[SEQUEL TO GUN FOR HIRE]
Chapter 11: Mission Essential Task

Piper crossed her arms and legs as she sat as patiently as she could on the chair, trying not to make any overt looks around the hallway and study the occasional passerby. She didn't understand the Institute's intents anymore, nor could she figure out if they had planned to sweep her under the rug or not. She couldn't afford to show any inkling of fear, no matter how much she trembled inside. She had to keep her head on her shoulders and her wits about her. She idly rubbed her bruised wrist and grimaced at it's throbbing, pulling up her black sleeve to rotate her forearm and inspect how the hand print stretched all around.

That was some insane strength coming from such a deceivingly thin synth. What exactly hid under all that flesh and blood? There had to be something else incorporated in the synth body apart from the wires Luki had pulled from that one lady's head.

"Ms. Wright?" The synth who was apparently in charge of escorting her had turned to her, and gestured to the door they waited outside of. "The Director will see you now."

"The Director?" Her brow arched, and she stood shakily. Her nervous habits got the best of her and she curled her hair behind her ears, following the synth who silently led her into the room instead - an expansive one, far different from the ones she had been allowed to see so far. This must have been considered 'luxury' in the Institute.

No one was there to greet her, however, and she walked up to the wall of windows as she looked down at the atrium. She twisted behind her, only to find that the synth had already left her, and her senses were heightened as adrenaline and danger surged through her bloodstream. Her hand instinctively shot to her hip - to the gun that was no longer there - and her gaze snapped to the first thing that had revealed itself; footsteps echoed and an elderly man presented himself as he walked down the stairs. She narrowed her eyes and valiantly fought off the attempt to snarl in contempt.

Toxicity poured from her tongue regardless. "You killed Nick, 'Shaun'." It was tempting to unleash a verbal assault, but she still had to be careful with where she stepped, and studied where he did. This was an intelligent and likely manipulative man; he could say whatever he wanted and be cunning enough to mask the tell-tale signs of the average liar. "Don't think you can fool me the way you did with Blue. What do you want with me?"

"A second chance, and that chance to say sorry - as well as tell my story."

"What makes you think I want to hear it?" Piper's fists clenched, and her throat began to close in on itself as her eyes burned. "You killed Nick!"

"I did nothing of the sort. I was not solely responsible, but I punished those who were. Do you think I personally oversee every single prerogative of every single division?"

"You can tell me anything you want - and if you don't oversee it, then you make for a poor leader and you're unfit to be one." She bristled when he chuckled and had actually nodded, clasping his wrists behind him as he stepped up to the wall of windows, but kept a safe distance between them at all times. Smart; she may have not had her gun, but she still had her hands and an inordinate amount of objects in here that she could use. She stayed close to a table that had what appeared to be a vase. "This isn't funny," she snapped heatedly, "whether you gave the order or not, my friend died because of your organization. Lots of people on the surface have lost their families because of the Institute. You will never convince me that you have benevolent intentions."

"I promise you that we do. We have humanity's best interests at heart. I will admit that our methods may have not always been the most efficient; I believe that has largely been dependent on perspective as well, however." He turned to face her, and it aggravated her that he seemed to take some amusement out of this debate. "Tell me, in the people we have 'kidnapped', have there ever been any investigations as to who they were, and who they have been replaced with?"

Piper bit her lip. "No. How the heck would we know if you're always trying to hide them?"

"Is the truth always better? If you were to tell a battered wife: we have replaced your abusive husband with a man who should have treated you with respect from the start...?"

"Everyone deserves to know the truth, even if it hurts - because lies hurt more. And she should have left that man behind in the first place."

"Ah, but life is not always so clear cut and dry, now is it? There are many more factors involved than just one. But you see, what may be seen as an outrage in public may be a blessing in disguise in private. That wife no longer suffers from abuse, and instead is treated with respect, loved by the man she had come to love. Do you not believe you would struggle with Mr. Butler, had he - over time - become a man far more jaded than the one you have come to cherish? Had you two not struggled in the beginning because of perspective?"

"Leave him out of this," Piper seethed, itching and inching closer to the vase. "That's none of your business." How much did they know anyways, and how did they come across that information? It was terrifying just to wonder. "You can justify whatever you want, however you want; that still doesn't give you the right to kidnap people or kill them when their interests don't align with the Institute."

"Bettering humanity," Shaun interjected nonchalantly, and she scoffed.

"Yeah. Your definition of it. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe not everybody shares that definition? Why can't you leave the Commonwealth be? Just what have we ever done to you? If you feel threatened, then that was brought on by your actions, and actions have consequences. If you can't understand that simple truth, then all of you here sure are stupid for smart people."

Shaun's raw laughter filled and echoed, bouncing off the walls of this majestic space. It had only flared her irritation, but it had needled her heart when she noticed subtle similarities between this man and John. She crossed her arms and frowned at him. "Still don't see what's funny about any of this."

"Well, I don't deny nor do I disagree with your statements; it's just been a long time since I've had the pleasure and honor of such an invigorating discourse. I do understand you're a reasonable woman willing to talk and hear things out, a quality not many share." He gestured to another table with chairs set up. "That's why I wish to sit down with you for a one-on-one interview. I want to hear the perspective of the Commonwealth, but I also want to share the Institute's perspective of the Commonwealth; the unfiltered truth, and the blurred lines separating science from ethics. I truly do believe we can bridge the gap and clear up any misunderstandings - and I wish for the chance to prove that the Institute does have humanity's best interests at heart."

Piper nibbled the flesh of her cheek, watching him just as closely as he likely watched her. He was just feeding her what she wanted to hear, to tell the story he wished he could tell. Well, maybe there wouldn't be any harm from listening, so long as she kept her guard up. This was a chance to ask the questions and get the truth she had been seeking all these years. She hesitantly approached the table and took out her notepad from her pocket.

"One moment." The Director took off his lab coat to sling over his claimed spot, heading for the stairs. "I do have a portable terminal that allows you to type in it; it may prove more efficient and easier than writing down-"

"I prefer this, thanks." Piper smirked as she made herself comfortable in the chair, and crossed her legs as she stared at 'Shaun' with the eyes of a hawk. "Consider this your crash course on the Commonwealth perspective. Technology isn't always superior, and it can't replace everything. It's like the difference between reading 'the sky is blue' in a book, and looking up at the sky to see all the blue hues yourself." She left her notepad and pencil on the table. "You should give it a try yourself to see what I'm talking about."

The Director took the seat across from hers and eyed the notepad warily, then shook his head. "I must respectfully decline. I do not have my gloves with me."

...That wasn't an answer she was expecting.

"Gloves?" Piper cocked her head in confusion, but took her things back and cradled it protectively. Her face fell flat when the elderly man shared a most honest truth.

"Well, yes. It's come to my attention that not all of your belongings have been sanitized. I don't know where they've been."

"Um..." Just how the hell did one even respond to that? She blinked in disbelief. "You people are seriously weird. You don't actually sanitize pencils down here, do you?"

A weathered smile pulled at the corner of his wrinkled mouth. "You really don't sanitize pencils up there? They are over 200 years old, after all. The amount of bacteria on them is likely weakening your immune system."

Piper rolled her eyes and opened her notepad as she began to brainstorm what kind of questions to ask; but one thing was certain. "I can tell that you're going to be a hoot."

x - x - x

"Why the fuck are you assholes making me do this when you know she's going to kill me?" Leo growled, laying on the couch as he slung his forearm across his eyes to shield them from the glaring light. "What was the point of bringing me... 'Back'? Is this some fucked up experiment to play with my head?"

"It's not an experiment, of course not! We're not that cruel." Adam's perkiness was getting on Leo's nerves, and he already had very little patience to begin with. He was edging on not caring anymore, and contemplating on attacking the scientist; but there were better ways to get revenge. He had enough patience for that. "We believe in justice." A shadow fell over Leo as the scientist's steps trailed closer. He was within choking distance. "But we believe in redemption as well. This is a fitting punishment, don't you think?"

"She's going to fucking kill me," Leo reminded, taking his arm off to glare at the scientist. His skin crawled when there was a penlight out, inspecting the scars on his forearm, and Adam straightened with that damned snake-like smile of his. "Do you know what that means or are you all so fucking far gone in your la la land that you don't know what killing is?"

"I can't speak for my colleagues, but I know what it is. I brought you back from the dead, remember? Well, you probably don't since you were... You know. Dead." He nearly touched his index and thumb together, showing only the slightest sliver of space in between. "You could be just a weeeee bit more grateful to the man who accomplished a rather marvelous feat, if I do say so myself. God would have been content to let you burn in hell; we don't care and we're not afraid."

"More like: plain stupid." Leo muttered, itching to exact justice over Adam's screechy nails-on-chalkboard laughter. "I'm positive your sole purpose in life is to piss off as many people in as many ways as humanly possible. No other fuckin' words for you."

"Your sole purpose won't change no matter how many tantrums you throw or what you say to me," Adam shrugged. He disappeared behind the couch and Leo sat up to watch Adam go to what looked like a little bar, helping himself to a dispenser that shot out some sort of vile green liquid. It sent shudders up and down Leo's spine, and he huffed as he slammed back down on the couch. Not only was he condemned to die again - a second chance, redemption for Piper to do it herself - but he was forced to bunker down with this asshole. Leo was sure he was going to be tempted to take that second chance away and just off himself to speed up the process.

Revenge. Patience. Leo would play along for now, and run a tally for just however many people he found out to be involved in the monstrosity they made out of him. This was no life. This was slavery, and he would rather die. He was a hostage, same as the ones he sold off - and he'd seen the end of that story one too many times.

"You've gone quiet," Adam remarked, and there was something sincerely wrong with how cheerful his next statement was; as if he was flattered. "Are you planning my murder?"

"No." Not yet. "But I am planning on taping your mouth shut."

Adam may as well have danced his way back into Leo's view, holding two cups. He held one out and the sight of the green liquid made Leo gag - even more so when the scientist chuckled and chucked both cups back in the noisiest of gulps. "Fucking hell," Leo rolled on the couch and slapped a hand over his ear to block out the noises. "Nevermind just pissing off people - but you gotta gross 'em out too."

"I wouldn't classify you as people though," Adam reminded with that same signature perkiness that seriously needed to die. His steps echoed farther away and Leo twisted onto his back, grimacing when he glanced over and saw a trickling trail of the green liquid down the side of a cup. "If it'll end your temper tantrum, I can design a voice modulator and a mask for you. She won't know it's you so long as you don't take off the mask or tell her who you are."

That piqued Leo's spirits. Maybe he did have a fighting chance at living after all. He elbowed the arm rest to prop himself, watching the scientist create some other revolting concoction. "You can do that? An actual mask though."

"Are there any other kinds of masks?" Adam lilted over his shoulder, pouring yellow liquid in a bowl. Leo immediately made a mental note to distract the scientist and replace it with piss.

"Well, I dunno. You've done a fucked up job markin' me up. I can see you stitching somebody's face on top of mine."

At that, even Adam shuddered and he turned around, nose dimpling with a repulsed look. Leo laughed.

Good. Good! Revenge was sweet.

"I. Would. Never." The vehement heat in the scientist's voice was... Surprising, actually. Adam slapped a hand over his chest, an offended indignation coating every word. "I sculpt nothing but masterpieces and have honed my craft to the point I've surpassed perfection itself. I could make a new face from nothing with my own two hands, if I wanted to. Those buffoons in the robotics division gloat, thinking they're so high and mighty with their creations, but all they did was design the machines that assemble their synths. There's no finesse in that. No skill. No responsibility or pride behind their projects, but all the fingers to point at someone else if something goes wrong. Case and point, with the Director firing and exiling several scientists in their recent shame of mishandling an old prototype." Adam scoffed and shook his head. "Amateurs."

"That shit is everywhere, though." Leo shrugged. "People will always be quick to blame others, but never look at themselves. It's just how life works."

It's just how he worked.

"Nor will they ever practice to the point there will never be a need to point at someone else - not for mistakes, anyways." Adam held out his palms, his chest puffing with an air of superiority. There was a sickening and almost terrifying glint in his eyes, and Leo's innards twisted uncomfortably at the sight of the rabid dog. It was almost mind-boggling how ambition could trick one to believe that they were a mark rather than a stain. "I've forged my own fate with these hands, and I will surpass God; I dare say I already have, because I've spent the majority of my life fixing His mistakes, correcting every flaw."

...This wasn't just a madman who has lost his reason, but a madman who has lost everything but his reason.

Leo frowned. "Ain't that what bein' human is all about? There ain't no such thing as the perfect human being."

Laughter roared from the tiny man, and then stopped suddenly. Adam grinned manically. He pressed some sort of button on his wristwatch and in a second, two coursers flooded the room. They pinned Leo down before he could even think of fighting or escaping, and his heart soared to beat in his ears when Adam approached with his penlight and a screwdriver. A gloved hand slammed over Leo's mouth and muffled his screams when the screwdriver slowly drilled into the side of his head. This was a nightmare.

"It appears that I need to adjust your eyes - because you can't see what's in front of you."

And Adam was the nightmare that would never disappear upon waking.

x - x - x

Luki lumbered into the bedroom with his head bowed. His gaze snapped to the spots on the floor that should have been stained, but wasn't. "That was fast," he muttered, earning a new level of disrespect - just like the Institute and it's blatant disregard for life.

He was in no position to judge after his blatant disregard for Sarah.

"I was wondering when you'd come back from ass-kissing," Sarah murmured, devoid of any warmth in her tone. Luki braced himself for the coming argument and mustered as much courage as he could to look up, unhinged by the composed woman who sat ever so professionally on the bed with crossed legs and folded hands. How long had she been waiting like that?

"Sarah, you know that I had to."

"And you know that I had to, too. Now that you've given in, they know that that's all it will take to sway you into changing your mind. More innocents will die the next time they ask you to do something you don't want to." Sarah rose from the bed, all calm and collected as she walked to him. It wasn't the ticking bomb that he was afraid of, because there was no bomb. She never exploded - and that was worse. "What if they ask you to kill me, and have a hundred hostages to make sure you'll break in time. What will you do then, Paladin?"

Rank. They were back to rank, even when they weren't even considered to be part of the Brotherhood anymore; they may as well have been their own brand of Outcasts.

"If you believe they'll stop at just infiltration, then you've learned nothing from me. You'll be the mole and catalyst of the Brotherhood of Steel's destruction. The Institute is well aware that our Brothers are a threat, or they'd have tasked us with infiltrating the Railroad instead, or some other organization that-"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Luki broke, bowing his head again as her words sank in. It hurt to hear - not just the truth and rationale, but in that goddamn cold voice. "They killed Piper, Sarah. They-"

"No they didn't. And you will address me as Sentinel."

"Elder, if we really are going to be doing this bullshit," he muttered without thinking, and grimaced as soon as she breathed sharply. He barely managed to lift his eyes, but his head was stiff and frozen on the swivel. "What do you mean they didn't kill Piper?"

"Not the one you know." Sarah's ice-blue eyes were just as disconcerting as they were beautiful, but they were closed off. He couldn't get a single read on her. "I inspected her wound and found wires. You should have known better than that, after they brought in 'Leo'. We both saw and know that he's dead, and you fell for it anyways. High chances are that last woman they brought in was a synth as well - they used all their tools at their disposal to manipulate us, to pit us against each other. And you did."

"Against..." He trailed off, choked off by a lump growing in his throat. The weight of it all was sinking in. Luki instinctively reached for her, but she stepped away from him and strode back to the bed, sitting in the same professional fashion again. She was so close, and so far away; it may have well been the motto of their relationship.

"I thought..." He started, but he was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed, jaw slackened, the fight draining from his body. Guilt nestled in and his stomach suddenly flipped on itself, bile churning. "I'm sorry," he whispered pitifully. "I-I thought..."

"I know. What you did isn't my issue, Paladin."

"Stop with the Paladin," he begged under his breath, too quiet to hear.

"I don't need all the years we've had together to read your mind, because you've always been an open book. You don't have to explain yourself; I know why you did what you did, and I respect that, and I support that you go with your gut. It's always the same reason anytime you do anything - and it's always the same consequence." Sarah fell silent after that, and he scrapped together what little bravery he had left to look up at her, only to be struck with the killing blow the moment he did.

"I'm upset because I have to explain myself. I'm upset because - for all these years and your talks about relationships and futures and trust - you don't trust me. You don't try to find out why I do what I do, you just stand against me. You don't support me. You said you're not the enemy, but neither am I, and yet I felt like I was. I still do."

"You're not," he croaked pathetically, desperately wishing to close the distance. He couldn't last a minute longer under this siege. She was upset, and she had every right to be, but he just wanted this to be over so that he could apologize and try to make it up to her and-

"But that's just the thing. I've always felt like the enemy. If I wasn't on the same page as you, I felt like something was wrong with me. Forget page; I think it's safe to say we're both in two entirely different books." Sarah disconnected from his gaze, and when she had looked down at her own hands, fingers fidgeting, he froze. She had never appeared to struggle. She was always confident and tough-as-nails. She always held her head high, even when she confessed she wasn't even remotely close to feeling that way.

And now, for the first time, he had gotten more reads than he had ever wanted.

"Sar-" he stopped when her eyes cut up and into him, and the icy blues took on new hues as they glossed with a light sheen, twisting a knife into him. "Sentinel," he forced out. "Please don't do this." He approached hesitantly, and her shoulders squared away, stiffer than ever before. "I've made a mistake, but just... Don't let it be my last one. Please. I don't care if we're two different books. I don't care if we're not on the same page. I just need to be in the same room as you."

"It's already too late." Her voice cracked, and there was the slightest warble. He needed a gun to shoot himself in the foot. "You're the enemy of the Brotherhood, and any enemy of the Brotherhood is an enemy of mine."

"Sarah, I can-"

"You can't. The Institute played you and caught you in a trap. It's checkmate, Luki."

...How ironic. Now he actually preferred his rank.

Silence reigned down and Sarah slid backwards on the bed, disappearing underneath the sheets. She'd have ordered him to leave if she wanted to... Right? Whether she would have or not, he wouldn't leave until he tried to reach out to her one last time. He toed off his shoes and approached the bed, lifting and sliding under the sheets. He grabbed her wrist before she escaped out the other side, and in one swift move, she rolled on him instead of away. He felt something bump against his nose, and he grunted as he tried to wiggle out without throwing her off. He froze when teeth bit down on his ear lobe, and two audible clicks flicked light on to life.

His pip-boy.

"If you don't leave, I will." Sarah demanded, withdrawing as she forcibly angled his wrist until the computer's light showed what was on his nose. A... Notepad? He looked up at her, and a thrill surged through him at the sultry smirk all over her face. She shrugged and nonchalantly slid off of him. "Fine, you stubborn jackass. I will."

But before she did, she stole a kiss, passing on the words in the motion of her lips.

"I love you."

And she disappeared.

Luki scrambled for the notepad, hiding it as he threw down the sheets. "Sarah!" He called out, pretending to be heartbroken as he bit the inside of his cheek as harshly as possible to stop the giddy grin that wanted to take over. As soon as the doors hissed shut, he threw a 'fit' and hid under the sheets, going over the notepad. It bore a remarkable resemblance to the one he saw once - in a hotel from... Piper...

Sarah must have lifted this from the synth's pocket then. Luki shook the images out of his mind and hastily flipped to the first page as he shone the pip-boy's light on it. His cheeks ached from how wide he grinned at the comforting sight of Sarah's bloody monotone and boring report. He never thought he'd actually miss these things. He made sure he wouldn't have to ever again.

x - x - x

The Lyons' Pride
Brotherhood of Steel

Mission Essential Task:
Direct Response to the Brotherhood of Steel Threat.

Conditions:
Threats have been identified in/to the BoS. Reports indicate the Threat might be larger than that which internal BoS forces can defeat. Paladin Luki will be infiltrating the BoS' base of operations in the Commonwealth, posing as a double agent of the Institute and the BoS. The company commander has developed a plan to support the operation. Subordinate units/elements are providing current situation reports.

Standards:
a. The Threat is repelled and/or delayed until The Lyons' Pride is relieved by the BoS' tactical combat forces.
b. The BoS is defended with no unanticipated degradation of logistics support of the brigade.
c. The Threat is eradicated with a minimum of civilian casualties involved.

Author's Note

Thank you again Luna! If you don't mind, could you say which specific parts were confusing? I can go back to the chapter and edit/clarify it so it comes across better; it's not at all that you're dumb, it's likely that there's something I just haven't translated properly in the writing since I have all the goodies and secrets in my brain. Thanks again for taking time to reach out to me! I hope to see you all in the next chapter, have a lovely day and cheers :)