Note: A touch short. I went 800 words over the 3500 limit so redacted for use in the next chapter.
"Heads up!" someone shouted.
Ruby jumped up from the desk she'd been sitting at and caught the door frame, stopping herself from falling onto the concrete porch. Two settlers ran past her, their feet pounding the pavement toward the western side of the Hills, as the siren began sounding.
God, could they get a break? This was the third attack on the Hills in the last two days―the second one today, she grumbled―by various elements of the Commonwealth. She grabbed her rifle from the top of the nearby cabinet and made her way down the road toward the footbridge.
The first time it'd been raiders. Those idiots got themselves gunned down by the turrets before they'd set one foot on the asphalt. The second attack was Gunners. They'd attacked before dawn, creeping down through the woods to the north. Danse had spotted them and rallied a defense before they even made it over the creek.
This time―she gritted her teeth and suppressed a groan, sighting in a target. This time it was synths attacking the Hills. All I need is some ghouls and a yao guai or two and I'd have a goddamned bingo, she thought. These were early model stuff, not the fancier kinds, but still deadly.
She fired a little too high and caught the attention of a nearby synth, the skeletal face of the thing turning to glare at her with lidless pinpoint eyes. She admitted the damn things were creepy enough―
Danse's voice rang out over the dust kicked up by the turrets, their barrels rotating as they fired at the mechanical things swarming into the Hills. Ruby was glad he knew his business as well as he did, and that he was sticking around. She hadn't taken him out of the Hills since they'd visited Mahkra and though the settlers had started to complain...
After the latest batch of attacks, they shouldn't have any reason to moan about Danse's strict rules regarding defense. Clearly, his military expertise was working in their favor, repelling the enemy. And this proved that he had no trouble dealing with synths as a threat to anyone, regardless of his own identity.
Ruby kicked a synth away from herself, shooting it as it fell. She'd seen them around the Commonwealth, before; this attack on the Hills was the first time she'd actually encountered them inside of a settlement. Wondered if having Danse around caused them to attack, or if it was simply the escalating tension between the Institute and the Brotherhood―
She was sure it wasn't because of the Minutemen. They'd been off the radar for the last few years, and people hadn't put much faith into their activities. Not until she came along, anyway.
Ruby growled and hit another synth with the butt of her rifle, trying to focus herself on the attack. She really needed to sit down with Preston and get an update on the latest from the Castle, but she'd been busy. Busy with―lasers firing into the early morning fog, bullets whizzing past her head. She moved to the side, trying to figure out where the attack had started, shooting toward the footbridge. A few agonized shouts in the distance sounded, and she felt the pain herself. Damn these things for hurting the settlers―she shook her head and pressed the attack.
Once the last of the synths was a scrap pile on the ground, she loosened up a bit and sighed. She'd been too busy with personal issues. Dealing with Danse, dealing with Hancock. Trying to figure herself out, and not paying enough attention to the defense. Obviously something was up...
"Where the heck did they come from?" MacCready asked, coming up behind her. He gestured at the bodies littering the footbridge area with his .44, pushing his hat up with the other hand.
She threw a hand up at the Vault area but kept her eyes on the synth at her feet, trying to think―
"Don't think we've seen these guys here, before," he added.
Ruby looked up at him and sighed. "It's not surprising," she answered. "Shaun knows exactly where we are, after all."
She gave up on trying to think with him around. It wasn't easy to begin with, but now that the air was cleared... she turned to face him. Those damnable emotions again. It wasn't like she could help it.
MacCready frowned as she turned, staring at the dismembered limbs lying around them. "Should stock up on grenades," he muttered.
Ruby felt herself softening. She shouldered her rifle and stepped forward, putting a hand out onto his cheek. "You think that's a good idea?" she teased. smiling at him.
MacCready scoffed and turned his head away. "One time. That happened once," he grumbled, putting a hand to the brim of his hat and pulling it down. "Cut me a break, already."
"I liked that haircut," she said, chuckling, and turned away from him. She stared at the synths lying on the ground and rubbed her chin.
But, in all seriousness... this is not a good sign. Her hand went up to her mouth, biting a thumbnail nervously. If the Institute is sending synths to attack us directly, it might mean Shaun doesn't want to let me be anymore. Could be...
"Hey," MacCready said, coming up behind her. He put his arms around her waist, leaning his mouth to rest beside her ear. "Don't worry about it. We got this."
"I'm not wor―" she started.
"I don't believe this is an appropriate time for affection, Ruiz," Danse said. She jerked in surprise, elbowing MacCready off of her. The Gunner backed away, hands up in defeat, looking down at his feet. Ruby's face flushed with blood, embarrassed.
"This is a new threat on the settlement," Danse added, giving her a calculating look. "We haven't encountered anything beyond the occasional bloodbug and some enterprising raiders, until now."
She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he'd interrupted on purpose or if he really wanted to talk shop. Could be either, she thought, knowing Danse. She pressed her mouth together and fixed him with a mean stare.
"The latest spat of attacks on the Hills has been one new enemy after another," Danse continued. "It would appear that our defenses need re-evaluation."
"I was just thinking about that, actually," she answered, moving away from MacCready. She gestured at the synths lying around them. "This isn't nearly enough of a force to take us out―he should know that, too. But why send synths to attack us, here?"
MacCready said something under his breath and backed away as she as Danse discussed the synth attack and the possible meaning of such a small force attacking the Hills.
"...Sturges is still decoding the holotape," Ruiz said, her thumb jammed firmly into her teeth and a worried look on her face.
"I find it doubtful that was the cause for the latest attack," Danse replied. The two were moving away from the carnage, along the pathway leading into the Hills. "You gave it to the Brotherhood, and they haven't been caused any more grief than usual."
"I suppose you're right," she mused, looking down at the ground in thought. "This is..."
"What's more worrying is that the enemy has come from the north, each time," he added, watching her carefully. Ruiz had been away from the Hills for a week prior to the latest attacks, and had not been made aware of their escalating nature until now. He doubted she would be very happy with the idea that the Hills had become a high-priority target.
"Think they're coming from the Vault?" she wondered, stopping herself in mid-stride. "Synths can relay in and out of places."
"Unlikely," Danse said. "Gunners and raiders don't have that luxury. There's more access to the Hills from the north side; less water to cross, and the footbridge allows for unfettered travel."
"But... synths wouldn't have to worry about the radiation." Ruby shot a frown back toward the footbridge.
"The problem isn't the synths alone, Ruiz," Danse said, informing her of what he was now certain she didn't know. "We've been under repeated attack for the last seven days. This is not related only to the Institute."
Her frown grew deeper as she turned toward the Hills and began to walk more confidently into town. "Preston!" she shouted in an annoyed voice, looking around for the man.
Danse let her move away from him, slowing his stride and falling back to where the ex-Gunner was sauntering. Ruiz would be preoccupied with the matter for a time, and he had... well, he'd not had a proper conversation with the young man since her admission to him.
"MacCready," he said, nodding at him.
"Danse," he shot back, as if he were being challenged.
As he expected, the man still viewed him as something of a threat. Whether it was because of his existence―a synth in the Hills―or because of his relationship with Ruiz, he didn't know.
"Whatever I may have done to deserve your ire," he began, shooting the man a look that included a pointed reminder that they were on the same team, "I am willing to make amends."
MacCready stopped walking like a hooligan, tilted his hat back on his head and stared up at him. "Do what now?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
Danse sighed and shook his head. "My efforts to maintain peace with you have gone unnoticed, apparently," he muttered. "We have no reason to be at odds, MacCready."
MacCready rolled his eyes and looked away, watching Ruiz slip behind a building on the other side of the Hills in her pursuit of the Minuteman second-in-command. "Guess not," he answered, tonelessly. "...Not anymore, anyway," he added, under his breath.
"I'm not conceding that you won anything," Danse said, staring at the man. "There wasn't competition."
"No," MacCready agreed, a funny little smile creeping onto his face. "I guess not."
"And I can agree to disagree with your... frivolous attitude," Danse went on. "But I did want to discuss something with you. If you would allow?"
The man shot him a suspicious look, then swept his eyes up and down his power armor. "...What?"
Danse sighed again. The man's complete ignorance, combined with his own awkward attempts to gain some stalemate in their strained conversations, was wearing on his nerves. "We need to talk, MacCready," he said, irritated.
"Yeah, okay," MacCready said.
Danse gestured for him to follow him away from the Hills.
"We've been attacked this many times and you didn't tell me?!" Ruby was asking. "I―Danse said it's been a whole week's worth!"
Preston stared right back at her, keeping his face neutral. She'd found him and cornered him near the south side of the Hills, with the water at his back. Somehow she always knew how to intimidate him, just enough to get him on his toes. If he didn't respect everything that she'd done for him and the others from Quincy...
He could see how nervous she was, right now. Forcing him into a situation where he'd have to tell her the truth was to her advantage. And he hadn't asked her to lead the Minutemen because he thought she was going to run away from it all. Should remember that it was Ruby's superpower to walk into a situation twitching like she needed a fix and coming out as calm as still waters.
"The situation is under control, ma'am," he said, evenly.
"It sure doesn't sound like it," Ruby snapped. She closed her eyes, breathed out, and lowered her hands from her hips where she'd placed them. "Alright, level with me, Preston. What is really going on?"
He turned his head and stared back toward the workshop area, blinking slowly. "Well..." he said, thoughtfully. "The Minutemen are back at full power, now. Not everyone likes that idea." He pressed his mouth together and looked back at her. "I really can't think of any other solution, to be honest."
Ruby rubbed her mouth, then looked down at her hand and dropped it, sighing. "Okay. Okay, so... assuming that the raiders and Gunners are coming after us because of the increased Minutemen presence in the Commonwealth..." She frowned a little. "Did anything change with the Castle? I―I know I've been a little out it, lately―"
Out of it. Preston sighed, internally. That was an appropriate but underwhelming description for the behavior she'd shown, lately. "Ma'am..." he started.
"Don't call me ma'am, Preston. How many times do I have to ask?" she shot back, looking concerned and frustrated.
She would only grow more agitated until someone made her a challenge. Knew that from experience, prior to her getting into all that Brotherhood business and into the Institute... prior to her having her breakdown.
Preston had been more sympathetic to her problems than he could admit. He understood... how it felt, to want to give up and know that he couldn't. Because people relied on him. Had thought that it was the end of the road for the Minutemen, again, when she'd started having her trouble. Wasn't like the stress didn't show on her, the red eyes and shaking hands.
The thought made him more than upset, at the time. But he'd asked her for help, and she hadn't said no, and now that she'd recovered she seemed more determined than ever to make it work. Couldn't help but admire her tenacious attitude. Or the fact that, without her, he and the others would have died in Concord. He owed her a lot... including treating her honestly, like a good second in command ought to.
"With all due respect, you're the one who agreed to take on the job," he pointed out, looking her in the eyes. "I'm only showing respect, ma'am."
She stared at him for a moment, her mouth slightly open in surprise. "Yeah, okay," she said, sighing. "Sorry, Preston. I'm just... I'm rattled by all this."
Preston shifted his weight and lowered his musket, feeling relieved. "The Castle has been reporting a lot more attacks on settlements, but we've handled it."
"How, exactly, do you define 'handled it'?" she asked, air quoting the words sarcastically.
"Ma'am―" Ruby gave him a look, narrowing her eyes. Preston snapped his mouth shut, staring at her. After a time she softened a little. He continued only when he was sure she wasn't going to get angry again.
"You were out, and Ronnie was concerned about the casualties we were taking. ...Paladin Danse gave me advice," he said. "We've changed up the patrol routes, so they aren't as predictable. The patrols aren't understaffed. Old and new Minutemen are joining up from all over the Commonwealth." He gave her a look of patient admiration.
Ruby nodded. "New patrol lines would explain why the Gunners are on our asses like stink on a ghoul," she muttered, moving her hand back to her mouth and putting her thumb into her teeth.
"You just don't quit with the insults, do you, sister," Hancock said, startling them. He'd walked up beside them both without either noticing.
Ruby looked up at the sky and then down at her boots, and groaned. "Dammit, John. I might as well eat my goddamn feet, at this point." She shot him a tortured look.
Hancock only chuckled, watching her with a mildly amused face. After a moment he turned to Preston. "Garvey," he said, nodding at him. "What's going on, brother?"
Preston nodded back at the mayor. "I was explaining... The only thing that has changed in the Minutemen, is we've put out more patrols. If you ask me, I'd say the last bunch of attacks on the settlements is because of that."
"Bulls-eyes catch more bullets," Hancock mused. "Wouldn't surprise me. Just about no one can take on the Brotherhood, and ain't no one getting into the Institute without some kind if miracle." He shot Ruby a look. "Damn near everyone knows the Minutemen, though."
"God, we're too―" she leaned her head back and stared at the sky for a moment. "We're not ready for this kind of attention, are we?"
Preston hiked up a corner of his mouth. "We are," he said, staring at her. "Thanks to you, ma'am."
"I don't feel comfortable sending a bunch of well-meaning people to their deaths like this," she muttered.
"If they weren't ready to throw down, they wouldn't bother coming along," Hancock pointed out.
Preston agreed with him. "We've managed to get the Minutemen's good name back," he added. "These people, they'd keep other folks safe, anyway. Having a cause to believe in only makes that easier."
"I suppose," she said, sighing. "Alright, well... if anything changes, let me know. I don't care if it's the middle of the night, or you have to use the radio, just let me know."
Preston nodded, touching a hand to his hat. "No problem, General."
He watched Ruby walking away, the ghoul following a few feet behind her. "So you're saying I stink, now?" Hancock asked her, sounding amused.
"Oh, for the love of God," she moaned.
"Is that your pet name for me? ...You're forgiven," he replied, joking.
Ruby groaned and kept walking. Preston smiled to himself. Good to see she's come back from all that, though. Whatever the others had been doing for her... good on them, too. Ruby had chosen her companions better than he had, back in the day. Back when he'd joined the Minutemen.
He sighed, and continued his patrol of the waterfront.