As soon as they left Nordhagen in the morning Alec reverted back to using 'Hmm' and 'I see' as his primary form of communication. At one point, he abruptly turned around and spoke directly to her.

"When hunting speak as little as possible. Keep your mind on the hunt only. Any distraction could kill you." He then quickly turned around again and continued walking as if nothing had happened. After getting over her surprise she followed.

As they walked across the Commonwealth she tried to take his advice and contemplate their mission. They were heading over to Mass Bay Medical for light recon. According to the gunner prisoner, that was where the headquarters of the gunners were, at least for the group that attacked Nordhagen. She had never been there herself but she could guess why the gunners might use it as a headquarters. A hospital might have medical supplies and it would definitely have a lot of space.

Red tried to keep her mind on the mission but, inevitably, her mind wandered. Specifically, her mind wandered back to the conversation she had with 'Mad' Monty the day before. Monty had, apparently, designed the suit that Alec wore constantly.

'Why did he need her to design him a suit? It couldn't be for protection. Combat armor would have certainly been more effective.' At the thought, she idly looked at her own combat armor, which she was starting to get used to. The most puzzling thing about Alec's suit was that he never took it off, as far as she knew. She had even seen him sleep in it the first night they had been in Nordhagen. She shuddered at the thought of sleeping in her armor. It couldn't be a comfortable experience. When she had inquired about it he didn't give her an answer. She tried to come up with an explanation on her own but nothing she could think of could explain it. She considered asking him directly again but figured she should probably wait until they made camp for the night at least.

It took them several hours of trekking before they made it to Boston proper. Once they did traveling became slower as they carefully moved from building to building. Outside of Boston, you could go for a while without bumping into anything or anyone, but once you were inside the city you could barely go ten feet without coming across ferals, mutants, and whatever else the Commonwealth felt like throwing at you that day. They hadn't been in Boston for long before they heard shouting in the distance.

Alec motioned for her to be silent as they moved toward the noise. Just as they were about to turn a corner Alec motioned for her to halt. Slowly, he peaked around the corner. Within seconds he pulled his head back. He moved closer to her and spoke in a whisper.

"Raiders, three of them. Toying with a ghoul."

Suddenly there was a scream followed by laughter. Red winced.

"What should we do?"

Alec looked around briefly, then pointed to a blown up car a few feet away. "Take cover behind that and get ready to shoot."

Wordlessly, She obeyed. Once behind the car, she brought her shotgun to the 'ready fire' position. Alec, however, stepped out into the open. Instead of unslinging his rifle and firing, as Red thought he would, he pulled out his pistol and fired several rounds. Once bullets starting flying at him he bolted toward the car jumped behind it, only then unslinging his rifle. Seconds later, three raiders came around the corner guns up and ready. Red fired. At this range, her shotgun was at its most devastating, throwing a raider flat onto his back from the impact. Alec fired next, hitting the second raider square in the chest. The third raider fired a single shot before being flung back from a shotgun blast. With all three dead Alec rose to his feet and casually strode forward to inspect the bodies with Red close behind.

"Good shots." He told her. Red smiled at the compliment. The groans coming from the ghoul caught there attention. He was laying on the ground twenty feet away, clutching his leg. The two of them jogged over to him. When they reached him he didn't seem to acknowledge their presence. The ghoul was in bad shape. The raiders had obviously beaten him severely. His leg appeared to be in the worst shape.

"We can't treat him out here." Alec's head was twisting from left to right, searching for any sign of movement. "Anyone a few blocks away could hear that gunfire and investigate."

"We can't leave him." Red knelt down beside the ghoul who was still moaning in pain. Alec quickly marched up to the door of a nearby building and tried the door handle. It was locked. Without hesitation, he pulled out his handgun and shot it off.

"Bring him in here, hurry."

Red grabbed him and dragged him as fast as she could. The ghoul screamed in pain as the movement aggravated his injured leg. Once they were inside Alec slammed the door shut and slid a table in front of the door. After he was finished he turned his attention to the ghoul. First, he gave the ghoul med-x for the pain then he administered several stimpacks into his leg. As the drugs began to take effect the ghoul's groans became quieter.

"Stay with him for a second," Alec told her as he stood up. "He needs a splint." He then wandered off into another room. Red took a moment to examine the building. It looked like it used to be a bar or restaurant of some kind before the war. Now, it was just another ruined husk of the old world. As she was looking around she heard the gravelly voice of a ghoul.

"Hey, kid." She looked down at the ghoul. He appeared to regain his senses enough that he was just now seeing her. "Where am I?"

"You're in a building. We dragged you in here after we saved you from the raiders."

"Oh, well, thanks." The ghoul looked around. "You said 'we', where's the other one, then?" At that moment, Alec stepped out of the other room holding a piece of wood and some cloth in his hands. "Nevermind."

While Alec knelt down to make the splint Red decided to keep talking to the ghoul. "So, what were you doing out there?"

"Traveling to Goodneighbor. I'm a trader."

"You are? I didn't see any Brahmin around."

"Of course not. I deal with small goods. Stuff you can put in a jacket." He patted his own jacket for emphasis. "Stuff like chems and ammo. Mostly, though, I deal in special high-cap items." Alec finished with the splint and the ghoul sat up. "Normally, people don't think I'm a trader and leave me alone. Which is how I like it outside of town. Today, I guess the raiders were bored and decided to have some fun. Beat me up and found my stock. After that, most of them left but three of them weren't done with me yet. Then, I guess you guys swooped in and saved the day." The ghoul examined his splint and nodded in approval. "Thanks. What are your names?"

"Red."

"Alec."

"My name's Jack. If you guys ever need a favor, let me know."

Before Red could reply Alec spoke up.

"'Sticky-finger' Jack?"

Jack's eyes bulged in surprise. "What! Where did you hear that?"

"I think we've met before. Several years ago."

Jack scratched his head and muttered to himself. "Alec, Alec, Alec. Where have I heard that name before?" Red couldn't almost hear the gears in his head click into place. "'Sneak?' Alec the Sneak?" Alec nodded. Jack laughed in amusement. "What are the odds? How have you been? I didn't recognize you in that outfit of yours."

"I am well."

Jack cocked his head to the side. "You talk differently too. Are you sure you're 'The Sneak.'"

"Yes."

"Wait a minute." Red made a 'time-out' sign. "How do you two know each other?"

"Scavvers tend to bump into each other a lot." Jack struggled to his feet and hobbled over to a nearby chair and sat down. "Normally, those meetings end up with one or both parties shot. We actually worked together to steal a stockpile of grenades from some Raiders."

Red turned to Alec. "You used to be a scavver?"

Alec shrugged. "That was years ago."

"What about the nicknames? 'The Sneak?' 'Sticky-Finger?'

Jack gave a sly grin. "Trade secret."

Red looked to Alec who, surprisingly, nodded affirmation. Before Red could ask a follow-up question Jack spoke.

"So, if you're no longer a scavver, Sneak, what do you do now?"

"Kill raiders, gunners, and the like."

Jack opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. He looked confused. As if he didn't know how to reply to that. Eventually, he managed an "Ah, I see." Red decided to speak up before awkward silence followed.

"Have you been near Mass Bay Medical recently?"

The ghoul raised an eyebrow. "I passed by it a few hours ago. Was planning on taking a look around for anything good but saw the gunners there and decided to move along before they saw me. Why?"

Alec interjected. "How many did you see?"

"There were a couple wandering around outside but I didn't stick around very long."

"Did you notice what designs they had on their armor?"

Jack rubbed his chin for a few moments. "I think I saw one with a sort of 'claw' design and another had a bird, I think."

Instantly Alec shot to his feet and marched over to the door and practically threw the table out of the way.

"We're leaving." He declared. "Now."

Jack and Red both looked at each other in confusion. Red spoke up. "Why? What's the…"

"Now!" He shouted the word with such force that Red stepped back as if he had taken a swing at her. Before either of them could reply, he spoke again, a bit calmer. "I'll explain on the way."

"I guess I'm going with you guys, wouldn't be smart to travel alone with a bum leg," Jack said as he stood up. "I can walk, but not fast."

"Are you sure?" Red asked, looking at his leg skeptically.

"Yes." Jack limped several steps forward. He was obviously keeping undo pressure of his bad leg but he seemed to be managing. Red looked at Alec to see what he thought, but he was poking his head outside and not paying attention to them. When he did look back he only motioned for them to follow. Which they did. They couldn't travel as fast with a crippled ghoul but Alec didn't seem to notice the slower pace or, if he did, didn't say anything. For his part, he had his rifle out and was constantly looking left and right, as if expecting an attacked at any moment.

"So, you gonna tell us what's going on, or are you just going to try to drag us across the Commonwealth in silence?" Jack asked.

"He will if you let him," Red replied. Alec briefly looked over his shoulder at them before continuing his mad inspection of their surroundings.

"Gunner crews have unique designs to distinguish themselves from other groups. If what Jack says is true, then there are two gunner crews in that building."

Red was confused. "I thought you said gunners didn't interact with other gunner groups."

"Usually, that is true. Sometimes though, they may work together if they believe the prize is worth the loss of face."

Red felt her heart begin to race. "So, you think…" Alec didn't wait for her to finish.

"Potentially two groups of gunners are about to attack Nordhagen."

Something Alec had said several days ago came to Red's mind and it made her blood run cold. "So, potentially, sixty gunners could be attacking Nordhagen in the near future."

"If not more."

Red gulped. Jack, who had been silently listening up to this point, decided to speak up.

"Normally, I'd say 'screw this' and leave you guys to fight an army."

"Normally?" Red asked.

"Unfortunately for me, I owe you two for saving my life," He grumbled. "And, unfortunately, I don't like owing people. What do you plan on doing about this, Alec? I've never been to Nordhagen but I doubt they can fight that many gunners all at once."

"I don't know," Alec admitted. Red's already tense nerves were being pushed to their limits. She began to consider making a break for it right now and getting as far away from all this as she could. "But, we need to warn Nordhagen as soon as possible."

They didn't make it back to Nordhagen until late that night. When they did make it they woke up Gwen who gathered everyone of importance to hear the news. Gathered in the town hall, they took the news in grim silence. Everyone was sitting down in chairs surrounding a table with a map. It reminded Red of the last time the Gunners attacked, except with more people. In the dimly lit building, Red could only see a few faces clearly, none of the expressions they wore boosted her morale. Once Alec finished people began to yell at each other.

"We can't stay here. We should evacuate the whole town!"

"We have no place to go!"

"We can go to Diamond City, they certainly have room."

"We'll never make it with this many people!"

"Yeah, we'll be slaughtered out in the open by God knows what before we make it!"

"We can't fight them!"

"We lost five people last time and were holding on by the skin of our teeth!"

"Everyone will die if they attack us!"

The shouting continued for several minutes. While it was going on Red looked around. Sarge looked like he had aged ten years and hadn't slept in weeks. Gwen looked defeated with her head in her hands. Jack was nervously tapping his foot while smoking a cigarette. Alec, as always, betrayed no emotion.

"Enough!" The sudden ear-piercing shout got everyone's attention. Gwen, the source of the shout, was standing up, her defeated look replaced with one of iron-hard resolve. "This is getting us nowhere!" She turned to Alec. "What do you know about these gunner crews?"

"The ones with the claw marks are the ones who attacked us before. I am not familiar with them. I do know the ones with the bird design. They are the 'Crows.' They were led by Kesselridge until several years ago. They were known for brutality back then and I doubt they have changed much since."

"Are those the only two crews attacking us?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know. More could attack. If two crews were willing to work together then it's not impossible more might be in on the attack." This was followed with more groans and shouts from those gathered. Gwen ordered silence again.

"If we leave, we die. If we stay, we die." Red muttered.

"Not much in the way of options." Jack agreed.

Gwen kept her composure. "What do you think we should do, Alec?"

"Fight."

"How?" Someone shouted. Gwen glared daggers into the crowd.

Alec stepped forward and looked down at the table with the map. "I need time."

Gwen nodded agreement. "Everyone, out." People began to disperse, whispering to each other as they left.

"Monty!" Alec shouted. Monty, who was moving to leave, turned around with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes?"

"A word, please?"

Monty shrugged and walked over. "What'cha need?"

"That project you've been working on… how soon until its ready?"

"I dunno, it's been a side project for the most part. A few hours here, a few minutes there. I haven't even tested it yet."

"What if you devoted all your time to it?"

Monty could only give a non-committal shrug. "A week? Maybe more?"

"Hmm. What about the M.O.A.B.?"

Monty's eyes widened and she backed up. "Woah, woah. That's just a prototype I built! I don't even know if it will work!"

"I think it may be time to test it in the field."

"No. It's too dangerous!"

"Hey!" Jack shouted. "Mind filling us in on what you're talking about?" Gwen, Sarge, and Red nodded agreement. Alec turned toward them and motioned to Monty.

"She has something that we could use."

"I said no!"

"What is it?" Sarge asked, clearly annoyed.

"It's a bomb." Monty clarified. "A very powerful bomb I built from scratch."

"So why can't we use it?" Gwen asked. "We need all the help we can get."

"Because there are a lot of tests I need to run it to make sure everything works."

"Then why can't you just do the tests?" Red asked.

"Because it's such a big bomb, anywhere nearby I would think of testing it is too close to Nordhagen for comfort. You know, in case anything went wrong."

"We don't have the time anyway." Alec was shaking his head as he spoke. "We need to even the odds now." Monty looked like she was about to explode into a tirade before Gwen interjected.

"Alec, why don't you explain your plan to us first?"

"Lure as many gunners out of their base as I can. Kill gunners with the bomb. Simple."

"And dangerous!" Monty practically shouted. "I don't know what distance is safe for remote detonation. It would be a suicide mission, at best."

"I've had worse odds."

"Well I don't c-"

"Do you have a better plan?"

Monty froze. "I… no"

"I don't like this plan, but it's the only one I have." He turned back to everyone else. "Unless any of you have something better?" No one said a word. He looked back to Monty, who sighed.

"Fine, but no one…" she motioned in everyone's general direction. "...can hold me responsible if something goes wrong, agreed?"

"Agreed." Alec took a deep breath. "I leave in the morning with the M.O.A.B." Red was about to ask him a question before he pointed at her. "Not this time. I go alone. Period." With that, he walked out. Red turned to Jack.

"How did he know what I was going to ask?"

"How many times have you asked the same question?"

Red thought about it for a moment. "A few times."

"Well, there you go."

Whilst the two of them were talking Gwen tapped Sarge's shoulder to get his attention.

"You should send one of your men to get word to the Minutemen. Any help they can send could be vital." Sarge nodded agreement and Gwen slipped out of the building. Sarge sighed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"I've told Sarge to send word to the Minutemen," Gwen told Alec once she caught up.

"Any help will be good."

They walked in silence for several minutes. They left Nordhagen and made their way to Fort Strong. Once there Alec sat down on a flat rock outcrop and watched the eastern horizon. Gwen sat next to him.

"You're not going to try to convince me not to go through with this plan?" He asked.

"Is there anything I can say to convince you?"

"No."

"Then there is no point." She scooted over and leaned her head on his shoulder. "What are the chances that Nordhagen survives?"

"Not good. Perhaps you should consider leaving, for your safety."

Gwen stared at him, shocked. "Run away? When Nordhagen needs leadership the most?"

"You could be killed."

"I'm surprised you would suggest the coward's way out!" She felt her face begin to turn red in anger. "I'm not abandoning Nordhagen when they need me!"

"I don't want you to die."

Gwen's anger abated as quickly as it came. "I don't want you to die, either." She gripped his hand in hers. "But if you must still be 'Raider Slayer' in spite of the risks, then I must still be the mayor, in spite of the risks."

"I see."

Gwen could make out disappointment creeping into his monotone voice. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze to comfort him. "Promise me you'll do everything you can to stay alive and I'll promise to do the same." For a moment, the only sound was the sea. Alec continued to stare eastward.

"I promise."

Gwen gave a tired smile. "Then I promise, too." She felt herself begin to drift off. Despite her best efforts, she fell asleep, still resting on Alec's shoulder. He glanced at her but didn't otherwise move. He continued to watch the horizon, waiting for the sunrise he didn't want to come. The sunrise that might be the last one he ever saw.