Chapter 4

Blake stuck the plug into the receiver and punched the button, just like he'd done to escape Vault 111, the door wrenched itself open with the metal grinding of a sawmill, effectively arousing all the denizens within to their presence.

"Why's the door have to be so god damn loud?!" Blake heard a man ask out loud from out of his visual range, Blake looked back to see that General Haldis had collapsed with his back against a pillar, Isabel was mumbling to herself as she tended to her husband's wounds, the other two were crouched on either side of him, trying to keep his eyes open,

Ellie doing her best to not cry, "honey, baby keep your eyes on me!"

Britannia getting a little bit angry, "Dorian I swear to Christ if you leave me now I'm not sure I can go on..."

Then Isabel as she flailed a bit, knocking both the other girls down, "BOTH OF YOU shut up and go help Blake, I need room to work...SPARKS!" The now damaged eyebot floated over and delivered a small shock to General Haldis which made him jump and gasp, "HOLYCHRIST...dont do that again..."

Isabel slapped him across the face, "if you pass out while i'm doing this there's a high chance you won't wake up."

The General smiled warmly as he caressed the side of the Mechanist's helmet like it was her cheek, "wouldn't do for me to go leaving you three alone would it?"

Ellie and Britania both walked up to Blake, armed and ready, a look of womanly fury in their eyes, "lets kill some thugs."

Britania raised her quantum gun and Ellie primed her marginally more threatening bayonet laden quad missile launcher, looking deranged as she took aim at the first gangsters to peek round the corner, "SHIT!" one of them shouted as Ellie and Britannia let loose, causing the vault to rock on its foundations, destroying all the gangsters in the entry hall.

Blake had just decided to let them do their thing and was now sitting next to Isabel as she worked on her husband.

when the stimpaks had done their work, General Haldis stood, popping his neck, "thanks babe."

Isabel got in his way, "um, where do you think you're going?"

General Haldis pointed into the vault, "i'll be fine."

"Dorian please..." Isabel hugged him close, Sparks beeping sadly as he floated down towards them, General Haldis patted her back, "I'll be fine hon, just keep close to me."

The General walked into the vault, patting Blake on the shoulder, "Good man, now let's clear these fuckers out and find Nick shall we?"

After walking down a few empty hallways, General Haldis held up his massive hand, in the tenuous silence, Blake heard talking, "You hear that? sounds like massive footsteps."

Blake gulped, looking up at General Haldis who put a hand on his face, "Sorry guys." Britannia stroked the General's chin, "Shhhh..." She made a move to step through the door at the end of the hallway but Haldis stopped her, "I got this."

all 3 of his wives moved to stop him but before they could he'd already slammed the door up with a massive hand and jumped down the ramp straight into enemy gunfire!

"Gee-whatduhfUHCK!" The gangsters all opened fire on him as he rushed from opponent to opponent, lopping off heads and splattering corpses, "What is this freak?!" Blake peaked out and saw the door at the bottom of the stairs shut tight, General Haldis slammed The Nukebringer into it but it didn't budge, "Right...This is one I need to use Finesse on."

Britannia, Isabel, sparks and Ellie all rushed down with Blake behind them as General Haldis stowed the Nukebringer at his back before hooking both fingers under the door and lifting it up with all his might, the mechanism buzzing in vain as the door was forced up.

Blake gasped as the door opened and revealed another gangster with a rocket launcher, "Eat this you freak!" he fired a single rocket that General Haldis caught in his teeth, grabbing it out of his mouth and chucking it at the gangster who fired it, the rocket made contact and exploded, splattering the hallway in blood.

finally they entered into a large three level atrium where there was only a single gangster standing on the third level, looking into a porthole window at the top, "How you doing in there, Valentine? gettin hungry? Want a snack?" General Haldis was taking baby steps to disguise his massive gait, The lack of thumping gave Blake the opportunity to listen in as Nick Valentine spoke, "Keep talking, Meat head, it gives Skinny Malone more time to think about how he's gonna bump you off!" Blake chuckled to himself, he did sound like a gumshoe, it was almost a satirical tone.

The gangster replied, "Don't Gimme dat crap Valentine, you know nothin you got nothin."

Nick taunted further, "Oh yea? I swear I saw him write your name in that black book of his."

The convo would have continued if General Haldis hadn't lobbed his hammer, it was a clumsy throw to be sure, but when it hit the man on the third floor, he went splat against the wall and fell to the floor immediately, silent and motionless, leaving a bloody splat mark on the window.

"NICK!" shouted Ellie, Nick rushed over to the window, "Who was that? was that Ellie Woodman?"

it was a mad rush up to the third floor to the door, "hey nick." Ellie waved through the window, "hey."

"Ellie Woodman...never thought you'd be the one to save MY bacon."

Britannia walked into view, "he sounds handsome, lemme see!"

Nick raises an eyebrow, "and company?"

Isabel used the terminal to open the door and General Haldis steps into the office, "And Husband."

Britannia posed sexily next to her husband, smiling at Nick, "and Wife."

Isabel poked her head in, "and wife."

Nick looks up at his rescuers, "Minuteman General Dorian Haldis? Didn't figure for one who'd take multiple wives, let alone a danger prone rocket girl like Ellie here."

General Haldis smiled, "Ellie and her sister wives are my favorite things about life these days, but more to the point. We have a Vault Dweller here who needs your more immediate attention."

Blake walks in, "Hello Mr. Valentine...My son was kidnapped...his name is Shaun, he's less than a year old, i don't know who took him or where he went."

Nick nodded, "A missing kid, huh? well you came to the right man, if not the right place."

General Haldis looks down at Nick, "What happened to you? how'd you get in here?"

Nick groaned and lit up a cigarette, "oh, I've been cooped up in here for weeks. Turns out the runaway daughter I came to get ain't kidnapped, she's Skinny Malone's new flame, and she's got a mean streak."

General Haldis groaned, "ew, gross."

Nick laughed, "yea, exactly." he turned to Blake, "Now, you've got troubles and I'm glad to help, but now aint the time, let's blow this joint, then we'll talk."

Britannia strutted over towards Nick as he got his things from around the room, "you're...not human." She looked him up and down.

Nick smiled as he stowed his pipe revolver in his coat, "nice of ya to notice, Dollface, I'm what the guys down in Diamond City call a Synth, a Synthetic organism."

Blake looked at him as well, totally desensitized at this point, "are those wire ties holding those chords to your chassis?"

Nick sighed, "we can talk about my self repair jobs later, lets get out of here, follow me."

General Haldis, Blake and the girls all fell into step behind Nick as he showed them the way down the stairs to the way out.

as Nick walked towards the next door however, he flattened himself against the wall, "Wait! I can hear some of them coming, how do you wanna play this?"

There was a short pause in which the group listened as several trigger men walked through the lobby on the other side of the door, "He was just supposed to go check on Nick! how can that take so fucking long?"

"HEY DINO! quit razzin that detective and get down here! where the hell could he be?"

General Haldis bellowed "AAAAAUGH!" as he charged into the open hall, the girls following suit as the three triggermen gasp and fumble for their guns.

Nick looked to his right to see Blake also flattened against the wall next to him, "Why aren't you running out there with your friends?"

Black laughed, "And get in their way?"

Nick shrugged, "Good point there...what was your name?"

"Blake." he said, "Pleased to meet you at last, Mr. Valentine."

General Haldis walked back in, "Guys we can go now, the coast is clear."

Nick chuckled, "Wouldn't be so sure, I can already hear those fat feet of Skinny's positioning himself in some doorway to block our escape."

and with that, The group continued towards the exit door.