"Detective Valentine, sir! The General has been awaiting your arrival. Welcome back to the Castle." a voice cried from the ramparts above us.
Nick gave a tip of his hat, and we set out towards the huge gate opening ahead of us. What had once been a Revolutionary era fort was now the Minutemen headquarters. It certainly looked the part. Perched on every corner of the outer walls were the same artillery canons I'd seen at Sanctuary and other settlements I
had traveled to by Dan's side. People toting laser muskets and other rifles walked among them, using the vantage to guard the perimeter. Flags hung from the ramparts, both what I presumed to be the American flag of this world, and the Minutemen banner. I could hear the unique waves of sound created by many people chattering at once coming from deep within the Castle.
Stepping into the courtyard beyond the protective walls, I first noticed a large radio tower that was manned and coordinated by three Minutemen. Others were delivering messages to and from the radio staff with a palpable sense of urgency.
Well that explains how Preston and Nate always knew what the rest of us were up to. I thought.
People flowed all around us. I struggled to take it all in. The Castle was entirely self-sustaining, and provided for all the Minutemen's needs. Water pumps and a garden that any wastelander would be proud of occupied the rear of the courtyard. Signs indicating the locations of various vendors lined the walls. Small groups of the militiamen were loading up on provisions for carrying out their current orders. Nick led me towards the interior of the fort. It wasn't long before we came across a dining area, and within it, a group of people arguing.
Piper stood next to Nate, her arm around his waist as he gestured wildly to emphasize his words. Preston, sitting at the table and facing the two lovers, seemed to be simply listening to what was being said before making a judgement. Slightly behind Preston stood a slim young man in a leather duster that was probably a bit too large for him, wringing a hat in his hands as he received Nate's words like a boxer's jabs. And at a distance from the others, clad from the neck down in a full body set of futuristic armor, was a man with dark hair and a scowl to match.
None of them took notice as Nick and I entered the room. We stayed in the corner near the entryway, out of the way of whatever was about to hit the fan, so to speak. I whispered to Nick, asking if he knew who these other two men were.
"Small fry over there is MacCready. Kid's got more mouth than common sense. Tall, dark, and ugly is Paladin Danse. He's from the Brotherhood of Steel. Nate seems to like him, so we let him keep the walking tin can. If I were you, dollface, I'd stay far away from him though. The Brotherhood has a real issue with folks who aren't strictly human, and he'd probably see you in the same light as he does me." Nick explained.
"If he compares me to you, then I'd call that a real and true compliment, Nick." I said, turning the tables for once and winking at him.
Nick's laughter resonated in the sudden silence of the room. Guess we'd finally been noticed.
"Nick, Brenna. Good to see you've made it unscathed. We'll have a chance to speak privately once matters have been dealt with here." Nate said firmly and with absolutely no warmth in his voice.
I cast a questioning glance at Nick, wondering what had happened to the Nate who sat in my home, talking about food and family just a few weeks ago. The look on Nick's face was warning enough to not bring it up directly.
MacCready had jammed his hat back on his head, and looked as though he were ready to punch Nate in the mouth. Not to be outdone by the younger man, it seemed like Piper was the only thing holding Nate back. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. I was dying to know what exactly had been going on before we had arrived.
"My word is final, Robert. End of discussion. You don't like my orders, feel free to take up in Goodneighbor again." Nate said with an air of command to MacCready. General indeed.
"You know what, Nate. You can go fu—fudge yourself." MacCready replied, making a disgusted noise and storming from the room.
"Well, this got interesting really fast." I said, falsely cheerful.
Nick shook his head, attempting to hide the smirk dancing along his lips. Everyone else looked either pissed off or horrified.
"Is this the freak you had discussed with me, Knight?" asked Danse, shooting me a look of distaste.
I knew Nick said I shouldn't let Danse get to me, but it hurt to know someone who had never met me felt I was worthy of such disgust. Before I could say a word, Nick saw the shock on my face and leapt to my defense.
"Hey Danse, watch your tongue around my lovely lady here. Hiding behind your power armor and insulting a woman is typical for your type. Afraid she's more man than you are?" Nick shot back.
As the paladin began to stomp forward, Piper jumped between man and synth.
"Hey hey now! There's no need to turn this into a front page worthy brawl, guys." she said, trying to bring some humor to an otherwise volatile situation.
"That's enough, you two. It ends here and now." Nate added, plainly expecting to be listened to immediately and without question.
Feeling lower than low at that moment, I took Nick's exposed metallic hand. His gentle squeeze told me that he knew I needed someone in my corner.
"He's getting used to my 'touchy feely' ways. No more awkward jumping at my touch." I thought to myself.
"We will discuss this later, Nate. You may be a 'general' here, but you are still a Brotherhood knight under my watch." Danse growled before rattling the floor as he took his leave.
"Looks like we picked an exceptionally bad time to arrive." I said.
"Danse is always like that. He never takes that armor off, and acts like being BOS makes him better than the rest of us plebes." Piper said.
"Piece of shit, huh? That's accurate." I said dryly.
She laughed and said "Not POS. BOS. Short for Brotherhood of Steel. They're the flashy assholes in the blimp. Maybe you've noticed that, Zombie?"
"Keep calling me Zombie and you'll never get that interview." I bitched.
"Ok now. Enough taking pot shots at each other. We're all on the same side." Preston said, finally speaking up from his spot at the table.
"That's debatable." added Nick.
Nate folded his arms and glared at the rest of us. Piper's cheeks flushed, apparently embarrassed by her man's cold behavior towards the group. She peeled Nate's arms apart. She stroked his hand, and whispered something in his ear. He visibly relaxed at her touch.
"Preston, we need some help and Nick thinks you're the man to see about it." I said, changing the subject from my apparent freak status, and who may or may not be siding together.
Preston motioned for Nick and I to join him at the table. We sat opposite him, but before we could go into our story, Nate interrupted.
"The two of you will come with me. Piper, stay with Preston and make sure MacCready doesn't come back for more of a fight. Or Danse, for that matter." he commanded.
"Sure thing, Blue. We'll be waiting." Piper replied, sounding put out with her lover's request.
Nick and I got up from our seats, and followed Nate deeper into the Castle. He stopped us in a private alcove, and minced no words.
"Rumor has it that you've been hunting for some medical personnel under a Vitruvian man emblem. Just how far do you intend on taking this investigation, Valentine?" he asked.
There was a very subtle air of menace in Nate's tone. What the hell had crawled up his ass and died? I almost asked him as much but had one of those rare moments when my better judgement took over, and I remained silent.
"Been back to the Institute recently, have you? What is it about that place that makes you forget who you are, Nate? As for Brenna's case, you oughta know I'll be seeing that through to the end. I certainly did for you." Nick replied brusquely.
Nate stared at Nick before replying with a curt "I see."
"C'mon, synth sleuth. Let's go back to Preston. I still wanna ask him about that radio lead." I said, tugging on Nick's arm. This was rapidly turning into an uncomfortable confrontation that I wanted no part of.
Nick came with me easily enough. Guess he wanted an out as well. We wound our way back to where we'd left the other two. I suddenly wanted far away from this place, and wondered if the information we sought was worth the price.
Preston met us in the hallway. He and Nick spoke quietly, about my case presumably. Piper left the mess hall, and motioned for me to follow her. We headed back out into the courtyard, and once we were far enough away from other people, she began talking.
"He's not always like this, you know. Blue, I mean. He really is a good man. He's just…got a lot on his plate right now. I wish you could see the side of him that I know." Piper said.
"No thanks. He's not exactly my type. I've never gone for brooding men." I snarked.
She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant, Zombie. Sorry, I mean Brenna. Besides, seems you go more for the, uh, unconventional men." she said.
"Unconventional, eh? I suppose so. Not that I'm actively looking for a man in my life. I am still married, you know. No matter how far away he is." I said.
I was suddenly missing my Jay a little more than I had been as of late. He always took on people who hurt me, and could comfort me like no other. What I wouldn't give to be folded into his embrace right then.
Piper broke the silence.
"How about coming back to Diamond City with me? You still owe me that interview." she offered.
Nick's voice came from behind us.
"That doesn't sound half bad, Piper. Once I get back to the agency, I've got a few things to tackle. Brenna, you can head back to Sanctuary after humoring our intrepid reporter. Hire a guard if you need to for your return trip home. I'll front the caps for you." he said.
Piper left to say her goodbyes to Nate. Nick and I went to the vendors to sell off the crap we'd picked off those raiders at the shop row. I lingered at the first aid station, and contemplated buying some chems. Maybe one of them would help calm the panic building inside me. I hate fighting. Always have. Ultimately, I held onto my caps. Preston would've been proud.
I stopped one of the Minutemen who was milling about, and asked where I could sleep for the night. She led me to one of several bunk rooms, and said that any bed was open. It was for the civilian travelers who frequented the Minutemen HQ. I chose a bottom bunk far from the door. All alone, I tried to enjoy the relative quiet. For a few hours, it was an exercise in futility. When sleep at last arrived, images of home and of the Commonwealth went swirling through my dreams.