Bleeding Steel

Chapter Sixteen: Broken Roads and Broken Hearts

Deacon was staring at her, his gaze intense behind his sunglasses. Nora tried to ignore the silent warnings he was shooting her way as she left him and Burke in the road, following Danse into the dark of Ticonderoga's ground floor lobby.

It'll be fine. She tried to convince herself, scanning the room with her headlamp. Unless High Rise activates the elevator, there's absolutely no way they can reach the safe house. Plus you'll be keeping an eye on Burke and keeping Danse distracted. It'll be fine.

Danse's torch beam alighted upon the stairs. She watched as he began to climb them and found herself sweating under her power armour. Please let the door up there be closed...

A few moments later, he returned. "There's a door up there, but its sealed shut."

"So, are we good to rest here for a little bit?" Nora asked, approaching him as he stepped back onto ground level.

"For the time being." Without another word he loped past her, moving towards the empty windowpanes lining the front of the building. "We're clear." He called to Burke and Deacon. "We'll rest here until daybreak and then get back underway."

A few moments later Burke entered, peering blearily through the darkness. Trying to ignore the small stab she had felt at Danse's cold shoulder, Nora illuminated the battered red couches she had helped High Rise bring down the stairs a few months back.

"Burke, why don't you rest here?" She called, her voice distorted by the filters of her helmet.

Suppressing another yawn, Burke tramped towards her and a few moments later he had dropped his pack on the floor and thrown himself on the worn upholstery.

"Do you want anything to eat?" She asked, but he already had his eyes closed and just gave a faint shake of his head in answer. She smiled softly to herself. He had risen in the dead hours without complaint, followed all directions given as they had marched and had done his utmost to keep up, despite his evident exhaustion.

Who knows? If he keeps this up, we might be able to somehow convince Kells and Maxson he's worth keeping.

When she looked up, it was to find that Danse was already in position at the door, taking first watch. Deacon was sitting on the grimy reception counter in the centre of room, tapping his heels against the wood and watching her intently.

He was unhappy with her, that much was clear.

Sighing, she moved into an open space and opened her power armour, gingerly stepping down onto the floor. If she didn't smooth over things with Danse and Deacon soon, it was going to be a very quiet and awkward mission.

She stood on the steel boots of her power armour, hanging on to the chest plate as she eased the strap of her pack over the pauldron. When it was finally in her hands, she moved towards the desk and dropped it next to Deacon.

"Hungry?" She asked, keeping her tone as nonchalant as possible. The quiet felt as oppressive as the pre-dawn gloom and it was putting her on edge.

"Only for fast food, preferably a drive-thru so we can get underway. Make mine a brahmin burger with tato fries and a Nuka-Cola."

"How do you know what a drive-thru is - was?" She corrected herself, opening the pack and beginning to rifle through her supplies. She withdrew three cans of purified water, dropping one of them into his lap.

"Reading." He replied, shrugging his shoulders as he cracked the can open. "But seriously? We shouldn't stick around here for too long." He dropped his voice and leaned in closer. "I mean, can you imagine the look on Carrington's face when he realises we've brought them to a second safehouse after Burke breached the first? Can you?"