Collecting the crops the following morning, Mason sighed, knowing they'd have to clear out the building with Super Mutants as they walked back into Cambridge. Storing the fruits in the workbench, they began to head to Cambridge. While walking into the city, they snuck into the fraternal post. When Mason was starting to pick a lock, he heard heavy breathing on the other side and signaled for the other to wait while he headed up the stairs nearby.
Reaching the top of the balcony, Mason looked down into the area below, where he saw a blind Super Mutant, something he could tell due to a cloth covering its eyes and it not moving from where it was sitting. Mason pulls out his rifle and aims for the head without hesitating, blowing it clean off the body. Staying quiet while he waits for others to notice, Mason sighs in relief, knowing nothing heard the shot. He could take them on in a fight, but that's if he knew how many there were and what weapons they had. One thing he had learned long ago, don't go into a fight unprepared. Walking back down the stairs, Mason turns to the others.
"I think I may have gotten their leader, but we've still got the rest to get. I highly doubt the things work like a snake," Mason informed them.
"Snakes?" Garvey questioned.
"Take off the head, the rest of the body dies."
"In that case, no, they're not."
"Well alright then. Let's get busy."
Mason realized why the place was familiar when they were searching the area.
"Is everything alright, Mason?" Garvey asked as he stood behind a microphone.
"Preston," Mason said, a frown across his face for the first time in a while. Dogmeat whined due to being able to read Mason's emotions. Preston and Heather heard him and knew it was due to him since he never whined unless he had been hurt. "Always remember: War, it doesn't change."
"Are you okay?" Heather asked.
"Yeah. It's just, the day the bombs fell, I was supposed to give a speech here." Sitting down on the couch while he put his head in his hands, Heather sat beside Mason as Garvey stood in front, and Dogmeat set his head on his lap. Mason set it to the side while he stared at everyone, taking off his helmet.
"Is everything going to be alright, Mason?" Garvey asked. "Casdin and I can finish the job if you're not up for it."
"I'll be fine. Just give me a few minutes," Mason replied. "Just check this area for any loot for now.
"Alright then."
Turning to Heather, Mason smiled. "I'll be fine Heather. Just give me a few."
After Heather made sure he would be fine, she went to help Garvey search the area, and Mason just sat there with Dogmeat looking at him with puppy dog eyes. He smiled a little as he patted the side of his head.
"I'll be ok, bud," Mason told him. He supposed up until now, and when he heard Nora's recording, Mason had thought of this as one big nightmare. Still hard to believe this was the world he lived in now. "Well, I've got to stop feeling sorry for myself. Let's get back to work."
After putting on his helmet, Mason found a switch to the siren in this place and had an extremely stupid idea.
"Preston, Heather, come over here," Mason grinned as they came to me.
"Do you need anything, Mason?" Garvey asked.
"No, I just have a stupid idea. You're going to want to get in cover, though," he replied.
They looked at him confused but didn't question it and found cover behind some pillars. After hitting the switch, an alarm started blaring.
"Stupid human!" a Super Mutant yelled, and when Mason looked up, saw one with a combat rifle. Must be a Skirmisher.
"Says the meathead!" Mason yelled, running up the stairs to get to the second floor. Mason pulled out his pistol and ran into a Super Mutant, grabbing it by the shoulder. Not giving it time to react, he pulled it down, stuck the pistol in its face, and pulled the trigger. Body falling to the ground, Mason charged the Skirmisher, the bullets hitting his armor and missing a few shots. Reloading, the creature was distracted when Mason kicked its legs out from under it. Before it got back up, Mason fired a shot into its head, then picked up a rifle off its body. Putting his pistol away, the rifle was notably weaker than an ordinary rifle but figured it'd do for the fight.
Jumping over the balcony, Mason landed on a Super Mutant firing at Heather and Garvey. Shooting it in the head with the rifle, Mason yelled, "You guys alright?"
"Doing fine, General," Garvey said before shooting another one down.
One came charging through a door in front of the stage, receiving around to the head when it tried to get Heather.
"Is that all of them?" Mason questioned while Garvey nodded his head.
"You're a mystery, Mason," Garvey remarked. "How are you good at fighting and shooting?"
"Couldn't carry a gun in school, picked up fighting to defend myself. As for the shooting, both military and field practice. Now let's go see what this place has.
"Searching the place, Mason found seven teddy bears, making Mason beam. "Imma save all the teddy bears I find," Mason announced, making Garvey smile and Heather laugh. "What? They're too adorable to leave behind.
When they got back to the police station, they took a few minutes to pile up and burn the ghoul bodies they apparently didn't have the time to move. When they were down, they walked into the police station and found Danse.
"You ready to move out?" Danse asked before Mason held a hand up.
"Before we go, why establish an outpost at the police station?"
"Given the nature of the facility, we felt it would be tactically advantageous to search it for weapons and ammunition. The radio tower on the roof was an unexpected boon, but it obviously has its shortcomings that need to be rectified. It might not be as imposing as the Citadel back in the Capital Wasteland, but it suits our purposes. That's all I'm willing to divulge at this point. Are you ready to proceed with the mission?"
"Ready."
"Outstanding. Follow my lead and try not to lag behind."
Walking out the front door, Mason realized they'd be done by the end of the day as he checked the time since it was a two-hour walk from there, and it was only three forty-seven.
"We'll take this alley," Danse ordered, annoying Mason. "Follow me."
Exiting the alley, they go to the main road by the river, where Danse begins to explain what they were doing.
"ArcJet is a short hike to the west." Mason knew that, considering they just came from that direction. "If we take this road, we should be able to avoid the larger pack of ferals infesting Cambridge." He'd be surprised if they ran into any. There wasn't a single one on the way here; there shouldn't be on the way there. "Traveling this far from the police station is a risk, but getting that transmitter up and running is needs to be our top priority. If it was up to me, I'd relocate my team, but Scribe Haylen detected some disturbing energy readings in the area that needs to be investigated." Technically they don't. "We don't know much about them, except that they're short-lived and broadcast on a frequency only attainable with a high level of technology. We're concerned that whoever or whatever is creating those energy readings might be a potential threat, so it's our job to investigate."
When he finished talking, they approached a bridge that crossed the river. Looking ahead, Mason saw three raiders kill two people and a two-headed cow. They start shooting when they see them, one going for Mason and the other two going for the others. Big mistake. Charging the woman, she fired a shot that managed to find a gap in the armor, grazing Mason's arm. While a graze, leaving Mason feeling stove up. Firing again, Mason slid under the gunfire, kicking the woman's legs out from under her, stomping on her head when she tried to get back up. When it didn't kill her the first time, Mason stomped again until her body went limp.
"Search the bodies for ammunition, and collect the metal and armor for scraps."
While Danse looked confused, Heather and Garvey got to work, and Mason searched the lady he had killed. Mason left a black tank-top on her after taking her road leathers before Heather came up to him.
"I saw the bullet graze," Heather said as Mason tried to ignore the incoming pain. "Sit down."
Mason decided against arguing and moved the armor around while Heather got to work. Mason noticed Danse eyeing Heather curiously and looked at him weirdly when she was done.
"Let's get moving, Danse," Mason told him, snapping Danse out of his daze. Checking the time, Mason knew they were making good progress, considering they were halfway there.
Walking up the road to ArcJet, they ran into four mongrels and a bloatfly. Being ahead of the others, Mason fired a shot into each of them, missing one mongrel and a bloatfly, though Heather and Danse took care of them quickly.
"I have to admit, I[m very impressed. You're quite a soldier," Danse said after they collected the meat off their bodies.
Walking in silence the rest of the way, Mason noticed Danse was rather dull but figured he'd have to travel with him one day.
"I could really go for some… you thought I was going to say Noodles, didn't you?" It sounded like it, but Mason knew she wasn't craving it now. "I'm not in a noodle mood right now."
"There it is…" Danse announced as they approached the facility. "ArcJet Systems. There shouldn't be any exterior security, so we'll head in through the front."
"This place just screams, 'Great loot in here!', right? Bet it's full of gunners," Heather commented. Looking up at the place, Mason got a feeling something dangerous was here, but it wasn't something human. He didn't know what it was, just that it wasn't good.
When they got to the place's front door, Danse waited for Mason to talk to him.
"Listen up. We do this clean and quiet. No heroics and by the book. Understand?"
Looking at him, Mason was surprised by what he said. Wasn't he the one who was holed up at the police station not too long ago?"This isn't my first rodeo."
"I understand that. I'm simply offering valuable tactical advice. You'd do well to listen." Offering? More like commanding. "Remember, our target is the Deep Range Transmitter. Stay focused and check your fire. I don't want to be hit by stray bullets."
Walking in, Danse said something about how corporations like this one led to the bombs, but Mason didn't care. The man was trying to tell Mason what to do even though, compared to what they've done since they've known each other, Mason was the stronger between the two. Though he did wonder if the man ever got out of the armor.
Walking into a room with scattered protectrons, Danse stopped.
"Looks like we missed the party," Mason commented.
"You're making a foolish assessment," Danse replied, making Mason bite his tongue. "Look at the evidence. There isn't a single spent ammunition case or drop of blood in sight. These robots were assaulted by Institute synths.
Protectrons use lasers to kill people, which burn wounds shut, so it'd be more concerning if there was blood. As for the ammo, if people used laser rifles, it would make sense.
"What's the Institute?" Mason asked since he hadn't gotten a straight answer from Heather, more of a vague idea.
"They're a group of scientists who went underground when the Great War started. Spent the past few decades littering the Commonwealth with their technological nightmares."
"Synth? Isn't that the saem as robot?" Mason questioned, accepting the answer as decent.
"They're an abuse of technology created by the Institute. Abomination meant to 'improve' upon humanity. It's unacceptable. They simply can't be allowed to exist."
Sounds more like he feared them. They do try to destroy things they're afraid of. "Sounds like you're scared of 'em."
"There's a measurable difference between being frightened and being prepared."
Mason wondered what made synths abominations.
"Synths? I'm on it," Heather commented, reminding Mason of her personal grudge with them.
"Well, this will be my first look at them," Mason muttered.
"What was that, General?" Preston asked.
"Just that this will be my first time seeing synths. I haven't seen one yet."
"Well you have been exploring one area for a while, it's more dangerous down here."
"I can tell. We ran into those mirelurks at the plant and I only saw one of those on the return trip a few days ago."
Walking in silence for a minute, they came to a dead end with a locked door.
"See if you can find a way to get that door open," Danse commanded. "I'm going to reconnoiter the area."
Looking around, Mason found a computer that should've unlocked the door, but the hacking was beyond what he could do. Finding another one nearby, it had an auto-password change for the other computer that was locked. After unlocking the terminal, Mason had Preston come over and turned to him.
"When I tell you to, unlock the door," Mason instructed.
"Sure thing General."
Walking up to the metal door, Mason put his ear to it, listening for anything. Hearing some footprints, he heard something mechanical say, "Is someone present?"
Pulling out his rifle, Mason signaled for Garvey to open the door, and time slowed down for him.
Turning around the corner, Mason fired a round into the first machine he saw. Taking breaths between each shot, Mason fired into two more robots before blocking a baton that was inches from his face.
"Now that's not nice, is it?" Mason taunted before slamming the stock into its head. Back kicking one that came from behind, Mason shot its head off before it could get back up.
"That's five. Bound to be more ahead," Mason thought aloud, everyone nodding in agreement.
"Garvey, see what ammunition they have. Keep Dogmeat with you," Mason ordered, Garvey nodding in response. "Danse, Heather, let's keep moving forward."
They almost walked into the next room before they immediately came under fire. Dodging a synth as it tried to hit him, Mason bashed it with his stock in the chest. Staggering back, Mason fired a round into its head before it could recover, then fired a shot into one standing above the entrance. Seeing one up the ramp to the next floor, Mason fired a round into its legs, disconnecting the wires, causing it to fall to the ground.
"Aren't these machines?" Mason yelled, garnering Heather and Danse's attention. "It's like shooting fish in a barrel!"
Surprised by Mason's outburst, they kept firing as he walked up the ramp and shot the synth. Looting the bodies after Heather and Danse took care of the last one, they continued. Finding a magazine in one of the halls, Mason hid his excitement as he put it away, Danse taking care of three turrets while he did. Reaching the entrance to the engine core, Dnase informed them it'd be their final stop.
Entering the section, the first thing Mason notices is the darkness.
"Watch your footing…" Danse informed. "Looks like the powers out in this section. We'll have to keep heading down for now and find a way to get the facility's power back online."
Looking over the railing, Mason noticed a door leading somewhere. Probably the generator room. Before anyone could say anything, Mason jumped over the rail, bending his legs as his feet hit the ground. Walking to the generator room, Mason grabbed a fusion core that was powering the lights down here and a Junk Jet on a table. After powering up the place, an automated message said, "Thermal Engine fueled, primed, and standing by for command. After walking back out to the main room, Mason heard Garvey say, "Let's do this," before a synth fell after he fired his musket. Dropping the Junk Jet, Mason gripped his rifle and began firing. He would've hit the button to power the engine, but that's if he was alone. He couldn't risk killing the others. While they were firing, Mason got shot ten times, three in his legs, five on his arms, and two on the chest. If he hadn't upgraded his armor, he'd be dead.
"Looks like we've secured the core," Danse announced, Mason breathing heavily from the fight. "Let's head up to the control room."
Getting onto the elevator was a tight squeeze due to Danse's Power Armor and Mason's frame, but they managed to fit when Mason hit the button. Reaching the top floor, Mason was the first one out and got ready for the fight when he reached the room. Seeing five synths, three had guns while two had batons. The two with batons immediately went for Mason when the others fired. Rolling back, the lasers hit the wall while Mason grabbed the wrist of one of the synths with a baton. Dropping its weapon, Mason punched the synths across the face, leaving the head hanging by the skin. When the other tried to attack Mason, he slammed his fist into its stomach, metal flying out its back. Mason's hand came out of it when the thing fell, some wiring in his glove.
"General…" Garvey said as he came up behind him. "That was…impressive, but brutal." Firing his laser musket at a synth, he turned back to Mason. "You have a knack for hand-to-hand combat." After Mason twisted the head off a synth that got too close, Garvey remarked, "That's a useful skill to have." When they were done with the fighting, they searched the bodies for ammunition and found what they came there for.
"Is this what you need?" Mason yelled as he held up the machine for Danse to see.
"Affirmative. Let's meet outside the bunker and continue our conversation from there."
Taking the elevator that led out of the place, they checked for any enemies before speaking when they got outside.
"Well, that could've gone smoother, but mission accomplished."
He may have been a soldier, probably has seen more than Mason, but that still doesn't mean he can criticize him. Mason took off his helmet and looked Danse in the eyes, looking down at him.
"Let's get one thing straight right now. We may have worked together, but I sure as heck don't need an evaluation from someone playing dress-up."
"Accepting constructive criticism is the best way to improve ourselves both physically and mentally." That excuse didn't fly with Mason. Especially since he had done most of the work. "However, that doesn't diminish your role in the operation. Without your assistance, it could have been in jeopardy." Mason knew the man would've been fine on his own, especially if the power armor had the right upgrades. "That being said, I believe we have two matters to discuss. First and foremost, if you'll hand me the Deep Range Transmitter, I'd like to compensate you for your assistance in this operation. I think you'll find this weapon useful. It's my own personal modification of the standard brotherhood rifle."
Handing Mason the rifle, Mason took a look at it before trying to give it back. "Don't you need to keep this?"
"Brotherhood soldiers always carry a back-up. This isn't the only weapon at my disposal."
That must be nice. Meanwhile, the settlements still had to worry about running out of resources for the time being, though Mason knew they'd solve the problem eventually.
"Now… as far as the second matter goes, I wanted to make you a proposal." Mason already didn't like this. "We had a lot thrown at us back there." Understatement of the decade. "Our op could have ended in disaster, but you kept your cool and handled it like a soldier." Because Mason used to be one.
"There's no doubt in my mind that you've got what it takes. The way I see it you have a choice. You can spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place, trading an extra hand for a meager reward." Mason saw nothing wrong with that. "Or you could join the Brotherhood of Steel and make your mark on the world. So what do you say?"
Considering Mason was already making a bigger mark on the Commonwealth, that last statement didn't make sense. But if the signal reached their superiors, that'd be a different story since Mason knew nothing about them.
"I don't know right now, Paladin," Mason answered with an apologetic look. "I'm already doing what I can to help this place. I don't see how joining the Brotherhood right now will be beneficial."
Garvey looked proud at Mason's answer, and he sent a smile to him.
"It's a big decision, so I understand your hesitation. If you decide you want to be one of us, you know where we are. Good luck," Danse responded.
"Don't let the ferals get you," Mason grinned. After parting ways, Danse headed back to Cambridge, and they went to Oberland Station. Mason put his helmet in his bag and turned to Heather as they were walking.
"I'm sorry about not joining the Brotherhood," Mason told her. "There's just no point right now."
"Oh, well," Heather smiled, surprising Mason. "It was fun working with Danse. He's a good person from what I remember."
"Seems like it, but from what I saw he takes being a soldier way too seriously."
Reaching Oberland, the sun was setting, so Mason quickly found the settler he'd previously spoken to.
"Took care of those Super Mutants," Mason beamed as he approached her. "Wasn't easy, but got it done."
"Well, that's the best piece of damn news I've heard all day. We'll be glad to support the Minutemen. Glad to know you guys have our backs."
"Need to know your name. While I have to protect you guys, I also gotta help you grow and expand," Mason explained, the woman nodding.
"Katherine Hill. The runt over there is Linda," she remarked, pointing to the woman tending to the tatos.
"Well, we're gonna need to have her as the provisioner between here and Graygarden for the time being," Mason told her. "All settlements I help are indirectly connected, so if you need supplies and we got them somewhere else, the provisioner connecting graygarden to another settlement can pass the message along if they don't have the supplies, and so on and so forth. That way we can also send help if necessary, whether it's for plans or fighting."
"Well, we won't forget what you've done for us," Kather said.
"Well, before she goes, I needa take a look at the materials you have," Mason remarked. See if you have parts for a small generator and beacon."
"We have most of them, just need some circuitry and crystal for the beacon."
"You know a bit about machines? Surprising since you run a farm."
"Bare minimum. My old man taught me before he passed a few years ago."
"Well, you're in luck. We just came from ArcJet, and we got the materials you're missing from there. So let's get to work on that beacon.
Getting to work, Katherine and Linda worked on the generator, Mason and Heather were taking care of the beacon, and Garvey and Dogmeat were keeping guard since there were no walls. Five hours had passed by the time they finished, and the sun was setting.
"Give it a day or two, someone new may come," Mason informed Katherine. "Doesn't work immediately. If repairs are necessary, send a lits through Linds, and you'll get supplies in a week at the least two at the most."
"That's good to know."
"Mind showing me the borders of this place? Need to know how large to make the walls."
Showing Mason how large the place was, Mason would be lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed. The place could still hold a hundred people at the most, so that was fortunate. Grabbing the table from the room at the top of the building, Mason sat on the bottom steps with the table in front of him and set the Pip-Boy beside him while he began working on the plans. Katherine had sent him an odd look, and Garvey and Heather had both tried to get him to go to get some rest, but he had them get their shut-eye first. By the time he finished, the sun was rising, and Katherine was tending to the tatos. Sticking the plans into a toolbox, Mason handed it to Katherine and explained what they were.
"Plans for the walls and a building for more bed space. For when you've got more settlers and become a bigger target."
"That's nice. I'll make sure to stick them somewhere safe."
"Great. Now if you don't need anything else, I've got to grab my companions. We're heading east today."
"Vault 81 is over that way. Can't miss it since a road leads to it."
"I'll be sure to go there then. Anyway, I'll see you guys in a few."
After finding the others, Mason started leading them east before smelling the faint scent of smoke.
"Stay close," Mason said as he sped up. "I smell smoke, and it ain't no forest fire." Following his nose, when Mason found the source, he couldn't believe what he saw. A spaceship of sorts with a trail of green liquid leading away from it. Following the trail, they found a nearby cave, where Mason pulled out his pistol. Signaling for the others to wait, Mason walked in, seeing a figure with a green head wearing a silver and red spacesuit of sorts.
"The heck are you?" Mason questioned, slowly approaching it. Without answering, the creature stood up and pulled out a pistol of sorts, firing at Mason. Luckily for him, his reflexes were fast; otherwise, his head would be ash. Running up to it, Mason stuck his pistol to where he assumed the brain was and pulled the trigger. Heather and Garvey came running in with Dogmeat, Heather saying something about aliens and it being too bad it was hostile, though Mason was still surprised by the fact aliens were real. Searching the body, Mason found the gun and ammunition for it, which was nice and all, but he wasn't going to use it anytime soon.
"Want it?" Mason asked Heather, holding out the gun.
"Is this for me?" She asked. "I get the alien weapon? Thank you."
While nice and all, Mason didn't want it. Leaving the cave, they continued walking on the outskirts of a neighborhood, and following the road, soon found Vault 81. Taking their armor off, they put on more comfortable clothing. When Mason went to open the vault door, a voice came over the speaker.
"Hold it right there. Vault 81 security. I don't know where you got your hands on a working Pip-Boy, but you better start talking."
He didn't understand why it mattered, but seeing no reason to lie, Mason responded, "I got it Vault 111."
"Vault 111? Haven't heard that one yet." So someone else has come through with a Pip-Boy before. "And what sort of business are you looking to take care of here in 81?"
What did it matter? He could understand where he was coming from, he didn't know Mason, but this seemed a bit much. "What's with the third degree?"
"It's called protocol. Think we let just anyone in here? Think again."
It went quiet before another voice came over the speaker.
"Who is it, Edwards?" Mason could tell the new person was a female.
"Ma'am, some new Commonwealth traveler. Not one of our usual traders." So Mason wasn't the first one to talk to these people.
"Let me speak to them," the lady said. "Sorry about that. Officer Edwards was just doing his job. I'm sure you can understand our need for caution." No, not really. Not caution to this degree anyway. "For newcomers, we like to operate on exchange. You help us, we help you."
"Depends on what it is. Ammunition, food, guns, power cores, I've got it. Other stuff, not so much."
"Fair enough. Fusion cores. Three to be exact-"
"Well, alright then, dearie. I happen to have exactly what you need."
"Really? Then by all means… welcome. I'll be down to meet you at the entrance."
The speaker turned off, and the alarms signaling the opening of a vault started to go off. Walking up to the entrance, it slid open after a few seconds, and when it was done opening, Mason walked in and approached a lady with red hair and an officer. They were talking to a man about working conditions and stuff, but that conversation ended when he walked up.
"Sorry about that. As you'll soon see, we have a few maintenance projects underway. Gwen McNamara. Overseer. Welcome to Vault 81."
"Mason Black. General. Glad to be here. Let's skip the long stuff and get to the point." Digging for them, Mason pulled the fusion cores out of his bag and handed them to her. "Here are the fusion cores you asked for. Please make sure whoever needs them puts them to good use."
"Dr. Penske certainly will. Now, I have work to do."
"Ma'am, what about his friends here, and the dog?" The officer, whom Mason could assume was Officer Edwards based on his voice, questioned.
"I'll allow it. Security is already extra mindful as it is. If he's lived this long in the Commonwealth, I'm sure he's chosen his friends wisely. If you need anything else, I'll be in my office."
Finishing their conversation, they walked to the back, where a doctor complimented Mason for having no signs of radiation, which was surprising, and stepped into the elevator, taking it down and entering the vault.
