A/N: This is literally the most recent chapter I have completely written. I am still working on this novel daily, and have been filling in some of the later scenes in order to try and tie the story together a little better - the last chapter is already written, for example - but posting is going to slow down from here on out. Don't worry! I'm going to finish this monster, I promise! Thank you all for reading and, as always, comments and constructive critiques are more than welcome! ~Tyrrlin
Journey to the Prywden
We woke up later than we had planned, still lovingly entwined from the night before. With a gentle kiss to my forehead, MacCready commented dreamily, smiling, "This is a lot nicer than sleeping on the couch. Warmer, too. Ready to face the day?"
After heading out of Diamond City, I decided it was still early enough to stop in Hangman's Alley to check in on the settlers there. The headman was quite happy to see us, handing me one of the ubiquitous data files, this time from Preston Garvey. "This came in with one of the provisioning runs. Orders were to give it to you if you showed up here."
"Thanks a lot. How are you holding up?" I took the file, putting it away for later.
"Pretty good, actually," the headman replied with a proprietary look around the growing settlement. "We've managed to set up enough shelters and beds for everyone, and we've been trading some of the gear you left when you took the place for crops and other essentials from Sanctuary. It's a good start, and we're hoping to build more soon. The Minutemen really came through for us."
We wrapped up our visit quickly after that exchange, wanting to get to Cambridge as quickly as possible. With more regular travelers on the main roads, the wildlife was less of a danger, but we had to keep our eyes open for raiders and other scavengers. On the way, I took a moment to play the file Garvey had sent while MacCready kept watch for trouble ahead, allowing me to concentrate.
"Sarge, this is General Garvey. Thanks to your help, the settlers at Hangman's Alley were the third group agreeing to join the Minutemen. We contacted a farm near to Sanctuary as well, who can provide crops to our growing community in exchange for Minutemen protection. I'm so proud to see the dream of a safer Commonwealth coming true, one settlement at a time. On this data file, Sturges figured out how to program a radio frequency to connect to that Pip-Boy of yours. It will allow us to contact each other. I will keep you updated on our progress in growing the Minutemen, and let you know if there are any nearby settlements that could use a hand. Thanks again, Sarge. Garvey out." My Pip-Boy's RADIO tab was looking quite full at this point, the new line "MinMen" appearing underneath the rest.
MacCready rolled his eyes, "How is he supposed to know if we're near a settlement that needs help?" he asked sardonically.
"I suspect that 'nearby' means 'anywhere in the greater Commonwealth.'" I tried to reason things out in a way that would sit better with my partner's sensibilities. "After all, we need to be out and about if we're going to not only help people, my preferred method to pay Hancock back, but we also need to find a Courser. Might as well spread the word about the Minutemen too, while we're at it."
He gave me a long, searching look as we strode along. "Is this all part of some grand altruistic goal of yours?"
I shrugged. "I guess. Why not? There's nothing wrong with trying to make the world a little better off than you found it, sowing the seeds of hope for a better future."
"You know, boss, sometimes you just go way over my head. You should look out for yourself. How is this going to help you get home?" His eyebrows lowered in a grim expression as he scanned the terrain ahead.
"I don't know if it will. Karma works in weird ways. But I do know it makes me feel good knowing I helped someone who needed it." At this statement, I moved over to give MacCready a quick affectionate nudge with my shoulder. "Like a certain mercenary I know."
He laughed a little, lightening up. "Point taken, though if you want to feel good, all you have to do is ask me," he said with a wink and a leering grin. His chuckle deepened as he noticed the flush creeping across my face, and my increased pace.
We entered the outskirts of Cambridge to see the Police station had been greatly enhanced. There were several more Brotherhood soldiers in and around the building, most performing their duties in power armor. The barricades and initial fortifications had been reinforced, and a Brotherhood vertibird helicopter stood on the roof, lending its intimidating presence to the outpost.
"Looks like the cavalry arrived," MacCready commented neutrally. "Wonder what they're going to do with all these additional reinforcements."
"Help the Commonwealth, I hope." I quirked my lips at his cynical snort. "Maybe we can get them and the Minutemen to work together," I mused quietly.
"Now that's the impossible dream, boss." His tone was pure skepticism.
"Hey, it could happen!"
As soon as we came within sight of the main gate, a Brotherhood Knight in full power armor challenged us. "State your names. What business do you have with the Brotherhood of Steel?"
I snapped to attention to address the Knight, to MacCready's unveiled amusement. "Anne and MacCready. Paladin Danse requested our presence."
"Roger that," he turned to call behind him. "Knight Sohal, please let Paladin Danse know his visitors have arrived." He turned back to us. "Wait here."
"Can we at least come inside the gate?" MacCready asked a little sarcastically. "I'd rather not be out in the open like this. We're sitting ducks for a sniper."
"Negative." was the formal reply. "No civilians without an escort. If Paladin Danse requested your presence, he needs to accompany you."
I sighed and turned to whisper to MacCready, "Maybe I should have joined them. At least then we could go right in." Speaking a little louder over my shoulder at the gate guard, I commented a little snarkily, "Then it's a good thing that the Brotherhood has completely cleared out the area of feral Ghouls... with absolutely no assistance from any passing civilians whatsoever." The unnamed guard shuffled his armored feet slightly, but made no reply, and I couldn't see his face inside the helmet. Sighing, I stepped over to lean my back against the fortified wall.
We didn't have to wait long, fortunately. The resounding clank and thump of moving power armor announced the arrival of Danse long before we heard his crisp military tones. "At ease, Knight. Allow our guests to enter the perimeter. They are under my authority and protection, is that clear?"
"Yes, Paladin Danse," the gate guard saluted. "Anne and MacCready? Permission to enter the outpost is granted. Ad Victoriam."
"Thank you, Knight." I said, knowing he was just doing his job, but happy to be inside the protection of the compound at last.
Danse was standing in the exact center of the courtyard area, in the same intimidating power armor, minus the obscuring helmet. Does he ever get out of that thing? I wondered, remembering he had slept in the exoskeleton when we were last here. He smiled broadly as we approached, declaring, "I got your message last night. Looks like you made good time to get here." He gestured to the roof of the police station. "I have a vertibird ready to take us to the Prydwen as soon as the crew fires it up."
"The Prydwen?" I asked him.
Danse beamed with pride, his voice ringing with conviction. "The Prydwen is the airship you may have witnessed arriving a few days ago. It's our mobile headquarters in the Commonwealth; truly amazing, isn't it? A triumph of Brotherhood engineering." He gestured for us to precede him into the augmented police station. "You've been awarded a unique honor to board her. Usually we don't allow civilians inside Brotherhood installations."
Passing through the station on our way to the roof, we noticed several more Brotherhood members inside. The separate rooms had been cleared of debris and fixed up into a much more livable space. More terminals had been set up, each with a Scribe busily typing away. A very quick peek into the side office showed several double bunks had been installed where there were only a couple of sleeping bags before. "You've been busy since we've been gone." I remarked as we ascended the stairs.
"We're working hard to make this a proper installation," Danse replied. "If the Brotherhood is going to be a benefit to the people of the Commonwealth, we need to have our own command post in the area."
"What kind of benefit are we talking about here?" asked MacCready irrepressibly, an edge to his voice. "Benefit to you in your goal to hoard technology or benefit to the common person just trying to make a living?"
"I don't know how you think the Brotherhood of Steel operates, but the one thing we never do is murder innocent civilians; I don't care what sort of technology they're sitting on!" Danse glared at my partner, and I gave Mac a warning shake of my head, don't push him.
The young merc shrugged one shoulder in a half-apology. "I'm glad you feel that way, I guess," he muttered. "I just have direct experience otherwise from my time in the Capital Wasteland."
"We may need to discuss this further, but now is not the time." Danse conceded. "Just know that I, Paladin Danse, have taken an oath to protect the people of the Wasteland." He stepped out into the light of the rooftop. "Looks like we're just about ready to go."
The vertibird's rotors were just starting to spin up as we approached the vehicle. We held back a few steps as Danse strode over to speak with the pilot. "Um, boss?" MacCready asked, swallowing nervously, staring at the vehicle that would take us to the giant airship hovering over Boston Airport.
"What's up, MacCready?" I felt him grab my arm, and his face had gone pale. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Never flown before," he admitted, hanging back. "Hell, I don't even like boats, they make me nauseous. I prefer to keep my feet on solid ground, you know?"
I looked from him to the waiting vertibird and back again. "Do you want to stay here?" I asked him earnestly, pulling us aside in order to give his hand an encouraging pat when none of the others would see. I added quietly, so as not to be overheard, "If you don't want to go, I'm not going to make you. Danse seems like an honorable guy, especially after that little speech of his," I chuckled ruefully. I don't want to go without him, but if he gets motion sick...
MacCready gave me a flat look. "Of course I'm going. What kind of bodyguard would I be if I let you go up there alone?" he retorted. "I'm just a little nervous about it. What if we crash?"
"Let's hope we don't," I answered. Turning my body to shield us from view, I took MacCready's hand in both of mine, giving a quick kiss to his knuckles. "I'm sure the pilot is trustworthy. Just look straight ahead through the cockpit windows if you get nauseated, okay? I'll be right there with you."
"Guardian angel, huh?" he murmured, recapturing his hand, and giving me a nervous quirk of his lips in response to my encouraging smile. "All right, boss. Let's do this."
MacCready sat between me and Paladin Danse on the center bench, stiffly pressed against the bulkhead behind him and staring intently out the front windows. As soon as we started moving, I tucked my hand under his elbow to provide what comfort I could without calling attention to it. The flight was uneventful, if a little rougher in comparison to the few helicopter flights I had been on in the Army. Of course, the flights I took in the Army weren't in a combat zone with a Brotherhood of Steel Knight aiming a minigun out the side doors, either. Every time it spun up to fire upon unknown targets, I jumped at the additional sound. The second time it happened, I felt my hand being squeezed against MacCready's ribs, and I glanced up to see his wry half-grin, even as he continued to stare fixedly out the front window. I squeezed his arm back in silent thanks.
Once we reached the Prydwen, Paladin Danse escorted us off the veritbird onto the landing platform, but acceded to my request to allow us to enter the command deck once we had gotten our wits about us. He graciously clanked off inside the airship to find Elder Maxson and set up our meeting with him. My partner had stalked to the end of the steel grate platform, leaning his elbows on the guard rail, staring out over the city to the west. I joined him, giving him a quick glance to see if he had recovered his equilibrium from the flight. He winked at me, which I took as a good sign.
Looking out over the city, Boston looked completely different from the vantage point of the airship. The nuclear devastation and 200 years of neglect had left their mark. It was heartbreaking to see the ruins of what used to be a beautiful landscape, and I sighed sadly at the thought of all those people who had been killed just going about their daily lives. A light nudge against my shoulder brought me back from my somber reverie.
Pointing out towards the distant horizon, MacCready bantered, "Look, I can see my house from here!" He looked so utterly pleased with himself at that groaner of a joke that I couldn't help but giggle. "Ready for this, boss?" he asked, turning to escort me into the Prydwen, his demeanor shifting back into bodyguard mode.
"I guess so. Hopefully, they're going to be able to help." I took a deep, bracing breath of the sea-laced air, oddly almost free from the pervasive metallic odor I had gotten so used to in the city. "Let's see what Elder Maxson has to say."
