A/N: Well hello there everyone and welcome back to another episode of Wait… Why Is There a SPARTAN Here? On today's edition, we look at our specimen once again out of its element… Bad National Geographic ripoffs aside, the last few chapters were interesting to write and have a lot of repercussions moving forward. Not going to tell you much though since that's what the large block of text below this is for. Anyway, leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!

Chapter 47: The Hardest Questions…

"That isn't my concern", I said as we stopped one more time to allow Victoria and Newton to rest.

Haylen didn't like that answer. "What do you mean it isn't your concern. You want my help, right?"

I did another quick scan of the small, half-collapsed house they'd taken shelter in. The wooden floors were so rotted I didn't want to risk breaking through the floor, so I stayed outside to post watch. We were moving so slow the sun had already broken the eastern horizon and was rising over the trees around us. It was damn near painful.

"You may be compromised now." I shrugged. "I don't intend to turn either of you over to the Brotherhood."

"Well that's a relief", she shot back, sarcasm dripping from her voice, "for a minute there I was worried." Her face grew stern. "That isn't what I care about, what I care about is Danse's safety. Danse's safety and what I can do to help."

"Give me information on the Brotherhood."

The slender woman's frown deepened. "For you to do what with?"

While her question was rhetorical, I wasn't sure what the purpose was. "Wars are won with information."

"Uh-huh." She glanced back at the house. "And you expect me to give you information on the Brotherhood so you can destroy it?"

Doesn't sound like you're their biggest fan anymore. "Unless you give me a viable alternative."

Cocking an eyebrow at me, the Scribe scoffed. "You're open to alternatives?"

"If they'll work."

"And you would be the judge of that?"

I nodded.

"Right", she muttered. "And what's my other option? You gonna interrogate us?"

"I'm open to alternatives", I repeated.

Haylen frowned. "Real great way to build trust."

Trust? I just humped across 50 klicks of this goddamn wasteland, fought the Brotherhood and a base full of pissed-off Raiders to find Danse, and you want to talk to me about trust?

"I got you Danse."

"And I said I'd help get Julian."

That's going to be difficult now. "How would you do that if they know you're working with me?"

Haylen shrugged. "You don't know that? Don't you have one of our- their radios?"

The one that's been silent for the past week? "They learned my having access to their comms was bad for their health."

"Okay, so we need to figure out if the Brotherhood knows I'm working with you."

That one seemed pretty obvious. "There are only two other living people who knew about Listening Post Bravo, and they clearly used the one not here to figure it out."

"Well you're a fan of torture", she muttered.

Because that's believable now.

They never saw her.

And how is that supposed to help?

Plausible deniability.

The Scribe frowned again. "Oh, why did I have to say that?" I cocked my head at her. "Don't- don't worry about it, not yet at least. I'll figure out some way to help you get Julian back, but unless you can come up with some way you can use any information I or Danse might give you without hurting people who don't deserve it, I'm not agreeing to that."

People who don't deserve it… That's an extremely loose term in war and on a battlefield.

I didn't need to make any decision on that front yet.

She fell silent and, after a moment, marched back into the house. We still had a few more minutes before moving out. The position of the sun, barely peeking above the treetops, played hell with shadows in the area. Add in the wind constantly shifting branches and some of the smaller trees, it appeared as if they were writhing around me.

As those last few minutes ticked by, I paced the forest, searching for a tail I knew wasn't there. It would have been almost impossible for any Raider to track us that far without my notice. The same goes for the Brotherhood. Following someone for the better part of eight hours through dense forest and rolling hills was difficult on its own. Doing so without detection is a skill I'm still working on.

Haylen was almost daring me to torture her. I'd never tortured someone I know. Would I do it to get the job done? A year ago- hell, when I arrived here a few months ago, the answer would have been yes.

Now I'm not so sure.

The last two nights, I've been wondering why I should trust her. I still don't know if I do, but I know I can. Any chance she'd been lying about the situation was now gone; the number of things the Brotherhood would have had to control was way too excessive for me to consider it. She's smart, follows instructions (for the most part), took initiative when she needed to, and stayed calm under pressure. If she had done what I told her to do back at the base, I doubt the other three get out alive.

I chose one hell of a time to grow a conscience.

Almost 15 minutes on the mark after they entered the house, Danse, Victoria, and Newton marched out, followed by Haylen.

Leading the group through the forest, I tried to stick to easier terrain, keeping my pace slow enough the two newly freed captives could cope. As painful as it was, I couldn't blame them. Haylen had treated their wounds, but both were still in rough shape. They'd been held prisoners at the base for over a month which, in the Raiders' custody, was longer than I expected most to survive. They'd told her the Raiders had captured them and several others from their settlements in the area when the group pillaged them. Newton came from a small farming community, while Victoria's sounded a lot like Sanctuary without the fortifications.

That only steeled my determination to make sure Sanctuary and its other settlements were properly equipped to handle what was, undoubtedly, coming their way. It wasn't just the Brotherhood now, they have an army of Raiders they'll have to contend with soon enough. Is there anything I can do to head that threat off? Probably not without exposing them to the Brotherhood, or Institute, if they decide to get adventurous. I told Nate I'd burn them to the ground if they went after either the Railroad or Sanctuary, that doesn't mean they aren't stupid, or overconfident, enough to try.

It was another hour before the now familiar sight of Sanctuary came into view. This time, we were approaching through the hills from the north, so the first glimpse of the settlement we caught through the trees was the fortified shack built on the hillside.

"Stay here", I said to the group.

I doubt whoever they had on guard was twitchy enough to accidentally put a round into one of my charges, but I don't need to risk that after the last three days.

Marching forward, as soon as emerged from the trees ringing the post, someone called, "stop there!" from within.

As I followed the instruction, stopping at the treeline, I heard whoever it had been mutter, "oh shit", before raising their voice again. "Sorry Damon, uh, you sort of surprised us."

"There are four people with me", I replied.

"Got it. Again, sorry about the misunderstanding."

Misunderstanding? "You're on watch", I said as I turned to wave the others forward.

Victoria was still limping as they entered the clearing, but it was noticeably better than it had been the night prior. "Danse, stay up here with them", I pointed to the shack.

"Why?"

"I still don't know you're not a threat."

He opened his mouth to protest, but Haylen placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll stay too."

That was fine, except for one thing. I held out my hand. "Guns."

The former Paladin rolled his eyes. "This is a joke."

"No", I replied, shaking my head.

After a moment's hesitation, Haylen slipped her borrowed rifle's sling over her head and handed it to me. Danse wasn't happy about it, but he followed suit a few seconds later.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

Motioning for the two freed captives to follow, I started down the hill toward Sanctuary. The settlement was already buzzing with activity. The new wall was already constructed, and the one running along the river was half torn down. Floodlights were hung on the perimeter, and several others had been placed around the settlement in case someone did manage to get past the defenses.

"Wow", Newton whispered as we crossed the wooden bridge that, while they'd reinforced it, still groaned under my weight.

"You can say that again kid", Victoria said, almost as quietly.

"Damon", a woman I didn't recognize, called from the far end of the bridge- no, that's not true. She's the woman who was on watch at the first guard station when I 'attacked' the settlement. "Come on, Preston and Sturges are looking at some stuff you'll be interested in."

'You need to take a look at this.'

"What is it?"

She shook her head. "No clue, I've been running around all morning."

Of course.

"These two need medical attention and food", I said, waving to the two behind me.

"Gotcha." She turned into the settlement. "Hey, Neil!" A man walking down the neighborhood's street turned to her. "We've got some new arrivals. Looks like things got pretty rough for 'em."

The large, brown-haired man trotted over and stopped beside her. "Sure thing." He smiled warmly. The expression seemed to stretch farther than it should have on his round face. "My name's Neil, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Victoria and Newton", I replied.

"Vic is fine, thanks", the older woman shot back.

Neil cocked an eyebrow at me, but his smile didn't fade. "It's good to meet you." He looked them over for an instant before nodding. "Come on, we'll get you cleaned up and in some fresh clothes. Susan will wanna check you out too."

As he led the two of them toward the commons, Vic slapped the back of my arm. "Thanks for the rescue, Damon."

The other woman turned toward Nate's house and started walking. "Come on."

It would probably be a good idea to refer to her as something other than 'the woman'.

I walked after her. "What's your name?"

"Brenda."

Catching up, I nodded.

"And for the record, I don't hold you putting a knife to my throat against you."

"I don't hold your partners' inattentiveness against you."

Brenda burst into laughter. "That's a good one, I'll have to make sure I let Scott and Carter know."

I nodded again. At least she seemed relaxed, which was good. If I'm going to work with these people, they need to trust I'm here to help, if not necessarily trust me.

When we entered Nate's old house turned armory Owens, Sturges, and Preston were all standing around a table, a half dozen rifles laid across it. They… weren't the standard fare though. They all looked brand new, made from high-quality steel, and no wood furniture. If anything, the weapons looked like my MK18.

"Damon", Preston said, looking up from the table, "I think you'll be interested in these."

He probably didn't mean the rifles themselves.

"Where did you get them?"

"The-"

"The Railroad", Sturges answered for him. His eyes didn't have the same fire they had a few days prior, but he still didn't look all that happy to see me.

That raised more questions than answers. "The Railroad dropped off a few guns and left?"

The engineer nodded. "Yes."

"It was… they said they were from the Institute's splinter cell. Said they came with a message too", Preston said, glancing at the perpetually grease-covered man. "Or at least a quote: "next time, don't let me think you're dead for so long.""

Nate? My eyes narrowed. Nate sent weapons to the Railroad to deliver to Sanctuary.

"These are from the Institute? Did you disassemble them to check for monitoring devices?"

Owens nodded. "The Railroad did when they got dropped off, but I've taken each of these apart. They're clean as a whistle. Twice as shiny."

"Wherever they got these, they were well taken care of."

"Nah", the armorer shook his head. "These are brand new. Metal still has nice sharp edges, no signs of rust, and the work looks top-notch. Unless these were made right before the bombs fell, then sealed in a Vault, I'd say they can't be more than a week or two old."

After depositing the two other rifles with the others in what used to be the kitchen, I marched to the table and picked up one of the weapons. I'm not so sure about his evidence, but the rifle definitely felt brand new.

"How long ago did they drop these off?"

"Last night."

The bolt was polished and slid through the upper receiver without a whisper. It felt smooth and crisp. Same with the trigger. I had to agree with Owens, these are well-made rifles. Very well made. The type of quality I'd expect from the Institute. If I had to guess, it was Li's work in the ARD.

"Did they say why they were giving us new hardware?"

Preston nodded. "Help get ready for the fight ahead of us. Said there'd be more too, as soon as the splinter cell could get us more safely." The former Minuteman glanced at Sturges. "Care to tell us what that message means?"

Not really… "Nate thought I was dead. The message is him saying he's working with Li who's the one running that group." I set the rifle down.

"Is he lying? Do you think this is the Institute trying to trap you?"

It seemed a little far-fetched, but it's possible. "Nate told me he was working with Li. This is him trying to prove that."

Sturges' eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I… appreciate that- Damon, I won't say 'I'm sorry', you don't need to hear that from me, but things haven't changed. I lost it after finding Shaun, after finding out what was happening. That isn't an excuse though. If you're interested, I still want to help you get back to your universe. The Institute needs to change for that to happen though."

He's dedicated to this. He wants my help changing the Institute. Him and Haylen. They want to change their respective organizations instead of outright destroying them. There was a key difference though: while I don't trust the Scribe yet, I know I can trust her. I can't trust Nate. He's already proven he can be manipulated and manipulative. Shaun's shrewd enough to play the long game here. If he already has access to the Railroad, he can hit them at any time. He doesn't have a bead on me though.

"He wants my help."

The engineer looked unsatisfied. "With?"

"He says he wants to change the Institute."

"Change the Institute?" Preston asked. "How does he suppose you do that?"

I shrugged. "Don't know. I don't believe him."

The former Minuteman nodded. "I understand that." He looked down at the rifles on the table. "So what do we do with these then?"

"If they're clean? Use them."

Owens grunted. "They're clean."

"And what about this whole 'change the Institute' thing?" Sturges interjected. "We're talkin' about makin' real change for the better. We can't pass that chance up."

"No", I said, "I don't trust Nate. He's been taken advantage of once, lied to me already, and it almost got me killed." I shook my head. "We can't take that chance."

The Synth's eyes grew hard again. "You're here, ain't ya? Even though you did the same? You think that's just you?"

What, so the aggravating bastard deserves the benefit of the doubt because you gave it to me?

"I don't know."

"Uh-huh."

This conversation wouldn't get us anywhere. I need time to think, but I'm not sure what about. I don't trust Nate and can't trust him. Haylen and Danse were still up at the shack. I need to get them into the bunker.

"Is the Vault ready?" I asked.

Preston squinted at me but nodded slowly. "Yeah, set up with a place to sleep and food for a few weeks."

Good. "Thanks."

"Yeah… just keep me in the loop with that."

"Understood", I replied before turning for the door.

The activity outside was still almost frantic for the relatively small settlement. That was good, they'd made a lot of progress in the last few days.

Nate was trying to prove he's trustworthy again, and he knew the best way to do it. I turned for the north end of Sanctuary.

Dammit. There were so many questions. Too much of this made sense, between Andrew's escape, the Synth's knowledge about Nate's presence in the splinter cell, and now this… Just like with Haylen, it's possible the Institute was orchestrating it, but there were way too many unknowns.

And then there's the fact they didn't know I was still alive. How could they have planned for me to ambush them if they didn't know I was alive? How could they have known I'd leave Nate alive to deliver that message?

The bridge groaned underneath me again as I crossed it.

It made too much goddamn sense. Nate being a part of Li's group made too much sense. If that's the case, and both he and the woman he'd been with, Jessica, were part of the splinter cell, had the guy I'd killed been too?

As my feet carried me back up the hill, I wanted to say I was getting ahead of myself, but I wasn't so sure. Occam's razor and all that. Was it just me being stubborn? Not wanting to trust Nate?

I don't know…

"Damon", Haylen called as I approached the shack. She and Danse were sitting on the small deck the settlers had built into it for entry. "I need to talk to you."

Talk to me? "This way", I said, waving them through the relatively thin forest toward the Vault. "What about?"

"I know how I can get back into the Brotherhood."

"Haylen…", the former Paladin grumbled, footsteps starting after us.

"No- no Danse." She was looking up at me, eyes meeting mine through my visor. "He helped get you back, even if it was because he wanted info and he wanted Julian. He got you, Vic, and Newton out of that Raider base."

"That doesn't mean we need to trust him."

Her head snapped to her former CO. "I know that, but we don't have much choice, and I don't intend to sacrifice friends if I can help it."

When I glanced back, Danse was opening his mouth to respond. I don't want to listen to these two bicker. "What plan?"

Haylen swallowed. "Well…" she hesitated, eyes faltering. "That's the part I'm not a fan of. I'll help you get Julian back, even give you some information on the Brotherhood that might help, but I'm only doing it if you agree to work with me. Like I said before: there are a lot of good people in the Brotherhood, and I don't think they need to pay for Maxson's mistakes."

That sounded more than a little idealistic. It was at least a start and, if all else fails, I still have Danse.

"What's your plan?"

"You were right when you said they'd know only Rhys or I would have known about Listening Post Bravo, but I don't think they know I was there with you. You said you'd torture me if you had to. We…" She trailed off, a deep frown spreading across her face.

That's something I've never been asked before.

"You want me to make it look like I tortured you for the information."

We stopped near the Vault's entrance, the large, sprocket-shaped elevator platform sitting on the hillside.

The Scribe looked sickly as she nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

My stomach twinged. Torture is a tool, a useful one for information gathering if done right.

This… isn't that.

"That seems extreme."

"Oh, believe me, I know. It's the only way it might have a chance to work though." She tried flashing me a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "If they believe you captured and tortured me, they might be willing to let me back in. It's the only thing I can think of."

"It's a ridiculous idea", Danse hissed. "You want to let this son of a bitch intentionally hurt you for no reason?"

The Scribe looked back at him. "Yes. I do. But it isn't for no reason; this is to hold up my end of our deal", she met my gaze again, "and get him to help me fix things instead of burning it all to the ground."

She's dedicated to it… I can't deny that. "And if the only way to fix things is burning it to the ground?"

"I don't believe that", Haylen replied. "There are enough good people in the Brotherhood, they just… haven't had the same wake-up call I did."

"Indoctrination isn't something you just turn off."

She gave me a curt nod. "I know. It'll never happen if you don't give them the chance."

So not only is the Scribe asking me to harm her to make it look like I'd captured and tortured her, but she's asking me to believe the Brotherhood's people can change. While Maxson is still alive to glue them together. With nothing besides her and Danse to help subvert his influence.

"I'll think about it", I said, motioning to the platform.

The large, sprocket-shaped elevator began carrying us down. Someone had disabled the alarm at some point and, as the lift thudded to a stop at the bottom of the shaft, I saw they'd cleaned out the entrance. Walking through the small gate and across the entrance's catwalk, it became apparent they'd begun preparation for turning the Vault into a fallback position. There were boxes of supplies stacked in the entryway, new battery-operated floodlights, and what looked like a few rudimentary firing positions built out of sandbags and some of their 'armor' plates. It wasn't a bad idea, provided they came up with an emergency exit.

I led them down the hall and off to the first room branching on the right. It looked like, at one point, it had been an office, but the settlers had cleared it out, arranging a dozen beds around the large space. Tucked away in the far corner were more supplies and a small tank that, I assume, is water.

"So this is where you're holding us prisoner", Danse grumbled.

"Yes." It was a lot better than most prisons I've seen.

The former Paladin stalked past me and dropped onto one of the beds. He didn't say anything more, only stared at the floor between his boots. He sounded unhappy, but his voice didn't have the same fire in it as when he'd confronted me before. Something was missing from the soldier…

"Damon", Haylen said, stepping in front of me. "Look, I know you have a problem with the Brotherhood, and I know you tried to tell me what that was when we were flying out to the West Everett Estates. I agree with you, at least on some of it, and I want to fix that."

The sentiment was nice, but it's a little late for placation.

Is it? She's trying, same as everyone else.

So, what, I'm supposed to drop what I'm doing and turn this war into a recovery effort? That puts everyone in danger.

True, maybe I don't stop fighting, but that doesn't mean the Brotherhood has to be destroyed.

"I said I'll think about it. I'm not putting the people here at risk."

She nodded solemnly. "I get that, you care about them, just like I care about my friends in the Brotherhood. I'm only trying to come to a compromise here, if you want to talk about it…" the small woman flashed me a smile, "I'm more than happy to."

More than happy to. She wants to talk out a plan for this? Huh. I nodded in return.

"And thanks for saving Danse." Haylen glanced back at her former CO, still staring at the ground. "I don't think I need to tell you that wouldn't have happened without you."

"Correct."

The Scribe smiled again, this time a little longer. "I knew you had a sense of humor in there."

I shrugged. "On occasion."

"Of course." With that, Haylen turned and sat on the bed beside Danse's and began pulling her outer layer of clothes off. I felt… odd standing there, like I was intruding on something that was happening, or maybe supposed to be happening between the two of them. Instead of continuing to stand there awkwardly, I marched out of the room and back toward the Vault's entrance.

Haylen had given me little reason to doubt, and every reason to trust her over the past few days, despite how she showed up. Now she's asking me to go along with this plan…

Just like Nate.

No, not just like Nate. This is both easier and harder. It's easier for me to believe the Scribe, but the ask, to try and change the Brotherhood instead of getting rid of it with no inside support, that's a hard ask. Even if Nate is the one asking me to reform the Institute, at least there's already a well-established splinter cell working to do just that.

Once I'd crossed back over the catwalk and stepped onto the lift, it groaned to life once again, taking me back to the surface.

How would I even do that? Yes, the Brotherhood has undergone a major shift before, and relatively recently, but that was due to a massive fight that, from the sounds of it, gutted their ranks. Haylen doesn't want that to happen this time. It's something I can't disagree with, actually. If a change is the goal, the Brotherhood needs to remain relatively intact, otherwise it could become a much bigger problem than if it had been destroyed.

Thoughts and ideas continued careening through my head as I made my way back down the trail toward Sanctuary.

If my uncertainty told me anything, it's that I need help with this. I don't have the experience to make this sort of decision, nor plan this kind of operation. But who the hell does? No one in Sanctuary has ever dealt with a war, and I don't have-

My feet stopped on the north side of the small wooden bridge leading into the settlement.

The Railroad.

They may not have experience with war, but they do have experience at least working with a group trying to undermine an entrenched leadership. They, and by extension Li, might be the best option I have.

But how can I get the Railroad's help? It looks like Li is already looking for mine, but if the middle man doesn't trust me…

It doesn't matter, if it's my best option here, I have to try. Maybe, after trying to work through a plan, we don't come up with anything, and I end up going back to option A, but who knows maybe Haylen's right. Maybe this is an opportunity for me to do something different.

With the thought in mind, my legs carried me across the gently groaning bridge, back toward the armory.

Preston, Sturges, Owens, and now Alex were still there, talking.

"- weapons and supplies, we need to figure out how", Preston was saying.

The engineer nodded. "I ain't disagreeing with that, but we can't do it at the risk of the Railroad."

"Sturges, we all know how important they are to you", Owens replied, "none of us want to put them in harm's way. If Damon's right though, we're gonna need the best stuff we can get." He motioned to the weapons on the table. "This is a good start, what if they can get us armor? Night vision? Hell, even radios. We-"

The conversation stopped and every gaze turned to me as I ducked into the living room.

Sometimes I wish that didn't happen…

Preston nodded to me. "What can we do for you Damon?"

Now that I was standing here, somehow the words weren't forming. I met Sturges' gaze. His eyes weren't angry anymore, but they were guarded. I'm here to ask him to get me in touch with the Brotherhood? Again?

Say it. That's all I can do.

… Or maybe I get involved in this conversation first.

"There are safer ways to get supplies than having the Railroad deliver them. Drop points, intermediate meeting places, disguised shipments… I spent a lot of time tracking clandestine meetings, some of those tricks might help here."

"Okay…" the grease-covered man mused. "You got our attention."

He was offering me an opening?

"We need to start by prioritizing our needs…"

The next few hours were spent educating them on covert logistics. This was another subject I never had any direct experience with, but I spent enough time around intel officers analyzing these things, and even more attacks by them. You learn what to look for, and that can teach you how to plan your own.

"Different types of delivery will depend on the items", Preston said. "That makes sense." He was studying the half dozen pieces of paper scattered across the small table along with the area map I'd recovered from Listening Post Bravo. I'd drawn known patrol routes and Brotherhood positions across the Commonwealth, as well as danger spots for Raiders, Gunners, and Supermutants. If I'm being honest, it didn't leave a lot of room to operate.

"This is what you've been doing for the past month?" Sturges asked after I finished.

I'd nodded. Intel gathering is the first step to any mission, and while I've never done anything like this, there are principles you can carry over to just about everything.

Alex leaned over the map. "Using normal caravan routes would be risky for anything obvious." She reached for the list of supplies. "You think this'll work? I mean, putting guns on some of them, even if they aren't the new stuff the Railroad's bringin' us, could still attract attention."

"It would be more suspicious if there weren't guns in those shipments."

"So, what", Owens said, "We load 'em up with some of the older stuff we have back here?"

"Yes." I nodded again. "If they're stopped, guns like that won't be a concern for the Brotherhood."

Preston stretched his arms over his head. "Okay." He looked at Sturges. "We need to get in touch with the Railroad again, talk to them about figuring this out."

The engineer didn't respond immediately, his eyes were fixed on me again.

"Sturges… c'mon, this isn't about that. We all know we need to be as prepared as possible. What's he gonna do?"

Silence met the question as Sturges continued glaring at me. The former Minuteman looked at me, defeated.

"You gonna say anything?"

Am I going to say anything? What do I have to say?

"We need to cooperate. Both us with them, and you with me."

"Yeah, I get that tin man", the engineer finally said, voice low and quiet. "But a week and a little help won't make them trust you. Or me trust you."

"Then we meet with a representative somewhere safe. I need their help too. Haylen wants to figure out another way to beat the Brotherhood. I only have one. They, and the Institute splinter cell, are the only ones around here who might have another option."

Alex cleared her throat. "Sturges, what's he gotta do, huh? Is there anything that will make you feel comfortable getting in touch with the Railroad besides getting in touch with them and seeing what happens? I'm not saying what he did wasn't wrong, but if we're gonna do this, we need his help."

More silence followed as the engineer's gaze switched from me to Alex. He was struggling, hell even I could see the internal argument going on. He's well aware of the danger Sanctuary and the rest of their network is in, the same way he's aware he might be putting the Railroad in danger again. Unfortunately for him, they're going to be in danger regardless of whether I meet with them or not. At the very least if we start working together, there's a better chance for everyone involved.

Eventually, he let out a long, ragged breath and dropped his eyes to the ground for an instant before meeting my gaze again.

"Fine. One slip up, though, and I'll make sure this bites you in the ass."

I nodded. "Understood."

"Good." He started for the door. "We'll head to the same place as last time, according to your map, that should be far enough away from any dangerous areas to be safe."

The last time we'd met… that was Oberland station, about 10 klicks south of here. I looked back at the map.

Yeah, it was safe enough. There were a few Brotherhood outposts in the area since it was relatively close to the city, but they were far enough away watches and patrols wouldn't come close enough to be a problem.

What's the best way to do this, then. I'd prefer it just be Sturges and I; in any gunfight that involves the Brotherhood or Institute more people would be a liability, but we need them to get experience at some point.

And more people who aren't me would probably make things a little more comfortable for everyone else.

"Preston, I want a three-person team, the best you have."

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "You aren't going alone?"

"No." I shook my head. "This needs to be more than Sturges and I. He doesn't trust me, and the Railroad doesn't trust me."

"Wow", he said, a small smile slipping across his face. "That's some impressive humility."

Humility? I shook my head again. "Being realistic. This can't fail."

That may have been an exaggeration, but they all know what I meant: the more support we have, the better off we'll be. If that means Sanctuary gets better equipment, even better. If that means we do come up with a less destructive method for neutralizing the Brotherhood, that's good too.

As always, I have a fallback.

For now though, there isn't much to do until Sturges sets up the meeting.

I glanced out the door into the afternoon sun.

Things just keep getting better and better.

X

The next morning, I was awake by 0430 and performing a perimeter sweep while I waited for the others to get ready. It wasn't necessary, but I've realized I don't like static defense. Being the one who's always dismantled it, I'm far too aware of its drawbacks. Sure, you have a well-established, well-defended position, but that works both ways. If someone's assaulting your position, they know where you are, and they can be pretty much anywhere they want. Obviously, any static defense should have surprises in store for attackers, but the fundamentals are always going to be the same.

To that end, I preferred sneaking through the forests surrounding Sanctuary, also staying mobile and in unpredictable positions as opposed to sitting behind the settlement's walls. I guess that's the difference between someone who's used to conventional warfare and someone who isn't.

By 0600, I'd completed the, entirely unnecessary, patrol and found my way back into the settlement. The sky was just beginning to brighten, and a few dozen of the citizens were starting their day. I still caught a few furtive glances, but most of them seem to have grown more comfortable with me around. Or less uncomfortable at least.

Brenda, Julian, and one of the men who had been on post with her the night I'd performed my mock assault were waiting for me at the common house. Each of them was dressed for the short journey and was cradling rifles of their choice. I couldn't help but notice Julian had adopted the scoped rifle I'd taken from one of the Raiders who attacked Sanctuary the first time I was here. I remember him saying he'd been the best shot outside of Preston when I came across them in Concord.

"Morning Damon", Brenda said cheerily as I stopped in front of them. "This is Cole. He's the one you damn near strangled the other day."

The stocky, grim-faced man didn't seem too happy to see me. That's fine, I wasn't the one who'd been kicking back while on watch.

"It would be hard to get close enough to strangle someone paying attention."

She smiled. "Yeah, we haven't let him forget about it."

"Good", I replied. It was only half joking. It was time to get serious though. "I'm on point, Cole and Julian with Sturges, Brenda is rear guard." I turned to the woman. "Stay 20 meters behind them."

"Got it."

It would be a bit awkward since this is to get them used to moving as a team as much as it was for protection. That means we'll have to use more traditional squad tactics, for now, and I'll have to be far more careful to make sure we aren't followed.

A few moments later, Sturges came marching over from the east side of the settlement. He was, likewise, out of his normal dirty white shirt and overalls, traded in for a jacket, vest, and cargo pants. The Synth was carrying an HK-33 like he'd used it before. Escorting a package with experience makes things easier.

"Everyone ready?" he asked, voice a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation.

I nodded. "Let's move."

Leaving Sanctuary behind, we slipped through the forest and the sky brightened into morning, casting a burning red glow across the sickly trees and underbrush.

With the small group, inexperienced with moving like this through potentially hostile ground, I maintained a slow, plodding pace, giving them time to orient themselves. This is something I recall vividly from my early days in the SPARTAN program before I was broken off. They need to figure out how they work together, and how they're going to cover each other. It wasn't a smooth process; more than once, Brenda found herself either left behind or practically up with the others. It was aggravating, but each time, I'd reset their formation and we'd keep moving. It slowed our progress, but it was necessary. They also weren't very good at following commands, which was even more frustrating and, as far as stealth goes, they might as well be running through the forest, shouting their presence to anyone in earshot.

All part of the process…

Yeah, a process that, an hour in, already has me wishing I'd forgone the extra people and taken Sturges to Oberland myself.

It did get better as it went, and by the time we were nearing our destination, and the sky had gone from blood red to light orange, they were… fine. For never having done it before.

"Break here", I said, voice low. We were stopped in a small gulley between two hills, the train station about 400 meters away, top of the next crest, and the group formed a… rough perimeter. "I'll be back in ten."

Who knows if anyone managed to follow us. If they did, I'd rather find out about it now than doing so once whoever was meeting us from the Railroad showed up. Not only would that turn this meeting into a gunfight, but it wouldn't do wonders for my chances of getting the Railroad's cooperation.

The sweep didn't turn anything up besides a few animal carcasses that looked like they'd been eaten within the past few days. There were tracks made by the Brotherhood's power armor a hundred meters or so south, but they were clearly old.

"It's clear", I said as I rejoined the fireteam. My gaze found Sturges and he nodded, frowning.

Our approach was steep, and the footing sucked. With the ground consisting of more loose rock and gravel than sand, I had to be careful where I stepped. Twice, a foot began sliding out from under me before I could catch it. The others fared better, without being in a half-ton of armor, but at least it would make it obvious if anyone was following.

After another few minutes, we arrived at the small station, a half dozen abandoned, rusting railway cars littering the yard and ground around it.

"Hey Damon", Sturges said as we crested the last hill, "can you put your rifle away? This doesn't need to get any worse than it already is."

Put my rifle away? Disarm myself when I'm walking into an unknown situation? Diplomacy isn't my thing, but that sounds like a really bad idea.

The Synth stopped. "Please. I brought you here, that means somethin'."

Put my rifle away… Worst case scenario, I still have the 10mm handgun if I need it.

Clamping my rifle to the mag-strip on my back, I glanced at Brenda. "Set up a perimeter, you with Julian watching our south from there", I pointed toward the collection of train cars, "and Cole, you're by the tower."

"Got it", the young woman said and motioned for Julian to follow her. Cole wordlessly followed the instruction and, once they were in position, Sturges and I continued forward.

Despite my agreement to do this, my head was screaming at me this was a bad idea. We were completely exposed, very little by way of cover, and I could feel someone watching us. No doubt that was our contact, but it still put me on edge. The last time I saw any of these people, it had been to kill them, it's possible they would do the same to me here.

They didn't though, at least not outright.

This time, there were no corny passphrases, no call and response. As soon as we were standing in the center, a half dozen forms detached themselves from the trees on the opposite side of the station. I recognized two of them immediately: Deacon and Charlie. It was hard to miss the first man, still wearing his customary sunglasses. At least this time it was appropriate, with the sun spilling harsh, slowly bluing light across the landscape.

As for the other four, I didn't remember any of them, but they seemed to remember me. Each of them, including Deacon, was cradling a rifle of some sort. Most were smaller caliber, but Charlie was carrying some sort of belt-fed weapon, and I had no doubt Glory was hiding somewhere with a high caliber sniper.

They all had their weapons pointed in my general direction.

"Sturges", Deacon said as he approached, his people fanning out to either side. My right hand tensed, yearning to reach for my sidearm. That isn't the move here though. I'm here to make amends, not make things worse.

"Hey there Deacon. Sorry for the short notice."

The Railroad agent shook his head. "It's no problem." He was, ostensibly, talking to Sturges, but his eyes never left me. I could feel them burning into mine through his dark-tinted sunglasses. "To what do we owe the pleasure of meeting the man who came to our home to kill us?"

"Things have changed", the Synth replied. "I know you're already planning on helping supply us, but if we're gonna do it, Damon", he motioned at me, "thinks we need to do it right. If we don't, we're just gonna put everyone in danger."

"Go on." His gaze still hadn't left me.

"We're puttin' together a plan to help stop the Brotherhood, and getting your cooperation would go a long way to improving our chances. And we already know you wanna change the Institute. We can help there too."

Deacon finally broke eye contact with me to meet the engineer's gaze. "We know you're going to fight the Brotherhood. It's one of the reasons we agreed to help; can't save any Synths if the Brotherhood's killin' 'em all." He looked at me. "But what I don't know is why you brought him."

"He needs your help too."

"Didn't stop him from betraying us before."

He's right about that…

"I'm not looking for forgiveness Deacon, I'm looking for a way to get this done." I shrugged. "I know you're well informed enough to know I'm no longer with the Institute, and I'm sure as hell not with the Brotherhood."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, you've been causing a whole lot of problems for our armored friends."

"Yes…" Nothing I say will make him believe me. Still- even though I'm not looking for forgiveness, it's the least I owe him- owe them. "I know it doesn't mean much, but I am sorry for what I did. I've spent the last month trying to figure out how to fix it."

"Apologies will mean something when they lead to results. So what's this you need help with?"

Fair enough. "We have two ex-brotherhood members up at Sanctuary, a Scribe and Paladin. The Paladin is a Synth. Didn't know it until a few weeks ago, went on the run after he found out. The Scribe started having doubts about the Brotherhood, went on the run, came up to Sanctuary to find me and help her track him down. The Scribe is helping me get Tommy's brother back, and she has this idea about changing the Brotherhood instead of destroying it." I shook my head. "I don't know how to do that, but you, or Li, might have an idea."

Suddenly, Deacon looked very interested. "One of the Brotherhood's Paladins was a Synth? Which one?"

"Danse." Damn, if the Railroad with its intel gathering didn't know about the circumstances either, Maxson must have worked hard to keep it quiet.

"You don't say… He was one of their best people." A thoughtful frown spread across his face and the muzzle of his rifle drifted to the ground. "And you want to find some way to change the Brotherhood without taking them down. I'm sure you have some ideas."

I nodded. "Nick Valentine thinks we can use Danse as an alternative to Maxson's rule. I'm not so sure, and we don't have a starting point."

"That's actually a pretty good idea, it's what Madison's been doing at the Institute. Not as successful as we'd like, but it's progressing. Slowly." He paused again. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking with half of his face hidden by those glasses.

"You know, your buddy's been pretty involved in their operation since you two had your falling out there."

My buddy. Yeah. "So I've heard."

"Think he's playing another long game?"

"Don't know. I don't plan on giving him the chance to."

"You know he's the one responsible for that shipment of guns, right?"

And? "What's your point?"

"Just seems a little odd to me's all. There's no way Shaun or Ayo would let us operate under the radar, even if Nate had a plan to take you and us down long-term. They've wanted us gone for a long time." He cocked an eyebrow. "Almost succeeded a few times."

"You're saying you think he isn't lying."

Deacon shrugged. "Not sure yet. Li trusts him. Her people trust him."

"He hasn't tried to kill any of them."

"Touche." The ghost of a smile crossed his face. "But I'm standing here aren't I?"

An involuntary exhale escaped and I nodded again. "... Yeah."

"So you want to reform the Brotherhood."

Not me. "Haylen does."

"The Scribe?" I nodded. "She say why?"

"She's figured out how dangerous they are, especially given a leader like Maxson. She still believes they can do the right thing though." I shrugged again. "I'm just here to find the best way to neutralize the threat."

Deacon hummed, but didn't respond. It looked like he was at least considering it, which is a good thing. If I get him to help, I might get better cooperation out of Haylen. If I do that… Maybe this crazy plan of hers to get Julian back would work.

"First thing's first: we gotta figure out if this is actually possible." He turned to Sturges. "What's your read here? You gonna give him the benefit of the doubt?"

I felt the engineer's gaze fall on the side of my head. That wasn't a question I wanted to be asked, but it was 100% fair, the same way if he said 'no' that would also be 100% fair.

"I brought him here", Sturges said.

The Railroad agent nodded. "Alright, sounds like we're a go then." He turned back to his people. "Hey Charlie, let Dez know I went up to Sanctuary. Damon'll bring me back once we're done there." Deacon looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Won't you big guy?"

It feels like that's most of what my duties have become: escorting people back and forth across the goddamn Commonwealth.

"Yes."

The man's escort shifted uncomfortably. "You sure about this?"

Deacon nodded. "Well, I ain't bringing him back there. The most he can do if he is playing us is kill me. I'm sure Dez will be happy to have me out of her hair. If I'm not back in a few days, assume the worst."

The confidence in his voice seemed to resonate with the five people around him.

Charlie nodded. "Got it."

"Great. Head out, we'll leave once you're gone."

After another brief hesitation, the Railroad guard twirled a finger in the air, and the others followed him back down the slope to the west.

"So", Deacon said, turning back to me, "you've got the Railroad's foremost expert on clandestine and subversive operations. What are you gonna do with him?"

I looked around the raised segment of landscape we were standing on pointedly. "Get somewhere less vulnerable."

"That seems like a reasonable idea."

Unclamping my rifle, I started back east and, as we passed their positions the others followed. The return trip was as uneventful as the journey out, which is fine by me. Deacon was far more experienced moving quietly, so he spent his time keeping the others in check. That was a relief; having to backtrack constantly, paying as much attention to them as I did our surroundings was a pain in my ass.

Even so, they did do better. It wasn't good, or even passable, but any experience is good, especially since they'll have time to debrief once we get back to Sanctuary.

The sun was just reaching its peak when we returned to the settlement.

"Preston", Sturges said as we met the former Minuteman just inside the wall, "This is Deacon. He's one of the Railroad's most senior members. He's here to figure out what we're gonna do with our new friends up there, and plan some supply routes."

Preston extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"You too", Deacon said, shaking the man's hand. "Gotta say, I'm impressed with what you all managed to do with this place." He was gazing at the settlement's various fortifications, most of which were finished with their latest changes.

"Thanks. We've had a lot of help over the past few months."

MacCready was, as usual, hovering behind Preston, eyeing the new arrival. Owens and Vincent were there as well, along with Alex. I didn't miss Valentine lurking further up the street, watching our arrival. I'm not sure what to make of that. He knows of the Railroad, but has he ever interacted with them? What does he think of them? What do they think of him?

"And you're now helping other people." Deacon nodded. "It's something we don't see enough of around the Commonwealth."

The former Minuteman smiled. "I appreciate that. So, how do you wanna do this?"

"Well, I'd like to start by getting some food in me, then I think Damon and I need to have a little heart-to-heart."

Both of them looked at me and understanding flashed through Preston's eyes. "That makes sense. We'll leave you to it then. I'll be around, come find me when you want to talk."

"Will do."

With that, he and the other three men turned to leave. Alex and Julian spoke quietly for a moment before following along with Brenda and Cole.

Deacon slipped his pack off and pulled out a meal bar of some sort.

"Where do you have these two situated?" he asked, pulling a bite from the stiff-looking piece of food.

I nodded up the hill behind Sanctuary. "Vault 111."

"Good choice." He glanced further into the settlement at the dozens of people either busy working on the walls, crops, or meandering around. "Got anywhere private we can talk?"

"By the Vault."

The Railroad agent shrugged. "Works for me."

As we began walking, Nick, who was still watching us from the north side of the settlement, disappeared into one of the buildings, but I didn't miss how his subtly glowing yellow eyes lingered on us as he did. Now probably isn't the best time to ask about that, maybe Sturges knows something about it.

By the time Deacon was done eating his meal bar, we were walking up the hills toward the Vault.

"Here's good enough", Deacon said a few meters from the crumbling, rusted gate marking the bunker's perimeter. It was well out of earshot of anyone, including the shack overlooking the hills above us. His eyes locked on my visor once again, and the firm set in his jaw was the same as it had been the night I'd betrayed them. "I'm gonna ask a few questions, and if I don't like your answers I'm gone."

This was coming eventually… I nodded.

"We all know you went to the church to kill us. Now I don't want any bullshit about how you felt like it was the wrong thing to do. Why didn't you?"

Why didn't I? That didn't seem like the question he was actually asking…

"You mean why should you believe I won't do it in the future."

"If you wanna be more straightforward about it, yes."

Those are two different answers. "I didn't attack you back then because I didn't want to hurt Cass and Tommy again. I don't plan on attacking you now because you aren't the ones putting the people I'm trying to protect in danger."

Deacon frowned. "That isn't very convincing. It seems like, if you decide we're a threat, you might come after us again."

I shook my head. "I think you're doing the right thing. I have every reason to help you."

"Uh huh… and you're saying the only reason you spared us the first go around was Cass and Tommy?"

"I assume you don't want me to lie." A small smirk found its way onto the agent's face and he nodded. "Then yes, that's the only reason. I've had plenty of alone time to think about it. You may not like hearing it, but that's the reason." I shifted as Deacon continued gazing at me. I've been wanting to ask since we met with him at Oberland but… that didn't seem like the right place.

"How are they?"

The man's smile broadened. "They're doing great. Cass is basically Glory's little sister now and Tommy is giving Tinker Tom a run for his money. They're in good hands."

Letting the breath I'd been holding out, I nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it", Deacon said, his demeanor growing serious once again. "So, let's say someone decided to help you get back to your universe. What's to stop you from coming after us again when they tell you to?"

That's a good question. The only answer I can think of is that it would be the wrong thing to do. That probably won't go far with the Railroad though. So what do I say?

"Because… I meant what I told Nate: I'm not going to do other people's killing anymore just because I'm supposed to. Don't ask me about morality, that isn't my purview, but I have enough to not like doing something."

Silence drifted back across the three of us as Deacon continued studying me. Maybe saying my grip on morals is tenuous at best is the wrong answer, but it's the answer I have to give. What kept me from doing it last time, hurting Cass and Tommy again, was a morality of sorts, I guess, but to anyone else saying the reason I didn't kill a few dozen other people was my connection with them probably sounded bad.

It is what it is. If that's how I kept myself from doing something bad that time, then it's fine. Things have changed since then, and worrying about it now won't do me any good.

Shrugging mentally, I cocked my head at the still quiet Railroad agent.

Eventually, he gave me a curt nod. "For now, we'll see what happens. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

That concern, apparently, assuaged for the moment, we continued up the hill toward Vault 111. Haylen and Danse had been in there for a day now. Plenty of food and water, but nothing to do. Those sorts of waits always drive me insane.

Even once we were enveloped in the bunker's darkness, just like in the Railroad's cave system under the church, Deacon kept his sunglasses on. It was an odd habit, but I guess I can't say much considering I'm constantly wearing a suit of power armor.

Just like escorting the two former Brotherhood members in, it was odd to see the place clean. The first time I was down here, to retrieve Nora's body, the skeletal remains, refuse, and dead bugs littered the floor. Now, while it wasn't spotless, the place was passable. In a world where I've spent most of my time in the wilderness or in mostly collapsed buildings, seeing an area this clean was odd.

The last time I'd seen it was in the Institute.

"Stop", I said as we reached the door to where Haylen and Danse were staying.

An echoing boom sounded through the hall as I pounded on the steel door twice before keying it open. The two of them were sitting up on their beds, looking at me expectantly.

I ducked into the room, followed by Deacon and Sturges.

"Who are these two", the former Paladin asked as the smaller men entered.

The engineer stepped forward. "I'm Sturges, the handyman for Sanctuary." He motioned at the Railroad agent. "This is Deacon. He's here to do some planning."

Danse's eyes narrowed. "Planning for…?"

"Haylens idea", I said.

At the mention of her scheme, the Scribe stood. "Have you decided to help?"

"Not yet", I replied, shaking my head. "That's what he's here for."

Deacon walked to one of the room's beds and sat down, laying his rifle off to the side. "Yep. I heard one of the Brotherhood's Paladins was a Synth too. When I heard who it was, well, it got me interested." I couldn't tell for sure with the dark-tinted glasses, his gaze seemed sharp. Sharper than it had been this morning with me.

"Paladin Danse. Ironic that you of all people ended up being a Synth."

"Hey", Haylen said, stepping forward, "we-"

"Aren't here to discuss that?" the agent finished. The chuckle that followed wasn't friendly. "Oh, I think it's very important to discuss Scribe Haylen."

The former Paladin was utterly motionless, eyes burning into Deacon, muscles coiled tight. I stepped forward to stand beside the agent. The last thing I need is for Danse to do something stupid. His eyes flicked to me for an instant and he, with visible effort, forced himself to relax.

"Why?" he asked, voice icy.

"Oh, what with your history of hating anything non-human, the many, many stories of your exploits. Between the number of missions you volunteered for to clean out Supermutant groups, Ghoul havens, and assaults on outlying Synth forces, you've built quite a reputation." Deacon reached into his pack and pulled out a bottle of water. "That's to say nothing of you tracking down escaped gen III Synths on the East Coast outside of the Railroad's reach. That's why Maxson chose you to lead the Commonwealth's reconnaissance effort, is it not?"

"I still don't see what this has to do with the discussion at hand."

The Railroad agent didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a long, slow drink from the bottle, taking his time to replace the cap and carefully set it on the bed beside him.

"It matters because you've shown a fanatic devotion to the Brotherhood of Steel, especially since it started this much more aggressive campaign. If Scribe Haylen's idea of changing the Brotherhood has any chance of working, it can't have interference from someone like you."

"Wait", Haylen said, still standing, "you're saying you don't want Danse's help with this?"

Deacon shook his head. "I'm ain't saying that, I'm saying this type of operation takes time and resources. It's incredibly risky, and if anything undermines it, you can kiss your ass goodbye." He leaned forward, eyes drilling into Danse from behind his glasses. "Having someone as zealous as the Paladin Synth here on our side could be very useful. If he's on our side."

Silence bloomed in the large room, the two men staring each other down. It sounds like Deacon has some idea of what to do with the Brotherhood, but now I'm interested in hearing some of Danse's past. He's completely different from the only other Paladin I've met, Marsaul. What's the game here?

"Elder Maxson is a better man than you all seem to think", Danse said slowly. "You vilify him as the man who has come to destroy the Institute and subjugate the Commonwealth, but have you seen the results of our patrols here?" The former Paladin turned to me for another short moment. "I know you have considering your encounters with them. Most smaller Raider gangs in the area are either inactive or gone, the Ghoul infestation has been brought under control, and we've provided medicines and care to some of the smaller settlements. Yes, we are here to remove the threat Synths pose, but we're also here to help build up the Commonwealth, to turn it into something like the Capital Wasteland."

The Railroad agent nodded. "I don't disagree with any of that. Security doesn't excuse genocide."

"I-" Danse faltered, breaking eye contact with Deacon.

He smiled. "I'm well aware of the current state of the Capital Wasteland. It's been, as your leadership so eloquently puts it, 'sanitized'." The man shook his head. "I won't let that happen here. I know what fear drives people to do, and hatred is a poor camouflage for it."

An image of the Covenant attack flashed through my head as he said that last sentence. "I know what fear drives people to do, and hatred is a poor camouflage for it."

Hatred huh? A camouflage for fear.

The former Paladin didn't seem interested in a response. He was still leaned over, elbows resting on his legs, eyes were still on the steel floor between his boots, hands clenched into fists.

"Scribe Haylen, Damon told me you've had a… change of heart so to speak." She nodded slowly. "I believe you. Why do you think the Brotherhood is afraid of 'non-humans'?" Deacon didn't try to hide his disgust at the phrase.

"Maxson's reason for fearing Synths-"

The Railroad agent shook his head. "Synths are only the current boogieman. It'll be something else as soon as it needs to be. You'll get no argument from me about the likes of Supermutants, at least not those currently in the area. The Brotherhood attacks Ghouls too. People who, for all intents and purposes, are just like you and me. Why are they afraid?"

She chewed on her lower lip, clearly unsure of how to answer.

"Because they're different", Deacon said after a few seconds of silence. "They aren't 'normal humans'. That's to say nothing of whether or not they're good or bad people. It's easy to get people under one banner if you give them something to hate, it's easy to get people to hate something they're afraid of, and what's easier to be afraid of than something you don't understand."

Haylen watched the man as he offered her a small smile.

"It's easy to get people under one banner if you give them something to hate, it's easy to get people to hate something they're afraid of, and what's easier to be afraid of than something you don't understand."

Hatred… He's saying hatred can be used as a catalyst to get someone to do just about anything.

Like whatever they're ordered, regardless of whether it's the right thing to do.

"So you're saying the Brotherhood is scared?"

Deacon shook his head. "The people in the Brotherhood are scared." He looked at Danse who was still staring at the deck. "And you two are now faced with the uncertainty that lies beyond that fear. You've been faced with the realization that nothing you've been told is the truth, and now you don't know what to think." Another smile flickered across the man's face. This one, somehow, felt incredibly sad. "That isn't anything unique to you though."

The Scribe's mouth formed into a small 'o'. "Is- is that how you think we can do this? Show people what we've thought isn't true?"

"Yes and no. We don't have time to do it effectively, this sort of thing takes years. I think you two know better than most that, once someone is set in their ways, it's damn near impossible to change." Deacon looked up at me. "But we can get to some of them, the ones, like you, who had already been questioning their faith in the cause. It won't be easy though, social pressure is an incredibly powerful thing." His eyes returned to Danse one more time. "Which is why having you would be immeasurable. You're someone everyone in the Brotherhood knows, many of whom have interacted with. Many will still write you off, that's how brainwashing works, but if your contribution saves one life, isn't that worth it?"

The room grew quiet again as every eye, including mine, turned to Danse. Everything Deacon said hit home, not just with my knowledge of the Brotherhood, but how ONI treated us- treated me. In that small, terrified kid, they found someone they could turn into a weapon. Turn that fear into anger and hatred. I can't say I didn't- I can't say I don't hate the Covenant and what they did, but that isn't who ONI sicced me on most of the time was it? Like he said: you can use hate to justify anything. I know I did.

Is it possible to get through to some of those in the Brotherhood too? If so, it would mean the cohesive, almost monolithic threat they posed would become fractured and disjointed. What was left would be far easier to deal with.

And it meant fewer people would get caught in the fighting.

"I know you want an answer now", Danse said, voice low and hoarse. "But you're asking me to turn my back on everything I've known for the past 10 years. I-" He looked up to meet my eyes. "I don't know."

Those eyes were something I've not only seen before, I've had them. Recently. They're the eyes of someone who's at a crossroads, who has to make a decision, every choice impossible.

But at the end of the day, I had to make my choice, and Danse will have to make his. I like to think I made the right one.

Will he?

A/N: Well that was anticlimactic after the last few chapters wasn't it? No shooting? Not even a little maiming? No, not this time. But, there are still some serious implications for the events that take place in this chapter. I enjoy writing these ones, it gives me the opportunity to explore different ideas and, to be honest, this chapter didn't come out quite like I planned. But that's enough of my rambling, I'll see everyone next time!

Next Chapter: 7/29, Trying New Things