Haylen's heart was in her throat the entire ride up to the Prydwen.

Normally she liked riding in the vertibirds, but today didn't carry that same sense of childish enthusiasm that Rhys would merciless tease her over. Today, she felt like she was wedged into the small corner seat of the aircraft- desperately trying to pretend that the entire ride didn't make her feel even more like a prisoner. No matter how insistent she was that she was innocent, Haylen felt her own argument seem waning with how she had been treated during this whole process. It almost made her feel guilty, almost made her want to accept a verdict that wasn't true, if only to make the ordeal end.

Just take deep breaths.

You'll get through this.

She emptily wished that someone, either Ghost, or maybe even Danse, would be there on scene for her arrival, but such wasn't the case. It only brought up a damning sense of loneliness, of isolation- something that wasn't entirely common to feel onboard the Prydwen. Especially since there were a couple dozen of Brothers and Sisters onboard to spend time with.

(One was never really alone in the Brotherhood- although such wasn't the case right now).

Two Knights greeted her when the vertibird landed, and escorted her to Elder Maxson's office.

It didn't exactly spell out good news for her.

Did the Elder really feel as though she would be a runaway risk, or some kind of threat?

Walking in through the main deck, Haylen reluctantly made her way to Maxson's office; the large silhouette of the man was easy to spot from a distance. Then again, it would be hard to ignore the way he seemingly stood with all his pent up glory holding him up on his heels- standing with an imagery stick up his ass. The Knights stopped at the open doorway, and she did too.

She took note that the Elder didn't so much as turn around to face her in the slightest.

Instead, he gestured for her to come forward with a wave of his hand.

Like she was some kind of dog.

The Knights departed, and she was left standing there alone.

For what felt like a few too many silent minutes, they both just stood there- with her staring at his back in silence, while he seemed preoccupied with scouring the Commonwealth view in front of him.

As though expecting the physical head of the Institute to suddenly pop up out of the ground.

"You should be fortunate that you have so many willing to stand up for you," Maxson finally spoke, breaking the silence as he slowly turned around to face her. There was an obvious edge in his voice with the words, one that cut as though he had been hoping everyone would've denounced her instead. "Paladin Danse, Knight Rhys, and Knight Ghost have all spoken in your defense- as well as Proctor Ingram, Head Scribe Neriah, and several others. They have all vouched for you and have argued your case for you." He took a slight pause, as though to elongate the verdict. "Leaving your post is grounds for immediate expulsion should the charges have stuck. Fortunately, we are short on Scribes- especially ones with your experience and expertise."

... That was it?

That was the only thing saving her?

Her ability to work in the field- her ability to work for the Brotherhood?

Haylen knew she should've expected as much, but still... the confirmation of it cut at her; it made rocks roll in the pit of her stomach, tight and nauseating.

"With all due respect, Elder, if I hadn't left, Knight Ghost would've died-" Haylen started, knowing well she was speaking out of turn. And such action was cut as Maxson raised his hand to silence her. She knew better than to try and defend herself to his face, but... She and several others had been saying it over and over again, and he still wasn't listening to them.

He wasn't listening to her.

"That is only an excuse," Maxson retorted; his voice slicing still. "Your Brothers and Sisters have saved you from expulsion for the time being, Scribe Haylen, but you're still on thin ice here. For now, you will be placed on heavy probation, and I will have Proctor Quinlan monitor your actions and work."

Proctor Quinlan?

Great, that would mean that she was being pulled from ground work and being placed on the Prydwen.

Haylen could feel herself almost shaking with how angry she was- with how betrayed she felt. After everything she had gone through, and done for the Brotherhood, for Elder Maxson, it was all kicked under the rug. She was being treated like a Squire who got caught up past curfew. She was the one who had located the Institute signal in the first place for God's sake!

"... Permission to speak, sir?" Haylen requested, mustering up the best obedient tone she could- biting down on her own tongue and anger.

The Elder seemed to contemplate her request, eyes studying her over as though knowing how angry she was, before he nodded. Like it was some kind of test to see how well she could control herself- or maybe he was purposely tempting her to see if she would snap. To give himself a better reason for threatening her position.

"Permission granted."

Haylen had to fight through the knot in her throat to speak.

"I'll take the expulsion," Haylen spoke- catching the look of surprise that managed to break the Elder's tense features. Shaky hands struggled to remove her holotags, before she tossed them at his feet, and follow them with her heavy vest and fitted cap. She would be keeping the rest of her uniform though; it was unlabeled, and wouldn't resemble a Brotherhood uniform from a distance. "It's been nice serving with you, Elder." A lie, but she still needed to make it out of his office alive. "All I request is a fly back to ground level- and if not, I'm willing to take the big jump myself."

It was all happening so fast, she wasn't certain if she was keeping track of her words. Of her thoughts.

In any other situation, or with any other leader, he might've tried to convince her that she was making a mistake.

That without the Brotherhood to protect her, this was just one long suicide mission.

But not him.

Not Elder Arthur Maxson, the last of his bloodline.

He was too proud to take back any of his threats.

"Very well," he bit- no doubt angry that she had managed to undermine him. "You'll fly back on the vertibird you rode in on, and I'll announce your expulsion to the rest of the crew by tonight. From here on, you will not interact with any and all Brotherhood units, or patrol. And they will be instructed to do the same. Any repeated acts of communication will have you marked as an enemy, and you will be fired at upon sight." He paused, if only so slightly. "Your work will be missed by the Brotherhood, Haylen."

The words left a sinking hole in her chest and stomach, and threatened to fill her throat with bile.

For a second, she flinched with regret, with second thoughts.

But easily pushed the feeling down before it could cling onto her.

"Thanks, Arthur," she replied, before she turned to go- heading out before he had a chance to snap. She supposed some part of her figured he might put a bullet in her back for such disrespect- she might've even welcomed the bullet at this point.

But she made it outside and onto the vertibird without incident, without word.

Without regret.


"- if anything happens, you can find me at Fort Independence, alright?"

Ghost's words rang inside of Haylen's head as she watched the vertibird fly off- the pilots giving her a brief salute, not knowing about her official terminated status with the Brotherhood. They wanted to drop her back off at the Boston Airport, but she had managed to convince them to drop her off near the South Boston police station instead- citing that Elder Maxson tasked her with an exaggerated search for technology in the area.

And either she was more persuasive than she thought she was, or the pilots just didn't want to deal with her any longer than they needed to. (Or maybe her affiliations with police stations made it more believable as well).

Either way, they didn't so much as argue the request, and took her straight there.

Which meant that most of her journey to this Fort Independence was done without breaking a sweat.

It was still early in the day, almost noon by now maybe, so she would have plenty of light on her side to finish the rest of the journey on foot.

...

Haylen wasn't necessarily in a talking mood, and she certainly wasn't in the right place to intermingle with other people just yet. She was still angry, and hurt- bitter mostly; she knew she wouldn't made good company for anyone. She had her own demons that she needed to come to terms with right now. But she was also alone now, a scavenger once more.

And the number one thing she would need before the night came was shelter, a place to feel protected.

And she knew that she would find it there, at the Castle.

With Ghost.


Fort Independence, lovingly nicknamed the Castle by the Commonwealth now, had been under Brotherhood monitor for awhile now.

Nothing serious, just the occasional close flyby with one of the vertibirds to see what was going on- to see if anything 'suspicious' was occurring.

From the reports she recalled reading, Haylen remembered Maxson referring to the place as a 'collective home for unorganized, unskilled militias with guns'. He had denounced their cause the moment the Brotherhood had set foot in the Commonwealth. He had also repeatedly stated that, while innocent enough, if it came down to it, the so-called Minutemen of the Commonwealth would need to be disbanded- by force if necessary.

And that if there were any candidates with potential, they would be recruited into the Brotherhood instead, to better serve the Commonwealth they swore oath to.

Maxson had perhaps been unknowing of Ghost's involvement with them at the time, but Haylen remembered the woman turning a few shades of red at hearing the rumor.

"It will be a cold day in HELL for him if he ever thinks of touching my men."

Haylen found herself uncomfortable and near shakingly nervous as she slowly climbed the dirt hill that lead up to the slightly crumbling structure. She could only hope that this would all work out as well as she thought it would- but it would only work out that way if Ghost was here. And even then, that could've just been an empty promise made in the heat of the moment.

No.

No, she trusted Ghost.

She had saved the woman's life after all.

Haylen made it to the opened double doors before someone stepped out to seemingly greet her. She could hear and see movement from the walkway above, and wondered just how long the men on patrol had been watching her. If they had saw every nervous step from a distance, and wondered just what the hell a woman like her was going to be bringing to their doorstep.

"Sergeant Witcher, ma'am, can we help you?" a man in full uniform questioned. His suit seemed a little... outdated compared to the Brotherhood wears, but it wasn't impractical by any means. If anything, it seemed more suitable given the environment around here. The hat was a little overdoing it though. "Is there a problem you need solvin'?"

He had even introduced himself first before speaking to her.

Commonwealth courtesy, she guessed.

"I was wondering if the General was in." Haylen didn't know if the woman went by Ghost, or by Luka around here. Her gut went with Ghost, but she decided to keep it open-ended for the time being- just in case. It was better to play it safe anyways. There was still that persistent knot in her through, and she found herself subconsciously balling up her hands to keep them from shaking.

"She just got back," the man, Witcher, nodded. "Is she expecting you?"

"Not necessarily," Haylen slowly replied. "Can you tell her that Haylen is here? She'll know who I am."

Witcher nodded once again, and gestured for her to follow him inside of the walls as he headed back in himself. Haylen hesitated, before she slowly followed after him; her eyes locking onto every detail and every bit of movement around her.

On the other side of the doors, the Castle opened up into a massive courtyard that was buzzing with movement.

In the furtherest corner from her, two workers were tending to a small, flourishing garden. It seemed too small to support such a large settlement though, which lead her to believe that there was a larger crop field elsewhere.

In the middle of the courtyard was a massive makeshift radio, where a man was reading off a report into the microphone- causing it to echo overhead. A self-made generator buzzed nearby, and occasionally put out a puff of smoke from its cycling belt.

Groups of men and women were moving around, carrying large boxes of supplies from one end of the courtyard to the other. It looked like they were getting ready for departure, ready to send out supplies to... wherever they were needed perhaps. More than likely by foot, although the low bellowing of a Brahmin from somewhere assured that at least they had one pack animal to carry their supplies.

"Here," a bypassing woman in uniform spoke, as she handed off a bottle of water before she carried on with her supply cache.

Haylen supposed that she did look to be a scavenger rather than a heavily trained soldier, but she felt awkward with the clean bottle of water now. It was a simple thing, but it only reminded her of why she was here- reminded her of how people would view her now. Reminded her of what she had left before. The woman had already walked off before she could hand it back though, leaving her to deal with the uncomfortable weight of it in her hands.

She watched as Witcher quickly made his way across the courtyard ahead of her, hopefully going to get Ghost.

Just about the same time that the woman herself stepped out of one of the stone doorways straight ahead.

Haylen watched as Ghost stepped out with another man at her side- tall, dark, and dressed even more suitably than the others; his uniform, while still a matching tan, was different from the rest, making him stand out more so. Still with the hat though. And then there was Ghost, dressed in a dark-blue suit that Haylen had never seen before; it covered every inch of her too, making the woman look a little awkward in it.

It was impossible to tell what the two were discussing, but judging by their matching expressions, it must've been pretty serious.

Still, it didn't stop Ghost from stopping their conversation long enough to speak with Witcher.

Even from a distance, it was easy to see her face furrow in a look of mild confusion, before the woman looked up and caught sight of her.

And Haylen felt that same fluttering sensation in her chest as Ghost locked eyes with her.

With a hefty pat to their chests, Ghost left the two men behind and hurried over.

"Haylen," she started, as she drew closer to her.

One hand moved to rest at her shoulder, before the woman pulled her in against her- hugging her tight before Haylen had a chance to respond.

"Yeah, that would be me," Haylen replied, giving the woman a light pat on the back, feeling a little too awkward to do much more than that. "So this is the infamous Castle, I presume."

"It's pretty great, isn't it?" Ghost laughed as she pulled away, before she pointed to the far wall of the courtyard. "I accidentally blew up that walkway right after we had reclaimed the place from a Mirelurk Queen- still in the process of rebuilding it. But other than that, the place is sturdy, and does it's job." She turned her attention back to Haylen and gave her a gentle shake of the shoulders. "You decided to come by and give me a visit then?"

"Something like that," she started- and the words alone seemed to be enough to tip Ghost off.

Ghost offered a brief nod, lips pressed somewhat tight. "Alright, well, why don't we just step into my office-"

"Sorry to interrupt, General, but is this the woman you're always talking about?" The question came from the same man that Ghost had stepped out of the Castle with. He looked even taller up close like this, and easily towered over Haylen by a good foot or so.

Ghost, of course, stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

"I don't talk that much-" Ghost objected, her cheeks turning a shade of red that Haylen had yet to see on her before. An embarrassed blush, perhaps? And judging by the man's grinned expression, she could only assume that he had asked such a thing in front of her on purpose. "You know what, Preston, you're right- but I have a very good reason for talking so much about this lady right here." And before Haylen could so much as react, Ghost threw her arm around her shoulders, and pulled her in against her- causing her to slightly blush now. "Remember that time I came back with my leg all fucked up?"

"Sure, I had to carry you to your office," Preston replied. "You nearly gave Ronnie a heart attack- not that she would admit it."

"Shit, really? Well anyways, this pretty lady right here is the one who saved my life."

It was easy to see the slight hint of surprise on the man's face now as his eyes seemed to move from Ghost to Haylen, and then back to Ghost. "Well I'll be damned," he started, as he turned his attention back to Haylen. "All of us here really owe you one then. We wouldn't be where we are now without Ghost, and there's no telling where she's going to take us from here."

"Aw come on, you know I didn't do all of this," Ghost urged, before she spoke to Haylen. "Preston likes to give everyone else credit for things that he's done too."

"It's just kind of funny that with as much as you talk about her, you've never mentioned that she was the one who saved your leg-"

"Come on, let's get back to my office," Ghost suddenly interrupted, turning an additional shade of red, before she began pulling Haylen along with her as she headed for the closest entrance.

"But this was just getting good," Haylen teasingly objected as she went along with the woman- leaving Preston behind; although one could easily hear him laughing at Ghost's reaction as well.

She let the woman lead her through the crowd before they stepped in through one of the side doors and entered the Castle itself; it was just as busy on the inside as it was on the outside. They still had to navigate their way through a few boxes and groups before Ghost pushed Haylen through a set of broken double doors- which the woman closed behind them soon after.

It offered a little sense of privacy.

Not too much though, which was worth noting.

The room on the other side was mostly bare with the exception of an old desk in decent enough condition, a cot in the far corner of the room, and a single storage shelf with a few miscellaneous things on it. There was a worn down rug underneath the desk, making it somewhat more presentable- maybe even implying a sense of importance to it. It wasn't exactly pristine or elegant, but certainly homely. Certainly inviting.

It made her feel a little better about being here.

"Sorry about the mess, we just got a bunch of our supplies in from the local caravans," Ghost started, seemingly choosing to ignore the topic from before as she brushed her hands off on her long coat. "Do you need anything? We got drinks, food, some new boots-"

"I'm fine," Haylen assured, feeling the need to tug at her own clothing now as she loosely walked part of the room. "Just figured I'd come by and... talk business."

The woman's brow furrowed again as she worked the dark, heavy-looking coat off of her shoulders. There was what appeared to be an armored chest plate underneath it- and the idea of Ghost wearing armor was even odder. "Brotherhood business?" Ghost questioned, to which Haylen nodded. "Is this about Maxson's verdict?"

The one question she had been dreading.

Haylen took a few seconds to gather her nerve as she leaned against the desk in the center of the makeshift office. Nervous hands moved to sit against the flat surface, before fingers curled underneath the bordering trim- giving her something to hold onto. "He wanted to expel me from the Brotherhood," she started- and almost immediately she caught the frown that clung onto Ghost's lips.

"But I spoke on your behalf- a lot of us did," Ghost objected, as she fumbled to hang the coat on a nearby wall hook. "I would've been dead if you hadn't showed up."

Haylen held up one hand to calm the woman- or to at least try to. "He decided to just put me on probation instead," she continued. "It would allow me to keep my position within the Brotherhood, but I would have Big Brother looking over my shoulder everywhere I went. And more than likely, I would be relocated to work on just the Prydwen alongside Proctor Quinlan."

Ghost frowned once more, and seemed to focus on removing her armored chest plate next for the time being- dropping it to the floor when she had slipped it off. Revealing the simple harness attire that she seemed oddly attached to; it was unsuitable for anything in the Commonwealth, and yet Haylen found herself appreciating the sense of habit and normalcy it brought out.

Here at the Castle, Ghost was different; she wasn't the same Knight she was at Cambridge, or on the Prydwen. She was a General- she was the one in-charge. Here, she had the same power as Maxson, although perhaps more respect amongst the Commonwealth- more than Maxson had, or ever would.

But she was still, underneath the layers and the title, just Ghost.

(Just Luka).

"I guess it's better than the alternative..." The words were somewhat muttered underneath the woman's breath, as she rubbed at the back of her neck- her irritation over the situation easy to read on her face.

And Haylen could only begin to wonder how frustrating it must've been for the woman to know that all her hard work, all her hard debates with Maxson equalled out to nothing. Or at least, that's how Ghost must've felt not knowing that her sliver of arguing might've been enough to tip the scale in Haylen's favor with the Brotherhood. That it might've been enough had Maxson not already made his mind up over the ordeal- he he simply not chosen to drag the ordeal out further to make a point, to make an example.

"I chose to leave anyways."

The woman froze in the midst of unpinning her braid from the back of her head; hands still half-caught in the art of it while her eyes were focused solely on Haylen. Any sense of irritation, or anger had dissipated, leaving her with an exposed look of shock. Leaving her with an exposed look of struggling on how to process the conflicting information- after all, all that hard work just for Haylen herself to leave it behind.

"You... left?" Ghost repeated, hands, and braid, slowly falling back to her sides. "On your own accord? But why? I thought you loved working for the Brotherhood?"

Haylen felt that knot in her stomach twist tighter at the words.

"I do- I did anyways. The Brotherhood... it's not what it used to be- what it was back in the Wastelands; this isn't the Brotherhood that I joined," she started. "I'll be honest, I've been thinking about ways to distance myself from them for awhile now. I thought I could work through my feelings, but after awhile the dissatisfaction felt like a weight that was crushing me the longer I stayed. I thought I could do it for Danse, for Rhys, for... Keane, Dawes, Warwick, and Brach."

She took a slight pause, still feeling the weight of holotags in her pocket, still feeling the weight of it all on her chest.

"If anything, this situation gave me a clean excuse to leave, even if I wasn't entirely ready to make that commitment just yet. My only other option would've been to sneak away, which would not have ended well for anyone." Her pause this time was punctured by a quiet sigh. "As far as anyone knows, I was expelled- because Maxson's too proud to admit that I left his organization behind by my own right."

"And I know that couldn't have been easy for you to do," Ghost started. "Although it's nice to know that you at least got the chance to stick it to that asshole-" she stopped as her words quickly seemed to catch up to her. "Sorry-"

Haylen heard herself slightly snort back a laugh at the response- if anything because of the sudden white wash of Ghost's expression. "It's fine," she tried to assure. "I'm still a little peeved off about the whole thing myself. Save someone's life, and suddenly I have to lose everything just to keep my own sense of self-appreciation. If there's one thing I know, it's that you can lose a lot of things out here- but I refuse to lose my sense of self-worth. It might've been my downfall, but it's better than being the laughing stock of the Prydwen."

Another quiet sigh, and a gentle sweep of her fingers through her hair.

"I know it's not going to be easy from here on out. I know I'm going to hate myself for leaving, I know I'm going to have days where I want to go back, but... I can't. Not because of Maxson's rule, but because of my own."

"And I'm proud of you for that," Ghost replied, as she slowly moved over to the desk with her, and pulled herself up to be seated on one of the corners. "Because you're right- if there's one thing you should keep a hold of in this shitastic world, it's the thing that makes you the person you are. Every inch of self-worth, because no one else is going to respect that, and no one else is going to give that to you." Once more, she moved a hand to Haylen's shoulder, and gave her a brief shake. "I know it's early, and you don't have to give me an answer right now, but... if you're interested, there's always a place for you here with the Minutemen. We're always in need of skilled people, and I think you would fit right in with the group. You said you wanted to help people, right?"

It was early still.

Not even a full day had gone by in regards to her departure from the Prydwen, from the Brotherhood.

But she needed a distraction; she needed to do something- anything. Just enough to ease her into the initial shock of leaving, enough to not let the sudden reality of it strike her down.

(Plus, she had no intents of coming here and becoming a deadbeat).

"I'd be wasting all of my skills if I didn't join, so... I guess you can sign me up," Haylen started, catching the quick and easy grin that captured Ghost's lips. "And, rest assured, if any of the Brotherhood units see me in the field, they're ordered to ignore me."

"Oh... you're right, I probably should've considered the potential backlash," Ghost remarked with a slight grimace- although the motion didn't last long. She clapped her hands together and seemed to be in thought before she spoke next. "Alright, well... there's no fancy inauguration or anything around here. I mean, normally you would run training with Ronnie, but I can vouch that you have plenty of experience and can skip her torture course. Other than that, it's usually what I say goes, so..." slight pause before Ghost extended one hand with a grin, "welcome to the Minutemen."

Haylen chuckled lightly at the act, before she took Ghost's extended hand. "Thanks, I owe you one."

"Come on now, my leg is what got us into this mess in the first place," Ghost reminded. "Now, if you wouldn't mind... I technically have a list of things I need to do around the Castle, things that need to be fixed, so..."

"Done."


There were still a mess of things that Haylen knew she needed to work herself through- a lot of second thoughts and regrets regarding her decision. She knew it was the best choice for her, for her sense of justice, but the reality and gravity of it was slowly starting to set in.

It felt like a hole in her chest as she thought about everyone who had stood up for her, who had defended her- the same people she had left behind now. They would be worried, and no doubt disappointed just the same.

She briefly wondered if they would come looking for her, but she knew they wouldn't.

They would want to, yes, and a few of them might even risk it, but considering how paranoid Maxson was as of lately, it would be near career suicide.

Just like with hers.

While it didn't exactly seem ideal to go from one faction to another in the span of a few hours, and while Haylen would've liked a little more personal time to get over her expulsion, she also knew that this was the better way to do it. She couldn't exactly risk moping around the Commonwealth after all; it was too dangerous, and she'd be too easy of a target. Plus, being here, surrounded by all these other people gave her a false sense of normalcy. It was something to ease herself off of the companionship of her Brothers and Sisters.

She wasn't too used to being alone anymore.

Plus there was work to be done, and she knew a distraction would only put off the inevitable, but she needed one.

...

She just didn't think that the distraction would come in the form of standing in cold, calf-deep water trying to clean out a clogged water filtration system.

"I have to admit, this thing is pretty advanced," Haylen spoke, as she put her weight behind a wrench and wrestled with a stuck pipe. Not as good as the massive filtration back in the Wasteland, but these personal units were definitely more handy. They could be moved, reassembled, and spread throughout the Commonwealth to produce personal stashes of clean water rather than waiting for weekly shipments. "Did you find this?"

"Made it," Ghost replied, standing on the other side of the machinery as she tried to replace a few stripped screws. "Took an old engineering book, and some pre-war knowledge to make it, but we got it done. It's not perfect, as you can tell, but it does what it needs to. Sturges, our semi-local handyman, built this one for us- took a few tries, but now he knows how to do it off the top of his head. Been using him to teach a few recruits so we can spread the knowledge around."

Haylen nodded and grunted as the pipe finally came loose under her force- allowing her to quickly yank it off. "Think he could teach me?" she asked, peering slightly into the pipe to see where the blockage was, before she pulled a thin rod from her belt. Aligning it with the exposed pipe, she jammed it inside and began breaking away at whatever was clogging it up.

Seemed to be a mix of rocks and Mirelurk shells.

"Sturges can teach anyone," Ghost answered. "He's not your average mechanic, but he's willing to teach- and he's cute, so there's that."

Haylen laughed at the remark. "I guess I'll just have to see it for myself then, won't I?"

Ghost matched her laugh with one of her own before she finally seemed to tighten in the last screw. Her fingers ran along the pipe and gave it a hefty shake, testing for any weak links in the structure. For now, it seemed like the job was done, and the filtration would be back in working order soon enough- hopefully with no clogs, or running risks of a pipe exploding.

"Can I ask you something that might uh... be sensitive in regards to your trial?"

She glanced over at the question, taking note of the quietness in the woman's voice when she spoke. Not unlike Ghost, but there was definitely something different in her tone this time around.

"Go for it," Haylen assured. "I mean, you were involved with it too, so it was kind of like our trial."

It took a few seconds before Ghost seemed to nod in agreement. "Maxson told me, and I'm sure the others as well, that you leaving Cambridge was a security breach," she started, to which Haylen nodded. "If that's the case... then how would kicking you out not be a security breach as well? I mean, you could've walked two steps away from the Prydwen and been nabbed by the Institute. And then they would've grabbed all the information they wanted off of you."

That was a chilling thought- one that Haylen hadn't considered.

It made her shiver, made her wonder if Maxson had thought of the same thing. If the threat of expulsion had been an empty one, something to scare her with- something to force her back into being obedient to the Brotherhood once more.

But if that was the case, than he never would've let her walk off of the Prydwen in the first place.

But he was prideful too- vain even.

"Interesting point," Haylen admitted, certain that the last few jabs had cleaned the pipe out the best it could be, but she wanted to keep her hands distracted. "The Institute's been kidnapping farmers, and common people around here for years- as the rumors go anyways. I'm not exactly either of them. I'd like to think that if the Institute came for me, I'd be able to put up a good fight. It's hard to say though, and I don't want to appear too cocky about it. If it really came down to it though, protecting the knowledge I have is first and foremost; I'd gladly take the bullet than risk them taking me alive. As would most of the people in the Brotherhood do. As dark as it is, it's one of our training points should ourselves, or someone we know be taken prisoner by a rivaling faction- Gunners mostly though. Back in the Wastes, the issue was with the Enclave, and I tended to far too many Brothers and Sisters wounded or killed by their own bullet. I guess Maxson just assumes that I'll follow that line of training to the end should the Institute get involved."

Ghost gave out a low whistle in response. "I'm sure most people wouldn't uh... go that route, I guess. And while it is a little hard to swallow, I can't deny that I planned for that same exit strategy for most of my career."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, well I mean you know what I did before the war; it was hazardous and dangerous work," Ghost nodded. "Had a lot of government secrets on me, and I couldn't risk them getting into the wrong hands. I used to keep a bullet around my neck for emergency situations, just in case if things went bad. My commander gave me a cyanide pill for a mission once, just as a precaution; I think he was more worried about the information than he was about me though."

Haylen pulled the rod aside and peered into the pipe once more- noting that most of the blockage was certainly gone now. It should be safe to test.

"Do you still wear it?" she asked. "The bullet."

"... Yeah, I do."

Haylen nodded once more and didn't press the subject. "I have to switch the water back on and see if this junk flushes out, alright?"

"Go for it."

Reaching down, Haylen twisted the valve, and felt the pipes rattle for a moment, before the exposed pipe shot water out of it- successfully flushing out what was left of the blockage. Everything seemed to be holding up pretty nicely too. The screws held in place and kept the pipe from breaking away, and the pressure correction kept the whole thing from cracking itself open.

"That's what I wanted to see," Ghost grinned, as she reached through the pipes and shook Haylen by the shoulder. "Just one thing off of the old checklist."

"What else you got?" Haylen asked, wiping the thin layer of sweat from her brow.

"Well, one of our generators caught fire last week, and we've just barely been operating under the blow out limit," Ghost answered. "Think you could fix it?"

"I can give it a shot."


When evening finally rolled around, the newly-repaired generator was revved up and the new flow of energy lit up the strings of uncoordinated lights that were strung up around the Castle. It was just enough to pool a warm glow that filled the courtyard; a subtle glow that could probably be seen from the dead surrounding cities no doubt. Although probably nothing like the pool of light that came from Diamond City.

It was quiet now that most of the men and women had either departed on their supply runs, or had gone to bed. A small night patrol stayed on-guard and paced slow cycles around the upper walkways- occasionally whispering out conversations with one another. Their dark silhouettes probably looked creepy amongst the warm glow, moving in slow, shifting cycles against the backdrop of light.

Despite the passing hour, the man at the radio remained, and brought up the occasional report every now and again- taking down notes when someone seemed to call in in response.

It was quaint.

A little serene even.

But the clear night sky made it difficult to not notice the Prydwen hovering like an ominous presence off against the horizon. A dark shadow against a darker backdrop- just barely illuminated by the Boston airport below.

Maxson said that he would inform the Brotherhood of her expulsion by tonight, so... by now, everyone knew.

This was the real time of death for her career in the Brotherhood.

It was officially over now.

"You know, I give Ronnie a hard time sometimes, but that woman can grill a mean Radstag," Ghost spoke as she climbed up the small staircase behind Haylen two steps at a time; her footsteps loud and thundering inside of the narrow stone corridor.

The two of them had settled on spending the evening out on top of the Castle- choosing to spend a few cool, nightly hours up top and in the quiet. The far corner of the Castle gave them a great view of the oceanfront, and beach; it let them hear the subtle roar of the waves as they came in against the shoreline. It let them hear the occasional scuttle of a Mirelurk as it scurried across the sand- frightened by the spotlights that clicked on at the hint of movement out front.

They had been sitting on the edge of the wall for an hour or so now, letting their legs hang off the edge, and letting the work of the day ease out of sore muscles. Ghost had disappeared a few minutes before, citing something about speaking to someone, and had only just now returned.

Haylen barely heard the woman at first, but quickly noticed her when Ghost dropped down heavy next to her- thrusting something sharp into her peripheral vision. She felt herself jump at first, before she realize that it was just a skewer with several chunks of cooked meat on it. The twisting throb of her stomach made her realize how unappetizing it smelt though, but she reluctantly took it anyways.

Mostly at Ghost's insistence as the woman waved it repeatedly about in her face- clearly not taking no for an answer.

"Actually, I take that back. Ronnie is always giving me a hard time," Ghost continued, as she chewed on one of the speared meat pieces through the side of her mouth. A rather open, and animal-like way of doing so. Rather than just pulling the meat piece off separately, she seemed set to just chew it off from the skewer instead. "But with food like this, I can tolerate it."

Haylen snorted slightly to bite back a laugh at Ghost's unorthodox way of eating.

She had to admit that the meat did look a little appetizing now- and not because every time Ghost bit into it, a small bit of juice would spill down her chin. Pulling off a piece from one of the meat chunks, she willed herself to eat it; if anything just to get something in her stomach. And maybe she had gotten too used to rush eating between shifts, or overloading on coffee and making herself too wired to eat, but... It was pretty damn good.

"Believe me when I say that anything you eat around here is definitely better than what's on the Prydwen," Haylen replied. "The first piece of advice we give to the new recruits is to not smell it, and try not to breathe in when you eat it."

Ghost chuckled and grinned a wet, messy sort of gin. "That's pretty fucking bad, but it was the same in the military prewar to be honest. But that just means that I'll have to introduce you to the wonders of Commonwealth cooking. I'm still getting used to it myself, but it's not bad. I'll introduce you to the taste of a fresh carrot pulled out of the ground- I mean, I don't like them, but you might. Oh! And Connie of the Abernathy farm makes a mean Brahmin stew; I'll have to get her to make some when we go back next time."

Haylen matched her with a brief laugh, before she convinced herself to finally pull off one of the meat chunks to eat- feeling her stomach begin to unroll itself now. Another nice little distraction that didn't involve breaking a sweat, or smashing fingers. One that just involved her, and Ghost, doing nothing else but... existing in the moment. Taking it in as it was given to them.

She felt the weight of Ghost's arm suddenly against her shoulders, and didn't hesitate to lean into the woman.

"I know what it's like to be forced out of your home, and be shoved into some place new," Ghost started, voice low and gentle. "It ain't easy, and it's not fun, but... it's doable after awhile- even if you don't want it to be. I don't know if you'll like it here, Haylen; I have hopes that you will, but I can't speak for you. Whatever happens, whatever you wanna do, I'll support you."