Aim to Please

10 | An Eye for an Eye

The entrance opened, and they pulled out their guns only to find K-L-E-O walking back in without Aurora.

"I have been unsuccessful in retrieving the blonde woman," the Assaultron said in her monotone voice.

"We can see that," Hancock said.

MacCready didn't say anything; he walked over to a dead Gunner, kneeled to check something on him, then straightened—his fists clenched. "I know who they work under." MacCready started walking toward the exit.

"So, you're not going to tell us who, go bust into a Gunner camp—guns a-blazing—and take on an army to rescue Aurora?" Hancock asked.

"Yes."

"You can be a fucking idiot sometimes, MacCready. Slow down and think. If you want to keep your pretty face, I'd take someone—specifically people who want to save Aurora. She's my girl too, you know."

Fahrenheit looked at her boss. "Everyone's your girl."

"Not everyone," he corrected; Hancock never took his eyes off MacCready's back. "So, what say you? Will you let people help you survive, or do you just want to commit suicide?"

MacCready remained still as he deliberated.

"I wish to extend my services," K-L-E-O said. "No one fires at me and lives."

"Hell yeah! We have an Assaultron; there's no way we'll lose now!" Hancock said.

MacCready decided and looked back at them. "Unless you're against Aurora; she's killed one. But we still need an army of our own."

***

With his rifle on his back, MacCready walked into Chatham, the Gunner camp where the Gunners under Henley came from. On the entire run over here, he wracked his brain for reasons why Henley would want Aurora. He had tried to recruit him, so maybe he hoped using Aurora would make MacCready join his side. But he had heard how cruel and evil Henley could be; that was why he had refused Henley's recruiters. MacCready prayed Aurora would be let off easy.

As soon as he walked through the gates, armed Gunner Privates surrounded him. MacCready lifted his hands to show he came in peace—he was pissed but they wouldn't be receiving their deaths from him, but from Hancock, Fahrenheit, K-L-E-O, and a few Neighborhood Watch coming behind him.

"We actually had a bet that you wouldn't show, MacCready," one of them said. He nodded for him to follow. "No sudden movements, Sharpshooter, or we're blowing your head off and killing that pretty broad of yours."

He badly wanted to draw his revolver and shoot them down, but if Aurora had a chance of living, he had to restrain his anger. They'd be getting what they deserved soon, anyway.

Four broke off from the group to escort MacCready toward the town Henley and his Gunners had claimed. Three stayed behind to be sentinels—they weren't going to be trouble for the others.

His guards led him into the pre-war general store and through hallways and across catwalks built to link building to building; MacCready counted how many Gunners he came across—his tally so far was twenty-four. The higher the count grew, the harder it became for the others to remain undetected and kill stealthily.

MacCready looked at them with disgust; he couldn't believe he used to be one of them: killing senselessly, suspicious of everyone, being cruel for no reason, and having no moral codes. Aurora had changed his entire outlook: she showed him how to distinguish the good from the bad, she gave him a purpose of being alive by fighting to protect others, and she taught him that he could trust people—not everyone would stab you in the back.