Chapter 10 – Shopping

After a quick breakfast and a third stimpack for Cait, the team got themselves ready to set off. Cait's bruise was all but gone and she reassured a fussing Curie that she was fine for the patrol to Fallon's. Taking her at her word, Nate signalled the team to set off and they broke cover from the shop entrance, executing the drills Nate had shown them in previous training sessions. It really did make his heart swell with pride when he caught the girls carrying out some of his drills instinctively, it was almost as if they had been listening all along.

Approaching Fallon's, the team were on full alert for any possible ambush. The square was quiet and after they had checked the bodies of the raiders and Super Mutants from the battle the day before, they approached the large pillared entrance of Fallon's. Boston's largest department store before the war, this particular branch was built to service the south side of Boston and the surrounding areas. Nate had never been here before the war but knew this was one of Fallon's flagship stores. Hopefully plenty of interesting things to scavenge. The trip had already been made worthwhile by the discovery of his friends trunk in Fairline but Fallon's would be the icing on the cake. Nate had been in two minds about continuing the patrol as Cait's brush with death had scared Nate more than he had expected. Saying that, to cancel now would be unfair to the girls who were as much set to benefit from this scavenging as Nate was. Soon after forming his little band, the girls and Nate had agreed to split all loot and finds into quarters minus the upkeep needed for home plate. They had already saved nearly ten thousand caps in total which was an incredible sum in most people's eyes.

The imposing two front doors of Fallon's were closed and Nate already wondered if opening them would be a good idea. A quick scout around the area showed all the lower windows bricked up and inaccessible. A quick chat with the team and they decided that the main entrance, whilst obvious might not be as tricky as trying to gain access through the roof. Taking position in a semi circle, the girls offered possible covering fire as Nate moved up to the door. Leaning on the massive door he pushed and to his surprise the door opened noiselessly. Wasting no time Nate moved in and hugged one of the side walls, letting his eyes adjust to the dimly lit interior. The foyer was covered in wrecked shopping trolleys and dropped items that would have once been on display. It was clear to Nate that this store had already been mostly cleared out. Moving silently back to the door Nate whispered that the entrance was clear, making way for the girls to come in behind. They fanned out and paused, waiting and listening for any movement. It wasn't long before the very distinct voices of Super Mutants could be heard arguing upstairs.

"Not fair!" One said sulkily, "no meat today."

"Will you stop whining," answered another.

And they soon began the bickering usual amongst their species. Nate took the opportunity to sneak a little forward. Ten foot in-front of him, Nate could make out a shape that looked like a body. Getting closer Nate could see that it was a raider, freshly dead and lying next to what looked like a safe. Something wasn't right with the set up and the way the raider was lying. Turning around, Nate signalled for Cait to join him.

"It looks far too easy," Nate whispered.

"Hhmm, let me see if I can get closer," murmured Cait, and laying her rifle down, she began to approach the safe like a cat stalking her prey; Cait edged forward with the lithe movement of a gymnast. Beginning on all fours, she was soon up in a handstand and with a gentle slow motion, she executed a back flip and landed silently on top of the safe. She signalled to Nate that the safe was indeed booby trapped as she pulled a Bobby pin from her hair and set to work. A few minutes later and an audible click and twanging of a spring is heard, signalling Cait's success. Perched on top of the safe, Cait looked around on the floor to check for secondary devices. Happy there were none she jumped down from the top of the safe landing next to its door. Nate crept up to join her, handing her rifle back.

"Is it wrong to say I enjoy watching you work," smiled Nate.

"Why thank you, sir," Cait replied, executing a small curtsey.

Opening the door of the safe gently, Nate beckoned Curie up to take hold of any possible party loot. The three-shelf safe contained several bundles of old bank notes, a gold bar, a pipe pistol and a bottle of whiskey. Examining the bottle Nate whistled very quietly.

"A single malt from Scotland," Nate whispered appreciatively as he handed it to Curie who slipped it into her bag.

"I'll take the gold," said Nate, realising that Curie was already carrying most of the spare ammo as well as the medical supplies.

The bank notes were taken by Cait and stored safely away as the team prepared to carry on their search.

"Hang on," said Piper as she approached the dead raider. "I recognise this," and she reached underneath the dead body. Piper brought out a strange looking heavy pistol with a long barrel.

"That's a desert eagle" exclaimed Nate, "I wonder where he got that from."

"Wasn't Arturo waving one of these at us the other day, saying he had just received a shipment of them in from Washington DC." Enquired Piper.

Nate was about to respond when suddenly from above the team heard "ha! You little thief!" as one of the Super Mutants spotted the group huddled in the reception area. The shout was followed by a burst of automatic gunfire from his weapon and the fight was on.

The team bomb burst, with Cait and Nate diving right with Piper and Curie scrambling off to the left. Curie was the first to return fire with Cait following soon after. Nate dashed to the stairs, or more accurately the escalator that had long since stopped working. Piper was close behind as they scrambled upstairs hoping to get a jump on the Super Mutant who was still firing shots down over the balcony towards Cait and Curie.

"Watch out Blue!" Piper exclaimed as another Super Mutant appeared to Nate's right wielding a massive two-handed sledgehammer and coming at Nate in an overhead arc. Two bursts from Piper's weapon and the assailant fell dead, she then switched fire and so did the one leaning over the railings harassing the girls below. Shots suddenly rang out from across the store as it seemed that little scrap woke up the remaining Super Mutants.

Taking up a position behind the railings on the first floor, Nate and Piper were able to engage these new targets that were across the other side of the store. From where they were they could see at least four Super Mutants coming their way. Simultaneously Cait and Curie made their way across the ground floor staying out of sight, Nate seeing that their plan was to sneak up on those Super Mutants currently engaged in fighting their team mates. Applying the fire and manoeuvre technique, Cait and Curie made their way across the floor and up a second set of escalators to confront these remaining Super Mutants. From his vantage point Nate enjoyed watching the two of them carry out their drills with perfection. He smiled to himself as this day was getting better and better.

After having dispatched the final four on this floor and one hiding in the basement, the team began a methodical search of the whole building. Starting from the top and working their way down the team began their search at the homeware department. This part of the store had several kitchen displays set up as well as a large semi-circle shop area where some of the Super Mutants seem to have been living.

"There's a duffle bag over here," called Piper as she headed behind the long serving counter, "ooh, and also an ammo container."

"Coming," answered Nate as he heads over from having search one of the sales desks in the kitchen department. As Nate got to the counter Piper was already seperating out the ammo.

"There are about two hundred rounds of 5.56 and about the same of 7.62. Not bad at all" Piper stated as she neatly stacked the small ammo boxes she was removing from the large green metal container, on to the counter beside her. Nate began to rummage around in the duffle bag and pulled out a whole load more ammo including a dozen missiles and two fusion cores, the mini nuclear batteries used to power weapons and power armour.

"This stash is quite something," Nate exhaled, "Arturo will be delighted."

"HA!" came a shout of delight from Cait who was across the room examining one of the other desks used by the sales team when the store was operating. "Obviously spankos worked at Fallon's before the war," she announced, holding up an almost identical ebony hairbrush to the one the girls were already very familiar with.

"Erm, you know some people actually used hairbrushes to brush their hair Cait," laughed Piper.

"Keep it, though," said Nate, and with a grin on his face, "Who knows when it might come in useful."

"hmmmm" Cait said sulkily, as she slipped the brush into her bag.

The search continued, with the team discovering two more stashes of caps and a vending machine full of Nuka Cola, the mass produced soft drink that still littered the Commonwealth.

As they were about to leave the store Nate spotted something glint in the flashlight of his weapon as he scanned a display area on the first floor. Going over to investigate he saw that it was a metal pot full of kitchen utensils. Having a quick look through the set Nate saw that the metal items were all half rusted but there was a decent sized wooden spoon.

"Here you go ladies, something else for our mobile collection," Nate announced as he handed the wooden spoon to Cait.

"Well you know where you can put that!" Exclaimed Cait, looking in disgust at the offensive weapon.

"Yes, across your backside if you don't put it in your bag, thank you very much," replied Nate, looking at Cait with a half smile, "Lets just say it will be further motivation for you guys to keep up your excellent drills," Nate stated, wanting the compliment to be taken as it was meant. He was rewarded by smiles from Pipe and Curie, who were obviously pleased with the praise.

Cait mellowed, "That was quite fun, wasn't it," she grinned, "Maybe there is something to this working as a team thing after all."

"So kind of you to give me your approval," Nate executed a mock half bow.

"I said maybe," Cait couldn't hide her smirk, "Jury is still out as I am not fully convinced yet," she finished haughtily as she spun on her heals and headed for the door. Nate smiled, as Cait in full sass mode showed him that she did, in fact, entirely support this new way of operating and that she didn't seem to be any worse for wear after her brush with death yesterday. Nate followed Cait's disappearing form for a second before being broken out of his musing.

"Come on Blue," Piper said, as she walked past Nate, resting her hand briefly on his forearm, "We had better follow madam before she gets into more trouble."

"Yes, of course," Nate agreed, snapping out of his daydream. Had he looked back, he would have seen a knowing smile spread across Pipers face.

The team came outside the store to be met by a disgruntled looking Brahmin, ladened with trunks, boxes and duffle bags. These two headed creatures were used by many of the caravans, that crisscrossed the Commonwealth. This particular beast belonged to Cricket, the highly strung and very excitable weapons dealer from Diamond City.

Nate spotted Cricket and her two caravan guards resting on the steps of the department store entrance and joined them for a cigarette. After politely listening to both guards moan about their lot in life, how the road is hard and the pay terrible, Nate negotiated with Cricket for the sale of most of the items they had just scavenged from Fallon's. Cricket squealed in genuine delight when Nate showed her the Desert Eagle. Nate also arranged for Cricket to collect the items they had found up in Fairline Estates, Cricket offered to collect and carry these extra items for free as long as Nate promised to sell her the Desert Eagle. Wanting to bag a possible favour for a later date, Nate gave the pistol to Cricket, but notice a slightly stormy look come over Pipers face when he did so. Once the deal was done and cigarettes finished, the team said their goodbyes and headed over to Milton General Hospital, which was their other target for the day.

"You don't think I should have given Cricket that pistol you found?" Asked Nate sidling up to Piper.

"It's worth, what… a hundred caps, maybe more" Piper answered, with clear frustration in her voice.

"But what is a favour worth?" Responded Nate. "A heads up where the gangs are, what's happening at the settlements, agreeing to collect and store some of our scavenged materials, even word on where to look next?"

Piper looked dead ahead, "Sure, whatever" she said flatly.

"Hang on a minute," Nate stopped in the middle of the square "is this going to be an issue?" He asked Piper who was still walking towards the hospital entrance.

"We're kinda exposed here," Cait stopped beside Nate. Angry with himself for being caught off guard by Pipers funny behaviour concerning the gun, he nodded and followed after the aggrieved reporter.

"Listen," Nate started, catching up with Piper, "what's going on? It's just a few caps I am investing in a potential source of great intel." Piper had stopped at the door to the Hospital and was still looking ahead, refusing to look Nate in the eye.

"Sure, you're the boss after all," Piper said insincerely.

Nate wasn't sure what to do with the obviously upset and bolshy Piper. He had tried a reasoned approach but that didn't work.

"Alright, whatever this is, Piper, we can discuss later but right now let's concentrate on clearing the hospital, but I need your head in the game," Nate reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder to turn her around, as she was still facing the hospital entrance.

"I said OK, didn't I," she snapped, pulling her shoulder away from his touch and before he could say anything further she opened the door to the lobby of Milton General.

"Fuck!" swore Cait under her breath as she rushed forward to join Piper. Obviously Piper was not interested in checking for sound the other side of the door, or checking whether her colleagues were ready to cover her and so Cait, Curie and Nate had no choice but to rush in after her.

Thankfully, the lobby was still. A large open space with balconies either side going up three floors, Milton General hospital was a mess. The place had that Super Mutant smell and with signature meat bags hung from the ceiling, and the crunch of footsteps that belayed a creature bigger than a human moving about. Piper had paused just inside the door and by the look on her face, she had surprised herself by her recklessness. Nate had no idea what had gotten into her, but he would have to shelve that and address it later, for now they had a hospital to clear.

"Wait, I smell something!" one of the Super Mutants on the first floor exclaimed, coming into view on the left hand balcony.

"What is it?" asked another, appearing on the opposite side of that level.

"Now!" was all Nate said and all four of the team opened up, killing the two Super Mutants before they had a chance to investigate the lobby further. Super Mutants had an incredible sense of smell, despite their penchant for living amongst rotting and decaying meat. Their signature meat bags were of wire construction, like a fishing net, stuffed full of half-eaten carcasses which was then hung on a pole or from the ceiling of wherever these creatures called home.

"You will die!" came a scream from behind the reception counter on the ground floor, as another Super Mutant came running out of a back corridor to engage the intruders. That creature also fell in a hail of bullets. The best tactic to fighting Super Mutants was find a good place with a bit of cover and wait. These creatures were not celebrated for their intelligence and once they heard gunshots, they would all run towards the sound.

Whilst the group was able to lure out and engage six of the creatures with this tactic, the hospital was massive and would need to be cleared. Nate looked over to Piper who was scanning with her weapon, looking through the scope with both eyes open, just as Nate had taught. Whatever she may be pissed at she was all soldier at that moment. Deciding that was good enough for him, Nate signalled to begin the sweep.

The team worked methodically through the rest of the building, often climbing up a level through a hole blasted in the ceiling by some previous battle, now long since forgotten. The final part to the search was the operating theatre, which had been turned into the Super Mutants store and trophy room. Inside there had been two of the green skinned creatures, as well as one of their hounds, and the team had been involved in a long firefight before finally the room fell quiet. A thorough search of the containers dotted around the room, as well as in the rooms around the back of the main theatre, led to a fairly substantial haul of weapons, ammo and armour as well as a few valuable trinkets the Super Mutants had collected. The most interesting of these finds was a Syringer. An automatic weapon that had obviously been designed to fire syringes full of various substances at an enemy.

"Look, there are a number of prepared syringes for this weapon," Curie exclaimed excitedly, being in her element since entering the hospital. She had found and taken real pleasure in explaining what many of the instruments did as they had carried out their search.

"I must take these with me so I can examine their contents and determine their use," she said, almost to herself as she started packing the small needles safely away in her pack. All the way through the search and after the engagement Piper had remained quiet and when Cait cast a worried and inquisitive look towards Nate, he could only shrug his shoulders.

Once the team had packed up all that they could carry they headed out and decided, as it was getting towards evening, that they would stop back at the store they had slept in the night before.

Setting all their kit down in the corner of the first floor stock room, Cait stretched and rubbed her lower back. "That's stuff ways a fucking ton!"

"We can leave it tomorrow and let Cricket collect it on her way past." Nate suggested.

"Nah, I'm alright and if we leave it here it'll be another week before she comes back this way," Cait started rolling her shoulders to loosen them up a little, "just feeling the road a bit on this trip, I'll be fine." She smiled.

"How is your chest?" Curie enquired as she busied herself setting up the camp stove and fire.

Whilst Cait and Curie continued chatting, Nate looked over to Piper. "Can I have a word," he asked and indicated to the stairs.

"Just popping downstairs Ladies," he looked back over his shoulder to Cait and Curie. Cait was sliding off her top to allow Curie a chance to examine her shotgun wound. Curie smiled back in acknowledgement.

Heading downstairs Nate wasn't sure if Piper would want to talk to him about what went on earlier that day, but a creak on the stairs let him know that she was at least following him, which was a start.

At the bottom of the stairs Nate turned to Piper, "Care to tell me what that was about?" Nate asked pointing back towards the Hospital. Piper looked at her feet.

"Nothing," she said in a sulky tone.

"The whole petulant teenager thing doesn't look good on you, Piper, you are way too smart for that." Nate said in a soft tone. "Something is up as this…" Nate held his hands out towards Piper, "is not you at all." Nate paused for a second "I said OK, didn't I!" Nate mimicked a sulky teenager tone "really?" He smiled.

Piper couldn't help but smile as well and she visibly relaxed, her shoulder dropping from the tense and defensive stance she had been adopting. She looked Nate in the eyes and said, "She had my fathers weapon, you know."

Not sure what Piper meant, Nate asked,

"Who had his weapon?"

"Cricket," answered Piper. "Shortly after I arrived in Diamond City with Nat," Obviously finding it difficult to speak about the subject Piper took a breath.

"Go on," assured Nate as he took both of Pipers arms and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

"I remember once asking to see what items Cricket had for sale. When I was looking through her stuff I noticed the pistol that my Dad used to wear on his gun belt. He had this old western style revolver with ivory on the handle." Pipers father had been a member of a local militia in the town Piper grew up in but had been found dead under suspicious circumstances. Later investigation by Piper led to her uncovering the killer and to her becoming a reporter.

"I knew it was his as I would have recognised that thing anywhere. I didn't have enough money at that time to afford to buy it so I asked Cricket if I could have it. She refused. I even begged her to set it aside until I was able to save up enough to buy it from her but she still refused….. she sold it about a week later and I have never forgiven her since." Piper blew out a long breath. "It was just a pistol and only around 100 caps or so."

Nate stood, holding Pipers hands for a long while, Piper looking at the floor. Then without any prompting Piper sank into Nate's arms as she began to cry. Nate enveloped the sobbing reporter wrapping his arms around her; not saying anything, just holding her tight.

Five minutes later Nate and Piper returned upstairs, drawn towards the lovely smell of a cooked meal. Cait and Curie were sat around the fire and as Cait looked up she could see that Piper had been crying.

"You ok sweetie?" Cait asked as she stood and headed to Piper.

"I'm fine," Piper replied managing a week smile "Embarrassed at my little outburst earlier but I'm good."

Cait led Piper to the fire and handed her a coffee. She then turned to hand Nate one who was just behind.

"Thanks," smiled Nate.

"Are you sure you are fine?" pushed Cait, sitting next to Piper and resting her hand on Piper's knee.

Piper took the girls through what she had told Nate, describing her time growing up in the small settlement on the outskirts of the commonwealth and her fathers death.

"What a bitch!" exclaimed Cait when Piper told them of the conversation she had with Cricket over her dad's pistol. "The next time I see her…" Cait fumed.

"Did she ever say why she didn't give you your fathers pistol back?" asked Curie.

"Something about needing the caps," Piper responded bitterly.

"I am not excusing what Cricket did, Piper, but…." Nate took a seat next to Curie and looked over the fire to Piper, "to a poor person, 100 caps is a fortune, people have murdered for less."

"I know, Blue, I know," Piper exhaled. "I thought I was ok with it, I had reconciled myself to the fact that Cricket didn't know me, didn't know whether I would ever pay her, and yes… 100 caps is a lot to a poor person."

"But it was still a dick thing to do," interrupted Cait.

"Kinda like bursting through the doors of Milton General without any cover," Piper looked sheepishly at Nate.

"Yeah, well that was a very un-Piper thing to do wasn't it," Nate agreed, keeping his tone only lightly serious.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Piper remonstrated herself.

"Well we are all safe and we managed to do rather well from the Hospital, so I don't know about you guys but I am going to get my head down as we have a long walk tomorrow." Nate stood, stretched and headed to his unfolded sleeping bag.

"We heading straight home?" asked Cait.

"Oh yes, we have quite a bit of sorting and selling to do. Good night ladies," Nate answered as he turned in.

©Agoodhiding 2023