To most people of the Commonwealth, Addison's Pip-Boy looked like a heavy piece of junk. It chafed her skin, wore away the fabric of her jumpsuit, and was just a general pain in the ass.
Her mother would have hated that kind of language, if she were alive to hear it. Though, no one from Addison's former life was living. Not even the world she inhabited now felt alive anymore.
She kept the Pip-Boy despite its nuisance. The radio function was useful, and it could play holotapes. Maybe she also kept it because it was a vestige of her former life. Pip-Boys had been cutting-edge pieces of technology 200 years ago. Now, it was an antique, like all the other things she collected and got odd looks for hoarding around.
"Hey, Blue, your thing is beeping."
Addie jumped at the voice, hand flying to her belt and curling around her pistol. She was jumpy to say the least since leaving the Vault. She'd learned her lesson about being vigilant in the Commonwealth very, very quickly. Though not particularly well, seeing as she had zero experience with combat. Not like Nate.
She lifted her arm to look at the Pip-Boy's screen. "Another radio frequency," she said, as she stopped on the cracked asphalt of the road they were on. The highway loomed high above their heads, decrepit and blocking the late afternoon sun from their view.
Addison fiddled with the dial until the fuzzy radio silence transformed into a voice broadcasting through the small speaker.
"Automated message repeating: This is Scribe Haylen of reconnaissance squad Gladius to any unit in transmission range. Our unit has sustained casualties and we're running low on supplies. We're requesting support or evac from our position at the Cambridge Police Station."
The message began to repeat again, and Addison clicked off the station. "The Cambridge Police Station is nearby," she remarked.
"How do you know that?" Piper asked.
"I went to school in Cambridge," she said, then lowered her arm. "It sounded as if those people were in trouble."
"It's the Commonwealth," she replied with a wave of her gloved hand. "Someone is always in trouble."
"They didn't sound like normal people, though. Almost like they were in the military." Addison furrowed her brow. "I think she said something about being a Scribe?"
Piper rustled through her bag and pulled out a single cigarette. "I bet she's Brotherhood," she said, voice warped as she put it in her mouth while she searched for her lighter.
"Which is….?"
Piper looked surprised for a moment before she nodded. "Right, right. You were a popsicle in the Vault." She took a long drag before positioning the cigarette between two fingers to speak. "The Brotherhood of Steel are these para-military weirdos who really hate the Institute. And synths. And feral ghouls. Super mutants. Anyone who's not a human, really."
"I haven't seen them around," Addison said. Though that statement likely didn't mean much because since leaving the Vault, she'd been between Sanctuary and Diamond City, and that's all.
"The Brotherhood only hangs out around the Capital Wasteland," Piper said with her hip jutted out slightly. "I don't know what they're doing here."
Addie looked back at her Pip-Boy. "Are you saying there likely aren't other teams around to evac this Gladius group?"
Piper blew out a column of smoke into the sky before her eyes settled back on her.
"You're thinking of helping, aren't you?"
"Maybe. It sounds dangerous," Addie said. "You up for it?"
Piper gave a crooked smile and flicked the tiny stub of her cigarette away. "Of course. Lead the way, Blue."
Addison nodded her head once in reply and then began trekking back up the road towards Cambridge. Or where she thought Cambridge was. She had lived in Boston her entire life—almost 29 years—but all that remained of her home was a dilapidated facsimile of it. Who knew what could have happened over the past 200 years to make this place utterly impossible to navigate?
She checked the ammo in her 10mm as they waked. A decent amount of bullets remained in her pack, but it was never enough.
Maybe Addie wanted Piper to think it was altruism that made her decide to help this trapped team of soldiers. The harsher truth was that if this was a well-furnished military group, then they would have ammo. Weapons. Something more than just the small pistols she and Piper carried around to protect themselves in this terrifying place.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at what remained of the town of Cambridge. Everything in the Commonwealth looked unsettlingly similar because of the destruction. The same thin sheet of dust, the same piles of re-bar and brick, the same rusty and blasted out cars.
They heard the pop of gunfire from further into town.
"Definitely sounds like somebody's in trouble," Piper remarked as she took out her pistol.
Addison crouched down. It was a reflex now to her. In her vault suit and with one measly weapon, she did whatever she could to hide and not make herself a target. Still, she was inelegant in her sneaking, and her boots crunched the gravel underneath her.
The sounds of gunfire were joined by the screeches of feral ghouls. Addison rounded a corner and spotted the police station. Or at least where she remembered it was. The place was fortified with a sloppy metal barricade and barbed wire.
Two ferals were directly in front of them—skin wrinkled and sapped of any indication that they were once human beings. They limped forward with their gangly arms while Addison raised her pistol.
She fired two shots—two terrible shots. One buried itself into the metal wall beside the ferals, and the other bullet clipped an arm. Fear turned her blood ice cold, and her accuracy only decreased as she panicked and emptied her clip.
Piper jumped up behind her—the bullets she fired killed the ghouls, hitting one in the chest, and the other in the head, sending a sheet of blood and brain matter across the ground.
They both rushed forward as a voice rang out from in front of the police station.
"Civilians in the perimeter! Check your fire!"
Addison fired in the direction of some other ferals attempting to climb over the barricade before she spotted three soldiers on the platform in front of the door.
One of them was wearing a massive suit of power armor. Power armor. Addie was elated for a moment as she always was when reminders of her former life presented themselves. Nate had never worn that stuff in his line of work, but power armor was a staple of the US military, especially after riots broke out and the situation around Boston became increasingly unstable. Tanks, missile launchers, and soldiers in power armor were a common sight in those final days.
This Brotherhood had clearly co-opted the suits for their own purposes. It certainly looked like a useful piece of armor against the terrors of the Commonwealth.
Addison was not paying enough attention—as usual—and did not notice the feral sprinting towards her. She fired from the hip, but only hit the monster's shoulder. Rather than attack her, though, a hot beam of red light streamed past her and disintegrated the ghoul into a glowing pile of ash. It reminded her of Preston's weapon, but more powerful.
Addison crouched behind a pillar and peered around it to fire her remaining bullets. A few ferals went down because of her work, until the sound of their growls had completely disappeared.
"We're clear," the man in the power armor said. Then he turned to them and pulled the massive helmet off his head. His dark eyes were on her immediately, and she stood straight from her hiding place.
"We appreciate the assistance, civilian," he said in a clipped tone. "What's your business here?"
Addison circled the barricade as Piper walked up to join her. "Who are you?"
He frowned slightly. "If you want to remain in our compound, I suggest you answer my question first."
She tucked her pistol into her belt. "Does it matter where I'm from? I helped you with those ghouls."
He huffed. "You make a fair point, but this would be much easier for both of us if you'd just cooperate."
"Alright," she began. "My name is Addison Howard. I'm from Vault 111." She gestured behind her. "This is Piper. We were on our way to Diamond City when we heard your radio message."
His prominent brow rose. "You're a Vault Dweller? Most people wouldn't admit to such a thing."
Addison glanced down. "I wear the suit, so it's not really something I can lie about just yet."
Piper crossed her arms. "Are you gonna tell us who you are?"
"Very well," he said. "I'm Paladin Danse, Brotherhood of Steel. Over there is Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys."
Addison waved to the two figures leaning against the wall next to the door of the police station. "It's nice to meet you all," she said with a smile, and Piper made a soft noise between a groan and a laugh.
Piper apparently found it very entertaining that Addison was so polite. The culture in the Commonwealth was…rougher than what Addison was used to. People were not trusting; they were more aggressive, and the concept of chivalry had been destroyed probably just as soon the bombs fell.
Addison wasn't used to that—she was raised as a socialite, a demure suburban mother that was always supposed to smile and accompany her words with please and thank you.
Paladin Danse was understandably confused by her politeness, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It's…?" He shook his head. "We were on recon duty here, and our supplies are running low. I've been trying to send a distress call to my superiors, but the signal is too weak to reach them."
The woman behind Danse lifted her head. "Sir, if I may?"
Danse turned, his giant armored feet clopping against the ground. "Proceed, Haylen."
She stood straighter as she spoke. "I've modified the radio tower on the roof of the police station, but I'm afraid it's not enough. We need something that will boost the signal."
He frowned again. "If we don't reach them, we're in serious trouble."
Addison pushed her auburn hair back from here it had fallen in disarray from their fight. "If you're looking for good tech, you should search the ArcJet Systems facility further north," she said. "Piper and I passed it earlier. Before the war, ArcJet produced rockets and some other electronics that probably required the use of transmitters with decent range."
"How did you know that?" Danse asked, tone harder. "Are you a scientist?"
"Paranoid much?" Piper said under her breath.
Addison froze and wrapped her hands together behind her back. She was positively not lying by telling him she was not a scientist. "I…was related to some," she replied carefully. "That's all."
He let the matter go, to her relief. "That sounds like a promising lead," he said. "We will infiltrate the facility and look for any transmission equipment that could be of use to Scribe Haylen."
She cocked an eyebrow. "We?"
Danse looked back towards the door. "Knight Rhys is injured, and Scribe Haylen needs to remain here to tend to him." He then met her gaze. "You're not my ideal choice, but I'd like your help."
Piper let out a sharp laugh. "Tip for future recruitment," she said. "Try not to start any of your sentences with you're not my ideal choice."
"She's a Vault Dweller," Danse replied evenly. "I was merely making a statement of fact."
"It's alright," Addison interjected. "I understand."
He gestured impatiently. "So what do you say? Will you help the Brotherhood of Steel?"
"Who are the Brotherhood of Steel, exactly?" she asked.
Danse immediately had a somehow prouder air about him. "Our order seeks to understand the nature of technology. It's power. It's meaning to us as humans. And we fight to secure that power from those who would abuse it."
Addison cocked her head because what he said meant essentially nothing to her—it was philosophical nonsense as opposed to any concrete information on what the Brotherhood actually did. Still, it would be impolite to point that out, so Addie merely nodded.
"I don't have any men to spare, and I can't go looking for tech on my own," Danse said. "Will you help?"
Addison didn't think long. She saw his weapon, their stacks of ammo—who knew what was inside that police station?
"You've got a deal," she said, then she turned to Piper.
"I'm with you, Blue," Piper remarked, and she smiled slightly in reply.
"That's sweet, but you know that I need you back in Diamond City. Now that we rescued Nick, he can get to work on my case, and you can help him."
Piper made a noncommittal sound before she eyed Danse more closely. "I suppose you're right. It looks like that tin can will do a good job of protecting you, at least." She paused and raised a dark brow. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I am," Addie replied, even as her stomach did a nervous flip.
Piper tipped her hat. "Alright, Blue. You stay safe out there. I'll see you in Diamond City. We'll have information for you when you get back. I promise."
"Thank you, Piper," Addison said, as she watched the reporter holster her pistol and head back past the barricades. There was still some light out, so she'd make good time back to Diamond City.
Addison turned to Danse, and he gave her the once down with a critical look. No, she did not look like a soldier. Average height, no muscle to speak of, and she was certainly lacking in the general toughness that most people who lived in the Commonwealth had.
"All right, civilian," he finally said. "It's time to prove your worth."
Ignoring his condescension, Addie gestured to her pistol. "Do you have any ammo?"
"You can go inside and load up, but hurry," he said. "I want to get moving while it's light out."
Addison nodded to him and began climbing the stairs. The woman—Haylen—smiled slightly at her, but the younger man beside her only glared, like most military types.
Just outside the door, she wondered briefly if it was dangerous to agree to a mission like this. She'd helped Preston protect settlements, rescued Nick from some violent gangsters, and now she was helping this Brotherhood organization find tech so that they could call more of their comrades. Sure, she always got rewards for this type of work, but if she kept risking her life…well, something would go wrong eventually.
A small part of her liked helping people, being kind in a way the world just wasn't anymore, but she knew deep down that she did these things to reach her main goal more quickly: finding Shaun.