Cody enjoyed his week of R as did his squad. MacCready slowly got used to living in Fort Independence. Its granite walls and ceiling gave him a bit of nostalgia for Little Lamplight's caves. Cait also was deep down grateful not sleeping on a filthy floor sure a military bunk wasn't luxury but a decent improvement. Though they were all bored, Cody enjoyed spending time with Liberator as the two worked together on battle plans. Liberator also began to give Cody an education helping him learn some of the things he missed when avoiding his father's classes. Including basic reading.
Since he was done with his lessons they decided to get a tour of the shipyards. Already Texas Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais were stripped of paint and now being done in primer. For the two carriers, much work was already done due to them being preserved for two centuries thanks to being indoors in a massive dry dock housing. Texas though had her torpedo bulges gutted due to her refit being stopped when the bombs fell and after two centuries Davis and his crew managed to restore her main gun turrets to be fully operational along with making new shells and powder bags. However, her AA batteries were rusted beyond repair much like Massachusetts.
On Massachusetts Charlie and his crew were busy reinforcing her hull with sturdy struts and temporary beams to hold her together. Two hundred years of sailing and fighting made dry docking risky as without these she could flat-out collapse in on herself. After these were put in she was put in a drydock thousands of gallons of rusty sea water gushed out of her like vile blood out of a rotting undead ancient leviathan. As it drained Charlie walked off the pier toward Cody accompanied by several sailors and powder monkeys. They saw how strung-out Cody was and didn't take a genius to tell he was on a chem binge. Charlie walked up to Cody his smile was kind and non-threatening despite being a ghoul then again he didn't suffer constant battle damage like Liberator.
"Hey, Cody, you need to knock off the chems ok?"
Cody just nodded mostly ignoring Charlie as he casually injected a full syringe of psycho into his arm he smoked his cigar he puffed smoked as he chilled on the pier having gained great control even when high on psycho he smirked. "No offense Charlie but if I had a cap for every single time I heard that I'd have enough to turn the Minutemen into the Pre-War United States Military."
Charlie shook his head his voice firmer but no less kind. "Cody you need to understand those chems that hatred that evil its not only poisoned your body its poisoned your mind heart and soul please come aboard the Massachusetts let us help you just one chance its all we ask."
Cody sighed as he finished his cigar stomping the butt out with his boot then throwing it into a nearby trashcan. He stepped aboard the rusted metal and rotted wood deck; he grabbed onto the rusted railing which snapped he almost fell back but Charlie grabbed him. He led him to the sick bay where they were going to treat his addictions Cody shoved the medic's hand away. "The hell you think you're doing?"
Charlie shook his head his voice gentle but now very stern. "Cody, you know full well what we are doing."
The medic gave him some addictol and fixer patches Cody's mind cleared. Charlie led him to a mirror in the mirror though faded and cracked the reflection was clear. It horrified Cody. His bleeding gums and wrecked teeth his sunken hateful bloodshot eyes his body thin and almost skeletal and his skin a necrotic grey. He looked at the cross on his forehead the mark of Christ as his father lovingly called it. But to Cody, it felt like he was spitting in Jesus's face with his mind clear memories flooded back many of his father's sermons and the love and warmth of God and his brothers and sisters in Fort Zion flooded back. He didn't look or act like a child of Christ but a child of Satan he certainly had a demonic twisted appearance from all the years of chem use and hatred.
Tears welled up in his once hateful eyes now filled with sorrow, grief, and despair. He broke down he remembered the sermons the words the love the wisdom he thought about the sixth commandment thou shalt not murder. His father always determined it as thou shalt not murder to him murder was to kill out of hate or greed or lust or envy After all the Bible does support self-defense and defense of the family so if you killed in self-defense or defense of others it was not murder. But with Cody, the amount of times he killed out of sheer hatred terrified him. Then he remembered a piece of scripture that haunted him and filled him with utter dread and despair. Mathew 7:23 "Depart from me you workers of lawlessness I never knew you."
Cody was utterly shattered he was just like the raiders and gunners the ones he called demons in human skin. He was no better than Delilah who saw others beneath her he was a demon in human skin only under the banner of the Minutemen. He thought back to how many wounded and helpless souls whether they be raiders or gunners he murdered. How with cackles and glee he'd hunt them down for sport bayoneting them to death or slitting their throats. Just like a raider would. He broke down sobbing as Charlie hugged him tightly.
"I'M NOT A CHILD OF CHRIST I'M ONE OF SATAN'S...ALL THE SOULS I MURDERED I COULD HAVE SPARED I COULD HAVE BROUGHT THEM TO JESUS INSTEAD I MURDERED THEM FOR FUN!"
Charlie picked him up. "Sssshhhh Cody you can't change the past. But you can still repent and turn around."
Cody shook his head as he sobbed further. "NO CHARLIE I KNOW WHAT JESUS WILL SAY TO ME DEPART FROM ME WORKER OF LAWLESSNESS I NEVER KNEW YOU...I'M DAMNED CHARLIE DAMNED JUST LIKE THE SOULS I MURDERED!"
Charlie wiped tears from Cody's eyes. "No Cody Jesus says comes back to me my child I love you I miss you. Please come back into my arms. You've done great evils Cody but still had good intentions without Christ we are all damned and evil but it's through his love we are saved. Even when broken your faith shredded into scraps like ruinedcloths and rags till little remained you clung to it. Still trying to do right by others. I've heard stories both good and evil. You're a shattered soul Cody but even so, Jesus loves you as do I and my crew."
He let out a grim chuckle."And Liberator he'd burn the whole planet to the ground for you. He never told you but I can tell he puts you even above America you are his favored grandson you're what kept him going. And your squad they love you as well."
Cody just sobbed as he hugged tighter. After that he was tired and Charlie gave him a bunk with medics and surgeons watching over giving him addictoland new fixer patches periodically. With Cody going through treatment both physical and spiritual, Liberator called up Leal and Davis to take squads of troops to help Greygarden. The two captains agreed and sat off with Leal bringing his personal squad of Smoking Snakes and Davis bringing a squad of his own crew of fellow Texans in his hand was a 30 30 Winchester lever action carbine. As for Leal, he wielded a bayonet fixed 8mm M1908 Imperial Brazilian Mauser. The brothers-in-arms went off for Greygarden.
Davis was kind and polite but grew a bit annoyed with Supervisor White. "Look ma'am can we please just cut to the chase what's the problem?"
White explained it was the old Weston Water Treatment plant. The two squads got near the plant and began sniping the super mutants from afar. While Leal trained regularly and was racking headshots and leg shots like no tomorrow his hand was a blur as he racked the bolt before loading a fresh strip of five rounds of 8mm Mauser. Davis however mainly focused on the learnings of his Dreadnought and thus was not used to land warfare his 30 30 jammed a bit but he did his best using his carbine to aim for the chest covering Leal in case any mutant got too close. Leal shook his head worried for his friend but kept onward. With the mutants killed from range, they made their way in.
Leal and his troops knew there would be mirelurks in a flooded water plant and brought special wires and a small generator the electric pulses would stun the mirelurks for several hours. Once they were stunned the wires and small generator were stopped bit by bit they reactivated the pumps draining the water out. A mirelurk hatchling nipped at Davis's angle the small ghoul growled and crushed it with a stomp from a worn cowboy boot. Getting gunk on his worn-out faded army coat and his boot. He didn't grumble further and carried on.
Several caravans were brought in as they finished draining the plant loading up the stunned but now chained mirelurks. When they got back the mirelurks were tossed into the massive vats in Sao Paulo's hangars. Leal was worried for Davis.
"My friend that sharpshooting was not good it's clear you're too dependent on the Texas."
Davis shrugged and nodded. "Well as we restored her 5-inch guns then her 14-inch guns and learned to make shells and powder bags we just blasted them from afar as the decades rolled by using our weapons less and less."
Leal nodded. "Yeah, I could tell no offense."
Davis shrugged as he popped a chocolate taffy in his mouth almost as old as he but somehow still good he showed a small smile as he chewed keeping his lips closed. "None taken."
Meanwhile, Cody was slowly doing better in sickbay he needed constant monitoring as his body got used to not having so many drugs drinks and nicotine pumped into it. He also began praying and Charlie and his crew prayed over him. Charlie gave him a small personal sermon.
"As this world grows ever darker it is up to the children of God to shine ever brighter. We are to be fountains, not drains. To let the waters of life flow out from us. But we are not to condone evil do not ever mistake God's love patience and grace be mistaken or lenience and tolerance. However, God is indeed merciful he is terrifying in his power but his power is matched by his love. And I know for a fact he loves you very much when you fall get back up and repent keep moving forward. Do not let addiction or cravings destroy you."
He tucked Cody in. "Have a blessed night son and get good sleep proper sleep."