Chapter 105: Back On Track

At the Fog Crawler's size, its carapace would have to be thick and strong, otherwise it wouldn't be able to support its weight. The people's general reluctance to engage them only reinforced that. So, when I shouldered my rifle and centered it in my sights, I assumed the intermediate-power cartridge wouldn't penetrate.

Sure enough, the pair of rounds that impacted its head elicited a flinch… and that was about it. The shots might have fractured its carapace but I couldn't tell.

The 4-meter-tall crustacean was 20 meters away. That was a few seconds to come up with a plan.

Deathclaws' weaknesses were their lanky bodies. Those were built to be agile, which left joints vulnerable and limited their strength. This thing was compact for its size.

The Fog Crawler crashed through the last line of underbrush between us.

I could hammer at a spot on its carapace until I made a hole if nothing else worked.

Other options?

Hard carapace means weak joints.

Narrow gaps between plates for articulation. Some might be segmented for protection.

That was possible, but all the animals had to follow some rules. Sacrifices are always made for the sake of function. Find one.

I dove to my right just as the Fog Crawler reached me.

But it was quick.

The creature's left arm flashed forward and, if it weren't for my own heightened reflexes, would have hit me.

Pulling my right leg in, I slammed my knee into the thing's arm and knocked it aside.

It was on me as soon as I came out of my roll, slashing again.

I ducked under the strike and took the opportunity to fire at its right shoulder joint.

Sure enough, the round punched through.

The Fog Crawler let out an odd, moaning screech as it surged forward.

There wasn't enough room for me to avoid it entirely and the force of the impact almost sent me into a tree to my right.

Part of my brain registered the gunfire in and around the city had died away right before I was forced to dodge the Fog Crawler again.

Fuck this. I'm not staying on defense.

The Fog Crawler was already hurt. Two advantages I had fighting the Deathclaws was, even though they were strong and very tough, they weren't anywhere near as quick, and were dumb.

Even though this thing suffered a major injury five seconds into the fight, it continued coming after me.

Time to use that.

As it lunged again, driving its head down toward me, I sidestepped.

Wait.

The Fog Crawler adjusted, twisting to track my motion. It was faster than a Deathclaw.

But it wasn't as fast as Liam and it sure as hell wasn't as smart.

I ducked under the redirect, yanking the barrel of my rifle up, and fired. The shot caught it in the base of its neck. Unfortunately, that was a segmented section of carapace.

Another odd screech exploded from the mutated creature. I watched as bits of brown and black shell shattered, but it didn't go down.

It tried to follow up with another strike from its good arm. I was already backing out of its reach.

Not bad. If I can hit that spot again…

This time, the Fog Crawler shuffled away, pulling its arms and head in tight. It didn't like that.

It wasn't getting the time to regroup or retreat.

I fired at its left hip joint twice. The first round glanced off its carapace but the second broke through the hard shell.

Then the thing jumped.

It was five meters in the air and starting to hurtle directly toward me when I remembered Longfellow's warning about this. It, apparently, produced some form of impact shockwave to incapacitate its prey.

Diving between a pair of trees, I rolled away from the Fog Crawler as it crashed into one of them, shattering the truck and sending wood splinters flying. The impact was hard enough to concuss the air around an order of magnitude harder than a Vertibird's props. It was almost like a concussion grenade going off a few meters from me. The shockwave clapped against my armor hard enough to make it ping.

That likely would have been enough to disorient a regular person. There was no way the impact alone could cause that.

Worry about its biology after it's dead.

As the Fog Crawler recovered, I shoved myself to my feet and rushed forward. It tried to swing its still-good arm at me but I was too close. With its bad leg, it couldn't avoid me.

I drove my legs into the damp ground and launched myself up into its neck and chest. My right shoulder collided with the weakened point on its neck. The impact was hard enough to jar me. My opponent got the worst of it.

The carapace cracked and crumbled under my armor and the force sent it reeling.

It didn't get to get away, though. I followed, letting my rifle drop onto its sling, and pulled my 10mm handgun from my hip.

Jumping again, I twisted and grabbed onto its shell. As I pulled myself up, the Fog Crawler started tumbling to the ground, my added weight too much for its damaged leg.

My opponent let out another screech when it hit the ground and started writhing. I couldn't tell if it was trying to get up or dislodge me. Either way, it didn't matter; I jammed the muzzle of my handgun into the destroyed portion of its carapace and emptied the magazine.

After the fourth round, some kind of viscous, green slim started exploding from the wound.

By the time the slide locked back, the Fog Crawler had managed to get its good legs under it.

I shoved myself away as it took another desperate swipe at me. The tip of its claw caught the back of my hand and knocked my handgun away.

It hadn't repositioned far enough to take the large, gushing wound out of my line of sight.

Before it could, I had the Mk18 back up and fired.

The second round burst through the carapace on the opposite side of its neck and with a loud, long keen, the Fog Crawler collapsed to the forest floor.

It continued making that strangely deep moaning for a few seconds, its head shifting from side to side. The rest of its body was still. Had I severed its spine? Did the thing have a conventional spine?

I maintained my distance and kept my reticle fixed on the Fog Crawler's head. Many injured wild animals would lash out and while the creature seemed like it was critically wounded, I wasn't giving it the chance.

After a few seconds, the keen turned into a labored hiss before it faded to nothing. The Fog Crawler's head stilled a moment later.

Was it dead? It was definitely harder to kill than a Deathclaw on account of its carapace and agility.

Adrenaline was tingling down my arms and legs and even though I hadn't exerted myself much, my heart was pounding. Damn. That was a good fight.

Back to the Children…

Dealing with Richter again felt like a letdown after the Fog Crawler. At least that had been fun.

Still no gunfire.

I shook my arms and legs out as I made my way back toward where the 'Zealot' had been watching his forces from. I had to remind myself to use cover; they weren't the Fog Crawler but they still had guns.

"Richter!" I called once I neared their position.

Whispering. It was coming from where I'd left them.

"What is your name, metal man?!" he shouted back a few seconds later.

"Damon."

"I see you were not bluffing when you promised to defend this wretched town. What is your intention now?"

Chase still needs time. I can't buy it for them by talking.

"Are you leaving Far Harbor alone?" I asked.

"... For the time being. No matter how formidable you are, you cannot hope to stand in the face of Atom's might."

How can I stall them? It's a few hours for them to get back to the Nucleus. Nate, Chase, and Valentine won't be there yet. The operation will probably take an hour to an hour and a half on its own…

Whatever I used, it couldn't sound like I was stalling for time. They're threatened by me. Can I use that? If I do, it has to be something I've already mentioned; adding a new variable might tip them off.

The Gunners.

"'For the time being' makes it sound like you'll do this again as soon as I'm not in the area", I said slowly. "Go look at what happened to those mercenaries when they attacked me."

"I am uninterested in any more of your threats."

"It isn't a threat but I'm not making a suggestion either. That was a fighting force better prepared and better trained than you. The houses are to the west. Gather your people and go. You have five minutes."

Richter paused. That meant he was thinking. Good.

"Spare both of us the time of asking what happens if you don't, Richter."

"Fine. What of Allen?" he asked. "Your man assaulted us. Do you expect us to not take retribution?"

"He isn't my man. Taking retribution on Far Harbor for what that dumbass did doesn't fix anything."

"You would have us return him?"

Return him? You're shitting me. "He's alive?"

"Yes", Richter replied.

"Do you have him in custody?"

"Yes."

… That bastard.

"Get rid of him", I said. "Don't parade him in front of Far Harbor, just kill him."

"I don't understand- you're threatening us for Far Harbor's protection and telling us to kill a Far Harbor resident."

"You want your retribution, take it out on him. I'm not concerned with his safety. You have four minutes. If you had come here ready to die, you wouldn't have spent the last half hour sitting back, lobbing shots at Far Harbor, so pack up and go."

"Zealot Chase", Richter said quietly.

"... Yes, Grand Zealot Richter."

One of the combat-armored cultists detached himself from cover and started toward their front line.

"You will have your ceasefire for now and we will… investigate your claims. I will be better prepared for you next time."

I'm sure. I didn't respond. It took just over two minutes for the Children to filter through the forests, heading west.

Fighting that Fog Crawler must have scared them.

That thing would be a disaster against these people. Even trained fighters would struggle with something like that.

I stayed in cover from the cult members as they passed by and, soon enough, they'd disappeared into the fog. While I was tempted to follow, something about Richter struck me as… odd; ill-fitting. He was a cultist but part of him was rational, even a little combat-savvy. If his people were better, I wouldn't have been able to sneak up on him. He was smart enough to realize and admit when his position was untenable. Despite the bravado, he didn't let his ego get in the way of sound decision-making.

That was unusual, especially for a cultist.

They wouldn't come back. Not yet. Doing so would be stupid.

"Dogmeat!" I called.

Almost as soon as the sound of my voice faded into the forest, the large German Shepherd slipped out from beneath a large thicket of underbrush and bounded toward me. He was still panting when he came to a stop. That run had been strenuous given the pace and the horrible terrain. He did a great job keeping up. And then alerting to the Fog Crawler?

Kneeling, I rubbed his head between his ears and the side of his neck. He leaned into my hand.

"Great job", I said quietly.

I looked toward the town through the forest. Light flooded from their wall, illuminating the Fog in a strange, wavy pattern as it shone through the forest.

"Come on. We have this to deal with."

After I retrieved my sidearm, we started toward Far Harbor. How did I approach them? They were keyed up, so stepping into the open would probably get me shot. Not the end of the world but I'd like to avoid that if possible.

The Mariner's radio.

My handset couldn't transmit on her frequency. Kasumi's could.

As I came to a stop 30 meters from the treeline that dropped down to the street in front of Far Harbor, I pulled my radio out.

"Kasumi, this is Damon, do you copy?"

Her reply came back almost immediately.

"Hi- yes, I'm here."

"Contact the Mariner and let her know the Children of Atom pulled back. I'm in the forest and would like to talk."

"Okay", she said. I could hear her running. "I'll do that, give me a minute."

"Copy."

The town's lights were still casting strange, writhing shadows in the haze as the wind shifted the branches. They had to know something was up, given they hadn't been shot at in a few minutes."

While I was tempted to contact Nate, I didn't know what their status was and they needed to focus on their job.

"Hey", Kasumi's voice came back over my radio, "Damon? You there?"

"I copy."

"She said you can come down. They won't shoot."

"Understood. I'll contact you if I need anything else."

"I- uh, okay", Kasumi stammered. "I'll be here."

This was the first time she's had to deal with anything like this.

I stowed my radio and began toward the town.

When we drew within 10 meters of the treeline, I pointed to a large thicket. "Stay."

After seeing them fight, I wasn't about to trust Dogmeat's safety to their trigger discipline.

He crept to the cover and laid behind it as I continued forward. My visor polarized against the harsh lights as I stepped out of the forest and into the open.

"STOP THERE!" someone screamed the moment I was in sight.

I did, holding my hands out to my sides.

As usual, my body balked at the notion of standing in the open with guns pointed at me. It was something I was getting better at controlling, at least.

A few heartbeats passed and I heard people talking inside the wall.

How should I do this? What do I even want to accomplish here? That was a good question. Allen was the one who started this skirmish. Avery wouldn't have been on board with it. The Childrens' disposition was about to take a massive shift. I didn't need to tell them that but I could ask for a little time.

Telling them Allen is the reason this happened would help.

"Come on in, Damon", Avery's voice came over the wall.

"Dogmeat", I said and, when I heard him trotting toward me, I started down the hill.

There were still guns pointed at me all across the top of the wall. They were, no doubt, wondering what had happened. They probably heard me fighting the Fog Crawler.

Far Harbor's gate swung open as I approached and the usual complement of Avery, the Mariner, and 10 townspeople greeted me.

Once I was inside, the gates swung shut again. I tried to ignore the dozens of eyes on me from the assembled group and everyone in the streets or buildings behind them.

"I'm assuming the Children are gone", the town's leader said. "We heard a Fog Crawler, then shouting." She frowned. "Did the Fog Crawler attack them?"

I nodded. "Sort of. The gunfire probably attracted it. It attacked shortly after I made contact with the Children of Atom's head of security, Grand Zealot Richter. After I neutralized it, Richter agreed to leave for now."

Avery rubbed her short, grey hair. Her hand was shaking. "You 'neutralized' the Fog Crawler?"

"Killed it."

"I know what 'neutralized' means", she snapped.

"Yes, I neutralized the Fog Crawler."

"Uh-huh." Avery's eyes drifted up to the forest behind me. "This a normal thing for the Minutemen?"

"I've never fought a Fog Crawler but fighting is a regular occurrence, yes."

"And you said the Children are gone 'for now'. That means they'll be coming back?"

I shrugged. "We're trying to pacify them non-violently." Mostly non-violently. "That's all I can say for now."

"We gotta get back at those motherfuckers!" one of the people behind Avery shouted. "If their people are still trying to get back, we can ambush 'em in the forest!"

That was… incredibly stupid for a hundred different reasons. These people wouldn't know how to organize and execute an effective ambush if their performance defending the town was anything to go by. Moving that many people undetected across this terrain was nearly impossible, especially given the wildlife. I'm sure as hell not helping that sort of operation, so what would they do when they attracted the local fauna?

Besides…

"Allen instigated this."

Avery frowned. "How?"

"He attacked them. Or tried. Richter said they eliminated them and came here to retaliate."

"... Allen's dead?" Avery asked slowly.

The assembled townspeople glanced at each other, talking in hushed voices.

"Because he attacked them, yeah." I jerked my head to the west, toward where the Gunners were. "He hired mercenaries to do it a few days ago. That didn't work out, so he went with plan B."

I hoped Richter would do what I told him and kill that jackass. These people were surprised by the news. Whether that's because they thought he was skilled or they wanted to follow him, I didn't know or care. If Richter tried to make a show of it, things would only escalate.

"This stops now", I said. "I told Allen to stay away from the Children. He's dead; whoever went there with him is dead. You lost people in the Children's counterattack, and, if I hadn't shown up, you'd still be dealing with them and a Fog Crawler." I looked down at Avery. "I've had to clean the mess Allen has made up twice. I can't guarantee I'll do it a third time. Don't let anyone else take his place. Let us handle this. It's what we do."

"You know what it looks like, some stranger from a few hundred miles away, coming to our island and saying that, right?" she asked. "We've been dealing with this for years."

And you were about to get glassed when we showed up.

"I'm not "some stranger". If you don't agree to disengage, I won't intervene again."

None of the gathered residents spoke up. I expected some form of protest. Avery was right: they'd been dealing with the Fog, the creatures on the island, and the Children for years. I'm not just "some stranger" but I am an outsider.

There was nothing. They were all either looking at the ground, each other, or me. Maybe I've made an impression, or maybe the events of the last few days have been eye-opening to some of the townspeople.

"Are they getting the same deal?" Avery finally asked.

I shook my head. "I threatened them; I'm being nice to you."

"Is that a threat you can make good on?"

Is she concerned I might attack Far Harbor? "The goal is to not find out."

The old woman frowned. "When should we expect them to be 'pacified'?"

It wouldn't happen immediately after replacing Tektus. The Synth they put in charge of the Children would have to work slowly to avoid suspicion.

"You'll know once we do. You can't win a fight with them at the Nucleus. You don't have the experience to assault a hardened position, so don't do anything stupid." Not to mention the nukes.

What Preston had said before we left came to mind: he felt like I was fighting all the Minutemen's battles. That wasn't entirely true but I could see why he'd feel that way. It sucks to leave your fate in other people's hands, especially if you don't know or trust them.

"I don't blame you for not liking it. This is everyone's best opportunity to come out alive."

"... Yeah", Avery glanced back at the assembly behind her. "Just keep me in the know. A lotta folks are upset, understandably. More I can give 'em, the better."

"Understood", I replied, nodding.

She took a deep, ragged breath and put her hands on her hips. "Allen, that dumbass… His ego got him, whoever went with him, and people here killed. Didn't think you threatening him would make him do that."

I cocked my head. "My threat?"

"He's- he was a hotheaded idiot but he knew how to get folks to follow him. Part of that was his big talk and bragging. I don't know if he could even tell the act from the real thing anymore. Getting walked all over like that hit him where it hurt, especially when his guys all saw him take that from you and not do anything. He probably thought he looked weak which…" Avery shrugged. "I thought he'd do something, just not that."

That wasn't something I'd considered either. "Sorry."

"You gotta know your audience's all. I'm not blaming you for this. After what he did, I'm surprised you didn't shoot him then and there."

"I'm trying to be better about that."

Avery grinned. "Shooting people?"

"Yeah", I said, nodding. "It's a habit I'm trying to break."

"We all have those. I guess some are just more interpersonal than others."

That's one way to put it.

"Alright", she said, raising her voice. "I think, after this, we need to have a little heart-to-heart. No one wants to get in an all-out war with the Children. Nothing good would come of that. Just don't keep us in the dark about what's going on."

"Understood."

"Also… I'm assuming you ain't taking that Fog Crawler with you."

I squinted behind my visor. "... No."

"Sounds like it's ours, then. Gotta get out there before the damn wolves and Gulpers get at it."

… Okay.

"Before you go", she continued, "thanks for helping us out again. We're a stubborn bunch but we show gratitude when it's warranted. You need any supplies or a place to stay, Far Harbor's open to you and your people."

I nodded. "Thanks. You're welcome."

X

As I left Far Harbor and headed south, my mind pulled me in three directions: first was down to the Nucleus to assist the trio down there, second was to the houses where I left the Gunners, and third was back to Acadia.

Going to the Nucleus, as much as I wanted to help, would be pointless. Unless I maintained a pace that would leave the still-panting Dogmeat behind, I wouldn't get there before whatever happened, happened. Checking to see whether Richter did what I told him would be equally useless for the same reason.

That left going back to Acadia and waiting…

The thing I hated doing the most.

Unfortunately, the most useful thing I could do was stand by in the observatory in case anything else happened.

So the two of us started back up the mountain. This time we stayed on the road and I kept to a walking pace. After fighting the Gulpers when we arrived, the Mirelurks in the water, now a Fog Crawler, and wandering around the island for a week, its aura had faded. The everpresent, radioactive fog was still eerie and there were definitely… experiences I hadn't had the pleasure of partaking in but it was a lot less alien.

Ha. Funny.

As I stopped to give Dogmeat water and studied our surroundings, I grinned. The idea something on Earth could feel alien to me would have been unthinkable six months ago.

'Alien' would describe most of the experiences I've had since getting dropped here.

Once Dogmeat was satisfied, we resumed the journey. While I hadn't tried to give him a RadX pill without food to encourage him, I doubted the levels were high enough he needed to worry. We could handle that when we got to Acadia.

The forest seemed to pass twice as fast as it should have. Other than the regular sounds of wind rustling branches and the occasional wildlife, it was calm and quiet. Maybe the island was tired of all the fighting too.

Yeah, right.

In what seemed like way too little time, I was walking back into the observatory's perimeter. As usual, there was no one standing guard but I felt eyes on me from the building.

The door swung open as I marched up the stairs, Faraday was standing inside along with another Synth.

"Kasumi said you talked with Far Harbor", the technician said while the other Synth, a bald, younger man in blue coveralls, swung the door shut behind me.

I nodded. "Yes. Avery will attempt to keep the people there from retaliating. Allen attacked the Nucleus first. The Children agreed to leave them alone for now. They'll be delayed returning to the Nucleus. Have you heard anything from the team there?"

"We have. Chase contacted us an hour ago. She was heading inside with- Tektus."

An hour. She should be out by now. I could head down there. If I left Dogmeat, it would be 20 minutes.

No. I don't know the situation and moving that quickly will be loud. I'd be a new variable in an already delicate situation.

"That's all?"

He nodded. "Unfortunately."

I took a deep breath. "Understood."

Faraday turned to the other Synth. "Ben, would you like to take him down to Kasumi?"

'Ben' nodded. "Sure."

"Why?" I asked.

"Kasumi got word from your people back in the Commonwealth", he replied. "She said they wanted to talk with one of you but… you know, you've been indisposed."

Why the hell didn't you contact me? If they needed something while I was gone and…

Another deep breath.

No, getting irritated wouldn't help. If it was urgent, they probably would have. And it isn't like I could do anything for them from Far Harbor.

"Alright", I said, motioning toward the stairs to our right.

Ben led me down into the workshop. They'd cleared most of the other projects away and had constructed an enclosure that looked vaguely like the contraption Tom had built the first time we'd done this. Their work was a lot more refined with neater wiring, fewer haphazard components, and a more sound-looking structure. It was closer to something I'd expect to see produced in a factory than someone's basement.

Kasumi was there with a half-dozen others. From the looks of it, the main construction was finished and they were running through testing and diagnostics. Instead of installing new components, they had meters hooked into the primary wiring loom that ran from the control panel to a large loop circling the three-meter-wide platform. Kasumi was working on the instrumentation with Jenny.

"Kas", Ben called as we entered. "Damon's back."

The young engineer turned to us. "One sec, we're almost ready for our test cycle."

Jenny hooked a probe onto a wire in the main bundle and glanced at the meter in her hand. "I've got voltage here. That signal's good."

"Okay, putting power to E102 and 103", a man at the controls said as he tapped at the panel in front of him.

After repeating the process two more times, Jenny stepped away and nodded to Kasumi. "We're set here, take care of that."

The now greased-covered black-haired woman hesitated a moment before detaching herself from the ongoing project and hurrying over.

"Damon, a woman named Desdemona was asking for you. She said she'd like to discuss final preparations." She turned toward a door on the far wall and we walked past the transporter as a gentle hum started building. Kasumi glanced at it, frowning.

"They got it, Kas", Ben said quietly.

"I know… I know…"

Inside the small closet-turned workshop, there was barely enough room for me to fit with another person between the racks and half-done projects. Kasumi had a radio set on a desk at the back. It's what we'd been using to communicate with the Minutemen. Apparently, they had its receiver and transmitter routed through the observatory's main antenna.

Once Kasumi had powered the radio up, she stepped back out and closed the door. I picked up the small handset they had wired into the radio and hit 'transmit'.

"Damon here, does anyone copy?"

"Yes", the reply came almost immediately. The voice was distorted by interference but it was definitely Dez. "I hear you. Do we need to delay the operation for whatever's going on there?"

"Negative. The situation should be handled shortly."

"Alright", she said. "New development on Li's end: they can transport you from the SRD to near Shaun's office but there's a time limit on the offer. Current procedure is to shut down the Molecular Relay in case of intrusion. According to their techs, the capacitors responsible for transit will maintain enough charge for 120 seconds after the shutdown procedure initiates. It isn't currently a high priority because they disable any signal receipt at the outset. They can still input new coordinate data for a transit."

Two minutes to get to and kill Ayo. That shouldn't be too difficult if Li's people do their part. Dropping us in the SRD will reduce that time and, if they have it clear like they're supposed to, I'll only have to deal with whatever guard Ayo has. Li said they didn't care about collateral damage as long as it isn't people so anything goes.

"Any complications?" I asked.

"Negative. Our only concern is the time limit. They haven't figured out a way to have their people vacate prior to transit so that 30-second spin-up is still a go."

"Copy that."

"On a… less professional note", she said and, even through the distortion, I could hear her voice soften, "things are getting a little difficult here. We've confirmed infection in 18 towns, including the school, Goodneighbor, and the farms. So far, two have died. The Raiders have been taking advantage and started moving south again. They aren't as aggressive as they were before but it's still a problem. The Brotherhood has consolidated all support to the farms near the airport and Diamond City. Almost all of the smaller settlements in Boston proper have moved into one of the larger towns and… the Supermutants are getting more active again. The Brotherhood had been keeping them in check. Now, with them concentrating their forces, those yellow bastards are on the move again."

Goddamn Supermutants. I hadn't gotten to fight any of them in a while. One good thing the Brotherhood had been doing, keeping them occupied.

"I copy all", I said into the handset. "One more day. They're testing the Relay right now."

There was a brief pause after I released the transmit button.

"I hear you, Damon… I know it's bad doctrine to put all your eggs in one basket but I'm counting on you to do this."

I heard her huff. It was broken up by static but it was there.

"We've got plans in place… None of them are great options. I'm just hoping you can pull off another impossible objective. Infiltrating the Institute and assassinating their leadership… that's a tall ask."

My finger hovered over the 'transmit' button. Dez never talked like that. She was almost always all business. The only times she wasn't were when I- well, when I almost attacked them, when I came back, and when I killed Castle. Things must have been getting bad.

"It isn't impossible", I said. "You sent us out here to do a job and we said we'd get it done."

"We sent you? Thought you said you volunteered."

"It sounded better. You guys are keeping it together out there, I'll be damned if I waste that. We'll handle the rest one problem at a time."

"... Good to hear you say that, Tin man", Dez replied. "We'll check in tomorrow before the transit."

"Copy that, Dez. Out here."

I set the handset back on the table and closed my eyes. A lot of people were relying on us to get this done. Even after Ayo and Shaun were dead, there was a long way to go.

One problem at a time.

At the moment, my 'problem' was making sure we didn't get nuked. We had a plan for the assassination, we knew the Institute's layout, and we had access. All I had to do was my job.

And that 'job' was to assassinate Nate's son.

Never thought I'd have a target this personal… it sucks.

Even if I despised what Shaun was and did, he's Nate's son. While I couldn't understand how he felt, Nate was willing to walk across a post-apocalyptic hellhole with a much worse version of me to find him. He didn't know what was waiting for him if we could deal with it, how we'd find Shaun, or what we'd find. The only thing that mattered was finding Shaun. He'd just lost Nora and the rest of his world had been blown to hell.

Now I have to kill the last thing he had. And Nate was helping me do it.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

If the world dealt me a shit hand, what the fuck do you call that? What could he have done to deserve all this?

When the Covenant attacked my home, I hadn't done anything to deserve that either. As much as it sucks… our other choice is to let a lot of other people die.

"Fuck me", I whispered.

Turning back to the door, I stepped out of the small makeshift workshop. Kasumi was back at the Relay, working with the others, and Ben was gone. All I could do until we heard from Nate's team was wait.

That only gave me more time to think, which was never a good thing.

My feet carried me back to the stairs as those thoughts started bouncing around. It had been a little over two hours since they left. Faraday said Chase contacted them about an hour ago which means they made good time. Without me acting as a distraction, Chase would have to operate more carefully once she was inside though, the lack of a significant guard contingent would give her more breathing room.

So the question was how long would they take? An hour and a half?

I have to entertain the possibility she fails. If that happens, what will my next step be?

That was a question I already had the answer to: forcibly pacify the Children. We couldn't leave a threat like nuclear warheads on the field.

By the time I got back to the main floor, plans were already forming. I'd have to act fast. The Relay will be ready tomorrow. We couldn't delay that operation.

"Damon", Nate's voice came over my radio, muffled by its pouch. "Do you copy?"

My hand couldn't get to the handset fast enough.

"I copy. Status?"

"Green. Tektus has been replaced and we're on our way back. What about your end?"

I stared at the radio for a heartbeat. They'd done it?

So I was worried for no reason.

"Copy that. I'm at Acadia. The assault force the Children sent is on its way back. Allen attacked the Nucleus prompting their response. Avery agreed to keep her people in line."

"Sounds like that asshat didn't like you threatening him."

"That's no one's problem but his anymore."

There was a brief pause before Nate replied. When he did, it sounded like he'd been laughing. "I copy loud and clear. We'll be back in an hour. Nate out."

The threat is pacified… and both parties are still largely intact.

I stared at the radio in my hand for a few heartbeats before putting it away again. There was still a chance things went sideways but, with Tektus replaced, they were small.

Part of me liked DiMA's method for pacification less than outright violence. Acadia had de facto control of everyone on the island now and the inhabitants didn't know.

Maybe that was something they could change over time. At least they had the chance now hostilities would be coming to an end and they weren't all dead.

This entire situation wasn't unlike what we were attempting to do with the Institute: remove their current, hostile leadership to make them more amicable to our efforts. The main difference was they'd know we removed their leadership.

I was still standing in the entryway when I heard someone climbing the stairs behind me.

When I looked back, Kasumi had just reached the top and paused.

Conversation and the sounds of working drifted up behind her and it sounded like DiMA and Faraday were talking in the main room.

We watched each other in silence.

Kasumi's left hand kept clenching and unclenching while her eyes darted from my visor, around me and, more likely, my armor, then back.

Her mannerisms were different but her nervous energy was similar to Alice, one of my technicians.

… If I ever got back, I'd have to stay away from her for a few days. She'd be pissed.

"Why were you upset about my decision to come here?" Kasumi finally asked. The question was blunt and straightforward. I could respect that.

"I wasn't."

She frowned. "Nick said you had your reasons. He didn't tell me what they were. My guess is you have a bad relationship with your parents, or they died."

That was even more blunt and straightforward.

I cocked my head. "They died a long time ago."

"So you're upset because you think I'm throwing away something you don't have."

Turning all the way to face her, I shook my head. "I said I'm not upset about you leaving. You didn't tell them where you were going and you're unwilling to do so now. They don't know what happened. They're scared about what might have happened to you. I watched my parents die protecting me when I was young. I've spent most of my life-"

I trailed off. That… wasn't a road I wanted to go down. Those weren't emotions I wanted to revisit at the moment.

"Your parents deserve to know you're safe, even if you don't go back."

Kasumi pursed her lips. "Nick's been talking with me a lot since you got here. He thinks the same thing."

That's Nick.

"I don't know… I'm- I'm a Synth. What would I say to them?"

She didn't sound as sure as she had a few days ago.

"You know your situation better than me." I shrugged. "They want to know you're okay."

"You make it sound easy to talk with people who think I'm their daughter."

Really? You don't know if you believe that and you're still hiding behind it?

Getting irritated wouldn't help but… dammit.

"It is as long as you don't keep coming up with excuses not to", I replied.

Kasumi's eyes narrowed. "Like you said: you don't know about my situation."

That was probably a bit harsh. I don't have much room to talk when it comes to confronting this sort of thing. I spent most of my life avoiding it. She got on a boat and sailed 200 klicks to come to an island she'd only heard of over the radio to meet strangers in this world. She isn't a coward.

So what could I say to fix it?

Make this not about her? She probably feels attacked.

"You're right. All I know is I'd do anything for the chance to tell my parents…" Uh… what would I say to them if I only had one opportunity? "The chance to thank them. I'd do anything for the chance to thank them."

Kasumi frowned. "How old were you when they died? And how did they die?"

I cocked an eyebrow behind my visor. Not many people who'd just met me had been so direct about asking me that sort of question.

"Five. Our home was attacked."

"How long ago was that?"

"About 15 years."

Her eyes went wide. "You're 20?"

"Give or take." It had been a while since I'd had this conversation. With everything happening, it wasn't one I was interested in having again. "I can't make you do it but I would contact them in your position."

"... I don't know."

"Nick probably has a better opinion. At the end of the day, it's your decision."

Kasumi hummed but didn't respond. After a few more seconds of staring, she started toward the observatory's main room.

"Gotta talk with Faraday."

Apparently, the conversation was over. Not that I can say anything; I've done that to plenty of people.

I glanced at the front door. It would be another hour and change before the others got back.

Food and water.

That sounded good.

X

"You're gonna need to tell me how you got the Children to leave Far Harbor alone", Nate said. He was standing beside a table in the small mess hall they'd set up off the main workshop.

Nick was talking with DiMA. It made sense, considering we'd be leaving the next day.

We'd debriefed after they got back. It wasn't a long one. Nate and Nick didn't do anything besides keep watch. With most of their fighting force at Far Harbor with Richter, security was minimal inside. Chase was able to infiltrate Tektus' quarters, eliminate him, and dump the body without being spotted. Her active camo helped with that…

The UNSC had been experimenting with field generators before I was dropped on my head but I never got to use one.

"Infiltrated their rear lines and subdued his guards. Told them to leave or I'd join in. Then a Fog Crawler attacked us; I think the fighting attracted it. Once I dealt with it, Richter agreed to leave for the time being."

Nate scratched at his stubble-covered chin. "A Fog Crawler, huh? You finally got to fight one. Sucks I missed it. Harder than a Deathclaw?"

That was difficult to say. I'd fought seven Deathclaws at once on very different terrain. It had been more durable than a Deathclaw on account of its carapace and it was fast but the Deathclaws were more agile.

"Different opponents, different circumstances", I said.

He laughed. "You might finally be done surprising me. I just expect you to win at this point."

"That's a mistake."

"It's sarcasm."

I cocked my head. "I don't know about that."

"Oh, so you don't think you're the most dangerous bastard around?"

"Nothing I've fought has managed to kill me."

Nate's eyes narrowed. "You've gotten better at answering without answering. I don't like that."

Dogmeat let out a low, whistling yawn from his spot lying in the corner. It was just past 1700 but the day felt like it had dragged on about twice as long as normal. After the week he'd had, he deserved some sleep.

"I've always been good at that", I replied. "It was a great way to piss my handler off."

"So then you've always been a pain in the ass on purpose", he muttered. "No surprise there. What about Far Harbor? You said Avery agreed to lower the temperature."

I nodded. "It should be easier without Allen."

"As long as there's no one to take his place."

"We won't be here to deal with it if there is." I glanced out the door. "The situation is much more manageable."

"Yeah. It's crazy the whole 'stop a radiation-worshipping cult from launching nukes' thing is something we came across along the way."

"It was easier than the Raider base."

Nate snorted. "Definitely."

"As long as DiMA doesn't hide things from Chase, I doubt it will escalate again."

"You trust her that much? Kinda surprising; we've only been here a week."

I shrugged. "She's competent. They have a lot of control over the situation and it seems like the people involved want to stop fighting. That's more a criticism of DiMA and Faraday than anything."

"Oh yeah?" Nate asked, eyebrow cocked. "You're still annoyed by that, huh."

"Confused is a better word. It doesn't make sense how someone could attempt to 'handle' this situation the way they did. Not informing Chase until things reached a critical point was… stupid."

"That's fair. You think there's anything else we can do while we're here to make sure it doesn't regress?"

There's always more we could do. "Yes. It would involve a lot of violence."

The ex-soldier frowned. "Anything we can do without killing the Children of Atom."

"Then no", I replied, grinning. "We're already playing with the edge of my expertise."

"Yeah", Nate said through a deep breath. "Besides, tomorrow's the day. So we have two minutes to assassinate Ayo, or we have to do things the hard way. If they can drop us on his head, that's doable, right?"

I nodded. "If Li's people organize a distraction, that's more than enough time."

"You… sure you only want me handling rear guard? That armor can take a beating. Might even be able to open up some opportunities for you."

What? I cocked my head. "It won't hold up if they have Gauss rifles. I can move-" I cut myself off. Telling Nate I could move faster if I didn't need to adjust to him- was that the right thing to say? It was something he already knew. Was he asking because he wanted to feel he was contributing more than making sure we didn't get flanked?

"Faster on your own", he finished, glancing to his left. "Just thought I'd offer."

I hadn't heard that tone from Nate since we were in the Glowing Sea. Back then, I'd been irritated. Now…

"Yeah", I said, nodding slowly. "Sorry."

He didn't answer immediately. His eyes were still cast at the wall beside me. I couldn't tell if he was thinking or if he didn't want to say what he was thinking.

"It's- uh…" Nate trailed off and he swallowed so hard I heard it. "That's how we've always done it, right?"

There was a quiver on the edge of his voice I could tell he was fighting to control.

What was I supposed to say? This had nothing to do with our combat roles.

I should say something though, shouldn't I? Everyone else has always had something to say to me when I'm struggling. I have to have picked something up.

What? What could I say to help-

"I'll… go make sure all my gear's ready," Nate said, voice barely above a whisper. He still wouldn't look at me.

He walked around me and out the door. Dogmeat stood from his spot in the corner, watching Nate go. The large German Shepherd started forward, then paused to look up at me. He only hesitated for a heartbeat before following Nate out of the small cafeteria, leaving me on my own.

… Dammit. I put my hands on my hips and my eyes dropped to the concrete floor between my armored boots.

When will I be able to help people? Sure, I could fight and, even if I'm not as violent as I used to be, it doesn't bother me the way it does most. I can do things that, while necessary, might hurt others.

How could I be that useless outside of fighting? How many times had Nate, Cass, Brenda, Nick, Ellie… so many people in the Minutemen listened to and talked with me? How could I not do that for Nate? After all, if everything went well, we'd be killing his son the next day.

And I can't say anything to help?

And, instead of helping Nate, I'm standing around kicking myself for not being able to help.

What could I do to help?

Talk to Nick. Maybe it isn't me helping but at least it is help.

Is that really all I can do?

For now, yeah. That doesn't matter. What matters is someone helps Nate.

Before my mind could offer any more objections, my feet were carrying me toward the stairs. A half-dozen Synths were still at the Relay. They were too engrossed in their work to notice me.

As I climbed up to the main floor again, my mind was scrambling to find something.

It kept coming up empty.

A conversation drifted down the hall from the observatory's main room. The voices resolved into DiMA and Nick's as I neared. Valentine probably hadn't left after we debriefed.

When I emerged into the cavernous room that housed the large telescope. Or, it would have if it was still an observatory.

DiMA was in his strange harness, talking with Nick, standing beside him. Both Synths grew quiet and turned to me.

Great. What am I supposed to say now?

Seemed like I couldn't think of what to say to anyone.

"Oh, I know that silent treatment", Nick mumbled. "What existential crisis do I need to help with?"

He was back to his usual self: observant and sarcastic in his unique mix of amusing and aggravating. Did that mean he and DiMA had figured things out?

"We can continue this discussion later", DiMA said, looking back at Nick.

The old detective nodded. "Thanks." He started toward me, frowning. "What's up?"

We stepped back out into the hall and I tried to think of how to put what was going through my head.

"You aren't the subtle type, Damon", Nick said, crossing his arms. "Stop trying to be and spit it out."

… Okay then. "Nate's struggling and I don't know how to help."

"Oh. Yeah… that makes sense." He nodded. "If all goes well, he'll be helping you kill his son tomorrow. What with everything else the guy's been through, I'm not surprised."

Not surprised?! "That's it? You're "not surprised"?"

Nick nodded. "Don't take it the wrong way; I understand he's hurting right now. Any sane person would be. Damon-" He grunted. "Me and Ellie had this talk with him before you came in the night we left: sometimes all you can do is be there for someone. There's nothing to say that can help them."

My hands balled into fists. How was that right? How could there be nothing I could do to help?

"So I'm supposed to stand by while he goes through this?"

"You're supposed to be there for him when he needs you", Nick snapped, his voice suddenly harsh, "not when you want to help."

I couldn't stifle my recoil entirely. That was the first time I'd ever heard Valentine frustrated.

Valentine held out a hand. "Look, I know you don't know how to wait for something to come to you. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. It's admirable you want to help him as much as you do but stop being so damn stubborn. Take a step back and look at things from a different perspective. When you stayed with Ellie while me and Nate went to Goodneighbor, what did she do?"

"... She talked to me."

"Yeah, she talked to you. Once she got to the crux of the problem, she didn't push you anymore. She talked to you and let you process." He smiled sheepishly. "My mistake for not recognizing when to stop at Fort Hagen. Being there for someone to make sure they feel supported and so they know you're available to talk whenever they need is all you can do sometimes."

Nick stepped forward and reached up to clap me on the arm. "Like I said: I know you aren't used to or good at letting things come to you but you gotta let him do this at his pace. His wife's gone, his world blew itself to hell, and he's about to lose his son. That's on top of everything that happened before the bombs fell."

I held his gaze for a few seconds before mine dropped to the ground. Was that what I'd been doing? Had I been trying to force Nate to confront this? Because I'm uncomfortable?

When he found me in the forest after I killed Castle, he hadn't said anything about it. He gave me my helmet and… waited. He hadn't pushed me; he waited until I talked. He let me direct the conversation.

It was the same thing Ellie or Nick had done any time I'd come to them. Same with Brenda and even Alex.

"Goddammit", I muttered. "When will I get any of this right?"

"Eventually", Nick said. "Don't worry about it too much. You care. That's most of what you need to get it right."

I met his gaze again. "Are you sure? I asked him to let me kill Shaun the other day. I thought, because killing people doesn't bother me as much as it probably should, I could at least use that to help." I huffed. "Now- shit, that was the worst thing I could have done."

Valentine shrugged. "You gotta remember: people are pretty smart. Knowing how well you two know each other, I'm sure Nate knows you said that because you're worried about him."

"Really?"

"Lying doesn't seem all that useful at a time like this."

That's fair.

"Alright", I said through a deep breath.

Silence spread across the hallway as Nick continued looking up into my visor. It seemed like he wanted to say something else.

"Yes?"

He frowned again, eyes darting off to the right. "I've been thinking it might be a good idea to let you two go into the Institute without me."

It was my turn to frown. "You want to stay here?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I won't be any good in a fight like that. It'll be easier for you two if I'm not in the way. Plus…"

He'd told DiMA he wanted to return to the Commonwealth for now.

"You want to spend more time here. What changed?"

His mouth opened and closed a few times before he nodded again. "It's the first time since I woke up that I felt I could just… be, you know? It ain't a long-term thing; there's too much for me to do back in Boston. A few more days is all. Plus, I think Kas is still thinking about what she wants to do."

Yeah, I did know. I've never had that privilege, at least, not that I could remember. The idea of not having responsibilities hovering over me at all times was… enticing. And, considering what Acadia and DiMA represent to him? If he wanted to stay, that was his call to make.

"If I said I wanted you to come, would you?" I asked.

Nick squinted. "I don't know. I don't think you'd do that, though."

I smiled. "It's annoying how easy it is for you to read me. Thank you. I'll give Nate some space."

"Don't mention it", Nick said. "Thanks for understanding."

"It's the least I could do."