[center][h1][color=ac00e6]Khaliya, The Swordwind[/color][/h1]
[b][u]December 3rd, 2286
New York City Metro - Blue Line[/u][/b][/center]

Enclave. The symbol and its meaning was not lost on either Khaliya or Jeremiah, each reacting in their own way. For her part, she treated it with surprising indifference. Simply taking down the information and processing it, ensuring that when and if the group met the creature again they would know exactly how to take it down. If it had been, or still was, Enclave in the past then that meant that in addition to having advanced and capable power armor, it was innately skilled in the use of it. [color=ac00e6]"Understood Emil, if we see it again, then we'll kill it."[/color] All business, no fuss. Even with the helmet it was clear that she was paying no more heed to the matter than necessary, and was already moving on towards the next objective. Her husband was not [i]quite[/i] as detached from former grudges however, and even as her thoughts turned towards speaking to him, he spoke out to the group.

"No, we kill it now." Bold words and spoken with righteous fury, the kind that was not unusual to those who served during the Brotherhood-Enclave war. Yet for all of his reasons, this was not the time or the place, and with just a glance around the group her concern grew. If he maintained this stance, then the already palpable tension between the two of them and the others would reach a breaking point. When that happened, it wouldn't matter if they had the power armor, the skills or weapons. Both of them would meet an end right here and now, and there would be nothing they could do about it except take as many of them with them as they could.

While she wasn't entirely sure about Jeremiah, she was determined not to meet that end just yet, as she still had a mission to complete. [color=ac00e6]"Don't be foolish. If we go down that tunnel, we would just be feeding ourselves to it one by one. These two barely made it back, and they're not in power armor."[/color] A metal-shod finger pointed to both Emil and Devon, making not just Jeremiah but the rest of them keenly aware of the difference in size between the hazmat suits and the armor. [color=ac00e6]"It isn't giving chase for now, and it might not at all. Even if killing it was on the table right now, our best and only chance at doing so would be to lure it here into the tunnel where all of our guns and armor are."[/color]

A nod here and there came in affirmation, though she was sure that it was more so for the prospect of not feeding the group single-file through a cramped and crushed subway train. It wasn't tactically sound, even to the most novice of them, and it put them in a dangerously weak position. Either her or Jeremiah would have to lead the way, likely by forcing a path through and if they got stuck… It was simply too much risk, but he wasn't having any of it.

"I'll be damned if we just sit by and let something like that live." And for just that brief moment, she felt herself slip just a little. Rare did she feel the red come over her senses, only ever in the most intense moments of battle, or when someone pushed her just that bit too far. Never before had she been that way with Jeremiah, but he had let his ego and desire for vengeance get the better of him. No matter that it had been years since Sarah, or that their war with the Enclave was long over. For many of their people, it wasn't over as long as there was a single one of them left.

[color=ac00e6]"Paladin Bertrand, private channel. [i]Now[/i]."[/color] Silence dominated the open channel for that long moment, both Brotherhood paladins staring across the station at each other. Khaliya from her vantage point on the platform itself, facing the group and her husband. Jeremiah from the tracks just a few strides from Emil, Devon and the open end of the carriage buried in rubble. Neither moved for the duration of their conversation, and their helmets conveyed little in the way of expression. Yet for all of that, it very much looked like things were coming to a head and in a hurry.

[color=ac00e6]"Jeremiah, stand down right now."[/color] She hissed the words through clenched teeth and barely constrained irritation, feeling every bit as if the mission was on the line. If he committed to this choice, then it very much could be, and she couldn't let him continue with it.

"You know we can't just let it get away! How many more could there be? What if the Enclave is waiting right around the corner for us, ready to take down the group one by one as we leave the station?" Always so sure of the threat, he couldn't see that their enemy was gone, that it was no longer an enemy at all. Part of her wanted to yell at him over the channel, to shout him down into submission and get things back in order, but instead she took a deep breath and calmed herself. If she came at him with emotion, then he would do the same and… As much as she wanted to believe she would win that, she knew by now that it wouldn't quite go the way she wanted.

[color=ac00e6]"We are in the most dangerous place on the East Coast, and perhaps in the whole damn wasteland, Jeremiah. In here, we need to work together and carefully consider every threat we take on."[/color] It was exactly what she had said to him that night when he agreed to come with her. He had his doubts about the Necropolis and the potential within, as the Brotherhood had sent patrols in every so often and none ever returned with anything substantial. Though it wasn't that which had given him those doubts, but that he had not actually spoken with the Pariah or seen them for himself. Taking on a mission from an outsider, especially one that he didn't know, that was what made him wary.

"I am aware of that, Khaliya. We still nee-"

[color=ac00e6]"No. Remember what I said. No Brotherhood, no Enclave, there is only the mission. The people in this group are here because they have a specific purpose to fulfill, a specific skill. [i]I[/i] asked you to come along because I trust you, and I need you to have my back. You said once before that you would do anything for me, is that right?"[/color]

Silence over the channel, his posture shifted just a little bit. Shoulders dropping a fraction, her words had the intended effect, and she hated herself for it. Using people had never been something she liked to do, even if it was for the good of the mission or for their own benefit, but while she could stand it when dealing with strangers… Having to do this hurt. Luckily for both of them, he couldn't see her face and the way it twisted with anguish over putting him through this.

"It's always been like that…"

[color=ac00e6]"Then stop this. What you're doing, it's not in the interest of the mission, it's to satisfy the vendetta you and the rest of our order has against the Enclave. If you go down that tunnel, you would be dying for a grudge. A grudge that has long since been met with blood and to continue down that road only courts more. I need you to be able to look past that, to come with us and ensure this group gets where it needs to go."[/color] She paused, biting at her lip as she carefully considered the next words. There needed to be more resolve than feeling if she was to see this mission through, and though he wouldn't like it and she would hate herself for it, she had to ensure his own loyalty.

[color=ac00e6]"You swore your life to me, just as I swore mine to you. I need to know, are you still willing to die for me if that is what it takes?"[/color]

It was just shocking enough to work, to get him focused back on the mission and moving away from the railcar. "Of course, Khaliya." With that, they both shifted back to the open channel, where she addressed the rest of them.

[color=ac00e6]"Not ideal by far, but yes we have to go above ground. What was on the other side of the collapse will likely not be the worst the city has to offer, but so long as we play it safe and only engage when we have to…"[/color] Her gaze lingered on her husband for a moment, just to reinforce the point a little more. [color=ac00e6]"We [i]will[/i] reach our objective, and we [i]will[/i] make it out of this city alive."[/color] There was no point to drawing things out longer than necessary, only that she saw Servius turn over a spare weapon to Devon, and that the rest of them were ready to move.

Her steps cracked the tile of the platform as she made her way towards the stairs, flickering lights illuminating the towering form of her armor and casting a long shadow back into the tunnel.