Nick almost couldn't believe what he had allowed Jill to do to him. She gently walked him through the procedure before going through with it, giving him the chance to change his mind. He didn't want that chance. Instead, he wound up biting down on the barrel of his pistol as she made the first incision. Why the Institute engineered him to feel pain, he'd never understand. He let out a muffled shriek – and what a horrid sound it was. It grated the ears like grinding metal, and a malfunctioning, computerized scream. Thankfully, Jill had thought to slip a note under the door to Hancock's guards, explaining that they may hear some questionable things, and that they should ignore it, or that it may be best to leave the area.
Nick jerked violently with the second incision, bucking his hips involuntarily. He growled, glaring up at the ceiling, and gripping the wooden bedframe. His hold on it was tight enough that he actually managed to crack it in a few places. Jill kissed his forehead, letting him breathe for a moment before continuing. His breathing turned ragged, and the longer he went through with it, the more he questioned his sanity. The synthetic skin was the only barrier between the metal clips holding it all together.
Three cuts with a sharpened scalpel, sterilized by fire, and his lover was able to pull the front half of his pelvic covering away. Once it was cleanly sliced through, and the plate was removed, she fastened a small electronic device on the inside of the new plate to a socket in the detective's lower half. It wasn't a perfect fit, but the General managed to improvise with a few carefully connected wires. She zapped herself a couple times, the jolt in electricity causing the detective to jerk, and make a sound similar to a pained, 8-bit yelp. Luckily for him, it was over before he knew it. The synchronization to Nick's nervous system was near instantaneous, much to their surprise. Jill finished the makeshift operation by snapping the new plate into place, and cauterizing the new synthetic skin together with the old. Nick winced, grunting in pain as the flame made contact with him.
"Almost done, baby. I promise." Jill's remarkably calm voice soothed his nerves, and he forced himself to relax as much as he could. The last thing he wanted was to make the procedure more difficult for her to complete. When she was finished, she gave the detective a stimpak for good measure, still not understanding how they're able to treat him. It worked, though. He loosened his bite on his gun, noting the teeth marks and artificial saliva coating the barrel. His breathing began to calm down. When he was able to glance up at his lover, he saw her hovering over him. She cupped his face in her hands, locking eyes with him. He smiled warmly, relieved that the pain was subsiding so quickly.
"Well, you certainly have dexterous hands, Miss Jill." He slid his metal fingers through her hair, pulling her closer to him. Their lips met briefly for a soft, sweet kiss. "Mm...and grace under pressure, too."
"You're sweet." She slid a finger under his chin, smiling as though she were entranced by him. "How do you feel, Detective?" Her hands left his face to slide down his bare chest. His shirt was opened with his black suspenders slacked down his arms, and his tie undone, hanging loosely around his neck. Carefully, she climbed over him, straddling his waist.
"Oh, you know...different." Nick's eyes began to wander, as did his hands. Reaching around her back, he pulled her closer still. He pressed his fingers into her bare skin, gently rubbing small circles into her sore muscles. She offered him a quiet moan of approval, arching herself into him. "Hmm...you like that, huh?" He teased, his voice a low, seductive rumble. "I'll remember that."
"Mm...you're too good to me, Mr. Valentine." She groaned, laying on his torso as his fingers pressed deeper into her back, massaging areas that haven't gotten proper attention in ages. "You sure you shouldn't be a masseuse?"
"Ha! I don't know about that one." The detective laughed quietly, continuing his ministrations. "But, as long as you like it, maybe I can do this for you more often."
"Ooh...thank you. You're a natural, for sure. I'd love that." The General let out a relaxed sigh, reaching around her back and grabbing his hand, leading it to her bra clasps. She looked up at him with a seductive smile, and half-lidded eyes. Her other hand wandered down to his hips.
"Eager, are we?" Nick chuckled quietly, pulling her into him for a kiss as he worked at releasing her from that sexy black lingerie. However, luck was not on their side. They jumped in alarm as there was a frantic pounding at the door.
"Nick! Jill! Get out here!" It was Ham, one of the bouncers at the Third Rail. "We got Supermutants, and Hancock needs fire support!" He was panicked, and it showed in his hurried footsteps as the pair heard him dart down the hall, and then the spiral staircase. The two looked at each other, eyes wide. They nodded once to one another, then hopped out of bed to get their clothes on and weapons loaded.
Nick left his trench coat and tie on the floor, settling for a mostly buttoned up shirt, suspenders, and slacks. He holstered his pistol and laser rifle, strapping extra ammunition to his belt, and flipping his hat onto his head. Lastly, he pocketed a few fragmentation grenades. As he glanced over at his lover, he raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're gonna fight in that?"
"Sounds like I don't have time to get all my armor on, so, yeah." She finished getting her dress back on, and strapped up her boots. Fastening a pack to each thigh, she slung her laser rifle on her back. Loading up her favorite shotgun, she flashed him a smirk. "Let's move." At that, she rushed out the door, leaving the frustrated detective to follow behind her. She was still reckless. The old Synth sprinted down the stairs, rushing out the door into the streets. Frightened citizens and drifters alike were scrambling away from the front gate of Goodneighbor, many of whom were attempting to reload their guns. Supermutants had broken through, and Hancock was fighting them back alongside Ham, Fahrenheit, and several members of the neighborhood watch.
Hancock ducked below cover, taking a moment to reload. Glancing upward, he smirked at the sight of his friends coming to his aid. "You're just in time, guys!" The madman was laughing almost maniacally, watching them for a moment as they took position. The Mayor then vaulted over his cover, running up to one of those green-skinned creatures. He jammed the barrel of his gun into the Supermutant's gut, causing the monstrosity to stagger backwards. "Eat shit." He unloaded several rounds into his opponent's face, watching in delight as it splattered unceremoniously onto the ground. The creature's body fell over with a dull thud.
Hearing a shrill scream, the detective sprang into action. One of the Supermutants had cornered a young woman. He pulled his laser rifle from its holster, and planted five rounds into the back of the offender's head. His overgrown body fell forward, just barely missing the unarmed drifter he'd targeted. When Nick was sure she was safe to make a run for it, he turned his attention back to the rest of the oncoming attackers. He saw Jill leap over a couple of dead Supermutants, running headlong into the horde. His first instinct was to yell at her for being so reckless. Instead, he charged after her, unwilling to let her get annihilated for being impulsive. He sped by Hancock and Fahrenheit, as well as a few Supermutants, and tossed a grenade behind him. The explosive detonated shortly after, and was followed by a series of pained screams. Just to be sure, the detective looked over his shoulder, relieved to see that he hadn't harmed anyone he was trying to help.
Up ahead, Jill fired from behind cover. She'd already acquired a new gash in her arm, and it bled down, dripping onto the earth below. She fired round after round from her shotgun, usually downing a Supermutant in two or three shots. Her expression was that of a fearsome warrior – angry and wild. She seemed almost vengeful in her attack on the unusually large group of the crazed, infected beasts. This wasn't like her at all, but it didn't take long for Nick to understand why. She stood over the corpses of a small child, and a young woman – most likely a mother and child she was trying to defend, and failed. Her deepest rage was a rare sight to behold, but when it lashed out, it was always a righteous fury. Still, the detective preferred to not get too close when it appeared. She had a tendency to snap at people when severely angered, but would always apologize after she'd had enough time to cool off.
The detective dropped into position on the opposite side of the street from Jill. Hancock caught up to them, getting behind cover with Nick. "What'cha got?" The Mayor yelled over to her.
"Incoming Behemoth! Get the Fat Man!" She pointed to the miniature weapon of mass destruction lying about fifteen feet out in the open. It had been dropped by one of the largest of the Supermutants as he fell to the combined fire from both the neighborhood watch, and the General. There was one mini-nuke in the chamber, and no extras lying around. Hancock winked and nodded at Nick before leaving cover, bolting faster than he has in a long time to retrieve the weapon.
"Oh, mother of fuck..." The Ghoul's eyes widened in fear and disbelief. He stared upward for a moment before coming to his senses. Grunting in discomfort, he hoisted the Fat Man onto his shoulder, attempting to line up his shot.
"Take the damn shot!" Jill screamed at him. When Nick leaned out from behind his protective barrier, he saw the Behemoth standing there. It was easily the largest, most deformed Supermutant he'd ever seen. The sickly green abomination towered over every one of them, wielding a hastily put together hammer of red and silver – a fire hydrant attached to a large pipe.
"I can't! It's too close!" Hancock staggered backwards, desperate to put enough distance between the mini-nuke, and everyone but the Behemoth. It was futile. The Mayor was too small, and too weighed down compared to the unholy spawn of mad science before him. The thing's lumbering gait was rapidly closing the space between them. Its jaw slacked as it unleashed a deafening, guttural roar, and it raised its hideous arm to strike that giant hammer down on the Mayor. For a brief moment, Nick and Jill were able to draw the monster's attention by firing at it. The damnable creature glared at them, its eyes hungry and bloodshot. Such a horrible, terrifying look could have killed someone with a more fragile psyche.
Fortunately for Hancock, the distraction worked. The creature swung its great arm downward diagonally, slamming the steel hydrant into the heavily damaged wall above Jill's head. She ducked, jumping backwards to avoid the flying chunks of brick. When she stood up straight again, she took a couple of haphazard shots at the monster. Nick whipped his pistol from its holster, getting a few shots in the Behemoth's chest before it howled wildly, and launched a massive fist at him. He couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The old Synth was knocked back onto the street, losing both guns as he bounced off the concrete. He skidded and rolled down to where Hancock had managed to retreat to. It still wasn't safe to fire the Fat Man, especially now that Jill was right next to the frightful thing, keeping its attention by shooting it. What that crazy dame did next may forever haunt Nick's memory. Or, perhaps it would just cause him to admire her even more.