The Lone Wanderer took off her helmet and breathed her first fresh air in...had it actually been that long? But that was as close to something pleasant as could be found.

Reilly's Rangers, Nick Valentine, and herself had been stuck in Sentinel Site nearly as long as everyone who survived had been stuck anywhere else. After fighting their way out of the no-longer-so-Glowing Sea, they made their way to the remnants of Sommerville. Their stashed traders disguises were still sopping and hopelessly irradiated. It took, ironically, nearly until the crater of Gunner Plaza to find air that didn't come with a side of Rad-X.

Reilly dismounted her power armor. "So we're fucked."

The Lone Wanderer reflexively bit down. "No, we're not."

"I'd like to disagree.", Butcher objected.

"No, we are not.", the Lone Wanderer restated.

Reilly took the HELLFIRE POWER ARMOR by the elbow and attempted to guide it away, until the Lone Wanderer jerked its arm away. "Listen. Listen to me. After that radstorm stunt, no one in the Commonwealth is going to listen to us now - Valentine or no Valentine. We're in the Commonwealth, Minutemen home turf, in Ranger colors. We've got the armors but that's not enough to stand against what are least two separate armies of Minutemen and marines under the command of the General. And we've just found out she's vicious enough to nuke her own country when it's ridiculous to do so. What do you think she's going to do to us when they catch us? And how long do you think that's going to be?

"You have to face facts.", Reilly told her as the Lone Wanderer stomped her armor away from her.

"I am facing facts.", the other woman stated. "Fact the first is that we still have to stop the General. If she's pre-war and still willing to fire nukes then who knows what havok she'll wreak. We can't let her take the Capital Wastes. It's the only place left with any hope of a force capable of stopping her. Fact the second - we aren't going to be able to stop her unless we can get back to the Capital Wastes.

"Valentine!", she yelled despite having moved over to him.

"So you think that this old synth is going to side with you and your band of Children of the Atom exterminators?", Valentine put out cautiously as he took out a cigarette.

The Lone Wanderer leaned in. Everything about her seemed like she was going to reach in and grab him, but she paused mid way and tucked the armor's hands behind its back. "Because you have the memories of a pre-war cop.", she reminded. "You will not...cannot let her get away with this. I could have shot my way across the Commonwealth and no matter how much you swore that I would get mine, you would still see her brought to justice. You want me to say that your programming won't let you? Ha! Your soul won't let you. Because if it did, you'd have split on us once we got back to an irradiated Commonwealth that still has all the cover and lay of the land you know and we don't."

Nick was deathly quiet.

"You're being salty when you could be telling us where we can pick off a Minutemen boat to hightail it back to the Capital Wastes in.", she told him.

Nick turned away from her.

But then he spoke. "You aren't getting a boat. They're outfitted with literal cannons. They'd punch a hole straight through your armor."

"Then we'll just have to take a vertibird.", Reilly stated.

Valentine scoffed. "Fort Hagen's the most secure bunker in the Commonwealth. At least, until of the known public ones. You'd get into Vault 88 quicker."

"We need a way back, and fast, Valentine.", the Lone Wanderer told him in no uncertain tone.

The synth turned back and looked her in the eye. "When you get back, you're not going to be playing on the up and up. Everyone here sees that."

"But it will stop her.", she replied.

"You're betting that it will.", Nick more accurately stated.

"And now, so are you.", the woman reminded.

"There's a way. We might not survive. You're definitely not going to like it. But it's probably our only chance.", Nick informed.

The Lone Wanderer smiled. "You said 'we'."