Wrong Place, Right Time: A Hero's Story

by DLTA-BOT

The journey of a hero doesn't always start where they expect. It doesn't always happen to those who expect it. Damon was never interested in being what SPARTANs represent: an implacable force for good standing as humanity's shield. Like most other third-generation SPARTANs, the war took everything from him. All he wanted was to return the favor. Sometimes we don't get a choice.

68. Chapter 68: Cracks in the Armor

A/N: Tis Friday again! Like I said, I updated on time this time! I don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter before we get going. We've been exploring some interesting themes recently and we're going to get some... alternate perspectives in this chapter. Anyway, you didn't come to read me ramble so leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!

Chapter 68: Cracks in the Armor

"Hey Damon", Cass asked from her spot, laying beside me. "I just thought of something."

Why do people do that? Why don't you just say the thing you thought of?

The Farmland looked clear. The settlers were going about their day normally; no signs of undue stress, no alarm, no Brotherhood soldiers.

None that I could see, anyway.

"Yes?"

There were a lot more people than last time and, while it was hard to tell from the north side, it looked like they were expanding their fields. I couldn't see past the first cluster of homes built near the Finches', but it wasn't hard to guess they had more set up in that direction too.

"You know how you were talking about the Brotherhood, how they would react to you trying to kill Maxson?"

She must have spent too much time around Tinker Tom…

I spotted Abraham and Abigail walking with a few others between houses. They were talking animatedly, gesturing in our general direction.

"Where are you going with this?"

The sounds of more Vertibird flights faded in from the south. It didn't sound like they were heading this way.

"Well… they're gonna be, I guess, pretty direct about how they do that, right? They'll go wherever they can to try and find who did it" She shifted and I turned to look at her. The teenager was fidgeting with her rifle's sling. "If you're right about everything, there are gonna be a lot of people who get caught in the middle of that. Do you think the Brotherhood will do anything?"

There were small shacks that looked like outlook posts spaced every hundred meters or so inside the farmland's perimeter. They weren't bad on their own but unless they had some way of getting two and from them while protected, they were limited.

It's possible.

"They might." I turned back to the settlement in front of us. "If they do anything too overt it'll turn into a fight. They're fanatics but that's something they don't want."

"Because it would make everyone else hate them?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Are you… hoping that happens?" There was something new in her voice. It was almost as though she was afraid to ask.

That's something I could understand. Both the question and her uncertainty. The question because I know the three of them spent at least some of the last week talking about me. The uncertainty because she was afraid it might offend me.

While I wouldn't say I was offended, from a purely pragmatic perspective it wasn't a bad maneuver, but I did feel a twinge in my chest as she asked.

"I don't like the idea of putting civilians in the crosshair." I tried to keep my voice neutral… but it didn't work. Even I could hear the frustration.

"No, Damon. I-" she paused and took a deep breath.

"All three of you have been uncomfortable around me since we left", I said before she could continue. "I understand why." When I turned back to Cass she was looking at me, frowning. "My attitude toward killing doesn't mean I don't have limits to what I'll do." I lowered my voice. "And it doesn't mean I'm some wild animal that can't control who I hurt."

Cassandra swallowed hard. "Damon… I wasn't trying to say-" the teenager cut herself off again and inhaled. "Okay. You're right. I know you know we talked about you. I- I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "I don't mind you talking about me. I don't like being treated like I might snap and kill someone because they say something I don't like."

"That isn't…" Cass trailed off as her hands stopped twisting her rifle's sling.

Shit… Damon. That was way too harsh. That isn't what she was saying. Conversations… they're something I'll never be good at.

There were no signs of Brotherhood infiltration in the farmland. We need to get moving

"I know. That isn't what you meant. Still", I pushed myself up to my knees and gathered the McMillan, "you don't have to act like you're a split-second away from death because it's the two of us."

She followed suit and slipped her rifle's sling back over her shoulder. "I know it's just… I think the last few days have been getting to me. Sitting around in Goodneighbor while you guys go out. Running across half the city hiding from the Brotherhood. Talking with Brenda last night. It all has me nervous."

That's a fair statement. But she's handled herself well considering the circumstances.

"I understand", I replied, nodding. "But I won't let anything happen." As the words left my mouth, the image of Julian froze in my mind. The kid screaming, reaching out toward me, pure terror on his face as I fell away from the Vertibird. No. Not again. I wouldn't let that happen again.

Cass offered a smile. "I know."

We stood and picked our way through the last few meters of trees.

"Do you always do this? Scout the settlement you're going to?"

"Not always", I replied. "Just if the situation calls for it."

"Ah", Cass said. "So when do you know 'if the situation calls for it'?"

That- was a good question. I guess it's something I do intuitively at this point.

We emerged in the field around the farms and I motioned for Cassandra to stop. "I'll have to think about it."

The teenager looked up at me, surprised. "Really?"

"It's habit." I shrugged.

A few seconds after we came to a stop, a settler emerged from the nearest shake and hurriedly waved us to the right. As we began walking in the same direction as he did, another sprinted back toward the collection of houses to the south.

"If I think there's a risk", I said. "Any number of circumstances could lead to it."

"So what about this time?"

I canted my head to the side so I could look down at her. "That seems obvious."

She puffed out her cheeks. "Yeah? And? I still want to know why you decided to do it."

You got over your fear quickly… I smiled behind my visor. "The Brotherhood is looking for who took those shots. There are multiple potential threats. They know I'm one of them and they know I'm associated with the Minutemen. It's always possible they decide to go in heavy."

"Which means you're doing it to make sure we don't walk into it."

The settler stopped and waved us toward him.

"In part", I said as I turned. There was an almost imperceptible path worn into the grass and dirt. They'd have to do something about that, moving their traps periodically would be the most straightforward solution. "We put whatever settlement we show up at in danger."

Realization dawned on the teenager's face and her expression went from understanding to a frown before she turned away. "I- you were thinking about the settlement's safety too?"

"Yes."

"God", she muttered. "I'm so stupid. I knew that but-" Cass looked back at me, still frowning. "I'm so sorry Damon, I knew that but with everything that happened, and all the talk I just- I let myself think-"

"It's fine. I understand." We were nearing the guard and a few other settlers were walking toward us. "You guys weren't the only ones thinking about what I do."

"Brenda told me about you and Nate talking."

Nate… I exhaled slowly. "Yeah."

"Damon!" one of the settlers called. It was Jake. The young man looked both excited and pensive. "Bringing trouble our way?" The question was sarcastic but, like his expression, there was an undertone of concern.

"Not sure yet", I said as they met us just inside their perimeter. "The Brotherhood has been active." I motioned at Cass. "We're here to investigate."

"What did youdo to piss the Brotherhood off?" Abraham asked. The older man was standing beside his son, hunting rifle slung over his shoulder. Jake and the two other guards with them were carrying the same type of 7.62 semi-automatic rifles Nate favored before getting his new one from Li. The improved armament was good to see.

"Nothing they know of yet."

"Care to put that in English?" the elder Finch asked.

I shook my head. "Not right now."

He didn't like that answer. "Now look here you giant tin can", he jabbed a finger at my chest. He was oddly careful to not touch me. "If you got us in trouble we need to know about it."

"Telling you would place you in more danger", I replied.

"I think", Jake interjected before his father could continue, "what Pa is sayin is we need to know if we should be getting ready for anything. We already seen some new folks coming out way. A lot of em. Most are telling us they came here because something happened with the Raiders, Brotherhood, or both. If you're sayin you did do something to piss 'em off…"

"The Brotherhood and Raiders are more active. You should already be prepared for that."

"Hold on a sec", Cass said, stepping forward. She offered a hand to Jake. "My name's Cassandra Thomas. I'm here to help translate for Damon."

Translate? I blinked.

Jake's eyes moved from me to her. "Nice… to meet you, Ms. Thomas." He shook her hand.

The teenager grimaced. "Wow. That sounded weird. Cass… is better. Uh, I'm sure you all know the Brotherhood doesn't like him." She motioned at me. "He's always busy screwing with them. He'd rather not give you any details about what we've been doing because if they come looking, it's probably better you aren't trying to hide anything from them."

I blinked again. What the hell had she and Brenda been talking about?

"Oh yeah?" the younger finch said, glancing at me. "So you're saying you did do something to piss 'em off." He shrugged. "Those folks you sent our way are good. They get us the guns they've been talking about, we'll handle whatever comes."

While I appreciate confidence, there's a base with, probably, a few thousand Raiders 20 kilometers away.

That's saying nothing about the Brotherhood.

"We're here to figure that out."

Jake nodded. "Alright. We'll help but…" he looked around the field. "Let's head into town. Don't know who might be watching."

He turned and started south toward the small collection of shacks and houses. That, apparently, constituted 'town'.

"What exactly are you lookin for?" Abraham asked.

"Preston had us make contact with a school to the northeast of here-"

"We know them", Jake interrupted. "East Central high school."

The elder Finch shot his son a disapproving frown. "Jake…"

"Sorry Pa", he replied sheepishly. "I didn't mean to be rude, Damon."

After seeing the two of them at each other's throats, the change was… amusing. It was also amusing how Abraham held Jake to a higher standard of respect than he did himself.

"They've been seeing an influx of people evacuating from smaller settlements around them. Has the same thing happened here?"

Jake squinted at me. "You tryin' to ask if more people been coming here?" I nodded. "Yeah. For the last few weeks. We let Preston know the last time we were in Sanctuary…" he paused, biting his lower lip. "Four days ago."

"Has it increased over the past week?"

"So you done something that recently, huh?" Abraham asked.

You're determined… "I've done a lot of things recently."

"Yes", Jake interjected before his father could reply. "Yesterday and today have been especially bad. I think we got 50 yesterday and even more today." He pointed south. Beneath the raised freeway about 200 meters away, there was a relatively large collection of houses. Some were still being built.

"Don't get me wrong. It's good to get more people but… we can't take on too many."

Abraham nodded. "Started moving folks to other settlements this morning."

"Have you lost contact with any?" I asked.

"We don't know", Jake replied. "A lotta the smaller towns don't have radio and we been too busy trying to get people situated."

Get people situated… Dammit. That isn't good. "Do you know where the Railroad trainers are?"

"Yeah… they're workin with the folks we made our trainers." The young man squinted at me. "Care to share?"

"Yo- we need to be careful about anyone trying to infiltrate. The Institute, the Brotherhood, Raiders… whoever."

"Are you sayin we interrogated everyone who comes by", Abraham asked.

Considering their position, that was a fair question. I couldn't blame them for not considering the possibility; they aren't trained or experienced in warfighting. On top of that, they're dealing with what is, for them, a refugee crisis. Logistics would be their primary concern, not a potential spy.

I shook my head. "I need to see if the people the Railroad sent are experienced in counter-espionage."

The two Finches exchanged a confused glance. "Say what?"

"It's- whether they know how to spot an infiltrator." Spycraft isn't my thing but at least some of the Railroad is competent in it. Vincent and Able found the Brotherhood informant in Sanctuary.

"Uh… yeah", Jake said, still sounding confused. "This way." He waved to the southwest-

"Wait a sec", Cass interrupted. She turned, eyebrow cocked at me. "We're here to investigate the settlements up north, right?" I nodded slowly. "So… do we have time to do this?"

Time to do this? If someone manages to seed the other settlements with plants, what's going on with the other settlements won't matter. "If they don't know how to spot informants, we need to get people here who can."

"I get that but… do you know how to?"

"No…"

"Then it doesn't have to be you who talks to them, does it?" She glanced north. "Shouldn't we get going soon?"

She… had a point. While I want to know the answer, I don't need to know. What's more important is someone gets an answer and acts on it. I brought Cass with me instead of someone else because I wanted to get into the field as quickly as possible. No reason to change that now.

"You're right", I said, nodding. I met Jake's gaze. "Can you take care of this?"

The younger Finch nodded. "If they don't, you want us to talk to Sanctuary?"

"Yes. They have people there who have the necessary experience."

Abraham nodded. "We can handle it. It'd be real damn helpful if we knew what we were in for but you don't seem to be in a sharing mood."

I shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Right." The older man looked at his son. "Go get with Heather and sort this out. I'll get these two going."

"On it, Pa", Jake said before looking at me again. "Good to see ya, don't be such a stranger." He turned to Cass. "Good to meet you, Cassandra."

The teenager offered a sheepish smile. "You too."

With that, Jake turned and started jogging south.

"Alright, so what help do you need from us?" Abraham asked.

It wasn't that I didn't trust Jake to ask the right questions, it's just- I'm used to doing things myself. And that's something very important. I don't like leaving things up to other people.

Focus on the mission.

Right.

"Do you know what settlements the people who have been coming in are from?"

The older man nodded. "Yeah. Most of 'em came from the mall up north. The ones that've been comin' in today are from the big department store right up the One."

Dammit. That means they didn't have to travel far to get here. That means the fighting will reach here soon. And it means the Brotherhood and the Raiders are going after larger settlements. We need to be careful but we need to get this done. Fast. The farms could be days away from being hit.

My gaze drifted to Cass. Should I keep her with me? Would it be safer if she stayed here? I'd move faster on my own. Yes, she's better at handling personal interactions (and keeping me on track, apparently) but if something happens…

If the Raiders attack in force, staying here might be more dangerous. And if the Brotherhood comes… No, I can't let her deal with that on her own. Not after they took Julian.

"You-" I cut myself off before I could tell him to prepare for an attack. These people aren't stupid, they've survived in the Commonwealth this long. "Are you ready for an attack?"

Abraham nodded. "We're gettin' there. Still some work to do on the watchtowers and reinforcing the houses in town. Anna came with some folks from Sanctuary a few days back." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the in-construction houses. "They been doin a lot of work over here. Put together one hell of a group of folks over there."

"They've all been through a lot."

A smile spread across the man's bearded face. "Seems like that's a common occurrence around you."

Yeah. "I'll be in radio range. Let me know if things go bad."

"You got it tin can."

"Tin Man", Cass said, also smiling. "His nickname is 'Tin Man'."

"Oh yeah? It's official now?" Abraham asked.

The teenager nodded. "Yeah."

The elder Finch looked back up at me. "Alright then Tin Man."

Thanks Cass. There were seven settlements to the north of us. Two of them, the mall and department store, are no-go. That leaves five. All of them are within 10 klicks of the farms…

"We should be back by the end of tomorrow."

Abraham nodded. "Don't worry about us. We handle our own."

"Understood."

As we turned and started for the path leading back out of the perimeter, Cass drew beside me and I caught her cock an eyebrow. "You aren't leaving me here?"

I shook my head. "It's safer this way."

"How so? You're going looking for trouble."

"Only if the opportunity presents itself." I met her gaze. "I'm more comfortable keeping you with me."

"Does that mean you trust me to take care of myself or you think you can protect me better than they can?"

"Neither", I shook my head again. "It's a lot easier to avoid danger if you can move. This settlement can't move."

"Over here!" the guard who escorted us in shouted. He was still standing at the perimeter, beckoning us over.

We made our way to him and started across the rigged perimeter.

"You know", Cass said, "you could be better at not insulting people by accident."

"Insulting people?"

Cassandra snorted. "Yeah. You just said you don't trust me to handle myself."

… Yeah, I guess I did. I guess I don't. "Not in a combat situation. You don't have the experience."

A few seconds later, we reached the edge of the perimeter and I turned north. We had a few hours left before sundown. We should be able to make it to the first settlement while it's still light.

I looked at her again. "Do you disagree?"

The girl frowned. "... No."

The smile that crept across my face was mostly involuntary. "Good."

X

I didn't know exactly what to expect. I didn't know if I expected to find the small collection of stores occupied by Brotherhood. I didn't know if I expected it to be burned out by Raiders. I didn't know if I expected it to still be occupied by its regular inhabitants. Sometimes, it's better to go into a situation without any set expectations.

Cass on the other hand…

When I first caught a glimpse of the parking lot between a pair of houses, I stopped. It wouldn't be the first time I'd seen a burn pile. That doesn't mean seeing it didn't make my stomach twinge uncomfortably.

My first thought was we should leave. The second was I shouldn't let Cass see this. It reminded me too much of the corpse pile the Supermutants made outside where the kids were held in the West Everett Estates. If it made me uncomfortable, what would it do to her? She was tough but that kind of trauma…

Blood spraying. A gargled scream. The metallic tinted smell of blood. The sound of tearing flesh.

That kind of trauma isn't something 'being tough' gets rid of.

"O- oh", Cassandra muttered from behind me. It sounded like she was struggling to keep the small dinner of dried fruit and homemade bread down.

Shit.

"Damon- Damon that's- those are-" her voice was a twisted combination of revulsion, horror, and anger. "Those are the settlers."

I slipped away from the opening, pulling the teenager with me by the arm.

"Did- the- the Brotherhood-"

"No", I said quietly as I stopped under a house's carport. "That was Raiders." Even from a hundred meters out, I could see the signs of fighting, the bullet strikes, and the anti-personnel explosives. There was no evidence of laser weapons and all of the gunfire looked like it had come from ground level, not Vertibirds.

Cass looked up at me, eyes wide. "… Why?"

Considering my… prior experiences, I should have an answer to that. I should. I haven't only seen the Covenant do it, I saw other humans do it. Fundies. Rebel groups.

ONI.

Maybe if she'd asked me three months ago, I would have had an answer. It might not have been right but I would have had one. Now?

"I don't know."

Dammit. I should have prepared her for this. I should have kept her back while I looked. I… this wasn't fair of me to do to her.

"I'm sorry Cass… I can take you back to the farms-"

"No", she interrupted. Her eyes were still wide and mouth twisted in a grimace, but she shook her head. "I wanted to come. This- I guess-" she swallowed hard. "I should have figured I might see something like this."

"I should have figured I might see something like this." I felt my head tilt forward and my shoulders droop ever so slightly. She should have expected to see a burn pile? A bunch of settlers massacred and their bodies incinerated? Damn this reality, this version of Earth. How is it that, even in a different goddamn universe, kids like Cass, Tommy, Julian- kids like me still exist?

"We- uh- do you think we should look? For survivors?"

I blinked. Survivors?

"There aren't any."

"How do you know?" the teenager asked. Maybe 'accused' was the better word. "It didn't look like there would have been any survivors when you found us. You still came looking."

We're in danger here. As if a switch had been thrown, I was acutely aware of the possibility Raiders were still in the area. No smoke or smoldering, the remains low and spread out, that burn pile had been out for a while. No way to tell for sure, but I'd guess it had been a few days. That didn't mean the Raiders were gone. It didn't mean there were no other forces in the area.

"The Raiders cleared the settlement out. Took the time to make a burn pile. They wouldn't have left anyone. And that fight took place days ago. If someone had survived, they'd be long gone."

"You don't know that. We-"

I knew where this was going. It was understandable. But that didn't make it correct.

"Cass", I interrupted. My intent wasn't to intimidate her, but I need her to listen. "There's no one there and staying here only puts us at risk. We need to get to the other settlements and see what their status is."

"But- you-" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you really think there's no one left alive? Like this couldn't be when you found us?"

"Yes."

Cassandra nodded slowly, opening her eyes as if she thought, if she opened them slowly enough, the scene would be different. "Okay."

"Stay on my right hip", I said. "Keep it slow, take deep breaths."

"Got it."

Getting away from what was left of the settlement was the first goal. Rolling hills dotted with suburban sprawl didn't do us any favors. It's possible we'd been spotted on the way in. I never got the feeling we were being watched but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

Slipping back to the south side of the street, Cass did what I said and stayed right next to me. Her footsteps were stiff and hurried, but that wasn't a surprise.

It would be aloe to say the discomfort in my stomach had been joined by a slowly growing anger in the back of my head. Should I have done more when I rescued Danse? Should I have taken the time to hunt Castle down? Eliminated more of their forces. No doubt the Raiders know I'm associated with the Minutemen. Would that have been a good enough warning? Stay the hell away from our people.

Or would it just have made them more aggressive?

… I don't know. All I know is they attacked, overwhelmed, and massacred a peaceful settlement.

We made our way back through the grid of desolate houses until we reached the southwest edge of the neighborhood. Beyond was a break in the built-up area, a road to our north leading west over a low hill. I knew there was another small collection of houses on the other side. There was no settlement there. With the sky darkening and the potential for someone following us, it would be a good place to lay low. We could move again once the sun was down completely.

Leaving the cover and relative safety of the houses was the most dangerous part. If someone planned on attacking us, it would be now.

"Walk ahead of me", I whispered before we exited the last house's shadow.

Cassandra nodded absently and stepped in front of me. She looked shell-shocked.

"Are you good to move?"

The teenager met my gaze. Her eyes were still wide but now they were glassy as if she was trying to not cry.

"Yeah", she said, voice barely audible. "I'll be alright."

Dammit. Raiders.

I nodded and Cass left the last house for almost a kilometer. We made our way through the yard's broken fence and continued into the field.

Nothing. The sound of Vertibirds buzzing to the east and south floated across the evening air, but no gunfire, no voices, no footsteps. No signs we were being followed in any way. It was disconcerting.

As we began the long, gentle climb over the rock and tree-strewn hill, I found myself almost hoping for some indication we were being hunted.

Because that would mean the Raiders did that for a reason. It would mean they didn't massacre an entire settlement of people for the fun of it.

But the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that's what happened. They're trying to assert their control over the area. Tracking down people who might investigate their victims didn't matter. They knew the Minutemen would come knocking eventually and they didn't care.

And that made me even more frustrated.

In the 10 minutes it took to crest the hill, Cass calmed to the point she was attentive and careful again. She was still agitated. I doubt that would stop any time soon.

Why would the Raiders do this? They're only making people hate them more-

… Maybe I'm thinking about this wrong. I'm thinking about it from my perspective. I can deal with Raiders. Individuals, squad, or even platoon-sized groups don't pose much threat. With time to prepare, larger forces don't either.

But most people here don't have that luxury. To most people here… that's a threat. Whether the message is 'don't fuck with us' or 'we're coming for you', it's something every settlement in the area has to worry about. Is that why they did that? To let everyone else know they're here? Do they want people scared? That seemed like the most likely solution.

If that's the case, things might get bad up here. Taking Cass back to the farms was still an option… but not one I wanted to take. Not yet.

The next group of buildings came into view as the sun finally dipped below the western horizon. It was still bright enough to see without night vision when we started toward them. No settlements in these ones. We'd have to head northwest a few more kilometers before we reached it.

That being said, I wanted to wait until it was completely dark before moving again. Yes, Cass would be compromised, but so would anyone trying to follow us.

"How could people do that?" Cassandra spat as she dropped into a chair. We found temporary shelter in an old, brick-sided restaurant. The interior had been ransacked at some point, but most of the furniture was still intact. "They just- they killed a settlement full of innocent people!"

"Keep your voice down", I whispered.

"What?" She shot me what she probably thought was a venomous glare. But she did lower her volume. "Those people never did anything to them. Probably. And they massacred them. Why?"

"Area control. Send a message."

Cass rubbed her eyes. "To the Brotherhood or the Minutemen?"

I shrugged. "Both. Other settlements. They want us to know they can hit anyone. They want the Brotherhood to know they're willing to do anything." The thing I don't know is if there was Brotherhood involvement. Had there been Brotherhood ground forces in and around the settlement and the Raiders attacked because of that? Provided the rest of the settlements in the area haven't been likewise wiped out, they may answer that question.

Could I find a Raider scouting party? I haven't interrogated anyone in a while now, not since I attacked their base. I wouldn't mind inflicting some of that pain on one of those bastards. If I'm lucky I might be able to find one of the Raiders that wiped that settlement out.

"We have to do something."

"What?" I asked as I looked back at Cassandra. Her expression was a mixture of determination and fury.

"The Raiders. They- they can't just do something like that and we do nothing about it."

While I could agree to an extent, that sounded more like revenge than 'discouragement'. Do I want to hunt the Raiders who did that down? Yes. But if working for ONI, doing what I did, taught me anything that might be worth holding onto, it was that vengeance rarely coincides with accomplishing mission objectives. Did I want to take every chance I could get to kill Covenant? Absolutely. Did that achieve the correct goals? No.

"We'll need to make sure they know they can't go after Minutemen settlements", I said slowly, "yes."

Cass shook her head. "That isn't enough. Those people didn't deserve that."

"A revenge mission is risky and unnecessary."

"Unnecessary-"

"Keep your voice down", I interrupted again.

Still no one making noise around us, but that doesn't mean there's no one within audible distance.

The teenager glared at me. "You think they", she stabbed a finger to the east, "would think it's unnecessary?"

My first reaction was to say 'they're dead'. Dead people can't make strategic or tactical decisions. But even I knew that wasn't the right thing to say. Not only would it have gone over very poorly with Cass, but it didn't feel right. Those people were part of the Minutemen. I didn't know any of them. They were still people I was supposed to help protect.

And they were innocent people the Raiders decided to massacre.

That being said, I know what works and what doesn't in these situations. My emotions, or Cassandra's, aren't what's important.

"I can't speak for them", I replied. "I'm not going on a revenge mission. That's how people get killed. We're finishing what we came up here for before making any other decisions."

"How can-"

"This isn't open to discussion, Cass."

She froze with her mouth hanging open. I couldn't read all of the emotions playing across her face, but disbelief was mixed in with them.

"What you said earlier-" Cass said quietly. "Were you lying?"

I cocked my head. "What did I say?"

"That you cared about the farm's safety."

That I- what?! How the hell does this reflect on my reasoning for scouting the farm? "This has nothing to do with that. At all."

Cass flinched, pressing herself back into the chair.

It shouldn't have, but that made me even more upset. She has no reason to be afraid of me. I know that. She knows that.

Does she?

What, does she think I'm going to hurt her?

No. That might not matter.

So she's afraid of me now just because I kill other people? That isn't a new development.

It doesn't need to be new. She's more exposed to it now than before. I know better than most, fear isn't always rational. Your response to fear isn't always rational.

She's afraid of me, getting upset with her only makes that worse.

"Alright", I said, taking a deep breath. "You're scared, I-"

"No I'm not", Cass retorted.

Really. "Then why are you pushing yourself back in that chair so hard you're about to flip it over?"

"I-" she looked down at her hands gripping the chair's arms so hard her knuckles were turning white. The teenager frowned and took a deep breath of her own.

"Do you think I'm scared of you?" she asked, relaxing.

I nodded. "Yes."

Cass took a few seconds to respond. She began tapping a heel on the old wooden floor, squinting up at me in the darkness.

"... Maybe I am but… I don't know, don't you think you scare people? Not to be insulting but what you do… and how you act about it…" She turned away, looking east again. "That settlement reminded me of what the Supermutants did. And to see you brush it off like you did, it made me-"

"I didn't 'brush it off'", I interrupted. "I'm pissed off about that too."

"It doesn't seem like it", Cassandra muttered.

"And what do you want me to do to make it seem like I'm upset? Does my attitude not work for you?"

That was immature.

So?

"You can go after the bastards who did it."

Go after them? As in kill them? "What did you just say about me killing people?"

"Those Raiders deserve it", she hissed.

Couldn't argue with that sentiment but… "Then what? There are too many Raiders to pick out one group and eliminate them. I kill them and the base sends more down to wipe out the next settlement." We aren't in a position to fight yet. We're getting there, but we need more time. The Raiders probably don't want to either, considering their current engagement with the Brotherhood. We need to take advantage of that while we can.

"What do you think we should do then?" Cass asked. "Sit around and wait?"

I shook my head. "No, we go to the next settlement and assess the situation. We don't have the resources to defend several small groups. They'll probably need to move to larger Minutemen settlements."

"And what do we do if that one got wiped out? What if all of them did? You heard what the people back at the school said."

That… was a good question. I don't like the idea of letting the Raider who did that survive, but trying to hunt them down is a mistake. But if they wiped out another? If they wiped out all of them?

… I'm part of the Minutemen. If we can't keep our own people safe, no one else would risk joining.

Is that really the reason?

It is. My emotions can't play a role in my decision-making. It's exactly the same thing I just told Cass.

While I could tell myself that… I'm not sure I believe it anymore. But that's a decision I can't make right now. I don't know how I'll react. So I have to move forward with the same understanding I usually do.

"Then I'll reevaluate my priorities. For now, we don't have the necessary information."

She paused again, lips pressed into a thin line. I said this wasn't open for discussion and here I am discussing it.

At least this isn't a fight.

Isn't it?

"I wish that didn't make so much sense", Cass finally said through a deep sigh. "I want revenge on those- those monsters." Her eyes drifted up to my visor. "It wouldn't be revenge, for me, if you did it." She huffed. "There's probably something, what's the word? Immoral?" I nodded. I think I know where she's going with this… "Immoral about me asking you to take revenge on my part."

"It isn't that I don't want to pay them back, Cass. The payback I want just involves a lot more of them." I shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time I've taken revenge for someone else. Kellogg killed-" 'Nate's wife' died in my throat. Why? I don't owe the ex-soldier anything. Do I?

Picturing Nora still half-frozen in the cryo-tube, finger-sized hole in her head, the apple-sides hole in the back… somehow it felt disrespectful to tell her story. What I know of it. Why is that? I never met her. I only know what Nate told me.

Something about her selflessness? The infantryman said she died trying to keep Shaun away from Kellogg and the Institute spooks.

I remembered my mother pulling me to my feet, placing herself between the attacking Covenant and me just before she was mauled by that goddamn Kig Yar.

My hands balled themselves into fists.

If only I could be there now…

But I can't. I'll never be able to. Focus on what- who is in front of me.

Why can't I let myself sit with it sometimes?

"Who? I know Kellogg killed a lot of people but… did he kill someone important to Nate? Is that why you talked about him?"

"… Yeah." I nodded again, slowly. "You'll have to ask him about the details. Get some sleep. We're leaving in an hour."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes mom."

Leaning back in her chair, she muttered, "I just… sometimes it's hard to know what to think. You're so different now than you were around Nate. That Damon was a little scary. And I know I said I want revenge on those Raiders but… I'm angry and I know I'm angry. The stuff about you killing people it's-" she closed her eyes. "It's hard to know what to think."

"I don't want you to be afraid of me."

Cass nodded. "I know. But let's be honest, you are pretty scary."

"To some."

With that, the teenager yawned and I got the sense our conversation was over. She didn't seem happy with the conclusion, but at least she wasn't trying to argue anymore.

As she drifted off into sleep, I allowed my thoughts to go back to the potential outcomes of this scouting mission.

What if the rest of the settlements up here were wiped out? Are people that fled those two larger communities all that's left? I had no clue how I'd respond to something like that. I've never been in this position before responsible for protecting groups of people. Not all, it's my job to eliminate groups. Then again, maybe that means I'm well-suited for the job. I know what to look for well enough.

Then there's the strange part. The people who died in that settlement, the people we might find killed, it felt like more than just a mission. Yes, I get upset when I don't complete a mission objective, I'm hyper-competitive, that comes with the territory. But that doesn't explain the hard pit of worry that had settled into the bottom of my stomach. I'm worriedabout the other settlements. I'm worried I might find them wiped out too.

I'm worried I might not have the reaction, it seems, Cass wants me to have.

I'm worried I might have too strong a reaction.

It was… a weird place to be.

Then there's the question about where the worry even came from? I don't know any of these people. It isn't-

"You don't have to know someone. I know you know how to be empathetic."

Nate…

The thing I hated was, during that entire conversation, I was the one who showed a better understanding of that than he did. What does that mean? Does that mean I feel bad about killing Grant? I still don't know. No matter what the answer is, it isn't on the same scale as what I did in Goodneighbor. The Institute is the enemy and the Coursers aren't part of Li's group. Nate was working with Shaun and Ayo, I thought. All the information I had at the time was they weren't with Li's group.

But I don't know.

As the evening drifted into night, I crept around the store, searching for signs of a tail. It was difficult considering most of the floorboards wanted to groan under my weight. Once I found a path that avoided the worst of it, I took a lap every few minutes.

Still nothing. Unless there was a large group following us, there wouldn't be any positions someone could watch from to cover every exit. That meant clearing one only involved checking the houses and stores on that side of the building.

I checked the time in my HUD: 2130. I'll need to wake Cass in about 20 minutes.

What would I do if the Raiders wiped out the other settlements too…?

From the perspective of a member of the Minutemen I'd have to do something as retaliation, right? The Minutemen still need more support and people aren't going to be interested in joining if they know they'll be targeted by Raiders and we can't do anything about it. But there's always the possibility those mfers would be waiting for some sort of retaliation. Not to discount the Brotherhood's potential presence in the area. The further west I go, the less likely it is. That doesn't mean it's impossible.

But what about from my perspective? If I care what happens to people I've never met before… how will I react if they've been massacred?

I don't know.

After a few more laps with nothing turning up, I crept over to Cass and placed a hand on her shoulder. The teenager woke with a start but she stayed quiet.

It took her a few breaths to calm down.

"Dammit that-" she gulped another breath. "That wasn't fun. Don't do that."

"Wake you up?" I know what she's talking about but… I'm not above having a little fun at her expense.

"No", Cass grumbled. "Waking up to you standing in front of me like that. Especially now."

"Am I supposed to throw something at you?" I asked, head cocked to the side.

"I have ears."

"I've been walking around for the past hour and you didn't wake up."

"You-" she cut herself off. "Aren't we supposed to be leaving?"

"Yes", I said, looking out the front of the store. It was about two more kilometers to the next settlement. They were close to the one we'd just left. Close enough they might have heard the fighting. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine the Raiders went there next…

"Follow my steps." I started toward the rear of the store. Cass and Dogmeat crept after me.

At the back, there was a steel door that, at some point, had been knocked off its hinges. Whatever did that did it a while ago. The metal had rusted through and began crumbling into dust in the humid sea air. Outside, the darkness was washed away into a vibrant twilight by my night vision. The clear sky allowed the moonlight to illuminate much of our surroundings. The houses behind the store were dark and motionless. Most of them were relatively intact too, which meant the only places anyone could watch us from were the windows or doors. Those were clear.

"Stay with me", I whispered before slipping out into the street. We crossed and began northwest. Cass was still too loud, but her gait was steady and her breathing calm. Dogmeat, as had become custom, was pacing a few meters in front of me. While I'd rather not have a dog taking point, he seemed aware enough. I've had enough German Shepherds sent after me to know they can be effective trackers and dangerous fighters.

A few minutes later, we were out of the small suburb. The next one was where the second settlement would be. Hopefully.

The fifteen minutes it took to cross another low, rolling hill, avoiding the occasional rock outcropping, felt like it took too long. The same questions I'd asked while I waited came to mind. One stood out from the rest: what would I do if this one had been wiped out too?

"Stop here", I said as we neared the edge of a tree thicket. It was the fourth time I'd paused to check our back draft. Just like the other three times, there was nothing.

The location also provided a decent view of the larger suburb we were about to wade into. Just like the last, and every other random growth of buildings that still plagued my universe 500 years in the future, this one was a sprawl of houses and stores. There was a cluster of them a hundred and fifty meters north of us, but that wasn't the settlement. No, this settlement was a neighborhood near the south side of the collection of buildings.

I didn't need a scope to tell me there was a problem.

Without it, I couldn't see any details, but that didn't matter. No lights were coming from the suburb.

The first time I saw it was about a month ago now, not long after the Institute's ambush. The settlement wasn't large, maybe 60 people, but it was relatively well-defended. They'd built a fence around their perimeter and had guard positions along it. Nothing impressive but they had something.

As I pulled the MK18's scope to my eye, I already knew the settlement had been abandoned or wiped out.

"Is it supposed to be in there?" Cass whispered.

"Affirmative."

No one on patrol. No lights. Dammit.

There was no movement at all.

Pulling the McMillan from my back, I sighted on the town below us through its more powerful scope.

"Did- did they-"

"I don't know yet", I interrupted before she could finish. I don't need the distraction, those thoughts were already bothering me enough.

No, there was no movement but… there were no signs of a fight either… Granted, I couldn't see most of the settlement. From what I could see, there were no bodies, the fence was intact, and judging from the weathering on the buildings, no recently added destruction. Their watch posts were likewise free of damage

There was no battle here. No bodies. Nothing. The place had been evacuated. There's no world where I imagine the people I've met around the Commonwealth would leave unwillingly without a fight. Whether that be the Raiders capturing them, or the Brotherhood forcing them out. Which means they left of their own volition.

I couldn't help the relieved exhale that slipped out. At the same time, it concerned me. Where had they gone? Jake and Abraham said the people they'd been seeing were from further east.

A flicker of motion caught my attention but, when I moved the scope to look, it was just a pack of dogs.

The logical answer would be the settlement to the northwest. If I remember right, that one has enough buildings to house that many people. That doesn't mean they have the infrastructure to support them.

Either way, standing around here won't get me anywhere.

"It's abandoned. Not attacked", I said as I clamped the McMillan to my back. "Let's check the next settlement. They may have gone there for safety."

Cass looked up from her own rifle scope. "You're sure?"

"That there was no fight, yes. I don't know where they might have gone."

"... Okay."

We left, creeping back into the treeline before circling around the abandoned settlement. The wide berth probably wasn't necessary. No reason to be careless.

It was another hour of creeping through the relative wilderness before we neared our target. An hour of trying to remain focused on getting the two of us to the next settlement while wondering about the fate of the people there. An hour of wondering if they'd been killed too. While we were in the city playing politics.

Thankfully, the moment the larger suburban sprawl came into view, the lights from its buildings and perimeter were obvious in the darkness of night. It was a relief to see the vibrant glow through my visor's NVS.

Yeah… it was a relief.

After a cursory scan confirmed there was no fighting or potentially hostile presence, I motioned for Cass to follow. "Stay close, keep your hands away from your gun."

"Right", she replied. The teenager sounded downright eager. She was probably more relieved than I was. Which was fair. Cassandra had looked like she didn't know whether she wanted to start screaming for blood or break down in tears earlier. Knowing there was at least one settlement that hadn't been attacked was… comforting.

As we detached ourselves from the tree line, I let the Mk18 hang on its sling, hands held open and out to my sides.

It took all of 10 meters to get a response from the settlers.

"STOP!" someone shouted from a window of the house directly in front of us. It wasn't illuminated.

So they have a secondary perimeter? I nodded. Good planning. I couldn't help but wonder if that's something that changed after the attacks…

I came to a stop in the middle of the street. Cass was right behind me.

"Who are you!?"

"We're with the Minutemen."

"Bullshit", the voice called back. Its owner sounded like they were trying extremely hard to control their emotions. Other people began filtering through the houses and onto the sidewalk. "You look like you're with the Brotherhood!"

"They wear T-60 power armor, not this", I replied, motioning to myself. "If you've seen them you know I don't look anything like them."

Over the course of a few seconds, a crowd had formed between us and the house. Most of the settlers were carrying rifles. Nothing much more impressive than Cass's hunting rifle… Nothing that would do any damage to someone in a suit of power armor.

"We don't know you. If you don't-"

"Whoa, slow down a sec", a voice said from behind the wall of settlers. It was familiar… "This is the guy everyone has been talking about."

Who-?

The voice's owner pushed through the crowd toward me.

Andrew?

An instant later, the Synth appeared, hands held out to his side. Unlike everyone else, he didn't have a gun on him.

"This is Damon. He's with the people at Sanctuary."

Cass nodded beside me. "We're with the Minutemen. We came here to find out what the Brotherhood and Raiders were doing. We-" her voice faltered."

"The two settlements to the east were depopulated", I continued. "One was abandoned, the other was wiped out. We are investigating the rest of the settlements in the area."

None of the settlers responded. All of them look exhausted. Exhausted and terrified.

We're operating against the clock and I don't know where it runs out.

"Do you know what happened to the settlement that was abandoned?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah. They're all here." He motioned to the buildings behind them. "After Vinny's was- was wiped out by Raiders, they all came here."

A relief mixed with a half dozen new questions that came to mind. At the same time, a new buzzing reached the edge of my hearing from the southeast. That sound had become a regular part of life at this point, but something about the Vertibird's pounding rotors had me uncomfortable.

"When did that happen?"

No one answered.

Frustration started building. Yes, they're scared, they don't know me, but Andrew has already explained who I am. I'm here trying to help.

"The Raiders are a growing threat and the Brotherhood is getting more active in the area. I need to know where to focus."

A few more seconds passed in relative silence. That buzzing had grown into a steady thud. A woman stepped forward, rifle in hand and a hard frown on her tanned, weathered face.

"Andy said your name's Damon?" she asked. Her gruff voice matched her appearance.

"Yes."

"Did Stan send you up here?"

I cocked my head. Was that a test? "Preston?"

The woman nodded. "Yeah."

This was starting to feel strange. No, they'd never seen me, but it seemed like the stories about me were making the rounds in the Minutemen.

It could be they're just worried about anyone at this point.

"Sort of. When did the attack happen?"

"Hey", Cass said before the woman could answer, "slow down a little. We're here. You can help if anything happens."

Yes, I could. That isn't the only concern. I was able to feel the rotors pounding at the air now. I turned southeast. Sure enough, the lights of two Vertibirds appeared over the hills to our south. They were heading straight toward the settlement.

"Shit", I said under my breath. Two Vertibirds, especially loaded with power-armor-equipped soldiers, would be more than enough to control this settlement. If I'm here… what's their response going to be? I can't leave now either. Not with the night vision optics I'm sure the pilots and ground troops would be equipped with. Would they start a fight here?

"Damon…?"

I looked down at Cass. Her eyes had gone wide and body rigid.

It isn't just my life at risk. Everyone in the settlement would be.

Two Vertibirds. If they're loaded with ground forces, and they get the chance to deploy, that's a problem. Given the terrain, cover, and weapons available, it would be a tricky fight.

That would be assuming a fight is even in the realm of possibilities.

Glancing around at the settlers, I knew it wasn't. They were all staring at the VTOLs as they neared. Half of them just left their homes, ran away from Raiders. Now they're faced with aircraft and power armor. With no time to prepare. And, if they did fight, it would kick off a war no one wants or is ready for.

Too many unknowns. Too many variables. Scenarios played out in my head. There wasn't one with a good outcome. None of this is even considering what the Brotherhood might be here for.

Lowest risk is to stay out of sight unless absolutely necessary. Play it by ear from there depending on what the Brotherhood does.

I can't turn this into a fight. Not unless the Brotherhood gives me no other choice.

"Do you have anywhere we can stay out of sight?" I asked over the increasingly loud thuds from the rotor-wing crafts.

The woman spun to me, eyes as wide as everyone else's. "You're going to hide?"

"They've been hunting me for two months. If they see me here, it might turn into a fight. Your people die if that happens."

"Wait a minute!" Another settler shouted. A tall lanky man. "You're supposed to be here to help! Aren't you the guy who took down Quincy?"

The Vertibirds were drawing closer. They'd be over us in a minute or two. A quick glance down at Cassandra said she wouldn't be able to help me here. Her dinner-plate-sized eyes were still fixed on the VTOLs. A pang of guilt shot through me. She's been through a lot. The last week, especially the last few days, has been too much.

"I don't have time to argue. I'll stay here if you want this to turn into a fight. If it does, all of you will die." With what seemed like the entire settlement clustered around me, all those Vertibirds would have to do is a few fly-bys with the chin guns and door gunners raining hell on them.

"What are we supposed to do then?" the woman growled.

"Y-"What were they supposed to do? It all depends on what the Brotherhood is here for. I don't know what that is though. Investigating who shot at (and hopefully killed) Maxson? Coercing support? Or… maybe they're trying to stem the Raider problem.

"I don't know", I admitted. "I don't know what they're here for." I was looking at a lot of scared faces. Those scared faces were looking back at me for protection and answers I couldn't provide. I know I can't, through no fault of my own. They should know I can't considering the circumstances.

So why do I feel like I'm doing something wrong here?

The pounding was still pushing its way closer to us. It felt like the Vertibirds were bearing down on my head.

"He'll be close by", Andrew said before anyone else could protest. The Synth sounded scared but he was at least thinking. He, of course, knew what kind of… relationship I have with the Brotherhood. "I- I'll show them where they can wait it out." He looked at the woman. "Clare… what he's saying makes sense."

'Clare' looked just as scared as the rest of them. But she nodded.

"Alright", she said through a deep breath. "Everyone, let's get ready. No one shoots unless we have to." Clare looked up at the approaching Vertibirds. "That isn't a fight I want to see if we can win."

Most of the settlers began to disperse, more than a few of them casting glares my way. Unfortunately, this settlement did not get Railroad resources. They aren't prepared for a fight like this.

Maybe Nate and Brenda were right… Even if the Brotherhood doesn't know I'm the one who took the shot, they're casting a wide net. How many other settlements have they gone to?

Now isn't the time.

"Where?" I asked, turning to Andrew.

The Synth pointed toward the middle of the settlement and led the three of us away. Cassandra was walking so close to me, I might as well have been carrying her and even Dogmeat had his ears pressed flat against his head.

Even with the explosion of activity, the settlers gave us a wide berth.

Our hiding spot turned out to be a small building, it may have been a storefront before the war, near the northwest edge of the settlement. Now the place served as supply storage. It wasn't bad, good concealment, out of the way, and led off into the woods allowing a quick exit.

By the time we slipped inside, the Vertibirds were circling the settlement.

It looked a lot like what they'd done when they came to Sanctuary for Haylen. They passed directly over our position a few times, their rotors shaking dust from every horizontal surface.

Peering out into the well-lit settlement through the large, long emptied window frames, the townspeople were either likewise hiding in buildings, or taking cover with their weapons at the ready. Most were carrying the customary hunting rifles. A handful had semi-automatics. None of those would do anything to a suit of T-60 and certainly not a Vertibird.

I always learned relying solely on equipment was a mistake. Unfortunately, sometimes, equipment determines the results of a fight before it starts. I'd be surprised if this settlement didn't have a few hidden surprises. The problem is those surprises would be for things like Raiders, Supermutants, or the like. It wouldn't be for heavily armored and armed Brotherhood soldiers.

"You're coming with us if the Brotherhood tries something", I said as I watched one of the rotor-wing aircraft begin descending over the east end of the settlement.

"What?" Andrew said, voice near trembling. "Do- you think they'd know who I am?"

"It's possible. They've hunted down other Synths."

"Possible? Then they might not." I turned to Andrew, he was standing behind me watching the VTOL dip below the buildings between us and it. "This settlement is getting better, but they still have a lot of stuff they could improve on."

"We can't take the risk. You know too much about the Minutemen and the Institute."

"And you can always come back", Cass interjected before the Synth could reply. Her voice was, likewise, nervous but she sounded like she was trying to be optimistic. "If the Brotherhood is here, at least they'll be safe from Raiders."

That was true…

"Yeah…" Andrew mused. "I just- we've done so much recently. I don't want to run away from that."

The Vertibird that had dipped below the buildings was up and circling again. No gunfire which probably meant they dropped a detachment and were providing support.

"Do you think we'll need to leave?" the engineer asked.

"Yes." I couldn't think of a reason the Brotherhood would leave this settlement to its own devices. They at least know it has ties with the Minutemen.

We couldn't leave yet; the overwatch would be hyper-vigilant since they just dropped their charges.

And with the chance something might still happen, I'd rather be close by to lend what help I could. It probably wouldn't be enough to save them. That doesn't mean I can't try.

Seconds turned into minutes as the Vertibirds continued their tight circles over us. No Brotherhood forces came into view. I guess that meant this hiding spot was good for concealment. It would be nice if we had a view of the 'meeting'. Andrew's concern was getting out of sight, not surveillance.

Things were staying calm.

That was until one of the Vertibirds descended from its impromptu patrol. I couldn't see it, but I heard the pitch of its rotors drop. It sounded like it was going to land on the north side of the settlement. Not far from us.

It was dropping off more ground forces.

They were here to settle in. Whether they'd be waiting for more forces didn't matter. They had what they needed to pacify the settlement.

Now was time to move. As much as I wanted to stay and figure out some way to get rid of the Brotherhood's presence, it was a non-starter. Getting the settlers killed in the process, and bringing the Brotherhood down on the Minutemen defeated the purpose of being here.

"Get ready to move", I whispered, pointing to the northeast side of the building.

Andrew started to protest but Cass interrupted. "Cmon. I know you don't want to, but we should go. If you're a Synth, nothing good will happen if you stay." She looked at me. "And we'll be back."

"There are no guarantees in war." That's what I wanted to say but, if the goal is for Andrew to cooperate, I doubt that's the right thing for him to hear.

"It's safer for everyone."

I couldn't hear whoever was disembarking from the Vertibird. That didn't mean it wasn't happening. With the buildings between us and the rotors still pounding away at the air, they could be dropping off an armored vehicle for all I know. I could feel the net closing around us. The clock was ticking. We didn't have time to make the Synth feel good.

Turning, I slipped to the rear of the store. Dogmeat was on my heels followed by Cass and a reluctant Andrew.

The second troop drop could mean a multitude of different things, none of them were good.

We stopped at a sturdy-looking wooden door.

If it did turn into a fight… should I fight?

My eyes shot to Cassandra. Her eyes were wide and lips pressed into a thin line. This was the closest she'd been to the Brotherhood since the ambush. And Andrew… like I said: I couldn't let them take him. Too much risk.

The possibility I might have to kill him to prevent the Brotherhood capturing him didn't elude me. That's a decision I'd make if the time came.

But Cass? They can take her over their dead bodies.

"Stay on me", I said and swung the door open.

The only thing separating us from the forest was a pockmarked street. I crossed it as quickly as the others could follow. Both Cass and Andrew were already breathing hard. It had nothing to do with the exertion.

Stopping once we were a dozen meters past the treeline, I knelt next to one and scanned the forest for-

"Shouldn't we keep moving?" Andrew panted. "We-"

"Quiet", I hissed. The Synth clamped his mouth shut hard enough his teeth clacked together.

My NVS worked overtime to penetrate some of the shadows cast by the canopy above. Even with it, clearing every potential position was impossible. I looked for the most likely ones, in thickets or underbrush, and did the best I could. Our best friend would be speed. The faster we put space between us and the settlement, the safer.

"Move", I said as I stood.

I didn't make it ten paces before something felt off. A twinge in the back of my head pulled me to a stop. Scanning the forest again, I didn't see anyone watching us. That didn't mean anything. Even with the twilight wash of my HUD's night vision, there were plenty of places with good enough concealment to avoid detection.

That town… I remembered the Brotherhood overwatch that caught me in the forest near Cambridge. Did they do it again?

The others stopped behind me while I took a second scan of our surroundings. Something was out here. My eyes narrowed as I focused on a thicket of trees with underbrush surrounding them. Was there-

Vertibirds. The pitch of the rotors changed again. Both of them.

Dammit. What do I do? I can't outrun them, not with Cass and Andrew. I said I'd fight if I had to. Now isn't the time to second guess.

I pointed to the thicket. "Take cover and watch that position."

Pulling the McMillan from my back, I checked to make sure a round was chambered. It was still loaded with the steel-core armor-piercing bullets. While it didn't need more penetration for the T-60, I couldn't help but wonder if it would make a difference for the VTOLs.

"Do they know we're here", Cass asked, voice on the verge of breaking. She tucked herself behind a tree with Dogmeat, Andrew following suit.

"Yes."

Neither of them responded as the Vertibirds cleared the town. An instant later, the forest exploded in the powerful searchlights mounted on their noses. With the trees overhead flailing violently with the wash from the rotors, the writhing shadows made the forest look alive.

The Brotherhood had teams positioned in the forest around the settlement before the Vertibirds showed up. Does that mean they were scouting it? Were they waiting for me? No… they would have brought more.

Unless they aren't looking for a fight.

They've tried to kill me every time we've seen each other for the past three months.

They might be thinking the same thing I am.

Contrary to everything I've ever been taught or experienced, I knew my best- my only option was to stay put. They know I'm here, they know I have people in tow. Regardless of whether they were here waiting for me or not if they wanted a fight, they'd probably have started shooting by now.

I glanced at Cass again. Her eyes, and rifle, were fixed on the thicket.

Even if I could get away, not a certainty without knowing their force strength and deployment, it would be putting her and Andrew at risk.

Well, more risk.

"Are we just going to wait for them?" the teenager asked just loud enough for me to hear over the rotors above.

"We have to." I hated saying that. It felt like I had to push the words up my throat and out of my mouth. I'm not surrendering to the Brotherhood but it felt like it. They outmaneuvered me in a game I didn't even know was happening. It didn't matter if they meant to or not.

A few seconds later, the cacophony of pounding thuds I knew was on its way came from the settlement. I couldn't tell how many armored soldiers were on their way, but it was enough the number didn't matter. There would be no fighting my way out of that and the two Vertibirds with the others here.

It didn't take long for them to break through the foliage, a dozen Brotherhood fighters lumbering toward us. I kept the McMillan at the low ready. The rifle wouldn't do any good until I was able to identify a primary target. Their commanding officer would be ideal.

But if it comes to that, I've already lost.

Most of the soldiers were armed with laser rifles. They were dangerous, but not powerful enough to penetrate my armor. Three carried miniguns. Again, the small caliber rounds wouldn't penetrate, but the sheer volume could do the job. Those Vertibirds with their large caliber chin guns. That was my concern.

Less thinking about a fight, more thinking about how to leave with everyone alive.

Fighting is usually how I do that.

Usually.

"Put your weapons down!" one of the Brotherhood soldiers shouted over the rotors. I know that voice. I'm used to hearing it undistorted by the helmet.

Marsaul.

"Negative."

"You don't have a choice."

Like hell I don't. "If you thought that, we wouldn't be talking." I jerked my head toward the settlement. "You don't want an engagement here and risk a premature fight with the Minutemen. You have orders to maintain peace with the citizens in the area."

There was a short pause filled with more concussions from the circling Vertibirds.

"True", Marsaul answered. "I could say the same for you. Plus", the Sentinel removed a comically large mechanical manipulator from his rifle and motioned toward Cass and Andrew's cover, "you don't want them to get caught in this fight. Come peacefully and I give you my word we will treat you fairly."

"You already betrayed me once", I called back. The rest of the statement didn't need saying.

"Only because you planned to do the same."

That's true. I nodded. "I'm not surrendering to you. You don't want a fight, you let us go."

"That's a fight you can't-"

"Don't bullshit me", I snapped. "There's a reason you have 12 people around me and two Vertibirds overhead."

"Do not interrupt me. You may escape this fight alive, but your friends wouldn't." He barked a short laugh. "We've fought you enough to know what we're in for. You'll regret underestimating us."

That's also true. Clearly. "I'm not negotiating. Let us go."

Marsaul shook his head. "No. You're too great a risk."

"We-"

A burst of gunfire exploded from the northwest.

I twisted just in time to see the thicket where the Brotherhood scouts had been hiding shredded in a hail of bullets. Whoever was there didn't get the chance to return fire. No doubt they were dead before they registered the danger.

My legs were moving before I ordered them to, lunging toward Cass and Andrew. The two of them were only now beginning to turn toward the approaching danger. That wasn't the settlers. They hadn't been ready for a fight. They wouldn't have worked out where those scouts were. They wouldn't have attacked from that direction.

Raiders.

Another torrent exploded directly to our north. This time, it was directed at the group of power-armored Brotherhood soldiers. I heard more than saw the impacts accompanied by the sudden scramble of their heavy, archaic armor system.

Shoving my charges to the ground, I placed myself between them and the gunfire. Andrew shouted a surprised yelp as a round slammed into my leg and my shield flared in the relatively dark forest.

I set the McMillan down and shouldered my MK18 while the Brotherhood soldiers continued forming their response. The Vertibirds diverted their attention, turning north and once again plunging this section of forest into darkness. Their ground troops weren't bothering to take cover, relying on their armor to absorb the punishment.

That or they couldn't. It was hard to tell. Two scuttled back toward me, rifles trained in my general direction. The others started returning fire, their red lasers spearing back through the dense forest toward the attackers. The muzzle flashes were interspersed throughout the trees. The Raiders were being careful to not provide easy targets, hugging the trees and only one or two shots at a time. It was hard to get a count on them, but if they were bold enough to attack the Brotherhood sortie, it wouldn't be a small force.

The Vertibirds opened up with their large-caliber chin guns. How would they deal with those?

More fighting sounded from the east.

Away from this main force.

My eyes narrowed.

Why? Had the Raiders done this to occupy the Brotherhood and attack the settlement? Or was this to split their efforts? Isolate better equipped and trained fighters to overwhelm them with numbers?

Whatever the case, it didn't matter. The settlement was under attack and the Brotherhood was occupied.

I glanced at the two soldiers who had stayed back. Eliminate them and we're gone.

But the settlement… if we leave and the Raiders win…

The burn pile from the first settlement hung over my head. The second settlement many of the people here abandoned to find what they thought was safety.

It was no guarantee the Raiders would win, but the Brotherhood presence here was enough to secure a small settlement, not repel an assault force. What's more, the Raiders have been getting smarter. How they initiated this attack is evidence of that. They wouldn't take the chance unless they thought they could win.

My eyes found Cass again. She was still on the ground, rifle trained on the forest to our west. Dogmeat was crouched beside her, ears flattened to his head and eyes in the same direction. Andrew was huddled against the tree, eyes screwed shut.

They're my first responsibility. I can't let anything happen to them.

What if the Brotherhood can't win? The burn pile again. My helmet filtered the air, but I knew the smell of burning flesh well.

What if this is my only chance to escape?

And leave this settlement's chances of survival to the Brotherhood? What happens if they survive and I abandon them? That doesn't look good for the Minutemen. These people are just trying to survive. That's why the other settlers came here.

There are plenty of other settlements that need help too. Am I going to be there any time they're in trouble?

No. I'm here now. Am I really going to leave these people to die? Or, if they survive, look to the Brotherhood as their protection? They've done nothing to deserve what the Raiders have planned for them.

That was an easy answer. I knew it even before I asked the question.

I looked at the two Brotherhood soldiers. One had their laser rifle trained on me, the other hefted a minigun. They wouldn't be letting me go, even if it was, ostensibly, to repel the attack.

If I kill them, that will just give the rest of the Brotherhood here more reason to find me.

But if I critically wound them… that takes resources off the field. They may even airlift them back with one of the Vertibirds.

Gunfire still raged to the north and east. The deep boom of the Vertibirds' chin guns punctuated the night every few seconds.

The fighting to the east sounded conventional. That meant Raiders directly fighting the settlers.

Kneeling, I leaned closer to the others. "Don't say anything. I'm going to get rid of these two, and we're heading back to the settlement."

Cass blinked. "Wh-"

"Quiet."

She blinked again before clamping her mouth shut. Her eyes bore into my faceplate for a few heartbeats. Eventually, the fear on her face melted into a careful smile and she nodded.

The soldier with the minigun took a step toward me. "Stan-"

He didn't have a chance to finish the word. I hadn't knelt just so I could talk with my charges.

I grabbed the McMillan from the ground where I'd set it and snapped the muzzle up. It boomed as a bullet exploded from the end of the barrel. An instant later, the large caliber projectile slammed into the minigun-wielding man's left forearm, just below his elbow. The armor-penetrating bullet punched straight through the thinned armor.

Everything below the man's elbow separated from his arm in an explosion of vibrant red blood. He screamed as he tumbled over backward, dropping the minigun.

The second soldier fired reflexively, the red lance spearing into my right shoulder. My shields flared in sympathy. I dropped the McMillan again and lunged forward. His second shot connected with my chest. I slammed into him before he could fire off a third.

My weight knocked the power-armored soldier off balance and we crashed to the dirt. I landed on top of the awkwardly writhing man. That armor… Pinning him in place, my knees on his upper arms, I launched an open-handed blow that connected with the side of his head.

As his struggles subsided, I grasped the soldier's helmet and ripped it off.

Or my intent was to rip it off. The bulky chunk of steel slipped off with barely any effort.

They probably didn't design it with the thought the user might be overpowered.

Whatever their intent, it didn't matter. The dazed man with short brown hair and patchy stubble that made him look about 13 was staring up at me. Killing him would be easy enough but, again, the intent was to force the Brotherhood to expend resources.

I hit the soldier in the head with his own helmet. While it wasn't hard enough to kill him, when I pulled the helmet away, his nose was clearly broken and his eyes had rolled up into his head.

He'd have a bad concussion, but he'd survive.

The other man was on the ground beside us. He was trying to grasp for his ruined left arm.

Shock.

Neither of them would be chasing.

"Move", I called over the gunfire.

Dogmeat was the first one to go, galloping back toward the settlement. Cass wasn't far behind. Andrew didn't budge.

"Andrew!" I shouted as I climbed to my feet and flipped the minigun-wielding soldier over. He cried in protest but didn't fight. "Get moving!"

I pulled the ammo pack from the injured man's back and slung it over my right shoulder. Grabbing the minigun, I collected the laser rifle and a few fusion cells from the other soldier. Andrew still not moving, I stalked back to the McMillan.

The Synth slowly pulled himself up, legs shaking. "Wh- what are we doing?"

With the sniper rifle clamped to my back once again, I shoved the laser rifle into his hands. "Helping out, then leaving. Don't shoot, just take that back to the settlement with you. Go."

After a few heartbeats, and right before I could make the decision to drag him, the Synth started for the settlement.

Following, I glanced down at the two injured, not dead, men. Maybe these people are rubbing off on me.

Cass and Dogmeat were waiting at the building we'd been hiding in earlier. Once Andrew and I joined them, we moved further into the small suburb.

My newly confiscated minigun was almost identical to the one I'd used, and had destroyed, when I fought that flight of Vertibirds a week ago. My opinion on the weapon hadn't changed. The difference is, this time, I'll be fighting soft targets, not armored aircraft. What that thing did to those feral ghouls left an impression. Not that I hadn't seen what rotary guns do to poorly armored fighters before.

We crossed back into the settlement, gunfire still raging to the east and north. The collection of buildings didn't have a strong perimeter. That would be both good and bad.

A few settlers ran past us, two of them carrying children. Wide-eyed terror twisted their faces into painful-looking grimaces. The kids had their faces buried and ears covered. It was impossible to tell if they were from the abandoned town. I guess it doesn't matter if they were.

More anger.

More guilt.

What am I supposed to feel guilty about, exactly?

The worst part is they're running to the west side of the settlement where there was no one besides the two wounded Brotherhood soldiers. They didn't know where they could go, they just knew they needed to get away from the Raiders.

Goddamn Raiders.

Maybe I can't start a war with the Brotherhood, yet, but them?

The burn pile flashed through my mind.

I can kill some of those motherfuckers.

Nearing the fight, we started running into defenders. They had taken up positions in houses and a storefront. The fighting was still one street over, this must be their fallback position.

Not bad planning.

"Where's Clare?" I shouted to one of the settlers, coming to a stop beside the storefront.

The older man turned to me, his confusion melting into surprise. "Yo- you're here to help?"

"Yes", I nodded. "Clare."

"In here, in here", he said hurriedly and waved me toward the storefront.

Inside were a half dozen other settlers, including Clare. With her deep-set frown and trembling hands, she looked overwhelmed. Which, of course, she probably was. I only have three people and a dog to worry about. And I've dealt with high-risk situations most of my life. She has an entire settlement she's responsible for.

"Clare", the older man called.

She looked up, mouth beginning to form a response, when we saw me. The woman blinked, that response freezing in place, before her mouth dropped open.

The shock only lasted an instant.

"I- uh", she cleared her throat. "I thought you were leaving." She pointed at the minigun. "You get that from the Brotherhood?"

"Technically. We're still leaving, but I'm going to help you with your Raider problem first."

She blinked again. "Oh… that would be good…"

"You have a first line and fallback position?" I asked.

"Yeah", Clare motioned to the storefront around us. "Not much further we can fall back than this. The Brotherhood ran off after you and… I guess they're fighting Raiders to the North now?" I nodded. "My plan was to hold out until they got back."

That's a mentality that would need to change. "You'll die if you rely on them. Plan to win next time."

She cocked an eyebrow. "So we shouldn't rely on you?"

I shrugged. "Not if you don't know for sure I can deliver."

How to do this… I need information, but I don't have much time to get it. The Brotherhood could swing in too many different directions.

The Raiders need to show their hand. I nodded toward the next row of houses. "Give me two minutes, then have them fall back to your secondary lines." I paused. Nate said something about being pushy when we were at the school. Would they feel like I'm forcing them to do what I want? It's the best course of action but… I'm trying to be better than the Brotherhood here.

"Not much use in offering help if the people we're offering it to can't turn it down."

No one likes being forced to do something.

"If you'll accept my help."

"Yes", she answered before I got the chance to finish. The settlement lead almost seemed to catch herself and cleared her throat. "I wanna see what the man who took down Quincy, and the Brotherhood are supposed to be scared of can do."

Well… I guess I didn't need to be too concerned about offering my help.

"… Uh-huh", I mumbled.

"Brice", she continued, "let 'em know we're pulling back in two minutes." The false confidence in her voice was so obvious, even I could hear it.

Her people didn't protest. One of the men hurried from the storefront. "We won't be back tonight", I said as I turned to follow. "We have to take Andrew with us."

"You-" she started, but I wasn't finished.

"I'll deal with the Raiders. The Brotherhood won't hurt you. If they didn't start a fight with me, they won't do it with you."

Dogmeat loped to my side. Cass hesitated along with Andrew.

"You know why", I said, as I stopped at the door, mostly to Cassandra. She isn't dumb, just stubborn.

After a moment's pause, she started toward me. Andrew looked from me to Clare and back. The Synth let out a shuddering sigh.

"I'll be back, Clare. You've all been too good to me to let this be the last time I'm here", he said. His voice was shaky, but he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

Yeah. We'll be back. I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of thinking they strongarmed me and the Minutemen. At least the people here would be relatively safe.

Clare nodded. "Don't expect the place to look the same. These projects aren't going to wait for you."

Andrew smiled and began walking toward me. "Good."

With that, I left the storefront and led them to the south side of the settlement.

"Thanks for helping them out", Andrew muttered, just loud enough for me to hear over the shooting.

I nodded.

We reached the south side of the settlement. It wasn't like the west or east, this area was rolling dips interspersed with thickets of trees. No thick forest to cover an exit.

"Take cover", I whispered, pointing at the building to my right, a small, one-story house. "I'll get you when it's clear."

Neither of them protested. They hurried inside. Dogmeat stayed by my side for a few more seconds. He was a hunter, even if I haven't spent much time with him, I could tell. The large dog would have fit right in with the ones the Innies would send after me.

"Go", I said, still pointing at the house. I didn't have time to argue, especially not with a dog. We've got a small window to do this. Hell, I don't even know if the window is large enough.

But leaving without making sure these people wouldn't end up like the others felt… wrong.

He padded away and left me alone in the street. I slipped into the shadow cast by their cover and knelt. Resting the minigun on the ground, I pulled my MK18's scope to my eye and studied the area to our south. The settlers should be retreating soon. If the Raiders were operating by their normal methods, they'd advance. That would mean I could box them in and start picking them off. I just need to kill them quickly, suppress the others, and stay mobile. The minigun would come into its own there.

If they didn't… Things could get interesting. I had a feeling that would be the case. Their strategy for assaulting the settlement was rudimentary, but separating the Brotherhood from it before engaging showed more initiative than I've seen from them before.

As I watched for movement in the interspersed thickets of trees, the gunfire began to slacken. That would be the settlers retreating.

… And nothing.

The gunfire continued to slacken, but I saw no movement. Granted, the south end wasn't the primary arm of their attack, given the lack of cover. Still. The lack of activity was confirming my theory: they're employing more nuanced tactics. Not a good thing.

This did open an opportunity. If they weren't advancing, that meant they would more than likely begin focusing more effort on the Brotherhood soldiers.

I glanced to the north. One of the Vertibirds was still circling, its door gunner spraying small caliber rounds into the forest below. The other was standing off further north, away from the fighting. No doubt that would be to exfil Marsaul if things went too far sideways.

It raised the question: what hardware would the Raiders have brought along to deal with T60? Did they have large-caliber rifles? More explosives? That second one was most likely-

My face fought to twist itself into a razor-sharp smile and an irritated grimace.

Pulling my rifle back up, I scanned the south again. Why wouldn't they have another arm here? Yes, the cover is bad, but encircling the settlement would be easy once they reached this stage. They aren't pressing their perceived advantage which means they're confident in their ability to overwhelm the settlers. That means they want to focus on the Brotherhood.

Still signs of movement. We needed to get going.

If that's the case… I was wrong. The primary for this assault is the Brotherhood. They just wanted to pacify the settlement until the power-armored element was eliminated. It would make the task of wiping out the settlement far easier.

And by asking Clare to pull her people back, I played into their plans.

The clock just got a lot shorter, but there's an opportunity here.

Dammit… played by Raiders.

But that's where my smile started. I was played by Raiders to kill Brotherhood. If I was going to get played, that's how I'd want it to turn out.

If the Raiders knew I was here, they'd be running this differently.

While this might be helping the Brotherhood… keeping this settlement safe took priority.

As the first explosion went off to the north, I crept back to the front of the house. Andrew and Cass were both in the front room crouching behind the ruined furniture. Neither was completely covered, but they probably thought, with the darkness, anyone looking wouldn't be able to find them. Night vision had something to say about that but now wasn't the time.

"Change of plans." Another explosion. "Go to the southeast corner of the town. I'll get you when it's time to go. Don't do anything dumb."

A/N: And Damon's back! This actually isn't how I originally laid out this part of the story. It felt like what is to come wasn't quite as... earned as I wanted it to be. So I changed it. Life is being... life again so next chapter might be a little difficult. I'll do my best though. I'll see everyone next time!

Next Chapter: 4/21, Hearts and Minds