Captured by an enemy combatant...
How embarrassing...
Cass found himself sat in a lock up with nothing but a head full of questions as to how he was talked into this.
Cheyenne had a lot of making up to do...
"John? We and I find ourselves stumped."
"That so?" Cass asked, normally one would make a quip about it not being the first time or some other cheap retort that would make Sulik look less intelligent than he actually was.
In truth, Cass knew better.
Sulik was a lot smarter than most gave him credit for, it was his greatest advantage, appearing so primitive that most would overlook the intelligence and wisdom behind his eyes.
Cass could respect that, he had a similar advantage.
"As to why we weren't sent off to the sky spirits. Isn't that how this Cain fellow does things?"
"We don't know anything about him, not really, he could be enslaving us."
"We and I make poor slaves, too charming."
"Yeah, whatever you say Sulik." Cass sighed as he rose to his feet, stepping on over to the barred window and peering out.
"These people ain't Cain."
"Ah, good. You figure that out?"
"Yes, too militarily advanced. Which doesn't make sense, considering..."
"That they don't know us."
"Yes, we've been captured by the other side... Them Brotherhood Bastards."
Sulik fell silent, feeling a slight tingle in his aura, there was resentment in Cass' heart, directed towards the Brotherhood of Steel.
Though Sulik could say that about a lot of things, including himself.
"We and I... Deceived you."
John paused, slowly turning around with his hands on his hips and pacing around his cell before taking a seat opposite the Tribal.
"Did you now?"
"Aye, we said we wanted to ask you about not being dead. A question which you have no answer, even Grampy Bone is being especially vague about it. You on the other hand do know something...
Why you're here."
Cass fell silent, it seemed fair enough for Sulik to ask this, Cass had no real attachment to Sulik. He had earned his respect, both as a warrior and as a person but in terms of friendship or even comradeship? He wouldn't ride into hell on a train with broken rails for him.
He wasn't Cheyenne...
"I'm gettin' old..."
"That your answer?" Sulik asked, somewhat confused.
"Grampy bone is mighty old, older than both of us put together."
"Grampy bone ain't more metal than man, he ain't got regrets or desires. He's free of that shit, hopefully, some day I will be to." The former bartender explained, looking back over to his cell.
"There's a lot of shit that even I need to make right, things I've... run from for too long." He explained, his eyes fell back to the floor with a heavy sigh.
"I just want to make her proud before I go..."
Sulik paused, he'd wrinkle his nose but it was wrinkled to capacity, instead he just sighed.
"Cheyenne is plenty proud of you man! You is good!"
"Not Cheyenne..." Cass corrected him, pausing to sigh heavily.
"My Rose, Sharon's Rose... rather. She's out there... I thought I was doing Sharon a favour, if I knew she was with child." He paused, shivering a little as he gently rubbed his hand down what remained of his face.
"What kind of dead-beat waste of fuckin' space takes off and leaves the love of his life to raise his kid for him? Leaves his kid without a Father?
How do you even make up for it?"
"Well, you saved the world, that's makin' up for it plenty tin-man." Sulik pointed out, with a shrug.
"I saved the day a few times, if I'm being generous but Cheyenne saved the world. We saved the world and let's face it, if I wasn't there? It wouldn't have made much of a difference."
Sulik paused, twitching his lips with an indignant sigh.
"Grampy-bone reckons your long term memory be going. You forget the good far too easily."
"No, I don't... I just don't forget the bad either, when I weigh it up, I would like to say that I did more right than wrong but abandoning your daughter in a world like this? Nothing makes up for that..."
As Cass finished speaking, he heard a voice clear their throat besides them, a jailor appeared in the doorway, key at the ready.
"Caine will see you now." He informed them, unlocking door for them and earning himself a confused look from the two of them, that quickly turned to anger on Cass' part.
"Didn't know that this was a waitin' room..."
"Wait, I thought we be nabbed by them Brotherhood folks, with their testosterone and power armour?" Sulik asked, looking incredibly confused.
"Heh, not exactly. We 'nabbed' you as you made your escape... We have some highly skilled operatives."
"Sure you do... Can we go and see the freak now?" Cass asked, growing impatient, talking to the help of a psychopath.
"Word of advice? Address him with the utmost respect as you won't even live to regret it if you don't."
"Respect is a two way street, so long as he shows it to me, we shouldn't have a problem." Cass shrugged, stepping out into the hallway and adjusting his gloves.
"Right this way."
The door to Cain's throne room opened, immediately getting his attention as a group of people dragged a man through the great hall. He struggled furiously as he was pushed around and eventually thrown to the floor by Cain's feet.
The Old Ghoul just looked down to him, tilting his head.
"This the guy you're giving up?"
"No... No, no... I didn't do it! I didn't do it!"
"Shut up! You'll get yer chance to babble in a bit! I was talking to the other cunts." Cain snapped, grabbing hold of his pistol and lifting it up, cocking the hammer back.
"Y-Yeah, it was him..."
At this point, Cass and Sulik were brought into the room, brought down to their knees, with their hands tied behind their back.
Just to be safe.
"Huh... Darcy huh? It was you?"
"N-No! I swear! I've never... I wouldn't be fucking dumb enough to fuck with you, Cain! These guys, they're all... They fucked me over to save themselves!"
"Hmm... Damning testimony. Course, it don't mean shit without an eye witness account from the victim...
Unless. Hmm... Unless I do have one..." As he spoke, he slowly lifted a small crumpled note from his side and eyed it.
"A testimony that implicates a party of four, with some... pretty observant descriptions. Hell, this woman's so good, I gave her a job. Dunno what it is but a perceptive gal, like her? I could always use that...
What I can't use are a bunch of fuckin' rapist animals, who can't fuckin' control themselves!"
Cain ended his rant with an almost inhuman growl as he lifted his gun up and shot one of the four in the face, a blonde man, who was the most startled as he probably wasn't paying attention until now.
"Do you think I'm a fuckin' idiot!? I give you a fuckin' chance!" Cain snarled as he pulled himself to his feet, getting the next shot ready.
"I gave you a fucking chance! You could've owned up to it! You could've kept yer honour but what the fuck do you inbred dog fuckers do? Throw the only innocent guy you had at me!" He growled again, firing another shot off at the end one, he looked like the one, who was most afraid.
Well, he looked it but he knew which one was the most afraid, it was the one who hadn't flinched since this whole thing began.
"Do you sorry sacks of shit have any idea how fuckin' low you look now!?"
"C-Caine! C'mon man, we... We were just scared!"
"You don't know what fear is, you piece of fuckin' shit! You ever seen your town get wrecked by Super-mutants? You ever walked into a vault full of monsters, alone!? You ever been fucked by four of the ugliest knuckle draggers that Texas has to offer!?
NO! You can't talk about fear! It's disrespectful!" He fired off another shot, prompting the last soldier to lunge forward and for the man on his knees to draw his pistol and shoot the final gang rapist in the knee, prompting him to cry out in agony as he fell to the floor, dropping his gun as it slid across the floor, until Caine stepped on it, held it down.
"Nicely done Darcy..."
"Caine, are you okay?" A woman asked, stepping in from the side, she was clad in rather pale makeup, and rather colourful attire. She wore a combination of clothing scraps and iron plated protective gear, especially on her elbow and knees. She looked a little like a punk rocker, from decades gone by.
Well, centuries now...
"Fine Canary, just... Just a little excitement for the ole ticker.
That and we finally figured out where Darcy's loyalties lie."
"Of course... I... I just didn't want to die a traitor, not for them and not for such a... For such an awful thing. I..."
"I know, sorry I put you there... Wanted to give 'em a chance, seems they took that chance and proved that they didn't deserve to live to begin with. You on the other hand have proven you're loyal and quick." He paused, looking over to Canary.
"Hey, Canary! We found ourselves a new praetorian!"
"A... Caine are you sure?"
"Yep, get 'im geared up and have him report to Crow."
"Thank you, Caine."
"Woah and he's polite as well! Shit, might introduce him to the parents." The Old Ghoul chuckled, bringing his hand to his mouth and gently rubbing it.
"Right, now fuck off! Got some more court to put into session."
Darcy quickly nodded as he rose to his feet, shuffling over to Canary's side as she beaconed for him to follow.
"C'mon kiddo, we should leave these guys to it... This is going to get messy." She murmured as she passed the two prisoners. As the two of them left both of the two prisoners were brought to Caine's feet and forced to their knees.
"Well, ain't this somethin'... The two crazy sons of bitches who disrupted my operation." Caine murmured as he slowly rose to his feet.
"I should thank Wolfe for the distraction, my people were able to nab you as soon as you left. No causalities or nothin'... Remind me to give Crow a raise."
"You beat up an old man and a Tribal, in the dark. You should triple that asshole's pay..." Cass grunted, getting a faint grin from the Old Ghoul as she stepped back and gently took a seat in front of them.
"Hmm... Y'know, I was supposed to get the girl as well, care to tell me where she is?"
Cass slowly looked up and glared into his eye with a look of sheer defiance.
"What do you think?"
"I think you don't have many options, you can tell me where she is or I can find her. I can torture you for the info or..."
"Not necessary, we are here for Sister. We are here for Kurisu!" Sulik blurted, getting Caine's attention rather quickly.
"Kurisu?" Caine asked, turning his attention back to Canary.
"Check our records for any slaves by that name! If you find 'em, bring 'em to me!"
Canary nodded before stepping out, prompting Caine to slowly turn his attention back to the others.
"You've come a long, long way... I can respect that, going into the eye of a firestorm to look for one person? That takes balls, a lot of nerve to, considerin' how much you risked pissing me off...
I mean, don't get me wrong, normally you'd be whistlin' through your foreheads but... This is just too fuckin' good. Family re-unions across states and these days, they might as well be on the other side of the goddamn planet.
You two, you're what makes places like Carbon possible! It would be a crime! A fuckin' travesty to kill you here and now." Caine paused, slowly raising his pistol.
"Don't think that'll stop me though..."