A/N: Well... It's been a while. Not sure if any of you thought the story was dead but it isn't! It's been so long since I've uploaded, I don't really want to bog down continuing the story with a long, arduous explanation here so, for those of you interested, I'll do a little expo dump at the end. Anyway, please leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!
Chapter 80: The Gauntlet
Sleep wasn't as easy to come by. It wasn't that Nate was tired, it had been an exhausting 72 hours. Hell, the last few weeks had been. Granted, that was his life since waking up in this hellhole but, since leaving for Boston, it had gotten worse.
No, it was the absolute mess they were in. It was that he was responsible for these people. The ex-soldier had never led anything larger than a squad-strength force. And leading a squad of trained and experienced soldiers is a world of difference from leading a platoon-strength force of, for all their resilience, civilians.
Their departure from the school three days ago had just… signified a massive increase in stress and exertion. The stress wasn't new. It was different now than it had been back in his service days. Whether that was because he was older or because he wasn't technically a soldier anymore, he didn't know. He didn't care.
What he did care about was having to watch four more of his people: the young woman one of their 'guards' had tried to assault, Kim, Able, Vincent, and Alex, participate in another one of their 'events'.
Maybe saying my issue was having to watch it is a little selfish…
Yes. Nate having to watch wasn't the problem. At least, it wasn't the only problem.
Thankfully, Castle decided the life-or-death stakes from the prior challenge were unnecessary. In fact, she'd been almost… cordial as she watched the four of them engage in an odd sort of brawl with three other teams of prisoners with Nate and Brenda. The Raider boss had been chatting as if they were watching baseball on a Saturday afternoon. It was disconcerting. Or it would have been if Nate couldn't understand the detachment someone would develop toward that sort of violence. Even if it was their doing.
The ex-soldier had lost the ability to remove himself from it a long time ago. Probably around the time he watched one of his brothers in service take a round to the eye. Maybe it was when he'd been sitting on the bench with Cook, staring off into nothing.
Frankly, that didn't matter to the ex-soldier either.
Again. The fight was what mattered. It was a bloody affair. The prisoners fought with a desperation that no one on the support team had. Yet. They attacked each other relentlessly, punching, kicking, biting, scratching, and clawing with every bit of meager strength they could muster.
Most of them looked like they'd been in captivity for a while, gaunt.
What did a victory there mean for them?
Their physical weakness was the main reason, Nate supposed, his people escaped with nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. That and the preparation they'd gone through back in Sanctuary. While it may not have been up to the standards of a modern military, their cohesion and skill were far and away better than the prisoners.
Kim turned out to be a more than capable fighter. She held her own with Alex who, Nate had little doubt, could give almost anyone a run.
Neither Able nor the other man who they'd chosen, Colin, were large. Both men were shorter and slimmer than him, but Able was very obviously a talented fighter. It was little wonder Desdemona tapped him to be the lead trainer for the Minutemen. Colin wasn't bad either.
All of that being said, Nate would have much preferred to be down there himself. Even with the aches he still carried from the first fight the day before.
But he had to trust the people around him. What choice did he have? It wasn't like he could do it all himself. And it wasn't like Castle was going to put him in every fight.
She had to protect her investments, after all.
"This sucks", Brenda whispered.
Nate turned his head to look at her. She was sitting against the wall beside him. The ex-soldier was, again, using his jacket as a pillow. It wasn't doing much to help. Neither were the bright, fluorescent lights and constant noise. Talking, pounding on bars, occasional shouting. It was maddening.
They were all trying to get a little sleep. It was hard to tell what time it was without a window but it had been hours past dark when they returned from the latest trial. If he were to guess, it was probably tomorrow by now. And tomorrow meant they weren't too far away from their 'guards' coming to pull more of them into another goddamn fight. Or obstacle course. Or whatever.
"Yeah", the ex-soldier replied. "This sucks a lot."
She frowned at him. "I mean being singled out like this. I'm just… sitting and watching everyone else get beaten up."
"Imagine wanting to get beat up", another voice came from just past Brenda. Blake was sitting against the wall a few feet further down. The shorter, blonde-haired man was their field medic. When Nate had first returned to Sanctuary, he'd seen the guy talk with Damon a half-dozen times. They were familiar, at least.
"Blake…" Brenda groaned.
"I'm just sayin'." He leaned forward so he could look at Nate. "If you get the chance to sit back and watch, take it."
The ex-soldier frowned.
"Don't look at me like that. I suck at fighting, but I'm worse at figuring shit like this out." The field medic leaned back. "All I want is to get back to Helen and Tony."
Family.
Nate knew it was selfish, knew it wasn't the man's intent, but he couldn't help the deep, aching pang that stabbed into his chest.
I can't focus on that right now.
As much as he'd told himself that, as much as he'd tried pushing the thoughts of what he'd lost away, it was always there, hanging over his head. The question: what do I do now? Why do I do it?
And then there's what Shaun has become. Would he have turned out better if Nate had been there? If their life hadn't been torn apart?
Would- would he have been a good dad?
This… I can't do this. Not now. I can't give up. Not yet.
"No one's saying that won't happen", Nate said quietly. "Believe me, I know what that's like."
There was a short pause before Blake replied. "Do you?"
Brenda's head whipped around but Nate answered before she could.
"Yeah. I- my wife was killed and my son was taken." He rubbed his eyes. "I understand wanting to get back to your family. To be with them."
The field medic didn't say anything. Not immediately. The silence that blossomed across the three of them was tenuous, like it was ready to flee at a moment's notice.
"… I didn't know", he said, eventually. "Do you know what happened to your son? With how close you and Damon are, I'm sure he'd help you find him."
Nate rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. Is that really how all of this started? Back in Sanctuary months ago, back when the only things there were eight people and a bunch of broken-down houses? So much has happened since then.
"I did. He did. It was how we met." Finding the Institute. Finding Shaun. Damon bringing Nora's body.
Nate losing it on him.
He remembered how lost Damon looked, even through his armor. The kid had just been trying to help and Nate threw it in his face.
Everything that happened after.
"It didn't go well."
"I didn't-" Blake stopped himself for a moment. "I'm sorry."
Even though the medic couldn't see him, Nate shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong." He turned to look at Brenda. "And I get what you're saying."
She met his gaze. There was sadness in those deep-brown eyes.
"But…?" Brenda asked after a short pause.
"... But we can't do anything about that. If we try to press, Castle will probably make things worse."
There was another brief, relative, silence before she exhaled hard through her nose. "I know. So we should put our effort into figuring out what to do while everyone else is dealing with this."
The way she said that didn't suggest she was happy about it. If anything, she said it mockingly.
Nate pushed himself off of his hard, improvised pillow and into a sitting position.
"I'm not going to insult you with some condescending story about my time in the military. It would be hard since I was never a POW. All I know is if I don't focus on solving this problem, I don't know what will happen."
Brenda cocked her head, not unlike Damon. "What do you mean?"
"Outside of us being stuck here and, probably, dying? I mean… I'm scared too, just like everyone else. The only thing I have right now is figuring out how to get all of us out." Nate shrugged. "Not great but it's better than nothing."
"Right." She frowned. "You aren't great at giving pep talks."
"... You aren't the first person to tell me that." The ex-soldier laid back down. "My wife was the wordsmith, not me. I just- I want to get out of here. Alive. To do that will take planning and we'll have to be careful. Trying to force Castle's hand, now, won't help."
Brenda didn't respond. Not immediately. She stayed quiet, staring off toward the others. Nate could see something turning in her head.
What are the odds of us getting out of here? Without help? That depended on how long they had to prepare and if they could gather support from the other prisoners. They were with the Minutemen. That might count for something. Hopefully. If these people were from the area, they'd know who the Minutemen are.
Even so, their odds of escape wouldn't be great.
The ex-soldier wanted to say he was fine with that. Wanted to say he didn't mind. If all 17 of them died, the Minutemen would lose some valuable people, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. They would still have most of their leadership intact. They could find new people. Preston and Dez were competent and he trusted they'd be able to recover.
And, of course, they still have Damon.
But he couldn't.
Dying there, in the middle of that damn Raider base… it didn't feel right.
Why? What reason, besides a sense of duty to the people around him, did he have? And if the Minutemen would be better served by them not sacrificing more resources to save them, why would-
"Do you think they'll fall for it?" Brenda interrupted his thoughts. "Damon and everyone. I want them to come but… I also don't want them to come. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah", Nate said. "I've been thinking the same thing." He turned his head to look at her. She was still staring off into the distance, eyes unfocused. "They'll be here. And I'm sure they'll have some plan of their own."
A fleeting smile flickered across Brenda's face. "And it will probably be crazy."
"I'm sure."
"We can't let them do all the work", Blake chimed in.
Brenda frowned. "If they have a plan, don't you think we might screw it up?"
"You were excited about coming up with something when we first got here."
"Yeah", the young woman huffed. "Not sure 'excited' is the word I'd use. Maybe the situation has had more time to set in. But…" she sighed. "You're right. They'll be here. And… I guess we should try to figure out a way to help without screwing up whatever they have planned."
The ex-soldier nodded. "And we'll get everyone back. Because there are people waiting for us." It wasn't realistic, but he couldn't let himself accept anything less. He didn't want any of them to die.
Blake swallowed hard enough for Nate to hear it. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Nate relaxed as best he could on his makeshift pillow, staring up at the cracked ceiling above. Whoever came, whoever Damon convinced to come with him, wouldn't be able to do it on their own either.
He closed his eyes, letting the mounting exhaustion press down on him.
But for now, he needed to sleep.
Deep breath in…
Deep breath out…
Deep breath in…
Deep breath out…
Deep breath in…
Deep b-
BANG!
It's incredible what one can condition themselves to sleep through. Something Nate didn't was gunshots.
The ex-soldier was awake and alert before the report had time to fade. It had been painfully loud.
There was something under the ringing in his ears. Shouting. It was coming-
BANG!
Nate flinched. It was more because of the stabbing pain in his ears than anything else.
Years of conditioning took over and the ex-soldier pushed himself into a crouch.
Brenda shot to her feet beside him.
Nate grabbed her wrist.
The young woman's head snapped to him.
Signaling for her to stay low, Nate began creeping forwar-
BANG!
As the ringing in his ears redoubled, Nate found himself standing in their cell's main area. The rest of the team, besides Terry, were standing at the bars, staring out toward the other holding cell.
What the hell? Are they-
Able caught his attention, standing on the far side, and waved the ex-soldier over.
He looked pissed.
No more gunfire threatened to blow out Nate's eardrums as he crept over to the Railroad operative.
The other cell door was open, five Raiders standing just inside. They were around someone, a man.
One was holding a 10mm handgun. She had it aimed down at him.
It was then Nate noticed the silence that had fallen over the cells. His hearing had returned. No one was talking. The dozen or so prisoners in the other cell were pressed against the far wall, staring at the Raiders.
"Dumbass", the woman holding the handgun hissed. "You won't be stealing food anymore, bitch."
… What? Nate looked back at the man on the ground. Blood was pooling around his head.
… Oh.
"You guys are lucky Vick lets you compete for that", another one of the Raiders- it was the guard who'd been harassing them before- said. "You lose, you don't get those luxuries." He turned and grinned at the support team. It took a few seconds but, eventually, his eyes locked onto Nate and his smile grew. "You try to fuck with us, you die." He turned back to the other prisoners. "Now clean this up."
The Raiders stepped out of the cell. Most of the other prisoners were staring at the dead man. A few were glaring daggers at the Raiders. One, an older man, was sobbing.
"What happened?" Nate asked quietly.
Able shook his head. "Don't know. The gunshot woke me up."
"They just… walked in and shot him", Vincent said. His voice was barely a whisper.
While the other Raiders watched two of their prisoners move the body, their 'guard' marched up to the cell, face to face with Nate.
Now this asshole has something else to say? Sure, the ex-soldier was scared. He was worried about what would happen to him, to the rest of the team, to the Minutemen, and to Damon.
But he was pissed too. These people thought, just because they had guns and no collective conscience, they could do whatever they wanted. They could torture and kill whoever they wanted. They could intimidate whoever they wanted. They're all trying to survive in this godforsaken wasteland and these bastards are doing this?
"Save it", Nate growled. "Unless you're gonna come in here and say it without bars between us or that gun", he nodded at the Raider's pistol, "I'm not interested."
"Big talk, Nate." He smirked. The ex-soldier's fist clenched at his side; he wanted nothing more than to punch what was left of his broken teeth down his throat. "You sure you want to catch this fade?"
Nate barked a laugh. ""Catch this fade?" Where'd you learn that one?" He met the soldier's glare again, any sign of levity gone. "Let's go right fucking now. You talk too much for someone who doesn't put up."
"Aye", Vince's grumbled. "You'll have to get in line, Nate. I want first crack at this bastard."
The Raider's smile disappeared. He pulled his 10mm and aimed it at Vince's head. "You wanna end up like that guy? Tough guy?"
A jolt of fear shot through Nate's gut. Vince's jaw clenched and his eyes widened ever so slightly.
Breath.
Nate forced a breath into his lungs.
"I'll take that as a 'no'", he muttered.
"Yeah. You're right. It is. But it looks like we've found our next volunteer." The Raider smirked at Vince. "You ready for a cage match, tough guy?"
Vince swallowed hard.
"Better than sitting here talking with a gun in my face." The man was trying to sound calm but Nate caught the tremble in his voice.
X
The "cage match" wasn't like Nate's cage match. It was a free-for-all. Literally.
Five people in the same arena the others had been in the night before. Except, this time, no one had any allies.
It was hard to watch. Vince didn't have the benefit of team coordination that helped Able, Colin, Laura, and Alex. Then again, the others didn't either. Vince did his best to stay out of the fight but… whether they knew who he was, or this was their version of hazing, it felt as if the others were more focused on him than each other.
Good training, relatively speaking, and being in good health still had its advantages. Vince was able to overwhelm the first prisoner who came after him. He looked hesitant while he did it. On the other hand, the prisoners he was in with were, if anything, more desperate than the ones from the day before.
That hesitation came back to bite him. By the time the fight was over, Vince was one of the people bloody and on the ground.
A few hours into the third day yet another one of his people was injured.
And the Raiders hadn't even been playing that rough with them.
There were three things Nate learned, though: whatever the reason for their focus on Vince, the prisoners knew something was different or new about them, there's someone named "Vick" who's in some leadership position, and Castle was still trying to establish a threat to the team. If they could figure out who Vick is, that would give them a potential target. If the other prisoners learned who they were, that might give them some extra support. If Castle was still trying to establish a threat without seriously injuring or killing anyone, besides the obstacle course, that means they still have time and space.
As they were being walked back to their cell, a battered Vince limping along with Trent's help, Able slid in next to Nate, leaning in close.
"Terry."
The ex-soldier met his gaze. "You're sure?"
"He's the only one who makes sense."
Is he? The guy took a bullet, after all.
Yeah… a really good way to throw us off…
"I did what you asked."
That could have been him talking about the obstacle course or…
A multitude of small, seemingly inconsequential things came to mind from the past few days. His trying to steal the knife was the one that stuck out.
But Nate knew how these things can work. It's a lot easier to make imagined evidence for an idea when you presuppose its truth.
"Give me the short and dirty."
"Everything that's happened since we got here concerning him reeks of amateur diversion tactics. The knife. Him being the first person to do a dangerous 'event'. Getting shot. His reactions have been all wrong. He isn't as frustrated or stressed as everyone else. He-" The Railroad operative paused as a few Raiders passed in the opposite direction. "He should be more upset than he is. He was a fairly recent addition to our QRFs too. What I know about his time before showing up is vague but that isn't unusual." He frowned. "And it isn't just what he's done, no one else trips any alarms. Everyone else is acting like they should, I know enough about them to be comfortable they aren't compromised…" they turned down the row their building was on. "The Raiders don't know how to do intelligence work and it shows."
It was that obvious? "That doesn't concern you?"
Able shook his head. "No. There are times you have to take things at face value, and this feels like one of them. This isn't the Brotherhood or Institute we're dealing with."
"No…" Nate said slowly, "but they did put all this together."
"And we're planning on tearing it all down", the other man shot him a smile.
"Don't put the cart before the horse", Nate muttered.
Able cocked an eyebrow as they neared their building. "Cart before the horse? Does that mean "don't get ahead of yourself"?"
"Basically."
Nate was already starting to get tired of the routine the Raiders had them on: get up, take someone to an event, get herded back to their cell, wait for the next one.
Their 'escorts' marched them up the stairs into the building.
Then again, if Able was sure about this, they could start figuring out their next move. The ex-soldier would like to be able to verify his opinion but he couldn't. The Railroad operative was the only one of them with counter-intel training and experience.
Vince flopped down to the concrete floor once they were in the cell and the door slammed shut.
"Holy hell", Chris, one of the more recent additions to Sanctuary, said. He, a woman… Melissa, and Blake all hurried to the injured man.
"You look like that fight didn't go very well", Blake said as the medic started looking over his latest patient.
"Accurate", Vince grunted.
Brenda stepped next to Nate as the door to the cafeteria slammed shut.
"We need something to change."
The ex-soldier nodded. "We need to change something."
"Yeah?" she asked. "And how are we gonna do that?"
Good question. He stole a glance at Terry. The man was sitting against the bars on the far side of the cell, staring at Vince and the gathering crowd around him.
Is there something we can do there?
"Something tells me they aren't gonna do anything else today." He looked at Able. "Seems like a good time to put our heads together."
Nate caught Trent's eye and motioned toward the alcove at the back of their cell. The former Institute scientist nodded.
"Let's see if we can come up with something before they pull another stunt."
X
"You just ran Julian through that obstacle course", Nate barked.
Castle glanced at him. "Yeah?"
… Yeah? "Give the kid a break."
"Why?" She smiled. "You know crying about it just makes me want to do this even more. Are you hiding something from me? Is he your kid?"
"No he isn't Nate's kid", Alex shouted. "Maybe he isn't a shitty person, unlike you."
The Raider seemed unconcerned with the accusation. "Probably. I'll admit, they don't come much worse than me." Her smile widened. "'Much'."
What did she mean by that? "Much?"
"Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon." Castle turned to Alex. "Did you wanna watch again? I don't see any reason Mommy shouldn't see our next event. It's gonna be the best one yet."
Nate's eyes narrowed. Best event yet? It had to do with someone she thinks is worse than her?
"By the way, we need one more…" Her eyes turned to the rest of the support team. Before the ex-soldier could protest, she pointed at Vince. "How about you? I like how you handled yourself in that cage match. I think you'll do well here."
Goddammit. "Stop fucking-" Nate took a deep breath. He couldn't demand anything. They still didn't have any leverage. The more he argued, the better this was for her.
"How are you feeling, Vince?"
"Like I lost a fight with a Yao Gui", the man called back. "Guess I best start feeling better in a hurry."
Nate glared at Castle. "Sounds like it." He lowered his voice. "I'll pay you back."
"Oh Nate… I don't doubt you really believe that." Without sparing him a second look, the woman turned and marched from the cell. "Let's get them ready! Big event ahead of us."
"You said that last time", Brenda mumbled.
Castle nodded. "You're an observant one. York, get the other participants ready!"
"You got it." The tall Raider shot Nate a sneer as he marched out of the cell after her.
"Let's go", their jailor, Ben, commanded. He escorted Nate, Brenda, and Alex out into the hall. The ex-soldier met Able's gaze for an instant as they walked. Time and attention.
You better use this.
The Railroad operative nodded.
This time, they weren't taken to the building where they'd set up a fighting 'cage'. They didn't go to the obstacle course. They were marched through the Raider-infested base to the south end and into one of the vehicle bays. It was a massive building, larger than most airport hangars. Back before the war, it would have been a garage and maintenance facility for upward of a hundred vehicles. Now it was a… the ex-soldier couldn't tell what.
The facilities had all been stripped out, leaving an enormous open space in the center of the building. That was taken up by some sort of low, wide structure. It was easily 150 feet a side and maybe two stories tall. The walls were a combination of steel and concrete put together with the same quality craftsmanship as everything else the Raiders built.
That being said, it looked like it was made to withstand some punishment.
"What the hell is this?" Nate muttered.
"The Gauntlet", Ben said as he led them to the west side of the building.
Alex grunted. "That doesn't explain anything."
"I don't need to explain anything. You people keep forgetting that."
There was something different this time. The normally snide, flippant 'guard' seemed… excited. His speech was quicker, his pace faster.
It was Brenda's turn to try, apparently. "What's so big about this?"
"This'll be the first time we run someone through it. Brand new setup. Took a lot of work putting everything together."
They started up a set of stairs. It looked like they'd lead to a large overlook.
"Yes but what's the occasion?"
"Relax. No need to be in such a rush." He shot them a smile. "Enjoy the suspense."
In a... strange way, the Raider was right. Not about 'enjoying the suspense'. What would they be able to do if they knew what this was all about?
Nate looked at the guards. There were a dozen of them to him, Brenda, and Alex. There would be no winning that fight. Regardless of what Castle had planned, there was nothing they could do at that moment to prepare. They just needed to be ready to act if an opportunity presented itself.
At the top of the stairs was exactly what Nate thought: a large platform overlooking the "Gauntlet". The edge was ringed with steel plates. Armor? Were they expecting hostile gunfire?
Or was this little game of theirs a live-fire course? Would multiple teams be fighting in there?
That didn't sound promising. Both Vince and Julian had handled themselves well to this point but… that kind of-
"Well hello!" Castle's voice came from the opposite side of the overlook. Nate turned to see her crest another staircase and stroll toward them. Just like Ben, she looked excited. Genuinely excited, not the act she put on every so often.
"Your baby boy is suited up and ready for the big show!" the Raider beamed at Alex. "Oh, the other guy too."
Nate looked down over the edge of the platform. "What's the "big show"? And why aren't there any spectators for such a momentous event? Your buddy over here-"
"Ben's an asshole", Castle snapped. "Don't ever call him my 'buddy'."
"That's hurtful", the jailor muttered.
Nate shrugged. "Your asshole called this The Gauntlet. You're making them run some kind of obstacle course?"
"Run an obstacle course…" Castle strolled to the opposite side of the platform and peered down to the ground level. "You could call it an obstacle course, I suppose. They… aren't the stars of this show." Even though she was looking away, Nate could hear the smile and excitement in her voice. "Oh no. I've been saving this for something special."
The Raider beckoned them over with a wave. Just before they reached her, Castle drew her sidearm and aimed it at Nate. "You're going to be quiet or I will shoot you."
What? His eyes narrowed as approached the edge-
And then they were the size of small moons.
Dark blue and black armor. Golden visor.
Damon.
The ex-soldier's heart leapt at the same time as a pit opened in his stomach and a lump crawled up his throat. So many different emotions screamed for his attention, Nate forgot to breathe for a moment. The SPARTAN was there.
But… he was there…
It's something I knew would happen eventually. Figure out what's going on right now. Worry about everything else later.
There was a sharp intake of breath to his right followed closely by a grunt. "Quiet…" Ben said.
When Nate glanced in that direction, Alex was standing beside him, staring down at Damon. The Raider had his pistol jammed into her ribs.
Damon was surrounded by a dozen heavily armed and armored Raiders. They were the ones he'd seen in that admin building the first day. The group was marching toward the far end of the enclosure, 50 or 60 yards away.
"What's your play?" Nate asked.
Castle didn't spare him a glance. Her eyes were locked on Damon. The Raider boss's gaze was almost… hungry. "We already had that conversation, Nate."
"This place, pulling Julian and Vince. What's going on?"
"You sure you don't wanna be surprised, Minuteman?" Castle said, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Yeah."
She shrugged. "The Gauntlet is an obstacle course, I guess. Instead of lame stuff like climbing walls, the obstacles include bombs, traps, turrets, and 15 prisoners."
Obstacles include 15 prisoners…? What the hell did-
Oh- oh shit! Nate turned back to the SPARTAN below. He opened his mouth and drew in a deep breath-
And found himself face-to-face with the barrel of a gun.
"What did I say?" Castle cooed. "No spoiling the fun."
"Spoiling the fun?" the ex-soldier spat. "You want Damon to fight other prisoners? And I'm guessing Vince and Julian are two of them? He won't kill them. You can't be that out of touch."
That… goddamn smile came back. "Oh Nate, I think you need to have a higher opinion of my intelligence. That's why they're all dressed up as Raiders." The smile widened. The smile turned into a grin with far too many teeth. "You say Damon is angry with us. I want to see it. I want to witness his fury. I want to see what this angel of death can really do when he puts his mind to it. And I'm going to prove you're wrong about him."
Angel of death? What the hell does she think Damon is?
He had to do something. He couldn't-
"You bitch", Alex spat. "You're gonna try to make Damon kill my son?!" Her voice was equal parts fury and desperation.
The emotions were so raw, Nate felt her fear as clear as it was his. He knew what it was to be on the wrong side of Damon's gun. He knew what it was to fear for a child's life. Putting those two horrors together… the ex-soldier couldn't help but imagine Shaun in Julian's place. Fighting against something like Damon.
Castle sneered at Alex. "No. I am going to make Damon kill your son. Bitch."
Alex's face went blank.
The ex-soldier didn't need to be clairvoyant to know what was about to happen.
She drove her elbow back into Ben's wrist. He cursed as he dropped the pistol. It clattered to the ground at her feet.
As it did, Castle pulled her own handgun away from Nate's head and started twisting toward Alex. Nate grabbed for it, pushing the barrel up and away. If he-
"Stop", Castle barked before he could pull the gun away. She was holding something in her off-hand. "Unless you'd rather have their heads turned into paste right now." The Raider brandished the small box.
A detonator.
"They have those fancy collars on. Like I'd leave this to chance. HA!" She barked a harsh laugh. Her eyes drifted from Alex back to the ex-soldier. "I told you, you need to start giving me more credit. You could get someone killed with that kind of carelessness."
Nate looked around. Brenda was being held at gunpoint. Every other weapon was pointed at either him or Alex.
Neither of them would have been able to do anything before they were turned into corpses.
He released her hand.
"I'm excited for our inaugural Gauntlet run so I'll let that slide. Emotions can be so… difficult." She holstered the 10 mm but kept the detonator in hand. "Relax everyone. We've got a show to entertain us. A private viewing of what the Minutemen's Angel of Death can do. I doubt too many people can say that. We better enjoy it."
Angel of Death. Be more cheesy.
As much as he wanted to voice the thought, the ex-soldier was acutely aware of the detonator. It felt like the collar was around his neck. Hell, he wished it was if it got Vince and Julian out of that cage.
Damon wouldn't kill them. The SPARTAN would recognize them unless… the Raiders disguised them. Would they do that well enough?
They've gone through this much trouble. That wouldn't be a stretch.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
What could he do?
"START IT UP!" Castle roared.
Could he warn Damon? He didn't have anything on him to do it with. If he tried to yell, Castle would probably set off the collars. So…
The ex-soldier glanced at Alex. Her eyes were narrowed to slits. They were fixed on Castle. Brenda was watching the Gauntlet, jaw clenching and unclenching. She was thinking.
One of the Raiders escorting Damon pulled a door open and the soldier stepped inside. He didn't spare a glance back.
Once the door swung shut, the sound of a breaker being thrown banged through the motor pool, and lights sprung to life in the Gauntlet. These people were way too dramatic. Had they found some old movies from before the bombs fell?
From their perspective, Nate could see the interior of the Gauntlet through the fencing they'd welded into place over it. That was a… creative solution for viewing. Could Damon break through that? Did it matter? If they were under threat, Nate had little doubt the SPARTAN would be too. They did come after them instead of him, after all.
What he couldn't see was what they had in store for this Gauntlet. Damon hadn't moved yet. His head was turning side to side, looking for something. Or studying something. Whatever was in the-
"I hope your man hurries up", Castle whispered. "The clock's ticking."
Both he and Brenda tore their eyes away from the structure below.
"Clock?" Brenda asked. "For what?"
Castle brandished the detonator. "This guy." The words could have been interpreted as cheery. The Raider's voice, though. 'Dead' was the only word Nate could think of to describe it. Her voice was completely dead.
But her face. Castle was wearing that smile on her weathered, heavily scarred face. This time was worse, somehow. Maybe… was the smile wider? Were her eyes wider?
He didn't know but… the ex-soldier had been around some insane people. People who sent his spine crawling. A lot of the special operations people he worked with were like that, something just… off about them. Damon was the same way. They all knew they could do that to people.
Castle… Castle gave off a completely different feel. She was radiating- Nate didn't know what. But his body was telling him he needed to get as far away from her as possible. Like she'd tear his heart out with her teeth if he didn't put distance between them now.
Alex stepped forward. "If anything happens to them, there's nothing in this hellhole that will save you."
The Raider rolled her eyes. "Drop the threats. They're old and boring. I've heard them all before." She looked back down at the Gauntlet. "Let's watch this master in action."
Enthralled. That's the word. Another one of Nora's but it suited Castle perfectly. She was enthralled by Damon.
The SPARTAN still hadn't moved. Whatever he had in front of him was concerning enough to keep him stationary for almost 30 seconds.
Even as Nate thought that Damon started forward.
And then stopped again. He crouched and began doing… something. It was impossible to tell what at this distance.
A few seconds later, he moved to the left side of the hall. The otherworldly soldier worked with something there for a few more agonizing heartbeats. Then he stood, something in his hands.
Whatever it was, he clamped it to his thigh where Nate had seen him place handguns before and continued forward.
Damon didn't go far, maybe a foot, before stopping again and crouching to repeat the process. This time, he placed whatever he picked up on the other thigh.
He stopped another half dozen times within the next 30 seconds.
"... Traps?" Brenda muttered.
"That's right", Castle responded, sounding just as distracted. "Problem solving's an important skill."
She's using this to learn how Damon thinks and works?
That's… smart.
Nate hated himself for thinking that. His face twisted in a grimace, like he'd tasted something rotten.
The rest of the Gauntlet was still dark. It would have been nice to be able to see what was coming up. Not that he could warn Damon about whatever they had in store.
For the first time since they'd gotten there, Nate was glad he wasn't the one in the fire.
After disarming another trap, Damon ducked to the side and, when he stood, he paused. The armored soldier was studying whatever he'd picked up.
A few seconds later, he set the object down and continued forward. He was almost halfway through the maze of traps.
There was something mesmerizing about the calm he moved with. The SPARTAN was stuck in a hallway full of things meant to kill him. And there were no signs of strain in his motions. His approach with the next device he bent down to disarm was the same as all the others. If anything, Nate thought he looked more focused and methodical than under most other circumstances. Granted, that seemed to be normal for him.
It was a state of mind the ex-soldier understood. You learn to sleep with mortars landing outside your barracks after long enough. This was-
Damon spun away from whatever he was working on and flattened himself to the ground.
An instant later, the trap detonated, obscuring him from view and sending a shockwave through the air. The concussion hurt almost as much as the sound of an anti-personnel mine going off in a building.
Everyone, including Nate, recoiled from the edge of the platform.
No sooner had the sound of the explosion faded than he was back though, leaning over the edge, straining to catch a glimpse of the armored titan through the dust and smoke. An enclosed space like that, even if the mind didn't go off directly underneath him, could turn someone into a puddle.
But it hadn't. The alien, golden shimmer of the SPARTAN's shields was visible through the cloud.
This is Damon.
Right. It was Damon. The guy had a building dropped on him and it just pissed him off.
A few seconds after the detonation sounded, he was climbing to his feet again.
That's right. He'd be harder to kill than that. The whole reason they're in this situation is because the Raiders couldn't figure out how they'd kill him under regular circumstances. He could do this.
Nate glanced at Castle again. She was smiling. It wasn't quite the same as her usual, unnerving grin. There was something… new. He couldn't tell exactly what it was but it set him on edge. Well… more than he already had been.
Damon had this. The ex-soldier would keep telling himself that. He had to. They'd do what they needed to. They all need the SPARTAN to do what he does.
As for the man in question, Damon hadn't moved. It looked like he was studying the hall again. What happened there? How had he known that mine was going off? Had he screwed up diffusing it?
The indecision didn't last long.
But instead of continuing to the next charge, Damon looked up. He reached up and grasped the fencing-turned-ceiling. It sagged as the supersoldier pulled himself up to it, but the links held.
… What the hell? What's he doing?
It wasn't long before he got his answer. Damon pulled himself parallel with the fence and used it to traverse the hall on the ceiling.
"… That's a solution I didn't expect", Castle muttered. She didn't sound irritated or disappointed. No, her voice was thick with excitement.
Pulling that off, largely without the use of his legs and feet since his boots weren't able to fit between the links, was an incredible display of strength, balance, and dexterity. And he wasn't just traversing the hall, there were several points Damon had to twist and contort to avoid traps. He did all of it while suspending himself from the ceiling.
Nate smirked. That was pretty good. A simple strategy, but simple doesn't mean easy.
Just before he reached the end of the hall, Damon twisted back around and lowered himself to the ground. He knelt and began working with what looked like another trap.
Except when he stood back up a few seconds later, he was holding a long gun.
"You guys rigged a shotgun trap?" the ex-soldier asked. What the hell were they thinking?
Damon opened the action and pulled the two shells out of their barrels.
"Double barrels are good for that sort of thing." Castle flashed him a smile. "Not that I expected to fool your friend."
"… So the shotgun is tampered with."
"No…" her smile broadened. "That would be too easy."
Damon finished examining the gun, loaded it, and snapped the action shut.
"No spoiling the surprise. This next room should be fun. One of our engineers cooked it up just for your little Angel of Death, down there."
Really… Nate's eyes narrowed but he followed the Raider's gaze back down to the Gauntlet.
The supersoldier was checking the door, no doubt looking for more traps. Nate didn't blame him, and he wouldn't put it past these assholes to rig the door too.
It wasn't long before Damon decided it was reasonably safe and pushed the door open.
The lights in that section activated with a bang-
Nothing else happened.
As he stepped through, he checked the door one more time.
Then he kicked the bottom hinge hard enough to produce a BOOM! damn near as loud as the mine.
"Your guy likes playing it safe", Castle mused.
That was true… sometimes. Then there are those times when the SPARTAN does something crazy. Like fight seven Deathclaws on a dare.
… Then again, that one was probably Nate's fault. He'd… underestimated just how competitive Damon is.
Okay, it was completely Nate's fault.
Not that he wouldn't challenge him to do it now.
Focus. This isn't over and Damon getting to the end means Julian and Vince end up dead along the way.
How was he supposed to change that?
The armored titan was examining the room. He hadn't moved from the door.
Nothing had happened yet. It was hard for Nate to see the entire room but he couldn't find any signs of trouble. No obvious wires crisscrossing it, no mines on the floor. From what he could tell, it was an empty room.
Which probably meant Castle had something hidden in there. If it were Nate, he'd look for traps hidden under the floor. Would the Raiders have access to optical triggers? Would they have manually controlled traps hidden in this death maze?
But that might be the wrong call. They might be relying on conditioning from the last portion of the Gauntlet to influence him here.
On top of that…
The question remained, what could Nate do to keep Damon from accidentally killing Julian and Vince?
As Damon advanced into the room, shotgun held at the ready, the ex-soldier had nothing. If he tried to warn him, Castle would blow their collars. And he was under no delusion she would.
That's what he needed to focus on. Damon could deal with the Gauntlet, not like Nate was any help there. He had two pieces of information the SPARTAN didn't. He needed to get both of those pieces of information to Damon.
How the hell was he supposed to do that?
A/N: Shorter chapter for the first one back. Sorry about that. Okay, explanation time. So, after the 3rd year anniversary post, things started... happening. First thing was I had to travel for work short notice, then for the holidays, then I got a house and had to move, another holiday vacation where... I basically had a falling out with my mom... It's been a rough few months. Between work, business, moving, and family life, finding the motivation to do anything besides eat and sleep has been hard. But I promised this story wouldn't go unfinished. That promise was as much to myself as it was to you all. So, that being said, I haven't done no work on the story since my involuntary hiatus. That means I have chapters lined up and ready. We'll be returning to our biweekly posting schedule!
Next chapter: 2/9, The Cost of Business