Crossfire - Fallout 4 - [R J MacCready x Sole Survivor]

Chapter 7

The sun was fully out, breaking up the early morning mist in an orange glow. Heavy footsteps thumped ahead of MacCready, and the mercenary looked up to see fresh droplets of blood trailing behind Dawn. He watched a particular drop hang from her fingertips, dark and sticky, before it fell and pattered on the dusty concrete.

He shook his head as he walked past the drop, annoyed by her lack of care. If a pack of stray dogs were nearby, they would sniff her out and easily follow the trails of blood. She might as well carry a billboard saying "Easy Pickings" above her.

"Apply pressure to your wrist," he groused, "You're bleeding everywhere."

His nagging was ignored, as per usual, and MacCready took her silence as sign to shut up. Why talk when she won't listen? He tutted at the concept.

They rounded a corner, and a barricade of metal and wood came into view. There were bloodstains everywhere, though the bodies of whatever had bled were long gone. Behind the barricade was the police station, and fronting it was a soldier donned in a refurbished suit of power armour.

The sentry guard stepped forward, aiming a large laser rifle at Dawn, his posture hunched and foreboding.

"Move along, civilian!" The guards voice was distorted, but also amplified like a loudspeaker. "You're wandering into Brotherhood territory. Turn back or you'll be forcibly removed from the premises!"

MacCready clenched his jaw furiously, anger simmering beneath his skin at the Brotherhood soldier ahead. He knew they should have gone to Diamond City, and now they've wasted precious time and energy to get here. Dawn, however, seemed unfazed by the threat and staggered to a stop.

The sentry aimed his gun higher, moving his sights from her feet to her head. "I won't repeat myself," he yelled with finality. "Turn back. Now."

MacCready reached Dawn in a single bound, grabbing her by the elbow and forcibly pulling her back. "Boss. We've gotta go," he hushed, his eyes fixated on the guard. "These Brotherhood goons don't mess around–"

Dawn yanked her arm back and staggered away from the mercenary, shooting him a filthy look as she shrugged her bag off her shoulders. MacCready gawped at her audacity, shocked and unsure of her actions, and tried to give her a pleading look. He wanted to go. He wanted to go and get as far away as possible from the Brotherhood.

A bloody hand was held up in a sort of truce, and the soldier watched her intently as she rummaged through her bag with her other hand. "Stand down, soldier," she called out, unfazed. "I'm a fellow Knight."

Knight? MacCready blanched, now disturbed. She's also one of them assholes?

The soldier visibly relaxed, but his rifle was still pointed in her direction. "State your regiment and C.O." He ordered. Dawn had finished hunting in her bag, and a set of dog tags were produced in her palm. She held them out for the soldier to see.

"Z coy," she replied, "I'm directly mentored by Paladin Danse."

A beat had passed, and the soldier lowered his weapon. He nodded his head, the movement restricted from his armour, and Dawn took his signal as permission to enter. She hastily walked past, beckoning MacCready to follow, and the soldier resumed his sentry duty by guarding the perimeter.

There were more soldiers donned in that stupid power suit, each of them doing some odd job or another – MacCready couldn't really care less as long as they weren't pointing their guns at him – and a scribe was busy cleaning one of the stains from the floor. Dawn acknowledged each of them. Each nodded in return.