Fallout: Fury Blood

Chapter 36: Woman's Best Friend

In her ears, blood pounded. Panic buzzed across her skin. Her heart thrashed a frenzy. What happened? What if Dogmeat couldn't be brought back? What if he was really gone? She had been shoving down the anxiety of it, concentrating on the alliance and her recovery, but now it was like Dogmeat's death all over again.

No, no, no, no.

Kelly followed the young Squire, sprinting up the ladder for the upper deck, barely conscious of Danse in tow telling her to take it easy, soldier.

Not a chance.

They had both spilled their coffees in their squeeze out from the infirmary, Danse giving the yelling Cade a sincere, "Apologies for the puddles," before hightailing it after Kelly.

When they arrived at the biology department, Neriah and Ketway were in the midst of a heated row while assistant Scribes stood nearby, greeting Kelly and Danse's arrival with apologetic faces.

"It's just as much an abomination as a synth!" Ketway was flaring at Neriah, gesturing wildly at Dogmeat's prone form on a gurney. He was out of the cage, but the specimen was still attached.

"Nonsense!" Neriah flared right back. "You're blowing this way out of proportion!"

"You think so, do you? I think you'll find that Elder Maxson will wholeheartedly agree with me! These specimens are a plague, and that dog is now a by-product! Once we divine all the knowledge we need, it should be destroyed!"

Kelly caught her breath, appalled by the idea, ready to step in with a counter backed by emotion, but Neriah had a counter of her own.

"For goodness sake, Ketway. It's Knight Harper's dog! How could you be so heartless?"

"Quite easily. It's a dog!"

"He is not just a dog," Kelly growled out through her teeth, entire body trembling with her effort to control her sudden spike in temper. He might not be human or even sapient, but he was part of her dysfunctional, rag-tag family, and when someone was part of her family, they had her fierce loyalty and steadfast protection. So when someone fucked with her family, they fucked with her.

Shit, she wanted to stalk toward Ketway, thump him right in the nose with her fist and watch him topple over in humiliation, and she would have done it, if it weren't for Danse's grounding presence at her side that kept her in check.

All attention was suddenly and silently on her.

"If you want to kill him, then it will be over my dead body."

Ketway's glower was a thing to bring that very prospect to reality. "As far as I'm concerned, Knight, you're a rogue element, a deserter whom we owe nothing but your rightful death."

"Blow me."

Danse was in to slice the misconduct, taking a step across Kelly. "Rein it in, Knight," he warned with a low gravel to his voice. She met his glare and held her tongue. He then shot the same glare to Ketway. "I suggest you keep your opinion on the matter to yourself until Elder Maxson is present to decide, Senior Scribe."

Kelly reeled at that. What? He couldn't let Maxson have the final say here, he would likely come to the same conclusion that Ketway had. She took a step in. "But Danse—"