I cut Piper out of this story because I realized that it didn't fit so apologies for those reading from the last chapter. I also made Danse not a complete asshole! Rated M for gore and language. Enjoy.
Jamaica Plain rose slowly in the distance.
The caravan wobbled slowly over the cracked earth. We're there, finally, The General thought. She had been in a state of panic for the entirety of the three-day journey, constantly flashing back between Shaun and the Institute. The General halted the caravan and squinted at the settlement in the distance.
"So that's Jamaica Plain, huh?" MacCready said. He pulled his rifle from his back and started absentmindedly wiping down the barrel, "Doesn't look like much from here."
"That's because it's usually swarming with people," Hancock chirped in, his rough voice almost too-loud in the silence of the surrounding settlement, "It looks deserted."
The last time The General had been in this area it had been for a supply stop a few weeks earlier. At the time, it had been absurdly populated with merchants and caravans, making Jamaica Plain the main supply station in the surrounding region. The General remembered the loud noise of the crowd and the smell of grilled ragstag from the food and drink trader. It had been the closest thing she could remember to pre-war Boston. But now, it looks deserted.
The sound of Danse's cool voice cut through her memory, "Safety's off. I don't like the feeling of this." A sense of calm came over The General at the sound of Danse's voice.
The caravan crept slowly forward, the small army on their toes. Finally, The General halted the caravan when they were close enough. "Hancock, MacCready, and Danse join me. The rest of you, wait here. I'm going to go intercept the distress signal. If we aren't back in twenty minutes, provide backup." The General turned toward the caravan, "Stay safe."
Hancock, MacCready, Danse, and The General advanced forward toward the settlement. The General slipped her 30mm pistol from her thigh holster, "MacCready, take the sniper position on the roof."
"On it, boss," MacCready said as he ran smoothly toward the building opposite of the Jamaica Plain settlement.
Danse glanced toward The General, "This…doesn't feel right." The General couldn't help but agree.
As they got closer, The General noticed how deserted it actually was. Stalls sat abandoned and a few carts lay overturn. A cold feeling crept down The General's spine. I don't like the feeling of this at all.
"General," Danse's voice had sunk low, "You'll want to see this."
The General crept toward Danse and looked to where his gaze lay. Smeared on the ground in front of the door leading toward the main house was a pool of glistening blood.
"Ugh…" Hancock said, disgusted.
The General looked toward Danse, whose mouth had been set into a hard line. He looked up and locked eyes with her. His eyes looked pointed and serious, a remarkable façade developed after years in the Brotherhood of Steel. She knew that his mind was completely in military-mode and analyzing the situation. But even from this distance, she could see his tense muscles and knew that he was nervous.
"Danse, the door is open," Hancock's voice rang out, the familiar nickname for Danse gone.
Danse nodded and put a finger silently to his lips. He crept toward the door and nudged it open, sweeping widely with his pistol. The General entered right behind him, followed by Hancock.
The living room was riddled with bullets. Paintings lay crooked on the wall, their beautiful oil designs ruined. The couch in the center was destroyed and the television shattered. The General felt her heart lurch. She remembered carrying that couch through the door with the settlers. What were their names again? They were so thankful and full of hope. And now they may be dead.
Dammit, Shaun.
A thump from the second floor caused The General to jump. She saw Danse sweep the room once more with his pistol drawn in front of him and then move slowly up the stairs. His eyebrows were knotted, his back tense.
"Something doesn't smell right…" Hancock whispered, his mangled nose flaring, as Danse opened the door to the second floor.
The General saw the blood leave Danse's face almost in slow-motion.
"Good God," he muttered.
She swept in behind him. The sight in front of her caused her knees to shake as she grabbed the doorway to keep from collapsing.
It was utter carnage.
The upstairs was a mess of blood and bodies. The General had never seen this much blood in her entire life. Three bodies lay scattered on the floor with an assortment of their body parts. The attackers had gorged the bodies and…The General gasped as the stomach of one of the settlers lay exposed. Her hands shook and her gun almost slipped from her hand. Bullet holes lay everywhere. She felt the gorge rise in the back of her throat and suddenly the room was spinning. Distantly she heard Hancock say, "Oh shit." Out of the corner of her vision she thought she saw a decapitated head.
A whimper brought The General to her senses. Slowly, she turned her head to see three settlers tied together. Their mouths and eyes were bound but, miraculously, they were unhurt. She stumbled towards them and gently pulled the tape off the mouth of the male settler facing the door. The man gasped, "Please, God, have mercy."
"Who did this to you?" The General asked.
"Th-they came in the night," the settler spluttered, "Synths that looked exactly like people…They let held us at gunpoint and fff-forced us to make a distress call before they put us in this room. They tt-old Ted and Neil and George to stand up and then just started shooting. They tried to fight back but it was no use. They bb-bent their guns in half with their bare fucking hands. We watched…We watched them rip them apart." The settler started sobbing, "They told us to 'thank the General,' God they're all dead. They're all dead!" The settler forced himself to stop as he broke down into sobs.
Damnit, Shaun.
"Boss…" Hancock said. The General turned.
On the wall, written out were the words, "With us or against us." The General felt the wind knock out of her as she realized that the letters were written in blood. She remembered Shaun's last words to her before she had left the Institute, You're either with me or against me.
With me or against me.
With me or against me.
The General didn't feel her legs give out. She didn't feel the gun leave her hand or the sob that escaped her lungs. She didn't feel her entire body shake violently as if it desperately desired to escape.
All she thought of was Shaun.
Shaun as an infant. Shaun in Nate's arms as they entered the Vault. Child Shaun from Kellogg's memories. Shaun as the Father of the Institute, his cold blue eyes staring at her, You're either with me or against me.
With me or against me.
The blood of the settlers that the Institute, no Shaun, had killed was seeping through her pants. She heard Danse call her name distantly.
They're all dead because of me.
With me or against me.
"General!"
I couldn't choose, so the Institute chose for me.
With me or against me.
"Rose!"
Her head snapped up, her gaze finding Danse's face inches from her. Dully, as if in a trance, she felt his hands on her shoulders, shaking her. I told him never to use my real name, she thought.
"Rose…" Danse's brown eyes pleaded with her, his voice whispered, "Please. Talk to me." She distantly noticed the close cropped beard around his chin.
"With me or against me…" She whispered, her eyes locked on Danse.
His eyes, she noticed, had always comforted her. Why had she never noticed that?
Rose tore herself from her trance as the sound of footsteps thundered up the stairs. She heard the gasps of several people. The Minutemen caravan had arrived after twenty minutes of inaction. She heard the distant sounds of retching.
"Shit…Jun Long, get everybody out of here!" Hancock cried, "Before the entire army sees this mess."
Jun Long stood frozen and horrified at the door. Hancock hastily shoved Jun Long back, "And get these settlers cleaned up." He led the terrified settlers through the door toward Jun Long before slamming it shut.
Rose felt Danse's hands lift her limply to her feet.
With me or against me.
"What the hell happened here, Danse?" Hancock said.
"I don't know," Danse supported Rose with his arms and maneuvered him to the door at the end of the room, "But I need to get Rose-The General out of here." He opened the door with his free hand.
"You can't just take her out of here, Danse!" Hancock yelled, "Her fucking name is splattered in blood on the wall!"
Danse slammed the door shut. "Rose, what is going on?" He muttered as he supported her down the stairs, then out of the house. Rose noticed the floor turn to dirt and, suddenly, they were in the alleyway behind the house. Without the support of Danse, Rose sank to the ground, her back supported by the alley wall. Danse crouched in front of her, his hands on her shoulders.
He shook her slightly, "Rose, what is happening?"
She noticed the strong smell of him and closed her eyes.
She broke out into a sob before abruptly stopping, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "Do you remember a few months ago when I went on that solo mission near Starlight Drive-In?"
"Yes," Danse replied.
"Well, during that time, I built a signal interceptor and infiltrated the Institute," Rose noticed the tightening of Danse's mouth, "I know, I didn't tell you, but listen to me. I found Shaun, but not like I remembered him. Shaun was 60 years old, and the leader of the Institute. They called him 'Father.' He had let me out of Vault 111 as a kind of social experiment and had tracked my movements from the moment that I stepped out of the vault. He told me…He told me I had to choose between the Commonwealth and the Institute." Rose paused, "He told me I was either with him or against him. I had to choose between parting with my only son, my son that I had spent months tirelessly and desperately searching for, or the Commonwealth. The only remnant of Nate. I told him that I didn't want to decide, and that I didn't have to take sides. I told him that I could be neutral. But he wouldn't…He wouldn't listen. I left the Institute without declaring a side. I think that all of this, this mass murder, was staged either with full or partial knowledge of Shaun to send me a message. "
Danse was silent for several agonizing seconds before letting out a deep breath and sinking back against the opposite wall. He looked at her before glancing away and her heart sunk as she read the disappointment in his face, "Inaction is a fool's weapon, Rose."
Rose nodded, "I know, God I know that now. I would give anything to go back. Those settlers…They're dead because of me."
The reality sunk in once again and she felt the blood leave her face. Dead because of me. She could remember those settlers now, like some sick irony, when she wasn't able to remember them before. Shit, she even remembered their children. She felt tears rise in her eyes. She was no better than Kellogg, who had murdered Nate. She was no better than a murderer. It was as if she had raised the gun.
"Rose," she felt Danse's hand on her shoulder, "You did something very, very stupid and careless. You made a choice that defies the morale code that I had associated with you. You ignored everything that I taught you as a Paladin and everything that I taught you as a teacher," Rose felt her head sink lower, "But you did not kill these people."
Rose raised her head and looked at Danse, a surprised look on her face.
Danse continued, "The person, no the people, who killed these people are still out there. Those people desecrated this settlement and took innocent lives but while they still live, the threat still exists. So do not blame yourself, but instead blame who is really responsible. The Institute. Your son. They did this to ruin you and furthermore, the Commonwealth itself. But this isn't over, Rose. While the Institute still survives, these acts of violence will continue. While the Institute lives, the Commonwealth will never live in peace."
"Tin-can over here is right," Rose startled at the voice and was surprised to see Hancock entering the alleyway. He grinned, "Sorry, couldn't help overhearing. Anyway, he's right. That bloodbath in there was the last straw for the Institute. I'm out for blood." He cracked his knuckles.
Rose looked at Danse then at Hancock. She closed her eyes and thought about the dead settlers in that house. The blood splattered on the wall. She stood up and reached into her backpack, pulling out her general's overcoat. She felt the soft fabric in her hands and remembered her duties that she had promised to the Commonwealth. Those duties don't go away just because of Shaun, she thought.
She clenched the fabric in her fist and looked up. She locked eyes with Danse.
"The Institute will pay for this," Rose said, "They will pay for all of the lives they have taken. They will pay for this. They will pay for taking Shaun. "
Danse had a glimmer in his eye as he stood up. Hancock grinned again, "Hell yeah. Now that's what I'm talking about."
"We're going to destroy the Institute."