Stepping into the vault, Mason was aware they'd have to fight. For one thing, there were more of those people here. For another, someone yelled, wondering why the door was opening. Regardless, Mason couldn't be stealthy with the armor, keeping the others behind him as he moved forward. As he stepped off the walkway, three people came from around the shelf to his left, two exiting a room to his right.

"Fuck!" one yelled, the suit hitting the ground. "What happened to the other guys?!"

"Fuck if I know!" another yelled. "Fill him with lead!"

Getting behind the shelves, they began shooting at Mason between them, leading to him questioning their sanity. How did a shelf keep them safe?

Ramming his shoulder and arm into the shelf, it slammed into the men, pushing them back into the wall. With their ribs breaking from the impact and guns clattering, the supplies falling with them.

As he turned, Mason saw two bodies had fallen, the fifth person hiding in the room. Before he could take a step forward, his head bent to the right, a bat catching him by surprise.

"Shit!" one of the men yelled, swinging for Mason's stomach. "Just die already!"

Catching the bat in his hand, Mason pushed the man back, wrenching the bat from his hands. Stumbling back, the man hit his head on the wall, falling to the ground as he clutched his head.

Swinging the bat, Mason hit the man in the head, catching him in the temple with the corner.

Pulling the bat from the guy's head, Mason turned to the others, noticing a look of surprise on Piper's face.

"What?" Mason questioned, already moving the shelf. Would be hard to collect the supplies with it covering them.

"She's probably surprised with how easy you killed the guy with a bat," Heather remarked. "Most of the time, people take three or four hits."

"Ain't hittin' 'em with the right part," Mason stated. "Hit 'em with the corner. Gonna cause more damage."

Knowing they'd be coming back through there, he went ahead and strapped a duffel bag to the back of the suit, knowing it'd save time. After securing it, they continued forward.

"So I got a question: Why the hell would anyone build a vault out of a subway station? This place is like… the opposite of air-tight," a man questioned as Mason neared a hallway. He wondered that too before remembering what some people would do.

"Because they weren't planning to use it, you moron!" a ghoul remarked. "We used to pull this kind of con all the time back before the war."

Looking into the room, Mason saw four men standing around, talking to each other.

"Get a bunch of Union boys to work some construction job that would go nowhere. Keep everyone on payroll," another ghoul said.

As he stepped through the door, the room thundered as the foot hit the ground, making the men jump in surprise as they aimed their guns.

"Damn it! Kill the bastard!" one of them yelled, Mason walking forward.

Putting his hand beside a crate, he pushed it forward when one ejected the drum of their gun. Propelling it forward, the men dive back behind the walls as one got hit by the crate, catching the guy in the arm.

Charging forward, as they aimed their weapons, Mason threw his arm out to his right, sending one of them flying back into the wall. As his arm slammed into the wall, the armor swerved, smashing, slamming face-first into it. As the other three moved to try to penetrate the armor, Mason looked at the conditions of it, knowing he'd have to repair it before he got to the Castle. As he tried to pull his arm out of the wall, one of the men died as he turned the frame, his free arm hitting him.

"Merde," Mason grunted, ripping the arm out. Catching one of the men in the chest, they got sent flying back, breaking his spine on a corner. Examining the room, Mason took a deep breath before sighing.

"You do that a lot," Heather remarked, Mason taking the helmet off to get some fresh air. "Why?"

"Don't really know," Mason stated. "Just something I do. Wasn't something I was ever concerned with."

Making sure all the joints were working, Mason placed the helmet back on as he opened the door. Seeing four men, two in front of them and two more near the next area of the vault, Mason picked up a crate, figuring it'd be useful somehow.

As he stepped forward, Mason was aware they didn't have weapons that could do serious damage to Power Armor indoors. Assault rifles weren't common, and Gauss rifles were better used from afar if one wasn't using Power Armor. It'd be one thing if they were near a military base, but this was a vault in a city.

"What the fuck!" one yelled, Mason walking forward. While Heather fired at them, she caught one of them in the face, another in the shoulder. It wouldn't have surprised Mason, but they'd been behind cover, so it was surprising, to say the least. Gripping the sides of the crate, Mason moved to the platform.

"The hell!?" a ghoul yelled, rounding the corner as Mason ran. Ramming the crate into the man, Mason broke some of the ghoul's ribs, possibly his neck based on the angle of his head. Releasing the crate, another one of the men began to pelt his armor with bullets as he turned right. Stomping towards the man, they tried to hit Mason with the stock when they ran out of ammunition. As the weapon bounced off the armor, Mason slammed his arms into the man's ribs, breaking them. Continuing forward, Mason walked over the man, crushing his head underneath his foot.

"Shit!" another ghoul yelled. "Kill the bastard!"

'Not today,' Mason thought, making his way towards them. Taking a deep breath, he broke into a sprint as they began to fire.

Ramming his shoulder into one of the men, the man grunted in pain as he got sent flying into a wall, his head leaving blood on it. Bringing his arms up as a man tried hitting him with a bat, Mason caught it with his arms. Breaking them apart, Mason grabbed the bat with his hands, splintering it. As the man stumbled, Mason jammed the broken handle into the man's head, sending him over the side, wood implanted in his head.

Turning to the others, one had been shot down by Heather, the last one holding up his weapon, trembling where he stood. Mason rushed forward as he aimed his weapon, keeping his head down. Ramming into the man, the guy slammed into the wall as Mason slowed, coming to a complete stop as the man's corpse got turned into artwork.

"Check the bodies," Mason remarked, stepping out of the armor and checking the core. "Core will last 'til tomorrow at this rate. The armor may last two centuries, but the cores don't."

"Shouldn't they last longer," Piper asked, coming up with Dogmeat. "They power buildings for that long."

"Buildin's don't require much power," Mason remarked. "Armor has to move heavy limbs and run systems. Not includin' the modifications that can be done."

Dropping the body of the man he'd been checking, having taken the clothing off him and collecting bullets, Mason jumped over the railing to the man with wood in his head, finding him in a pool of blood. Clothing wasn't worth much now. After collecting the junk, when he climbed back up, he found Piper and Heather staring at him.

"What?" Mason questioned, potting the junk away. Heather went back to what she was doing while Piper scratched her cheek as she turned away. "Okay," Mason drawled, moving to check another body.

Once they were done checking the bodies, Mason checked out the next room, finding the only way down was to jump.

"Heather, get the Power Armor," Mason commanded, checking her bag for water. They'd need to drink some soon. "I gotta carry Dogmeat, and I don't wanna leave you up here with Piper."

"I'm not going to kill her. Maybe break some teeth," Heather remarked, stepping into the armor.

"While I wouldn't be surprised, now's not the time for jokes." Mason told her, picking up Dogmeat. "Where'd the rope in your bag come from?"

"Found it with the first group of triggermen," Heather responded with an oddly upbeat tone. "Figured it come in handy."

Oddly enough, it would. Giving Heather the go-ahead to jump down, he made sure to have a good hold on Dogmeat before hearing a loud BOOM!

Looking down to guess how'd he have to land while carrying a dog and a bag, Mason jumped to the first level. Landing on his feet, his shoulder slammed into the wall, grunting on impact. That would cause some bruising. Lowering Dogmeat down to Heather, Mason looked up to Piper.

"Safe to jump!" Mason yelled to her. "You're light, so you'll be easy to catch!"

"How do you know that?" Heather questioned, Mason getting ready to catch Piper. Hearing Piper question the same thing, he yelled to her, "I've had to lift the back end of a brahmin before. People aren't jack squat!"

While it was actually a cow and not a brahmin, Mason doubted the extra head made much of a difference when it came to weight. Catching Piper when she jumped down, Mason heard her mutter something about him being a mutant, though he elected to ignore it as he hopped into the armor.

Stepping through a door leading deeper into the vault, they entered a hall with windows leading into a cafeteria. Looking up, Mason saw a man yelling at someone through a window, though he didn't see anyone.

As they walked up the stairs leading to them, the man heard the armor and yelled, "Who's there?"

"Déclencheur exterminateur, baise stupide!" Mason yelled, rounding the corner. Charging forward, the man aimed his gun at Mason and pulled the trigger. It was clear as day he had no training, being no expert. The bullets were mostly bouncing off with the angle he was shooting, with very few embedding in the metal.

"What the hell?" the man yelled as Mason raised his arms, keeping them close to his chest.

Throwing an open palm forward, Mason made the mango to try to block his hand before throwing a hook. When the man's body fell, head completely turned around, Mason knew he wasn't waking up. Ever.

Looking into the room, Mason saw a man in there, figuring the door was locked. Checking the previous guy's body, he found a password for the terminal nearby, using it to unlock the door. Mason walked into the office and realized the 'man' was a machine.

"Valentine. Nice friends you've got here," Heather remarked as she walked into the room. This was Nick Valentine? While he knew it was rude, Mason had expected him to be… human. Mainly due to Diamond City's paranoia regarding synths. He said something, though Mason didn't hear him as he took his helmet off, setting it down.

"You gonna talk? Why'd you risk everything to find me? I'm just a private eye," he questioned as Mason looked at him.

"Trackin' someone. Got no idea where they are, or how long they've been missin'," Mason remarked, looking around the room.

"Well, I've done jobs with less. Somehow 'nice and simple' never makes it onto the menu in my world," The man lamented before continuing. "I've been cooped up in here for weeks. Turns out the runaway daughter I came here to find wasn't kidnapped. She's Skinny Malone's new flame, and she's got a mean streak. Anyway, you got troubles, and I'm glad to help." Mason had no idea what he was talking about or who any of those people were. "But now ain't the time. Let's blow this joint; then we'll talk."

After putting the helmet back on and picking up a bobblehead on the desk, Mason heard Piper talk to Valentine, confirming this was the one the kid was talking about as they exited the room. Collecting some vault suits and clothing, they heard the door open, leaving Mason to look down to see what it was.

"Hey, Dino! You there?" someone yelled, referring to the man Mason killed. As he pushed down on the rail, it caved under the weight, leaving an opening for Mason to walk through.

"What the hell was that?" one man said as he walked out from under the floor. Walked forward, Mason dropped down.

BOOM!

As the man staggered, Mason stood up and looked around, realizing there were six men behind him, one in front.

"What the fuck!" one of them yelled. Trying to split apart to avoid capture, Mason stomped, making two of them stagger. Grabbing the two nearest ones, Mason slammed their heads to the ground, crushing their head under the weight of the armor.

As he slowly stood, two of them had fallen onto their rear ends, eyes wide as they tried to grasp who was in front of them. The other two raised their weapons, preparing to fire before Heather shot one of them from behind.

"Loud and proud," Mason heard the detective say before saying something Mason didn't hear due to bullets hitting the shoulder and helmet of the armor. Walking forwards, some of them thought Mason was retreating before he got behind a table.

"Hope you're not religious," Mason remarked, putting his hands on the edges and bending down. "Then you'll be in eternal pain."

Pushing forward before they could comprehend what he said, the table went sliding forward, catching one by the legs, cutting them off while two others got hit in the sides, sending them reeling in opposite directions as they clutched their ribs in pain. Hitting the wall, the table wrapped around the doorway, preventing the door from being shut. Raising his arm to block the bat of the one that hadn't been hit, Mason used his free hand to punch, sending the man flying into a column, his head hitting the metal like a melon falling from a roof to concrete.

"Fuck," one of them grunted as he tried to get away, the only other one having been shot by Valentine. "Gotta warn-"

"No one," Mason stated, stomping forward. "You're not leaving this vault."

Backing the man into a corner, Mason was about to grab him by the shoulders before Valentine shot him three times in the chest.

"Saw what you were about to do to him," Valentine responded, Mason's gaze turning to him. "He was a bad apple, but he didn't need to get killed the way you were thinking."

Stepping out of the armor after collecting the weapons and ammunition, Mason turned to Nick.

"Wasn't gonna torture him," Mason remarked. "Not a raider."

"Blue, you doing okay? You looked annoyed at something," Piper questioned while he put the weapons into one of Dogmeat's bags.

"More ticked off than anything," Mason remarked, zipping the bags up. Wiping some sweat off his forehead, he turned back to the others. "Never gonna understand why people think they can beat Power Armor. I've done it before, and it was a pain in the arrière to do. Took a week to recover.

Heather and Valentine both looked surprised at what Mason said while Piper snorted. "That's not possible. You'd have to be stronger than a machine to do that."

"Don't care," Mason remarked, stepping back into the suit. "Using this for the protection, not strength. Also prevents me from straining my body."

Earning another eye roll from Piper, Mason made sure everyone was ready, understanding why Piper didn't believe him.

Power Armor wasn't made to be beaten by a man, but as his idiot of a brother would say, everything had an exception. A bit stupid when it came to his own limitations but correct about this sort of stuff usually.

"Let's move," Mason said, picking up a bat off the ground. "Know a way out of here, Valentine?"

"This way," he remarked, walking through the doorway the people had come through. As they walked down the hall, Nick made a comment regarding the people they killed before they reached a locked door.

He remarked how he'd be able to unlock it, though it would've been easier if the lock wasn't on the other side. Why'd they lock it in the first place?

"Got it," Valentine remarked, the door opening. As Nick led the way, Mason noticed a shadow at the top of the steps and got ready. Reaching the top of the steps, a bat came swinging for Valentine.

"Die motherfucker!" a man yelled as Mason stopped the bat with an arm. Bringing his bat up, Mason swung and hit the man in the head, catching him in the jaw and sending him into the wall.

"What the hell?" another man yelled, coming from a room with washing machines. "Bastard!" Seeing the Power Armor, the man groaned in frustration. "You won't take me alive," the man growled. Before Mason took a step forward, Heather shot the man a few times, disintegrating him.

"Valentine, is it straightforward from here to the entrance?" Mason asked, picking up a magazine off a crate, seeing a door probably leading to some rooms since the laundry room was a dead end.

"Pretty much. Though you do-"

"Follow behind," Mason demanded, approaching the door after handing the magazine to Heather. "I'm wearin' a metal suit. Don't have to worry about your arrière getting shot."

When the door opened, the men in the room began firing, Mason throwing his arms out in an attempt to protect the others. Taking in the environment as the bullets bounced off the armor, Mason saw only two people, realizing it'd be easy despite the small space.

"What the hell?" one of them yelled as they stopped firing. "This guy's got power armor!"

Grabbing the bed frame in front of him, Mason growled, "Thanks for stating the sacrément évident."

Slapping the side of the top bunk with his free hand, the bed pivoted as one hand kept in place. Slamming into the man closest to them, when Mason released it, the bed toppled over, trapping the man beneath it. Some broken ribs, but they'd survive.

"Die, motherfucker!" the man yelled as Mason brought his foot back, kicking the bottom.

"Language!" Mason growled, singing the bed up as he caught the man in the stomach, sending him into the wall. "Won't be too much of a problem, hopefully."

"Shut up!" the ghoul yelled, Mason dropping the bed to the floor as bullets damaged the right arm of his armor severely. "Shouldn't be this much talking in a fight!"

"Don't care," Mason remarked, pulling his arm back as he pulled his arm back, taking damage to the chest as he kept the others safe. Unfortunately, he'd dropped the bed in front of him, and while it was easy to move, doing so while protecting others was not. "Anytime now!"

As Heather fired at the ghoul, Mason heard more gunfire around the corner, frustrating him as he kicked the bed frame, sending it sliding forward, hitting the ghoul in the legs as they snapped, the frame crumpling in the doorway.

Pushing through the frame, a bullet bounced off the armor as someone through a door being blocked by some containers.

"Hold up," Mason yelled, reaching the corner of the hall. "Let a guy greet ya first!"

As the triggerman fired, Mason charged forward, slamming his shoulder into the man, crushing it against the wall, nearly taking the man's arm, though they definitely weren't surviving from the injury.

Grunting, Mason pulled his shoulder from the wall, the man moving as his arm came out, sticking to Mason's shoulder piece before falling, broken and bleeding out.

"Jeez, Blue. A bit gruesome," Piper remarked as Heather shot the man in the head.

"I've done worse," Mason remarked, remembering when he trampled through a group of soldiers in Anchorage. A memory he wanted to forget.

As they moved through the vault, Piper and Nick conversed a bit, Mason keeping an ear out for anyone ahead.

"How did this guy pick you up?"

"Got an exclusive from him. You'll read about it back in Diamond City."

"Must be special to get you to come along. I guess you got Ellie taking care of Nat again?"

Now that Mason thought about it, he supposed it was irresponsible for Piper to leave her sister in the city alone.

"Okay, I got it," Valentine remarked as he finished picking a lock. After getting through the vault, they'd reached a dead end with a locked door, so he had to take care of that while Mason looked around. "But I hear big, fat footsteps on the other side. Once we step through this door, be ready for anything."

Stuffing the vault suits they'd found in a duffel bag, Mason hopped back into the Power Armor, ready for whoever was on the other side.

"Nick? 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?" A large man said as Mason stepped through the door, his men taking a step back as they saw the armor.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for your two-timing dame, Skinny. You ought to tell her to write home more often," Nick remarked, making the large man glare.

"Aw… poor little Valentine. Ashamed you got beat up by a girl? I'll run back home to daddy, shall I?" the woman snarkily barked, making Mason's face twist in disgust.

"Should've left it alone, Nicky. This ain't the old neighborhood. In this vault, I'm king of the Castle. You hear me? And I ain't lettin' some private dick shut us down now that I finally got a good thing goin'!"

"I told you we should've just killed him, 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!"

"Oh yeah, then whats this guy doing here, huh? Valentine must have brought him here to rub us all 'out!"

"Temptin', but you ain't worth the time," Mason remarked, Darla glaring at him.

"Hey, who's running this show, here? You got something to say, say it to me." Skinny barked, Mason staring the man down.

"We all know this is a misunderstanding," Mason remarked. "Let us walk, we won't come back."

"You and Nick shot all of my crew and you expect to just Agh! All right, you're lucky I still owe him for that time back in the Quarry."

Already moving, Mason heard Darla and Skinny argue about something as he exited the vault, Nick not far behind him with the others.

"Ready to talk," Nick asked as Mason found the sewer grate they'd climbed out of. He had to leave the way they'd came in due to the fact the armor would've broken the ladder. "How'd you know to find me down in that old vault?"

"Didn't. Happened to be in the right place at the right time. Those people fired on me just for walking by. Figured they did it with others. Finding you seemed like you needed help.

"I appreciate it, but a good Samaritan in these parts is liable to end up on the wrong side of a loaded gun. I should know. Now, you mentioned something about a missing person. No trace of where they've gone. I want you to come to my office in Diamond City. Give me all the details, Besides, I think you've earned a chance to sit down and clear your head."

"I'll meet ya there in a few days. Have a prior engagement first."

"Alright. See you then."

After Piper said her goodbye's to Nick, they began moving again, heading towards a place Piper called Goodneighbor. They had a bit of stuff they could sell there and see what they had to offer at the same time. They had to take care of a few Super Mutants on the way, but they were taken care of quickly. Entering the small area, a man wearing road leathers with a shaved head came up to them.

After the man lit a cigarette, he flicked ashes onto Mason's armor, making him stare down at the man.

"I told ya, you can't walk around Goodneighbor without insurance."

"I'd suggest walkin' away, essuyer le cul," Mason remarked, Heather chuckling while Piper was confused. "I ain't interested.

"Don't be like that. I think you're gonna like what i have to offer. You hand over everything you got in them bags, or 'accidents' start happenin' to ya. Big, bloody 'accidents.'"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out," a ghoul said, getting off a wall. Seeing that he was talking to the man now, Mason moved past them, seeing a store right ahead. Before he could move further, though, he saw the ghoul stab the man, dropping his body to the ground. "You alright, brother?"

"I don't get mugged every day. I do witness death, though.

You obviously haven't been living it up enough. But we won't judge you for that. Goodneighbor of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome."

"So this is the place," Mason remarked.

"That's right. We cobbled this little neighborhood together out of the freaks and misfits that just wouldn't be accepted anywhere else. You'll see. You make enough friends here, you'll call this place home soon enough. So long as you remember who's in charge."

Walking to the store, Mason placed the bags down before stepping out of his armor, a few people staring as he took the core out of it.

"Oh. A new face walks into my store, And you're not even screaming yet. Very polite. You let me know if anything catches your fancy."

"Let's see what you have."

"Remember, not returns, exchanges, or death threats…."

After selling everything they could, holding onto what they'd need, Mason put the core back into the armor and, after helping Heather fold the bags, hopped back in, heading right back to the entrance to leave.