[SEQUEL TO GUN FOR HIRE]
Chapter 1: Bad Ending

Flames crackled gently and Piper hugged her legs to her chest as she rested her chin on her knees. She watched the closed subway door, heart closed off to the occasional muffled curses. Her gaze panned to Luki who sat across the fire, stirring something inside in a cooking pot. He remained quiet as ever, and she hid her smile behind her forearm as she studied him; he was far more bulkier than Garrett, as if buffout was part of his daily diet. One of his arms looked more like a tattoo sleeve, but what she found most peculiar was the lack of a tattoo on the forehead.

This gentle giant had a story, and she finally succumbed to temptation as she scooted a little closer. "I've noticed you don't have a tattoo on your forehead like the others."

Luki looked up, a subtle smile dimpling at the corner of his mouth. "The Gunners didn't trust me enough for the initiation. I was doing probationary time to earn it."

"Cutthroat mercenaries didn't trust you?" Piper snorted a laugh and drawled sarcastically, "what, were you too nice for them?"

"Something like that." The dry delivery had her wondering if he was joking too or not, and he grabbed the cooking pot with rags on each handle to lift it off their makeshift cooking stand. He set it aside with a shrug. "I used to be in the Brotherhood of Steel. I served in the Capital Wasteland and at the time, my mission was to inject myself into a mercenary band called the Talon Company to spy on them. I disagreed with the decisions the Brotherhood of Steel made as a result of my intel, so I was... Persuaded to leave. I was forthright with my history when I traveled to the Commonwealth and stumbled on the Gunners."

"So they think you're just spying on them for the Brotherhood or something? But the Brotherhood isn't here."

"Well I was spying on the Talons, so I understand the precautions imposed on me at the time. The Gunners are a lot more organized and have secured many places of tactical value, as well as troves of pre-war equipment and robots; even giving up a location of one of the armories would be a devastating blow if that arsenal went to the wrong hands." A well-spoken and intelligent gentle giant; in another world, she might have been having thoughts about this one instead of Garrett. Luki was forgetting something critical though: that arsenal was already in the wrong hands. "The Brotherhood is here now, by the way. Didn't you see the airship that came in a week ago? Maybe you were still in captivity with the Sergeant or something."

They both stared at each other, and Piper's anxiety flared at the thought of a militant force conquering the Commonwealth. If it wasn't Institute kidnapping people, it was angry people yelling at everyone and drafting people into the military. She didn't want Nat to be forced to join soldiers and sacrifice her life for who knew what. Piper groaned and buried her head in her hands. "It's like everyone decided that the Commonwealth is the place to screw up and turn into Ground Zero."

"Amen to that," Luki chuckled, "at least it keeps things interesting if all the parties are here."

"Only if you're a gun-toting bloodthirsty maniac."

Silence fell, and Piper looked up to get a closer look at him. She sighed when he still wore his thin smile. Right. She was talking to an ex-soldier who would rather work for mercenaries than a military, and she got a taste of the ruthless beast hiding inside that gentle giant when their hostage refused to talk. She glanced at the subway door and hugged her knees a little tighter, torn as her heart begged to change her mind.

"Leo's not going to... Um... You know...?"

"No. He's not that kind of guy, trust me. I've been with him for a long time. You don't have to worry about yourself either, but let me know if he forgets himself and keeps flirting. He just likes to push the rank's buttons, but he shouldn't anymore now that the Sergeant is... Well... You just let me know if you ever need anything." Luki took out a stack of noodle cups from one of his packs, then submerged the ladle in the cooking pot and began to fill the bowls with stew. He got up and walked around the fire to hand it to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, holding the steaming bowl to warm her hands as she gently blew on the surface. She glanced at the subway door again. "So what do you think he's still doing in there?"

"Flirting to annoy her to death. He's always been a big believer of the charm offensive."

Piper laughed. "Yeah, I can see how effective that can be. I'd like to think I'm patient - more than most anyways, and he still got pretty close at getting some words."

"Only words? That's admirable discipline you got there, Ms. Wright."

Chuckles were shared, and she was grateful that he made an effort - however obvious - to keep the mood light and stress-free, warding the bad thoughts and worries away as time often had the habit of imposing. She sipped at her stew and picked out the chunks of meat with her fingers, humming as an assortment of pleasing flavors and spices engulfed her mouth. Where the heck did he get spices though?

"This is really good," she muffled in between chews, covering her mouth when she remembered her manners. It was cast away when she looked at Luki. "What's in it?"

"Salisbury steak; Leo found a couple boxes at your house. Hope ya don't mind us going through your stock of food."

Piper shut off, shaking her head as her face fell as flat as her voice. "It's fine. Better us than real thieves breaking inside once they see the place is abandoned." She took out a pack of cigarettes as soon as she hoofed her stew down, her fingers quivering as she tried - and failed - to strike a match. She didn't say anything when Luki came around and struck one, helping light her cigarette. She covered her eyes and sucked on her smoke as if her life depended on it, wishing the hand that squeezed her shoulder was the man in her memories.

"Yeah, gimme a minute. Got 26 seconds left on the steak. Well 22 now. 20. 19..."

x - x - x

"How much gear can I requisition and what kind of aid do I have at my disposal?" Gat wandered around the armory, frowning when all he could see were rows and rows of energy weapons. He turned to his torturer-turned-negotiator. "I don't want any of these weapons, I want my own guns back. All of them. Not a single one better be missing or have your shite stink all over it."

"Do not push your luck, Mr. Butler." The negotiator turned to two other men wearing long black trench coats; their eyes reminded Gat of the place mat arsehole. Cold and sick. "Fetch his belongings." One of them left without a word or acknowledgment, and the negotiator turned back towards Gat. "You can requisition as you see fit, but know that our quartermaster will go over your order and determine if it is a reasonable request. You will have a handler assigned to you who will communicate daily on your progress, and you may speak with him about whatever aid you require; however, if I may humbly offer a fair warning..."

So polite for a fucking prick who tortured him and his sister yesterday. Were all the freaks in this place this fucked up?

"Keep in mind that the Institute has employed you because our bureau fully expects you to be capable of handling this on your own. Is this not the case, Mr. Butler?"

There was a threat hidden in there.

"I can handle it." No. No he couldn't. "Just trying to get a handle on my position here too. How will I know my family will stay safe, and how long do I have on this job?"

"You have a week. The Institute saved your family, by the way. Consider it a courtesy and gesture of faith in your abilities."

"Saved them?" Gat seethed, turning to glare at the negotiator. "You kidnapped them and-"

"The entire company you and your father owed money to has been eliminated. No survivors. We have not bothered taking them to the Institute; we are not a landfill."

Fear locked Gat's muscles down. All those years, all those debts... Gone. No more slaving away. No more selling slaves. He could breathe easy that his niece could finally grow up as a normal gal, and that nothing was ever going to happen to his sister ever again. No more torment. No more going to sleep at night, wondering if it was going to be the last night. Gat didn't think, didn't care; he knew Piper would hate him for what he was about to do but... Was the Institute really that bad? They could have done worse. He swiftly approached the negotiator with arms wide out, only to stop when the second man by the door drew a laser rifle. Gat held up his hands in surrender.

"Relax, mate... I just wanted to show my appreciation. You know what hugs are, right?" He didn't, until a certain woman taught him. "Y'did me a bigger favor than y'know."

"Save it. I do not do 'hugs', especially from filthy surface dwellers," the negotiator remarked coldly. "You can show your appreciation by not wasting my time anymore and get started on your mission. I will escort you to your handler and he will give you a tour of the facilities you've been granted access to. Additionally, you will aid him in his research."

Research. One word, and Gat knew how his story was going to end.

A bad ending, just like Cowboy.

"Boss. His family is gone. Mercenaries never keep prisoners for long, you know that yourself. And scientists? That means fucked up experiments."

Gat narrowed his eyes, posturing bravado he hadn't felt one bit of. "What kind of research?"

x - x - x

"Alright, I got new intel!" Leo proudly announced as he kicked the subway door open, startling his companions awake. He grinned at the sight of the Boss' hair sticking out in all sorts of amusing angles. It was a dang shame a stunning woman like that was all alone in her sleeping bag. The Sergeant better shape up and return soon, if he expected to keep her all to himself; not that Leo thought he'd be the one that would get to keep her next, but Luki seemed real chatty around her. It better be for the right reasons, and not for the Wright reason.

"Did she give up Gar-" the Boss suddenly stopped, struggling to stifle a yawn. She pushed herself up on one hand and rubbed her bleary eyes. "Gat's location?"

"Oh. No." Leo's joke turned for the worst when the woman looked absolutely miserable, flopping back down on her bag in anguish. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and exchanged worried glances with Luki as Leo warily approached the Boss' willow frame. "She just told me to go fuck myself."

"That's not new intel," Luki quipped dryly, but their attempt at humor fell short when the Boss hadn't budged. She curled into a ball instead.

"When is Blue going to come back?" The frail whine was too much to bear, and Leo sighed as he sat at the dying embers of their campfire, listening to the Boss' voice crack and warble as she struggled to stay stern and strong. She wasn't going to fool them, but it was a good try. "We can't sit here and do nothing. Every minute we waste means the Institute could be doing who knows what to Gat."

Leo took out one of his revolvers and idly spun the chamber with his thumb, biting his tongue as the Boss continued to rant and despair. He exchanged another concerned look with Luki, who blinked exaggeratedly at him. Leo shrugged though; he didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. Why was Luki always dumping that shit on him? Their asshole and nice guy routine needed to be saved for the times it was actually needed, not the times where it wasn't like they'd get any useful information for themselves.

"We can still stage my kidnapping, can't we? The Institute may recognize you two, though, so if you have any friends in the Gunners-"

"The Sergeant might already be dead," Leo blurted, and winced. He reluctantly glimpsed over and groaned when the woman appeared as if she was on the verge of tears. Luki lumbered off the subway bench and walked over to her, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The harsh truth was out. There was no use pulling punches now. "So it's up to the General now and what he wants to do with all of this. His family comes first; that's the job I signed on for."

"His family might already be dead too," the Boss spat bitterly, her eyes glinting in the dim subway with broiling fury. "So what the fuck is the difference?" She rocked forward on her heels and snapped up into standing, unholstering her gun as she marched for the subway door.

"She's not going to talk," Leo sighed, "we've tried everything."

"She doesn't have to talk with her mouth."

Her cryptic reply left both Leo and Luki puzzled, but they scrambled to follow after her. She opened the subway door and aimed her pistol, pulling the trigger before Luki reacted in time to stop her. The gun was holstered without another word and the Boss stomped to the corpse, glassy eyes wide and face stricken in last minute fear.

Leo whistled at the shot, dead center between the eyes. "Nice aim, Boss."

Silence answered him, and the echo of her boots as they squished and pattered in the growing pool of blood. The Boss frowned as she toed the corpse's head to roll to the side and knelt to inspect the exit wound in the back. She looked up at them, but her cold gaze zeroed on Luki. "See if you can find some tools and a rag. We're going to extract these components."

"Components?" Leo inquired, daring to approach the unpinned grenade when Luki went off to search their gear for what they had. It was only a matter of time before the Boss would explode, and someone had to keep her calm long enough before her emotions got the best of her; the last thing they needed was her to screw up all their plans because of muddled judgment. He wasn't being paid enough to handle this shit. There should be a bonus fee for being the only levelheaded one of the group. "Does she have wires like the crows? Kinda... Looks like it."

"Yeah. As soon as we get these out and get a good look at the parts, we should move deeper into the tunnel or find a different subway."

"Why?"

"Just in case. I'm giving Blue two more hours and then we'll leave a note for him when we get out of here. The Institute could be tracking their synths somehow, and she might have been buying time for them to find us. Search her clothes and see if she has any kind of radio or something that would help her communicate with them; they had to of somehow, if she helped them get Gat."

Well, for someone clouded by emotion, it was refreshing to see she still had a working brain. Leo marveled at the way she could piece things together so easily whilst staying focused on the task at hand. It was no wonder a brute like the Sarge was so protective over her, and easy - easier - to annoy. Luki returned with a scalpel and several dish rags on a rusted tray, kneeling beside the Boss.

"I can do the extraction, if you want," Luki gestured with the scalpel. "I've got steady hands." He set to work as soon as he got the nod to go ahead, and Leo gagged in his mouth when the scalpel sank in, cutting from the forehead to the back of the skull.

"You two have fun," Leo slapped a hand over his mouth and turned away, waving over his shoulder as he made a swift escape. "I'm gonna get some fresh air."

"Me too!" The Boss yelled, clambering after him... Only to rush past him with her hand over her mouth too. The two made a mad dash for the surface - Leo now more so out of playfulness and a glorious sight in front of him as he ogled her ass in action - and he chuckled when she all but charged up the stairs with a vengeance, doubling over and groaning. "That definitely ranks as one of my top twenty worst ideas I've..."

For some reason, she trailed off, a distant look in her eyes. She was doing that more often, spacing out in the middle of nowhere. She didn't strike Leo as an airhead though. Her back hit the wall and she collapsed on her rump, drawing her knees to her chest as her head lulled back. A strained reminiscent smile pulled the corner of her mouth. "I took the words right out of his mouth. Now that he's not here, he's all I can think about; every sweet memory, every time he drove me crazy enough to consider killing him."

"You wouldn't be the first," Leo joked. He sat down beside her, but still left a generous distance between them, respecting her boundaries. He stole looks at her face, a lump of jealousy growing in his throat when she honestly got teary-eyed for one of the biggest sons of bitches to walk the Commonwealth. Why the hell was a guy like the Sarge even allowed to be this lucky? He should be six feet under instead.

Was it wrong to hope the Institute has already killed him?

"Sounds like even if he's not physically here, at least he's still here." Leo tapped the side of his head. "And he's lucky for it. Most girls like you wouldn't even give a guy like that the time of day. The Sarge must've been treating you real nice to trick you into believing that he isn't an asshole."

"No tricks," the Boss quietly sniggered to herself. "He's definitely an asshole." She buried her mouth against her knees and closed her eyes, humming a familiar tune. "He's a demon. He's a devil. He's a doll."

"And you're okay with that? Are you into assholes or something like that? I can pull it off real well, if that's your thing."

"No thanks," she mumbled, "and no, it's not my thing. He's not always an asshole, you know. Well I guess I'm the one who doesn't know; I don't know what he was like back with the Gunners... But I do know he's not like that anymore. It took a long time to get that side out of him, but he's a lot more thoughtful and considerate than he lets on."

This was way too much goody two shoe bullshit than he could handle. There was no way they were still speaking about the same guy.

"Lots of people are for the person they like," Leo scoffed, "but that doesn't mean they're still not an asshole. Did you forget what he said to me?"

"You did antagonize him on purpose; you can't fire shots at someone and not expect them to fire back." The analogy dented his hatred, but not enough to erase it and forget and forgive and move on. The Sergeant was always an unreasonable hardass towards him. Just because he was sweet to someone else - a classy lady Leo would most definitely be sweet on too - didn't mean he was a sweet guy overall. The Boss randomly blew a raspberry against her knee. "And stop flirting with me already." Her gaze narrowed into a glare. "You know it's not going to go anywhere."

"I do. Don't mean I can't have a bit of fun." Leo grinned charmingly, pushing buttons. "You have the cutest little smile when you're angry."

"I'll have the cutest little smile when you're dead, too."

"Ouch! Woooo-wee, ain't you just a firecracker!" Laughter bubbled in his chest, but he repressed it before he gave their position away to any potential threats nearby. He saw a proud little smile tugging the corner of her mouth, and he playfully shoved her shoulder. "Now I get why you and the Sarge are a thing. You're a mean one too, especially when you wanna be."

"Lots of people are for the person they dislike, but that doesn't mean they're still not a good person," her sharp wit retorted lightheartedly, and he chuckled.

"Point taken, Boss. You win." A beat. "He's still an asshole, though. Ten caps says he's pissing off the Institute right now."

Piper laughed, shaking her head.

"Nuh uh. Twenty caps says he's pissing on the Institute."

Author's Note

Welcome to the sequel to Gun for Hire! If this entire chapter was confusing to you and this is your first time picking up this story, make sure you go read Gun for Hire first or none of this will make sense. As stated in the last chapter of GoH, this story arc will explore all factions' pros and cons through different perspectives; so if you're a firm believer that the Institute is nothing but the definition of evil and the Minutemen are invincible to corruption, then this arc may not be something that appeals to your interests.

Thank you Ddastan as always for your review (from GoH ch.25)! You're too kind, and I'm relieved you enjoyed the twist :) Piper in Gunner mode would likely both terrify and turn Gat on lol. But mostly terrify :P

Anyways, hope to see you all in the next chapter! I'm excited to finally get started on this arc as this was the point I stopped at originally before I lost the story. Cheers everybody!