Chapter Eight
Although Nick was synthetic, he could feel the searing heat as he approached Bunker Hill. Even a man in the world's toughest Hazmat suit would've melted under the remnants of the radiation. Jun had told Nick that three mini-nukes had impacted Bunker Hill, but that Old Man Stockton had several for sale, and that the detonation would've triggered them. That meant that Bunker Hill was hit with the force of about a ton of Semtex. For six blocks in any direction, there was nothing. No buildings, ruins, scrap, anything. Past that point, the burns were intense. Bricks were charred so thoroughly that some fell apart once touched. If Codsworth hadn't been vaporised, which Nick believed to be true, he would be on the outskirts of the six-block radius. That was still a lot of ground to cover, and Nick knew there would be no resting for the next few days. Not that he really needed it, but he was getting old. Sometimes doing nothing was good for his circuits.
Nick spent three days in the area around Bunker Hill, and had no luck finding Codsworth. Every glimpse of metal he spotted meant that Nick would begin searching for the Mr. Handy, and that meant anywhere between five minutes of digging to a few hours. Nothing turned up. Nick was close to giving up when help arrived. Nick had only heard about Nate's adventure with the Cabot's second hand, but when he saw the ghoul wearing combat armour and a green beret stroll up towards the Synth Detective, he knew it could only be Edward Deegan. The ghoul, although he served the Cabot family, was a good man, and if Nate liked him, Nick knew there was a good reason. He started to see it once the ghoul had arrived.
"Mr. Valentine, I'm Edward Deegan. When Mr. Cabot heard of the tragedy that occurred here he allowed me to take some personal leave to come to the area. I haven't heard anything about Major Thiel's condition. Is he alright?" The ghoul asked, in the waspish voice all ghouls had.
"The major is alive, but his eyebot is missing. That's why I'm here, to look for him." Nick informed the mercenary, who blinked in surprise.
"Codsworth? I saw him just before the blast." Nick had never thought he'd hear such good news, "He's gone down to the Warwick Farms, in order to check on the family after their old man was found to be a synth. Apparently, his workers lynched him, and when he didn't die, it proved them right. They shot him after that. Cods told me that the kids like his stories, so he went to offer his support."
Nick thanked the ghoul, and informed him that he would extend his courtesies to Nate, and to tell him to visit at some point. He then set off in a brisk pace towards the alley, wanting to find a radio as soon as possible. It took Nick the rest of the day to get back to the alley, and when he did, he contacted the radioman at the Castle straight away.
"Tommy, it's Nick Valentine, I need you to put out a call for Codsworth to the alley on all available channels you can find, or hijack. It's instrumental to the recovery of Major Thiel." Nick all but demanded, using a voice he didn't know he had in him.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Valentine. Right away." Came the response from the castle.
Nick stood still for a moment, not quite comprehending where the authority in his voice had come from.
"Human-Valentine was a cop, Nicky. He knew how to take command of a situation. That's what just happened." Piper was leaning against the doorway behind him, and it looked like she hadn't slept in the three days he had been gone. "Sometimes we forgot things about ourselves that don't seem important until they're needed. It happens to all of us."
"And how much of myself- of Nick- have I forgotten? I've lived two lifetimes in the Commonwealth, but aside from my skills, I don't remember anything of my past. Of Nick's past." Nick said bitterly, "I don't know who I am, or what I am, and I only exist because someone stuck a cop's brain into my head!"
Nick was looking away now. He heard a soft gasp, but assumed it was Piper's shock at his confession. A hand settled on his shoulder, but he still didn't look.
"You're Nick Valentine, the amazing Clockwork Dick, and you're one of the Undaunted Few I know in the commonwealth." Nick whipped around at the sound of Nate's voice, and despite himself, replied to the jab.
"It's Synth Detective, jackass." But as he was speaking, he enveloped Nate into a bearhug.
Nate held him tightly as well, before detaching himself. Nick kept a grip on the man's shoulders.
"How are you awake? When did you wake up? Do you know what caused it? Or what woke you up?" The questions came out rapidly, and Nick cursed himself internally, not knowing if he might trigger something again.
Nate got a far-away look in his eyes as he looked at a map of Minutemen settlements.
"That wasn't the first time I saw a town destroyed by nuclear fire, and I'm not talking about the big bombs." Nate's voice was soft, but it conveyed his sadness well enough. "You know I was a soldier, and you know I saw action. You don't know how much I actually saw. A walk down memory lane reminded me what it was I fought for, and what I fight for now. Let me tell you a story"
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The American base at Anchorage was alive. Soldiers were celebrating the destruction of all the mountain artillery. The ranger company took minimal losses, but the Smitty's death weighed heavily upon Nate. The operators hadn't been able to recover his body, and for all they knew, it was being desecrated by the Chinese at the very moment all the others were cheering and yelling. Nate sat on top of the Delta barracks, which was buried into the ground.
"All the others are getting drunk in the dugout son. Why aren't you with them?" A voice rang out behind Nate. It was a voice he knew well.
"Colonel Nelson, sir! I didn't hear you approach." As he turned, he received another shock.
Standing next to the Delta Force commanding officer was none other than General Constantine Chase, the supreme commander of the Anchorage Campaign.
"I'm aware you didn't hear me approach, Nate, but I asked why you weren't with the others, getting drunk?" Nelson's voice was light, and filled with mirth. Much like the man. General Chase nodded in approval of the question.
"I'm thinking about Smitty, sir. Staff Sergeant Michael Smithson, general. He died during our raid on the gun emplacements. We had to leave his body behind. I'm incredibly uncomfortable with the thought, sirs." Nate spoke as he always did, without any fanfare.
Colonel Nelson looked down at the mention of Smitty, while General Chase looked mortified.
"We left one of our boys in enemy territory? That won't stand. Sergeant, if I gave you the resources, could you retrieve Smitty's body for burial?" The general spoke with such certainty all Nate could do was nod. "Good, tomorrow morning, if you aren't hungover, come to my tent, and we'll discuss the best way to bring your buddy home."
The General and the colonel then walked off, presumably to continue patrolling the base, and bolstering morale. Nate was left to his silence once more. His thoughts went south, back towards Boston, where Nora was. His last night before shipping north had been amazing. They had started with a nice dinner, talked about their future, and then walked to the park. They didn't leave the park that night, and that was probably Nate's fondest memory of that day. He was dragged out of his thoughts, almost literally, when Shaun grabbed him and yanked him into the dugout. Mitch handed him a beer, and Nate knew he would wake up with a pounding headache the next day.
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When Nate entered General Chase's command tent, he was instantly saluted by an MP. The guard escorted him to a section that had a thick curtain around it, before poking his head inside. He then lifted the curtain, and ushered Nate inside. General Chase, Colonel Nelson, and Major Howell, the Ranger commander. He was ordered to take a seat, before a briefing began.
"Now, sergeant, from what I understand of your AAR, Staff Sergeant Smithson triggered a mine? The blast was what killed him correct?" Major Howell asked him.
"That's correct, sir. The mine was what killed Smitty- I mean Sergeant Smithson." Nate stuttered over the nickname.
The major didn't look impressed. "So there is every possibility that the body was destroyed by the blast correct?" Nate actually had the stones to glare at the major.
"No, sir," He said, through gritted teeth, "I clearly state in the next sentence of my AAR, that while the body was damaged by the explosion, it was still intact when we left it."
"But you were in a combat situation," The major pressed, "You could've made a mistake."
The major looked at General Chase. "I'm sorry sir but I can't commit my rangers to recovering a body that may or may not still exist." Nate was furious, and from the looks of it, so was Nelson. The colonel spoke up then, and from that day forth, he would have Nate's enduring respect.
"Well then, Howell, I suppose it's a good thing I don't actually need your men." He looked over to General Chase, who was watching with interest, "With your permission, sir, I'd like to deploy my full Delta company to the area, in order to retrieve operator Smithson's body."
Major Howell snorted. "An entire company for one body? It's a waste of resources." "Four of my men managed to destroy an emplacement, kill a command staff, cut off a supply route, kill several hundred Chinese soldiers, AND walk back to base in the time it took an entire Ranger company to take one emplacement. Even the marines did a better job than your boys, and I'm an army soldier admitting that!" Nelson shot back.
The major hadn't been expecting such a vicious rebuke, but before he could respond, General Chase finally spoke.
"While I can't order the entire Delta complement out to retrieve the body, I can make it a voluntary mission, with no troop limit. You can take as many men volunteer, all under your command, whichever branch they come from."
Colonel Nelson nodded brightly, "Thank you sir, I'd like to go announce the mission now, if it's alright with you."
The general dismissed the Delta operators, and kept Major Howell behind for some purpose. Nate went to tell the other operators about the mission, while Nelson went to 'go find some bigger help.' Whatever that meant. The entire Delta troop, all one-hundred and twenty of them, volunteered for the mission. Colonel Nelson came back with forty mechanized cavalry, all in power armour. Another sixty marines volunteered for the mission, citing the fact that an American had been left behind wasn't something they would stand for. That was the strike force that would retrieve Smitty.
Intelligence revealed that a Chinese division had set up in the valley where Smitty's body was, which meant it was in their hand. Two thousand Chinese soldiers would be waiting for them, which meant that they would need to strike hard and fast to get him home. The strike force set out in a convoy of APC's and trucks. They dismounted about a mile from the mouth of the valley where the Chinese were entrenched. The soldiers quickly gathered up into their units, and Nate was at the front, waiting for Colonel Nelson to arrive. When the colonel did arrive, he had a look of annoyance on his face. For a moment, Nate thought the mission had been cancelled. What followed was worse.
"The president heard about the mission, and has decided that the Chinese division is a bigger issue than getting Smitty home. We've been told to push the Chinese from the valley, and pretty much the state. Four hundred more men are inbound to reinforce us so that we can establish a foothold. Another twenty thousand are inbound, fresh from training. We've been informed that the Chinese presence will increase as well." The colonel's voice betrayed his distaste.
"Well, crap." Was Paul's input.
"That's BS!" Came from Mitch.
"Oh, for the love of-" Shaun announced.
Nate was furious, but aside from the fire inside of him, he didn't betray any emotions.
"Sir, are you telling me that two hundred and twenty men are going to establish a defensive front against two thousand, and possibly more, Chinese soldiers?" Nate questioned.
"Yes, Sergeant Thiel, I am. Also, considering Captain Morrison's death two weeks ago, you've been given the rank of brevet captain, from General Chase himself. You are now my second. Congratulations." Nelson's voice was filled with pride when he announced Nate's promotion. "Now, someone spread the word about Captain Thiel's promotion, while we discuss how this is going to work." Paul, Shaun, and Mitch shot off in separate directions, starting with the Delta men, and moving to the others. Nate and Colonel Nelson went to his APC, at which point his squad, and the drivers, cleared out, giving them privacy.
"It's bad, Nate." Nelson began, "I've been ordered to command this operation from the rear, which is why you got your promotion. They need someone to pin this on if the fighting goes bad, and that someone will be you. General Chase promised me that if we get Smitty's body, he'll pull Delta out, but chances are we won't find him in time now that the missions changed. We need to dig in for the night, let our reinforcements arrive, then assault the valley. Move out, captain. Second platoon is yours."
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By the time the reinforcements arrived, the Chinese were aware of the Americans presence. An FOB had been constructed hastily, and while the men settled into camp routines, the officers planned the assault on the valley. It was decided that Nate would lead two hundred men to make the first push. Twenty of them would be Mechanized Cavalry. The rest would be made up from the Delta second platoon, the marine volunteers, and army personnel. The second wave would be led by Captain Michaels, the only other combat officer present. He would lead the rest of the men, letting Nate and his men rest and recover.
Nate gathered his men, and took the time to talk to all his squad leaders. He knew the Delta men. Sergeant Monroe was an older man, who had fought in the resource wars. Sergeant Darnum was deceptively small, but she could hit harder than most people. Lieutenant Denier was a good man, and bore Nate no ill will for being promoted over him. And then there was Paul. Sergeant Major Paul Valleti. Paul, Nate, and Shaun grew up together in Boston, and had all enlisted at the same time, right out of High School, in 2267, when the war began. They went through basic together, joined Delta together, and had fought together for ten years.
The marines were a different story. For all sixty of them, there was only Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin Montgomery. The gunnery sergeant was General Chase's right hand with the infantry. He had led the strike force that eliminated the eastern gun battery, despite losing half his men when their chutes failed. Granted, there was a cadre of corporals who carried out his orders, but the Gunny was on his own.
The Mech's were led by Lieutenant Peterson, and Nate didn't know that much about him, other than he was an appointee. His men didn't like him that much, and while before he had treated Nate with an air of superiority, he deferred to his leadership now. Nate was certain the man had never actually had to fire his weapon since he arrived. Corporal Montez, one of the mechs, verified his belief. This would be the lieutenants first combat experience, despite being in Anchorage for three months.
It was midnight when the force set out. The march to the valley mouth took two hours. The men slowly crept in to the valley, tense, and ready for action. Five minutes in, Nate's earpiece cackled alive.
"Uh, Captain? This is Mitch. I just found Smitty." The operator told him.
Nate was stumped. "What?" He said, "that's not right. He should be a mile in. Wait there, I'm coming to you."
Nate hurried ahead to where Mitch, Paul, Shaun, and some marines were gathered. True enough, Smitty was propped up against the rock face of the valley.
"Permission to retrieve the body, sir?" Mitch asked.
"Granted." Was Nates quick reply. He motioned the others onwards. They had advanced about twenty paces when the shooting started.
Nate didn't see Mitch Vance die, but Gunnery Sergeant Montgomery did, and it was brutal. It turned out that the rock face wasn't actually the rock face, but a bunker. Smitty had been propped up against the gun slit, covering from sight. As soon as the body had begun to shift, the gunner opened fire. The large rounds ripped through Smitty, and then Mitch, almost bisecting the kid. All around them, guns started firing. From above, from the flanks, and from ahead. Thirty men died in the initial ten seconds, cut down by gunfire. Despite their inadequate lieutenant, the mechs recovered first, and began plastering the valley walls with heavy fire. Gatling lasers, miniguns, and flame-throwers began targeting the soldiers who exposed themselves.
One of the mechanized cavalry advanced the bunker wall, before shoving the muzzle of his flamer into the gun slit. The screams had started instantly, and ahead of him, Nate saw part of the wall blow out. Paul and Shaun pounced. They were inside the breach in a flash, and the report of gunfire began just as quickly. They exited a second later, pleased with themselves. All around them, the other soldiers were dashing for cover. Grenades were tossed up the valley walls, and well placed shots sent some of the Chinese tumbling down. Delta operators were scrambling up the valley, trying to find the emplacements the Chinese were in.
Nate watched as Denier slammed into one of the commies, jamming his bayonet into the man's gut. Monroe had hit one with a haymaker, before putting a bullet in his head. Nate himself had rammed the barrel of his rifle into the throat of a soldier, crushing his larynx. At the same time, Darnum was killed by crossfire, and his body shuddered as he was filled with bullets. An operator to Nate's right got his brains blown out, and his blood sprayed all over his face. A group of marines exploded into pieces as a rocket hit them, spreading blood and bones all around them. One unfortunate soldier died when the femur of one of the marines went straight through his throat, leading him to bleed out in seconds.
Nate threw himself behind some cover, and opened up the channel to Colonel Nelson.
"Colonel, this is Thiel! We've been ambushed and are getting torn up here. I either need reinforcements, or I need to pull out. Advise!" Nate almost screamed. There was a brief static feedback before Nelson responded.
"Affirmative Captain Thiel, second wave is inbound, ETA five minutes. Hold on soldier." Nelson fizzled out after the transmission, but it was all Nate needed.
Nate fired into a cluster of commies who were charging down the mountain, and three of them went down to his shooting. Another two were killed by headshots, while the last few were burned alive by a flame thrower. Even though they were still burning, a few tried to rush Nate and his men. Most were killed before they could reach them, but one managed to latch on to Paul, who tried to shake him off. The distraction was all that was needed. A well-placed shot hit Paul's webbing, where his thermite grenade was. Nate didn't know if the placement was intentional or accidental, but the grenade started burning through Paul's vest, and his death was slow and painful, one burning man grappling with him as he himself burned alive.
In ten minutes, Nate's squad had gone from four to two, and his strike force had suffered immense losses. Despite the fact that more men were coming, Nate had to make the practical decision. He reopened his comm channel with all his men.
"Fall back!" He called out, "Fall Back to the staging point!"
The men ran in droves. Nate could see medics dragging wounded soldiers, while others helped their friends out of the kill zones. It was easily the most brutal day Nate had witnessed since his arrival in Anchorage, and it was a memory that would be seared into his brain for the rest of his life.
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Nate finished his story to silence. Piper spoke first.
"That's what pulled you out of your coma? Blue, how are you even sane?"
Nate gave her a look that made her both hot and bothered and simply bothered.
"It was more than just that, when I fought in Anchorage, I didn't fight for the American dream, or even to reclaim Alaska. I fought for my squad. Smitty, Paul, Mitch, Shaun. All of them. By the end of the campaign, I'd be the only one left." Nate trailed off towards the end, but clearly didn't have much more to say. Or so Nick and Piper thought.
"I've spent a lot of time helping the Minutemen become the army that the Commonwealth needs. I've spent months trying to track down Kellog, only for him to keep slipping away. I've lost my wife to him, and my son. I can't get Nora back, but Shaun? I can and I will get him back. But there's a threat in between him. The Gunner's. They commited an act I haven't seen since the war, and they need to pay for it. Let them think they won a victory be destroying Bunker Hill."
Nate's voice went cold then.
"But when the sun goes down, and the Gunner's think they're safe, that's when I'll be there. Patrols will vanish. Leaders will be killed, and they won't be able to do anything to stop me. They'll start surrendering in droves, begging to be kept safe from me. It won't help them. They'll learn to fear me the same way the Chinese did. Shaun died saving my life in Alaska, and I went off the rails after it. I gained a nickname amongst the Chinese soldiers. Do you know what it was? Shōugē zhě. It means the reaper. So let them fear the reaper."
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Authors Note
It's 3:33. I went to sleep and woke up specifically to write this chapter. I hope I did the horrors of war justice, but I doubt it very much. Nate's on the war path, out for blood and vengeance. Codsworth the Robutler lives! Nick Valentine is a sad puppy. As for the Mandarin, if I made a mistake, I apologize, it came from google. Leave a review, and let me know what you think. Also, feel free to PM me with ideas, concerns, and more that you have for the story. If you want, write me a good character, with a realistic background, and PM it to me, and they might turn up in this story at some point.
Vonok Soviet_Babushka