Sooo here we go! Enjoy!~~~
Whoever coined the phrase "caught between a rock and a hard place" probably never meant it to be taken literally. Squeezed between the outside wall and a chuck of rubble that had possibly broken off from the roof of the building next door, Marina counted her lucky stars she wasn't claustrophobic. Not for the first time, she arched her head through the gap and around the corner of the warehouse. Gunners, two of them. Decked out in their tan and green best, looking bored out of their minds standing guard. It would've been so easy to draw her Smith and Wesson to put the two morons out of their misery.
Instead, she twisted away. Turned a full 180 and sat down. The point of a broken brick jammed into her spine, but at least she could sit instead of crouch. And have a clear view of the opening overhead. Her skin itched, constantly leaning around the corner to be sure Tweedledee and Tweedledum hadn't decided to take a walk.
"Come on, come on." Marina drummed her fingers against her thigh, looking up again.
At last there was movement. A head peeked out from the window above. When the young woman waved down at her, she waved back. After that a line of wire came twirling down. Followed shortly by the woman herself.
"Mara." she greeted after planting both feet on solid ground.
"Amelia." was replied, eyes darting a final time around the corner of the warehouse. "Ya got what I asked for?"
Nodding, Amelia dug deep into the pocket of her coat. She produced an envelop. "This should be proof enough for him. And more explanation than he deserves."
"Could've just lowered a basket. No need for personal delivery."
"What? The big bad PI worried?"
"The Gunners and I have a history." Marina scowled. "Bad history."
"Oh, I know." with a toothy smile, Amelia crossed her arms and rested a hand on her chin. "Winlock and Barnes are still all bent out of shape. Swear once they've dealt with MacCready, you're next."
"Of course." expression gone sour, she clicked her tongue. "Knew that job wasn't worth the trouble. What I won't do for a paycheck."
"Which is why my father hired you, I'm sure." Bitterness colored every word. Not for the first time, Marina scanned her. Truth be told, Amelia was more a girl than a young woman. Only 19 years old. Despite the weeks of dust covering her, a glossiness still colored her golden brown waves. Scar less skin and full figure betrayed the lifestyle she recently forsook.
As she clutched the letter, Mara said. "Are ya sure this is what ya want? Know ya don't exactly see eye ta eye, but the man did go through the trouble of hirin' me ta track ya down. That's gotta count for somethin'."
"And I'm sure he'll accept me and my street rat friends back with open arms." she scoffed, derisive.
"He cares, Amelia." Marina leveled her with a glare. "That's more than a lota us can say. Take it from me, yer gonna live longer if ya go back ta Diamond City."
"Yes, and I'll spend those days with my father parading me around like a prized porcelain doll. The model daughter, speaking when spoken to, associating with only the upper echelon until he sees fit to marry me off to some bigoted old fool just like him." her jaw set in a fine line as she glowered into the distance. "No. I'd rather die today than spend another minute pretending to be what he wants."
That was that. With a hiss of laughter, Mara shook her head. "Alright. I know when I'm beat."
"Thank you." The smile that spread across Amelia's face was as wide and pure as it got.
Standing up, Marina dusted herself off. "Best I take off. If I hang round here any longer, I'm gonna lose it."
"Of course. Fred's waiting at the door. He'll distract the guards while you get away."
"What 'bout you?"
Amelia gave the line strapped to her front a shake. "Thomas and Aaron are on the other end. They're going to pull me back up. Far as the rest of boot camp knows, we spent lunch break hanging out in the rafters, like always."
"All y'all are somethin' else, ya know that?"
"I'll take that as a compliment-" her attention shifted. Head tipped back, her eyes went wide. Marina turned to look too.
"People of the Commonwealth," the static of a radio echoed down to them, coloring every word, "do not interfere."
"A warship?" Amelia recoiled, covering her open mouth with both hands. The hum of low flying vertibirds rippled over the barren landscape. An unnatural wind slapping against them.
"Our intents are peaceful."
A sharp snort escaped Marina. Because wasn't peace just the word for those armed planes and that gun mounted blimp? Steel gleamed off the sides of the ship from bow to stern, flight deck on up. As it lumbered past, she felt a gnawing at the pit of her stomach. The shadow of that behemoth obscuring what little sun peaked between the clouds.
"We are the Brotherhood of Steel."
A line popped into Mara's head. "Deep inta that darkness peerin' , long I stood there, wonderin', fearin'." ~~~~
Just a short little introduction. Consider it a prologue. Not all the chapters will be this short, and I'll say right now chapter length is going to vary wildly from one to the next. Sorry in advance. I'm hoping by putting this up for readers it'll encourage me to finish it. As of right now I'm planning to post chapters on a weekly basis. Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays. If I'm feeling particularly motivated or I have a shorter chapter, I may post more than one at once.
Review please! All comments are welcome, but please be gentle on me because I'm an anxious bundle of nerves when it comes to posting my stories. Otherwise, thanks for reading!
