Fandom The Commonwealth Story

[AI10100]

"Then I'll let you be the one to worry." Jackson replied with a small shrug. "My brain is kind of occupied with trying to not get us killed in present time." He continued. As he said, the sniper wasn't worried about the future not because he didn't want to, though it truly was part of the reason, but because he was too occupied worrying about the present. He'd come off as joking whenever he said it, sarcastic even, but it was all too true in his head.

"Yeah. Lucky for you, I live in the lower stands. No stairs." He said with a light chuckle as he began to move towards the house. He then gave him a spare glance and continued, "Vaana said she'd be walking around after that. I think I can pinpoint a good hour or two for her soul search." Though, Jackson did have a gnawing thought in his head that Vaana isn't stable and might kill herself. But hopefully the thought of getting the job done would allow her to continue being her and actually do the job.

This was all riding on her and he didn't like it, not really.

"Besides, Vaana has her ways. She'd know where the house is if she really need to." He continued. Smiling when Liam finally agreed, he headed over to a small house in the lower stands and was actually close to the market - next to a general store with a Mr. Handy operating it. He then unlocked the door and ushered Liam inside. They were greeted by Daisy - a dog that looked similar to Sparky but less scarred. He chuckled as she jumped up to greet him. "Where's Julia, girl?" He asked and then he noticed a note attached to her collar.

Unexpectedly, the caretaker had taken off earlier since she needed to do something. Hopefully it wasn't too serious and she gets hurt. Nevertheless, Jackson gestured for Liam to get comfortable and he moved upstairs to sort out his things.

 

[Mr_DC]

"Soul search?" Liam questioned, following Jackson. He found the idea of a soul somewhat confusing. It crossed his mind often. After all, he would once have said he had a soul. He was human once. Would that still apply to him, though? Did he still have a soul? What would happen to him after it all ended? He wasn't particularly religious but it was not like he had a choice in the wasteland. There was no place to be religious. Still, he believed he had a soul.
The existence of Vaana, though, raised a particular question. Did she have a soul? Vaana died and that person certainly had a soul. This Vaana wasn't a true human. Could she have a soul?

"I know you spoke figuratively..." Liam began quietly. "But do you really think she has a soul? Do you believe in things like that? In general, I mean?" He asked. Maybe he was asking too much of the mercenary. It wasn't usually his job to wonder such things. He probably had to think too much about his job and staying alive, as he said.
Nonetheless, Liam was curious about his thoughts. After all he worked closely with those synths. He should have an opinion on them. At least an opinion on what exactly makes them different to regular people.

Liam hesitated before entering the house and backed slightly away when another dog arrived. Seeing that the dog was actually, as he should have expected, Jackson's, Liam relaxed and entered the house. They would have to wait for Vaana. "I guess you're right. She'll be able to find us... Do you have anyone you can take the device to if Vaana doesn't succeed?" He asked, the job still on his mind.

 

[AI10100]

"Yeah, soul search." Jackson replied with a nod. He could practically see the gears in his brain working as the robobrain tried to process the idea. He then let out a hum of thought before scracthing the back of his head. "Not in a literal sense." He said with a light chuckle. "You know, just to think about life. Purpose. Things like that. You gotta understand, she lost everything in an instant." Okay, maybe he didn't understand what she was going through himself. He always thought that if he woke up a synth, then he'd just continue living life like he did before. It's not very hard to do.

But then Liam followed up with correcting that he did understand that it wasn't meant in the literal sense and then elicited a light and embarrassed chuckle from Jackson. When he was posed the questions, he laughed more earnestly this time. "I don't believe in that." He admitted with a shrug. "Not important to me, you know? Don't really think about it and when I think about having a soul, it just adds more guilt. It's a concept I don't really give a shit about." He continued.

Jackson shook his head sadly. "Nope. I don't know any techies." He then let out another hum. "Actually, I do know about this one ghoul that knows this one guy who knows his way about robotics. Bobbi No-Nose. Worked with her once upon a time and her buddy knows his ways around robots. Maybe he could help."

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam was, for the first night in a long time, relaxed. He could spent the night letting his mind wander instead of always being too paranoid about his safety. While Diamond City wasn't perfectly safe, it was likely the safest place in the Commonwealth. Jackson's home was an ever safe place simply because it was Jackson's. He was a mercenary and who would try to do anything to a mercenary? Finally, there was Jackson himself. Liam wasn't alone. He was as safe as he had ever been.

His mind, free to wander, went to long-buried memories. He remembered baseball. The rules of the game and the burning of the sun on a warm summer day. The weight of the bat, the rush of that smack against the ball. Other memories surfaced as well. The feel of the metal table on his back. The cold, white lights. Medical words he didn't understand. Jay was in his memories as well. The only other place he could see Jay again. Jay, who took care of him from the start. Now he had Jackson and Vaana. They didn't feel as protective to him as Jay did but they still took care of him. They needed him but they still took care of him.

As the dawn finally came, Liam felt nervous. The entire night passed and Vaana still didn't return. Did her rash decision to shoot the Courser catch up with her? Or did she just go to the local bar for a drink and lost track of time? Maybe she was still walking around or sitting somewhere, waiting for her thoughts to clear. In any case, it was up to Jackson to decide their next course of action. Liam, after all, wasn't as experienced and didn't want to lead them down a wrong decision.

 

[AI10100]

Jackson did not sleep well that night and often woke up. It was even before the sun had risen that he had finally given up trying to sleep. He had snuck to the rooftop, leaving Liam on the ground, and just looked out of Diamond City. It wasn't the best view out there as he knew the Upper Stands had a better view of the city, but it was enough for him. It was also where he was most vulnerable, but the sniper didn't seem to care. Daisy and Sparky both joined him on the roof, both lying there with their ears down indicating that they felt at ease. Good for them.

The sun had peered over the wall and there was still no sign of Vaana. The sniper wondered where she had gone, because he was certain that she would have upheld her end of the bargain. He cleaned his gun thoroughly and then put it back together carefully - his attention on it solely. Perhaps Vaana had left - breaking her promise. He shouldn't have been surprised if that ended up to be the case. Yet here he was, feeling the slightest bit betrayed. Besides, she had the device and now he had no other contact for the Benefactor.

He felt a bit cheated too.

Jackson sighed as he descended to the inner house with the dogs following behind him. "Liam!" He called out to the robobrain as he grabbed his handguns and inserted them to his holsters and slung his rifle over his shoulder. "We're going, come on. Let's look for this contact of hers. Ike, was it?" He seemed to be talking more to himself for the latter part as he waited for Liam to exit. Hey, if he could get some additional information from the techie, maybe he could actually cotninue his job. And look for his partner at the same time.

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam was, to say the least, startled when Jackson called out for him. He didn't expect the mercenary to call him out so suddenly. Panic started bubbling up in Liam when he saw the mercenary getting prepared for action, trailed by his dogs. From the sound of his voice, Liam could deduce one important thing. Something he worried would happen. Vaana wasn't coming back.

"Yeah, it was Ike." Liam quickly blurted out, feeling like a robotic secretary. "What's the matter?" He quickly asked. What was actually going on in Jackson's head? He knew Vaana better than Liam did, after all. He knew her reputation and better understood what she was going through. "Is something wrong?" He asked, following the mercenary closely, knowing what the answer to that question would be.

 

[AI10100]

Jackson looked at Liam who seemed confused. "A whole night gone?" He asked, descending the ramp down to the ground after locking the door behind them. While he certainly seemed tense, he seemed more agitated than anything else. But he shouldn't be, he kept telling himself that. This was to be expected. Now they have nothing on his hands and his partner had just gone off with the information. "Yeah, don't think Vaana's coming back. I'm getting on the bottom of this case. I won't lose my chance at an early retirement." He growled under his breath.

But was that really the only reason?

"Ike seems like a recluse. But if there's anyone who knows everyone, it's the Vobrov brothers. If not... well, I could take a chance and talk to the Mayor about it." Jackson claimed. He was going off of guesses now. Vaana usually had the answers. The only thing he needed to do was shoot and kill. He was the guy who did what was ordered of him. That was his job. His role. He was pretty sure the Benefactor had made sure that the team would be balanced; hence a planner like Vaana and a follower like Jackson. "If all else fails..." He adjusted the strap of his rifle. "We're going to Maxwell."

 

[Mr_DC]

As much as he'd hate to admit it, Liam wasn't surprised Vaana had left. Seeing how she reacted to the revelation that she was a synth, it was only a matter of time she would lose it. Her closeness to Jackson didn't matter. She was broken. Impossible to repair. He didn't expect her to just take off with their only clue as to what to do next but he expected her to lose it soon enough, whether that would be running off or just ending her own life. While he did notice that the pair of mercenaries formed some sort of a bond, Liam wasn't worried about Jackson losing it as well. He didn't seem as concerned about Vaana as he did about the final payment. About the Benefactor and his reward. In spite of not knowing anything about this Benefactor, they seemed a lot more trustworthy than Vaana. Whoever it was, they didn't send them on suicide missions. Everything they've done was only complicated by themselves. By Vaana.

"Do you think she will try and get the reward for herself?" Liam asked, feeling around for what exactly was worrying Jackson. "She might have found out what it was and... Stole it." Liam shrugged, following Jackson around.
"That's a good idea." Liam commended Jackson. He was going to get the job done, no matter the cost. He even had three leads he could follow. "Diamond City seems like a large settlement..." Liam began, looking around. "But it's small enough that everyone should know everyone. Especially someone with such useful skills." It only seemed logical that anyone would know where this Ike is. There was also the potential for trailing Vaana herself. "We could also ask the guards if they had seen Vaana." Liam suggested. She might have been sneaky enough to avoid being seen leaving the city but she wasn't alone. "That big robot traveling with her is impossible to miss. Maybe we can figure out where they went from the direction the sentry bot headed."

 

[AI10100]

"I don't know Liam. Probably, if she didn't even decide to drop off the clue." He replied with an unsure tone - the first of many doubts that would certainly creep into his mind. He hummed in agreement at Liam's suggestion. Jackson wasn't about to go blaming her for doing something so selfish - he wasn't above that - but he wondered if he could keep his promise the next time they see each other. Would he be able to keep his promise that he wouldn't shoot her at the back just for the reward?

She did say that she would just disappear and leave me the reward. He reasoned out to himself, the mercenary within him - the side that didn't care for human relationship - slowly creeping out of his mind. One that he had repressed for the duration of this adventure. You can just kill her. Jackson wondered if he would be convinced to give up his humanity once more. To lose the one person he had opened up to. He bit his lip, hand reaching out for a bracelet. Would he dare shoot another close 'friend' for money?

"Yeah."

Jackson did not rest for the remainder of the morning. He had entered every establishment, every building, to gather clues. He was given eyewitness accounts of Vaana leaving Diamond City - as suspected - and not coming back. But whenever he asked them where she had come from, they had no answer. He proceeded to the Bobrov Brothers who told them that they knew of no Ike. Or at least, they did know him as he had sometimes come out to drink at the Dugout Inn, but didn't know where he lived. He then headed over to Nick Valentine's small office, disappointed that the detective himself was out of reach. Ellie had not disclosed any information no matter how high he tried to raise the price. Jackson apologized for bothering her and left. Piper was up next on the list and she suggested he search in a particularly small quadrant of the city, but she wasn't going to reveal any more than that. Witness Confidentiality or something.

Lastly, it was the mayor's office. "Geneva." He greeted the secretary and she perked up. Her eyes narrowed. He raised his hand. "I'm just here to ask soemthing."

"Well go ahead, I don't have all day, Mr. Jackson." She turned back to her papers.

"Where does Ike live?"

She paused, looking up from her papers once again. "I'm sorry Mr. Jackson, but I can't give you any information on-"

"What's going on here?" The mayor exited from the other office, sweeping his eyes from Geneva to Jackson. His eyes steeled upon seeing the mercenary but he fixed his posture - and his tie - and then continued. "What do you want Jackson? I don't recall calling for you."

"I want to know where Ike lives. It's important, McDonough. I won't take 'no' for an answer." He threatened, despite the guards posted close to them. Despite Geneva looking at him warily. Despite the mayor's initial shock. Despite the fact that this would be the worst place to threaten someone. But he didn't have time for subtleties and smooth talking.

McDonough cleared his throat, putting up a hand to the guards to lower their weapons. "If you're that desperate." He started before taking a blank paper from Geneva, scribbling on it, and then giving it to Jackson. "There."

He took it and nodded at the mayor. "Pleasure doing business with you as always." With that, Jackson set off for the location of Ike's home. And he was no disappointed to see a heavy metal door blocking his way. With a hard push, however, it gave way. And clearly, quite clearly, Vaana knew how to deal with loose ends. Jackson regarded the corpse with unfeeling eyes and shook his head.

"We're going to Maxwell."

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam faithfully followed Jackson around Diamond city as he asked for Ike's location. He kept his eyes out for Vaana, hoping he might spot her somewhere and prove both of them wrong but it was pointless. He knew she left and that there was no chance of spotting her. At least they had a target. Ike. Seeing Jackson skillfully retrieve information, Liam felt he ended up on the right side of the team. Jackson seemed more capable than Vaana. More stable, if nothing else. Jackson, on the other hand, would have likely been better if he ended up with Vaana's robot. Liam was as useful as a toaster when compared to her sentry bot. He had no gatling lasers nor did he have advanced targetting that would allow him to shoot a leaf off a tree a mile away. He was sturdy, though, and he had a sense of preservation.

Jackson got the information of the mayor and, while Liam felt anxious about the situation he was in, he tried not to let it show and present an imposing image by Jackson's side. A scary robot, ready to take the kill order. The best way he added to that image was keeping his mouth shut and not making a noise until they were out of the Mayor's office. "Nice job." He happily praised Jackson when they left the mayor's office. He was, in a sense, proud of the fact that they were on the right track and it didn't take long until they reached Ike's home. What waited inside eroded Liam's safety.

Seeing Ike dead meant one of two things. Either someone jumped Vaana and took her away or she cleaned up after herself. As there was no sentry bot outside Diamond City, it was likely the latter. "Didn't she say Ike was her friend?" Liam asked as they headed to Goodneighbor. "She killed her friend..." Liam commented quietly. He felt that he was close to her. He was certain Jackson felt the same way. "Do you think she would have killed us too? Both of us?" Liam whimpered nervously as they passed two ash piles and a raider corpse with energy weapon burns. The Brotherhood wouldn't go through the city on foot... Liam felt they were following in her footsteps. Following Vaana and her robot.

When they got to Goodneighbor, he was certain that was the case. The barricade which served as the entrance to Goodneighbor was in ruins and all around the settlement were corpses of its citizens and super mutants. In spite of the chaos, the settlement survived and was in the process of tending to their wounded on the streets, carrying off corpses and piling junk at the point where the barricade used to be.

 

[AI10100]

"Hm, don't know. Should have been able to kill us when we were still asleep." Jackson said. Provided that Vaana didn't know where he lived and she didn't know the traps he had set, he was still pretty sure that she would have been able to pull it off if she put her mind on it. So maybe she wasn't planning on killing them. Not yet, anyways. Though like Liam, he wondered if she saw them as loose ends too. Because if so, then there was a hundred percent chance that she will come back to... cut them off. Make them disappear. However you want to phrase the killing of a previous associate. Such was the life of a mercenary.

He looked at the piles of ashes and hummed. That Sentry Bot sure knew how to pack a punch. Though, with the laser gatling gun, he was sure that it would have done more than he imagined. Jackson involuntarily shuddered. There was no way he could stand a chance against it and Vaana at the same time. It was just... impossible now. Especially since she knew how he operates. He could get the upper hand - just eliminate the brain, Vaana, before they could do too much damage. Though that was only possible if he could get the jump on them. If this was a fair fight, he would lose.

Jackson's breath hitched when Goodneighbor came into view. The wall was destroyed. Dead civilians were strewn all over the sidewalk. The living were either tending to the injured or carrying off corpses and items to salvage. He... was speechless. Vaana was downright ruthless. What had happened to teh Vaana who respected subtlety to get the job done? What happened to Vaana who didn't have to kill if she could help it? Okay, maybe he wasn't too sure about the latter one since he didn't really witness what kind of little ethics she had.

But this was too much.

He stepped through the wreckage. He saw familiar faces there, but he didn't much care for that. He needed two people - Maxwell and Farenheit. He had a gut feeling that the former was the reason why Vaana came here guns a blazing. "Farenheit!" He called out desperately. "Hancock?" He needed to talk to someone who knew everything, and so he decided to talk to the ones with authority. Looks like he'll have to hunt Vaana down now.

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam stopped at the spot where the gate used to be. It was difficult to accept what had happened. They visited Goodneighbor days ago and what they were seeing now was a twisted version of it. The relaxed and free settlement was in ruins. Carnage on the streets. Corpses and body parts were strewn about. He had seen destroyed settlements but it was never a settlement he had seen in a normal state before. He could compare memories of how Goodneighbor looked like with the image before him. The people he saw days ago were looking up at the sky with lifeless eyes before being dragged away by the guards or other residents.

Liam refused to believe Vaana did that. She couldn't have been such a monster. She couldn't have just wiped out an entire settlement. Even with that robot of hers, she couldn't have done it. Wouldn't. If it was here, they had no chance of getting to her. How could the pair of them do anything against someone who can bring down a good portion of an entire settlement? He just hoped Jackson had a plan. Giving up seemed like a plan worth considering. Was whatever reward was on the end of the trip worth risking their lives?

Being tended by one of the resident doctors, Fahrenheit was propped up against the wall and looking down on the two laser wounds on her abdomen. It wasn't anything serious as the wounds seemed to have missed any of the vital spots. "Jackson." Fahrenheit said calmly, seeing the mercenary approaching her. "Your friend certainly made trouble for us." She waved off the doctor working on her and turned to Jackson and Liam. "Killed someone at the bar and detonated some explosives at the gate." Fahrenheit explained, her eyes narrowing at a man passing by. "The supermutants came running while her big hunk of metal busted another way out." A proud smirk crept up on her face as she looked at Jackson again. "Her bot got me but I returned in kind. She's gonna need a doctor if she wants to survive."

A pair of Gunner mercenaries came out of Bobbi No-Nose's alley, followed by a short woman. The mercenaries were well-equipped and obviously high-ranking members of the Gunner faction but they seemed to serve only as guards to the woman. The woman looked like just another raider but had much sharper eyes, lacking any damage caused by excessive chem usage. She was wearing seemingly simple metal armor but it was clearly made specifically for her as the metal perfectly fit her slender body. With hand wraps on her fists, the woman tapped her baseball bat against her heavy boot. The bat was wrapped with barbed wire which had bits of flesh stuck to it.

She slowly turned to look at Jackson and headed over, passing a hand through her short, undercut black hair. "Where's your better half, mercenary?" Before giving Jackson a chance to reply, the woman gave Fahrenheit a quick glance and waved off her bodyguards. "Walk with me." She instructed Jackson and headed back towards the gate.

 

[AI10100]

"At least you're alive..." He muttered. Losing what little people he trusted to some extent was not at all ideal. At her explanation, he cursed under his breath - going through a string of curses both English and otherwise. It helped when you knew a ghoul who could speak multiple languages. "She's covering her tracks." Jackson said, regarding Liam with a side glance. "Obviously, she killed Maxwell. Guess she already thought that much ahead so we cna't track her down." Or continue the mission. He didn't exactly know which hurt more. She could have at least left the job for him - he was a mercenary who thrived with caps, but he still needed the action. The distraction.

"Fuck, no wonder you guys are all injured." He wasn't sure why he felt a little relieved to find out that not all of these casualties were made by Vaana. Though, she did cause it indirectly. But at least it wasn't entirely her fault. Jackson's eyes glanced towards the laser wounds again when she said that the robot got the jump on her but he felt a little put-off with the knowledge that Vaana was out there - injured and in need of a doctor. Again. "Well then, it'll be easier to track down if she goes to a settlement to get treated." Jackson reasoned out, more to himself than to anyone out there. "Thanks Farenheit. You should rest up, your wound won't close itself up you know." He said, giving her a joking grin.

Jackson's eyes were drawn to the Gunner mercenaries and this short woman. Raider, but not as barbaric as them. His eyes narrowed at her as she seemed to have him in his sights and he didn't know why. He didn't recognize her as one of his rarely failed targets nor was she a client before. The bat didn't exactly look welcoming either and he stared at it for a second too long, hand on his side - feeling for his hidden handgun. He was about to answer when she ordered for him to just walk with her.

"So long as it isn't to my death." He grumbled before following her, but he didn't keep his hand off of the gun, just like how she didn't let go of her bat. "Yeah... she bailed on me on the last minute. I feel so betrayed." His voice was full of joking and mirth - obviously, he made the jest to make fun of the situation. Jackson didn't find it funny himself though.

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam listened to the conversation between the pair, feeling like the odd one out, but felt strangely glad Jackson acknowledged him when he commented on Vaana. Vaana locked them out, that much was clear. She prevented them from completing the mission but there was something sticking out from it all. If she wanted the reward for herself, she wouldn't have killed Maxwell, would she? He was the one who gave them the job. Perhaps if she got the reward from Maxwell and just wanted to cover up her tracks but... Why make an enemy out of the Benefactor? None of it seemed right. She arrived at Goodneighbour, ready for a fight, not for a reward. There must have been something else on her mind.

"Why do you think she killed Maxwell?" Liam asked Jackson quietly. He felt a certain sorrow to Vaana being wounded but she was lucky to be alive after attacking a settlement with only a single robot. What he was more interested in, though, was the robot. If Vaana took a shot, the robot must have been hit as well. Maybe enough for them to have an easier time if they catch up with Vaana. He started thinking of a way how to even try to track Vaana down when a short raider approached them and started talking.

"So..." The woman began quietly as they moved further away from Fahrenheit. She sucked in air through her teeth before looking up at Jackson and twirling the bat in her hand. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you're not the one who killed Max." She gave a quick glance to the pair of Gunners watching her from afar. "The Benefactor's representative being killed requires a thoughtful touch. From his right hand." She looked back at Jackson, her eyes sharp as the barbs on the wire around her bat. "We assumed you were with her but seeing you're completely clueless, that's clearly not the case." She stopped close to where the wall once used to be and tapped the bat on the state house wall. "In order to find her, we need to know what step of your job you stopped on. What made her go berserk. This is an important mission and it needs to be finished. Talk." She ordered.

 

[AI10100]

"To prevent us from tracking her down, probably." Jackson replied with a small shrug. He couldn't think of a different reason. Well, his mind was on the track that she was trying to cover his own dust trail so they wouldn't be able to track her down and continue the mission. So he just couldn't help but think it was all her fault and that she was doing her damn best to betray them. He eyed the woman carefull and leaned down to Liam. "Be careful around her okay?" He tapped his side and winked at him before moving into step with the woman.

He followed the woman obediently. Jackson watched as she twisted the bat in her hands as they talked - and his look at it was rather wary. After all, Jackson didn't know this person and lately, it's been a string of betrayals so he'd really rather not. He sucked in his breath when he heard that she was his right hand woman. He felt his heart drop and he was tempted to get his pistol out, just so he could feel at ease that he could shoot her faster than she could swing. But well oh well. "Well yeah, if I were here, I wouldn't have let her kill Maxwell. You don't betray the Benefactor." Jackson quickly said. And honestly, he would. If anything, out of fear that they would be the next target.

And it would seem like that was where they were going. Jackson shifted his weight to his side as he was told to tell her the story. Should he tell her? It would be for the best. Vaana had betrayed him first. Keeping the fact that she was a synth a secret was just payback. That's what you do as revenge. Betray that person too. Because in the end, it didn't seem like...

"The one with the Courser." Jackson replied after a moment. "We came back to her base and when we saw the Courser, Vaana ordered me out. And I did - she was the diplomat between us. Next thing I knew, she was screaming and kicking up dirt and I saw a dead Courser on the couch with his head blown off. She then told me to go to Diamond City with her and she got this dude - Ike - to decode this device... I think. Vaana didn't let me come with her. She left me in the dust soon after that." He ended it with that and a shrug once more.

 

[Mr_DC]

The woman went pale when Jackson explained what happened. Her hand relaxed its grip on the bat. The woman sucked in a deep breath and looked away. "For fucks sake..." She swore, waving over the two Gunner mercenaries. She stared through the bloody ground with a frown on her face, her brain working overtime. Liam listened to Jackson's advice and was ready to, if nothing else, step in the way of the bat and take the swing. While the woman might have been short, Liam could clearly see that her body was packed with muscles and could only imagine the damage she could inflict with that bat. Still, she hardly seemed like a threat compared to the two armed, high-ranking Gunners.

"It just had to be the worst case scenario." She looked back at Jackson with a tired expression. "You know, I suggested only the Merc takes the job. She was meant to be enough. The boss, though, felt you'd likely do better." She explained in a slightly resentful tone as she clenched the bat again and the two Gunners came up behind her. "So we compromised and put you together. The fucker was right again." She looked up at Jackson. "The plan has changed. You'll get a reward. Her share too. You just need to do one more thing for us."

The woman lowered her tone. "Have you heard of the Sentinel site?" She spoke through her teeth. "It's a pre-war facility. Full. Of. Nukes." She paused to let the weight of what she was saying get across. "What the Merc stole is enough to do whatever she wants with those nukes. I don't know if she wants to use them or destroy them or maybe she doesn't even know what she's doing... But we need to get there and protect it if she isn't there yet. If she reached it, we need to take it back." She explained and roughly grabbed one of the Gunners by the forearm. "You fuckers still hold Vault 95, right? Get everyone you can over there and wait for me with further instructions. Go!" She ordered and the two Gunners rushed off.

The woman watched the Gunners run before looking at Jackson with a look of concern on her face. "I'd like you to head to the site first." She softened her tone. "I still need to get the word from the Benefactor but if we all go in at once, she is gonna be marked for death. I'll understand if that's impossible and I won't hold it against you but... I'd consider it a personal favor if you kept her alive." The woman looked away again. "I'll have to get the order for the assault from the Benefactor and more information on the site. You try to get there before us. For all our sake." She said and reached in her back pocket. "You've got a map or something, right? These are the coordinates. Good luck." She handed the scrap of paper with geographical coordinates to Jackson and headed in the opposite direction of the Glowing Sea.

"Nukes?" Liam finally decided to speak, too frightened to get the attention of the woman. "What should we do? Can we... Leave? Leave Boston? If Vaana is insane and has nukes... We're as good as dead."

 

[AI10100]

Jackson was surprised to hear that it was the Benefactor's sole decision to place him on this mission. Even his right hand man didn't want him there and just wanted Vaana to be the one to do the mission. Put a little bit of pride into his chest, but he didn't have the energy to feel the pride of being chosen by one of the best out there. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."He muttered, if anything, for himself so that he could lighten up his own mood. "Alright..." He didn't seem too confident when he said those words. Would they order him to kill her? He really didn't want to.

"I've heard rumors." Jackson admitted. He didn't really know where it was or what it contained. For him, it was just any old site that he probably wouldn't venture into. When she dropped the bomb that it was full of nuclear bombs, his heart dropped. "Oh fuck me..." He muttered under his breath after she explained that the device she held meant she could control everything in there. If that thing was filled to the brim, who knows what'll happen to the Commonwealth. He nodded grimly at her. "Roger that."

He was surprised when she told him that she wanted her alive. And it was for her, not for the Benefactor or whoever else. Jackson nodded once more. "If I can talk her down, sure. But if she tries to blast my head off... uh, I'll have to retaliate." Not the best scenario in his mind. He didn't want to kill her and it was good that he was being ordered not to. For now, at least. Jackson could easily just snipe her off if she's already inside and hasn't noticed him. But... he wasn't sure he could pull the trigger if that happened. "What? No name to the face?" He asked her as he accepted the coordinates, expecting to hear a name. She knew all about him but the only thing he knew about her was that she wielded a menacing bat. Whether or not she answered, she had left.

"No, Liam. If that thing detonates, I doubt we'd be far enough to actually live." Jackson said. He looked down at the coordinates and took out his map. He cursed under his breath again before heading to his apartment, ordering Liam to stay put for a while. It wasn't soon until he came out wearing a radiation suit. It was the best thing he had. He should have gone for a Power Armor but that was too late now. "Come on. We gotta go to the Glowing Sea. Can you input these coordinates and see our quickest route there?"

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam watched the woman leave without another word, not even leaving a name. It seemed almost fitting as they didn't even know who was behind the title of the Benefactor. As far as he knew, maybe she was the Benefactor. Perhaps not. She didn't seem like good enough an actor.
He sighed as he looked back at Jackson. The situation was dire and it was up to them to sort things out. Up to them and a bunch of mercenaries. While Vaana was definitely capable and that sentry bot of hers was the apocalypse on wheels, Vaana was wounded and the robot was likely damaged. The numbers coming down on them... Vaana had no chance of survival. What worried Liam was if Vaana had something else in mind. Something other than survival. If that was the case, only the pair of them could talk her down.

"Do you really think you can get her out alive?" Liam asked finally. "I doubt that's even a possibility..." He turned away. "She seems to be on a mission of her own, doesn't she?" Liam looked at the carnage around them. "Kill her friend, abandon us, attack Goodneighbor. I don't think she has any intention of getting through this alive." He commented and inputted the coordinates.
"I've got it. This should be the fastest route. The one she likely took if her bot has guidance as well." Liam added, dreading even the idea of coming face to face with the sentry bot again.

 

[AI10100]

Jackson stepped over the ruined debris of the gate of Goodneighbor - a flash of a scowl appearing on his face for the briefest of moments before coming down to his more relaxed one. He scratched what little remained of his wastelander beard - which wasn't a lot - as Liam spoke. "No." He replied with a grunt. It was obvious that he wasn't happy with the conclusion either. "If, as you say, she's doing it out of a personal vendetta with no mind for living through it, then she probably wouldn't end up alive." The sniper huffed as they started to move. "But... I still don't want her to die. Vaana deserves to live. She doesn't understand that. Her judgment is clouded. Time to put it back on track."

The sniper was talking big. He wasn't quite sure if he could really do it, but hey, he'd try. He felt like he couldn't shoot Vaana even if he wanted to. He couldn't go through another Bluebird incident. Never again. "Alright, let's go. That monster of a bot is injured and I don't think it'll try to kill us on sight." He said. "I hope."

 

[Mr_DC]

The trek to the Glowing Sea was silent. The pair encountered no enemies and Liam hesitated to say anything. His mind was busy trying to understand what he got himself into. Trying to understand his place in all that was going on. He, being as cowardly as he was, in a position where he has to help save the world. He never thought he would be of such importance. Perhaps there was some sort of a destiny to it. If they didn't head to the Commonwealth... If Jay didn't get killed... If he hadn't been left for dead... Liam wouldn't be by Jackson now and Jackson would have a slightly lower chance of success. Perhaps he was meant to be there. To help save the world. To be a true hero.

As he imagined himself a hero, Liam couldn't help but see the irony in it. Liam, the coward, becoming a hero on his way to save the world. Vaana... The legend of the wasteland who wanted to be a hero and help people... If things had only turned out differently. Liam would have gladly given away his chance to be a hero if Vaana could just be herself again. If he could spare her the pain she was feeling. The pain she wanted to dish out on the world for all the suffering she had gone through.

When the sky turned to a bleak, unhealthy color and the regular creatures of the wasteland got replaced by roaming deathclaws and massive radscorpions, Liam knew he was on the right track. He was just glad he could help Jackson navigate through the area. While Jackson was a skilled survivalist, Liam had technology on his side. Perhaps he even made a difference to Jackson. If nothing else, they arrived faster than they would without him.
"This is it." Liam said quietly as he lead Jackson to a tall pyramid structure with four openings at the top. "Are you ready for this?" He asked, spotting a pair of tread tracks leading towards the entrance and no footprints. "I don't know how hurt they are but whatever is waiting in there, it's not going to be easy." He sighed. "What exactly do we hope to achieve? Talk her down? Even if we achieve it... Do we turn her in to the Benefactor?"

 

[AI10100]

The trip was uneventful and silent. He didn't know if he hated it or appreciated it. He didn't know if he could take one more word asking him about what he would do or if he would want someone to prompt him to speak his thoughts so it might sound coherent enough that he might actually think of an idea beyond walking inside and try to talk. Because he might as well be walking into his own death.

He could feel Bluebird breathing down his back - anxiously waiting for his choice. Anxiously waiting for his betrayal once more. He could feel her presence on his back growing heavier and heavier the closer he got to his location. It threw his mind in a frenzy. It was like he could hear her voice but he knew he was dead and he knew there was no way she was speaking. But her final words were ringing in his head. Her accusations were beating against his mind over and over again.

You cannot change who you are.

They arrived in front of the infrastructure faster than he thought. His mind had gone silent since entering the Glowing Sea but he still hasn't gotten his thoughts organized. He sucked in his breath when he saw the tracks leading inside. So they were already there... how unfortunate. Maybe if he had gotten there earlier than them, he could make a desperate attempt to not make her get to the nuclear bombs on time.

"Honestly?" He asked. "No." Jackson brought his rifle up as he proceeded forward. "If it's them or something else, we still have to face them. Just keep behind cover, alright Liam?" He was worried that the robobrain would get himself in trouble in the firefight. Liam had helped him out a lot and he wouldn't want the robobrain to suffer.

"If we can talk her down, we're getting out of here. Maybe get out of the Commonwealth, unless the Benefactor catches us that is." Jackson seemed to have been thinking of running away, and he honestly wasn't sure why he was thinking that. He could just let go of her right then and there and call it quits. But he couldn't. He wanted to prove himself wrong. That people can change. That he could actually be someone who is good.

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam nodded along to Jackson's plan. They were leaving the Commonwealth. Leaving death behind. The greed, the war, the Benefactor. Perhaps they could start anew. Perhaps there was still a chance for redemption for all of them. A chance of Liam to make a difference. A chance for Vaana to be the hero she wanted to be. Perhaps there's even a chance for Jackson to start a new life outside the Commonwealth. "I guess we should go." He sighs and turns to Jackson. "I'll go first. If it's an ambush, I'll be able to take a shot better than you will." He lets out a grim chuckle.
Entering the facility, Liam found himself in the pyramid structure, finding that it's mostly hollow with thick walls. It was clearly designed to survive a strike and it did that pretty well. The only problem with the facility was that it was in disrepair with one of the launch pads destroyed. The orange emergency lights were blinking, lighting up the room. To Liam's horror, several warheads were already on the launch pad. What was even worse, the main room was well-guarded.

A couple of turrets were turning, covering the main floor but that wasn't the biggest threat to them. Parked in one corner was Vaana's sentry bot. It was leaking thick fluid and wasn't moving except shifting its gatling laser arms from left to right. Liam examined the scene. It would be difficult for Jackson to sneak through alone. Sneaking through with Liam would be impossible. If there was one thing Liam knew about sentry bots aside from the fact that they were killing machines, it was that they had extremely sensitive sensors. He doubted even Vaana could sneak up on one of those. If the sentry spotted them, the turrets would quickly turn their fire on them as well. On the other end of the room, on the wall by which the sentry bot was parked, was a pair of blast doors. Both closed. Both likely locked. Liam turned to look at Jackson, hoping the mercenary would have any idea on how to get through that room alive.

"It's you..." A voice came from nowhere in particular. Vaana's voice. Liam looked around and couldn't find the woman. "I hoped you'd leave the Commonwealth..." She took pauses after every few words. "If nothing else, lose my trail." She took a deep breath and sighed. Seeing no place where she could have hidden, Liam decided that she must have been speaking through the speaker system. "Come." She said and after a few seconds, one of the blast doors opened and the turrets stood down. The sentry bot, however, didn't. Near it, by the pool of leaking oil were several splotches of fresh blood. "My bot..." She quickly spoke again. "It will shoot you on sight. I can't deactivate it remotely... But it can't move..." She took a deep breath and let out a moan. "Be quick." She gave a last piece of advice before going silent again.

Liam tried coming up a plan but couldn't pick on anything particular. If he went first, he would distract the sentry bot but Jackson would have been left alone with a suspicious robot. If Jackson went first, he wouldn't know the bot's reaction time and could turn to dust just as easily. There was one plan he wanted to suggest to Jackson. A plan which might just work. "How about we go together?" He proposed. "You keep me between you and it and we'll move to the door as quickly as possible." He said and quietly tapped his casing. "At least he's not using plasma." Liam nervously chuckled, careful not to be too loud and wake up the bot too soon.

 

[AI10100]

Jackson nodded at Liam - seeing reason in his suggestion. Besides, he was a sniper. He was not going to go in first. Nope. He'd really rather not, at the very least. So he followed closely behind Liam, keeping his rifle up and eyes down the sights as they moved up. His heart fell when he saw the defenses there - turrets turning around seeking a target and even Vaana's sentry bot was watching the hallway. It would be extremely hard to get through any of that while trying to sneak. He'd have to take them out, wouldn't he? But that's a danger in itself since the sentry bot might still be able to move and he'd be running for the high hills if that was the case. His armor wasn't even that good too since he was wearing a radiation suit which - mind you - he needs to survive this hellhole.

He was about to suggest to just run and shoot when Vaana's voice rang throughout the building. She seemed to not have been expecting his presence. Understandable. He was a mercenary. He should have just booked it and ran. Even the allure of money wouldn't have budged him. It wasn't supposed to. But he guessed he cared more than he thought. Jackson didn't know if she could hear them but he still didn't say anything, as if expecting that Vaana would turn the turrets against them.

But she didn't. She had opened the blast doors and deactivated the defense system aside from the sentry bot - which she confirmed could not move. Jackson was worried when she didn't sound like she was faring well wherever she was. He listened to Liam's suggestion. He pursed his lips. "I don't like it." He told him, a bit of worry in his voice. "But let's do it. Just move as fast as you can. I can sprint towards the blast doors but you have a set max speed. Just run roll like you mean it." He told the robobrain and then patted his metal shoulder before preparing for the sprint - slinging his rifle onto his back so that he didn't have to carry it.

 

[Mr_DC]

Liam felt as nervous as ever. He was never in a situation where he would have to risk his life so directly. The pressure was weighing on him. If anything happened to Jackson, Liam couldn't have done anything to Vaana. He wouldn't be able to talk her down. If anything happened to Liam, on the other hand, Jackson wouldn't have his help and they didn't know what waited for them beyond the door. He had no time to think, though. They needed to save the world.

They had no chance of getting through without at least one of them getting harmed. Liam became well-aware of that when, after only a few feet, the sentry bot turned its torso towards them. They still had a fair distance to cross and the charging sound of the gatling laser already filled the room. Being closest to the sentry bot, Liam got the focus of the fire. Some shots reflected harmlessly off his metal frame but the sheer amount of firepower would soon have him overwhelmed. Rolling towards the door, Liam raised his hands to protect his brain as a well-placed shot there would mean he was done for good. Liam focused on rolling to the door as fast as he could even as the laser fire cut through his armor and damaged his systems. The robobrains were state-of-the-art machines and each part of them served a purpose. Each damaged part put Liam at a serious risk.

Liam found himself in front of the door frame and rolled in where he ran a quick diagnostic of himself. One thing stood out more urgently than all others. The pressure of his med-gel was dropping. Rapidly. The tank or one of the tubes must have been punctured. Liam knew what that meant but he needed to focus on the task at hand. Stopping Vaana. Liam focused his attention on his mercenary partner to see how well he fared.

 

[AI10100]

Jackson followed beside Liam, his body bent down so as to make himself as little of a target as possible. He honestly could not afford to get hit - but there were no more covers other than his robobrain companion. Understandably, he was bound to get hit. He let out a grunt when he felt one of the laser bullets hit him near the leg - surprisingly, that was the one that had been hit. He had lagged behind for only a moment and he was pretty sure that was just a stray bullet. He limped over and then finally got through the no-man's land.

He had let out a string of curses as he sat down and spread his right leg where the laser clearly struck. Jackson took out some duct tape and began to wrap it around the radiation suit so that it would plug it up. He did not want to die due to radiation poisoning thanks to his suit being punctured. He nearly went through all the duct tape before he felt content. He stood up and then tried to put some weight on it before letting out another curse as he put off his weight from that leg.

"We should get to Vaana. You okay Liam?" He asked as he began to move forward to hopefully find their injured ex-companion.