~9 Years Ago~
Danse was in a tent looking over a table with a map of America on it. It was worn and scribble marks were all over it, but Danse was focused on just one area. The flap to the tent opened and he looked to see who it was. Haylen.
"Hey Danse, you still looking at that thing?" she asked.
"I am. We have to get this just right. No detours. We can't do anything that'll put anyone at risk" he said.
He pulled another map out from under the first one, it was just a simple map of Massachusetts.
"I couldn't ask the Minutemen for too much, they're just starting to get the Commonwealth back on track. Garvey said they could spare a few squads to escort us to Springfield. Some of Deacon's men will take us as far as Albany. From then on it's just the seven of us guarding sixty-eight souls; you, me, Hemlock, Daniels, Foster, Raven, and Gregor" Danse said. He noticed the Scribe shifting her weight as if uncomfortable.
"You know. If you just let me ask he'll say yes" she said.
"Absolutely not! I won't jeopardize this mission. For all Elder Maxson knows I'm leagues away from the Commonwealth. His warning was very clear" Danse said angrily.
"Just think. With you escorting all these people west, the synth population here will drop. Maxson will be happy about that. No way he'll reject the idea of helping synths get farther away from him!" Haylen said excitedly.
"With all due respect to the Elder, he doesn't care if synths are gone or dead. My people will not be put in harms way before we're out of Massachusetts" Danse said. "And that's final"
"You're people.... You know, the old Danse wouldn't have said that." Haylen said and smirked.
Danse couldn't help but smile as well. "No, I suppose I wouldn't. Go tell Donald to make the announcement, we're leaving"
"Got it boss" Haylen said. As she left the tent Danse looked back to his map of America, to the spot he'd spent hours staring at.
"Here we come Chicago"
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~Present Day~
"It's a pleasure to meet you Head Paladin Danse" Carter said, reaching his hand out to shake Shepherd's.
"Likewise Knight" Danse said, shaking his hand. "Sigma Squad has got an excellent new addition if our reports of the 'Icicle' are true."
Carter's face flushed of color.
"What? You didn't expect we'd chase down any leads on the escaped Vault Dweller that shot one of our men? Don't worry, I won't have you arrested" he finished.
"The rest of the residents, in the auxiliary sections, where are they?" Carter asked, a question he'd been pondering whether or not to ask Conrad.
"I can promise you they are safe. Sigma and Epsilon Squads brought them to Bunker Epsilon. Last I heard they were still there getting adjusted, what with first encountering the Wasteland and hearing about what happened, the Calculator, the Great War" Danse said.
Conrad cut in, holding out the file Hyde had given him to deliver.
"Sir, Elder Hyde wished to see these notes get to you" he said. Danse stared down at the folder, almost as if he feared what was inside. Eventually he took them and placed them down on the command table.
"Thank you Paladin. I'll... make sure to read through them later on, soon" Danse said. "Right now though, let's go see our new prisoner"
The four of them walked out of the command center and back up the slim hallways. Making their way out of the bunker they took a left towards a small concrete building guarded by two soldiers in combat armor. They saluted Danse and opened the door for them, which led down a flight of stairs. At the bottom they continued down yet another slim hallway and ended up in a large room with various one-sided windows. A small-scale detention center. Haylen walked up to one with the others following behind.
"I hate to see him locked up in there. But at least he's here, away from the camps" Haylen said, looking through the one way glass into the room Paladin Rhys was being held in.
"Hmm. I don't know whether it's wise to speak with him. If he sees us and escapes, Maxson will know we're here and helping the MWs. Paladin Conrad, you said he didn't give anyone at Osceola information?" Danse said.
"Uh, no sir. Only his name, rank, and serial number over and over like it was some kind of joke" Conrad said.
"Yes. Rhys is a dedicated soldier.... I'll have to go in" Danse said.
"Sir, if I could leave a suggestion. Let's just call in the Inquisitors. I know he's an old friend, but we need that information ASAP. Maxson's beating us on the east front, would've beaten us in the south if not for Hyde and his questionable act" Conrad said.
Carter simply stood by and watched the conversation, not knowing if it was his place to interject. Danse looked at Conrad, then back to Rhys.
"Let me try, then we'll see" the Head Paladin said.
Danse walked to the door to the room and opened it, ducking under the door arch to fit in with his power armor. Rhys looked up at his interrogator and jumped from his seat in surprise, but was pulled back down by the chains around his hands to the table. Haylen hit a button so they could hear what was going on inside.
"D-Danse! What the hell are you doing here?" Rhys said, shocked.
"Hello Rhys. It's nice to see you. I heard you were promoted" Danse said.
"You're working for them, aren't you? These codebreakers?" Rhys said, the expression of shock soon changing to disgust.
"Maybe the Brotherhood needs a change of code, Lyons did it as well, didn't he? But that doesn't matter, it's not why I'm here. Rhys I ne-" Danse was cut off.
"I'm not telling you anything, traitor! A synth, sure. I don't really fucking care what you are. You were a good leader. But a traitor? No. You'll get nothing from me" Rhys said.
"This isn't a game. I had you brought here to keep you away from the people who'd do anything to get the information you have. You either give it to me, an old friend. Or to the people who are going to torture you for it"
"Let em try. I won't break"
Danse sighed and walked to the door to leave.
"Wait. Haylen is out there, isn't she? She deserted. And only place I can think for her to be is with you" Rhys asked. Danse stopped but didn't say anything. He looked through the glass at the three of them and then walked out.
"I imagined that going better" he said, hitting the button to turn off the cell microphones.
"Danse, you can't get the Inquisitors!" Haylen yelled.
"I won't, not yet. Hopefully Rhys will calm down and just tell us something, anything helpful" Danse said.
He looked to Carter and Conrad. "Sigma Squad, I have an assignment for you"
"Yes sir?" Conrad said.
"Alpha Squad is heading north in three days, they're going to see if they can take one of Maxson's bases. From there we should be able to make our way south and pinch them, hopefully before the rumored reinforcements I've been hearing of turn out to be true" Danse said, looking down and then back up to them again. "You two will go to Bunker Sigma first thing tomorrow and get new squadmembers. Conrad, I've already got a list made up for you, I'll have someone bring it down to the barracks for you in a bit. After Sigma you'll all return here, and then accompany Alpha Squad on their mission. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" Conrad said
"Yes sir" Carter said, lagging behind.
"Dismissed" Danse finished.
"Paladin Lord Conrad? Head Paladin Shepherd asked for this to be delivered to you" a small Initiate said to Conrad, holding out a folder for him.
"Yes, thank you. That will be all." Conrad said, taking the folder and shooing him away. He opened the folder and flipped through the papers quickly. Carter and Conrad were sitting in the barracks with about twenty or so other people. Donna was in a corner snoring loudly, no doubt dreaming of mutant sheep.
"Huh, Sigma's about to get real interesting" Conrad said.
"Those our new squadmates?" Carter asked, leaning from his bunk to take a look at the papers.
"Yeah. Gotta say, Shepherd's picked out an odd bunch" Conrad began picking out bits of info on the pages. "Paladin Gregor; originally stationed at Bunker Alpha, explosives expert. Heard about that guy, came with Shepherd from Massachusetts. Junior Paladin Aisha; I grew up with her, loved sharp things, hide and seek too. Don't even got to read this to tell she ended up in stealth; Scribe Leon; ghoul, medic, originally stationed in Kansas City. Senior Knight Mara; also goes by 'Liner', originally stationed in Mardin, scout.... deathclaw"
"Deathclaw? Staples mentioned something about those when I met him. What are they?" Carter asked.
"Let's leave that to your imagination til we meet her. Promise you'll be in for a surprise" Conrad looked to the clock on the wall. "11:00. May wanna get some shut eye. We've got some work to do tomorrow"
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Danse had the papers from Elder Hyde strewn across his command table. Haylen and two others, a man and a woman in long leather coats, stood around the table with Danse.
"Hmm, the old mutant wasn't crazy afterall" Danse said.
After a long silence, someone finally spoke, the man in the long coat. "So? What do we do now Shepherd?"
"Raven. You and Hemlock get back to Simulacrum, make sure every defense we have in place is ready, maximum efficiency." Danse said.
"Understood Shepherd, we'll retrieve Donald from that booze den as well. Can't have any of us wandering about." the woman, Hemlock, said.
"Danse, do you want me to have some of my team contact the Council? This seems like something they should know about" Haylen said.
"Yes, have them do that. The message: 'Hyde is right'. That's all they'll need to hear to call a meeting" Danse said and sighed. "Soon Maxson and the Legion will seem like pesky flies compared to.... this"
This is a shorter chapter than usual I think, sorry bout that.