Hiding In The Green: A Fallout 4 Story

Lily-Livered Communist Maggots!

Nick and Raina's first attempt to crack the security at General Atomics Galleria did not go well. In fact:

"And if you know what's good for you, you won't come back, you pack of lily-livered Communist maggots!" the Director thundered from his office as the synth sleuth and the human agroecologist sprinted away, dodging laser bolts as they ran. King loped after them, carrying a Mr. Handy arm in his mouth like a bone.

Once they were out of line of sight and no one was pursuing them, they stopped. Raina was out of breath, and she sat down heavily on the curb. "Well, that didn't go as planned," Nick commented.

"It did not. Oh, wait, your coat is smoldering at the back!" Raina pointed out.

"Wha—Oh, thanks. Better it than my skin." Nick smothered the smoking hole with dirt. "Here," he said, going into her backpack, "Have a can of water."

"Thanks." Raina drank half of it in one go, then poured some into her cupped hand so King could lap it up. "So what went wrong? I had the ID from the factory."

"Lemme have a close look at it," he requested, and she passed it to him. He glanced at the front, then turned it over, and a moment later, laughed.

"It isn't anything you'd have been able to read, but I know what the problem was," he said. "This bit at the back here, that's computer code. This 'Supervisor Kincaid' who was supposed to launch the Grand Reopening had the first name of 'Roger'. He was six-two and weighed two hundred twenty five pounds. He was also quite human. You're the wrong sex and too small. I'm technically the right gender, but too thin and too robotic."

"Huh," Raina said. "I wish I'd shown it to you before."

"It's not a big deal. I need something to get the coolant pumping in the morning. Anyhow, I think I know how this situation can be salvaged. Who do we know who's human, male, and approximately the right size and weight?"

"Deacon from the Railroad?" Raina asked.

"Yes, but who knows where he is now? I was thinking of someone else entirely. Somebody with an appropriately military bearing for dealing with Mr. Gutsy back there."

"You mean Paladin Danse?" Raina scrambled to her feet.

"That's right. Of course his help won't come for free. He doesn't like us enough for that, but once we figure out what he wants, I bet we can work out a deal. We can talk about what to tell him, and what not to tell him, as we walk."

"All right. Which way is Cambridge from here?"

Nick pointed. "That way."

They started to walk. "Hmmm." Nick intoned.

"Hmmm what?" Raina asked. "It sounds like you're thinking of something."

"Yeah...Did anything strike you as wrong about Danse? Not something bad, necessarily, just something that didn't jibe about him."

She thought for a moment. "He made me feel flustered and uncomfortable. I was wondering if that meant I was sexually attracted to him or something. I hope not, because I didn't like him very much."

"I—uh, well. He isn't the kind of guy I'd like to see you with, so I hope not too. That isn't what I had in mind, however. Remember how you said you'd like to go back to Goodneighbor? That's what sparked the memory. Y'see, Danse said he grew up in the Capitol Wastelands, only just scrounging enough food to live on, or words to that effect. Now there's a guy who hangs around the Third Rail, that's the name of the bar in Goodneighbor, a merc by the name of MacCready, who's also from the Capitol Wastelands."