When he entered the fort, Mason was already pissed. Rushing up the stairs, he came face to face with a synth.
BAM!
Slamming the stock of his rifle, the synth didn't have time to register Mason being there as its head came off.
Bang! Bang!
Firing two rounds, Mason took another two down as they came rushing to see what the noise was. Staying silent, Mason moved forward, rifle raised as he prepared for more. Moving through the rooms to the left, Mason heard more of the machines in one of the offices.
Byoom! Byoom! Byoom!
As the synths further down began to fire, Mason ducked and charged, moving too fast for them to turn in time to react.
BAM! Bang!
Slamming the stock into the head of one, Mason kicked the legs of the other out before firing a round into its head. Growling, he put the rifle away, pulling out his knuckles. After putting them on, Mason cracked his neck before moving to the next room.
Crack!
Stopping as he turned the corner, a synth hit Mason in the head with a baton, though it didn't do much as it bounced off the helmet. Grabbing the synth by the throat, he held it at arm's length.
Bam!
Taking its head off its body, Mason dropped it, glaring at the incoming synths. Charging forward, Mason slammed into a synth, grabbing its shoulder and holding it as he pushed it, the synths behind it firing lasers, trying to shoot him.
Bam!
Slamming into the pillar, the synth's body got crushed by force, the metal crumpling from the impact. Turning right, two synths began rapidly firing at Mason as he got behind the pillar. When they stopped firing, Mason came out, charging at one of them. Mason ducked low when it went to aim, making it move to readjust its aim.
Bam!
Slamming into it full force, Mason tackled it, slamming it into the wall behind. As it went to hit him with its pistol, Mason reached up, grabbed its arm, and slammed it down, forcing the weapon from its hand. Holding its arm by its side, he lifted it off the ground, using it as a synthetic shield as the other began to rapidly fire. Not stopping, he turned around as the other synth began firing, using the body to take the shots. Moving slowly, Mason didn't stop, even when a laser hit his exposed arms, not leaving the synths any breathing room. As the synth stopped to reload, Mason dropped the destroyed metal and charged forward.
Bam!
Throwing a jab, Mason knocked the synth back as it stopped reloading its weapon, dropping it to pull out its baton. As the synth swung its weapon, Mason went to block it.
Clang! Bam!
Hitting it away using the metal armor, Mason threw a cross, leaving a dent in its head.
Bam!
Throwing an uppercut, Mason tore the head clean off the body. Quickly moving, he moved to an area with a chemistry station, catching a synth by the head as it tried to hide behind some cabinets.
Bang!
Slamming the head into the cabinet, it crumpled in the metal. Leaving its body hanging there, he didn't bother to pull it out. Turning, Mason saw a synth looking at him, its armor black, a helmet covering its entire face, unlike those he'd fought before.
"Get out of my way," Mason growled, glaring at the synth.
"Engaging Target," the synth said, moving to attack Mason.
Bam! BAM!
Closing the distance, Mason threw a cross before throwing an uppercut. The synth tried to move to attack, throwing a punch before Mason blocked it.
Bam!
Staggering back, the synth was pushed back and moved to pull out its weapon.
BAM!
Throwing another cross, Mason grabbed the synth by the front of its armor, throwing it to the ground.
BAM!
Throwing a low kick, even when holding back, Mason took the head off the body, the armor and helmet doing nothing to keep the neck from tearing. Moving forward, he moved to head to the room ahead, already knowing there'd be more synths ahead.
"He's pissed, isn't he?" Jackson questioned as they came in after the General, surprised by the carnage. He'd seen battlefields like this before, but that was usually done by Super Mutants and other synths. A human doing this, that was something new.
"I'd say so. She is as well," Nick remarked, gesturing to Heather. "There's a reason he brought us along."
Collecting the fusion cells off the bodies, he and Nick were surprised when they saw one with black armor with its head off its body, another nearby with its head in a cabinet, its body held up by it.
"Fuck," Jackson said, turning around as he saw a turret get thrown into a wall. "What did I get myself into?"
After injecting a stimpak after throwing the turret, more than a few bullets grazing his arms when he closed in on it, Mason put the needle into his bag as he tightened the strap on his helmet. Hearing four synths coming, he stretched his arms as he moved forward, getting ready for the machines.
"Bring it," Mason muttered, a growl coming out underneath it. As the first synth came into the room, Mason charged forward.
Bam!
Throwing a jab, Mason sent the synth flying back, knocking over another as it fell. Not wasting any time, he moved to the next one, grabbing it by the head.
SCRR-SNAP!
Tearing the head off the body, Mason kicked it back, hitting the synth behind it. Holding the head in one hand, Mason threw it into another synth, hitting it with enough force to take out its leg.
BAM!
Kicking a synth as it charged at him, Mason sent it flying back onto a landmine in front of a terminal. Closing the distance between him and the two remaining, Mason threw a hook at the nearest one.
Bam!
Punching the synth clean in the neck, it became unhinged as it staggered, hanging by the wires underneath the skin. Quickly putting a knuckle away and pulling out his pistol, Mason pressed it to the machine's head.
Bang!
Dodging an incoming swing from the other synth, Mason ducked under the next swing before slamming into it as he wrapped his arm around it, pushing forward as he held it.
Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom!
As the laser turret on the ceiling in the next room began firing, Mason held the synth up, the body taking the shots. When the machine stopped firing, he dropped the pile of scrap and aimed his pistol.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Storming forward, Mason holstered his weapon, heading straight for the elevator, not waiting for Heather as he pressed the button.
"We can't slow him down," Jackson said, growing concerned for the General. He knew what Kellogg did to him, but he was being reckless. Walking into the room ahead, he realized even if the General was pissed, he didn't have to worry. Seeing a discarded synth body, scorched to oblivion, riddled with energy shots, and a destroyed laser turret, the barrel of it lay destroyed by his foot, the shell in pieces.
Coming out on the bottom floor, Mason pulled a grenade out, seeing a door up ahead. Moving quickly, Mason charged forward, setting off a trap in the process. As the door opened, he ducked into the room beside it, quickly pulling his pistol out with his free hand. Tossing the grenade into the room, as he jumped back, he aimed.
Bang! BOOM!
Shooting the grenade, he heard a turret exploding and a synth falling. Getting up, he quickly rushed forward, seeing another synth as he charged into the room. Planting a foot on the ground, Mason raised his leg as he turned.
BAM!
Kicking the synth in the chest, sending it flying back into the wall, Mason looked down at the machine, a look of indifference on his face.
"Well, if it isn't my old friend, the frozen TV dinner," a familiar voice said over the speakers, making Mason growl. "Last time we met, you were cozying up to the peas and apple cobbler."
Disarming the trigger on the door, Mason opened it, moving forward as he looked ready to kill. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Mason ran into a turret, throwing a grenade at it before ducking back around the corner, not staying long enough for it to warm up.
BOOM!
Moving forward, Mason kept going, ready to take down Kellogg.
"Sorry your house has been a wreck for two hundred years. But I don't need a roommate. Leave."
"Holy shit," Jackson said as they entered the room, seeing the destroyed turret, a large footprint in the chest of a synth leaned against a wall. "It's gonna take a while to get used to this."
"I've seen the man fight once," Nick remarked. "But he was in Power Armor and a vault. It's surprising to say the least."
"How'd he move around in that while in a vault?"
"Surprisingly easy."
"Hmph. Never expected you to come knockin' on my door. Gave you fifty-fifty odds of making it to Diamond City. After that? Figured the Commonwealth would chew you up like jerky." With every word the man said, Mason's anger grew and began to storm his way forward, making sure the man wouldn't live to see daylight. Seeing synths ahead, Mason put one of his brass knuckles on, pissed. The man didn't do his research. Charging forward, Mason headed to the nearest synth.
BAM!
Tearing the head off the body, Mason grabbed the one beside it by the neck as the four ahead turned to fire.
Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom!
Mason charged forward as the four began to fire, carrying the synth with him.
BAM!
Slamming into one of the synths, he released the body as he charged for the next one, ducking under its swing as he reached and grabbed it by the neck.
SLAM! BAM!
Pushing to the right, he slammed the synth into the ground before punching it, caving the metal skull in.
Bang! Bang!
Using his free hand, Mason pulled out and fired his pistol into two synths, taking a leg from one and an arm from the other. Dropping the weapon, Mason charged forward, grabbing the one missing an arm by its remaining limb. Putting his back to it, he pulled it downward.
SLAM!
Forcing the synth onto its back, Mason punched its neck, going through the frame and cords.
"Then there were two," Mason growled, already getting up and heading for the next one. Using his shoulder, Mason rammed into the standing synth, slamming into the wall. Grabbing it by the collarbone, Mason wrenched it from the wall before holding it in front of him and throwing a cross, sending it falling to the ground. Grabbing his pistol from the ground, he merely walked as he fired a round into the one whose leg he took out.
"Look. You're pissed off. I get it, I do. But whatever you hope to accomplish in here. It's not gonna go your way."
Kellogg had a real way of driving Mason's anger further. He was going to break him limb by limb. Reloading his pistol as he moved into a hall, Mason fired at a turret on the ceiling.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Destroying the turret, Mason heard two synths down the stairs and was about to put the pistol away before he saw another turret.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Destroying the turret, he holstered his weapon as he saw a synth coming around the corner. Charging forward, Mason grabbed the synth by the shoulders and slammed it into the wall before holding it in front of him. As a turret began firing, more synths came around the corner. Moving to a room a synth was in, Mason dropped the body, moving too fast for the machines to react. Grabbing the synth by the throat, pushing it back. It began to hit him, punching the helmet, scratching at his shoulders.
BAM!
Slamming the synth into a metal drawer, Mason took its helmet off before slamming it face-first into the drawer, destroying the skull. Stepping away from the body, he pulled out his pistol as he went to leave the room.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Destroying the turret as he moved forward, he refused to slow down as he holstered the pistol, moving onto the synths.
BAM! BAM!
Mason kicked a synth back and grabbed the other as he put his fist through its chest. Moving forward, Mason deflected the hits from the synth as he pushed it, grabbing it by the shoulders. If what was happening was a pattern...
Byoom! Byoom! Byoom!
Synths began firing, three firing from around the corner, one still coming up the stairs. Mason put the brass knuckle away as the synths began reloading and pulled out Overseers.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Firing in quick succession, Mason took them down, not wasting his time with them. Too many covers.
"You got guts and determination. That's admirable. But you are in over your head in ways you can't possibly comprehend."
Pulling out the Nuke grenade he was carrying, Mason tossed it down the hall, raising Overseers after he did.
Bang! BOOM!
Shooting it, the grenade took out four synths, along with a turret on the wall. Putting his rifle away, he pulled out his knuckles as he saw a synth with black armor making its way to him; its armor looked like it was meant for taking damage, covering up almost its entire body with the exception of its joints.
"You gotta be the garbage can," Mason growled, raising his fists. Keeping his arms raised, he stopped where he stood as the synth came charging, fist raised.
BAM!
Not holding back, Mason punched the synth in the chest, a crack forming in the armor as it staggered back. Moving forward, he didn't let it raise its arms to defend itself.
BAM! BAM!
The synth staggered to the right, getting hit in the ribs before getting punched in the side of the head, the helmet cracking from the weight of the punch. Sensing the armor was damaged, the synth moved to attack the man in front of him, sensing their shoulder as an opening.
BAM!
Before the synth could react, it received a punch to its arm, hanging by a few wires, the hinge getting destroyed, and wires coming loose. Unable to use its arm, it proceeded to try to kick the man.
BAM!
When the man blocked the kick, he didn't stop at defending. He pushed through, bending the armor with the leg, destroying the wiring under the skin. Trying to use its last arm to attack, the synth was surprised when the man pulled a gun and placed it under the jaw.
Bang!
Dropping the body, Mason continued, tired of all the damn synths, wanting Kellogg to come out himself. If the man thought this was enough to stop him, he was delusional.
"It's not too late. Stop. Turn around and leave. You have that option. Not a lot of people can say that."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shooting down a turret, Mason growled. As he rounded the corner, he noticed another turret at the end and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It didn't matter how far; Mason could always shoot his target. No matter how long he went without training, he'd always be proficient with a weapon. Getting an idea, he went back to the hall, lifted the black armored synths body, and held it in front of him as he went around the corner to the next room.
Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom! Byoom!
A turret began firing as he came around the corner, the lasers tearing through the synth's armor. Guess they didn't expect someone to use bodies as a shield. Dropping the body as the turret stopped, Mason pulled out his pistol.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Destroying the turret, Mason continued forward, knowing he was close.
"How far ahead is the General" Jackson questioned, stepping over the synth corpses with Heather behind him.
"Don't know. But we're going to get Kellogg," she said, her voice full of conviction.
Sighing, Jackson remarked, "That's if your boyfriend leaves anything."
"Okay. You made it. I'm just up ahead. My synths are standing down. Let's talk," Kellogg said over the speakers, opening a previously locked door. Mason went through, putting away his pistol, taking off his helmet, and the door shutting and locking behind him. This man was going to see who he pissed off.
"Shit!" Heather yelled as they reached the final room. "Kellogg, you bastard!"
"You're telling me the General is going to have to face that man alone? What the hell!?" Jackson yelled, slamming a fist on the door. "This wasn't part of the plan!"
"It was. His," Nick remarked, looking at Heather.
Stepping into the room, Mason finally saw the man, Kellogg. The man who murdered his wife. Taken his son. And yet he stood.
"And there he is. The most resilient man in the Commonwealth. Funny. I thought I had that honor," Kellogg stated, Mason's anger replaced by a new emotion. Rage.
"You're dead man," Mason growled, staring the man down, his jaw clenching, barely able to stop his hands from forming into fists.
"This world, this life? You've seen it. Pain, suffering. Death is its only escape. But don't worry. Shaun's fine. Maybe a little older than you expected, hmm?" Kellogg said his pistol in his hand. "But I can't give him to you because he ain't here."
"Then you'll take me to him. Right. Now," Mason growled, his rage becoming more noticeable, his fist clenching.
"Take you to him? Ha ha ha. Like I could, even if I wanted to. Don't you get it? He's in a place nobody can reach. Shaun's safe at home. In the Institute."
"So where is it?" Mason growled, his arms starting to bend. "How do I get there?"
"Heh. Haven't you been paying attention? You don't find the Institute. The Institute finds you." Looking down for a minute, Kellogg stated, "You open the closet, it's just a closet. You can never find the monster that hides inside. Not until it jumps out at you." Looking back at Mason, he finished, "But I think we've been talking long enough. We both know how this has to end. So... you ready?"
"Before the bombs fell, I refused to listen to my demons," Mason growled, noticing the closest synth. "Now, I'm letting them take over."
BAM!
Throwing a jab, Mason sent Kellogg back, knocking him over a desk. Grabbing the nearby synth, Mason forced it down.
BAM!
Hitting with his full strength, the head came clean off the body, barely looking like the head ripped off, more like cut.
Byoom! Byoom!
Getting hit in the shoulder from behind, Mason growled as he closed the distance between him and the only other synth. Holding it in front of him, he turned around.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Kellogg fired three times at him, each bullet going into the synth. Placing the synth in front of him and standing, Mason took a step back.
BAM!
Kicking the force of a horse, he sent the synth flying towards Kellogg, storming his way in that direction. The bastard had used a Stealth Boy. But there was one flaw. There was still an outline.
Bang!
As the synth hit the cover, parts went flying, an arm hitting Kellogg, the torso blocking his vision as he tried to dodge it flying before feeling something around his throat.
BAM!
Getting slammed to the ground, Kellogg reached for his gun as the man held him down, the old relic refusing to let him go. Grabbing his pistol, he went to shoot it before a knee was placed on his arm. Bending his arm and turning his wrist, Kellogg aimed the gun at the bastard's head.
BANG!
Firing the weapon, Kellogg was surprised when the bastard grabbed his wrist, twisting the gun away from him as he had moved his own body out of the way. Feeling the weapon get wrenched from his grasp, Kellogg tried to grab it before it was kicked away. Before he could pull his knife, he felt his back leave the floor, pressure being applied to his jaw and throat. Looking at the man. Kellogg grunted as the man punched him in the ribs, catching his breath. Getting punched across his face, Kellogg began trying to pry the man's fingers from his throat, his Stealth Boy beginning to time out.
BAM!
Getting kicked in the stomach, Kellogg got sent flying back, taking two desks with him. Getting to a knee, he looked at the man, seeing the giant glaring down at him.
"I'm going to make you suffer," Mason growled as Kellogg charged him.
As he went to hit the man, Kellogg's hits were all blocked before they stepped back. Going for another punch, the man stepped inside his guard, a look of fear suddenly crossing Kellogg's face. As the man reached behind his head, Kellogg went to punch him in the rib.
BAM! Crunch!
Kellogg choked for air, getting kneed in the stomach, knowing some of his ribs were broken. Before he could recover, Kellogg got wrenched around, getting released when he faced him.
BAM!
Getting hit in the face by the man's elbow, Kellogg staggered back, surprised by the man. Who the hell was he? Charging the man, Kellogg went for a kick, aiming for the man's stomach.
BAM!
Getting punched in the liver, Kellogg began to realize how dangerous the man was. He knew how to make a man hurt, and his bones were getting destroyed.
BAM!
Getting forced back, Kellogg wasn't being given any room to move. Charging the man again, Kellogg went to hit him in the throat.
BAM! BAM!
Getting elbowed in the collarbone, Kellogg was forced to the ground before feeling both fists hit his chest and stomach. "What the hell?" Kellogg said, standing up. "You shouldn't be-"
BAM!
Not getting a chance to talk, Kellogg received another hook, more damage being done to his ribs.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Unable to block, it took all Kellogg had to receive those punches, getting hit with enough force to break bone. When he let up, the man grabbed him behind the head.
BANG!
Getting pulled down, Kellogg was kneed in the mouth, getting sent back, knocking over another desk. Standing up, Kellogg pulled a knife, getting pissed at this guy. Seeing the man pull out his own knife, Kellogg chuckled. The man had guts; he'd give him that. Going to stab the man, Kellogg went to stab the man, his blade getting deflected.
SWIS!
Grabbing his face, when Kellogg pulled his hand back, he saw blood. His blood.
"Bastard!" Kellogg yelled, swinging his blade at Mason. Trading swing after swing, blow after blow, they kept going for each other until...
SHKK!
"Now you're dead," Kellogg said, Mason's blood spilling onto his hand, his knife in his pit. But before he could congratulate himself...
"I'm not done," the man growled, grabbing Kellogg's shoulder. Already tired, Kellogg saw as the man flipped the blade and raised his arm.
SWIS! BAM!
As the blade was slammed into Kellogg's collarbone with enough force to bend metal, he was forced to the ground, being forced to release his grip on his blade as he went down. As the man held his knife, Kellogg was unable to take it with him as he went down, doing more damage to him. When a foot was placed on his chest, Kellogg looked up to see the man glaring down at him.
"I'm not finished with you," the man growled, pulling a stimpak out. Before Kellogg could question it, it was injected directly into his wound. Kellogg started to heal immediately. Before he could ask what he was doing, the man pulled Kellogg's blade out of his side, where he saw his mistake.
Kellogg had fought larger enemies before, but it was hard to adjust for height. Especially when he didn't do it often. He thought he'd stabbed the man in a vital point, and while it was damaging, it was nowhere near as effective as he had thought, having stabbed a little below the pit instead.
Bending down, the man grabbed one of Kellogg's fingers on his left hand.
"I said: I'm going to make you suffer."
Before he could process that, Kellogg's finger was bent back.
CRACK!
"Fuck!" Kellogg yelled, his finger breaking.
"I don't break hearts. There's only one. But bones, there's two hundred six of."
When he grabbed another part of the same finger, Kellogg tried to yell at the man to stop.
CRACK!
"And there are even more joints," Mason growled, not letting the man up. Kellogg tried to punch him with his free hand before Mason grabbed it.
CRUNCH!
Twisting and bending it up, Mason forced the elbow to an unnatural angle, breaking his elbow.
"I never said I was done," Mason growled, starting to put fear into Kellogg. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.
"Fuck you!"
"You ain't my type," Mason growled, breaking another joint.
"Shit!" Kellogg yelled, music to Mason's ears.
"That's right. Scream in pain."
BAM!
Not letting the man forget what his specialty was, Mason punched the man in the crotch, making him yell.
"No rules in a real fight. So, let's see how you do," Mason grinned, holding up a stimpak. He was going to enjoy this.
"Shit, the General's fighting!" Jackson said as they rushed back to the room where the cage was. He figured that's where the fighting was, and he wanted to see. Damn what he told the man, hearing a man with a story like Kellogg scream, he could not miss that.
"That could be Mason," Nick remarked.
"No, that's too high a pitch. Mason's is deeper," Heather remarked, leading the way up the stairs.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Hearing the noise, they knew it was from one thing. And it wasn't a gun or grenade.
BAM! BAM!
Rounding the last set of stairs, Heather saw Mason kneeling, looking down, his fist raised. Before she could say anything, he yelled as he swung down.
BAM!
She stepped up to the gate and saw Mason stand up and step away from something. Before she could even question it, she saw a familiar armor piece in a pile, having been torn off the man. If it could be called that. All that lay where he'd been kneeling was a pile of blood and organs, the skin having been destroyed, one arm broken in four places in just the forearm.
She tried to get in there, but Mason didn't do anything until he'd inserted a holotape into the terminal and pulled it out after pressing a few buttons. After he grabbed the clothing off Kellogg and placed his armor into his bag, she watched him pull something from the remains of Kellogg's head, picked up the bastard's gun, and put the stuff away. Before she could do anything, she watched as he took two gasoline containers and began pouring them over the stuff.
After pressing a few buttons, Mason opened the gate. Before she could go in, Jackson stopped her, holding an arm in front of her. Mason slowly walked out of the room, lit a Molotov, and tossed it into the room, lighting the desk and room on fire. Unable to stop him, they followed him out, taking an elevator to the roof. When they came out, Heather was pleased by the sight she saw but saw Mason growl.
The Brotherhood was here, and Mason wasn't happy.