Chapter 20 – Forewarmed

It was a bright fresh morning as the team headed south, out of the city and towards the Boston Police Rationing site. This area next to the train tracks was used by the old US government as a ration distribution site just after the bombs had fallen. The team used it as a conveniently close landing pad anytime they would take a ride on a Brotherhood Vertibird.

Over the previous two days the team had fully welcomed their new team member, equipping her with her own set of Sirius Body Armour, a weapon and all the other kit she would need for the short hike to South Boston and the General Atomics Factory. The team hadn't ventured into this part of Boston before and so spent a short amount of time gathering intel from Myrna, Lilly from the Bleachers and Arturo on what to expect.

As the team spread out into a patrol formation, having turned east to follow the train line into South Boston, Heather dropped back to Cait who was bringing up the rear of the patrol.

"Did it hurt a lot?" Heather asked as she kept her eyes facing forward, scanning for any suspicious movement.

"Did what hurt?" responded Cait, confusion clear in her voice.

"The first time Nate…. You know…" Heather dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Haha," Cait laughed loudly, "it fucking hurts every time, but that is kind of the point I guess."

Heather went a deep scarlet, although to her relief none of the rest of the party turned to see what Cait was laughing at.

Cait looked at her newest team member and smiled. "You are stressing way too much over nothing, you know that don't you."

Heather didn't look appeased. "It's just that if I am in the team then I will have to abide by the rules, right? I mean Nate explained the tactics and drills and they are all fairly standard stuff, just like my mum taught Georgie and me, but …." Her voice trailed off.

Not being able to resist having a little fun at Heather's expense, Cait continued to tease. "Listen, it's simple. You do something wrong and then the next time we are back home you will stand in front of Nate, naked, and after he has scolded you for a bit, he will pull you across his knee and spank you silly. Nothing to it really." She shrugged. "Valkyrie and I often bet on who of us will make a sound first. I mean that man has hands that feel like wooden paddles and, well, he has a wooden paddle that feels like ... you get the idea."

Heather's face drained of all its colour, and she looked like she was going to pass out.

"Hey, listen, I could always give you a spanking first, you know, so you know what it will be like when Mr Bossy gets his hands on you." Cait joked.

Heather remained silent as they walked before she blurted out, "Yes, yes, that is perfect, that would work." On hearing this it was Cait's turn to lose all the colour in her face.

"Erm… I was only kidding… well about the 'I spank you first bit' anyway." Cait stated emphatically.

"I don't care," Heather stated with the same level of conviction, "you are a genius and it will be great. You can let me feel exactly what is in store, so I can stop fearing my first time. Forewarned is forearmed, as my Mom used to say … all the time." Heather rolled her eyes.

"Hang on, first off, no way, I don't spank people and secondly…" Cait paused as she scrambled for a second excuse, "just no way."

"Ok, what about V, would she, do you think?" Heather asked hopefully.

"Ha! Absolutely not. She once had to discipline Curie and well let's just say she didn't handle that well." Cait smiled.

"Oh, so it is not just Nate who does the spanking then?" Heather asked.

"Oh, yes, he is. It was just that V was supposed to and hated the idea so much that she asked Nate to. Yeah, she wouldn't do anything like that ever, absolutely not." Cait was shaking her head.

"So, it has to be you, then." Heather concluded. "It can't be Curie as I am looking for a human approach to this and I'll be fucked if my first whoopin' in this team is coming courtesy of a synth, even if she is quite a cool synth."

"You are a great gal, Heather, honestly, I actually like you." Cait began, "but you are asking me to give you a spanking, something I have never done before in my life, just because you fear getting one from Nate. That just doesn't make any sense at all. For one," Cait held up a finger, "if I spank you, it will be as hard as Nate and therefore no different, so you would have just got your ass tanned for no reason at all."

"Ah," Heather responded, "but you are missing out the all important part of this, "I will be pre warned as to what to expect. That will be worth any pain a spanking will bring." Heather then turned to Cait, "and you will do it because you are an awesome friend and someone I can completely depend upon. Plus, I'll give you my first batch of detox tea as soon as we get back home."

"And some of that hangover helper you make, my god that stuff is fantastic!" Cait continued the bargaining.

"Deal!" Heather answered way to enthusiastically given what she was negotiating.

"You are a strange person, Heather Casdin, a very strange person." Cait chuckled as she shook her head.

"Listen, you and V like being spanked, so how come I'm all of a sudden the weird one." Heather held her chin up in mock indignation.

"Yeah, I know, it's just that for someone who was so totally against the idea in any form, you seem to be super keen all of a sudden." Cait responded, her tone taking on a serious edge.

"I don't know what it is, fate, accident or all the stars aligning but it is now obvious that I am joining … have joined this team. For good or ill, I am in this team and…" Heather paused, "and I don't think any of you will truly understand how much I needed this."

"What, you mean a spanking?" Cait looked surprised.

"No, stupid, this team. To belong, to have a purpose, a reason to go on." Heather moved to gently kick her Irish friend. In response, Cait deftly stepped aside, avoiding the playful gesture. "I have been in such a dark place for such a long time that from the moment I first heard of you guys, this team, I knew I needed in. When I stupidly left your home and headed back to my bunker, that panic attack I had was my mind screaming at me to not be such a complete idiot and get my ass back into the team as soon as possible. And as far as the spanking bit goes, I don't think I will ever get it, understand it, but I am in this team one hundred percent, in every way."

Cait looked at Heather and could see the passion that was in her voice reflected in her eyes. "Ok, I can get on board with that. You are still completely bonkers, you know that don't you, but I can completely understand your need to stay… that's something we all share."

"We must do it soon," Heather pleaded.

"Sure!" Cait laughed, "hang on guys, I'm just taking Heather into the woods to give her a good hiding, give us a sec will you."

"No," Heather smiled back whilst rolling her eyes, "I mean just please before I go and get myself into Mr Bossy's bad books, that's all."

"Have you told Nate?" Cait asked.

"Told him what?" Heather looked puzzled.

"That you are ok with our discipline arrangement." Cait smiled.

"Ha! Happy is not the word I would use, but why do you think I actually need to tell him." Heather looked pained.

"Nate won't bite, and we are all a team here, so stop being so scared of him." It was Cait's turn to roll her eyes. "I just think he might want to know you are here to stay and that you are ok with us, well, being us. That sort of thing would be best coming from you."

Heather went silent for a few seconds as they continued to walk. "Ok, but can we try the thing first, before I go and throw myself at the mercy of someone you all call Mr Bossy." She said quietly.

"It's spanking, Heather, a good old fashioned over the knee, bare bottomed spanking." Cait said in a slightly raised voice. "Go on Heather, say it, say it out loud… SPANKING." Cait was obviously enjoying herself.

"I hate you, Catherine Murphy." Heather huffed as she marched off towards the head of the team.

"I'll remember that when you and I have our little discussion…" Cait shouted after her as she continued to laugh.

As the team approached the section of the Boston Expressway that loomed over the entrance to South Boston, Curie, who was taking point, signalled for the team to halt and go to ground. Nate swiftly moved up to the front and after a quick discussion ordered a huddle behind a wall of a nearby Red Rocket Fuel Stop.

"Curie has spotted what look like raiders holed up around Andrew Subway Station." Nate instructed the team. He then looked at Curie who reached over to a small bush behind her and snapped off a few twigs. She then began setting out a small map on the ground, using the twigs and leaves to mark out the building and what she could see inside. The team soon had their assault plan ready.

"Cait, take Heather and try to get up onto the top of that Semi Trailer. You guys can be our fire support." Nate instructed. With a nod Cait and Heather broke off from where they were lying up and moved through some dead ground, up to the vehicle Nate had indicated. As soon as Nate received the thumbs up from Cait, he signalled for Valkyrie, Piper and Curie to form up either side of him and began the advance towards the station complex. The main station building had been reinforced in sections with metal and wooden debris, parts from old cars and any other junk the raiders could get their hands on. Whilst it looked a mess, the set up offered the people inside a decent amount of cover and defence. Nate indicated to Valkyrie and Piper to head off to his right and around the back of the building, whilst he and Curie moved up to what looked like a pair of wire gates, indicating the main entrance to the stronghold.

"Now" Nate commanded as he and Curie got into a firing position directly in front of the main gates. There were a couple of soft pops that came from behind him as Cait and Heather began picking off targets around the walls of the Raiders base. Just then all chaos broke loose.

Shouts erupted from inside the complex and the doors swung open, spewing forth half a dozen raiders, some still donning armour and scrabbling with their weapons as they ran. Curie and Nate carefully and methodically picked them off, one by one. At the same time, an explosion at the back of the building announced Piper and Valkyrie's chosen method of entry. Soon after the explosion there was a series of rapid bursts and Nate and Curie scrabbled to their feet to join their teammates inside the station.

"All clear." Nate announced on the radio once the final few raiders had been neutralised by the team.

"On our way," Cait answered.

"How many were there?" Valkyrie asked as she took a look around.

"Thirteen." Curie answered as she returned from having checked what was the old ticket office inside the main entrance.

"But we haven't gone down there yet." Nate pointed to the main escalators, which obviously headed down to the platforms. At the bottom of the stairs were two sets of double doors. "Saying that…" Nate started down the nearest escalator to the team. On reaching the bottom he looked back up to the team. "These haven't been open in a long time, whatever is down there won't be coming through these in a hurry."

As he arrived back at the top the team began to spread out, examining the bodies and the various rooms of the main concourse. Cait sidled up to Nate. "She will kill me for telling you this, but Heather has decided to join the team fully." Cait whispered.

"Fully?" Nate threw a knowing glance at Cait, who nodded.

"Yes fully, and the totally mad thing she has asked is that I give her a spanking first. She figures that if she gets one from me first, she will be fully warned as to what it is like when she gets one from you." Cait shook her head.

"She might never get one," Nate shrugged, "who knows what she will be like in the team."

Cait chuckled, "It wasn't that long ago you were giving her a couple of hours before you would be roasting her backside."

"Oh yeah, there is that." Nate looked off towards Piper who was over the other side of the complex helping Valkyrie search a couple of the raiders.

"I never imagined this set up being a problem for a team member but I didn't think we would grow beyond the original three. Saying that, I will never force someone to accept a spanking, that is an absolute no. We can always think of something else for her, if she is that scared."

"Uh uh." Cait shook her head and wagged a finger. "We've got this. She'll be on board soon enough. I just need somewhere to introduce the young madam to our way of doing things and we will be good to go."

Nate looked at his girlfriend and smiled.

"What?" Cait asked.

"You." Came Nate's answer, "heading off to give Heather a spanking so that she can feel more part of the team. That's quite a change for you." He smiled.

"Well, I think I kind of offered." Cait looked down, "I was just joking around about it and she took me seriously."

"You will be awesome, missy, I have faith in you." Nate chuckled as he grabbed Cait and pulled her in for a kiss. "There are offices upstairs, take her up there and I'll make sure the rest of the gang stay down here for the next hour or so. Will that be long enough?" Nate asked.

"She's getting a spanking not one of your yawn-athon scoldings." Cait jibed as she dodged a swipe from Nates hand aimed at her backside.

Spinning out of Nate's reach, Cait gracefully bent down to retrieve her weapon and called over to Heather who was helping Curie near the campfire. It was still early afternoon, but the team had decided to base themselves at their current location for the evening, whilst conducting recce patrols to determine the best way up to the General Atomics Factory.

"Nate has asked us to clear the offices upstairs." Cait smiled at Heather as she approached. After a few seconds of non-comprehension, Heather's expression turned to surprise with her mouth forming a large 'O'.