The Wolf and The Nightingale Vol. 1: A New Legend Begins - CynicSun92 (2024)

Chapter 1: Emergence

Chapter Text

Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All vault residents must vacate immediately.

The hissing sound of the cryopod opening slowly woke him as he tried to pull himself together. It all happened so fast. One minute he was placed in this ‘decontamination chamber’ which turned out be some fancy icebox of sorts.

“God, its f*cking cold in here!”

Bryce had practically collapsed to the floor as the door to his pod fully opened, knees weak from having been locked away for who knows how long in this vault. He slowly stood up as his breathing steadied and strength slowly returned to his body.

Vision still blurry, he looked around to try and makes sense of his surroundings as his eyes locked on to the pod across him. He tried to wrap his head around everything that had occurred the last time he woke up. Everything had been a blur the last time. He remembered two strangers approaching his wife's pod, and then things went downhill...

"Back off! I'm not giving you my baby!" He watched through the window of the cryopod as his wife yelled at the strangers who were trying to take Shaun from her.

"I'm only going to say this only once. Let the boy go," The bald man had said as he raised his revolver at her, while the other in the hazmat suit reached forward to snag their baby. Bryce started beating his fist on the glass, frantically searching for anything that would release him so he could save Arianna.

"Over my dead body," he heard his wife snarl at the gunman.

"That can be arranged," he responded coolly before squeezing the trigger. The gunshot echoed across the room and a cry of pain was heard, but surprisingly, it came from the gunman. In one quick move, she had latched on to the man's wrist with her robotic arm, a military-grade prosthetic that was made for her after she lost her right arm in Anchorage, and pushed his hand away as he fired.

She seemed intent on snapping his wrist but the distraction allowed the man's partner to lean in and quickly grab Shaun from her mother's protective grasp.

"SHAUN!" Arianna cried out and Bryce could see the vicious glint in his wife's eyes, "Give him back, you bitch!"

She almost jumped out of the pod but the gunman recovered quickly, grabbing Arianna from behind and wrapping a hand around her throat.

"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" Bryce yelled though no one was able to hear him. There wasn't enough leg room to try and kick down the door of his pod and he was growing desperate.

In one fluid motion, the gunman threw Arianna back into her cryopod and before she could resist any further, struck her across the face with the butt of his revolver, enough force in the blow to knock her out cold.

"God damn it, close that pod already!" he yelled to some other crony that Bryce was unable to see as he holstered his gun. He must have felt Ari's struggle, brief as it was, since he held onto his wrist with his other hand as he twisted it around a bit. He walked over to the pod across Ari's and Bryce seethed in anger as he took a good look at his face. The most recognizable feature was a large scar on his face.

"Let's hope our backup is a little more cooperative," was all he said as he walked away.

Bryce tried one last attempt at freeing himself from his prison before he suddenly felt a rush of cold air make its way into the pod and before he knew it, he was slowly drifting off to sleep.

He didn't hesitate to lunge at the controls that would open his wife's pod.

"Please let it be a bad dream. Please be alive, Ari." He frantically thought as the pod that held his wife slowly opened. He held his breath for a moment as the woman came into view, and looked at her pale face, kept pristine save for a purple bruise marring her left cheek that had apparently been preserved as well by the freezing process. She slumped forward as the pod completely opened and Bryce rushed to stop her fall.

"Arianna, baby, please. Say something!" Bryce pleaded as he held his wife in his arms. He had just lost his son. He couldn't lose his wife too. The seconds of silence unnerved him to the point of almost suffering a meltdown until he felt his wife stir, gasping for air, which in turn led to a coughing fit.

He embraced his wife to put her at ease as her coughing subsided.

"Just breathe, honey. Calm down and breathe," he murmured, patting Arianna on the back as she brought her hands up and gripped Bryce's shoulders.

She lay still in his arms for a brief moment and her husband was really starting to worry.

"Ari..."

"I'm sorry, Bryce," she said weakly as she pulled away a little from her husband's embrace to look into his eyes. He noticed that tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, "I'm so sorry. Believe me, I tried to fight back but everything was a blur and…"

"Shhh," Bryce shushed her before placing a kiss on her forehead, "I know you did Ari. I saw the whole thing happen. I wanted to help, to save you and our boy, but I couldn't find a way to get out of that thing."

When his wife didn't say anything, he continued.

"It'll be alright. We'll find Shaun together. I'm just glad you're still alive. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you as well."

Arianna sighed. "I honestly thought for a moment that they were sent to release us. I should have known there something a little off about those guys," she said, still disappointed in her inability to protect her son.

"Unexpected things can happen even to the best of us," Bryce said, "It was you who taught me that out in the battlefield, Ari."

"But I lost our son!" his wife insisted with a shake of her head.

"It's not your fault," he assured her, "We must have been locked away down here for a long time. It's only natural that we would be physically weakened from being frozen for a while." He pulled his wife into his arms and gave her a loving kiss.

"Besides, I know for a fact that you would have mopped the floor with that scar-faced cueball and those hazmat suit cronies of his had you been in peak condition."

"Scar-faced cueball, pfft," she giggled weakly at that, finding some solace in her husband's humor. Bryce felt that at least now he was making some progress in bringing back the Arianna he knew so well.

"Gonna have to remember that one for when we find that bastard. I guess it's good to know that I still have your vote of confidence at least," she said with a soft smile.

"Of course you've got my vote. How many times have you saved my ass in Anchorage?" he asked.

"As many times as you've saved mine," his wife retorted, bringing out a chuckle from her husband.

“C’mon, soldier boy,” she said, getting up from the floor and tugging her husband by the arm, “We’ve got to get out of this place.”

“You’ve got it, Nightingale,” Bryce responded,calling her by her old code name.

They checked the other pods to see if anyone else might have survived but much to their horror and disappointment, they discovered that life support systems of every other cryopod had malfunctioned, effectively killing those inside.

“You think those people who took Shaun also did that?” Ari asked, voice a little shaky from the cold and the realization that everyone they knew were pretty much dead.

“I don’t know,” her husband responded, gripping the security baton he found a little tightly, ready to strike in case of any hostiles, “But it’s very likely.”

So the stranger was now guilty of taking Shaun, laying a hand on Arianna and most likely ordered the death of these people, most of them former friends and neighbors at Sanctuary Hills. As far as Bryce was concerned, this man had signed his own death warrant by quickly making himself an enemy of the Wolf of Anchorage.

They went into another hallway before they encountered giant roaches the likes they’ve never seen before.

“Jesus! They’re like the size of a grown cat!” Arianna shrieked as she stepped aside to avoid the roach sent in her direction by a whack of Bryce’s baton. She promptly finished it off with a forceful stomp, grimacing at the mess she made.

They made a detour towards a small office, where Bryce found a 10mm pistol and some ammunition.

“You should probably use it,” he said, handing the pistol over to his wife, “Until I find another gun, I’ll keep the nightstick. Just put your famous sharpshooter skills to use and back me up.”

“Like old times?” Arianna asked with a smile.

“Heh, yeah. Just like old times.”

A few more hallways devoid of human life and several roaches later, the couple made it into what seemed to be the Overseer’s office. Bryce made a beeline towards what looked like a personal armory, while Arianna inspected the Overseer’s desk.

“Say hello to your new owner,” he muttered, inspecting another 10mm pistol he found in a supply locker. He turned and noticed a locked display case with a rather unique looking weapon inside.

“That would be the Cryolator,” Bryce turned to look at his wife, who began to speak, “An experimental weapon of sorts meant to freeze others. Though the people who created it did so out of sheer boredom.”

Bryce said, before quirking an eyebrow, “How the heck did-”

“Terminal,” Arianna interrupted, pointing over her shoulder at the terminal behind her, “Had a file on the Cryolator. I also found some entries that seem to hint that there was unrest among the residents here, at least the ones who weren’t put on ice like us.”

“And judging by the skeletons all around, I’m guessing it didn’t end well for both sides,” Bryce commented.

“Pretty much,” was all she said before making her way to another door, “By the way, I’ve unlocked the door. Let’s get out of here.”

“You always were the computer whiz of the family,” Bryce complimented as they made their way towards the vault entrance. They put down another group of roaches that scurried around and found a box with clean leftover vault suits, taking a pair to replace their dirtied ones.

They walked over to the control switch and Arianna noticed two skeletal bodies slumped next to it, Pip-Boys on their arms.

“Not a big fan of looting the dead,” she muttered as she took one of the Pip-Boys and began attaching it to her wrist, “But I have a feeling we’re gonna need this more than you, buddy.”

“Honey, take this” she said as she handed the other to her husband, “Check that yours is running fine while I get that vault door opened.”

He wiped away the dust from the Pip-Boy screen as an image of Vault-Tec’s mascot, Vault Boy, showed up on the screen. Before he could do anything else, he heard the alarms blaring and the sound of the giant vault door being dragged open by some sort of mechanism. The walkway extended, connecting itself to another one outside the door.

“It’s done. The elevator is just up ahead,” Arianna said as they walked towards the exit, “Lead the way, Sergeant Major,” she gestured for Bryce to take the lead.

“Roger that, Specialist. Keep close and watch my six.”

“Oh, I’ll be watching your six closely all right.”

“And people think I’m terrible!” Bryce shook his head and laughed.

They stood in the center of the elevating platform and felt it rumble beneath them as it lifted towards the surface. Bryce took this moment to reach out and hold Arianna’s prosthetic hand, while the other softly caressed her cheek.

“Remember, we may be husband and wife, but we’re also a team. As long as we stick together, we’ll get through this,” he said before leaning in and brushing his lips over hers.

“We survived Anchorage,” Arianna assured as she nuzzled Bryce’s neck, “I don’t think we’ll find any place worse than that hell we endured there.”

The lift began to move much slower as the platform above began to open. The couple shielded their eyes from the sunlight pouring in as they reached the surface. As soon as they were able to see, they looked to their surroundings and stared in a mix of shock and awe, though it wasn’t the pleasant kind.

“What the hell happened here?!” Bryce exclaimed before he mentally slapped himself.

“The bomb. The one that fell while we were heading down the vault. Of course,” he thought.

“Huh, I spoke too soon, didn’t I?” Arianna remarked, quirking an eyebrow as she viewed Sanctuary and most of the Commonwealth from the top of the hill, “Good God, they really went through with it…nuclear war.” She sighed and shook her head in disbelief.

She felt warm hands wrap around her waist as Bryce leaned over her shoulder.

“I know this is hard to take in, Ari,” he said, “But what’s done is done. No point in moping about it for too long. In the meantime, let’s check out Sanctuary…or what’s left of it. There’s gotta be someone there or at least a clue that’ll give us an idea on where to start.”

“Not like we have any other choice,” she said, “Very well, let’s go to Sanctuary.”

They followed the path down to their old neighborhood, careful not to step on the skeletons that dotted the route. These were the remains of all those people who stood outside the gates, hoping to make it to the safety of the vault. And as dark as it sounded to them, the couple agreed that these poor bastards were better off dying out here than becoming guinea pigs for Vault-Tec.

They walked through the decrepit husk that had once been one of the most vibrant communities in the Commonwealth and came to a familiar sight as they approached their own home.

“It can’t be?” Arianna whispered as she and Bryce saw a rusty looking Mr. Handy robot working on what should be their front lawn, “Codsworth?”

That caught the attention of the Mister Handy, quickly turning around. Its three cybernetic eyes widening as he realized who the approaching strangers were.

“As I live and breathe…It’s really you!” Codsworth exclaimed in relief, his turbo thruster carrying him as fast as he could over to his masters, “Master Bryce! Mistress Arianna! It’s so good to see you again!”

It was perhaps a good thing that Codsworth was a robot. If he were human, no doubt he’d be a snot-ridden mess with all the crying he did as he came to terms that his masters were still alive and well.

“Codsworth…what happened out here?” Bryce asked.

“The war happened, sir,” Codsworth replied, “There were nuclear detonations all over the country, perhaps even the entire world!”

“I wouldn’t call throwing nukes all over the place a ‘war’. That’s just outright annihilation.”

“Yes, it has become a rather harsh world out here, but still, I continued on, never shirking from my duties, hoping that one day you and your wife would have emerged from that vault, and if not you, at least Shaun or his descendants…oh by the way, before we continue to catch up, would you and your wife require something to eat? According to my sensors, the last time you both had dinner was over 200 years ago! You must be absolutely famished!”

“Wait…200 years?!” Bryce thought as time seemed to stop for him and his wife as Codsworth’s words sunk in.

“Hold on…that’s impossible…there’s no way that we could be 200 years into the future,” he said.

“Actually, it’s been over 210 years, give or take, if the old chronometer’s still working correctly,” Codsworth added.

“So, you’re saying we’re 210 years into the future?” Arianna asked in disbelief, joining in on the conversation “This is starting to sound like one of those bad sci-fi movies we would watch on Saturday nights.”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing fictional about this, mum,” Codsworth replied, “Though I do admit that the idea of spending Saturdays watching movies was one of the best activities you have come up with to spend time with the family. Speaking of family, where is young Shaun?”

“Shaun’s been kidnapped, Codsworth,” Bryce woefully said as his wife held his hand, “Someone broke into the vault and took our baby from Ari. They also nearly killed her as well while all I could do was watch,” he concluded with a bitter edge to his voice, remembering how helpless he was to protect Shaun and Arianna.

“Master Bryce, these…horrible things you are saying. It can’t be true…can they?”

“I’m afraid so Codsy,” Arianna said as she sighed dejectedly, “I don’t know who those people were…but they took Shaun and we need to find them so we can get our son back.”

“Do not lose hope, mum!” the Mr. Handy tried to comfort the couple, “Perhaps I may be of assistance? If you wish, I could search the abandoned houses around here and see if young Shaun might be hidden in there.”

“Uh, yeah. Go ahead Codsworth,” Bryce said though he knew full well that Shaun wouldn’t be here, “Tell us if you find anything.”

“And bring me a screwdriver while you’re at it,” Arianna chimed in as Codsworth whirled around and floated away to begin his search. She then turned towards their former home and directed herself towards it, her husband following suit.

The couple was surprised to see that their house was perhaps the least messy and decrepit out of all the houses here in Sanctuary, though no doubt that their robot butler might have had something to do with that. Apart from the dust, grime and some worn out furniture, everything looked to be in the same place that they had left it over 200 years ago.

“Well, would you look at that,” Arianna said as she walked over to the bedroom, “Of all the things to survive for two centuries, it had to be that ugly ass painting you liked so much.”

Meanwhile, Bryce casually stood by the doorway, watching as his wife looked around the house. He could honestly spend the whole day looking at her, admiring her and he wondered to himself how lucky he must have been to get the attention of who he considered the most beautiful and exotic woman he knew.

But he would have to admit that at that moment, he liked the way that jumpsuit defined her physical features.

Well, at least Vault-Tec got something right. The way that vault suit clung to his wife’s body like a second skin, hugging her in all the right places, showing off her shapely legs, the curve of her hips and that luscious…

Arianna must have noticed him staring and placed one hand on her hip as she looked at Bryce over her shoulder.

“Enjoying the view, big guy?” she asked with a sultry voice, wiggling her hips at her husband, knowing that it would drive him mad.

Bryce gulped as he felt the vault sight become even tighter around him. His wife knew how to push his buttons and all he could think about at the moment was pushing her up against the wall, taking her right then and there.

“Sir? Mum?”

His inappropriate thoughts were interrupted with the sound of Codsworth’s voice calling to them from the living room. Perhaps it was for the best. They had a kidnapper to track down and a new world to get used to.

“I’m afraid young Shaun is nowhere in sight. He…he really is gone, isn’t he?” the poor robot sounded like he was about to ‘cry’ again as the couple approached him.

“Hey, calm down buddy. We’re going to find him,” Bryce assured his butler, “But I need you to focus for a minute. Do you have any idea where we could start?”

“Well…perhaps you could head down the road towards Concord,” the robot butler advised, “I do believe that there may be some folks lounging around the area.”

“There are still people living in Concord?” Arianna asked, curious that there were still people out there in this…wasteland, despite all the years that have gone by since the nuclear war.

“Yes indeed,” Codsworth chirped, “Though, I would suggest caution as they seemed to be a rather unfriendly bunch. Last time I went that far into town, they pelted me with rocks. Oh by the way,” Codsworth extended one of his metallic appendages which held a tool in its claws, “The screwdriver you requested, mum!”

Arianna thanked him as she took the tool and Codsworth floated away to grant the couple a few minutes to themselves. The woman began to unzip her vault suit, revealing the lace bra she wore underneath and a durable, elastic strap that wrapped around her upper torso and left shoulder which kept the prosthesis on her right arm securely in place.

If it wasn’t for the Crimson Dragoon that got the jump on her during a skirmish in the outskirts of Anchorage…

As she tapped around with her arm, Bryce found his old set of army fatigues hidden away in his closet. It didn’t look to worse for wear, merely covered in a lot of dust. It was in better condition than what he would have expected two hundred year old clothes to be in. No doubt that Codsworth must have done everything in his capabilities to wash their clothes and fold them neatly in place, bless his soul. Good thing he didn’t require a salary because Bryce and Arianna probably would have owed him over a dozen pay raises by now.

He changed into his army uniform while his wife finished up her personal check-up.

“Hmm, the arm’s in good condition,” Arianna analyzed as she kept poking and turning a few screws around the prosthetic, “I would have expected that being frozen for so long and the scuffle I had with Shaun’s kidnappers to have damaged it. I would be a useless sniper if I only had one arm to work with.”

“And we can’t have that, can we,” her husband chuckled and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

“I think we’re ready to go, unless you want to change into your uniform?”

Arianna looked over at the closet before turning her gaze over to her husband and gave him a mischievous grin.

“Actually, I think I’ll keep the vault suit for a little while longer,” she said as she tucked her arms back into the jumpsuit’s sleeves and pulled the zipper back up.

Bryce groaned at the thought of following his wife around in that (blessed?cursed?) vault suit of hers.

“You will be the death of me one of these days, you lovely minx,” he muttered, which got a laugh out of his wife.

“Oh please. If you being distracted by my body was going to be the cause of our deaths, we would have died ten times over in Alaska.”

He sighed at the thought. Fair enough, she wins this round…for now.

They both took whatever supplies and gear they could use, pistols at the ready, and bidding Codsworth a temporary farewell, they made their way to the bridge that would set them on the road towards the Commonwealth.

“Don’t know what we’re going to find out there, but whatever the case…”

“I know the drill, honey,” Arianna assured, “We’ve been a team for a long time. I know we can do this.”

Bryce smiled and nodded in agreement. They held hands as they crossed the bridge and headed towards Concord.

Chapter 2: Molerats, Raiders and Deathclaws, Oh My!

Chapter Text

The prewar couple should have figured that the ‘radroaches’ of the vault were merely an introduction to the kinds of creatures that they should expect to come across out in the wasteland.

No sooner had they wandered into the nearby Red Rocket garage when they were set upon by mole rats that jumped out of the ground to ambush them.

Luckily for Bryce and Arianna, the creatures were not all too difficult to eliminate, despite them having the element of surprise with their habit of burrowing underground. The task became easier to handle when they were assisted by a German Shepherd that had approached the pair prior to the ambush.

“Mole rats sure as hell didn’t get any prettier with all this radiation,” Arianna said as she loaded a new clip into her pistol, “Only bigger.” She turned to look at her husband only to find him petting and playing around with their new friend.

“Hey honey,” he said cheerfully, as if they weren’t just ambushed by creatures that tried to kill them a minute ago, “Look on the bright side. We finally got that dog we wanted for so long!”

“You mean the dog you wanted for so long,” Arianna corrected, “I’m more of a cat person after all.” The dog turned its attention towards the woman and trotted over to her, bright eyes looking up at her as he barked playfully.

“Don’t stare at me like that,” she chided, “You just want food and cuddles.”

The dog tilted his head to the side questioningly before he turned around, gazing at the town up ahead. He barked and turned his head to the side, giving his new masters a glance as if to say ‘follow me’ and ran off towards the street. The couple shrugged at each other and decided to follow their new pet. Hopefully, the canine could lead them to someone who may have answers or at least a better idea on where to continue their search for Shaun.

Concord was a short distance away but as they approached the ruined town, the sound of gunfire had caught their attention. They saw a group of people firing upon the Museum of Freedom, or more specifically, firing on a man dressed in what looked to be a colonial outfit as he took cover behind the balcony.

With their mismatched armor pieces, their grimy and dirty appearances, as if they haven’t bathed in over a month, and their constant yelling of threats and swears that would make a drunk sailor proud, it was clear that the folks on the ground were the ‘unfriendly bunch’ that Codsworth had warned them about.

‘Unfriendly folks’. That’s putting it mildly.

The dog growled at a nearby ruffian who was late to the party and lunged for him, tackling him to the ground and tearing out his throat before he could react. His yelp of pain caught the attention of some of his friends however, and they turned their weapons on the vault couple approaching them from behind. The duo drew their pistols and rushed to take cover behind a ruined car.

“Look at them,” Bryce said as bullets continued to ping around their cover, “Poor form and barely any trigger discipline. I’d be surprised if those thugs actually manage to hit something.”

“I can see that,” Arianna responded as she peeked out of cover for a moment, firing a few shots which took down two of the thugs, “Still, we shouldn’t underestimate them. We’re kind of new to this place and they look like they make up for their combative flaws with numbers and lots of bullets.”

“Understood, Specialist,” he nodded towards her and they began to move up the street towards the museum. They made quick work of the rest of the attackers, the duo’s experience overcoming the reckless abandon of their enemies as they picked their targets while moving from cover to cover. The last one left outside was put down with a laser shot through the head fired from the rifle held by the man on the balcony.

“Hey! You there!” he called out to the vault dwellers, “I could really use your help! I’ve got a group of settlers up here but the raiders have already made into the building. I won’t be able to hold them off much longer,” He pointed down towards the corpse of someone who was perhaps a fallen comrade, a strange looking laser rifle still clutched in his lifeless hands, “Take that Laser Musket and help me deal with them, please!” And with that, the man headed back inside to continue fighting off the raiders within the building.

Bryce and Arianna looked at each other and nodded. She walked over and picked up the musket while her husband moved the door ajar and made their way into the museum. They spotted two raiders above them but they seemed to be occupied shooting at the others who were holed up to notice the pair. Bryce aimed at one of them while Arianna tried to figure out the musket in her hands, seeing the transparent barrel glow red after turning a crank on the rifle’s side.

“I’m guessing that’s how it works?” she thought as she took aim at the other raider and fired, the blast piercing his chest and sending him tumbling backwards over the decrepit railing. At the same time, her husband fired several rounds from his pistol, killing the second one before he was able to shift his attention to the newcomers.

“Holy sh*t…this thing actually works!” Arianna exclaimed as she showed the laser musket to Bryce.

“Well, keep it working then, Nightingale. I’m sure there are more of these ‘raiders’ hanging around.”

Bryce took point and Arianna followed close behind covering her husband with blasts from her rifle as he fired quick and clean shots from his pistol.

It was almost like the field of battle in Anchorage, the two of them, working in tandem with the rest of their squad like a well-oiled machine, ready to carry out whatever mission they had assigned to them, ranging from rescuing pinned down allies to interfering with Chinese supply lines and sabotaging their communications.

And despite the fact that their squad (or what was left of it) was most likely dead after all this time, the last two members of the Anchorage Wolfpack still proved themselves a force not to be trifled with.

As Arianna followed her husband down another hallway, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a raider rush at her in a frenzy, armed with a tire iron modified with a blade of sorts, which made it resemble a hatchet or a hand-axe. She sidestepped just in time as he took a swing and the blade struck against the wall, embedding itself in the old wooden frame.

The assailant growled as he hastily tried to loosen his weapon from the wall, which gave Arianna the chance to turn him around and knee the raider in the gut before clocking him in the jaw with her left hand, grunting a little in pain as she shook her hand to relieve the slight pain.

“Ow! What do you assholes have in your skulls? Rocks or something?” she half asked, half grumbled.

Before the raider could pick himself up from the floor, Bryce already had his gun at the ready and fired two bullets into his head.

“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’ll hit harder and feel less pain if you punch people with your mechanical arm instead of your human arm?” he teased with a smirk.

“Oh, don’t you sass me, Bryce Kendrick!” she shot him a pointed gaze, “Or I’ll have you sleep on the couch!”

“Oh please, I’ve slept in worst places than that,” Bryce said as he lifted a finger towards Arianna and booped his wife on the nose. He then turned to look at the raider he had just killed and sighed.

“The fact that he tried to catch us by surprise means that more raiders are probably going to arrive soon.”

“All the more reason to meet up with our new friend and get him, along with whoever else is up there, out of here,” Arianna advised.

The dog accompanying them barked, as if in agreement.

“Agree with me all you want. I’m still not giving you cuddles,” she narrowed her eyes at the dog, who was beaming up at her.

The trio eventually reached the top floor of the museum, dispatching two more raiders who were trying to break into a locked room. Once they were dead, the door was unlocked by the man who had called out to them for help and let the couple inside.

He introduced himself as Preston Garvey, one of the last remaining members of the Commonwealth Minutemen, an organization of citizen soldiers who were already on the brink of extinction thanks to a series of unfortunate events that plagued them in recent years.

He filled them in on how he and his group ended up in this situation, how from a group of twenty they had dwindled to just the five people standing within that room and that they were on their way to a new location before this particular group of raiders ambushed and cornered them.

Around that moment, they could hear more gunshots and shouting coming from outside. Arianna took a peek by the balcony door and spotted a raider who seemed to be the leader of the group, yelling at his other cohorts.

“How the f*ck are these idiots dead? I only sent ‘em to kill off some lousy Minutemen and bring me their f*ckin’ hats! Guess I gotta do sh*t myself if I want it done right!”

“Charming fellow, isn’t he?” Ari muttered sarcastically as she turned to look at Preston and Bryce, “I hope you have a plan, Preston.”

“We may have an idea,” he said and turned to address one of the other members of his group, “Sturges? Tell them.”

The man in question looked away from the terminal and turned to face the vault dwellers with a smirk on his face.

“There’s a crashed vertibird up on the rooftop and it’s got some sweet treasure that’ll help us take out those raiders. I’m talking a set of T-45 power armor. With that, and the vertibird’s minigun, you can give them an express ticket to hell.”

“Power armor and a minigun?” A grin crossed Bryce’s face, “I like this plan already.”

“You might need this for the armor,” Ari said as she tossed him a fusion core that she took from the basem*nt, “Preston and I will cover you from here while you go on a rampage, soldier boy. Don’t keep them waiting.”

Bryce flashed a smirk to his wife before heading up to the roof and recovering the armor that Sturges mentioned. Despite the rust and lack of maintenance, it didn’t look like it would fall apart soon. Sure, some parts would need a tune-up but from what he’s seen so far, the raiders didn’t have anything in their arsenal that could even leave a scratch on it.

He grinned under his helmet as he yanked the minigun off the vertibird. Despite his easygoing attitude, he still had plenty of pent-up anger from the vault and he was looking forward to venting it on these roughneck assholes.

“sh*t! They’ve got power arm-”

The raider was silenced from the hail of bullets that fired from Bryce’s minigun as he surged forward and jumped down from the roof of the museum, startling some of the other raiders that were already closing in. Their hesitation was their undoing, as Preston and Ari picked off a few from the balcony with their laser muskets while the rest were mowed down by the bulletstorm that the power armored soldier unleashed on them.

“You keep sending ‘em and I’ll keep knocking ‘em down!” Bryce taunted as the rest of the raiders scrambled for cover. One of them stood well within shooting distance, stubbornly emptying his pistol clip at the soldier with little to no effect. Bryce responded in kind by firing at him before he could find cover, the rapid stream of bullets from the minigun shredding the raider into a mess of blood, limbs and gore. By now, the raiders were starting to feel the damage being done to them.

“f*ck! That asshole got Gristle!” One of them shouted.

“Screw this! This sh*t ain’t worth it!” The rough voice of a female raider followed up.

“We can’t go back! Jared’s gonna f*cking kill us!” Another warned.

However, before they could continue arguing amongst themselves and before Bryce could gun them down, a loud rumble was heard close by, almost as if coming from underground. The seven or eight raiders that remained stilled at the sound.

“What the hell was that?” Bryce muttered to himself as he heard something pound against the metal grate at the end of the street.

The noise was loud enough for Preston and Arianna to hear from the balcony.

“What the hell?” Arianna blurted and she looked at Preston, “What was that noise?” she asked but Preston only shrugged.

“Something’s coming this way…”

Both of them turned to look at one of the settlers that had accompanied Preston here. An old woman who seemed a little…off, staring into space as she spoke.

“Mama Murphy, what are you talking about?” Preston asked the woman. She turned to look at both him and Arianna.

“Something’s coming this way,” she repeated, “Something big…and angry,” the last word coming out no louder than a whisper. Before they could ask what she meant by that, the noise came back again and Arianna looked outside the balcony just in time to see the large sewer grate from the end of the street get tossed to the air as a freakishly large creature the likes she has never seen climb out of the ground.

The horns, the sharp talons, the teeth…this creature looked like it walked right out of the gates of hell and made its way to the surface.

And judging by the fact that the raiders began to either shoot at it or run for their lives, this creature meant trouble for everyone present.

‘Oh God. Bryce is down there!’ she thought.

“Christ! That thing looks pissed!” Arianna exclaimed, watching in shock and horror as the horned creature grabbed a nearby raider, the female one who was opting to run away after Bryce killed their leader. She barely had time to scream before one of the creature’s talons impaled her through her abdomen and was effortlessly torn in half and tossed aside, her limbs and insides strewn across the pavement, “Really f*cking pissed!”

“Damn, I wasn’t expecting a Deathclaw all the way out here!” Preston said as he cranked his rifle, “We’ve got no choice but to empty everything we’ve got into that thing and hope it’s enough!” He aimed and fired, the shot grazing one of the creatures arms but it didn’t seem affected by the shot at all.

Arianna cranked her rifle and aimed as well, as she saw the power armored figure of her husband move to engage the creature. She feared the worst but there was little else she could do at the moment except do what she did best.

Meanwhile, Bryce’s fight or flight instincts kicked in and he aimed at the creature, his minigun spraying bullets at it while it was momentarily occupied with shredding the raider group into gory pieces. Even though it didn’t seem to be doing much, he kept on shooting. It had to die at some point with all the bullets it was taking.

The red beams that hit the monster were at least enough to let him know that his wife and the Minuteman they were rescuing had his back.

He didn’t let up even when he saw the creature turn around and focus on him, stomping its foot on the ground and unleashing a loud roar as he charged for the soldier.

“I almost got him,” Bryce thought as the horned beast recoiled a moment from the constant hail of bullets, before charging faster, even more pissed off than before. No matter, just a little more…

clickclickclickclickclick

Whatever ammunition the minigun carried had completely dried up by now and Bryce cursed himself for spending most of it by letting loose on the raiders. Not his fault, since no one here was expecting this hellspawn to crash the party.

‘Oh, f*ck.’

He wasn’t as quick to react as he would have needed when the beast swiped at him, causing Bryce to stagger backwards and drop the large gun.

‘sh*t,’ he thought. Its strength was quite immense if it was able to push back a power armored soldier. He looked at the armor status on his HUD and noticed that the torso and left arm of the armor had gone critical. It wouldn’t be able to hold against another attack.

‘Double sh*t.’

Much to his luck, a laser shot rang through the air as it hit the creature right in the face. It wasn’t enough to kill it but it seemed enough to disorient it for a moment as it clutched its head with one of its clawed hands.

“Why won’t that thing just die already?!” Arianna was becoming increasingly worried and infuriated at the turn of events. A small ‘pop’ was heard and out of the corner of her eye, she saw that a derelict truck was catching fire. Bryce was next to it and he heard it as well. An idea struck her at that moment.

“Bryce!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping her husband could hear her, “Get out of there!” He seemed to hear her as he quickly grabbed the minigun and ran as fast as the armor allowed him to. She turned to the man next to her.

“Preston, see that burning truck in the middle of the road? Aim and fire at it when that ‘Deathclaw’ or whatever you called it gets close.”

She cranked her rifle and aimed for the front of the burning vehicle, just as the beast got its bearings together and gave chase for her husband. She hoped he was out of the blast radius as she saw his pursuer pick up speed.

‘Now!’

Both their shots hit their mark and there was a second of pause before the truck exploded and much to her relief, it did so right next to that beast.

“Good shot, love!” she heard Bryce yell from below in the street.

She looked over to the smoke as it began to clear but she froze and her smile fell altogether when she heard a loud pained growl coming from there.

‘Are you f*cking kidding me?!’

The Deathclaw limped through the smoke. It was charred and bloodied but the f*cker was still not dead, even though its roars of pain indicated that it was quite weakened with all the punishment it took.

Bryce thought it could perhaps be taken out by now, but he wasn’t sure if his wife and Preston had enough ammunition left to do so. Still, this was the opening they needed before the monster could recover its strength. He looked to the minigun he was holding and despite having run out of ammo for it, he had another idea to make use of it.

“Well, here goes nothing!”

He turned the weapon around as quick as his strength would allow, gripping the barrel instead with both arms and charged at the horned devil. Just as the creature seemed to recuperate, it was immediately struck across the head by Bryce’s minigun as he began to wield it like a makeshift club. The creature recoiled and the soldier didn’t let up as he took another successful swing at it, causing it to keel over. Not giving it a chance to recover, Bryce raised his ‘club’ and swung it back down on the creature’s head, repeating the process until it lay lifeless on the ground, its head reduced to a bloody pulp.

The soldier threw aside the battered minigun and fell on one knee, panting furiously with exhaustion through his helmet. Out of the corner of his vision, he could see two raiders cautiously approach the creature’s corpse. They were all that was left of the group attacking Concord.

“Holy sh*t…is it dead?” One of the raiders quietly asked, mostly to himself and his partner.

“Yeah…it’s dead…just like you,” the soldier muttered before drawing his pistol and shooting them both down. Now that the wasteland beast was taken care of and the raider attack was officially over with, he gave a long sigh as he got up and walked back to the museum.

Arianna rushed over to her husband as he took off his helmet and threw her arms around him as she placed a wet kiss on his cheek.

“Thank God, you’re all right,” she said before she balled her hand into a fist and started beating it against the ruined chest plate of his armor, “What the hell were you thinking? Charging into…that thing?”

“That’s the thing. I really wasn’t thinking. I just followed my fighting instinct,” he responded.

“Ho-lee sh*t,” Preston said as he approached the couple, “I’ve seen plenty of crazy things out there, but clubbing a Deathclaw to a pulp with a minigun takes the cake.”

“From what I’ve seen so far, that’s probably the first of many crazy things that I will be doing for the sake of survival,” Bryce said as he got out of the power armor. He saw his wife fold her arms under her chest with a slight scowl on her face, “So those things are called Deathclaws, huh? Fitting name.”

Ari on the other hand, was not as amused with the irradiated wildlife encountered so far.

“Bigger roaches, bigger mole rats and now a f*ckin’ big irradiated lizard…claw thing! I swear if there are big, irradiated spiders out there in the Commonwealth, then I’m calling quits on this place!”

You can’t quit here, Ari,” Bryce said as he pulled his wife into a hug, “You’re stuck with me in this place,” he leaned in closer and gazed into her eyes, pausing for dramatic effect, “…forever!”

She sighed as her lips twitched into an amused grin, while Preston chuckled to himself and moved to check on the rest of the group.

“Of course. How could I forget that I’m married to the biggest monster of them all?” She leaned in and pecked her husband on the lips.

The sound of a bark caught their attention and the couple looked down to see their canine partner looking up at them with a happy expression on its face. Arianna sighed as she let go of Bryce and placed both her hands on her hips.

“You again,” she said as she narrowed her eyes at the dog, “I know your game. You think that because you helped us fight a couple of jackasses that I’m going to kneel down and cuddle you or rub your belly or something?”

He barked happily without a single care in the world

“He’s really hell-bent on joining our crazy family, isn’t he?” Bryce noted as he smiled, “Aren’t you boy?”

The dog ran around the couple in circles.

“Well, I suppose once we get Shaun back he’ll want a pet to keep him company,” Arianna relented.

“Dogmeat’s a fine and loyal hound who’ll keep you good company,” came the drawling voice of the old woman whom Ari recognized as Mama Murphy, “Thing about him…he chooses who to follow…not the other way around, not the traditional way,” she flashed them what could pass off as a lopsided smile, “He likes ya’ both. Dogmeat’s gonna be the first of many who will join you as you search for your son.”

Those words caught Bryce and Arianna’s attention immediately and focused their gaze on her.

“Our son? Shaun? You know where Shaun is?” Ari asked in an almost pleading tone.

“Afraid not,” the old woman responded with a slight shake of her head, “But…I can feel his energy…he’s somewhere out there…he’s alive.”

She continued, “A long road awaits you both. There will be danger in every corner and there will be plenty of obstacles…but as you attract enemies, you’ll also attract friends. Others who will follow you to the ends of the earth…out of sympathy, respect…or fear.”

She seemed to sway a little as she dragged her feet over to the couple and Bryce moved forward to hold her before she could fall flat on her face.

“Go to Diamond City…go there and begin your journey,” she concluded as she let go of Bryce and righted herself.

“Mama Murphy!” They heard Preston call out as he walked over to the old woman and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, “Are you all right? We need to start moving.”

“I’m fine, Preston,” she assured but the Minuteman didn’t seem to completely buy it.

“I thought she was going to lose her balance,” Bryce told Preston and the man sighed in disappointment.

“Have you been doing chems again? Mama Murphy, I told you that you should stop using that junk!” he scolded but the old woman did not seem too fazed by his words.

“You know that I need them for The Sight,” she responded.

“That stuff could kill you,” the Minuteman insisted.

“Oh hush, Preston. I’m going to die sooner or later anyways,” she casually dismissed as she walked over to the rest of the group who have gotten up and were preparing to leave, “Now let’s go. Sanctuary awaits.”

Preston sighed as they all watched the group exit the museum and he turned to face the vault dwellers.

“First of all, I want to thank you both for the assistance. I know things almost took a turn for the worst but at least we’re all here and accounted for. If only we could have met you folks sooner, there might have been more of us,” he said with a sad smile.

“Hey, don’t worry, Preston,” Bryce assured him, “We were happy to lend a hand. Especially if it meant sending scumbags like those to an early grave.”

“Listen, I know I may be asking too much already, but I would greatly appreciate it if you decided to accompany us up the road to Sanctuary. We were hoping to make it there and set up shop before the raiders cornered us here.”

Arianna heard her husband take a deep breath and turned to look at him. He flashed her a smile before asking, “What do you think, honey?”

She contemplated the thought. Shaun was out there somewhere, especially if what the old woman said was true. She did not like the idea of putting off the search for their child but…

This world seemed so vast and Shaun could have been taken anywhere. Even if she and her husband pushed and pushed even more forward, they would most likely make little to no progress on his whereabouts without making connections with some of the locals and learning more about this familiar yet strange land they now found themselves in.

“I think we should go with them for now, my dear,” Ari said, “Honestly, we are both pretty exhausted from everything we’ve endured today. You and I could really use a place to rest.”

“But…” she continued as she turned to face Preston, “In return, we would like you to answer a few questions we have once we get to Sanctuary.”

“Depending on what they are, I’ll answer as best I can,” the Minuteman said as he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a pouch which he handed over to the prewar soldier, “Here. At least take these as a token of gratitude.”

The vault dwellers peered inside and noticed it was filled with bottlecaps.

“Bottlecaps?” Arianna asked curiously as they followed Preston and the others out of the museum.

“Yeah…I’m not sure if you’re familiar but bottlecaps are our currency here in the wasteland. You can use them to buy supplies from merchants and traders.”

“What happened to paper money?” Bryce asked.

“Pre-war money? They’re practically obsolete. People use them as cloth or small rags. If they’re really desperate, they could be traded for a meager amount of caps,” he explained, “Pretty much everywhere you go in the wasteland, people trade with bottlecaps. As far as I know, the only place that has returned to using paper currency like in the pre-war days is the New California Republic all the way on the West Coast.”

“Interesting…” Bryce’s voice trailed off.

“We can talk more when we get to Sanctuary,” Preston said, “I’ll be taking point while you watch our backs, if that’s all right with you.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” he looked down towards Dogmeat, “Go with him boy,” he ordered, the dog following the Minuteman as he went forward to take the lead while Bryce stayed behind with his wife.

“Look at this mess,” his wife spoke as they carefully traversed the road that was now stained with blood, gore and corpses, “The devil’s gonna have his hands full gluing these assholes back together in hell.”

“We should do something about them,” Bryce said, “Not now because I’m really tired, but in the morning, we could come back down and light up the remains. Leaving them like this is just going to attract unpleasant wildlife, not to mention the odor and disease these corpses could end up spreading.”

“Agreed.”

They walked in silence for a while as they followed the settlers they rescued until Arianna spoke again.

“What do you think that was all about?” she asked and when Bryce stared at her with a puzzled expression, she clarified, “What the old woman said…about Shaun…about finding folks who’ll help us.”

“I honestly don’t know,” he responded, “She seems to fancy herself as a psychic of sorts but I suppose I’m willing to give her words the benefit of a doubt.”

“How so?”

“Well, for one, she hasn’t tried to charge us ten dollars per minute like those other ‘psychics’ or fortune tellers we constantly saw on those TV commercials,” Arianna giggled at that, “But she mentioned a place called ‘Diamond City’. It seems that we’ll find some answers there, if not at least a clue or two.”

“Yeah, I was going to ask Preston about that,” she said, “We don’t know what’s become of Boston or the entire Commonwealth for that matter. He might as well fill us in on what to expect out there or who to turn to.”

“Well, if the old seer said we were going to need friends out here, we might as well start with him,” Bryce said as he looked at Preston, who was now doting over the statue of the Minutemen of old, in front of the bridge that led to Sanctuary. He seemed to be giving the group a small history lesson about it and they listened with mild interest.

As they crossed the bridge back to their old neighborhood, Dogmeat trotted back towards the pair and followed them closely.

“Well, we’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” Bryce said as they took a detour over to the riverbank while the others began exploring some of the abandoned houses. The night had already come and the moonlight reflected on the dirty water that flowed calmly before him. It reminded him of happier times, just he and Arianna, walking hand in hand as they admired the simple view.

“Things have become a lot more complicated than I had anticipated,” Ari said before sighing, “I know solving a kidnapping, especially when it was our own baby that was taken, is not going to be an easy thing to deal with. But this place…what the Commonwealth has become…”

She leaned into her husband’s embrace as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“We’re in for a hell of a ride aren’t we?”

Bryce dipped his head and placed a kiss on her clothed shoulder.

“That ride is probably going to involve scared people, murderous wildlife and sad*stic, trigger-happy dipsh*ts,” he said.

He turned Ari around and pressed his forehead against hers.

“But as long as I’ve got you with me, none of that is gonna get in our way.”

Their lips brushed together in a tender kiss, as they stood close to the river beneath the night sky. Before their actions could become more passionate however, Dogmeat rushed past them and jumped into the river, splashing them both with water as he sniffed the air around him, almost like he was looking for something. He barked and ran off to another part of Sanctuary as the drenched couple stared after him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

“Damn it, Dogmeat!”

“Not cool, Dogmeat. Not cool.”

Chapter 3: Familiarity

Chapter Text

The vault dwellers had returned to Concord after a night’s worth of rest to properly dispose of the dead raiders. Preston had joined them as well after they explained what they were planning to do, and while Bryce was initially reluctant to allow his company for the sake of the settler’s safety, Sturges assured them they would be fine. But just to be sure, Dogmeat was left behind to watch over them and run towards the town should there be trouble brewing.

They were somewhat quick about it, though they did take some time to scavenge and loot some of the raiders, at least the ones that weren’t torn to shreds, and some of the abandoned houses within Concord.

“So, what have we learned today, Bryce?”

The man looked at his wife for a moment as he dragged another raider corpse towards the pile they had set up around the remains of the Deathclaw.

“That there are apparently a lot of assholes out in this world than I could have possibly imagined,” he answered in deadpan fashion as he tossed the dead body onto the pile, “And they all need to bite a bullet.”

He took off the lid of a half-empty gas canister and poured its remaining contents over the corpse pile.

“Not all that different from the old world, really,” he continued as he turned towards Preston, who handed him a flip lighter. Bryce took a cigarette from a pack he found and lit it, taking a puff as he, Arianna and the Minuteman moved up to a safer distance. He then tossed the cigarette onto the pile of corpses, setting them ablaze.

“This place just seems to have more rust.”

This was messy and unpleasant business but it had to be done. Illness and disease could prove to be just as deadly as any weapon. The smoke that lifted into the air would no doubt attract attention and the trio made themselves scarce as they followed the road back to Sanctuary.

Bryce carried a duffel bag they had found on the way. It now contained some leather armor pieces, along with a few of the ‘pipe’ weapons used by the raiders and some ammo to go with it. Arianna even found a pipe rifle with a scope and a bolt-action mechanism that she gleefully took, as it was her specialty, handing over the laser musket to Bryce for his use instead.

The couple talked with the Minuteman along the way, trying to squeeze every bit of information they can out of him. He had confirmed that the year was indeed 2287; therefore, they both had to accept the fact that Codsworth had spoken the truth when he mentioned that 210 years had gone by and it wasn’t some sort of glitch in his programming.

“So you’re telling me that the old world wasn’t all too different from now?” Preston asked them as they walked. The vault dwellers were somewhat surprised by the Minuteman’s reaction, or lack of reaction, when they told him they were frozen in a vault for over two hundred years. The man did show a little shock initially but then carried on the conversation as if he was talking to regular folks rather than two prewar relics who tore through a small army of raiders almost without breaking a sweat.

Ah well, he must have seen and heard plenty of crazy sh*t already considering everything he shared with them in the morning.

“Well, we didn’t have ghouls, super mutants or…Gunners is what you called them? Anyway, we didn’t have those kinds of groups running around and burning down neighborhoods. We had law enforcement but…”

“Things were getting chaotic in their own way from where we came from,” Arianna continued, “Food and resource shortages were becoming a lot more frequent. Those that were truly desperate formed up gangs to loot stores and marketplaces. Perhaps those looters from our time set up the foundation for the ‘Raiders’ running amok now. Add to that the war with China, constant guerrilla attacks in Canada, corruption within our own government, and shady backroom dealings from the corporate scene.”

“It’s quite a big list,” Bryce said with a hint of bitterness, “The difference between then and now is that back then, we had the media to tell us everything would be fine and it was all sunshine and rainbows in the U.S. of A. to keep our attention away from the fact that the world around us was truly going down the sh*thole.”

“Wow, I’ve never really thought about that,” Preston said, a small hint of sympathy and understanding in his voice “I mean, it shouldn’t surprise me but when people tell stories about the prewar days, they sort of paint a rosy image of how things must have been perfect back then. Not having to worry about raiders or mutants trying to murder you and everyone around you. Clean houses and better food.” He sighed a little in disappointment, almost like a kid who had just been told that Santa was not real.

“That’s what happens when it comes to talking about the old days. People look at all the sh*t that’s going on now and recently and think that the era before us must have been better than this. The problem is, if things were so perfect in our time, well…we wouldn’t be standing in the almost barren wasteland the Commonwealth, and perhaps the world, has become.”

“You make a valid point, er…Bryce, was it? I’m sorry, we never really got the chance to properly introduce ourselves,” Preston apologized. The vault dweller gave out a hearty chuckle as he clapped a hand on the Minuteman’s shoulder.

“No need to apologize, friend,” he assured, “My wife and I have been caught up in all this mess in just a day from coming out of that damn vault, trying to wrap our heads around everything going on that we forgot to make your acquaintance.”

“So now that we’re not knee deep in raider guts,” he continued, “The name’s Bryce Nathaniel Kendrick, formerly of the U.S. Army. Held the rank of Sergeant Major and had my own squad to boot.” He pointed a thumb towards his Arianna, “My wife was also one of the folks under my command.”

“I am Arianna Elyse Espinoza, but you can call me Ari for short,” she smiled and gave a respectful nod, “I held the rank of Specialist and was a sniper in my husband’s squad or ‘wolfpack’ as he called it.”

“Wolfpack?” Preston asked as they crossed the bridge into Sanctuary, “Sounds like you guys were a cut above the usual soldiers. If the two of you were really part of the Anchorage Reclamation, then I’m guessing you’ve got plenty of stories to tell.”

“We do,” Bryce confirmed with a slightly faraway look in his eye, “Plenty of good ones and others that are…not as pleasant. I wouldn’t mind sharing some of them around a campfire with you folks but another time perhaps?”

“Yeah, I understand,” the Minuteman responded with sympathy, “War is a pretty heavy handed topic to talk about.”

They continued up the road and one of the first things to come in sight was Dogmeat barreling over to his new masters.

“Who’s a good boy?” Bryce played around with Dogmeat, his hand nuzzling around the ears. Their pet then turned his attention to Arianna, who crossed her arms and looked away, pretending (and failing) to act like she didn’t see the dog.

“Dogmeat’s the best hound I’ve seen in a while,” Sturges’ voice was heard as the man approached the trio, wiping away his hands on a rag, “Luckily, no trouble so far for ten hours straight, so that’s a new record for us.”

“That’s good to hear,” the woman said with a smile, “Have you made yourselves comfortable around here?”

“As comfortable as one could get out in the wasteland. A roof over our heads and some sleeping bags is usually sufficient enough, but I’m hoping we could gather more people someday and expand the place,” Sturges commented, “I noticed a lot of these houses have plenty of scrap and materials that we could collect and use for ourselves. Some of the more ruined homes could be torn down and we could use the sheet metal to build some walls around here. Though, there’s one house in particular that we haven’t gotten into yet. A Mr. Handy robot keeps blocking our way in.”

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Bryce said after chuckling to himself, “That’s just Codsworth, our Mr. Handy from before the war. He’s just looking out for our house is all.”

“So, that house in particular…”

“Yes,” Ari confirmed, “It was our home back before…all of this happened,” she gave a sheepish look as she rubbed the back of her neck, “And I would appreciate it if it was left untouched for now.”

“Well, alrighty then. I’m gonna go see what else I can do for the moment. I suppose I could get working on that rocking chair I promised for Mama Murphy,” he said with a grin before turning around and heading back to his workshop.

Before Bryce and Arianna could think about what to do next, they saw Preston next to them, gesturing the couple to follow him. They all stood by the small rickety bridge that led up to the vault.

“I’ve been thinking about something lately. All this time, I was hoping to make it here to Sanctuary with the group I was leading not only to find a safe haven for the people under my care, but also because I think this was a good place for a new start, to put it that way.”

“A new start?” Arianna asked inquisitively.

“I was hoping to rebuild the Minutemen from here,” the man clarified, “But no one left here is a fighter and I can’t do this by myself. I have a plan to get us started though and I was kind of hoping if you would hear me out and decide on it.”

The couple stared at each other for a moment, before Bryce gave a nonchalant shrug.

“We’re listening.”

…

After a back and forth trip between Abernathy Farm and Tenpines Bluff at Preston’s request and hearing their pleas to clear out some local raider groups, the couple now found themselves perched on the ruined highway in front of the Corvega Factory. Under the shroud of night, the raiders were unable to pick up on their movements.

“How many assholes do you count?” Bryce asked before taking a long drag of a cigarette as he sat against the wall of a makeshift pit stop that they used as cover. It seemed that someone must have previously had the idea to set up a sniper’s nest up here and eventually got up and left, if the bed, nightstand and workbench were anything to go by.

“Dearest, isn’t the correct callsign for dealing with enemies ‘Tangos’?” Ari asked playfully. She was in a crouched position, monitoring the movements of the raiders through the scope on her rifle, her brown hair tied up in a bun to make sure it didn’t get in her eyes.

“Felt like being creative,” he justified with a smirk as he passed his cigarette over to his wife, who quickly plucked it from his fingers and placed it between her lips, “Besides, I doubt there’s any demand for proper military etiquette out in a wasteland like this.”

“Reason enough,” she curtly replied, taking a quick drag and returning the cigarette to her husband, “I’ve spotted over five raiders on the large catwalks, all spread out in different directions. Three more are to my left, watching the drive-in ramp and there are three more below us. One of them is on the catwalk by the main entrance, the other two are standing around next to what looks to be a turret that had been hastily put together with scrap.”

“The ones below us have a better chance of spotting us than the ones up top,” Bryce surmised, “Ari, snipe the ones by the ramp,” he pulled out an unlit Molotov co*cktail and lit the oil-soaked rag poking out of the bottle with the dying flame of the cigarette, “The ones by the entrance are mine.”

“Yes sir.”

At the same time he threw the makeshift explosive, his wife fired a shot at the closest raider from her line of sight, the .308 caliber bullet blowing off half his head. Meanwhile, the Molotov hit its mark, destroying the turret and the flames splashing onto the two raiders standing next to it, screaming in agony as they were engulfed in flames. The third raider by the catwalks had brandished his pistol and frantically waved about looking for their assailants only to be immediately riddled with shots from Bryce’s pistol.

He had contemplated using the laser musket but the bright red beam that fired from it would have given away their position, especially in the cool darkness of night.

By that time, Arianna sniped the other two raiders and spotted another one hiding behind cover on what looked like a second floor workshop. The raider kept running from window to window, no doubt trying to make out where the sniper was located and Arianna felt like she was playing one of those annoying ‘whack-a-mole’ arcade games, except the mole was some scumbag bitch and her mallet was a sniper rifle. The raider had momentarily poked her head out of cover, looking through the broken glass, and Ari took the shot, watching through the scope as her target’s head exploded in bits.

“Pop goes the raider,” the veteran sniper taunted in a sing song voice. Her little moment was interrupted when she heard bullets pinging off the railing and wall next to her and immediately rolled over to her husband’s side. It seemed that the factory’s defenders on the roof and upper catwalks were taking potshots at them to flush them out.

“Do you think they’ve spotted us?” she asked.

“They seem to have an idea of where we are,” her husband responded, “But, the way they’re firing,” he took a moment to poke his head out of cover and moved back in immediately as the bullets started hitting their cover again, “They’re uncertain of where exactly . Let’s move to the other side of the wall and pick them off from there.”

The duo moved quickly and quietly to the other side of the wall and, just as Bryce had suspected, the raiders were none the wiser, continuing to fire on the spot the vault dwellers were positioned just seconds ago.

He brought forth the laser musket and turned the crank to power up the shot as Ari took aim once more with her rifle.

“Let’s get this over with.”

…

The rest of the fight within the building had been surprisingly somewhat uneventful, despite their being as many raiders prowling the inside of the factory as there were guarding the outside.

Bryce and Arianna had chosen to split up in order to cover more ground quickly, the soldier choosing to go into the factory via a large sewer pipe he had spotted while sweeping the area and looting the dead raiders of anything useful, while the sniper would infiltrate the building through an emergency exit she had found on the roof.

They both worried for each other, knowing how risky the situation could get if they were apart in unknown and hostile territory but luck seemed to be on their side, as the raiders within the factory seemed to not have heard or noticed whatever commotion happened outside.

From the lower levels, Bryce had the jump on a few raiders who were too busy lounging around and shooting up chems to notice the vault dweller and he eliminated them with precise and disciplined aim with the Pipe Rifle he switched to.

From the upper levels, Arianna moved quietly, sniping two raiders she saw below the catwalk she was on as well as shooting down a spotlight above her before it could sound some sort of alarm.

The two had eventually rendezvoused by an office that the raiders had repurposed into an armory of sorts, pocketing all the goodies they could in order to take out Jared (identified as the leader of this particular group of brigands as well as the group at Concord, according to the nearby terminal) and what was left of his crew.

Within the hour, the vault dwellers dealt some well-deserved payback for all the trouble the raiders had caused them back at Concord and Jared was sprawled on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

“sh*t! Careful with that!” Bryce chided as Arianna administered a stimpack into his arm. During the firefight, he failed to immediately notice the turrets on the roof of the factory’s main office, unleashing a hail of bullets that forced him to find cover but not before getting nicked in the arm.

“Aww, big bad soldier scared of a widdle needle?” his wife taunted as she pulled out the stimpack and wrapped a piece of cloth around the wound as he fixed a mock glare on her. She rolled her eyes at him and leaned down to place a kiss over the wound.

“There. Better?” she asked and Bryce raised a hand to his chin, scratching the stubble as he pretended to think it over.

“Perhaps…I may need more in order to feel properly healed though,” he answered with a playful smirk. Arianna grinned in response and standing on the tips of her toes, reached up and pressed her lips to his. A brief and tender kiss which immediately ended and left Bryce befuddled.

“That’s it?”

“Honey, as much as I want this, we are not doing it in a decrepit factory surrounded by raider corpses.”

He looked down to the body of the raider boss. “You have a point,” he said as he nudged the corpse with his foot, enough to send it tumbling down to the ground below.

“Good. Now come on. I’m going to look around and see if there’s anything of value. You can check that office behind you.”

With that, she jumped over the railing in order to look for any safes or containers. She ended up landing on Jared’s dead body.

“God.Damn.It!” she cursed and Bryce chuckled as he walked into the office. The first thing that caught his eye was an issue of Grognak the Barbarian which he quickly took and tucked it into his pack.

He searched through a safe, pocketing its more useful contents and leaving behind the stuff he didn’t care for and then decided to give the drawers by the terminal a go to see if the raiders hid some goodies there. After a moment, he found something that piqued his curiosity.

“Hey, Ari! Look what I found!” Bryce yelled after opening one of the drawers in the office. After a few quick steps across the catwalk and Arianna appeared, looking around the room one more time to make sure that there were no more threats in the area before approaching her husband. She noticed him taking out what appeared to be blueprints from the drawers he had been searching. The words and diagrams had faded a little but were nowhere near unreadable yet.

“Diagrams on setting up conveyor belts, assembly lines…Bryce, I honestly don’t see the use for these unless you were planning on opening a factory of your-…you’re thinking about building a factory of your own, aren’t you?” The quirk of his eyebrow and grin on his lips affirmed her suspicion. She sighed.

“And where exactly are you planning to build one? Sanctuary is big but not big enough for an industrial complex.”

“No, not Sanctuary,” he assured her, “Was thinking more…like here. I mean, we might as well make use of the Corvega factory instead of letting it fall back into the hands of scumbags.”

“I don’t know, honey,” she said, “I don’t think there’s much demand for Corvegas out here.”

“Yeah, especially with the roads going to sh*t,” he chuckled, “And don’t get me started on the DMV’s. People seem violent enough out here and I can’t imagine how much worse they can get if they experienced the long lines and bitter government employees.” They both laughed and Bryce glanced back down onto the diagrams.

“No, but this place could be repurposed. I know we would need a hell of a lot of people for this idea to work but it’s something to keep in mind for the future.”

They stood there in relative silence as they contemplated on what he seemed to be planning. A sort of ambitious reconstruction in a world that they did not know much about yet. But there were more pressing matters to attend to.

“Bryce…honey,” she spoke softly, “I don’t mean to bring you down but we still have to head to Diamond City. We need to find clues about Shaun’s whereabouts.”

“I’m aware of that,” he said and followed up with a sad sigh, “Perhaps this is just wishful thinking but…I was kind of hoping that we might be able to do something with these Minutemen that Preston keep talking about. Maybe with their help, we could build a safer and more progressive community. One that we could bring our son back to in order to properly raise him…I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“Don’t worry, I understand,” Ari assured him, “You want something akin to what we had in Sanctuary before all of this. Just living in a quaint neighborhood where we had everything we needed and not have to worry too much about negative elements.”

“Yep,” he responded, “Once we get Shaun back, we’ll be able to live our dream of raising a family but seeing how things have changed…The idea now doesn’t seem so appealing when we’re going to end up worrying day and night about wild creatures and random assholes giving us a hard time.”

“When we came back from the war, I promised you and to myself that I would do everything I could to build a new life for us, one where we could leave behind our life as soldiers and settle down into something a little quieter and less life-threatening. With my engineering skills, I could have landed a decent job out here and meanwhile, you could have followed in Nora’s footsteps and finished up your law degree.”

“I suppose I could have,” she said, fond memories of her cousin playing in her head.

“And then, we had Shaun…” he said, “And I intend to keep my promise, now more than ever. Once we get him back, we’ll carve something decent out of this irradiated hellhole, not just for the three of us, but for anyone who just wants to live without worrying about being someone or something else’s prey. And I’ll do it with my own bare hands if I have to.”

“You won’t do it alone,” she quickly responded and took her husband’s hands into hers, “I will always be there to help every step of the way. And who knows, there might be more folks who share similar ideas to yours, just out there, waiting for someone to take the initiative.”

She let go and took the blueprints, rolling them up carefully to make sure they didn’t suffer any additional wear and tear.

“We could take them to Sturges. He seems to have a mind for tech and construction,” Arianna said and Bryce nodded in agreement.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Good. Now let’s get out of here. The corpses are starting to stink.”

“I dunno. I think they smell worse in life than in death.”

…

The vault dwellers have taken to finding a bit of relaxation on their third night out of the vault. Clearing out the Corvega Factory and Station Olivia of raiders and then traveling to back to Abernathy Farm and Tenpines Bluff to report their success had exhausted them to a degree and they would need to recharge their energy if they planned on heading towards Diamond City in the morning.

“You think you can take it from here, Preston?” Bryce asked as he turned over the cooking spit, making sure that the campfire would roast the mole rat and radstag steaks quite nicely. Preston had advised them to keep an eye out for creatures like radstags and more mole rats, as the meat carved from them were fit for consumption. Well, as fit for consumption as it could get out here in an irradiated wasteland. The soldier was familiar to this kind of situation, where one couldn’t afford to be picky when it came to food.

“What do you mean?” the man asked earnestly as he threw a few more sticks into the fire. He, Bryce, Arianna, and Sturges sat around the campfire as they waited for their food to properly roast. Dogmeat was resting in a nearby kennel, Mama Murphy sat in a hastily built rocking chair and the Longs were busy setting up mattresses in one of the houses that they intended to use as a common house until they could properly expand the rest of the settlement.

“I mean if you can hold down the fort up here in Sanctuary while my wife and I head on to Diamond City,” Bryce explained, “We should head there as soon as possible if we are to find clues on our son’s whereabouts. I was thinking of leaving sometime in the morning after a night’s worth of sleep. So…can you?”

“Sure…I’ll keep things under control over here,” Preston said although his tone hinted that he wasn’t completely sure on the matter, “With Abernathy Farm and the Tenpines Bluff settlement on our side, I think we have the basics covered for now. Hopefully, some of the Minutemen that have been scattered might consider coming back into the fold…”

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment boys,” Arianna interrupted as she took a plate with a piece of freshly cooked mole rat steak on it and got up from her spot. Bryce winked at her and then turned his attention back to Preston.

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there, cowboy,” the prewar soldier stated as he watched his wife from the corner of his eye. She had slowly approached Dogmeat’s kennel with the plate of food and kept looking around as if to make sure no one was watching. When she thought the coast was clear, she set the plate down in front of Dogmeat and scurried away in almost comical fashion to which Bryce couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

‘Doesn’t like dogs, she says,’ he thought sarcastically as Dogmeat jumped out of his kennel and happily ate his meal.

“I honestly don’t know how to say this, but…” Preston paused for a moment before Sturges joined in on the conversation.

“What I think Preston wants to say is that he can keep an eye out for us here in Sanctuary and the neighboring settlements,” Sanctuary’s resident handyman explained, “Thing is though, if the Minutemen start to grow again, then they’re gonna need someone to lead them. And we really don’t have any viable candidates for the role of head honcho of this militia we’re startin’.”

“I see…” Bryce said as he contemplated the thought. He had a hunch on where this conversation was going but he decided to let it play out just as Arianna rejoined them and took her spot by the fire.

“What about you?” she asked looking at the Minuteman, “This is technically your operation and you’re one of the last Minutemen known to be officially still alive. Wouldn’t leadership fall on to you?”

“Under normal circ*mstances, it would,” he began, “…but I wouldn’t consider this a normal circ*mstance. With everything going to sh*t before and after the Quincy Massacre…the Minutemen are going to need some serious rebuilding and to tell you the truth, I don’t feel like I’m the right person for the job,” he said with a crestfallen look in his eyes, “I can lead a squad into battle, but leading an army? Building up the Commonwealth into a respectable place? I’m afraid that’s out of my expertise.”

“If that’s the case, then I’m correct to assume that you were about to offer the mantle of leadership to us?” Bryce asked curiously and when Preston nodded affirmatively, he continued, “Why us? Me and Ari have only been three days out of the vault. There’s not much you know about us and there’s not much we know about what this place has become. What makes us qualified?”

“Perhaps I would be lying if I said this isn’t some desperate idea that came to mind just moments ago. But I think a prewar soldier like either of you would make a good choice and before you tell me that you could have been lying all this time, I saw how the two of you fought at Concord. No way in hell an inexperienced vault dweller could fight through a small army of raiders the way you two did. Hell, I haven’t seen Gunners and other Minutemen with the tactical knowhow that you put on display.”

“Well, I aim to impress,” he said with a grin.

“Heh, that you did,” Preston chuckled and focused on the matter at hand, “Still, it’s obvious that you and Miss Arianna are much more experienced than me, and with your knowledge about the prewar days, if anyone around here has a chance of building up the Commonwealth into a better place, it’s the both of you.”

“Don’t you remember about our conversation about the prewar days?” Bryce asked with a slight frown as he crossed his arms, “As bad as things seem out here, back then was just equally as messed up. Trust me, that is not the kind of world someone like you would want to live in.”

“That just means you folks are familiar with the old world’s mistakes,” Sturges decided to add his little tidbit of wisdom, “And I believe we can trust you to understand how to avoid making the same screw-ups that old time politicians made in your era.”

“You do make a fair point,” Arianna responded with a thoughtful expression on her face, “But it’s easier said than done.”

“Then I say we do it.”

Everyone turned to look at Bryce with a puzzled look on their faces.

“Really?” his three campfire companions asked in unison.

He chuckled at their expressions, no doubt Preston and Sturges were expecting him to turn down their offer and his wife was at least expecting him to actually take time to consider it.

“What’s the matter dear?” he asked, smirking at his wife, “We’ve never been ones to back down from a challenge, no matter the odds stacked against us.”

“I know that,” she said with a sheepish smile, “It’s just that the deck seems to have been stacked against us since we got ourselves out of those cryopods.”

“A good reason to start making a few friends we could fall back to when things start getting dicey,” he explained before turning to Preston, “I’m guessing what we did for the folks over at the farm and at Tenpines Bluff was a taste of things to come, isn’t it?”

“I guess you could see it that way,” the Minuteman answered while Sturges got up to gather plates for everyone, “We’ll need to help available settlements if we’re to start getting the people of the Commonwealth to believe in us again. But with someone like you at our front, I’m confident we could get some good results.”

He extended his hand over to the prewar soldier.

“Welcome to the Minutemen, General.”

“General?” Arianna asked with a skeptical look, “That’s…quite the promotion there.”

“The leader of the Minutemen always carries the rank of General,” he patiently explained, “It will be up to your husband to make that title mean something again.”

“So I’m a ‘General’ now?” Bryce mused with a grin on his face, “I think ‘Emperor of the Commonwealth’ would have a nicer ring to it but I guess I gotta start somewhere.”

“Easy there, Napoleon,” Arianna playfully chastised with a smirk, “Don’t go getting a swelled head just yet.”

“At least let’s just take this time to relax and enjoy the fact that the Minutemen might have a brand new lease on life,” Sturges said as he began taking the steaks off of the cooking spit and began serving them to everyone present.

They all wholeheartedly agreed and sat there for a while, enjoying their dinner in peace as they chatted about the best route to get to Diamond City, as well as the diagrams that Bryce found in the Corvega factory. Sturges couldn’t promise anything at the moment but he assured them that if the Minutemen began to grow, then they might eventually have the necessary men and women to guard the place and turn the factory into something decent. Eventually they all called it a day and headed off to catch some shut-eye.

The couple had set up a mattress on the floor of their old room and Codsworth brought out a few sheets that he had stowed away in the house. As a robot, he could keep watch over the settlement while everyone else could try to get a few hours of sleep.

Arianna snuggled close to her husband, her back pressed against his chest as he kept an arm around her belly, gently rubbing circles through the fabric of the sleeveless t-shirt. She placed a hand over his; cold, metal fingers entwining with his warm ones.

She smiled and she could feel him do the same. Safe and peaceful, a fleeting kind of feeling in the Commonwealth that should be cherished whenever possible. They eventually dozed off into a much needed slumber, preparing themselves for the trip to Diamond City.

Chapter 4: Cambridge Blues

Chapter Text

Bryce didn’t know exactly how he should feel about seeing the Cambridge Police Station again. If memory served, he had been here twice. The most recent one was a few months after he had been honorably discharged from the army and ended up getting into a bar fight. His wife eventually arrived to bail him out.

The second one that he remembers was a lot further back, during his college years, having been pulled over for driving while intoxicated. He had spent the better part of that day keeping to himself in the local bar to cope with the anger that he felt towards his father and his refusal to allow him to join the military.

He had to come and bail Bryce out of custody and chastised him for being irresponsible. The young man had felt that there was nothing he could do to make his father proud. He couldn’t understand him. His father taught him everything he knew about the military and how to handle firearms, but the moment he felt the military life was what he wanted, his father, much to young Bryce’s surprise, did not approve.

He had accused him of being a hypocrite, considering that the Kendrick family boasted a long lineage of soldiers going back all the way to World War I and instead of supporting his son into following tradition, Theodore Kendrick tried to keep him out of the military life.

“My boy, one day, you will understand that this ‘legacy’ of the Kendrick family is a curse that should never be glorified,” he had told him once when both father and son had cooler tempers, “Enough men and women from our family have spilled their blood for a populace that does not truly understand the sacrifices we must endure and for a government who uses us as pawns for their political games.”

Bryce was too young and stubborn at the time and eventually, he still signed up to join the army anyway, holding fast to his belief that the military was his best chance at serving his country and protecting his home along with those he cared about. Only after seeing war with his own eyes was he able to understand why his father had tried so hard to steer him from the military life. What a fool he had been…

The burst from his shotgun sent a feral ghoul flying a few feet back, hitting the barricade with a sickening thud and slumped lifeless to the ground.

“I think that takes care of that,” he said as he loaded the double-barreled shotgun with more shells.

“Not so fast, civilian,” the voice coming from the man in power armor the couple had run into on their way through Cambridge, “There are still more where that came from.”

As if on cue, Bryce heard more inhuman growls and snarls coming from the distance.

‘He jinxed it…Wonderful,’ he thought as he turned to his wife who was running towards the side of the police station.

“If someone could quickly give me a boost up that fire escape, I could provide proper sniper support from there,” she said and the armored man moved as quick as he could towards the side of the building, extending his hands to allow Arianna to step on them and lift her to her new sniping spot. Bryce, meanwhile, had set up a few frag mines on the points of entry towards the police station.

Just in time, as the growling and frantic shuffle of rotting feet was heard much closer. He readied his shotgun for what looked to be a scene straight out of a zombie movie.

Limbs flew all over the place as the ghouls set off the mines and those that followed tripped and clambered over their fallen brethren, only to be met with laser fire, shotgun blasts and sniper shots from their would-be prey. But they still kept coming.

Some were turned to ash while one almost got too close to Bryce for his liking and pulled out the security baton he took from the vault, striking the ghoul across the face, hearing a sickening ‘crack’ as it fell to the floor.

Within minutes, the front of the police station was littered with mangled, rotting corpses, but there was no longer any signs of immediate danger.

“Catch me!” Arianna yelled as she leapt over the railing and fell into her husband’s arms, holding her bridal style.

“Hmm, good to know you’ve still got good reach, honey,” she complimented her husband as he set her feet on the ground.

“That I do,” he said as a smirk slowly formed on his face.

“Always a co*cky son of a bitch, aren’t you?” she asked while giving him a sultry look, “Hopefully we’ll find a place where we can test your reach…and my flexibility,” she said in a low, filthy voice that had Bryce groaning internally. The sound of someone clearing their throat behind him dashed away his hopes of immediately dragging Arianna to a nearby alleyway and tearing off that vault suit of hers.

“I appreciate the assist, civilians,” the figure in power armor began to speak, “But still, what business brings you out here towards Cambridge?”

“We figured you could use a couple of pest exterminators here. Heard you had a feral problem,” Bryce responded with a smirk as he turned around to face the man addressing him. The prewar soldier felt quite impressed upon seeing the T-60 power armor that the other was donning. In his time, the T-60 was set to replace the T-51 as the mainstay power armor of the U.S. Army; though the one he saw now looked slightly different from the ones he had seen back then.

Instead of the standard military green color, this one sported a dark grey color scheme. It also seemed to have a few custom modifications but what stood out the most was the sigil on the chest plate, a winged sword going through a trio of gears.

“Avoiding my questions is a surefire way to get yourself ejected from this compound,” the man responded as he glared at Bryce.

“Is that any way to show some gratitude after we saved your ass?”

“Bark!”

The two men turned to see Arianna approach them, glaring daggers of her own at the man as Dogmeat followed by her side. Bryce hung back a little to watch his wife as she stomped over to him.

“If you must know, we were on our way to Diamond City but we encountered ghouls along the way,” she explained, “Judging from the dozens we encountered here and the sound of gunfire from the distance, we figured that there was someone here who could use a hand. If it weren’t for us, you and your squad would have been chew toys by now.”

Whenever Arianna put her foot down, it was the moment she became all business. Though, he was expecting to see the man do the same and get in her face, in which he would have to intervene with a less friendly demeanor.

Which is why it came as a surprise to see the towering figure in power armor look seemingly apologetic, apparently taken aback by Ari’s sudden burst. He cleared his throat before he began talking again.

“I did mention that I appreciated the assistance but perhaps we nearly started on the wrong foot,” he began and Bryce noticed that the man seemed sincere, “I apologize if I made it look that way. This…It has not been easy for us since we’ve arrived at the Commonwealth. I cannot afford to assume a courteous demeanor when everything we run into is trying to kill us.”

“Apology accepted, big guy,” Bryce spoke up, “I understand how you feel. Believe it or not, we’ve been having the same experience ever since we set foot out here into the Commonwealth.”

“The name’s Bryce by the way,” he added and pointed towards the woman beside him, “And that’s my wife, Arianna. And we’ve also got our own dog following us.”

“I’m Paladin Danse of the Brotherhood of Steel,” the man introduced himself, “And over there is Knight Rhys and Scribe Haylen.”

He pointed behind him, where the couple could see a young woman helping the limping soldier and guiding him inside the police station.

“Judging by the vault suit and your claim of being out here in the Commonwealth recently, I take it you’re from one of the vaults around the area?”

“We both are,” Arianna responded as she gestured towards her husband. It looked like something caught Danse’s eye for a moment before he approached her and pointed towards her right arm.

“May I?” he asked.

“As long as you’re not going to ask for my hand in marriage,” she joked, which got a chuckle from her husband. The humor must have flown over the other man’s head however, as he simply reached for her metallic arm and stared at it for a few seconds, studying it.

“The Brotherhood is quite familiar with prosthetics for some of our wounded soldiers but I have never seen one that looks so…clean and well-built,” he let go and lifted his gaze towards her, “Am I right to assume that this technology was from the vault as well?”

“Yes,” she quickly blurted out and Bryce lifted an eyebrow at her, “It was built for me there.” She doubted he would believe her if it she told him that she and Bryce were over 210 years old and that her prosthetic was from years before they went into Vault 111. And even if he did, she was not really in the mood to share information about their life and what happened in the vault.

“What drove the both of you to leave?” Danse inquired.

“Someone infiltrated the vault and caused some sort of systems malfunction,” Bryce stepped in, “My wife and I were the only ones to escape in the end. Everyone else is gone.” It was a half-truth but the paladin seemed satisfied with the answer.

“I see…I’m sorry for your loss,” he responded.

“And what about you?” Bryce asked, “What’s this ‘Brotherhood of Steel’ you mentioned earlier?”

Danse straightened up a bit, no doubt looking to sell his best impression of them to the vault dwellers.

“Our order seeks to understand the nature of technology, its power, and its meaning to us as humans,” he explained, “And it is our duty to keep such technology away from those who would abuse it.”

“That’s a rather polite way of saying you take whatever you deem useful for yourselves under the guise of protecting humanity from those who would mishandle technology. As if you would never mishandle it as well,” Arianna said and she did not fail to notice the slightly offended look on the paladin’s face.

“You’re implying that we do this only for our own benefit and that is far from the truth,” he responded defensively, “We do this for the sake of humanity’s best interests.”

Arianna held back from rolling her eyes. As far as she remembered, the last group of people who claimed to be looking out for their country’s and humanity’s interests were the ones that caused this apocalyptic mess in the first place.

‘Keep telling yourself that,’ she wanted to say but for civility’s sake she held her tongue. There was already plenty of threats out in the wasteland that would see her and his husband dead. Deliberately making an enemy out of a seemingly fanatical soldier who was obviously in a not so good mood would not be the wisest course of action for them at the moment.

“Well, to each their own I suppose,” she nonchalantly replied as she turned to leave, “If that is all, my husband and I will be on our way. We should still be able to make it to Diamond City by nightfall.”

“Hold a moment,” Danse said and both vault dwellers turned to face him, “If you wish, you can head on into the police station to rest and resupply. We don’t have much to offer at the moment but anything you find that could help you on your journey is yours for the taking. This is not an offer I extend to anyone but it seems it’s the least I could do to repay you for your help.”

“And…I may have one more assignment that needs to be immediately handled should it interest the both of you. If you wish to part ways, I understand. But if you don’t mind lending me your gun one more time, I’ll be in there tending to my squad.”

With that, he turned on his heel and headed back into the Cambridge Police Station.

The vault couple decided to follow suit as well. They were curious about this ‘assignment’ and they never were ones to leave task half-finished.

…

Bryce had taken up Danse’s offer of picking out anything useful from the police station should they want or need it. Considering that a guy like him was willing to offer a freebie or two, the prewar soldier was definitely not going to reject it. Too bad there really wasn’t much to pick.

Most of the rooms and the armory looked like it had already been swept of valuable goodies, save for a few ammo boxes and open lockers. He doubted Danse and his squad was responsible for this since they seemed to have an affinity for laser weaponry after all. Two centuries of scavenging and looting really did a number on this place.

After pocketing some 10mm ammo and a few shotgun shells, he noticed a peculiar looking locker in a corner of the room. The door of the storage unit was jammed real tight and after a few unsuccessful pulls, he decided to try his luck at picking the door open.

After a few broken pins and mumbling a couple of expletives that he didn’t even know he had in his vocabulary, the locker door was finally pried open and when he looked inside, his eyes widened and he swore he could’ve heard, deep in his mind, the treasure tune from those old Zelda games he used to play when he was a kid as he reached in to retrieve the contents within the locker.

“…It’s perfect.”

Arianna was definitely going to love this.

…

Meanwhile, Arianna had approached Danse and was already briefed on the paladin’s mission. They were going to retrieve a transmitter from the nearby ArcJet facility, while also scouting the area due to rumors of unusual activity going on there. He was initially heading out to said place with his squad but that was when the ghouls had ambushed them on their doorstep. And now with Rhys injured and Haylen tending to his wounds while keeping an eye out for intruders, the two vault dwellers were his stroke of luck. After some thinking, she accepted and went to search for Bryce who was who-knows-where within the building.

She was already getting rather impatient but as she passed by the ruined office, she bumped into none other than her dear husband. She was about to scold him when she cast a downward glance towards his hands.

“Is that…”

Her husband held out the slightly dusty but otherwise good condition submachine gun, allowing her to reach for it and take it for herself.

“A 9mm variant of the HK MP5,” Bryce finished for her, a sh*t-eating grin on his face, “Even found plenty of magazines for it from the locker it was held in. A favorite of yours, if I recall.”

It was not all that strange to find a weapon like this in a police station. The MP5 had been a mainstay of the SWAT branch of law enforcement for many years until they were slowly phased out in favor of military grade weapons such as Assault Carbines and eventually the Army’s standard issue R91 Assault Rifle.

Even then, the weapon was a huge favorite of many counter-terrorist and special operations groups around the globe. Arianna favored it for its versatility and lighter weight.

“It’s not as sophisticated as the one I used to have,” she began as she looked over the gun before flashing a smile to her husband, “But, it’ll do for now.”

She immediately loaded it after Bryce gave her a couple of clips he had found for the gun.

“Are you ready to go then, honey?” she asked.

“Where are we headed?”

“The ArcJet Facility.”

…

“It looks like you still have a habit for tempting fate!” Arianna yelled from her cover as Bryce reloaded his shotgun. He could barely hear his wife over the sound of laser fire exchanged between Paladin Danse and those humanoid robots…synths he had called them.

He had earlier joked about finding nothing but rodents and a faulty turret or two within the building. But it seemed the Commonwealth was going to make sure his words would bite him in the ass later on.

“I just assumed that this place would be empty!”

“Keep this in mind,” the paladin said as he shot down another synth, “No place in the wasteland is as safe or empty as you think. Always keep your gun at the ready.”

“I guess I know that now,” the vault dweller responded, “But these weird looking robots were probably the last thing I expected to find here.”

“It was clear that the Institute had been present here,” Danse said in turn, “Those protectrons we found were scorched by laser weaponry not of Brotherhood design. The only other force with an affinity for energy weapons similar to ours is the Institute,” he explained as he gestured for the two vault dwellers to follow him, “There’s still more up ahead. If you can’t find cover, then try to stay behind me. My armor should be able to hold against them.”

Danse charged ahead with a battlecry of ‘For the Brotherhood!’ as he shot down another synth that was in front of him before directing his line of fire towards a few others who were standing out in the open on the ledges of the floor above. The vault dwellers kept the synths on their floor away from the Paladin, with Bryce blasting away one who had charged at them with a shock baton, while Arianna fired her SMG to take out another who was armed with a pistol.

“sh*t. It looks like the whole place is crawling with these things,” Bryce said as he picked up one of the sleek white laser rifles the bots were using, “I doubt this thing would pack as much of a punch as my shotgun but I’d rather keep my distance from those robots. They look rather…unsettling.”

“No doubt the Institute intended it that way,” Danse said as he reloaded his rifle, “They pride themselves in the creation of such scientific horrors.”

“Why would they?” Arianna asked curiously.

“Honestly? No one truly knows. But one only needs to look at the atrocities they have committed across the Commonwealth to realize that they are a threat to the general population and if something isn’t done about them, in time, they could become a threat to the entire wasteland at large.”

A thousand questions were forming in the couple’s minds and the paladin seemed to notice the gears turning in their head.

“I understand this all seems new to you and I’ll answer as best I can after we’re done with the mission,” he said, “The fact that these synths were still present here means that the Institute must be after the transmitter and have still not found it yet. We should check the control room before they find what they’re looking for.”

“Understood, Paladin. Lead the way.”

Apart from minor resistance from ceiling turrets, the path towards the Engine Core was relatively free of danger.

“Amazing…” the paladin said and while they couldn’t see the look on his face behind his helmet, the awe in his voice was unmistakable, “The scribes would have a field day in this place.”

The trio made their way down to the ground level of the engine core, only to find the access elevator powered down. Bryce headed towards the launch control room to search for an auxiliary power source that he could switch on while Danse stood behind to watch for any possible threats and prevent them from getting the jump on the group.

He found a locked terminal and decided that his wife should take care of that while he looked over at a strange looking weapon he found on a table. A ‘Junk Jet’ according to the holotape he had found next to it. As silly as the idea of a gun that could shoot whatever crap you throw into it sounded, it was still a one-of-a-kind armament and would be better off in their hands. He picked it up but groaned and set it back on the table.

‘I’ll pick you up later,’ he mentally noted before he heard his wife yell, “I’m through!”

And just like that, all hell broke loose as the sound of laser fire erupted around the core room.

Bryce was not sure if a ‘sh*tload’ was a valid unit of measurement, but upon looking through the window and seeing the number of synths he saw converging on Danse’s position, he definitely counted that as a sh*tload.

“What’s goin-oh sh*t!” Arianna yelled as she got out of the power room and saw the sight before her.

“I’m going over to help him any way I can,” Bryce said as he drew his rifle and made his way through the door, “Stay there and look for something that could get those things off our backs!” He rushed down the hallway, leaving his wife behind to frantically search for a control or anything that could get them out of this predicament.

He saw a group of about five synths clustered together and saw the perfect opportunity to lob a frag grenade, metallic limbs flying all over the engine core as the explosive detonated and fired the rifle he picked up, blue lasers tearing through the stragglers.

But more kept coming, jumping down from above and Bryce wasn’t sure if he and Danse could hold for long as he used the butt of his rifle to smash the plastic skull of another synth that tried to get too close to him. A voice started talking through the intercom but he really couldn’t make out what it was saying through the sound of heavy fighting.

“5”

But that? He heard that quite clearly.

“4”

He took a moment to look around and noticed that the rocket thruster within the engine core was slowly beginning to glow.

“3”

“Get the f*ck out of there! Now!” he heard his wife bellow from down the hallway and he did not need to be told twice as he turned to Danse.

“Paladin! We need to move!”

“2”

Bryce ran back to the room Ari was in while the paladin took a moment to shoot down more synths before following the vault dweller and pushing a button on the side of the wall that shut the metal doors of both ends of the hallway.

“1”

Over two dozen synths had already gathered at the engine core, some of them futilely shooting at the hardened weapon-resistant window. There was a momentary pause and Arianna worried that they would die here with no hope of escape when the rocket suddenly unleashed a stream of nuclear flame. When the three were able to look outside again, they only saw ash piles and scorch marks where the robots had been standing.

“Ever since we’ve gotten out of that vault, it’s been one flaming sh*tstorm after another,” Bryce mused as he wiped the sweat off his brow and picked up his gun, “You okay paladin? I saw you take a lot of hits.”

“Nothing my armor can’t handle,” he curtly responded, “Just needs a little cleanup when we get back to the police station.”

“Well, I for one am eager to get out of here already,” Arianna said, “Let’s just find that transmitter before more of those things join us.”

The last group of synths had been expecting them and attempted to dig in accordingly, but with Danse being the human tank that he was and Arianna covering them from the back, they were dispatched quickly and Bryce pried the transmitter of the mangled wiry arm of what he assumed to be the leader of these machines, judging that it seemed well built and better equipped than its brethren.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Bryce said as they walked out into the open after taking the emergency elevator. The sky had turned a shade of orange, signaling that it was already late afternoon.

“It could have gone better,” the paladin replied as he took off his helmet and tucked under his arm, “That mission was sloppy and there were too many close calls that could have been avoided.”

‘After everything we’ve been through in there and this guy is still complaining?!’ the vault dweller thought in displeasure, noticing that a similar feeling must have crept up on his wife as she gave a tired sigh and placed a hand on her hip.

“However,” Danse continued, sensing the vault dweller’s annoyance and looking to remedy the situation lest they misunderstand him, “The two of you have proven yourselves very capable, more so than the average wastelander, and maintained your composure during combat. I would not have been able to do this on my own, so your assistance is truly appreciated.”

“Keeping our composure wasn’t all that difficult. We’ve already been in a couple of hairy situations like this,” Bryce said, to which Danse quirked an eyebrow but preferred not to question him. They were all exhausted and the last thing either of them wanted was to argue with each other.

“In that case, there are two things I would like to discuss,” Danse said as they all began their trek to Cambridge, “First, a reward for your help. It did not go unnoticed that you picked up some of the Institute’s weaponry and a few pieces of tech for yourselves. Brotherhood protocol dictates that I should confiscate such equipment but after everything that occurred, I’m willing to turn a blind eye just this once. Though, I do have a trade proposal in mind.”

“What kind of trade?” Bryce asked, his curiosity piqued.

“That Institute Rifle you found. The Brotherhood is always looking for tech used by the enemy in order to learn more about their equipment and resources, especially when it comes to the Institute. Up until now, we have only been able to acquire some of their basic pistols but Haylen and the scribes would definitely be eager to study that rifle you found, along with anything noteworthy they find once they conclude their sweep and retrieve mission.”

“My proposal is that I’ll trade you my own custom laser rifle in exchange for that weapon you’re carrying. What do you say?” Danse concluded as he held out the laser rifle he was using within Bryce’s reach.

“…Ah, what the hell,” the vault dweller said as he reached to take Danse’s weapon and gave him the Institute Rifle in return, “Though, I hope you have a backup weapon if you plan on taking that one apart.”

“Don’t worry,” Danse assured him, lips slightly twitching into what could pass off as a smirk as he reached into a storage compartment of his armor with his free hand and pulled out another laser rifle, its stock folded to make space, “A Brotherhood soldier always carries a backup weapon.”

“Which brings me to my second point…the two of you handled yourselves exceptionally well in such an unexpected and dangerous situation, which leads me to believe you would make a valuable asset to the Brotherhood. Which is why I’m extending an invitation to officially join us.”

“The two of you could wander the Commonwealth, on your lonesome as you aimlessly scrounge for caps or your next meal. Or, you could join the Brotherhood of Steel, where you can use your talents and potential in helping us secure humanity’s future. Once our main force arrives, you will have dozens of brothers and sisters ready to stand by your side as you make your mark on the world. What do you think?”

‘General Chase would have been impressed by that hammy speech,’ Bryce thought. He didn’t know what to say at the moment. He knew his wife well enough to know that she seemed not to trust them. And from what little he heard about the Brotherhood today, he felt that they were walking a dangerously familiar path to a certain military he had once been a part of.

“I’m afraid I must turn down your offer,” he heard Arianna say, “I have responsibilities and personal matters of my own to attend to and I cannot afford to be sidetracked at the moment too much at the moment.” Yep. She made it clear that she had no intention of joining.

Still, it seemed that the only Brotherhood presence was just Danse, Rhys and Haylen at the moment. He would rather wait for the rest of them to show up, if they show up, before casting judgment on the organization.

“I will consider your offer but as my wife said, we have some…personal family issues that we need to resolve before we do anything else,” Bryce said, “It’s the reason we were heading to Diamond City on short notice.”

“Oh…” Danse said as he seemed to deflate a little, “I can’t say I’m not disappointed but I understand that you have more urgent matters to resolve. My offer still stands should either of you choose to come back to us in the near future. We could really bring you aboard our team.”

“Anyway, it’s getting dark and I highly advise against traveling to Diamond City at this hour. If you’re up for it, the both of you could stay the night at the police station and get some rest. You can continue your trek in the morning,” he offered.

“I suppose you make a point, paladin.” Bryce agreed, “We are rather exhausted.”

They eventually made it back to the police station. Rhys had taken a brief nap as to let his wounds heal and Haylen was being entertained by Dogmeat, tossing one of those rubber alien toys for him to catch. Though upon seeing Danse, she was quick to hide the chew toy and look like she was busy with something more important.

The paladin showed the vault dwellers to where they would be staying, the garage of the police building which had seemed to be repurposed as a workstation and armory for the squad currently inhabiting it. Danse went to brief Haylen and perhaps Rhys if he was awake on everything that happened at ArcJet, while Arianna volunteered to keep an eye out for any potential threats. Bryce decided to stay and look for any spare sleeping bags to use.

…

It was around ten at night that Bryce stood by the workbench in a plain t-shirt and jeans as he finished cleaning his new rifle, tossing aside the dirtied rag as he heard footsteps coming down the staircase outside the garage they were staying in and looked up to find a slightly tired Arianna stepping through the doorway.

“You hanging in there, babe?” he asked warmly as he walked over to his wife and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Kind of,” Arianna curtly replied, pulling away from his embrace and rolling her shoulders a bit to ease some of the tension, “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah…it is,” he simply responded, running a hand through his short, unkempt hair before focusing on putting the rifle back together and cleaning up the workbench while Arianna began removing the leather chest piece and leg guards that she had placed over her vault suit. She then pulled the zipper of her jumpsuit downward, her bra coming into view as she tied the sleeves of her suit around her waist.

The straps on the upper part of her torso attached to her prosthetic were perhaps unnecessary; as it was properly attached to a metal plate that connected her shoulder with the metallic arm but she had always worried that it could end up falling off at the wrong time.

“Damn it,” she muttered, “Honey? A little help here?”

Without a word, Bryce approached his wife and carefully removed the arm and noticed Arianna’s eyes dart around nervously, the telltale sign that she was becoming self-conscious. 210 years may have gone by but that was spent on ice. To her, it still had been only three years since the medics replaced the arm she lost with the one set on the workbench in front of her. The one her husband was now inspecting and fiddling with as she lost herself in her own thoughts.

She was always prideful about her looks, but never to such levels where one would consider her vain or narcissistic. But maintaining a certain amount of beauty was a habit of hers back when she worked nights as a lounge singer to pay off her college studies. That would eventually become the least of her worries when she was drafted into the Army and the world she knew and was accustomed to had been completely turned upside down.

The worst of it all were the phantom pains, made even more unnerving when she felt a spike of pain in her right arm, only to find herself staring at the metal limb that replaced it. Bryce had been by her side, comforting her in all those moments, reminding her that she was the only one who truly mattered to him in the world.

Her slightly altered body didn’t put him off; did not send him running into the arms of any other woman who was healthier in both body and mind. He chose to stand by her side, soothing her and whispering reassurances in her ear whenever she cried after looking at her reflection and noticing a few scars that were scattered over her body in the mirror. In addition, he was always using his engineering knowledge to help maintain and improve her prosthetic limb, and many other subtle acts of affection to remind her that he cared.

Such as how he was gingerly placing her arm back in its place after having looked it over and cleaning it of a bit of soot and grime that had stained it earlier. But she did not acknowledge his presence until she felt calloused hands cup her cheeks and tilt her head upwards to meet his gaze.

The look in his eyes told her that he knew where her mind had wandered off to. Without a word said between them, Bryce dipped his head down and gently pressed his lips against hers, in contrast to his fantasy earlier that day. She responded in kind and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss even more. They eventually pulled away for a moment, though they still embraced each other.

“Don’t think less of yourself, Arianna,” he said softly, leaning in until their foreheads touched, reaching a hand up to weave through her brown locks, “No matter the scars we have both obtained and no matter how much the world has changed around us, you are still the same Lady Nightingale that I fell in love with the day we met in that lounge.”

Her eyes glistened before she stood up and kissed her husband again, harder this time as he turned her around and slowly guided her towards the workbench behind them. She shuddered a little when she felt the small of her back make contact with the cold edge of the workstation.

“You will always be my brave wolf,” she murmured softly.

“And you will always be my angelic nightingale,” he responded as he lifted her up onto the table, which caused her to squeak.

“Bryce!” she playfully chided, “Are you…” The words died on her lips when she watched her husband reach for the hem of his t-shirt and lift it over his head, his broad shoulders, expanse of chest hair, toned stomach and a handful of scars criss-crossing around his torso, all coming within her view. Even when he was no longer part of the army, he still kept up with a vigorous fitness routine that even she had joined in from time to time.

“Ari…stop drooling,” he teased with a smirk as she gave him a light slap on his chest. His wife spread her legs a little, granting him enough space to let him step between them as he pressed a kiss on her bare shoulder.

“Babe,” she said through giggles, “There are people up there. And an armory? Really?”

“This isn’t the first time we’ve done it in an armory,” he responded with a cheeky smile, “Or did you forget that one time at Fire Base Delta outside of Fairbanks?”

She rolled her eyes in response before she was pulled into another hungry kiss. She heard a snap and realized that Bryce had snaked his hands around her and undid her bra. He pulled away to fling the piece of fabric across the room.

“Honey! Where are you going?” Ari asked disappointingly as she watched her husband back away from her. She felt relief when he just went to shut the door.

“Just locking the door. Make sure they don’t walk in and ruin our fun. You don’t want them to hear us, after all.”

“Honestly, I don’t care anymore” she responded.

She grabbed Bryce and pulled him into a passionate kiss, while wrapping her legs around his waist. To them, there was no better moment than that to quell the hunger that had stayed dormant for over two centuries.

…

The next morning, the couple greeted Dogmeat at the lobby and with loaded weapons in hand, they made their way to leave Cambridge. They both held back their laughter as they saw the looks on the others faces. Rhys gave them an annoyed look, the kind you would expect from someone who’s sleep had been disturbed one too many times, Haylen blushed as red as a tomato when she saw them and Danse bid them farewell amidst nervous coughing.

After distancing themselves from the police station, Bryce spoke.

“Did you see them looking at us? It seemed a certain nightingale sang a little too loudly last night.”

Arianna responded by smacking him upside the head and quickening her step, hoping her husband didn’t see her flushed cheeks. Meanwhile, he rubbed the spot on his head where his wife’s hand connected with a grin on his face.

‘Still worth it!’

Chapter 5: The 'Not-So, Maybe-So' Great Green Jewel

Chapter Text

With everything they had encountered so far in the Commonwealth in a short amount of time, Bryce had become quite certain that he could open up a zoo and probably make some killer profits while he was at it.

First it was irradiated critters. Then it was raiders, a Deathclaw, and even more raiders. Afterwards, it was feral ghouls followed by a small army of knock-off Terminator rejects programmed for murder. And now, as they got close to Fenway Park, it was super mutants.

He might have been surprised and even somewhat worried about taking on the big, green lugs, but with everything the Commonwealth has thrown at him so far, there wasn’t really much that could possibly faze him. And it hasn’t been even a week since they got out of the vault.

Luckily, the monsters didn’t seem to pick up on the vault dweller’s approach as they were busy fighting another armed group of folks dressed up as…umpires?

‘Oh sh*t. Arianna is not going to like this,’ he thought to himself, remembering his wife’s everlasting grudge for umpires after the 2075 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets.

‘That is f*cking bullsh*t!’ she had yelled out during the 7^th game of the World Series when one of the Met’s base runners apparently did not make it to home plate on time, ‘He was clearly safe but the f*cking umpires sold themselves out to the Red Sox!’

Bryce had to pull away his die-hard Mets fan of a wife from the railing before she could leap over it and pummel the sh*t out of the person who made the call. He then soothed her anger by buying her lots of ice cream from one of the food stands. The exaggerated stadium prices may have punched a hole in his wallet but it was a good day overall. Especially when the Red Sox were crowned the new champs of the season.

The mutants looked like a bigger threat than the gun-toting baseball enthusiasts, so he drew out Righteous Authority and took aim at one of the armed mutants standing in the middle of the ruined street. With three quick shots, the mutant was turned into a pile of ash and Bryce was actually quite amazed that the rifle packed a serious punch. A part of him had worried that Danse might have cheated him when he traded the Institute brand laser rifle for Righteous Authority but now it seemed he got the better deal.

The greenskins had been accompanied by what looked to be mutated dogs. He wasn’t sure if that was the right wording though. Sure, they were as big as a fully grown dog, but their bodies were grotesquely composed of mutated muscle while their mouths were wide open, revealing a row of sharp teeth and the two that he spotted turned their attention away from the gunmen and charged for him instead.

One of them was immediately put down with blasts from Righteous Authority while the other was fed (quite literally) a .308 bullet through the mouth, courtesy of the Nightingale. One of the mutants came out from the side of one of the ruined buildings, crude pipe rifle pointed at the sniper, but Dogmeat had snuck around and lunged for him, teeth sinking into the thick green flesh.

The mutant shrieked in a mix of pain and annoyance, which caught Bryce’s attention and swiftly put him down with more laser shots.

“Good boy,” he complimented, patting Dogmeat on the head. There were still two more mutants to deal with but that was taken care of immediately. Arianna took down the one on the roof with a carefully aimed headshot while the one on the balcony fell forward onto the ground, completely riddled by bullets from the other humans.

“Not afraid of mutants, eh? You’re our kind of folks” one of the men said as the vault dwellers approached them. Bryce noticed that the four present wore matching outfits, so it meant they were part of a particular group of sorts. He also realized he had mistaken their likeness towards umpires. Their equipment looked more like what a Catcher wore.

“Does this sort of thing happen often?” he inquired as he cast a glance over to the remains of the mutants.

The man addressing him gave an exhausted sigh as he leaned against a makeshift barrier.

“At least once a week,” he replied as he folded his arms around his chest, “This whole damned ruin of a city is crawling with them. Plenty of raiders too, but the mutants are bolder…and more bloodthirsty. To put it bluntly, if it weren’t for the Wall, Diamond City would be well and truly f*cked by now.”

“Diamond City?” Arianna inquired, “I heard it was somewhere around Fenway Park. Are we getting close?”

“You’re practically at our doorstep, lady,” he responded, “Just gotta follow the arrows down the street behind me and head on through the old stadium.”

“Ah, well thank you…” Bryce trailed off, trying to figure out what to call the man in front of him.

“Just call me Ray,” the guard responded, “And if anything, Diamond City Security should be thanking you. Thanks to your help, this is probably the first week in a long while where we didn’t end up having to bury one or two of our own. Just keep your nose clean inside the city and we’ll keep getting along just fine. Now, if you’ll excuse us, me and my boys are gonna clean up this mess here.”

“You know, I thought Diamond City was within the vicinity of Fenway Park, not actually inside of it,” Arianna spoke as they walked down the street the guard mentioned.

“Is there something that bothers you about that?” her husband asked and she turned to look at him, lips pressed into a thin line.

“This place is going to give me World Series flashbacks,” she deadpanned. Bryce couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that.

“Babe, we’ve been over this. Just accept that the better team won.”

“Never!”

Bryce chuckled as they passed through another security barricade and arrived at the front of Fenway Park, formerly the home of his beloved Boston Red Sox, now apparently one of the last bastions of civilization here in the Commonwealth as well as the place where he and Arianna hope to find clues or answers about Shaun, his kidnappers, and their whereabouts.

One of the things they noticed immediately was the large metal gate covering the entrance, barring anyone from entering or leaving the stadium. The second thing they noticed was a rather loud woman in a red trench coat and a newsboy cap yelling into an intercom. By the tone of her voice and the wild gestures she made with her hands and arms, it sounded like she was berating someone on the other end of the line.

“Ooooh! Keeping out the ‘scary’ reporter, are ya’, Danny?” she questioned mockingly, “Not doin’ a very good job of it. Boo!”

“Piper, how many times do I have to say it? I’m sorry,” the timid voice of a young male responded from the intercom, “It’s just that last article you wrote got the Mayor really mad.”

“Like I care if he gets mad!” the woman known as ‘Piper’ spat back. She let out a frustrated growl before continuing, “You can’t keep me out here Danny! I live here! And I can’t just leave Nat all alone in there! C’mon! This isn’t like you!”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, “But my hands are tied. There’s really not much we could do when the mayor sets his mind on something.”

Piper let out a tired sigh as her shoulders slumped in defeat. The vault dwellers had been watching the whole spectacle and their approach caught the woman’s attention. The couple noticed that the defeated look she had just now was suddenly replaced with a mischievous glint in her eyes, an idea suddenly popping into her head.

“Psst! Hey!” she whispered, waving them over, “You want in to Diamond City?”

“Actually, I was here to see if there were still tickets left for the 2287 World Series,” Bryce sarcastically replied, to which Piper raised an eyebrow, wondering what in the hell was a ‘World Series’.

“We didn’t travel halfway through the Commonwealth and fight our way through murderous assholes just for some idiot to keep us out,” Arianna quietly seethed before turning to Piper, “I’m guessing you have a plan?”

“Yeah. I was gonna have you guys pose as traders coming from a long way,” she responded, “Shouldn’t be that difficult to fool Danny.”

“That’s not half bad,” the soldier commented before casually walking up to the intercom, “Just let me do the talking.”

Piper pouted a little, disappointed that someone else was going to enact her plan. But she was curious to see if the guy would have better luck than her in moving DC Security and the Mayor himself off their asses.

“Good morning there, friend,” Bryce greeted as he pushed the button to activate the intercom.

“…Wait…You’re not Piper,” came the response.

“Good detective skills there, Sherlock. I would have felt quite insulted if you were insinuating that I sound like a girl.”

This ‘Danny’ character gave a sigh on the other end.

“Look, I’m really sorry sir. But I’m afraid I can’t just open the gate at the moment. It would require Mayor McDonough’s approval and as long as Piper’s out there, he won’t give the order anytime soon.”

‘I’m going to murder this kid and the f*ckin’ mayor if they don’t open that gate already!’ Arianna thought to herself, her blood boiling as she thought on how they were perhaps so close to finding Shaun’s whereabouts but now they were being denied because of some political crap that had nothing to do with them.

“Look, kid. I’m a trader and I came all the way from Sanctuary Hills to sell my wares here in the city. Some stuff is pretty common but useful. Others…” Bryce drew an Institute Pistol and twirled it a bit before holstering it, “…are pretty hard to come by through normal means.”

“I understand sir but I have my order-”

“Danny, will it be worth it? Look, I don’t really care much about whatever beef the mayor has with the chick behind me. My wife and I are here to sell and buy goods, along with taking care of some other business. If you don’t open that gate, I’ll just keep moving on to the next settlement that’ll do business with me. You get to keep Piper out, but how will you explain to your boss that you caused the local shopkeepers to miss out on potentially juicy profits?”

“Yeah, Danny!” Piper chimed in, “You’ll never hear the end of it from crazy Myrna! She’ll probably accuse you of being a synth for undermining her business!”

“Alright! Alright already!” Danny relented and Bryce felt a little sorry for the migraine the poor kid was going to have by the end of the day, “Jeez, you can stop trying to twist my arm around. Just hold tight. I’m opening the gate now.”

And true to his word, the gate was lifting off the ground, granting the trio and Dogmeat access to the so-called ‘Great Green Jewel’.

“Good man,” Bryce said as he patted the intercom box and followed Piper, who had gotten a headstart, through the entryway. Arianna followed her husband along with Dogmeat as she witnessed a back and forth argument between Piper and a man she assumed was the mayor of the city, if the bad taste in suits along with the slightly authoritarian and obnoxious mannerisms were anything to go by.

“Well, why don’t we ask the newcomers? Do you support the news?” Piper’s voice caught the couple’s attention, drawing them into a conversation they were really not paying much attention to.

“Wait…what kind of news?” Bryce asked.

“Mine,” the woman responded, “Publick Occurences. And we take a hard look at the truth.”

Arianna shrugged and said, “I see nothing wrong with having a local news outlet.”

Upon hearing the opinion of the new arrivals, the man who had been identified as Mayor McDonough coughed nervously and straightened his jacket, apparently an attempt to make himself presentable to the vault dwellers.

“Now, now. You…you folks look like Diamond City material,” he said with the sort of pleasantness that Arianna saw as forced, “Don’t listen to the ramblings of this muckraker over here,” gesturing to Piper, earning a glare from the woman, “Now then, may I ask what brought you out here to our fine city?”

“We’re looking for someone here,” Bryce spoke up, “A…relative who’s gone missing. A few friends advised us to come here and see if they’re around.”

Mentioning he was looking for his and Arianna’s six-month infant son would have been less vague but he couldn’t help feel an air of tension as soon as he stepped through the gate. A kind of feeling that advised him to be wary of everyone here. And while Piper perhaps might be sympathetic to them if she heard their story, he didn’t want to risk the reporter using his family’s grievance as ammunition for whatever feud she has with the mayor.

“Another disappearance,” the tone of sadness was recognizable in Piper’s words as she shook her head, “At this rate, the whole city is going to end up snatched once you actually decide to get security to do something!”

“I…I truly am sorry for your loss,” McDonough ignored Piper as he offered a feeble (and insincere) consolation, “Unfortunately, I’m afraid I cannot offer Diamond City Security to provide aid as our resources are stretched a little thin at the moment…”

“That’s funny considering the Security force’s budget has doubled since the previous year,” Piper challenged earning a furious glare from the mayor.

“That’s enough out of you, you miscreant!”

“…Is that so?”

This time, it was Arianna who spoke up as she stepped forward from the group.

“Surely, the esteemed mayor of such a prestigious and exemplary city would know what’s going on in his own home. If you cannot spare security, you must know at least someone who we could turn to and ask for help.”

She placed a hand on her hip and quirked an eyebrow as she stood a few inches away from the mayor, daring him to deny her. Some of the security guards were looking over in their direction, namely one with messy blond hair standing by an intercom (which she assumed was Danny) and a bald one wearing a pair of shades over his eyes.

She noticed the mayor tugging nervously at his collar as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Arianna had to hide the smirk that wanted to form on her lips. She had the mayor cornered and this would go one of two ways; he could keep up the charade and tell them nothing, proving Piper right and eventually having to contend with two pissed-off ex-Army soldiers with little to lose (he doesn’t need to know that part though). Or, he could save some face by offering help or at least throwing them a bone.

It seemed he knew it as well and he definitely was not going to give Piper more dirt to throw around, so he chose the wiser option.

“Well…there is one private citizen who could help. He fancies himself a detective but he does, uh, get results. Nick Valentine is his name. He runs an agency in town.”

Nick Valentine.

A name that sounded very familiar to Arianna and from the look on Bryce’s face, he seemed to remember him as well.

“Now then,” Mayor McDonough said as he took out a handkerchief to dab at his forehead, “I wish could answer any further inquiries but as you know I am a very busy man. I really do hope Detective Valentine can grant you the help you need.”

“As for you,” he turned to look at Piper with a furious glare that she was all too familiar with, “You might as well get back inside but consider yourself and your sister on notice. Cause trouble again and the both of you are out of this city for good!”

“Yeah, keep talking McDonough! That’s all you’re good for!” Piper egged him on as he turned his back on her and headed into the city, grumbling along the way. She turned to look at the couple with a wide grin on her face.

“I gotta say…I’m impressed. It’s not easy to get information out of McDonough’s grubby fingers. Especially when it comes to people disappearing.”

“You mean people go missing from this city?” Arianna asked as her eyes widened, “Why isn’t he doing anything about it?”

“More than he would like to admit. The ‘official’ reasoning is that he doesn’t want everyone to go in a panic. But I have a feeling there’s more to it than that,” the reporter explained as she headed for the entrance of the city, “C’mon. Maybe you’ll understand when you see the place for yourself.”

Bryce shook his head in disappointment and followed the young woman, with his wife and dog in tow.

‘Even after two centuries, politicians are still the same,’ he thought, ‘The world around them could be going up in flames and they’ll sit in the middle of the fire, sipping coffee with a smile on their face and claim that everything’s fine.’

Meanwhile, Arianna mulled on the mere mention of the name of an old family friend. She didn’t know if there was much to think about. It could all be just a coincidence that there happened to be someone who goes by the name ‘Nick Valentine’ and who also happened to be a detective. Two hundred years have gone by and it was doubtful that ol’ Nicky was still alive all this time unless he was put on ice like she and her husband were.

Perhaps he was a ghoul? The sentient kind of ghoul that Preston mentioned?

The vault dwellers emerged from one side of the bleachers and looked towards the shantytown that stood in place over what they once remembered as a lush, green playing field.

‘Only one way to find out.’

Chapter 6: An Old Friend

Chapter Text

It was midday when Bryce dropped off his wife and child over to where Nora lived. He would have stayed to visit as well but he was going to turn the car around back towards the Red Rocket Garage by Sanctuary and get over with the inspection. So she watched him drive off as she headed for the large building in front of her.

Parkview Apartments was a rather comfortable place to live in for upper middle-class citizens and her cousin’s apartment reflected that. Not shabby, but not over the top luxurious either.

Carrying a one-month old infant Shaun, Arianna made her way to Nora’s apartment and ringed the doorbell. Nora, along with their friend, Detective Nick Valentine, had missed out on Shaun’s birth and the former soldier hoped to see if they were both in the apartment so they could finally lay eyes on the baby in her arms. She also hoped Shaun would be enough to cheer them up from the recent news that had spread through the media like wildfire regarding Eddie Winter.

Nora was the one to answer the door, a glass of wine in hand and her lips twitched into a smile when she saw who the visitor was.

“Ari! It’s so good to see you again,” she said, greeting her cousin with a quick peck on her cheek before turning her attention to the blanketed bundle gurgling in Arianna’s arms.

“And you must be Shaun,” she cooed at the baby, waving her pinky finger from her free hand at him, giggling as the baby tried to grasp it with his tiny hands, “Good to meet finally meet you, little man.”

She invited her family inside the apartment and led them into the living room. Detective Valentine was already there, sitting on an armchair as he reached for a cigarette. He looked up to find that there were visitors incoming and upon seeing the baby, he quickly put away his pack and lighter, not wanting to cause any health ailments due to second-hand smoke on an infant.

“Hello Arianna,” the detective put up a smile that the woman could tell was a bit forced, if the swirl of emotions within his amber eyes were anything to go by. Anger, sadness, disappointment…she could name a few right off the bat. Those eyes turned towards Shaun.

“The new man of the family, I presume?”

“That he is,” the woman replied with a smile as she held out her baby, offering Nick a chance to take him for a moment. He did so and held the infant in front of him.

“He’s got your eyes, Ari. And Bryce’s mug…oh that can’t be a good thing,” he joked as he handed the baby back to his mother, “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop by the hospital when you were, you know, giving birth.”

“Don’t be, Nick,” Arianna responded, “I understood that you were quite busy with the case and all. If anything…I’m sorry it didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. I can’t believe they just let a bonafide scumbag like Eddie Winter walk free and grant him immunity. I have half a mind to find him myself and blow his brains out.”

The detective let out a deep sigh as he shook his head in disapproval.

“I wouldn’t recommend that. You’re a mother now. You have a family to take care of. As much as I would like to see that rat bastard pay for what he’s done, I don’t want you putting your husband or child’s life at risk, or seeing you get swarmed in legal troubles that even Nora won’t be able to pull you out of. And she’s the best damn lawyer I know here in the state.”

“Aw. Thank you, Nicky,” Nora said before turning to her cousin, “And he’s right, you know. It’s over. It’s not the outcome we would have liked but the decision was final.”

Arianna sighed as she sat on the sofa together with her cousin.

“I know…and I’m sorry about that. But it’s just…that asshole practically ruined Nick’s life. And he was behind your husband’s death, Nora. No doubt he’ll have it out for you too.”

“I’ve already gotten visits from his goons ever since I took up the case against him,” Nora responded, “Nothing a good 10mm bullet between the eyes can’t solve. Kaine’s self-defense lessons really paid off, bless his soul.”

The three sat in silence, minus Shaun’s babbling for a while, until Nick spoke up.

“I’m taking up the captain’s offer. I’m heading for C.I.T. tomorrow, first thing in the morning,” he said, both women turning to focus on him.

“So…you’re going to go through that brain scan or whatever it is those guys are offering?” Nora inquired.

“Brain scan?” Ari asked curiously.

“Some experimental program that C.I.T. has in the works,” Nora explained, “Not sure exactly what it involves. All I know is that Nick has been selected as a candidate for the program.”

“It was the captain’s idea to help me ‘cope’ with everything that’s going on,” Nick said bitterly, “More like he wants me away from any resources I could get access to, worried that I’ll take matters into my own hands…which I would. But he’s a good man and I’m willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. So, I’m going.”

“Whatever you do, Nick, know that you’ve got my support,” Nora said without a trace of hesitation. Nick and her late husband were among the few honest cops left in the Commonwealth and she would do anything for her friend.

“And you can always count on me and ‘the king of the jackasses’ as you so charmingly call my husband,” Arianna added as well, drawing a genuine chuckle from the grizzled detective.

“Well, good to know,” Nick responded, “It’s always good to have a few good friends to fall back to. Especially now…with Jenny gone.”

He let out a deep breath as he got up from his chair and walked over to the coat rack.

“I guess I should get going,” the detective said as he took his hat and trench coat, “Thanks for the hospitality, Nora.”

“No need to thank me, Nicky. ‘Mi casa es su casa’ after all,” the dark haired woman pulled him into a tight hug and held him for a few seconds before letting go. He turned to look at Arianna and Shaun.

“It was good to see you again, Ari. Send Bryce my regards…and tell him to try not to blow up the grill the next time he tries to do a barbecue again.”

“You know he only did that on purpose just to get a reaction out of you,” the woman smirked as she lifted Shaun, “Say bye to the nice man, Shaun.” The baby giggled as he looked at the detective, who tipped his hat in response.

“See ya there, little one. Maybe you’ll make a fine junior detective one day.”

With that, he turned and left the living room. Arianna and her cousin followed him and with a final nod to the two ladies, he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

It was the last time she and Nora ever saw Nick Valentine again.

…

“This is probably the first time I’ve ever played the reverse-damsel in distress but I suppose I should thank you for breaking me out.”

And there it was. Even though the person standing before her and her husband looked similar to the machines that attacked them at ArcJet, there was no mistaking the ever familiar gravely tone of their old friend Nick.

While his appearance as a rusty synth put her and Bryce off a little, the fact that he didn’t draw a gun on them was enough reason for the vault dwellers to stay their hand. Besides, the detective was still the person they needed to talk to in order to get one step closer to finding Shaun and they didn’t storm through a vault full of mobsters just to leave him to die. Not to mention that Piper seemed to vouch for him.

“Nick…is that really you?” she asked in astonishment as she cautiously approached the trench coat wearing figure in front of her.

“Unless you know another Nick with a mug as handsome as this, then I’m pretty sure I’m the guy you’re looking for,” he responded as he took a long drag from a cigarette between his mechanical fingers, “I gotta say that I’m curious as to why you folks would go through all the trouble to spring me out.”

“C’mon, Nicky,” Piper said with a smirk, “I’m with these guys. That should be enough to explain the kind of trouble we’re getting into.”

Nick chuckled and responded with, “You’re incorrigible, Piper,” before turning to the vault dwellers.

“On second thought, we could talk after we blow this joint. I’m pretty sure we’ll have company in the next minute once they realize muscle-for-brains ain’t coming back,” the synth said, nodding towards Dino’s headless corpse by the door of his ‘prison’.

“Going back the way we came isn’t an option,” Bryce said, “So if you know of another exit, then lead the way.”

Nick nodded in agreement and took point along with Bryce while Arianna and Piper followed right behind to cover their backs.

Bryce was a tad bit reluctant to let Piper follow them to a hideout filled with dangerous individuals, in addition to the dangers that already existed out in the Commonwealth, especially when she left behind her twelve year old sister in the city. He did not want to end up being the bearer of bad news should something happen to the reporter, but the woman was rather pushy and stubborn, more than his wife could ever be which was a startling achievement in itself, as she wanted to learn more about the vault dwellers out in the field.

So, against his better judgment, he relented and was surprised to see that Piper could actually hold her own in a gunfight. She didn’t exactly meet up to the high standards that he usually placed on potential squadmates, but the fact that she was still alive, breathing and taking out a few Triggermen of her own was perhaps a good starting point. It was just another reality of the Commonwealth. It didn’t matter whether you were a soldier, drifter, or even a janitor. You want to have any chance of surviving out here, then you damn well better learn how to use a gun.

The four of them snuck down the stairs towards the vault’s cafeteria and just as Nick had warned them, there was a group of four triggerman calling up to their fellow goon. Bryce tossed a frag grenade which landed right in the middle of them, killing them all in the ensuing blast.

“I take it you don’t like doing things quietly,” the synth detective deadpanned.

“Nope,” was Bryce’s simple response as he got out of cover, “Now then, stick behind us while me and my wife take point,” he ordered as Arianna switched her sniper rifle for her MP5. There would not be much need for a sniper in the narrow corridors of the vault.

The group initially had the drop on the other Triggermen, who were apparently unaware that their prisoner had been freed while the rest of their buddies already bit the proverbial dust. They were barely able to put up a fight against the more disciplined and experienced vault dwellers.

Bryce and his group however, ran into some resistance in one of the last corridors that led to the exit, when the last group of mobsters seemed to actually grow a brain and set up a killzone at the far end of the hall; their Tommy Guns unleashing a storm of bullets on the vault dwellers and their companions.

“Find cover now!” Bryce yelled as the four of them split up and scrambled for cover. They were quick but they did not get out of the line of fire completely unscathed.

He tossed a stimpack across the hall, over to the room where Nick and Piper hid. The reporter mumbled a curse or two, hissing in pain as she held onto her right shoulder, while the synth applied the needle on her. Bryce jabbed one into himself as well, having been grazed by a few bullets and hit directly by another, which luckily, the leather chest piece he wore took the brunt of it. Arianna mumbled a few profanities in Spanish, eyeing the scratches that a few stray bullets left on her prosthetic. She began rummaging through her pack and passed a Molotov to her husband.

“Not so tough now, are ya?” one of the Triggermen taunted and laughed as he opened fire into the hallway.

“Oh, we’ll see who’s going to be laughing now,” the soldier muttered, waiting for them to stop and reload and once they did, he tossed the Molotov co*cktail out towards their assailants. It did not outright kill them but the explosion and the flames spreading around was enough to distract them, allowing the others to easily pick them off. Bryce noticed that one of the Triggermen’s greatest flaws was that they seemed to favor fashion over protection, bullets and laser fire easily piercing their suits, dress shirts, and slacks.

“Everyone all right?” Arianna asked after the dust had settled and when the others nodded in the affirmative, they kept moving for the exit.

“With all these stairs, you’d think they made this vault specifically for fitness instructors,” Nick complained, which earned a chuckle from the prewar couple.

“Or maybe someone just really liked Rocky Balboa’s training regime,” Bryce added as they finally made it to the top. Voices were audible from the other side of the door as Nick worked on the terminal to unlock it.

“It looks like we’ve got company. Keep your weapons at the ready,” Bryce told the others.

“I’m willing to bet Skinny Malone’s out there waiting for us with what’s left of his gang,” the detective added as the terminal beeped in approval and unlocked the door, “I suggest you let me take the lead. The man will be less likely to start shooting if he sees me at the front.”

“You sure about that, Nick?” the man responded.

“Well, if you want to lead, then be my guest. I could always use a human shield while I make a run for it.”

“And there’s the asshole Nicky I knew and loved like a brother,” Bryce said with a grin.

“Pot meets kettle once more. By the way, you’re going to see that the name of Skinny is a big contradiction to the guy carrying it…no pun intended.”

“I heard that, Nicky!” someone yelled as they made their way through the door and true enough, there was company; four more Triggermen with Tommy Guns, a young woman in a sequin dress, armed with a baseball bat and a slightly unhinged look on her face if you look close enough, and the leader himself, not-so-Skinny Malone, standing there in a snazzy tuxedo and a cigar between his lips.

“Seriously, Nicky. I lock you up and turn my back for a minute and what do you do? You wreck up my cozy hideout, kill my men and ruin the good thing I had going on in here!”

“I told you leaving him alive was a bad idea!” the young woman barked angrily, “But you had to get all sentimental about the good old days, didn’t you?” she spat in a mocking tone.

“Darla, give me a break,” Skinny responded in an almost whiny voice, “Don’t worry. I’m handling this.”

“Jeez, that girl has some real attitude problems,” Bryce discreetly whispered to his wife.

“Doesn’t mean we have to kill her,” she whispered back, “Someone just needs to whack her with a chancleta and that attitude will be gone quickly.”

“Oh, you’ve got this handled?” Darla asked sarcastically, “Then how do you explain them, hmm?” she pointed towards the vault dwellers, “They seem to know Nick. He probably snuck his lackeys in while you were too busy

“Well, I…uh…”

“Not to stroke my own ego or anything,” Bryce interrupted the bickering duo, “But me and my wife are technically the ones responsible of turning your hideout into a graveyard, so if you would kindly step aside, we’ll be on our way back to the city.”

Skinny looked back at him like he had just lost his marbles.

“You mess up my place and you think I’m just going to step aside?” he spoke in an annoyed tone, “We’ve got you cornered and we could just as easily open fire on you.”

“Is that supposed to intimidate us?” Bryce asked incredulously, “We just gunned down over two dozen of your guys. What are four more goons and a wannabe tough girl with a baseball bat?”

Watching the back and forth between her husband and Skinny, Arianna momentarily looked over to the girl. Despite the young woman’s grip on the baseball bat tightening, she could see Darla’s resolve slightly wavering and she took that chance to speak.

“Darla, listen,” Ari said, catching the woman’s attention, “You’re parents miss you. And I know you’re young and you’re just in that ‘I wanna do something stupid or dangerous for the thrill’ phase but this will not turn out well for anyone here if you continue to run with a mob. There was a time when people could do stupid mistakes and laugh about it but now? It could cost you your life. And I don’t want to gun you down and knowingly tear someone else’s child away from them when I’m looking for my own missing family.”

Her words must have gotten through to the young woman because her eagerness for violence was now replaced with a feeling of uncertainty.

“My parents? Do you…Do they really want me back?” Darla asked, unsure of the statement.

“Your parents hired me to find you,” Nick interjected, “You didn’t really give me the chance to explain when you knocked me upside the head with that blasted thing, though,” he said, pointing at the bat in her hands.

“Go back to your family, Darla,” Ari continued, “Go home and do something better with your life, something that doesn’t guarantee you an early grave.” She showed off her SMG, in hopes that the girl would realize she and the others were completely outmatched. She watched as Darla dropped her baseball bat and without saying a word, turned on her heel, darting for the closest exit she could find.

“Hey Darla! Where are you…Honey, come back!” Skinny shouted after her and let out a sigh when she disappeared from view. He turned around to glare at Nick and company, his expression a mix of anger and defeat. “Just great. Now I lost my girl because of you!” he sneered.

“Darla was just looking for a thrill,” Ari said, unfazed by Skinny’s anger, “She didn’t look the type to stay in one place forever.”

“It’s over, Skinny,” Nick spoke as he stepped forward, “Just let us through and avoid making this mess unnecessarily bigger.”

A few seconds passed by before Skinny Malone gestured for his henchmen to stand down.

“Fine. You all have until the count of ten to get out of my face or I start shooting!”

As soon as the countdown began, Bryce, Ari, Nick, and Piper made themselves scarce and headed topside. The synth detective led them through an emergency exit not too far from where they were, sparing them from running the long way back.

“Well that went better than I expected,” Nick said as the others tried to catch their breath, “So, what brought you guys over to this humble abode?”

“Just what are you, Nick?” Arianna asked abruptly.

“Can’t let go of your curiosity, huh? I’m a synth, kid. A synth with some discarded memories,” he said as he took a cigarette from his pocket, “I’m guessing you need a detective if you risked yourselves fighting against a mob while Piper latched herself onto your leg to join in on the fun?”

“That…is actually quite accurate,” Bryce responded with a quirked eyebrow, “Plus, you had a secretary…Ellie was her name? She was worried sick about you and asked us to find you. We weren’t in a position to say no, so we made our way to Park Street Station and you know the rest.”

“Huh…In any case, I appreciate the assistance,” the detective responded, “Gotta ask though. You didn’t blow up any barbecue grills along the way, did ya?”

“f*ck you, Nick,” Bryce cursed and stomped off, leaving behind a chuckling detective, a giggling wife, and a very confused reporter.

A sudden cawing sound interrupted them, startling Piper while Bryce and Ari reached for their guns. They looked everywhere until they spotted a peculiar looking bird, a crow, perched on a windowsill above them. Beady eyes stared back at the group of humans and the synth for a few moments, co*cking its head before flying off to some unmarked destination.

“That was weird,” Arianna said as she lowered her gun, “You think it was an omen or some sh*t? I heard crows can be pretty bad news.”

“I wouldn’t look too much into it,” Nick responded, “According to urban legend, crows are supposed to symbolize a death soon to happen. But there are plenty more of those birds out in the wasteland and there’s death everywhere…”

“Thanks Nick. It’s not like I need sleep or whatever,” Piper chastised as she folded her arms.

“Nicky’s right,” Bryce joined in, “All we gotta do is pay attention to our surroundings while we head back to Diamond City…We are heading back to Diamond City, right?” he asked as he faced Nick.

“If you would be so kind, I would definitely appreciate the escort. Lead the way, old friend.”

And with that, the four began to make their way back to the Great Green Jewel, while Bryce and Arianna began to wonder on what would be the next step awaiting them in their search for their missing son.

…

A lone man in a grey drifter coat stood from a nearby rooftop, watching the group that had emerged from underground from the scope of his hunting rifle. He hated scoped weapons but he couldn’t allow himself to get close as he would risk being spotted. Luckily for him, he had a winged friend to get in close in his place should the need arise.

“They don’t look like Triggermen,” he mumbled to himself and when he saw the ‘111’ on the back of the vault suit one of the women in the group was wearing, he sighed in relief and set his rifle aside. If he were a guessing man, they would be heading back to Diamond City soon and he would have to show up there as well.

He was impressed the vault dwellers were capable of taking on a whole mob of Triggermen, but then again, they were the same vault dwellers who took out an entire raider gang and a Deathclaw as a bonus.

He was ready to go save for one more thing.

On cue, the call of his pet alerted him to its presence.

“There you are,” the man held out his left arm as the crow perched itself on it, looking up at its master and staring back with its black, beady eyes, “Thought I was gonna have to race you back to the city.”

The crow let out a ‘caw’ and the man chuckled, lightly patting the creature’s head.

“I know you’re hungry but let’s get back to the city. I’ll give you all the razorgrain you want when we get there,” he assured the bird as he reached into his coat to pull out a flask. As he unscrewed the lid, the crow cawed again, in what sounded like disapproval.

“Hey! I can have a drink whenever I damn well please!”

The crow pecked him once, but rather harshly, on his arm.

“Ow! Alright, alright. I’ll drink later then. Jeez, you’re worse than the boss lady at times.”

The crow cawed once more, sounding a bit happier, as if it took the man’s remark as a compliment. He picked up his pack as the crow moved up to sit on his shoulder. The vault dwellers he was supposed to keep an eye on may have gotten a head start but he knew a few secret shortcuts that would let him get to the city before they did.

And he definitely wanted to get a clue on what their next move might be.

Chapter 7: The Next Step

Chapter Text

The group returned to Diamond City by late afternoon and they were greeted by both Nat and Dogmeat, who were sitting by the doorstep of Publick Occurrences, anxiously awaiting their arrival. Piper broke away momentarily to hug her younger sister and led her inside their home while Dogmeat joined his masters and followed them to Nicks’ office. They barely made it past the door when Ellie threw herself towards the detective, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder.

“Oh, Nick. Thank God you’re okay!” her voice muffled by the fabric of Nick’s coat, while he gently patted her on the back.

“You worry too much, Ellie. I did tell you I would be back,” Nick coolly replied, earning him a jab to the arm from the woman who was hugging him a millisecond ago.

“You really have to stop tempting fate like that,” she retorted with a slight shake of her head, “One of these days, those words will end up biting you back.

“And as for you guys,” she continued, turning towards the vault dwellers, “I don’t know how I could ever thank you for bringing back Nick. You saved one of my friends…and my job. Here, I figured you earned my week’s pay,” she said as she handed Bryce a pouch filled with caps.

“Whoa there, miss,” he said, attempting to politely refuse the reward, especially if it was the woman’s hard earned money, “There’s no need to hand over your pay. Knowing Nick is safe for now is enough for us. Besides, we did pick up enough loot from the Triggermen to have us swimming in caps for the week.”

“Don’t worry about it, friend,” Nick said assuredly, “If you won’t accept it as a reward, then take it as a gift from us. I’ll reimburse Ellie the caps she gave you.”

“You don’t have to do that, Nick. I’m only keeping my end of the bargain with the newcomers.”

“Nonsense, kid,” the detective responded as he ruffled Ellie’s hair a bit, “I should pay you extra for having you worry about me the whole week.”

“Besides, I do kinda owe you a pay raise,” he added quietly.

“Very well. We’ll take that then but make sure Nick pays you back, alright?” Bryce said, throwing a playful wink at Ellie. She could only nod as she felt slightly flustered at the gesture.

“Flirting with my secretary, are ya’, soldier boy?” Nick crossed his arms, pretending to be disappointed, “Shame on you, kid,” his eyes moved to look at Arianna, “Seriously, how do you put up with him?”

“I ask myself that question every day, Nick,” Arianna replied as she looked mockingly at her husband, “But my husband has some admirable physical capabilities that persuade me to stay by his side.”

“You see, Nicky? Arianna is showing her true colors!” Bryce pointed accusingly at his wife, “The only thing guys like me want is to show our women love, caring and affection but she’s too focused on how to use my body for her carnal desires.”

“And I doubt you’ve ever complained about that before, now did you?” the detective retorted, getting a laugh from everyone in the office. Once things settled down, Nick’s smile switched to a thin line as he made his way to his desk.

The time for joking and laughing was over. It was now time to get into serious business. Before Nick could start however, the front door of the office flew open as Piper bolted through.

“Didn’t miss anything, did I?” she asked after taking a moment to catch her breath.

“Not at all, though you should really learn how to knock,” the detective replied, “And it depends on what our friends think. Are the two of you okay with Piper being here or should I send her away?” he asked the couple.

“I suppose not,” Bryce responded, “But on the condition that whatever we discuss does not leave this room. We don’t make a habit of sharing our personal story but we don’t have much of a choice if it means finding our boy again.”

“Your boy? Didn’t you say you were looking for a relative of sorts?” Piper inquired.

“In due time, kiddo,” Nick told her before focusing his gaze on the others sitting in front of him, “Client confidentiality is something I take very seriously, my friends. And Piper may be a rambunctious loudmouth but she’s not the kind of person to play around with private or sensitive information about others without their consent…unless you’re Mayor McDonough.”

“Aw, you’re flattering me, Nick,” she teased as she popped a piece of bubblegum in her mouth and offered her pack to everyone else in the room, which they politely declined, “Ah well, more for me then.”

Nick lit up a cigarette. Ellie took out a pen and clipboard. Bryce clasped his hands together on his lap while Ari took a deep breath and made herself as comfortable as possible on the rusty chair. The detective was the one to break the momentary silence.

“In cases like these, the devil is in the details. Tell me everything you can about what happened that day your boy was taken, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it might be.”

So they told him. Bryce and Ari took turns explaining the events that occurred in the Vault the day the strangers took Shaun. They explained how the kidnappers opened up Arianna’s cryopod while Bryce could only watch, unable to do anything from his pod. They told the detective about Arianna’s resistance, her attempt to fight off the gunman that caused her to drop her guard with Shaun. The detective listened intently as his secretary and the reporter scribbled down notes of their own.

Lastly, Arianna described the perpetrators; two were unrecognizable due to the sleek hazmat suits they wore, but she mentioned the gunman who wore a unique outfit, carried a .44 caliber revolver and the scar on his face. The couple noticed Nick’s eyes slightly widen and focus even more on them upon mentioning that last part, so they must have rung a bell in him.

“We’re dealing with a mercenary who does high end jobs if he and some others were able to infiltrate the vault. Not even the Gunners could pull off mercenary work that well…” the detective took a drag from his cigarette and rested the palm of his other hand under his plastic chin, “And that scar you mentioned…by any chance, does the name ‘Kellogg’ sound familiar to you?”

“Apart from reminding me of an old 20th century cereal brand…I can’t say that I’m familiar,” was Bryce’s response with a shake of his head.

Nick hummed as he contemplated something before turning to his secretary, “Ellie? Could you fetch me the file we’ve got on Kellogg, please?”

As she looked for the file, Nick spoke again.

“I don’t know if I should call you guys lucky,” he said, “The man is as ruthless as they come and he has a talent for tying up loose ends once he’s done his job. Kellogg has no enemies because he’s always made sure to leave none of them alive…at least up until now.”

Ellie found the folder and passed it on to the detective, who in turn, slid it across his desk so his new clients could take a look for themselves. Bryce took it and opened the file, his wife leaning her head on his shoulder to look as well, while Piper quietly slithered behind them to take a peek of her own. A hardened expression overtook his features as he flipped through page after page that detailed the crimes and other incidents this ‘Kellogg’ had been involved in.

“Numerous hits, contract kills, connected to the murder of an entire family, rumors of association with the Institute…this man sounds like he needs to die,” he stated coldly before looking up at Nick, “You would think security would have looked into this by now.”

“Well, it’s not for lack of trying,” the detective said, “But any attempts I made in the past to open up an investigation on Kellogg had been shot down by the city council. I don’t know why they’re covering for him but that man needs to be brought to justice…and perhaps you two are the ones to do it. However, we gotta take a few cautious steps of our own. He may or may not be aware of the fact that you kids were able to leave the vault but I’m certain he’ll be prepared either way.”

“He used to live here in the city, you know,” Ellie chimed in, “But he disappeared a few months back to God-knows-where and hasn’t come back to claim his house since then.”

“Well, what are we waiting for then?” Arianna said as she got up from her chair, “We owe that asshole a visit.”

“Hold on a moment there, darling,” the detective raised a hand, his way of telling her to not be so hasty, “As I’ve said before, there’s no guarantee he’ll be there, especially when he hasn’t been around in months. Not to mention that Diamond City Security and the Mayor himself would not take too kindly to us simply waltzing up to someone else’s private property and breaking in, as much as I am curious to know what other skeletons the man has hiding in his closet there.”

“You can’t be serious, Nick,” the woman responded with an annoyed tone, “We’re practically a stone’s throw away from getting clues to Shaun and the bastards that took him and you’re worried about pissing off some idiot mayor?”

“I see being stuck in a freezer for two hundred years did nothing to cool down that fiery temper of yours,” the detective reprimanded with a hint of a smile on his facial features before adding a ‘pun intended’ to his statement.

“Settle down, Ari,” Bryce gently nudged her to sit back down, “Let him talk and we’ll weigh our options afterwards.” She sighed and sat back down on her chair as he flashed Ari a reassuring smile.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, “Go on, Nick.”

“Thank you,” the detective nodded before continuing, “Just because the mayor, the city council and DC security like to break their own rules at times doesn’t mean we should immediately jump to doing the same. Especially when they’re wary of newcomers.”

“So, for the time being, I’ll have Ellie work on trying to gain access to Kellogg’s place. I know the mayor’s secretary, Geneva, has a spare key, so I’ll have her put on her best convincing face to see if the woman might throw us a bone. While we do that, you’re going to take care of a different matter.”

“Which is?” Bryce asked Nick.

“As I’ve said before, Kellogg isn’t the careless type. He left the two of you alive and probably hoped that you would never wake up and get out of your respective freezers. But if he’s working with the Institute…they have eyes and ears everywhere and once he hears, if he hasn’t already, about two prewar ex-Army vault dwellers tailing him, he’s going to find ways to prepare himself. Judging from what you told me of the vault, it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t stand much of a chance against you two on his lonesome. So it’s guaranteed that he won’t be alone when you cross paths.”

“He can hide behind a goddamn army if he wants,” Ari boldly said, “It won’t do him any good against us.”

“While plenty of parents out there could use some of that drive and tenacity the two of you share, you need to remember that Shaun needs a mom and dad to come back to once you find him,” Nick calmly reminded them.

“Okay, fair point,” Ari curtly responded.

“What I’m suggesting is that you’re going to need some people to join you and watch your back while you chase after this man because it’s very likely he’ll have a trap or two set up for anyone daring to track him down.”

“And while I don’t much like the idea of sending you folks over to Goodneighbor, that’s where I suggest you go next before we proceed on finding Kellogg.”

“Goodneighbor?” the couple inquired.

“Oh jeez, Nick,” Piper said, a mix of disapproval and exasperation in her voice, “I don’t think our blue friends are looking to get stoned or stabbed.”

“Goodneighbor is a rather…rough and tumble place,” Nick spoke, causing Piper to mumble something along the lines of ‘that’s putting it mildly’, “But I know you can handle whatever trouble it might throw at you. If you’re wondering where it is, it’s where Scollay Square was in the prewar days.”

“And what are we looking for there?” Bryce asked.

“A mercenary,” the detective flatly stated, “Goes by the name of ‘MacCready’. If you can meet his price, he’ll follow you until the contract is complete. I’ve met him before and while he can be whiny and an obnoxious braggart, he gets the job done. Even has the Mayor of Goodneighbor’s vote of confidence. I’m suggesting this because while you can count on me and Piper to tag along, the two of us ain’t exactly a force to be reckoned with. You’re going to need folks who are more capable, like this merc I’m suggesting, to build up your own little squad before you take on Kellogg. We may not be Army material but-”

“It’s all right, Nick,” Arianna interrupted with a smile, “It’s nice to know that we could still count on you after all these years.”

“If you say so,” the synth responded with what looked to be a self-deprecating smile, “What are friends for after all?”

“I guess we’ll be heading to Goodneighbor then to meet this ‘MacCready’ fellow,” Bryce said as he got up from his seat, followed by Arianna.

“If you’re thinking of going right now, I’d advise against it,” the detective calmly told the couple, “You should get rested. I know a few junkies and punk thugs are child’s play for you two, but there are plenty of raiders and super mutants between here and Goodneighbor and you definitely don’t want to fight them when you’re on the brink of exhaustion.”

“I guess you’re right. I reckon you know of a place me and Ari can stay in?” Bryce responded.

“You could head for the Dugout Inn,” Ellie suggested, “They’ve got a couple of rooms for rent, along with showers and a bar if you want to kick back and relax for a while.”

“Alright then, it’s settled. We’ll leave tomorrow as soon as the sun rises, while you guys try to verbally grapple with whoever it is that will give you the key to the house.”

Dogmeat barked all of a sudden catching the attention of the others, while Bryce and Ari felt mild embarrassment for nearly forgetting that he was there all along. They were just so focused on speaking with the detective…

“What’s that boy? You want to stay with the detective?” Bryce asked, which Dogmeat responded with another bark and a wag of its tail, “It seems he wants to stay. Would you mind looking after him while we’re away, Nick?”

“The ol’ hound is more than welcome to stay here,” the detective grinned at the dog that trotted over to his side, “Now, unless there’s anything else, you should be on your way. Take a moment to visit the shops and unwind before you call it a day.”

“Sure thing…and Nick?”

The detective turned his attention from Dogmeat to the prewar soldier who stood up to hold the door for his wife.

“Thanks,” was all he said as his wife bid farewell to everyone in the office before making her way out the door. Nick responded with a simple nod and Bryce took his leave as well.

The detective leaned back in his chair as Ellie and Piper started to chat about something. No doubt about the ‘prewar relics’ the rascal reporter had quietly dubbed the couple. He sighed as he fetched another cigarette from his coat pocket.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day for everyone involved.

…

Who would have ever thought that someone would build a bar in one of the stadium’s dugouts but that’s exactly what the Dugout Inn was, which also served room and board for weary travelers.

The couple arrived after shopping for ‘new’ clothes at Fallon’s Basem*nt, at least for husband and wife to change from their army fatigues and vault suit respectively for something different tomorrow.

Bryce looked all over the place as they went down the hall into the tavern, unsure if to be impressed with humanity’s talent for improvising with whatever resources and structures they had on hand or lament everything that had been lost, now nothing more than a week long memory.

There weren’t many patrons at this time yet; it was only 7:30pm and everyone else’s shift seemed to end at 8pm. Enough time for Bryce and his wife to knock back a drink or two and then rent a room before they were all taken for the night.

Once they made their way inside, they were surprised to see a ghoul sitting on one of the couches with a bottle of whiskey in hand. Last they remembered, Piper and Nick had mentioned something about ghouls being kicked out and not being allowed in Diamond City. A few other patrons milling about kept their distance from him and before the couple could do anything else, they had caught his eye and he got up to approach them.

“Hey there. You look like the kind of folks I’ve been looking for. There’s a job that might interest…” he stopped talking when Bryce turned to face him. The ghoul was wearing the typical road leathers that seemed to be all the rage in raider and mercenary fashion, but on top of that, he was decked out in full combat armor. He wore a newsboy cap on his head and the vault dweller noticed that the ghoul’s eyes widened upon looking at him and then at Arianna.

“…It can’t be,” he muttered, “Must be seeing stuff because you two look rather familiar.”

“Uh…do we know you?” Bryce asked carefully.

“I’d say it depends,” the ghoul responded, “Does the name ‘Edward Deegan’ sound familiar?”

They stood there for a moment before the name finally registered. Now it was their turn to look shocked. Edward may not have been as close a friend as Nick Valentine was but he was still an acquaintance of theirs since the couple’s college days. Bryce remembered sharing a drink with him; he was always talking about his job with the Cabots while the younger man would drone on about stuff from college. Arianna remembered him as a frequent member of her audience every Saturday night she sang at the lounge and having ‘privately’ invited him backstage the first time they met and a few times after that before she officially hooked up with Bryce.

But now that they looked closely, despite the ghoulification turning his skin leathery and almost unrecognizable, they recognized the piercing blue eyes that belonged to none other than Edward Deegan.

“Oh my…it really is you, Edward,” Ari said in amazement upon seeing another friend from the old world.

“Yeah, it’s me, Nightingale,” he responded with a lopsided smile, “Still, how the heck did you guys survive two hundred years while keeping your skin intact?”

“Jesus! What happened to you, Ed?” Bryce asked.

“Long story short, when you soak up a lot of radiation, you either die or turn-”

“Have you starred in your own horror films yet? Because you look like Freddy Krueger after face-f*cking a topographical map of Utah.”

“BRYCE!” Arianna yelled with a scandalized look on her face as he slapped her husband on the arm, while he looked back at her with a questioning look, as if to silently ask ‘The hell did I do?’”

Everyone nearby stood deathly quiet, waiting for the ghoul to get angry or even violent. Seconds of tension ticked by and to say that everyone was surprised when Edward started laughing instead was an understatement.

“You always were an asshole, Bryce,” he said, “Good to see things haven’t changed. Except that I’ve become more handsome than you but that really isn’t up for debate.”

“C’mon, Ed,” Bryce said, a lively grin on his face as he extended his arms outward, “Show your favorite drinking buddy some brotherly love over here.”

The two of them pulled each other into a friendly embrace, patting each other’s backs after not having seen each other in over 200 years. Edward let go of Bryce and looked towards Arianna and gently took her hand in his.

“And I can never forget my sweet nightingale,” he spoke as he placed a gentlemanly kiss on her knuckles, “Wish I could show the kind of love I showed you the first time we met, but you’re already spoken for, I’m afraid.”

“Always the silver-tongued devil, aren’t you Edward?” Arianna teased with a slight blush on her cheeks. Bryce shot him a mock glare while the ghoul smirked and shrugged. They both eventually burst out in laughter.

“The old days were pretty damn fun, I tell ya,” he said as he took out a pocket watch and sighed when he looked at the time, “Trust me when I say that I have a lot of questions for you both, the one still at the top of my mind being ‘How the hell did you guys keep your skin smooth after two f*cking centuries?’ but my time here is up. I should head on back to the Cabot House before DC Security tells me to leave in a less friendly manner.”

“You’re still working for the Cabots?” Bryce asked, “Are they still around as well?”

“Can’t say much,” the ghoul curtly replied, “Just look us up there and we’ll catch up on everything. And if the two of you are up for it, maybe we could also discuss the job I was going to offer.”

“Very well then, Edward,” Arianna said, “We’ll be seeing you around later. Do take care of yourself.”

Their ghoul friend gave them a respectful nod before he took his leave from the bar.

“Well, I could definitely use a drink right now,” Bryce declared as he and Ari made their way towards the bar, ignoring the curious looks from the other patrons. They moved towards the counter and plopped down on the stools there, as the bartender let out a hearty laugh from whatever joke or story the guy sitting next to them shared.

“Women can be very bossy, no?” the bartender spoke with what Bryce thought was a Slavic accent as he passed another bottle of whiskey to the man he was talking with. He looked like a mercenary, or at least a traveler, judging from the worn grey-colored drifter garb he was wearing.

“That she is…” his voice trailed off as he took another sip of whiskey, “But I don’t blame her. We’ve…she’s been going through some tough times. Lost a few friends…grief and worry’s been eating away at Renée for a while.”

A sympathetic look crossed on the bartender’s face. “A settlement attack?” he asked.

The drifter’s face scrunched a little, lips pressing into a thin line as he was unsure of how to answer that.

“Yeah, you could say that,” he curtly replied and took another swig from the bottle.

“Well, I heard on radio that Minutemen are regrouping,” the bartender said, trying to lighten the mood, “If they do return, maybe no one has to go through what you and the lady are going through again.”

The man let out a bitter chuckle as he shook his head slightly. “That’s to be seen,” he simply replied as he chugged the rest of the whiskey, “Vadim, I appreciate you hearin’ me ramble, but you kind of got some customers that need attention.” He nodded towards Bryce and Arianna.

Vadim turned to look at the vault dwellers and his face lit up at seeing new potential customers.

“Ah, you must be the folks who came from Sanctuary, yes? The ones who rescued Detective Valentine? Here, you can have one drink each, on the house,” the bartender gleefully placed two shot glasses in front of the couple and poured a clear looking liquid from a bottle, “Moonshine. A family recipe.”

Bryce and Ari looked to each other, silently asking one another if they should.

“What the hell. Down the hatch it goes,” he said as they both took their respective glasses and downed the drinks, instantly regretting it as it was much too strong compared to their usual taste.

“Feels like you just swallowed gasoline, doesn’t it?” the drifter flashed a teasing grin and the vault dwellers could only nod in response, “That’s why I always stick with whiskey…and sometimes bourbon.”

“Yeah…it’s really damn strong,” Bryce’s face was scrunched up as he waited for the bitterness to leave his taste buds.

“Ignore my friend here,” Vadim responded, “Crowler does not appreciate Bobrov Brother’s Best Moonshine.”

“Who’s Crowler?” Arianna asked.

The drifter got up from his seat surprisingly well considering he must have had a lot to drink. His grey drifter coat was open, revealing a wine-colored dress shirt he wore beneath, along with black jeans and boots. The front of his brown hair was spiked up a little and he had a bit of stubble around his chin.

“That’s my name, though my friends call me ‘Crow’ for short,” he said as he gave a slight bow, “Unlike Vadim, I’m afraid I can’t offer you anything as way of saying thanks for bringing back the detective other than compliments. The number of folks willing to help out a synth in trouble could be counted on one hand and I’d still have fingers left over.”

“It’s nothing really…” Bryce responded, “We figured the city could use its detective back.”

“Our new friends are quite modest, are they not, Crow?” Vadim jovially spoke as he leaned over and patted the drifter on the shoulder.

“Yeah…they’re really impressive alright,” Crow muttered, mostly to himself so no one could hear him, before looking up at the bartender, “Well, my friend, I should probably take my leave. I’ve got some folks waiting for me back home and I’ve got to sit through their nagging while I pretend to listen.”

That earned a chuckle from the present company and the drifter eventually turned to leave.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, my friends?” Vadim turned his attention back onto the vault dwellers.

“Do you have any spare rooms for rent?” Bryce asked.

“Of course we do. But talk to my brother, Yefim. He handles the rooms. I handle food, drink, and good stories to tell.”

“I would like a bottle of wine and whatever specialty you’ve got on the menu, delivered to our room if possible,” Arianna ordered as her husband went to speak to Yefim about renting a room.

“Of course! Anything for pretty lady!” he cheerfully said as he called over a young woman who was apparently his employee, “Scarlett, need two dishes of today’s dinner. The Brahmin steak with fried tatoes,” he said, passing off a note to her with the order and turning back to Arianna, “Which room would we deliver it to?”

“Room 2,” Bryce said as he approached them twirling a key around before placing it in his wife’s hand, “Shall we go, my lady?”

The dark-haired woman merely rolled her eyes at her husband’s attempt to play gentleman as she took his hand and followed him to the room they would be staying for the night.

…

Upon leaving the bar, the man known as Crow lingered around the marketplace for a moment, chatting away with Arturo and purchasing some ammunition before leaving the city. He walked to his right, heading for the area where the super mutants had attacked the security team earlier in the morning, where he took another right and kept walking down the long street. A few security patrols passed him by but they were not the guards he was looking for.

“So, before these raiders could corner me, I did the first thing that came to mind…I started mimicking the sound of explosives being set off. Those idiots totally thought that I was throwing grenades at them.”

Crow sighed. There was only one person he knew who could come up with sh*t like that and make it believable and he happened to be the guy he was looking for.

“You’re sh*tting me.”

“I sh*t you not, Ray,” the sh*t-eating grin on the bald, sunglasses clad security guard was all too familiar to the slightly drunk drifter, “And just to f*ck with ‘em, I even pretended I was revving up the engine of a motorcycle and making some super stylish getaway from their hideout. They just stood there wondering if they found someone crazier than them.”

“You’re lucky they didn’t just shoot you then and there,” the masked guard responded, “f*ckin’ crazy.”

“Excuse me,” Crow called out to them as he approached, “I have a letter for a…’Johnny Kent’?” he asked as he showed them an envelope.

“That’s me,” the bald guard responded as he took the envelope and opened it. A single note was inside and he took a moment to quickly read it.

I’ve got news.

P.S. The Huntress is waiting for us by the abandoned precinct.

-C.

“Ray, mind if I take a break for a few minutes? Might as well write a letter back to my family while the messenger is still here,” ‘Johnny’ turned to look at his fellow guardsman.

“Sure thing, Johnny. Just try not to take too long though,” Ray said and gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking away. The bald guard waited for his fellow patrolman to turn around the corner before waiting for Crow to lead the way. He followed the drifter in silence as he took out his flip lighter, using it on a cigarette before placing the flame close to the note, setting it on fire and tossing it in a nearby trash bin.

“So, any good perks joining up with Diamond City Security?” Crow asked with a grin, “Heard that a man in uniform is quite the hit with the ladies.”

“Oh totally, my friend,” the guard responded, “Some snazzy baseball armor, free candy by the secretary’s desk and karaoke nights every Friday, where we are treated to the mayor himself singing his rendition of ‘Atom Bomb Baby’. I think I might even score a date with Myrna if I had the chance.”

“Good lord, what a nightmare,” Crow shook his head as he reached for his flask and downed a swig of whiskey, “I guess DC Security takes away your dignity too.”

The two laughed as they reached the precinct in front of the Boston Public Library. It was empty save for a couple of dead radroaches and…

“Took you boys long enough.”

…a woman who was sitting cross-legged on top of the only desk there.

She had pale white skin and long, dark, red hair tied up in a ponytail. She wore a pair of wraparound goggles covering her eyes from everyone else, much like the bald guard in sunglasses. Her choice of outfit was similar to the road leathers commonly seen in this side of the wastes, the difference being that her jacket had red sleeves and was cropped slightly shorter, enough to bare her midriff for everyone to see.

She stood up from where she sat, approaching the two men and said, “The boss sent me to see if you two are done chasing ghosts so we can focus on more important issues at hand.”

“Of course she did,” Crow grumbled as he looked for his flask and again took another sip from it, “If only she’d understand we can achieve a lot more if she weren’t trying to watch over us like a bloody hawk. I mean, that is why she sent you to play messenger, Artemis, or this is my drunken mind imagining things?”

“She’s only trying to do what’s best at the moment,” Artemis replied coolly, ignoring Crow’s sharp retort, “It’s not like we have many options or personnel at our disposal. She was curious about your little project but how much time has passed since the two of you began your stakeout at that vault? There have been no results so far, so it’s been decided that you both are better off doing something more important…speaking of which, Deacon,” she turned to face the bald man, “I’m here to tell you that you will be assigned to Goodneighbor for the time being. Just the usual ‘go undercover and gather information’ stuff that you’re used to.”

“Aw man. Just when I was up for promotion in the security team,” Deacon whined, feigning disappointment.

“As for you, Crow. The boss wants you to report back to HQ.”

“Can you tell her to wait?” the man asked in a nonchalant manner prompting an exasperated sigh from the woman.

“You know that’s something she won’t take kindly to,” Artemis responded matter of factly, earning a light chuckle from Crow.

“Just do it anyway,” he insisted, “Cuz’ you see, I had something to discuss with Deacon here, but you know what? I’m glad you’re here too, Artemis. Bring this information back to the boss lady and all that. Because you should know…those ghosts we were chasing? They’re pretty damn real.”

Artemis quirked an eyebrow, suddenly interested in what she was hearing.

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah, two vault dwellers…and they look like the real deal, all right,” Deacon added, “Should’ve seen how the lady was seconds away from chewing out the mayor.”

“Not to mention they succeeded in storming a vault full of Triggerman and got Detective Valentine out no worse for wear. These look like the kind of folks we may want to keep an eye on.”

She suspected Crow knew more than he was letting on, but whatever else he wanted to add, he would not do it here. HQ seemed the only place safe enough to have a proper discussion about his and Deacon’s findings but the stubborn bastard refused to budge until his curiosity has been sated.

“Interesting…but it doesn’t change anything right now,” she responded, “As I’ve said before, we have more important matters to deal with.”

“Like what?” Crow asked in a somewhat annoyed tone.

“Kellogg.”

The name definitely got their attention. Many knew him as a ruthless mercenary but few knew that he doubled as the Institute’s top attack dog.

“Recent info I got on him mentioned that he was spotted near Forest Grove Marsh. Judging from the direction he took, it seemed he was heading for Fort Hagen, or at least headed somewhere within that vicinity.”

“And?”

“I was thinking this would be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for to take him out.”

“Definitely, because there is nothing suspicious about Kellogg walking around with a ‘Come Get Me’ sign figuratively plastered on his back,” Deacon said.

“I don’t discard the fact that this might be a setup but on the off chance that this was a moment of carelessness on his part, then I say we-”

“You can go ahead and cross Kellogg off our list of worries.”

Deacon and Artemis turned to look at Crow, whose pet had just flown through a hole in the wall and perched itself on his shoulder, as he leaned against the wall with a confident smirk on his face.

“…You…you do know who we are talking about right?” the woman asked in disbelief at the man’s nonchalant attitude towards this situation, wondering if the alcohol was finally getting to his head.

“Oh, I know who you’re talking about,” he answered her rhetorical question, “And I’m saying we won’t have to worry about him for long,” he told them with certainty.

“Because I know that our little ghosts from the vault are going to take care of him themselves.”

Chapter 8: Meet the Mercenary

Chapter Text

“Ah, good old Scollay Square,” Bryce said as he and Arianna stepped through the gates of Goodneighbor for the first time in the post war era, “It still smells like piss and garbage but at least they got rid of the graffiti and dick drawings on the walls. All that’s missing is seeing someone get shanked in the middle of the street.”

“Hey!” the voice of a bald man in Road Leathers called out to them as he approached, “This your first time in Goodneighbor? Can’t walk around without insurance.”

‘And it looks like we have a volunteer.’

Bryce rolled his eyes at that. Of course some idiot would try to scam them right then and there. This part of town really did not change much from before the war.

“Thanks for the offer but I think I have little use for it,” he sarcastically retorted.

“Besides, unless it’s ‘keep dumb assholes away from us’ insurance, we’re not interested,” Arianna added.

The man chuckled, almost as if amused by the vault dweller’s challenge before unsheathing a serrated knife from his pocket.

“Alright, lemme rephrase that. You’re going to hand over all your valuables right now or accidents are going to start happenin’. Real, bloody, accidents. You wouldn’t want me to cut up your girl’s pretty face now, would ya’?” he threatened as he pointed his knife at Arianna’s direction. Hereyes darkened as she stepped forward in defiant fashion.

“I’d like to see you try,” she said coldly before she felt Bryce’s hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back while her husband stood beside her.

“Son, you might want to put that toothpick you call a knife away before I show you what a ‘real, bloody, accident’ looks like,” he calmly responded with a nonchalant smile on his face.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out over here!”

Bryce looked towards another figure approaching them. A ghoul, like Edward, but unlike his old drinking buddy, this one wore an outfit that looked as if he had pried it off a founding father. That, or there must have been a colonial themed party going on somewhere in town.

“This is the third time I’ve told you to lay off the extortion crap. Anyone new is always welcome in Goodneighbor.”

“What do you care? They ain’t one of ours!” the bald man snapped back.

The ghoul chuckled darkly as he walked towards the man, standing face to face with him.

“What? No love for your mayor, Finn?”

Finn shut his eyes for a moment before opening them back up and a menacing smirk formed on his lips.

“You’re getting’ soft on us, Hanco*ck. If you don’t watch you’re back, Goodneighbor’s gonna have a new mayor in charge.”

The expression on the ghoul’s face was unreadable for a moment before he smirked and lifted a gnarled hand to pat Finn on the shoulder.

“C’mon Finn. This is me we’re talkin’ about,” the mayor responded and the vault couple watched as the ghoul reached behind his back with his free hand.

What happened next was done in the blink of an eye. ‘Hanco*ck’ pulled out a serrated knife of his own and jammed it with merciless force into Finn’s stomach, repeating the action an additional two times for good measure as the thug collapsed onto the ground, lifeless within less than a minute.

“Woops…guess my hand slipped,” Hanco*ck sarcastically muttered as he cleaned the knife on the edge of his coat, “Shouldn’t have said things like that, man. Breaking my heart over here.”

He turned to address the crowd of townsfolk that had gathered around the entrance while Bryce and Arianna looked on, somewhat surprised to see the denizens of Goodneighbor act like their mayor stabbing a random (but unruly) citizen in the middle of town was just part of the daily routine.

Well, it was the wasteland after all. Death was in every corner and that was a fact that the vault couple were going to have to get used to.

“Alright folks, show’s over,” the ghoul known as Hanco*ck said before turning around to approach and take a good look at the vaulties.

“You guys all right?” Hanco*ck asked them, “Hope Finn’s creative introduction doesn’t completely spoil your image of Goodneighbor.”

“Yeah…we’re good. Not much a punk like him could do to us,” Bryce responded, “But was it really necessary to kill him like that?”

“Like I said before, this was his third warning,” Hanco*ck said as he twirled his knife a little before sheathing it, “And you know that old saying? Three strikes and you’re out? Well, this was Finn’s third strike. I don’t tolerate folks who try to extort newcomers. At least everyone else understands that Goodneighbor is ‘Of the People. For the People.’”

“Of the People. For the People?” Arianna asked, eyebrow quirked, “You’re really taking the founding father shtick to heart, aren’t you?”

“I was thinking more of a ‘sexy, king of the zombies’ kind of gimmick. But that works too,” the ghoul answered with a chuckle, “Heh, I think I might like you guys. So, I gotta ask…what brings a fresh faced couple out to this side of town? You don’t look like the kind of folk who would mix in with us.”

“You really think we don’t?”

“Nah toots. You guys look cleaner and less downtrodden than most of the folks we get,” Hanco*ck replied, “Strange thing is, you don’t seem to fit the description of the typical Diamond City folk either. Definitely look like you’ve seen you’re fair share of wear and tear that spooks most city folk.”

“That’s an understatement,” Bryce said, “We’re here because we’re looking for a mercenary who is apparently hanging around here in Goodneighbor. Goes by the name of MacCready?”

The couple notice the ghoul’s eyes narrowing, the pools of black fixing them with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Yeah, kid’s here in town. What’s your business with him?”

“It’s personal business,” the soldier responded, earning a chuckle from the mayor.

“Sure, but this is my town and I’ve gotta make sure you’re not here to start some sh*t and shoot up the place,” the mayor warned, “He’s been getting a few visitors as of late and they’re not the friendly type. Gunners don’t take kindly to deserters and the only reason they haven’t tried to kill him is because they don’t want to end up as corpses in some back alley dumpster.”

“We just want to hire him for a job,” Arianna explained, “I can’t really go into much detail about what it entails. We simply heard that he’s a reliable gun and we need him to watch our backs.”

Hanco*ck stood there for a moment, thinking it over before a grin appeared on his face.

“Well, I can tell ya that he’s good with a gun. Sure, he complains here and there, but he’ll make sure the job’s done,” he said, “You can find him at the Third Rail just beneath the State House. While you’re there, you can treat yourselves to a few drinks or listen to a few songs from our very own Magnolia.”

“You guys have a singer?” Ari asked curiously.

“Heh, you’ve been livin’ under a rock or somethin’?” Hanco*ck asked in disbelief, “The one and only. Even Diamond City can’t top that!”

“Well considering we came from a vault recently…then yes. We’ve been living under rocks all this time,” Bryce responded.

“Well sh*t, could have fooled me. You seem to handle yourselves better than the random vault strays that come up to the surface once in a while. Tell you what, since you two seem to be in a rush and I have ‘mayoral’ duties to attend to, the next time you show up here again, stop by my office. I may or may not have a few things to discuss that might spark your interest.”

‘Vault strays? Does he mean that there have been more people around the Commonwealth that came from a Vault?’ Bryce thought curiously.

“If we find ourselves in your town again, we’ll do just that,” he responded and the answer seemed to satisfy Hanco*ck.

“Good. You’re welcome to do whatever you want here in Goodneighbor…” the ghoul mayor suddenly narrowed his eyes at the couple, “…just as long as you remember who’s in charge,” he added with a slightly vicious edge to his voice and with that, Hanco*ck turned around and headed for the State House, followed by a rough looking redheaded woman who had been leaning casually against a wall behind the crowd during the altercation with Finn. She cast the vault dwellers a wary glance before following the mayor inside the building.

“Well…that was something,” Bryce said as he walked over to where Finn’s corpse was.

“I know. Piper was right. This place being ‘rough and tumble’ is an understatement,” his wife responded as she nonchalantly stepped on Finn’s body to the bewilderment of a nearby watchman.

“But I think I like this place more than Diamond City, so far,” she admitted, “May be a bit early for impressions but these guys don’t seem as stuffy as the majority of the ones in Diamond City. Especially the mayor here. Sure he’s a ghoul but the guy definitely fits the ‘man of the people’ image unlike the killjoy who was giving Piper a hard time.”

“It seems people here don’t bother pretending to be someone they’re not,” her husband stated, “…I can somewhat respect that. Now let’s go find that merc so we can head back to Diamond City on the double,” Bryce said as they walked towards the Rail.

“The mayor mentioned the Gunners,” Ari mused, “Why do they sound familiar?”

“Preston may have mentioned something about them back at Sanctuary,” Bryce answered, “Typically being a thorn on the Minutemen’s side up until the Quincy Massacre and where they put the final nail in the Minutemen’s coffin…Why? Is there something nagging you?”

“Hanco*ck said he was an ex-Gunner. Think we could trust a guy like that?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t trust mercenaries as far as you could throw ‘em,” her husband answered truthfully, “But so far, Nick and the mayor have put in a good word for him and if he deserted the Gunners, then he can’t be as much of a conniving sh*t as you think he might be.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Ari responded with a shrug, “Alright, the sooner we hire the merc, the sooner we can wring Kellogg’s neck.”

As they entered the Third Rail, the adventuring couple was greeted by another ghoul, this one in a snazzy looking tuxedo as he stood stiffly by the entryway.

“So you’re the newcomers, eh? Name’s Ham,” he introduced himself, “I just take care of the troublemakers here, especially the ones who try to get handsy with Magnolia. Just buy some drinks and don’t start trouble so I don’t have to toss ya out. Not difficult rules to follow. If you’re looking for a hired gun, you’ll find the MacCready kid in the backroom of the Rail downstairs.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Bryce said.

“Word of warning though,” he added, “Those unfriendly visitors the mayor mentioned earlier? There’s two of them downstairs meeting with the merc already.”

“Will they be a problem?” the former soldier inquired.

“Gunners ain’t stupid enough to try to stir sh*t here as long as Hanco*ck’s around,” Ham assured them, “But they seem to have a serious bone to pick with the merc. And they aren’t above pushing around new folks when they think no one’s lookin’. So watch your backs if you run into them.”

With that in mind, the couple made their way into the closest thing the wasteland had to a proper bar and lounge. The pungent smell of strong alcohol and cigarette smoke mingled in the air as patrons were lazing about in worn chairs and tattered sofas. Some looked to be overly drunk, a few others seemed to be riding a pleasant high and then there were those who were watching the sultry singer at the stage with an expression of awe and longing.

Long, silky black hair, a form-fitting red dress that gave onlookers a generous view of her long legs and porcelain skin, delicate crimson lips that formed words that sang throughout the bar in a soothing melody as she caressed her microphone like a passionate lover…

Bryce and Arianna found themselves quickly mesmerized by the woman known as Magnolia, admiring her beauty, her voice and, in Ari’s case, bringing back some fond memories of her own when she used to sing to make some cash that went into paying her college courses.

How she missed those days. She sometimes wondered if things would have been different had she not been drafted into the war. She probably would have pursued a career in music and later followed Nora’s footsteps to get a law degree as well. Attempting to establish some semblance of law and order by day while entertaining folks with music by night. That would have been a good life.

“Oh, great. More mercs,” a drunken ghoul sitting nearby caught the couple’s attention and now they realized that Magnolia’s number had just ended, the songstress taking a brief break to catch a quick drink and engage the robotic bartender in some banter, “If you’re looking for MacCready, he’s in the VIP Room in the back,” she lazily pointed behind her towards a room that was clearly the room they were looking for, if the neon red ‘VIP Room’ sign didn’t make it any more obvious.

“If you’re gonna shoot up the place, at least let me finish my drink first,” she slurred as she shooed away the vault dwellers from her space. The couple obliged, leaving the drunk to her vices as they went towards the room in question.

“So, are we going to have to take this outside?”

Bryce and Arianna entered the backroom just as a young man got up from his chair to confront two other men standing right in front of him. The man in question looked to be of thin build, his most notable clothing being a worn and faded long coat and a cap with some .308 bullets strapped to the front. The other two men looked to be even more unpleasant than the guy standing up to them, both of them wearing slightly dirty military fatigues, combat armor and sunglasses.

‘So these must be the Gunners,’ Bryce thought to himself.

“It ain’t like that. We’re just here to deliver a message,” one of them shrugged nonchalantly as the other simply kept an eye on the mercenary.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I left the Gunners for good,” the young man responded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, we noticed,” the talkative Gunner answered back as he took off his glasses to look at the other, “But you’re still taking jobs around the Commonwealth. That isn’t going to work for us, MacCready.”

Bryce and Arianna watched quietly as MacCready and the two Gunners which were later identified as Winlock and Barnes traded insults and loose threats back and forth at each other and the ex-soldier had half a mind to throw out the two tough guys himself so he could begin bargaining with the mercenary.

“You can play the tough guy all you want,” Winlock sneered as it seemed their ‘talk’ was almost at an end, “But if we hear you’re operating in Gunner territory, then all bets are off. You got that?” he warned.

“You finished?” MacCready responded with little care in the world.

“Yeah…we’re finished. Let’s go, Barnes.”

As they turned to leave, the two Gunners locked eyes with the vault dwellers. Bryce and Arianna narrowed their eyes at Winlock and Barnes, who merely scoffed at them and brushed past the couple, ‘accidentally’ knocking down one of the mannequins in the hallway as they left the backroom and eventually, the Third Rail altogether.

“Gunners sound like the kind of people I want to shoot,” Bryce commented, to which Arianna hummed in agreement and both turned to look at the young man they had been looking for.

“Look, if you’re here to preach about Atom or whatnot, I’m not interested,” MacCready said in a bored tone as the couple approached him, “But…if you need a hired gun, then maybe we can talk.”

“Perhaps…are those idiots going to be trouble?” he asked, nodding towards the hallway where the Gunners left.

“Winlock and Barnes? No…at least not for now,” the mercenary responded, “They’re just two morons who feel like they have a chip on their shoulder because I picked up and left the Gunners. Lucky for them, they’re not dumb enough to try to stir sh*t up here in Goodneighbor, not if they want the mayor himself or his attack dog to pump them full of lead.”

“Attack dog?” the ex-soldier inquired.

“Fahrenheit,” MacCready clarified, “Don’t know if you saw her. Half-shaved head of red hair? Looks mean as all hell and would probably kill you if you even look at her funny?”

“I think I saw someone like that following Hanco*ck around before we made our way here,” Arianna mentioned.

“Well, let’s get back to the topic at hand before we get carried away,” the mercenary said with a slightly annoyed huff, “What about you guys? How do I know that I won’t end up with a bullet in my back?”

“You don’t. It’s just that simple,” the sniper responded with an amused shrug as MacCready stared back at her with a raised eyebrow, “What else can I say? It’s all part of the risk. We could ask the same thing of you.”

“Can’t argue with that I suppose,” he responded as he plopped back down on the cushioned chair he was sitting on, “Alright. Tell you what. You can hire me for 250 caps up front. No bargaining.”

“Everything’s negotiable, kid. How about 200 caps and eight percent of the profits from whatever loot we scavenge as long as you’re with us?” Arianna offered.

“Fifteen percent,” MacCready countered.

“Ten percent” Bryce added.

The mercenary contemplated the offer for a few seconds before he gave a casual shrug of acceptance.

“Ah, what the he-…heck. You guys drive a hard bargain but it beats sitting around here doing nothing most of the time. Consider me your new hired gun.”

“Glad to hear that, MacCready,” Bryce said appreciatively as he extended a hand out towards the young man who looked unsure at first of accepting the ex-soldier’s gesture before nodding and returning the handshake.

“Sure thing. Lead the way, Boss.”

…

Bryce and Arianna would have stayed in Goodneighbor a while longer, getting to know the area and perhaps chat up Magnolia but they intended to stick with their plan of returning to Diamond City as soon as possible. Besides, once they dealt with Kellogg and rescued their boy, there would be plenty of time to flirt, celebrate and pick up odd jobs from some of the locals to earn some sort of income. As MacCready had said a moment ago, ‘There are plenty of folks who have stuff that needs to be done but are too lazy, cautious or afraid to do it themselves. Fortunately, some of them also happen to have a nice collection of caps.’

The aforementioned mercenary trudged along with the vault dwellers as they left the gates of Goodneighbor, not before Mayor Hanco*ck gave them a farewell salute from the balcony of the State House (as well as shamelessly smirking and throwing a wink at Arianna as he puffed on a cigarette, to which the woman responded with a blush and a wave of her own. After all these years and she was still a sucker for attention).

They walked a rather short distance before Bryce spoke up as he remembered something that he wanted to take care of before returning to the city.

“Hang on. Before we head back to Diamond City, there’s a little detour I wanna take.”

“And here we go,” MacCready spoke up, annoyance lacing the tone of his voice. Apparently he has heard the idea of his employers taking detours one too many times already, “Look, I should make it clear that I’m not some glorified tour guide. If you’re gonna stumble off into random places expecting me to cover you all the way, then that’s gonna cost you extra…unless you walk right into a shi-…ton of super mutants. Then, you’re on your own.”

“Good thing I’m paying you to be a hired gun and not a tour guide then,” Bryce smirked and shrugged when he heard disgruntled mumbling coming from the lanky mercenary. The trio headed around a corner and into the Boston Commons, the vault couple earning another reprimand from their newest companion.

“This is the Boston Commons. Do you people have a death wish or something?”

“What?” Arianna asked, wondering what was the kid worried about, “We’ve already passed by here…like two or three times and all we’ve found were a few raiders. They’re dead already.”

“Speaking of raiders…”Bryce began as he, his wife and MacCready turned another corner and stopped before a building with large double doors at the front. The lettering above that looked to be put together by scrap spelled out the words ‘Combat Zone’, “We have some unfinished business here. At the same time, clearing out a raider den should be enough to see you put your rifle to use. What do you say, kid? Ready to show us you’re worth the caps?”

MacCready looked slightly offended that these vault dwellers seemed to question his ability with a weapon but whatever snappy retort he had in mind was held back, settling instead with, “You point. I shoot. Can’t get any more simple than that.”

Chapter 9: Seeing Red

Chapter Text

“After being out here in the Commonwealth for more than a week, I have to wonder if at least eighty percent of the remaining human population after the bombs dropped thought that going raider was a swell idea,” Bryce thought out loud as he carefully stepped around the raider corpses that now decorated the Combat Zone, “Seriously. We’ve been up against more raiders than roaches in our time outside the vault.”

When he, Arianna, and MacCready entered the rundown theater, they had encountered another raider group within the structure, numbering around a dozen at most, who were busy watching a fight between one of their own and a wild looking redheaded woman within a makeshift cage. They hadn’t noticed the interlopers at first but just as the brawling woman struck her opponent’s skull with her bat and was declared the winner of the match, Bryce’s element of surprise was quickly shut down when the commentator of the cage fight noticed them and ended up giving away their position.

Thus began a swift shootout as raiders left and right were either shot down or vaporized, as Arianna and MacCready took to higher ground to snipe any of them that tried to pin or flank the leader of their motley trio. The mercenary may have claimed to be a very good shot but as the veteran sniper of the group, Ari was going to be the judge of that.

“I suppose your claims aren’t unfounded,” she told the mercenary as they walked down the aisle to meet up with her husband, who was busy picking through the bodies to search for ammo or chems, “But you still have some ways to go before you can call yourself an actual professional.”

“Hey, I’ve been shooting a rifle since I was a kid!” MacCready responded defensively, “I think I am as close to a professional sniper as anyone could get out here in the wasteland. Raiders are just child’s play is all…”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m certain we’ll find more adequate hostiles to put your skills to the test soon enough,” the woman said as she watched her husband pry a combat shotgun from the hands of a dead raider, probably the only one who was decently equipped from the rabble here.

The weapon had a few scratch marks and the color seemed to be fading a bit but Bryce was impressed enough to take it with him. Nothing a bit of work couldn’t fix as long as he could find the adequate supplies.

“Please try not to,” the mercenary muttered as they met up with the soldier.

“Hello? Anyone out there? You guys all done shooting up the place?”

All three of them turned their attention towards the cage where the voice came from. A man crouching down, not even daring to look up from the floor and the woman standing next to him, tapping her foot restlessly as she fixed a look of annoyance on him.

Bryce walked up the stage and opened up the cage door, letting himself and his company inside to see if the remaining two inhabitants of the Combat Zone were alright.

“Is it finally over?” the crouching figure spoke as the vault dwellers approached them, “We don’t want any trouble! Not any more at least…”

“Oh, just peek your head up, ya damn coward!” the woman snapped at him in an accent that Bryce deduced as either Irish or Scottish, which caused the man to look up and reveal himself to be another ghoul, “Seriously Tommy, if they wanted to shoot yer head in, they would’ve done it already!.

“To heck with that! I’m too pretty to die in a place like this!” he said, earning a snort from MacCready, as he slowly got up and carefully made eye contact with the newcomers.

“Well…I guess that could have gone worse.”

“I think it could have gone better,” Bryce spoke up, “I had the drop on them but somebody just had to announce the fact that we were there.”

“Well sorry for trying to save your lives,” Tommy retorted, “I thought you three were a bunch of dumbass scavvers who walked into the wrong neighborhood. Wasn’t really expecting you guys to turn around and massacre all these idiots.”

“Saving our lives? I believe we were saving yours!” the soldier shot back.

“I suppose you did…in some way,” the ghoul relented, “But it doesn’t matter now. Those were our clients and now they’re dead, which means you just put us out of business.”

“Business?” Arianna asked, lips pressing into a thin frown as she furrowed her eyebrows, “What kind of business are we talking about here?”

“Easy lady, it’s not the kind you’re thinking of,” Tommy tried to assure.

“Damn right,” the woman piped up, “Any idiot tryin’ to cop a feel ended up getting their skulls bashed in with this beauty right here.” She nodded towards the chain wrapped baseball bat she had laid against the cage wall behind her.

“I run…or well…ran cage fights in the Combat Zone and Cait here was the main headliner. Over a hundred plus matches undefeated. We used to have a more ‘legit’ clientele before the raiders found their way here and took over the place a few months back. Turns out that when they’re not out plundering settlements, they enjoy some bloody sport on their downtime so the cage fights kept me and the little bird here alive and in business,” the ghoul explained as he tried his best to ignore the annoyed glare the redhead sent his way.

“I told ya’ to quit callin me that!” she snapped at him as she began to pace around the spot she was standing in, unaware or uncaring of the vault dwellers watching her, “Look, can ya just give me a minute to take a quick breather?”

“What? So you can keep slammin’ more junk in your arm?” Tommy asked her with an exasperated expression, which then immediately became more lax as he seemed to have come up with an idea of sorts, “Actually…you know what? Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.” He turned his attention to his ‘saviors’.

“You guys caught the end of that bout. So, what did you think of Cait’s handiwork?” the ghoul asked them.

“Why are you asking?” Ari responded.

“Consider it, eh…‘professional curiosity’. So…a cap for your thoughts?”

“She seems decent enough in a fight,” Bryce conceded, if albeit a bit hesisitantly.

“Hah! At least someone recognizes talent when they see it,” Cait remarked with a co*cky grin.

Arianna on the other hand, merely shrugged.

“Eh…I’ve seen better.”

The sniper’s words caused Cait’s grin to twist into a challenging frown.

“Like hell you have!” the redhead spat out indignantly at the prewar woman.

“You were sloppy and predictable,” Arianna bluntly stated, much to Cait’s chagrin, “You’re lucky raiders are even more sloppy and predictable than you. If you were to challenge a more disciplined fighter, odds are you would end up with your back to the floor before you could throw the first swing.”

“…Is she always a critic?” MacCready murmured in a low enough voice that only Bryce could hear.

“Someone in the family has to be,” the man responded casually with a similar low volume, “I let her size up the newbies from time to time.”

“Oh…” the mercenary lamely responded before an indignant expression crossed his face, “Hey, did you just call me a newbie?!”

“You implyin’ you’re a better fighter than me?” the redhead’s challenge interrupted the two men’s secretive banter as she stepped forward to take a better look at the woman standing before her, “As far as I know, I’ve still got me arms intact.” The brawler pointed at Ari’s prosthetic with a smirk.

The brunette in turn took a step forward, close enough to stare directly into the green eyes of the pit fighter without invading her personal space.

“You wanna dance, princess?” Ari responded with a smirk of her own, “I’ll dance.”

The tension was palpable between the two women but Bryce stepped in between them before any trouble could actually brew.

“Alright, enough you two. We can book a grudge match to decide the alpha female of the Combat Zone later. Right now, I think we have business to wrap up here.”

The two ladies relented, though not before sending quick glares to each other as they stepped back.

“Damn right we have business to take care of,” Tommy spoke up as Cait stood next to him, “You just came up with an idea for a fight that would have drawn in a heap of caps. Too bad my audience is dead.”

Before Bryce was given a chance to respond, the ghoul turned towards Cait and said “But the gal’s made a point. You’ve been getting real sloppy and careless in your recent fights and to be honest, I don’t want to be the one doing color commentary when you’re body gives out and you suddenly drop dead. So…here’s what I’m thinking…”

“Oh I know what you’re thinkin’, Tommy! You plan on throwing me out? Don’t I get a say in this?” the brawler interrupted, anger as well as a hint of worry and uncertainty lacing the undertones of her voice.

“It’s not like I have a choice,” Tommy said defensively, “No audience means no caps. Simple arithmetic there. And if there’s no caps coming in from here till the end of the day, then you’re no longer an asset…you’re a liability.”

“And what if I don’t want to leave?” Cait asked as she crossed her arms and stared her handler down.

“You sure you want that, little bird?” Tommy nonchalantly responded, “Stay here in a derelict theater with nothing to do and no one to talk to except yours truly?”

The fighter’s defiant stance deflated at his words and she rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, Jesus! Point taken!” she growled, “But where the hell am I supposed to go?”

“Hey, how about you do me a favor?” Tommy turned to Bryce, “You mind taking on Cait’s contract?”

“Contract?”

“Whoa, wait a moment…you’re sending me off with them?!”

“Never hurts to have a bit of company,” the ghoul responded, though it was unsure to whom at that moment.

“I pass her contract onto you folks and she’ll be under your watch. And she can have your back covered in a fight. You already saw her fight with that bat of hers but she’s good with her fists and a shotgun to boot. What do you say?”

“Depends,” Ari responded, “What does she think about this arrangement?” The sniper’s voice was surprisingly lighter as she asked and gestured towards Cait, which caused her to raise an eyebrow questioningly considering they were staring each other down barely a minute ago.

The redhead sighed and shrugged. “It can’t be worse than sitting here with a thumb up me arse. Fine. If ya’ need me, I’ll be waitin’ over there.”

She picked up her bat and swung it over her shoulder but before she walked away, she gave one quick glance to Tommy.

“…And Tommy? You’re a real son of a bitch, you know that?”

“Heh, you don’t need to tell me,” he responded before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch of caps, “Here, you should probably take this with you.”

Cait laid eyes on the caps for a moment, thinking of taking them before she shook her head in refusal and scowled.

“I don’t need yer f*ckin’ charity, Tommy,” she scoffed and turned around, brushing past Bryce and the others. The ghoul sighed and looked over to the vault dweller.

“Here, you take this then,” he said as he offered Bryce the caps, “The winnings from that last fight. Consider it an exterminator’s fee.”

“Thanks…I guess?” the soldier responded as he took the currency.

“Look, I’m not gonna lie to you. Cait’s going to be, eh…difficult, to work with at first,” Tommy advised them in a lower voice now that Cait was out of earshot, “The girl has quite a few issues that need sorting out.”

“What kind of issues are we talking about here?”

“Well, apart from the obvious addiction, plenty,” Tommy vaguely answered, “But it’s not my place to talk about it. Honestly, I’m taking a real gamble sending her off with you guys but there’s practically nothing left for her here. She’s just going to get restless and when that happens…you’ll probably see for yourselves sometime.”

“We’ll keep that in mind then,” Bryce said as he turned his head to look for Cait, the brawler leaning against a decrepit wooden pillar while staring off into space, “And I can’t promise much at this very moment, but we’ll see what we can do for her.”

“I guess that’s all I can ask for now,” the ghoul shrugged, “Anyway, now that our business is concluded, beat it. I got a theater to clean up and a new crowd to find. Hopefully one that’s covered in less blood.”

After leaving the cage, Tommy went straight for his office while Bryce, Arianna, and MacCready approached the newest addition to their group.

“Ready to join us?” Bryce asked.

Cait didn’t reply immediately. She was busy picking up a double barreled shotgun from one of the dead raiders. After inserting two shotgun shells into the weapon, she looked up to them and spoke.

“Yeah…let’s get the hell out of here.”

…

Halfway to Diamond City as the sun began to set, Arianna suggested that they make camp and rest until morning.

They settled by the Red Rocket Garage near the Mass Pike Tunnel, the outside area having been cleared of prowling raiders that were in their way earlier. While the stadium’s shantytown was in close proximity that the four of them could have easily pushed onwards to the safety of the Wall, there was no telling if the vault dwellers would get a chance to take a breather, especially if Nick and Ellie had done their part of the plan.

Because once that was done, there would be no turning back. No sleep or pit-stops until they hunt down the man that kidnapped their son and finally corner him.

No, now was their only chance at respite in order to ready themselves for what was to come.

“Here, you can have this for the time being,” Ari said as she handed Cait a spare blanket she had been carrying in her pack. The vault dweller continued rummaging through her belongings until she looked up and then raised a quizzical eyebrow when she observed how the brawler stood stiff there for a moment, staring at the fabric with a look that made it seem like she wasn’t sure if she was handed an active bomb or the answers to life’s questions.

“What the hell’s this?” the redhead asked aloud, though she sounded more bewildered than angry.

“Uh…It’s a blanket?” Bryce responded sarcastically as he dragged a sleeping bag towards the small, abandoned structure, “You wrap it around yourself to make sure you don’t get cold.”

Cait was having none of his sh*t as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I know what a blanket is, ya twat,” she snapped, “What I want to know is what is it that you want in return for this?”

It was now Bryce and Ari’s turn to look at her in confusion and that only seemed to annoy her even further.

“Look, there’s no such thing as kindness out here. No one does something for someone else without expecting something in return,” Cait said matter-of-factly, as if stating some unspoken rule of the wasteland that the vault dwellers may or may not have been familiar with.

“Is it hard to believe that some people at least try to look after their own? Because as long as you stick with us, you’re gonna have to get used to random bouts of generosity,” the prewar woman said and she gave a sigh when the redhead didn’t answer immediately, “Look, just for the record, my husband and I are not going to demand that you beat up someone for our own amusem*nt in exchange for a measly blanket…Why are we even arguing about this?”

“Actually…there is something she could do for us,” Bryce interrupted, catching the attention of the two women he was approaching, “Cait, in exchange for that blanket, I want you to lay down on your bedroll and try to at least get some decent sleep. Tomorrow is probably going to be a long day and the last thing we want is for you to catch a cold and spread the sniffles to the rest of us when there is much to be done.” The prewar veteran shot the brawler with a wide smirk which only caused her to huff in annoyance.

“Oh, har har,” the brawler retorted with a lack of amusem*nt, “Fine. Have it your way. I’ll play your game for now but I’ll eventually find out what you really want from me.”

Cait stalked towards the old gas station as Bryce heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

“Man, Tommy wasn’t kidding when he said she was going to be a little difficult to deal with.”

“Can’t help but wonder what might have made her that way,” Ari responded as she handed her husband a pack of cigarettes, receiving a quick peck on her lips in return as a thank you.

“I guess you could say that…By the way, where’s MacCready?”

“He’s taking a quick smoke break somewhere near the raider camp we just cleared out. Anything I should tell him, dear?”

“Just tell him to get some shuteye,” Bryce curtly answered, “I’ll keep watch and after that, you three can take my place while I take a quick nap before we stroll right back into Diamond City. See if old Nicky and his secretary dug up anything useful that’ll help us hunt down the bald bastard.”

“Very well then,” his wife responded with a slight tilt of her head, “Here’s hoping that our week of chasing clues and leads finally comes to an end soon.”

“If there’s a trace of the old Nick in that trench coat wearing bot, then I’m pretty confident that he’ll have what we need as soon as we see him again,” the former soldier plucked out a cigarette from the worn out box and looked for a lighter in his pocket, “Don’t worry honey. We’ll have Shaun back and then we’ll make an example of the f*cker who took him.”

“Hmm, a solid plan. I give it a ten out of ten,” Ari flashed him a toothy grin.

“It’s as solid as it can get out here,” Bryce lazily shrugged, “Once that’s over, we head back and do our best to settle down in Sanctuary. See if Preston’s had any luck in rounding up any new volunteers and see what we can do to make the Commonwealth a little safer…or at least less sh*ttier.”

“Alright, that’s enough planning, soldier boy,” Ari responded as she attempted to stifle a yawn, “Wake me when it’s time to switch or if there’s an emergency. You know, the usual. More raiders. Super Mutants. Synths…Rosalia from across the street.”

“How dare you! She was a very nice lady,” her husband mockingly chastised her as she chuckled before taking a drag from his cigarette. Ari planted a kiss on his cheek and bid him a quick ‘Good night’ before heading towards the old gas station to set up her sleeping bag there.

A few minutes later, Bryce quietly passed by the building and looked inside to find Arianna, Cait, and MacCready soundly asleep, to the point that the prewar soldier wondered if the brawler and the merc had even gotten an ounce of rest in recent days. He sighed as he walked away to continue his patrol, his mind wandering for a moment towards the group of people that had settled in his old neighborhood by the vault.

‘I wonder how everyone else is doing up in Sanctuary.’

…

“Well…I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you guys out here.”

“Ah, Sir! Mum! It’s good to see that you are well!” Codsworth chirped merrily as the robotic butler approached his two masters who had just arrived at Diamond City’s gate. Preston followed right beside him to greet the two vault dwellers.

“Top of the morning, General. And to you as well, Miss Kendrick,” the Minuteman greeted them both with a handshake before glancing at the other two strangers accompanying the couple, “It looks like you’ve got yourself company already.”

“Just a few strays that we picked up along the way,” Bryce drawled as he followed the other man’s line of sight, “I feel inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt though. Especially if things go according to plan because then we’re going to need all the backup we can get…By the way, why are you here? Something going on in Sanctuary?”

“Nothing too serious at the moment,” Preston responded, “And before you ask, it’s not completely defenseless either. Sturges managed to set up a small signal beacon a day after you left and it attracted a small handful of folks looking for a place to stay. Drifters who got tired of hopping from place to place while having to sleep with one eye open and at least three former Minutemen that had gone into hiding after Quincy…they might be useful in training some settlers in the basics of guard duty.”

“Glad to hear it then,” the ‘General’ praised, lips slightly twitching into a grin, “Good news seem like a luxurious commodity in a place as harsh as this so enjoy it while you can…But you still didn’t answer my other question.”

“Ah well, I figured I’d come down to Diamond City in hopes that I would find you here, General,” Preston answered truthfully, “Now that things are calm around Sanctuary and the surrounding area for the moment, I decided to see if you were in need of any assistance. Codsworth here insisted on tagging along.”

“I could not let Mr. Garvey travel such a long distance alone, despite his assurances that he would be fine,” Codsworth added, “And now that I’m here, I too wish to provide assistance in whatever endeavors you may be undertaking, sir.”

“Poor Codsworth. You always were such a worrywart,” Arianna said as she gently patted the top of the Mr. Handy’s chassis.

“Apologies mum but someone has to do the worrying when you and sir have been thrown into constant danger in a single week,” the butler reasoned, “I suppose I should feel blessed that I was brought into your household after you both retired from the war. I dread the thought of how much of a mess I would have been if I were to watch over the household while you were both away at Anchorage.”

“Oh sweetie…”

Meanwhile, the couple’s recent companions hung back from the reunion, enough distance between them as to not bring much attention to them but still close enough to listen to conversations within earshot.

“What the heck is that robot rambling on about?” MacCready inquired to Cait as they both stood back to watch their new bosses blabber on with the Minuteman and the Mr. Handy.

“Dunno. Don’t f*ckin’ care. Bot’s probably glitched anyway so here’s hoping they’ll scrap him for caps or some sh*t,” the redhead answered a little too quickly and the merc noticed that she was acting rather twitchy to the point of discomfort.

‘This chick looks really far gone,’ he quietly mused, ‘I don’t think even Hanco*ck acts like this and that asshol-…dude takes chems like they were candy.’

“Well, since you mentioned it…and now that you’re here…” Bryce said thoughtfully, “I think we could use your help after all,” he turned towards the gate of Diamond City and, with a wave of his hand, ordered Preston and the others to follow him while he continued speaking, “That plan I mentioned? Let’s just say we picked up a lead on the guy responsible for taking our kid from the vault.”

“That sounds like great news to me,” Preston assured, almost delighted with the fact that things we’re going well for everyone present, “So, you know where he is right now?”

“Not exactly but we’re going to find out soon. Ari and I will fill everyone in on the details when we get to the detective’s-”

Bryce was interrupted by a loud bark as they entered Diamond City and before he could react, Dogmeat quickly rushed out of the Publick Occurences building and barreled towards his master, knocking him onto his back while the prewar soldier merely laughed.

“Hey Dogmeat! It’s good to see you too buddy.”

“You’ve had your fun, Dogmeat,” Arianna scolded as she gently poked him with the butt of her rifle, “Now quit assaulting my husband. Go on, shoo!”

“Sorry about that,” Piper said as she stepped out of her place to greet the vault dwellers, “Dogmeat really seems to have a knack for telling when you guys are close by.”

The reporter looked up and her smile dropped a little when she noticed Cait amongst the group. Likewise, the redhead pressed her lips into a thin line, unsure of how this situation was going to play out.

“Hey, Cait,” the reporter coolly greeted, “I see you still haven’t been put down into the ground yet.”

“Well, it ain’t for lack of tryin’,” the brawler responded with a smug smirk and a nonchalant shrug, prompting Piper to roll her eyes before turning her attention towards Arianna.

“Good thing you showed up,” Piper said, “A little earlier than what Nicky expected but he’s already in his office with Ellie. Thought you two would have gotten delayed.”

“It’ll take a second atom bomb over the Commonwealth to delay us any longer from finding Shaun,” Arianna responded confidently, “We’re ready to go.”

“In that case, I’ve got your back then. Lead the way…Blue.”

Chapter 10: Near the End of the Trail

Chapter Text

By the time the vault dwellers arrived at Valentine’s Detective Agency, Nick was already outside waiting for them along with Ellie, both of them looking surprised at the company trailing behind them.

“Well…never let it be said that either of you had trouble making friends,” the detective drawled as he tossed a key over to Bryce. The man briefly looked it over before turning his gaze up towards Nick.

“So this is the real thing?” he asked.

“Yep. It took a while to convince Geneva but eventually she agreed and made her case with the Mayor, who passed the key over to her and she handed it to me,” Ellie explained albeit a little proudly.

“Really now?” Bryce wondered aloud at the mayor’s sudden willingness to help, “Hmm, strange that he decides to help considering what you’ve told me about him trying to block any investigations into Kellogg…Doesn’t matter I suppose. We got what we needed…Now then, show us the way, Nicky.”

“Sure but I gotta ask if you’re going to drag all these folks over to Kellogg’s?” Nick inquired, “A group of ragtag misfit outsiders trying to break into someone’s house is sure going to catch a lot of attention from the whole city.”

“Darn it Nicky!” Bryce chastised, “And here I was planning to bring everyone to prepare a surprise party for Kellogg for when he decides to come back to his house. Who knows? He might have left his stove on.”

“Always with the sarcasm,” Nick muttered, slightly shaking his head in exasperation.

“No, I’m being serious…It happened to Ari once.”

Arianna shot a dirty look at her husband before she turned around to face Codsworth and flashed the family butler the sweetest smile she could muster.

“Codsworth, could you be a dear and take these to the market?” she said as she held out a duffel bag filled with items, low-grade weapons and ammo that they did not want or need, “Take MacCready with you so you can give him ten percent of whatever earnings you make. It’s part of our arrangement with him.”

As you wish, mum!” Codsworth dutifully obliged to the request, extending a clawed appendage to take the bag and hovering away to the market while MacCready lazily followed right behind him.

“If you want, I’ll head over to the shops as well,” Preston offered, “It’s better to make sure that we’re not lacking on ammo or any other supplies before we head out to hunt down that mercenary. Never know what he might throw at us.”

“Sure, you can do that,” Arianna agreed, “Which leaves…Nick, Piper and Cait to tag along with us.”

“Mind if I join you guys?” Ellie chirped from behind Nick, “Only to look around Kellogg’s house, I mean,” she clarified upon seeing the skeptical looks of the vault dwellers, “I’m no good in a fight and I’m aware I would only get in the way if I followed you guys to wherever he’s hiding. Besides, if Nick and Piper are going with you, someone has to stay behind to watch over the agency and Nat.”

“I guess there’s no harm in it…” Bryce said with a shrug, “Just stick close with Nick in case we do run into trouble here.”

“Whoa, hold on a second there!”

Everyone turned their eyes over to the redheaded brawler who spoke up as she pulled herself away from the wall she was leaning on.

“I’m being dragged along for whatever crazy ride you guys are goin’ on thanks to Tommy,” Cait said, “But you still haven’t told me what exactly what you people are up to! And why are all these people joining? sh*te, you even have a damn synth in this little crew you’re building!”

“Long story short, my son had been kidnapped some time ago and we’re tracking down the bastard who did it to get him back,” Arianna quickly explained, not wanting to stand there and recount the entire experience again, “He might be alone. He might have an army at his back. Whatever the case, you guys are going to watch our backs as we hunt him down to the ends of the Commonwealth if necessary.”

“So someone took your kid, huh?” the redhead inquired and Arianna noticed that she seemed to be expressionless for a moment, “Out here, there’s a good chance your kid’s dead already, if they haven’t been handed over to some slaver group already.”

The sniper clenched her hands tightly into fists and had half a mind to lash out at the brawler for thinking such a thing but what kept her from doing so was the way Cait spoke. She did not say that with any sort of malicious intent. She was merely stating one of many unfortunate truths of the wasteland.

“Maybe so,” Arianna half-heartedly agreed, “But I know Shaun’s out there somewhere. I can feel it. My husband and I aren’t going to give up here and now. And if he does turn out to be…” she trailed as she let out a soft sigh before looking at Cait directly in the eye, “Then…at least we get some closure. Either way, we would have at least done our part as parents. Any decent parent would walk through hell itself to ensure the safety and well-being of their child.”

Her words must have struck something within Cait as she noticed that the redhead fell silent, a rather pensive expression upon hearing them, muttering something about decent parents. The sniper had to wonder what kind of life the Irish woman had before ending up in that cage as a pit fighter.

She made a mental note that there would be more time to get to know their new companions later if they stick around. Right now, there was family business to attend to as Detective Valentine led them towards Kellogg’s house on the other side of town.

As they walked through the narrow alleys of Diamond City, Arianna’s ears perked up when she heard what she believed was an interesting, albeit rather quiet, conversation between two citizens.

“I heard from a friend that there’s this group fighting the Institute. Call themselves ‘The Railroad’.

“Come on. Do you really believe that?” the other man responded, “The Railroad’s just a myth.”

“Nope. My friend assures me they’re the real deal,” the first one insisted, “He got his hands on some holotape that apparently some of their people spread around the wasteland. The clue they give is ‘Follow the Freedom Trail.’ Heck, if they find you talented enough, they’ll seek you out for recruitment.”

“Well, unless they’re lookin’ for an amateur repairman, they won’t be looking to recruit you any time soon. Now quit your babblin’ and do your job. Talkin’ like that is only gonna get you snatched by the Institute…”

‘Interesting,’ the sniper thought to herself. Another group apart from the Brotherhood that seemed to be taking a stand against the Institute but unlike the Brotherhood, whose presence only consisted so far of the three soldiers they met at Cambridge, the Railroad seemed to have already established themselves in the Commonwealth.

For a moment, it made her wonder what she and Bryce would do after Kellogg was dealt with. Sure, they had their plan to rebuild the Minutemen from the ground up in order to provide some semblance of a safe community to raise Shaun in but now there was that looming shadow of the Institute.

From what little she’s heard about them so far, they seemed to have earned a lot of fear and ire from the Commonwealth’s citizens. The Brotherhood deemed them enough of a threat to apparently send in an army from some other land or blasted city outside the Commonwealth, assuming Paladin Danse spoke the truth. And apparently this ‘Railroad’ organization was fighting a war with them as well.

Would the Institute eventually notice a renewed Minutemen? Would they be capable of threatening her and her husband’s new goals and efforts? Probably so, if they had someone like Kellogg doing their dirty work out here in the wastes.

‘No. One thing at a time.’

The prewar woman gathered her thoughts together before they could scramble and cause her to worry even more. It was great and all to think ahead but now wasn’t exactly the best time. She didn’t need to distract her husband’s focus and the others from what was to come. Deal with the asshole kidnapper first, then the big, bad, boogeyman of the Commonwealth.

The group arrived at Kellogg’s house and Bryce stepped forward towards the door and inserted the key into the lock.

Finally, they were going to get the clues they needed to be well on their way to rescuing their baby boy. Arianna couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her lips at the thought that her family would soon be whole again…well, as whole as it can be since everyone else probably perished after the bombs dropped.

“The key’s not fitting here.”

Her smile vanished in the blink of an eye.

“What do you mean the key is not fitting there?” Arianna blurted, confusion and anger slowly bubbling within her gut.

“Exactly what I meant, Ari,” Bryce answered as he gave the key a few more twists and turns before giving up on the lock and turning to face the others, “This key doesn’t belong to this place.”

The prewar woman whirled on Ellie, a slightly nervous and frightened look on the poor secretary’s face as she seemed to shrink under the piercing stare directed at her.

“How did you get the wrong key? Explain!” she snapped but upon seeing the young woman’s expression, the older woman loosened up a little, reminding herself that the Ellie was not at fault here.

“It shouldn’t have been the wrong key!” Ellie hurriedly explained, “After agreeing to help me, Geneva went and told the mayor that we needed urgent access to Kellogg’s house for a new investigation. He seemed hesitant and annoyed at first but then he just gave in and granted us access to the merc’s house…or at least I thought he did.”

Considering Ellie’s words, it didn’t take long for the couple to put two and two together. Apparently, the same could be said for Piper.

“That slimy son of a bitch!” the words flew from the reporter’s mouth before anyone could get her to quiet down, “Just what the hell is McDonough trying to cover up?!”

“I don’t know but maybe he’ll be more willing to cooperate if he has a knife to his throat,” Arianna snarled and was just about to turn around and storm towards the mayor’s office but her husband quickly laid a hand on her shoulder before she could go anywhere.

“I recommend that you don’t run off to do just that,” Bryce lightly admonished much to his wife’s chagrin. She opened her mouth to say something back at him but he continued before giving her the chance to do so.

“C’mon honey, you’re more perceptive than that,” the prewar soldier told her, “We both know that stomping into his office madder than a bull seeing red is exactly what he wants. He can’t kick us out the normal way because I don’t think ‘making friends with Piper’ is considered a crime here.”

“Not yet but making friends with me does bring shame upon your family,” Piper said with a chuckle.

“If he’s somehow in cahoots with Kellogg or this ‘Institute’, then it’s clear that he thinks we know too much about them so he’s trying to provoke us,” Bryce continued his explanation, “If we attack or threaten him, he’ll have the perfect excuse to throw us out of Diamond City and we end up looking like the bad guys to the citizens here.”

“If that arsehole suddenly doesn’t like you, why does he bother with all this crap?” Cait said as she joined in on the conversation, “Why not send some goons after you?”

“It would bring too much attention,” Nick responded, “Two vault dwellers looking for their missing child end up beaten or dead in his city? That kind of incident would be the talk of the town for a whole year…not that he would succeed even if he tried.”

“So, let’s agree to leave Mayor McDonough alone for now. Trust me, it’s more fun to watch others realize their dirty plans went to sh*t rather than confront them about it,” Bryce assured his wife and the rest of the group as he took out a box of bobby pins he’d been carrying, “Now, back to the matter at hand…We’ll just have to do this the fun way.”

“Coast is still clear by the way, so you might want to get a move on now if you’re going to break in,” the detective told him and the prewar soldier kneeled down by the door and began picking the lock. However, it seemed Kellogg might not have been really fond of strangers trying to break into his house as no matter how much Bryce tried, the lock barely seemed to budge.

“Damn it!” he cursed as he broke another bobby pin after a bit of tampering, “Now I’m really curious to know what that asshole is hiding in there to warrant a top grade lock.”

“Jesus! You blokes really aren’t cut out for this kind of crap!” Cait snapped at them as she walked over to Bryce and held out her hand, “Give me the pins and let me show ya how it’s done.”

The soldier reluctantly gave her the bobby pins and stood aside to see if she had better luck than him. If he were being honest, he doubted that Cait could…

“There ya go.”

The click of the lock was like music to their ears and to top it off, there was not a single broken pin from her. Arianna couldn’t help but stare in amazement.

“How did…”

“Always had a habit of goin’ places where I wasn’t wanted,” Cait smirked as she answered Ari’s question before it was actually asked. She returned the bobby pins back to Bryce before he went ahead and gently pushed the door open.

Nick, Ellie, Piper, and Arianna followed him inside while Cait opted to stay outside as a ‘lookout’, though it seemed she didn’t have much interest to go in at the first place, especially since she doubted there was anything of value to loot from Kellogg’s house.

“So…this is Kellogg’s house, huh?” Ellie commented offhandedly as her eyes roamed all over the room, noticing the place was practically devoid of furniture, “Doesn’t look like the kind of place I’d expect a well-paid mercenary to have.”

“Quite the contrary, this is what I’d expect from a well-paid mercenary with extremely shady and dangerous connections,” Arianna said as she warily glanced at a dusty bookshelf before turning her attention elsewhere, “There’s more to this place than meets the eye. Watch out for any buttons or switches that might be hidden around.”

“I’m guessing a big, red button hidden under a desk would count?”

The others turned to Bryce, who had been crouching near a desk and lightly tapping a not-so discreetly hidden red button beneath it.

“You think it’ll open up a trap door? Or blow up the place?”

“Just press the damn button, dear.”

Upon pushing it, the sound of metal on metal caught their attention and everyone turned to look at a fake door masquerading as a wall slide away to reveal a secret room kept apart from the rest of the house. Wordlessly, Nick and Arianna headed inside and the others followed beside them as Ellie jotted down notes on the clipboard she had carried with her.

There really wasn’t much that was out of the ordinary. In the middle of the room was a recliner chair next to a small coffee table. On it was an ashtray, a .44 Revolver and a few loose bullets to go with it, an empty bottle of Nuka-Cola and a box of cigars.

By the wall on their left were rows of shelves that held a few first aid supplies and canned food. The bottom ones were occupied by several duffel bags and backpacks, each containing more supplies, edibles, and spare ammo. It seems Kellogg must have had a nagging feeling of being compromised sooner or later and had come up with various contingency plans should the situation have turned against him.

“It looks like our friend here was ready to bug out before we could knock on his door,” Nick idly said as he looked around the room for any clues that could lead to his whereabouts.

“So this doubles as both some sort of rec room and personal supply storage,” Bryce noted as he unzipped one of the supply packs and rummaged through it, “Plenty of meds and ammo we could use or trade but nothing else that could lead us to him…What about you, Ari? Find anything?”

“Nothing yet,” his wife responded as she searched additional shelves for any sorts of notes or maps that the mercenary may have carelessly left behind but unfortunately for them, it seemed he was very good at covering his tracks.

She then turned towards the coffee table and decided to take another look lest she might have missed something. The empty soda bottle and the ashtray made her wonder if Kellogg might have been here recently. Nick and Ellie said it had been months that they have seen the merc here in the city but to her it seemed like he had been here perhaps a week before.

‘Makes sense…this rooms looks like he was lounging around before heading for his next big assignment,’ Arianna thought, ‘And with Nick locked up in Skinny’s vault at the time, Ellie getting swamped with responsibilities during his absence, and the Wright sisters too engrossed in their personal feud with the mayor, it’s pretty likely Kellogg was able to keep his cover while he stayed…hmmm.’

“Never seen these cigars before,” she said curiously, picking up one of them from the open box and observing the label on it, “San Francisco Sunlights…Hey honey! Have you seen these before?”

Bryce turned towards his wife and took it from her hand, looking it over to see if it was some prewar brand he was aware of. After all, he was a little more knowledgeable than Ari when it came to tobacco products.

“Can’t say that I have,” he responded, “But they sure look like they’re of good quality. The merc’s got good taste in cigars, I’ll give him that.”

“Maybe Dogmeat can help in that department,” Nick suggested as the synth detective picked out a half-finished cigar from the ashtray on the table, “Not sure if this has been here for a week or a month but perhaps this is our only chance of tracking down Kellogg. A hound like Dogmeat could probably pick up the scent and lead us to our man.”

“It looks like it’s been a while since these have been left lying around,” Bryce skeptically noted as he took the used cigar in his hand, “But since we’re technically out of options…”

He whistled for Dogmeat and in a few seconds their new but overwhelmingly faithful pet was already in the room awaiting his master’s next order.

“Hey boy, get a whiff of this…” Bryce coaxed him as he held out the cigar in the palm of his hand, Dogmeat pressing his nose against it, “Smell anything? Think you can find our guy with this?”

The hound sniffed it for a few seconds, initially giving no reaction much to the dismay of the vault couple but then he suddenly barked happily, as if agreeing that he indeed could pick up on the scent and ran out from the room and out the door of the mercenary’s dwelling.

“…I’ll take that as a yes,” Arianna deadpanned as she and the others followed the wasteland hound outside. Dogmeat hung around for a moment before he began to bark again, frantically wagging his tail as he darted down the catwalks and into the city. He ran like a blur, running past the market, past Nat and the Publick Occurrences building, and right through the entrance of Diamond City.

Bryce could hear Codsworth calling out to them as he made his way through the market.

“Sir? The dog-”

“I know, Codsworth! Where’s Preston and MacCready?”

“Over here, Boss!”

“Are we all accounted for, General?”

“The f*ck you callin’ him a General?” Cait shouted in an incredulous tone.

“Long story,” was Bryce’s simple reply, “But it involves raiders, a deathclaw, and me beating the sh*t out of said deathclaw with a minigun. We can talk about that later but for now, let’s track Dogmeat before we lose sight of him.”

“Dogmeat’s considerate,” Nick assured, “He won’t run off too far if he notices we’re not following. But if everyone’s here then we should be on our way.”

“Hey Nick!” Arianna called out to him before they could move anywhere else, “You still got that key on you?”

‘Oh, not this again…’

“Ari…just what are you planning to do?” Bryce asked cautiously, uncertain of whatever ideas his wife might have had in store.

“What? I’m just going to give it back!” Arianna replied innocently, sighing when her husband kept looking at her warily, clearly not buying her reason, “I’m not going in guns blazing if that’s what you’re worried about, dear. You did say it yourself…It would be better to see the mayor’s reaction if I just went in and acted like he clearly didn’t try to blindside us.”

He definitely set himself up for that one.

“Fine but don’t take too long. Piper, stay behind and keep an eye on her. The rest of you are coming with me. Just keep in mind that this is probably going to be a long walk.”

With that, everyone except Piper and Arianna made their way out of the stadium shantytown while the two women instead turned and headed for the lift that would take them up towards the mayor’s office.

“I’ve got this handled, Piper. You can wait for me down here,” the vault dweller told her, causing the reporter to pout in disappointment but found herself relenting when the older woman refused to give in to her whims.

“Oh, all right Blue. I guess I’ll just wait here…you know, getting bored and all that…” Piper responded, faking despondence in her voice.

“…We really need to talk about your choice in nicknames after this is all said and done.”

…

“So how did it go?” Bryce asked his wife as they continued to follow Dogmeat throughout the wasteland. The whole group felt like they had traveled half of the Commonwealth by now, passing by Forest Grove Marsh only to come across a makeshift camp beneath an overpass, occupied by a few dead Gunners and an Assualtron that had been literally blown to pieces.

“Should have seen the look on his face,” Arianna snickered at the memory, “Man looked like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to piss or sh*t himself.”

As Bryce had perhaps predicted, it seemed Mayor McDonough was expecting (and hoping) for the two vault dwellers to go ballistic and draw weapons on him for his little antic. The last thing he expected was for Arianna to show up calm and collected, beaming the biggest, and perhaps most unsettling, smile as she politely returned the key to Geneva and thanked them for their ‘assistance’ in investigating Kellogg.

The secretary had returned the courtesy and Ari assumed that she had absolutely no idea what the heck was going on. As far as Geneva was aware, she had given them the key to Kellogg’s house and it apparently worked, so there was nothing more to it.

McDonough, on the other hand, was completely confused by Arianna’s behavior and practically stuttered through his words as he tried to speak, barely forming a half decent ‘We citizens of Diamond City are always looking to lend a helping hand to a citizen in need’ that even Geneva would have thought was the biggest load of bullsh*t to come out of the Mayor’s mouth.

But nonetheless, Arianna kept on smiling and continued to pretend nothing out of the ordinary had happened as she extended her thanks to him once again as sarcastically as possible before turning on her heel and heading down the lift.

Piper, who had been waiting for her at the bottom, had never laughed so hard in her life.

“What did I tell you? Best thing to do is mess up someone else’s plan and pretend nothing happened,” Bryce responded as he approached the assaultron’s head, noticing how it seemed to be still functioning, “Speaking of which, there’s someone else whose day we need to ruin.”

They had already come a long way and it seemed that Dogmeat had no intention of stopping just yet, sniffing the ground for any more traces of the San Francisco Sunlight cigars that Kellogg seemed so fond of.

Along the way, Bryce and his motley troop had run into more hostile wildlife; some he had become familiar like mole rats. But then there was that one mutated bear they encountered (“Preston had called it a ‘Yao Guai’ or something?”) that took a hefty amount of ammo to put down and would have kept going if not for a well-placed shotgun blast to its head, courtesy of Cait.

But what seemed to be a recurring pattern at every pit stop Shaun’s kidnapper had made was those Californian cigars that were left lying around…almost like leaving behind a trail of figurative bread crumbs.

Bryce, as well as Arianna, could not completely shake off the nagging feeling that this was too much of a coincidence but they had no other choice but to stick with their current plan. Any other changes would be done in the heat of the moment once they find Kellogg and whoever or whatever he’s hiding behind.

Or perhaps it was just paranoia. It was doubtful that Kellogg was expecting the two vault dwellers to be freed from their cryopods and come across a well-trained wasteland dog who had the nose to track him all the way back to California if need be.

The robot head managed to garble out a confirmation that Kellogg had indeed passed by this area a few days back and had managed to singlehandedly wipe out the Gunner squad that attempted to ambush him to collect a bounty. Once they heard enough, Bryce put the assaultron out of its misery and continued onwards into their journey.

The soldier glanced around his surroundings and then searched the map on his Pip-Boy as he seemed to have gotten an idea where Kellogg could possibly be. Considering the direction they were going, there was only one place around this area that could be considered useful for someone like him…if it hasn’t fallen apart like everything else.

His suspicions turned out to be true when Dogmeat began to loudly bark at a nearby building and then noticed the turrets out on the rooftops of the structure. He didn’t even need to give an order as Arianna, Preston, and MacCready had their rifles at the ready and made short work of the defenses from a distance.

“So Kellogg’s hiding out at Fort Hagen, huh? You sure about that, boy?” Bryce asked, receiving a bark in response as Dogmeat stood on his hind legs and started pawing at the wooden boards that had covered the main entrance of the military structure.

“Are there other ways inside, General?” Preston spoke up but Arianna responded instead.

“There’s another entrance by the parking garage next to the building and an emergency exit hatch up on the roof, though that one might need a little more prodding to get open.”

“For some vault dwellers, you seem to know an awful lot about this place,” MacCready said in a somewhat suspicious and accusing tone.

“We can talk later about that, kid,” Bryce rebuffed the young mercenary, “For now, stick to the plan.”

He looked up at the fort once again and assumed that they were probably going to have company there.

“It’s a pretty big place for just one mercenary to hole up in. I’m certain he’s got a few cronies of his own inside to keep out any intruders…So here’s what we’re doing. We’re going to split into two groups: Arianna’s squad will break into the fort from the roof and I’ll lead my own through the parking garage.”

“Preston, Piper, and Cait will go with my wife while Nick, MacCready, and Codsworth will stick with me. Arianna, take Dogmeat with you as well. I want everyone to keep an open eye out for anyone resembling an infant or a young child.”

‘Who knows how long Kellogg left us in those pods…’ Bryce thought grimly as everyone began to follow the directions he gave, ‘We’ve been frozen for over two hundred years…Who’s to say that our son perhaps is no longer a baby but a child or young adult already?’

Bryce’s group passed through the parking garage and stood near one of the entrances that connected to the old military fort. Everyone had their weapons drawn, ready for anything that could come out to bite them. The soldier sized up the door before forcefully opening it with a strong kick that nearly tore it off its rusty hinges.

‘But whatever happens…Shaun is coming back home with us.’

Chapter 11: Dead End?

Chapter Text

The emergency access hatch on the roof had been sealed away for centuries but Cait made quick work of the ancient lock, easily jimmying it open to allow the others entry into Fort Hagen. Piper jumped in first, immediately followed by Dogmeat, Cait, Preston and lastly, Arianna.

Around the same time, the prewar soldier and his group had entered from the side entrance connecting the old fort with the parking garage. Both groups mopped up the synths that they had encountered in their respective routes and by the time Bryce, Arianna and everyone else rendezvoused, they easily barreled through the rest of Kellogg’s defenses in the office area of the old military installation.

Bryce took a few steps around the room, keeping an eye out for any additional hostiles. Once he was certain that everything was clear, he pushed the button to call up the elevator from the sub-level of the building. As he waited, the soldier shot a wayward glance at one of the broken synths nearby, face contorting into a grimace.

“There’s no question now who Kellogg’s been working for all this time. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled. No telling how many synths the Institute might have sent here to cover his ass.”

Once the elevator arrived, Arianna couldn’t help but stare into the cramped space with a mix of concern and disdain. Having been locked away in a cryopod for so long and only recently coming out from it left her entirely unenthusiastic for small, tight spaces but nonetheless she stepped in and let out a small sigh of relief when Bryce joined her inside. His wife’s apprehension did not go unnoticed by the veteran soldier and he placed a protective arm around her waist as Nick was the next person to step inside the elevator. The synth detective glanced at them but said nothing, merely nodding at them as a way of expressing his understanding before tapping the button that would carry the elevator to the lower level.

Piper, Cait, and MacCready would be the next ones to follow them but Preston, Codsworth, and Dogmeat would instead temporarily stay behind on the top floor as Bryce had instructed the Minuteman to guard against any potential reinforcements the Institute could be sending their way in an effort to assist Kellogg. If the area remained clear after a short while, then they were to head down and catch up with the rest of them.

They proceeded down the hall once everyone in the group was accounted for with Bryce leading the way as he pushed into the maintenance area of Fort Hagen, taking out a turret and more synths with Arianna and MacCready’s assistance.

“Well, well. It looks like I’ve got a pair of frozen T.V. dinners walking around. I didn’t expect either of you to make it all the way here.”

The veteran soldier froze in his tracks upon hearing the voice through the fort’s loudspeakers.

That voice.

That voice that belonged to the man that nearly murdered his wife and stole their child from the vault. The one that had practically taunted Bryce’s futile attempts to escape from his cryopod that fateful day.

‘Let’s hope our backup is a little more cooperative,’ he had said with a cruel smirk, an attempt to hide the grimace he had on his face just a few seconds ago while nursing his wounds.

A chill ran up his spine that almost led Bryce to believe he was back in Vault 111, locked up in his cryopod like some token trophy as he stared with desperate concern at his wife’s prison, never truly knowing if she was alive or dead. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced towards Arianna, his wife keeping a similar posture; rigid stance, pursed lips and a gleam in her eyes born from a mix of concern and anger.

“Interesting company you’ve got there; A bargain sale merc, a loudmouth reporter with more sarcasm than brains, a junkie with a death wish, and an old synth who fancies himself some prewar detective.”

“Ignore him,” Bryce ordered as the other’s eyes roamed around the hallway, looking for the source of the voice while Cait muttered, “Wanna see him call me a junkie to me face.” The veteran soldier was quick to realize that Kellogg was just trying to get under everyone’s skin, trying to make them lose focus and get them to make careless mistakes along the way.

“An effective tactic in some situations…but also a very desperate one,” he thought, suspecting that even Kellogg knew he had nowhere to run and was now resorting to cheap tricks and mind games to try and gain some leverage over his pursuers. Even if the Institute’s top mercenary somehow managed to slip away from the bulding, he wouldn’t make it very far before the prewar couple and their companions caught up to him again.

The group pushed on towards the bowels of the ancient fort, passing through what was once a security checkpoint as they descended further towards the control room. Unfortunately, they had to stomach more commentary from Kellogg along the way.

“At first, I figured the wasteland would have chewed you up but I should have known better. You two lovebirds aren’t any typical vault dwellers after all.”

“This is going to get old real quick,” Arianna muttered, clearly irritated and already itching for a chance to put a bullet in their adversary…After she got him to give up Shaun first, of course.

“Guess you ex-military types adapt pretty well to a new playing field.”

She shared a look with her husband as the mercenary’s voice continued to echo throughout the building but said nothing as they kept onwards. Everyone else in the group followed their example, keeping quiet as they scanned every bit of space for any Institute sentries trying to get the jump on them.

“Surprised? Yeah, I decided to do some research after our little…‘misunderstanding’ in case you’re wondering. Turns out the Institute had a hefty file on you both but can’t say I’m surprised either. Those eggheads just love to keep tabs on their guinea pigs.”

“Synth up ahead!” MacCready alerted the others and they quickly sought cover among the debris littering the hallway as blue lasers whizzed past them, smoking scorch marks appearing wherever the shots landed. After they were dealt with, Bryce looked to his left and realized that the control room they were searching for was adjacent to the hallway the group was in.

Unfortunately, the security gates were locked and the only way to access them was from the other side. The veteran sighed in frustration as he figured they had no other option but to take the long way around via the armory. Kellogg was treating this building like a maze and it was wearing thin on the vault dweller’s strained patience.

“Bryce Kendrick, squad leader of the special operations unit known as the ‘Midnight Fenrir’,” Kellogg’s voice continued bouncing off the base’s P.A. speakers in his usual drawl, “The unit itself being the brainchild of your retired C.O. You became known as the ‘Wolf of Anchorage’ for specializing in predatory hit-and-run tactics that set back many Chinese operations across Alaska.”

“But like most soldiers who prove themselves a little ‘too good’ at what they do, some of the more disgruntled higher ups in your chain of command ‘persuaded’ you to take an honorable discharge just to save face from their own incompetence.”

“Any sign of Shaun?” Bryce inquired as he inspected various lockers lining up the hallway they were in. He doubted Kellogg would just stash away the boy in some random locker or trunk within the building but no one would truly ever know.

“Nothing but junk over here,” Nick confirmed, much to the couple’s disappointment.

“Well, let’s keep searching then. He has to be somewhere around here,” Arianna motioned for the others to keep following

“And I certainly didn’t forget your wife there. Damn near broke my hand when we met.”

“Oh, I’ll be breaking more than just your hand when I find you, hijo de puta,” she retorted, neither knowing nor caring if the Institute agent could hear her or not.

“It’s a damn shame though. You would have had a promising career as a singer or a lawyer but then you ended up getting drafted…and the war did not treat you kindly.”

Bryce lifted a hand up to signal the others to stop moving. He peered around the corridor between the mess hall and another room he remembered as the medical wing, even if its doors were shut at the moment. He looked to his wife and she simply nodded in acknowledgment, fully understanding what her husband was silently trying to tell her.

They were most likely to be ambushed if they continued walking any further down the hall.

“Here,” Arianna quietly told MacCready as she handed him a frag grenade, “Storage room behind us. Drop it in and shut the door before they have a chance to react.”

The Goodneighbor mercenary did as he was told while Bryce himself silently approached the doors leading to the medical room. Seeing that the door was not locked and ajar by a tiny inch, he released the pin on the explosive and let it cook for a 2 count before moving the door slightly open and tossing it inside. He reacted quickly, shutting the door and stepping back from it as he heard the monotone of the synth’s programmed voices within the room, warning of an active weapon in their sudden vicinity before the explosion set off simultaneously with the one MacCready threw into the storage area behind them. Smoke and the stench of fried electronics seeped from the thin edges of the double doors.

“S-System…failure,” came the garbled electronic voice from within before silence completely took over the area. Nick and Bryce checked inside the medbay, waving away some more smoke clouding the room as they inspected the mess.

“That is some keen soldier’s intuition right there,” Nick complimented, impressed by the soldier’s perception.

“Get ambushed plenty of times and you start developing a sixth sense about it,” Bryce flatly answered as he checked a medkit that surprisingly survived the blast with a minor dent on the casing, pocketing the stimpaks and Med-X he found inside. He stepped back into the corridor and found Arianna and the others waiting for him.

“MacCready counted two synths in the storage room waiting to get the jump on us,” she informed her husband, “And I just inspected the mess hall and the kitchen. No synths…*sigh* but no sign of Shaun either…”

“We’ll find him, Blue,” Piper said as she lightly patted her on the shoulder, unsure of what else to say or do to lighten the mood.

“We’ve almost scoured every inch of this building. Just a little more and we’ll have Kellogg right where we want him,” Bryce assured them as he turned and headed for the armory. They made it into another office-like room and after taking care of a few more ceiling turrets, walked right into what was once the base commander’s quarters, complete with old school wooden furnishings weathered away by the years and a rusty desk. The bed however looked immaculate compared to the wear and tear of everything else inside the building, no doubt brought in by Kellogg, who used this room as his own quarters.

“I would offer you the chance of a lifetime to turn back and leave,” Kellogg’s voice sounded off once more from the speakers, “To start a different life for yourselves while we go on about our own business and pretend that we’ve never crossed paths. To forget whatever you know about the Institute and let sleeping dogs lie…”

“…But I know you’re not going to let me off the hook just that easily. In your eyes, I wronged you in the worst possible way imaginable and you and your wife are not going to let that slide. In that case, I’m up ahead. Just one more door to go through and then you’ll have your prey, Wolf of Anchorage.”

The group heard the familiar metallic click as the last security door was remotely unlocked, granting them passage to Fort Hagen’s control room. Bryce cautiously approached the corridor with his weapon raised and everyone else followed suit, unsure of what to find or what other tricks or traps Kellogg might have had in store for them.

Which was why Bryce and Arianna felt somewhat surprised when they found the mercenary patiently waiting for them at the other of the room. There was no mistaking him; the patchwork armor pieces strapped to his jacket, the long, deep scar stretching from under his left eye down to his cheek and the same grave drawl with which he spoke that time ago back at the vault.

“And here they are…The couple of the hour,” he spoke, walking towards Bryce and his company with an amused expression until he reached a respectable enough distance to have a clear talk with the former soldier. The vault dweller and the others were quick to lay their eyes on three of the skeleton looking synths that flanked Kellogg before dispersing and taking positions around the group as if to surround them.

Bryce paid them no mind however as he took a step forward and raised his rifle, pointing it directly at the mercenary.

“Cut the crap, Kellogg,” he spoke curtly, “You know why we are here, so let’s get this out of the way…Where is Shaun?”

“No flair or patience for the dramatic…I can respect that,” the mercenary said, the soldier furrowing his brows at the lack of a straightforward answer, “As for your kid…well, sorry to disappoint you…but your kid’s not here.”

The way his lips twisted into a dry smirk as he informed them of Shaun’s whereabouts, or lack thereof, was enough to spark anger in Arianna as she took furious steps forward, standing next to her husband as she immediately aimed her submachine gun at Kellogg. The synths immediately aimed their weapons but the mercenary gestured for them to stand down for the time being.

“God damn it, you mercenary motherf*cker!” she growled through clenched teeth, having had enough of Kellogg’s games, “Where. Is. My. Son?!”

Her irritation grew even more when he just kept smirking and never in her life had she ever genuinely wanted to kill someone until now.

“What’s the old saying? ‘So close, yet so far?’ That’s Shaun right now,” he said cryptically before giving a light shrug, “I haven’t harmed a hair on the boy if that’s what you’re worried about. But I can tell you that he’s safe. The Institute have taken good care of your kid for the past few years.”

‘Few years?’ Bryce’s line of thought seemed to have stopped as he heard that bit of news. It confirmed one of his suspicions that Shaun was taken from the vault a long while before he and his wife were unfrozen. Still, deep down he had hoped it wasn’t true, that they weren’t several years behind their rescue of their son.

‘Keep calm, soldier. Remember that this guy is just trying to rattle you. Don’t let him push your buttons so easily.’

“I don’t think you’ve noticed yet but we’re not really in the mood for games, asshole,” Bryce snarled almost immediately, his grip on the rifle tightening and his finger ready to pull the trigger. It would have made more sense to simply shoot him and get it over with but the Anchorage veteran willed himself to control his fury in (slightly futile) hopes that they would get Kellogg to talk, “So tell me…Where is this ‘Institute’?”

“Hate to break it to you but you just don’t ‘find the Institute’…” the merc said exasperatedly, disbelieving that the vault dwellers were expecting a straight answer out of him, “The Institute finds you. Even if I wanted to take you there, it’s impossible.”

“It won’t matter who finds who in the end…” Arianna spoke up, eyes focused on Kellogg as she kept her gun trained on him. Enough was enough. She was tired of the games, of the cryptic speak. It was becoming obvious that he was not going to cooperate, which left them with scarce options, “After we’re done with you, we’re going to kick down the Institute’s door, take back our boy and blow whatever sh*tty hidey-hole you people have to high hell!”

To the prewar couple, it was already insulting enough to hear him chuckle at Arianna’s declaration. But what he said next surprised them.

“I gotta say…I kind of respect you both. If only there were more parents as caring and determined like you two…A lot of folks could learn from you,” he complimented sincerely and for a moment, Bryce could almost see beneath the aloof and hardened demeanor what was perhaps a tinge of regret.

“But not me…I’ve learned enough already…”

They both knew how this was going to end and Kellogg gave a tired sigh as he reached for the revolver in his holster. The same revolver he had nearly killed Arianna with when they had kidnapped Shaun.

“But our time for talk is almost over. Unfortunately, we’re at an impasse and only one of us is getting out alive,” the old mercenary lifted his revolver until the barrel pointed straight at Bryce, while he held a strange looking grenade in his other hand, “Sorry kid, but I’m afraid this is as far as you and your lady go. And I’ll start by putting you down like the mutt you call yourself to be.”

Everyone tensed up and readied themselves at the shootout that was about to happen.

“You should know that a wolf can kill with a single bite…” the prewar soldier warned as everyone else focused on the synths surrounding them. Only he and Arianna kept their steely gaze towards the mercenary who had robbed them of their son and their dreams for the future. But now, they had a clear target to go after in order to take back everything they have lost. They just needed to get through Kellogg before they could set their sights on the Institute.

“…And I always aim for the throat.”

The shot from his laser rifle narrowly missed the mercenary, grazing the metal shoulder pad on Kellogg’s jacket as he quickly ducked for cover, but not before tossing the grenade behind him. In a flash of blue light, six more synths materialized seemingly out of nowhere and quickly opened fire on the vault dwellers and their companions.

Nick, Piper, Cait, and MacCready easily took down the synths flanking them and quickly sought cover to take on the next group that had appeared in the room, leaving Bryce and Arianna to focus on Kellogg.

They each took out a synth and peeked over to where the mercenary had apparently taken cover only to find that he was not there. There was no time to dwell on that as another flash of blue light at the far end of the room signaled the arrival of additional enemies, this time Gen-2 synths that were slightly better armed and armored than their skeletal counterparts.

“I don’t see him anywhere,” Arianna said as she sidled up beside her husband as they took cover behind an old computer mainframe, “He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would wait out for his minions to do their jobs.”

“The synths are a distraction, nothing more,” Bryce hastily responded as his gaze roamed around the room, scanning for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. He was certain that Kellogg was trying to get the jump on them and was most likely using a Stealth Boy to do so.

“…Hey Ari, remember the Dragoons?”

“Hard not to…”

Stealth Boys and the suits derived from such technology could render someone practically invisible but one could still hear the sounds they could make. The Crimson Dragoons of the Red Army were highly disciplined warriors and masters of stealth however, having given Bryce and his squad enough problems back at Anchorage.

Picking up any sound Kellogg would make was also going to be difficult with the chaotic firefight that had suddenly erupted around them. But there was always that telltale mirage, a shimmer of air that one could spot if they looked hard enough…

“There!”

The soldier fired towards the semi-invisible figure at the far end of the room and the grunt of pain he heard signaled that he had hit his mark. Kellogg’s Stealth Boy momentarily deactivated, revealing him to be clutching his side. The mercenary was quick to react as he whirled around in the vault dweller’s direction and fired two shots from his revolver, one of them narrowly missing the side of Bryce’s head as the bullet lodged itself into the machine the vault dwellers used as cover.

Not wanting to give him a chance to hide and sneak up on them again, Bryce quickly ducked out of his cover and darted towards where he last saw the mercenary while his wife followed close behind.

A Gen-2 synth stepped in their way only to get pushed aside by a rampaging Cait, staggering back from the force of the redhead’s tackle and was promptly fed two shotgun shells to its head before it could fight back. The Irish fighter flashed a frenzied smile as she quickly jumped back into the fray, allowing the vault dwellers to focus on Kellogg and not worry about the synths, which were slowly dwindling in number.

They found nothing when they checked where they last saw the mercenary. However, he could not hide or escape any longer once his stealth device ran out of power, so the veteran couple kept their guard up back-to-back, waiting for the moment Kellogg would strike.

Spotting Kellogg’s silhouette from the corner of her eye, Arianna was the first to react, growling angrily as she reached out with her prosthetic arm and managed to grab a hold onto the wrist of his right hand. His revolver fired, but the bullet ended up striking the ceiling instead of Arianna’s head, almost in a reenactment of their struggle back at Vault 111.

Only this time, Kellogg did not flinch or pull away in pain like he had before. If anything, it looked like he felt nothing but a minor sense of discomfort.

“Not this time, Nightingale,” he taunted, balling his free hand into a fist and striking her across the cheek as hard as he was able, enough to stagger her into letting go of him and knocking her back onto the ground. The Nightingale of the Midnight Fenrir squad was vulnerable in that moment and all it would take was a bullet to her head to end it.

A very pissed off husband with a shotgun aimed point blank at Kellogg’s gut had other plans however.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Bryce pulled the trigger on the Combat Shotgun he had drawn out just seconds before, taking advantage of the mercenary’s distraction. The force of the blast knocked Kellogg back but to the soldier’s bewilderment his target still clinged to life despite the bleeding wound, steadily rising up to his feet. He fired another shell at Kellogg, this time blowing out one of his kneecaps before firing one last shot at his torso, knocking him completely to the ground.

He glared scathingly at the wounded mercenary, hiding his surprise as Kellogg sputtered and still seemed to move around a bit, showing he was still alive. If it had been anyone else, they would have instantly died with the first shotgun blast but Kellogg proved himself quite durable, even if it was for a moment.

The soldier had no doubt in his mind that the Institute might have done something to him. There was no way that anyone could take that kind of vicious punishment and still breathe somehow.

Bryce quickly shook his thoughts away, turning his attention over to his wife but found that Nick was already helping her to her feet. She muttered her thanks and flashed the detective a small smile before letting go of him and turning to approach her husband.

“You okay, Ari?” he asked softly, reaching a hand up to gently stroke the cheek where a small, purple bruise was already forming. Other than that, she did not look any worse for wear. The same could be said for all their companions as they had just finished mopping up the remaining synths in the room, leaving Kellogg dying and alone with no hope of escape or reinforcements.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, even though it was clear that there was something bothering her…Bothering the both of them to be specific, “But Shaun…”

“I know.”

Everyone stood by quietly as Bryce and Arianna approached Kellogg, who had managed to move into a sitting position. However, the way he was hunched over and clutching the wound in his gut in a vain attempt to stop the loss of blood, it was clear that he was practically done for. The soldier reached down and picked up the mercenary’s revolver, cautious that his enemy would reach for it and make one last attempt to fight.

“One last chance, Kellogg,” Bryce spoke plainly, crouching so he could be at eye level with the Institute agent. When Kellogg looked up to meet the vault dweller’s gaze, he found that the Anchorage veteran displayed no emotion other than the cold glare boring through him, “Where is the Institute and how do I get there?”

His expression remained stony as he kept his eyes on Kellogg, refusing to snap or grimace as the wounded mercenary let out a weak laugh that was cut short with a coughing fit that followed. He spit out some blood from his mouth before looking Bryce in the eye and responding.

“You don’t want to go there…” Kellogg responded, wheezing a little in pain before continuing, “Believe me or not, but I’m doing you both a huge favor keeping you away from the Institute…Because I can guarantee that you two are going to be sorely disappointed with what you’ll find at the end of the road.”

Bryce gave him a hard stare before sighing and moving to stand up straight. He made to leave with the others just as Arianna unlocked all of the security gates in the room and for a moment, one would think that the soldier was just going to leave the mercenary to bleed out on his own.

“Thanks for the advice…but that was not the answer I was looking for.”

A loud ‘BANG!’ echoed throughout the room followed by a light thud of Kellogg’s body keeling over onto his back. Bryce stood there with the mercenary’s gun in hand, a thin air of smoke leaving the barrel where the bullet had been released from and piercing Kellogg right through his head, blowing a good chunk of it and splattering across the floor. Among the mess, he and Arianna noticed something that seemed out of place.

“You bastard,” the sniper cursed in a low voice as she noticed the bits of metal that was scattered from the inside of Kellogg’s head, “You were already barely human…”

“General! Are you all right?!”

Everyone turned to look at Preston who had shown up with Codsworth and Dogmeat at his side. He took a look around and let out a whistle upon seeing all the destroyed synths.

“I take it everything’s clear topside?” Bryce asked him as he searched for a holster on his leather armor to put Kellogg’s gun away.

“Yeah, nothing from the Institute has shown up yet, so I thought I could come down and…” the Minuteman’s voice trailed off when he noticed the dead mercenary sprawled on the ground behind the vault dweller.

“Jesus…Is that Kellogg?”

“Oh dear…” Codsworth murmured as he floated beside Preston, “Not the kind of mess I would take pleasure in cleaning up.”

“Don’t worry, Codsy. You won’t have to clean anything here,” Bryce told the robot butler, trying for a bit of humor as he walked past them and made his way out of the room. His wife followed him quietly and the rest of his companions eventually turned to follow him as well, their job in assisting the vault dweller temporarily over with. He sighed as he realized that perhaps this was all for naught.

“Come on, everyone. We’re done with this place.”

…

“Was there no other option, General?” Preston asked Bryce as the group filed out of the building and onto the roof of Fort Hagen. No more words were spoken as the vault dwellers made to leave the building with their companions following close behind after Preston and Codsworth caught up with them. Even Cait tactfully avoided the couple’s silence, “We could have probably taken him in after he was incapacitated….Interrogated him for clues…”

“He didn’t give them a choice, Preston,” Nick answered before anyone else could say something and Bryce was grateful for the synth detective speaking in his place. The soldier just needed a few more minutes to collect his thoughts on the turn of events that just followed, “The man was hellbent on taking that secret to the grave and no amount of questioning was going to make him budge.”

“And even if we did somehow secure his cooperation…” Nick added, “I doubt you folks have a safe and secure place to interrogate him. The Institute would show up in a heartbeat to keep his mouth shut and you would be putting a lot of people in grave danger.”

Preston stood silently for a moment as he processed everything Nick had just told him and figured that the old synth had a point. He sighed, understanding that there wasn’t much they could really do in the end. The journey may have seemed all for nothing but at least it was clearer than crystal that the Institute was their true enemy.

“What’s our plan then, General?” the Minuteman inquired, hoping to get the man to react and Bryce stood there pensively silent for a few moments before responding.

“The plan’s simple… We find the Institute, rescue our son and put an end to the threat they pose to everyone up here,” the vault dweller stated.

“Boss, that’s not a plan. That’s a goal,” MacCready pointed out, shaking his head slightly in disapproval as he pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against and walked over to the others, “A fu- friggin’ insane one by the way.”

“Everything about this wasteland we’re in sounds insane,” Arianna chastised, “But my husband and I are not going to take this slap in the face by the Institute in stride. We’ll find a way to uncover them…but it looks like we’re going to be winging it until then.”

“We’re going to find them wherever they hide,” the soldier spoke, “Regardless of anyone else’s objections or approval. You’re all free to stick with us or to go back to whatever it was you’ve been doing before…I won’t stop you and I won’t hold any hard feelings. But any help you guys can provide would be much-”

“The f*ck is that noise?!” Cait suddenly shouted, interrupting the vault dweller and everyone else around him. Before he could ask the Irish fighter what was wrong, he listened to his surroundings and heard the sound as well, the sound of multiple vertibird rotors in the distance.

‘Vertibirds? Out here?’ he thought in slight astonishment, ‘Guess not all of them have been reduced to scrap when the bombs dropped.’

Everyone on the roof turned to look at the hill behind Fort Hagen, where the sound was coming from, and found themselves gazing at a sight to behold.

Floodlights illuminated the night sky of the Commonwealth, coming from the massive airship that came into view flying over the hill. Over two dozen vertibirds accompanied the ship; some of them flying at top speed ahead of the formation, as if to scout the area and make sure there were no signs of hostility in their path while the rest kept as close to the airship as possible, ready to guard it against any would be attackers.

“People of the Commonwealth…” a voice boomed from the airship’s speakers, “Do not interfere with our mission. We assure you that our intentions are peaceful.”

Arianna snorted as she heard the message.

“We are the Brotherhood of Steel!”

Everyone stayed on the roof, watching the Brotherhood airship and its escorts continue on into the horizon towards their predetermined destination. Judging from the direction they were journeying to, Bryce determined that they were heading towards Boston Airport…or at least what was left of it after 200 years. Definitely a useful base of operations for an army that relied on aerial support.

“The old ‘we come in peace’ message never gets old, does it, cariño?” Arianna’s voice brought her husband back from his moment of thoughtfulness, “It looks like we’re in for quite the sh*tshow.”

“Hmmm…” the soldier didn’t say much else, instead listening and gauging the reactions of the rest of his companions. Piper, Preston and Codsworth seemed to be in awe of what they just saw while Nick held a slightly grim expression on his face. MacCready also did not seem pleased with the Brotherhood’s arrival, having muttered, “What are those idiots doing here?” to himself after the airship departed. And Cait, as always, seemed indifferent to it all.

“Let’s go to Sanctuary,” Bryce found himself abruptly suggesting. If he was going to overthink things, then he might as well do it from somewhere safer than being out in the open like they were now, “It’s a better place than any right now to carefully plan and decide on a new course of action…You all coming with?”

A short silence settled around them before everyone surprisingly nodded their approval. Without another word, Bryce, Arianna and their companions descended from the top of Fort Hagen and began their trek back to Sanctuary Hills.

…

Around an hour had gone by since the departure of the vault dwellers and their companions when the silence of Fort Hagen was broken with the sound of metallic footsteps marching in lockstep through the corridors of the old building. A Gen-2 synth outfitted with fiberglass armor stood at the front of four Gen-1’s as they scanned the room that had once been Kellogg’s temporary quarters.

“Sector is clear. Proceed with Directive 42187: Find and recover Kellogg’s remains.”

Not a moment later, the sound of a gun firing echoed across the narrow halls of Fort Hagen’s sub-levels as the 10mm bullet flew in a straight line through the air, eventually hitting a Gen 1 synth armed with a shock baton. It fell into a crumpled heap, unable to process any sort of function no longer. The leading synth simply raised its weapon and pointed towards the direction where the shot came from.

“Intruder alert. Sector is not clear. Engage combat protocol and remove hostiles with deadly-”

Another shot was fired and this time it pierced the polymer skull of the Gen 2 synth in command of the others, leaving a gaping hole in the humanoid machine as it fell to the ground. The remaining synths opened fire into the hallway in front of the group, blue lasers flying at full speed from their automatic pistols like a deadly light show. The firing stopped when the cells of their weapons emptied and one of the synths stepped forward, keeping the weapon raised as it reloaded leaving the other units to search the room.

The synth failed to notice the air shimmering right behind it, the figure of a redheaded woman becoming visible as the effects of the Stealth Boy she had been using wore off. She didn’t give them a chance to react as she grabbed a firm hold of the synth, keeping an arm tightly locked around the mechanical arm holding the weapon.

Before the machine could resist, the woman unsheathed a serrated knife and jammed it into the side of the synth’s head, piercing the thin polymer layer protecting its core processors. She ignored the flying sparks as she kept a firm hold of the non-functioning synth, keeping it close to her front as a makeshift shield as she turned around to face the other machines in the room.

Swiftly, the woman reached for the defunct synth’s pistol and fired at the two remaining synths in the room, energy blasts piercing their light frames and they crumpled into a smoldering heap on the ground. She then tossed her ‘shield’ aside and fired a couple of shots at it as well for good measure.

“sh*t…there’s more of them,” she grumbled as she heard additional monotone voices down the hall, their metallic footsteps fast approaching her location. The woman reached for her pistol but a voice interrupted her before she could do anything else.

“Come on…A couple of knock-off Terminators shouldn’t be too much trouble for the Railroad’s rising star.”

The woman stared wide –eyed at the corner of the room where the voice came from, a familiar man coming into view as he deactivated the Stealth Boy he was using to stay hidden from everyone and everything within the room. He was sitting on one of the old metal desks with a smirk plastered on his face as he reached inside his drifter coat and pulled out his flask of whiskey.

“Crow?! What are you-?”

He lifted a finger from his free hand, gesturing her to be quiet while he finished taking a swig from his drink, promptly earning him an annoyed look from the redheaded woman as he stood up from where he sat.

“Seriously?! There are synths coming down that hall and you think now’s a good time to-”

Crow put his flask away and pulled out a pulse grenade from one of his pockets, activating it and tossing it over his shoulder and into the corridor where the next squad of synths was approaching. Just as they rounded the corner, the device set off and the electromagnetic pulse that burst from it immediately incapacitated all the machines within its radius.

“Anytime is a good time to drink, Artemis.”

He dusted off his hands as he looked up to meet the gaze of the Railroad agent and the corner of his lips twitched upwards into a light smirk. Artemis scoffed in annoyance, breaking eye contact so she could inspect the room they were in. An Institute medkit and an ammo box were the only things of seeming interest but they have already been emptied of their contents.

“I appreciate the assistance, Crow,” the agent offered, turning around to fix a glare on the eccentric man standing a few steps away from her, “But what are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I figured you were going to run off here and hunt Kellogg yourself…Even though I advised you not to do it,” he answered, “Couldn’t risk letting you get killed.”

“I could have taken him,” she shot back defensively.

“Uh-huh, sure,” Crow dismissed her half-hearted claim with a shrug of his shoulders, “Whatever you do, just know this…Synths and humans aren’t so different when it comes to the fact that we have one and only one life to live.”

Artemis said nothing but she noticed that Crow’s smirk disappeared, replaced by a frown as he gave the woman a hard stare.

“I get that you want to prove yourself but if you intend to give your life up out of loyalty to someone or to some higher purpose then do it at a moment where it counts. Don’t go dying in a fight or situation that could have been easily avoided…”

“Now then…” he gave her a light pat on the shoulder and she noticed that his smirk and laid back attitude have returned, “Let’s take care of business then, shall we?”

“R-Right…” Artemis stuttered, slightly flustered and frustrated that she had just been scolded by a vagabond like Crow. The man wasn’t even officially a Railroad agent and yet he seemed to do whatever he pleased.

She shook the thoughts from her head before she ended up irrationally annoyed before pivoting on her heel as she headed towards the control room, “…Area’s clear. Come on. Let’s go before the Institute decides to send more of them.”

Crow drew his weapon, a sawed-off shotgun, as he followed his partner through another security door and into a large room filled antique computer consoles from a long gone era. It was little mystery to them that one hell of a firefight took place here; if all the bullet holes, scorch marks from laser weaponry, and synth ‘corpses’ were anything to go by.

“Well…it looks like they did take care of him after all.”

The both of them were careful not to trip over any of the fallen synths as they approached the object of their attention.

Kellogg’s lifeless body was strewn about exactly as the vault dwellers and their companions have left him. Blood was splattered across his jacket and the ground around him and a small chunk of his head was missing, blown apart by a high caliber bullet.

“I did say that the vault dwellers would handle it,” Crow retorted with a smug expression as he holstered his weapon. Artemis was less than amused with his choice of words.

“Then pardon me for having had reasonable doubt of your statement,” she deadpanned, glancing at Kellogg’s corpse and Crow noticed her quirk an eyebrow in curiosity. She spotted something that demanded her immediate attention and took an extra step towards the deceased man, crouching down to get a closer look at his head. More specifically, at what came out of his head.

“Hmm…what’s this?” the Railroad agent muttered to herself as she reached out and picked up a tiny piece of metal covered in blood. Beneath the crimson color, Artemis could easily make out what appeared to be some form of circuitry, covered in transparent plastic and metal.

“You son of a bitch,” Artemis cursed, already forming a guess as to what she was holding in her hand, “No wonder he survived this long. He had cybernetics jammed into his head.”

“Cybernetics? As in cybernetic implants?” Crow mused, “I’m right to assume the Institute had something to do with it?”

“Who else?” Artemis plainly responded, knowing Crow had stated the obvious, “Perhaps their way of awarding him for being their gun-for-hire...Tom might be able to figure out what exactly these things do.”

A thought crossed her mind. The piece held in between her fingers couldn’t be the only implant Kellogg might have received from the Institute. According to some records and archived reports within the Railroad, Kellogg had been an agent of the Institute for a long time. No one was sure for how long exactly but she recalled Desdemona having a possible hunch that he was out and about doing the Institute’s dirty work long before even the boss herself had joined the Railroad. Perhaps longer than the Railroad even became a thing.

So she could assume there was an implant that extended his lifespan greatly. No doubt he had some implants that augmented his combat prowess as well.

Anything Tom could learn from these implants would not exactly turn the tide of the Railroad’s war against the Institute in their favor but at least they would have an idea of what the Institute’s agents and coursers are sporting. Hopefully, it would help them be a little more prepared to fight them in the long run.

Artemis just needed to do the unenviable task of digging through Kellogg’s head for any other Institute tech that could be placed within.

“Wait, you’re not really going to stick your hand in his…Aaaannd you’re sticking your hand in his brain,” Crow deadpanned, face clearly exhibiting a grimace as he watched Artemis dig her hand into the mess that was Kellogg’s brain matter. The Railroad agent ignored him as she continued to search through the gore for any other bit of tech that the merc might have had inside his head.

Seeing he wasn’t going to get an answer any time soon, Crow simply rolled his eyes at his partner while pulling out a flask and situating himself in one of the moldy, old office chairs, taking another swig of the bitter whiskey.

“Yep…definitely more in there,” Artemis muttered as she pulled out another miniature implant, a small circular bit of metal with tiny wires protruding from it. She set it aside before sticking her blood coated fingers once more into Kellogg’s head, yanking out one additional piece before deciding that was pretty much all he had.

“If there’s anyone who could make heads or tails of those things outside of the Institute, it would be Tom,” Crow said as he watched Artemis use Kellogg’s jacket to wipe away the blood and bits of gore sticking to her hand. He sighed and shook his head at the thought of having to return to Railroad HQ after having been gone for several months just to speak with the crackpot inventor.

“…This is going to be fun,” he muttered sarcastically as he tucked his flask back into his coat.

“I take it you’ll be accompanying me back to headquarters?” Artemis asked, noticing his slight distress as she approached him. He merely gave a nonchalant shrug.

“I’ve haven’t got much to do at the moment except tail the vault dwellers but I’m curious about those implants too.”

“Good…because like I’ve said earlier, Dez wants to know why you haven’t been passing by HQ more often as you should.”

“In that case, I’m going to need to get extra hammered for that.”

Artemis made a disgruntled noise but said nothing further, turning around to look down at Kellogg’s body one more time before she remembered something.

“Those synths we took out a while ago were sent by the Institute to recover Kellogg’s body. Why would they want to recover his remains?”

“Probably to recover the same tech you just yanked out of his head,” Crow answered, “Maybe they want his corpse for experimentation? Who knows?”

They both decided that it was best not to dwell on the thought. It was a chilling enough prospect to suspect that the Institute would stoop so low as to experiment on the dead…especially if they were the ones responsible for those dying in the first place.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Crow turned his gaze up from the ground to stare directly at the Railroad agent. Her expression was hard, unflinching and her gaze was switching between staring at Crow and looking at the dead man behind her. He responded to her question with a grim nod.

“Don’t know what the Institute wants with his corpse and we probably don’t ever want to know,” the weary drifter turned around to head back into the deeper levels of the fort.

“I think I saw a gas canister in a locker around here. I’ll fetch it.”

Chapter 12: Bittersweet Homecoming

Chapter Text

Cambridge Police Station was bustling with activity within a few hours after the Prydwen arrived. The great aerial beast, the pride of the Brotherhood of Steel and a symbol of their ever growing military might, hovered above the old Boston Airport, which would now serve as the main hub of activity for the Brotherhood’s expeditionary army within the Commonwealth.

Numbering around 1,500, this main force had the daunting task of preparing to wage war against the Institute, the elusive group that had terrorized the Commonwealth and even operated in certain parts of the Eastern Seaboard for years. At the same time, they would have to secure areas around the Commonwealth that could provide them a wealth of knowledge and technology.

While their numbers would seem like a fraction of their strength spread all across from the Capital Wasteland and neighboring territories, most of the men and women that were a part of this army were handpicked by the Elder himself, as well as by his most trusted officers, and they made sure to bring the best and most dedicated soldiers with them. Even the low-ranked Aspirants and Initiates that had come were those that had passed their training regimes with flying colors, either impressing their sponsors or at least satisfying their expectations.

Most of the soldiers were getting settled around the airport while Cambridge had an influx of scribes and a handful of Knights and Initiates accompanying them to help repair defenses, establish patrol routes and ensure that the outpost would meet Brotherhood standards. Vertibirds arrived one or two at a time, bringing in supplies and extra personnel and Danse wholeheartedly welcomed the sudden change.

He was not alone now, fighting desperately against impossible odds and watching his teammates die one by one. He was now joined by his brothers and sisters-in-arms and together they would bring the Institute to its knees and establish order within this chaotic wasteland.

“Out of the way! Move it!”

“Hey!”

The Paladin turned his attention over to the source of the commotion coming from the staircase leading to the roof and was just in time to see a young woman with caramel colored skin in a standard-issue bomber jacket land at the bottom, apparently having jumped a few steps.

“Watch where you’re going!” one of the knights scolded her, having been nearly tackled to the ground by the reckless woman.

“Shove off, pendejo!” she snapped, an accent to her voice that was extremely rare on this side of the wasteland, brushing off the knight and earning shocked looks and glares from the other scribes and soldiers that had been milling about. She didn’t seem to notice or care about the displeasure from the rest of her fellow brothers and sisters, instead focusing her gaze onto the armored Paladin standing in the middle of the police station’s lobby.

Danse let out an exasperated sigh as the woman’s eyes lit up and before anyone could react, she had made a beeline towards the Paladin and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, cheek mushing against his armored chest. He stood there stoically and motionless for a few seconds before he decided enough was enough and he pried her off of him.

She was much shorter than him in stature, especially with his Power Armor. Shoulder-length raven colored hair was swept in slightly messy locks as she stared up with a slightly giddy smile on her face.

“It’s good to see you again, jefe!” she said, unfazed by Danse furrowing his brows at her, un-amused by such borderline insubordinate behavior.

“First, you will address me as Paladin Danse, Lancer Knight Chacón,” he scolded, “And secondly, you and I are going to have a much needed talk about your lack of proper Brotherhood decorum.”

“As for the rest of you…” he suddenly spoke aloud, looking around at everyone within the vicinity, making sure they could hear him clearly, “Stop gawking around and get back to your duties! I want this old building to look like a proper Brotherhood outpost before the day ends. Elder Maxson will be expecting a full report on our combat readiness and research capabilities and anyone who slacks off will be joining the Lancer Knight here in cleaning out the brig and the latrines!”

Danse’s piercing glare and the threat of latrine duty was enough to get the crowd to scatter like radroaches, paying no mind to the lancer as they went back into completing their assigned tasks. Once he was certain everyone went back to tending to their own business, he then turned his attention to the young woman standing before him.

“Uh…you were just joking about putting me on latrine duty right?” Lancer Chacón smiled nervously as she stared up at the towering soldier, “…Right, sir?”

“Follow me,” was all he said before turning around and heading towards the makeshift barracks within the police station. The lancer had no choice but to follow her commanding officer without uttering a single word. She saw Haylen in one corner as she chatted with another scribe while holding a clipboard, most likely comparing notes. Without her usual cap and hood, Haylen’s bright red hair stood out among everyone there, even when it was tied into a ponytail.

The young woman glanced at Paladin Danse from the corner of her eye and did a double-take when she spotted Lancer Chacón following close behind. She smiled brightly and waved at her but Danse gave her a pointed look and Haylen immediately understood that greetings would have to be saved for later.

Ironically enough, the young woman found herself taken to a room that was once used for interrogations back in the prewar days. Danse shut the door and while any passersby could see them through the large clear window, the room had remained somewhat soundproof since the old days, allowing them to converse without anyone else hearing in on them.

“Report in, Lancer Knight.”

“Come on, jefe. You don’t know how relieved I am to see you again and that’s all you got to say?” she scolded, though her tone sounded more playful than offended. Danse sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked her in the eye.

“It’s Paladin. And while it may not seem like it, I am relieved to see you back here with us, Lancer,” he assured, “However, now that the Brotherhood has finally arrived here in the Commonwealth, we must follow our code of conduct and be at our most professional behavior. Every one of us serving under Elder Maxson are among the best the Brotherhood has to offer and we must act like it. Understood?”

“Yeah…Understood, sir” she answered lamely. Danse could tell that her acknowledgment was half-hearted at best if the bored expression on her face was anything to go by but he decided to leave it at that, not wanting to waste his time and breath on futilely reprimanding her.

Lancer Knight Trinity Chacón had a reputation of being a bit of a wild child for as long as he had known her and her laidback mannerisms and common disregard for authority figures did not sit well with a lot of the senior staff.

Danse considered her an oddity within the Brotherhood. For someone who, unlike him, was born into the organization, he found her lacking in the strict adherence to the organization’s Codex and the discipline that was expected from everyone who joined the Brotherhood and more so from individuals whose fathers and forefathers had been proud members of the order beforehand.

Knight-Captain Cade had attributed her misbehavior to both her youth and as a coping mechanism to the loss of both of her parents years ago when the Brotherhood had battled the Enclave to take Adams Air Force Base. Only time would tell if she got her act together.

Had it been anyone else, they would have been kept locked up in a brig or exiled at worst by now but Danse and many others reluctantly admitted that such actions would have wasted Trinity’s talent. She had proven herself among one of the Brotherhood’s most skilled pilots, a prodigy when it came to everything there was to learn about vertibirds, having achieved top scores in her simulations and impressing plenty of people with her flying capabilities.

She was in the prime of her life and if she were to clean up her act a little, a promising career and good fortune awaited her along the rest of her journey.

“Very well, Lancer,” he responded hastily, hoping to move on to more important topics at hand, “Now then, is there anything to report?”

“Nothing much to say, sir. After you guys headed for the Commonwealth and left me behind on the Prydwen, thanks for that anyway since I love being bored to death, there really wasn’t much to do,” she explained whilst crossing her arms over her chest, “When I wasn’t out on patrol in my bird, I was stuck staring at the ceiling of this damn blimp.”

“Being a part of the Prydwen’s crew during this expedition is among one of the highest honors for a soldier of the Brotherhood, especially one as young as you,” Danse said in an attempt to reason with the restless woman, “You’re talents would have been put to better use there than with a strike team like us.”

“I know, chief…But I would have had a lot more fun with you guys than dealing with the other paladins. Seriously, someone must have pissed in their coffee everyday…”

‘No, you wouldn’t have,’ Danse thought as he lamented the losses he and his squad suffered through ever since they had arrived in the Commonwealth. Had he brought the Lancer-Knight with him as well, she would have most likely joined the same grave as Brach, Worwick, Dawes, and Keane. Leaving her behind was, in his opinion, the best course of action and he felt a little relieved to be proven right for once.

“Anyways, we had a few close calls along the way but then Captain Kells managed to pick up your signal. With that, we finally charted course to your position and here we are,” she said extending her arms out in a grand gesture.

“I’ll admit it’s a relief to see the cavalry arrive. We’re going to need everything we’ve got in our arsenal if we are to take down the Institute and any other miscreants who could prove to be a threat to the Brotherhood,” the Paladin stated with some measure of pride, putting aside the thoughts of personal failure that threatened to plague him. Lancer Chacón shrugged lightly but offered a small smirk as she looked up at Danse.

“Whatever you say, sir. I’m just glad to be back with the squad,” she said as she leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms out and placing them behind her head, “By the way, where’s everyone else? I saw Haylen back there...Is Worwick out on patrol with the others? He and Keane owe me a few caps on a bet we made before they left with you and…”

The paladin inwardly sighed as the thoughts of loss rushed back into his mind. There was no avoiding this, as much as a small part of him wished it were so. But with the lancer returning back under his command and currently present here, it would take at most an hour before she realized that Recon Squad Gladius was a few soldiers short. Better she hear it from him at this very moment…

“Uh, Paladin? You okay there? You look like you’re zoning ou-”

“I’m sorry, Trinity” Danse blurted out abruptly in a low voice. He watched as the lancer’s expression turned into one of visible confusion and sighed dejectedly. Not exactly the kind of news one would want to deliver to a fellow soldier who had just arrived in hopes of seeing her comrades. But she was going to find out the bad news sooner or later…

“About what?” she asked, arching an eyebrow as she waited for an answer. Paladin Danse steeled himself for the number of ways Trinity could possibly react to the loss of her squadmates. He didn’t understand why he seemed to be hesitating. This was not his first time being the bearer of bad news and he should know by now that losing familiar faces would be commonplace in a soldier’s life. He’s lived that experience…more times than he could bear. Krieg, Cutler and half his squad.

“You should know-”

A sharp knock on the door interrupted him before he could say anything else.

“Uh, Paladin Danse, Sir?”

Momentary relief that he was spared from an uncomfortable moment was quickly overtaken by annoyance as he stomped over to open the door and found himself glowering at the scribe looking up at him. The young man glanced up at the towering officer and looked like he wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” he almost growled at the unfortunate recruit who seemed to withdraw into himself even further and started fidgeting. The paladin couldn’t help but roll his eyes at such a display. The scribe wouldn’t last two seconds against a mole rat out in the field if he didn’t pull himself together soon.

“Uh, I-I’m sorry, sir…for the interruption, that is,” he reported after giving a quick and slightly shaky salute, “But there’s someone here who says he needs to see you.”

“Who is it and why is said individual not here with you?” Danse asked.

“He’s a senior scribe. Came down from the Prydwen and arrived here a few minutes ago,” the soldier informed, “And he’s currently arguing with Knight Rhys, who won’t let him past the lobby.”

The paladin let out an exasperated sigh as he reached an armored hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Knight Rhys was a good soldier and his loyalty to the Brotherhood and his squad was commendable. He was, however, rough around the edges and his attitude would sometimes lead to others mistaking his dedication and loyalty for obnoxiousness.

“He’s a great soldier and I trust him enough to put my life in his hands in the middle of a battle…” Knight Keane had once said, “Outside of battle? I want him to stay as far away from me as possible while I’m having a drink at the mess. When I take breaks, it’s to actually relax, not shove the proverbial stick up my ass even more.”

“So…Rhys is here and he’s still his usual pain-in-the-ass self?” Trinity cheekily inquired, appearing from behind her commanding officer, “Dude really needs to find a hobby…or get laid.”

Danse said nothing as he brushed past the young man and headed for the lobby of the police station with the lancer following right behind him.

“I already told you Paladin Danse is busy,” Rhys was saying with the typical no-nonsense tone he greeted everyone with, his squadmates being the exception. He stood in the middle of the lobby with his arms crossed as he glared at the man in front of him, “If you have something so urgent to report to him then you will have to run it by me in the meantime.”

“And as I have already told you, my business is with the Paladin and with the Paladin only,” the other man replied without any trace of hesitation, looking as equally annoyed as Rhys. The scribe was about an inch taller than the knight though he was slightly lankier than the soldier. His attire consisted of a grey, padded, flame-retardant jacket beneath a brown handyman’s apron, faded denim trousers and shabby work boots, which led Danse to believe this particular scribe was tasked with engineering duties.

The newcomer turned his head slightly, looking over Rhys’ shoulder and raised an eyebrow when he spotted new company, “…And he’s right behind you from the looks of it. I take it he’s not busy anymore?”

Rhys turned around and his brows nearly shot up to his forehead upon seeing his commanding officer but he quickly composed himself and offered a salute.

“Paladin Danse, sir!”

“At ease, Knight,” he ordered before turning his attention to the newcomer, “I’m the commanding officer of Cambridge Outpost. State your rank and name.”

“Senior Scribe Ethan Sullivan of The Order of the Shield, sir,” he answered, giving a quick salute which Danse returned. Taking a closer look at the man, the paladin assumed him to be around his late twenties or early thirties.

Ethan had lightly tanned skin and short but tousled silver hair atop his head along with a bit of stubble around his chin. He seemed well groomed other than the obvious bags under his eyes, a common feature on most scribes who spend endless hours working, studying, or performing research to the point that they forgo their sleep schedules whenever possible.

“I’ll take it from here, Rhys,” Danse ordered, to which the knight took a few steps back to give them space but did not leave the room entirely.

“Very well, Scribe Sullivan,” the paladin began, turning his attention back to the other man, “It seems you wanted to see me urgently. What news do you have to report?”

The scribe pulled a folded piece of parchment from one of his pockets and held it out for Danse to take.

“A missive from Elder Maxson, sir,” he explained as Danse reached for the letter. Noticing the official seal of the Brotherhood on it, he was able to confirm the truth of the scribe’s words and opened it as carefully as his armored fingers allowed him to, “…Meant for your eyes only.”

Danse managed to open and unfold the particularly large piece of parchment without much trouble and his eyes roved over the neatly-written words as he began to read silently:

Paladin Danse

I am relieved to learn that you are alive and well here in the Commonwealth Wasteland. I have recently seen with my own eyes how vast this territory is and how much of it remains unexplored by our teams. Many of its dangers remain unknown to us and while I knew there was no better officer than you who would be up to the task, I admit there were times I worried that you and your team had suffered the same fate as Paladin Brandis and his squad seven years ago, disappearing without a trace.

Speaking of your team, I have already heard the unfortunate news regarding the losses sustained while holding onto Cambridge. Knight-Sergeant Dawes, Knight Brach, Knight Worwick and Knight Keane were among some of the finest and most exemplary soldiers within their given rank. I will see to it personally that they all receive posthumous honors for their efforts in ensuring that our arrival would be a success. I have already contacted the Citadel to arrange for messengers to inform their next of kin and their names will be added to our Archives where they will be forever honored for their bravery and sacrifice. It is the least I can do to award soldiers of great caliber as they who were lost in the line of duty.

There is not much time to grieve however as we must focus on our preparations for war against the Institute and any other renegade organizations who could attempt to threaten or undermine the Brotherhood of Steel and our mission to protect humanity from the abuse and misuse of technology. I will be leaving Cambridge Outpost under your direct supervision; all personnel there will answer to you, no questions asked. As for Recon Squad Gladius, I’m afraid it will be difficult to find suitable soldiers to fill in the gaps left behind by your fallen brothers as most of our forces are now occupying the airport and the surrounding area and I do not wish to run the risk of spreading our army thin so early into our campaign.

That is why I am reintegrating Lancer-Knight Trinity Chacón into your squad. Despite my reservations of her lax attitude, she is without a doubt one of the finest pilots in our army and it would simply not do to keep her cooped up on the Prydwen running routine aerial patrols twice a week. And judging from the speed she ran towards the deck of the ship towards her vertibird, I can tell she is eager to return to your command.

I am also sending another addition to your squad. The man whom I had entrusted this letter with, Senior Scribe Ethan Sullivan. He is an experienced technician and his combat skills are satisfactory. Not only that but he is quite knowledgeable of our Codex as well. Scribe Sullivan is better known for being a strong advocate for Owyn Lyon’s directive of recruiting wastelanders into the Brotherhood and argued against any possible attempts at annulment. Reserved, observant, and shrewd; I believe he will make for a useful addition to your team, especially should you and your squad make contact with non-hostile Commonwealth natives.

I should have met with you personally to inform you of all this and more, as well as to assure that you should not blame yourself for the loss of your men but I’m afraid our respective responsibilities will keep us from meeting once again until further notice. In the meantime, I would appreciate daily reports on the status of the Cambridge Police Station and Recon Squad Gladius. I am also most curious of the wastelanders you briefly mentioned in your last report, the ‘vault dwellers’ who aided you on the mission to ArcJet. I would like any other information that you may have on them to be reported back to me as soon as possible.

Ad Victoriam, Paladin

Danse sighed as he finished reading, the mountainous tasks that awaited him already at the forefront of his thoughts. He quickly shook away his doubts however, resolving to accomplish anything and everything that Elder Maxson had asked of him. Danse knew that the Elder would sometimes worry that he was pushing the paladin to his limits…But he also knew that the Brotherhood leader would not entrust any important or sensitive matters to any other officer but him.

After the death of Owyn Lyons, the disappearance of Sarah Lyons, and the twins from Vault 101 walking out on the Brotherhood after the Outcasts returned to the fold and undid most of the late Owyn’s policies, Paladin Danse ended up being the closest thing to a friend and mentor the young Arthur had at the time. He was the only true friend the Elder had left and he could not fail him now that the Brotherhood of Steel was on the cusp of making history once again.

“Did Elder Maxson inform you that you will be joining my team?” Paladin Danse asked as he looked up from the letter and towards the expectant look on the scribe’s face.

“No, sir. I was merely entrusted to carry this letter and to hand it to you personally,” Sullivan informed.

“I see…In that case, allow me to inform you that the Elder has stated in this letter that as of this very moment, you are now a part of my squad,” Danse explained, “I admit I would have preferred an addition to my team that was more combat oriented but Elder Maxson is vouching for your skills as a technician and possible surveyor and wants Recon Squad Gladius to continue as a reconnaissance unit. You will be stationed here at Cambridge with us until I say otherwise. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Sullivan acknowledged and struck a quick salute to his new commanding officer, “I am honored to be a part of your team and I hope my knowledge is as useful in the field as it is in the archives.”

“Outsanding, scribe.”

“Whoa, hold on a second,” Rhys suddenly spoke up, having hung back while the paladin spoke with Scribe Sullivan but now approached the newcomer with brows furrowed in anger, “We lost good soldiers here and the Elder wants to replace them all with some glorified desk jockey?!” the soldier exclaimed incredulously while the scribe remained unfazed by him and coolly turned his attention towards the knight..

“If Elder Maxson has assigned me to Recon Squad Gladius, it is because clearly your team requires someone who can resolve issues and come up with ideas and solutions that some soldiers such as yourself are unskilled at or incapable of doing on their own, Knight,” Sullivan countered, expression remaining deadpanned as Rhys glared at him. It seemed the knight was not used to getting talked back to by others and opened his mouth as to say something but Paladin Danse promptly cut him off.

“Rhys!” Danse called out in an authoritative tone and the knight immediately closed his mouth and snapped at attention, “It is not your place to question the Elder’s decision. If Elder Maxson deemed it appropriate to assign another scribe to our squad after evaluating our reports, then I will stand by his decision and make the most of it.”

“…Sorry, sir,” Rhys reluctantly apologized, “I was out of line…It won’t happen again, sir.”

“…And you!” the Paladin turned his attention to the newest member of his squad, “I am unaware of how well you work with others but here we work as a team. We must work together for the betterment of the Brotherhood of Steel and the betterment of mankind as a whole. I won’t allow for squabbles or petty arguments to ruin our focus and jeopardize our mission. Understood?”

“Understood, Paladin,” Sullivan responded with a slight bow of his head, “My apologies.”

“Outstanding. Now then, Rhys, I need you to evaluate our patrol routes and set up a reasonable schedule for the soldiers stationed here. Give me a quick rundown when you are done,” Paladin Danse ordered.

“I will get it done, Paladin Danse, sir!” Rhys acknowledged, saluting his commanding officer as he turned on his heel and headed towards the exit of the police station.

“Scribe Sullivan, I want you to work together with Scribe Haylen. She is already part of our team and I believe that there is much that you could learn from each other, even though you already have more years of service than her. She will show you around the station and help you get settled. You can find her in the barracks in the room to my right,” Danse informed the scribe, pointing towards the room he had stepped out of minutes ago.

“Very well, consider it done, sir,” Sullivan casually acknowledged, saluting him as he stepped to the side and went in search of his new squadmate.

Danse let out a breath he had been holding after the two men dispersed. That brief exchange was more exhausting than he had anticipated. Even so, he held high hopes that everyone in his team would be on the same page once they got to know each other better and they are all out on the field again.

If not, he would make them get on the same page. There was no room within his squad for hostility and useless arguments between fellow brothers and sisters in arms. The Brotherhood’s mission was bigger than anyone within these walls and now more than ever they needed to focus on their mission here in the Commonwealth.

“…So, they’re gone then…”

Having spent the last few minutes addressing the Elder’s letter and the newly arrived scribe, Paladin Danse had almost forgotten that Trinity had followed him and remained close by…

…Which meant that she was in complete earshot when Rhys complained that Scribe Ethan was the Elder’s way of replacing their losses.

It was not exactly how the paladin intended to inform her.

“…Dawes, Keane…they’re all dead, aren’t they?” her voice was uncharacteristically low and when Paladin Danse turned to face her, she averted her gaze, acting as though she were looking around while she wrapped her arms around herself, “…Was that what you were going to tell me?”

A few beats of silence before Danse answered with a lowly, “Yes” and he could feel the mood shift in the air so suddenly. Trinity’s demeanor had gone from hopeful and eager to sullen and thoughtful.

“Can you tell me everything?” she asked after almost a minute of silence, “I think I deserve to know everything that happened since you guys came to this place.”

Paladin Danse nodded his assent and gestured for her to follow him. Instead of taking her back to the interrogation room, however, he instead stepped out of the police station with the intent to take a short walk and perhaps find something that would be worth a quick training exercise for the young lancer. It would perhaps do some good in easing the tension within her.

The sight of soldiers working tirelessly to set up new barricades and fortifying defenses greeted him as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon.

“I’ll tell you everything you need to know, Lancer-Knight,” Danse promised, saluting the soldiers who had stopped whatever they were doing to give him a quick greeting, “But first, a quick patrol around the area…Think of it as my way of welcoming you back to the fold.”

…

The journey back to Sanctuary had lasted another whole day, counting the brief moments the vault dwellers and their companions had made brief stops to camp and rest. Somber silence had settled amongst most of them for most of the journey and very few were open to try and break it.

Piper, of course, was the one who most actively tried to engage the others in conversation but did not get more than a few words from Preston and Nick. MacCready and Cait brushed her off, telling her to go bother someone else. Bryce and Arianna remained unresponsive, seemingly lost in thought for the entire duration of the trip and even the feisty reporter knew that backing off was perhaps the wisest course of action, lest she accidentally push the wrong button on the prewar couple.

The two of them had been quietly dealing with the frustration from the events at Fort Hagen. They still have not found Shaun, they had no exact idea where the Institute was located, and the only person who probably could have led them there had refused to cooperate, provoking the veteran couple enough into killing him so he could take that secret to the grave.

But moping would not help in anything, it would only sink them deeper into anger and despair and they both knew that such a mood would be detrimental where they needed a clear head the most. They had indeed been lost in thought as they traveled to Sanctuary but mostly it involved wracking their brains into coming up with a probable starting point for their newfound quest into searching for the Institute, where Shaun was apparently being held.

Somewhere out in the Commonwealth, there had to be a clue, one that they might have missed in their brief time in this new world or had yet to be discovered. There had to be someone, anyone who might know a little more about the Institute than they let on or who could at least point them in the right direction.

The only time the couple spoke more than a few meager words along the way was when they had set up camp in an abandoned house to take a brief rest, where they beckoned Nick Valentine over to them so they could talk privately away from the rest of the group. They had questioned him over the Institute, him being a synth and all, but were disappointed to hear that he barely knows or remembers anything about them. It turned out that the organization must have placed a failsafe system where any synths that escape, or on the extremely rare circ*mstance where the Institute deliberately discards them like Nick had been, suddenly lose most of their knowledge regarding the whereabouts and leadership of the elusive group.

To the detective’s surprise, they both took his word for it. Arianna knew that if there was the tiniest trace of the old Nick somewhere within the synth detective, he would have told them everything she and her husband wanted or needed to know if he had the knowledge. And while there wasn’t much he could do now, he did pledge his support to them in order to find their son for the time being.

“Well, we’re back,” Preston’s voice brought the vault dweller’s attention back to the present and they realized they were already on the rickety bridge leading towards their old neighborhood, “…Sanctuary.”

The couple looked up towards the settlement and immediately noticed a few minor differences since the last time they had been here.

For starters, there seemed to be a few more people drifting about the old neighborhood in addition to the original settlers they rescued back in Concord and an antenna-like structure in the middle of the street, along with a makeshift guard post that had been set up next to it.

The pitiful melon and gourd patch over by the playground had grown into a more decently sized plantation with some new crops added to it.

Lastly, it looked like some of the settlers had plans to build a wall around some sections of the settlement, a motley mix of sheet metal and sturdy wooden boards that had been erected, but it was largely unfinished and thus it served little purpose other than being a bit of an eyesore around Sanctuary.

It may not have looked like much but it did mean that there was some progress made while the survivors of Vault 111 had been away for the past few days. Dogmeat barked vigorously before running off towards the vegetable patch while Codsworth hovered after him to make sure the hound would not trouble the settlers or cause a mess.

“Fancy seeing you here, Boss,” Sturges cheerily greeted Bryce as he walked over from the antenna he had been inspecting towards the prewar soldier and the group following him, “…And I see you’ve brought plenty of company.”

“Likewise, Sturges,” Bryce returned the greeting as he walked up to the mechanic and gave him a light pat on the shoulder, “Is there room to accommodate everyone here? At least temporarily?”

“Uh, well…we’ve had a few mattresses that we managed to scrounge up from most of the abandoned houses here but most of them are already being used by most of the settlers here. We have some spare sleeping bags though if that’s all right with your new buddies.”

“That should be good enough for the time being,” the soldier accepted.

“Alrighty then. Consider it-Whoa, what happened to you?” Sturges exclaimed all of a sudden as he approached Arianna, noticing the purple bruise marring her cheek. Though it was starting to fade away, she winced in discomfort whenever she trailed her fingers over it.

“Cheap shot from Kellogg…” Arianna answered and when she noticed the blank expression on the mechanic, she elaborated further, “He was the man who kidnapped our baby and nearly killed me in the vault. Fortunately, a cheap shot was all he could do before we took him out for good.”

“Oh, so you finally found the no-good scumbag? Glad to hear that,” Sturges genuinely responded with a small smirk, “Now I ain’t one to wish harm on someone but folks like him who steal kids from honest parents deserve whatever comes to them…Speaking of which, did you rescue your kid?”

Arianna sighed while Bryce remained silent for a few seconds more than intended. Sturges’ smile slowly fell as he began to feel a little uneasy, suspecting that something must have gone wrong along the way.

“Ah, forget I asked anything. Wasn’t my place to-”

“It’s okay, Sturges,” she assured him, “Things…could have gone better, but…”

“We’d rather discuss it in private,” Bryce finished for his wife, speaking in as low a voice so no one else could overhear them, “Do you have time now or are you busy?”

“Not at all, Boss,” the mechanic replied as he pulled out a cloth to wipe his hands with, “Was just going to shut down this beacon here since we already have plenty of settlers for the time being. I’ve been keeping everyone away from your old house in the meantime so I guess we could talk there if you need to be discrete.”

“Good. You can go on ahead while I fetch Preston to join us.”

Sturges gave a nod and turned to the beacon, activating a switch which powered it down for the moment before heading up the street towards the vault dweller’s old home. Meanwhile, Bryce dispersed the group of companions that had followed him to the settlement, allowing them to roam around and do whatever they pleased so long as they didn’t cause trouble for anyone within Sanctuary. Arianna took Preston aside and had him follow them to meet with Sturges.

The prewar couple didn’t stop to pander to the nostalgia of entering their old home even if the feeling was there. They gathered a few chairs, now slightly moldy and aged with rust while Preston and Sturges up-righted a wooden table that had been flipped over and set it up in a spacious corner of the dilapidated kitchen. Everyone took a seat at each end of the table except for Bryce, who opted to stand behind the chair he was given with arms crossed.

“So…” Bryce began as he shot a brief glance to everyone in the room, “We tracked Kellogg all the way to Fort Hagen and cornered him there before he could make a run for it…However, Shaun wasn’t there with him.”

“Damn…” Sturges hissed, “He gave your kid away already?”

“Correct,” Arianna sadly confirmed, “…And to the Institute no less.”

Sturges jaw dropped in surprise upon hearing the last bit of information. As if the news about the vault dwellers being unable to find their child immediately wasn’t bitter enough but now he was apparently being held within the lair of the Commonwealth’s number 1 public enemy? It was no wonder the couple looked defeated even though they properly dealt with the kidnapper.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Boss,” the mechanic offered, grimacing a little as he found himself unable to think of anything to say that would help ease their frustration at such a sudden turn of events.

“I appreciate your sentiment, Sturges,” Bryce said thankfully, “But condolences aren’t going to bring back Shaun. What we need now is a plan and unfortunately, we really don’t have much to go on in order to formulate one.”

“So we’re really going after the Institute, then?” Preston asked incredulously, earning him a dull stare from his General.

“Of course we are,” the soldier plainly responded, “Ari and I aren’t going to sit back and let them do as they please, especially when they still might have our son in their clutches. But I know there’s little we could do as we are right now so we need a starting point…Where do we go from here?”

“Hard to say…” the Minuteman spoke up, reaching up to take off his hat and setting in front of him on the table, “For as long as the Commonwealth existed, people used to think the Institute was just an urban myth…Hell, even I thought they were just some exaggerated boogeyman when I was a bit younger. Plenty of people still deny its existence… though at this point they’re just in denial.”

“An organization that operates in secrecy no doubt has had plenty of loose ends to tie up,” Arianna mused, “Finding a lead or someone with the knowledge of their whereabouts and who is willing to talk would be like searching for a needle through a haystack…”

“So we’re practically at a dead end?” Bryce asked, releasing his grip on the chair before pacing around the old kitchen of his former home.

“I wouldn’t look at it that way…”

Everyone turned their attention to Sturges. He shifted in his seat a little, a little nervous seeing how Preston and the couple from the vault suddenly stared at him after he spoke but he kept his cool as best he could and decided to offer his point of view on how everyone could find some way of moving forward.

“The search for your boy is not a dead end if you start taking a look at the bigger picture. If the Institute’s got him, then it’s gonna be a long while before you make any sort of progress. Aside from Preston I’m sure you’ve heard enough people talk ‘bout how they’re the ‘Boogeyman of the Commonwealth.’ They show up outta nowhere, snatch people and do all sorts of shady stuff that keeps people afraid of them. Thing is, you two don’t seem scared of them at all and that’s a good start. Taking out their top agent is a bonus though that’s probably gonna get their attention…”

“Where are you going with this, Sturges?” Arianna asked, curious and intrigued about what sort of advice the humble town mechanic had to offer that would help them hunt down the elusive Institute organization.

“You’re gonna need people,” he curtly answered, “And I don’t mean the ragtag bunch that followed you guys here like lost, stray puppies. As tough and determined as you folks are, two vault dwellers working on their lonesome isn’t going to topple the Institute any time soon. You’re going to need a lot of people.”

‘A long road awaits you both…’ Bryce suddenly remembered the words from Mama Murphy back at the museum in Concord, ‘There will be danger in every corner and there will be plenty of obstacles…But as you attract enemies, you’ll also attract friends…Others who will follow you to the ends of the earth out of sympathy, respect…or fear.’

“We’re gonna need an army at our backs then…” the soldier concluded.

“More than that,” Preston joined in, “You’re going to need the whole Commonwealth watching your back if you’re looking to dig out the Institute and take them head on.”

“If that’s what it takes to get back our little boy…” Arianna said thoughtfully, furrowing her brows in slight confusion, “But how do we go about doing that? I doubt knocking door to door and asking random strangers to help us vault dwellers in finding our kid and sticking it to the Institute is going to yield results.”

“Of course not,” the Minuteman hastily said before he thought on his response, “…Well…on second thought…It probably might sound like that…But your best option at this moment would be to strengthen the Minutemen and in order to do that we need to start bringing settlements that were once under our protection back into the fold.”

“Kind of how we got Abernathy Farm and Tenpines Bluff under Sanctuary’s sphere of influence now?” Bryce elaborated.

“Exactly,” Preston agreed, “There aren’t many populated settlements around the Commonwealth like there used to but those that still exist may be persuaded into joining the Minutemen. Another way we could expand is by finding abandoned sites that would make for a good outpost or trading hub and setting up recruitment beacons there.”

“With that, we would be expanding the Minutemen’s influence…and our own as well,” the soldier tapped his chin as he began to put the pieces of this improvised plan together, “From what little we’ve seen of the Institute, we know that the people of the Commonwealth are obviously afraid of them and what they’re capable of but at the same time I can imagine that there are plenty who desire some sort of payback. After all, it’s one thing to see someone stand up to the Institute…But someone who stands up to the Institute and has a believable chance of bringing them to justice…”

“Fresh out of a vault and in less than ten days you track down and eliminate the Institute’s top agent…” the Minuteman added, “If anyone’s proven to have a believable chance, it’s you two.”

“Stop with the flattery,” Arianna playfully chastised as a small smile graced her lips, “You guys helped out too.”

“I know but even without our help you two would have kept going and cornered the merc anyway,” Preston said before turning to Bryce, “So, General, what do you say?”

The Anchorage veteran stared back at him before turning to look at Sturges and then laid eyes on his own wife, all of them looking up at him expectantly. He let out a smooth chuckle as he made up his mind.

“Not like I can walk out now from being General of the Minutemen, not after someone here threw the job opening my way…Preston,” he barked a quick laugh when he saw the Minuteman shy away with a slightly guilty look on his face, “Getting the whole Commonwealth to trust and follow the Minutemen…to follow my lead and Ari’s as well… We definitely have our work cut out for everyone here.”

“You folks did say you needed a starting point,” Sturges mentioned, “If we had a more straightforward approach to find the Institute we would have offered it to you without a second thought. But finding them is already going to be tough and if they have your boy…things could get a little trickier when that time comes.”

“For Shaun’s sake, we’ll do whatever we can up here if it means getting us closer to finding the bastards who are really responsible for all the crap Kellogg pulled on us,” Arianna vowed with fierce determination in her eyes, ready and willing to begin whatever tasks awaited her as soon as possible. The thought of weeks, months, or even years passing before the couple could find any solid leads into the Institute’s whereabouts was disheartening but Arianna could not…would not, allow such a notion to discourage her from her new goal.

Sturges’ and Preston’s idea would involve a lot of work and many figurative roadblocks to surpass but it wasn’t like she and Bryce were unfamiliar with situations where the odds were heavily stacked against them and they had to resort to crazy gambles to see them through.

“What about the Railroad?” she suddenly asked, remembering the whispers she heard back in Diamond City, “I heard only a small rumor about them back at Fenway but we could investigate them and see what their deal is later on. If they do exist and are fighting the Institute, we could try and strike up a partnership maybe?”

“And those guys that came with the giant blimp? The Brotherhood of Steel was what they called themselves, right?” Preston mentioned to Bryce, “General, you told me you helped out a group of them out at Cambridge…Maybe there’s some way we could draw some good will from them?”

“Given the general attitude of the squad we met, I think ‘good will’ is not part of their vocabulary,” Arianna said off-handedly, “But the officer we met, Paladin Danse…He did mention that the Brotherhood intended to fight the Institute…aaannd annoying over-loyalty aside, he does seem like an honorable sort. A ‘do right by me and I’ll do right by you’ sort of guy. Maybe he could put in a good word to the Brotherhood’s leadership for us as a favor for having saved his ass at Cambridge,” she tilted her head a little to look at her husband.

“Hey, hey! Play nice, especially with the Paladin the next time we meet him.” the soldier jokingly scolded his wife, “He did give me a really good rifle after all.”

“Oh, cariño, you know I always play nice,” she retorted, flashing a most innocent smile while fluttering her eyelids, earning a few chuckles from the other two men.

“Of course you do…” Bryce rolled his eyes at her, reaching a hand out to lay on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze before his expression turned a little more serious, “But joking aside, I agree with you, Ari. Though I think it would be better to investigate them and see what they’re up to before we meet with them. Same for the Railroad. I’ll see if Piper and perhaps Nick can dig up anything worth knowing about them.”

He then turned his attention towards Preston and Sturges and he flashed them a toothy grin. The sooner they got to work, the sooner they would find leads on the Institute…And perhaps make the Commonwealth a slightly more livable hellscape along the way.

“All right then. Preston, you told me a while ago to make the title of ‘General’ mean something to everyone out there again…So, let’s start with Sanctuary.”

Chapter 13: A New Development

Chapter Text

“These tunnels sure have gotten a bit more…dingy since the last time I was here. I mean, I know the Railroad’s been in bad shape for the past few months but this is just depressing.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Crow. Would you like me to paint these catacombs with pictures of rainbows and shabby cats for your next visit? Maybe I can draw smiley faces on some of the caskets here…”

“Well, aren’t you such a peach?”

“I won’t even bother pointing out how ironic that question is coming from you.”

“I’m an old and bitter alcoholic. I think I get a free pass.”

“You’re only forty. From what I understand, that is hardly old for humans.”

“That was in the prewar days. Now, most people living outside of Diamond City or Bunker Hill barely make it past their thirties…Getting old enough to suffer a mid-life crisis is actually a huge accomplishment.”

“…I think I just learned more about you than I had wanted to.”

Artemis groaned wearily as she walked through the dilapidated corridors that made up the catacombs of the Old North Church. It had been an almost two day journey from Fort Hagen, having begun the long walk back to the Railroad’s base of operations after she and Crow did the deed of incinerating Kellogg’s corpse so that nothing truly remained of the man. Whatever the reason the Institute wanted to collect his body, it was clear that nothing good would come out of it.

However, the distant trek provided its own set of challenges that drove her to her wit’s end. The constant quips and bickering back and forth between her and Crow had gotten to the point that she had to suppress the urge to strangle the infuriating man.

The man in question followed a few steps behind her, shoulders slightly slumped, hands tucked into the pockets of his drifter coat and a toothpick tucked between his lips that he kept rolling around between his teeth and chewing lightly on the tip. The duo treaded lightly down a set of concrete stairs and stopped right in front of a sturdy wooden door. Artemis took that moment to turn around on Crow, glaring at him with a most stern expression.

“I hope I don’t need to remind you to behave yourself,” she warned, “Everyone’s still…tense since the Switchboard attack all those months ago.”

As usual (and much to her chagrin), Crow merely brushed the agent off with a smirk.

“I’ve been dealing with these people longer than you rolled off the Institute assembly line, junior,” he said, raising a hand to give her a quick pat on the head, “I know what to expect.”

Artemis slapped his hand away with a scowl on her face, annoyed at how he treated her like a child but said nothing before turning back to the door and pushing it open. Crow followed her as she went inside, looking around to see if anything had changed in the time he was gone.

Railroad HQ was just as the drifter remembered it. Cluttered, dusty, uncomfortable and unremarkable; a dimly lit underground mausoleum served as the base of operations for the anti-Institute rebels ever since the loss of their previous headquarters, an old but well-preserved DIA outpost hidden beneath the Slocum Joe’s shop in Lexington codenamed ‘Switchboard’.

Sometime before the fall of the Switchboard HQ, Crow had decided to follow up on Deacon’s ‘Project Wanderer’ and had begun traveling throughout the Commonwealth in search of clues and information regarding the local vaults and any possibility of Institute activity connected to them.

This, understandably, took him to places far from Lexington and the Institute’s assault happened at an exact moment where he was nowhere near close enough to provide assistance. Not that he believed his presence would have automatically turned the fight in the Railroad’s favor but he would like to believe that he would at least been able to save a few more lives from being lost in that massacre.

‘Ah, who am I kidding? I probably would have been dead like the rest of them. I’m good but I’m far from a miracle worker.’

He bitterly wondered if it was sheer irony or a fateful sign of things to come…That the location Dez had chosen for the Railroad’s last stand against the Institute was a damn tomb of all places.

“Good to see you back, Artemis!”

Drummer Boy greeted the redheaded agent loudly enough for everyone within the command room to hear and they all stopped what they were doing to turn their attention towards the new arrival. A handful of agents approached them, no doubt wanting to learn about what Artemis had been up to lately, thus already breaking one of the Railroad’s protocols: never inquire into what assignment your fellow agent had been tasked with.

Crow couldn’t blame them though…They could only carry on whatever boring assignment they had here before they decided they would do anything for even the slightest bit of news or gossip to keep them perked up for a few extra hours. He noticed Drummer do a quick double take when he finally noticed that Artemis had brought company with her.

“Does the boss know you were bringing company?” the Railroad runner inquired with a hint of uncertainty as he chanced a wary glance at the older man, “She’s going to flip out if you brought someone without-”

“Is Desdemona around?” Artemis abruptly cut him off with the question and Crow held back a snort at how straight-to-the-point the synth agent was. It came as little surprise to him though, seeing her take after her ‘mentor’ and it vaguely reminded him how Desdemona herself was a woman of little patience for formalities and unnecessary details.

“Oh…uh, she was just on her terminal a few minutes ago-”

“So…you’re finally back.”

Everyone in the room stilled, recognizing the stern, female voice that had sounded off from the far corner of the room. The group of Railroad agents turned their heads and immediately fell in line, opening a clear path for the approaching woman who took a few more steps until she was in front and at eye level with the newly arrived duo.

Not much had changed about Desdemona either since Crow had last seen her weeks back. She wore her typical choice of attire: A sleeveless tan-colored jacket over a plain tank top, the plaid scarf that hung over her shoulders and collarbone, fingerless gloves whose leather was wearing out, a pair of cargo pants and combat boots to match.

Desdemona had given a quick glance to Artemis, enough to let the agent know that she acknowledged her presence before turning her attention to the witty and slightly drunk drifter standing before her. She placed her left hand over hip and Crow just noticed that it was almost entirely covered in bandages up to the elbow while she lifted her right hand up, an already lit cigarette held between her fingers which she placed against her lips.

Her scrutinizing gaze was kept on the drifter as she took a long drag from her cigarette before tilting her head slightly to blow out a cloud of smoke from her mouth.

“I’ll take it from here, Drummer” she spoke, watching the young agent from the corner of her eye and leaving no room for argument before turning back to Crow, “And the rest of you have work to do, if I’m not mistaken.”

Everyone else murmured quietly but did as she ordered, dispersing to return to their tasks until no one but Crow and Artemis were within Desdemona’s observant gaze. Despite the hardened visage expected from someone with some amount of authority, Crow could almost see beneath the Railroad leader’s hazel eyes the weariness and exhaustion that she seemed to hide so well from everyone else.

“One month…” Desdemona began, flicking some of the ash from her cigarette and watching it sprinkle down onto the dusty concrete floor, “It was one month ago that I had been asking for you to return.”

“I ran into some…complications on the way back,” Crow responded, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. The Railroad leader however, was clearly not amused with his vague choice of words.

“Don’t get smart with me, Crow. It wasn’t enough that Deacon wanted to waste his time staring at a vault security gate for the past couple of months and then you had to run off and join him when you’re skills could have been better used elsewhere,” she scolded, slightly vexed at how Crow seemed to take the privileges she had bestowed upon him years ago for granted, “Now, explain why you refused to return here like I ordered you to.”

“You do remember that I’m not officially one of your operatives, right?” he spoke nonchalantly, pulling the toothpick away from his mouth and flicking it towards an unoccupied corner. He already had his flask of whiskey in hand as he leaned against the pillar behind him, “Like I said, I had some business to take care of before I decided to answer you. And last I checked, you weren’t supposed to have a problem with that so long as I helped you guys out. It’s called an ‘agreement’, Ice Queen. You should look up the definition sometime.”

From the corner of his eye he could already see the barest hint of Desdemona’s facial expression contorting in anger, the telltale subtle twitch of her right eye that he was all too familiar with. Anyone else would have been careful not to anger the Railroad Alpha nor would anyone within the organization exhibited what could be perceived as disrespect by others. However, it seemed to matter little to Crow, much to everyone else’s surprise, and just as he took a quick sip of his drink to ready himself for another lecture by the auburn haired woman next to him, someone else deemed it appropriate to join in on the discussion.

“It’s rather difficult to focus on my research with the both of you making a scene an earshot away.”

Crow didn’t need to look to know who it was that approached them.

“Hey! What’s up, Doc?” the drifter casually remarked with a lopsided grin, slightly tilting his head to get a look at Dr. Carrington. Desdemona’s second-in-command (a more suitable title as Crow hardly considered him as Dez’s right-hand man. They wouldn’t be constantly butting heads otherwise…) and the Railroad’s unofficial chief medical officer walk towards them with a clipboard in hand and exhaustion in his eyes. Unlike Desdemona, who would at least make some effort to hide any sort of irritation behind a mask of professionalism, the doctor wore his crankiness openly on his sleeve, much to everyone’s displeasure.

(Still, Crow had a habit of playing devil’s advocate for everyone working within HQ and he knew that many within here usually had their own reasons for keeping people at arm’s length and developed various methods to fulfill that goal. The doctor’s extremely blunt demeanor was just one such scenario.)

Still an asshole, though.

“Crow…” Carrington spoke his alias with unsubtle distaste, “You’ve just got here after being out of contact for nearly a month and you’re already starting to get on people’s nerves. I’m unsure if you’re more problematic inside of HQ or outside of it.”

“Heh, speak for yourself, Henry. You’re just as far from winning a congeniality award as me.”

It was barely a mystery to Dez and the others that Crow and Carrington never got along. Some would say that they loathed each other but the drifter dismissed it as idle gossip. If there was loathing to be felt, then it was one-sided on the doctor’s part as Crow simply could not bring himself to care about what others thought of him for the most part, especially Carrington.

It was easy to guess that Crow’s maverick personality, slightly unpredictable nature, and tendency for sarcasm that many others easily took as condescending arrogance rubbed Dr. Carrington the wrong way. Others though believed that there was something else adding to their rivalry than a simple disregard to rules and protocol of the Railroad.

Perhaps a subtle power struggle or a third party involved in the tension…No one was exactly certain and no one was eager or curious enough to bring up such personal questions to either of them.

“If we can brush aside him running his mouth for a moment, Crow would’ve been here sooner had he not made a helpful detour during his travel,” Artemis abruptly spoke up and felt all eyes turn towards her. The drifter gave her a confused look but she ignored it, continuing with her report, “We might have crossed paths as we walked the Commonwealth and I was unaware of it as I went to Fort Hagen to investigate the rumors about possible Institute activity there. I…failed to notice his presence as he seemed to have tailed me from a respectable distance.”

“Fort Hagen? Are we talking about the reports regarding Kellogg’s presence there?” Carrington asked, intrigued by the sudden report enough to turn his attention away from Crow for the moment.

“Yes,” the agent admitted, bowing her head slightly in shame knowing full well she went against one of Desdemona’s key directives, “I wished to investigate on my own to verify the reports…and attempt to eliminate Kellogg myself should his presence have been confirmed.”

The Railroad leader had been quiet in the meantime as she had to stomach another petty argument between Crow and Carrington. She remained impassive as she listened to Artemis’ report, lifting the cigarette once more to her lips to take another hefty drag. She closed her eyes as she felt the rush of nicotine within her, clouding her mind to find some semblance of relaxation if only for a few seconds. It was the only way she knew how to control her temperament; to not allow stress and impatience to completely overwhelm her.

“I thought you knew better than to attempt something so foolish, Artemis,” Desdemona spoke in a low voice and with one look at her eyes, it was clear she was highly disappointed towards the reckless decision that Artemis had taken. She had high expectations of Artemis and yet the agent took a course of action that would have most likely ended in her death, “I gave clear orders that Kellogg was not to be engaged at any cost after numerous failed attempts on him over the past few years. At best, I allowed only distant observation, at least until we could have come up with a better opportunity and proper strategy to corner him.”

“And when would we have had our opportunity? After Kellogg had found our HQ and eliminated most of us?” Artemis argued back. She gave a side glance to Crow almost as if to ask him to back her up but he simply shrugged. Of course he wouldn’t take part in this. She almost forgot of the similar scolding she had received from him back at Fort Hagen.

“That is not for you to decide, Artemis!” Dez admonished, the volume of her voice rising just enough to catch the attention of everyone within proximity. Turning around to send a swift glare to the distracted agents who immediately turned away to mind their own business, her gaze fell back on Artemis. She let out a deep breath, shaking her head while reaching a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose

“That isn’t for you to decide…” she repeated, this time in a softer tone, “It falls on me to make those kinds of decisions and I’ve already lost enough skilled agents to even have considered another attempt to eliminate that bastard once and for all.”

Desdemona had been prioritizing stealth as a way to buy time for the Railroad. It had been a while now since she recalled various agents and operatives from outside the Commonwealth to return as a way to temporarily replenish their losses. Dez had been hoping that they would have stayed out of Kellogg’s way long enough for back up to finally arrive and from there, enact a plan to corner the Institute’s top agent.

But now, it seemed it was unnecessary. The Railroad’s public enemy No. 1 had been dealt with and she apparently had Artemis and Crow to thank for that.”

“Still, it brings me some relief to see you here in one piece…Which can only mean that the two of you have done what many thought impossible and eliminated Kellogg.”

“Actually…About that, Desdemona…”

“We didn’t kill him,” Crow finished for Artemis and he continued to elaborate further before Desdemona could interrupt him, “Well, he was at Fort Hagen but he was already dead by the time we found him.”

Silence followed as it settled between everyone there. Desdemona stood still, eyebrows drawn together as she processed the sudden news.

“You’re sh*tting me.”

“I sh*t you not,” Crow responded in the irritatingly smug tone of his.

“Then who could have done it?” she demanded to know.

“Project Wanderer…or ‘Wanderers’ would be a more fitting term, ma’am,” Artemis answered, “Or at least I assume it was them. A man and woman, presumably a couple. I briefly spotted them from a safe distance, along with a group of people leaving Fort Hagen, around the same time the airship arrived. Though they didn’t have the typical vault dweller jumpsuits, they did fit the description provided to me by Deacon and Crow.”

“Are you entirely certain of this?” Carrington inquired.

“I am,” she curtly answered. The doctor stood there speechless for the time being as he tried to come to terms with everything he had just heard.

“That’s…impossible,” he murmured, though Carrington was unsure if he was talking about Kellogg being gunned down by vault dwellers or the fact that Deacon’s investigation actually yielded results…And to think he believed the spy had finally gone over the edge of his sanity when he had suggested watching over some derelict vault on mere rumors of Institute activity that no one else in the Railroad could confirm.

Desdemona was no better off than Dr. Carrington in her surprise at hearing this particular bit of news.

It was unbelievable. She should have felt relieved, elated even, that the Institute’s most ruthless and merciless agent was no longer prowling the wasteland doing their bidding. But part of her couldn’t help but feel insulted. Insulted that all her efforts and all of the Railroad’s efforts were immediately overshadowed by these mysterious vault dwellers, the subjects of the so-called ‘Project Wanderer’.

‘Who were they?’ she had to wonder. The handful of vault dwellers that have risen to the surface over the years usually came from Vault 81 and from what she understood, most of them emerged to the surface world like a radstag blinded by a spotlight. How could two vault dwellers and a group of people who fit the bill of ‘ragtag group of misfits’ even more than her organization have been able to take down perhaps the most dangerous man in the Commonwealth while many of her veteran agents that had undertaken the same task ended up six feet under?

“I’ve lost a lot of good people trying to take down that asshole,” the Railroad leader almost growled the words out, the tone of her voice rising a couple of octaves as she found it difficult to wrap her head around the news, “Skilled men and women who’ve been in this line of work for years and you’re telling me that a pair of vault dwellers barely a week fresh out of a vault succeeded where some of the Railroad’s best died trying?!”

Dez wondered if this was some kind of a joke, another one of Crow’s or Deacon’s crafted schemes to get under her skin.

No, it couldn’t be another one of Deacon’s jokes gone too far. Artemis was involved in this scenario and she always treated situations like this with the seriousness and level-headedness it deserved. She would never have agreed to play along in such a tasteless prank.

And Crow…Although he had a penchant for mischief similar to Deacon and would gladly take any given opportunity to rile her, the man was not entirely fond of lies. He was far too blunt and impatient to craft such an elaborate story for the mere sake of annoying someone else. So it was a no to that as well…

“Either this is someone’s idea of a bad joke and I’m waiting for the punchline…” Dez muttered, reaching up to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, “Or there’s more to this than I’ve anticipated…Tell me, did you find anything that could be of use from the site? Any logs, tapes, data that could give us clues on the Institute’s activities in the area?”

“Kellogg had a terminal log vaguely describing his mission before expiring…” Artemis informed Dez, having taken a quick look at the terminal the Institute mercenary had left behind before she and Crow had departed the fort, “He was using Fort Hagen as a staging ground to gather supplies for a mission into the Glowing Sea but before he could make his next move, the vault dwellers and their entourage caught up to him and you now know the rest…”

“The Glowing Sea? Just what was the Institute up to that they needed to send an excursion to that hellhole?!”

“I’m afraid we don’t know the answer to that, Alpha,” Artemis lamented and she reached into her jacket to pull out a folded cloth she kept hidden there. She proceeded to unwrap the fabric and held out her hand so Desdemona could clearly see what she had in her hand: the implants she confiscated from Kellogg’s corpse, “But I managed to recover these from Kellogg’s body. I’m hoping they might give us a clue or at the very least help us understand the different kinds of tech the Institute’s using.”

“She yanked that out of his splattered brains, Dez,” Crow deadpanned as he watched the Railroad leader reach out to take the cybernetics, only to stop abruptly and slowly pull her hand back with a vague look of distaste.

“Cybernetic implants, I presume?” Carrington asked, eyeing them curiously. Cybernetic enhancements were rare enough around the East Coast since there were perhaps only a handful of doctors or scientists who would have the knowledge to carry on a delicate surgical procedure. But to have ones made by the Institute within their grasp could prove invaluable, “We have always suspected that the Institute resorted to such experimentation on their Coursers but to find them in a human subject…”

“Hmm, in that case…let’s take them to Tinker Tom.”

Desdemona wasted no time leading them towards Tinker Tom’s workstation just a few steps away from the round table they had been standing around. The man himself was there, not difficult to miss thanks to his…‘unique’ choice of headgear and his erratic mannerisms, talking out loud to himself and gesturing wildly with one hand while the other held a wrench he was using on one of the MILA prototypes he had been occupied with in the last hour. She could only imagine how the man would react upon hearing they had possible Institute tech for him to work on.

Considering the few instances in the past where Tom had the opportunity to work on tech they were largely unfamiliar with, especially technology scrapped from the Institute, Dez already knew that ‘excitement’ would be a severe understatement to what he would be feeling once he got a hold of the implants in Artemis’ hand.

“Tom!”

The man jumped back from his desk with a short yelp as his tool clattered to the ground, staring back at them with wide, fearful eyes as he usually would whenever he was suddenly disturbed. He calmed himself a little when he saw who it was that called for his attention.

“Oh, whew…It’s just you, boss lady,” he said with no short amount of relief as he wiped some of the sweat on his forehead.

“Tom, you really need to find a different hat to wear. You’re gonna end up poking someone’s eye out with all that pointy sh*t on your head.”

“Ho-lee sh*t…Crow?! Haha!” Tom greeted the drifter excitedly, jogging up to him to give him a quick handshake and a pat on the shoulder, “Haven’t seen you round here, bird man! I thought the Institute nabbed you a long time ago!”

“Good to see you too, Tom,” Crow returned the greeting, “I doubt the Institute has any interest in a wanderer like me though. Which means I’ll probably be ruffling a few feathers around here more frequently.”

“Gentleman, can we get back to the issue at hand?!” Desdemona cut in with a rather annoyed look on her face.

“See what I mean?” the drifter quietly murmured as he lightly nudged Tom with his elbow.

The Railroad leader rolled her eyes but decided against berating him any further as she would just be wasting her breath. Instead, she gestured towards the items in Artemis’ hands and spoke directly to Tinker Tom.

“We have some things we need you to look over for us. Operatives Artemis and Crow recovered that tech out in the field…directly from Kellogg’s corpse,” Dez did her best to explain the situation to the eccentric inventor, whose mouth gaped open upon hearing of the mercenary’s fate, “I’ll fill you in another time. Right now, I need you to study these devices. They’re apparently cybernetic implants of some sort but one thing we know for certain is that it is Institute made. We figured that you-”

Tom didn’t even let her finish as he let out a whoop of joy and immediately snatched the devices from Artemis before she could even warn him to be careful.

“…Well, that didn’t take long,” Desdemona muttered as she watched the tinkerer let out a gleeful giggle as he began to work.

The redhead agent raised one eyebrow at Dez and Crow in question but both of them merely shook their heads in response, as if to say ‘Just don’t ask.’

Despite his eccentric tendencies and his slowly deteriorating sanity being a tremendous cause for concern among a few others within HQ (especially Carrington), Tinker Tom nonetheless continued to implement his skills for the Railroad. Incredibly tech-savvy for a mere scavenger, Tom’s knowledge and skills with engineering were enough to even give a veteran Brotherhood scribe a run for their money, taking every bit of scrap and technology that he could get his hands on and engineering it to (admittedly varied results) suit the purposes of those he worked with.

He didn’t take long to start working, fetching a few tools from a drawer before gingerly setting the implants down onto the table. Desdemona decided to stay and observe Tom’s handiwork as he began to study the small devices. She noticed that Crow, Artemis, and Dr. Carrington had followed her example, curious to know what sort of discoveries the tinkerer would gather and she felt slightly grateful that for once they decided to remain quiet instead of indulging in the same back-and-forth bickering that became the norm whenever all three were present in the same room.

Good thing Deacon and Glory were out in the field or she would have a bloody week-long migraine by now.

There were other issues that she had intended to address as well; Her concerns towards the Brotherhood of Steel’s recent arrival being at the top of the list just behind the Institute.

But Kellogg’s sudden demise now took precedence over everything else and while it was perhaps wishful thinking on her part, Desdemona hoped that what Artemis and Crow had scavenged off of the merc’s dead body would provide any sort of clue to the Institute’s whereabouts.

Minutes went by as Tom worked carefully, picking apart one implant with a screwdriver before using a lens from his ‘helmet’ to take a closer look. All the while he typed away his findings at his terminal and seemed to compare notes from previous entries he had written about possible tech the Institute might have used on their agents.

An hour and some more complicated fiddling later, Tom had deduced that the particular implant he was looking over was wired to boost an individual’s natural resistance to the elements as well as seemingly slowing the aging process. Being immune to illnesses and disease would undoubtedly have helped in extending his lifespan, thus confirming one Desdemona’s initial suspicions regarding the fallen Institute mercenary.

The second implant seemed to boost the recipient’s reflexes and heightened their perception. In layman’s terms, Kellogg was always aware of his surroundings. That also confirmed another one of the Railroad leader’s suspicions on why the agents she sent after him over the years were never able to get the drop on him, no matter what perceived advantages they might have held over him at the time.

By the time he began to work on the last one, Desdemona decided to walk away for a quick smoke break. Crow had quietly sauntered off a few minutes before, no doubt to have his fill of whiskey away from everyone else while Carrington returned to work on his own personal project, leaving Artemis to keep an eye on Tom in the meantime. She reached into her breast pocket, searching for her pack of cigarettes all the while she rounded the corner to head through a break in the wall towards the makeshift sleeping quarters…

…And bumped right into Crow, whom she had failed to notice was coming down from the other end.

“Damn it…Watch where you’re going!” Desdemona practically hissed, lightly shaking her bandaged hand as she tried to push away the discomfort she felt. While the burn wound she had received during the Switchboard attack had been slowly healing, thanks to Dr. Carrington’s thorough treatment, any sort of harsh contact still aggravated the bandage covered skin.

She heard Crow quietly scoff and from the corner of her eye she could see him momentarily squat down to recover his flask that tumbled from his hand before getting back up again. His eyes meeting her own, she was already expecting a passive-aggressive remark like the insufferable ass that he could be at times…

“You okay, Dez?”

That…she did not expect.

“It’s fine…” Desdemona tried to assure him. She blinked but found the drifter staring back at her with a deadpan look yet the curious concern beneath his grey eyes did not go unnoticed by the Railroad leader, "I just need a moment.”

‘So my eyes caught your fancy, huh? And here I thought it was my charm that won you over.’

With a slight grunt, Dez pushed the memory away as she moved to the side. Trying to slip by the man, she froze up when she felt calloused hands gently grasp her bandaged arm. The Railroad leader stared at him, surprised at his sudden change of demeanor yet slightly indignant at being treated like something fragile.

Crow either did not notice her glare or ignored it completely as he looked closely at her hand, noticing the red and slightly blistering skin peeking out from beneath the gauze.

‘Perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised. Despite all the sh*t we give each other, he still cares…Just like he used to all those years ago…’

“Shouldn’t that have healed up by now?” he asked.

“Second-degree burns take some time to patch up. Mostly weeks,” she stated, “…At least according to our good doctor.”

“Still-”

“Its fine,” she repeated, a little more roughly as she yanked her hand away from him and wincing slightly at the sting that flared up, “It should be another week or two before I can finally get these damn bandages off.”

Dez searched Crow’s face for any sign of disappointment or feelings of offense from her attempt at brushing him off. It did not seem he harbored such sentiments though; instead he smirked as was typical of him and shrugged nonchalantly.

“Alright, if you say so. Just try not to walk into anyone else while using your bad hand to search for a pack of smokes.”

Now there was the Crow she had gotten used to in recent years.

Dez scoffed at his response but before anything else could be said between them, they were both approached by Artemis.

“Boss, I think we have a problem with that last implant. You should come check it out.”

The agent didn’t wait for an answer as she quickly turned on her heel and headed back to Tinker Tom’s workstation. Desdemona sighed as she put away her cigarettes before following Artemis. Crow decided to join them as well.

“What seems to be the problem?” Dez queried as she and Crow approached the group. Tinker Tom was fiddling with the keys on his terminal like a madman while Artemis and Dr. Carrington were looking over his hunched shoulders as they tried to make sense of what they saw on the computer screen.

“Man, this baby does not wanna budge!” Tom spoke frantically as his fingers continued to click away at his keyboard, “I’m not gettin’ anything out of it!”

“What Tom means to say is that he seems unable to crack whatever encryption is on that device,” Carrington explained without making eye contact as he continued to observantly stare at the terminal with a hand tucked under his chin, “From what I see here, it’s a gibberish mess of code and numerals that offer nothing concrete for us to go on…”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Crow muttered as he tried to squeeze in between them and see for himself, “Tom’s quite fluent in gibberish and if he can’t make sense of this thing, then how do we know what’s on it?”

Dez and Crow took a closer at the terminal screen. They confirmed what Carrington had just told them, finding nothing but numbers and letters arranged in some sort of code-like sequence.

“Hold a moment…” Artemis spoke up, raising a hand to shush him while squinting her eyes to take a closer look at the data that kept emerging on the terminal, “While it’s a mess, there is one term that keeps popping up in between codes…’Memory Lock’…”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Desdemona asked impatiently. She was growing weary of these occurrences…The rare occasion where the Railroad seemed to have a stroke of luck only for a larger obstacle to get in their way and snuff out any hope Dez might have had to gather leads on the Institute.

“I’m…not entirely certain but since I technically pulled this thing out of his head…” Dr. Carrington’s grimace went unchecked as Artemis attempted to think of any possible theories for the implant’s purpose, “…And considering the words I’m reading here…Maybe this device might have something to do with memories?…Kellogg’s memories?

Desdemona and Dr. Carrington sent a curious and slightly incredulous glance her way but Artemis continued, hoping to make some sense of her own hunch as well.

“I understand that this notion sounds almost ludicrous but what other possible explanation could there be? If Tom can’t seem to be able to hack into this thing, then there has to be some deeper encryption within it, one that we’re not familiar with considering Tom easily cracked the other two within the hour.”

“The only possible explanation I can come up with this very moment is that this implant may be tied to a memory…Kellogg’s or someone else’s or whatever…I wouldn’t be surprised if the Institute were able to pull off something like that…”

“She might be onto something, Dez,” Crow suggested, deciding to lend Artemis a hand and have her back in this discussion. It was indeed a crazy theory but it wasn’t like there was anyone else who could make a better suggestion. Besides, he and Desdemona already had enough experience learning of the Institute’s capabilities and some special cybernetic implant that stores memories like a holotape wouldn’t be entirely farfetched coming from that particular group of mad scientists.

“I say our best bet would be to meet with our contact at the Memory Den in Goodneighbor. Can’t guarantee that she’ll solve this little dilemma of ours pronto, but we don’t have an option at the moment. Considering her specialty, she’s probably the only wasteland scientist who could get a shot at figuring out what that thing is supposed to be.”

“I hate to admit it but I have to agree with Crow on this one, Desdemona,” Carrington shared his own input as well, “Apart from her work for the Railroad, Agent Fulcrum is perhaps the only known individual in the Commonwealth to have an impressive grasp on both neuroscience and neuropsychology. She may lack Tom’s technical skills but she might be able to provide the missing pieces to our puzzle over here.”

As soon as Carrington finished making his case, Desdemona sighed, closing her eyes and tucking a hand under her chin as she tried to think on any other worthwhile options. There were none, unfortunately, as she had come to the same conclusion as the others standing beside her. She hated involving too many people in something as sensitive as this. It was risky and someone could end up spilling the beans to the wrong person but they had to take action.

Sitting right there on Tinker Tom’s desk was perhaps the key the Railroad needed to unlock the mystery that was the Institute; the cipher that could perhaps deliver them one step closer in finding an opening to the mysterious organization that had terrorized the Commonwealth for decades and turning the tide in their war fought amidst the shadows.

Desdemona had made her decision.

“Very well…I’ll have a runner sent to the Memory Den and hopefully Fulcrum will contact us as soon as she is able.”

She snapped her fingers repeatedly at Drummer Boy who had been lounging in a far off corner, drawing his attention almost immediately and tossing his cigarette to the side.

“Tom, keep working there. Let us know if you find anything new that could be of help. And as for you two…”

She turned to face Artemis and Crow. The redheaded woman stood expectantly, awaiting new orders while Crow was already uncapping his flask and helping himself to a generous gulp of whiskey. She shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh.

“We’ll just have wait and see what other surprises Project Wanderer has in store for us.”

Chapter 14: The Rocky Path

Chapter Text

“Fire!”

The sound of shots being fired from various weapons rang through the air in Sanctuary once again as some of the newer Minutemen recruits aimed at the targets that had been set up for their use; a half-dozen dummies hastily cobbled together with faded cloth and lumps of fabric. The trainees took position on the wider path between Sanctuary and the small bridge that led the way to the hill where Vault 111 was while the targets had been placed on the other side of the stream.

Bryce stood a short distance behind them with Preston at his side, both observing the group in front of them. The two had kept a close eye on their charges throughout the exercise, discussing the performance of the trainees as well as sharing ideas on what to do next to improve the Minuteman’s standing once they felt sure that they had recruited sufficient people to keep Sanctuary and neighboring settlements secure.

There was one issue at hand that they both agreed needed to be addressed at that very moment: A recruit whom they felt could still use some improvement.

“Jun!”

The man in question flinched upon hearing the prewar veteran barking his name and Bryce couldn’t help but shake his head in both exasperation and pity. While Jun Long had slightly pulled himself together since he was rescued from the Concord museum, where he had been on the cusp of suffering a nervous breakdown when the vault dweller met him, he was still a rather timid and jittery individual who mostly kept to himself whenever he wasn’t trying to strike up conversation with his wife, Marcy.

Bryce did feel sympathy for them, having learned that the Long’s had lost their son along the journey from Quincy to Sanctuary. He figured they were trying to cope with the situation in their own way which seemed to be by keeping others at arm’s length. Between Marcy’s irritable demeanor and Jun doing random work around the settlement while hiding away from everyone else, others around Sanctuary seemed to have learned to leave them to their space unless it was absolutely necessary to speak with either of them.

So it came as a surprise to Bryce that Jun would be among the first to volunteer when the vault dweller announced that he was searching for willing recruits for the Minutemen militia.

“Y-Yes, General?” Jun stammered and Bryce sighed as he walked over to his position behind a rusty cabinet that was being used as practice cover. The vault dweller knelt on one knee beside Jun, clasping one hand on the nervous man’s shoulder while he pulled out a pair of binoculars from his Army jacket with his other hand.

“Everyone else landed their shots…” he trailed off while he passed the binoculars to Jun. The aspiring Minuteman set the pipe rifle he was using onto the dirt patch beside him before taking the binoculars and looking through the lenses towards the target Bryce was pointing at. The same one he had aimed for.

His shot barely grazed the area where the shoulder would be. It would have had no effect on an armored target. Even a half-naked Raider hopped up on chems would have shrugged it off with barely a wince.

“…While yours barely scratched the target.”

“Oh…I see. Uhm-”

“Had that been an actual enemy, you or a friendly near you would most likely end up dead.”

Jun sighed, his shoulders slumping as he lowered his head and kept his gaze fixed on the ground like he was ashamed of his own inadequacy. Bryce felt a hint of annoyance at the man’s defeatist attitude, but he quickly brushed it aside as he endeavored to help Jun crack out of his shell.

“Hey…” the General tapped Jun on the shoulder and got the settler turned recruit to look up at him, “Pick up your rifle. You’re going for one more round.”

Jun did not need to be told twice and though he fumbled momentarily for his weapon, he took position and aimed down the sights of his rifle towards the targets.

“Focus, man…Take a deep breath and focus on your target. Steady your hands. Your aim is going to be way off if your hands are shaking like they are now. Alright, breathe… Just like that and aim…Go for the same one you missed. You have a second chance but it’s the last one before that raider comes charging at you…”

Jun stilled for a moment, doing his best to maintain a more acceptable composure. Bryce watched as the recruit steadied himself, keeping a likely too-tight grip on his rifle but otherwise had seemed to follow Bryce’s direction and kept his gaze narrowed onto the target.

Before nerves could cause Jun to back out, the General gave him the order.

“Fire.”

He steadied himself and, without hesitating any longer, squeezed the trigger. Bryce watched as the bullet hit the makeshift target somewhere below the collarbone. If a living target was not instantly killed by a shot like that, then at the very least they would be stopped in their tracks and left vulnerable for the coup de grâce.

Jun set his rifle down onto the ground once again but kept his gaze ahead, awaiting the verdict of the man crouching beside him. All in all, he could have done better but the General looked satisfied enough for the moment.

“A more acceptable performance than before but there is still plenty of room for improvement,” Bryce told him with an assuring smile which seemed enough to make Jun relax and release some of the uncoiled tension within him, “Always remember to take a deep breath and focus before taking the shot. In desperate times, you have to be quick but you can’t afford to be careless.”

After a quick pat to the shoulder, Bryce stood up from his spot and then turned his attention to the other trainees. He gestured for Preston to get closer and listen to what he had to say as well.

“All right. Good news so far is that the rest of you seemed to have improved your aim and posture in the past days of training,” Bryce congratulated sincerely. While the General came to terms with the fact that it would be a long while before any militiaman they recruited could be considered a full-fledged soldier, they were doing better than he had initially expected with only two weeks’ worth of training so far, “Don’t let it get to your heads though. Keep practicing at the range and maybe I’ll find a more ‘proactive’ assignment for you folks…Because if Sanctuary ever comes under attack in the near future, it certainly won’t be from catatonic straw dummies.”

Some snickering was heard but Bryce kept a straight face, being quite serious about the claim he made.

Sanctuary had the potential to become one of the more prosperous settlements in the northern Commonwealth sooner or later. It was both a blessing and a curse as Sturges had cautioned Bryce that Sanctuary’s possible success could also attract unwanted guests who would love nothing more than to reap the fruits of their labor by force. The prewar veteran had already anticipated that the settlement would need some form of defense and worked to ensure that every particular base would be covered.

“Now then…Any questions?”

“No, Sir,” Jun and the rest of his group all confirmed in unison.

“Very well… you’re all dismissed for today.”

“I gotta admit, they’re shaping up quite decently,” Preston said to Bryce as everyone else dispersed from the area, “Even Jun is doing a lot better than I thought at first. Still, he could do with a pep talk or two to keep his head on straight.”

“Like you?” the General shot a quick glance to his second-in-command.

“I guess Jun and I are a bit alike after all,” Preston admitted with a brief chuckle. The two men walked a short distance over to the driveway of the nearest house, the Langley’s home if the prewar veteran remembered correctly. Their car was still parked there, now a rusted carcass of what was once a 2077 Corvega…Not like they could have moved it anywhere in the chaos that erupted moments before the bombs dropped, no matter how stubbornly Mr. Langley tried to stuff his suitcase in the truck.

“I’ll soon need to take the recruits out for a bit of hunting,” Bryce commented as he pulled out a cigarette from a pocket on his army jacket, lighting it up, “Maybe a quick patrol. From what I’ve seen, everybody in the settlement here owns a gun and know some of the basics of using one. But the folks who do sign up to officially become Minutemen need some extra hands-on experience if they’re going to wise up against any threats the Commonwealth could throw at them like more raider gangs.”

“Or Gunners…” Preston added, his even-tempered expression contorting into one of distaste at the mere mention of the mercenary organization, “I wouldn’t put it past them to come up here looking to finish what they started in Quincy as soon as they learn we’re rebuilding the Minutemen here in Sanctuary.”

“They’re certainly welcome to try…”

The General took a slow drag from his cigarette and offered his pack to Preston, who respectfully declined. He was going to have to talk with MacCready when he had the time. Remembering the sniper’s argument with the other two mercenaries back when they first met, it seemed that the young man was acquainted at some point with the Gunners. If anyone could give him a little more insight into how they operated it would be him.

“Let’s…not tempt fate for now,” the Minuteman lightly scolded, certainly wishing that the Gunners would stay as far away from Sanctuary as possible, “On another note, I agree with giving our people better training. There’s only so much they can learn from engaging a practice target before they end up facing real threats. Eventually, it’s going to be up to people like us to show them how to properly respond when they end up fighting Raiders or other sorts of opportunists who’ll come here and try to take what isn’t theirs.”

Bryce seemed a little surprised by Preston’s response, learning right there that the usually quiet and agreeable man was slightly more insightful than he let on.

They decided to settle down for a few moments before going on ahead to other tasks that awaited them across Sanctuary. Bryce perched himself on a spare tire lying next to him while Preston sat down on the ground, leaning back against the rusted car.

“You’re taking this to heart, aren’t ya, Preston?”

Silence settled among them as a thoughtful gaze crossed Preston’s features. The General started to feel a little worried since he meant the question as a small jest. He didn’t expect the Minuteman to look so sullen immediately and was about to apologize when Preston started to speak.

“You know…It’s hard to believe looking at us now but the Minutemen were the main power in this part of the wasteland for over a century up until a few years back…They were the protectors of the Commonwealth. Heck, we even had a few settlements from beyond the borders of Boston flying our flag…”

“Sounds like quite the accomplishment,” Bryce noted, idly spinning his cigarette between his fingers and flicking ash everywhere around him.

“Yeah, it definitely was…” his second-in-command murmured, a glimmer of thoughtful wonder in his eyes as he kept on speaking, “You know, I kind of wished I was a Minuteman back in their glory days…See the stories for myself. Back in their prime, the Minutemen held their ground against Super Mutant war packs and, if the stories are true, had supposedly tangled with the Institute on a handful of occasions and came out winning…”

“But since the past year we’ve barely been able to deal with the Raiders and eventually…well, we got done in by the Gunners at Quincy…”

“After that disaster, I was hoping to lead the surviving citizens and Minutemen remnants up here to Sanctuary and rebuild here. But I just kept losing people every day and by the time you found us at Concord, I was practically left with nothing. Now though…now we might have a legit chance to rebuild the Minutemen into the organization they were meant to be…”

Preston sighed, realizing he suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed by his sudden rambling, unsure if the General was bothering to listen anyway. It wasn’t like anyone out here was going to play the role of therapist or the friendly ear that listens. He turned slightly to look up towards the vault dweller and admittedly felt a little relieved that Bryce looked thoughtful instead of put off or annoyed by the Minuteman’s woes.

“So, yeah…I guess I am taking this to heart,” he concluded, answering the General’s initial question.

Bryce simply nodded in acknowledgment as he took one last drag from his cigarette before tossing it aside. He may not have had a more astounding response to Preston pouring out his dreams and burdens but it felt more appropriate than resorting to clichéd platitudes. After all, he could understand, in some small ways, where the Minuteman was coming from.

“Empires rise and empires eventually fall…” a gravely drawl caught both men’s attention and they both turned to watch Nick Valentine approaching them, “It’s happened hundreds of times throughout humankind’s history…for better or worse…”

He was not alone however. Stepping alongside the synth detective were Piper and Arianna. Along with Nick, the Diamond City journalist had left Sanctuary sometime after Bryce had requested of them both to investigate any further clues about the Institute as well as dig for some information on the Brotherhood of Steel and Railroad factions. The vault dweller figured they would be the more sensible choice to complete that task due to their respective occupations and inquisitive tendencies.

Arianna, on the other hand, had left the day before with some Minutemen to scout out the Starlight Drive-In, taking on Preston’s previous suggestion of turning it into a potential settlement for their people. She flashed a smirk to her husband as she approached him and sat down on the same tire where he was sitting, gently shoving Bryce to move over and give her some room.

“Hey, honey. I take it everything went well?”

“So far, so good, cariño,” Arianna answered, placing a soothing hand on his shoulder before trailing down and sneaking her fingers into the pocket where her husband kept his cigarettes, “We didn’t find too much trouble at the drive-in except for a couple of mole rats. Willis and the rest of the squad stayed behind to set up a recruitment beacon and gather whatever materials they can scavenge to start up a settlement there-Aha!”

The sniper suddenly proclaimed victoriously as she snatched Bryce’s cigarettes from his pocket. He let out an amused scoff and she stuck her tongue out at him before offering one to Nick and Piper, who were quite satisfied with the offer.

“I found these two on my way back…” Arianna explained before taking a swift drag of the cigarette. The bitter smoke caused to release a sputtering cough and Bryce gently patted his wife on the back until she felt better, “Ugh…I’ve never really gotten used to smoking...”

“Reminds me of the time you tried one of those Cuban cigars…”

“Don’t remind me of that. I felt like I was going to choke on my own lungs after I tried one of those things!” she chided, waving her hand in a frantic gesture as she spoke.

“So…” Piper spoke up, looking to steer the subject. She had a particularly gleeful smile plastered on her lips as she got the couple’s attention, “We held up our end of the bargain. Now, how about that interview you guys promised me in exchange?”

“Not now, Piper” Nick scolded the Diamond City journalist before the couple could respond, “I know you’re eager but you can get your interview later. Remember what we’re here for before we get off track…”

She flashed a slightly pleading look towards the vault dwellers, but Bryce simply shook his head with a half-smile.

“You’ll get your interview. I’m not backing down on my word,” the General assured her, “But let’s get this out of the way first.”

“…Right, okay…” Piper groaned like a child who had been denied her favorite sweets. While pouting her lips in disappointment that she would have to wait a little longer to get the interview she had been particularly giddy to start since the past week, she asked, “Is it all right to talk here or should we take it somewhere more private?”

Bryce did not respond immediately. He simply looked towards the street of the old community, watching as settlers went back and forth throughout the Sanctuary, carrying tools or farming equipment for whatever task they had been assigned to.

“I doubt we have to worry about being eavesdropped,” he responded as he tossed away his cigarette and slowly stood up from where he had been sitting, “But a small change of scenery would be nice.”

“I’ll stay behind then if you don’t mind, General,” Preston said as he stood up as well from the ground he had been sitting on, “I’ll watch over everyone here…Make sure things are running as smoothly as they can.”

“Suit yourself, Preston. Send Dogmeat to find us if you need our help. We won’t be too far anyway.”

The Minuteman hummed and tipped his hat to the group before turning and heading towards Sanctuary’s vegetable patch. Bryce gestured for the rest to follow him as he stepped towards the cracked road of the old settlement.

“Come on then. Let’s have a chat.”

…

They had gathered around the Minuteman statue outside of the bridge to Sanctuary. Bryce sat at the statue’s base, eyes momentarily clenched shut as he rubbed his temples. Arianna sat on the ground beside him, knees drawn up as she gently rested her head on her husband’s knee. Piper was on the ground as well, in a particularly comfortable patch of grass across from Ari while Nick was the only one who opted to stand around.

“I should have known better that things wouldn’t be smooth sailing from here on out,” the prewar soldier said, exhaling a brief sigh, “But I had been hoping for some straightforward answers for once.”

Bryce did not refer to Nick and Piper with his lament. He knew the investigative duo have done all they could in the little time he had given them. He had been referring more to the targets of their investigation both of whom left plenty of questions more than they provided answers.

It had been a few minutes since then, where the detective and the journalist briefed them on what they had found on both the Railroad and the Brotherhood of Steel. There was not much information to share on either of them, unfortunately, as they both explained. Like the Institute, the Railroad seemed to have adopted similar cloak and dagger tactics that keep them shrouded in mystery for many of the Commonwealth’s citizens while the Brotherhood apparently were not very forthcoming with their intentions.

Bryce had hoped that maybe one or both organizations would be of valuable help to him and Arianna (and the Minutemen to a certain extent) but from what little information he had processed, it all felt like a mixed bag.

“No one has it easy out here in the wasteland…” Nick muttered, sympathetic to the couple’s predicament but also, “Come to think of it, there was definitely no easy living in the prewar era, if the old memories in my head are anything to go by. You two would know that.”

“Oh, I know, Nicky,” Arianna said as she suppressed a yawn. She was starting to feel slightly drowsy, having taken little more than a cat-nap while she was away at Starlight since the day before, training a different batch of recruits and getting them to secure the drive-in, “I just wish something would go our way for once, no strings attached.”

“Hey, you guys got Kellogg,” Piper tried to assure them, “We all worked together to get rid of an Institute-paid mercenary with no moral scruples once and for all. That’s gotta count for something…Right?”

“I wish…” Ari dejectedly sighed, “We rightfully killed the bastard but we don’t have Shaun and still have zero clue on how to find the Institute. He took his secrets to the grave and threw us back to square one.”

Nick had seemed to tense a little when the prewar woman mentioned that last part but nobody else noticed. He shook his own thoughts away and turned to give Bryce his attention as he began to speak.

“True but we’ll just have to take our victories as we get them, no matter how small they may be…”

“And as for the Brotherhood and the Railroad… Judging from what you both have gathered, both sound like a fifty-fifty chance of either being quite helpful or quite detrimental to our cause.”

Piper had given them the rundown on the Brotherhood of Steel, a paramilitary organization hailing all the way from the Capital Wasteland (formerly Washington, D.C as the prewar couple just learned) , having arrived to the Commonwealth in a show of force with the apparent intent to wage war with the Institute (Apparent enough to the prewar couple and their companions since they had quite the view of their airship outside of Fort Hagen.)

It begged the question from both Nick and Piper: What could the Institute have possibly done to catch their attention all the way from the old nation’s capital?

In any case, it seemed the Brotherhood boasted considerable strength to go ahead and challenge the Institute. Such power and pseudo-military discipline would be a considerable boon for Bryce if he and the Minutemen were somehow able to work together with them.

However, he became aware that the Brotherhood had, as the journalist so colorfully described, ‘a hard-on for all things technological’. He did remember the paladin from Cambridge explicitly stating that under normal circ*mstances he would have confiscated the Institute weapons and equipment they had looted from the synths at ArcJet, only ignoring said protocol as a way of giving thanks for their help (Or perhaps he had every intention of confiscating them anyway but didn’t want to take his chances…Alone and fatigued from battle as he was at the time. Bryce definitely knew a few power armor weaknesses he could have exploited if the paladin had tried anything against him or his wife).

A militaristic group hoarding all sorts of technology and deciding who had the right to possess anything of value, even if it could help the wasteland at large…Such an idea did not sit well with the Anchorage veteran.

“Hard to argue with that right now,” Piper said, “Although the Brotherhood do sound like the only ones here who could give the Institute a run for their money…Buuuuut their attitude and the way they carry themselves like they suddenly own the place gives me the gut feeling that they’ve got other ideas and having the Commonwealth’s best interest in mind isn’t one of them.”

“Or maybe they behaved like that because of your charming personality, Miss Wright” Nick jabbed with a wry smile and he continued to speak before the indignant journalist could open her mouth again, “But I wouldn’t entirely dismiss her caution. It leaves me wondering if the Brotherhood wants to battle the Institute out of a genuine desire to bring them to justice and make them answer for their wrongdoings or if this war is just a means of monopolizing every bit of tech considered valuable in the wastes.”

“I say we make an effort to keep an eye on their movements while maintaining a certain distance from them to avoid any incidents,” Arianna nonchalantly suggested, already knowing that her husband was no doubt thinking of a similar idea, “If they’ve set up shop at the old airport like we suspect, then they’re a lengthy distance from where we are now.”

“But they also have Cambridge, which isn’t too far from here,” Bryce mentioned, “Hopefully they’re too busy getting their bearings together to get too close to us yet.”

“Which then brings us to the Railroad…” Nick began, “How do we approach a certain group of people who seem extremely paranoid even of their own shadows without us getting shot in the foot for it?”

Unlike the Brotherhood of Steel, the Railroad sounded more like a wildcard in the Commonwealth. While the former practically announced their presence with the entrance they made, the latter apparently kept a low profile…or as low as it can be. Not many people were aware of the Railroad’s presence, believing them to be just as much a myth as the Institute.

Even Nick, as skilled a detective as he is, was barely able to get any meaningful information on the elusive group, relying instead on reading through some of his old case files regarding isolated but coincidental incidents that suspiciously involved the Institute. Those same reports provided slightly enough details to give a glimpse that a separate party was out in the wasteland waging a shadow war against them.

The only solid clue Nick was certain of was the same phrase that Arianna had heard back in Diamond City; Follow the Freedom Trail. The sniper had been curious if the clue was referring to one of Boston’s better-known tourist attractions from the prewar days. The path that curious out-of-state visitors, proud Bostonians, and aspiring history buffs followed as they ventured through all the landmarks dating back to the Revolutionary Era. The State House, Faneuil Hall, Bunker Hill, The Old North Church…

Perhaps she would sit down with Nick sooner or later and discuss the matter extensively. Knowing him, he might have similar suspicions filed away in his mind.

“We start by figuring out this whole Freedom Trail mystery going on with the Railroad…” Bryce indicated, finding no other logical explanation that would help them here, “Then, we see if they can be of any help to us. They have to be if they’ve really been fighting against the Institute this whole time.”

“Perhaps they could help but right now we don’t know where the Railroad is based, what numbers they have or what their particular M.O. is aside from apparently being a thorn on the Institute’s side,” the detective reminded.

“I dunno about you guys but I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be happy if they find outsiders like us snooping into their operations,” Piper advised, “And then there’s the collateral damage that tends to happen every time they get into a scuffle with the Institute…”

“I don’t like the sound of that to be honest…The collateral, I mean…” Arianna said, slightly shaking her head with a frown of disappointment etched on her lips, “But I’m certain a lot of people are going to get hurt when we fight the Institute either way…”

So many what-if’s, so many factors to be wary of…With every second that passed by and more thinking he got done, Bryce realized that this was becoming much bigger and more complicated than simply starting a personal mission to rescue his and Arianna’s son. At this rate he was probably going to draw up convoluted diagrams of ideas on how to get to the Institute and find Shaun.

No. Think carefully. One step at a time.

Bryce had thought it out already in the days Nick and Piper had been out on the road doing the favor he asked of them. As much as he wanted to find a way to meet with the Brotherhood and the Railroad and get some form of audience with their respective leaders, he suspected they would be unlikely to help him and Ari right off the bat, not even out of sympathy for their lost child. Plenty of people have been kidnapped by the Institute for decades…What was one more unfortunate loss?

He needed to find some way of indirectly catching their attention while minimizing any possible risk of both organizations getting in the Minutemen’s way. Properly leading the Minutemen and helping them grow to a similar point like they were in their prime would be a start. Perhaps only from a stronger and more influential position than they were in now would the others listen to what he had to say.

It was not a great or perfect idea but it what was a start.

‘There is definitely no smooth sailing from here on out…’

…

The couple had retreated into their home in the late afternoon to discuss their next step. Options were, unfortunately, extremely limited and most of them seemed to run the risk of stretching what few people and what little resources they had now to the breaking point. Not a good sign when they haven’t even started their work for the Minutemen.

Success, however, depended on sheer luck and how well Bryce and Arianna could keep the Minutemen out of everyone’s radar until the time was right. They hoped that having cleared out the Raiders from Concord, Lexington and the old USAF station would buy them some time and prevent other raider groups from heading north to prey on the settlers that have made a home for themselves in the area.

Arianna sighed in frustration, sprawled across the torn and weathered 200-year old couch as she stared up at the ceiling. Meanwhile, Bryce sat on his favorite but similarly ancient recliner across from his wife in a slightly hunched position as he studied a makeshift map of the Commonwealth which had been spread out across the coffee table.

“I think we should follow Preston’s request and contact Oberland Station next,” the General casually suggested without breaking away from the map he was looking at.

“The location’s ideal to build up a defensive outpost there…” Arianna agreed, though a thoughtful expression crossed her features, “But we haven’t even started setting up a foundation for the Starlight Drive-In. Isn’t it a little too soon to move farther south?”

Bryce pursed his lips and clasped his hands together, resting them under his chin as he contemplated the thought. She had given voice to his earlier concerns that had crossed his mind barely a minute ago.

Moving too quickly without establishing proper structures or defenses in the areas they already claimed could mean disaster real quickly for the militia they were both working to revive. And they couldn’t afford to spread themselves too thin when they barely had the numbers to be considered functional yet.

Running a squad of soldiers was easy, at least for him. Building an army from practically nothing and running it was an entirely different matter.

“Preston insisted we help the settlers there as soon as possible,” Bryce explained, “A raider gang’s been harassing them and the people there are worried that the next time they come back, they will try for something worse than simply running off with their harvest.”

“We get rid of the raiders and we get Oberland Station to join the Minutemen’s cause…And we gain perhaps what could become a foothold for further expansion into whatever’s left of Boston in the foreseeable future.”

“Not to mention we’ll be a short distance away from Diamond City so supplies shouldn’t be too much of an issue so long as we can scrounge up the money,” Arianna added before sighing wearily and placing another tack on the map, “Risk and reward…though I feel we’re taking risks every hour of the day…”

“Tell me about it…” Bryce murmured, taking a deep breath and tilting his head back on his chair. His gaze fixed squarely on the ceiling above him, he said, “Makes me wonder what advice Roger would have given me if he were here…”

Before Arianna could answer, the door to their home slowly creaked open, catching the couple’s immediate attention. They relaxed a little when they spotted the familiar sight of their loyal robotic butler floating just outside the doorway.

“Ah, apologies Master and Mistress Kendrick. I did not mean to disturb you,” Codsworth spoke as he hovered into the old household, “I simply thought you both must be parched by now…Would you care for some suitable refreshments?” He offered as he extended his robotic arms to reveal a can of purified water in each of them and held them out for his masters to take. Bryce reached for one and the robot butler then went towards Arianna who also accepted his offered beverage.

“Purified Water?” she said while looking over the can, “You sure it’s clean enough to not provoke something funny in either of us?”

“By heavens, no!” the Mr. Handy responded, sounding shocked and almost offended at the mere thought that he would bring his masters consumables of poor quality, “This water has come from the pumps that Mister Sturges had recently built and thoroughly cleansed and processed through my built-in purification system that still runs efficiently even after two hundred years! Only the best from General Atomics after all.”

“Oh, Codsworth. I was only messing with you,” Arianna teased, moving on the couch into a seated position, setting aside the document she had onto the table before moving her fingers to open the can. Her husband did the same and ended up chugging half the can in one go.

“It’s not so bad after all. Quite refreshing, really.”

“Ah, it pleases me to hear you say that, sir!” Codsworth could have glowed with happiness upon seeing the satisfaction of his masters. The robot found it to be wonderful to once again be able to serve them like he did 210 years ago and the desolate decades in between were almost a distant memory now that he had the both of them here in Sanctuary.

“Should you require anything else, you simply give the word and I’ll be ready to serve!”

“Thanks, Codsworth,” Bryce said after finishing his water. He crumpled the can and tossed it into a wastebin nearby, “We’ll let you know if we need anything else.”

“Certainly! I’ll be…Oh, it seems we have a visitor.”

Codsworth swiveled his circular body around as his sensors picked up footsteps from behind. The robot seemed visibly relaxed when his lenses focused on the new guest and confirmed it was Nick Valentine.

“Ah, Detective Valentine! How are you this fine evening?” the butler cheerily greeted as he moved a little to the side to allow his masters a view of the detective.

“All good at the moment, Codsworth,” he responded as he stood by the doorway with his hands in his pockets, “I would have knocked but door’s already open. Mind if I come in anyway?” the detective asked as he awaited permission, just as polite and mindful of his manners as his prewar counterpart.

“Of course not…As long as you don’t get bored of us staring at a map for the next hour,” Bryce waved at him to come over. Nick accepted and took a few steps into the couple’s living room but had yet to take a seat on the couch. Instead he opted to stand there as he lit a cigarette for his own use.

“Kid, you’re talking to someone who spends most of their time swimming in paperwork,” the detective chided with a shake of his head. The Minuteman General noticed however the lacking humor in the jest and began to wonder what was on Nick’s mind right now. Especially when he directed his attention to Codsworth at that moment.

“Codsworth, mind giving us a bit of room? I need…a word in private with your folks.”

“Ah, no trouble at all. I was just on my way out. If you would excuse me, Sir. Mum,” Codsworth eagerly acknowledged and bid temporary farewell to the vault dwellers before turning his chassis around and hovering away. He gently shut the door behind him as he left without waiting for a request, granting the trio the privacy that Nick apparently wanted.

The three lingered in silence for a few seconds, awaiting to see who would react or say something first. Bryce leaned forward from his recliner, stretching an arm out and gesturing to the empty space on the couch where his wife sat, granting the detective permission to have a seat. Nick accepted, though in a slightly reluctant manner at first, and moved over to the offered space.

The soldier observed attentively as the detective took his place on the couch. For someone who was so obviously made of plastic and metal, his movements were undoubtedly those of a human and not a robot. Not like those synths he fought at ArcJet with their monotone voices and programmed reactions. Whether it was because this particular synth had the memories of their family friend or it used those memories as a template for understanding human behavior…

Just like now, how Nick sat and took one last drag before snuffing it out on the ashtray, Bryce noticed some subtle movements (fidgeting perhaps?) and the uncertain look that the vault dweller could see through the detective’s yellow irises.

It intrigued and concerned him.

“So…what’s this about Nick?” Bryce asked, breaking the silence to avoid prolonging an awkward staring contest between the three of them.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about in the last few days,” the detective responded cryptically though he kept his eyes trained on the vault dweller, “I wanted to mention it earlier when Piper and I were briefing you on our investigations but I thought it would be better if I kept the matter between us…”

“Nick…”

“It’s better if I just get to the point. I may have an idea on how to get a lead on the Institute.”

Both pairs of eyes are suddenly trained on the detective; silence momentarily settles around them once more as the couple process Nick’s words. Bryce stares at him with an arched eyebrow, already curious as to what Nick may be referring to while Arianna looks at him, mouth slightly agape in surprise.

The detective notices that they have opted to remain silent, expecting him to elaborate further on what he had on his mind and so he continued.

The couple listened with rapt attention as he told them about a place known as ‘The Memory Den’, located in Goodneighbor. Nick was familiar with the place and its caretaker, explaining to them that aside from serving as the town’s unofficial clinic, the Den provided other ‘services’ to those who sought them (“No, not the kind you’re thinking of,” he assured his prewar friends before they could question him about it).

He explained to the vault dwellers that the service the Den additionally provided involved allowing people to revisit memories of previous moments in their lives with the use of the ‘Memory Loungers’. Nick found it a little difficult to explain all the details about them since even he wasn’t entirely knowledgeable of the science behind it all.

“Most of the folks who request this service do so to relive happier moments in their lives…” Nick said, sensing Bryce and Arianna’s curiosity, “However, a few end up ‘addicted’ to it, for lack of a better term. Some find too much comfort in the good moments that they become unwilling to face the harsh realities of wasteland life once more.”

Being able to revisit the more pleasant moments of one’s life to escape the bitter reality that most, if not all, people likely faced out here… Bryce could agree with the detective that clinging too much to the past was not an entirely healthy way to pass the time but given his experiences in the prewar world and what he’s seen of the postwar world so far, he could understand why others found the temptation too strong to resist.

“I guess I understand how they work…sort of,” the vault dweller spoke up. Though the detective’s explanation of the Memory Den was all well and good and Bryce was already piecing together where Nick was going with this idea, there was still one particular wrench thrown in the works that needed to be addressed, “But how will this help in bringing us a step closer to the Institute? It’s not like we can shove Kellogg into one of those pods to read his mind since, you know, he’s dead.”

“I know,” Nick responded rather quickly, already anticipating his friend’s response. However, he was unsure of how they would both react once they heard the next bit of detail, “But here’s the thing. We may not need the man at all…We just need his brain.”

The vault dwellers were stunned into silence in that immediate moment by his outlandish suggestion. Not that he should have expected any different when he himself wondered what the heck had gone wrong with him when the idea suddenly popped in his mind.

And if he was to be honest, even he wasn’t certain how Dr. Amari, the caretaker for the Memory Den, would react to him showing up with two prewar strangers carrying the brain of a dead mercenary to her doorstep.

This would likely be taking it a step too far, further than she was probably comfortable with.

“I’m not sure I heard you correctly, Nick,” Arianna was the first one to speak up after the brief quiet, “Did you just suggest we go get the brain of the dead dickhe*d who kidnapped our son and handed him to the Institute?”

“That’s correct.”

Husband and wife turned their gazes away from the detective and towards each other, doubt clearly written across their faces. The idea was already strange enough but having to go all the way back to Fort Hagen to pick through Kellogg’s remains already a new level of weirdness (and gruesomeness) to it. They weren’t even sure if they would find the merc’s body, or brains for that matter, entirely intact and not because of the bullet Bryce had fired into Kellogg’s head.

It has already been two weeks since they killed him and by that time, a dead human body was already well underway it’s decomposition process.

“I guess we’re going to need an ice cream scoop for this one,” Bryce joked, falling back onto humor to mask his uncertainty over this bizarre idea.

“Alright, now that’s just f*cking gross.”

“I won’t deny that this is a rather grisly idea,” Nick stepped in, attempting to ease Arianna’s discomfort, “…And whatever you choose to do after this is all up to you. But if we get a breakthrough, then we might possibly discover a shortcut in our search for the Institute.”

The couple sighed, realizing the detective was not entirely wrong. If this ‘Memory Den’ could somehow help them see into Kellogg’s memories, there was no doubt they would find everything they needed to know about the Institute right then and there. The man worked for them, most likely had access to wherever they were based in and for quite a long while if the reports they read at Nick’s office was anything to go by.

“And you’re certain this could work?”

“…Not a hundred percent certain,” he answered truthfully after a beat of silence, “But Dr. Amari may be our best shot at this. I don’t know of anyone else in the Commonwealth who could match her knowledge of neuroscience and the human brain in particular but if there’s someone who has a chance at digging out Kellogg’s Institute-related secrets, it’s her.”

The former Anchorage soldier trusted Nick’s instincts but he still held doubts over how this could possibly work. He just didn’t think that a half-rotted chunk of brain from a deceased mercenary would be of any use at all.

But they were practically out of options…However, if this provided an opportunity of a shortcut to finding the Institute, and most importantly, finding Shaun…

Making his decision, Bryce wordlessly got up from his chair and turned towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Arianna sat quietly while Nick wondered what was running through both their minds.

‘Perhaps heaping this on them was a mistake. Goodness knows they’re dealing with a dozen other things that have fallen on their laps as well…’

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Bryce’s heavy footsteps as he returned, carrying a duffel bag.

“Gear up, Ari. We’re going back to Fort Hagen,” he said as he set the bag on the table and unzipped it, revealing its contents.

“You’re going now?” Nick asked.

“It’s been two weeks since we left that place, so we really can’t afford to idle around,” Bryce rummaging through ammunition and armor pieces. He began to strap pieces of leather armor onto his fatigues while Arianna sorted through whatever ammo they had in there.

He picked up his shotgun, loading a new magazine into before strapping it to his back. Arianna picked out a few clips of ammo before she stood up from the couch. She didn’t even bother to change out of her flannel shirt and jeans into her vault suit or army fatigues, simply strapping leather armor pieces as best she could before heading to their room. She came back with her scoped rifle strapped to her back and a 10mm pistol she had holstered to her hip.

“That’s some heavy preparation right there,” Nick said, watching them as the couple finished gearing up and Bryce zipped the bag close.

“It’s a long walk back to the fort. No knowing what kind of trouble we might run into along the way,” he responded.

“I could come along with you two if you need the backup,” the detective offered.

“Thank you, Nick, but you’ve done enough for us so far,” Arianna politely declined. The detective had been a huge help ever since he had returned to Diamond City and she believed that Nick was deserving of a break…Or at least some time away from them to deal with his own responsibilities, “We’ll get Dogmeat and someone else to watch our backs.”

“Ari’s right, Nick,” Bryce agreed, “You helped us out enough already. We’ll take it from here. In the meantime, you should probably head back to Diamond City before your secretary starts to worry again.”

Nick wanted to insist on helping, mostly out of some sense of responsibility. He wanted to think that they were all in this together ever since he and the others worked together to hunt down Kellogg and now he had suggested they collect his remains if only to see if they could find another way to divulge the secrets the mercenary took to his grave.

“I’ll leave you to it, if that’s what you want,” he conceded, “If you find anything related to what we discussed, then drop by my office at Diamond City and we’ll head on over to Goodneighbor from there.”

“Will do,” the soldier curtly assured, straightening out his armor and double-checking to make sure he had everything he needed for the trip.

“Then in that case, I’ll take a head start,” Nick said as he stood up, adjusting his hat and coat before turning to leave the house.

“Are you going to be all right walking to Diamond City at this hour? I don’t want you getting snatched and locked up in a vault by another group of mobsters,” Arianna asked in a teasing tone though the look of concern in her eyes was quite evident.

“That was a one-time thing only. Fat mob bosses and crazy, bat-wielding broads aren’t my type,” Nick humored her, drawing a chuckle from both husband and wife, “But I’ll be bringing Piper with me just to be on the safe side. Can’t have her pestering your people here for interviews. Besides, she hasn’t her little sister in over a week, so it would be best to make sure the kid hasn’t gotten herself in the sort of trouble she can’t handle on her own.”

“Right…” she responded, though she still looked a bit worried. Nonetheless, Arianna brushed away her concerns and gripped the strap holding her rifle, “We’ll see you at the agency soon.”

Nick tipped his hat to the couple before leaving the Kendrick’s home as they finished their preparations. Minutes later, he was back on the road again with Piper in tow, having practically dragged her away from her attempts at questioning a hapless farmer about the settlement and what they knew of the vault dwellers.

“Soooo…couldn’t help but notice you looked up our popsicle friends before leaving,” the journalist said, more as a statement instead of a question, as they passed through Concord.

“So I did,” the detective vaguely answered. It was useless to deny anything when it came to the Commonwealth’s biggest snoop but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have a bit of fun trying to push her buttons. A few beats of silence passed as the detective knew she wouldn’t stay quiet for long. And just as he anticipated, the reporter opened her mouth again.

“Oh, come on, Nick! What did you guys talk about?!”

“If I shared my client’s information with everyone I meet, then I wouldn’t be a very good detective, would I?” he retorted.

“Alright, let’s put it this way…” Piper continued, refusing to drop the subject, “I’m the reporter and you’re the detective who’s handling the big case of the missing child of two vault dwellers who may or may not be from two hundred years ago if the vault they came from really had experimented on all that cryo-jumbo…”

“Cryogenics,” Nick corrected.

“Whatever. Look, you’ve got memories of a prewar cop, right? Didn’t you…or old Nick or whoever get pursued by journalists looking for answers in those times?”

“More than you know…” Nick murmured. Flashes of Nick Valentine’s prewar days shuffled through his mind one after the other. Jenny’s murder. The Eddie Winter case. All the news media sending out their journalists who kept shoving microphones to his face looking for answers, comments or anything that would just give them a boost in ratings…

“Not many journalists in those times did their work in honest fashion though…” the detective added as he shoved aside his sudden thoughts. It was all a can of worms he didn’t want to be opening anytime soon, no matter how much Dr. Amari tried to coax him into seeking someone he could share his issues with. Not many people he could trust and the few he did would hardly understand his predicament anyway, “Most of them were more interested in speculating and spinning gossip to sell more papers and gain ratings instead of actually searching for the truth.”

Piper remained quiet for the moment, taken aback by his statement. Was he referring to her? Sure, her methods were brash and a bit unorthodox, but she didn’t start her paper just to gain approving readers. She did it because she wanted to share what people should know about current events, regardless if they hated her for it because most of Diamond City’s citizens wanted to continue living in a bubble where everything was fine and dandy and that there wasn’t chaos and suffering outside the walls of Fenway and that there was no such thing as the Institute lurking around, ready to snatch their next victim…

“Jeez, Nick…I didn’t-”

“You didn’t know…” the detective finished for her, “And you didn’t mean it either. You’re just doing your job.”

“…Yeah, I guess-”

“But you’re not like many of those old-time journalists, Piper,” Nick cut her off again, “You actually care about your job. It’s why you’re so brazen and pushy to the point you strike a nerve in a lot of people. You care that much about keeping some semblance of integrity in a career where not telling people what they want to hear will guarantee enemies…”

“Oh, come on, Nicky. Where did you get all ‘proud-dad mode’ all of a sudden?” the reporter shyly asked, slightly flustered and embarrassed of the praise she was receiving from the detective. Nick didn’t immediately answer her question though. Instead, he decided to at least throw her a bone just this once.

“I’ll share as much as I can, though you’ll find the subject just as uncomfortable as they did. And I’m only doing this under the condition that you keep it to yourself. Any personal questions about them, you’ll have to take it up with them when you get the chance to start your interviews.”

Nick let a small smile escape form as Piper practically beamed at him. Although he was quite certain that she wasn’t going to be all smiles when he tells her about the idea he had pitched to Bryce and Arianna about using Kellogg’s remains.

Still, he would give her this small victory for now.

Either way, it was going to be a long walk home.

Chapter 15: Dead Man...Missing?

Chapter Text

Returning to Fort Hagen was something that the Kendrick couple hadn’t expected to have been doing anytime soon but once again they found themselves outside the old structure where they had their showdown with Kellogg just two weeks prior. They arrived in a matter of hours all the way from Sanctuary, traveling as quick as their feet could carry them without so much as a break during the trip.

It was a rare sort of fortune that they barely ran into trouble along the way; a few bloatflies and a pack of rabid hounds were the only things crossing their path.

As Bryce and the rest of the group made their way up to the service elevator, the veteran thought on how this whole situation had taken a rather strange and outlandish turn. Coming back to this blasted place to get to Kellogg’s remains and collect his brain…or what was left of it at least…

He wouldn’t say he felt entirely wrong about what he was going to do After all, this was the man who had taken their son and tried to play mind games with them until the very end. As far as he knew, Kellogg was undeserving of having his death treated with a modicum of respect and Bryce felt he couldn’t give a sh*t about ‘desecrating’ the mercenary’s corpse to collect his splattered head.

Still, Nick’s idea was a whole new level of weirdness that neither he nor Arianna would have found even in the most over-the-top sci-fi flicks they’ve watched in the old days. A crazy suggestion that they decided to try and follow through with anyway in hopes of finding something else that would lead them to the Institute and to their son.

“Boss, you do know everything about this sounds fu-…extremely crazy, right?” MacCready’s words broke through Bryce’s reverie as the vault dweller pushed the button to call the elevator to their position. He tilted his head slightly to glance at the mercenary as he continued to speak, “I mean, it’s bad enough that you want to start some vendetta against the Institute, but you really believe that picking up the splattered brains of some guy we just killed a while ago is actually going to give us clues?”

Bringing MacCready and Cait along with them had been another growing issue after traveling together a few times outside of Sanctuary in recent days. On one hand, they had proven themselves to be efficient and experienced fighters compared to Nick and Piper (both of whom preferred to rely on their wits for survival instead of killer instinct) and had done a good job of watching the couple’s backs as they explored the outskirts of Sanctuary in search of supplies.

The merc from Goodneighbor was exceptionally handy with his sniper rifle and the pit fighter always delighted in charging into the fight blasting raiders and dangerous wildlife away with her shotgun or getting her hands extra dirty with her spiked bat.

On the other hand, they were also among the biggest complainers among the vault dweller’s choice of company, always second guessing the decisions and actions of the prewar couple. Arguing about collecting so much trinkets and supplies and then arguing further about using said supplies to further develop the settlements under Minutemen control. Helping others instead of helping themselves was an idea too foreign for the wastelanders…

It seemed now was going to be another one of those times…

“I thought you were already satisfied enough with our arrangement, MacCready,” Arianna spoke up in a clipped tone, “We pay you to watch our backs. We don’t pay you, however, to state the obvious.”

“So you do agree that this -”

“This isn’t a matter of whether making enemies of the Institute is a good or bad idea,” Arianna immediately cut him off, looking up at the young man with a glare as she slowly raised her voice, “They started this when they took our son. My husband and I are not going to sit here and pretend that we can go on about our daily lives while they have Shaun in their grasp. As strange and crazy and…” she stopped to take a breath, looking away for a moment as she ran a hand through her hair, “…And perhaps a little stupid as this whole idea is, it’s the only one that might give us a lead on the Institute right now.”

“Arianna…” Bryce placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder but she shrugged him off, taking a step closer to MacCready with an evident scowl etched on her face.

A sudden ‘ding’ noise alerted the group of the elevator’s arrival. Bryce ushered in Dogmeat as soon as the doors opened while Cait stepped in quietly, not wanting any part of the one-sided argument between Ari and Mac. The prewar sniper turned her furious glare away from Mac and followed the others but not before adding one more thing…

“You can’t fault some of the settlers for wanting a better place to raise their kids in. Maybe you’d understand if you had a child of your own…But with that typical mercenary attitude of yours, I highly doubt you’d even care for one.”

Ari said nothing else as she stepped inside and close to Bryce, leaving MacCready staring back slack-jawed, either in surprise or indignation before he shook his head and squeezed himself into a corner of the elevator. Everyone remained relatively quiet during the short ride but Bryce noticed that the young mercenary was staring at the ground the whole time, seemingly lost in thought while gripping the strap of his rifle a little too tightly.

A nerve was definitely struck with the young man but the veteran filed away his curiosity for later. He made a mental note to keep his eye on Mac in the meantime just to make sure that the merc didn’t try to shoot them in the back in case anger or greed got the better of him.

Although any sudden misgivings they may have had with each other was put aside as the elevator reached its destination.

At first, there didn’t seem to be any signs of intruders or changes of note in the fort. The bodies of the synth soldiers they fought were still strewn about in the hallway left untouched save for a smattering of dust that had started to gather on them. Bryce proceeded to the command room where they had fought Kellogg with his wife and companions following close behind, keeping a watchful eye around their surroundings to make sure they weren’t any threats around waiting to trap them.

However, as soon as they began searching around, they realized a disappointing discovery. Cait was the first to speak up before anyone else could react.

“I know my mind f*cks with me time to time…But I’m pretty sure you guys laid out that sh*te mercenary right there…” the fighter remarked as she pointed towards the spot where Kellogg had fallen dead.

Except there was nothing to be found. Kellogg’s body was nowhere in sight.

The only thing left that displayed any bit of evidence that his body had been there at all was a dried-up bloodstain marring the concrete. And only they knew whose blood it belonged to.

“Of course this sh*t happens!” Arianna practically shouted before Bryce could completely ascertain the situation, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, “Every time we look like we’re getting a lead on Shaun or the Institute, we hit a dead end!”

Her face flushing red with anger, she started pacing around back and forth, arms folded around her chest as she tried to keep her temper under control. The others remained where they stood, though a bit more guarded since they realized that Kellogg’s corpse going missing meant that someone or something had stepped foot inside the building in the time since they had last been there.

Bryce, too, felt thoroughly disappointed at the possibility of having made a trip all this way only to find nothing. Maybe if Nick had come up with the idea sooner…

No, he couldn’t blame Nick at all. The detective already had his hands full with his investigative work and that was aside from the fact that even he was skeptical of his own suggestion. He had been more than helpful as it was.

‘You were barely even human…’

The words muttered by Arianna as they stared down Kellogg’s lifeless body suddenly jumped into Bryce’s mind and realization struck him quickly. They both had noticed the glints of metal poking out from the remains of Kellogg’s head. Were they implants of some sort? Or was Kellogg perhaps one of those human-like synths that Piper and Danse had talked about?

He felt like he was grasping at straws; his imagination running wild as he tried to connect anything he found here to the Institute…

‘Damn it. We can’t go back to Sanctuary empty-handed.’

He had no plans to leave without some form of answer. Whatever it was that spilled out of Kellogg’s head, maybe that was the clue they needed.

“Search the area, then,” the vault dweller ordered aloud, enough to focus everyone’s attention on him. Even Arianna halted in her steps, glancing at her husband and awaiting what else he had to say, “Even if it means we have to sweep the whole building but I need everyone here to be on the lookout either for Kellogg or anything else that could be useful to us.”

A tall order perhaps, since no one, not even Bryce, knew what else to search for besides Kellogg’s body but he felt that they had to try. Even if it meant inspecting every nook and cranny of the fort for a clue they might have missed.

If MacCready or Cait had any objections, they did a good job of hiding them this time. The serious look on Bryce and Arianna’s flaring temper was enough to let them know that the vault dwellers would be having none of their sh*t this time around.

Almost as if he understood clearly what his caretakers had wanted, Dogmeat wandered around the room, sniffing around for clues but unlike Diamond City, nobody found cigars or anything else that would have helped him track down the Institute mercenary once more.

Cait shrugged and sauntered to a corner of the old command room, entirely unsure of what to do to make herself look remotely useful. She was a fighter, not a scientist and she ended up stifling a few curses as she wondered what the hell she was exactly supposed to be looking for.

‘f*ckin’ stubborn they are. Kid’s as good as dead if the boogeyman’s got ‘im. Don’t know why they won’t just get over it, make another, and move on like everybody else does…’

While those were her thoughts on the matter, she couldn’t help but conflicted if only for a fleeting moment. Despite being annoyed, the fighter also felt rather curious about the couple’s tenacity in searching for their child. Her own parents had not bothered with her for as long as she could remember, keeping her locked away until they had sold her into slavery as soon as she became of age. Whether she couldn’t decide if what she did to them as soon as she earned her freedom was justice or senseless murder, she couldn’t deny that the hell they put her through demanded retribution. They weren’t parents. They were scum.

But now she was stuck following these idiots who had her contract…poking everyone and everything they saw as they searched for their son. They looked like they were ready to take on the world if it meant getting their kid back…and had the temper to accept that sort of challenge.

The vaulties were stupid, stubborn, annoying…but maybe a tad bit impressive as well.

‘Bah! I’m thinkin’ too much! Should have brought some psycho. I could use a pinch now…’

MacCready sighed and decided to check some of the other rooms. While Cait made a bit of effort to look for anything ‘weird and shiny’ (as she muttered) that could possibly be considered hi-tech, he figured he should be watchful for anything out of the ordinary.

Like the pit-fighter though, he wasn’t sure of what sort of thing to look for besides the corpse of a dead mercenary, so he decided to stick with looking for documents or maybe a holotape that Kellogg might have left behind that could serve some purpose. Having witnessed how ruthlessly professional the man was in cleaning up (most of) his tracks, the hired gun was already certain that chances of finding anything remotely useful were slim to none but he sure as hell was not going to tell that to a still irate Arianna.

Not after the telling off she had given him moments ago.

‘If she only knew…’

It wasn’t long after they had spread out that Arianna found something out of place as she stepped into the next room that Kellogg had used as his own personal lodging.

“Hey guys?!” the sniper called over her husband and everyone else, “I don’t recall us fighting synths over here…”

Where this area had been empty the last time they had been there, now there were at least half a dozen disjointed synths scattered around the room. Loose wires and laser marks were telling enough that someone had taken them out and were beyond functionality and repair.

“That’s because we didn’t fight them here at all,” Bryce clarified as he stepped beside his wife and took in the scene before him, “I’m guessing they were sent here after we left…But why would the Institute send in reinforcements until after we left? Slight miscalculation on their part or were they expecting us to eventually come back here and planned on setting a trap of sorts for us?”

“Now that woulda’ been fun, but it looks like somebody already wasted these rustbuckets for us,” Cait muttered disappointedly at being denied a fight that would have made this trip more bearable for her.

“A third-party involvement, perhaps?” Arianna suggested, toeing some bullet cases she spotted on the ground.

‘10mm bullets…Must have been fired from one heck of a hand cannon to do this kind of damage.’

“Perhaps…” Bryce trailed off as he walked around the room searching for any other clues or oddities that could explain what had happened here, “So far there is a distinct lack of blood around here but plenty of destroyed synths…Which could only mean that someone else was here to stop whatever other plans the Institute had in place here.”

“Don’t you think you’re looking a little too deeply into this, Boss?” MacCready asked, uncertain of the vault dweller’s supposition. The mercenary wasn’t sure what to think about this whole ordeal other than getting serious with his bosses and renegotiating his contract if their obsession with the Institute started to go much further…Or get out of dodge before those synth creeps decided to snatch him next.

Just his luck that the vault dwellers he has crossed paths with in his life so far are always the crazy ones.

“For all we know, maybe some scavvers or raiders got to them…” he added, though he knew for sure that wouldn’t be the case. Whoever took these synths out did so with a degree of coordination, something typical raiders and scavengers were sorely lacking.

“I may not have been walking out here in the wasteland for long, but I know for sure this scene would have been a lot messier if raiders were involved,” Bryce retorted, flipping over one of the fallen synths with his boot, “…And the timing seems to have been right on point for it to be dismissed as a coincidence.”

“Okay but-”

“Quiet!”

Everybody turned to Arianna who had whispered the order aloud.

“Do you hear that?” she muttered, nodding towards the adjacent hallway. Bryce gestured for everyone to stay quiet as he tried to listen on whatever it was that had alerted his wife. It didn’t take long for him to catch on to the noise as well.

Voices. Too far off to understand what was actually being spoken but from the variety of voices he heard he suspected that this new party was engaged in conversation.

‘I’m guessing Kellogg and the Institute made this place popular now.’

The veteran realized that his group were not alone here in Fort Hagen. There were other unknown parties that have intruded and now currently prowled about the building. He slowly took a few steps forward to see if he could hear what they were actually saying in the distance.

“Man, nothing but broken synths around so far. Are we sure we’re not walking into a trap? This is just way too convenient…” he heard someone say, a female with an accent similar to those who came from Spanish-speaking countries from Central or South America.

“It’s like the Institute used this place as a dumping ground…” someone else, another female, commented.

“At least whoever passed through the area did us the favor of eliminating the threat these machines posed here,” a male voice had curtly noted.

“Yeah…some favor. Damn scavvers emptied out both armories in the whole building. There’s practically nothing of value to take back to base,” another male retorted, though he sounded a bit more gruff and agitated than his teammate.

Accompanying the sounds of idle questions and conversations were heavy, almost machine-like footsteps that gradually echoed through the abandoned hallways that Bryce believed to be from a suit of power armor.

Dogmeat let out a low growl in warning but Bryce quickly placed a finger over his lips, hoping the hound would understand his gesture to be silent. Miraculously, it seemed the dog was smart or trained enough to understand and quieted, looking expectantly up at the vault dweller for any other instruction. Hoping Dogmeat wasn’t loud enough to grab unwanted attention, he wordlessly ordered the others to take positions around the room.

The veteran was certain he heard four distinct voices but for all he knew there could be more people approaching and one of them was guaranteed to be using power armor. Bryce figured that if they were a threat, the only thing he and his group had going for them was the element of surprise.

He took up position beside MacCready behind an overturned table together with Dogmeat while Cait stood behind a large dresser, shotgun loaded and itching for a fight and Arianna quietly sidled up beside the wooden double doors with her SMG already in hand.

“What kind of company are we expecting, Boss?” MacCready quietly whispered as he loaded up his rifle. Bryce remained quiet for a moment looking down to the combat shotgun he was holding and to the pistol and knife he had holstered to his leather bandoleer.

“I’ll take point,” the veteran heard another voice different from the previous four coming from just the other room. This one spoke with an air of authority and it nagged at him for a moment, as if he might have met this person before, “The rest of you stick close. I’m certain I heard something within this place and we’re not done sweeping the area just yet.”

‘Are they a threat or not?’ Bryce had wondered and his answer to MacCready was just as much an answer to himself.

“I think we’re about to find out.”

Chapter 16: Questions Over Answers

Chapter Text

It had been well into the afternoon when Scribe Haylen retreated downstairs to the garage of the Cambridge Police Station looking to find a spare workbench in hopes of continuing her own projects. Paladin Danse had this particular room repurposed as a makeshift space for the outpost’s scribes to gather and work on research and development.

A handful of crates had been brought into the station earlier in the morning by the Brotherhood recon teams that had scoured the ArcJet building, retuning with many trinkets and components collected from the facility. While it was not exactly the treasure trove that a few of the Knights and Scribes had been hoping for (though they were definitely in awe of the rocket thrusters found deep within the building), most of the materials gathered would still find use in repairing or upgrading their weapons and armor. The scribe hoped to at least begin sorting through said materials and setting aside anything that could be of value to her or the Brotherhood.

The young scribe had found the garage wholly unoccupied save for Scribe Sullivan and Lancer Knight Chacón. The senior scribe had already gotten a headstart at rummaging through the crates and picking out components to work on while the pilot was fiddling with knobs and dials of an old radio, growling in annoyance when the object did not seem to work and slammed her fist on top of it a few times.

“C’mon! Work with me here, you useless box!”

“Where’s everyone?” Haylen inquired. The workshop was usually packed with more scribes during most hours and the occasional knight testing out mods for their weapons.

“The other scribes are up on the roof most likely working on the comm tower,” Sullivan answered, faintly hearing the Lancer Knight muttering under her breath, “They better not be touching my damn ship.”

“Hmm…” Haylen turned her attention over to Trinity, “What are you seriously doing with that radio?”

“Trying to make it work,” she responded as if it was the most sensical answer in the world, “Finished checking up on my vertibird so I figured I’d listen to some tunes but I think I left my tape player somewhere up on the Prydwen.”

“So just requisition a new one.”

“Nope.”

“Why not?” Haylen questioned, crossing her arms under her chest with a slightly exasperated look crossing her face.

“Quartermasters have no problem passing on some ammo or a new mod for my laser pistol but I request a tape player and the pendejos stare at me like I grew another head or some sh*t,” Trinity responded.

The scribe sighed and rolled her eyes at how overdramatic her sister-in-arms was being and walked over to where Ethan was working. The senior scribe wordlessly laid out a few tools for his partner and set aside a pile of scrap and components for her to occupy herself with before turning his attention back to his work. She offered a word of thanks and settled to work in her little corner.

“That circuit board looks wholly intact,” Haylen commented with a smile as Sullivan looked over the object in his hand, “Not a scratch on it at all.”

“Would be perfect for programming a turret,” he muttered, “Unfortunately, any stores we’ve had here of scrap metal and aluminum have been mostly depleted in power armor repairs and there’s little left to construct automated defenses with.”

“You’re not wrong…But we don’t need to worry about that for now. Paladin Danse established a few patrol squads already and with him keeping an eye on things, Cambridge should be safer than it was weeks ago.”

“As cautious as the paladin is, we are still in the dark of the Institute’s full capabilities,” Sullivan reasoned, “Having turrets and combat robots at our disposal would help us conserve our manpower for the more difficult fights that await us.”

Haylen hummed in agreement and turned her attention back to the sensor module she was carefully picking apart. Scribe Ethan Sullivan had been, for the most part, a bit of fresh air for her. There was finally someone else in the squad who was interested in all the finer details of the technology they worked with. Being a Senior Scribe in service with the Brotherhood long before she had joined, Haylen hoped there was more she could learn from her new teammate.

Not to say she had any qualms about working with Danse, Rhys, Dawes, Keane and the others. She was loyal to them and made for good friends out in the field, but they were soldiers not scientists. The paladin at least tried to understand all the little things that revolved around Haylen’s line of work, mostly because his rank as a Brotherhood officer required him to understand the work of both the knights and the scribes.

“So…picking out all the good stuff before everybody else?”

Haylen nearly jumped, startled by the pilot who had somehow sidled up right behind her, peeking over the scribe’s shoulder to see what she was working on.

“Trin, we all end up working with the same scrap sooner or later. We don’t ‘call dibs’ on the stuff the Brotherhood collects,” Haylen explained as she quickly gathered herself, hoping her sense of embarrassment was not too obvious while carefully setting the module she was holding onto the workbench.

Trinity said nothing, curiosity getting the better of her as she opted to peer into the pile of scrap that the scribes had gathered. She grinned as she found something that caught her eye and reached for it.

“Gotta’ give the Institute some credit. It looks like they make some killer backscratchers,” the pilot said jokingly as she pulled out a mangled synth arm recovered from the fallen robots at ArcJet.

“Emphasis on killer,” Haylen muttered, turning to face Trinity as she used the synthetic limb to reach around and scratch her back.

“Yup…That’s the spot. You know how hard it is to scratch an itch in this jumpsuit?”

“You should probably put that back in the pile there,” Sullivan suggested in a deadpan tone as he continued to inspect the circuit board, “I’m certain you’ve already broken a regulation or two sifting through materials that had yet to be sorted by authorized personnel.”

“There’s like a dozen more synth limbs in that crate. No one’s gonna notice just one going missing.”

“You’d be surprised at how meticulous we are at keeping inventory, Trinity,” the scribe retorted, placing a hand on her hip and trying to fix the ‘disappointed big sister’ look she usually used on the lancer.

Before Trinity could come back with a retort, heavy footsteps coming from the stairs had everyone go quiet. Rhys walked in first, shouldering a laser rifle. He was followed by Paladin Danse, who was already in his power armor.

“I need-” Danse began but he looked around the room and noticed that his whole squad was already present before him. It saved him the trouble of having to find them one by one all over the station, “Ah good, you’re all gathered here.”

“Something you need from us, jefe?” Trinity innocently asked.

“Yes. Everyone’s attention, first and foremost,” Danse curtly responded before turning his full attention towards Trinity and narrowing his eyes at the young woman, “…And the object you’re trying to hide behind your back.”

The lancer wore a sheepish grin as she took a step forward to give the synthetic arm over to the paladin’s outstretched hand.

“Now then…Lancer Knight, I need you to prep your vertibird for takeoff. Your co-pilot for this assignment is already waiting for you there. Everybody else, gather any equipment and ammo you deem necessary and gather up on the helipad in five.”

“Sir? Is there something going on?” Haylen blurted out, curious about Danse’s sudden sense of urgency. The scribe was aware that sooner or later the Brotherhood would be on the move and Recon Squad Gladius would be the tip of their spear. But she felt it was a little too soon, considering they’ve only just settled Cambridge Station.

The paladin said nothing at first, instead glancing at each of his squad-mates before turning his attention back towards Haylen.

“I’ve just received new orders for all of us…” he spoke, “…Captain Kells passed it on to us from Elder Maxson himself.”

…

Danse and his squad had wasted no time in preparation and once everyone had gathered and checked their equipment, they all headed for the roof of the police station to meet up with Lancer Chacón’s and board the vertibird.

Trinity was already in her pilot’s seat while the other lancer, who had introduced himself as Lancer Initiate Pell, occupied the seat next to her.

“Uh, Lancer Knight? With due respect, shouldn’t you be wearing some form of protective headgear when we’re out on a mission?”

“Yeah, yeah. Wait ‘till we’re in the air, newbie,” the pilot retorted, one hand placed on the top of her helmet while the other was moved a few knobs and dials on the vertibird’s control panel in front of her.

Everybody else boarded the aircraft, which was slightly more spacious than the mass-produced model of vertibirds that were in the Brotherhood’s service. Haylen took up a seat on a small bench near the pilot and was joined by Scribe Sullivan. Rhys took up took up position by the right side of the vertibird, ready to serve as the main gunner as he took hold of the minigun placed there while Danse proceeded to slide the door shut from the left side they had just boarded from.

“Are we set, Trinity?” the paladin asked.

“Let’s see…Weapons primed…All systems green…” She turned in her seat and flashed a mischievous grin to the paladin, “Everything’s perfect. La Bruja’s ready to go!”

“Alright, let’s not delay any further,” Danse ordered before adding, “…And no stunts, Lancer Knight.”

“Yeah, chief…” the pilot lamely acknowledged.

She flashed a thumbs-up to the Brotherhood scribes on the roof, whom returned the gesture to let her know that the vertibird was ready for takeoff.

Starting the ignition, the rotors of the vertibird slowly began to spin, allowing the vehicle to rise and hover over where it had been stationed. With its systems stable and smooth takeoff, the lancer knight moved with the rest of the team towards the coordinates Danse had given her as her aircraft began to pick up speed and altitude.

Everyone remained rather quiet for the initial duration of their journey. Haylen kept her eyes glued to the floor, wondering where they were going on such immediate notice. Rhys held back a sigh, slightly bored that there was nothing to shoot at but kept a tight grip on the minigun in case they suddenly ran into danger. Sullivan had his arms crossed over his chest and eyes shut, either lost in deep thought or taking a quick nap during the ride.

“Listen up, everyone,” Danse spoke up, his voice slightly muffled by the in-built speaker on his helmet, “I’m going to go over the details of our mission.”

“The brief rundown is that certain rumors have drawn the attention of the Elder and several of our officers in relation to the Institute. According to the information we have been able to put together, there has been some strange activity going on in the area around Fort Hagen and we suspect that the Institute may have something to do with it.”

“How so?” Sullivan asked curiously, stifling a yawn as he indeed was in the middle of a nap.

“Yeah. I wasn’t expecting Elder Maxson to sanction a recon mission based on mere speculation,” Haylen chimed in, “…But then again, we really don’t have a lot of ideas on where to start searching for the Institute.”

“That is correct,” Danse confirmed, “From what I understood, the Elder was a bit reluctant to approve of such a mission without confirming further details but when it comes to the Institute we hardly have options on the table. All we know is that the locals and some of the caravan groups had been avoiding Fort Hagen and the area surrounding it as if it were the plague in recent weeks and some have spoken about seeing ‘metal-men’ prowling the area. The first thing that comes to mind are Institute synths.”

“And as a reconnaissance squad, that leaves us to either confirm or dispel those rumors,” Sullivan said, piecing together the basis of their mission.

“Exactly. If the rumors are false, then sending in a contingent of troops would have been a waste of time and resources. And if they were true, then we would only end up alerting them of our approach. Sending a small strike team to investigate the area was the best of our current options.”

“My first major mission since leaving the Citadel and we’re already tangling with the Institute. Great.”

“Welcome to the big leagues, Lancer Knight,” Rhys retorted.

“I should emphasize that our mission is strictly reconnaissance,” Danse quickly added before anyone present started getting ideas of competition or glory-hounding, “We are to survey the immediate area and look out for any signs that the Institute may still be operating within this part of the Commonwealth. If the threat is considered minimal, then we’ll proceed to swiftly neutralize it. Otherwise, we return to the Prydwen and inform the Elder of the Institute’s activities and formulate a plan from there. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir!” Everybody else said in unison and the paladin found himself cracking a proud grin hidden beneath his helmet.

“Outsanding.”

…

As they arrived at their destination, they chose to land in front of a Red Rocket station near Fort Hagen. From the air as the vertibird began to descend, Danse and the rest of the squad could make nothing out of the ordinary within the area. Where that would have been cause of relief for others, for them it only proved to be more unsettling.

They left Initiate Pell to watch over the vertibird while the others went ahead to scout the area. Trinity was also meant to stay behind and guard her vehicle in case a quick retreat was necessary, but she insisted on joining the rest of the squad. Danse gave in, knowing that an extra gun could be needed and that simple patrol missions would not be enough to keep the young woman combat-ready.

“It’s too quiet out here…” Rhys mentioned off-handedly as they approached the derelict fort, “Empty too. If the Institute really was here, we would have spotted a sentry or two by now.”

The feeling that everything was not as it seemed only stemmed further when Haylen nearly tripped over a metal object that she had not noticed. Rhys quickly caught her while Ethan picked up the object from the floor.

“Hmm…It looks like this plate was part of a turret…” the scribe looked up towards the roof of the fort, “We might have automated defenses to deal with above us.”

“I’ll take care of it, Paladin,” Rhys quickly volunteered.

“Haylen and I will back him up,” Sullivan assured before Danse could dissuade them.

“Very well. Don’t get held up too long.”

He stayed where he was with Trinity while he waited for the rest of his squad to finish their sweep. It must have been little less than five minutes before they had returned but judging that there had been no sounds of a firefight and that the rest of his team returned in one piece, the roof was apparently clear of hostiles.

“Report, soldier,” Danse addressed Rhys as the latter approached him.

“The Senior Scribe’s hunch was right. We did find turrets up on the roof…Or what was left of them at least. I counted five and all of them have been blown to bits. Probably the Institute’s handiwork if they’ve been around here.”

The paladin’s brows furrowed beneath his helmet but said nothing as he listened to Rhys.

If the Institute had been using this as one of their outposts, they would have most likely co-opted the building's defenses for their use rather than outright destroying them.

“We also found a hatch on the roof and a serviceable elevator though I doubt it would fit your power armor, sir,” Sullivan added.

“Should we split up and enter the building from two sides?” Rhys questioned.

The Paladin thought on it for a moment. Splitting up would allow them to cover ground more quickly and perhaps even allow them to pincer any sentries between them. The main concern was there was still no telling if Institute synths were present in the building and how many there were.

And after the losses he suffered within his squad, he became even more concerned about the mission going sideways and what could happen to those in his team if they strayed far off from his watchful eyes. The thought of Haylen or Trinity suddenly running into a group of those machines with no hope of escape…

“Negative. We all go in as one,” Danse made his decision clear, “Though the front entrance is blocked, there might be another way in from the parking garage over there. I’ll stay on the front. Rhys, guard the back. Everybody else, stay between us and remain alert for any hostiles as we move.”

All of them followed his order without question as they made their way into the building. The first thing Danse found when he entered was an open door across from him and a loose chain on the floor as if it had been tossed aside. To his right was a set of stairs leading upwards. He took a few steps forward and cautiously poked his head out from the other door to find a hallway stretching all the way to his left. No signs of Institute so far.

Being a military installation, Danse was certain that proceeding down the hallway would lead them further down towards the actual bunker. So, he turned and led his squad upstairs to survey the rest of the building. He did not want to risk his squad getting sandwiched between synth patrols.

Instead, he found a questionable discovery.

“Well, Institute’s definitely here alright…”

Rhys’ offhand observation came as he prodded at a fallen synth with his boot. There was no reaction from the android though the knight still remained cautious, expecting it to suddenly activate.

“…or at least, they were.”

Paladin Danse and the others looked around and found at least three more synths, all strewn across the room and some of them even missing limbs. At least those were certainly put out of commission.

“Search the area but don’t go too far from each other’s line of sight,” he ordered, and everyone dispersed to check every available corner. The result was the same with every room they passed by. A destroyed synth or turret adding to the trash pile there.

“Have the parameters of our mission changed, sir?” Ethan asked as he approached Danse, “Although we have confirmed the presence of the Institute, it would seem that there is now a third party involved and have taken the fight to them here.”

“We continue to investigate,” the paladin firmly responded, “There is still a whole section of this structure where there could be Institute synths taking cover. We have to confirm if the area is clear before we return to base.”

“We might as well also check for clues on who or what took these things out,” Haylen added, which had both Ethan and Trinity nodding in agreement.

“Of course, Haylen. Everyone keep your eyes peeled.”

The squad filed back down the stairs and proceeded through the maintenance tunnel they had initially avoided, bypassing another ruined turret and synth ‘corpse’ and right into the bunker.

‘Look at all of this,’ he thought. The security doors to the command room were left open but Danse avoided them. For all he knew, it could be a trap that would leave his squad vulnerable at their backs, ‘The Institute must have had twice the numbers here than what I encountered at ArcJet.’

The Brotherhood soldiers found the barracks area of the fort and took a few minutes to sweep through the rooms, ensuring there were no enemies lying in wait. Once they were certain it was clear, Danse led his squad through to a mess hall. At that moment however, he stopped in his tracks. The paladin was unsure if the silence of the place was playing tricks on him but he swore that, for just a moment, he heard someone shouting from somewhere in the building.

“Paladin? Something wrong, sir?” Haylen questioned, noticing that the paladin stood stiffly in front of them.

After a brief moment, Danse simply shook his head.

“No…I simply thought I heard something. Perhaps the quiet has me a bit on edge.”

“I know what you mean, jefe,” Trinity idly muttered as she peeked through the window looking into the mess hall.

“Let’s keep going. The sooner we finish sweeping the area, the sooner we can return to Cambridge and begin filing our report to the Elder.”

‘I know for certain this was not the work of the Brotherhood despite how much I wish it had been so…And I don’t see bodies of any sort, so I doubt the fools of the Railroad are behind this either. Raiders and wasteland scavengers are definitely out of the question. Whoever did this must have been exceedingly calculated and determined to tear through this many synths.’

‘Whoever was responsible for this clearly and rightfully shares no love for the Institute. If only we could cross paths…They may make for a useful addition into the ranks of the Brotherhood.’

The squad had found an armory along the way with its door unlocked. Unfortunately, whoever had been here before them had already made off with the weapons and ammunition that had been stored there.

“Man, nothing but broken synths around so far…” Trinity noted out loud, breaking Paladin Danse’s train of thought as they passed through another hall and into what appeared to be what was once a lavish looking office. The paladin easily noticed how hard the pilot was trying to hide the uneasiness this place made her feel, “Are we sure we’re not walking into a trap? This is just way too convenient…”

“It’s like the Institute used this place as a dumping ground…” Haylen commented as she lowered her laser pistol, pointing the barrel of the weapon to the ground as she glanced at the ruined turrets on the ceiling.

“At least whoever passed through the area did us the favor of eliminating the threat these machines posed here,” Ethan pointed out as he inspected a terminal, which unfortunately had nothing of value to offer the team.

“Yeah…some favor,” Rhys scoffed as he kicked aside pieces of circuitry from a destroyed turret that had fallen to the floor, “Damn scavvers emptied out both armories in the whole building. There’s practically nothing of value to take back with us.”

They came to face another set of closed double doors and the Paladin wondered if they had finally circled the entire military bunker. The command center had been empty when they passed by but there was a churning feeling within him that kept him slightly paranoid about the place.

“I’ll take point,” Danse stated as he moved ahead of his squad, “The rest of you stick close. I’m certain I heard something within this place and we’re not done sweeping the area just yet.”

With the rest of his team nodded their acknowledgment he turned and pushed the doors open.

And after taking two steps forward, he was met with a man rising from his cover and pointing the barrel of his modified combat shotgun directly at his helmet.

…

Immediately hearing the doors creak open, Bryce rose up from his cover, shotgun locked and loaded in his hands and readily aimed at the intruders. His suspicions were proven right as the leader of the group was clad in power armor and he counted four others behind the individual.

The rest of the armored figure’s squad raised their weapons at him as well.

“Don’t try anything stupid.”

With that warning, Arianna caught their attention as she popped out of her cover at the same time as Cait, flanking the group with their weapons drawn out and they stared in shock at having fallen for an impromptu ambush and quickly turned their attention to the two women. Mac and Dogmeat also came out of their cover to even the odds, the hound growling and baring his teeth at them while Mac stood a little further back with his rifle raised.

A standoff ensued as the Anchorage veteran knew that both sides would come out worse for wear if they started shooting and it seemed that the armored man was thinking the same thing.

Instead, Bryce and the squad leader stared each other down while everybody else kept a close eye for any sudden movements.

“Have I’ve seen you somewhere before?” the armored soldier suddenly spoke up after a long pause, his voice slightly distorted by the voice module of his helmet.

Bryce raised an eyebrow in question but said nothing as his gaze eventually fell onto the sigil on the armor’s chest plate and somehow had recognized seeing it before

‘Isn’t that the Brotherhood of Steel’s symbol?’ he thought as he sized up the person in front of him, ‘Come to think of it…That particular armor looks awfully familiar…’

Around the same time, he heard one of the soldiers in the group speak up.

“Wait a minute…Weren’t you the one who helped us out at Cambridge?” the female soldier in the red turtleneck asked, directing her question at Arianna as they stared each other down. The armored soldier quietly tilted his head to see what was going in with his fellow team member without fully dropping his guard towards Bryce.

His wife did not break eye contact with the woman but he could see the figurative gears turning in her head and there was a light spark in her eyes when she realized who it was.

“You were that field medic at the police station when the ferals attacked, right?”

“Field Scribe actually…”

“Okay, I’m lost here. Do you know these guys, Haylen?” asked the brunette in the bomber jacket.

“We do.”

The armored soldier lowered his rifle and with one hand reached up and unclasped the seals of his helmet which let out a small hissing sound before lifting it off his head. Bryce’s eyebrows rose as he realized who it was that ran into him and lowered his shotgun.

It was Paladin Danse.

“Huh…Small world we live in, right? You look a lot better off than the last time we met,” the vault dweller greeted, nodding slightly towards the soldiers he didn’t recognize, “And I guess you’ve got some extra backup.”

“You could say that. Cambridge looks a lot different than weeks before now that the Brotherhood have claimed it,” the paladin said, “And it feels great to be out on the move again now that the cavalry’s arrived.”

“How did you recognize me?” Arianna directed her question at the field scribe.

“The prosthetic arm was a bit of a dead giveaway,” Haylen curtly answered as she slowly lowered her gun.

“I’m pretty sure there are plenty of others out here with missing limbs.”

“Not with prosthetics as well kept and designed as yours.”

“So, I take it that ship brought in your friends, right? Not exactly a subtle entrance you guys made,” Bryce pointed out as Arianna and Haylen spoke with each other.

“There’s no need to be subtle when we’ve got all that firepower,” Danse said as he shook his head, “And the Prydwen is one our great marvels as well as the pride of our forces.” He could hear Arianna holding back a snort at the last part.

So, they named their ship ‘The Prydwen?’ What’s next? Their leader is King Arthur?

“Subtlety can go a long way, Paladin. Sometimes playing all your cards at once isn’t the best way to handle things…” Bryce started but then shook his head, “But I digress. I’m sure none of you are here to get a lecture from a vault dweller…In that case, I wanna ask…What are you all doing here?”

“I could ask the same of you,” Danse countered.

“Well considering I asked first and none of us are on ‘Brotherhood’ grounds, I think it’s only fair that you be the one to answer my question,” the vault dweller retorted with a huge grin, shrugging when the Brotherhood soldiers stared at him with incredulous looks. A few moments passed by before the paladin gave his team the order to stand down.

They proceeded to lower their weapons while Bryce’s companions eased up afterwards. Slight tension remained in the air and no one was sure how the other would act, yet Bryce played it cool. Danse and his squad were all focused on him while Cait and Arianna still flanked them, observing the Brotherhood soldiers carefully in case they needed to respond to any sudden moves. Then the paladin cleared his throat.

“We arrived here under suspicion that the Institute had their synths roam this area in particular,” Danse answered, “That’s all I can say.”

“Fair enough…And I take it your suspicions have been confirmed,” the vault dweller responded, “Though if you guys were expecting to find the Institute here, then you’re pretty late for that. Two weeks late to be exact.”

“And you know this, how exactly?” the Paladin inquired, eyes narrowing slightly at the vault dweller in front of him. The man was being awfully precise for this to be a coincidence and it was not sitting entirely well with the paladin.

“Because we cleaned out this place of anything Institute related two weeks ago,” Bryce answered coolly, as if he was giving Danse and his people the time of day rather than making an outrageous claim that the vault dwellers had single-handedly wiped out an army of synths stationed here.

Danse just stood there, staring at the man a few feet in front of him unsure of what to think at that moment. Haylen’s eyes were wide like saucers, mouth agape with incredulity while Ethan had raised an eyebrow, mostly curious at what the vault dwellers had to add to that.

“No f*ckin’ way…Really?” the girl in the bomber jacket remarked as she tried to stifle a giggle. Her laughter seemed more out of relief of not having to fight off a bunch of synths rather than disbelief at the vault dweller’s claims.

“Of course you did. Do you really expect us to believe that?!” Rhys sneered. Bryce turned to face the Brotherhood soldier and smirked.

“Knight Rhys, right? I take it you’re feeling a bit better? You just look a bit different when you’re not sitting on your ass nursing a couple of ghoul scratches.”

Bryce heard Cait snort at his retort and even one of the soldiers in Danse’s squad snickered.

Rhys, however, was not amused.

“Why, you-” the knight almost looked like he was going to lunge at the vault dweller but Danse blocked his way before he got any ideas.

“Enough!” the paladin barked, “I’ve ordered all of you to stand down.”

“And as for you…” Danse turned his attention to Bryce, throwing a tired glare his way, “If you’re done playing around with us, would you care to elaborate on what went on here?”

The veteran stared down the paladin with his arms crossed over his chest, pondering how much he should share with them. He remembered Piper and Nick’s warnings that while the Brotherhood were ready to fight the Institute, they would not have come all this way if they didn’t have any other plans for the Commonwealth. The vault dweller didn’t want to end up giving away too much information that Danse’s organization could potentially hold over his or his wife’s heads.

Still, maybe a decent portion of their story should satisfy them enough to send them on their way.

“Remember that we refused your offer to join the Brotherhood because we had personal business to take care of in Diamond City?” Bryce asked and when the paladin nodded in the affirmative, he continued, “The truth was we went there to find information on a mercenary who kidnapped our child from the vault we were in.”

“Said mercenary went by the name of Kellogg, and it turned out the guy had a home of his own right there in Diamond City. Doing a little digging, we found out he was actually an agent for the Institute. And not just any agent. He was their attack dog, their most dangerous and ruthless asset doing the Institute’s dirty work up here on the surface.”

“And you pursued him even though you knew he was an Institute agent? That was beyond reckless,” the paladin chastised.

“We didn’t ask for your ‘professional’ opinion, paladin,” Arianna snapped at him as she walked over to Bryce and stood beside her husband. Danse looked taken aback by her harsh response, “If you’re going to interrupt us, then we’ll just be on our way out then.”

A tense silence remained between them for a few seconds before Danse spoke up again, “Apologies. Please continue. I need to know what became of this ‘Kellogg’…”

“I already told you. We killed him. Thanks to Dogmeat here, we tracked him all the way to Fort Hagen and cornered him…The rest is obvious by now,” Bryce answered as he gave Dogmeat a pat on the head.

He sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair and continued, “Though a small part of me thinks that he suspected we were pursuing him and wanted us to come find him. The trail he left for us to follow looked completely set up beforehand.”

“Perhaps he was luring you here hoping to finish the job,” one of the soldiers, the one with short silver hair, pointed out, “The Institute tends to leave no survivors when attacking populated areas. Discovering that there were still loose ends to tie up must have irked them greatly.”

“Maybe so…” Arianna spoke up, “We did find a small army of synths here backing him up. They didn’t stop us from getting to him though.”

“Just the two of you?” Haylen asked in disbelief.

“Of course not. We had a small team of people of our own covering us here,” Bryce responded as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the young man behind him, “MacCready here was one of the folks who joined us in the fight as well as the lovely young lady over there named Cait.”

The redheaded brawler wordlessly flipped him off while MacCready flashed Danse a sh*t-eating grin that had the Brotherhood soldier scowling and narrowing his eyes at the merc in response.

Looks like those two must have run into each other before…

Turning to Bryce, Danse said, “Your choice of company seems rather odd and questionable.”

“What can I say. At least that Institute asshole got what was coming to him,” the vault dweller responded while shrugging his shoulders.

A few seconds of silence passed by as both Bryce’s group and Danse’s squad began to visibly relax, if only a little, around each other now that both sides were certain they were not threats to each other. Danse also took a quick moment to think on Bryce’s information and came to a conclusion.

“Had anyone else claimed such a thing, I would have deemed them certifiably insane and been less than pleased for having wasted my time…”

“But having witnessed firsthand how the two of you handled yourselves back at ArcJet, having gone as far as to save me from a synth ambush…I’ll take a gamble here and accept that what you’re telling me is the truth.”

Bryce breathed an inward sigh of relief.

‘Well, that went a little better than I expected.’

“There is one thing I would like to know, however…”

‘Or not…’

“You said that your child was kidnapped by the Institute mercenary and held here. Were you able to resolve that situation?”

“…No…” Bryce answered after a long pause and he heard Arianna let out a sigh. It figured that this wouldn’t be the last time he would have to share the story of Shaun being kidnapped and was now being held in the Institute, “Our son was handed over to the Institute before we could get to him.”

Everyone looked at him with a mix of horror and pity. Even Rhys’ scowl disappeared, and he looked just a tad bit apologetic. Danse opened his mouth to speak but Bryce held up a hand to wave him off.

“I know what you’re about to say but we’ve gotten enough condolences in the past week. That’s not gonna get us closer to finding the Institute.”

“That’s still f*cked, though…” the brunette with the jacket said aloud, “Kidnapping kids…Esos perros really are begging for a boot up their ass.”

“Your son was not the first of the many citizens and children that have been taken by the Institute and he won’t be the last if we do not put a stop to them once and for all,” the silver haired squad mate pointed out.

“Tch. Tell me something I don’t know,” Bryce wearily scoffed.

“But going after the Institute by yourselves? That’s just not possible,” Haylen sadly said.

“My offer still stands, you know,” Paladin Danse spoke up without hesitation, “You want to find and bring the Institute to justice just as much as the Brotherhood. If you were to join us, I believe we would have a mutually beneficial relationship. Your talents and determination would help further our cause and in turn you would have access to advanced equipment, a variety of resources, and a more…honorable choice of company to aid you in your efforts to track down the Institute.”

The vault dweller heard Cait and MacCready scoff as soon as Danse finished speaking but he and Arianna remained quiet to process their thoughts. One look from her though told him that she was not entirely impressed with the sales pitch.

The temptation was there however. The Brotherhood seemed to have brought in a sizable army in that airship and from the looks of things they might had the tech and resources to fully dedicate themselves to hunting the Institute.

The prewar veteran shook his head at the thought. He knew how these sorts of deals went. Help from the Brotherhood of Steel would probably have a bigger price tag than just merely signing up with them and would probably come with more strings than he cared to deal with right this moment.

The search for the Institute would perhaps go more smoothly with people like Paladin Danse and his squad helping him out but Bryce already had his own responsibilities and he was not the sort of man to turn back on his word on such short notice. He just hoped Danse wouldn’t be thoroughly disappointed though. He wanted to keep his options open in case he might need the Brotherhood in the near future for any reason.

“I appreciate the offer, Paladin, but I…”

I’ve got some other leads I need to check on…No! Nope! Don’t say that. These guys will be on your ass if you so much as mention that you’ve got people of your own doing some investigating!

“We appreciate the offer but my husband and I have been caught up in some other personal business that we need to wrap up sooner rather than later,” Arianna stepped in and Bryce released the breath he had been holding momentarily, thankful for the save.

Yep. I’ve definitely married the one.

They were not out of the woods yet though as her answer only made Danse raise an eyebrow in question, while Rhys glared at them with suspicion and the rest gave the couple curious expressions.

“What sort of business are you speaking of?” the paladin questioned, and Arianna had to hide the urge to roll her eyes at the continuous questions.

God damn it! Can’t these people mind their own business already?!

“It’s nothing much, really,” Bryce quickly enough to not appear hesitant and fuel whatever suspicions he may have held, “Just running a protection detail for a couple of farmers who are looking to make a space for themselves. We’re only going to stick around long enough for them to handle themselves. After that…We’ll see where we go next.”

“Maybe then I might take you up on your offer.”

“Sorry, but we don’t hold invitations like we’re some social club. You join or you don’t. That’s it,” Rhys chided.

“I have the final say in keeping the offer up for them or not, Rhys,” Danse reprimanded and turned to face Bryce once more, fixing the vault dweller with a hard stare, “But he’s right. I understand that you need some time to dwell on it since it is a decision that will change both your lives but sooner or later you’ll have to decide.”

“When that time comes, you know where to find me.”

“That’s it then?”

“For now. Do watch yourself out there, Kendrick. There are more threats out there in the Commonwealth than just the Institute.”

“Yeah…I figured that out just a few hours after leaving the vault,” Bryce said, “Until we meet next time, Paladin.”

With a wave of his hand he bid them farewell before turning on his heel and gesturing for those accompanying him to follow. He could still feel the watchful eyes of the Brotherhood soldiers on him, mostly likely still wary of the vault dweller and if he had another trick he was planning to play on them.

I wouldn’t say they’re exactly a smart bunch but they’re not dumb either. They’re probably going to want the full scoop of what sort of place Vault 111 was and learn all the little details I left out eventually…

“Sooo…What now?” MacCready spoke up as they all gathered in the elevator and headed up for the roof.

“I doubt Danse and his soldiers found Kellogg’s remains…” Arianna answered, “They’re not the subtle type. ‘Hey guys! We found a dead body somewhere in the building!’ would have been one of the first things that they would have mouthed off if they did.”

“Were leavin’ it at that then?” Cait questioned and Ari shook her head.

“No. We’re going to Diamond City.”

Arianna turned to look at her husband and reached up to softly caress his cheek with the back of her hand.

“Isn’t that right, love?”

Bryce gazed right back at her and a small sigh escaped his lips before walking out of the elevator and back into the wasteland.

“Yep. That’s about right.”

We need to see Nick.

…

The return trip was done in silence amongst the squad, all of them lost in their own thoughts as they returned to Cambridge. Once back at the outpost however, it was all business as they gathered by the garage. Each of them should have gone to rest but they felt better off working on something else once they realized sleep would not come to them. Especially Rhys, who seemed to be quietly fuming as he stared down at his rifle laid out on the workbench.

“Something bugging you, Reesie?” Trinity asked. He groaned but said nothing, prompting the pilot to press further, “I can almost see smoke coming out of your ears.”

For a moment, it seemed Rhys had no intention of paying her any attention or caving in to her obnoxiousness. Then he put his rifle back together before splaying his hands on the surface of the workbench as he gave a tired sigh.

“It’s those damn vault dwellers,” he curtly answered, brows furrowing while Trinity stared at him in confusion.

“What about them?” Ethan asked. Rhys backed away from his workbench and turned to face the senior scribe.

“I can usually size up most of the people I meet. Get a read on what they might be up to…But I wasn’t able to get anything on those vault dwellers. They’re like a damn wild card and it’s honestly bugging the hell out of me,” Rhys responded, scowling as Trinity threw an arm over his shoulders with a sh*t-eating grin.

“Hey. C’mon, compadre. You definitely look like you could use a few new friends,” the pilot teased.

“Considering Paladin Danse’s testimony of their capabilities and the improvised but well-coordinated ambush they subjected us to at Fort Hagen, I believe they would make a welcome addition to the Brotherhood,” Scribe Sullivan suggested before shaking his head disappointedly, “A shame that they turned down the paladin’s offer…”

“Tch. On the contrary, I think we’d be better off if they stay as far away from us as possible,” Rhys scoffed with a shake of his head as he eased himself away from the personal space invader that was the Lancer Knight, “I’ve got a feeling they’ll end up causing more trouble for the Brotherhood than they’re worth if they get anywhere near us.”

He turned away to search for his own personal toolbox but instead found Scribe Haylen now standing in front of him. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her lips were pressed into a thin line and after a few quiet seconds, she sighed.

“I get that it’s not easy to trust anyone out here but you could at least have a little gratitude. We wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for them saving us and you know it, Rhys,” Haylen scolded and continued on before the knight could interrupt her, “And the whole ‘they’re wastelanders!’ excuse doesn’t work. Paladin Danse and I were wastelanders once upon a time, you know.”

“Yeah but you guys worked for it,” the knight protested.

“And so can they if they take up Danse’s offer,” Haylen quipped back with no intention of backing down. She did not like confronting the man who had sponsored her entry into the Brotherhood of Steel in such a manner but even she did get annoyed by Rhys’ attitude towards wastelanders at times.

To his credit, Rhys looked quite taken aback by Haylen’s response, the scowl on his face tempered with a speechless expression. He looked everywhere but directly at her and eventually he sighed and gave a light shrug.

“We’ll see how useful they’ll be if they decide to come back here,” Rhys said, turning back to pick up his rifle. He set aside his toolbox, deciding to work on modding his weapon another time and went up the stairs to the barracks.

“Well, that’s as close to a ‘Sorry for running my mouth’ as we’ll get from him,” Haylen muttered mostly to herself.

“Eh, leave him,” Trinity brushed off as she went back to work on her radio. A bit of tampering later, her efforts proved successful as ‘Uranium Fever’ by Elton Britt sounded off in their little R&D room, “Nobody’s dislodging that stick up his ass anytime soon. Not even you.”

Haylen sighed and the pilot just shook her head. Around the same time, Ethan packed away his tools as well and turned to head upstairs.

“I’ll be at my bunk,” he said before either woman would ask where he was headed, “I figured now is as good a time as any to review the Brotherhood’s database on known vaults and see if I can find something on this ‘Vault 111’. Proctor Quinlan will throw a fit if I don’t return those notes to him by the end of the week.”

And without waiting for a response, he left and now Scribe Haylen and Trinity were the only ones remaining in the room.

“Anyway, as I was saying…” the lancer started again, “Rhys takes his job way too seriously to be anything more than a coworker to all of us, chica. Seeing the Brotherhood flag on the wall of the barracks is more likely to give him a hard-on than seeing you naked on his bed.”

“Trin! What the hell?!”

“Where’s the lie, though?” Trinity asked, smirking and she went on to laugh as an embarrassed and flush-faced Haylen just shook her head and went back to look for her own tools. As the pilot’s teasing came to an end, so did the song that was playing.

“Well…uh…Hey. You’re all, um, listening to…Diamond City Radio…I’m Travis and I’m your host…Though a lot of you already know that…”

Trinity groaned immediately upon hearing him. If this DJ was the best (or the only one) that the Commonwealth had to offer, then this was going to be a long tour indeed.

“Five seconds in and I’m already wishing I could hear Three-Dog’s show all the way up here,” she complained. It didn’t matter to her if most of the Brotherhood hated his guts now because his vocal support for the Lyons regime never waned. She was still his self-proclaimed number one fan.

“Well, um…It’s…It’s time for some news! Heh heh…” the stammering DJ continued, trying to add an excited tone to his announcement which only had the opposite effect, making him sound even more lame. The nervous chuckle at the end certainly did not help him at all either.

“So…those vault dwellers you’ve all been hearing about…You know…the ones from Vault 111?”

Upon hearing that, the two women had stopped whatever they were doing that moment and all of them turned their attention towards the radio.

“If you, uhh, get tired of... living in Diamond City, and you maybe want an... adventure or something... I guess you have some new options? After helping the Minutemen, um, establish…the settlement of, uhh, Sanctuary, it’s been confirmed that Aber…Aber-Nathee? Oh, Abernathy Farm! Abernathy Farm and…uh, Tenpines Bluff are now welcoming new people…who want to settle…and do stuff to help the settlements…”

“Uhh, Haylen?” Trinity began but was cut off by the younger scribe with a wave of her hand.

“Wait a moment…”

“And I just heard a few minutes ago that settlers that want to help build at…um, Starlight Drive-In? Anyone who wants to help are to report over at Starlight. Not sure when…No deadline or anything…Just show up…and help. Good luck to them, with all of that, I guess…I mean I thought the Minutemen were done for! Huh, it looks like the vault dwellers are making some progress with them now that they’re in charge…So yeah…Good for them.”

That was the end of the news segment and music once again began to play but both women were staring dumbfounded at the radio. The scribe thought back on the encounter at Fort Hagen and figured that the couple who had saved them had probably omitted a few details about themselves as they explained their story. It wasn’t known to them yet if the vault dwellers did it on purpose or did it simply to speed things up and get out of Danse’s continuous line of questioning.

“Was that guy talking about the same people we just met a while ago?” Trinity asked but the scribe did not answer immediately, questions of her own forming in the back of her mind at a rapid pace.

Who are Bryce and Arianna exactly? How did they have the experience of veteran wastelanders if they’ve been out into the wasteland for less than a month? What kind of vault was Vault 111? Did Kellogg or the Institute somehow attack the vault and these two were the only survivors or were there more? And what was or were these ‘Minutemen’ the radio host mentioned?

More questions popped in her mind but she would only have speculation for answers.

She wondered if this was what Rhys meant to say when he specified that he felt this couple would ended up causing trouble for the Brotherhood. After all, she had heard stories of another pair of vault dwellers that had crossed paths with the Brotherhood in a time before she had joined and had become the talk of legend.

It wouldn’t be the first time that certain vault dwellers shook things up around them.

And from the looks of it, it was not going to be the last.