Crossfire - Fallout 4 - [R J MacCready x Sole Survivor]

Chapter 2

"Boss?"

A hushed growl rose up from his throat, as he held the picture frame in his hands.

No, he thought, that can't be her.

He put it back on the wall, blaming his moment of insanity on the vast amounts of time travel comic books he'd read over the course of his life. MacCready plopped himself back on the bed, no longer caring that the mattress was uncomfortable. Things like these happen, right? There was no way a nonghoulified two hundred year old woman was sleeping in the room next door.

He thought over the possibilities, wild theories, ancestors passing on exact lookalikes for a few generations, whirring around in his head. Once again, the more he thought about Dawn, the more questions were raised. He'd only known this woman for a mere twenty four hours, and he'd never regretted taking up employment before. Not since the Gunners.

The risks were too high, he didn't know this woman from Adam and she never explained to him explicitly what he had been hired for. Throughout their travels she had let him trail along as she ambled around the ruined city, shooting anything that moved in her vicinity like some jumped up kid. She seemed scared of her own shadow, and that sort of mentality would get her killed in the harsh wastelands.

His mind made up, MacCready got out of bed, grabbed the picture frame off the wall, and walked purposefully into the living room. Dawn was still sitting up on the mattress, her head leaning against the windowsill as she watched the feral ghouls stumble along the streets below. She looked up at him, and the more he watched her the more similar she was to the pre-war woman in the photograph.

"I need an explanation," he said, hoping that she wouldn't ignore his questions like before. Thankfully, she didn't, and Dawn sat up with an annoyed sigh.

"What do you want explained?" Her voice was low and defeated, as if she knew this was coming sooner or later.

Now that she was open to questioning, MacCready didn't exactly know where to start.

The world is your oyster RJ, he thought bitterly.

"Well," he began as he gestured vaguely to the picture frame in his hands. Dawn watched it intently. "W-who is this woman in this picture? And why do you have a key to this apartment? And what's with the Pip-Boy? A-and why do you want to hire me for good?"

Dawn didn't answer straight away, and she didn't look directly into MacCready's eyes as she mulled over her words. Eventually she stood up, walked towards him, and gently pried the picture frame from his hands.

"This was my mother's apartment," she began. "I had a spare key in case I wanted to visit. That picture..." Her voice was forlorn, but she paused once again as her expression hardened. "Listen, MacCready...I will explain everything in due time. I just need you to trust me."

That explanation wasn't good enough, and he scoffed at her attempt. Stubbornly, he stood his ground when she tried to walk past him, probably to hang the picture back on the wall, but when she realized that he wasn't happy with her response she stood back and sighed once more in defeat.

"I don't know you," he said slowly, making himself perfectly clear to her. "And I can't trust you because I don't know what I'm here for. At least tell me the reason why you've hired me so that I can at least do my job. How do I know you won't put a bullet in my back?"

The last question visibly disturbed her, as if the mere suggestion of it offended Dawn. She shook her head, lips tightening into an annoyed frown. "You're right..." A hand rose up to brush some of her hair away from her face. "I don't know how to bring it up with you, but I just..."