48. A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Beth POV
Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey
Victoria finally said her first word. Surprised the fire out of me since I was in the kitchen. I know it sure made Robert happy—her first word being "Daddy." It sort of shocked me—her first word coming at just eight months. But as I'd said before: every baby's different. I can't help a chuckle at just the thought of her thinking he was upset, due to the happy tears he had shed. He was so worried about her—wondering if something was wrong with her, since she'd stopped babbling a while back—and I admit, I was kinda worried about it myself. But, as Robert let me know he had this fear, I swallowed back my own uncertainties in hopes of assuring him she was fine. Now, we don't have to worry.
Ever since she spoke that single word a few days ago, he's been hard at encouraging her to continue. So, every day since then, he regularly sits in his chair with Vitya in his lap—internal sigh at my use of this nickname—reading whatever he can lay his hands on. It doesn't matter to him, just so it has words and she seems interested. In all honesty, it doesn't make a difference, because whatever he reads—as long as it's him reading it—she's hooked on it instantly.
Even at the moment, he's in his chair with her. So, I walk up next him, resting my head on my arm as I place it on the back of his seat. "What're you reading?"
"The Tell-Tale Heart." He places his finger where he stopped as he looks up at me.
"Isn't that a little macabre for an infant?" I raise my eyebrow at him.
"Not if you read it like I am." He turns his head back to the page, resuming. And I see what he means.
Although the words are gruesome, he uses a child-directed pitch in his voice, making her become consumed within the story, even though she doesn't know what's being read to her.
However, my attention is drawn away from this sweet yet odd scene by the sound of our ham radio going off. Walking to the kitchen, where we keep it, I pick up the mic. "This is Beth."
"Beth, this is Danny Sullivan from Diamond City Security. I wasn't sure if your ham had autopatch. I guess it does."
"Danny? How'd you get my number or whatever it's called?"
I hear someone talking aggressively in the background before Danny responds, "I can't say. Anyway—Mayor McDonough wants to have a word with you."
"Is he there? You can put him on."
"Can't do that either," he says. "You need to come to Diamond City for this, I'm afraid. And as soon as possible."
Weird, I think. The mayor's never wanted to speak with me before. What's going on? "I'll, uh… I'll pack up a few things and be on my way," I tell Danny, my tone unsure due to my confusion of the situation.
"Good." A little quieter, yet I can tell he's closer to the mic, "Come quickly, please." Silence. The frequency goes dead.
"What was that about?" Robert asks as he walks up next to me, holding Tori.
"I'm not sure," I answer honestly. "McDonough's wanting to see me in Diamond City? It's really strange."
He nods. "Want me to come with you?" I take Victoria and head toward her favourite food—jars of pre-prepared crushed mutfruit—with her dad right behind me.
"Not the best idea—you're still tender. I'll ask Danse if he wants to get out with me." I sit at the table with Tori in my lap, she looking excitedly at the food I'm about to give her.
"I am not tender," Robert argues. "I'm doing way better."
I reach over—him being not even two feet from me—and poke his side, near the wound from a little over three weeks ago. This causes him to recoil, a small grimace appearing on his features. "You're not tender, huh?"
He makes a face from being caught in the lie. "Maybe a little bit. You and Danse have fun, I guess. I'll stay here with the kids."
"You sure you can handle it?" I ask, a grin spreading on my lips.
"Okay, now you're just insulting me. I can handle my own children, thank you very much." He walks over to the fridge and grabs two Nuka-Colas—one for me, one for himself. I smile at how he still gets mad over little things—even after all this time.
Although he was a bit reluctant to come with me, Danse ended up agreeing. I told him Maxson most likely pulled all Brotherhood personnel from the settlement, meaning it'd be safe to wonder through there. He brought a bandana with him—just in case. I want to laugh at his cautious preparedness, but know the danger could be all too real if somebody were to recognize him, so I hold my tongue.
As we now walk through the entrance into the city, I see a commotion ahead. Getting closer, I see Danny Sullivan lying on the ground, pressed up against a nearby sign.
I run over to the four or five people surrounding him, asking, "What happened here?"
Danny looks up at me. "It's McDonough. He threw me out of the skybox—gone crazy, he did." His face looks like he's in agony—like he can't decide whether to grab at his broken leg or his bleeding side. I look up to the height from where he was flung—it's higher than I originally thought.
I reach into my bag I keep with me on trips. Pulling out two Stimpaks, I hand them to a nearby guard. "Inject these into him, wherever he needs it. And get Cocker or Sun over here, for the love of God!" Looking back to Danny, "I'm going to go deal with him. Do what you're told." I stand and start heading toward the lift, Danse right behind me.
"McDonough!" I step off the lift and walk toward his office. "I want to talk with you!" I look around until I see him. No guards are present—just him, and Geneva with her knees on the ground, her hands held in the air. "What is this about?"
"She betrayed me," McDonough says, looking down to the woman he now holds hostage.
"How so?" I want to step closer—to maybe try and save her—but I'm afraid it might do something against her favour.
"I'm… I'm not sure," the man replies. "All I know is that she ordered him to be killed, and that you did it."
"What?" I ask, bewildered at what he's implying. "I haven't killed anybody."
"I'm not taking any chances." He pulls the trigger and Geneva falls over, dead. "I never cared for her, anyway," he finishes.
I've seen people murdered right before my eyes, but every time is different. I can't help but ogle at the woman's body lying on the floor.
"Who did she order me to kill?" I ask, a bit more specific this time, my eyes still on her corpse.
"Richard?" he asks, us both looking from Geneva's body to each other. "He was my best man, and you killed him. All thanks to her."
"Dick?" I blink, dazed. "I killed him?" I try to seem shocked at his presumption—even as he's correct. Danse stands behind me, silent.
"Don't play dumb, MacCready!" He now turns his gun on me.
"How do you know my last name?" I ask, hoping to deflect him.
"I know things. I know you married that merc here in my town back in May—and I know you killed Richard out by Vault 81. Geneva put you up to it, I'm certain. She never liked him."
I step forward, his threatening gun all but forgotten. "Geneva did not put me up to that! He was crazy, delusional. He was planning on killing my husband—and he damn near did when he stabbed him. I'm so sure after he murdered my husband, he would have raped me—maybe taken me home with him as a sex slave or something. He needed to be put down." I can feel heat coming off of Danse, still standing behind me. He's angry, too.
"He was the only person I could trust," McDonough counters. "He was the only one who knew."
"Who knew what?" I ask, exasperated, my words being spit from my mouth.
"Well, neither of you are leaving here alive—I might as well say." Although his tone isn't as aggressive, he keeps his aim steady on me. "He knew that I'm from the Institute—replaced that good for nothing human McDonough. I'm M7-62—nice to meet you formally." He smiles—sarcastically—even as his gun remains.
"You're a synth?" I'm shocked. Should have believed Piper, I think. She knew somehow.
"Yes," he answers, almost sounding annoyed. "Now, if you're done with the whole shaken façade, one of us has to die now. Might as well get it over with, wouldn't you say? Since it'll be you."
Alone, I stepped off the lift and went into McDonough's office to a scene folding out in front of me—and I couldn't believe my eyes at the sight of it.
My family—Robert with Victoria, Shaun, Duncan—were all standing by the mayor's desk with Diamond City guards behind them. One guard per person. Guns drawn to their heads.
"Now that you're here, the show can start," McDonough said. "Gentlemen," he signified to the masked guards.
On command, each guard kneed my boys in the back of the legs, making them fall to the ground. Tori started crying, making me want to lurch forward all the more, and save my family. Yet, I found whenever I tried to move, my legs stayed in place—I reached the conclusion that I couldn't save them, no matter how hard I tried.
"You realize you can't save them." McDonough seemed to have been able to read my mind. He grinned—an evil, crooked snarl. I sensed another man approaching me from behind—and although I knew he was supposed to be dead—I could have sworn I felt Dick's eyes on the back of my neck. McDonough continued, "This is how it ends." He looked to the four guards, who stood threatening the most important people in my life. "Fire."
No. This can't be real. Wake up, Beth!
Without a word—a single ounce of remorse—the guards did as they were told. I couldn't help but scream loud enough to shatter what little glass remained in the windows as I saw all four lives in front of me ended. My husband, my two young sons, my infant daughter—gone.
Again, I wanted to run forward—even though it was already too late. But I still couldn't move forward as much as I tried. Suddenly, I felt myself being dragged sideways, into the inner depths of the mayor's office. I continued to scream out, but to no avail—I kept being dragged, until the metal doors clanged closed, distancing me from the horrific scene of my second chance at a family having been taken from me.
"Beth!"
I fling my eyes open, a scream still resonating from my throat.
Danse is in front of me, a terrified expression on his face. His hand is on my shoulder—probably from shaking me awake. I realize I'm lying on the couch in Home Plate. I remember telling him to take the bed last night—in the guilt of making Robert sleep on the couch all that time ago, I felt it was my turn.
"Beth? Are you awake now?" I want to answer, but can't for some reason. I can't even nod.
I find myself staring at the button on his shirt's chest pocket, trying not to lose it. But I do anyway. I grip onto his arm, letting all hell break loose. "They… They—" I blab. "They were—" Executed. Another wave washes up from the coast of despair, and I feel a new batch of hot tears pouring out. "I just… I can't," I tell him. "I can't."
"Shh," he hushes me. "It's okay. You don't have to." He somehow wiggles out of my hold and stands, moving my head out of the way, sitting on the couch, and replaces my head on his knee, where once was a pillow. He brushes some hair out of my face that I hadn't even noticed.
"You don't have to," he repeats, continuing to pet my head in a comforting way. The back of my mind registers how odd it is for him to be showing any kind of affection—even if it is a comforting gesture. But only in the back of my head I think this, because I still can't get the image from my nightmare out of my mind—my dead family.
For the longest time, I just lay here with my head on Danse's knee, weeping and quietly making noises of desolation. Once my breathing slows, and I'm able to wipe some tears away, I whisper, "He killed them…"
"Who killed who?" Danse asks, in nearly as quiet a voice.
"McDonough killed them—Robert, Duncan, Victoria, Shaun. Lined them up and—" My breath hitches, and I don't even bother to finish the sentence. "I guess he wanted to get back at me."
"Beth," Danse says, his tone firm. "McDonough is dead. You killed him yesterday—he didn't give you a choice." I turn my head so I can see his face. He looks like how his tone sounds—firm. "They're fine. He can't hurt them. It was just a nightmare." After a beat, he again says, "They're fine."
I turn my head forward again, looking toward what once served just Robert and I as a kitchen. "I know."
"…You really worry about them, don't you?"
I nod. "I'm hardly ever far from them for long periods of time," I say. "I know I can't protect them from everything, but it doesn't mean I don't try." I shake my head. "I don't know why my mind decided to make me dream that. What a rotten thing for my subconscious to do to me."
"We'll leave in the morning," Danse replies. "Get you back home to see them, alive and well." He lays his head on the back of the couch as he places his hand on my shoulder—his way of prolonged comfort. "Get some sleep, Beth."
I take it he's not going anywhere soon, so I close my eyes and hope for the rest of the night to be dreamless.
When I step through my front door, I hear the boys upstairs—probably playing with their cars or something—and Robert in the kitchen, banging pots together in what sounds like dinner preparation. I see Tori in the living room, sitting on the floor with a few kitchen utensils strewn about that Robert had most likely supplied her with. But at the moment, she's all but ignoring them as she occupies herself with her favorite teddy bear her godfather gave her—who had gone back to his house after arriving home. She looks up, sees me, and starts cooing, a big smile on her face. I walk up to her, picking her up—along with her toy—and hug her to me. I'm especially happy to see her after the dream I had last night. "Hi, Vitya," I whisper to her. "Mommy loves you."
She lays her head on my shoulder in contentment as Robert finally sees me. "Hey. Snuck in behind me, eh?" He comes over to me in the living room, expecting a hug—but I give him more than that. Kissing him hard, he leans back, looking me in the face, his brows instantly scrunching together. "What's wrong—what happened?"
I know my face gives away that something went haywire while visiting Diamond City, but I don't feel like discussing it yet. "Later," I promise him. He nods in understanding, giving me a big hug, then returns to his meal prep.
I head up the stairs to enjoy time with my three kids, hoping I can shake off the nightmare for good once I see them playing happily.