CHAPTER 13

The next afternoon, Dante found the Pride just outside the armory in the Lab, arranged in a line with several fraying duffel bags in front of each of them. One for the transportation of their weapons and one for food rations and other equipment. Everyone was busy packing their munitions at present as Sarah looked on.

Gallows was the only one of them not dressed in power armor, instead he traded his in for normal street clothes. Sarah had mentioned he was to stay in Rivet City while the Pride began their search at Adams Air Force base, to the north. It would be lying to say that Dante wasn't relieved that Gallows would be nowhere near Sarah while he was away from the unit; he had always made Dante uneasy because of his unpopular techniques and the fact that the Knight Captain was seemingly unable to take a break from his work, gruesome as it was at times. The wanderer also had his own suspicions that the Pride's "special ops" runner was interested in the Sentinel in more than just a platonic way. Yet, Sarah never seemed to take any of his behavior as a sign, so he mostly dismissed the idea as paranoid on his part or just simple jealousy.

With Dante and Gallows out, that only left Sentinel Sarah Lyons with four subordinates in her charge.

Sarah nodded in the lone wanderer's direction when she noticed him approaching in his unmarked armor, which was riddled with grey scratches on the otherwise army-green paint and dark burn marks on the right side. It was 'new,' but only in the sense that he, himself, had not worn it before this morning. "Kennedy."

He halted at his name, standing at attention. "Sentinel. Permission to ask about certain details of your mission?" His posture was rigid, with a straight back and an air about him of restrained power.

"Granted," Sarah bent down and started zipping up her own bags.

"May I ask where the unit is heading to, ma'am?"

She glanced up at him. "Might come and check up on us, huh?"

"If circumstances allow, ma'am."

"We'll be looking up around Raven and the satellite field. We're going to stay long distance, using scopes and imaging equipment, and avoiding direct combat. We'll be out of radio contact for a few days. We can't risk the Enclave intercepting our messages."

The wanderer rubbed the slight stubble on his chin, processing what she had explained to him. "Solid plan. Stealth is definitely is our best option at this point. Good luck. Steel be with you, Sentinel." Sarah saw his heavily-armored feet walking passed her, heading toward the dining hall.

"Kennedy, hold on," she jumped up abruptly and advanced to where he stood waiting.

"Ma'am?" He watched her actions with brown, questioning eyes.

Then she did something nobody expected, including Dante, when she grabbed the collar of his armor and leaned into him, but only halfway. Smiling, he obliged, closing the remaining distance between them and gently pressed his lips to hers.

They held eye contact for a while, silently communicating while the Pride stared on.

Well, way to give them a show.

Fuck them. I love you.

Sarah finally pulled back, "Don't do anything stupid." She hauled her bags over her shoulder and marched to the door, leaving him behind in a room full of quiet, confused Brothers.

Without looking at anyone, he turned back to the path of his original destination. "You too."

The lone wanderer made his way east, through feral-ghoul infested metro tunnels, remembering the way there by heart. He only had to rely on his Pip-Boy for light to aim by, which projected eerie green light on everything around him and made shadows jump in the corners of rooms. Of the many ghouls that broke from the darkness to attack him, he always managed to down them in one or two shots from his newly-acquired plasma pistol. The only exception was a particularly cunning reaver that was either smart or just lucky enough to stay behind cover as it advanced on him. Four shots later, Dante was cursing under his breath as he reached the rusting gate leading up to the surface.

At last, he found what he was looking for: a wall painted with a large four leaf clover with two sabers crossed over it. He made his way through the archway and paused to gather his thoughts in front of the Ranger Compound before pressing the buzzer to the intercom system.

There was a minute delay before a deep male voice came over the speakers. "Who is it?"

"The lone wanderer. I'm here on business."

"Come on in, then. Before a super mutant gets ya."

The door's locks clicked and the sound of metal scraping against metal filled his ears. Dante found Butcher, Reilly's boyfriend and second in command, standing before him in the entryway. As usual, he was clad in the unit's signature green ranger armor with the same four-leaf clover and crossed saber emblem as well as "Reilly's Rangers" spelled out in white paint on the chest plate. He wasted no time gesturing their guest inside. Dante hurried over the threshold and watched Butcher quickly relock the door behind them.

"Seriously, super mutants are really getting to be a problem around here," Butcher offered his scarred hand out to Dante, who accepted it and gave it a firm shake. "Good to see you're still drawing breath."

"Hey there. Where's Reilly?" Dante asked, not willing to take up too much time chit-chatting.

If he weren't in such a difficult position and rushed time schedule in the hopes of meeting up with the Pride, he would gladly sit around with Butcher and the rest of the Rangers, and shoot the breeze all day. One of the Rangers' favorite pastimes, drinking themselves into a daze and playing poker, quickly became one of his own. He greatly respected the unit for their code of honor and the dignity of their work, but mostly for their resolve and cohesiveness. It also helped that the Rangers and wanderer both shared a hatred for Talon Company Mercenaries as well. The Rangers couldn't stand Talon's values, or lack thereof, and Dante still held a grudge over them trying to assassinate him on more than one occasion.

"She's busy at the moment. But I'll pay you the standard rate of caps for whatever geodata you've got for us," Butcher made his way into the first room of the compound, periodically glancing over his shoulder at the lone wanderer who was following close behind. He pulled out a bag from a beat-up metal desk in the middle of the room that judging by the sound it made, was full of bottle caps.

The lone wanderer clicked a few dials on his Pip-Boy. "What I have are mostly locations southeast of here in Maryland. But that's not the only reason as to why I'm here. Butcher, don't get me wrong, it's great to see you, but I must really speak to Reilly."

"She can't see you right now. I told you, she's busy," the blond, sarge-cut ranger sounded very tired. There were baggy, dark circles under his eyes. The break of his usually calm demeanor and inability to make eye contact gave him away.

"Something's up," the lone wanderer pointed out, matter-of-factly, keeping his tone low and even. "Tell me what's going on. Please."

Butcher scoffed, seeming uneasy as he crossed his arms and refocused his gaze to the wall. Dante waited.

"I'm not sure exactly," he started out tentatively. "She had a cold a few weeks ago, but she got better quickly. And then just a few days later, she either caught it again or something else, something worse. It's going on two weeks since she's gotten this bad. She can't get out of bed now."

"Can I see her?"

The Ranger's combat medic was quiet for a moment before taking in a breath, "Fine." There was genuine worry in Butcher's eyes, and they still refused to look at Dante directly.

Pushing off from the wall, Butcher lead him further into the compound. Dante could hear voices and laughter from the large community-use room they passed, but they paid no mind to them as they continued down the hallway, and through the last metal latch door at the end.

The room was dark, but the light from a glowing computer screen on the desk allowed him to see well enough. Dante's eyes fell on a weak-looking, sleeping Reilly, who was wrapped up in several layers of frayed and stained blankets on the mattress that had been pushed against the far wall of the room. The Rangers' leader seemed to be breathing unusually heavily for being at rest, and strands of her deep red hair were sticking to her sweat-drenched forehead.

"We need to stop meeting like this, you know," The lone wanderer joked, waking her. "You look like hell."

Her head popped up from the pillow. "I'll be damned. The wanderer. I thought you died, it's been so long," her voice was strained, like she had to put all her effort into just making herself loud enough to be audible.

"Not yet," he made his way over and knelt down by her bedside. "I came here on business. I was hoping to discuss something with you - privately," he nodded his head to where Butcher was still in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"This is as private as it's going to get. He stays," she seemed adamant, holding his gaze.

It wasn't worth pushing the issue. "As long as you trust him."

"I'd trust him with my life," Reilly replied, steadfast in her words. Dante could hear Butcher shift uncomfortably from over his shoulder.

"Good. It's a long story..." He took a deep breath and explained in detail the last few days' worth of news. Dante kept his focus on Reilly. Her expression went from interest, to confusion, to horror as he got to the part about the missing nuke. He didn't dare look over to Butcher, who had so far remained in his spot, silent. "So, I'm really here to barter for your help with the Brotherhood against the Enclave," he felt his stomach sink as he finished. It was a huge request.

Reilly offered no immediate response. She looked to be thinking it over, carefully considering her options and the benefits and consequences that came along with each one.

"No. We have to evacuate and take our chances," Butcher was the first to speak up, running to the foot of the mattress and practically yelling his opinion in the wanderer's face, while his own was flushed red and twisted in a mix of rage and panic.

"Carl, I am not about to make a decision right now in the heat of the mome-" It was as close to yelling as Reilly could manage and the exertion caused her to go into a coughing fit before she could even finish the word. She bolted upright, her entire body shaking with every spasm. Her coughing sounded terrible and wet, like she had been drowning a moment ago.

'Carl' - Butcher - came up from behind and grabbed the lone wanderer's shoulder armor, making sure to put on enough pressure to let Dante know he was not afraid to become aggressive. "I think you should go now."

"My apologies," said Dante. "I'll come back at another time. I hope you feel better, Reilly."

Angrily, Butcher led him out into the main hallway, heading back toward the front door. He knew his window of opportunity was closing with every step they took toward the entrance. Dante only had this chance to speak up. He couldn't run the risk of losing Reilly's Rangers as allies.

"Butcher, I have a proposal for you. You know that Reilly needs medicine and proper care - badly."

"I've already been to Rivet City," Butcher said gruffly, finally loosening his grip once they were far enough out of earshot.

"And?" Dante prodded further.

"A lot of people got sick during winter there. Their antibiotic supply is so low that they hiked up the price. It's insanely expensive for even just a standard week's course. We can't afford it."

"I can get them. She obviously has a respiratory infection. And fluid in her lungs. This is serious, Butcher. You know it is."

Butcher looked crushed. "And let me guess: in return you want our help against the Enclave?"

"Yes. I'll even give you the geomapping data free of charge, if that helps."

Butcher seemed perplexed at the offer, running his eyes up and down Dante before asking, "Why?"

"I want you as allies and not enemies," Dante held eye contact and adopted a more relaxed posture, then elaborated, "I would have readily joined the Rangers. I prefer to work alone, or in small groups with people I know I can trust. I admire the Rangers' ability to do just that. You're smart, strong, and honorable," Dante answered his question.

He was telling the truth, the complete truth. His life could have easily went the way of joining the Rangers. He could have been sitting in the common room with Donovan and Brick at this very moment, having to pull them off each other every time one of them instigated a fight. But it just so happened that his fate didn't play out that way.

"Then why didn't you, after you were done with the purifier?" Butcher asked, seemingly genuinely interested in the answer.

He took a moment to piece together an answer, "I stayed with the Brotherhood of Steel because I found a Reilly of my own. Her name is Sarah." Relinquishing such personal details was a calculated move, but he was hoping it would make Butcher trust him just a little more.

"Sarah? Sentinel Sarah Lyons?" Butcher's face softened, obviously trying not to laugh. "You're kidding me."

"Yes. That would be the one," Dante could feel his ears turning red.

"You're insane, kid."

"I get that a lot. And my name isn't 'kid.' It's Dante."

Butcher seemed surprised. "Well then, Dante. What would you have me do?"

He left alone, but did not return in the same condition. The Brotherhood's solo Knight marched into the courtyard of the Citadel, preceding Brick and Donovan. Butcher was the furthest behind, burdened with the task of carrying Reilly, who was too ill to make the trek under her own power.

They all brought with them their few worldly possessions in the bags on their backs. The Brotherhood's hold would be their home for a while. A nervous Brick was gripping Eugene's handles like she was holding on for dear life, but she was wearing her best intimidating expression to make up for it. Donovan just looked bored. Or maybe he was angry? Relieved? It was hard to tell with him.

Dante directed Butcher in the way of the infirmary before leading the other two to a long-vacant barracks room. The layer of dust on the row of mattresses and footlockers told a story of just how long it had remained unused.

"This will be your home. I apologize for its condition."

"Thanks kid," Brick said gruffly before finding a bunk to her liking and gently setting Eugene down on it. Donovan said nothing, but dumped his bags on the next bed.

"I'll leave you to it, then," the wanderer left, heading in the direction of the Solar, knowing the Elder would want to be briefed on their new ally. The Rangers didn't take much convincing, but he knew his work ahead would be no where as easy.