A/N: Half a million. This story is, somehow, more than half a million words long. It's been a crazy time writing and we're still a ways from being done. Thank you to everyone who continues to read and enjoy it, I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. To the story though, last week's chapter was a bit of a change-up (hopefully) and another obvious break from the game's story. I won't say much about it here, but this was one of the story elements I think FO4 handled horribly. This chapter is sort of a catalyst for a lot of things that will happen in the future, so I wanted to get it right. I think I did that, but I'll leave it to the jury to decide. Anyway, leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!

Chapter 45: Promises

Standing in the corner of the house Sanctuary had turned into an impromptu prison, leaning against the wall, I had to wonder just what Haylen saw that would make her come to me. Yes, she told me her faith in the Brotherhood, in Maxson, had been destroyed, but to come looking for me of all people… It was an incredible risk, knowing what she does about my "relationship" with the Brotherhood. There's very little doubt in my mind Maxson and his leadership spread stories, images, maybe even paraded the bodies of my victims in front of their people. That kind of propaganda, while not technically untrue, is how those types of leaders rule: give their people someone to be angry at, someone to hate. When they came here, those were Synths. Now, I'm sure I've made the shortlist too. I couldn't say I wasn't at least a little pleased with the possibility.

Haylen also knew I've killed plenty of their people by now. I hadn't kept count, but I'd hit 15 of their caravans and 3 static positions. It was even possible she knew some of them. For her to come here… despite what she said yesterday, she knew I wouldn't shoot first; a Brotherhood Scribe willingly giving themselves up to me was too good an opportunity to pass up, but she had no guarantees I wouldn't torture her. I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind or hadn't constantly been playing in the background while I watched Ellie and Valentine poke and prod at her in a way I didn't have the patience for.

"It still doesn't make much sense to me", Ellie said, sitting beside Haylen with her hand on the Scribe's shoulder. "You were hurt, yes, but it seems like you still care for the people in the Brotherhood."

The young woman, hell girl might be more accurate, she couldn't be any older than me, nodded solemnly. "I do. Like I said, there are a lot of good people", she shot a glare at me, "and- I don't know, I just couldn't keep doing it."

"Huh", Valentine grunted. "It sounds to me like you came here for more than just Danse then."

She offered a weak shrug. "Maybe I did- it's so hard to say anymore. Everything… everything was a lie…" Her voice trailed off into silence.

When I glanced through the large hold in the wall to my left, I saw several settlers carrying material and tools through Sanctuary in the mid-morning sun. I'd spent most of the night before combing every millimeter of the forest around the settlement, looking for a scouting party, a transponder- anything that would suggest Haylen was bluffing.

Nothing.

Alex had brought her a change of clothes, the normal fare for people around here: clean but worn long sleeve shirt and a pair of fatigue bottoms. When I asked to search her clothes, the woman shot me a suspicious glare but she agreed, provided she was there to supervise. Right, because that's something I'm concerned about.

Nothing.

As far as I could see, the Scribe was telling the truth.

And that irritated me even more. It didn't fit in my model of the Brotherhood, of their dogmatism, of their strategies and tactics. I expect them to do something like this, to send a plant that could gather intel covertly. Hell, I don't know 70% of the people in Sanctuary now, any one of them could be an intel officer planted by the Brotherhood. It wasn't likely, considering they weren't on the Brotherhood's map, but the possibility always remained. One of their lower-ranking members risking their lives, risking torture to gather info on me seemed like something they would do but this wasn't that.

"That's completely reasonable, based on what you've told us", Ellie said, voice as soft and agreeable as it had been the day she talked with me. Or 'to me' I guess is the better descriptor. "This isn't something you can shut away or overcome in a few weeks. I've seen what this sort of doubt and uncertainty does, you have to be honest, if not with any of us, then with yourself. You can't beat yourself up though; if you do that you'll only make things worse."

I turned back to the trio as Haylen met Perkins' gaze. "What do you mean? I went along with this for over a decade because I thought I was doing the right thing." Her jaw set and she looked at me again. "I was doing the right thing. But then- then it all changed. It all changed and I just don't know where it changed."

Ellie nodded. "And you can't expect to know. You don't have to figure this out yourself. You're looking for answers, we're all looking for answers." She followed Haylen's gaze to me. "Damon is here because he is too."

My back stiffened and eyes narrowed. Where is she going with this?

"Damon… is looking for answers?"

"Yes. He's here, instead of with the Institute, because they wanted him to do something he didn't agree with. He hasn't told me as much, but I've known enough mercenaries, and even met a few old Brotherhood members, to know orders are orders." She gave me a small smile. "He didn't follow them because he thought it was the wrong thing to do. Damon, obviously, doesn't have the healthiest method for finding those answers, but the fact that he decided to go against everything he's been taught means he's at least trying."

I allowed myself to relax. She hadn't revealed anything important. Whatever Perkins was getting at, as long as that remained the case, she could continue.

Silence fell over the small house, the only things intruding on it were conversations drifting through the open door and multitude of breaks in the walls, and the sounds of construction. Haylen's eyes kept dancing between Perkins and me, a deep frown on her face.

Eventually, the Scribe blinked and looked back at the secretary turned shrink. "So… you're saying I have another reason for being here besides finding Danse, and I'm still looking for it?"

"Yes and no. I wholeheartedly believe you when you say you want to find Danse; he's a superior who seems to have earned every bit of your trust." Ellie offered another gentle smile. "The way you're talking about the Brotherhood though, it sounds like you want it to do something about the things you see wrong with it. Plus, if you only wanted to find Danse, there are plenty of good trackers around you could hire, ones with a much lower profile than Damon."

"I-" Haylen's eyes began shifting between her and me again. "I don't know it's- you think I want Damon's help to fix the Brotherhood?" Finally, her glare settled on me, and some of the fire I'd seen back in Cambridge was there once again. "Damon wants to destroy the Brotherhood. Why would I want his help with that if his solution is to kill all of them? Kill everyone I know, regardless of whether they're good or not."

Ellie's eyes shifted to me for an instant before she turned back to the Scribe. "I don't know, but I think you were looking for something, and Damon is the only person you know who has stood up to the Brotherhood besides the Institute." A frown drifted across her face for an instant. "And I don't think you'd go to them under any circumstances."

"You've got that right", the girl muttered.

"Can you do me a favor, Haylen?" Perkins asked. The Scribe nodded slowly. "I'm going to get you some breakfast, can you give a little thought to how you might want to change the Brotherhood? To what you'd do to fix it? You want it to be the group you joined, how would you get it there?"

"I-"

The secretary cut her off with a head shake. "Not now, I don't want the first thing that comes to mind. Give it some time, think about it. I believe Damon will want to find Danse first and recover Julian, but who knows, maybe you'll come up with something he likes."

Without waiting for another reply, Ellie stood and waved toward the door. "After you two."

What the hell is she playing at? I pushed myself away from the wall and ducked through the door into the bright morning sunlight. Come up with something I like? Change the Brotherhood? This is starting to sound like another Nate, wanting to change the Institute when it doesn't want to change.

Well… except for the splinter group.

The more effective, and less risky, option would be to destroy the Brotherhood. Now Ellie's trying to sign me up for some ridiculous idea to change them? That won't happen with the leadership it has in place. Hell, even if I were to remove Maxson and his Paladins, there's still a two or three thousand strong force with fanaticism shoved down their throats and nothing to control it. That's a recipe for all-out war.

"I'm not surprised you picked up on that", Valentine said as the three of us walked toward the common house. "It was bugging me all last night."

A dozen or so people were bustling around the yellow house, and another few were sitting at the small tables they'd pulled under the carport, eating. I still felt the stares at my back, but they were nowhere near as bad as they'd been for the past few days. I doubt it was trust, but whatever it was, not constantly feeling the aggravating itch in the back of my head was a relief.

Ellie shook her head. "It took me longer than it should have to realize that." She looked up at me. "You're someone every person wants to recruit, and every group wants to kill."

What the hell is she talking about? "What?"

We stopped at the edge of the carport. "You're dangerous. In the Commonwealth, that means useful to most people, but it also means you're a threat to the larger groups. It seems like Haylen wants to use that to fix whatever she feels is broken in the Brotherhood, even if she doesn't know it."

I cocked my head. "So you want me to help? Shooting people is a lot easier than getting an entire organization to change."

"For you, yeah", Valentine said, smiling. "But most people are better at talking than killing."

Talking? You think talking to Maxson or the Brotherhood's leadership is going to change anything?

"Talking won't do anything."

The detective frowned. "You don't think I literally meant talking, did you?"

He didn't? "What did you mean then?"

"Wait-" Valentine blinked. "You thought I meant I wanted to waltz into the airport and talk my way through their problems?"

Was that what I'd thought he meant? I…

A roar of laughter burst from the old Synth and he clapped me on the arm. "Dammit Damon", he said between fits, "I don't mean to be rude but that was a bit much, even for you."

My jaw set as I felt everyone in earshot turn to look at me and pulled my arm away from the detective's grasp as he continued chuckling to himself. Ellie was glaring at him disapprovingly, but he didn't seem to mind.

After a few more minutes, Valentine calmed himself and glanced at Perkins. "Oh don't give me that look, the guy could use a few people laughing at him from time to time. Everyone here walks on eggshells when he's around." He smiled at me. "I knew you back when you were a way bigger asshole than you are now. If the folks here met you back then, I can't imagine how they'd react to you."

Back then? He says it like we've known each other for more than a few months.

"Nick", Ellie said, an irritated frown plastered on her face, "sometimes I wonder if the circuits in there are connected properly."

The detective shot her a lopsided grin. "Do you think I'd be this charming if they were?"

"'Charming's' one way to put it", the secretary muttered as she turned to head into the common house.

As she did, Valentine turned back to me, face grim once again. "In all seriousness though, finding a… less destructive way to deal with the Brotherhood would be a good idea. We have enough issues around here as it is without an all-out war taking place."

An all-out war is what the Brotherhood wants. "Not going to happen."

He cocked a brow. "What do you mean?"

I pulled the small, handheld radio from its pouch. "That's what they're here for. I've spent the last month monitoring their comms", which were incredibly insecure.

Valentine looked from me to the radio and back.

"Damon…" he trailed off, letting out a deep, tired sigh. "I know your type: see problem, fix problem. Your brand of that involves a lot of bodies. Don't you think, sometimes, taking a minute to step back and look at something might give you a better idea of what to do?" He shrugged. "Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here, but it might make things easier."

Have I taken time to step back and look? Isn't that what I've done for the last month?

My mind replayed my 'activities' since the Institute tried to kill me. Have I been? Really? Looking back through the last month, it seems like I've been doing a lot of the same? How do I change that though, what do I do differently?

"What do you mean?"

"I mean- you're a soldier, right?" I nodded. "I don't know a whole lot about military history, but I know enough to know soldiers are more concerned with whoever's on the other end of their gun."

That… isn't strictly true, but I think I know where this is going.

"It isn't your job to look at the bigger picture. You're playing a different game now, on a different scale." The Synth shrugged. "Don't take offense to this but, if you want to do this right, you're gonna have to change how you do things."

I cocked my head at Valentine. I have to give the detective credit, he isn't one to mince words.

"It's something I've been thinking about."

"Great!" Nick exclaimed just as Perkins re-emerged with a plate of food. "Now you just have to let someone else help out with that and you might get somewhere."

Let someone else help? "Uh-huh."

Ellie cleared her throat as she walked by. "We should get back to Haylen before he breaks you in half." I smirked. She was clearly irritated with her partner. That type of irritation doesn't pop up all of a sudden; the way she said it sounds like she's been dealing with that annoyance for a long time.

"If he didn't do that the night after we killed Kellogg, I doubt he'll do it now", Valentine said, winking at me as he started after the secretary (who was looking more and more like his boss).

Yeah… I followed. That hadn't been a good night.

"But can you do me a favor, big guy? Let us do a little more digging before you make up your mind here."

Make up my mind? "You haven't given me any reason to change my decision yet."

Nick glanced at me. "Which is?"

"Get Julian back, capture Danse, figure out everything I can about the Brotherhood."

"Sounds peaceful", he said, snorting.

I grunted. "It won't be."

"No shit."

We returned to the house and, inside, Haylen was still sitting in her chair, but she had her elbows on her knees and face buried in her hands. She looked up as Ellie entered and offered her the plate full of fresh fruit and some sort of meat.

"I know what I want to do", the Scribe said. "We-"

"Eat first", Perkins interrupted. "We aren't in a hurry."

Haylen's eyes grew wide. "Yes! Yes, we are!"

Ellie shook her head. "If you're in a hurry, you'll make a mistake, and with everything you're risking, you can't afford to do that. Whatever you've thought of, give it a few minutes to process." She studied the slender girl. "And a little food would do you some good. It looks like you haven't had a full meal in weeks."

The now ex-Brotherhood scribe glowered at her, then me, before slowly taking the plate from Perkins. "It's been a few weeks."

"Then the food is definitely in order." The brown-haired woman found her seat once again and smoothed the wrinkles in her ever-present skirt. "Now would you mind telling me a bit more about Paladin Danse?"

Apparently now she had a full plate of food in front of her, Haylen decided she was incredibly hungry. It took four mouthfuls for her to finally answer.

"He's strict but fair", she said, still working on her last oversized bite of Mutfruit. "And one of the best fighters the Brotherhood has."

I remembered the first night we'd met back in Cambridge when they were fending off a horde of feral Ghouls. Maybe I surprised him, but the man didn't last more than a few seconds.

He did get a few shots off.

… Maybe, but had Nate not intervened, I still would have killed him.

And? That doesn't mean he's a bad fighter.

"Had… I guess", Haylen continued. "I- I don't know how he could be a Synth. After I heard the news, I looked into his past, at least as far as our records go, and everything looked fine. Hell, we even had information on him from before he joined the Brotherhood."

Is this the attitude everyone in the Brotherhood has? The Institute's been gaining the upper hand despite the Brotherhood having far more combat power. Obviously, a lot of that was due to the… unique nature of the Institute's infrastructure, but their technology is just as responsible.

"Forging that documentation would be easy."

The Scribe's eyes shot to me. "You think I didn't check to see if it was?"

I shrugged. "You think you have technical expertise on par with the Institute, a group that can make artificial humans?"

She blinked slowly before her gaze drifted back to the food in front of her.

"But… if they can do that then how do we know who to trust?"

Now she gets it. That's why so many people are so distrustful of the Institute: they can put a Synth, someone indistinguishable from a regular human, wherever they want, and no one would know. In a society like the Commonwealth, that's an incredibly dangerous tool, and one of the few things I agree with Maxson on. There was something she was missing though.

"Maxson was smart enough to get an informant inside the Institute."

All three of the room's other occupants twisted to face me.

"He did what?" Valentine asked, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "How?"

I shrugged again. "Not sure. They assaulted the Institute shortly before I was ambushed, it would have had to have happened then." I motioned back toward the common area. "Andrew thought he was being helped by the splinter group in the Institute working with the Railroad to smuggle Synths out. He'd been set up by the Brotherhood's group to be captured."

"Oh…" Haylen said, uncertainty on her slender, ashen face. "I- I heard rumors about that, but the Paladins were keeping it on the down-low."

"That's something we can worry about later", Ellie interjected. "There's nothing we can do about it right now." This time, I was the subject of her irritated glare. "So you want to save Danse because you trust him."

The Scribe hesitated a moment before nodding. "And I want to find out the truth. I want to know how he could be a Synth after having been in the Brotherhood for so long."

"Do you think he knew?"

What was Perkins trying to do here? Hadn't she wanted Haylen to eat, to keep her from thinking about whatever the hell she's going to ask me to do? Why focus on Danse like this?

Haylen shook her head. "No clue."

With a nod of her own, the secretary fell silent and let Haylen finish her food in quiet. As she did, I noticed the scribe had unwound. She'd been on the verge of leaping from her seat when we first got back, now though… she looked like she was thinking. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was about.

"So", Haylen said as she set the empty plate aside and wiped her hand across her mouth, "I think I know what I want to do."

I cocked an eyebrow behind my visor. She knows what she wants to do.

"Lay it on us", Perkins replied.

The scribe's brow furrowed. "Well, you're right, I don't know exactly what I want, but I need someone who can help me figure that out. The first person who can and would do that is Danse." Her eyes locked onto mine. "You're the second."

Would? This time I cocked my head at her. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you want to win this fight don't you? And put as few people at risk as possible?" She shrugged. "I think Julian for Danse is a fair trade, but I don't think you need a reason to help me with the Brotherhood."

Valentine shot me a smirk. "Just for the rest of us", he said, "what does that look like? Him helping you?"

"I… that's something I still haven't figured out yet. All I know is I need to figure out what I can do to change things."

I'm not the right person to ask that.

The detective leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful frown spreading across his face. "So you need to know how you can change people's minds." He nodded. "Damon's right about one thing, with the sorta stuff going on in the Brotherhood it won't be as simple as talking your way through it; you need someone who can stand up to Maxson." The Synth glanced at me. "Someone a little more charismatic than our friend here, obviously. Someone the Brotherhood already respects."

A strong leader to counteract a strongman leader. Oh, I know exactly where he's going with this.

"The only people who might be able to inspire that sort of support are… the… Paladins…" Haylen trailed off, eyes growing wide. "You think Danse could do it? I don't know if that would work. After it came out he was a Synth, I don't think anyone would follow him."

Valentine smiled. "You did. How do you know there aren't others who would have?"

The Scribe's mouth formed a small 'O' before drifting shut.

"He's right", Perkins added. "If there are people like you who trust Danse, even if he is a Synth, they've probably had their resolve shaken the same way you did. Not everyone has the strength to act on it, but if the doubt exists, your commander would be the perfect person to pull at whatever cracks might exist."

And here they are again, signing me up to drag someone else with me across this goddamn wasteland to find a lost person. How the hell had all this happened? I just came back here to get Andrew to the Railroad, and now I'm getting pulled back into another insane scheme.

Any more insane than taking on the Brotherhood and Institute alone?

Yes.

That's a lie.

I felt the others' eyes fall on me.

"So?" Valentine asked. "You're the one who has to make this call. You wanted to go after Danse anyway so…"

Am I really the one making this call?

"I need more information. Do you know where he would go? Wherever it is, do you think no one else in the Brotherhood would look for him there? What kind of effort are they putting together to find him? If you're going to help me get Julian back, you can't be seen with me. A goal without a plan is useless."

Haylen cleared her throat. "I don't know for sure where he is, but I know where I might be able to find a lead. We had a fallback position if we got separated, Listening Post Bravo. No one in the Brotherhood knew about it besides us and…" her eyes fell to the broken floor. "And since they didn't interrogate me, I doubt they did with Rhys either. If he didn't tell anyone, no one else would know about it."

An official installation? That seemed far too obvious. "Why would he go there now? Is it a Brotherhood position?"

She shook her head. "No, it used to be an old military radio station, but it hasn't been used by anyone in a long time. To anyone else, it's just another pre-war relic. We stocked supplies and weapons there. It's well hidden, hardened, and defensible. I know Danse better than anyone, if he wanted to hide out somewhere, he'd start there."

That sounded almost too good to be true. If this position was truly as ideal as it seemed, it would make a lot of sense for it to be a fallback position for an isolated squad. Now it would make a lot of sense for him to hide there.

"Where is it?"

"Uh…" She frowned. "It's about halfway between here and the airport, in the woods north of the city."

That wasn't very specific.

I turned to Valentine. "Do you have a map?"

A few minutes later, the detective returned with a foldout table and area map. It wasn't in the best shape and encompassed probably close to 1000 square kilometers, but it would work.

"Here", Haylen said, pointing to a spot about 20 klicks southeast of Sanctuary. There were no marks to signify anything was there, but that didn't mean anything if this outpost was meant to remain hidden.

"It's hard to tell on this map, but it's in this area. The outpost is basically just a bunker. It's set in a narrow ravine."

The more she talked about this potential hideout, the more convinced I was it would be a fantastic place to hold up. That also meant, if anyone in the Brotherhood knew it existed, it's one of the first places they'd look.

That doesn't mean I don't search it, that just means I need to be fast and quiet about it.

There was something else I didn't like about this: accepting everything Haylen's said so far is true, this operation is time-sensitive. I can't afford any sort of delays.

Which means, if I'm talking about mission objectives, I have to prioritize finding Danse over recovering Julian.

Goddammit.

Forcing Haylen to help me with Julian won't work. If she's gonna go back there and somehow reintegrate enough to get me close to the kid, she has to do it willingly. Besides Danse I don't have any leverage over her and, if I'm being honest with myself, she looks like she's about ready to go after him herself. On top of that, if Valentine's harebrained scheme works, recovering Danse and using him to destabilize the Brotherhood would only make things easier.

Goddammit.

"Here's how this is gonna work", I said, fixing Haylen in my gaze, "you and I are going to find Danse. If at any point I feel you're crossing me, you die." There were a few more days before the settlers finished preparing Sanctuary with the changes we'd decided on, so they wouldn't need me for now. "We're heading out tonight, pack provisions for a week. If we find him, he isn't staying in Sanctuary, this place doesn't need a target on it. He'll stay in the Vault", I nodded toward the fallout shelter. "After he's back, you help me figure out how to extract Julian."

Haylen nodded. "And what about figuring out how to change the Brotherhood."

I shrugged. "Not my area of expertise. Someone else can figure that out."

She chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking from me, to Valentine, then to Perkins. The detective didn't seem interested in arguing, and his assistant nodded.

"Okay. That works for me." She offered a small smile. "Thank you for doing this."

"I'm doing it to get Julian back."

"I know", she said with another nod. "That doesn't change that you are doing it. And for what it's worth, I think doing it to get Julian back is admirable. He's a really good kid."

X

"You're giving me a gun?" Haylen asked as I held out the HK-33.

"You aren't any more dangerous to me with this than with your bare hands."

She cocked an eyebrow, but still accepted the rifle. The 5.56mm rounds the thing shot would take a while to dig through my shields and once they did, they wouldn't do anything to the armor underneath. All that was assuming I stood still and let her empty magazine after magazine into me.

"If we're doing this, I'd rather have you combat effective."

We were standing outside Nate's house turned armory. She was dressed in the same shirt and fatigues Ellie had given her that morning, but now with what looked like a recreational vest and a worn brown jacket over it. She stuffed a half dozen magazines into her vest and hefted her satchel of food and water. The sun was beginning to set over the hills to our west which meant it was time to get moving. She didn't have NVS, but the sky was clear and it was a full moon tonight; there should be plenty of light for her to work with. Our little journey should take about four hours. That left about six more to recon the area, make contact with Danse or find clues to his whereabouts, and get out. I have no clue if the Brotherhood is searching the area for him, and I don't want to find out.

"Okay then, if you insist…" she said. Her tone didn't sound all that reluctant.

As I led her toward the front gate, I couldn't help but wonder how I kept getting roped into dragging people with me around the Commonwealth.

To be fair, Haylen did make it up here from Diamond city without being followed. She's obviously smart, resourceful, and determined.

So was Nate, and he still got us into trouble.

That was two months, this should be one night. Hopefully.

Yeah. Hopefully.

Preston was on watch at the post nearest the gate. I'm sure that was complete happenstance.

"You sure about this?" he asked, trotting toward us. "Another babysitting session?"

I shrugged. "No, but now that you've blown my plans, I'm making it up as I go."

"Your plans sucked anyways."

Right. "If we aren't back tomorrow morning, we'll be a few more days."

The former Minuteman snorted. "Right, right." He glanced behind us at the settlers still bustling around Sanctuary, working on the changes to their fortifications. "We're gonna send a few groups out to some of the smaller settlements. The Finches have been setting up a perimeter around their farm, and we've had a dozen or so folks move that way. I think that area would be a good place to start gathering more people." The dark-skinned man smiled. "Not much room left here. Kinda crazy when you think about it."

On that, we agree.

"I left a note with my radio frequency in Sturges' shop", I said. "Don't use it unless there's an emergency. I don't need anyone listening in on me, and you don't need the Brotherhood learning I'm here yet."

Preston cocked an eyebrow. "Got it. What about the Institute?"

"They won't attack. Not yet. Andrew might be a problem, but no one knows he's here. We need to keep it that way for now."

"Agreed", he said with a nod. "Well don't let me keep you. You've got places to be and people to kill."

Uh-huh…

Haylen followed me through the front gate and across the bridge. As we made it to the southern side, I glanced down at her. "Knowledge that you and I are traveling together to find Danse won't be getting back to Maxson."

She frowned at me. "Meaning?"

You need me to spell this out? "If anyone sees us who might report it, they die."

The Scribe stopped, glaring daggers into my visor. "I'm not killing any Brotherhood members."

I shrugged but didn't stop walking. "If they find out you're working with me, I lose my best chance at Julian."

After another few paces, her feet began drumming across the broken concrete to catch up with me. "You're a real asshole, you know that?" she muttered under her breath. Maybe she thought it was quiet enough I wouldn't hear.

"So I'm told."

With the sun fully submerged behind the horizon by the time we were immersed in the forest of trees, somehow stubbornly clinging to life, I switched my visor to NV and its twilight wash chased the encroaching darkness away. Haylen trudged through the underbrush quietly behind me. Her steps were softer than Nate's, probably because she couldn't have weighed more than 50 kilos. Whatever the reason was, not worrying about a tagalong drawing attention with every step they take was a relief. Hell, I was even able to maintain a reasonable pace. That gave me the time to halt our journey every 10 minutes or so to double back and perform a sweep. Just like before, there was nothing.

As we crept through the wilderness around what was left of the city, occasionally climbing rock shelves or avoiding isolated houses, the usual wildlife made its appearance. It was almost as though this place knows when I'm trying to stay quiet and throws whatever it can at me to make the 'quiet' part as difficult as possible. Thankfully, Haylen knew when to stay out of the way. More than that, she managed to dispatch a few wild dogs of her own with some quality CQC work.

When she caught me watching her bring the butt of her rifle down on one's head with a sharp crack, she shot me an annoyed glare. The Scribe didn't say anything, but the implication was clear enough.

"I can fight too."

Maybe she's gotten better since I put a bullet in her chest. Or at least the armor plate over her chest.

With less than a klick to go, it was just reaching 0130. We'd made good time, which was refreshing.

After another rearward scout to ensure we hadn't picked up a tail, I crouched beside Haylen, eyes still scanning the forest.

"You recognize any of the landscape?"

With the relatively bright moonlight filtering through the thin canopy of trees our surroundings were at least navigable, even without NVS.

She nodded after a moment and pointed toward a large rock outcropping set into the side of a gently sloping hill maybe 400 meters northeast of us.

"It's just past that", she whispered. "The ravine is on the other side of the hill there."

Well… that sucks. Besides the rocks, that hill face was barren. If someone was smart enough to trail us from a distance, we'd be out in the open with no cover for at least 50 meters.

"Is the surrounding area as open?"

Haylen nodded again. "That's one of the reasons we chose it."

Of course it is. Fine…

"When we get to the base of the hill, you're going to take cover while I recon the area." I hefted my rifle. "Don't get any bright ideas."

"Right, because I came all the way out here just to lure you into a trap", she whispered, shooting a deadpan glare my way.

I shrugged. It wasn't a bad strategy, especially since they haven't been able to track me down to this point. Granted, her finding me in Sanctuary was happenstance, but she had been looking for me.

'Planning session' over, we continued toward the base of the hill, dealing with another small pack of emaciated-looking dogs on the way. Once we reached it, Haylen hid in the rocky outcropping while I slipped up the hill and began scouting the area. Leaving her on her own when I have absolutely no reason to trust her didn't seem like the greatest idea, but I'd honestly rather do that than drag her along while I do my recon. Escorting someone across the Commonwealth was one thing, sneaking around a target location with them was entirely different.

A different I have no intention of dealing with.

Haylen hadn't been lying when she said the area was largely barren. Besides the occasional group of rocks or lone trees, there was nothing to provide visual or hard cover to anyone approaching. When I crested the top of the hill after ensuring the area around it was free of any potential traps or recent human traffic, I instantly saw why they decided on Listen Post Bravo as a fallback position.

As far as fortified structures go, I don't know if I've seen one in the Commonwealth as sturdy as the radio station. It was built into the far side of the ravine, with what looked like extremely thick concrete construction forming the entrance. It was likely the outpost had an alternate escape route leading into the hillside as well, but that didn't matter much here. If Danse is inside, getting there undetected was the goal anyway.

The ravine itself offered little cover as well, which was another plus for this position. Yes, there were occasional breaks in the rock walls that would provide protection, but those were separated by voids across open ground that would be lethal to most attackers. The setup made me wonder if this installation was really just a simple radio station. It looked way too defensible for that.

Question for another time.

Right. I have a job to do.

Satisfied the way in was clear I slipped back down the hill to where Haylen was hiding.

"Clear", I whispered as I reached the bottom edge of the rock outcropping.

While she extricated herself, I scanned the surrounding forest for any signs of a threat.

Nothing…

Over the last few days, I've seen a whole lot of 'nothing' when, considering the moves I've made, I should have the Institute or Brotherhood (or both) on my ass. Yet here I am, chasing down another HVT, neither in sight. My luck isn't this good. Something's going to drop.

Entering the ravine's entrance was a big no-go for me, regardless of how clear everything seemed. Taking that for granted, getting sloppy is how you wind up dead.

We climbed to the top of the hill and skirted down the ravine's edge until we were directly over the outpost. There were more than enough features in the steeply sloping rock face to downclimb to the channel's floor and, after a few moment's hesitation, the Scribe followed.

A few minutes later, we reached the ravine's floor and I waved her away from the entrance. This area would be almost impossible to conceal tracks in. The dirt ground was firm and rocky, any attempts at disrupting footprints would be as obvious as the footprints themselves…

I crouched to get a better look at what seemed to be a single pair of boots heading toward the entrance. It was impossible to tell what tread made them, but they were clearly footprints. Judging by the rounded edges and indistinct pattern, they were at least a week old. Unless I was off the mark, that fits Haylen's timeline for Danse's disappearance. On top of that, there were no return tracks.

As much as I wanted to be encouraged, if there was an escape route inside, the lack of a second track heading in the opposite direction didn't mean anything.

No signs of a rigged door, but that didn't mean anything. Any competent person wouldn't leave any giveaways and, as much as the Paladin annoyed me, Danse is certainly a competent fighter.

Time to try one of my newest toys.

Reaching into a pouch, I pulled two small cylinders out, about 5 centimeters in diameter and 3 long. It was a mixture of aluminum, iron oxide, and a small magnesium igniter. Thermite isn't explosive, but it will melt through damn near anything.

There were small adhesive strips I'd lined the front face with and I affixed the two pucks to the door just over the latch. The ignition wasn't the most complex and innovative thing I've come up with, but sometimes in the field you just need it to work. To ignite the magnesium, which would start the reaction, I had fixed a piece of flint to the rear cap, and a small, abraded rod to a string. Pull the string, it would make a spark and start the party.

Once I was finished preparing the charges, I waved Haylen away from the door and followed her to about ten meters, unwinding my 'detonator' as I went. She took cover in a narrow alcove and I positioned myself in front of her to shield the Scribe from any potential blast.

With a quick jerk, I set off the small thermite pucks and the brilliant orange light flared into the dark ravine, illuminating the walls in dancing yellows and oranges. If there was anyone within a klick, they'd see that.

Hopefully, we'd be gone before they showed up.

A few seconds after it started, the light waned before dying completely. I couldn't see the holes, but that was a long enough burn to dig through two or three centimeters of steel.

I motioned for the Scribe to stay put and slipped over to the opposite side of the ravine. Sure enough, the charges had done their job; the door over the latch was slag and I could see through the hand-width opening into the bunker's interior. There was no detonation, yet, and no light came out either.

The door was slightly ajar now, opening outward toward me. The gap couldn't have been more than a few centimeters, but it would at least allow me to search for any traps.

… Nothing.

There were no wires, no bars, no pressure switches… Nothing.

As promising as the idea of Danse hiding out here was, it looked like a bust. If the Paladin was trying to hide from the Brotherhood, I'd think he'd at least rig the door.

No point staying out here worrying about it. I waved to Haylen and she crept over while I approached the door.

One more check to make sure I hadn't missed anything, I pulled it open and the rusty hinges groaned quietly as the steel door swung wide.

Still nothing.

Clearing the large room beyond as I entered the bunker, the only thing that greeted me was what looked like a defunct radio station. There were consoles, receivers, several computers, an ancient-looking server, and a dozen or so desks arranged neatly around the 10-meter square space. Everything had a healthy coating of dust.

Except for the floor, which was covered in crossing bootprints. They were all the same size and tread.

And they were recent. More recent than the ones I'd seen outside.

The door creaked again as Haylen swung it shut behind us and I moved further into the bunker. It appears she was right, Danse was here, or at least he had been. There was no sign of the ex-Brotherhood soldier besides the bootprints.

"This way", the Scribe whispered and walked past me into the large room. She weaved through the desks and workstations, heading toward the far side of the bunker and another door. This one was already slightly ajar.

There were still too many unknowns, she shouldn't be taking the lead, but she was already pulling the door open when I reached her.

"We stored our supplies in here. The door was shut when we left. Danse has been here."

Inside was another, smaller room with shelves lined with supplies. Most of it was old and rotting, like damn near everything in this wasteland, but a pile of packaged food, what looked like medical supplies, and several laser weapons were tucked into the rear corner.

"Some of the stuff is missing", Haylen said excitedly. "Danse was definitely here." She studied the supplies more carefully. "He took a laser rifle and enough food for a month. At least." The small, slender girl turned to look up at me. "He could be anywhere by now, and with those supplies, he doesn't need to come out of hiding for a while."

So he didn't use a secure location he knew his subordinates could lead the Brotherhood to but still stopped by for a resupply. He'd stayed here for at least a few days, considering the footprints I'd seen in the main room. Had he come here intending to stay, then left once he realized this position may be compromised? If Danse was in the wind, with no leads and no tracking infrastructure, finding him would be damn near impossible.

Haylen knelt next to the sorted supplies and began rifling through them. Was she looking for something?

"What is it?"

"This is all moved around, mixed up. When we left it here the first time, it was organized better than this…" she trailed off as she lifted a plastic-wrapped box. "Danse… did you…" Setting the package aside, Haylen reached down and picked up a small, rectangular cartridge I'd come to identify as a 'holotape'.

The Scribe snapped to her feet and made for the door.

"This wasn't here before. Danse had to have made it", she said excitedly. I followed her back into the main room and she stopped at the nearest computer terminal. It didn't seem likely but… as soon as she tapped at the keyboard, the screen booted.

"We chose this outpost because it has still functioning solar panels and a battery bank built into the hillside above us. It's small, so I doubt it was meant to provide anything more than auxiliary power, but it's kept the batteries charged", she explained.

As soon as the computer was finished starting, she pushed the holotape into a port on its side and text began scrawling across the screen.

"Haylen and Rhys. I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening, or why it's happening, but I'm not sure what to do now. I have no intentions of betraying the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has been my life as long as I can remember, the people in it, my family. If one of you has come here looking for me, whether it be in service to Maxson, or in search of answers on your own, I've left instructions in the bunker's emergency exit. It is behind the large shelf on the far side of the storage room. The passcode is the day we lost Franklin. Again, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, or anyone in the Brotherhood. As unprofessional as it is, and potentially self-harmful as a meeting might be, I hope to see you two again."

"Danse", the Scribe whispered. Even with her voice low, it was thick with emotion. Her slender face was twisted in pain, and she looked like she was holding back tears. "I'm sorry too…"

What she was sorry for, I don't know but-

Something caught my attention, a noise at the edge of my hearing.

And again.

It wasn't footsteps, or at least I didn't think it was. The sound was soft, almost indiscernible.

There was something outside the bunker in the ravine.

Then the gentle scraping noise of something sliding over the loose dirt outside. It was slow, soft, and deliberate. Someone was outside the bunker in the ravine, and they knew we were here.

Pulling Haylen away from the computer, I motioned for her to take cover from the entrance and sighted on it. There's an escape route, and she knows the code to it, which means I don't need to engage whoever this is, but I also want to know who followed us.

Whoever it was continued creeping closer. It was impossible to tell how many there were with the multitude of sand and gravel crunching underfoot.

Five seconds.

Our uninvited guests continued getting closer to the door.

Three.

The footsteps stopped.

Two.

I heard a soft click that, after years of experience, anyone would identify as the spoon of a grenade.

One.

A small, cylindrical charge sailed through the door.

Flashbang.

I turned my head away from the device and squeezed my eyes shut. It burst a half dozen meters from me and, even through my eyelids and polarized visor, I saw the brilliant flash illuminate the dark bunker interior.

There were only two groups that use flashbangs: the Brotherhood and Gunners.

And the Gunners don't operate this far in the middle of nowhere.

As soon as the light faded, I was back in my rifle's sights-

Just in time to see the first pair of Brotherhood soldiers race through the door.

Oddly enough, neither were in T60.

Both of them dropped as, without the power armor's protection, the high velocity 7.62mm rounds turned their heads into massive, dark explosions of blood, bone, and brain.

Haylen.

Pulling a concussion charge from my belt, one of the charges I was supposed to use on the Railroad, I primed it and flung the small device back through the door. I followed it with a half dozen rounds to keep any enterprising soldiers at bay before turning to the computer.

The non-lethal explosive detonated as I yanked the holotape from the computer and clenched my gauntleted hand around the small box, crushing it into dust.

With another few rounds through the door for good measure, I turned, grabbing the Scribe by the collar of her jacket, and dragged her into the store room. I have about 20 seconds to figure this out, and at the end of that 20 seconds, she was either going to open the emergency exit, or she was going to have a knife in her throat.

She set me up. I knew this was a possibility but… goddammit of course this was too good to be true. There are still uses for her though, and getting upset about this wouldn't get me anywhere.

I flung the slender woman into the pile of supplies and slammed the storeroom door shut behind me.

"What's going on?" she demanded, rubbing at her eyes.

"Those are your people outside."

The Scribe stopped and stared up at me, wide-eyed. "What? The Brotherhood's here?"

Yanking my knife from its sheath, I brandished it in front of her. "You have 15 seconds to open the emergency door or you and a lot of other people are going to die."

"Wait- how." Haylen squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head violently. "Okay. Okay."

Climbing unsteadily to her feet, the Scribe stumbled her way to the shelf Danse had indicated in the holotape.

She's… cooperating? She's helping me escape?

The shelf was too large for Haylen to move, so I trudged over and yanked the rusting hulk out of the way. Sure enough, another steel door was behind it, a keypad set in the concrete wall. Her fingers fumbled at the numbers and she kept rubbing her eyes. We'd been moving around in the dark for the past five hours. That's the worst-case scenario for taking a flashbang.

I don't have time for this.

"What's the number", I said, pulling her away from the keypad. She yelped in protest. No response came and, when I turned back to her, the Scribe was doing her best to glare at me while still rubbing her eyes

"Number", I barked.

"... 10112287."

As soon as I entered the last digit, I heard a latch click and pushed the door open. Beyond was a mostly bare rock tunnel with regular steel supports receding into the darkness. With no light from the sun, even my night vision struggled to illuminate anything more than a dozen meters into the exit.

"Move."

The Scribe hesitated a moment longer, glancing back at the door as footsteps pounded into the bunker. The dilemma played out across her face: she didn't want to think of the Brotherhood as someone she had to run from, as an enemy. I wasn't about to give her the choice though.

I grabbed her arm and shoved her through the exit into the darkness beyond. She barked something at me, but it didn't matter. What matters now is getting out clean.

After I slipped through, I pulled the shelves back into place and swung the door shut. As it closed, the latch clicked. If we're lucky, we have a five-minute head start.

"They knew we were here?" she asked, voice a mixture of irritation and worry. "How?"

She wants to play dumb, that's fine. I'll figure this out once we're out of danger.

With as dark as it is in this tunnel, if Danse had actually left a clue as to his whereabouts, it would be damn near impossible to find it. There's always a possibility that holotape was a plant to sell this ambush, but on the off chance it wasn't, I'm not about to let carelessness ruin an operation.

Retrieving another chem light, I cracked it into life, bathing the rocky passage in sickly green.

And there it was, a small pouch resting beside the door.

Haylen noticed it at the same time and went to reach for it. I blocked her and tucked the pouch into my MOLLE belt.

"Move."

She shot me a look that was probably a little more concern than irritation before nodding and heading further into the tunnel. As we walked, she was careful to keep her hands away from the rifle I'd given her. It was a nice gesture, but I didn't care. With the light stick in my left hand, I held the MK18 in her general direction with my right. I seriously doubt she's stupid enough to try anything without backup, but that cuts both ways: she's smart enough to set up a secondary ambush.

The tunnel wasn't very long. By the time my five-minute allotment had ticked off, I saw light spilling through… something a few dozen meters away. When we reached it, I realized it was moonlight seeping through an overgrown thicket planted in front of the tunnel's exit. Not a bad way to hide something like this.

"Stop", I ordered and the Scribe halted a few meters away from the opening.

I tossed the light back up the tunnel before creeping forward and peering through the dry, unhealthy-looking bushes.

Outside, the exit was spitting us out on the north side of the hill Listening Post Bravo was set into. It was maybe 350 meters from the bunker which, unless the Brotherhood had managed to establish a perimeter almost a kilometer in diameter in less than 20 minutes, should be sufficient. I wasn't going to take that for granted though.

Pushing through the undergrowth, I did one more sweep of the area. No Vertibirds, no patrols, no ambush.

One could almost believe Haylen hadn't been involved in what just happened.

Almost.

"Out."

Haylen followed the order and, as I herded her forward, we began heading northwest, angling away from the bunker and our pursuers. I have another hideout set up about five klicks north of here, and the two of us need a little… privacy to discuss what just happened.

X

"What the hell?" Haylen snapped as I shoved her through a door into the half-collapsed barn I'd set up as a resupply point. She stumbled and fell to the dirt floor in a heap, panting heavily. With the Brotherhood nearby, I made her keep a pace that almost had her running through the rocky hills and dense forests. The risk of being followed was too much to abstain from my normal practices, so she had to suffer through my usual speed, not that I felt bad about it.

Right now isn't time for sympathy, it's time for answers.

"The last 20 minutes wasn't-" she continued but stopped when she turned to find me kneeling in front of her, knife in hand once again. The small, slender girl tried her best to hide it, but she shrank away from me, hand going to the HK-33 still on its sling despite her earlier discipline. It froze a few millimeters from the pistol grip.

"I didn't do that", Haylen said quietly, voice almost controlled. She sounded calm except for the slight edge that betrayed her.

"I didn't do that." It's a little difficult to believe when someone says that at this point.

"Convince me", I replied, voice low.

Her jaw tightened, and despite the evident fear, the Scribes eyes never wavered from my visor. "Why would I? If I wanted the Brotherhood to ambush you, why would I wait until you were in a defensible position? Why wouldn't I report you were at Sanctuary? It isn't like they don't have the forces to overrun the settlement. They may be well defended, but they're small."

"You knew if I found you, I'd search you. Having a radio would be a dead giveaway. Setting up a pre-planned ambush is a much cleaner, effective way of doing it."

"But how would I know when we'd be there?"

I shook my head. "You don't have to. It was a radio station and you told me it has backup power. Rig one of the transmitters to send out a signal when we arrive."

The Scribe swallowed as her eyes shifted from me to the knife in my hand and back. Her nerves were getting the better of her.

That's good. Right now, the only use she is to me is information. If she's working with the Brotherhood, I can't trust her to help me get Julian back. Without that, her only use is intel, and I don't need her cooperation to get that.

"Okay- okay wait", the now wide-eyed girl said. "You want me to convince you I had nothing to do with the ambush, but anything I say- you don't have any reason to believe me." I nodded. "Then what do you want?"

"You to come up with something I will believe."

She blinked. "How?"

"That's up to you."

"I…" Haylen trailed off, eyes darting between my visor and the knife again. "Why would I do this? Why would I go through this trouble? None of it makes any sense, there's so many things that have to go perfect for me to set this ambush up and in the end, we- you escaped. Planting the holotape, planting whatever Danse left for us… If those two things really are plants, why wouldn't we have had people waiting in the tunnels instead? Or, if they weren't plants, why would I tell you the door's code? We were trapped."

It was my turn to blink. That was a completely reasonable argument. Push comes to shove, I break the emergency exit door down or fight my way past the Brotherhood forces. Neither of those things would have been on her mind at that moment though.

So accepting she didn't set the ambush up… what do I do next? Continue looking for Danse? If the Brotherhood weren't there for me, they were there for him. They don't have whatever clues the Paladin left since those are now tucked into my belt, but that only gives me a head start. They can cover a lot more ground than me with a few thousand soldiers and air support.

"Fine", I said, standing. "You're safe for now."

Resheathing my knife, I pulled Danse's package out and opened the drawstring. Inside-

Inside was a map.

A motherfucking map.

As I unfolded it, there was a mark on it about 30 klicks to the north.

"There's no way", I muttered. A map? A map? With a mark on it?

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." That's something I heard Fourier say once. I have no clue what it means, but… somehow it seems applicable here.

"Wait…" Haylen said, still gathering her breath. "Just like that? We're done?"

I glanced from the map down to her. "I said 'for now'." Truth be told, her explanation was good, and I couldn't come up with any reasonable objections. Playing the attack back, if they were coming after me, it would have been a lot harder than that, and I seriously doubt they would have sent people in without power armor. At least not the entry team.

Haylen stood, staring at me with more than a little uncertainty in her eyes.

"Does this location have any significance?" I turned the map to face her.

"I can't see it", she replied, worry melting into irritation.

Night vision. Right.

Cracking another chem light into life, I held it over the map. She didn't study it for more than a second before shaking her head.

"We never went that far north. I don't know what's there, but if Danse is hiding out in the area, possibly waiting for us, we need to go. The Brotherhood might not have this information, but we don't know how long we have."

It was 0330. There were still about three hours of darkness left. I hadn't established any supply points or hideouts that far north either, but odds are, if Danse was hiding up there, specifically waiting for one of his subordinates, the Brotherhood wouldn't either. I hadn't seen them moving that far away from the city anyway, and they wouldn't have a reason to, the Institute being here.

There was no way to be 100% sure Haylen wasn't working with the Brotherhood, but the circumstances in which this situation was a setup were… more than a little far-fetched.

Looks like Sanctuary will get a few more days' break from me.

With the map folded and tucked into its pouch again, we exited the crumbling barn and began north through the woods once again. Haylen's step was lighter, and she stayed further away from me than she had before. She didn't know if I believed her, and that made her nervous.

We maintained a quick pace through the rolling hills, so much so that, after another half hour's march, the Scribe was panting again.

"Stop", I said, waving her to a halt at the edge of a small clearing. "Five minutes."

The slender woman shot me a glare "I'm fine-"

"I don't need your heaving to give away our position." We were just under ten klicks north of the bunker. The Brotherhood couldn't set up a perimeter that large, but there's no point taking the risk we'll be found.

She held my gaze for a moment before turning away and pulling a bottle of water from her satchel.

"You could be more cooperative, you know", she muttered after a few seconds of silence. "We're out here together to find Danse."

Cooperative? "I'm as cooperative as I need to be."

Haylen snorted. "That's a great way to look at it. 'People might hate being around me, but I get the job done.'" She turned back to me. "I came to you asking for your help. I'm not with-" the Scribe paused, a troubled frown flickering across her face. "I'm not with the Brotherhood right now."

"All I have is your word."

"How else am I supposed to get you to trust me?"

That was a good question. The people I trust… I've known them, most of them, since I arrived here. How did I come to trust them? Just time? That didn't seem like a very good reason. Events that happened? That might be a better explanation, but how would I come to trust Haylen if she's worth trusting?

I don't know.

"We'll see what happens."

The Scribe opened her mouth like she wanted to respond, but after a few seconds of silence, it drifted shut and she nodded.

A few minutes later when we resumed our march, the question was still lingering in my mind. How did I come to trust the people in Sanctuary? If I had to guess, it's because they've always been frank with me. They were wary of me when we first met, but as they grew more comfortable they came to trust me. They treated me like, well not like a regular person, but they at least treated me like a person.

Distant gunfire sounded to the southwest as we climbed down another rocky hillside. It wasn't our Brotherhood attackers; this was conventional firearms, and it was in the wrong direction.

How did I come to trust Nate? Months of trudging back and forth across the Commonwealth and a dozen fights. And… maybe a few more personal details.

But then there were the kids. I'd trusted Cass almost immediately. Was it because she was so young? Was it because of the position they'd been in?

I glanced at Haylen as we took another short break an hour and a half into the journey toward Danse's new position.

So I'd come to trust different groups of people in completely different ways. If I had to say which situation was closest to Haylen's, it would be Cass, Tommy, and Julian's. She was lost, separated from the only home she knew, trying to find answers to questions she didn't know to ask.

Then images of how she cared for the three of them when I first found them, and when we brought them back to the Prydwen, flashed through my mind. Her determination when talking about the Brotherhood, and the good she thought they were doing. The confusion and loss in her eyes when she'd arrived in Sanctuary. Our first meeting in Cambridge when she tried to convince Danse to cooperate with Nate and me.

We restarted our march once again, weaving between bark-stripped trees. Surprisingly, we hadn't encountered much wildlife along the way, and what we did was generally limited to smaller animals that scurried into the darkness as we neared.

If it isn't necessarily the circumstances that drive me to trust someone, is it the person? If it's the person, of anyone else in the Brotherhood, she's proven the most trustworthy. Maybe the only one who's trustworthy. If she's telling the truth, and she left because she realized what was happening, that's only more reason to trust her.

Attack at the bunker notwithstanding, nothing I've seen thus far would suggest that isn't the case.

But then there's the chance she might betray me, whether it's when we find Danse, when we return to Sanctuary, or when I'm trying to rescue Julian. What if the betrayal turns out worse this time? What if it gets people in Sanctuary killed? What if it gets Julian killed?

As trustworthy as she might seem, it was impossible to know for sure, and that's what concerns me. What happens if I trust her and I guess wrong?

I'll just have to wait and see.

By the time the sun began brightening over the eastern horizon, we were 25 klicks north of the bunker, far enough that, provided we hadn't picked up any pursuers, we were clear of the Brotherhood.

After one last break, we began the final leg of the journey toward where we would, hopefully, find Danse. I have very little doubt the Brotherhood knows I was the one in the Bunker, and they know I'm tracking their AWOL Paladin. They're going to be trying to figure out how I found out about him; they've been smart to keep it off their comms. Depending on how Haylen left, they may deduce she's the one helping me.

Dammit, now I'm putting an even larger target on Sanctuary. I'll have to figure this out once I find Danse.

A little over an hour later, we were nearing Danse's mark on the map he left us. We were deep in the countryside now, the husk of Boston disappearing over the southern horizon a few hours ago. Occasionally, we would come across a small town or development but, for the most part, his area was rolling hills and what was left of a forest.

And then it wasn't.

As we crested a hill just south of our intended location, I found myself looking down on what seemed to be a military base. Or it had been one a few hundred years ago. The kilometer square construction consisted of a few hundred houses on one side, and several buildings that looked similar to Fort Hagen on the other. The entire thing was ringed by what used to be a perimeter fence and several checkpoints on roads leading into and out of the base.

It was situated in a small valley, the gently sloping hills around it free of trees, rocks, or any other potential cover or sightline obstruction.

"This looks like the place", Haylen muttered as she stared down into the shallow valley.

She was right, it did. With the relatively secluded location, a multitude of places to hide, and plenty of well-fortified positions, it would be a fantastic spot for someone to stay who didn't want to be found. At least not without knowing someone was looking for them.

Haylen took a step forward to begin down the hill-

Motion caught my eye.

I grabbed her shoulder. "Wait."

Scanning the base below us again, I saw movement again, this time in a very different spot. Then another. If Danse is in there, he isn't alone.

"Go", I order, pointing to a small collection of boulders to our right. We slipped into cover and I pulled my rifle up to get a better look into the base. The scope wasn't as powerful as I would have preferred, but it would work.

As I studied our target, I saw more and more signs of movement and even a few of inhabitation. There were a few recently burned-out fires throughout the houses, one still lit near the southern perimeter-

Then I noticed the subtle firing positions set up on our side of the base. It was similar to Sanctuary: holes in the sides of buildings that seemed a little too deliberate, and several of the checkpoints and watchtowers with reinforcements that were obviously put there recently.

After a few more seconds of study, I spotted the first person: a large man tucked into one of the watchtowers, cradling a bolt action rifle, wearing the signature leather and iron cladding of a Raider. It didn't take me long to spot another. Then five more. The more I scanned the base, the more of the sadistic bastards I saw. Before I knew it, I'd lost count at 94, and there were still plenty more.

Shit.

"This is a bust", I whispered. "Raiders."

I felt Haylen's eyes dig into me from my right. "What? Raiders?" The alarm in her voice matched her expression when I turned to meet her gaze.

"This looks like a stronghold."

"Is this where we're supposed to find Danse?" Alarm was slowly turning into panic.

It was, but just to be sure, I pulled the map out and looked it over once more.

"Yes."

Her wide-eyed stare shot back to the base. "What if Danse is in there, what if they captured him?" I watched her neck tighten as she forced herself to swallow. "I've seen what Raiders do to people. I- I can't let that happen to Danse." She met my gaze again. "We have to make sure they don't have him. If- if he's-"

"Rushing in there is a bad idea", I interrupted. The sun was climbing away from the horizon now, the deep red beginning to fade to orange. So much for getting this done quickly and getting back to Sanctuary. "We wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

Wait for what? She can't be serious. "Recon, gather intel on numbers, armament, patrol patterns, figure out if Danse is actually there."

I looked down on the military base that, now I knew Raiders were there, I realized was swarming with activity. This wasn't a small operation, this is the largest Raider band I've seen by an order of magnitude.

"No! We need to get in there. You can get me in there, we need to find him!" Haylen's voice was full-blown panic now. She was struggling to control her breathing and, when I glanced her way, her entire body was trembling. "If he marked this place, he's here, and if he's here, it means the Raiders have him."

Why does everyone think that's how I do things? That, just because I can take a few bullets, I can dive head first into any fight? "That isn't how I do things. If we want to succeed, I need time to scout and plan."

Haylen threw up her arms. "So, what, we sit on our asses up here while they may be doing who knows what to Danse?"

"We don't know he's here", I repeated. "And yes, you're going to stay here while I scout the perimeter." If I'm going to do this, I don't need some newbie screwing things up, especially against a force this large. There were enough people and, probably, firepower here to give Maxson cause for pause. I'm not Maxson, but I'm also not stupid. Besides, this wasn't just about Danse anymore. I need to figure out why there's such a massive Raider gang operating in this area. Have they been here for a while? Is this a newly established base? Are they trying to move down into the Commonwealth? More questions need answering now and rushing in isn't how I get them.

The Scribe shook her head. "We'll wait and scout, but I'm not staying behind unless you tie me to a tree, and I don't think you want to do that." I cocked my head at her. "If I'm tied to a tree, it'll be difficult for me to hide or defend myself from anyone in the area."

Of course she has to make this difficult. She was right though; if I didn't restrain her, she'd probably get up to something stupid, and if I did I risked compromising her.

I hate when people force my hand.

"Stay close, do exactly what I say or I will knock you out and tie you to a tree."

She nodded curtly. "Works for me."

A/N: So yes, a very different setup from the FO4 story. Like I said, I always hated how they handled it. There were so many different things they could have done at this point with Danse, who is a veteran, well respected member of the Brotherhood. But no… it comes down to a simple, short mission that doesn't have any real repercussions on the game world. It's basically just a morality check: are you a terrible person? That, like many other things in the story, short-changes what it could have been. So I changed it! That's all for this week, I'll see everyone next time!

Next Chapter: 7/15, A New Threat