[color=9e0b0f][b]The Pitt - Haven, Ashur Square[/b][/color]

The appointed hour had come. Standing atop the steps of Haven Abaddon had been checking his old pre-war pocket watch constantly: it was now 12:55 - five minutes until the designated time that [i]something[/i] was supposed to arrive. What that ‘something’ was exactly going to be was entirely unknown, but his hope was that the message sent in reply was an earnest one. No doubt The Institute had seen the attacks on both The Pitt and Enclave and knew the stakes. As the old saying went: United we stand….

“Abaddon - you mind telling me why I just cordoned off an entire section of Uptown?” Guard-Captain Harlock growled as he strode up to him in full armor. Abaddon had hoped to keep the perfidious young Captain of The Guard out of this, but it was ultimately futile: security of Haven fell squarely to him and his guardsmen. It was an annoying little detail that he hoped to be rid of one day. 

“Don’t question me Harlock,” Abaddon sneered as he clicked the pocket watch closed, “You might be Lady Marie’s trusted guard-dog, but remember that I’ve served her family loyally since she was in diapers.”

“Can you at least give me a fucking idea of what’s about to happen then?” 

Abaddon shook his head, “Noo…because I don’t even know myself. All I know is what was contained in the message sent to us. Something is coming. I have a rough idea of [i]how[/i] it will be sent, but not [i]what[/i]. ”

Behind him, Bone and her crew clutched at their weapons, their keen eyes trained on any possible movement. A number of snipers armed with Infiltrators had been perched in the nearby buildings, scopes zeroed in on Ashur square. 

“You feel that?” Bone asked suddenly, voice unsteady. The blonde raider boss was clearly uneasy, “Like a charge in the air…”

“Just like a radstorm..” Captain Harlock added nervously, “Abaddon…”

“I don’t [i][b]fucking[/b][/i] know, just keep an eye out…” Abaddon reiterated, and he found his bony hand instinctively wrap around the double-barrel sawed-off holstered at his hip, “Electromagnetic energy…its starting…” He added.

Abaddon felt the few remaining wispy tips of his gray hair begin to stand on end. The energy in the atmosphere was unmistakable and powerful. 

Suddenly there was a loud crack of energy which tore through the air in a bright blue flash. Abaddon and the raiders shielded their eyes from the bolt as it struck the ground. A faint burning ozone smell was left in the air, and cautiously Abaddon turned his head and reopened his eyes. 

In the center of the square, mere footsteps away from the great steel statue of Lord Ashur sat a number of wood crates and a red metal footlocker in the exact spot the blue light had been seen. A few of Bone’s raider guards slowly began to approach the boxes with weapons raised. 

“DON’T TOUCH IT!” Abaddon shouted as he quickly made his way down the steps of Haven, “None of your ingrates lay so much as a finger on any of those!”

The raiders dutifully backed off, and Abaddon approached the boxes, carefully and somewhat painfully, kneeling down next to them. 

The old scribe took in an excited intake of breath and ran a finger along the top of the metal footlocker. To his surprise it wasn’t hot, it wasn’t even warm, and there was absolutely no visible damage. It was as if someone had gently dropped the boxes right at this spot. 

“Incredible…” He mouthed, “Perfectly intact. Astounding…”

He opened the footlocker, examining the strange equipment within. All of it looked new and recently manufactured, unlike any pre-war tech he’d ever seen in his time within The Brotherhood or beyond. 

A set of instructions and schematics appeared to be contained within, and he read through it quickly - growing more and more visibility excited with each passing second. 

Finally he whipped his head around and pointed at Bone’s raider crew,

“Well? What are you idiots waiting for? Get over here and get this to my lab. Now! Come on come on, I haven’t got all night…”

“Hold it Abaddon,” Captain Harlock interrupted, striding forward with a number of his guardsmen at his back, “You’re not taking any of that shit into Haven. I won’t allow it.”

Abaddon stood up and sneered at the Captain of the Guard, “It's my prerogative what I bring or don’t bring into my laboratory, Captain.”

“Normally yes, but [b]THAT[/b] is different,” Harlock retorted pointing to the boxes, “It all just appeared out of fucking nowhere and until you’ve studied it and can tell me with certainty that  it ain’t just some kind of bomb….its going nowhere near Haven. Understood?”

Abaddon growled, “How dare you…Bone…get that equipment into my lab NOW!”

Harlock reached for the ripper at his side, drawing it forth. The guards following him did the same, drawing forth auto-axes and combat shotguns while more Haven guards began to approach from the direction of the gate - drawn by the sound of urgency in their Captain’s voice. 

“Uh…Abbadon…” Bone hissed through gritted teeth as she studied the inscrutable faces of the heavily armored raider guards , “I know I owe you and all but…”

“This is ridiculous!” Abaddon sighed, throwing his hands up into the air, “Fine! Not to my lab. We’ll take it to the old plant in the Steelyard. Satisfied [i]Captain[/i]?”

Harlock relaxed and his guardsmen all followed suit, lowering their weapons,  “For [i]now[/i], yes - but my men will escort you through the utility tunnels all the way to the Steelyard. Agreed?”

“Fine! Fine!” Abaddon waved his hand dismissively at the Captain before turning back to Bone, “Well? Don't just stand there you fool! Get your crew moving! Let’s go!”

As Bone’s crew hastily moved towards the boxes, Abaddon flashed a glare towards the young Guard-Captain which Harlock gladly returned. 

[i]One day Harlock you’ll get yours[/i], the old scribe thought hatefully.