Bury me in Snow – Act 7: Things I have learned.

Nick tried to ignore the laboured breaths sounding from the person resting against his chest and the light tremor that occasionally took over their form. He tried to ignore the ticking of his Geiger counter, which was low but constant like the last few grains in a sand timer, and he tried to ignore the pain he felt and the guilt. He had let emotion get the better of him before and this is why he came rushing in here despite all the now glaringly obvious signs that this was a trap. He couldn't fully silence the sad thought that the two of them had first met with him trapped in that vault. He wasn't a fan of the irony that trapped is how they should part.

The silence bore into him. With nothing more than the reminding tick of his radiation metre and her struggling for breath he could feel his mind cracking under the pressure of its own looped thoughts. He had to think of something else… Maybe he could keep calling until one of the guards came. Maybe she could just play dead and they could see where Claire's sick, twisted plan went from there and try to find a hole in it.

"Hey, Nick," her voice breathed from where it was tucked against his neck, under his jaw. "Think you can read a bit to me?"

He smiled to himself faintly. "Sure." He began reciting from one he believed was a favourite of hers. He remembers with a quiet chuckle to himself the very first time she'd made this request of him. It was back when they were trying to free the Commonwealth from the dark clutches of the Institute and she'd asked him if he'd stay with her the night – had said that she didn't feel comfortable sleeping in a strange place without a lock on the door. ..Come to think of it he doesn't even think there was a door. He'd agreed. It was a reasonable request and he didn't sleep so keeping watch was no trouble for him. 'Would you.. read to me?' she'd asked with obvious hesitance. She'd expanded when he'd looked at her questioningly. 'I just, find your voice soothing…' He'd been flattered but had still laughed a little at the colour her face went. He'd sat down then and spoke aloud lines he could remember from the last book he'd read. Poetry he thinks it was. He did the same now, as he'd done on a few rare occasions throughout that past year, only instead of sitting at the foot of the bed or in a nearby chair he held her close. "O my Luve's like a red, red rose, that's newly sprung in June; O my Luve's like the melodie, that's sweetly played in tune. As fair art thou…~" *

"Shhh!" the boy sounded ducking behind a broken wall. Ellie followed suit and listened to Dogmeat growling, his heckles raising. "There!" he stated quietly but urgently pointing at the entrance.

"How can you be sure?" Ellie asked him feeling her insides freezing over. This couldn't be happening, this was all just a bad dream…

"I'm sure of it," Shaun persisted. "Dogmeat lead us here and I recognise those outfits. Those are the guys!"

Ellie sighed uneasily. "But there are too many of them, we'll never get through there. Shaun… Look, you did great getting here I'll admit it but this is where we're out matched. Let's go back and get Diamond City security or the Minutemen to help us."

The boy shook his head vigorously. "There's no time. They might leave or decide they don't' want my mother around anymore, besides Diamond City security never do anything! Though… I now wish I'd picked up a signal flare.. The minutemen would've come I'm sure."

"Then we should go find them," Ellie persisted, keep to get him away. Her gut felt like a lead weight when instead the boy pointed to something else in the loading bay area.

"There," he stated as if this suddenly changed everything. Ellie strained to see what he was pointing to. Shaun answered the question she dared not ask. "It's a set of protectrons!"

Before she could even begin to form a response to that the boy was moving towards them. She reached to grab him but missed having to pull back in against the wall to hide when one of the guards looked their way. "Shaun!" she hissed after him but the boy just waved her off assured that he would be fine. He definitely wouldn't be fine! Because if they made it through all of this she was going to kill him! He crept through the rubble keeping low and to the shadows and Ellie was certain her heart would stop every time one of the guards drew close and was confident that it actually did when he misjudged a dash and one of said guards raised their head at the noise. Ice filled her veins as the gunman walked towards Shaun and Dogmeat to investigate, weapon in hand and ready to use. Her breathing erratic she searched frantically for something she could use. Picking up a stone from the ruins of the wall she threw it, pleased it landed some distance behind the gunman. He turned his head moving quickly to find the cause whilst she hid, tucked beneath her own meagre shelter with a silent prayer only drawing breath again when she peered out to see the child and Dogmeat using the brief distraction to hide somewhere else. The gunman shook his head putting the sounds down to the normal crumbling of the old, damaged building and Shaun took his own breath of relief sneaking the rest of the short way over to the terminal he'd spotted.

Computer hacking had turned out to be another talent of his along with building and engineering, granted he still had a lot to learn in both. Seemed computers and machines just worked well with him and it helped that Nick had taught him a few things too. It took longer to get in than he felt comfortable with but eventually he earned the prize he'd been hoping for. The two protectron units whirled into action starting about their noisy patrols and drawing the attention of every guard in the area whilst doing so. He'd seen his mother use this trick once before and he got a thrill at getting to try it out himself. Hastily he hid himself behind a number of crates until the guards had all passed him to chase the machines which had every intention of going down with a fight now that someone had been stupid enough to shoot one of them. He grinned him himself trying not to laugh and called for Dogmeat to follow him. He kept low and hurried on inside the warehouse main building before anyone could see them. Meanwhile Ellie looked on, not entirely sure if she were horrified, impressed or outraged by the events transpiring before her very eyes. Spotting the child and dog run on ahead inside snapped her out of her stupor however and, having a much more dangerous task of making it across the loading bay to the entrance doors swallowed her fears, closed her eyes and made a mad dash, as quickly as she could move whilst still crouching behind old, rusted wagons and rotten car shells. She made it in just in time to see the fluffy tip of a tail disappear through a set of doors and gave chase, intent on strangling the two of them.

The dog licked at his hand and drew him forward with a wag of his tail. "You found them boy?" Shaun grinned, his expression replaced by one of terror, the dog yelping then snarling when a hand reached out and grabbed him by the waist lifting him into the air. Teeth and fangs where presented to the attacker and Shaun felt a sudden panic at the sight of a gun pointed at Dogmeat's head, finger pulling down on the trigger. "NO!" he screamed. A loud sound dampened his cry and Dogmeat recoiled with a faint whine and a look of terror as Shaun felt himself falling forward, the once strong arm around his waist releasing him, the body of the attacker dropping to the floor with a wound to his skull that looked like it would leave more than a simple headache if he ever woke up. He turned around to once again face a furious and haggard looking Ellie, this time with a wrench in hand.

"Enough!" she growled at him and even Dogmeat was smart enough to have his tail tucked between his legs. Gunmen where no problem but an angry secretary with a wrench was a whole new ball game for him. "Are you trying to get us both killed!?"

"N-no.. I just.." the boy responded feebly.

"Just nothing," she snapped cutting him off. "I've had it. You've dragged me half way across the Commonwealth and now we're stuck inside a dilapidated basement filled with trigger happy madmen. I'm taking charge. We're going to find Nick and your mum and then we are going home. Once we are home you will be cleaning and filing in the agency for the next 3 months do you understand me!"

Shaun blinked at her. It's not often that he got into trouble and he guesses he has really crossed a line this time but.. that doesn't change what he thinks he just heard. "You mean.. we- we're gonna keep looking for them!" he asks not able to hold back the hope and the eager smile that comes with it. Hell, he'd clean the agency for a whole year if it where true.

Ellie sighed heavily. She wanted to stay mad but she couldn't. It wasn't in her to do so and even less so when faced with a kid this cute – granted he was pushing the boundaries of 'cute' right now. "Yes. We are already here and I don't think we could turn back now even if we wanted to.. Finding them is our only hope." The two seemed alight with renewed confidence at her words and she shook her head in disbelief at the whole situation. "Stay quiet. We'll follow Dogmeat but keep your eyes peeled for guards and traps."

The dog guided them through a difficult series of corridors. Ellie was grateful that so many of the storeroom doors where open as they often needed to quickly duck inside of them to hide from a passing patrol guard. She disliked getting into fights and felt herself outmatched by experienced killers but having the dog distract a lone guard so that she could hit them over the head from behind worked out the two more times she had to do it. There was a little guilt there, but not much. They reached what she thought must have been the lowest level to find what seemed to be an empty basement. She frowned feeling more unnerved by this than the floors with the guards on it. At least on those floors she knew what was out to get them. "Shaun.. I don't think there's anyone down here… maybe we should check someplace else." The dog barked twice however causing the child to shake his head.

"Dogmeat knows where he's going. He's pointing for us to go that way. Hey wait, what's that."

Following the boy's line of sight Ellie squinted at the object overhead. It was facing to aim further down the corridor and it was so dark she was surprised that the boy had spotted it. "I don't know.. it.. almost looks like a turret but it's far too small." She noted the cable attached to it leading down and towards what she assumed would be its power source. She pulled at it disconnecting the cable and hoping it disabled whatever type of trap that was. "Keep an eye out for any more ok?" she told the boy as the three moved forwards both carefully and quietly. They only found one other before she heard voices and motioned for the boy to pull in to the wall. They both listened trying to work out where the guard must be from the sound of his voice. She frowned to herself. It was distant and muffled but she was it sounded familiar. Nodding her head forwards they edged ever closer, their eyes and ears focused on finding anything dangerous. She found it strange that of the traps they came across not a single one was in use and her heart thumped wildly against her chest. She liked this less and less. Perhaps ferals lived down here and that is why they guards kept their distance?

"You are violets with wind above them. A child - so high - you are, and all this is folly to the world."**

Ellie frowned before realisation took all the weight and coldness from her chest in a wave of relief and recognition. That was poetry, and Nick's voice speaking it. By the looks of it Shaun had had the same moment of epiphany as she and Dogmeat barked excitedly at a heavy looking door causing the voice to pause for a moment before calling out with greater volume. "Someone there?"

The voice sounded hopeful and Ellie and Shaun both moved over to look through the window, only Ellie being tall enough to actually see properly, Shaun standing on his tiptoes to peer in through the corner. She could see them both and immediately she understood the new severity of their situation. She wasn't a doctor but she was pretty certain that a healthy human skin tone shouldn't be that colour.. Nick was already pulling himself into a standing position with his partner in his arms as Ellie tried frantically at the handle to pull the door open. "You gotta use that terminal to get the door open," Nick prompted. Shaun was on the task before Ellie could so much as turn around. Fortune would have it that the computer was still unlocked from when Nick hacked into it and the door swung open. Elie had to take several steps back, she'd expected he'd be eager to get out of there but he well nearly ran her over as if a ticking bomb had just been released in the cell. "Get away from there," he warned drawing them both back down the hall where they had just come from. The dog yelped and barked when the door slammed itself shut seconds later nearly taking his nose off. He growled taking his revenge by cocking a leg up to it.

Shaun rushed over to the two detectives grasping at the coat Nick still had wrapped around his mother. "What's wrong with her?" the boy demanded. "Is-is she gonna be ok?"

Nick seemed to be taking a moment to get his bearings but was swift to act turning to Ellie and carefully transferring his partner to her back. She felt her legs strain to take the weight but she leant forwards to keep her there safely. Nick drew his gun and ushered the child behind him. There was only one way out now and the synth seemed to want to waste no time going about it. "We need to get her to a doctor. Stay behind me and stay hidden. They've been watching us this whole time so no doubt she knows we're breakin' out of here." He had questions of course about how the two of them had ended up there but those questions could wait for later. Right now his partner was running short on time.

"She? She who?" he heard asked to him as he motioned for them to move forward. He raised his pistol and strode purposefully ahead without a further word. Answers and questions later, right now he needed his head in the game and a clear path away from this damn place.

He wasn't wrong. There where numerous guards blocking their path and for the second time Nick was glad that the nature of that trap meant that there was no one there to empty his pockets and take his weapons from him. A well-aimed grenade followed by swift and accurate shooting was made all the more difficult given that he only had the one working eye at current but still vital to their success in escape and so he worked harder than he believes he ever has in the past. He is grateful for Dogmeat's assistance in this as otherwise he'd be fighting completely unaided with three people to protect. He can't say the odds where ones he would have picked for himself but here he was. Upon reaching the ground floor he cleared enough of a path that the three could back themselves out of the side door into the room Shaun recognised as being home to the protectrons he'd released earlier. Pity they were no long around to help them now. Another grenade broke the ranks of the gunmen and Nick ushered them forwards. "Run! Head west until you reach the road and don't stop running until you reach Diamond City. Get Doc Sun to look her over, the rads down there have been eatin' at her fer hours."

"What about you?"

He heard the boy call out to him but once again he shook his head finding himself without time to give a proper response. "I'll cover ya, now move!" Another grenade kept the guards at a distance whilst Ellie took the boy by the hand urging him to come with her and his mother. Dogmeat seemed torn and Nick glanced at the animal briefly readying his pistol again. "Go with them boy. Keep 'em safe for me will ya." He heard the responding bark and hurried footsteps moving to catch up with the otherwise unarmed trio. He would admit that he could use the help but he'd been stuck in touch situations like this before. He wasn't beaten then and sure as heck he wouldn't be beaten now.

Poem References:

* A Red, Red Roseby Robert Burns

** A Girlby Ezra Pound