The Fallout of War
Chapter 8, Trapped
Cait moved north across the empty terrain. Tracking PA was not as difficult as she thought. There were prints where the rain had pooled instead of washing away then dried up, crushed logs and limbs that guided her north.
She reached the northern border after about an hour of travel. To her surprise the trail didn't continue northward, it turned east. She'd gone only a few steps when she found a small footprint inside a large PA one. She squatted to study it closer. "Damn! This could be Tanna's." She spoke to herself.
Barking startled her and drew her to her feet. She saw Dogmeat ahead of her about 50 yards and he was barking. He lowered his head and picked something up then ran towards her dropping the item at her feet. It's silver surface reflected in the sun's light and she bent to pick it up.
Her breath caught in her throat. "Tanna's dog tags. Shit! Danse an MacCready are followin the wrong trail." Dogmeat whined in response. Wanting to continue after Tanna, she was torn remembering Danse's orders to bring anything of import to him. "What should I do boy." She squatted next to Dogmeat scratching his neck. Dogmeat sat down and tilted his head at her. "Your no help. Makin me decide on my own huh?"
She glanced at the nearby PA print. Armed with her sword, combat knife, the .44 MacCready had given her; Chuck that pipe pistol Cait. If you're gonna shoot, at least use a real gun; she pictured herself attempting to take on a PAS.
She rose and spoke again to Dogmeat. "I don't think I can drop kick a PA an body slammin is out of the question. Looks like we're goin back. We best be stoppin at Sanctuary and to let Preston know we're chasin after Danse an MacCready."
Dogmeat stood and barked at her before heading for the vault. She took off at a loping jog behind him.
"Danse. Give it a rest a minute." Danse turned to see MacCready taking a seat on a rock and frowned. "We've only been traveling about three hours I estimate." "Well you have hydraulics. I just have worn out boots." "We'll take five then." Danse turned back to scan the southern horizon while MacCready pulled out a can of water, popped it open and drank long.
They sat in silence a couple minutes. MacCready was peering at Danse's steel back. He broke the quiet half mumbling his words, "You know she loves you." The clunk of armor was heard as Danse faced him. "What?" "You know she loves you." MacCready's voice came out stronger. "I think that has been obvious over the past year." Danse wonder where this was going.
"I know that it bothers you when I'm around her and the fact her and I were together before." MacCready was blunt. Danse decided he didn't like where this was going. "I don't think we want to have this conversation MacCready." "Just hear me out damn it." he took a deep breath, "When her and I met...she'd just lost Ned, I'd lost my wife." Danse was surprised. He never knew MacCready had been married. "My condolences. I didn't know." "Thanks."
MacCready stared down at the ground. "So, it was just a business arrangement at first, but I think we were both looking for a way out of life's dark shit holes we were in and we helped each other climb out. We took whatever decent job came along, partied, got drunk, stole stuff, well I mostly did that, did chems, made love..." "MacCready!" Danse growled.
"Okay. Okay... I think I always knew it wouldn't last, I mean, we were complete opposites. Here she would refuse caps from a guy we helped who was begging us to take them!" Danse lifted an eyebrow at him. "I'm just saying, I wasn't surprised when she said it was time to part ways. Don't get me wrong, I loved her and still do but..." He looked up at Dance, "not the way you do."
MacCready's eyes asked for understanding, "She's one of my best friends Danse, one of the few I trust to have my back, but the rest, that was long ago and I let it go. She deserved better and... I'm glad she found you... Truth is, she never looked at me, the way she looks at you."
Danse stood speechless. He'd never imagined MacCready to have a side with some sense and depth. He sought for words, "Thanks... and thanks for keeping her alive back then." "Stop. Now don't go all mushy on me Danse. Geesh!" Danse almost smiled and stretched his armored hand down to MacCready and helped him rise.
They headed south again, their relationship completing a transformation that had started earlier that morning. So Danse, you understand now why I still want to protect her. She's right up there with the things I value most... like my rifle, bottle caps, beer, my hat..." "Your hat!" "Oh, and there's always the chance you might die and I could be there for her." "MacCready I was wrong about you. Your not an ass, you're just a complete idiot." "Thanks Danse." "Your welcome MacCready."
"This is the place. It makes sense. Tanna tracked him to here before." Danse explained to MacCready. Fort Hagen loomed before them. MacCready scanned the scaffolding and rooftop, "Let's do this then." Entering through the rooftop hatch they slowly worked their way down. "No guards, no resistance. I don't like it." Danse mumbled. "Yeah, it's quiet, too quiet. Ha ha. I always wanted to say that." The second floor down they had entered what looked like some sort of information center.
"Hey, looks like an elevator at the far end." MacCready moved forward and stopped halfway through the room. "Whoa. See that computer in the cage, the thick wiring attached." "Yeah, that's not pre-war." "In the Gunner's we used that set-up to control turrets and stuff." MacCready immediately scanned for sight of one as he stepped closer to the cage.
"Hey Danse you better take a look at this." "What?" "Your name is on this terminal screen." Danse moved forward to the cage's open door. "What do you think?" "Only one way to find out. Damn, I'm gonna have to exit my PA." "Wow. I'm about to witness a first! Piper, would have a field day if she were here." Danse frowned at him. "Just watch my back." "Gotcha covered." MacCready took some cover where he could watch both doors.
Danse exited his PA and entered the cage standing before the terminal. There was no menu, just his name blinking on the screen. He pressed a key. There was a click, squeak and clang as the cage door slammed shut. "What the hell!" He punched the key again, nothing. He started punching various keys and combinations, nothing happened. His name just kept flashing on the screen.
"Okay, stop fooling around Danse and get out of that cage." MacCready threw over his shoulder. Danse growled out, "I'm not fooling around." He turned and grabbing the caging shook it in vain." "Damn it! It was a set up. I hate to say this... MacCready you have to get in my PA and try to rip this caging down." "I'd love to Danse and hate to spoil your fun, but we've got company."
Blue laser fire shot across MacCready's shoulder as he fired back exploding the head of a Gen 2. More had entered from the far end of the room. Danse swung his rifle down and fired. The red laser beam splashed across the caging ineffectively. "Son of..." "A little help here Danse!" More synths had entered the room including a couple Coursers. "I'm trying MacCready." Danse shoved the nose of his rifle into the wire opening and pulled the trigger. His aim was restricted but he got some shots off that hit their targets.
Danse saw the grenade arching through the air and called out to MacCready as it landed within a couple feet of him. "Take cover!" He saw MacCready backtracking fast while still firing when the grenade exploded.
MacCready felt himself picked up and throw backwards through the air. He landed and his head connected with something hard dazing him. Pieces of desks, chairs and other assorted debris rained down on him. Something smacked into his forehead and it was lights out.
"MacCready! MacCready!" Danse got no response. He could see his boot sticking out from under a pile of debris. He kept trying to fire at the Synths, but they suddenly retreated from the room. A deep gravelly voice called to him from outside the room entrance.
"Paladin Danse. We finally meet." "Is that you Kellogg? Show yourself!" "I have a proposal for you Paladin." "Where's Tanna? I swear if you've hurt her..." "Easy soldier. Tanna is well. I can take you to her." Danse inhaled and exhaled deeply, "I'm listening!" "You put down the rifle, I open the cage door, you surrender and I take you to her."
Danse stalled as he tried to figure a way out. "How do I know she's okay? How do I know you're telling the truth?" "You don't, but do you have a choice?... If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have called off my friends."
Danse rung his hand through his hair in frustration. "Alright!" He spit out.
Danse laid his rifle on the ground and disgusted with himself over being caught, lifted his hands to lock them at the back of his head. Synths entered the room, Kellogg behind them as the cage door clanged open. Danse stepped out and was encircled as Kellogg moved up to face him. "Where is she Kellogg?" Danse's lips curled back in a snarl. "As promised, I will take you to her." He nodded toward one of the Coursers who raised his rifle, its butt connected with the back of Danse's skull and he fell to the floor.
MacCready awoke with the worse hangover he'd ever known. The pain in his head was so bad he thought he might puke. His vision was blurred and he blinked trying to clear it as he attempted to roll over. He couldn't move.
Memory returned, "Shit! Danse! Danse bud!" he winced as his own voice made his head pound harder. "Danse!" There was no answer. His right arm was pinned against his chest and when he tried to move his left one, he let out a yelp from the pain. He was pinned at the shoulder by something and suspected it was dislocated. He turned his head. It looked like the corner of a metal desk was sitting on his shoulder. All he could see was that his head seemed canopied by bits of chair, boxes and general debris. His legs felt pinned. He kicked and felt things give, but otherwise he was stuck.
He closed his eyes a moment trying to think what to do when he heard footsteps. Hmm, friend or foe? Does it matter at this point? "Danse! Is that you?" "MacCready?" Its Cait! "Cait! I'm over here!" "Where? I don't see ya. Come out!" "I can't Cait. I'm stuck." He felt someone kick his boot. "Is that you MacCready?" "Yes its me damn it!" Cait started to laugh. "Well whatcha doin under there." "I'm playing cards. Will you please get me out?" Cait laughed harder. "Great! My head hurts like the hangover from hell, I think my shoulder is dislocated and she's laughing." "Ouch! Ya didn't say ya were hurt."
Cait started clearing the debris off him. Eventually she had him freed except for the desk on his shoulder which still held him pinned. She bent down next to him. "You're a mess MacCready." "I've heard that before." He had his eyes closed and felt her sweep back his hair and touch his forehead causing him to wince. "Ow!" "Ya got a nasty cut there, but its clotted." "So that's this sticky stuff all over my face." "Well lets get this desk off ya." She grabbed hold of it and counted, "One, two, three!"
MacCready dragged himself out from under it. "Ow! Shit! Ow! Shit! Ow!" Cait dropped the desk and squatted next to him again. "Lets have a look here." She felt around on his shoulder and MacCready grunted. "Yep. It's dislocated. I can fix that." She grabbed his arm, lifting and straightening it out. "Wait! Wait! Ow! Ow!" Cait paused. "What?" "I'm not ready." MacCready groaned. "Oh stop bein a baby. On the count of three." MacCready nodded and took a deep breath. "One..." Cait yanked and snapped it back. "Yaaaooww! Damn it Cait! You said on the count of three!" He started flexing his fingers and hand. He looked over and saw her grinning at him, "You enjoyed that, didn't you?" "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." she teased.
Cait peered around the room. "So where's Danse? His PA is here." "I don't know. Last thing I remember is flying through the air when a grenade exploded. I gotta get up. We gotta find him." MacCready started rising to his feet. "I don't think you should..." she rose with him.
MacCready stood up quickly and groaned when his head felt like it would split open and the room started spinning. He threw out his arms for balance. Cait grabbed him. "Oh no. Back down ya go." She eased him back to the floor. She pulled some boxes over for him to lean against. "Why are you here Cait?" She pulled out Tanna's dog tags. "You were following the wrong trail." "Damn. The whole thing was a set up."
"I'll look for Danse, but first we gotta get you fixed up." She walked over and picked up a pouch she had set aside while digging him out of the debris pile. "You can thank Preston for this." She withdrew a stempak and jammed it into his shoulder at the joint. MacCready inhaled sharply and grunted. "Damn it Cait! You like inflicting pain don't you?" "Suck it up Cowboy." she chided him.
She examined his forehead and felt the back of his head. "Ya wearing a lump the size of a cannon ball back there." She pulled out another stempak. MacCready quickly held up his hand to cover his head. "Cait, Cait. Not in the head...please?" Relenting, she gently pressed it to his neck and injected it.
"Now you sit here and I'll check around for Danse." She handed him a can of water from the pouch and stood up. She walked across the room to the PA and spied his rifle inside the cage. She brought it back to MacCready her expression dismayed.
MacCready was equally upset seeing it. "Danse would never leave this or his PA behind. I have a bad feeling he's not here any more." "I'm gonna check the rest of the building." She stood up and started across the room. "Cait?" She stopped and turned back. "Yes?" "That .44 I gave you." She nodded. "Take it out of the holster." She frowned at him. "I don't..." "Damn it! Take it out Cait!" Indignant at his tone she was about to spit a few choice words at him when something in his eyes made her reach down and pull the gun from its holster. She spun and left the room.
She was back in twenty minutes carrying two rolled up mattresses she laid out then sat down next to him. MacCready exhaled in relief when he saw her. To much shit was happening lately to his friends and he'd been worried about her. While she was gone he forced himself up and had managed to find his rifle and hat.
"I couldn't find any sign of him. Cait sighed heavily. "I figured Kellogg got him. It was a trap. Danse got locked in that cage there and then we were attacked by Synths. We need to check outside. Try to pick up their trail." He started to rise and Cait pulled him back down. "You're in no condition to be up yet and its night out. We'd just be stumblin around in the dark trying to find the trail."
Cait grabbed the pouch and pulled out a rag and another can of water. Sitting down on one of the mattresses she motioned MacCready to take the other and he scooted over on to it. Cait took a long drink from the water then dosed the rag with it. "Now hold still and don't whine." She started wiping the blood from his face and cleaning the cut on his forehead. MacCready was expecting a rough go of it and was surprised at Cait's gentle touch.
He'd never seen her face this close before and he stared at her green eyes. He'd always liked their shade of green. His eyes took in her smooth complexion sprinkled with freckles, he moved down to her lips and hovered. "All done." Cait leaned back and MacCready blinked several times. "You okay MacCready?" He suddenly felt tongue tied. "Yeah, yeah... Just tired... Thanks Cait." "Then we'd best get some rest."
She stretched out on her mattress, her back to him. He laid back and sighed, pulling his hat over his eyes. "And MacCready?" "Yeah Cait?" "You try anything in the night and I'll dislocate your other shoulder." "Yes Ma'am." He closed his eyes and grinned.