Note: Hah, he still has his moments.

Augustus sat in the medical bay with his head tilted slightly to accommodate the doctor's treatment of his injury. Stared at the wall opposite him and pressed his lips together and heard the words the woman was speaking, but ignored them. Contrary to what he'd told her, no alcohol had been involved in the incident.

A good deal of asinine thoughts, but absolutely no alcohol. He, in his utter exhaustion, had neglected to remember that his weapon was free. Had only himself to blame for that. That he'd laid the girl onto the cot in an effort to be a gentleman, and learned a lesson he'd never thought he ought to have.

That was, he couldn't trust even the weakest members of the weaker sex, and that he was an old fool.

He'd passed out on his arms at the desk, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. He had been so enervated that he'd not minded to remove his coat. His back was stiff and his legs sore from the awkward position. ...No migraines. He'd woken up without a headache, and little pain other than the bullet grazing his shoulder.

Granted, that had been a painful way to wake up. Augustus felt his lower eyelid twitching. Lillie wasn't quite as broken as he'd thought, if she was willing to hold a gun on him. It was mildly annoying to have his sympathy bought and paid for, and feeling he'd been overcharged.

He redressed, contemplating. Beyond confusing her, and embarrassing himself by having to admit he was sorry, he had managed to make some payment toward his goal. To take pride in his behavior, once again. To make himself less the abusive boor that he'd perceived himself to be.

Lillie had let him touch her without flinching away, which was a marked improvement given her sobbing meltdown onto his floor. She'd been willing to hear him out, and he was moderately thankful the girl was as smart as her father was, if not as idealistic due to her upbringing. She knew the value of diplomacy, or so it appeared.

If he could trust her to keep the deception from Eden―

He didn't trust her, in fact. It was a risk one took, whether in combat or not, when one included the unknown into a plan. Lately, he'd felt the unknown was all that existed in his plans. Not trusting her to play along was just another pin in the cushion, at this point.

Another point jabbing at him from a soft pillow, trying to hide the danger and lull him into letting down his guard. He wasn't stupid; he had been bred and raised a soldier. Enclave from birth, and he'd never given quarter. He would die trying to achieve the Enclave's goal of a better America.

That goal was being suppressed by an enemy who had never had the opportunity to be "born", in any sense of the word. Eden sprang from the computational matrix like Athena, fully armed and willing to do battle. Much like Athena it was wise, manipulative, and jealous of the humans who looked to it for guidance. Petty and punishing.

Augustus shrugged on his coat and fingered the hole that Lillie had inflicted. When he was her age, he'd had a very definitive ideal of what life was meant to be. He'd had two living parents, a bright future, and the skills to make what he wanted to, happen.

Damnable events, out on the coast. His father had thought that Eden was a light shining in the East, a veritable star leading them to their one and true leader. Augustus vaguely recalled a speech of the same, being made in order to convince the remainder to follow. Some hadn't, of course. And they were allowed to leave at their own leisure, with the understanding that no harbor would be given if they wished to rejoin.

This star in the east was less a beacon and more a prison run by a sociopathic intelligence designed by those who came before them―those who had destroyed the greatness that America had been. What it still could be.

Augustus sighed and ran a hand over his chin. The matter of his pride was at rest, for the moment. He shouldn't waste a moment more, thinking about his past.

When he was facing such a devious being, he couldn't afford distraction.

President Eden made itself available the next morning, and Augustus was entirely glad to hear the patronizing voice lecturing him on his behavior. It was "quite untoward" for him to have shot and destroyed the intercom in his room. Made it difficult for them to have "personal conversations."

"Sir... I feel that it is unnecessary for us to have developed personal rapport," he told it, ignoring the patronizing tone. He was glad to hear the insufferable bastard's voice. Meant that whatever it had planned, was either over with or about to begin. For the first time in a long time, he felt ready to face that plan.

"Ah, Colonel, you are my most trusted confidant," Eden said, clucking at him. "Where would I be without your valuable wisdom?"

"I cannot say, sir," he replied, bitterly.

"I can," Eden said, and Augustus drew an involuntary breath at the implication. "As we are so close, I will overlook your indiscretion with the firearm. I've sent someone to repair the intercom. Now, Colonel, onto other business... Has there been any progress with VIOLA?"

Augustus frowned. "Not that I've been made aware, Mr. President. Other matters were more... pressing. The project lead on the Hellfire armors has proven himself unreliable."

Eden chuckled. "Discipline the man, then. I'll await your report. Remember, my dear Colonel... no dilly-dallying."

The light faded, and Augustus breathed out in relief. Regardless of the prior silence, he must remain firm against the supercomputer. At least, he was no longer concerned that it would spring itself upon him. More and more he felt the chill in the air and inevitable fright of Raven Rock's boogeyman.

He rubbed his eyes, and went back to work.

After a few days, there was a lull in production with the armors; Dr. Isben received his lens material and Augustus fetched Lillie from her room, to undergo the surgery. The requisition had actually gone smoother than expected, given the work schedule that Augustus had outlined for the researchers. And the constant mistakes that had been made by the project lead.

When he opened the door to Lillie's room, she was sitting on her bed and staring at the intercom light on the far wall. He'd noticed her color improving when he came across her walking the hallways, but had wisely stayed away from her. Today, she appeared to be in better spirits than he'd ever seen her.

He was glad to see that she looked healthier. She would not have issue with the surgery.

"Hello?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Her hands went still, holding three pieces of ripped cloth that she had been winding together.

Augustus stepped into the room and cleared his throat. "Come, Lillie," he said, calmly.

Lillie jerked a little, then laid the cloth to the side and pushed herself upward. "O-okay," she said, sounding nervous.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the hallway, probably a little too roughly. Lillie whimpered, trying to keep her feet steady. Her thin rubber shoes squeaked against the floor, and she stumbled into his shoulder, pushing herself backward quickly. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He didn't reply. Moved himself away from her, and kept walking. Had to keep up appearances. He'd be the one two steps backward, if he didn't maintain the proper attitude.

"Colonel," Lillie asked, her voice curious. His head spiked with pain. Not the time for her to ask him some innocent-enough question that could expose the act. This was that unknown, rearing its ugly head. Augustus glanced at her from the corner of his eye... but he couldn't say that head was truly ugly.

His eye throbbed. Where―Lord, why was he thinking like that. He needed to focus on the problem ahead of him. Such frivolous thoughts were only a distraction that he could not afford!

He pushed his attention away from that thought and frowned. "I do not want to hear you complaining," he snapped, as testily as he could.

"O-oh," she said, her voice falling below a whisper.

She was crestfallen, of course. But he had warned her, and he could not afford to let her throw a wrench into the works. Once she had her sight back, she would be able to train once more, and he would train her as he ought to have from the beginning.

He would make her a proper soldier, and he would get her out into the field. Maybe then, that damnable father of hers would take his offer of escape and find Lillie once she was away from the Enclave's clutches―

If anyone could figure a way to disconnect the VIOLA feed while preserving Lillie's vision, it ought to be her father. Autumn disliked the man for his philosophy; he had a much higher opinion of James' scientific capability.

Eden would have to find a new science project to obsess over, once those ties were cut. Augustus recalled a minor infatuation the thing had had with Vault-Tec. Asked for as much recoverable information as could be found on the Pre-War institution, and received as much as the Enclave could provide. Augustus had thought that was why the supercomputer was so enamored of James and Lillie, as they'd been reported leaving Vault 101.

He had no reason to doubt. He was merely suspicious because of his animosity toward both James and Eden. Augustus felt the migraine worsening, digging into his eye and wiggling around.

"Colonel," Lillie said, again. She sounded insistent.

"What is it?" he snapped. It was easier to be rude when he was in pain. But, of course, that made him feel all the worse for actual intent.

"Thank you, for before," she whispered, wiggling her wrist under his hand.

"Now is not the time and place for such idiocy," he said, firmly. "Behave. I do not want to have to compel you to do so. Today has been rather unpleasant for me and having to discipline you would certainly improve it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she mumbled, her feet stumbling to keep up with his pace.

Augustus looked up at the walls, and turned a corner. He dropped her wrist after glancing about for a fraction of a second. Looked at Lillie, his knuckles white in a clenched fist, sweating beading on his brow.

"What did I say to you," he muttered at the girl. "I said be mindful. Stop trying to talk to me. You never know who could be listening."

"I know," she said, her mouth tugging in a sad smile. "I wanted to say thanks, though."

"You are a mindless puppet," he grumbled, and snatched up her wrist. "And puppets can be made to please. Behave."

Lillie only nodded and moved with him as he led her along. Augustus delivered her to Dr. Isben and went back to work, leaving an order to notify him when Lillie was out of surgery.

Why she had thanked him, he had no idea. Yet another unknown, in this sea of various unidentifiable things.

But... as he went about his work, he felt his mouth tugging into an unbidden smile.