Fallout of the Heart

Chapter Sixteen

On the outside, I was scouting out defensive positions for better settlements, collecting defense-specific scrap, clearing out hotspots people had mentioned in passing, and picking up the support of people hip to our cause so that we could present a united front against all threats. I made sure each settlement had at least one person who was somewhat moderately versed in fighting off threats, repairs, and weaponry – If I couldn't put someone with that information already loaded up in place, I spent some time training up the people of the settlement. I also made sure they had a decent supply of scrap for repairing and upgrading their stuff, so they could safely range out a bit to find more and fend for themselves.

On the inside, setting up a self-sufficient wasteland was my way of trying to make up for all the atrocious shit I'd been forced to do in the past, as well as a preemptive apology for the shit that was going to end up hitting the fan once I made my way inside the Institute. I knew they were going to have to be taken care of and taken out at some point and in some capacity – but the Brotherhood probably was as well. I didn't have all the intel I needed on either one, but I had a nagging feeling that they were just opposite sides of the same coin – two self-righteous self-important groups with shitty ideology, who saw the average people of the wasteland far beneath them that they had to impose their 'we know best' agenda by force. As Hancock was fond of saying – 'I ain't about to stand for that kinda shit'.

"This place would give a Deathclaw nightmares." The man himself whispered from behind me as we crept through the basement of the Salem museum, listening to something big and angry range around upstairs. I felt a crooked smile flit across my face, but I held my peace. I was grateful that he'd pulled me out of my repeated rumination about how the shit was going to hit the fan one way or another once I finally got face to face with the techno-nerds, but I wasn't about to spoil the surprise for him. Judging by the sounds it was making and the state of the bodies, I was pretty sure I knew what was up there.

As we stared down the body of the Deathclaw, he cleared his throat uncomfortably, then turned to catch me hiding my knowing smile. He narrowed his eyes, and I just shrugged innocently. He flipped me off in a completely childish retort, and I laughed outright as a smile split my face. I saw something that made me shiver slide between his eyes, and I had to look away for a moment, using the building creaking as an excuse to not let him see how much he affected me. Something I saw on the floor nearby drew my attention, and we both crept closer until we found the shattered eggs. "Fuck." He muttered, voice full of feeling, and I nodded. After listening to the holotape, we knew what we had to do.

Crouched on a nearby hill, watching the Deathclaw guarding the nest rebuild and reseat the egg, Hancock moved close enough that his lips brushed the shell of my ear when he spoke. "Please take this as the absolute, highest-level comment I could give someone that I mean it as – But you're the only fucking person I know who'd give an apex predator that thinks we're lunch their egg back so they can make more of them." He whispered, his right hand brushing my waist.

"Well, I'd like to be idealistic and think that we could work towards taming them enough we could work together, but the military already tried that shit and failed miserably. At best, maybe this one will remember our scent and possibly attack something that's attacking us in the future, if we happen to cross paths. At worst – I know what it's like." I said, my voice turning a little sad, before I turned and led us away. "Also, I've met those high-brow 'We have money so you're our servant' pricks that stupid robot caters to. If they want Deathclaw omelet, they can bloody well come get it themselves." I amended, tone as vindictive as my mood. I heard him give a matching snorted chuckle from behind me, and I smiled to myself, buoyed for a moment before I slid back into doom-spiraling mental prep.

During a restock stop in Goodneighbor, Hancock brought up something I had briefly thought about for two seconds, then pushed to the side and dismissed. Two members of the Watch were shooting the shit near us, and I heard them mention a name I'd heard before, down in the bar – Macready. Hancock turned and looked at me, his expression thoughtful. "Sunshine, have you thought about us splitting up?" He asked, his tone surprisingly bright for the words that had just escaped his lips.