9. Keep A-Knockin'

It was porridge day. Again. Danse sighed and headed for the end of the line of counters to load his tray with slices of razorgrain bread. If only there were some meat to have with it… could almost have a normal breakfast. He loved being on the Prydwen, but feeding an entire ship with meat was undoubtedly more difficult than providing a small squad with it. Danse couldn't blame the mess sergeant for not undertaking that endeavour, but that didn't make porridge any more pleasant for him.

As he was looking for a place to sit, Paladin Brandis waved at him to signal he had a free seat. Brandis had not been cleared for field duty, so the most exciting parts of his day were mealtimes where he could tell stories. This meant there was usually a mixture of Scribes, Squires, Initiates and even Knights trying to score a seat at the table Brandis had claimed as his own by now. At this hour though, the table was still empty, save for the Paladin himself. I guess he can't sleep either. No wonder, after what he's been through.

"Morning, Paladin," greeted Danse as he set down his tray opposite Brandis.

"Morning, Paladin," echoed Brandis with a grin. "Still not a fan of porridge, I see."

Danse took a seat, a wry smile on his face. "An astute observation. I'm afraid I got more than a lifetime's worth of that in my early childhood. Never been able to stomach porridge after that. Tastes like disappointment and empty dreams."

"Ah, now that I can understand. I can't stand mole rat meat, no matter how well it's prepared." Brandis helped himself to a big spoonful of porridge. Even seeing the sticky texture made Danse feel a bit ill. How anyone could enjoy eating that was beyond him.

"So, what are your plans for today?" enquired Brandis, looking eager to get information about something that wasn't food or therapy sessions. "Some exciting missions ahead?"

"Depends on how Quinn does on her Knight Exam." Danse smiled as he said the term Quinn had given her current task. After being promoted to a Knight, she needed to go through some additional training that came with the rank. She had jokingly started calling it her Knight Exam. Danse didn't have the heart to tell her that the theoretical part was only the beginning and the true test would come after she passes Ingram's quizzing.

"Oh yes, I was helping her cram for it yesterday. She really takes it seriously. I think she actually likes it!" Brandis grinned. He took another heaped spoonful of porridge and washed it down with water before continuing. "She'll make a fine Knight."

"I still think she would suit being a Scribe better," said Danse with a sigh. "She is excellent with technology and the way she dived into the theoretical material makes me even more convinced that she would be really happy with Scribe duties. But she seems hell-bent on staying on the military side. Unfortunately, Maxson shared that opinion."

"Is that a note of discontent on the Elder's address?" Brandis seemed amused by that. "And here I was thinking that he could do nothing wrong in your eyes." He paused to wave at a Knight that had entered the mess hall. "But I do get what you mean. I've noticed how she usually steers for the Scribes' company instead of her fellow soldiers'. Give it time though and I'm sure she will get used to the military side. I'm guessing she didn't have much contact with military organisations before ending up here. It all takes time."

"I'm mostly worried about her trying too hard to fit in and crossing her own borders." Danse grimaced, remembering her disastrous attempt to bond with fellow Initiates. She could count herself lucky though. The poor Knight who had been on guard duty in the airport that evening had no idea who had been the culprit who ruined his night. The Scribes who had been tasked with cleaning his power armour had expressed their anger with such colourful language that Danse couldn't even understand all of it.

"I guess you're talking about explosives training," said Brandis with a chuckle. "Don't worry, there's been very few actual casualties during that."

Danse groaned. "Thank you, I had forgotten about that part." Great, having Quinn around large amounts of explosives is exactly what is needed. Here's hoping her school had lots of ball throwing games.

After breakfast, he had almost two hours before he was supposed to be at the power armour station. He used the time productively, catching up on the last bits of reports that needed revising and filing away. Paperwork was considered the worst part of being a Paladin by most, but Danse enjoyed the calm routine of writing and categorising. Writing reports could never beat field missions, but it was a relaxing interlude to being shot at.

When he reached Ingram's station, the Proctor was nearly done with quizzing Quinn on the parts and functions of power armour. The freshly appointed Knight was answering questions with the kind of confidence and pride that Danse had not seen in her before. Who knows, maybe my assessment was wrong and she will enjoy being a soldier after all.

"You've got an all-clear from me." Ingram gave the Knight an approving nod. "Only minor mistakes, but nothing outside the acceptable limits. You have clearly done your homework. Ah, and your sponsor is here as well. Paladin Danse, I believe Quinn is ready for the practical training now."

"Outstanding." Danse allowed himself a smile. "Thank you, Proctor. Quinn, I believe it's time you finally received your personal set of power armour. You have earned the right to use it."

Ingram pointed down the corridor that led to personal armour stations. "Quinn's is the last one on the right, just go back to the very end. It received its finishing touches only last night, I finally managed to fix the hydraulics. May it serve you well, Knight."

Quinn was positively beaming. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate the work you've put into that. I will do my best to… um… not have it blown up."

That earned a snort of dry laughter from Ingram. "Considering who your sponsor is, I don't have very high hopes for that. Then again, you actually know your way around technology. So perhaps you'll give me a positive surprise. Off you go now, enjoy it."

Finding Quinn's station was easy. It was the only one that was still completely empty, save for the suit of power armour itself. All other stations were at least partially littered with cleaning equipment, wrenches and scraps for repairs.

Danse was amazed this kind of disarray was even allowed; usually leaving even one tool around was grounds for punishment or at least a stern talk from Ingram. I guess there are bigger issues to tackle right now, like the mission Ingram is dealing with. I'm still not sure what could warrant such levels of secrecy, but it must be something big to make her relax on the rules to this extent.

"So this is it." Danse stood in front of the suit of armour, feeling a strange sensation of pride. "I am almost jealous. The first time you step in power armour is something special that you will remember forever."

"What was your first time like?" asked Quinn with a curious look. She suddenly recoiled and turned slightly pink. Danse was confused by that, but he decided to do what he usually did when Quinn acted strangely – ignore and hope it goes away.

"Felt like I could take on the world. It's an incredibly powerful feeling. Like everything, it should be approached with caution though. That feeling can turn against the wearer, since some soldiers get too confident and start overestimating the capabilities of both themselves and the armour."

"If it's anything like flying, I can totally see why it could start feeling like that." Quinn slid her hand over the metal surface of her armour set, fingers following the curves of the chest plate. "It's like a tank. I will probably feel absolutely tiny inside this."

"Ingram has taken that into account." Danse stepped behind the armour and turned the valve to open it. "Look in here. You can use these straps to either tighten the fit of the armour or loosen it if it gets too constrictive. She already adjusted it to your height, working on estimations. You will probably have to make some personal adjustments and fine-tune it to your liking, but this is a start."

He showed Quinn how to step in and how to get the armour to shut and open from the inside. She followed all instructions with the kind of curiosity he hadn't seen for a long time. It was heart-warming to finally see her taking something seriously, without cracking jokes about military procedures.

"Alright, soldier. Ready for this?" Danse took a step back to give Quinn room. That was her moment, he could only stand aside and feel proud for his student's progress.

She took hold of the handles inside the armour and pulled herself up to place her feet in the right place. Her body aligned with the metal limbs, she triggered the closing mechanism. Danse stood aside with the helmet, ready to help if needed.

She was getting used to the metal extension of her body, reaching out her arms to test their movement. She looked at her hands in wonder, the metal fingers closing in a fist and then stretching out.

"So, how does it feel?" asked Danse. Quinn made a non-committal noise.

"Not sure. It's certainly not flying, but it's also not entirely unpleasant." She proceeded with testing the legs, lifting her left foot and letting it back on the floor with a bigger thump than intended, judging by the cringe that followed.

Danse smiled. It always took new Knights a bit of time to get used to the power increase. "Just wait until you go flying with power armour. Now that's pure enjoyment. Alright, let's get you used to the helmet as well. You can do the honours yourself."

He handed the helmet to Quinn, who attempted to flip it in the air like she had seen Danse doing. He caught it before it reached the floor. "You'll need to practise that a bit more," he chuckled as he returned the helmet to her. "Just put it on for now. When you hear the click, you know it has attached properly."

She put the helmet on, shuffling it from side to side for a moment before it clicked onto the rest of the suit. Looks like a proper soldier. Until she opens her mouth, at least.

"Alright, give me a moment to suit up and we can head to the airport for the training. Or you can follow me already and try to get used to walking without shaking the entire floor." It took him less than a minute to locate his set of armour and get settled in. Quinn had fallen quiet, but he assumed she was getting overwhelmed by the new sensations. First few times in power armour were like learning to walk again, with so many new things to take into account and get used to.

They took a vertibird down to the airport. Danse knew that some soldiers had tested jumping from the Prydwen to the ground, but that was generally frowned upon as the shockwave tended to knock things over. As this was Quinn's first time in power armour, he was definitely not about to encourage such endeavours. She could practise airdrops in a less inhabited area and preferably from a lower height.

"There is a shooting range set up just outside the base," said Danse as he walked through the airport field, Quinn clunking next to him. "It's the perfect place to get used to weapon usage in power armour. It's nothing overly complicated, but it takes a bit of practice."

They took their position at the shooting range that had a few Initiates practising without power armour a bit further away. "Since adapting to the increased strength takes some time, this training will be with weapons provided for the range," explained Danse, showing her the normal rifle he had picked up. "Using our laser weapons would be a terrible waste as replacing those is several times more costly."

He took a test shot at one of the targets to make sure they were not set up too far for basic practise. As the gunshot boomed through the air, Quinn clambered a few steps back, nearly toppling over. She started pulling at her armour, muffled sounds coming from the helmet.

"Quinn?" Danse lowered the rifle and frowned. "Is something wrong?"

She twisted the helmet, trying to pull it off. "Get me out! I need to get out. Out. I want to get out, I need to get out." Her frantic rambles were getting faster as she struggled with her armour, evidently having forgotten how to open it.

Danse dropped the weapon and rushed to her, worrying that something had gone very wrong inside her suit. "Quinn, I can't open it. It's a safety measure; you can only open it from the inside when someone is in the suit." She was still twisting around and repeating that she needed to get out. Danse had to increase his voice. "Quinn, listen to me! The switch is at your left hand. Use the switch!"

Just as Danse was about to go ask someone to help get her out, the suit opened with a hiss. Quinn exited so fast that she nearly tumbled as she pulled her head out of the helmet. Danse had seen her cry before, but not with this kind of haunted look. She didn't even seem to register her surroundings as she crumpled to the dusty ground.

Danse exited his power armour to squat down beside her. "Quinn?" No response. What the hell happened to her? "Quinn, talk to me. Did the armour do anything to you? Are you hurt?"

She was breathing heavily, trying to control the panic that had evidently taken her over. Danse gave her time to gather herself, unsure how he could help. Finally, she drew a shaky breath, wiped her face of tears and looked up at him.

"I'm so sorry." She sounded horrified, but still tried to smile. "I… I have no idea what happened. It just got kind of cramped in there and felt like I couldn't breathe properly. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you like this."

"Never mind that," said Danse, the lines on his forehead growing deeper. "Are you alright? I will have Ingram double-check your suit to make sure there's nothing wrong with it."

Quinn started to look embarrassed. "No-no, there's nothing wrong with the suit. Don't bother her with that. I just freaked out a bit, that's it. Not used to such tight places."

She is lying. This is definitely not just slightly freaking out. Damnit, Quinn, when will you start trusting the people around you? Danse felt his frustration rise. "If there is something going on that could affect your field performance, you are obligated to inform your superior of it. If you really feel uncomfortable doing that, you have to at least go to Knight-Captain Cade and seek help from him. Being a martyr helps no-one."

"I'm fine," snapped Quinn, now visibly annoyed. "Just drop it, will you?"

Danse's eyes narrowed at her. "I don't appreciate your tone, soldier. If you're feeling so fine, prove it. Get back in the power armour and let's finish this training session."

"Fine!" Quinn pushed herself up with a sharp move and hoisted herself back inside the set of armour. She hesitated for a while, making Danse think she was about the change her mind, but eventually she flicked the switch to shut the suit around her.

"What do I have to do?" Her voice came out a bit forcedly, but she managed to keep it level. Danse handed her the rifle he had dropped earlier.

"You have to hit the middle target ten times in a row. Then I'll let you off for lunch." He stood to the side, one hand clasping the other's wrist behind his back. This should be interesting.

He gave her one thing, she was determined. The amount of swearing was on a steady increase over the next few hours, spiking up every time she botched the seventh or eighth shot of an otherwise perfect series. These were rare though, as she usually had to start over after only two or three shots, sometimes missing the target by an embarrassingly wide margin. Even though she had never been a particularly good shot, failures of this level were novel for Danse to see.

He stood there wordlessly, not interrupting or even offering advice. By this point, the exercise was not about her proficiency with a rifle anymore. It was about seeing whether she could accept needing help and having to face her problems. So far the results had not been overly promising. Danse was beginning to fear they might stay there until sundown.

His estimation wasn't overly off the mark. The sun was getting close to the horizon by the time Quinn managed to reach the goal. She nearly broke the rifle as she threw it to the ground after her last shot.

"Breaking equipment on purpose can earn you a weekend of peeling tatos," warned Danse with a frown. "Pick up your weapon, soldier, and return it to the shooting range lockers. You are dismissed for today."

"Sir-yes-sir." That was the first thing Quinn had said to him since he had given her the orders for target practice. He couldn't see her face due to the helmet, but that was perhaps a good thing at that point.

The rest of her power armour training followed a similar pattern. She would get visibly upset, perform either horribly or at an almost acceptable level, but kept refusing that anything was wrong or that she would need help. Danse felt frustrated to no end, but he could not find a way to get through to her. He was grateful to at least not be in charge of her explosives training, though from the reports he read, she performed considerably better in that. He wrote that success under her being allowed to do it in regular clothes. Steel help us if she would have to do explosives training in power armour.

Eventually, her skills were deemed good enough to move on from the training at the base. Danse had put aside a small mission for the next phase – it was small, doable in one day, required only one or two soldiers and was located close to the base in Cambridge Police Station. In other words, it was perfect.

Since Quinn was to be in charge of that mission, he let her choose how to approach it and what equipment to take. It came as no surprise that she opted for fatigues and combat armour instead of her power armour. As he was following her lead, he dressed up the same way. They both packed their laser rifles and some rations that should feed them for a day. The hardest part of preparations was to tear Quinn and Haylen apart so they could set out for the mission.

The visit to the police station was supposed to be a quick drop-by to inform Haylen that they were finally about to clear out Cambridge Polymer Labs. As soon as they had found the Scribe at her desk, poring over the schematics of some intricate technological gizmo, Danse knew it was going to take some time. The Knight's eyes lit up as she joined Haylen to discuss the Scribe's newest project. Danse's focus drifted off as the two were throwing around technical terms he had not even heard about. Or probably he had heard them at some point, but forgotten them the same moment as they didn't have any real meaning to him.

"I'm sure this is all terribly interesting, but the Knight and I have a mission to accomplish." The boredom in his voice may have been a bit too evident, judging by the amused look exchanged between the women. "Haylen, you should be glad to hear that our destination is the lab complex that you've requested to have looked at."

"Should be great, I will finally get to boss Danse around." The grin on Quinn's face made Danse shake his head.

"That is not the point of the mission, Knight. I am there to evaluate your decision-making and make sure you have learned how to conduct yourself as is appropriate for a Brotherhood soldier. Not to be bossed around."

"Good luck to both of you." Haylen laughed and patted the schematics in front of her. "I have plenty of amusement here, but a part of me is sad I will not get to witness this. Try to come back in one piece, alright?" She got up from the desk to give Quinn a hug. Danse received a smile and a nod. "Was great to see you again, sir."

"Likewise, Haylen." Danse returned a smile and hoisted his backpack up from the floor. "We will come by here after the mission, so you will probably see us again before the day is over."

"As we'll be staying here for the night, I might even be able to help you build it a bit," said Quinn as she gestured towards the sketches and calculations. "Anyway, see you soon!"

She grabbed her backpack as well and the two soldiers headed out together. As annoyed as Danse had grown with Quinn over her stubborn refusal to admit she needed help, he was glad to see her being casual and relaxed again. There would still be the issue of how she would handle the next mission that would probably require power armour, but for now she seemed to be fine.

The lab complex that they had thought to be empty had at least one remaining inhabitant. In fact, that inhabitant had been there since before the Great War. The Miss Nanny robot that greeted them at the entrance was badly damaged, the rusted interiors visible through the missing panel on its side. One of its eyes was gone and the arms looked like they might fall off at any given moment. Danse was surprised this unit was still capable of speech, considering the condition it was in.

"Welcome to the Cambridge Polymer Labs!" said the robot, the cheer in its voice contrasting with the destroyed interiors of the building. "My name is Molly. How may I be of assistance? Do you have an appointment made?"

Quinn turned her head to look at Danse who shook his head to signify that he was not about to interfere. She coughed her voice clear before addressing Molly with a matching positive voice. "Oh no, I'm afraid I don't have an appointment. I would be very interested in meeting the boss though. Can that be arranged?"

"I'm afraid the boss is busy." Molly floated a bit closed and extended its tongs-equipped arm towards Quinn. "If you're looking for a job though, there are plenty of employment opportunities in the field of scientific research. Would you like to begin your application now?"

"Yes, I would be very interested in working here." The irony in her voice didn't register with the robot who seemed excited to get a new employee.

"Splendid. What qualifications do you have in the field of science?"

Quinn hesitated for a moment before answering. "I have a degree from the electrical engineering and computer science department at CIT."

"Let's see what employment opportunities we have available for someone given your qualifications." Molly fell silent for a few seconds, apparently going through its internal database. "Due to increased demands for staff in all fields, we have condensed the employment test accordingly. Do you possess previous experience with polymer synthesis?"

"Uh… sure. Yes, I worked with them all the time." Quinn nodded to emphasise her words.

Molly paused again, processing the information. "Calculating test results. I am pleased to offer you the position of Researcher. And your companion here?"

Quinn took a glance at Danse over her shoulder. "He has the same qualifications, we studied together."

"Excellent! We are in need of more scientific staff. Welcome to the family of Cambridge Polymer Labs." Molly floated to a locker and retrieved two lab coat sets that she handed to the soldiers. "Here are your uniforms."

Danse took hold of the small pile of clothes he was handed, eyeing the robot suspiciously. I thought the recruitment process was way more rigorous before the war. This is how people got a job in military labs?

"Would you like a tour of the facility before beginning your first workday?"

Quinn shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Show us around." As Molly started moving towards a corridor, motioning them to follow, Quinn turned to Danse with amusement on her face. "What's she going to show us, broken toilets and piles of rubble?"

"There may still be other inhabitants," warned Danse. Something about this place gave him the chills. "Remain vigilant."

The robot guided them to a room that was mostly filled with broken chairs, some of them hidden under pieces of the ceiling that had caved in. Molly asked them to take a seat, so they found two chairs that were still mostly intact and sat down.

Molly looked over the room as if it was filled with spectators instead of the two soldiers who were still holding on to the folded lab coats they had been handed. "Welcome to the orientation tour. We will begin with the history of the facility. The genesis of Cambridge Polymer Labs lies in the research of a group of brilliant graduate students. Jon Elwood, Ericka Woolum and Wilfred Bergman met during their time together at the CIT. This slide shows them at their graduation."

As Molly flicked one of the floating arms, thinking it was switching the non-existent slides, Quinn perked up in her chair next to Danse. "Shit, Wil?" she whispered with a grin spreading over her face. "No fucking way."

Danse's eyes widened in surprise. So her studying in CIT was not another one of her cover lies?

"Their research into nucleostrictive and piezoelectric polymers caught the attention of Colonel George Kemp in the fall of 2073. In the spring of 2074 the company was founded, with a generous grant provided by the Defence Experimental Research Project Initiative." Molly flicked an arm again, trying to swap slides. "The research produced here has resulted in several of components used in the Liberty Prime project that led to the successful defence of Anchorage."

Another flick. "The company enjoys a strong relationship with the military and welcomes your addition to the research team that helps build a better America." For a moment it seemed that Molly was about to say something more, but a weird sound from the inside of its head interrupted, halting its speech with a screech.

"Thank you for the tour," said Quinn. She stood up and dusted off her outfit. "So, time to get to work, I guess." She was still looking amused, like it was all a giant joke to her. Does she think this is a game? What was it that people in the old times did… masquerade? Play-pretend games?

Molly seemed to have overcome the glitch in its head. "Please follow me to the research lab so that you may begin your work." As the robot guided them through corridors, it pointed out different areas of the building, including the employee relaxation area that was probably very luxurious a long time ago. They stopped at dressing rooms. "Please change into uniforms before proceeding to the clean room." Molly floated a bit further, giving them space.

"Are you seriously planning to indulge this robot for longer?" asked Danse with a frown. "You are in charge of this mission, but I fail to see what advantage does it give us to play along."

"It gives us the advantage of keeping Molly from becoming hostile towards the intruders that we are." The smile that appeared on Quinn's face had childlike mirth in it. "Plus this is so much more fun than just walking in and shooting everything. And she gives us extra information. So, I have made my decision as the boss." She pointed at the uniform Danse was still awkwardly holding in his hand. "Suit up, soldier."

Slowly shaking his head, Danse turned to the door that led to men's dressing room. Quinn broke down in fits of laughter moments later when he ended up with the handle in his grasp and the door slamming to the ground, barely missing him. "I guess this dressing room is out of order," said Danse dryly as he peered into the mess that used to be a room before the roof had decided to meet the ground a long time ago.

"Just get in here, it's not like you'll shock some poor lady going to work." Quinn signalled him to join her in the opposite room. Despite feeling odd about stepping past the sign that clearly marked this area as women's dressing room, Danse did as requested. With their backs towards each other, they stripped out of their fatigues to replace them with lab coats and regulation trousers for the lab environment. He felt very conscious of his moves and the location of his partner as he was changing clothes. This was definitely not normal mission procedure. Then again, how many missions with her have followed proper procedure down to a T?

Danse was about to add his armour pieces on top of the new uniform, but as Quinn made no move to do so, he skipped that step as well. She is in charge, so it's up to her to decide how to proceed. I can only hope the robot will not insist that we leave our weapons behind. Would be a waste to kill it after going through all this effort to blend in.

Molly didn't even mention the fact that the new employees were carrying laser weapons that should definitely not be a part of a lab uniform. Danse felt relieved. For a change, he had a mission that was going without any big issues. He had not expected the presence of a half-broken robot, but Quinn was making the most of this changed situation. He appreciated her ability to adapt to the environment, even if it was accompanied by her odd glee that made him feel almost uneasy at times.

They stepped into the clean room that was supposed to decontaminate them before entering the labs. Molly stayed in the control area to wait for the procedure to end. The doors on either side of the room hissed shut, sealing them in. "Decontamination in progress," announced a voice over the intercom. "Please stand by until the process has ended."

Danse felt something singeing his skin, causing him to flinch in pain. Not sure this was supposed to happen. At least it will be over soon.

True enough, the feeling passed within a few dozen seconds. The door leading to the labs opened, but the way out remained sealed. Molly looked at them through the window, looking almost remorseful – if robots were capable of showing remorse, that is. "I have been instructed to inform you that Director Elwood has issued mandatory overtime due to uncompleted milestones. Estimated time until release…" It paused, apparently doing some calculations. "5 years."

"What!?" Quinn blanched and rushed to the shut door. "I thought you were going to show us to the labs! Open up, Molly!" She slammed her fist against the door, but it didn't budge.

"I am sorry." Molly floated away, accompanied by Quinn's cursing and her relentless assault on the door.

"Come back! Open this door, damnit!" Another bang at the door, followed by her foot slamming against the metal. "Molly!"

The robot didn't respond or return and the heavy door remained shut, without a dent on it. Quinn let out a guttural scream of despair and slid into a seated position against the wall, face almost as grey as the wall behind her. "Fuck, Danse. We're locked in."


Author's notes:

Dun-dun-dunnn! You didn't I would let them have a mission without any actual trouble, now did you? If she doesn't want to be confined in power armour, I can just organise a different claustrophobic environment for her. There's no such thing as easy missions.