The Danse Dilemma

3. Call To Arms

As we make it to the bottom steps, I take notice that the sun was now beginning to set. I look to my left and notice Danse was no longer next to me. He stops just before an alley way. "We'll take this alley. Follow me." Dogmeat was quickly to catch up to him with me bringing up the rear. We make our way behind the police station, through a destroyed wired fence. "ArkJet is a short hike to the west. If we take this road, we should be able to avoid the larger packs of ferals infesting Cambridge."

As we continue to jog down the road, Danse fills in the quiet air. "Traveling this far from the police station is a risk, but getting that transmitter up and running needs to be our top priority." He's starting to sound out of breath. How much strength does it take to move in one of those big tin cans? "If it was up to me, I'd relocate my team, but Scribe Haylen detected some disturbing energy readings in the area that need to be investigated. We don't know much about them, except that they're short-lived and broadcast on a frequency only obtainable with high level of technology. We're concerned that whoever or whatever is creating those energy readings might be a potential threat, so it's our job to investigate."

I'm pretty sure I know what he's talking about. We continue down the road as we see a large group of people. "We may have a problem here." Danse quietly warns. I turn my safety off, just in case and before either of us could react, shots were fired and three bodies drop dead, now the shots coming towards us. We quickly find out that it was Raiders, and we quickly took care of them. After a quick duel, and pockets searched through, we continue our way west. Danse decides to continue his history lesson in the mean time.

"It might surprise you to learn that my recon team isn't the first to visit the Commonwealth. Over the last seven years, two other teams were sent here by the Brotherhood to gather technology. The first team's mission was a huge success. They came back with crates full of pre-war artifacts and historical documents. The second wasn't so fortunate. Shortly after they arrived, we lost contact with them and they haven't been heard from since. As far as my team goes, we've lost four good men to this godforsaken wasteland. We've been a target from the moment we arrived. But despite our setbacks, I don't intend to give up and head home... Or end up missing."

I couldn't help but agree with him on the last part. I'm not giving up on Shaun, and it would seem everything in this wasteland is out to stop you.

Before I knew it, a building started to come into view. "There it is... ArkJet Systems. There shouldn't be any exterior security, so we'll head in through the front." Danse informs. ArcJet Systems was a massive brick building, an old factory. We make our way through the fence, I eyed the building suspiciously and went to reach for the handle for the front door when Danse put a hand on top of mine to push it away gently. "Listen up. We do this clean and quiet. No heroics and by the book. Understood?" He says sternly.

'I wasn't born yesterday numb nuts'. "This isn't my first rodeo." I say as I roll my eyes.

"I understand that. I'm simply offering valuable tactical advice. You'd do well to listen. Remember, our primary target is the Deep Range Transmitter." He explains again, as I pull my gun off my thigh holster and load it up. "Stay focused and check your fire. I don't want to be hit by stray bullets." He says and pushes open the door. I did have a little military training, thanks to Nate. Everything else was easy to pick up on. I load a bullet into the chamber of my gun and head inside, following Danse.

As I take in the surroundings, I see the building as an eerie atmosphere. Danse notices my wondering eyes. "It was corporations like this that put the last nail on the coffin for mankind. They exploited technology for their own gains, pocketing the cash and ignoring the damage they've done."

We make our way down the hallway and into a room on the right. If I wasn't watching Danse's back, literally, I wouldn't have noticed his abrupt stop and running into him. Danse steps further into the room and crouched down by some destroyed robots. "Look at the wrecks. It appears as though the facility's automated security's already been dealt with."