This chapter was proofread my Groovymarlin over at AO3
Percy and Charon were quiet while Sarah and her father argued about how to proceed. Elder Lyons was insistent that they take time to gather their forces from around the Capital. The losses had been minimal at Raven Rock, but the Enclave was still a force to be reckoned with.
"They are weak now!" Sarah insisted. "With Raven Rock gone, their only stronghold is the Jefferson Memorial. We need to strike before they can re-group."
"This conflict may diminish our resources into the red," Rothchild reminded them. He coughed slightly, shifting his eyes to Percy and Charon before saying under his breath, "And Liberty Prime isn't ready yet. He needs to be field tested before we can be sure that he will survive an assault against their forces."
"What better test than this? If we don't act now, we may miss our chance!" Cross interjected.
Elder Lyons shook his head. "Please try to be impartial, Paladin," he said sternly, his words making Cross look taken aback, before glaring at him as Sarah's face became flushed.
"The head of the snake has been cut off, it will take more than a few days for the Enclave to gain their footing after the blow we've dealt," he continued.
"That's not entirely true." Percy spoke up and all heads turned to her and Charon, who nodded beside her.
"President Eden's second in command, Colonel Autumn, attempted to stage a coup just before your forces stormed their stronghold."
"While I was scouting the place in search of Percy, I heard some of the officers and scientists siding with one or the other. While this makes them less organized now, it won't take long for them to gather under the Colonel's new leadership," Charon added.
"If anything, their science department is likely to side with him more quickly." Percy thought back to her time there. "Anne Holt was there. She dissented from Project Purity when the Memorial was first invaded. She worked closely alongside Autumn in my…interrogation."
"Anne is alive?" Madison gasped, both relieved at this news, and ashamed that one of her people had switched sides so readily. The Elder and Rothchild exchanged another look.
"So you agree with me that we should take back the Memorial as soon as our forces are gathered?" Sarah interrupted her.
Percy's brow furrowed as she thought. 'The memorial was never yours to begin with…'
Madison seemed to have the same thought, but also held her tongue.
"We should fight with what we have here," she decided. "The Brotherhood members protecting GNR or the Washington Monument should stay where they are. The settlements will need all the help they can get if the Enclave attempts to gain another base."
"The memorial is crowded, with narrow halls and many corners. There's a high risk we'll get bottle necked in one of these areas and lose more men than we would otherwise," Charon agreed, tapping at the holographic war map before them and pointing to the Memorial's floor plan.
"On top of that, the rotunda is filled with delicate equipment. Too many people means a higher risk that Purity is destroyed while we try to retake it."
"The Project utilizes radioactive energy to run and filter—allowing it to be self-sustaining. Even one stray bullet could take it, and the surrounding areas, in hell fire," Madison said, clutching her clipboard as she tried to remain calm.
Rothchild grumbled in frustration, but confirmed her words.
Elder Lyons sighed, massaging his temple with one hand. "Alright. Scribe, make a note of this: in exactly twenty-four hours' time, we will make a frontal assault. This will serve primarily as a distraction for Sarah and her team, alongside Ms. Carter and her…companion…to infiltrate the Memorial and secure the rotunda. Liberty Prime, ready or not, will assist."
The meeting was dismissed. Madison looked like she wanted to say something to Percy, but hurried out instead, muttering something about needing to warn her people.
"Percy," Sarah ran up to her before the two had a chance to disappear with the exiting crowd. "Cross told you about the power armor, right? You and Charon need to get fitted for tomorrow."
"Power armor isn't really my style," Charon said, crossing his arms. "I need to be able to move fast—get in close enough for my shotgun to do any good. Can't do that from under a ton of metal."
Rubbing the back of her head, Sarah countered, "You won't live through the battle if you try to get up close. Liberty Prime is taking the front lines, and will in all likelihood be flanked by at least five vertibirds with tesla cannons. You two and my group will stay close to Liberty Prime—but not close enough to get stepped on—and dodge whatever gets past Liberty and the vertibirds."
"Wait a minute…you mean Liberty Prime is that big fuck-off robot in the lab?" Percy said incredulously.
"That's the one," she grinned. "You can wear whatever the hell you want under the armor, but you need something to protect you from the lasers, plasma, and nuclear blasts. So what do you say?"
Percy and Charon exchanged looks before Charon let out a sigh. "If it will keep this one's head on…lead the way."
"You gotta be kidding me. There's no way I'm climbing into that death machine." Charon watched the power armor seal around the most important person in his life. They had had to make adjustments to Percy's, since her feet didn't reach all the way…or her hands for that matter. After mastering the fine art of walking, she strode over to him.
"So this is what you look like eye to eye," she teased, flexing her fingers, still trying to get a handle on the way the armor responded to her.
"I tried to warn you, doll. Not much to see. Especially up close," he said dryly.
"It did take a few drinks to kiss you, at first," she said under her breath so the Brotherhood members wouldn't hear them. "But that was more out of a need for courage, not beer-goggles."
Charon couldn't help but give her a tired smile. "You're too much for me, smoothskin, you know that?"
Percy smirked. "I could say the same to you…big guy."
Sarah walked up to them, completely covered in grime and oil. "Good to see you're getting used to the armor. Not so bad, right?"
"I can live with it, so long as I don't die without it," Percy replied.
"Good enough. Head out to the Bailey. I want you to get as familiar with a laser rifle as you can. They handle a bit differently with power armor."
Sarah turned to Charon as Percy left. "About yours…"
"Forget it. I'm not climbing into that thing. I don't do enclosed spaces."
"You won't have to. Not quite, anyway…"
She led him over to a frame of power armor, with all the plating stripped off.
"We can't make adjustments to the frame in what little time we have to prepare. But we can adjust the plating to your arms, legs, and chest. It won't be as secure as a proper set, but it's better than nothing."
Without the frame to support it, the power armor was incredibly heavy, even if most of it had been left off. Sarah tightened one of the leather straps keeping the plating on him.
"I think that's the best we can do…how does it feel?"
"Like a waste of metal," he grumbled, "but I suppose it is better than nothing."
"That's the spirit!" Sarah glanced over her shoulder. Cross was in the doorway to the armory. She shivered at the way the other Paladin was looking at her.
Times like these…uncertain times. There was so little of it left, it seemed. There was too much to do before tomorrow.
...And yet…
"Why don't you join Percy outside at the shooting range?" she suggested.
"I know how to shoot a gun."
"Yeah?" she said, not looking back at him as she made for the door. "Why don't you double check?"
Charon sighed, but couldn't blame her. He and Percy had barely made it out of their own room that morning.
Percy was used to weapons with a little more spread, but she was getting used to this. Oddly enough, the kickback was a little stronger than with ballistic rifles. But there was something so satisfying about how clean each shot was.
She landed a blast right down the middle of the target.
"Nice one," Charon nodded approvingly from behind her.
"Oh thank God you're here!" she exclaimed. "This armor is hot as hell!"
She climbed out the back of the metal chassis. "Is it really so hard to install some sort of air conditioning system in one of these?"
"Of course not," he chuckled. "That would make too much sense."
Handing him her rifle and some new ammo, she fell in behind him. "How about you give it a try. I'd prefer a pistol; the kickback is a bit much with this one."
She watched silently as he practiced. Although she couldn't really call it that, since his aim had started out better than hers.
Percy hated that she had to keep her distance from him here. She had been kidnapped and tortured, for God's sake! But she couldn't keep dragging him back to their quarters every few hours. The soldiers that passed them were giving enough dirty looks as it was. But she yearned for his touch. Even the way he handled his rifle made her jealous of the weapon. The seemingly short time they had spent together in Oasis was a distant memory in the wake of what was to come, and Percy wondered if they would ever get to explore their pleasure together so wantonly again.
Her stomach grumbled. She hadn't eaten much since getting back, and what she wouldn't give for a nice thick brahmin steak with a side of Blamco and instamash right about then...
Charon noticed, even amidst the piercing wail of rifle blasts. Flicking the safety on his weapon, he wiped his brow.
"Perse', when's the last time you ate?"
"Last night."
"And how much did you eat?"
"Some dandy boy apples and…other things," she smirked, already red from the heat.
Charon groaned, shucking off his own armor and tossing it under the counter of the shooting range. Grabbing her arm, he dragged her to Ring B.
He slammed two full trays down on the table in the mess hall for them, and the aroma was enough to get Percy's mouth watering and stomach growling all over again.
"Eat," he commanded, to which Percy saluted before diving in.
He watched her eat, lighting up a cigarette as she worked through her tray and even a bit of his.
Stretching and leaning back, Percy sighed contentedly. "You take such good care of me…can I have one of those?"
Charon handed her the pack, then got an idea as she placed the stick of tobacco between her full lips. Before she could reach for the lighter, he grabbed the back of her neck, fingers tangling in the hair there. Bringing her close, he touching the tip of his cigarette to hers, breathing in until the red-orange embers were transferred. Percy felt deliciously warm from his touch, but grew self-conscious from the many eyes that were now watching them, most with disdain. Fiddling with her medication, she muttered under her breath, "You really shouldn't do that…we already have the Enclave after us, we don't need two giant armies hunting us down."
"Sorry…couldn't help it." The grin on his face didn't do much to convince her of his sincerity, but she couldn't stay mad at him, or even a little bit annoyed.
No, what she was, was agitated. Less than twenty-four hours before they would take back the Memorial. Or at least try. And there was nothing much they could do but stand by.
In an attempt to fill the air with more than just smoke and worry, she asked, "What do you want to do after all this? After the Enclave is out of the capital?"
His first instinct was to say wherever she wished to go, but he thought better of it. Instead he really considered her question. What was there, after this? They could go back to Megaton. They'd probably move to Tenpenny Tower once the dust had settled. Where there were hot baths and soft sheets. He hadn't heard anything on the radio about the tenants turning on each other, so maybe things had actually worked out.
"I think…I'd like to travel some more after this," Percy mused when Charon didn't answer.
"The wasteland is a pretty big place," he agreed. "But the pockets of humanity don't seem to keep in touch with each other, these days. Could be anything out there."
"Isn't that part of the fun?" she smiled, tapping the ash from the end of her cigarette. "A girl and her ghoul and his dog, out to find all the mysteries of the wasteland. Who knows, maybe years from now we can come back and have our stories acted out over the radio, like Dashwood."
Charon knew of a few major factions out west, but didn't know how much they had grown or shrunk since he'd stopped…travelling.
"We certainly have enough supplies for a long journey…and a bike to cut the travel time down."
The idea of leaving everything behind was starting to get more and more appealing to him.
"It was just an idea," Percy laughed. "I don't think I could stay away from Gob and Nova for too long, or Greta and Carol for that matter. And…"
Percy's hands wrapped around her glass, looking at her reflection in the nuka cola.
"We have to get through this first…don't we? We both have to come out alive," she said more quietly.
There was a thought that passed through both their minds that neither voiced.
They both had to come out of this alive, or there was a good chance neither would.
Charon noticed bruises blossoming along her arms. The power armor didn't fit right, even with the adjustments. There were probably similar marks along her legs and waist. Percy wasn't complaining, though. Aches and pains were normal in the wasteland, after all. He couldn't protect her from everything.
The room was getting more crowded now as more knights and sentinels came in for dinner. The din of chatter was overwhelming and they were inevitably crowded out. Percy led the way, knowing they were only slightly more willing to move for her, than for Charon. Despite this, Percy's nose smashed painfully against one of the many figures. Rubbing the bridge, she looked up, trying not to look annoyed, and very aware of Charon's hand tightening almost painfully around hers.
"Excuse me," she said, trying to walk past the man that stayed in her way.
"Excuse yourself," he growled, refusing to budge.
"I'm trying; maybe you could help by stepping that way a bit?" There was something familiar about his voice that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
The man leaned forward and Charon's hand moved to her hip, ready to pull her back in case the situation escalated.
"You aren't fooling anyone, especially me. The fact that you walk these halls and eat our food is a disgrace, ghoulfucker," he hissed.
Percy gasped. Charon yanked her back, and was about to raise his fist when Cross materialized out of the crowd.
"Hello, sentinel. Is there a problem here?" she asked coldly.
The sentinel looked like he wanted to say there was a great deal that was wrong. But all he did say was, "No, Paladin. I was just trying to grab a good meal before tomorrow's fight." Cross stepped aside, motioning with her eyes that he had better do that. He gave Percy and Charon one more sneer before leaving, muttering under his breath, "This place is going to the dogs. Sometimes I feel like I chose the wrong side…"
Percy grew still.
"He wanted help!" She screamed, running for the Brotherhood soldier.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but he picked the wrong side."
She went deadly calm, walking quickly to the door now that the way was cleared.
The halls were also crowded, and at first he thought she was headed for their room. Then she ducked into a room, looking like she didn't want to be noticed. Charon followed after her. He blinked as the door shut behind them. The room was very dark, but he was beginning to think it was more of a closet.
"Perse'?"
"Charon?" The voice that answered him was low, whispered, and very close. He felt her fingers twine behind his neck. She pulled him into a kiss, slow and soft. He let her lead him around in the crowded space until it was her back pressing quietly against the door. Her sighs and gasps puffed warmly against his head as his lips pressed hungrily against her jaw and neck, her fingers combing softly through his hair as his arms wrapped around her waist.
"I'll rip his tongue out, if you ask me to," he growled, nibbling at her ear in a way that made Percy's legs quake. Her lips found Charon's again, dragging his lower lip between hers. Her mouth served to stifle the groan as her fingers wrapped around his cock, giving him a few slow pumps.
"Shh…" Percy pressed kisses against his neck and chest, and he could feel the heat of her through his clothes. She dropped to her knees and lovingly took his cock in her mouth.
His arm rested against the door, cradling his forehead as he tried to support himself. The occasional grunt escaped his lips, despite his attempts to keep quiet. He couldn't watch for too long; that beautiful hot mouth swallowing his cock over and over again like that...there was no way someone wouldn't notice the noises he would make if he watched for too long.
She was perfect. Everything about her. And she loved him. After everything thing that had happened between them, what he'd done, and hadn't done, here she was.
'Let them hear you.' A small voice in the back of his head urged.
'Let those bigots know who's sucking you off right under their noses.'
His bit down on his knuckle hard enough to draw blood as he felt her mouth move to his balls, tongue tracing circles on them as she sucked lightly.
'And once your jizz is coating her throat, return the favor until her screams can be heard out in the bailey. Make them all wish they were as lucky as you.'
He grabbed her hair, pushing himself farther into that delicious warmth. She moaned around him, hollowing her cheeks and making swallowing motions until he could feel the back of her throat. Percy's nails dug into his backside, her head bobbing faster as she sensed him reach the end of his rope.
That's when he lost control. Thrusting his hips wildly, his hand on her hair was no longer gentle as Percy forced her mouth to stay slack, letting him use her.
"Fuck…fuck, fuck, I love you, Percy," he hissed, a last ditch effort to stay quiet.
"You're everything to me and damn, you feel so good, doll."
He shuddered, taking huge gulps of air as he collapsed against the shelves of miscellaneous scrap and junk opposite the door. Percy followed after him, tears pricking the corners of her eyes, as she rested against his inner thigh, shaking slightly.
"You okay?" he wiped the tears from her eyes and she leaned into his touch.
"I'm okay…just so…angry. How dare they judge me for loving you? With the bigots out there? Of course I'm a—a ghoul fucker. No one out there comes close to the man you are, Charon."
"The world is full of assholes like that, you get used to it after a few decades," Charon said, tucking himself back into his pants and pulling Percy close.
"I hate that idea. They should be getting used to you, not the other way around. You have every right to be here, and I have every right to love you."
Charon pulled her to her feet, straightening her clothes and his before putting his hand on the door knob. It was still pretty loud outside—a mercy for all the noise they ended up making inside.
"I'll grab our armor from the bailey, and get it ready for tomorrow. Will you get those rifles in order?" Percy asked, eyes straight ahead, despite the hateful stares.
"As you wish," Charon replied, too sated to notice any of them.
The armor took far too long to clean and maintain, and by the time she got to their room, Percy was too tired to clean off, and could only fall into bed. She curled around Charon, who seemed to have had the same idea.
She needed sleep, but couldn't help but be anxious about tomorrow; couldn't shake the feeling that things were…ending. Everything had changed so much since she left the vault. And nothing could ever be the same after this, for good or ill. Maybe the settlements could rebuild. Maybe Vance and his gang of vampires would come out from hiding and help. But that wouldn't bring the dead back.
All this for clean water. It was ridiculous to fight over something that James had meant for everyone to benefit from.
She knew why, as much as she hated it, Percy understood. Control the water, and you control the lives of everyone that needed it. And everyone needs water.
As her body began to feel heavy from sleep, Percy heard the sound of nails scratching against metal. Stumbling to the door, she opened it to find Rex, whining faintly and wagging his tail hopefully.
"Hungry, boy? Come on in." She cracked open a can of cram, setting it on the ground for him, but Rex jumped into bed with them instead, laying against the curve of her legs.
Charon rolled over, hand resting against her hip. She pressed closer. Neither of them smelled very good right about now, but Percy wished morning would never come.
Even writers need to eat, and even if a review won't feed me, I'd still love one ;)
