For the first time since I'd arrived, I stepped past the front barricades of the police station and turned north. The other members of both squads made the transition as if it were nothing but personally, it made my heart pound. The walls of the police station were safe, even with the wide open rear. It would have taken an army to get through everything. Out on the streets though, we were exposed. Vulnerable to attack.

There was a broken down tractor trailer down the street. What was hiding under or behind it? Up ahead there was an open plaza with broken buildings all around. Who lived in those buildings and would they fire on us for getting close? My many lessons on Commonwealth threats kept bubbling up, making me see all kinds of monsters in the shadows.

The silence didn't help at all. Cities were supposed to be noisy, with cars and people and birds causing all sorts of commotion. Not now. Now, all I could hear were the rocks crunching under our feet and the whir of gears that moved the two power armors. I remembered being able to toss a handful of bread crumbs anywhere in the city and the act would summon a swarm of pigeons like magic. Now, I was afraid of what those crumbs would call. There certainly weren't any birds. Maybe the deathclaws ate them all.

My worry must have showed, because Knight Rey came over and said with a smile, "If you hold your weapon any tighter, you'll break it kiddo. Take a few breaths and settle down. We've done this many times, so much so that it's routine now. Everything is going to be fine."

I looked down and whispered, "But how do you know? There could be a monster around any corner, or a sniper in any window."

"There could be, but there's just as much chance it's nothing at all. The walk to Graygarden is pretty safe as long as you're vigilant. In the end, trust your training, trust your equipment and finally, trust that the bad guy can't shoot worth a damn."

That made me feel a little bit better and I even smiled at Rey, but I still kept my P-90 close as we entered the plaza. First Squad turned on the first right, intent on a northeasterly route to get to Bunker Hill. Apparently central Cambridge was super dangerous with both Raiders and supermutants setting up forts all over, so skirting the north was the fastest option. I wished the squad good luck and told Tyler not to get shot. He did the same for me.

Thankfully we made it through the plaza without any trouble, though I could have sworn I heard gunshots within the station itself as we passed. Nobody else seemed to hear them though, so it must have been my enhanced ears at work. I had a feeling if I said something, they would only tease me, so I kept quiet about it.

Instead, I asked, "What's Graygarden? If we're getting food from it, is it a farm?"

Knight Erickson laughed, "Hey, the kid's cute and smart. You're gonna love it, Princess. Graygarden isn't just a farm, it's a farm entirely tended by robots. No need to eat, no need to sleep period they work all day and all night so the crops are thriving."

Knight Sergeant Gideon added, "We've got the rust buckets convinced that we're from the old Army, coming to get our regular allotment for their troops, so they don't even ask for compensation. It's a win win for us and the bots are all too happy to let us take what we can carry."

That… Sounded a little dirty to me. I, at least, was a real Army soldier, but the others were liars. I guess it was okay because they were robots? I wasn't sure, but I didn't really like it either way. I'd keep quiet since it sounded like the arrangement was a long one and meant food in my belly, but my opinion of Second Squad sure went down.

A few minutes after we left Cambridge proper, Knight Sergeant Gideon called us to a stop and said, "Huh. That wasn't there last time we came through."

I didn't see what he was talking about at first. I was too amazed by the whole of the destroyed highway system that cut right through the Commonwealth. Some parts were still upright, mainly the ones with solid supports, but the rest was a giant pile of rubble that snaked along the ground. One main section even touched the ground like a ramp, and I could see structures on top. Must have been a sniper's paradise.

Only after I took all of that in did I look to see what Gideon was talking about. On the intact section of highway before us lay a downed vertibird, hanging precariously over the edge. I knew for a fact it wasn't the Brotherhood vertibird because that one was still at the station. That meant there really was another force out there with vertibird support, but I couldn't tell which because there were no visible markings that I could see. The damage was obvious, though. One of the rotors was shot full of holes, like iron Swiss cheese. There were holes in the cockpit too, and I could just barely see a man slumped in the pilot seat.

Scattered on the road ahead were boxes of ammo as well as around a dozen weapons that must have fallen from the vertibirds cargo area. Gideon brought us closer and I quickly identified the weapons as laser pistols and rifles. Some were basic stock, but a couple were modified with scopes or an automatic conversion.

I picked up one such automatic rifle and asked, "May I keep this one, Knight Sergeant? I promised the extra weight won't slow me down."

He grinned, "I thought you preferred ballistics."

He must have heard Tyler and I arguing, "Favor, yes, but not exclusively. I'm smart enough to recognize this rifle has a much longer range than either of my current weapons. If we're attacked by rifles, I'd like to be able to effectively return fire."

After some thought he said, "Sheesh, you really are a General's daughter. 'Effectively return fire?' What kid talks like that? I suppose you can keep it though. It's only proper for a Squire to have laser after all. Now then, who's up for going up there and seeing what other loot we can snag?"

Despite wanting to continue our mission, I was among the yeas that made up the majority. I wanted to see what I could find out about this vertibird and where it came from. More importantly, where were the ones that shot it down? I pocketed a few fusion cells and got ready to go.

Unfortunately, Knight Sergeant Gideon then said to Scribe Thomas, "No need for all of us to go, so you and little Katie can go on to Graygarden to start gathering the food and we'll help finish up when we return. With luck, we'll come back with enough food, weapons and ammo that we won't need to resupply for awhile."

So the little girl and the brains got to do the hard work while the Knights got to have fun? I was really starting to dislike the Knight Sergeant, but being a good soldier I bit my tongue and instead just acknowledged my orders. Scribe Thomas frowned a little, but did the same in the end. Orders were orders after all.

Thomas led us north along the road while the Knights headed east. Apparently there was a construction lift that would take them up to the highway, but I couldn't see it at the moment. Must have been further down. I certainly hope they got shot at or run off from the lift, but quickly felt bad for it. Jerks or not, Gideon was still a comrade in arms. Instead, I just hope the lift was busted.

Just as the road turned towards the west, I spotted something strange in the distance. If I had to call them something, I guess I'd call them deer, but these deer had two heads! There were four of them, with two sporting huge antlers on both heads, one without antlers and one looked to be a baby. They hadn't noticed us yet and idly munched on what weeds grew on the ground.

I tugged on Thomas' robe and pointed at the herd, which made him grin and whisper, "Ah yes, those are rad stags. They're fairly peaceful creatures and taste good enough if you can cook them before the meat rots. If you see pure white ones, called albinos, or stronger specimens be careful. Those are more aggressive and attack on sight. Let's leave them be and move on."

"How come two have horns and the others don't?"

"The ones with horns are boys and the ones without our girls."

"How come they have two heads and one body? Do they ever argue with the other head?"

Scribe Thomas laughed, "Curious, aren't you? I don't know those answers, but maybe some of the other Scribes do. Be sure to ask Scribe Walter or Scribe Haylen when we get back."

I put that in my 'remember this' box and followed Scribe Thomas, watching the herd as I moved. One of the boy rad stags lifted its heas and spotted us, but all it did was stare. As if we weren't seen as a threat just yet, but it was tense enough that it could dart away in a flash. I would have kept staring but I caught my foot in the uneven concrete and fell flat on my face before I could catch myself. The clatter, and my squeak, spooked the herd and it was gone before I could even get back to my feet.

Scribe Thomas asked if I was okay as he helped me up and I said I was fine. I'd only scraped my knee and elbow, which was a small price to remind myself to pay attention. My nanobots took care of my injuries in a flash, hidden by my pants and long sleeves, so I simply brushed myself off and kept walking.

A short while later, we finally reached our destination. Graygarden was just about what I had expected of the place after what I had been told. Tilled rows of plants of all kinds stretched across the dirt, water pumps dotted the property ready to quench the thirst of both plants and people and a greenhouse could give shelter to weary travelers.

What I didn't expect were the people who opened fire on us as soon as we were spotted. The moment one man's face turned gleeful as he saw us I got a bad feeling, and that was confirmed when he called to his three friends (that I could see) and raised his rifle to his shoulder. They weren't looking to give any kind of warning at all!

I yelled for Scribe Thomas to get down and dove flat myself before the rifles fired and chewed up the road behind us. They were too far for my P-90 so I shouldered my new laser rifle and returned fire. The muzzle flashed as the laser pewed, but it went wide of the enemy. I wasn't used to these sights, but the miss did make them take cover. Well, three did. The fourth drew a knife and laughed maniacally as she charged down the field. Was she crazy!?

Crazy or not, I focused fire on her and, three shots later, downed her. The ground near my cheek kicked up as the three resumed fire and I rolled to get out of their immediate aim. What the heck was Scribe Thomas doing? He needed to fire back too!

Oh… A quick glance to the side told me the Scribe was on the ground, clutching his shoulder in obvious pain. Must have taken too long to drop like I told him too. Well, he was out of the fight so it was up to me. My objectives were 'take out the enemy' and 'get help for a scribe Thomas'. I needed to close the distance to accomplish my first goal.

I sent a barrage of laser fire to force them into cover before I sprinted down the road. As soon as they came back out to open up again I baseball slid into the body of the knife girl. Almost immediately I was hit with a powerful smell that nearly made me gag. When was the last time she'd bathed, the Stone Age!? Odor aside, I used her body to soak up the incoming rounds before I fired back, clipping one guy in the arm, followed by the head when he lurched in pain. Two left.

They were using a broken down car as cover and none of my weapons had the punch to tear through the steel. I would have loved to use a grenade but it was the Brotherhood's stupid policy to keep Squires from having explosives. They even took my bandolier! For my own safety my butt! They just wanted the grenades from themselves!

I channeled my aggression into my shots, which burned into the shooter on the right and took him out. That left only one, and to my luck he ducked back to reload. Using the few seconds reloading afforded me, I dropped my laser rifle, picked up the smelly ladies knife and dashed for the enemy's car while drawing my pistol.

As soon as a man poked his head up, I opened fire to force him back down. Then, after sparing a glance for the Scribe, I reached the car and leapt, cartwheeling in midair over the roof. The man was watching the sides, so he was caught by surprise when I whipped the knife and sunk it into his left shoulder. He screamed in pain and dropped the hunting rifle he had.

The fight ended fast after that. I landed next to him and while he tried to hit me with his hand, I blocked it with my arm while I drove my fist into his stomach. His air rushed out of him at once and a basic arm toss slammed him on the ground. I didn't want to kill him yet. I needed information.

I kept his arm locked just a hair before the breaking point and asked, "Why did you attack us?"

"F- fuck You you little B- GAH!"

He bucked as I dislocated his shoulder but I was able to keep him flat again while locking his other arm, "Why did you attack us?"

"It's our farm now! We gotta scare off everyone else!"

"Just the four of you? This is a small force to hold such a large property. How'd you expect to do it?"

He coughed and I caught a whiff of something pungent in his breath, "N- not just us. More will be coming soon so you better run if you know what's good for you."

"Oh? Coming from where?"

"Ha! As if I'd tell you you little- GAH! FUCKING AGAIN!?"

He bucked harder and even tossed me off, but I recovered before he could stand and kicked him in the stomach, which flipped him wheezing onto his back, "Where!?"

"Fuck you! When the gang gets here they're gonna strip you good and tear your little- GAH! My-"

He didn't get to say more because I tore the knife out of his shoulder and slit his throat. Blood sprayed my face and uniform red, though luckily none of it got in my eyes or mouth. That would have been ironic, killing the man but being blinded by his blood. I probably should have pressed him more, but I didn't like the way he was talking about my maidenhood. Maybe I could find out where - Ah! Scribe Thomas! He needed help!

I left the dead pervert behind, retrieved my laser rifle, and dashed back to Scribe Thomas, who was sitting gingerly on the ground with a hand over his shoulder. Next to him was a stimpack, freshly emptied. He didn't look like he was dying anymore, so that was good. I'd hate to lose the only friendly guy in Second Squad.

As I got close, I asked, "Are you okay, Scribe Thomas? You looked like you were really hurting."

He replied, "I'm fine. Not the first time I've- holy SH – are YOU okay!?"

He practically leapt up at the sight of me, but I laughed and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. It's not my blood. I'm perfectly unharmed."

Scribe Thomas still gave me a quick look over before he said, "All that shooting not a single hit on you? You've got some luck. What were you doing with the last guy, behind the car? All that screaming had me scared."

"Just a little questioning. I didn't get to find out where they came from, but he said there were more to the group."

"That's not good. Let's see if the locals are still around."

The locals, it turned out, were Mr Handy robots named Supervisors White, Green and Brown. They'd hid out in the greenhouse while the Raiders ransacked the farm of practically all of its food. What food was left would barely reseed a plot, let alone the fields that usually grew the plants. If nobody did something, it would take years before Graygarden was back to full production. The Raiders obviously didn't know what sustainable farming was.

After we'd calmed the robots down and assured them they were safe for now, I asked, "Do you know where they came from?"

Supervisor White replied, "Afraid not darling. They had us surrounded before we even knew they were there. Amazing given all the hooting and hollering they did once they did show themselves. I'd swear they were three breezes to the wind."

Supervisor Brown continued, "And just look at the place! Bad enough they ruined the fields, but littering too! All these Beantown Brown bottles will take us forever to clean up."

Brown wasn't kidding. Among all of the uprooted plants and broken frames were dozens upon dozens of glass bottles. I picked one up and gave it a sniff, but instantly regretted it. It was such a strong smell that it hurt my nose, but it did tell me the scent was the same as the breath of the pervert. He must have drank a lot of this stuff.

Scribe Thomas looked at the bottles too, then said, "Hmm. I wonder…"

I looked to him, "Got something?"

"I'm not 100% sure about this, but they could have come from the Beantown Brewery, just across the bridge to the south. It would explain their erm… Inebriation, as well as all of the bottles."

Supervisor White piped in, "I think you folks are on the right track. They did take the food in a southerly direction."

I blinked, "Isn't that what we asked before and you said you didn't know?"

"Not at all…Hmm? Corporal? Oh dear, the Army is recruiting younger and younger these days. Anyways, you asked where they came from, not where they went. Those are two wholly different things."

I smacked my palm into my face and tried to keep from growling, "You're right of course, Supervisor White. My mistake. Thank you for your helpful information. You're sure they took the food south?"

"As sure as I know my name, and I'm 99.99% sure it is indeed Supervisor White."

I had my doubts about those numbers but I wasn't about to say that out loud. It was a lead on where the food went and that's all that mattered right now. I didn't know how many Raiders there would be at the brewery but that wasn't a problem. If there were as out of it as these four had been then I'd have no trouble taking them out little by little. I'd laser anyone outside from long range, swap to my P-90 and pistol indoors and sweep away the opposition. I checked my pip-boy to see where south was and started walking.

A few steps in, I felt a hand on my shoulder, "And where do you think you're going, Katie?"

I looked up at the Scribe, "Continuing with the mission, of course. Our foods not here, so we have to go collect it elsewhere."

"And how do you suppose you'll get that food with an unknown number of Raiders in your way?"

I puffed out my chest, "Superior training will always trump superior numbers. Just look at the Spartans and Thermopylae. 300 soldiers killed tens of thousands."

"Need I remind you that those 300 were eventually killed?"

"Only because they were betrayed. Now, are you coming or what?"

Scribe Thomas sighed, "Fine, but we're only going to look at first, okay? We need the Knights before we even think of assaulting it."

I smiled, "We'll definitely look first. Once we get an idea of their numbers you can run back here and bring the others. I'll make sure to keep my head down."

He swallowed it hook, line and sinker, "Please do. Trust me when I say you do not wanna get shot. Now let's go, slowly and carefully. Stay behind me and get ready to run for cover at a moments notice."

He said that as if I hadn't been the one to warn him of incoming fire before. Grownups could be forgetful like that. It was no skin off my nose. I reloaded a fresh fusion cell, tucked my new knife into my belt and headed south with the Scribe.