A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUNNNN! We're back with another episode of 'what happens after the cliffhanger?!' It was good to take the extra time with this chapter because a lot of nuanced things took place. But I'm not going to tell you what those things are :) No need to ramble this time, sooooo leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!
Chapter 63: Play Stupid Games…
Nate's heartbeat was still calm, his arms were still relaxed, and he could see Brenda was the same. It wasn't that he didn't think they were in danger, these people were stupid enough to let them keep their weapons, they'd be dumb enough to call the two of them on their threat. They're dumb enough to think pissing Damon off wasn't a bad idea. If something did happen, they probably wouldn't be walking out of there alive. No doubt Bill and Tristan weren't the only guards in the area.
But that's just it: they wouldn't be walking out alive.
The Brotherhood would want the two of them for questioning. They put themselves in a bad position on top of that.
Five people, at least two of them armed, Nate was fairly certain he could get at least two shots off before catching something lethal. Would he be able to make those two shots Bill and Tristan? He didn't know, but catching something lethal would put a damper on their plans too.
Then there was Brenda.
The ex-soldier had little doubt she was willing to go down swinging. That's the problem, he didn't want her to. She was still sitting in the same chair, cradling her rifle. It wasn't quite at the low-ready, but it wasn't far away.
For the first time, the Codmans seemed genuinely concerned. McDougal looked like, if he hadn't already shit himself, he'd be doing it shortly. They were having second thoughts, probably wishing they'd found some way to disarm the two of them before meeting face to face. Not the smartest move on their part. Odd they'd overlook something so… obvious.
If they're having doubts… is there still a chance to get out of this?
If there was…
He glanced at Brenda again. Corey was her boyfriend's name. Nate knew, all too well, what the guy would be feeling if Damon told him Brenda had died. Cass liked her too.
Maybe more important than any of those, Brenda herself- she was a good person. Nate liked her. Keeping her safe wasn't about avoiding Damon's anger, not anymore. It's because she didn't deserve to go out like this.
"So", he said, voice calm and steady. McDougal, who was still sitting on one of the overstuffed chairs, almost jumped to his feet. "Not gonna ask 'can we forget this ever happened?' because… you know that won't happen. I think it would be better for everyone involved if we agreed to part ways on bad terms."
Tristan's back went ramrod straight.
"You're in the middle of our city surrounded by our people. You don't get to dictate how this goes." The man tried to sound indignant. It didn't really work.
"And you were stupid enough to bring your leadership in here without disarming us", Nate responded. "Did you think we were gonna roll over and let you give us to the Brotherhood?" He huffed. Maybe they thought the immediate threat of death was scarier than torture. "The only difference between fighting here and getting turned over to the Brotherhood is we'd die faster here."
Brenda shifted. "Yeah, I don't like waiting so if we're shooting each other, let's get it over with." He watched as she smiled. It was anything but friendly. "The only thing I'll regret is not being around to see Damon turn this place into a graveyard."
"You're confident about that", Ann mused.
"You're right."
When the younger woman didn't offer anything more, Ann grunted. "I don't see any reason to continue on with this. We obviously did not come adequately prepared." She stood from the couch, closely followed by her husband. "I did not expect you two to be so ready to die. I will not make that mistake again." The older woman sounded bitter.
Nate liked that.
"You showed your hand too early anyway", the infantryman said, climbing out of his chair. "You could have played us a little while longer." He shrugged. "Too late now."
"We're letting them go?" Bill asked, his voice ladened with disbelief.
His boss nodded. "There's no point trying to hold them. They aren't willing to be taken alive and the longer we sit here talking, the longer that freak of theirs has to do something crazy."
"Ha", Brenda barked a laugh as she stood, "you are afraid of him."
"Don't confuse what I mean." Tristan's face was suddenly bright red and rock-hard. "I'm not afraid of him. I don't appreciate you saying one man is a threat to this city."
"Then why don't you want him poking around?"
"You say he has time to prepare." The guard commander sneered at Nate. "Time for him to prepare for us is time for us to prepare for him. I don't care if you think we don't have enough experience. That's your mistake to make."
The ex-soldier shrugged again. "Well, you jumped on this train. You'll find out soon enough."
"This. Way", Tristan ground out and turned toward the door they'd entered through.
Yeah. He's afraid of Damon. Not that Nate could blame him. Probably the only smart thing he'd done so far.
Keeping an eye on Bill, the infantryman followed Tristan toward the door with Brenda beside him.
Whatever the hell that was, the two of them had won it. Brenda won it, really, Nate ran support.
"I don't think I need to say this", the guard said as he slammed the door shut behind them. "If we ever catch you or any of your people near Diamond City, it won't go like this again."
Brenda rolled her eyes. "Let's drop the threats. We all know you're upset about this, no need to embarrass yourself too."
He didn't reply. Their new enemy led them back down the hall toward the entrance. Jake and his people were waiting there along with a dozen Diamond City guards. All of them looked a little surprised to see Nate and Brenda following their commander.
"So?" Jake asked, eyebrow cocked at Tristan. It seems he'd caught on to something.
Nate shook his head. "We'll talk about it back in Goodneighbor."
"That sounds bad", he muttered.
They needed to talk about their next move with Damon. This might put his plan to take that shot at Maxson on hold.
"Well, it isn't good…"
The larger man glanced around at the assembly of Diamond City guards. They had the Goodneighbor fighters outnumbered.
I didn't get out of that to die in this damn hallway.
"Come on. It's getting late and we have things to do." Nate smiled at Tristan. "It was fun. Better luck next time."
If looks could kill, the glare he shot the ex-soldier would have had him six feet under.
Jake didn't look convinced, but the guard was observant enough to catch onto something.
"Let's move", he said. The rest of the Goodneighbor contingent slowly began forming up around the two of them. They all seemed dubious too. Most were glaring at their counterparts. Everyone had their hands on their weapons.
Turning his back on the Diamond City guards felt wrong, but if they stood there staring at each other all day, they'd never be able to leave. Nate down the wide hall, heading from the field to their exit. As the rest of their escort began following, Tristan and his people followed suit.
This had been a very bad idea. They should have figured out a way to test the waters before coming here. How they would have done that, Nate had no idea, but it would have been better.
Their walk through the dimly lit passage seemed to stretch on far too long. The adrenaline from their encounter in the locker room was beginning to wear off.
What if they decide a gunfight here is a good idea? Their leadership isn't in danger anymore.
Not something he'd put past them…
The ex-soldier pulled his radio from its pouch. The Brotherhood might be listening in but they needed a little more deterrence.
"Damon, you copy?" he whispered, hopefully quiet enough to not be overheard.
"Go ahead", the SPARTAN replied.
"Diamond City's going with the Brotherhood. Not presently hostile, still high risk. We're exiting the stadium in 30 seconds."
There was barely a heartbeat between Nate releasing the transmit button and Damon's response.
"I'll be waiting."
A twinge of relief the ex-soldier wasn't proud enough to deny flared in his chest.
"Copy", he glanced at Brenda. She was already watching him. "I'll keep you updated."
"You already getting us in trouble?" Jake whispered.
Nate shook his head. "Diamond City was gonna do that either way."
"Talk about it later", Brenda hissed, glancing at the guards behind them. The Goodneighbor contingent had all heard Damon would be waiting outside. Damon waiting outside meant trouble. That's to say nothing of them learning the city was siding with the Brotherhood. The largest settlement in the Commonwealth, one that was just a short walk away, would be hostile.
As they neared the large, gated exit, Nate began growing more and more nervous.
Relax. They won't do anything. If they're working with the Brotherhood, they won't want to start a fight yet. Probably.
He stole a glance behind him. The dozen Diamond city guards were still following them. No surprise there. How much did they know?
Despite the tension, their group reached the gate without incident.
Damon wasn't outside.
"Hold up", Nate whispered to Jake before turning to Tristan. The stadium's head of security still looked more than a little upset. As much as he'd enjoy pouring more fuel on that fire, with their leadership out of danger, he didn't want to risk a fight. "I know you follow orders, but you have to know this was the wrong decision."
"Maybe you might think so", he replied. "But from where I'm standing the Brotherhood have a better chance than you and your Minutemen do."
Brenda scoffed. "Even if that was true, you don't want the Brotherhood to win."
"Still just what you think."
There was nothing in the man's face that betrayed his own thoughts on the matter.
"You gonna stand here and argue with me about it or are gonna leave?" the man continued. "Nothing you say'll change anything."
Just after he finished talking, the ex-soldier's radio clicked twice from its pouch. Brenda wasn't holding hers. Unless someone else was on their channel, that was Damon.
"That's probably true", Nate replied. "Next time, you might not wanna let the people you're going to capture keep their guns." He nodded at Brenda and then Jake. "Let's get the hell outta here."
"Damon isn't-" the Goodneighbor guard cut himself off mid-sentence. "You heard him, dinner's waiting for us." Jake shot a glance at his counterpart. "I'm sure I'll be seeing ya."
With that, the large man began marching across the floodlight-illuminated parking lot. The rest of them followed suit. Nate felt glares, and guns, on his back the entire way.
Once they were out of earshot, Jake dropped back beside Nate and Brenda. "Where's Damon?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." The ex-soldier motioned toward the darkened city beyond. The SPARTAN hadn't said he would meet them at the exit…
"What happened in there?"
They rounded a large mound of rubble.
"The Codmans cut a deal with the Brotherhood", Brenda said. "They tried to take us prisoner."
"Shit", Levi said breathlessly from in front of them.
There were a few other muttered swears as they neared the edge of the parking lot.
"Yeah, that's about ri-" Nate started but his radio cut him off.
"I'm in the store on your right", Damon's voice came through.
The ex-soldier reached for the device. "Copy. Coming in."
It was a low, squat three-story building with a brick fascia that had been mostly destroyed. Whether that was in the blast or by the centuries, Nate couldn't tell. Either way, getting inside involved climbing over a mound of broken bricks and glass. Inside wasn't much different, the scattered shelves making navigation difficult.
Once they were all inside, Damon appeared from behind a support near the rear of the storefront.
"Holy-" one of the Goodneighbor guards started. Nate stepped forward before anything could happen. Maybe he's spent too much time around the SPARTAN, but the ex-soldier had grown used to his habits.
Maybe he should understand popping out of nowhere in front of a bunch of jumpy people with guns isn't a good idea.
While that may be true, having a conversation about social conventions with him would have to waste.
"Calm down", Nate said as he continued toward the supersoldier. "Do you have an exit?" It was a genuine question, yes, but this was a tactic he'd watched Vance, his lieutenant, do more than once. Sometimes the best thing for a group barely hanging onto control was to have something to do. Getting out of there constituted that something.
Plus, projecting calm around the armored titan might help their nerves.
Whatever happens I- or Brenda, probably, should have that talk. We don't need itchy trigger fingers twitching right now.
Damon nodded and turned toward the back of the store. "On me."
Would Jake-
"Sounds good", the guard said and waved toward the now-moving Damon. "Follow Tin Man's lead."
Good. Nate just stopped a sigh of relief.
Levi shot a glance at Jake, then the supersoldier. Before anyone could say anything, the young man grumbled and trudged after Damon. The rest of them joined him.
They were led out of the store's service exit into a wide, dark alley. Barely enough moonlight spilled down between the buildings for Nate to see the ground. From what he could make out, it was mostly clear of debris. For good measure, he followed Damon's path as best he could in the darkness. If there were Brotherhood elements in the area, the last thing they needed was to give away their position now. The SPARTAN with one or two other people, they could make work. Nine of them? That's a disaster in the making.
And there would be Brotherhood around. No way Diamond City rings them to say they were about to hand two HVTs over without Maxson making sure he had people on the ground. Which is to say nothing of the Brotherhood scouts who were already in the area.
As they reached the end of the alley, Damon stopped and knelt. "Give me 30 seconds."
"Got it", Nate whispered.
The SPARTAN cleared the alley's exit before slipping silently into the street beyond. As he did, the ex-soldier moved to the corner he'd vacated and propped his rifle on the building. "Jake."
"What's up?" came the response. To his credit, the man's voice was still steady and calm.
"You guys drill small squad tactics?"
"Nope."
Perfect…
We work with what we've got. "Okay. Once Damon gives the signal, you need to move, one at a time, to his position. We wait until the next person gets there before sending another. Move fast, but stay quiet. Don't bother with any unnecessary movements, just get there, you got me?"
"Got you", Jake replied. "The rest of you hear that?"
A chorus of whispered affirmatives came in return. Ideally, the movers would be looking for threats while they did. If they hadn't done this before, they just need to get up and down.
"You first, Levi."
"Got it boss", the young man replied.
Seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly. Hopefully, whatever path Damon had in mind, it wouldn't have too many of these crosses. For now, they just needed to get away from Diamond City. Their next move comes after that.
"Nate", the SPARTAN's voice came over the radio.
The ex-soldier hit the 'transmit' button. "I copy."
"North side of the street."
Turning, he caught the faint green glow of one of the armored titan's chem-lights. It was waving back and forth just inside another building about 150 feet from their position. A long run, but they'd get it done.
"Got it."
As soon as he said that, the light vanished.
Great… you aren't dealing with SPARTANs, Damon… Or even professional soldiers.
They'd get it done.
Levi moved up and stopped behind the ex-soldier.
"Hey", Nate whispered. "Damon is about 150 feet up the street in that", he pointed to the largely intact three-story building, "store. Got it?"
The young man squinted at his target. "... Got it."
That's reassuring.
"Good. Go."
He did a double take into the street before stepping out. Nate turned back to the west, toward the stadium, and scanned the surrounding buildings. Nothing so far…
Levi's steps were heavy and hurried. The kid was nervous. He kept moving.
The next man lined up behind Nate and, as soon as Levi reached Damon's position, he followed.
No one got lost until the fourth person.
"Hold position", Damon said over the radio. "One went to the wrong building." Unless Nate's ears were playing tricks on him, there was a mixture of amusement and annoyance in the SPARTAN's voice.
"Copy." The ex-soldier motioned for the next guard, a thin, lanky woman whose eyes were the size of dinner plates, to stop. "Take a deep breath, last guy just went to the wrong building. Damon'll grab him and we'll keep moving, alright?"
She hesitated for a moment, glancing from the street to Nate and back, before nodding.
"Good." He pointed to their target again. "That's where you're heading."
"Okay."
There was still nothing coming down the cratered street, no movement in the dilapidated buildings, and no sounds of Vertibirds in the air.
But the ex-soldier wasn't dumb enough to think that meant the Brotherhood would be letting them get away. He'd been in too many gunfights to hope that.
"You're clear, send the next", Damon said a minute or two later.
Their runs resumed and Jake was the last one across, insisting Nate and Brenda go first.
"You are our special guests, right?" he whispered with a smirk.
Brenda rolled her eyes. "Right."
All things considered, it didn't take long. Outside of the guard, who turned out to be Justin, that got lost, everyone made it first try. Five minutes after they started, they were back together and weaving through buildings. Damon led them on what seemed like a random path. He avoided any other long crosses, which helped.
After another 10 minutes, the armored titan led them into a small subway station. No fights, no pursuit, hell, even the customary sounds of gunfire seemed absent. It was disconcerting.
"Where's your closest hidden entrance?" Damon asked once they were all inside. The station entrance was dark but he'd pulled the chem-light he'd used earlier back out, bathing a small ring around them in green light. From what Nate could see, it was in good shape. Much like the Triggermen's hideout, it was mostly just decay from centuries of neglect.
"You don't know?" Jake asked.
There was an instant's pause from the SPARTAN. It wasn't enough for most to question but Nate knew the kid too well. No, he didn't know where they were. If he had to guess, he'd say Damon intended to leave Goodneighbor alone.
Wow… his screw-up there must have hit him harder than I thought.
"No, I didn't consider Goodneighbor a target."
"Huh, funny", the dark-skinned man muttered. "Well, the closest one we've got…" he trailed off as he grabbed the straps of his vest and looked up at the ceiling. "... Is through a building's basement to the north of here. Probably a quarter mile away."
"Another basement", Nate mumbled. That's what he needed. More wandering around with what was left of a building looming over him in a big, concrete coffin. Not to mention the feral ghouls that might be down there.
Damon glanced at him, helmet cocked to the side ever so slightly. The ex-soldier returned the look with a small smile. The SPARTAN probably knew that had been hell for him.
Not hard to figure out.
The question is, was the armored behemoth amused or sympathetic?
Probably amused…
Asshole.
"How do we get there?" Damon asked.
"Head north a few blocks then maybe one or two to the east."
Damon nodded. "I'll lead until we get close."
"Sounds good to me. Tin man." Jake was smiling.
The supersoldier hesitated another instant before nodding.
Now it was Nate's turn to be amused. Jake was being friendly with him and Damon didn't know what to do with it. Especially given the circumstances.
As they moved back out of the building, the ex-soldier's thoughts drifted back to their conversation with Diamond City's leadership. If they'd played that smarter, namely taking their guns before meeting with the Codmans and McDougal, that would have gone bad. Yes, Damon would have been alert to something. But that wouldn't happen for a while. By then, it's very possible he and Brenda would have been in the Brotherhood's hands.
We can't underestimate Maxson. That man is too smart to make mistakes with.
That being said… Nate would be lying if he said the situation hadn't given him some thrills. His job was never to threaten the use of violence, it was to do it when told. Worrying implications of that episode aside…
That had been exhilarating. And Brenda had felt the same way.
He glanced at the woman beside him as they snuck up another street, a few paces behind Damon. She was quiet now, but he wouldn't forget the wide-eyed, excited grin on her face.
Probably not a good thing to have two adrenaline junkies acting as the Minutemen's primary negotiators.
Then again, having an interdimensional supersoldier with a tenuous grip on sanity and morality lead it all wasn't the best decision either. They'll make do with what they have.
As they made their way through the darkened city, the sound of a flight of Vertibirds buzzed to their south. The group ducked into cover, but the VTOLs stayed away. It was possible that was the Brotherhood paying a personal visit to Diamond City. Their leadership wouldn't be happy about what happened.
Nate smiled again.
At least they know not to make that mistake again.
"What do you bet Maxson's pissed?" the ex-soldier whispered to Brenda.
She huffed in amusement and glanced back at him from her spot under a building's entryway. "I hope he is. Fuck the Codmans."
"Fuck the Codmans", Nate agreed.
A few minutes later, they were moving again and, after heading east one more block, Jake slipped up to Damon.
"We're almost there." The guard pointed down the street. "One more block, that pile of rubble. Entrance is hidden in the middle of it."
The SPARTAN nodded and motioned for the man to take lead.
Sure enough, halfway down the next block, there was a mound of broken bricks, splintered wood, and shattered glass that used to be a building. Half of the building to its right was likewise collapsed. This didn't look like age or the nuke though. It looked like there was some kind of detonation inside.
Creeping through the remains of the structure, Jake led them to a dead end. Or at least it looked like a dead end. That was until the guard slid a large wooden board with random pieces of rubble fixed to it. Nate had to admit, that was a pretty good way of hiding an exit. He wouldn't have picked it out from the rest of the debris laying around.
"Nice", Brenda muttered.
They all filed into the stairwell one by one, Damon entering last. It was entertaining to watch the armored titan turn sideways, stoop, and shimmy his way through the smallish opening.
Brief entertainment finished, and once he'd pulled the cover back into place, something clicked and a dim light flared into life. They were standing a dozen steps up from the bottom of the staircase. The light was from a bulb set at the bottom.
It was… a little too reminiscent of the basement from this goddamn afternoon.
"Oh man…" Jake said from the bottom of the stairs. "Is life with you people always this exciting?"
Nate almost laughed. Brenda did.
"I wish", she said. "We'll tell you more if we get the chance."
"Uh huh", one of the other guards grumbled before starting down the stairs after Jake. "Great."
The rest of them followed. "Better than the Brotherhood", the dark-skinned man said as he trudged into the hall. When Nate got to the bottom, he saw the guard stop at a steel service door like the one he'd seen in the other basement.
Pounding on it, he called, "It's Jake and some others."
"Do we have to let you in?" a reply came back.
"If you don't want me to break the door down."
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it before." Several loud clunks sounded from behind the door. It swung open to reveal an older, smallish woman carrying a rifle that looked way too large for her.
"Bringing trouble with you?" she asked in a voice that sounded equal parts amused and bored. Her eyes ran over the group until they landed on Damon at the back, standing over all of them. "What in the wo-"
"Those three at the back are with the Minutemen", Jake said. "Things got… complicated, but we'll explain later." He paused until her eyes drifted back to him. "And don't pretend you haven't heard. Rumors travel faster than radiation in this place."
"Oh, I've heard. I just thought that's what they were: rumors. Didn't think you and the boss'd be crazy enough to do it."
Jake snorted. "Yeah, well, I think it might pay off if what I think happened, happened."
The older woman's eyes shifted back to Damon for a moment before she shrugged. "I'm just here to make sure this tunnel stays safe. You crazy bastards do whatever you want up there."
"I'm glad I have your permission, Mads."
She nodded and stepped back. "Hurry up, I don't want anyone else coming through here."
"Thanks", Jake said and waved them through.
Each guard that passed the old woman muttered some form of thanks as they did. When Brenda and Nate passed, she eyed each of them dubiously. When Damon ducked through the door, that stare turned full-on suspicious.
Jake didn't wait for her and the SPARTAN didn't seem to mind. They continued down another short hall before emerging into the basement. It wasn't large, but it was well-lit with a half dozen more guards milling around. Each of them was carrying rifles and the room was furnished with several armored barriers. The ex-soldier smiled. There was more to Goodneighbor than he thought. This wasn't just an escape route; it was well-hidden and well-defended. No doubt there were several of these routes.
There was a smattering of greetings as the group entered. A few of the guards took a moment to talk, but Jake wasn't in the mood to linger.
"I'm taking our new friends back to Hancock's", he said. "I don't see you on patrol in 10 minutes, your asses are mine."
"Got it boss", Levi said. The other guards nodded their agreement.
"Good."
Nate caught up with Jake as they left the room. "This is a nice setup."
The man nodded. "Thanks. It's always been here. Couple years ago, we decided to make it a little more usable. And secure."
"What happens if someone makes it through?"
Jake shot him a grin. "What do you think?"
"Boom."
"Exactly."
"Where are the explosives?" Damon's low, monotonous voice came from behind them.
"If I didn't know better I'd say you were fishing, tin man", the guard said, glancing back at the SPARTAN.
"My preferred methods of infiltration don't involve fighting through confined spaces. Too predictable."
Jake snorted. "No, they involve jumping between buildings."
"Only if there's nowhere higher to jump from", Damon replied.
"A joke, huh?" The dark-skinned man huffed. "I'm starting to like you."
"Yeah", Brenda muttered. "Don't go too fast. He likes making life hell for his friends."
They stopped at another door and their escort swung it open. "Don't worry. We've got a long way to go before he makes it to the 'friend' category."
"Good."
As they climbed another set of stares, Nate felt the SPARTAN's unnaturally heavy gaze drilling into his back. He didn't know the entire story yet. No doubt the armored titan was under the impression Nate had done something to screw the pooch.
At the top of the stairs, Jake led them through another door. The four of them found themselves at another guarded checkpoint.
As was customary, the guards greeted their superior before shooting angry or suspicious glares at Damon. The towering man must have started ignoring them. He didn't respond to the looks as they made their way out of the small building and out into Goodneighbor.
The town was largely asleep by that point. Most of the foot traffic was guards patrolling the wall with the occasional citizen. A few minutes later, they were walking into Hancock's house.
"What's the news?" the ghoul asked. He was sitting in his oversized chair in the well-appointed main room. Two others were with him, both older men. Both of them wore regular clothing Nate had come to expect of people in Goodneighbor: worn cargo pants, and thick, long sleeve shirts. With well-tanned skin and shaved heads, the two looked similar. The main difference was one was short and thin as a rail while the other was almost as large as Jake.
"Clark, Davis", Jake said and shot a look at Hancock.
"Oh, my apologies", the mayor said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Where are my manners? Damon, Brenda, Nate, these two are Clark and Davis. Think of them as advisors."
'Advisors' was the word Nate's superiors used for spooks. These two didn't look like intel officers…
Where would someone even learn to be an intel officer around here?
The men nodded at them but, unlike the rest of the people they'd seen in Goodneighbor, didn't stare at Damon.
"Back to what's important", Hancock continued. "What happened?"
"The Codmans decided to go with Maxson", Brenda answered. "The Brotherhood probably dropped by around the same time they did here."
"Huh." The ghoul frowned. "Can't say I'm too surprised about that. Those two'll do anything to get ahead. McDougal's too chickenshit to do anything about it." He sounded irritated. "Mayor my ass."
"Your relationship with them just got very complicated", Nate said.
"You don't say…" Hancock trailed off. "They give you any idea what Maxson offered them?"
The ex-soldier shook his head. "The only thing we got from them was the Brotherhood offered them something. They don't think the Minutemen can win this."
"That's where the smart money's at."
I wouldn't say that. "We'll see."
"You got anything else?" Goodneighbor's mayor asked.
Anything else? The revelation Diamond City stabbed him in the back seemed like a pretty major development. Then again, dwelling on it doesn't help.
"Do you need help planning for how to handle it?"
"Ha!" Hancock barked a laugh and looked at Jake. "Help? Do we need help, Jake?"
The large man shook his head, smiling. "We've been waiting for them to stab us in the back for a while. The Codmans are only loyal to their next cap. Nah, as long as you can get us the stuff you said and you", he pointed at Damon, "can deliver, we'll be alright. For now."
"I'm not sure if you showing up here is what made the Brotherhood get a move on", the ghoul said, "but I guess we're married now."
Brenda stepped forward. "If they're making a play, I doubt Maxson will sit around and let us work out how to deal with them."
"Mmm, probably." Hancock nodded. "We've got plans for handling Diamond City if they ever got any ideas. The Brotherhood is a different story." He looked at Jake. "We can't work on the Codmans if we've got them up our asses too."
We… might be able to do something about that. Nate thought going after Maxson now might be a bad idea. After the revelation Diamond City was in bed with them, it seemed like that would be another front they'd have to contend with. Damon's plan works best if he's able to focus on one enemy. The way Damon fights works best if he's able to focus on one enemy.
"We were talking about something that might help before they stabbed us in the back", the ex-soldier said. "When you say 'handle' Diamond City, does that mean if they get aggressive you can keep them busy?"
Hancock's eyes narrowed. "Yes. What are you thinkin?"
The ex-soldier turned to Damon. "I think we stick with the plan. You head back to Sanctuary and tell them what's going on." He patted the pouch with his radio. "Or at least get close enough for these to work. We'll find a spot for you to take a shot at Maxson."
There was no reason to say what came next. If the Brotherhood were making a move, and they had the support of the largest settlement in the Commonwealth, they'd stop playing nice. Their timeframe, and the Minutemen's, just got a whole lot shorter and the SPARTAN knew it.
"Agreed", Damon nodded, his gaze switching from the ex-soldier to Hancock. "If I can get a shot on Maxson, I'm going to assassinate him. I need two days."
"Assassinate Maxson, huh?" The mayor huffed. "You make it sound so simple. Why'd you wait until now to try?"
"Organization and support." The armored titan's helmet tilted toward Nate for an instant. "A headless Brotherhood will tear the Commonwealth apart without preparation. The Minutemen have that now."
Hancock exchanged a glance with Jake. The guard nodded. "I see. Well, don't let me stop you. We got our own things to do."
The SPARTAN nodded as well and turned to march from the room. Nate and Brenda followed.
X
"What happened?" Cassandra asked as the three of them walked into the room. She was almost vibrating with excitement. That was probably about to change. Dogmeat trod up to the ex-soldier and began sniffing at his legs.
"Yes", Damon added, turning to look at him. "What happened?"
Nate reached down to scratch behind the dog's ears. It was as much to calm his nerves as it was anything else. Thinking about those few, intense minutes as he and Brenda gambled with their own lives teased out some of the adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins. It was both exhilarating and something he'd prefer to never do again.
"Hey bud", he muttered. After a moment to allow his hands to stop trembling, Nate looked up at the SPARTAN. "The Codmans were going to turn us over to the Brotherhood."
Cass' eyes grew wide. "What?"
"Holy shit, yeah", Brenda said. Her voice had all the shaking excitement he was trying to suppress. "That was crazy. I can't believe we got out of there." Her face twisted into a smile so wide it looked like it was about to split in half.
He couldn't help but smile in return. "I've never done anything like that before. Haven't had an adrenaline rush that big since my last deployment."
The laugh that exploded from the woman bordered on manic. "You did fantastic. I wasn't sure handing it over to you was a good idea but you sold that story about Damon like a pro."
"Yeah well", Nate looked back up at the armored titan, frowning. The hospital's memory soured his rush. "It wasn't hard to sell."
Brenda didn't seem to notice. "With them saying they were about to turn us over to the Brotherhood though? To go all in like that, threatening to shoot them if they tried anything? I couldn't have done better. It's exactly what I woulda said, actually."
The ex-soldier's smile returned. "Great minds think alike. I wasn't sure you wanted me to go that route after they told us what they intended to do. I was just hoping you'd go along with it."
"Oh absolutely! And you better believe I would have gone down swinging if they tried to take us." She laughed again. "No way I'm about to let them do something like that without taking it out of their asses."
"Damn straight", Nate said, smile growing wider. "That's what I was thinking. Both Codmans, but Ann in particular, deserved a bullet in the face. I'll be damned if I die without taking the opportunity to do it. Not in that situation."
"You'd have to beat me to it."
Damon was silently watching the two of them, but Cass looked like she was about to explode.
"What are you talking about?" she said- shouted might be a better word.
"Diamond City sided with the Brotherhood", the SPARTAN said. "They were going to turn them over to Maxson. They used me as a deterrent."
"Oh no, tin man, you don't get to take all the credit", Brenda said, still beaming. "They were probably willing to take that chance. I think the threat of dying then and there is what changed their minds." She looked back at Nate. "Doubt they'll do something that stupid again."
It was Nate's turn to laugh. "Not if they want to live much longer."
"Holy crap!" Cass shouted full force that time. "Would you two stop for a minute?!" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "You're saying Diamond City is with the Brotherhood now. They're so with the Brotherhood they tried to kidnap you even though Damon was around." Nate nodded. "Doesn't that mean we're in trouble? Like, they'll be coming after us?"
Damon nodded. "Yes. We're operating on a shorter clock than we thought. I'm heading back to Sanctuary to let them know." His visor locked onto Nate. "I'm taking the shot tomorrow night. I want options by the time I get back."
Right. Our plans. The ex-soldier forced the jitters away and swallowed his excitement. They had a job to do and fawning over their brush with death wasn't productive. Maybe there were perks to having someone like the SPARTAN lead this little escapade.
"No problem."
"Good." The supersoldier began back toward the door. "Nate, a moment."
The ex-soldier blinked. "Okay…"
He exchanged a glance with Brenda and Cass before following.
Once Damon had swung the door to their temporary home shut, he turned back to the smaller man. "I'm trusting you to make sure nothing happens like that."
Trusting me? "I… appreciate that. Brenda is perfectly capable of taking care of herself though. She's the one who led our little bet."
"I understand that." Unless Nate's head was playing tricks on him, there was a hint of dryness in the SPARTAN's voice. "You're still the more experienced fighter."
Oh… Damon was saying- Oh.
Nate blinked again. He was trusting him again.
"We'll be fine", he said. "You'll only be gone a few hours. I won't let anything happen."
The giant of a man hesitated. That trust had very finite limits.
Which was understandable.
Even so, and even with the lingering animosity, he felt about the attack, having some form of progress was… relieving. Life would be easier if they could all get along.
And regaining a friend's trust, especially one as aloof as Damon, was an accomplishment on its own.
"Damon, I don't-" he was about to say he shouldn't need to tell the SPARTAN what this meant to him too. That would have been the wrong thing to say to the supersoldier at that moment. "You don't need to worry about Brenda and Cass' safety. Worry about getting in contact with Sanctuary and getting back quickly and safely. The sooner that's done, the better for everyone. Besides-" Nate paused for a moment. This was normally the part he'd smack a friend's arm and smile. Damon was already showing him a modicum of goodwill, a widening of the crack he'd opened the other day. Best not to push it. He had the sense that crack could collapse on him just as easily. The ex-soldier settled for the smile. "If something did happen and we all died, I'm afraid you'd come to hell and find me just to kill me again. I don't feel like worrying about that."
There was another moment of hesitation as the SPARTAN let silence fall over the pair. Nate had opened the door for him. Hopefully, it didn't come across as trying too hard. Damon could let it go as easily respond if he-
"You aren't worth the effort."
Nate's smile grew wider. "Touche."
After another instant's hesitation, Damon nodded. "I'll be back in a few hours."
"We'll have something ready."
With that, the armored titan left. And Nate was alone outside of their room.
"You aren't worth the effort."
The ex-soldier chuckled to himself. Damon really is an odd one.
When he walked back into the room, Cass and Brenda were doing their best to look nonchalant. For all her talent negotiating, Brenda sucked at acting.
"You two aren't fooling anyone", he said, still smiling.
"Does this mean you've kissed and made nice?" she asked.
Made nice? No. There's a long way to go for that to happen. "Not yet."
"Well… he didn't shoot you", Cass said. "That's a good thing."
Nate laughed again. It wasn't… completely genuine. "Yes. He didn't shoot me this time."
"Alright." Brenda stood and stretched. "Anyone know where we can get a map?"
"Right here", the ex-soldier replied as he held up his wrist.
Cassandra frowned. "That thing has a map on it?"
"Yeah. It hasn't been updated in about 200 years, but it's there."
The older woman snorted. "Makes sense. Let's get started. The sooner we do this-" she paused to yawn "- the sooner I can get some sleep."
"Agreed." Nate walked to the table and undid the clasp on his Pipboy. The little wrist-mounted computer was bulky, but it's been almost invaluable.
"Give us the short and dirty version", Brenda said as the two of them joined him at the table. "What are we looking for?"
"Well…" the ex-soldier pulled up the area map. "A sniper's best friend is concealment." He scrolled to the airport. "That won't be hard in a city. The last time I saw it, the Prydwen was facing northeast. Maxson usually stays at the front- bow of the ship. We'll have to find something in…" he scrolled up. "Winthrop… That sucks."
Brenda leaned over to look at the map. "That's all houses. There are a few apartments too but… will any of that work?"
"It can", Nate said, nodding. "We need something with good sightlines and enough elevation to make the shot. That's- that's gotta be over a mile from the Prydwen", he pointed to a spot near the middle of the Boston Logan airport's airfield, "to the shore. Taking a shot from the shore isn't a good idea either. The Brotherhood will probably have some kind of security there."
"Over a mile?" Cass frowned. "I'll admit I'm not great with a gun, but I've had trouble shooting things over 500 yards which is…" she trailed off as she tried to do the math.
"About a quarter of a mile", the infantryman finished the thought for her. He zoomed the map out so they had a full view from Winthrop to the airport. "I knew snipers who could do it. There weren't many of them."
His platoon's sniper, Gilliam, was one of them. Nate had seen the man hit a water bottle at 1000 yards cold. This wouldn't be that though. No matter where they chose, Damon would be taking this shot on the coast, and across water. That means wind coming off the ocean and downdrafts over the cooler water. On top of that, this it's a shot to the south which means, at that range, he'll have to take the Coriolis effect into account.
Cassandra reached over and pulled the map south. "Is there any way you could do it from down here?" She pointed to the docks south of the channel. Specifically at Fort Independence.
"I doubt it. Unless the Prydwen has changed position, that wouldn't give Damon a target." And that was creeping up on a mile-and-a-half long shot. Nate had supreme confidence in the SPARTAN's talent with a rifle. He'd shot down several Vertibirds with the McMillan. He was accurate enough to put a round from his Mk18c through the lens of a T60 helmet in combat. The supersoldier's accuracy was bordering on the supernatural.
Even so, that was an incredibly difficult shot. Any good sniper will tell you there's an element of luck that goes with any long-range shot. Luck has less and less favor when you add more variables. That shot has about as many variables as you could ask for.
"We're trying to give him the best chance possible, right?" Brenda said. She pointed to the peninsula directly east of the airfield. "If he takes this shot at night when it's cool, this is the best spot to do it from, right? Wind at his back and as little temperature difference between the water and land as possible."
Nate turned to her, frowning. "How much time have you spent shooting long distance?"
"Not a whole lot, but I know about some things, Nate." She shot him a smirk.
"Right." He looked back down at the map and nodded. "Yeah, and he won't have to worry about the Coriolis effect as much either."
"The what?" Cassandra asked.
"It's- I'm not a damn physicist." Those were Nora's nerdy friends, not his. "So, the best I understand, it goes like this. The Earth is a ball, right, and it's all spinning at the same- rotational?- speed. Because of that, the further away from the equator you are, the slower you're moving. For snipers, that means if you're shooting toward the equator, south for us, your round will fall behind because it's moving sideways slower. If Damon took this shot directly south", Nate pointed to the east of the airfield, "he'd have to lead the target like it was running right to left."
"Oh… okay", she said. "So if he shoots east or west, he doesn't have to worry about that. Since the Prydwen is facing east, his only option is taking a shot from the east."
Nate nodded again. "Sort of. It can still have influence on things like wind currents but… the issue is the location. That peninsula is… maybe a quarter mile wide there. Not much room to maneuver."
"Hmm." Brenda put her hands on the table and leaned over. "Sounds like the Brotherhood thought their position through."
"We haven't gotten to the biggest issue yet", the ex-soldier said. "I don't know for sure, but I think the Prydwen's bow is armored glass." The two of them shot him confused looks. They'd probably never seen ballistic glass. Not too big of a surprise.
"It's basically layers of glass and polycarbonate- that's clear plastic. Armored vehicles back before the war used it. It isn't very difficult to make. If you don't care about how thick it is, you can stop pretty much anything with it."
"Even that sniper rifle?" Cassandra asked.
"Yeah. It would have to be a couple inches thick, but it could do it…" Nate paused. He'd never fired a .50 BMG sniper rifle during his time in the army. The largest caliber sniper he handled was .338. How far did that stay supersonic? A mile? The McMillan would probably stay supersonic longer, but at a mile to a mile and a half, it would be close. If that's the case, that bulletproof glass wouldn't need to be very thick. "This might not work."
"Because the bullet won't be able to get through the glass", Brenda said. It wasn't a question. "What if you took more than one shot?"
Nate looked at his rifle sitting on the table. .308 is a good all-purpose caliber, but it wasn't reaching out to a mile and a half. Not out of that 20-inch barrel. Even if it could… A mile and a half… Those windows were, what, eight feet tall and five wide? Could he hit that? The furthest he'd ever fired was maybe 1500 yards and that was at practice targets on a range.
"It might… but we don't have a second rifle that would make it that far. Or a second shooter who could hit a target at that range."
"And we can't bring anyone from Goodneighbor with us", Cass said. When he and Brenda looked at her, she frowned. "We're already risking the Brotherhood finding us. Wouldn't it be worse if they found someone from Goodneighbor?"
"Probably…" Brenda nodded
So if they're going with multiple shooters, he had to be the second. Great. Brenda and Cass know their way around guns, but there's a world of difference between shooting long-range, and sniping.
The ex-soldier took a deep breath. "So the best bet we have to pull this off is both me and Damon taking shots. We need a second rifle." I don't need to hit a man-sized target, I just need to hit whatever window Damon will be shooting at. Weaken the glass, give his shot a better chance to get through.
"What about armor-piercing bullets?" Brenda asked. "I've never used them but I've heard people talking about them."
"Well… the last time we were here, KLEO said she had armor-piercing .50 bmg. I'm not sure there's any around."
"We can always ask." Brenda zoomed out on his Pipboy. "So we have options for taking the shot." She pointed at the peninsula directly east and northeast of the airport. "We just need to find another rifle." The young woman met his gaze. "Do you think you can hit something that far?"
"It's a lot longer than anything I've tried before." He rapped a knuckle on the table. "I know the mechanics behind it. Knowing them and doing it are two very different things. But…" the ex-soldier trailed off as he ran himself back through the scenario. Taking a mile-plus shot over water with a tail or crosswind. "The best I can say is I know how to do the math and I know how to steady a long shot."
Brenda stood from her hunched position and smiled. "I think that's good enough. It ain't like if this doesn't work it's the end of the world. Part of the reason we're out here is to take some attention off the settlements, right? This'll do that even if you don't kill Maxson."
Or it could make them move faster.
"I'll go find a gun then", Nate said. "Can you two start measuring distances?" He pointed to the scale at the bottom edge of the Pipboy's screen. "The Prydwen is in the middle of the airfield."
Cass nodded. "No problem."
"Thanks." When the ex-soldier turned to leave, he heard clattering come from behind the beds. An instant later, Dogmeat was by his side, looking up at him expectantly. "What, you wanna come? I'm not going anywhere." The German Shepherd continued staring. "Are you tired of being cooped up in here?" Still no response.
Nate blinked slowly. "Fine."
As soon as he said that, the large black and brown dog barked and bounded toward the door.
"Oh, so you understood that", he muttered.
He heard Cass snicker behind him as he left the room, Dogmeat pacing beside him.
A mile and a half shot. He reached the staircase leading down to the house's main room. Maybe multiple mile and a half shots. That… isn't going to be easy. Even for Damon and his preternatural accuracy.
When he got to the bottom of the stairs, Jake and Helen were sitting in the main room, looking at him. Had they been talking?
"What's up Nate?" the dark-skinned man asked.
"Did I interrupt…?"
Jake waved the concern away. "Don't worry about it. People still aren't sure about trusting you guys, you know the drill."
That sounds like something I should be worried about. "If it makes you feel any better, I've never seen Damon look as uncomfortable as he did when he first saw you", the ex-soldier nodded at Helen.
"It was a lot less violent than the first time", she responded without a hint of sarcasm. "Being 'uncomfortable' doesn't sound like a good trade for killing my friends."
… That probably hadn't been the right thing to say. Then again, it isn't like there was any way it would have gone well. "Agreed. I know how you feel."
"Oh yeah?" the guard barked, standing. "How-"
"Calm down Helen", Jake said, voice firm.
Nate shook his head. He knew exactly where this was about to go. "No, no, it's fine. This isn't something any of us can hide from." He motioned for her to continue.
"How the hell can you?" Helen continued. "He's your pet weapon."
Okay… that isn't exactly where I thought that was going.
"First, and I'm not saying this to argue, I'd be careful about that. No matter what you or any other guard here might think, Damon isn't anyone's pet weapon, and treating him like it isn't a good idea." The ex-soldier paused for a second to think of how he was going to say this next part.
"Second… I know because I've been on the wrong end of his gun before. It was my fault and a misunderstanding", he added before either of them could get any ideas. "Probably the closest I've ever been to shitting myself. He killed a friend of mine. The difference is I… I don't know if he feels bad about what he did to me." The infantryman couldn't keep the frustration out of his voice. It's both easy and hard to have animosity toward the SPARTAN. He knew all too well how Damon saw things in general and that situation in particular, which made it easy to be sympathetic. On the other hand- Nate didn't know, there must have been a primal part of his brain that was saying 'how can someone not feel anything when they kill people?'
"And you trust him?" Helen asked, incredulous.
That, at least, was something Nate didn't have to think about.
He nodded. "With my life. And the lives of everyone on this mission. I know it doesn't help to hear me say it, but Damon is one of the most dependable people I've ever met. If he wants to help you, he'll move heaven and earth to do it." A small smile flickered across his face. "And Damon wants to help you. What you saw when we were in the market was agony. For him. He's changed a lot in the last few months, and even back then he was upset about it." The smile disappeared. "Like I said, hearing it won't help. Believe me, I know."
"So are you saying we just forget the people he killed?"
"One of my people-" huh… how was he supposed to explain that one? "Uh- one of the people who joined the Minutemen with me asked that question too." Nate shook his head. "I don't expect anything from you. It isn't my place. You don't have to forget what he did, or even forgive it."
"And we're supposed to work with you when we know what he did?" Helen's voice had grown softer. A little.
The ex-soldier nodded again. "I hope you will. It gives everyone a better chance of surviving."
Helen didn't respond. Had what he said helped? Did it hurt? It wasn't like he could force her to do anything, even if he wanted to. No, working with Damon was a challenge unto itself if you weren't used to the SPARTAN. Or if you were… Capping that with the fact he broke into Goodneighbor and killed their people and it turned into a tall ask.
"Well", Jake said, shifting in his seat, "glad we've got that aired out. Did you need something?"
Need some- oh right. "Yeah. Damon has one rifle that will work for the shot on Maxson tomorrow night, but we need a second."
Helen's eyes went wide
Her boss shrugged. "That depends. What are you looking for?"
"Something big. It's a mile plus shot."
It was Jake's turn to widen his eyes with surprise. "We might have something that'll do it but a mile shot? That's-"
"Difficult", the ex-soldier finished for him. "I know. It's the best option we have."
The two guards exchanged a glance before Jake shrugged again. "Let's go take a look." He glanced at Helen. "Make sure they don't get up to anything." Standing, the larger man said, "your buddy's gun is a McMillan Tac-50, right?"
He knew what it was? Nate blinked. Maybe he was making assumptions, but it was a little odd someone around here would know what the rifle was. Even in Nate's day, it was a rare gun.
"Yeah."
"Don't look so surprised." Jake smiled as they started for the door. Dogmeat darted toward it. He beat them to the exit and stared up at the doorknob, waging his tail. Something told Nate the German Shepherd could open it if he wanted. The dog was behaving himself.
The guard looked amused but didn't comment. "It's kinda my job to know guns."
"Fair enough", the ex-soldier said.
A few minutes later, they were back in the armory. The former restaurant had a handful of guards in it. Besides a nodded greeting, none of them paid the two men any mind.
Jake walked toward the back. "We don't got anything that shoots something that big. Not that we'll give to you. We do have a few long-range rifles laying around…" He led the ex-soldier to a rack of bolt action rifles. Unlike most of the weapons he'd seen… pretty much anywhere outside of the Institute or Minutemen, these were all clean and well-kept. It didn't take more than a few seconds of looking for Nate to figure out none of them would work.
"Most of these are .308", the guard said and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Unless you know something I don't, you aren't shooting a mile with anything like that."
The ex-soldier shook his head. "I'll need something that goes faster."
"Yeah. If you're looking at a mile, there aren't many cartridges that'll do it." Jake picked a wood-stock rifle up from the rack. "This is .375…" He racked the bolt before placing it back in its spot. "Nope." The man scanned the rack for a few more seconds. "I know a couple of these shoot weird rounds we don't have much of. 30-06 is the only magnum round we got and it isn't much better past 1000 yards than .308." He frowned. "I think the best thing we got is .338 and Hector would die before he let you touch his baby."
Yeah… it was probably a little much to hope for. That means he has two options: rely on Damon to make the shot on his own, or use something they already had. Could he contact the SPARTAN and see what the Railroad and Minutemen have? No. That might give up the game. It would risk giving up their location too.
That means their best bet for multiple shots is Damon's Mk18.
Hadn't KLEO said something about AP rounds?
"Alright, we'll figure it out. Do you know if you have any .50 or .300 armor piercing rounds?"
Jake cocked an eyebrow. "If we got any from KLEO, sure." He turned to the collection of guards. "Fred!"
"What's up boss?" one of them, a shorter man with a thick, unkempt beard replied.
"Check the cage for .50 BMG and .300 Win mag AP."
"You got it." The guard marched into the back of the restaurant. Probably where the kitchen used to be.
Nate smiled. "You guys are awfully trusting."
"It's easy to trust someone when you know their asses are on the line too", the larger man said.
"Can't argue with that." The ex-soldier nodded. "Kinda sad isn't it? Have to rely on everyone else being in life or death situations too?"
"Welcome to the Commonwealth."
"I'm loving my time here."
It was Jake's turn to smile. "Aren't we all?"
A few seconds later, Fred returned from the back carrying two small and one larger box. "This is all we got. 10 rounds of the .50, 20 for the .300."
Jake took the ammo from his man and looked from it to Nate. "You gonna put this to good use?"
"We're gonna try. If everything goes well, one of those", the infantryman pointed at the larger box of .50, "will be in Maxson this time tomorrow. Besides, you said you don't have anything that'll shoot it." Nate smiled again.
The guard shrugged. "Maybe I'm keeping my cards close to my chest."
"Not a very trusting thing to do."
"So maybe we aren't that trusting", the other man said. "Thanks, Fred."
"No problem boss." The man walked back to the group. They were stealing glances at the two of them every few seconds.
"We're trusting enough though", Jake continued and offered Nate the boxes.
He took them and nodded. "Hopefully we'll do well enough to earn the rest of it."
Jake motioned toward the door and the two of them left the armory. "I'll be straight with you; if you want to earn our trust, your man is gonna need to do a lot of work. There's a lot of bad blood there."
"I don't doubt that."
X
When the ex-soldier arrived back at their shared room, Cass and Brenda were still sitting at the table. Dogmeat had been… reluctant to come back inside. It took a few seconds of coaxing, but the large brown and black dog finally did. Not without a few quiet whines as the door shut behind them.
He sure likes being outside.
"They didn't have any rifles that would work", Nate said as he walked over to the table.
"You don't say…" Cass muttered. "We have eyes."
"Well then Cassy", the ex-soldier dropped the three boxes on the table, "they did have some armor-piercing rounds."
The teenager's eyes narrowed. "Cassy?"
"Don't worry about it." He dropped into a chair and groaned. "That means, if we're gonna do this with two shooters, I have to take that shot with Damon's MK18."
Brenda grunted. "Yeah? Can it shoot that far?"
"It can", Nate nodded. "Did you find anything good?"
"There's a marina you can shoot from. It isn't directly east, but it gives you the best sightlines and is just over a mile." The young woman tapped the screen of his Pipboy. "If you want to get closer, you can take about a thousand feet off the shot, but you'll be shooting almost straight south."
"Hmm", he hummed. "That's something I'll have to ask Damon about. I'm at the limits of my knowledge here." A thousand feet is a lot to cut out of the shot, but moving further north means more variables. "We can always scout the positions tomorrow." Exhaustion hit the ex-soldier like a wall. It had been a long day. Between the Supermutants, the Brotherhood landing in Goodneighbor, and going to Fenway just to have his life threatened, he was running on 'E'.
"I don't think I'm in any shape to figure that out tonight."
Brenda let out a tired laugh. "I'm glad you said it before me."
"Yup", Nate stood and yawned. "Let's get some sleep. We've got a few options we can go over tomorrow."
The bed he'd been loaned was calling his name and the infantryman didn't have the willpower to resist it. Trudging over, he untied his boots and slipped them off. As he had for most of his adult life, even once he'd retired, he placed them beside his bed, ready to be slipped on if need be.
Old habits die hard. That was one Nora had never tried to push him out of.
What he wouldn't give to feel her climbing in bed beside him.
The loneliness never left. Some moments were worse than others.
Keep moving. Find something. Find something. What was he supposed to find?
He didn't know, but the next step was figuring out how to take a mile-plus shot. What came after…
What came after would come and he'd take another step. And another. He'd keep taking those steps until he found something to take them for.
Or he didn't.
A/N: Progression. Slowly but surely, we're seeing progression. Why is it taking so long? Well, that, I think, is pretty obvious. I'll admit, some of the inspiration comes from The Kite Runner (read that book in high school. Probably the only assigned reading I actually enjoyed). Damon and Nate have a complicated relationship with one another and, I hope, it makes sense. That's all for this week. Next to come, we begin our journey to kill Maxson. Or do we? (cue VSauce music)
Next Chapter: 2/10, Argument and Assassination