"Who is this guy," Amos muttered, staring at the mild-mannered young man sitting in ARC headquarters.
"Well―" Jesse began.
Avery interrupted. "He's a Paramount trooper, Amos."
"Celia says his name is Wade," Jesse said, glaring at Avery. "That he was a member of Sigma, who apprehended her and Lionel, and made her lead them to Stockton. She and Lionel obviously got away, but Sigma took all the rest to Detroit."
"D2S orders," Wade said.
"What?" Amos asked.
"D2S orders. Detain, Ship, Sort."
Amos fixed him with a glare. "No speaking until you are spoken to, Mr. Wade." Wade nodded, and sat patiently.
"And why is he here?" Jesse said, anticipating the question. "Wade is looking for some artifact for that cult leader down in Detroit."
"Jesse," Amos said, "thank you for your information. Please go home and check up on Celia."
"Whaaaaat?" Jesse asked, his hands on his hips. He mock-pouted.
"Jesse!" Amos turned to him. "Imagine for a moment that you've just learned that everyone at Ma's farm was taken away."
"I ain't a damn babysitter," Jesse griped, and slammed the door as he left.
"Don't swear!" Amos called after him. He turned to Wade. "Just what is going on here?" he asked, his voice hard.
"Like the boy says," Wade answered. "I'm looking for a piece of metal, about so big, for the High Ferrule in Detroit."
"You're an awful long way from there," Amos drawled. "This thing is that important?"
Wade shrugged. "The High Ferrule has plans for it."
"You know those plans?"
"Yes," was the succinct answer.
Amos chuckled. "Don't suppose you'd share them."
"No."
"Avery," Amos said, and pulled off his jacket. "Take this guy to the cell, but be nice. He's gonna be here for a while, until we figure this out."
Amos sat down behind his desk, and rubbed his face with both hands. He didn't regret getting the girl out of St. James, but there was something big going on with her. It was more complex than he or ARC could probably handle. Even if he wanted to help, he wouldn't know where to begin.
Ignoring all the drama with Lilian and Lionel on the barge, he knew she was remarkable enough. Not your typical wastelander; she seemed to honestly lack vital information about dangers and the people of the post-apocalyptic world. He supposed that was why she traveled with a ghoul, despite the strange looks people gave her. Neither one of the two had volunteered much information about their past, beyond the location of Stockton.
Amos didn't like it, though. Given how beaten she'd been, and the way Lilian tore into her, added to how the ghoul acted with the girl after the fight, he suspected there was more going on than anyone would admit to. Excepting Lilian, who'd made it quite clear that the girl had seduced Lionel away from her, with her innocent eyes and bimbo flair. Amos rolled his eyes. Lionel wasn't saying much about it. Probably knew better, since he'd smacked Lilian pretty hard. Amos didn't like that either, and had threatened him with a larding needle. He grinned grimly at the thought. He knew better than to pry. Jesse would worm it out of the girl, eventually.
Avery returned, and flopped himself down into the chair at his own desk. "You want to hear my thoughts?" he asked, putting his feet up.
"Shoot."
"Wade says that Lionel brought the soldiers to that town, but that could be a bald-faced lie," he said. "Celia told Jesse, and he believes her, that she was the one who brought the soldiers. Given that the two of them are so close, I wonder who's really to blame?"
"Celia doesn't lie well," Amos said. "She's so terrible at it, a child could tell. Not to mention, Lionel hasn't said squat about the soldiers beyond the bare bones story, and I don't think he'd let her take the blame if he was really at fault."
Avery nodded, and tossed a pencil into the air. "Lionel's pretty trustworthy, so far. Kind of slow, but reliable."
"Well, either way, after this Sigma group came to the town, Lionel lost his arm and they fled the area." Amos sighed and brushed his hair back. "Ran to St. James, because they didn't think Paramount would follow. And Lionel brought his missus. The Swanton ghoul."
Avery made a face. "Man, you would not believe what she said about Celia, on the return trip. Jesse straight up told her to shut up or he'd show her how to shear a Delaine, using her head." He shook his head. "I can't believe a girl that young would willingly run off with a ghoul, though."
"Stranger beds have been made, Avery," Amos said. "If Paramount is still looking for her, she's dangerous to the farm, to us, and to Gladstone in general. We might not have the resources to deal with her."
Avery was quiet for a moment. "Why would Paramount be looking for a piece of metal?"
"Some old tech, maybe, or a religious thing. You know how they get about that High Ferrule." Avery and Amos were distinctly aware of the Paramount forces that occasionally ran along Green Bay, because their jobs sometimes took them that far. Every one that had been met, was unyielding and well-equipped. Sometimes entire towns would go missing, just like Stockton, and everyone knew who had done it. No one could withstand a full-on Paramount assault.
Amos looked up at the ceiling. "Lionel's still out, right?"
"Yeah," Avery said.
"If he finds Landis, we'd better make the coot take the girl off, away from Lionel."
"What, you think he's gonna go feral, or something?"
"No. Not right now, anyway. He's not very smart, though, to show up in St. James, looking like a pimp with a smoothskin hooker." Amos shook his head at the thought.
"I don't think he's very smart, either," Avery said. He rifled through some paperwork on his desk. "What are we gonna do with him?"
"After the girl is gone, Jesse will be freed up," Amos said. "Ma thinks he can lure Celia away from Lionel, and I agree with her."
Avery snorted. "Honestly."
"Don't knock it," Amos said. "They're young, yet. At any rate, we can forgive Lionel his debt, and let him go."
"Didn't he assault Jesse, though?"
"Jesse saved his life, on the barge," Amos said. He laughed a little. "And Jesse knows full well how strong Lionel is. He won't do anything stupid, again."
"How long are we holding this Wade fellow?" Avery asked, looking doubtfully at the back of the building.
"As long as we know where the girl is," Amos said, and picked up a stack of paperwork to go through.