FO4 | Book 1: Bombs on Monday Morning ✔️

Ch 16: Heavy Artillery

[Smut Warning]

It was still early in the day, so we geared up after Sturges finished my Power Armor and made way for the Castle.

Everything felt different in the suit; I wasn't sure if I'd ever get used to it. I couldn't feel anything through the metal frame, only a sense of weightlessness. Moving the limbs of the suit was almost effortless, even more so after Sturges fixed the servos on the inside. The suit made everyone else's footsteps seem silent compared to the stomping of the suit's boots against the pavement. There was a light hiss of released pressure in the leg joints with every step and became more noticeable when I picked up the pace.

"How far away is this Castle?" I asked.

"It's out on the coast. The old Fort Independence. We're pretty far from it, and we should get there a few hours after midnight."

"What? Garvey, you're gonna have us traveling these roads at night? The uglies get uglier the further south you go, and I don't wanna get caught out here when the sun goes down."

"No one's making you tag along, MacCready."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm obligated by occupation. But why my employer wants to go through with this waste of time is beyond me." He shot me an annoyed glance.

"I've already radioed the assault force. They're volunteers that stationed themselves in Tenpines." Preston gave me a nod of reassurance.

"Will Sanctuary be okay with us gone?" I asked.

"Of course. Sturges and Codsworth can handle any minor threats, and Sturges has been fortifying the town. Marcy and Jun know how to handle their guns, and there are two new settlers. They should be packing plenty of firepower. Besides, once we secure the Castle, we'll be able to send some troops over there to patrol the area, day and night."

We walked at a brisk pace down the road. We didn't speak much after that. our feet crunched against the asphalt of the cracked, trash-covered road. I was beginning to feel uneasy; this would be the farthest I'd traveled.

We passed a lot of places I once recognized as we went through Lexington, but everything looked just as bad here as it did everywhere else in the Wasteland. Office buildings were leaning and broken. Busted windows and loose doors decorated the smaller buildings. The molded windowsills and door frames were no longer inviting but instead were sad and eerie.

The hours approached quickly and quietly. As we traveled and avoided any larger threats that were lurking around the city, we barely spoke. I knew that Preston and MacCready didn't exactly get along, but this silence was torture. Still, I said nothing for fear of starting an argument between them, which I found more unbearable than the silence.

Tired and hungry, we stopped at sunset underneath the awning of a Poseidon fill-up station before continuing our journey. After our surroundings darkened, I turned on the headlamp on the helmet to illuminate our way. 

MacCready stayed jumpy and on edge after dark. Every little sound made him inch closer to me. I assumed he expected my metal suit to act as a shield from whatever could be lurking in the dark.

The old Fort Independence finally came into view, silhouetted on the backdrop of the starry sky and slightly illuminated by the moon. Its walls were broken and wasted away by unforgiving war and harsh weather. The fort sat against the sea, the waves barely crashing against the stones of the exterior as they climbed the distance of the shore.

"There it is," Preston said, motioning to the black mass of stone.

"This place is kind of a dump," MacCready muttered, squinting in the darkness at the Castle. "But it could be pretty useful. Good location, walls are tall, radio tower smack-dab in the center? Not too bad. I'd be impressed if you could make something out of this, Garvey."