Chapter Twenty-Three: Division
The entire world shook as Burke fled along the street, tears burning his eyes and grief strangling his heart, stealing his breath away. Danse was dead, and if they weren't fast enough, he and Nora would face the same fate. He could hear the behemoth charging behind them, the flooded craters in the road rippling in time with its steps.
It seemed faster than before, or maybe he was just running slower, exhaustion weighing down his limbs. Danse wouldn't be there to carry him this time, and Nora was moving even slower than he was, her armour hindering her progress.
He risked a glance back over his shoulder, and his heart leaped into his throat.
Nora was falling behind, but the behemoth was catching up. It's jaws parted in a triumphant roar, a cloud of hot air streaming from its mouth as it closed in on her. It was raising the tree-trunk in its hands, ready to strike her as it had the Paladin only moments before…
Burke lost his footing.
His gasp became a gurgle as he plunged head-first into a flooded crater, swallowing a mouthful of the filthy water before he breached the surface again, his eyes and nostrils burning.
Somewhere behind him Nora was shouting, and ruby flashes illuminated the street as she fired on the behemoth, but the sounds of laser fire and her voice were drowned out by a deafening drone. Cold winds lashed the street, driving rain against the Squire as he waded to the crater's edge. It was as he pulled himself up onto the road that a great shadow passed overhead, and he looked up to discover a vertibird circling above them.
Light ignited from the vertibird's guns, and the behemoth screamed. His entire body trembling, Burke looked behind him, and felt a rush of relief when he saw Nora clanking towards him, unpursued.
The vertibird's fire had stopped the behemoth in its tracks. It was staggering on the spot, its hunched shoulders taking the brunt of the bullets as its arms protected its head, the tree grasped uselessly in its fist. Overhead, the vertibird began to manoeuvre, turning to allow the knight manning the minigun to fire on the target.
As the minigun roared into life, Nora reached his side and pushed him ahead with a bark of "keep moving!"
Burke obeyed, pushing himself to his limits as he fought to keep running.
The road ahead of them was partially blocked by the wreck of a pre-war bus, half of which had been completely shorn away. He wasted no time making for the large opening, and had just stepped onto the floor when there came an almighty crash, and the roar of the minigun cut out.
The droning of the vertibird became frantic, and Burke looked through an empty window in time to see the behemoth's tree crash back down onto the concrete, shattering into a thousand splinters.
Overhead the lancer was fighting to regain control of the aircraft, which was now hovering dangerously close to the rooftops with a sizeable dent in its plating.
The behemoth itself was just standing in the middle of the road, staring at the dark rivers of blood that now mapped courses down the expanse of its bullet-eaten body. It was swaying on the spot, and Burke felt a vicious satisfaction when he saw the bewilderment and fear upon its face.
He wanted to see it fall.
Then a steel hand seized his shoulder, and Nora began to drag him across the bus, shouting; "don't stop! We're not safe yet!"
They emerged into a large square, at the centre of which lay a green space, fenced in by black iron bars. As they stepped onto the concrete, they were lashed by rain and wind as the vertibird circled overhead, closing in for a second run on the behemoth.
As it opened fire, Nora kept pushing Burke ahead, urging him down the street as the behemoth's screams echoed somewhere behind them.
The ground began to tremble, and the bus shuddered on the concrete. He had barely registered these facts before Nora shouted, and half-shoved, half-threw him to the right, where he fell through an opening in the fence and landed on the yellowed grass.
Nora had only just passed through the railings herself when the bus went flying behind them, the metal screeching as it rolled along the road before the behemoth swept it out of the way, where it crashed into the buildings parallel to the park.
No! No!
He rolled onto his back, his eyes bulging as the behemoth staggered to a halt on the road, its breathing laboured. It raised one hand to brace itself against the nearest building, the other rising to touch the shredded flesh of its chest.
The vertibird's shadow loomed over them, and the behemoth's head snapped up as the aircraft began to turn mid-air, once again allowing the knight on board a clear shot. The beast panicked, bellowing as it lumbered towards the park – and the Squire, who could only stare helplessly as it came straight towards him.
There were blinding flashes as Nora opened fire, her aim concentrated on its head and shoulders. The behemoth screeched, recoiling from the burning lasers just as the minigun roared into life, the bullets tearing into its staggered forwards with an agonised howl.
As its shadow fell over him, Burke rolled back onto his front, clawing at the grass as he scrambled back onto his feet. He had only taken a few steps when the earth jolted beneath him, accompanied by a colossal thud.
He was thrown to his hands and knees, but wasted no time in dragging himself back onto his feet. The minigun had fallen silent, its roar replaced by an awful wet wheezing sound. As Nora shouted out to him and the vertibird circled overhead, Burke turned, and his eyes met with the behemoth's.
The creature was lying face-down, blood and rainwater streaming over its ruined flesh and onto the ground. It was struggling to breathe, its teeth stained red and eyes glazed as it stared at him, the green irises vivid against the blood red of the sclera.
The rest of the world seemed like a distant dream, reality consisting solely of him and the behemoth. It no longer looked so terrifying, so unbeatable and evil. It just looked scared and pathetic, like any other hurt animal.
Gone was any sense of triumph, or glorious revenge he thought he would feel upon its death. Instead, he just felt sad.
The behemoth groaned, the sound pitiful despite the way it vibrated the ground beneath his feet. From the corner of his eye, he saw its gargantuan hand raise slightly towards him, but before he could turn to face it, a hand made from steel seized his shoulder, wrenching him back.
An inhuman snarl emanated from beneath Nora's helmet, and he flinched when she emptied the rest of her fusion cell into the creature's face, the crisp ozone scent mingling with that of charred flesh.
The behemoth managed one last strangled howl – only for its voice to be drowned out by another.
"SWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
Burke's eyes snapped open, his blood turning to ice. He turned to face the other side of the park, staring in disbelief as water exploded from a stagnant pond.
A second titan emerged into the storm, throwing its arms wide as it howled, its cry echoing through Boston's ruins, even drowning out the noise of the vertibird's rotors.
As the echoes faded, it lowered its bulbous head, and though it was hard to see its face through the heavy rain, Burke was certain that it was glowering in their direction.
It stepped from the pond, hefting what looked like a ship's anchor in one hand whilst raising its other arm defensively, displaying the boat it wore on its arm like a bracer, its shoulders and neck shielded by the splayed wings of the white bird figurehead. A bundle of nets containing boulders, branches and boat fragments were strapped to its back, armouring the monster further.
It slammed its anchor into the ground and roared.
The minigun answered. As bullets tore at the second behemoth, it raised the boat on its arm as a shield and charged forwards, heading straight towards them.
Burke was swept off his feet, his hands clutching at the exposed steel of Nora's power armour frame as she fled with him, narrowly avoiding the charge of the armoured behemoth. He stared, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief as the second behemoth, rather than turn and pursue them, instead set about the first, raising the anchor high in its fist before bringing it down upon its fallen brother.
Even above the roar of the vertibird's guns he could hear the meaty thunks and crack of bone as the armoured behemoth bludgeoned the other in a frenzy.
Nora surged away from the carnage behind them, drawing closer to a white gazebo before turning abruptly to the left, ascending a stone staircase out of the park and back onto the street. As the vertibird continued to fire behind them, she charged along the road until they were out of the square, flanked once more on either side by decrepit buildings.
The square had just been lost from sight when Nora stumbled beneath him, and came to a stop in the centre of the road. He could hear her panting beneath her helmet, and heard the whir of the power armour's servos as she crouched down, bracing one steel fist against the concrete as her other arm released him.
He slumped to the ground beside her, his legs shaking too badly to stand. They stayed that way for several minutes, Nora panting heavily beneath her helmet as she turned her head, scanning the streets for any signs of hostiles.
The armoured behemoth had not followed them, and when a second vertibird swept overhead towards the square, Burke felt relieved in the knowledge that it wouldn't be able to harm anyone ever again. Not if the Brotherhood had anything to say about it.
Eventually with a pained groan, Nora braced her fist against the ground and forced herself back onto her feet. She took another moment to slot a fully charged fusion cell into the laser pistol before turning to him, her voice hoarse and raspy as she said; "it's not much further now, Burke. We're almost there. Can you stand?"
He didn't feel capable of speaking, and just nodded his head wearily, wincing as he dragged himself back onto his feet, his body feeling heavy and clumsy.
"Just a little further," Nora said again quietly, and he wasn't sure if she was talking to him or herself.
They advanced slowly along the street, ever aware of the conflict that was raging nearby. Laser fire was now blaring alongside gunshots, and every now and again the shadow of a vertibird would sweep overhead, the cold draughts from their rotors driving the rain against them.
"We're almost there, Burke," Nora said over her shoulder, her pace picking up as she led him along another road. "We just go around that corner, take a left and follow the signs…"
Her voice trailed off, and she slowed to a standstill, staring dead ahead.
Burke halted beside her, and felt the last glimmer of hope drown in despair.
Bloody nets were hanging from the buildings and streetlights down the road, limbs from a variety of creatures jutting from holes in the mesh. The flickering glow of firelight was visible through the empty window frames of the last building, and Burke retreated behind Nora's armour when a large, misshapen figure passed through the light, casting a monstrous shadow on the rubble outside.
"It's alright," Nora said quietly, gesturing for him to back up the road behind her. "We'll take the longer way around… we'll be okay…"
Biting his lip, Burke turned to look down the road behind them. It appeared to be clear, with nothing but looming buildings and falling rain in sight. Hugging himself through the sodden jacket he began to walk, keeping his eyes peeled for enemy movement whilst Nora watched their backs.
They had taken maybe a dozen steps when there came a frantic droning from overhead, and a large shadow passed over them.
He looked up to discover that a vertibird was spinning out of control, flames and smoke spewing from one of the wings. It was descending too quickly, and he could only stare in horror as it spiralled down towards the buildings flanking the road, its tail catching on one of the rooftops –
His view was blocked by steel as Nora locked her arms around him, shielding him with her armour as an explosion rocked the street. The ground quaked underfoot, and he flinched into her breastplate as bricks and twisted steel fell from the sky as shrapnel.
For a few moments they remained where they were, huddled on the concrete. Burke's ears were ringing, and when Nora released him, rising back to her feet, he turned to see what had become of the vertibird.
He glimpsed dust and smoke billowing together in a toxic cloud, illuminated by tongues of flame – and then Nora was gripping his shoulder, turning him away from the sight.
"Don't look Burke, just focus on me!" As she spoke she turned her helmet to glance back over her shoulder, scanning the only route that remained open to them. She released a deep, shuddering breath as she turned back to face him, and Burke felt a fresh wave of dread engulf him.
"The super mutants will be coming soon," she began, and though she was trying to keep her voice level, he could hear the tremors in her words. "Burke… I'm going to need you to be brave for me…"
"No…" the word came out as a broken whisper, his eyes growing hot with tears as he shook his head. "No…"
"I need you to hide," she pressed on, raising her voice slightly. "I'm going to lure them away and when the coast is clear, I need you to run as fast as you can to Goodneighbor –"
"No! Nora don't –"
"You need to turn left when you reach the end of the road and you'll see the signs." Her voice cracked. "Find Mayor Hancock, or MacCready – they'll look after you, get you home –"
"No!" Tears were rolling down his cheeks, their warmth consumed by the rain already soaking his skin. "Don't leave me Nora! Please don't leave me!" He clutched at her arm, his fingers slipping over the wet steel.
"What way do you go, Burke?" She demanded, hardening her voice. "What directions did I give you?"
"Please don't go!" Burke choked, his eyes searching for hers beneath the visor. "Don't leave me!"
"Burke! Directions!"
"I don't want you to die!"
For a few moments they stared at each in silence.
Glass shattered somewhere in the street, and Nora glanced back over her shoulder. "There's no time."
Burke stumbled as she began to move, dragging him across the road in her wake to where a large pre-war barricade was leaning against the wall of a building. He found himself being pushed into the narrow space between the wall and steel, hidden from sight.
"Remember, turn left at the end of the road and follow the neon signs. Find Hancock or MacCready."
"Nora please…"
"Wait for me in Goodneighbor, Burke. I'll find you. I promise," Nora swore, her voice low and tremulous.
Then she was gone, stepping back onto the street.
His vision blurred with tears, Burke crept to the edge of the barricade's shelter, searching for her in the smoke and rain.
He saw her standing in the middle of the road, at the junction that led back towards the square and the behemoths. She was standing as tall and proud as she could in the remains of her armour with Danse's laser pistol in her hand.
Slowly, she raised the firearm, and Burke flinched back into the shadows as she opened fire.
Somewhere down the road, deep, guttural voices began to shout. His heart hammered painfully as Nora's armour began to clank, the sound growing distant as the voices and footsteps of the mutants drew closer, accompanied by sudden bursts of gunfire and battle cries.
He clapped his hands over his mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that were racking his body.
He could hear the mutants running on the other side of his cover, roaring with bloodlust as they hunted down his friend.
And I can't do anything… None of this would have happened if I wasn't here…
A strangled whine escaped his lips as he curled in on himself, his hand reaching beneath the bomber jacket to grasp his mother's holotags through his sodden shirt.
Mom… Dad… I'm scared…
The sounds of the mutants grew distant, but he remained where he was, huddled and trembling.
The vertibird fire was still blazing nearby, and when an errant wind blew a cloud of black smoke towards him, he was finally driven from his shelter, coughing. With watering eyes, he cast his gaze along the street to find that he was alone. Not a mutant or human in sight.
He took a shaky step forward, and then another, slowly following the road.
Wait for me in Goodneighbor, Burke. I'll find you, I promise.
"Turn left… follow the signs…" he whispered, forcing himself to press ahead. She'll come back… she promised…
The mutant hive loomed ever closer, and dread crept insidiously through the numbness and grief. Blood began to mingle with the water on the concrete, and the stench of burned and rotting flesh assailed his nostrils.
His shaking grew worse as he drew level with the building, and his breaths came in shallow pants. Memories of County Crossing flashed across his mind; blood smeared across floorboards, the brahmin that had been torn to pieces, the unhinged jaws of the mutant hound…
He reached up and gripped his mother's holotags, forcing himself to take deeper breaths.
Be brave, Squire… make me proud. Danse's words seemed to echo, and he bit his lip hard enough to bleed before making himself take another step forward.
I won't let the Paladin down. I won't let his sacrifice be in vain. He took another step, and then another, tearing his eyes from the dripping meat bags in the street to look through the windows into the hive. Nora's counting on me to be there waiting for her…
An explosion boomed somewhere nearby and he gasped, turning his eyes skyward though he could see nothing beyond the rooftops that reared above him.
I have to keep moving.
He forced himself into a jog, stumbling over his feet as he made his way between the piles of rubble that littered the road, doing his best to avoid the mutant made barricades of steel spikes and bags of meat. He turned left, trying to move even faster as he passed in front of the hive's entrance, daring to glance through the empty lattice windows - only to lock eyes with a creature that still lurked within.
His heart leaped into his throat, and with a sudden desperate burst of energy, he broke into a run, racing blindly down the street. He saw the creature move from the corner of his eye, its green hide illuminated by a burning fire barrel as it made for the empty doorway.
Burke's breaths came in painful sobs, a red haze beginning to fog the edges of his vision.
He could hear claws on the concrete behind him, the heavy pants as the beast gave chase, eager to run him down.
He caught sight of bright, neon lights flashing through the rain to his right, announcing 'GOODNEIGHBOR' in red lettering with an arrow underneath.
He bolted towards it, his way now lit by strings of lightbulbs that illuminated the way. There were mutant corpses lying in the road, but he paid them no heed, his eyes instead locking onto a lone blue door, set in the middle of a fortified wall with the message; 'GOODNEIGHBOR- ALL ARE WELCOME' shining above it.
I'm almost there… I'm almost safe…
He was struck from behind, sent sprawling to the ground as the creature pounced.
He couldn't breathe, its weight suffocating as it crushed him against the concrete. Long, curved yellow claws gripped his shoulder as a slavering muzzle lowered closer to his face, blowing its foul breath against his hair and cheek.
Mom… Dad…
It snarled, and he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable –
Thud.
The hound's snarls cut off with a yelp, its weight shifting as it seemed to reel back – and then its dead weight fell on top of him.
Burke could hear the fading echoes of a gunshot, and voices shouting from somewhere nearby. He dared to open his eyes again and reached forwards with his hands, trying to drag himself from beneath the hound – but he didn't have the strength.
He heard a door slam open, followed by several sets of footsteps, racing towards him. He raised his head, trying to see who his rescuers were, but his vision was darkening, and all he could make of them were their silhouettes, the foremost being a tall, thin figure in a bedraggled red coat and tricorner hat.
The stranger raised their leg, kicking out – and the dead weight of the mutant hound left his back, making it easier to breathe.
"S'alright, little man. You're safe now," the stranger rasped as he crouched down beside him.
Burke didn't have the energy to respond, his eyelids already drooping shut. He felt someone lift him from the ground just before he lost consciousness, a last warm tear sliding down his cheek.
"Here! Catch this, human!"
Nora caught sight of the Molotov arcing through the air and drew to an abrupt halt, flinching as the bottle shattered upon the road mere feet away. Seconds later, bullets struck the back of her armour and she cried out, turning to face the mutants with a barrage of laser fire.
Some of them ducked into the cover of nearby vehicles or buildings, but one mutant who had just ignited a Molotov of its own dropped the bottle it had been holding. Within moments it and three of its others went up in flames, the fire feeding on the random scraps of cloth they had used to adorn their armour.
As they panicked, rushing towards their other 'brothers' for help, Nora took advantage of the distraction to charge from the road and into the park, desperate to lead the mutants as far away from Burke as she possibly could.
I'm not getting out of this alive, but if I can just buy him some time…
A bullet struck the exposed frame of her left leg, and she screamed as the shock of it reverberated through her bones. Through the rain she saw a large mass in the centre of the park and raced towards it, not caring that she had never seen it before.
As she drew closer, she realised that it was the corpse of the armoured behemoth, its thick flesh and armour torn apart by the bullets of miniguns. She hesitated but a moment before ducking behind it, praying that it was as dead as it appeared.
Already, the super mutants had regrouped. She could hear their voices echoing across the Common, trying to bait her out into the open.
There were meaty thunks as bullets embedded themselves into the behemoth's flesh, and she released a shuddering breath as she loaded a fresh fusion cell into the pistol, her thoughts turning to Danse's last stand against the behemoth. Nate's fate at the end of Kellogg's gun.
I guess I'll see you both soon, she thought, a sad smile pulling at her lips. I'm so sorry, Burke… Shaun…
Glass shattered as a Molotov exploded on the behemoth's corpse, and the liquid fire drove her from cover. As she moved towards the shelter of Park Street Station, the HUD on her visor began to flash, alerting her to the fact that her fusion core was down to five percent.
Not long now…
She ducked behind the station's walls and bullets meant for her struck the stone instead.
"No time to hide, human! Come out and die well!" One of the mutants roared – which was when she realised that there was only one thing left for her to decide. Whether she would die in a hopeless retreat, or stand her ground and take as many of the mutants with her as she could.
She raised one hand to her heavily battered chestplate, closing her steel hand into a fist where Nate's ring lay beneath it. She thought again of Nate, Danse, Burke - and the future she would never see with her son.
But I can still make it a little safer for them…
Exhaling heavily, she steeled her resolve and broke from her cover, backing up onto the road as she fired upon the approaching mutants. Behind her, she spied the wreck of a pre-war vehicle, set in front of a towering blockade of sheet metal and lumber that hid the street beyond from view.
As the mutants charged towards her as a group, guns firing and sledgehammers raised high, Nora dropped her laser pistol to the ground and opened her armour, praying that her plan would work.
She fell onto the concrete, but wasted no time in retrieving her pistol off the ground and scrambling back to her feet, lurching towards the car wreck. Just as she ducked behind the bonnet, the first mutant reached her armour and brought its sledgehammer down on the helmet.
Nora winced at the metallic crash, but forced herself to remain focused, gritting her teeth against her protesting muscles as she raised her pistol, and trained the sights on the dim glow of her fusion core. Just as the other mutants converged upon the empty frame, she opened fire.
The core began to glow brighter with immediate effect, the dull red flaring into a molten orange that grew brighter by the second.
"GAH! Tricksy human over there!" A mutant yelled, brandishing its rusted machete in her direction.
In those seconds of confusion where the mutants were glancing between her and the rapidly heating armour, Nora shoved herself upright, a fresh wave of adrenaline giving her strength. She fired upon the mutants, her legs shaking as she retreated towards the barricades.
As bullets richoted and sparked off the car and metal walls around her, she ducked through a narrow gap and turned tail, pushing herself to her limits as the mutants began to batter their fists on the walls, unaware of the literal time bomb behind them.
She made it as far as an alleyway between two buildings when the core exploded.
She was thrown off her feet and into the alley, her head striking the ground.
Everything went dark and all she could hear was a faint ringing in her ears. Her mouth tasted of blood and dust and she began to cough, her ribs and lungs aching in protest. When she opened her eyes she was blinded by a fog of grey dust, which gradually thinned out as the rain continued to fall.
I did it…
Her eyelids began to droop, too heavy to keep open. She felt light-headed, her thoughts slow and sluggish as the adrenaline receded and exhaustion saturated her entire being. Her body felt too heavy and cumbersome to move and she couldn't piece a coherent thought through the clouds in her head.
For a time she lay there, drifting between waking and unconsciousness as her hearing gradually returned and the rain continued falling upon her. She couldn't feel the chill as it soaked her uniform, nor could she feel the heavy droplets that fell upon her bare skin.
Then she heard a noise that roused her slightly from her stupor.
Footsteps.
Large, heavy footsteps somewhere nearby, drawing closer…
They began to walk along the alley and she forced her eyes open to see a large, bulky silhouette approaching through the rain. Her heart leaped at the familiar shape of an armoured helmet, and her vision – which was already blurry – became even more distorted as tears began to prickle her eyes.
"Danse…" One hand reached towards the figure who stopped a few feet away, staring down at her.
Then they drew closer, one large foot deliberately stepping onto her arm.
Pain lanced up to her shoulder, red hot and sharp enough to banish some of the clouds from her mind.
The figure crouched down and seconds later a T-60 helmet hit the dirt, the steel battered and stained with blood.
When she raised her eyes she was met not by a warm, concerned stare but a wicked smile, green lips parted to show bloody teeth beneath gleaming eyes.
"Hello human," the mutant said, its words a near indecipherable growl.
No… this can't be happening… not after everything I survived…
A hand larger than her skull closed around her head and the mutant lifted her from the ground, its filthy palm suffocating against her face and cutting off her cries.
A/N: Massive apologies that this has taken so long to be updated, but I promise you Bleeding Steel's not dead! My plan is to write it up in full before I post the next chapter so that I can keep to a weekly upload schedule! Due to this the next update might not be for a while but when it's up, the updates will be weekly! 8D
I want to give a massive thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review and message me - it really does mean a lot and your words really help give me the motivation to write! Also sending love to everyone who's been reading and viewing the story despite the long radio silence I do notice and really appreciate the views!
Thanks so much to the amazing MrNinjaPineapple and Sunsolace for betaing this chapter for me! You guys rock!