Outstanding

Chapter 10

The Raiders were some distance away. Two or three armed with common Raider armor and weapons, running like fools in the small clearing before the stream. There was a far off banging noise that could only mean they were blindly shooting at the settlement's walls.

I glanced towards the bridge just as Danse's group walked out of the gates. Chewing on my lip, I briefly wondered whether or not I should warn them about the Raider in power armor but decided against it. I didn't want to reveal my position, nor Danse's team's position.

With the heavy fog, it gave both MacCready and I the perfect cover, as well as the others on the ground. I would just have to keep my sights set on the jackass in power armor.

His group moved swiftly and deftly with Danse at center point. Most likely to keep the focus on him and not the others. Hopefully, Danse would work with them instead of over them. I knew that wouldn't sit well with Preston.

I could feel Nick's gaze on me as I adjusted my scope's sights. He had been quiet the entire time and I knew he was waiting for me. "I'm guessing there's a reason you wanted to be my buddy?"

I heard him light up a cigarette. "I'm just concerned about ya kid." He said before inhaling. "You saw some pretty heavy stuff back at the Memory Den, thought you might wanna chat?"

"I'm fine." I said almost automatically. I could feel Nick's eyes piercing my back, but I brushed it off as I watched the Raider's group closing in on Danse's group. They were on a collision course with the Raider group having no clue what awaited them in the fog.

"Bullshit." He said bluntly, his tone coming across harder with his grizzled accent. "I saw what you saw back there, so ya can't pull the wool over my eyes. Not like you do with the others."

My grip tightened on the stock of my rifle. Nick knew me better than anyone I know today. I knew I couldn't keep pretending, at least not with him. He probably knew me better than I did myself. But then again, he should know I don't want to talk about it.

"Kid." He said gruffly. "Don't block me out. I've got the patience of a saint."

I let out a breath and glanced over at him. His arms were folded over his chest, looking down at me as if I were a child who had been caught sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar. "Nick I-"

My ears picked up on gun fire, rounds of fire broke the stillness of the night. I recognized MacCready's rifle fire striking two Raiders. Damn, he got a head start-literally. Raiders zigzagged in my line of vision. Adjusting my scope quickly, sucked in a breath and aimed. I hit one in the shoulder, staggering him enough so Preston's laser fire finished him off.

Nick's grizzled voice reminded me I wasn't alone. "I know you can talk and aim kid, you've done it before." He said. "I'm worried about you. We all are. You haven't been yourself."

"You sound like Danse." Muttering, I lined up another shot, this time I had my sights set on the lug in power armor. Danse had successfully drawn one of the Raider's attention, keeping him preoccupied.

Nick snorted. "At least there's a heart beating under all that metal." My shot bounded off the armor...

...and then another. "I finally told Danse the truth about everything." I said, trying to change the topic. "So he's caught up to speed."

"And?"

Following the Raider's movements with my scope, I saw him fire a few rounds towards Danse, whose armor deflected it. "He took the 'me being pre-war' better than I thought he would. The 'me being General' not so much."