The radio played softly somewhere behind her while she finished packing.
A light knock at the door catching her attention; "It's open" she called, looking up as Piper poked her head in.
"Hey", Piper greeted. "All set?", she pushed the door open, revealing MacCready behind her, standing out in the hallway.
"Almost. Come in", she beckoned Piper over.
"What's up?", Piper asked, stopping next to the table as Leona rummaged through the large duffle bag at her feet.
"Take off your coat", Leona instructed.
"Uh…Okay?", Piper replied uncertainly, looking down at the older woman as she continued to search through the bag; a quick glance over her shoulder at MacCready before she started undoing her belt.
Finally retrieving what she'd been looking for, Leona set the small, faded Kevlar vest on the table and stood to help Piper out of her coat. "Here, let me-"
"I got it, I got it", Piper insisted. Flustered by their close proximity as Leona slipped the coat off her shoulders. She bit her lip; another subtle, nervous glance to MacCready, now leaning against the doorframe, before Leona snapped her attention back with light tug on her shirt collar.
"Plaid doesn't really suit you", Leona offered, as Piper finally freed herself from the leather coat and tossed it on the table.
"Ugh, don't even- It's the only one I have that isn't full of holes, ok?"
"Fair enough", Leona smirked and grabbed the vest from the table. "Let's get this on you".
"What's tha-"
"Body armor", Leona cut her off, slipping the vest over her head. "Got it off one of the Gunners at that slaver's hideout".
"Is this…Is this blood?", Piper prodded at the dark stain on the vest.
"Hey", MacCready called, still leaning against the doorframe. "You got one of those for me too, right?", he asked, half-jokingly.
"Get used to dodging, slick", Leona replied without sparing him so much as a glance as she secured the straps around Piper's waist.
"Wait, you only have the one?", Piper asked. "Shouldn't you be wearing it?"
"I would be. If you weren't coming with me", she added as she finished with the vest and playfully rapped her knuckles on Piper's padded chest, before taking a seat and resuming her packing.
"Blue, I can't-".
"Relax", Leona smiled reassuringly up at her. "Just don't do anything reckless, or take any un-necessary risks, and it shouldn't matter if you're wearing that or not. It's just a precaution", she returned her attention to her bag. "I imagine the detective won't be as apt to help me if anything happens to you".
"O-Oh", Piper whispered, thankful that Leona didn't see the flash of disappointment on her face. "And here I thought you were starting to warm up to me", she joked, hiding her feelings behind a cheeky grin.
"Hm?…there's that too", Leona mused, zipping her backpack, before catching Piper's eye and mirroring her grin. "You are starting to grow on me".
And just like that Piper's disappointment evaporated as suddenly as it had come. She held Leona's eye for the briefest of moments before grabbing her jacket from the table and slipping it on, busying herself with her belt while she tried to hide her smile.
"You…", Leona called to MacCready, pausing as she tried to remember his name.
"It's MacCready", he supplied, straightening up.
"Right. There are ammunition boxes on the couch. Take what you can use", she offered.
"Yeah?", he pushed off the doorframe, finally entering the room and making his way to the sofa across from her. "Well since you're offering, don't mind if I do. Bullets ain't cheap".
Leona grabbed her backpack, and retreated to the back of the room.
"Piper filled me in on the job, but what's the plan?", he asked setting his pack on the table and sorting through the boxes.
"We get in, find Nick, and get out", Piper supplied, giving her belt one final tug and folding her arms.
"Pretty much", Leona called over her shoulder.
"You're kidding", MacCready paused his packing, to look up at Piper, utterly confounded. "That's not a plan. That's how you get yourself killed".
"Have you ever been down in Park Street station?", Leona asked, making her way back to the table. "If you have something we can use, let's hear it, because there's nothing useful in those files", she nodded to the folders on the table. "And I imagine it's changed a lot since the last time I've been down there".
He shook his head. "I don't know about you, but like most sane people, I try to avoid Boston Commons unless it's absolutely necessary".
"Look, we don't have the luxury or the time to watch the place and come up with a plan", Leona explained as she checked her sidearm. "So unless you have firsthand information on what we can expect down there, we're going to have to make this up as we go along. If you want out, now's the time to say so".
MacCready took a deep breath, frowning at her as she holstered her pistol and a knife.
"Mac", Piper caught his eye and looked at him pleadingly. "Please…we need you on this".
She saw his expression soften before he finally sighed. "Fine", he shook his head. "Don't suppose we can renegotiate my fee on-"
"Nope", Piper cut him off and flashed him a toothy grin. "We're not doing that again".
"Alright", Leona shouldered her backpack. "If that's settled…".
"Should have kept my mouth shut and hightailed back to Goodneighbor when I had the chance", MacCready mumbled as he threw his pack over his shoulder and headed out the door.
"C'moooon, don't be like that", Piper frowned as she followed him out, and waited for Leona in the hall.
"You know", Piper began when Leona turned to lock the door. "If you get shot, I'm gonna feel like, really horrible and-".
"Good", Leona turned to face her. Watching in amusement as Piper pawed uncomfortably at the vest beneath her coat. She caught the reporter's eye and smirked. "You should", she added, before slipping on a pair of sunglasses and brushing past her to follow MacCready down the hall.
Piper stared dumbfounded at her back as Leona walked off. Her mouth moved but she couldn't find the words.
"I'll just hide behind Junior", Leona called over her shoulder. "We can practice dodging together".
"It's MacCready! Ffff-for Christ sake!", Piper heard him growl.
Piper bit her lip, suppressing a smile as she ran to catch up to Leona. Her eyes following the subtle, yet enticing sway of hips, before she fell into step with the older woman.
"You look nervous", Leona glanced over at her as they walked.
"Huh?", Piper turned to her.
"We'll find him", Leona assured her.
"It's not…it's not that", Piper shook her head. "I know we'll find him. He has sort of a...history, with Skinny Malone. I still don't have the whole story, but they're not exactly mortal enemies, you know? I doubt Malone would...kill him, but still, I can't help thinking, what if-".
"Don't", Leona cut her off. "Start thinking like that, and it's all over. You're no use to him like that", she fixed Piper with a stern look. "He's alive, and we will find him. Focus on that". She turned back to the path ahead, her eyes on MacCready's back as they walked. "Dealing in 'what if's' will drive you mad", she added.
Piper's gaze lingered on the side of Leona's face for a moment before she lowered her head and took a deep breath. "Right".
Did Leona follow that advice? Or was it simply something she wished she could do? Piper wondered.
Park Street Subway Station. Decommissioned and sold to Vault-Tec before the war to facilitate the construction of Vault 114 in downtown Boston.
In the news almost every other week; Union strikes, code violations and investigations had set construction back considerably. So much so, that the vault still hadn't been completed when the bombs dropped.
A stray bullet whizzed past her head and embedded itself in the staircase, just below a screeching tripwire alarm.
"You just had to run in didn't you!", Piper shouted over the barrage of gunfire that rained down on the fallen Nuka Cola machine that they had taken cover behind.
"I thought that tripwire was a bomb! And you were right on my heels the entire time! Don't act like this was all me!", MacCready fired back at the reporter as another bullet ricocheted off the steel frame of the tipped over vending machine and hit the ceiling above them, raining small shards of concrete and dust upon their heads.
Piper pulled her cap over her eyes to shield herself from the debris. They were all crouched behind the vending machine, taking perpetual fire from Triggermen spread out across the station platforms and flatbed railcars on the track. "Don't these guys ever need to reload?!".
"Those are sub-machine guns, we're not gonna get much breathing room here!", MacCready shouted. He had the best view, being closest to the tracks, with Piper in the middle and Leona closest to the stairs leading up.
Leona cursed under her breath as she leaned back against the Vending machine. A sigh of irritation as she shifted from her position and fired a single shot up the staircase, destroying and silencing the tripwire alarm.
"Mac! On your left!", Piper shouted.
One of the Triggermen ran out in the open on the opposite platform, attempting to flank them from the side. A single shot from the ex-Gunner's sniper rifle, taking them down before they could duck back into cover. "Got him!".
"So do we just wait for them to run out of bullets?!", Piper asked as she tried to raise her pistol over the vending machine to return fire, but Leona grabbed her arm and pulled her hand back down.
"Keep your hands down!", Leona ordered.
"They're going to flank us long before they run out of ammo!", MacCready shouted. "I can't keep them pinned from the side for long. Sooner or later one of them is gonna to get through!".
"Where are those machine guns!?", Leona asked as she scooped up the backpack at her feet.
"There's two on the flatbed! Looks like they're the only ones!", MacCready replied, firing a shot around the side of the vending machine. "Three on the next platform! Bolt actions and ten millimeters! I can't see how many on the tracks from here!"
"Here!", Leona reached over Piper to tap MacCready on the shoulder, and he turned to see a grenade in her hand. "Can you take out the two on the flatbed?!"
"Yeah, yeah I think so!", he grabbed the grenade and risked a cursory glance around their cover.
"Alright! Take them out and you and Piper deal with the three on the next platform! I'll draw out whoever's on the tracks and keep them busy!"
"Sounds like a plan! Just watch your aa-uh-back out there!", MacCready replied, firing off two more shots at their attackers.
"Wait, you're going out there?!", Piper asked.
"It'll be fine!", Leona replied as she slipped the strap of her rifle over her head and held it out to Piper. "Do you know how to use this?!"
"Yeah. Point it at the bad guys and pull the trigger! Why?!", Piper replied.
"It's set for a three shot burst!", Leona explained, ignoring her cheeky reply. "Safety is here! Hold it tight against your shoulder like this! It has a bit of a kick, so brace yourself!", she finished and handed the weapon over.
"But don't you ne-", Piper began, but MacCready cut her off.
"If we're gonna do this, it has to be now!-".
"Do it!", Leona called. "Keep your head down", she climbed to her knees and covered Piper.
Piper covered her ears and braced herself as the explosion rocked the station. The words "Be careful", lingering in her ear when she opened her eyes and Leona was gone.
There was a brief pause in the gunfire and MacCready shouted, "Piper on the left, keep them pinned down!".
The two tommy-gun wielding mobsters were dead, and Leona noted three Triggermen on the tracks as she bolted from cover. The resulting dust and disorientation from the explosion allowing her to sprint from cover relatively unhindered by enemy fire.
The closest of the three mobsters crawled on the tracks, no doubt stunned from the explosion. She fired two shots at him as she sprinted to the nearest pillar, putting him down and alerting the other two.
They took cover behind the flatbed railcar, and she traded gunfire with them as she sprinted from one pillar to the next, straight down the station platform in an attempt to get a better angle.
"Shit!", she growled as she skidded to a halt at the end of the platform. Her back against the final pillar while the two Triggermen hammered it with gunfire, scattering dust and concrete all around her. She slid the magazine from her sidearm, three shots left. She checked the pouches on her belt, cursing at herself under her breath when she found them empty. Her spare magazines were still in her backpack she realized.
She needed to make these three shots count, but even with a clear line of sight to the two Triggermen, firing blindly wasn't an option, she needed an opening. As if sensing her thoughts, from the far end of the platform, Piper diverted her fire towards the two on the tracks, forcing them to cease their barrage and duck behind the flatbed.
She didn't waste the opportunity and leaned out from cover, lined up her shot and fired twice, hitting the first Triggerman in the chest; a split second pause as he sunk to the ground, revealing the second mobster behind him. Her third and final shot, catching the last man in the arm, causing him to drop his pistol and stagger back with an anguished cry.
He clutched his bleeding arm, struggling to regain his balance as he scanned the tracks for his dropped pistol. Catching sight of the weapon a few feet away, he staggered towards it, but Leona had already bolted from her cover, taking a running leap off the platform. Gravel crunched under her boots as she landed on the tracks and made a mad dash to intercept him before he reached the weapon.
It was as he reached for the gun that she barreled into him. Her full weight and momentum behind a vicious shoulder tackle that drove him back and slammed them both against the base of the next platform.
"Guugh!", he groaned as she rammed her shoulder into his chest, crushing him against the wall. Her face twisted in a scowl as she grabbed his collar and his injured arm. She dug her fingers into the wound, drawing him in and kneeing him in the gut before slamming him headfirst into the side of the railcar.
The Triggerman crumpled to the ground, dead, and she stepped back from the body, breathing heavily. Unlike with a bullet, ending a life with her bare hands still turned her stomach. But it was something she'd learned to deal with; to push aside in order to do what needed to be done.
The many Vault-Tec crates on the railcar and the second platform obscured her view of the firefight, but she could still make out the sound of both hers and MacCready's rifles. She had no time to waste. Maybe she could circle around the storage crates and engage the remaining Triggermen from behind.
She grabbed the discarded pistol from the tracks and pulled herself up onto the second station platform.
"This isn't working!", Piper growled as she returned fire on the last three remaining Triggermen; her bullets bouncing harmlessly off the steel crates that they hid behind.
"Keep'em pinned, I'll circle around!", MacCready shouted, not waiting for her response before diving out of cover.
"Hey!-", Piper called, but he had already jumped on the tracks and was sprinting to the next platform. One of the Triggermen stuck his head up to take a shot at the ex-Gunner, and Piper unloaded a barrage that forced them back down.
MacCready pulled himself up unto the second platform, keeping low behind the stacks of crates that littered the station as he tried to circle behind the Triggermen.
*click* *click* Piper's eyes went wide as the weapon ran dry. "Crap!", she looked up to see Triggermen level their guns at her and dove back behind the vending machine as they opened fire, showering her in a rain of sparks. Her hand swept across the ground as she shielded her face, finally closing around her pistol just as she heard a shot from MacCready's rifle that ended the barrage above her.
MacCready spun around from behind the crates, crouching to one knee as he took aim. The first mobster saw him, but it was too late. A single shot to the chest sending him toppling backwards, and MacCready dove back behind cover before the last two Triggermen could return fire. But the retaliation never came. Three shots rang out and then there was silence. MacCready poked his head out to see Leona walking over to the three dead bodies. Apparently she had the same idea that he did. She held up her palm when she saw him.
"They're down! Piper?!", Leona called.
"I'm here!", the reporter stood up from behind the vending machine. "Still in one piece!...I think", she muttered under her breath, giving herself a once over.
"Nice shot", Leona said without looking up, as MacCready approached her while she searched the bodies at her feet.
"Thanks. You too, you got both of them", MacCready replied.
"Just one actually", Leona corrected him before standing up. "She's pretty good with that pistol", she nodded to the other platform before brushing past him.
He watched her jump unto the railcar and navigate the storage boxes before jumping off again to the first platform where Piper sat on the vending machine.
"Are you alright?", Leona asked as she approached the reporter, who was gingerly rubbing her shoulder.
"Y-Yeah, I just…", Piper stuttered as Leona leaned in, brushing her hand away and pulling her red collar aside to check her shoulder for injuries. "That gun feels like a jackhammer. I'll definitely feel this tomorrow", Piper replied, trying to hide her embarrassment behind a grin; her face reflected in Leona's dark goggles.
Leona smiled, brushing the dust from Piper's shoulder after fixing her collar. "Good job by the way. I'm impressed", she offered before crouching to retrieve her backpack.
Piper nodded and bit her lip. "I just wish it hadn't come to this. If they'd just taken us to Malone like I'd-".
"Saying 'take me to your leader…'", MacCready cut her off as he jumped off the railcar to join them on the platform. "…To a bunch of heavily armed goons, that probably have orders to shoot you on sight, might not have been the best move up there".
"I never said 'take me to your leader'", Piper growled. "Besides, now we know Nick is alive, and this Darla person wasn't actually kidnapped".
"Hey", MacCready called to Leona, ignoring Piper's dirty look. "How are we dealing with the loot from these guys?", he held out a few boxes of ammo and a .44 Magnum.
Leona gave him a cursory glance over her shoulder as she searched her pack. "You can have whatever you find. Just don't let it weigh you down. We still have a long walk back to Fenw-Diamond City, after we're done here".
"What about you?" he asked, turning to Piper.
"Hey, I'm just here for Nick", she raised her palms. "You, knock yourself out".
"Hm…Doesn't seem fair, but hey, I'm not gonna argue", he hefted the handgun, testing its weight before kneeling to deposit everything in his pack.
"Hey, Blue?".
"Yeah?", Leona replied without looking back.
"Here", Piper held the rifle out to her. "I think I'll stick with my handgun. I don't think my shoulder can take it".
"Lemme see that", MacCready beckoned, before Leona could reply, and Piper handed him the rifle. "You were still holding it wrong".
'C'mere…see how I'm holding it….try it…keep the stock tight against your…'
Their voices drifting to the back of her mind as she restocked her ammo and kept her eyes on the tracks and the staircase for any movement.
"Keep your guard up. We're not safe here", Leona said as she stood and threw the backpack over her shoulder. She handed Piper an extra magazine . "Use the sidearm if you're more comfortable with it, but keep the rifle with you as backup", she said, before jumping down unto the tracks. "Let's go".
The vault door stood before her, familiar and unsettling. Construction lights illuminated the rock walls and machinery, stretching shadows across the dirt beneath their feet.
"Well how bout that", MacCready mused. "Looks like we're not goin that way".
"Blue do you have your-?".
"Yeah, I got it", Leona replied, making her way up the ramp to the control panel and retrieving the PIP-Boy from her pack.
"Hey now, those things are pretty rare", MacCready supplied. "Worth a helluva lot too. How'd you manage to get your hands on one?".
"Get up here, both of you", Leona ordered, ignoring his question. "Take cover on the sides before I open it".
The heavy groaning and screeching of metal, echoed throughout the tunnel as the massive vault door turned, sliding aside and giving way to blinding floodlights that illuminated the steel mesh walkway that led into the vault.
"Goddamnit. I hate it when they open the door. Why is that thing so loud!". A lone Triggerman emerged from one of the side rooms. Leona brought her gun up, shooting him twice in the chest as she as she slowly advanced into the vault. A third shot killing the floodlights overhead.
'Was there really just one mobster guarding the entrance?', Leona wondered as she advanced into the vault, scanning the room. She held up a hand as she walked, signalling for Piper and MacCready to stay where they were just outside.
The metal grating rattled under her boots with every cautious step. Metal shelves and stacks of Vault Tec containers decorated the room.
To her far left, a long glass window provided a clear view into the narrow side room that the first Triggerman had emerged from. Through the glass, she could see an exit leading further into the vault. It was through this same exit that another Triggerman emerged. He noticed her immediately and raised his gun.
"Shit!", Leona growled, opening fire just as he did. Unloading several shots before they both realized the glass was bullet resistant.
They froze, staring at each other for a full three seconds. She could hear Piper and MacCready coming up the walkway behind her when the Triggerman glanced at the door to the side room and she knew in an instant what he was going to do.
He took one step towards the doorway and she immediately broke into a full on sprint down the ramp to intercept him.
The side room was a choke point, and the observation window that ran along the length of it, provided a clear, safe view of the vault entrance. If the mobsters could establish a foothold there, they could effectively draw the three of them into another lengthy shootout.
"Hey!" she heard MacCready call after her.
"Blue!"
"Piper! On the right!", MacCeady shouted as another closed door, partially obscured by the shelves, slid open, revealing a single mobster.
'They can handle it', Leona thought as she made it to the open doorway just as the Triggerman did and almost collided with him. Surprise on his face when she appeared in front of him. His pistol rose reflexively, but she grabbed his arm and sidestepped just as he got a shot off. She slipped the knife from her shoulder holster as she drew him close and sunk the blade into his throat. She gritted her teeth, burying her disgust at what she'd just done, as warm blood ran down her wrist. He stared back at her in wide eyed shock. His pistol hit the ground as she inched him slowly back into the side room. His legs began to fail when another mobster, a ghoul, burst through the doorway behind him.
"Fuck!", the ghoul screamed when he took in the scene before him. His Tommygun already pointed in her direction, but he hesitated, fearful of hitting the man between them. She took full advantage of it, shoving the dying man towards the ghoul, forcing him to drop the gun when he tried to catch his companion.
His companion slipped from his arms, dead before he hit the ground and the ghoul looked up at her just in time to receive a right hook to the head. She grabbed his collar as he staggered back and pulled him towards her, driving her knee into his stomach, before shoving him aside. The ghoul tripped over the dead body at his feet and hit the observation window, head first before falling to his knees.
Alerted by a sudden movement in her periphery, she ducked as another mobster burst through the doorway and swung a baseball bat at her head, missing her and hitting the wall with a deafening *clack*. She grabbed his arm as the bat flew past her head, stomped him in the knee and shoved him face first into the wall.
"Rrrrahh!" the ghoul behind her growled, punching her in the jaw when she turned to face him, and grabbing her hair as she recoiled.
He jerked her head back towards him. A guttural growl escaped her gritted teeth as she glared at him out of the corner of her eye and slammed her hand into his throat. He clutched his windpipe, his eyes wide with shock and his grip on her hair loosened, allowing her to pry his fingers free. She twisted his wrist, bending him forward and kneeing him in the face.
"C'mere you bitch!", the other mobster slipped the bat under her neck from behind, strangling her and forcing her to release the ghoul, letting him fall to his knees.
She couldn't breathe, couldn't pry the bat from her throat. Panic in her eyes when she caught a glint of steel. The ghoul looked up at her, dark eyes and bloodied face. A switchblade in his hand reflecting the light overhead as he pushed himself to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth, causing her to double her efforts to slip free of the stranglehold. But it was no use.
The mobster scoffed in her ear as he jerked her head back, his breath warm on her cheek. "Looks like its curtains doll".
The ghoul in front of her stepped forward, ready to drive the blade into her stomach when both of her feet left the ground.
Using the mobster behind her as leverage, she jumped, slamming her feet into the ghoul's chest, sending him crashing into the window and catapulting both her and her captor into the opposite wall. His hold on the bat faltering briefly, allowing her to draw a breath before he recovered.
She gnashed her teeth in growing rage and rammed her elbow into her captor's midsection; once, twice, hearing him grunt and curse in her ear and feeling his hold loosen, allowing her to pry his fingers from the handle. With his hold broken, she elbowed him in the face before grabbing his arm and flipping him over. He hit the ground hard in front of her and she wasted no time, twisting his arm behind him and jamming her knee into his back; finally drawing her sidearm as the ghoul climbed to his feet and staggered towards them. A single shot to the leg brought him to his knees; a second shot to the head cut short his anguished wailing and stained the observation window in dark red. A third and final shot to the head of the mobster beneath her, silencing his groans and punctuating the engagement with the sound of a single shell casing hitting the floor.
MacCready reached the door first, his rifle drawn and ready. "Aw man", he muttered. Three dead bodies littered the floor; blood rapidly pooling beneath them; splattered on the walls and glass.
Leona wasn't anywhere in sight.
Judging by the sounds of gunfire they'd heard and the brief moment they'd lost sight of the window, she couldn't have been gone more than a few seconds.
"Blu-", Piper appeared at his side, her voice dying in her throat when she saw the bloody room. "Oh God. Blue!" Piper called, attempting to squeeze past MacCready.
"Wait", MacCready's hand on her shoulder stopping her. "Stay behind me. Watch your step", he advised, navigating the blood pooling on all sides of the room.
Piper followed closely behind his bloody footprints, holding her breath and cringing; the fresh stench turning her stomach.
As they reached the doorway, Leona appeared in front of them and MacCready jerked his gun up. The tension leaving his shoulders when he recognized her.
"There's a door up ahead", she nodded over her shoulder. "Go, before anyone else comes through. I'll meet you there in a minute", she ordered as she moved past him to kneel at one of the bodies.
"Yeah…yeah, sure", he replied, his eyes lingering on her back for a moment; glancing at Piper with a frown, before he disappeared through the doorway.
"Are you okay?", Piper asked, standing off to Leona's side. The woman had entered the room without sparing her so much as a glance. Her focus was almost clinical, as she turned the dead body over and extracted the knife from its throat with a sickening squelch.
"I'm fine", she looked up at Piper. Freckles of blood dotted her stoic face; her left hand stained red, and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth; her eyes still hidden behind dark goggles, making her that more difficult for Piper to read.
Piper swallowed nervously as Leona wiped her knife on the dead mobster's tie and stood, replacing it in its holster before turning to her.
"Can I?", Leona asked, motioning to her backpack in Piper's hand.
"Huh-Oh right…here", Piper handed over the bag, and Leona turned, sorting through it on a small table behind her.
"U-Um…", Piper stuttered as she stared at Leona's back; retrieving a cloth from her coat when Leona turned around. "There's…uh…on your, face…", Piper closed the distance between them, lifting the cloth to Leona's face, but she stopped herself midway and instead held it out to her. "There's…", she cleared her throat, "…blood…".
"Are you sure you're okay?", Piper whispered hesitantly once more while she watched Leona dab at her cheek, seeing the splotches of dark red on the white cloth.
She looked up at Piper and nodded; her smile clearly forced. "Thanks. Why don't you go give that boy a hand. I'll be right behind you".
"O-Okay", Piper nodded offering her a weak smile, and Leona stepped aside, allowing her to pass without having to step in the spreading blood.
MacCready waited at the door, gun in hand, looking up as Piper approached. "How is she?" he asked.
"She's…fine, I guess. I don't know" Piper sighed, leaning next to the closed door.
"What's her deal anyway? Is she always like that?", MacCready pressed.
Piper shrugged, "No, I don't think so. I mean, I've barely known her more than a day. She has a lot on her mind right now. She's just focused…maybe, on getting Nick out of here, and…on other things".
"So you've spent time with her then. What is she? A merc? A hitwoman? Some kind of-".
"She's not a 'hitwoman' , Mac!", Piper hissed.
"Then what? You saw what she did back there, those-".
"Yeah", Piper cut him off. "She killed three guys that tried to kill her. Isn't that what we've been doing since we got here? See, this is why I tried talking to those men up top. We could have avoided all of this if they'd just have-".
"That's not what I'm talkin about. For a few seconds back there, I had a good enough view through the window. The way she moved; the way those men died, even the bodies back at Olsen's hideout. You said she was fresh out of a vault, but you don't pick up skills like that from just wandering around the wasteland a couple weeks, and sure as hell not from living a sheltered life in one of these 'tombs'" MacCready mused. "What did she tell you yesterday?"
"Look, if you want to know more about her then ask her. What does it matter anyway? We're on the same side".
MacCready shook his head, "You know, I thought it was just a coincidence; her showing up at Olsen's place the day after his men were wiped out, but now-"
"Problem?", Leona cut him off and they turned to see her walking down the corridor towards them.
"No. There's no problem, we were just, uh…-", MacCready paused as he pushed off the wall and straightened himself.
"-wondering how we were gonna find Nick", Piper supplied in his place. "Mac was just telling me how much of a maze these vaults can be".
"Yeah, it's easy to get turned around in here", Leona agreed. "Don't worry, we'll find him", Leona offered her a forced smile. "Just keep moving forward. We can ask one of these mobsters if necessary".
"Open the door", she nodded to MacCready. "Let's get moving".
"This looks like some kind of maintenance tunnel", MacCready observed. Smooth brightly colored walls had given way to exposed, rusted pipes and valves.
"A monitoring station", Leona nodded to a control panel built into the wall as they passed; various gauges and readouts providing diagnostics on such things as water, gas and electricity.
The tunnel opened up into a large cavern; an unfinished section of the facility. Bedrock formed the ceilings and walls. They stood on an elevated platform, with a series of connected mesh walkways leading to the far end of the cavern where the vault continued on. Scaffolding and supply crates dotted the area in between.
"Whoa. Are we sure we're headed the right way?", Piper whispered.
"The vault was still under construction when the bombs dropped", Leona explained. "There", she pointed, "It continues on, on the other side".
"Wait! Get down!", MacCready warned in a hushed whisper, and they all crouched down behind the railings of the platform that overlooked the area. "There's movement in the next section", he said as he raised his rifle and peered through the scope.
"How many?", Leona asked.
"There's…four-no six, damn", MacCready growled. "There could be more inside. How do you wanna do this?".
Leona sighed, her brow furrowed as she studied the winding walkways ahead. The steel beams of scaffolding and supply crates would provide ample cover for an approach.
She turned to him, "I assume you'll want to stay up here".
"Of course. Can't ask for a better vantage point than this. Got a pretty good view of the entire area from here".
"Alright", Leona slipped off her backpack. "I'll try to get as close as I can, and surprise them when you draw them out. You should be able to see me from up here. Wait for my signal before you start shooting", she informed him as she pocketed a few extra magazines.
"Uh…Just a friendly reminder", Piper muttered at her side. "Hi", Piper waved playfully when Leona turned to her. "Remember me?", Piper smiled. "Should I come with you, or…".
"No, stay with MacCready", Leona grabbed the rifle that hung over Piper's shoulder. "Here, this is the selective fire switch; semi-auto, burst and auto. It should function as a pretty reasonable sniper rifle at this distance. I'm leaving my pack here; there's ammo inside if you run out".
"Blue", Piper grabbed her arm and caught her eye when she tried to stand. "Be careful, okay?"
Leona offered her a smile, just as forced as before. "Watch my back", she said simply, patting Piper on the shoulder as she stood and headed for the ramp down.
Piper frowned as she watched Leona descend the ramp. It was disconcerting seeing her right now, compared to the previous evening. It was almost like watching a different person.
MacCready observed the Triggermen through his scope as they sat on the crates, smoking, drinking and engaging in idle chatter. Leona crept silently through the shadows, ducking between the crates and scaffolding that littered walkway as she approached the group.
"Oh boy", he heard Piper sigh; observing her in his peripheral as he squinted through the scope. She knelt closer to the railing, using it as a brace to steady her weapon; a nervous clicking of her tongue as she peered through the scope, waiting for Leona's signal.
"Take it easy", he offered. "We should be pretty safe from up here, so take your time and make your shots count".
'That's not the issue', Piper shot him a look out of the corner of her eye before returning her attention to the mobsters.
Leona had made her way as close to the Triggermen as she was going to get. Behind a stack of steel crates, smack dab in the middle of the walkway. She motioned for them to take the first shot.
"Here we go. Pick your target", he said. "I've got the one in the grey hat".
Two shots sent the Triggermen scrambling for cover.
Leona stood still, with her back pressed up against the crates as her companions fired around her. Listening to the chaos as the mobsters cursed and panicked whilst trying to locate their attackers.
"There! I see them!" she heard one of them finally say.
'Gotta get closer…'
'Ice the sons'a'bitches…'
It was the moment she'd been waiting for, when two of the mobsters appeared on either side of the crates that she hid behind, trying to advance on their attackers. Her presence went un-noticed, as focused as they were on her companions. As soon as she saw their backs, she pushed off the crates, putting two shots into the mobster on her right; A third shot embedding itself into the leg of the mobster on her left just a he was alerted to her presence. The weapon fell from his grasp as he sunk to his hands and knees with an anguished cry; a fourth shot to the head silencing him.
"Nice", MacCready hissed. A sudden burst of sparks, as a round of gunfire peppered the walkway behind him, causing him to jump.
"Mac! On the left! The tunnel!" Piper shouted, pushing up against the railing as another round of gunfire nipped at the grating, inches from her feet.
"God dam- How many!?", MacCready shouted, still squinting through his scope; his attention still focused on Leona and the mobsters on the other side of the cavern.
Piper leaned out for a split second to get a better view down the maintenance tunnel that they'd come from, only to be forced back against the railing as another hail of bullets flew past her. "Jesus!", she cried, hitting her head against the railing. "There's three, maybe four…I think!"
"You're gonna have to keep them busy!", MacCready shouted, after firing another shot.
"Keep them busy?! Wh-"
"They get through that door and we're done!", he cut her off over the sound of gunfire. "I've got the boss lady covered. Just try to keep them back as long as you can!"
"Oh God, oh God", Piper muttered as she fiddled with the rifle in her lap; blindly firing three shots with her pistol through the doorway before finally finding the selective fire switch and turning it to auto.
With a deep breath she gritted her teeth and leaned out, unloading a barrage of gunfire down the maintenance tunnel, using the break in enemy fire to scramble across to the other side of the doorway.
Bullets whizzed past her head and bombarded the walkway around her feet as she crouched beside the doorway, blindly returning fire down the maintenance tunnel in short quick bursts. The occasional *crack* of MacCready's sniper rifle, punctuating the deafening and chaotic melody playing out around her.
*click* *click* "Crap! not again!", Piper growled as the gun ran empty. Her hand brushing across her hip for her pistol when she realized it was next to Leona's backpack at MacCready's side.
"Ma- Ahhh!", she cried out, huddling against the wall as another burst of gunfire tore into the grating around her feet. "Mac!", She called again.
"What?!", he shouted, not taking his eye off the scope.
"The backpack! Toss it over here!", she called.
"Mac!", she screamed over the gunfire when he didn't immediately respond. "Today!", she hissed.
After a few seconds of deathly stillness, MacCready fired off a round and quickly grabbed the backpack, blindly tossing it behind him before resuming his focus on the firefight at the far end of the cavern.
The backpack landed just short of her, and Piper hastily dragged it out of the line of fire; Bullets whistling past her during the split second she stuck her neck out.
"Assholes!", she shouted as she dove back into cover behind the doorway, shielding her face from the flying sparks. "StoP! ShOoTiNG at ME!".
"C'mon, come on", she growled as she fished through the backpack for another magazine. "Hello…", she whispered when her fingers closed around an unseen object and she pulled out a grenade.
He squeezed the trigger, painting a dark red blot between the eyes of a mobster hiding behind cover and watched as they toppled lifelessly to the ground; never taking his eyes off the scope as he re-chambered another round.
He switched his sights to Leona Just as one of the Triggermen rushed her position behind cover in an attempt to turn the tide of the firefight. The tight winding maze created by the stacked crates and clutter, forced the mobster within melee range and Leona was on him before MacCready could take the shot. Instead, the ex-Gunner laid down suppressing fire on the remaining Triggermen, watching in his peripheral as Leona disarmed and dealt with the mobster safely behind cover.
"The hell…", MacCready muttered as he watched her manipulate the mobster's movements as an adult would a small child. Every move answered with an instant reversal and counterattack, meant to stun, not to incapacitate or kill.
'What are you doin, lady? You're wasting time', he thought to himself. She had ample opportunity to kill the mobster, but kept her gun and knife holstered. Still, he had some vague idea of what she was capable of even without it.
"I see", he muttered as she locked the mobster's arm behind his back and dashed out from behind the crates, using him as a shield to advance closer to the remaining Triggermen. She needed the bastard pliable enough to control, but still capable of supporting his own weight.
A boot to the back sent the mobster toppling forward on the walkway while she slipped back behind cover into a more favorable position. He barely had time to roll over before MacCready took him out.
"C'mon you slimeball, stick your head out", MacCready whispered as he took aim at one of the last two remaining Triggermen; but as he squeezed the trigger, a sudden explosion rocked the cavern, throwing his aim off.
He ducked his head; a hand on his cap as he grit his teeth and braced himself against the deafening sound that was amplified by the maintenance tunnel and the open cavern.
He turned his head stiffly to look over his shoulder at Piper. His expression perfectly conveying the question, 'What the Hell!?'.
Piper looked back at him, wincing against the aftermath of the explosion; Her hands over her ears as she huddled behind the doorway. "Sorry!…sorry. I should have said something! Didn't think it'd be that loud!".
"Did you just-"
"What?!", Piper cut him off, while rubbing her ears vigorously.
"I said did-"
"What?!", Piper cut him off again. "I can't-", she pointed and waved her fingers in a circular motion around her ears in a gesture that could just have easily been interpreted as, 'I'm crazy'.
MacCready sighed, turning his attention back to his scope, while Piper pushed herself to her feet and peered into the maintenance tunnel; cautiously at first, before stepping out into the doorway.
The Triggermen were all down. Several pipes and valves had been punctured, jettisoning a haze of gasses into the tunnel.
"Well that worked out", she muttered.
A dim spark sputtered and flickered in the dull haze, and Piper squinted down the tunnel.
In an instant, that tiny spark exploded into an inferno, hungrily devouring the tunnel. Ravenous, rolling flames rushed towards her. She barely had a chance to cry out before the force of the explosion knocked her off her feet and she landed hard on her back, knocking her head on the walkway.
A high pitched buzzing in her ear; MacCready's muffled voice lost somewhere beneath the sound of a blaring alarm, roaring fire and groaning metal.
"-iper"…..
She grabbed her aching head, wincing as she forced her eyes open.
"Piper!", MacCready's face finally coming into view as he knelt over her.
"God…ow…", Piper groaned, running her fingers tentatively behind her head, relieved when her blurry hands came away with no sign of blood.
"God damn! You scared the fuh-Shit! You scared the hell outta me!", MacCready exclaimed, panic and concern clouding his face. "Hold it. Stay down", he ordered, placing his hand on her shoulder when she tried to sit up.
"I'm ok…" Piper muttered. "I'm o-oh god, what is that?", she sputtered in a panic when her eyes settled on a small shard of jagged metal embedded in the centre of her chest.
"Just take it eas-"
"What is that?!", Piper cut him off.
"Just calm down a min-"
"You calm down!", she spat, reaching for the jagged shard, but MacCready grabbed her arms at the wrists, restraining her.
"Will you just hold up!", MacCready reprimanded. "We don't know how deep that thing goes. Pull it out and you could ble-"
"Mac! I swear if you don't let go of-!", Piper hissed through gritted teeth.
"Fine!", he cut her off with an exasperated growl. "Just-Just wait a second, I have bandages and a stim in my pack", he released her and scrambled over to his backpack. But as he turned around, she was already on her feet.
"Piper wait!", he shouted as she pulled out the jagged shard with a gasp.
"Gahhh!"
They both stared at the shard in her hand, frozen for a few seconds before Piper suddenly tossed it aside with a metallic clang; her hands already fumbling frantically with her belt as he closed the distance between them with a stimpack in hand.
"Piper-"
"Just, help me with this!", she pleaded, throwing off her coat and pawing at the straps that secured her vest. A hint of panic still lingered in her voice.
"I have it. Lift your arms", he instructed as he slipped the body armor off of her and she staggered away, turning her back to him and prodding at her chest. The shrapnel had only slightly singed the fabric of her shirt and barely broken the skin.
"Jesus…", she sighed in relief, leaning back against the wall and slinking to the ground.
MacCready sighed as well, the tension draining from his shoulders as he let the vest dangle from his fingertips.
The jarring screech of the emergency alarm coming into focus once more as she buried her head in her arms.
"We ain't goin back that way", MacCready said, glancing down the maintenance tunnel, now engulfed in flames and smoke and flashing yellow lights. "You alright?", he asked in concern, crouching down in front of her; his voice almost soft enough to be drowned out by the alarm.
"No…", Piper grumbled; her face still buried in her arms. "My head hurts…"
He turned the vest over in his hands, prodding at the charred hole in the center. "You know, a little higher and that shrapnel would have-"
"I know, yeah", Piper cut him off. "I could do without the commentary, thanks".
It was clear that she was trying to calm her nerves, and he let her sit there for a moment before tapping her lightly on the leg and standing, "C'mon. Can you walk? We should catch up with the boss lady befo-"
"Shit! Blue!", her head snapped up." Is she okay?! Where is she?", Piper pushed herself shakily to her feet and made her way over to the railing. There was no movement at the far end of the cavern.
"Mobsters are down", MacCready supplied while he gathered their things. "And there's no more gunfire…Probably a good sign", he added, handing Piper her coat and hat. "We should hurry".
"Are you both ok? What happened back there?", Leona asked, walking up to meet them as they descended the ramp on the other side of the cavern.
It seemed the explosion had set off emergency alarms all throughout the vault. The incessant screeching echoed from the tunnels behind Leona, where the vault continued on.
"We're ok", MacCready assured her. "Had a few of those goons come up behind us in the maintenance tunnel and-"
"-and I kinda, might have…tossed a grenade at them", Piper finished with a sheepish smirk.
The vest at his side drew Leona's attention and he held it out to her upon noticing her questioning look."A secondary explosion in the tunnel set off the alarms and she took a bit of shrapnel to the chest in the blas-"
"Mac!", Piper hissed. "Really?!"
Leona took the vest, and after a quick scan of the damage, she let it fall to the ground and closed in on Piper. "Are you hurt? Let me see", she grabbed at Piper's collar, but Piper crossed her arms defensively and jumped back a step, up the ramp. "Wh-I'm good, Blue. Really".
"Piper, I can see through the hole in that thing", Leona countered, taking another step towards the reporter.
"I swear, I'm fine", Piper held up her palms to halt Leona's advance. "It's just a scra-barely ; it-it's barely even a scratch". The last thing Piper wanted was for Leona to see her as a liability. "Blue…please. I promise", she added, and Leona wordlessly regarded her for a moment before finally stepping back. Her stern expression made it difficult to tell if it was concern or annoyance that colored her features.
"I'm told Valentine is in the Overseer's office. It isn't much further", she informed them; another brief glance at Piper before she turned on her heel and walked away.
"Wait, what d-", MacCready began, only to be interrupted by a comically exaggerated slap to the arm from an annoyed Piper, as she passed him by. "Ow! What was that for!", he hissed.
"Keep talkin meathead. It'll give Skinny Malone more time to think about how he's gonna bump you off".
"That's Nick's voice! He's in there", Piper whispered.
They hid in the shadows, behind the doorway of the stairwell that led up to the Overseer's office; Watching as a lone mobster stood in front of the office window, taunting the detective inside.
"Don't gimme that crap Valentine. You know nothin, an you got nothin"
"Really? I saw him write your name down in that black book of his. Lousy, cheating card shark, I believe were his exact words…"
"What are we waiting for?", MacCready whispered. "I can spit on him from this distance", he cocked the six-shooter in his hand and aimed it at the mobster.
"…As if Skinny needs another reason. That ain't music comin through those loudspeakers. I heard your boys on the radio. Someone's shootin up the place. Who do you think is gonna take the fall for…"
"Do it", Leona nodded.
The mobster crumpled to the floor, dead in a single shot, and Piper burst from the stairwell, stumbling over the body to get to the window.
"Nick! Are you okay?!", she banged her fist on the dirty glass and squinted into the darkened room.
"Piper! That you? What are you-Nevermind. There's a terminal next to the door. I can't open it from this side. The controls are shot".
"Got it!", she ran to the terminal, cursing under her breath almost immediately. "It's locked!".
"Blue!", Piper called over her shoulder, but Leona was already behind her. "It's loc-"
"I heard. Let me try. Go check the body, see if he had a passcode".
MacCready stood next to the body and peered through the window, only able to make out a silhouette in the scant light of the office.
"Ack", Piper squirmed, trying to avoid the pooling blood when she knelt next to the corpse. "Mac", she looked up as him. "Help me turn him over".
"What are we lookin for?"
"The doorcode. Check his pants", Piper instructed as she fished around in his jacket.
"You check his pants", MacCready replied.
"Mac!".
"Fine!", he grumbled.
"Got it!", Piper shouted. "Four, seven, one, one"
The door clicked and screeched open. "Wait", Leona held out her arm, blocking Piper before she could run into the office.
Leona entered first, weapon drawn; two points of dimly glowing cyan lights floated in the gloom before the detective stepped into the light of the lamp on the Overseer's desk.
"Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel in distress scenario", he tipped his hat with metallic hand.
It wasn't as disconcerting as she'd imagined it would be. Aside from a naked left hand and fractures around his neck where the synthetic skin had fallen away. A patchwork trench coat; a natural voice with only the slightest hint of metallic reverb and an emotive face that flawlessly mirrored the subtlety of human expression, all helped to set her at ease.
He was nothing like the stonefaced, mindless drones she'd encountered at ArcJet.
"Nick Valentine", she said. It was more of a statement than a question.
"The one and onl-"
"Nick!", Piper ran past her, stopping just short of the detective, flashing him a beaming smile before she hugged him.
"Piper. How'd you find me? Did Ellie-".
"Yeah. I practically had to drag it out of her", she smirked and let him go. "Tell me again, who's the reckless one".
"I suppose you've got me on that one…."
Leona watched with great interest for a moment, while they interacted as two close friends would. If she closed her eyes, she was certain there would be almost no way to tell the human from the synth.
MacCready came up at her side, his rifle at the ready, pointed at the duo, and she wordlessly nudged it towards the ground. It was clear Piper had forgotten to mention a detail or two to him.
"Wh-", he looked at her, confused, but she was already headed behind the Overseer's desk, leaving him standing there, dumbfounded.
"How'd you even get caught. You're usually so careful", Piper asked.
"Darla. That dame had me fooled good. Waited until my back was turned and slugged me in the head with a bat", Nick explained. "With a personality that can turn on a dime, she's Skinny's new flame and one sick puppy. You'd never guess from the way her folks described her.
"Are you okay? You look okay", she held him at arm's length and looked him over.
"Still in one piece, and more than happy to call this case a wash if I manage to get outta here with the same number of parts I had when I walked in. To tell you the truth, I was worried you'd come lookin and try to spring me on your own", Nick mused as he lit up a cigarette. "But I see you've managed to find yourself a couple hired guns".
"Wh-Well, not exactly", Piper replied. "Uh, you know MacCready", Piper motioned to the ex-gunner who still hadn't closed his mouth completely.
"You're a synth", he blurted out.
"What tipped you off, Hotshot?", Nick fired back.
"Mac", Piper hissed.
"Well I'm sorry. I mean, a little heads up would have been nice" MacCready replied defensively.
Piper shook her head, trying to hide her smirk. "Annnyway, MacCready here agreed to help out, for free". She made sure to catch the ex-gunner's eye and emphasize the word.
"Hey, it's fair play", MacCready replied. "Didn't think I earned my keep on the Olsen job. Wouldn't have felt right to just walk away".
"About that", Nick began; a stream of smoke rising from the cracks in his neck. "Piper filled me in a little, before I left. I appreciate you lookin out for her".
"Don't mention it", MacCready replied.
"MacCready", Leona looked up from the desk terminal. "The door, keep an eye out. We've stayed here too long. I don't want anyone surprising us".
"On it", he replied, happy to excuse himself.
"True enough", Nick agreed. "As swell as it's been being cooped up down here, I'm about ready to blow this tin can. I appreciate the rescue, miss…"
"Leona", she offered without looking up.
"She's looking for her son, Nick", Piper added.
"Kidnapped?" he asked with a frown and Piper simply nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that".
"I don't have any leads, but Piper tells me that you specialize in tracking people down".
"Of course", he replied. "I'll do everything I can to help you find your boy. You can fill me in on the details once we're back in Diamond City".
"Blue? What are you doing?", Piper asked.
"Turning, off…this…noise", she hit the last key, silencing the alarm. "Turn left when we get back to the main tunnel. There's an emergency hatch ahead that should let us out onto the street".
"Guys", MacCready stuck his head through the doorway. "I'm hearing voices out there. We should probably think about moving".
"You keep givin me that side-eye and I might start feelin self-conscious", Nick quipped as they followed the tunnel, with Piper and MacCready bringing up the rear.
"Sorry", Leona apologized. "I had my first encounter with synths only a few days ago, and unlike you, their social skills never deviated that far from 'kill everything in sight'.
"Heh. I expect not. They're little more than mindless puppets. Still, as far as first meetings go, I'd say we're doing pretty good. This mug ain't exactly reassuring, or so they tell me", he smirked, and she forced a quick smile before returning her attention to the path ahead.
"So, what kind of work do you do exactly?"
"Why?"
"Simple curiosity. We haven't run into too many of Skinny's boys so far, but it's clear you know how to handle yourself. I'd have pegged you as a freelancer, but Piper mentioned that you're not a mercenary".
"I'm a lawyer", she risked a quick glance at him.
"You don't say…", Nick mused. "If I'm not mistaken, that would require the existence of some form of law; and I don't know if you 've noticed, but-".
"Yeah", she huffed sardonically. "I've noticed; but It's one of those details that can wait until we're safely back at Fenw-Diamond City".
"Point taken".
The tunnel opened up into large room. Another staging area filled with stocked shelves, supplies, equipment and stacks of Vault-Tec crates.
"The hatch should be just ahe- Someone's coming. Move!", Leona called over her shoulder.
MacCready pulled Piper behind the shelves, keeping low as they navigated around the central walkway.
Leona and Valentine didn't have that luxury, being well inside the room already. With no time to hide, they could only take cover behind two of the support beams that lined the walkway.
A quick peek from behind her cover revealed a sharply dressed, rotund man standing out in the open; Flanked on one side by a ghoul in suspenders and slacks, brandishing a Tommygun; and on the other side, a young woman in a sparkling red dress, her fists wound tightly around the handle of a baseball bat; Darla.
"Who's there?", came a man's gruff voice and Nick glanced at her from across the walkway before replying.
"It's me, Skinny", Nick replied.
"Nicky? What are you doin!? You come into my house. Shoot up my guys. You have any idea how much this is gonna set me back!?", Malone growled, firing two rounds into the pillar Nick was standing behind.
"I never laid a finger on any of your lapdogs!", Nick denied. "And I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for your two timing dame, Skinny! You ought to tell her to write home more often".
"Awww", came the snide, sing-song voice of a young woman. "…poor little Valentine. What's the matter? Ashamed you got beat up by a girl? Guess I'll just run back home to daddy then, shall I?".
"You shoulda just left it alone Nicky", Malone continued. "This ain't the old neighbourhood. In this vault, I'm king'a the castle, you hear me?! An I ain't lettin some private dick shut us down now that I-"
"Malone!", Leona cut him off. "I'm just here for Valentine. Put your guns down and let us walk out of here, no one else needs to die today".
'Hmph!', Malone snorted. "Nicky, who the hell is this broad?".
"She's my 'get out of jail free card', and I agree. This doesn't need to turn any uglier than it has already, Skinny".
"I told you we should've just killed him!", Darla screeched. "But then you had to get all sentimental! All that stupid crap about 'the old times'"
"Darla, I'm handling this! Skinny Malone's always got things under control!".
"Yeah? Then what's this lady doing here. I bet he brought her here to…."
Leona sighed as they argued. She was beginning to feel a pang of sympathy for wannabe mobster. "Listen! Malone. Valentine is only here because your sweetheart's parents thought she'd been kidnapped. She's the reason he's here! She's the reason I'm here! And you letting Valentine live is the only reason we're negotiating right now".
"Negotiating?", Malone huffed. "Is that what you think this is?! After you slaughter my guys and blow my vault to hell?! You think I'm gonna just-"
The deafening crack of a sniper rifle cut him off and startled her. She peeked around the pillar in time to see Skinny's Tommygun wielding Triggerman, crumple to the floor. It seemed MacCready had gotten somewhat impatient.
"Hold your fire!", Nick shouted in MacCready's general direction.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!", Malone shouted, ducking his head, firing blindly into the shelves as he backed up.
"Don't kill them", Nick called after her as Leona calmly strode out from her cover while the mob boss was distracted, firing a few bullets that peppered the ground at his feet until he scrambled behind a supply crate.
"Rrrrraaagghh!", Darla charged at her with a feral growl. She had closed the distance, bat in hand, but her sparkling red dress did little to help conceal her approach. Her wide and wild swing halted abruptly when Leona caught the bat at the business end and slammed the handle into the young woman's face, snapping her head back and sending her to the ground, unconscious.
Her pistol pointed in Malone's direction once more, as Darla hit the ground. "Malone! Throw the gun out and stand up. Its over!".
"Fuck!", the mobster shouted from behind the crates. "Alright, alright! Take it easy!", he raised his hands; his pistol dangling from his fingers as he slowly stood up.
"Lose the piece Skinny", Nick ordered as he came up behind her.
"Nicky…", Malone growled, letting out a measured breath, but he did as he was told and tossed the pistol aside. "So what happens now?", he turned to Nick. "Between this and the stunt you and that skirt pulled a couple weeks ago, it's gonna take me-".
"Sorry bout that", MacCready adjusted his cap as he and Piper came up behind Nick. "But all that talk was goin nowhere".
Leona narrowed her eyes at the ex-gunner. "You two, go on ahead. The hatch should be at the end of the tunnel. Be careful", she instructed. "And you", she turned to Malone, "Get over here".
"Hi again", Piper smiled awkwardly as she slipped past the mobster. "Sorry about…thi- whoa!", she stumbled over the body of the fallen Triggerman, eliciting a pained groan from him. "Sorry!, sorr-".
"Piper!", MacCready called, already halfway down the tunnel.
"I'm coming. Keep your shirt on!"
"If you're gonna shoot me then just shoot me already! I ain't gonna get on my knees and beg like some-".
"Relax", Nick cut him off. "No one else is getting shot today", he assured the mobster and looked to Leona for confirmation.
"I never wanted any of this", she said simply as she holstered her sidearm. "We tried talking to your men initially, but they seemed more inclined to shoot us on sight".
"They were doin as they were told. My guys ain't all that bright, but they're loyal. The kinda loyalty you can buy". He turned to Nick, "Now thanks to you and that nosy reporter, my chem business is stalled until I find another mixer. And you!", he glared at Leona. "You show up here and turn my place into some kinda shootin gallery. I ain't got the dough to hire more'a these boneheads. It's gonna take me weeks to get this goddamn operation goin again!"
"Yeah, well you're still alive", Leona countered, brushing past him to fetch her backpack. "You have time. In a few months you'll be back to selling weapons and kidnapping little kids aga-"
"Hey!", he cut her off. "Skinny Malone don't mess with no kids. I ain't in that business!", he jabbed a finger in her direction. "We grabbed the brat to make a point to his old man. We woulda cut him loose in a day or two, if a certain private dick and his little-".
"You had to know someone would have come lookin for the boy", Nick cut him off. "That whole fiasco was your own fault-"
"That's enough", Leona interrupted, throwing her pack over her shoulder. "We need to get moving. What do you want to do about her", she motioned to Darla's body, now beginning to stir awake.
"Damn broad", Malone muttered, shaking his head at the woman on the ground. "It's all been goin downhill since I met her", He reached into his jacket and Leona gripped her holstered pistol in an instant. "Take it easy sweetheart", he paused and then slowly pulled out a cigar and lit it.
"Unless you want to carry her back, I'd say leave her", Nick replied. "She can find her own way back when she's good and ready".
"Fine", Leona said simply, and turned once more to Malone. "And what about you? Am I going to have to start looking over my shoulder from now on?"
"Hmph", the mobster scoffed at her. "And if I say yes?"
"Do I really have to answer that?", she held his gaze.
"Lady, we all gotta be lookin over our shoulders out there", he jabbed his cigar at her.
It wasn't really an answer, and the detective could tell Leona wasn't the least bit amused, but before she could respond, he drew the mobster's attention. "I know you've been having your people shadow Piper and myself these past couple weeks. I'm gonna have to ask you to call them off".
"Done".
"I need your word, Skinny", Nick pressed.
"Hey, you got my word alright. But lemme make one thing clear. If I see any'a youse after today, I'm shootin you on principle, no questions asked. You got me? To hell with the old days!"
"I'd say that's fair", Nick tipped his hat to the mobster.
"Good. Then get the hell outta my house before the rest of my boys show up".
"Come on", Nick nodded to her and started walking. "Past time we made ourselves scarce".
Leona followed suit, keeping the mobster in her peripheral as she followed the detective.
"Hey, sweetheart", the mobster called to her and she turned to face him. "A little tip before you go".
"What is it?", she asked, her brows knitted as she regarded him.
"Word is, the Gunners have been askin around about some broad that took out more than a couple'a their guys a few nights back. Some crazy rumors goin around, but they all got one thing in common", he paused. "A tall, green eyed brunette"
Her frown deepened and she lowered her gaze in thought for a moment.
"Why are you telling me this?", she asked finally.
He slipped his fedora off and ran a hand thoughtfully over his greasy, slicked hair. "This little playground of ours has been changin a lot these last couple months. With them boyscouts, the Minutemen, gettin the boot, all these new raider gangs are suddenly growin a pair and crawlin outta the woodworks. The Gunners, the Institute and them loonies up in the glowin sea are getting cockier by the day", he paused, taking a drag of his cigar. "I'm a businessman. I just want my piece'a the pie, an that pie is gettin smaller an smaller…"
Leona quirked her head questioningly, and the mobster caught himself. "Let's just call it an 'investment', doll", he said simply. "I got my ear to the ground. You keep doin what you're doin; stay outta my business, and we don't got a problem", he jabbed the cigar at her. "I'm lettin this one slide. But if you ever-"
"Understood", she cut him off and turned on her heel.
"Here grab my hand", Piper offered, helping her out of the manhole to join the others on the shadowed street.
Leona brushed the hair from her face as she stood up and adjusted the backpack over her shoulder, noticing Piper's beaming smile as the reporter stared at her excitedly.
"What?", she quirked her head at the reporter, a hint of confused amusement tugging at her lips.
"We did it!", she grinned, taking a small step towards Leona but resisting the urge to hug the older woman at the last second. Instead she stepped back, her hands rigid at her side in restrained elation. "Thank you", she added in barely more than a whisper.
"Come on you two", Nick interrupted before Leona could reply. "We're not home free just yet. Let's save the celebration until we're back in Diamond City".
"Ellie!, Are you here?".
"Nick?!", Ellie ran out of the back room, stopping short when she saw him; a hand over her mouth in surprise. "Oh god! It's really you!". Tears in her eyes; her relief was almost palpable as she closed the distance and hugged him tightly.
"Well it's hard to mistake this mug for anyone else", he quipped.
Ellie chuckled through her tears as she broke away from him. "You keep laughing at death, and some day death is going to laugh back".
Nick simply smirked. "Not as long as I have a few friends to back me up", he nodded to the trio standing by the door.
"Thank you, all of you", Ellie offered them a tear stained smile. A hand over her chest as she wiped her cheeks dry.
They looked like they'd all been through the wringer; MacCready tipped his cap to Ellie; Piper nodded, her dimpled smile widening, having never left her face completely since they'd crawled out of the vault.
The reporter glanced to Leona at her side; the stony expression she had worn throughout this whole ordeal had thawed somewhat. A warm smile tugged at her lips and colored her eyes before she nodded and turned to reach for the door.
"Hey, hold on", Nick called. "Where are you going?"
"I uh…I'll let you get settled in. I'll be back in the morning"
"Nonsense", Nick waved her words away. "Look, I can only imagine what you must be going through and what it took to spring me from that cage. But now that we're safely back in Diamond City, I'm not about to make you wait a moment longer. I can understand if you need some time to rest and get your thoughts together, but if you're ready, I'm more than happy to get started on finding your boy".
Her fingers left the doorknob and she glanced at Piper, who nodded towards the desk and offered her a reassuring smile. "Blue".
Leona swallowed, her eyes lingering briefly on the chair before she turned her attention to Nick and nodded wordlessly.
"All right then", Nick offered her a warm smile and motioned to the chair in front of the desk. "Have a seat; Make yourself comfortable. Just gotta get a new case file together; it'll just take a minute", he explained as he began sorting through the papers on the desk.
She paused for the briefest of moments, her fingers brushing over the back of the worn, wooden chair. This was what she'd wanted; this was what she'd come all this way for; the reason she'd fought, endured and overcome every challenge in her way since stepping into this twisted mockery of her world.
It was a chance. It was hope.
Or…should she take that seat, it could very well spell end of that hope.
All she had to go on were her splintered memories. No pictures, no recordings, no other witnesses…no evidence. Nothing she could hold in her hand.
The chair brought with it both hope and dread, but it was the only door open to her right now. She took a deep breath and glanced over the desk at the detective as she dropped her backpack and settled into the chair. "I…don't have much to go on. I-"
"Relax", he paused, looking up from the papers to catch her eye. The overhead light shadowing his face under the brim of is hat and emphasizing the cyan glow of his eyes. "Everything you need is right here", he tapped his temple. "Don't underestimate the power of memory. Even the most insignificant detail can make all the difference".
"Have a seat you two", Ellie turned to MacCready and Piper standing by the door." If you're staying a while, I'll put some coffee on", she offered before disappearing into the next room.
"You know, you don't have to stick around if you don't want to", Piper whispered to MacCready, watching as he set his pack and rifle down next to the door.
"Are you kidding? And say no to free coffee?", he smirked.
A subtle but warm smile on her lips as he brushed past her to find somewhere to settle in among the stacks of files and folders.
"Like I said", Nick began as he took a seat opposite Leona. "The devil is in the details. Tell me everything you can, no matter how…painful it might be".
MacCready sat on one of the small corner tables that lined the walls off to the side. Half bathed in shadow; the light from the single overhead lamp in the room occasionally highlighting the trails of smoke from his cigarette.
Piper leaned back against the door directly behind Leona as she listened to the older woman recount her tale once more, in heartbreaking detail. As outlandish as her story seemed, no one questioned its veracity. The reporter's gaze shifting occasionally from Leona's back, to scan the faces of the others as they listened. MacCready leaned back against the wall. His head was lowered; his arm propped up on his knee as the cigarette dangled from his fingertips, wasting away. His eyes were hidden beneath the brim of his cap, but Piper could tell he was very much awake.
"Wait. It couldn't be… You didn't happen hear the name 'Kellogg' at all, did you?", the surprise in Nick's voice catching Piper's attention.
"Kellogg? N-No. I…d-Who is that?", Leona asked as Ellie hurried over to the file cabinets.
"Hmm…it's way too big of a coincidence", Nick muttered. "Ellie, what notes do we have on the Kellogg case?".
"Just a min-oh here we go", Ellie retrieved a single folder from the cabinet and flipped through it as she made her way over to Nick's side. "The description matches. The distinctive metal brace on his arm, bald head, scar across his left eye. Reputation for dangerous mercenary work, but no one knows who his employer is". She set the file down on the table.
Leona's chair crashed to the ground as she bolted upright and snatched a single page from the folder, startling Piper to attention.
"Blue?", Piper came up beside her, a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "What's wr…"
A sketch. She held a single drawing in her trembling hands.
"Blu-". Piper's breath caught in her throat when she saw the unchecked venom that crept across Leona's face. But it was her eyes; her eyes reflected nothing, but cold fire. Her shoulders shook under Piper's palm.
Rage…In its purest form, held at bay, by nothing but the thin veil of her psyche.
"Leona", Piper whispered, laying a gentle hand on her arm, coaxing her out of her own mind.
She glanced at Piper, seeing the warmth and worry in her eyes, and quickly broke eye contact, blinking her memories away and swallowing the lump in her throat.
Piper felt the tension drain from Leona's shoulders and watched as the familiar, yet unstable mask of stoicism diluted the frightening expression that marred her face.
Leona slapped the sketch on the desk in front of the detective. "This is him. Tell me everything you know. Where can I find him?"
"He's a merc, you're right about that", MacCready supplied, coming up beside Ellie to get a better look. "But good luck finding his clients. The Gunners have been trying for years. They tried putting the squeeze on him a few times a couple years back, and…well, from the stories I've heard…let's just say it didn't end well. Now they tend to keep their distance if they run into him out in the field. They even have him on a special list", MacCready reached over to stub his cigarette out on the desk ashtray. "The guy's bad news, and whoever his clients are, they ain't scavvers, or farmers, or your average settler either".
"Information is spotty at best", Nick turned to Leona and slipped the drawing from beneath her fingers, replacing it at the bottom of the case file, out of her sight. "Hearsay and second hand accounts, but I know for a fact that he had a place right here in town", he turned to Ellie, "…and he had a kid with him, didn't he?".
"Yes, that's right", Ellie withdrew a single page from the folder. "I added a few small notes here somew- here it is", she pointed. "The house in the abandoned West Stands. He owned it for a month before he left about three weeks ago. The boy with him was around ten years old"
"Ten…", Leona, muttered; her brow furrowed in deep thought. "That can't be Shaun…Another kidnapped child?"
"Possibly", Nick mused as he lit up a cigarette. "Not much of a stretch to think there might be other kids involved in this. You mentioned a hazard suit. A rare item; not a utility most wastelanders can afford and not exactly regulation rags, even for a couple mercs", he paused, flipping through his notes as wisps of smoke crept from the cracks in his neck. "Also, from what you've said, it sounds like they knew exactly what they were looking for and where to find it. That says resources, and access to pre-war records", he flipped through a few more pages, scratching at his chin in deep thought. "Backup…not sure what that could mean….", he muttered. "Why leave one parent alive and why was your pod the only one that didn't malfunction…Was it deliberate? To save power perhaps…keep you on ice for as long as possible…or maybe…"
"Hey", Leona tapped her fingers on the desk, cutting short his musing. "I need you to show me his place".
"Hm? Right, I was getting to that", he rose from his chair and pocketed his notebook. "Ellie, we're heading out".
"Alright, I'll see what else we have on this mercenary in the meantime. And Nick…", Ellie called as he reached the door between Piper and Leona, and he turned to face her. "Be careful. Security doesn't really go to that part of town".
"Are you kidding", Nick smiled. "With this group? No one in their right mind would try anything".
Ellie raised an eyebrow knowingly as if to say 'Exactly'
"Point taken", Nick tipped his hat. "Lock the door when we leave. This might take a while".
"Ma'am", MacCready nodded to Ellie before following them through the door.
"So…you buy all that?", MacCready muttered to Piper as they walked along the dark alley. The Moon peeked through the patchwork covering overhead, and the odd light from broken neon signs rolled over the shoulders of Nick and Leona as they walked several paces ahead.
"Huh?", Piper looked over to him.
"That whole tale she just laid out. Her being-"
"Of course", Piper cut him off.
"Really? Just like that?" MacCready asked incredulously. "C'mon. Frozen for two hundred years? Alive before the war? I mean, she said she actually saw the bombs fall"
"Yeah, it's a hell of a story, no argument here, but she's not lying. I'm sure of it", she pulled her collar up and stuck her hands in her pockets as the cold night air nipped at her cheeks. "Besides, who would come up with a story like that, and more importantly, why would they make something like that up? I mean, she has this Kellogg guy down to a T. Don't you think th-"
"I didn't say she was lying", MacCready cut her off and Piper shot him a quizzical look over her collar.
He turned back to the path ahead, his eyes on Leona's back as she and Nick conversed while they walked. Their voices hushed and incoherent. "I think she believes every word she's saying".
"Then…?", Piper prodded at his pause.
"I've seen what grief can do to a person. The loss of a loved one. A parent, losing a child…", he paused for a moment, his eyes taking on a distant look as Piper studied the side of his face. "That kinda loss can shut a person down; even drive you insane if you let it".
"Mac…", she whispered in concern, snapping him out of his thoughts.
A brief glance in her direction and he cleared his throat. That fleeting moment of reflection, gone in an instant. "Maybe she did lose her kid. Maybe he was kidnapped, maybe he was killed. Maybe this merc, did have something to do with it", he caught her eye. "Somethin happened, no doubt about that. But that whole business about being frozen for two hundred years. Even if she believes it, I don't buy it", he paused, his eyes settling on Leona's back once more.
"People deal with loss in a whole lotta different ways. Some people change, some people run…and some people break".
"I didn't want to say anything in front of Ellie", Nick began as they walked. "But not everything I dug up about Kellogg is in those files. Like the kid said, this guy is bad news. He's more than just a mercenary. He's a professional; quick, clean, thorough. He has no enemies because they're all dead…Except for you", he looked over at her, but she kept her eyes on the path ahead, silently listening. "He has a brutal reputation, even among the less than reputable circles you'd expect someone like him to travel in-"
"I don't need his resume", she cut him off in a monotone voice.
I need him bloody and broken, at my feet.
"I just need to find him"
"And I can appreciate that", he nodded as they ascended a flight of rusty stairs that skirted the walls of the stadium. "But sparing all the graphic details of what I've turned up on this guy, I feel I need to hammer home exactly what kind of a man we're dealing with. Don't underestimate the threat he represents".
She looked over at him with a stern expression and a bitter response ready on her lips, but she held her tongue and instead offered an affirmative nod.
A single shack sat on the far end of the platform, at the top of the stairs. At this elevation, she could just barely see the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, and the market district beyond.
"This is the place", Nick informed her as they made their way over to the door, under cover of darkness.
The door handle rattled when he tried it, but didn't budge. "I suspected as much", Nick muttered.
"Can we kick it in?", Leona asked at his side.
"Just hold on a minute", Nick stopped her as she stepped back, ready to lay into the sturdy metal door. "The racket from that is gonna draw the kind of attention we don't need right now. Pip-"
"Oh, I got it!", Piper cut him off when she came up behind them; a gentle pat on Leona's shoulder as she passed her by and knelt in front of the door, fishing a pair of bobby pins from her coat. MacCready settled at her side; his back against the house; his eyes alert and scanning the moonlit darkness as she worked.
Nick nodded to Leona, motioning off to the side, and she joined him by the railing, overlooking the city below while they waited.
"Must be a hell of a thing", Nick said, while leaning on the railing. "Waking up to all this".
She glanced over at him as he stared at the glow of the market district in the centre of town.
"Am I?", she asked, mirroring his posture; the rusty metal scraping against her arms.
He looked at her questioningly.
"Awake?", she added. "Everyday it sinks in a little more. This is real", she paused; the distant lights reflected in her eyes. "There's no going back".
"Hm. I imagine it'll take some time, but once we get your boy back, I'm sure you'll find your place", he offered.
His words were of little comfort.
What kind of childhood could Shaun have in this place? What kind of life could he live?
She had asked herself this same question when faced with the prospect of life underground, trapped in that vault; the three of them. But this was so much worse.
Diamond City was likely the best that this world had to offer, and yet it fell woefully short of even her lowest standards.
She was alone.
She closed her eyes and saw his face. 'Nate'
The details didn't come as easily. His smile. The lines on his face. The color of his eyes…
Time was already prowling at the edges of her mind. Hungrily nipping at her memories, one tiny detail after the next.
Could she do this alone?
Finding Kellogg and getting Shaun back was the only thing pushing her forward. But if there was a future beyond that, she couldn't see it.
MacCready slid down to crouch next to Piper as she worked. "You know, I've been thinking about sticking around Diamond City for a while longer".
"Yeah? That couch at the Third Rail probably has a perfect imprint of your butt by now", Piper grinned. "Sure you wanna give that up? Or are you worried you're getting soft?", she teased.
"Yeah, actually", he chuckled. "That might be part of it", he paused. "That, and I can't keep relying on Hancock's hospitality. Besides, selling my services from the back room of the Third Rail ain't all that profitable"
"What about those two, uh…Win…lock, and Barnes, right?", Piper recalled.
"Heh. Those clowns", he scoffed. "The gunners can't be bothered with me unless I get in their way, but those two, that's a whole other story. I'm gonna have to deal with them eventually. But in the meantime, a new location and fresh clients sounds like a good move".
"Well you're in luck. Diamond City security is just shy of useless, so finding work should be pretty easy", she smirked as the lock clicked. "Got it".
She nudged the door open slightly before MacCready grabbed the handle. "Hang on, let me go first".
"Mac, it's a door and an empty house. I think we'll be okay", Piper replied unimpressed, as she stepped aside, feeling Leona at her back.
"You'd be surprised how many ways there are to rig a door", he explained, opening the door slowly, just enough to stick his head inside. "When you're dealing with a merc like this Kellogg guy, you can't take anything for granted"
"All clear", he declared, finally pushing the door open all the way and stepping inside. They filtered into the room and Piper pointedly rolled her eyes at him when he glanced her way.
The ceiling light was on and provided more than enough illumination for the small space. There was a desk at the far end of the room, and next to it, a short flight of stairs led to an elevated platform that served as a sleeping area, with a small bed and nightstand. Two long, tattered couches; one next to the door and another against the wall to their right.
Leona passed her by, heading up the stairs and Piper turned to Nick. "Nick, did they clean the place out already?"
"I'd say so, from the looks of it"
"Doesn't look like we're gonna find anything in here", MacCready mused.
"I'll check the desk. Could you check the cushions?", Piper asked.
MacCready sighed, "If the cleaners have been over this place already, I'd be surprised to find a single cap under there".
"One way to know for sure", Piper called over her shoulder as she started going through the mostly empty drawers.
Melted candles, dirty ashtray, an empty nightstand and a filthy yet perfectly made up bed. There was nothing here. Leona took a deep breath, feeling her frustration growing.
Nick stood by the door, scanning the room. Above them, Leona rifled through the nightstand and turned over the stained mattress. MacCready flipped the dusty cushions and Piper examined every scrap paper she found in the drawers.
The detective backed out of the room to take in the house from outside. It was built up against the inner walls of the stadium, but something didn't quite add up. "Does this place seem at all small to you?", he asked as he stepped back inside.
"Well I doubt he planned on spending a lot of time at home", Piper replied over her shoulder, dusting her coat off as she stood up. "And I dunno, I'd say it's big enough for two people".
"Not what I meant", he approached the wall on his right and gave it a few knocks with his metallic knuckles, then a few more as he moved further along the wall. The third attempt producing a decidedly hollow sound that caught the attention of everyone in the room.
"No way…", Piper grinned.
MacCready stopped in his tracks, exchanging a brief, knowing look with the detective before dropping the cushion in his hand and grabbing the side of the couch, pulling it away from the wall. A few exploratory knocks of his own before he confirmed, "There's definitely something behind here"
The detective stepped back, his eyes scanning the entirety of the wall. "I can't see any way to force it open. Look around, there must be some kind of switch or lever".
"Found something!", Piper called from under the desk.
A click from the desk and then another from behind the wall before it sunk inward and slid aside, scraping against the concrete floor to reveal a small hidden room.
They gathered around; Piper and Leona joining them in front of the room.
Shelves stacked with ammunition, food and medical supplies to the left and to the back.
While in the centre, "A dark room; leather couch facing a blank wall; side table with whisky, bullets, a dirty ashtray and half burnt cigars", Piper counted off on her fingers. "I think that's like, page five of the creepy, evil villain handbook".
"It's a supply room", MacCready said as he made his way to the shelves.
"I think 'lair' is the word you're looking for", Piper followed him inside, followed by Nick and Leona.
She could smell the lingering odor of smoke, alcohol and sweat as she entered the room. She stayed near the threshold, standing in front of the couch as the others searched the room.
He was here. That monster. Sat in this very chair.
Out of her reach by a matter of mere weeks.
The bullets on the table were forty-four caliber.
The brass in her palm, glinting under the dim light.
The deafening sound of a gunshot preceding a flash of anguished memory, and she shut her eyes against the onslaught as she struggled to banish it.
She opened her eyes.
She wasn't freezing and half conscious. She wasn't trapped. She wasn't helpless.
She had control.
Her fingers clenched around the single bullet; her nails digging into her palm.
"What are you doing?", Piper's voice snapping her out of her trance.
The reporter was at MacCready's side as he filled his pack with a few select items from the shelf.
"Better in our hands than his", he replied. "Why don't you grab some of this stuff. It's-"
"No thank you", Piper hissed. "You're unbelievable, you know that?".
"Thanks", MacCready smirked.
"Well there's nothing here", Nick interrupted their little spat. "A few clothes, guns and supplies. No notes, no indication of where's he's going or where he's been", he tossed a tattered shirt back into an old steamer trunk. "It's too clean. This was done on purpose. I don't think he had any intention of coming back anytime soon".
"That doesn't make sense. Why would he leave all of this behind?", asked MacCready.
"It's possible he left in a hurry. This is a lot of junk to lug around", Nick mused. "Or he could have been counting on this room staying hidden until he returned".
"So then what?", Leona cut him off. "We wait and hope he decides to come back?", she carelessly tossed the bullet back on the table.
"I didn't say that", Nick held a hand up. "It was worth a look, checking the place out for an easy lead, but now that we know exactly who we're looking for, the real work begins", he explained.
"What's the plan?", Piper asked.
"There are a couple characters I have in mind to start with. People that would almost certainly have had dealings with our merc, or at least been in a position to overhear something that can point us in the right direction", he explained. "I'll head out in the morning to start tracking them down"
"Then I'll meet you at your office in the morning", Leona stated. "We can-"
Nick shook his head, cutting her off. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it'd be better if I went alone. Some of these contacts of mine can be a little…mistrustful, and showing up with an unfamiliar face might not go over too well"
She folded her arms, her brow furrowed in thought for a few moments before she met his gaze once more. "How long?".
"Give me four days and I'll-"
"Four days!? You want me to stay here and sit on my hands for four days?!"
"How you spend the time is up to you", he replied. His tone calm and unfazed in the face of her growing frustration. "But I can promise you, I'll have something for you by then", he paused, rethinking his approach when he saw the hint of helplessness in her eyes. His expression softened, "We'll find this guy and get you your answers. You have my word on that. This is just the first step. Four days", he repeated. "That's all I ask".
The storm of conflicting thoughts seeped through the cracks in her stony mask. She was clearly unsatisfied with this arrangement, but offered him a curt and reluctant nod before quickly and wordlessly turning on her heel and leaving.
"Blue!", Piper called, stumbling over MacCready as she ran after her.
"Hey", MacCready called, zipping up his backpack, ready to run after them.
"Hold up, hotshot", Nick stopped him as he threw on his backpack, and he turned to face the detective questioningly.
"I'd like to hire your services for a job, if you're interested", Nick replied, lighting a cigarette as he walked past the merc and headed out of the secret room.
"Yeah? What kind of services exactly?", MacCready asked, following the detective out and making his way over to the desk, feeling around for the switch.
Nick lingered by the door peering at the darkness outside. The gentle night air blowing wisps of smoke back into the room. "Simple guard duty", he explained. "Watch my back while I meet with these contacts of mine".
"Wait, didn't you just say-", MacCready looked over his shoulder at the detective.
"I know what I said", Nick turned to him, cutting him off. "That was for her benefit", he paused, glancing outside once more. "I can't seem to get a solid read on that one. Fact of the matter is, this is personal for her, and I can't even begin to guess what she might do if the people we're meeting with are...less than generous with their information…or if they have the wrong answers". There's an old saying", he jabbed his cigarette at the merc, "You never get between a mother and her kid", he stated. "Now that may not always hold much weight these days, but in this case I'd say it's pretty solid advice". He approached the exit and settled against the doorframe, once more peering thoughtfully at the darkness outside as he took a drag of the cigarette. "…and I'd imagine folks from the old world, at least those that didn't get here the hard way, would be an entirely different breed", he finished.
"Huh?", MacCready grunted just as he finally found the switch, and the wall noisily slid back into place.
The detective looked over at him and tapped a finger to his head as smoke poured from his neck. "Up here", he said. "If the old world, before the war was all you'd known your entire life. You'd have to think someone like that would see things a lot differently than most folks today…Makes it hard to predict what they'd do".
"You too? You're seriously tellin me you believe that story?", MacCready stood, frowning at the detective.
The detective chuckled silently before pushing off the wall and grinding out the cigarette beneath his loafers, and MacCready couldn't help but wonder how many packs the synth must waste in a day. "Her story is…out there, I'll admit. But based on what I've dug up about Vault-Tec's history, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it", He stood in the doorway and turned to face MacCready. "I'll fill you in on what I've found sometime. So what do you say? You want the job?".
MacCready thought about it for all of five seconds before hitching his pack over his shoulder. "My fee is two fifty, non-negotiable"
"Done", the detective nodded.
"Alright. What's the plan?", MacCready asked.
"Blue!" Piper called, taking the stairs two by two before her boots hit the damp earth with a muffled thud. "Hey!", she called again to Leona who made her way through the back alley at a brisk pace towards the market district.
"Hey, will you stop!", Piper grabbed her arm and stepped in front of her, cutting her off in the middle of the relatively empty trade district. "Talk to me", Piper pleaded, seeing the frustration and irritation in her face. "Leona?"
"I don't-", she began, resisting the urge to shake the reporter's grip on her arm in her frustration as she ran her fingers through her hair, at a loss for words. A ball of irritable energy. "-four days –it's just…", she took a deep breath. "I finally have something to work with. I should be with him when he meets with…whoever! Not here. Not…- I can't just…"
"I know", Piper soothed. "I know you feel like you should be doing something", Piper squeezed her arm gently to get the older woman to look at her. "I know waiting sucks", she added, finally catching her eye. "I get it. But with the type of people Nick's going to be meeting; getting anything useful out of them is gonna take a bit of finesse", Piper explained, "He already knows these people, but even the tiniest thing can shut down a conversation. It's just going to take a little time".
"I know that".
"Then let Nick do his thing. You've done so much already. And not just with Nick. Rescuing those kids. None of that could have happened without you-". Leona absently scanned the trade district around them as she listened.
"Blue?", Piper prodded, quirking her head to intercept Leona's gaze and offering her a tentative smile.
Leona sighed and Piper was pleased to see her finally relax.
"I didn't go there for those children", Leona explained. "And I needed the detective's help anyw-"
"You can spin it however you want, Blue", Piper smirked, "But you're a good person, and that's a rare quality these days".
A brief and uncertain pause as Piper seemed to be deliberating something. She bit her lip nervously. "So, hey…um", she took an uncertain step towards Leona, "There's something I've-uh, I've been wan-m-meaning to do. D-don't, freak out, or anything", she said, closing the distance between them some more.
Leona looked at her quizzically, and before she knew it, Piper had her in a gentle, if somewhat awkward hug.
Her backpack slipped from her fingertips in her surprise.
They stood in the middle of town, illuminated by strings of lightbulbs overhead that criss-crossed the streets. The odd wastelander giving the pair a once over as they passed them by.
"Thank you" Piper whispered over her shoulder. "For Nick…and everything".
Over Piper's shoulder she could see Dogmeat with a little girl, sat in front of the Publick. His face buried in a bowl as he ate and the child ran her fingers through his fur.
The tension slowly drained from her shoulders.
This Gentle warmth.
It was something she hadn't known she'd been missing.
Physical Contact.
A Human Touch.
When was the last time someone had embraced her like this.
She closed her eyes, but it was over before she could allow herself to indulge in the simple gesture.
Piper released her and took a step back sheepishly when someone called her name, saving her from the awkwardness she felt as they parted.
"Piper!", the little girl on the steps of the Publick waved at them and Piper wiggled her fingers back at her.
"My kid sister, Nat", Piper smiled in response to Leona's unspoken question. "Been almost a year since she's seen the furball. Made a little bed for him and everything"
"Crap", Piper muttered, tugging her coat closed and tightening her belt to hide the charred spot on the front of her shirt. "She'll freak out if she sees this"
A warm smile as Leona watched her fumble over her appearance. "You know, if you want to come with me, I can take a look at that for you".
Piper stopped her fidgeting to look up at her. Her lips slightly parted in surprise at the offer as she briefly entertained the idea. "Uh, n-no, I, uh. Thanks", she grinned embarrassingly. "It's-Like I said it's just a little thing. I can take care of it. Just have to get past the ole gatekeeper", she nodded over her shoulder.
That earned Piper a genuine smile and the little rush of elation that never failed to accompany it.
"Listen, are you gonna be okay?".
"Yeah", Leona sighed and picked up her backpack. "I just have no idea how I'm going to fill those four days".
"You'll think of something. And hey, Like I said, I'm here. If you wanna talk or, you know, if you just want some company, I'm sure we can find some trouble to get into out there", she grinned as she backed up towards the Publick.
Leona flashed her a smile and simply nodded. "Goodnight Piper"
"Night!"
