humans' she'd seen here. Afton heavily suspected the people she referred to be lobotomites.​​

A growl unconsciously escapes his throat, if the scientists had hurt her, he'd tear them apart with his bare hands! He didn't lose his temper often, but that was a different story if someone wanted to harm his family.

By the sounds of it, they had operated on Christine and affected her mental faculties... Making it more difficult for her to hack, something that came naturally to anyone from the Brotherhood of Steel... Fucking bastards!

His plotting to destroy whatever pacification field was within the Think Tank to interrogate them was interrupted when he realised there were two other tapes he hadn't listened to yet... Composing himself, he forced down his anger and activates the next one.

"*Bzzt!*

Christine: ...don't want to argue philosophy with you. Brotherhood are preservationists. Tech in the wrong hands, it's dangerous. Mojave's proof.

Unknown man: No denying that. Proof's here in this crater, all around us. Your tribe, the Brotherhood - haven't met many of you. Wanted to. Thought you might be the last chance for the Mojave... the West. The East. But you're all the same mind, obsessed.

Christine: Elijah is obsessed. He's mad. It's why they ordered his execution.

Unknown man: Two are more alike than you know, too wrapped in the wrong bits of history to see ahead. Not judging. I know how it is. People are like couriers, you and him. Sometimes don't even know the message they bring. You all had a new flag. Thought maybe new ideas along with it. What you believe isn't any better than the Bear or Bull. No future in either.

Christine: So says the man with the Old World flag on his back. America, the Commonwealth... burned away.

Unknown man: America sleeps. And until it's dead, I carry it. Just like I carried you. More than hope. Belief. There's voices here in the Big Empty, I want to talk to them. Not like your Elijah did. Got questions. Want to hear history give its answer."

The discussion between the two had allowed Afton to start thinking rationally again... Honestly, he agreed with whoever Christine had been talking with. The Brotherhood was obsessed, their duty towards the preservation of humanity as well as the protection and detention of dangerous technology had been slowly altered as time went on.

His words were wise, measured. Like someone who'd been and seen through much to form his opinion, one that would not be swayed against any half-assed argument. It didn't sound like stubborn rigidness that people like that usually do, no, he sounded like he hoped he was wrong, but knew the unfortunate truth.

Christine's voice brought a sad smile to his face though, it'd been so long since he'd heard from her... It was good to know she was still alive, or at least, had been alive when these tapes were recorded.

Afton looks to the next Holo-Tape and nervously activates it, hoping Christine would still be ok and for it not to just be a memorial by the man after she'd perished.

"*Bzzt!*

Christine: ...didn't think you'd make it back.

Unknown man: Almost didn't. Got my answers. Your Elijah, he met the Gods in this place, did a good job of making them question the way of things.

Christine: Do you know where he went?

Unknown man: He's gone to the Sierra Madre. That's a special kind of hell. He won't come back. Someone smarter, tougher's going to kill him. If the Madre doesn't.

Christine: I have to go after him.

Unknown man: Not going to talk you out of it. Know what it means to track someone you share history with. Got a meeting of my own.

Christine: That Courier?

Unknown man: Get her to come to me. Got a message for her, like the message she had for me. Make them walk the road west, straight and true, sink their feet in Old World ash. Let storms tear at them. See the Divide. See what happened.

Christine: The Divide? There's nothing there.

Unknown man: Nothing there? Like the Big Empty? The Sierra Madre? No, the Old World sleeps there, sure as the flag I carry. The Courier knows the way. And at the Divide, her and I - there, we'll have an ending to things."

This tape was more ominous than the last ones... The unknown man had said Elijah had met the gods here. Unless he was referring to some sort of supernatural force, Afton could only speculate that he meant the scientists. They were the owners of this place, the creators and destroyers...

Apparently, Elijah had left for someplace called the Sierra Madre? And Christine was going to follow him...

Afton had no idea what, or where the Sierra Madre was, nor why Elijah would want to go there. All he knew was that if he wanted to find Christine, he'd need to go there. It didn't matter how dangerous it might be, he needed to find her. Find her and Veronica, bring everyone back together again, like how things used to be.

He lingered in the self-created sombre mood for a while before shaking himself out of it. No, he couldn't be distracted by emotion yet. There was still much to analyse from the tape, information pertaining to the man Christine had been speaking with.