A/N: Greetings on this fine December morning! It isn't even winter yet and I'm already sick of the snow… My good car (the car, if you remember the author's note, I drove across country last year) is in the shop getting a wheel hub replaced because I was too lazy to do it myself. That means I get to drive a 1998 honda civic in foot deep snow! YAY! That isn't why you're here, you're here for the new chapter! And this one's a doozy. Everyone's favorite topic: politics! At least, politics of a sort. There are a lot of threads going on right now and I'm doing my best to balance them. Anyway, that's enough rambling. Leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!
Chapter 59: Urbane Allies
The trip through Boston was surprisingly uneventful. There were a half dozen times the small group took cover as the sound of Vertibirds buzzed through the towers around them. The bulbous VTOLs only came near them once. Four or five other times, Damon directed them down a detour. Nate wasn't sure what the SPARTAN had found but the infantryman learned, after the ambush from KLEO, to trust the armored titan's instincts. If you couldn't trust your point, you have the wrong person in front.
It took them almost three and a half hours to cover the six miles of cityscape, but that wasn't bad considering the number of potential problems. This was probably some of what Damon had been doing since the ambush. He didn't know every potential risk, but any competent soldier would scout several safe paths given the time.
All of that being said, it wasn't like they could walk into Diamond City. So, as they neared Fenway, they took refuge inside a mostly intact office building. It was a quarter mile west of the stadium, close enough Nate could hear sounds drifting over its walls.
"Don't you think this is something we should have figured out before we left?" Cassandra asked. They were on the second floor of the building. They'd taken a few minutes to make sure it was safe and, like most of the city, there wasn't much besides a few oversized bugs.
The teenager was sitting on a desk, old school scoped hunting rifle cradled in her lap. The way she carried the weapon was almost like she'd been doing it for years. It was a stark reminder of the kind of life people in the Commonwealth lived.
"Yes", Brenda mused, "that would have been a good idea."
Nate looked at Damon who was standing by the staircase, head turned toward them. The giant bastard could be so aggravating at times. When it came to fighting, he thought things through 20 steps in advance. Everything else… He couldn't be too hard on the SPARTAN though. At least he'd thought far enough ahead this time to bring people to attempt some form of peaceful overture.
One step at a time…
There was more at play besides Damon's general attitude toward things that aren't fighting.
"Yes, I agree", the ex-soldier said, "but Damon doesn't trust me, and we're in a complicated situation." The SPARTAN didn't react, which probably meant he agreed. "If either of us shows up, things are going to get… interesting considering what happened the last time we were here." He looked at Cass. "I don't know if they'll remember you."
"We have to assume they do", came Damon's quiet, terse response.
"Nice of you to join the conversation", Cass called toward him. He, again, didn't react.
"So what you're saying is we should have brought more than just the four of us", Brenda said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
Nate shook his head. "A larger group draws more attention and Sanctuary can't spare too many people." By this point, the ex-soldier not only understood Damon's thinking on movement but agreed with it. Even if he wasn't the SPARTAN, getting through an area unnoticed is preferable to bringing a large enough force to deal with whatever threats they avoided. "We need to make do with what we have." If Damon hadn't elected to bring Nate along, he could have chosen someone Diamond City hadn't kicked out.
But Nate could also understand the reason he hadn't done that.
Brenda grunted. "I don't know how comfortable I am walking in there alone and asking to speak with… the mayor?"
The ex-soldier nodded. "The mayor."
"Unless I'm missing something", Nate replied, glancing at Damon, "you won't be doing that without cover."
The other man didn't say anything, but he motioned to the large caliber sniper rifle on his back. That's what I thought.
"It won't be perfect, but Damon can provide cover from a building tall enough to look down into the stadium." He frowned. "I still don't like that. I think it needs to be meI need to go."
That got Damon to turn to them.
"Yes, I know." This was something he'd been thinking about for the past few days. If he was being honest, he knew he'd have this conversation at some point. Might as well get it over with.
"You don't trust me, and they know me. Probably. If you're going to work with the Minutemen, you can't keep making every decision."
"The military isn't a democracy", the SPARTAN replied slowly.
"We aren't- well I'm not in the military. Anymore." Nate waved toward Fenway. "Three options: they know me and turn us away. They know me and take us inside. They don't remember me."
"The first two options compromise the mission."
The ex-soldier nodded. "The first one does, yes. The second one, not necessarily. Diamond City doesn't have the best relationship with the Brotherhood, right? They may be looking for an alternative. If that's the case…" he smirked at Brenda, "giving them another option might be too enticing for them to turn down."
She squinted at him. "You're saying they know you so they might think you can give them an 'alternative'? Whatever that means."
"They know I'm associated with him", Nate pointed at Damon. "They know he took the Brotherhood's ambush and shoved it back up their asses. You show up too and we let them know you're part of the newly reformed Minutemen, that might be enough to get us some brownie points."
"Brownie points?" Cass asked.
Is that an expression they don't use anymore? "They'll be interested. Maybe."
"Oh…" The teenager blinked. "That doesn't sound too crazy."
The ex-soldier agreed. There was just one problem. Okay, a lot more than one problem, there are plenty of different things that could go wrong. One thing that stopped them from trying at least.
He turned back to Damon who was watching the three of them through his golden-yellow visor.
"You brought other people because you know projectile diplomacy isn't the right move", Nate shrugged. "If you don't trust me, trust them."
That wasn't the best argument and he knew it. The ex-soldier doesn't think of himself as overly clever, but Damon did. That means he might think Nate is trying to manipulate the situation. He'd be lying if he said that wasn't a reasonable suspicion.
Doesn't make it any less annoying.
Then there's the added dynamic he knew the armored titan didn't like: Nate wasn't forcing him to do anything, but their options were limited given the resources available.
Wait… All of these were things Nate had thought of back in Sanctuary two days ago. There's no way…
"I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. You've been trying to come up with an alternative." The SPARTAN's silence was all the answer Nate needed. "Well? Do you have anything?" More silence. He could feel the heat pouring out of Damon's visor. Was it strange he could sense the man's eyes drilling into him through it? It felt like they were saying 'I'd rather shoot you and miss the body armor this time.'
Dammit… This kind of emotional interference would start hurting their chances of completing their objectives. Ironic Nate was the one who was thinking that and not the SPARTAN. No, instead Damon brought him along knowing this was a distinct possibility and, instead of making sure everyone was on the same page, he let his resentment get in the way.
Brenda exhaled. "Oh get over it." Sounds like she was thinking the same thing he was. "I don't wanna walk in there alone and you aren't coming with me, Damon. Nate, you said you were in the military for almost 20 years?" The ex-soldier nodded. "Then it sounds like he's the best person to watch my back."
More silence ensued as the SPARTAN cocked his helmet to the side. Nate felt the fiery gaze move off of him like someone had stopped leaning on his chest.
"You know what happens if he's lying", he said to Brenda.
"If he is, it wouldn't make much sense to let us know now for little old me."
It might be considered manipulation, but the ex-soldier knew Damon would have come to this conclusion on his own anyway. He'd set that emotion aside for the good of the mission. As… unpleasant as the thought was, the young man was very good at doing that. A necessity when one operates in that world. Especially in his circumstances.
After a few more seconds of stilted silence, Damon nodded. He turned to the ex-soldier. "My promise from the hospital still stands."
Yes, threatening me is a great way to handle this. "Don't tempt me", Nate grumbled.
There was another short pause as the SPARTAN's gaze remained fixed on him.
"So… what next?" Brenda asked.
"Wait here", Damon said. "I'll radio you when I'm in position with Cass." His voice said he was anything but happy about the arrangement. Nate was right, he'd been trying to think of an alternative and couldn't come up with one.
He had planned ahead. It just wasn't a plan he liked.
Nate nodded.
The SPARTAN's gaze lingered on him for a few more heartbeats before he turned to Cass and waved for her to follow. The teenager hopped down from the desk she'd been sitting on and, casting a glance toward the ex-soldier, started after Damon.
Once the two of them had disappeared down the staircase, Nate settled in to watch.
"Damn, you two don't mind jumping down the other's throat."
Nate turned to Brenda who was still sitting in the chair.
"It's always been that way", he replied. "We met when he shoved a gun in my face and almost broke my hand." The ex-soldier held up his right hand.
"Did you deserve it?"
He chuckled. "A gun in my face? No. The hand? Probably."
"But you still came back."
She didn't have to ask the next part of that question.
"I did." Nate nodded. She still seemed doubtful, even after the day before. He would be too. "Don't worry, I don't have a death wish. Double-crossing Damon once doesn't seem like something most people would survive. I guess I'm just lucky, huh?" He tried to inject some humor into his voice, but he couldn't find it.
"Uh-huh…" Brenda cocked an eyebrow. "Can I ask you something?" The ex-soldier nodded. "I'm doing this to protect my home and my friends. Why are you?"
"You could say I'm doing the same thing." He smiled. "The armory used to be my house."
Her eyes widened. "I heard you were from pre-war but… seriously?"
He nodded again. "All joking aside, I'm still figuring that out. Sitting on the sidelines has never been my thing though, and I couldn't stay at the Institute." And I need to make up for some mistakes… Tick a few off a list too long to ever finish.
But he had to start somewhere.
"And you're willing to risk your life because you're bored?"
Bored? Bored is the absolute last thing I am. He could deal with 'bored', shit he'd like to be bored.
Or maybe he wouldn't. If he was bored, that might give him time to think, and if he had time to think-
It wasn't her fault though. Brenda was walking into a high-risk situation with someone she'd only met a few days ago. She had every right to be curious.
"No. I'm willing to risk my life because, for as fucked up as my moral compass can be sometimes, I know what the right thing to do is if it hits me in the face." He shrugged. "And I don't have anything else. Look, you don't have to trust me, I'm just asking you to allow me to earn your trust."
"Hmm." She nodded. "Fair enough."
Silence fell over the two of them as they waited for Damon and Cass to find their overwatch position. Knowing the SPARTAN, he already had several scouted before this, but they were moving around in the middle of Boston. He'd be going slow, especially with the teenager. It wasn't hard to believe Damon would rather die than let anything happen to her.
Nate would.
They waited as morning passed into early afternoon. It was a position the ex-soldier had found himself in plenty: hurry up to get here, wait for the order to go.
This time it wasn't exactly an 'order', but the principle is the same.
Despite having found himself in this position countless times during his career, Nate's hands were trembling. It wasn't much, but it was noticeable. He took a deep breath, pulling air as far down into his diaphragm as he could. The ex-soldier inhaled until his stomach felt like it would explode, then pushed all of it out.
He did it again.
Then a third time.
"Diaphragmatic breathing", Carter had said. "That's what it's called. I've never worked with anyone who has PTSD before, but deep breathing exercises are a pretty common way to calm yourself. It tells your body everything is okay."
It wasn't the first time he'd heard the term, that's something they taught every private in basic. Maybe he'd just grown so used to doing it over his career he didn't think about it. Box breathing is what they called it back then.
Now… sometimes the nerves were so bad he had to consciously do it to keep himself level. He wanted to be upset, angry even he was so… weak.
But that wasn't it. Trauma is trauma, no matter what it is or who it's to. Almost 17 years in, it's little wonder he didn't have more of it.
What was it Nora told him?
"Strength isn't not being afraid, it's having the strength to face what makes you afraid."
That wasn't long after they met when she was still in law school. Probably something she'd read.
Doesn't mean it isn't true.
A scuff from the street directly below the eastern side of the building caught the ex-soldier's attention and he was alert an instant later. He held his hand up in a fist and Brenda froze, even going so far as to hold her breath. That isn't going to do any good if they end up in a fight.
Nate mimed breathing and she nodded, slowly releasing the breath she'd been holding.
After pointing to his eyes, then the stairs, he slipped toward the eastern wall. Most of the windows there were blown out. With very little to dampen the sound, it wasn't likely something managed to sneak up on them without making enough noise to reach, but it wasn't impossible. If someone wanted to attack them, they'd probably wait until the SPARTAN was gone.
The ex-soldier may not be Damon, but he'd make whoever came after them regret it.
Careful to keep his boots away from anything that might make noise and give his movements away, he approached the window, rifle raised.
Something movies constantly did was show someone checking a window by looking out over the edge. Much to Nora's chagrin, Nate almost always laughed at those scenes. Exposing yourself like that when there's a potential enemy nearby is a great way to lose your head. Instead, the infantryman was taught to use angles to clear potential enemy positions. The only time you expose anything is when you're sure other possible locations are clear.
So as he reached the window, he began clearing up and down the street while sticking to the shadows of the interior.
Nothing.
He didn't see any movement in the crumbling buildings opposite of him either.
Last, he checked the street and sidewalk directly below the window.
Nothing.
That meant there was either someone in the building, or it hadn't been anyone.
They'd have to be very careful leaving, but doing so now wouldn't get them anything.
Hurry up and wait…
Nate stalked back toward the staircase where Brenda was still watching the door.
"Not sure we have anything", he whispered barely loud enough to be audible. "We'll wait here until Damon gives us the signal."
She nodded, sparing the ex-soldier a glance. He liked that, it meant she was focused.
Quiet, tense minutes ticked by but nothing else disturbed the silence. Nate focused on maintaining slow, steady breaths, keeping his attention on the world around him and not his discomfort.
When a muted, static-y click came from Brenda's pack, the sudden disturbance to the relative peace that had settled around them was startling. It took the woman a moment of fumbling with the straps to get it off and pull the radio from its pouch.
Instead of hitting the transmit button, she glanced at the ex-soldier. He held a finger over his lips and nodded. His companion turned the volume down as far as it would go.
"We're here", she whispered.
"Status?" came the almost inaudible response.
"We heard a noise from the… east side of the building a few minutes ago. Nate didn't see anything, but we aren't sure."
There was a brief pause from the other end.
"No visual contact. Exit east, move to the east side of the street, and head north."
Brenda looked at him and the ex-soldier nodded again. Damon would be in a better position to see what was happening outside than either of them. Overwatch is your best friend in a potentially hostile situation.
"Alright, we're going."
She stowed the radio as Nate moved to the staircase.
The dark staircase.
Stairs have always been the worst thing to clear, especially ones in commercial buildings like this. Narrow, concrete echo chambers with very little cover, and plenty of blind angles.
It's one of the reasons he'd drilled on it a thousand times before. Doesn't mean the infantryman didn't hate doing it.
Even though they'd been watching the top of the staircase, he still did his due diligence in clearing it. The best way to get shot is to get careless.
Once he had, he moved through the opening, careful to set his boots down as gently as possible. They still made noise on the hard surface, but it was acceptable, by his standards at least. Damon would probably have something to say about it…
Just like outside, nothing.
That was encouraging.
As he moved down the stairs, careful to keep his rifle supported and steady, he pivoted, training his sights on the closest angle he could.
It was another one of those maneuvers he drilled so relentlessly, and did so many times in practice, it was as natural as walking.
30 seconds later, he reached the ground floor and slipped out of the staircase.
Still nothing.
Moving through the collection of crumbling offices and hallways, the only thing that broke the silence was their footsteps and, at the edge of his hearing, Diamond City. When he reached the lobby, beyond which was the street running along the east side of the building, the ex-soldier motioned to Brenda.
"Tell him we're coming out."
She nodded and pulled out the radio. "We're at the door, coming out onto the street."
"Copy", came the reply.
After a scan of the equally dilapidated buildings across from them didn't turn up any signs of movement, Nate crept out of the collapsing building. Even though he tried to avoid it, the broken sidewalk crunched underfoot.
The two of them hurried across the street and continued north. At the next intersection, they turned right toward Fenway and, after crossing another two blocks, found themselves in front of the large parking lot ringing Diamond City. It hadn't changed much since Nate had been there last, what felt like ages ago. There were still piles of rubble littering the open space, guards, and floodlights overlooking the lot.
That had been as they were leaving after the Brotherhood ambush failed.
After they lost Julian.
He didn't know where Damon had positioned himself for overwatch. There were a few different options, most of them relatively intact towers to the south. Even with the support, he'd feel more comfortable with the SPARTAN on the ground with them. Once they're inside, a lot of the park will be hidden from him. The ex-soldier could handle himself, but more than a few guards come after them…? That's something they'd need more firepower for.
This is what I've got, make it work. Nate took a deep breath and started into the parking lot. Brenda followed a few hesitant steps behind. Not like he could blame her, it felt like they were walking into a trap. Every ounce of him wanted to turn back, call this insane, and come up with a new strategy.
But they couldn't. There wasn't another strategy. They need to do this. It isn't just getting help from Diamond City, it's about figuring out who would help, and who wouldn't. Are they going to fight with the Brotherhood, someone else, or stay neutral? It wouldn't be the Institute, they're too afraid of them, but someone else might have their ear. While they aren't as dangerous as either the Brotherhood or the Institute, they could still cause problems.
"This feels like a really bad idea", Brenda muttered.
"I can't agree more", he replied. If Diamond City is in bed with the Brotherhood, this 'visit' would turn ugly very quickly.
And without some sort of support, there wasn't much two people could do about it.
In four counts, hold four counts, out four counts, hold four counts.
The ex-soldier kept his eyes focused on the park in front of them. There were a dozen guards arranged along the upper edge of the stadium like guards manning a rampart. They were all watching the two of them approach.
Before they could make it halfway across, a dozen more guards emerged from the city and headed toward them.
"Stop there!" one of them shouted as they reached the middle of the parking lot.
Nate came to a halt with Brenda still behind him.
"Here we go…" she whispered, her breath coming in short bursts.
"Slow down", the ex-soldier said quietly. "Breathe, relax. Whatever happens, Damon has our backs."
"Until we're inside."
Nate glanced at the surrounding cityscape. He could probably work out where the SPARTAN was hiding from knowing where he could see. It wouldn't do any good. He'd have to trust the armored man could figure out the best spot for overwatch. Despite his… lack of interest in Nate's safety, he knew the last thing Damon would do is let Brenda die or the mission fail. If there's anything that can be said for the giant bastard, it's he's incredibly stubborn.
"After what happened last time, I doubt they wanna piss him off." The ex-soldier shrugged. "Sometimes a deterrent is enough."
That's how war works anyway. Most of the time.
She didn't respond immediately. Doubt wasn't the wrong reaction, if anything it was healthy. Nate would be lying if he said he didn't have his own.
"If you say so", Brenda whispered as the large group of guards drew near.
"You the guy who was with the large man in blue power armor?" one of them said once they came to a stop, 20 feet away. He was standing at the front of the squad, staring the ex-soldier down.
Shit. He felt Brenda tense behind him.
"Yes."
There was a short pause. The guards were all scanning the buildings around them, but there was something in the way they did it that seemed… off. The way their eyes jumped from one building to another, studying it for a few seconds before hurrying on to the next. What Nate had taken for vigilance, now that he looked more carefully, seemed a lot like nervousness. Even fear. Damon had left an impression on them with that ambush.
"Where is he?" the same guard asked.
How was he supposed to play this? They're worried about the SPARTAN, that's good. What does he do with that? Are they worried about him because they think they're there to attack the city? Would them thinking he isn't around put them at ease? Or was Nate right and his presence worked as a deterrent?
He didn't have time to play 20 questions with himself.
"Around. We aren't here to start anything, so we thought it would be better if he didn't show up at your front door."
Another brief pause. The guards were still frantically searching the surrounding buildings.
"What are you here for then?"
Brenda stepped forward. "We're with the Minutemen. We'd like to talk to Mayor McDonough."
"The Minutemen?" another one of the guards asked. "Are you guys really back?"
She nodded. "We are."
"We heard the Gunners at Quincy got their asses kicked. Was that you? You guys gettin' some payback?"
"That was Damon", Nate said. "The big guy in blue armor. Him and five others. He's with the Minutemen too."
All of the guards stopped searching and their eyes shot to him.
"Bullshit", the first man said. "There were over a hundred Gunners in Quincy. They had Clint's squad there too."
The ex-soldier nodded. "It happened. They left some of them alive, you can ask if you find them." That seemed like a cheap sell. "I mean, you all saw what happened when the Brotherhood ambushed us."
The guards were exchanging nervous glances. It seemed like Damon had built a reputation without meaning to. These guys looked like they were about ready to shit themselves. The fact they were even considering the SPARTAN had managed to dismantle Quincy with five people as support spoke volumes.
"So what did you wanna talk with the mayor about?" the guard asked.
"We'd like to establish good relations if possible", Brenda replied. "The Minutemen always stood to protect the people of the Commonwealth. We know we've got a lot of work to earn that trust again, but we'd like to start on the right foot." Her voice was still shaky, but no more than the ex-soldier's.
"Oh yeah? What's gonna be different this time? You don't got just Raiders and Gunners to deal with. The Brotherhood's here. The Institute's been making moves. And last time it was the Raiders and Gunners that took you guys apart ."
It was a good question, but Brenda was, apparently, prepared for it.
"Because we're different too", she said before the ex-soldier could respond. "We've got folks who've been fighting the Institute in our ranks now, we've got our own settlements put together, even fended off a big Institute attack at one of them." The woman glanced at Nate. "Plus, we've got Damon. We've already shown we can handle the threats that put us out of business last time."
More silence. The guards were all shifting uncomfortably. Nate didn't know if that was a good thing or not. If they were uncomfortable about any potential repercussions for attacking Brenda and him, they probably wouldn't do anything stupid. The question at hand is whether are they allied with the Brotherhood. If they are, that gives them an umbrella to stand under from the shitstorm Damon would rain down on them. But they might instead decide to turn the two of them away and avoid becoming outright enemies of the Minutemen altogether. There were too many possibilities and the ex-soldier wasn't about to speculate.
"What do you want to offer?" the guard asked.
"Cooperation. I'd like to discuss the details with Mayor McDonough."
The man frowned. "If we let you in, we want your man down here. No games with him sneaking around."
Nate smiled. Damon's penchant for finding his way into places he didn't belong also had them on edge.
The two of them exchanged a glance and the ex-soldier shrugged. He wasn't going to complain if they wanted the SPARTAN down there. It was more direct support, something Nate would never turn down.
"Alright, gimme a sec", the woman said as she fished the radio out once more.
"Hey, uh, Damon… they want you down here."
Nothing came back. Nate didn't doubt the SPARTAN was weighing the options. Being on the ground with them meant he could more readily support, but it also meant putting Cass in danger.
There's one angle he probably wasn't considering though…
The ex-soldier motioned for the radio. Brenda cocked an eyebrow but gave him the device.
"Damon, they want to talk, but they're uncomfortable not knowing where you are. They heard about what happened in Quincy and know that was you. All they want is you down here so you can't sneak around and do that to them." What Nate left unsaid, and what he hoped the SPARTAN picked up on, was it allowed him to run close security.
… And maybe act as some intimidation.
So much for their original plan. These circumstances begged the question though: were they planning on contacting the Minutemen on their own? If they hadn't taken this little field trip, would Diamond City have done it?
"Understood, we'll be there in 10."
He… agreed? The SPARTAN would have eyes on them so, while he couldn't hear the conversation, he could see it was happening.
Guessing won't do any good. He's agreed for now, keep things moving.
"There you go", the ex-soldier said, offering the radio back to Brenda.
They'd gotten what they wanted but, while his companion tucked the radio back into her bag, Nate couldn't help but notice the guards didn't look thrilled. Wasn't there a term for that? Something about being able to intimidate the 'opposition' (though, hopefully, these guys wouldn't be there to fight) before anything starts?
Psychological warfare. The ex-soldier nodded to himself with a small smile.
All these guys knew about Damon were the stories they'd heard. If he's being honest, they're pretty ridiculous. There's a vacuum around the SPARTAN. Outside of the Minutemen and the Institute, no one knows where he came from, and even fewer know what he is. It didn't take him long in the military to figure out nothing fills vacuum like speculation.
"Hey…" one of the guards said slowly, as if to prove his point. "Is- is it true he killed a bunch of Deathclaws by himself?"
"I-" Nate was about to answer that he'd helped. It may not have been much, but he did. Was that the right move? He and Brenda were there to get them the best chance of allying with Diamond City. Maybe he should be leaning into the developing… oh what was that word Nora used the last time they played? Mythos. Maybe he should lean into the mythos that seemed to be growing around Damon.
He frowned. "How did you find out about that?"
Another one shifted. He looked young, very young. "The mayor heard about it from a Paladin when they were talking about what went wrong with the-" he faltered.
"The ambush?"
The group's, apparent, leader nodded. "That's right." He seemed a lot more collected than the others. Whether he was putting on airs or that was real, the ex-soldier didn't know.
Why would they mention that? Were they trying to save face when their plan didn't work? If that's the case…
Nate glanced at Brenda, a glint in his eye. The small smile she shot back his way told him all he needed.
The ex-soldier nodded."Yeah, he killed some Deathclaws when we were in the Glowing Sea. I think it was seven." He rubbed the back of his neck and let out an explosive exhale. "Man, that was something to watch. Never seen anyone kill something like that with a knife before."
That's something that happened, right? By that point in the fight the ex-soldier had been occupied with not getting skewered by one that was almost on him, but he remembered Damon fighting with two of them hand to hand. A little… embellishment never hurts.
"Did you guys have any support?" The leader asked.
"Nope. We went in alone. He did most of the fighting." The grimace that flashed across Nate's face wasn't for effect. "Going almost two days without water or food in that hellhole sucked."
The guard snorted. "I don't buy it."
Judging by the nervous stares of the men around him, he might have been the only one. They had, after all, seen what Damon did to the Brotherhood.
Nate shrugged. "You don't have to believe something for it to be true. There's plenty of other stuff. Quincy, Kellogg, the Forged, the Brotherhood have had plenty-"
"Wait a minute", the leader said, eyes narrowed behind his strange mask. "You said the Forged?" He glanced to his right. "Klein, didn't you say they got wiped out a while back?" The man nodded. "You're saying that was your man?"
"That's right."
"And you're expecting me to believe one guy did all that."
"No", the ex-soldier replied, shaking his head, "I don't expect you to do anything, I'm just telling you what happened. There's a farm up there run by the Finch family. He saved their son."
"The Finches?" one of the other guards asked. Nate nodded.
Silence greeted his response and the ex-soldier ruthlessly stifled the smile that tried to spread across his face.
"Have you heard about Sanctuary?" Brenda asked.
"That little town up north?" the young guard asked.
The woman nodded. "Yeah, the Institute attacked us a few days ago. He killed a bunch of their Synths when they did. I wasn't there for what happened before that but apparently they tried to ambush him and he wiped out a squad of Coursers too."
The kid visibly paled as she spoke and the rest of them were sharing uncomfortable glances.
This time Nate couldn't stop the smile. Damon hadn't technically been alone for any of those fights but that doesn't mean he didn't do what Brenda was saying.
That story might be better than the ex-soldier's. He'd almost forgotten about how scared these people are of the Institute. They're the boogeymen and Synths are a supernatural evil in their eyes. Damon killing a bunch of them, Coursers on top of everything, that would be a major win. Brownie points, one might say.
Laying it on too thick might be a bad idea. If they do, these guys might catch on.
"We aren't here for anything like that though", Nate said. "Like she said, we just want to talk."
"Right…" the lead guard said. "What are your names?"
"I'm Brenda", his companion said, "and this is Nate. And you are?"
"Bill", came the terse reply.
"It's nice to meet you, Bill."
"I wish I could say the same."
That's welcoming…
The next few minutes passed in silence as they waited for Damon to show up with Cass and Dogmeat. Nate didn't need to look to confirm when they had.
"STOP THERE!" one of the guards shouted. They were looking between Brenda and the ex-soldier.
Six of the men rushed around them toward, what Nate assumed, was Damon. When he glanced behind him, he saw the SPARTAN standing at the edge of the parking lot, rifle held at the low ready. It wasn't difficult to imagine the armored man was alarmed he had a half dozen men running at him. Nate didn't see Cass with him.
"Hey, Bill", Nate said, turning back to the three remaining guards, "maybe we calm down a little bit."
"If your friend's as dangerous as you say, I'm not taking any chances with him." There was a sneer on the man's face.
"Fair… but there's one more with him and we're all a bit touchy about her safety." He returned the sneer. "She's one of the kids you helped the Brotherhood try to kidnap."
Bill looked unconvinced. "Tell your man to put his guns down then."
"Yeah", Brenda snorted, "good luck with that. We've cooperated with you so far, can we all just take a step back and relax?"
As another brief pause passed, Nate was starting to get nervous. More nervous, anyway. If Diamond City was still working with the Brotherhood, this would only give those assholes more time to get here.
"Fine", the guard relented before the ex-soldier could say anything. "Take it down a notch", he shouted toward his men. "McDonough will want to talk to them."
The collection of guards all looked back toward them, but, after another moment's hesitation, they all lowered their guns.
"Now yours?"
Brenda nodded and waved toward Damon. The SPARTAN was looking at them now and, a few heartbeats later, he raised his hand. Cass appeared from behind one of the buildings ringing the parking lot and slowly approached him. The large German Shepherd was trodding along beside her. His head was up and ears forward, watching the men around them
Once they were all together, the guards led them toward one of the stadium's entrances. The entire time, the guards were stealing nervous glances at Damon. The armored titan cast a few of his own at Nate but didn't say anything. He was sure Damon was used to other people being nervous around him, but the guards were downright twitchy.
"Stop here", Bill commanded as they reached a large door leading into Fenway. He keyed the intercom and cleared his throat. "We've got a few visitors for the Mayor."
"Gotcha, I'll let them know."
"Can you ask them to meet us by the western gate?"
"Will do."
McDonough was coming to meet them? That was odd. Unless Diamond City's leadership is concerned about Brotherhood plants reporting they're talking to them. If that's the case, this gamble might pay off.
The guard released the intercom button and pulled the door open. "Inside."
Without waiting for a reply, he marched inside. Nate saw Damon hesitate for an instant as he looked down at Cass. Even though he couldn't see the armored titan's face, he knew exactly what had just passed through his head. The same thought went through Nate's.
What if this is another trap?
Like a switch was flipped, the SPARTAN's head snapped straight and he stepped through the door into the dark tunnel beyond.
The rest of them followed him through, Cass so close to him, she might as well have been attached. As the last guard crossed into the corridor, he swung it shut behind him.
Even from behind, Nate could tell Damon was prepared for an attack. He didn't have his rifle up, but his elbows were tight to his sides, right arm shifted back ever so slightly. The ex-soldier would be lying if he didn't feel the same way. His hands were tight around his rifle and, when he looked at Brenda, she was just as tense.
They continued for a minute or so in relative darkness. The tunnels were lit, but the intermittent bulbs were placed 10 or 15 feet apart. Once his eyes adjusted, it was bright enough for Nate to see clearly at least.
Deep breath. We're just here to talk. As much as the ex-soldier wanted to say it was Damon's job to turn every situation into a possible fight, he hadn't survived as long as he did by being complacent. If they did want to ambush them again, the narrow hall would provide a perfect example.
After rounding a corner, the SPARTAN came to a stop and, when Nate looked around the armored titan, he saw Bill swinging another door open.
"In here", the guard grumbled.
Damon ducked through and Cass, Brenda, and Nate followed. Three more guards entered behind them and swung the door shut. They found themselves in a relatively well-lit room that was large enough to-
"Oh…" the ex-soldier mused. It was one of the locker rooms. Or it used to be, at least. He'd seen news feeds inside of them a few times, but he'd never been in one before. Most of the lockers themselves were gone, but they weren't crumbled to dust like the rest of the wasteland was. Instead, what few remained were surrounded by relatively lavish, well-kept furniture, sitting on a large, clean carpet. Three or four couches, two armchairs, and a handful of end tables were all arranged around a wide, low table. The fixtures set into the ceiling were intact and bathed the former locker room in cool, incandescent light.
Compared to what the ex-soldier had seen of diamond city, it was downright luxurious.
Why the hell would they have this down here?
"Make yourselves comfortable", Bill said, "the mayor will be down in a bit." The man still sounded decidedly unhappy.
This situation was… uncomfortable. Things had moved extremely fast and now, 15 minutes after getting to Diamond City, they were already getting to talk with McDonough.
"They must be desperate", Brenda muttered.
Nate nodded. "That's what I was thinking. Come on", he nodded toward the ring of overstuffed furniture. "Standing around won't make anyone any more comfortable."
He and Brenda started toward them and, a heartbeat later, Cass followed. Damon stayed where he was. The SPARTAN had been silent since he'd arrived at the parking lot. If Nate was uncomfortable, the otherworldly soldier was probably on the verge of killing someone.
But… he wasn't. As Nate sat in a leather chair he would have considered too fancy for him before the world blew itself to hell, Damon started after them. His gaze was on the three guards standing beside the door they entered, but his movements were devoid of the coiled tension that usually preceded an attack. They were staring at him as well, eyes wide, muttering to one another. Their voices were too low for him to pick up, but it wasn't hard to guess they were talking about the SPARTAN.
"What did you tell them?" Damon asked quietly as he came to a stop beside the couch Cass and Brenda had chosen.
Nate offered a smug smile. "Why? What are they talking about?"
The armored man's yellow-gold visor locked onto him. It was all the reminder he needed they weren't on familiar terms. Yet.
"The Forged."
"They're scared of you", Brenda answered for Nate, drawing the SPARTAN's gaze. "We thought it would be a good idea to tell them a few of the things you've done. Give them something to think about."
"She means both before they decide to attack us and as an incentive to help", the ex-soldier added. If they were going to do this, they can't think of Diamond City as a potential enemy.
"I didn't know about you fighting seven Deathclaws", Brenda mused. "When did that happen?"
Damon's head swiveled back to Nate, cocked to the side. He didn't respond but, if anything, that look felt like he was asking 'are you gonna tell her?'
I'll give it a shot. The ex-soldier shrugged.
"Back when we were trying to get to the Institute, we had to go through the Glowing Sea. It involved fighting a lot of things I didn't want to know existed. There was a crater with some Deathclaws in it and I dared him to fight them." He frowned. "It almost got me killed, but it happened."
Cass was smiling but she already knew the story. Once Brenda got over her initial surprise, she looked more amused than anything else.
"If you're gonna take on seven Deathclaws on your own for a dare, why are you having so much trouble with the Brotherhood?"
"Deathclaws don't strategize, don't fly Vertibirds, and don't have guns", the SPARTAN replied
"Oh you've gotta be- Damon-" Nate started before exhaling explosively. He buried his face in his hands as Cass and Brenda started laughing. "It was a joke, Damon." The ex-soldier wanted to ask how Damon could be so clueless, but he'd figured that out a while ago. When it came to anything besides threat analysis, the SPARTAN could do sarcasm. Fighting? He had a pathological inability to tell when someone was joking.
Brenda waved him off, struggling to control her laughter. "I don't think telling him will help."
"Right", the ex-soldier replied, shaking his head.
For his part, Damon looked bemused, or Nate imagined he looked bemused.
"I'd expect Sanctuary to be able to fend off that attack."
Nate cocked an eyebrow. "Seven Deathclaws?"
"Yes."
"And if we couldn't", Brenda asked.
The SPARTAN shrugged. "I'd be disappointed."
"Disappointed?" the woman snorted. "You wouldn't be, you know, sad? Because we'd be dead."
He cocked his head but didn't respond. Nate didn't know if it was because he knew the question was a trap, or because he couldn't think of a reply, but silence was the only good answer to that question.
It was Damon so it was probably that he couldn't think of a reply.
"Anyway", Nate interrupted before she could pester the armored titan any further, "yes, we talked about some of your exploits." He glanced at the door Bill was standing beside on the far side of the locker room turned lounge. Presumably, that's where McDonough would be coming from. "Some people find that sort of thing impressive, others find it scary, especially if they don't know you. When we're talking with the mayor, maybe you, I don't know, stand behind us silently." He looked at Brenda. "If we're gonna try to start spreading rumors of the invincible soldier, a silent, ominous appearance might help that. It's what all the badass characters do in movies."
When Cass and Brenda cast questioning frowns at him, he internally berated himself. None of them would get the reference, and he wouldn't be surprised if that included Damon.
"It's intimidating."
Brenda cocked an eyebrow and looked up at the SPARTAN. "Sure, because the giant metal suit of armor doesn't do that."
"I don't know", the ex-soldier said, throwing his hands up, "I'm just throwing shit out there."
"Quiet", Damon grumbled.
That's right, they do have an audience. The last thing they need is to come off as unprepared.
"Isn't that what he normally does?" Cassandra asked. "No offense Damon, but you kinda suck at talking with people you don't know."
Nate nodded. "She's right."
"That's why you're here, isn't it?" the SPARTAN asked. Or maybe the right word would be 'accused'.
"Both of us", the ex-soldier motioned at Brenda.
"We'll get it done", she replied.
As if on cue, the door swung open. It admitted an older man wearing a surprisingly clean suit and tie, a wide-brimmed hat, and a well-kept mustache. Behind him were three others, another man also wearing a suit, close-cropped gray hair, and eyes that locked onto Damon the instant he was in sight. The second was a woman, also in a suit, with blonde hair, and a frown that looked like it never left her face. The last through the door was a man who couldn't have been much older than Nate with jet black hair, a jaw so square it could have been drawn with a ruler, wearing fatigues, and had a rifle slung across his back.
Nate stood with Brenda and Cass following suit.
Once they were through the door, Bill swung it shut behind them, but he didn't do it fast enough to hide the collection of guards on the other side. Not that he'd expect anything else, they'd be stupid to have this kind of meeting without any security.
"Mayor McDonough", Brenda said, stepping forward, hand outstretched. "It's good to meet you, my name is Brenda."
"Ah, yes", he said in a slightly nasally voice. "I hear you are from Sanctuary and represent the Minutemen." Diamond City's mayor stepped forward to shake her hand. His eyes never left Damon's massive armored form.
"All of us are." She motioned at each of them in turn. "This is Nate, Cassandra, and Damon."
McDonough shook Nate's hand, then Cass'. When he stepped toward Damon, the ex-soldier waved him off. The SPARTAN probably would have shaken the man's hand without incident, but subtle cues like that were part of building this new 'mystique' around the man. Plus, he probably wouldn't want the contact in the first place.
"Mayor McDonough", he said in his best 'interview' voice, motioning at the other three, "who else do we have the pleasure of talking to?"
"Oh, where are my manners? These are Ann and Clarence Codman", he motioned at the two well-dressed, stuffy members of their little party, "and this is Tristan Wright. He's our head of security."
So they're taking this seriously then. That's good.
The ex-soldier nodded. "It's good to meet you." He offered his hand to the others. Tristan grasped it and shook, but the Codmans only watched. They smelled like every rich, stuck-up asshole client Nora had.
"Well, we're here to discuss a possible alliance between Diamond City and the Minutemen", the mayor said pointing to the couches, "why don't we sit?"
The six of them did, leaving Damon to stand behind Cass and Brenda. It wasn't because of his suggestion, the ex-soldier assumed.
"From the sounds of things", Brenda started, "you aren't on the best terms with the Brotherhood."
"That's correct", Tristan said. His voice was low and hoarse, like he'd spent most of his life yelling and the rest smoking. "The ambush they organized to hit you was the first of several… demands they made of us. Security has been difficult due to their constant movements within the city. It's stirred up more Supermutant and Raider activity and they haven't been interested in helping suppress it to this point."
Out of the corner of his eye, Nate caught a small flinch from Cass at the mention of Supermutants. That's something she'd carry forever
He also didn't notice how Tristan had said "to this point".
"But before we go further into that", Clarence Codman said in a tone that felt like he was talking down to them, "what can the Minutemen offer us? If we were to openly ally with you, the Brotherhood would consider that a betrayal. Would you be able to prevent them from retaliating?"
The way he asked the question suggested it was rhetorical, and the answer would be 'no'.
Nate wanted to start the next sentence with 'listen here, asshole', but that wouldn't be productive.
The main reason that didn't happen was Brenda answered before he could.
"That depends on how we do it, doesn't it? You said 'openly ally' yourself with us. We don't have to go that far yet. Our mission is the same as it always has been: we want to protect the people of the Commonwealth. That doesn't always involve showing up to fight. Sometimes we have to be a little more careful about how we work."
"There's going to be a fight between the Brotherhood, the Institute, and the Commonwealth", Tristan said, "why would we put our safety on you? The last time the Minutemen were involved in a large battle, they got their asses handed to them in Quincy."
"Which we just dealt with a few days ago", Nate said.
"The information I've heard is it wasn't the Minutemen", he pointed at Damon, "it was him."
"Damon is part of the Minutemen."
Ann Codman huffed. "Are you suggesting the only thing you have to offer is this… man?"
If that was all we had to offer, you should be happy.
He felt the SPARTAN shift behind them.
Brenda snorted. "You say that like he doesn't have the Brotherhood and Institute scared of him." She shook her head. "No, we have more to offer. And I'm sorry, I understand why Mr. Wright is here, but what's your part in this?"
"The Codmans have been important members of the community here for generations", McDonough started like he was reading off cue cards. "If it weren't for their business practices, Diamond City would not be what it is today. They're here because they have a vested interest in the health of our city, and have been consultants for its leadership for as long as we can remember." That little speech sounded rehearsed. Very rehearsed.
Business practices? Consultants? Great, even after the world's blown to hell…
"Ah", Brenda said, "we've got a lot more to offer, but if you're business people, you know we aren't going to give it for nothing."
"You came-"
Do we really need to go down this road? It's so boring and we all know it's a dead end. "We came to you", the ex-soldier interrupted, "because we'd like more support. We didn't come to you because we need more support."
Clarence cocked an eyebrow. "Then why come to us in the first place?"
"You've never been in a battle, Mr. Codman. Winning doesn't matter if you lose everything to do it. The better your force, the better your chances." He cocked an eyebrow at the man. "If you're as business savvy as McDonough says, that's something you should know."
Out of the corner of his eye, the ex-soldier saw Cass shift. When he looked, she'd turned around and was watching Damon. The SPARTAN had met her gaze. Something passed between the two of them and the teenager nodded. The younger teenager, that is.
"Why are you arguing so much?" she asked, turning back to their four hosts. "Don't we all want the same thing?"
"Unfortunately, no, we don't", Ann said, now looking up at Damon, eyes narrowed. "You want us to provide support in the face of retaliation from the Brotherhood while you offer us… a few soldiers. It seems we will be taking on much more risk for not much reward."
Nate opened his mouth to respond, to say, regardless of their position in this fight, they were at risk. If they ally with the Brotherhood, if Maxson wins, things probably don't get better for them.
But Cass was on a roll.
"Aren't you doing that anyway? I mean, maybe-" the girl faltered, eyes moving to Nate. She was going in the right direction.
"What she's saying is the Brotherhood aren't your friends", the infantryman continued for her. "Doesn't matter who wins this fight. Wouldn't it be smarter to work with the people who at least have a reputation for trying to keep people safe?" He held out his hands to stop the protest that had probably been on its way. "Yes, the Minutemen failed, but we can show you why that won't happen again. If you agree to work with us."
McDonough frowned. "Isn't the main difference right here?" he waved at Damon. "You're in the middle of our forces. It seems, if we wanted to-"
While he couldn't see Damon, he felt the armored titan coil behind him. Cass's eyes shot wide in alarm and Nate's arms went rigid. That wasn't-
"No, no, no", Brenda said, dropping her head into her hands. "That isn't how you negotiate."
She shot a glance at the ex-soldier. It was saying 'follow along'.
I'll try…
Nate forced his arm to relax and his hands to loosen around his rifle. He hoped his voice would follow along.
Letting out an exaggerated sigh, the ex-soldier looked up at Damon. "Gotta give him credit, he's either really brave or really stupid to threaten you to your face." Damon met his gaze and Nate offered a smile and a subtle nod. Please, please play along. This could go very bad very quickly.
There was a brief moment of doubt as the only thing he got back from his friend was a silent stare.
Before that doubt could grow to fear, Damon nodded. "Last time, it ended with a few dozen dead people."
The hospital. He was talking about the hospital.
Nate couldn't help but feel that was a warning as much as it was him playing along. Whatever, he'd take it.
"Right", the ex-soldier turned back to McDonough, "plus we're trying to build trust. Threatening the people you're negotiating with is a terrible way to do that." He paused to look at the other three. "It's a mistake to assume you're operating from an advantage."
And he wasn't referring to Damon, not entirely. Yes, the SPARTAN would deal out most of the damage, but Nate wasn't about to let something happen to Cass either. He hadn't seen Brenda in action but if Damon agreed to bring her, she's at the very least competent. It probably wouldn't come to that but, well, the rifle sitting in his lap wasn't for show.
Ann leaned back in her overstuffed leather chair and grinned. "That's a fair statement. Our venerable mayor may have gotten ahead of himself. We did come meet you, as you said, face to face after all. It would be foolish to put our lives at risk in front of such a supposedly dangerous group." She turned her gaze to Damon. "I've heard rumors about you and am… interested in your service-"
"No", the SPARTAN interrupted.
"The last time someone 'hired' us was KLEO from Goodneighbor", Nate said before anyone could take offense. "I'm sure one of the rumors you've heard is what happened in Goodneighbor that night."
The businesswoman nodded slowly. "Made quite the mess of the place. I am aware of that robot's business practice. I am not KLEO." She almost spat the words 'robot' and 'KLEO' at them.
"Even so, we're going to say no for now."
"Despite it being an opportunity to earn our trust?" McDonough asked.
Brenda leaned forward. "And what would you do to earn our trust? Again, this isn't a one-way street. We aren't here because we have to be."
"I see", Clarence said. "But that does leave the question of what, exactly, you're willing to offer if it isn't your combat prowess?"
"For now we can offer supplies and support." She looked at the rifle slung over Tristan's shoulder. "Better weapons and equipment to start with."
"And what would you expect from us in return?"
"Information and, later, cooperation when we begin working on removing the Brotherhood from the Commonwealth."
Tristan cocked an eyebrow. "Removing the Brotherhood? You mean attacking them." Both Nate and Brenda nodded. "What would that look like?"
"Nothing major at first. If some of your people were interested in joining us, that would be helpful. Having somewhere safe in the city to stop." The woman glanced at Nate. "You said we need to build trust, I think we're starting pretty simple here."
"Despite your thinking these requests are 'simple' they're still something we will need to think about", Ann retorted. "The reason we are meeting here is that the Brotherhood have eyes and ears in the city and we have been unable to root them out. If they become aware we're helping you, things could become very complicated."
Nate nodded. "It could, but you're missing the forest for the trees. At the end of the day, the Brotherhood is going to make your lives complicated, and this fight isn't going to be over quickly. The Brotherhood, us, the Institute… things are going to get ugly and there's no guarantee they'll win."
"And there's no guarantee you will either."
"That's true", the ex-soldier shrugged, "but we have a better chance with your support, the same way you do with ours."
The older woman's face stretched in a small smirk that made Nate want to smack it off her. "Wouldn't the same reasoning hold for the Brotherhood? And it seems to me they're the better pick at the moment."
Dammit… She'd called. They weren't bluffing, but with these people's fear of Synths, they can't tell them they're working with the Railroad and Li's group. Those two things didn't make them more capable or better equipped than the Brotherhood, without taking Damon into account, but they helped.
That being said, the worst thing they could do is start pushing. That would make them look desperate and that would give these people the upper hand.
Nate stood. "Well, you've heard what we have to say, we know you don't want to work with the Brotherhood, and working together is how we get the best results for the Commonwealth. Unless you have anything else you'd like to ask us…" Cass and Brenda stood as well.
"No, no", Ann replied as the four of them followed suit. "This has been very educational. I appreciate the conversation." The woman didn't offer her hand to shake. None of them did. The ex-soldier didn't know if that meant anything or not.
"For the time being", McDonough added, "if you'd like a place to stay, this room is available to you. I ask if you do leave, do not come into the city itself." The mayor motioned to the guard still standing beside the door they'd entered. "Bill and his men would be happy to escort you in and out as needed."
That's a little more promising. It was a friendly gesture, and it made it clear they were a risk to the city if the Brotherhood found out they were there.
It also allowed them to spy on them.
"I appreciate it. I wouldn't mind taking a few minutes to catch my breath. It's been a long few days."
The old, portly man nodded. "I can imagine. We appreciate the discussion and, once we've had time to discuss our options, we'll tell you our decision."
"That works for us."
With that, the four of them left, marching through the door without so much as a backward glance. Bill motioned toward the guards on the far end of the room and, once they left, he followed his 'bosses' out and swung the door shut.
As soon as they were alone, Nate flopped back down into his chair and blew a raspberry. "Businessmen and politicians." He shook his head. "I think I'd have preferred cutting my tongue out to that."
"That was dumb of them to threaten us", Cass said, frowning. "I'm no expert but that seems like a horrible way to build trust."
"Yeah", Brenda replied. "Something tells me they're used to working from an advantage. They don't deal with these situations much."
Speaking of… "Where did you learn your negotiating skills?"
She grinned. "It's something you learn when you grow up around people who have to barter for everything. Small settlements don't usually get the best prices from merchants."
"This wasn't 'bartering'."
"No, it wasn't", she shook her head, "sometimes you have to make friends with other settlements if you wanna survive."
"So you've done this before."
'
"Something like it." The woman glanced at the door. "Never done it with people that… snobby."
The ex-soldier snorted. "That type of person was everywhere before the bombs dropped."
"They're assholes", Cass muttered.
Ain't that the truth. "They're always trying to take advantage of someone else. A lot of the time they don't think of the people they're working with as other people."
Brenda nodded. "So what do you think? I guess it's hard to talk since, you know, they're probably listening to us but still."
"We've already insulted them so I don't know if we can do much worse." Did it matter if the, in the words of the other two, 'snobby assholes' know what they think? Probably not. Provided they don't discuss anything as stupid as attacking them, they'd be stupid to retaliate.
"They're looking for help. They have a secret room to meet with us away from the Brotherhood and are willing to have the meeting." Nate shrugged.
"They sure seemed like they were comfortable."
Damon marched to the side of the couch, still staring at the door. "People like that always think they can operate with impunity." There was something odd in the SPARTAN's normally monotonous voice. There was an edge as he bit off the end of each word. The guy didn't like being talked down to, or threatened, but it sounded like something more than that.
"And you would know this how?" the ex-soldier asked.
The SPARTAN turned to him but didn't answer.
Right… "Anyway, yes, they think they're playing with the better cards. They aren't stupid enough to think they have a perfect hand."
"The Codmans think they can play Maxson", Damon said, huffing. If the ex-soldier didn't know better, he'd say it was amusement.
"You think he's too smart?"
He nodded. "And too fanatical. Diamond City has nothing he wants." The armored man cocked his head. "They want something dead too."
Ann Codman had asked about using Damon for something. Now he was thinking about it, Nate wished he hadn't shut them down so quickly. It would have been useful to learn what they wanted him to do.
"We don't know what though." He smiled. "On the upside, I think everyone besides those two, and maybe Tristan, is scared of you."
Cassandra chuckled. "Yeah, that part was pretty funny. That younger guy, he looked like he was having a hard time not throwing up."
"That makes sense", Brenda said, nodding. "They don't know you. If they ever do get to, they'll find out you're an even bigger asshole than they think."
"He's not that bad", the teenager protested.
"You haven't had to spend a four-hour guard shift, at night, with him popping out of every bush to scare you shitless." She cocked an eyebrow at the towering man. "The first time we officially met, it was when he had a knife at my throat."
That sounds about right. "At least it wasn't a gun."
"I guess he likes me better."
The man in question stood still and silent, watching the exchange. As usual, the ex-soldier couldn't tell if Damon was amused, annoyed, or indifferent. "While that's true, I don't think that's important right now. When we're getting shot at and he chooses to save you over me, then we'll have a problem." Nate leaned back in the too-soft chair. "For now, we need to hit the next stop on our checklist. We can't do anything here until they figure out what they want."
"What do you think they'll do?" Brenda mused. "Probably come back with some ridiculous demand."
The infantryman nodded. "Probably. We can't risk giving them anything more than we've already offered."
"What if it's to do something?"
"Well", he glanced at Damon, "I don't know how well that would go over a second time. I think it's an 'it depends' kinda thing."
Goodneighbor was next on the list. That's one Nate had no clue what to expect with. Damon hadn't made as big a mess there as he had in Diamond City, but he'd attacked them directly. From the sounds of it, they were on even worse terms with the Brotherhood than this place was.
Maybe… they take some time, talk it out now they've gotten their feet wet with Diamond City's venerable leadership. While the chair he was sitting in was too soft, far softer than anything he'd become used to, that doesn't mean he didn't want to take advantage of it.
"I think we should change our game plan up a little for Goodneighbor."
Brenda cocked an eyebrow again. "We had one?"
"Not really, but they're gonna want Damon there while we're negotiating too. And they're gonna have a lot more guards."
X
For everything that had happened in Boston since the Brotherhood showed up, the path between Diamond City and Goodneighbor was still heavily patrolled. Nate, Brenda, and Cass were walking through the relatively clear streets that connected the two large settlements. They'd joined the path shortly after the guard transitioned from Diamond City's oddly dressed patrols to the more conventional uniforms worn by Goodneighbor's. With the smaller town's relationship with the Brotherhood, they were less likely to be reported by a mole.
That being said, Damon drew way too much attention. Despite his protests, the three of them agreed the armored titan would slip through the city and meet them at Goodneighbor. The glare he gave Nate could probably have punched a hole through him if it weren't for the helmet. He didn't need to say what he was very clearly thinking.
As they walked, the trio received far fewer stares than the last time Nate had walked this route. That had been with Damon before everything went to hell in a handbasket.
That was probably because, well… the SPARTAN drew a lot of attention.
It didn't take long for them to make the journey and, a few minutes after joining the path, the walls of the city came into view. Unless the ex-soldier was imagining it, there were a lot more guards at the front entrance and along the wall. As much as thinking that was in response to Damon amused him, they're more concerned about the Brotherhood. It was something Nate didn't have to think too hard about to understand. The mayor, Hancock, is a ghoul, as are many of the residents.
The Brotherhood isn't a fan of ghouls.
More than that, even with how rough the settlement could be, Goodneighbor tended to be a far more diverse crowd. From what he knew, and what Perkins had told him, the place would take in just about anyone as long as they didn't cause too much trouble.
'Too much' is the operative phrase. He wasn't under any delusions things wouldn't get difficult. They had both times he'd been there before. The question is how they'll react to Damon.
"These guys seem a lot more nervous", Cass whispered.
Nate glanced at the teenager who was walking directly beside him. Her eyes were darting from guard to guard as they marched past the posts set in the surrounding buildings.
"They should be", Brenda said. "Sounds like the Brotherhood isn't on great terms with them. Probably a good thing we didn't bring Damon this way."
True, except for one thing… "Yeah, he'll just have to be careful to scare the shit out of anyone when he appears at the gate."
"Good luck with that."
The ex-soldier nodded. "I know."
With the wall in sight, they slowed as a contingent of guards started toward them. Here we go again.
"You're good there", one of them called. The three of them came to a stop and the five guards approached until they were 20 feet away. "What's your business?"
"We're with the Minutemen", Brenda said, echoing what she said just a few hours ago at Diamond City. "I hear you aren't on speaking terms with the Brotherhood, thought we'd give you another option."
The guard cocked an eyebrow. He had a few inches and 30 pounds on Nate with tanned skin and a permanent frown. "Oh yeah? The Minutemen, huh? Didn't you guys get wiped out at Quincy a while back?"
"We did", she said, nodding, "but we've made a turnaround… with the help of someone you guys are familiar with."
"I'm not a fan of suspense", the man said, "who?"
Nate stepped forward. "Big armored guy, the one KLEO tried to kill."
There was a moment of silence as the man glared at Nate, eyes narrowed. "You were with him?" The ex-soldier nodded. "You two were banned."
"That was before the current situation." Nate shrugged. "Things have changed and we're interested in working things out."
"What makes you think we are?"
"The Brotherhood."
The two of them continued watching each other for a few seconds, the guard's eyes narrowed. It was a pretty good mean mug. The ex-soldier had seen better. "Where is he?"
Nate smiled. "Does that mean you're willing to talk?"
"Yes."
The concession was pretty quick, meaning they could be lying. The ex-soldier's eyes swept across the assembled guard. He had no clue where Damon was hiding but the SPARTAN would be in position to watch them. If the guards were going to try anything, it wouldn't be until the otherworldly soldier was in sight.
"What guarantee can you give me?"
"Huh?" The guard cocked an eyebrow. "We might be in a tight spot, but you came to us. Your boy fucked Goodneighbor up pretty good last time, you worried he can't do it again?" He bit the end of the question off hard.
"I don't wanna find out. I'd be disappointed if you didn't make any improvements." The ex-soldier held his hands out to the side as the guard stiffened. "I'm not fishing, you don't need to tell me anything." He raised a hand over his head and twirled a finger in the air. "Damon already agreed to come out, just don't shoot him, alright?"
That didn't seem to put the people around them at ease. They've probably heard the same things about him Diamond City's guards have.
"As long as he don't do anything stupid", the large man said, voice still clipped.
"Stupid?" The SPARTAN does plenty of stupid stuff, but it doesn't happen when things are high stakes.
Brenda nodded. "He might be a pain in the ass, but he isn't stupid."
"Uh-huh."
15 seconds later, a large, dark shape detached itself from the shadows beneath a building to their right. If Nate hadn't been watching, he would never have known the armored titan was there.
When the guards caught sight of him, they began to turn toward the approaching SPARTAN.
"Guns down", the guard ordered before grumbling, "Hancock'll have my ass if something like last time happens again."
That was promising.
"Everyone's here", Brenda said as Damon came to a stop beside them. His ramrod stiff posture suggested he was just as uncomfortable with this as back in Diamond City. He'd keep a lid on it, the man had come far enough for Nate to trust that.
The guard hesitated for a moment, watching the SPARTAN who in turn was scanning the others around them. As with Diamond City, they were all watching him nervously. Psychological tactics didn't seem like the best move here. Goodneighbor was a lot more… robust than Diamond City. Trying to intimidate them would probably end in some sort of violence.
"Alright", he said, eventually, "let's go. The boss will want to talk to you." His eyes narrowed as he continued staring up at Damon. "Especially you."
That doesn't sound good. It wasn't a surprise though, the last time he'd been here Damon had blown up the market. Or had been involved in that, anyway.
Turning, the man led them back toward the gate. The five other guards formed a ring around them and, as they neared the wall, another five joined the group.
Wherever he went, it always seemed Damon would draw a crowd of heavily armed people.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The ex-soldier had been around him long enough.
The wall was much the same as it had been when Nate visited the place both with Nick and Damon a few months ago. They were more guards patrolling it, and it looked like they'd added some mounted gun emplacements. It hadn't needed much improvement for most threats the last time around. Had they done anything to prepare for the Brotherhood's air support? That's something Sanctuary still needed. It was so weird not having air support of his own. When the ex-soldier was on active duty, even against near-peer enemies the US had air superiority.
Now there was none.
Their escort swung the thick steel door open with a loud groan and they found themselves inside the town.
Sure enough, the large tower that served as Goodneighbor's market straight ahead of them had its windows replaced with a combination of steel and wood. When KLEO blew the place up, it no doubt shattered whatever glass was left.
Other than that, the place looked like more people were milling around. As had been the case last time, everyone was carrying. Most of them stopped to stare at them as they entered the town.
"This way", the guard said, waving them to the left. They followed into an alley between two buildings and the ex-soldier felt Damon coil behind him. If they were going to ambush them, this would make for a pretty good spot. That didn't seem likely though. What they were probably doing is trying to avoid the risk of someone doing something stupid and starting a fight. That had happened both times Nate had been there.
If that happened now… things would get very messy.
As Nate expected, they were led through a collection of alleys, avoiding people wherever possible. If anything could be said for the guards escorting them, they knew the risks they were dealing with. That being said, the ex-soldier would be lying if he said he didn't feel uncomfortable. The dark passages, even in the middle of the day, and buildings crowding around them were damn near claustrophobic. Walking through them with a 15-person group didn't help.
But nothing happened. And it didn't seem like anything would happen. Most people would relax as they realized they weren't under imminent threat. That wasn't Damon though. Throughout the entire journey, the SPARTAN was silent and attentive. Whenever Nate glanced back at him, the armored titan's head was turning to each shadow and corner, scanning it for a potential threat. As aggravating as that constant 'on' switch could be at times, it was a comfort too. No matter what happened Damon wasn't going to get caught unawares. Nate was likely partially to blame for that…
Like he's said before, the armored titan has an almost supernatural ability to sniff out potential ambushes. It was their job to make this 'reunion' work, the SPARTAN would let them know if they were about to get shot.
After a few more minutes of weaving between builds that had been mostly repaired, some with suspended walkways running between them, the guard called for them to stop. They were in front of an unassuming structure, two stories with nothing to suggest what it might be.
He stepped forward and pounded on the door. It was steel and, judging by the muffled thud his fist made, thick. "Hey boss", the large man called, "you got some Minutemen out here who wanna talk with you. And the guy who blew up the market."
There was a brief silence before several sets of footsteps pounded up to the door. The heavy thunk of a latch sounded from the other side and the door swung inward.
Light spilled out into the alley. The mottled face of Goodneighbor's mayor, John Hancock, greeted them, a crooked smile plastered on it.
"Well well, if it isn't the Tin Man", he said, voice like gravel. "You've become famous since you and KLEO turned my city into a warzone. I might I wanna rethink what I said last time."
A/N: Me and my double entendres huh? There isn't a whole lot to go through at the end of this one. We're working on a setup. A setup to what…? Well that's why you're still reading the story, isn't it. I'm back to my weekly schedule… tentatively. It being the holidays and all and some other new ventures in my life might make that difficult, but I'm gonna do my best! At the very least the next two chapters are going to be posted on time :P. I'll see everyone next time!
Next chapter: 12/16, Hostile Negotiations