The Vertibird rocked slightly as it flew above the lands that James knew he had traveled recently. Just like that, his trip back to the Capital again was done. He didn't even get to see Megaton again to check up on Harden. He barely had time to conduct a meeting with the Rivet City Council, TSC emissary, before leaving once again. He could've talked to Butch in the Muddy Rudder. But he felt he had taken up too much of Katherine's time already.
The low blue light in the sitting bay of the Vertibird made it a bit difficult to see. It was nighttime and the light was dimmed to allow the squad to sleep. Katherine sat from a across James, Marie laying next her, head on Katherine's lap as she slept. James did not want a large squad for his team. The other members of the Pride each took an additional eight enclave operatives. James only took three. One was Morales the officer that let James get the idea of overhauling the Enclave system. Morales was young, but one hell of a good shot. The plasma weapon wasn't really Morales's speed. James issued a gauss rifle to him instead. Back at Addams AFB, Morales practiced with it extensively and knows how to maintain it. He also learned how to disassemble and reassemble it with his eyes closed. Just to see if he could do it.
The other two were just old Enclave Hellfire troopers. They no longer were wearing power armor. Nobody was going to wear power armor for this stage of the operation. It was mainly to avoid being seen by the Brotherhood. One was named Niko and didn't talk much. He sat in the back seat, arms crossed and head slumped. He seemed like he was taking a nap. The other's name was Samuel. He was born in Raven Rock and seemed to dislike James, but he was also a good shot with a sniper rifle. Arcade thought so highly of Samuel that he issued Sam a Chinese stealth suit and a brand-new prototype plasma sniper rifle. James had yet to see it so he was interested in its capabilities.
James thought back to his meeting with the TSC emissary.
"Supreme Commander, Commodore Harkin wishes to know why you've allied yourself with the Enclave." The emissary spoke as James entered his room at the Weatherly Hotel. James had instructed the TSC officers to do so to avoid being overhead by security officers when they had to discuss private matters.
"Last I was here, the TSC wasn't big enough to launch a full-scale invasion." James responded. "You guys are like my research department. You guys have all the science down, but not exactly the muscle."
"I am unsure is Commander Karpov will agree, Commander." The emissary responded.
"I understand. Tell Harkin and the Council that I am heading the Enclave right now. While under provisional leadership of Arcade Gannon, Former President Eden and myself. I do not hold all the power and I'm sure Harkin will understand that if the power is shared, your requests will be heard." James responded.
"I understand Commander." The emissary commented. "The council wishes to meet with you immediately. They are quite angry that you disappeared for nine years and upon returning did not notify them."
"That's because I didn't want my return to be a big thing. I just wanted to check up on a few settlements and maybe have I don't know a vacation of sorts." James responded. "Wait, I don't have to explain myself. I'm sure the TSC got along fine without me for a little bit. Please send a request to them to hold a meeting with Arcade representing me. He'll explain everything."
"Will that be all Commander?"
"Yes. Now if you'll excuse, I have to go."
James leaned back in his seat. He hoped Arcade would have an alright time talking to the leadership of the TSC. They were quite reasonable when working with James, but that was almost ten years ago and was also before he disappeared. James looked up and caught Katherine looking at him. He smiled at her. She smiled back. After traveling so long with Kat in the Commonwealth, he couldn't imagine doing anything without her. He looked away and wondered why such thoughts were popping into his head all of sudden. He never thought like that before. He leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Darkness, and he was asleep.
"We're landing in five, sir." The crew chief said as he tapped James's shoulder. James opened one eye and nodded. He yawned and stood up.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Ride's over. Get your gear and get ready to get off." James said. The lights in the vertibird crew area shimmered to a dark red. Niko practically jumped off his seat and began to pack away his things. Sam simply continued cleaning his new rifle. All of his gear was already packed away.
"Marie." Katherine whispered. "It's time to get up."
"Five more minutes." Marie moaned.
"C'mon kiddo." James said. "We're almost there." James felt the vertibird slow and his stomach began to feel funny. They were descending.
Soon the side hatches opened and James shot out of the vertibird with 10mm pistol drawn. Niko followed him while Kat and Sam went out the other side.
"Clear." Niko said in his deep baritone voice. James turned back to the vertibird. Marie stood in the doorway and James held out his hand to her.
"Here we go." James said in a playful tone as he helped her down from the vertibird. Dogmeat shot out of the vertibird and began to frolick around in the grass.
"Taking off." The pilot's voice said in James's earpiece. James crouched and checked his Pip-Boy. They were just a ways Northeast of Tenpines Bluff. Little closer than I thought. The vertibird took off and immediately the silence of the Commonwealth returned. That was the main difference between the Capital and the Commonwealth. The silence.
"All right, we're not too far from where we're supposed to search first. Let's move out." James said. "Sam I want you on point. You head out first and radio anything you see back to us."
"Yes, sir." Sam said. He quickly strapped on his backpack before rushin off ahead into the distance.
"Niko, you cover the rear." James said. Niko nodded as he chambered a round into his Chinese assault rifle. "Kat, Marie. You guys ready to go?" he asked in a softer tone. Kat nodded and Marie was too busy playing with Dogmeat. "All right let's go."
James's Pip-Boy began to chirp as they neared Outpost Zimonga. It was a place Preston had told James to check out, but he never got to doing it. James pressed the earpiece.
"Sam what do you have for me?" James asked.
"Small outpost, sir. It's burning. Synths moving up and about. About six of them. I see three dead civilians on the ground floor of the outpost. It looks like the synths have engaged a team of supermutants." Sam responded, his voice hushed. "Orders, sir?"
"Morales, take up firing positions with Sam. You're going to be his second." James ordered as he turned to Morales. The teen nodded before rushing off to where Sam lay prone in the dirt.
"Position achieved, sir." Morales said over the radio.
"When you have a shot to tip the scales into the mutant's favor, take it. Let them fight it out but keep the battle even between the two camps. That'll minimize the work we need to do." James ordered.
"Understood sir." Sam said. Sam fired his gun and a green line shot from the barrel of his gun. It was surreal to James. Usually plasma was much slower than laser. But he guessed that it was moved about the same speed as a laser musket. "Target down."
The short skirmish went on like that for five minutes. Sam pulled the trigger. A green line cleaved through the head of a super mutant and the battle was over.
"All targets eliminated sir." Sam said.
"Sam, maintain covering position. Report anything you see headed our way. Niko, Morales on me. We're headed in." James ordered.
"What about me?" Katherine asked.
"Stay here." James ordered. Katherine frowned. And for some reason that made James's heart sink to his stomach. But she turned away and ran down the hill.
The three men continued to clear the outpost. Morales now held a 10mm submachinegun since the gauss rifle was useless in close quarters.
"Building clear." Niko said.
"Sir, I think I've got something." Morales said. James walked over to Morales, who stood over one of the dead settlers. James recognized him as one the men from Sanctuary. The man wore a red flannel shirt with a leather armor mixed and matched on top. He worked security detail at Sanctuary.
"Connor." James muttered. He knelt and turned Connor over. James closed Connor's eyes. From what he could see, the synths beat him to death with stun batons. James noticed something in Connor's hands and wrested it from Connor's iron grip. It was a note.
"Cowboy's at Coastal Cottage." It read. That was way off of his area to search. But James knew that it would be some time before Glade would reach that part of his search area.
"Change of plans gentlemen, we're headed East to find a friend. We have confirmed intel that Preston Garvey is at Coastal Cottage."
"But that's not our area, sir." Morales interjected.
"I understand lieutenant, but we find Garvey and we'll probably find the rest of the settlers." James responded.
"I don't like going against orders sir." Morales complained.
"How about this?" Niko added. "The three of us continue searching our area and you go to find Garvey. We don't disobey orders and you still find your man."
"Good idea. You three, see what you can find from this place before moving. Try to set the tower to connect all of our squad's communications. If you manage to do that, leave a man to maintain the radio connection."
"Yes, sir." Niko and Morales said in unison. They both saluted before leaving to work.
"Sam! Get down here!" Morales ordered. James walked up the hill and passed Sam.
"We're headed to Coastal Cottage and we're gonna find Preston now." James said.
"That's good. Will you ask me to stay here with them again?" Katherine asked. James looked at her. She was annoyed with him. He couldn't tell if she was mad or not. He frowned.
"No, you guys come with me." He said after a while.
"Okay then." Katherine said as she stood up. "But remember, we have a kid with us, you can't exactly be running and gunning after everything."
"I know. You gonna okay with that Marie?"
"Yeah." Marie responded.
"Okay then, it's settled. Let's go." James said.
James and Katherine passed the Slog and were crossing a river. The silence was uncanny and was getting to Katherine. She never liked the quiet of the Commonwealth. It made everything seem dead.
"Tell me about your dad." Katherine said suddenly. "I mean, if you're okay with that."
"Mm, what do you want to know?" James asked.
"Well, I don't know."
"I just don't know where to start."
"Hmm. Then start with the vault, I guess."
"He was the vault doctor. Everyone looked up to him. Everyone loved him too. Whenever someone was sick, bam my dad did something and they were good again. That's obviously not how medicine works, but as a kid he was like a superhero."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he always told me to follow the rules no matter what happened, but for my tenth birthday he fixed up a bb gun for me and taught me how to shoot. It was also funny cause in order to fix it, he had to steal Butch's switchblade to do it."
"Wow, your dad is a doctor who breaks rules and steals people's stuff?"
"I know right? Practically a superhero. But even though life in the vault was okay, he always seemed sad about something."
"Really? About what?"
"I never knew. I always assumed it was cause mom died giving birth to me, but looking back now, I'm not so sure that's all it was."
"Mm."
"Yeah. I mean, I know he left the vault to restart Project Purity, but it seemed kind of sudden. Like why at that point? Why not later? Why not earlier? I later found out that the deal to let me in was for him to be a doctor for the vault, but still. Something bothers me about the whole situation."
"Like what?"
"The vault door has a password that prevents people from coming in. How did my dad know the password to let us in? It never made sense to me."
"Maybe he hacked it?"
"It's vault-tec. You can't just hack it like RobCo stuff."
"Eh, I used to know some people who'd disagree with you big time on that."
"Like who?"
"Well, my husband Nate for one."
"Oh."
"He liked to tinker with stuff .Kind of like you actually."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He worked in the military made his way up to sergeant, But after Anchorage, he seemed different. Changed. Like he didn't believe in the strength of America anymore."
"Hmm. Anchorage. I know all about that."
"Oh really? How?"
"General Chase made some kind of simulation training program using the battle. One time, when I was helping some Outcasts out, they ordered me to complete the program for them. I had to fight in Anchorage and if I died in the sim, I'd die in real life. So I guess I can kind of relate to what your husband might have gone through."
"I see."
"What was he like?"
"What?"
"Your husband, Nate."
"Why?"
"You never talk about him."
"Do I need to?"
"Well… You married him. So one might think he was really important to you."
"He was… He is…"
"Then why don't you talk about him?"
"I… I don't really want to."
"Alright then, I understand." James and Katherine continued to walk.
"Uncle James, I'm tired, and my feet hurt." Marie whined from behind the two.
"Okay we'll rest for a little while." James said. He walked off the road and towards a tree. He threw his pack off and sat by it. Marie laid down in the grass beside him. Dogmeat continued to play and run around.
"Where's the deathclaw?" James asked.
"I don't know. After we'd gotten a certain distance away from the Commonwealth, he just left."
"So he went on to be a deathclaw by himself, huh?"
"Sure, James."
"What? It's what's natural for them."
"Yeah, I know." Katherine said as she sat down beside James. They watched the clouds roll together in the shade of the tree and the cool afternoon breeze.
"How old were you when you left the vault?" Katherine asked suddenly.
"Nineteen."
"How old are you now?"
"Like almost thirty."
"Me too."
"You were in that pod a long time, you sure you really qualify as thirty?" Katherine shot him a dirty look and James shrugged it off. They walked in silence for a little, the creaking wood swaying in the wind breaking the lull in their conversation. Marie skipped behind them with Dogmeat closely watching her.
"I guess I'd be more like two hundred and thirty years old."
"Well, for someone who's lived so long, you sure look great."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you're beautiful for one."
"Oh." Katherine looked at James. James looked ahead, as if looking at the world with tunnel vision and a singular focus. Katherine smiled slightly at his statement. James could be very guarded at times. "Hey-"
"Shh." James drew his rifle and crouched behind a bush. Katherine knew to duck behind him and take cover as well. She turned back to see that Marie had done the same. After about a month of traveling with Katherine and James, Marie had practically picked up all of James's tricks and gestures. Katherine smiled at her and Marie beamed back. Katherine turned and tapped on James's shoulder.
"What is it?" Katherine whispered. James looked back,
"Raiders. Three of them by a campfire." James whispered back. "Take Marie over there and set up shop. Get ready to shoot as soon as I do." Katherine nodded and gestured for Marie to follow her. Marie nodded and Katherine walked over to the trunk that James had pointed to. Marie ducked under it and concealed herself behind its huge body. Katherine snapped on a scope to her laser musket and pressed it on. It whirred on and a red light on the side of the barrel indicated that the rifle was primed. She looked through the blue screen of the recon scope. She could see James, still crouched by the bush. James looked out from cover and fired twice with his hunting rifle. One of the raiders fell immediately while the other merely snapped into action. One raider dove for his weapon, but Katherine shot him first. The raider fell to the ground and didn't get up. She assumed he was dead. James came out of cover and slammed the butt of his rifle against the last raider's head. The raider fell immediately and James drew his pistol to finish the job. James gave the all clear and Katherine looked away from her scope. Marie sat next to Katherine, arms wrapped around her legs in the fetal position. Katherine tapped on Marie's shoulder, took two fingers and made a U in front of her face. Marie did the same back. It was a happy face gesture to tell Marie that she safe. Marie liked it better than not knowing until the very last second. Katherine took off the recon scope of her laser rifle before slinging it against her back.
"Hey buddy." Katherine whispered to Dogmeat as she slung her rifle. She played with his ears before standing up once more. James was immediately on the other side of the trunk.
"Nothing on them. C'mon we still have a ways to go before we reach Coastal Cottage." James said quickly before rushing off ahead. He seemed spooked by something. Katherine looked over at Marie and offered Marie her hand. Marie took it and Katherine helped her up. Katherine didn't say anything but led Marie to the main road and followed after James.