February 11, 2288
It didn't surprise Nora at all that the elder wasn't the first to greet them at the airport. Instead, when she'd arrived with Deacon and Desdemona flanking her, the trio had been roughly saluted by two knights in power armor and escorted to a vertibird.
She nearly turned around and ran away. For all of her bravado, Nora couldn't stomach the thought of being so high in the air-and above the ocean at that. She'd never learned to swim. There'd never been a place with low enough radiation for her to practice. She tried not to imagine drowning but it came anyway: sinking into the blue, slowly and painfully sucking in more and more water until the world dimmed and her body sank, never to be found and leaving Shaun alone.
She put up a good fight but Deacon threw her over his shoulder and climbed behind the cockpit. Expletives flew from her mouth, as good a shot with words as with bullets, and she threatened free facial reconstruction. Desdemona rolled her eyes but her mouth twitched slightly in amusement.
The vertibird wobbled as it docked and Nora didn't calm down until Deacon leapt out and set her feet on the Prydwen.
She gripped the railing, knuckles white. "If you ever do that again-" she growled.
"You're fine, princess," Deacon tousled her hair. "Thank me later."
She would have narrowed her eyes if only she weren't so distracted by the view from the Prydwen. So far down...
Another knight saluted them and announced he'd be escorting them to the Elder's quarters. Desdemona and Deacon followed him up into the ship, Nora lagging slightly behind, hands trailing along the railing for support. When she was finally inside, no dark water looming below and nowhere to fall from, she leaned against the wall and steadied her breath.
Desdemona put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "When you're ready, Nora."
She nodded and closed her eyes. A few more breaths and she was straightening her spine and pulling her bandana to the bridge of her nose. "Okay. Let's go."
The knight led them up a ladder and then to Maxson's door a few feet away. Nora cracked her hands, fully intent on commanding the room and taking charge of the meeting when she entered. The door opened to three men in uniform: two at a table, one heart-wrenchingly familiar, and one pouring drinks-always drinks with the soldier types. She assumed the latter to be the Elder so she stepped up to the table, gaze hard against him as she watched him close the bottle of whiskey.
He eyed her carefully. "Nora, is it?"
She gave a sharp nod. Her hand reached for his and she was sure to keep her grip firm when he clasped it. "Arthur."
His first name had him glancing at his subordinates. "Please. Call me Maxson."
"With all due respect, I'm not here as your underling oryour enemy. I'd like to think that affords me some latitude... Arthur."
His nostrils flared. One hand reached up and she thought he might hit her. Instead, it forced her bandana down around her neck. "Then I expect the same. Have a seat," he said through gritted teeth.
She scanned the room and noted Desdemona and Deacon had already sat, leaving a single open chair next to Danse. She took it reluctantly.
She supposed Danse wouldn't have shared that they'd had an intimate relationship. It could only negatively affect his career, sleeping with the enemy, and she'd experienced first hand how much that meant to him. She sighed through her nose. Then it was probably circumstance that she was forced next to him and not out of some strategic negotiating tactic to throw her off.
It did anyway.
She didn't acknowledge him but whether it was for his sake, to keep up his charade for his Elder, or for hers, she didn't know. She needed focus and control, not the aching in her chest that was budding now at the conflict of physical proximity and emotional distance. Nora cleared her throat of its tightness and introduced Deacon and Desdemona. Maxson followed with his men: Lancer-Captain Kells and Paladin Danse.
With the pleasantries finished, Nora jumped immediately into business. "I'll be direct: we have something useful to you. I'm sure your Paladin informed you we've discovered a promising lead in regards to the Institute. No one has ever been able to determine a way in. But we have reason to believe the Railroad is closer than ever to the answer."
"That's optimistic," Arthur frowned. "Who is your source?"
"Without divulging too much, he's a former Institute scientist."
"And how did you find him?" Kells interjected.
Desdemona grunted. "You're asking a lot of questions for people who haven't offered us anything yet."
"What are you asking for?" Arthur squinted at Nora and she knew he was asking her because he believed she was the leader. Good. The Brotherhood had to be kept in the dark about as much as possible. There was no guarantee that they wouldn't turn on them after the Institute was destroyed and anything they learned now could be used against the Railroad in the future.
Nora flashed a smile. "To begin with... power armor."
"Absolutely not," Kells bellowed.
The Elder clasped his hands together, blue eyes cold and unflinching from her own earnest brown. "How many suits?"
"Two."
"Let's say hypothetically I grant your request. What are your other conditions?"
"Given how little we know currently about what breaking into the Institute entails, I can't say. But we'd expect your full and willing cooperation with any related tasks," Nora paused. "And we stay out of each other's way. You look the other way when you see agents escorting synths and we don't attack any Brotherhood entities."
Arthur took a drink. "Those are hefty demands, Nora."
"I'm certain the intel we'll provide you will be more than fair compensation."
He stared her down and the pressure of the atmosphere shifted, tightening the air in the room. Nora might as well have been immune. She tightened her muscles, refusing to shift an inch. There was a time in her life when she would've looked away under the weight of such intensity and she felt her natural response now fighting for dominance but body language was a tell she couldn't afford.
He turned away from her, hands behind his back. "Here's what I expect: full disclosure on every piece of intel gathered. To ensure you remain honest, I'm assigning Paladin Danse to accompany you."
Nora rubbed her temple. She finally dared a glance at Danse. He stared at the table, brows cinched in annoyance. "Yes, sir."
"I expect my suits back. They're a loan, not a gift," Arthur continued. "And lastly... you've seen the Prydwen and I've invited you into my own personal quarters. I expect to know the location of the Railroad."
Nora smirked. He didn't know."The Railroad doesn't have access to the resources that the Brotherhood does or we wouldn't be here asking for favors. What gives us our edge is our secrecy. We won't be sharing our location."
She knew he would accept her terms out of pure necessity but still he made a show of considering her offer for dignity's sake. Finally, he muttered, "Understandable, Nora, but we'll need a way to communicate. If you refuse to share where your headquarters are then I have to insist at least one of you three is on board the Prydwen at all times."
It was a lie. What he wanted was assurance they wouldn't bomb their precious blimp from the sky and holding one of their leaders hostage was as good a way as any. "We have a deal."
Kells spoke up, preoccupied with the power armor. "What do you need the armor for?"
"The scientist we're seeking is located somewhere in the glowing sea."
Heavy silence smothered the room.
"That's a suicide mission," Danse said solemnly.
"With power armor and plenty of radiation protection, it should be easy enough for Nora. She's made it in and back before," Deacon leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head.
Nora blushed as the soldiers balked at her. That wasn't exactly true; she'd gone nearthe glowing sea and only to kill a particularly troublesome Yao Guai. It was unusually large and terrorized a settlement that she'd dropped a synth off at and she couldn't just leaveit. She'd fired a few shots and they'd landed in its side. When it fled, she'd tracked the drops of blood until she'd found its den in an area thick with rads and nearly poisoned herself but she'd killed the beast. After five bags of Radaway, she began to feel like herself again but Deacon insisted on embellishing the tale, to her dismay, in the presence of their new allies.
"She sounds like a capable women," Arthur complemented her. "I'll have a contract drawn up for us and Proctor Ingram will prepare your armor. In the meantime, I suggest you get some food in the mess and allow our medic, Knight-Captain Cade, to look you over. You'll need to be at your best if the glowing sea is your target. I wouldn't advise leaving today. A vertibird can drop you off at the perimeter of the sea tomorrow."
Nora hadn't planned on leaving so soon at all. "Arthur, we don't even have a plan yet. We don't want to rush this."
"You're saying you haven't mapped his location yet?"
"About that," Deacon rubbed the back of his neck.
"We don't really have a location at all. We just know he's... somewhere," Nora bit the inside of her cheek.
Kells rose to his feet. "This is a mistake. The Railroad is worthless!"
Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "So how the hell do you expect to find him?"
The factions remained locked in the Elder's quarters for hours, debating strategy and exchanging passionate insults. Maps were studied, routes were drawn, and fuses were short. By the time they'd come to agree on the least reckless plan of action, the sun had set over the Commonwealth and exhaustion was settling in, overcoming the heat that had filled the room for the better part of the day.
Arthur stared over Nora's shoulder, inspecting the dark marks on his map indicating the path they'd agreed on.
"It's never gonna be perfect," she breathed, dissatisfied.
"I expect success. You'll take our best suits and our best Paladin."
Nora huffed. She wanted to protest, to say she'd rather have anyone else, but the day had been so long and her eyelids objected to opening after every blink. She cursed internally.
Maxson had directed a Knight to lead the Railroad agents to the mess hall. They expected the side glances they earned as they forced themselves to swallow the bland sustenance in front of them and were quick to retreat to the medbay when they'd finished their meal. Knight-Captain Cade thoroughly assessed each one of them, even probing about their sexual history.
"Any... inhuman partners?" he'd pressed.
"What, you mean like a Brotherhood soldier?" Deacon teased.
"Deacon," Desdemona chided him. "That's inhumane.I believe he said inhuman."
"Good catch, Dez. No, doc, I haven't."
The Knight-Captain rolled his eyes.
A small smile bubbled on Nora's lips as she stared at the floor. She couldn't help but be amused and she was sure her friends weren't poking fun at her but her chest tightened slightly. She chalked it up to being on the ship; it was confining and dark and she could not for the life of her understand anyone living there. She excused herself, having already been seen by Knight-Captain Cade, and climbed the ladder to the command deck, pace growing more and more frantic until she was finally in fresh air.
Except...
Right.She felt her legs tremble and her hands flew to the rails. It was so much easier to pretend she wasn't suspended in the air when she'd had four solid walls around her. She felt along the rail until she was on the other side of the ship and closed her eyes. It was a few moments before she felt somewhat stable and could look at the view of the city without her stomach plummeting and although her hands stayed locked in place, the cool metal against her skin patiently convinced her she was mostly safe.
"Everything alright?"
Danse's voice made her jump. She had been too preoccupied confronting her phobia that she hadn't seen when he'd approached her and she had no idea how long he'd been standing there. "Yes. Fine."
He moved to her side, keeping a cautious foot between them. He didn't look at her, choosing to join her in surveying the city below. "I heard about your vertibird ride."
"Great," she sighed.
A gloved hand scratched at his cheek, failing to hide his smile. "If it helps, you should know no one's ever fallen from the Prydwen."
"It doesn't but thanks."
Nothing more was said as they learned to relax slightly in each other's presence. They never let their guards down but if they were going to be taking on the glowing sea together, they needed to trust each other, however little they could manage. She turned her head to study his face and he stiffened as he sensed her gaze on him. When he met her eyes, his drained expression tugged at her. If she squinted, she could see the Danse of her youth, eager and dedicated and so, so beautiful, it could kill her. This Danse was battle weary and wise beyond his years; the kind of wisdom earned through deep suffering. It shattered her heart into a million pieces.
She raised an eyebrow and averted her gaze to the ocean below. It made her feel nauseous but it was better than facing the stranger next to her. "He doesn't know."
A pause. "No."
She smiled tragically, surprised at the icy disappointment that coursed through her veins. "No of course not," she whispered. "There's the Brotherhood and there's everything else... right?"
He crossed his arms over his chest defensively.
Nora shook her head, growing brave enough to remove her hands from the ship. "I just... don't want tomorrow to be awkward. I don't want to talk about what happened anymore. Whatever you need to say to me to feel closure or whatever, say it now."
Danse shifted, brows furrowed in thought. "The Brotherhood is my family and I'll die defending them. I want you to understand that."
His words stung, acid as they landed on her ears. "And you should know I'd die for my brothers and sisters in the Railroad. And that I'll never pretend to agree with your politics."
"I don't expect anything less from you."
"Good, so we understand each other," Nora said bitterly and brushed past him, clambering to be out of his line of sight before the dam gave and she fell to pieces.