Mason's plans didn't include becoming a part of the Minutemen. He should've seen it coming when he realized the Minutemen kept Abernathy Farm safe from raiders. It wasn't that he hated them, quite the opposite. He had just assumed they would be wiped out soon until he heard about how they were recruiting again to take back the Castle. When he heard about that, he grabbed the weapons and clothing that had been his father's and signed up, deciding it was better than letting his training as a child go to waste. When he had met the guy collecting people, he had mistaken him for the General, which was odd to him considering his size and build, but understood they were two different people in the end. And he, along with the recruits and cowboy, was walking through Concord when Raiders started firing at them.
"I thought they were taken care of," the man in charge said. "Last time the General, he wiped them out!"
"Probably new ones then," Mason said as he fired at the raiders from behind the wall of a building. The sandbags were too short to cover him completely. "You know how many there are?"
"There's twenty raiders!" he heard their sniper yell from the roof of the building. Well, this was going to be fun. He turned to the two other recruits with them and grinned.
"Draw their fire," he said as he started to turn the other way. "I'll circle around and cut them off from behind. One of you inform Snipes to cover me."
"Why should we listen to you," the man said as he cringed every time someone fired a weapon like the noise was physically hurting him. "We don't know you."
"It's that, or we be stuck in this firefight all day. Your choice."
The man pondered it for a minute, looking conflicted before grunting. "Damn it! Evans, go inform Snipes of the plan. I'll tell Garvey what this maniac wants to do."
"On it," Evans said as she ran into the building and up the stairs to the sniper.
"Let's hope this plan of yours works," the man said as he turned to Garvey. He made some gestures to Garvey, who understood and fired at the raiders. When Evans came back down, she let Mason know the sniper knew the plan, didn't want to follow it as it was a dumb idea but said she'd watch his back. He set his weapons, minus his pistol, which he kept strapped to his side, in his duffel bag and left them there as he grabbed some knuckles and put them in his back pocket. They were about to see why his old man gave him the moniker Grognak, even if he didn't have an axe. He went around the back, making sure to keep in sight of the sniper's scope. When he was sure he was behind the raiders, he got into position and gave them the signal. He pulled out his pistol and took a deep breath. After releasing it, he aimed his weapon and yelled.
"Hey!" his voice boomed as he pulled the trigger, the bullet flying into the head of the nearest raider. "Over here, you pieces of shit!"
After firing two more rounds into two raiders, hitting them in their knees, he put the pistol away and put the knuckles on. When he saw he had gained a few of them' attention, he grinned before running towards them. One of the first things his father had taught him, never to run in a straight line. Make it easier to shoot. He felt a bullet graze his shoulder and side, but he held his tongue and swung up as he charged a raider, sending him flying back into one of his friends.
"Come on!" he yelled as he dodged bullet fire. "Don't tell me this is all you sacks of shit have!" Using the two he had knocked down, he grabbed them by the necks and lifted them off the ground. Before they could comprehend what was happening, he threw one into a raider he had previously shot, making them fall to the ground, while he threw the other in front of the other raiders, effectively gaining their attention.
"What the hell!" one of them yelled. "Who is this-" was what was said before the raider found his teeth broken, Mason punching him square in the mouth. The raider fell back, unable to comprehend what happened.
Mason felt a bullet go through his leg, making him grunt in pain. Good thing it wasn't his speed he used to scare people. He turned to the one who had shot him and grinned.
"Come at me, you nutsack with nails!" he yelled at her. He couldn't see her expression due to a combination of bad eyesight and the raider wearing a mask of sorts. He charged at her, ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg while he did. When she realized what he was doing, he grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall behind her. Not letting her recover, he grabbed her by the head and slammed his fist in the side of her head. When this happened, he followed through and smashed her head into the ground, pulling his hand out from under her at the last second. Standing up, he was sure she was dead and looked for his next opponent. Looking around, he saw one raider trying, and failing, to sneak around to get into the building that led to their sniper. Not on his watch. Taking his knuckles off, he pulled out his pistol and quickly fired at the raider, the bullet going into his arm.
"Damn it!" the raider yelled. Mason quickly walked up to the raider and put the gun up to his head.
"Say something worthwhile," Mason demanded his finger on the trigger, ready to pull. "Who's your leader?"
"It doesn't matter. Matthis will-" BANG! When Mason pulled the trigger, both Evans and the other Minuteman, who were nearby behind sandbags and were standing after the gunfire stopped, jumped in surprise.
"What the hell!" Evans yelled. "Why didn't you figure out where the location was?"
"Relax," Mason said as he walked over to the body of a raider he had knocked down earlier when he threw the bodies, one of his legs pinned under the body of the dead one. When the raider saw Mason walking towards him, he began struggling to get out. "There's one right here."
When Mason knelt beside the raider, he tried to yell for help before Mason put his hand over his mouth.
"Here's what's going to happen," Mason said as he pulled out his pistol and put it to the raider's arm. "You'll tell me the information I want, and I may let you live."
"I can't allow that," Garvey said as he approached, his rifle raised. "He'll go back to his raider 'friends' and attack a settlement."
"Let me try talking to him first," Mason demanded when he turned his head to him, then winked. Garvey backed away before saying, "If he tries to escape, he'll get shot."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Mason said as he turned back to the raider, who was looking at him in fear. "Now, where is your base of operations?"
"Like I'd tell you, bastard," the raider spat in disgust. Mason wiped the spit off his face using the back of his hand before putting the gun up to the raider's elbow.
"One more chance. Where. Is. Your. Base." Mason threatened, a look letting the raider know he wasn't kidding evident.
"Fuck off," the raider said before yelling when Mason pulled the trigger. "Damn it!"
"Now half your limbs are destroyed. Want it to be three?" Mason questioned as he put the barrel up to the raider's good leg.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!' the raider yelled quickly, wanting to get rid of the pain as soon as possible. "Thicket Excavations! We have a whole gang there. But even if you manage to take them out, you'll still have the Mirelurks to fight." Mason laughed before standing, angering the raider. "What's funny about that? Do you have any idea how tough Mirelurks are?"
"Kind of easy when you know their weakness is their face," Mason said as he turned to Garvey. "He's all yours."
"What! You said-"
"That I might let you live. Our leader on the other hand; that's another story," Mason said as he walked over to his duffel bag and pulled out his rifle. Wasn't a hunting one, but a handmade one that was his father's from his time as a Minuteman. He took it everywhere he went.
"Hey Snipes! How are things looking from here?!" Mason yelled up to the sniper. She looked a bit annoyed before replying.
"No raiders from her to that Drive-In," she yelled to him. "Should be smooth sailing until we get there!"
"Alright people, let's get moving," Garvey commanded, his bag holding armor from the raiders.
When the sniper came down, she asked the one thing they were all wondering.
"Why do you collect armor off raiders," she questioned, a look of disdain evident. "Ain't like it's useful."
"The General puts it this way: better we use than looters who could be raiders. That was the gist of it at least."
"I like the way this General thinks," Mason boomed, surprising the others. "I can't wait to meet him!"
"Don't be surprised if he acts like a child," Garvey said, leading everyone to look at him confused. "He gets excited over a lot of stuff. I wouldn't doubt he'd be happy to meet a doppelganger."
"I'm liking this General more and more," Mason stated while the sniper groaned.
"We don't need two of this guy," she complained, probably referring to when he got excited when he saw the guns the guards at her settlement had. "I can hardly deal with one of them."
"Wait until you meet him," Garvey remarked. "He's just as tall and besides his scars, you two look the same."
Mason found that interesting, though based on what Garvey had told him when he recruited him, he wouldn't meet him for two weeks.
"So what was that earlier," Evans asked him as they headed towards the drive-in. "You could've gotten the name and location from that first raider, but you used two."
"Simple. By killing the first one, I put a bit of fear into the second. Without that, I would've had to waste two bullets. This way, I only wasted one."
"You're a dumbass," the sniper said as she heard what he said. "There's a chance that wouldn't have worked."
"Yeah, well raiders are a cowardly bunch, if not downright retards," Mason retorted. "It's surprising they know which direction to shoot."
"That's called common sense. Which you seem to lack," she said as he ran into the front of a bus. After pulling himself off it and rubbing his nose, he retorted.
After pulling himself off it and rubbing his nose, he retorted, "I have enough to survive. Besides, half the time you're a bitch."
"Why you dimwit-" she said, stepping toward him, reaching for a knife strapped to her hip. When she did, Mason brought up his fists before Evans stepped between them.
"Hey, settle down you two," she demanded. "Black, stop acting like a child. That was a bit reckless, and if it hadn't gone according to plan, things would've gone wrong."
Mason mumbled under his breath but agreed.
"And Falsir, quit antagonizing him. You know through your brother he angers easily."
"Whatever," she shot back and continued walking forward.
When she was out of earshot, Mason whispered to Evans, "While she's a bitch, I can admire her for surviving this long in the Commonwealth."
"Why's that?" Evans laughed.
"Simple. The beautiful ones don't normally last as long as her."