Marion once told Allen that spies needed to obsess over details, because whether it's a dead drop or danger, either can be signaled by a single out of place detail.
Not so subtle details can also tip one off that something wasn't right, like Piper kicking Allen's ass whilst sparring.
"You all right, Blue?" Piper asked, helping Allen up.
"Just got a lot on my mind," Allen responded, massaging his neck.
"Does it have do with…" Piper trailed off, figuring it would be a good idea not to say "Dunwich."
"No, but it certainly isn't helping."
"What is it, then?" Piper prodded.
"Bad feeling," Allen answered cryptically.
"That's specific."
"Piper, if I knew I'd tell you, I promise. But something feels out of place." Allen stared over her shoulder at the hustle currently buzzing around Railroad HQ.
"Des seems particularly busy today." Piper observed.
"Do you think something's wrong?"
"The optimist in me says we're paranoid."
"And the pessimist?"
"Wonders why we haven't seen Deacon in a while."
"And here I was hoping it was just me."
Allen and Piper watched as Desdemona nodded solemnly at Drummer Boy, who nodded back, before turning to the attendance chalkboard, and erasing Deacon's name.
"The fuck are you doing?" Allen demanded, striding up to Desdemona.
"We got word back from Honest Dan, Deacon's missing." Desdemona explained, staring blank faced at the map of the Commonwealth.
"How many fucking miracles do I have to perform?" Allen asked, "Let me look for him."
"You've been compromised," Carrington interjected nearby. "We can trust neither your judgement nor your abilities.
"Nonsense!" Allen shouted, "I'm fine!"
"Pretend that he said that without shouting," Piper added.
"I'm trying," Carrington said.
"Des," Allen pleaded, "I know that this isn't your idea."
Carrington scathed, "Unlike you, she seems amenable to wisdom."
"Des," Allen started, "You're like my old CO, you know the cost, you know the risks. You also know what your agents are capable of. You know that Deacon's alive and I can find him."
"Why would she do something as foolhardy as that?" Carrington demanded. "Why risk more lives for one man?"
"Because she cares," Allen said. He did not shift his gaze away from Desdemona.
All of HQ had gone quiet. Des was staring at the map, Allen and Carrington were staring at Des, and everyone else's eyes were split between the three.
"Deacon's mission hasn't been finished," Desdemona started, apparently having come to a conclusion. "It's entirely likely that his OP is what put him in danger, and someone needs to finish it. The Operative is as good of an agent as anyone." She went on to reason, "And if in the course of his investigation, he should find Deacon, then he will be welcomed back."
"How do we even know it will still be Deacon?" Carrington asked.
"We'll just have to trust him."
"But…"
"That's an order, Carrington," Desdemona interrupted, "and for the record, I don't appreciate your insubordination," she said, turning on the good doctor "I don't appreciate that your idea of wisdom involves abandoning people, leaving them behind. That's not wisdom, Carrington, that's cowardice."
Piper whispered to Allen, "Remind me not to fuck with Desdemona."
"As long as you remind me."
"So, what's the job?" Piper asked Allen, who was currently scrolling through his Pipboy, which contained the details of said job.
"Remember Stockton?"
"Yeah."
"One of his caravans went missing." Allen explained, "It disappeared near Covenant, a settlement near the river."
"This doesn't sound like a Railroad matter." Piper pointed out.
"There are mitigating factors, the largest of which is that Stockton's daughter was with the Caravan."
"I'm not complaining, but why does the Railroad care?"
"His daughter is a synth." Allen said, eyes widening; it appeared as if he too had just learned that piece of information. "That explains a lot."
"Ever wish the Railroad helped more than just synths?"
"Why?" Allen asked, seeming untroubled by Pipers question, "The Commonwealth has the Minutemen to deal with other threats."
"I know, but they have all these resources and they use them to help such a small group of people." Piper said, trying to justify her trepidation, "It's a noble but narrow cause."
"We all have our role to play." Allen shrugged, "this is the Railroad's."
"I like rolls with butter." Piper joked.
Allen stopped like he'd been struck. Looked down, then back at the sky.
"Imma be honest, I don't like puns." Allen said, before taking off at a sprint.
"Are you pun-ishing me?" Piper shouted.
"Yes!"
"This is going to end us finding a bunch of people locked up and tortured," Allen said, "I'm calling it right now."
Allen and Piper had just entered Covenant. The SAFE test had been weird but otherwise harmless.
"That's a leap." Piper responded.
"I'll explain later, let's just find Dan." Allen ordered. "Look for anyone out of place."
"There," Piper said, directing Allen to the armed gentlemen wearing armor rather than prewar clothing.
"Dan?" Allen said, walking up to the man and extending his hand "Allen Marks. Stockton requested that I assist you."
"I hope you're more forthcoming than the last guy." Dan said, shaking Allen's hand. "He answered everything with a joke. I almost know less now than when he showed up."
"What do you know?" Piper asked.
"Since the last guy went missing, all I know for certain is that the caravan came here, and that these people are hiding something deadly."
"Most of them probably don't know." Allen mused, "It's easy for three to keep a secret if two don't know."
"Who said that?" Dan asked.
"I did, before me an old friend."
"Where did the last guy start looking?" Piper asked.
"Well…" Dan started.
"Oy," Allen exclaimed. "If we go down the same steps Deacon did we end up in the same trap."
"So what's you plan?" Dan asked, crossing his arms.
"Fuck off," Allen snapped, "I need to think. I'll get you when I start looking."
"I'll be at Deezer's if you need me." Dan shrugged and walked away.
"Guy has thick skin," Allen observed, "I can see why Stockton likes him."
"Blue, is something wrong?" Piper was worried about Allen he was usually more level headed than this.
"Something is very wrong." Allen answered, "Everything about this place makes my skin crawl."
"It's too clean but other…."
"It's that test," Allen interrupted. "Do you know what eugenics is?"
"No, what's that got to do with anything?"
"Eugenics started as a mostly harmless belief, people with chronic diseases, people with a birth defect, something that could be given to a child,are people who shouldn't breed."
"Sounds harsh." Piper commented, "But still missing the point."
"Harsh, but logical. It was meant to protect the next generation. Children free of disease, of disabilities." Allen finally stopped by a tree in the center of Covenant, but he started turning in place. "The belief was polluted, turned into racism and hatred. And during World War Two it became responsible for the deaths of six million Jewish people."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Piper demanded, exasperated.
"Harsh as it is, polluted as it is, it had its roots in science. We just took a psychological test, a half assed, half baked, still in its infancy test, but a test nonetheless."
"They wanted to see if we had the right qualities," Piper deduced, "If we fit their psychological 'eugenics.'"
"I'm just wondering what would have happened had we failed," Allen said, turning in place again, "I doubt it would have been as simple as a 'please leave.'"
"Do you think Deacon failed?"
"No, he made it in remember?" Allen pointed out, he started motioning with his hands, like he was a conductor keeping time. "His investigation led to his death."
"Wait, you think he's dead?" Allen came to a full stop.
"Either I'm right or I'll be pleasantly surprised," Allen started circling again.
"So what do you think he found out?" Piper asked.
"Something dangerous."
"Where do we start?"
"With what Deacon knows." Allen answered, cryptically.
"How? It's not like he left a note."
"Did you see any heavily armed guards," Allen didn't give Piper a chance to respond, "No. So whatever got him killed, he went to it, now if Deacon is half the agent I am, and realistically he's at least three fifths, he'd have left a drop in case he didn't come back."
"So that whoever came next would have some warning," Piper concluded. "So where would it be?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," Allen said. "Tell me about Deacon."
"You know him better than I do."
"Just do it."
Piper shook her head and threw her hands up. "He's a smartass, always telling jokes."
"But smart jokes," Allen continued, "Proust, mortuaries, these things aren't common anymore."
"So he probably didn't leave it in a mailbox." Piper added.
"What else?"
"He's dedicated to the Railroad."
"Which means he knows that somebody might be sent after him, he also knows it would probably be me."
"So it will be personalized." Piper added, "Like a letter, from him to you."
"And since we know shit about him it will be about me." Allen said, getting excited. "What does he know about me?"
"Everything," Piper replied, "You told me about how he listed your career like a poem when you first met."
"Yeah but what specifically. He drew attention to my time as the Shroud, but how does that translate to a dead drop"
"Maybe a poster," Piper suggested
"Too obvious, nice town like this probably won't have pre-war posters." Allen started to tilt, the spinning making him dizzy.
"Why are you spinning? "Piper demanded, reaching out to steady him.
"Helps me think," Allen said, suddenly going quiet, before shouting, "Think!"
"Blue?"
"Find Dan," Allen ordered taking off, "Bring him to the general store."
"Allen, what are you doing?" Dan asked.
Allen was bustling through the shelves of the general store,
"Deacon didn't just know about my career, he knew it was me. Piper's written about my exploits," Allen paused as he turned over a few boxes of cereal, "but she uses fake names. As far as the Commonwealth knows, 'The Castle' was retaken by…" Allen motioned at Piper.
"George Washington," she supplied and Allen stopped dead in his tracks
"Really?" Piper just shrugged. "Stupid codenames aside, there's only handful of people who know of what the 'General' has personally done, and even fewer who know he's also a Brotherhood Knight."
"Wait, hold on," Dan interrupted, "You're Brotherhood?"
"And even fewer people that know that both of those 'people', also happen to be the Silver Shroud." Allen concluded.
"Hold up…" Dan said, trying again.
"It's best that we just let him do this." Piper said, derailing Dan.
"So Deacon doesn't just know about me," Allen continued, "He knows me, he's been following me. And what's something that's never been hidden but isn't exactly common knowledge, something I was dealing with literally until the day I met the Railroad. Something," Allen finally found what he was looking for, "that would help me think." Allen held up a pack of mentats.
"How does this help us?" Dan asked. Allen flipped over the pack, revealing the Railroad call sign for 'dead drop'.
"Let's give credit where it's due," Piper said, almost in reverence. "He's at least three quarters the agent you are.
Allen paid for the mentats, took three steps out of the store, and popped the tin open. After tossing the pills into a nearby bush, Allen found a note in the tin.
"What's on it?" Dan asked, looking over Allen's shoulder.
"A drawing looks like the river and a pipe. Plus, two words 'Mayor,' and 'Compound" Allen handed the note over to Dan. "Any of this mean anything to you?" he asked
"I know the spot on the river," Dan answered, "But this 'compound' is news to me."
"Go stake out the spot," Allen ordered, "Take Piper, I'm going to go have a chat with the mayor."
"Blue," Piper said warily.
"Don't worry," Allen reassured her, "I don't plan on killing him, might lie profusely though." He said it like it was an afterthought.
Dan and Piper were staring at the sewer pipe along the river as though it had personally offended them.
"So, this friend of yours…do you still think he's alive?" Dan asked, not breaking "eye contact," with the pipeline.
"We'd have heard the gunshots," Piper answered.
"Not that one, the other one, the funny one." Dan clarified.
"I'm an eternal optimist." Piper answered.
"Really?" Dan exclaimed, a little surprised.
"Is it that big of a surprise?"
"Honestly, yes." Dan replied, finally breaking his stare, "I read that paper of yours, nobody tries to do that much good without seeing most of the bad."
"I've seen a lot of good happen, too." Piper pointed out.
"Most of it in the last few months, I'm guessing."
"What makes you say that?"
"Honestly, it's as simple as common sense. The downfall of the Minutemen, the hypocrisy of Diamond City, the push that raiders seem to be making," Dan listed. "Good things have been in short supply until recently. How did you keep you your head up?" Piper was quiet for a little while. Dan was right, there had been some bad days, some bad enough to make her want to quit, but she liked the paper, liked what she did.
"Something my dad once told me," she finally answered, "'Everybody is one very eventful day away from being a hero.'"
"I'm going to need some clearing up on that," Dan said.
"It means that all people are capable of doing good," the duo heard from behind them. Apparently, Allen was done with his business with the mayor. "Most of them just need the right kind of motivation."
"So what's your motivation, Marks?" Dan asked.
"You first."
"Honestly, I'm just a loyal employee, I've got all the reason in the world to stand by Stockton, and none to abandon him."
"As good of a reason as any I suppose." Allen mused.
"And you?"
"Just trying to do right by my family." Allen answered, dismissively.
"So what did you find out?" Piper asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"More than I feared, less than I hoped. I managed to convince the mayor to radio ahead, give us a chance to see what the compound is made of. "
"What do you think we're going to find there?" Dan asked.
"A whole lot of ugly."
"So, the one investigating Stockton's caravan has arrived." Doctor Roslyn Chambers said, not looking away from the corpse on her table. "Tell me, what do you think of my masterpiece."
Truthfully, Allen wanted to retch. He'd been imprisoned in gulags more humane.
"I think I need some answers." Allen replied, crossing his arms.
"You're going to listen to her?" Dan whispered.
"Only to see how far she's gone."
"Let me pose a question to you - what would you do if your family was destroyed by a synth?" The Doctor asked. "Would you roll over and accept it? Or would you fight back?"
"How is Covenant fighting back?" Allen asked, maintaining his composure.
"As long as the institute can walk invisibly among us, we are vulnerable," Doctor Roslyn explained, finally looking up from the corpse, "I have dedicated my life to devising a test that can root them out. Expose them so that they might be eliminated."
"Is it working?" Allen demanded, waving off Piper's concerned look.
"The test is in it's infancy, but through sacrifice and perseverance our success rate is improving."
"And what is your success rate?"
"At the moment it is four or five false positive per synth" A strange light came into Allen's eyes at the statement. "But someday I hope to improve it to two or maybe even one false positive."
Allen took two steps forward, and reached into his coat.
"Doctor Chambers, I'd like to thank you for making this easy for me."
Allen pulled out his Makarov and promptly shot Champers point blank before turning the gun on the security personnel in the room.
"Watch the door," Allen ordered, "I'll free the prisoners." He took off to the cells.
"For a moment there I was worried he'd gone off the deep end." Dan said, pulling out his own weapons.
"I know she was a monster, but did he have to gun her down like that?" Piper asked, in shock.
"She was long gone," Dan replied, "No coming back from that."
Suddenly, an alarm went off.
"Sorry!" Allen called. "They rigged the cell doors."
"How long do you think until they realize we're the problem."
A gunshot sounded, and sparks flew near Dan.
"Ten seconds ago," Allen said, moving to the final cell. "Hold 'em off I've almost got the last door open."
Allen looked through the cell to find a young girl.
"Amelia?" He asked.
"Y-yes" the girl answered cautiously.
"I'm a friend of you father, I'm here to take you home."
"Oh thank god," Amelia said, rushing out of the cell door as soon as it opened.
Allen scanned the room.
"You wouldn't happen to know about a friend of mine, would you? Bald, on the older side."
"There's another area, I don't know where," Amelia replied softly. "They blindfolded me."
"Thanks." Allen nodded a few times. "Dan!" He suddenly called out, herding Amelia towards Dan and Piper. "Think you can get Amelia to safety?"
"Honestly, this couldn't be easier." Dan said, reloading his revolvers.
"Take Amelia. Get her home," Allen ordered.
"I can do that," Dan nodded before reaching out to shake Allen's hand "It was an honor working with you."
"Same."
When Dan had taken the girl and gone, Piper asked, "Do you know where Deacon is?"
Allen deflected the question. "Piper, I need you to follow Dan out and then go find Sam. He's probably at Greentop Nursery."
"Blue, what's your plan?" Piper demanded, worried.
"Don't really have one, I have a goal and rough approach." Allen took out a stealth boy and turned it on. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Oh great." Piper muttered to herself.
There were few things in the world Allen hated more than a mad scientist. It wasn't the trail of bodies they left in their wake, it wasn't delusions of grandeur, it wasn't even the hope that they inspired in their followers. No, it was the tempting logic. A psychological test to root out third generations synths would be useful, even for the Railroad.
But as Allen tore his way through the compound, uncovering every broken tortured soul, learning of the horrifically ineffective methods the Compound was using to create an ineffective test, he became sure of his decisions. The price was too high, and just when Allen was resigning himself to fact that his friend might have paid that price too, Allen found him. Of all the things to say, Allen just asked, "Geiger counter?"
"In the shop." Deacon croaked out.
"Found these on my way," Allen handed Deacon a pair of sunglasses.
"You do care." Deacon declared, as dramatically as he could. "I knew you'd miss me."
"Only with every bullet so far." Allen pulled Deacon over his back.
"Good to see you, The Operative."
"Good to see you too, buddy."
"Has the General gone off the deep end yet?" Sam asked, following Piper's lead.
"I don't think so." Piper answered.
"Damn, there's a pool going." Sam had done a relatively good job of remaining quiet over the course of their trip to Covenant but now that the community was in sight he was back to his normal self.
"You have a pool going about the general?" Piper asked incredulously.
"Numerous, best stop talking about it, one of them involves you."
It was also best that they stop talking because they had arrived at the gates of Covenant.
After letting themselves in, the Minutemen squad was struck by overwhelming silence.
"Covenant was home to at least a couple dozen people, it shouldn't be this quiet." Piper mused, taking tentative steps through Covenant.
"If the general's killed everyone, I'm out a hundred caps." Sam complained.
"Now's not the time." Piper admonished.
"It's always the time for bad jokes." Sam declared, rounding a corner to find the source of the silence.
Seemingly all the residents of Covenant were corralled into the same corner of the community, while Allen kept watch over them, weapon in hand.
"Glad you could make it." Allen greeted, not sounding particularly glad at all.
"What's going on?" Piper demanded.
"Are you having another episode? Preston told me you were done with those." Sam commented.
"I'm not having an 'episode'," Allen denied, "and to answer your question, Piper, what's going on here is a testament to my restraint."
Allen started to pace among the crowd of settlers.
"That's the theme of today," Allen began, "Restraint. To be perfectly honest, I'd be able to kill you all right now and probably sleep very well tonight." Allen briefly made eye contact with Piper. "But luckily for all of you, I found my friend, a little roughed up sure, but alive. As I'm in a especially jolly mood, I'm not going to systematically execute you for your crimes."
"We didn't do anything!" A particularly brave settler called out, "We didn't know about the Compound we swear."
"That's kind of the problem," Allen said casually, "anybody with any sense would know that something about this place is messed up, but none of you," Allen's tone took a dark turn, "Not fucking one thought to look into it! Not one person decided that this was a little too good to be true, and walked away." Allen calmed down, "But who can blame you? It's a dangerous world, someone comes along offering you safety, comfort, food. Who are you to say no?" Allen returned to the front of the crowd. "That's your crime, willful ignorance and apathy. The sentence, of course, is banishment from covenant."
If there were a time for anybody to object that would have been it, instead there was a meek "But where will we go?"
"Anywhere," was the answer, "Lieutenant Sam here will be offering escorts to nearby settlements. But you can go anywhere as long as it's not here."
They could have complained, could have rioted, fought back. But they didn't, maybe they were smart, maybe they were scared, but all they did was form a single file line before Sam. One resourceful young lady asked to join the minutemen, Sam (being the kind guy he was) only made a moderately crude joke before allowing her a chance to join the good guys. Piper and Allen spent some time watching the proceedings, before growing tired and walking away.
"Thirsty?" Allen asked Piper.
"A little bit, why?"
"Found out about this local bot, Deezer, apparently he serves lemonade."
"Don't you need lemons for that?"
"My lemonade tended to start as a powder."
"So, since you'd be the authority," Piper said to Allen as they walked away from Deezer, "does this actually taste like lemonade?"
"Is this actually what you want to talk about?" Allen asked, taking a swig, "Aren't you just brimming with curiosity?"
"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." Piper answered, shrugging.
"I found Deacon, he's resting right now. I 'persuaded' a doctor into helping me patch him back up. The Compound was as bad as it looked, probably a little worse, and I'd rather not discuss the details." Allen recited, finding a place to sit, and sitting with a dramatic groan.
"What do you want to discuss?" Piper said.
"Is a comfortable silence too much to hope for?" Allen requested, taking a deep draw from the lemonade.
"I can try but it won't last long."
"It tastes like the kind of lemonade kids sold on their front lawns." Allen returned the focus to their beverages.
"How did that start as a powder?"
"You know I don't actually know, nobody ever properly explained it to me, and I was never curious enough to ask."
"I've always wondered about the old world." Piper trampled, trying to veer focus from all the bullshit they'd had to deal with lately. "Like, what was baseball, and was it actually as dangerous as Moe makes it sound."
"Well I don't know what Moe has said," Allen continued, playing along, "But if he made it sound dangerous he was doing it wrong."
Marion once told Allen spy's needed to obsess over details, and if Allen had been paying attention he'd have noticed a few things.
He'd have noticed Sam walk into the room Deacon was staying in with a purse full of caps, and walk out without it.
He'd have noticed that, despite being surrounded by reminders, he'd managed to go an entire few hours without thinking of Nora, Shaun, his future, or the future of the Commonwealth.
Maybe he'd even notice that this was the friendliest he and Piper had ever been since he put on the mantle of Shroud.
But today was his day off, and he didn't notice shit.
