"RJ! Take him!" Tears pour down his face, a screaming baby flailing in his arms. "Leave me! Save Duncan!" "I-I can't leave you." Pattering feet and loud growls come from the dark of the hallway. She forces herself to stand, she winces in pain as she puts pressure on her beaten up, bleeding leg. "Leave RJ!" She shouts shoving him away weakly, her own tears falling fast. She was afraid, he knew that, she was scared of dead, of the unknown, but she feared her childs more than her own.
MacCready continues to stand there staring at the women he loved, the women that gave him the biggest gifts of his life; never ending love of a wife, and child. She reaches up cupping his face and pacing her lips gently to his, kissing him like it was the last time. She then kisses the head of her child, making him clam a little looking up at his mother.
"I love you, so much. You're my brave soldier, you can do this." She gently nudges him towards the door. "I'll see you again one day, RJ. Wait for me." He pushes his way through the door, his vision blurry from tear as he races down stairs, her screams of sorrow and pain heard, so loud in his ears that it seem like nothing else exists.
"MacCready, hey. Wake up." His eyes snap open, panic rising in him at the unfamiliar face and strong grip on his arms. Instinctively he looks for Duncan, but he calms as everything comes back to him; Duncan was in a safe place, his beautiful wife was gone, he's in Goodneighbor as a gun for hire, and he was hired on by… he looks back up the unfamiliar face, which was coming in clearly now, a trusting weird women looking at him with concern, his new hire.
"Sole.." He sits up a little straighter, he was still in the dirty red chair, he wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but the vodka bottle lay empty on the floor, the comic now askew at his feet. "I.. um, did I wake you?" She shakes her head, standing slowly. "No. No. I've been awake for a while… do you want to ta-" "No." He says standing, cutting her off. No, he didn't want to talk, he didn't want to talk about his sick son, his dead wife, his shit line of work, all the lies he told to the only woman he's ever love, to the mother of his dying child. His heart tightens, he feels like crying, but he swallows it down, now wasn't the time, he need to be the soldier she thought he was.
"Okay…" She looks him over, concern still engraved on her face. She was already dressed, bag packed and by the door. "Well, get ready, we'll eat then go see, Kent." He nods his head, the last thing he wanted to do was see that ghoul, he wanted to leave Goodneighbor, go anywhere else, but right now he had a contract.
It doesn't take them long to get ready, taking the short walk to the memory den. "Why, hello, Macky, Dear." He gives an awkward wave to Irma, a soft pink blooming behind his ears. Sole looks over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow, he waves away her non-verbale questions. She gives him a devious smile, that wasn't good news.
She knocks softly on the ghouls door. "It's open!" His shrill voice calls out, she sings open the door, an excited smile plastered on both of their faces. He chuckles a little to himself, it was a connection he didn't understand, how it must feel to meet another person from your time. Then a bit of jealousy kicks in, the only reason he knew that was because she told the ghoul, she didn't even tell him that, maybe didn't trust him with it, but told a complete stranger right away.
He sighs choking down the jealousy, to be fair he was still only an acquaintance, and he wasn't two hundred, not even close to one hundred, he had no idea about their time, only story's. "I got your costume, Kent. And some other goodies you might like." She pulls the costume and prop gun, handing them over. He takes them from her hands, looking it up and down with pure innocent joy.
"There she is! Pretty as the posters. The Silver Shroud costume herself. And memorabilia too? You're something else. Together with my gun, everything's all set." "What're you planning next?" "I'll still working that out." He admits, rudding his hand over the side of his burnt neck. "Some details i want to run by you. But after all these years, the Silver Shroud is born again! But… there's just one problem."
Her smiles dips a little as she looks over the costume in his hands. "I didn't forget something did I?" He starts to laugh and shakes his head. "No, no, nothing like that. I'm just not Silver Shroud material. I could be Rhett Reinhart or his butler Jarvey Blake. But the Silver Shroud is strong, and capable." His small beady red eye's look up at Sole. Oh no. no. no. no. MacCready refused to let the ghouls thought take form, but before he can act Soles small elbow taps hard between his ribs. A small gasp of air comes out instead of words.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short." She say warmly to the ghoul as she shoots daggers at MacCready with her eyes. The ghoul chuckles. "I got a better idea who should wear it." MacCready shuts his eyes, waiting for the inevitable to come, unable to look at her knowing, excible grin. "You up for being the Silver Shroud? You already got your own origin story and everything. What with the cryovault and all."
"Why me?" MacCready's eyes open back up, the confidence that was there before was replaced by doubt, his mind wanders back to the Gallery, what she said: "Do you know how much blood i have on my hands now?" He finds himself oddly comparing her to himself. She was feeling lost, unworthy of being the hero, feeling… tainted.
"You helped me out when everyone else just laughed at me. And you're from the olden days, like me. You know how much things have fallen. How much we got to fight for. To make the place b-better. So, you in?" A bit of confidence re-enters her expression, and she nods. "Looks like i get to be the Shroud." The ghoul bursts with happiness, handing the costume back over. "The costume and gun are yours. So, you patrol Goodneighbor's streets and i'll call in any crimes on my radio station.
She accepts the clothing back. She releases her hair from the tight ponytail, her dirty blonde hair falling over her shoulder. She flips the hat in her hand and places it on her head, giving a cocky smile to MacCready.
"Here's some… calling cards, I guess. When you dispatch justice leave them behind. That way everyone knows the Silver Shroud has returned. Time to fight crime!" "Yeah!" She laughs, flicking her new hat with her thumb so it's above her eyes, but it's too big on her so it slides back down.
They exit the ghouls room and she points towards the back room, dressing room. He nods and heads over to Irma. "For a second I didn't think you were coming over to say hi." "Sorry, with a client right now." An unreadable expression crosses her face for a split second. "Well your client just went into my dressing room." "I know. That ghoul… um, Kent, sent us out to find some outfit. He gave it to her and said stuff about fighting crime." Irma sits up on her couch, resting her feet on the floor. "Is that so? That man is going to get himself in trouble." She huffs standing. "I better talk to him."
MacCready watches her walk off, planning on watching her figure go, but he see's Sole from the corner of his eyes and focuses on her instead. The corner of his mouth turns up into a silly grin, the costume was two sizes too big, making it very baggy on her, but she somehow made it work. She stood near the door in an action pose, the gun point outwards as it rested on her right hip, her head turned slightly town and to the left as her left hand held that hat in place, her eyes peeking at him from underneath it.
"All evil does beware the…" She cocks that hat up over her eyes, holding her head up high and resting her left hand on her other hip. "Silver Shroud!" He stifles back laughter as the hat slowly covers her eye's again, she didn't look very threatening or mysterious, more cute and kid-ish, playing dress up with her parents clothing.
Her smile somehow grows wider as she watches him cover his mouth and shoulders shake. This time she puts on a voice. "Do you not fear the Shroud?" This time he starts to laugh aloud, and she joins, pushing the hat back up for it to fall ye again. He holds up his hands. "No, no, you look… very scary." She gives a proud nod and lets the gun drop to her side, and he makes his way over to her. "Shall we go then, citizen?" She says, still in character. "Of course, Silver Shroud. Lead the way, sir." She beams up at him and takes over dramatic steps to the door and swinging it open, he follows in steep.
The people, and ghoul outside in Goodneighbor look over and laugh or make whispered jokes, but it doesn't seem to phase her as her smile doesnt once weaver. "I guess we should tune into Kents station." She says normal and clicks at her pip-boy, in a few seconds static sounds the a booming voice. "Galaxy News!" Then the ghouls - Kent's voice -which is much calmer- comes through. "Calling all Silver Shroud fans,once in a lifetime announcement: The Silver Shroud returns and he's gonna clean up the streets. Everyone heard how Wayne Delancy murdered Mrs. Selmy and her kid… over a few lousy caps. Death is coming for you, Wayne." It becomes silent then the booming voice comes back. "Galaxy News!"
She clicks off the radio and look to him. "I guess that's our first guy." "I guess." "Do you know him." His nose scrunches at the question. Yes he knew the dirt bag, he'd do anything to get some caps, but to be honest how was he any different? "Yeah, i know the as- jerk." "Where do we find him." "That way." He says pointing down the street. "Follow me."
