Johanna returned the smile Danse offered, finding that hers was genuine. His good mood must have been infectious.
The sun was fading quickly over the horizon, Johanna tried to make use of it while she could and scanned the ground. The Paladin told her how much he enjoyed flying in a vertibird. It gave him a different perspective of the "battlefield". Johanna could understand this. In science, if you were lost you just looked at the problem from a new perspective. She supposed the same went for war. The ride in the vertibird that picked them up from the roof of Cambridge Police Station gave her mixed feelings. The air was cleaner up here. Jo could see the blanket of smog beneath them that gave the Commonwealth even more of an ominous feel. She was grateful for the easier breathing, but a proper view of the Commonwealth left her jaw agape.
It was nothing like the photographs in her text books, Johanna had known that already. But to have a wide angled, aerial view of the destruction of the atom bomb... it was humbling. Each building was ruined, mostly crumbling to the foundation and the skeletons of automobiles littered the cracked streets, sometimes actual human skeletons joined them. She couldn't imagine this world ever having resembled the brightly colored photographs in her textbooks.
The world, Pre-War, must have been amazing. Now, only shadows remained of what had once been.
Though there were no signs of life within immediate range, Johanna was surprised to see the glow of electricity surrounding a tall monument in the distance. It was more than just campfire, she was certain. She had lived under the dim glow of artificial light for her entire life.
"Have you been that far north?" Jo asked Danse, pointing in the direction of the glow.
"Negative, Initiate. Perhaps we could return later?"
She marked the location on her Pip-Boy map, guessing that she couldn't be too far off from the actual coordinates.
Danse caught her eye again and inclined his head. His dark brown eyes glittered with emotion as he regarded her.
"You'll be a great scribe someday, Polowski."
"Thank you," she smiled. "That means a lot coming from you."
Though Paladin Danse was now her superior officer, by several ranks if she understood Brotherhood hierarchy correctly, Johanna didn't worry about becoming too familiar. In previous days she had not used his title and she didn't see the point in starting now. No one corrected her. Danse and Haylen had made her feel almost welcomed where everyone inside the vault had only tolerated her. Little Jo Jo, who couldn't keep an automatic weapon on point to save her life. The girl everyone avoided because they didn't want to talk about the homework for Advanced Engineering. The one who was always targeted during combat practice because she was so small and weak. It was refreshing to consider that, for once, she had something of value to offer.
Her eyes picked up movement on the ground and she froze, resisting the urge to take cover behind Danse.
The group of super mutants spotted them as well, Johanna could tell because their weapons were out in seconds. She was sure that the range of their hunting rifles would not allow them to harm her at this elevation. However, one mutant in the group held a large weapon that looked suspiciously like a...
"Missile launcher," Danse finished the thought for her and began issuing orders to his team. The vertibird pilot took them lower while Knight Ricci, the woman who acted as a heavy weapons specialist, took control of the mounted mini gun. Jo watched her in fascination as the pilot dipped low and then circled, allowing Ricci to fire on the mutants with spectacular speed and accuracy. The noise from the mini gun made her ears ache, but it was nothing compared the the whistling from the approaching missle and the fear it incited. The missile collided with the rear of the vertibird and Johanna barely contained a scream when the whole machine gave an enormous shudder. She was knocked down to her knees by the impact and was too scared to make it look intentional, in the way Danse had braced himself for impact.
To her credit, Knight Ricci only let the hit interrupt her rapid fire for a few moments. The noise pounded at her eardrums again and Johanna withdrew her pistol from the holster on her hip. She looked to Paladin Danse for direction, but he stood at the ledge of the vertibird, attention trained on the mutants below as he fired his laser rifle. It was all very smooth. As the vertibird circled, Rhys and Haylen fired their weapons from the opposite side of the plane and reloaded as Ricci fired up the mini gun again. With a short intake of breath, Jo moved to the ledge next to Danse, using the wall as cover, and surveyed the scene below.
Five super mutants had already been taken down, including the one with the missile launcher. Their bodies lay in gathering pools of blood, but more of them rushed past to pick up the fight where the first wave had failed. She saw six more, at least, but the Brotherhood recon team was making quick work of them. There was so much activity that Johanna wasn't sure where to fire, until she spotted one of the monsters running away from the fight. Jo was confused by the sight, but she lined up her sights anyways. She had never seen a super mutant retreat, their basic instincts suggested they would die in battle before they would admit defeat. She had seen it happen up close with the last group of super mutants she had met, who had been badly overpowered by Danse and his team. Even then, the mutants hadn't even considered that they might lose the battle. Did some individuals exhibit signs of self preservation? She didn't shoot the monster as it ran, but kept her gun steady and followed it with her eyes.
That's when Johanna saw the missile launcher and she swore out loud. The stupid brute wasn't giving up, it was going to shoot their vertibird out of the sky.
Even as it bent to reach for the weapon, she pulled the trigger three times in quick succession, thankful when the rounds entered its skull as planned. The mutant held very still, and then slowly fell forward directly on top of the missile launcher it had been going for. Johanna cheered and swore at the same time as a stay bullet hit some of the vertibirds wiring and sparks shot out of the wall, not six inches from her head. Her near death experiences were coming too frequently, but she shoved that thought to the back of her mind for later and steadied her grip on the pistol.
She moved her sights in the direction the shot had come from just in time to see the last mutant disintigrate into ashes and Danse lowered his gun.
The roar of the mini gun fell silent and Johanna only heard the ringing in her ears for a moment.
"Ad victorium, Initiate." Danse's voice was muffled, as if her head was underwater, but his expression wasn't difficult to read. Danse lived for the battle and his ruddy skin was flushed more from adrenaline. He grinned and holstered his weapon, almost sadly. She followed his example.
Rhys and Ricci were even more excited, or maybe they just didn't have to show the same restraint as Danse. Rhys let out a loud "Whoop" and clapped Ricci on the back in congratulations for an impressive performance or "Saving all our asses!" as he so delicately worded it. Haylen hugged the other woman tightly and they exchanged a look. Even Danse let out a breathy laugh and held Ricci by the shoulder for a moment.
"You were great," Johanna managed to spit out, very awkwardly. Ricci's smile fell, but only for a second. It morphed into something else, a smug grin full of contempt.
"The Brotherhood is the best," she replied, eyeing Johanna knowingly. Jo heard the silent implications. You don't belong here.
When she boarded the Prydwen, it did not put her mind at ease as she had hoped.
Instead of kind soldiers like Haylen, Johanna was met on the deck with harsh stares and muttering. It became worse when Danse left her. A small group of people even openly pointed at her and joked about how many vault dwellers it would take to kill a super mutant. It was clear that Captain Kells also saw her as an outsider. He told her as much and warned that he would throw her off the deck himself if she caused any problems. That bubble of confidence from earlier popped quietly, as if not to bother anyone, and Jo let her chin fall to her chest as she was led away to meet with the Elder.
Arthur Maxson was not at all what Johanna expected. The term "Elder" was usually used to convey age, but the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel couldn't have been more than five years older than her. Maybe less, if you looked closer. His face was lined from the responsibility of his duties and was scarred in several places. Most notably was the wide and ragged white line that started underneath his eye and disappeared into a thick, dark beard. A few stands of silver hair were visible around his ears though it was buzzed short except for the top, which remained dark and thick. The deep lines of his forehead flexed as he addressed Johanna and the other new recruits with a deeply passionate speech about the ideals of the Brotherhood. Johanna could tell it was well rehearsed and wondered if the young Elder cared for his "family" as much as he claimed to. She wondered if he tried to personalize the speech for every new group of initiates. Surely there were not so many that the same speech had to be recycled over and over.
Despite his apparent lack of speech writing skills, Jo understood why Danse spoke so highly of the young man. When Maxson spoke, he commanded attention. His voice wasn't necessarily loud, but very deep. It reverberated off the walls and bounced back as something nearly tangible. He paced as he delivered the practiced speech with his arms held behind his back. There was just something about him that made her listen, but she couldn't really register the words anymore and instead focused on reading his body language. The Initiate beside her squirmed visibly when he made eye contact. Johanna couldn't blame her. His blue eyes were... intense. Looking into them, Jo couldn't decide whether he was ready for battle or ready for bed. He held his back straight and proud with the confidence of a man that had been through hell and back. His movements reminded her of the Superiors back in the vault, where every step was a calculated movement and held a slight swagger. Though he appeared relaxed, the dark circles under his eyes suggested his sleep was troubled. Jo bit her lip slightly. It was unusual for her to be unable to read someone. Most people were completely unaware of the story they told with their movements. Arthur Maxson knew. And he controlled his actions perfectly, not giving anything away. He was the most puzzling human she had met in the Commonwealth and the raw emotion in his voice left her heart racing as she waited for him to continue to the conclusion of the welcoming speech.
He dismissed them easily after giving the standard Brotherhood salute, which she had seen Danse perform many times already. It was easily becoming a habit to return the salute.
"Ad victorium!" He had raised his voice at this point. Their motto was simply "To victory!" Johanna wondered if it had been Arthur Maxson's idea to use this phrase as a motto. It wouldn't have surprised her. She turned to leave the viewing deck with the others, but nearly tripped over her feet in surprise as he called her name.
"Initiate Polowski?" The Elder asked, his tone only slightly more reserved than it had been during his empassioned lecture. She still felt as though he was calling for her to take a bullet for him. Slowly she turned back around to face him and observe him without reproach. It didn't surprise Johanna that he knew who she was. Even if it hadn't been for his keen observation skills, Jo figured she was probably the only vault dweller he had ever met and the blue jumpsuit was a dead giveaway.
"Elder Maxson... Sir." She spoke slowly, trying to watch his body for telling signs that might give her information. When their eyes met, the silence seemed to last forever. Those cold blue eyes were penetrating and she suddenly found herself wishing she had pretended to ignore him and just ran back to Danse. There had not been many people to ever provoke this feeling inside Johanna. She could remember one occasion in the Vault. Years ago. Richie Hart, a Superior that was three years older, had challanged her as his sparring partner for the month because she wouldn't kiss him. The way his eyes bore into her gave her chills like the ones Maxson's gaze caused currently. Richie Hart then proceeded to beat Johanna to a pulp every day for the next month.
"I wanted to meet you personally, Polowski," he said, giving her a small smile. "After reading Paladin Danse's reports I was most impressed with your level of skills."
"Thank you," She nodded to him in acknowledgement and wondered if Danse had embellished his reports to earn her this individual welcome. He returned the gesture, keeping his eyes fixated on hers.
"Admittedly, I'm also very curious about your background. Scribe Haylen compiled a brief summary of Vault 75 based off your... interviews." She was surprised at his choice of words, but didn't react. "How old are you, Initiate?"
"Eighteen. Sir." Jo reminded herself to add the title. The Brotherhood was still new to her and the last thing Jo wanted to do was upset their leader by disrespecting him. She hadn't secured enough resources to survive a banishment.
"And you participated in the experimentation of Vault 75 for your entire life, until recently?" He spoke the truth, but Johanna didn't like the way he said it. The words were cold and unfeeling.
"I told Haylen, Sir," Johanna paused to subdue her sharp tone, "that I was raised from birth in the vault. I was a test subject in the process to improve human genetics through experimental methods. I was unaware of the situation until only a few days ago."
"Are you aware of any methods used involving forced evolution or mechanical implants?"
"No. Sir." He didn't look satisfied with her answer and rephrased his question so that there was no escape.
"Could you tell us anything about the methods implemented to alter the human genome?"
Johanna considered her answer carefully, but quickly. Maxson was showing an unhealthy amount of interest in the pursuits of Vault 75, almost as if he didn't trust that she was a normal human. Danse had expressed similar concerns upon hearing the term "genetic improvements".
"Selective breeding. Mostly. Accelerated generational cycles." She waved her hand to dismiss the question and went on to tell a small lie. "I'm sorry, I didn't get to look at the terminal for very long."
"Noted," he replied, finally putting a stop to his unrelenting stare and turning his attention to the aerial view of the Commonwealth from the viewing deck of the Prydwen. "It's your education we want Polowski, not the secrets of your enhanced development."
She was temporarily stunned by his boldness. It seemed Arthur Maxson didn't mince words."Sir?" She didn't know what else to say. Had she been so transparent? He had noticed her discomfort almost immediately and correctly pinpointed it's source.
"Much of the curriculum of Vault 75 is lost to the rest of the world." He still watched the Commonwealth through the large windows and Johanna was glad he didn't choose to subject her to another penetrating stare. "It's unlikely that you will come across those kind of educational materials again. I would think it's safe to assume that your scientific knowledge is without competition. Our scribes are dedicated, but only as knowledgeable as resources permit. And despite your... unnatural upbringing... I have no doubt that you will be a great asset to the Brotherhood."
Johanna nodded in understanding, and tried to force words.
"I was only Average anyways, but really that meant complete failure," Johanna muttered. "You'd have to go grab up some Superiors to get the secrets of enhancing human genetics." She meant it as a joke, but cringed slightly when she realized what she had said.
An image of Maxson storming the door of Vault 75 flashed in her mind. It scared her. That Maxson tried to convey nothing but honesty, but still she had no idea of his character. He was the kind of person who could tell you the truth, but then stab you in the back without lying. It was realizing the depth behind those piercing eyes which were now fixated on her. Johanna suddenly found herself short of breath.
"I would like to promote you to the rank of Scribe, where your strengths lie. But you should give special attention to physical training. I understand having weaknesses. But we should always try to improve our skills, Johanna."