Chapter Six: Metro Station Blues

The Third Rail, was, to put it mildly, a shithole. V had been in a lot of sleazy bars in her life, especially during her college years, but something about the way the patrons moved and the atmosphere seemed a little… off. It also could have been the stabbing she'd just witnessed yesterday, but V didn't feel all that safe.

That pretty much summed up her time in Goodneighbor thus far. Unsafe. She hated to admit it, but Daisy was right. She needed someone watching her back because she sure as hell couldn't do it herself.

She at least felt cleaner, though, having washed all the blood off of her body and spot-cleaned her vault suit, though it was still full of bullet holes, stained, and worn threadbare where she had skidded on the sidewalk the day before.

V was sure she was a sight to behold. Messy, but now clean hair covering her eyes, a crooked nose, scratches, burns, bullet wounds, and just about any other injury that left a mark covering her body. She felt like Frankenstein's monster, being held together with barely-sanitized thread and stimpaks. Pain was just a part of her life now, and she didn't even feel an ache as she limped down the stairs to the bar to ask about the mercenary Daisy had been talking about, MacCready.

She didn't even make it there before a ghoul sitting at a table gave her directions.

"You looking for MacCready too? He's in the back room."

V raised an eyebrow but went off in the direction the woman pointed.

Whatever situation she had been expecting, this was not it.

MacCready, or at least who she assumed was MacCready, was blocked from her view by two men who were armed and pissed. The conversation sounded heated, and not for the first time, she decided she didn't need the trouble and backed around the corner until the two men brushed passed her, both mumbling angrily.

V took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

MacCready was not at all what she expected. He looked young, maybe even younger than her, skinny, and completely unphased by the threats on his life. He was just sitting there on the couch, leaned back, smoking a cigarette.

He noticed her immediately and stood up. "Look lady, if you're here preaching about Atom or looking for a friend, you've got the wrong guy. If you need a hired gun, then let's talk."

V smiled. "Let's."

She sat on the couch and he followed suit.

It was awkwardly silent for a moment and V remembered she was supposed to be doing the talking.

"So uh, who were those guys?" She blurted, cursing whatever it was in Goodneighbor that was making her so loose-lipped.

MacCready sighed before he answered. "Just a couple of morons from the Gunners."

V raised an eyebrow. "Gunners?"

"Yeah, one of the biggest gangs in the Commonwealth, got a rep for being crazy. You know, so tightly wound you'd think they were a cult or something," he said, putting out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray. "I was with them for a while because the money was good, but didn't really fit in, so I left. But what about you, you interested?"

"Yeah. I need someone to watch my back. I've got to find this detective and I, uh, can't do it alone," she answered.

"Okay, but how do I know I won't end up with a bullet in my back?"

V almost laughed. The thought of sabotaging anyone in her state was ridiculous. "Look at me. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting the jump on anyone."

She saw MacCready's mouth twitch before he replied. "Probably not. I'll tell you what, price is 250 caps, up front, no bargaining."

V sighed. That was the last of the money. "200?"

He considered it. "Didn't I just say I wasn't bargaining?"

She shrugged. "Everything is negotiable. And I've got 200 caps to my name. Deal or no deal?"

MacCready looked almost like he was about to say no. She wouldn't have blamed him. Being employed to a broke vault-dweller was probably not any merc's dream job.

"Fine. You drive a hard bargain, but 200 caps it is."

She grinned, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the pouch she'd been keeping her money in. "Always worth a shot," she said, tossing him the pouch. "There's 200."

He didn't bother to count it, just slung a nearby rifle over his back and strode towards the hallway. "Alright, boss. Let's get out of here."

They made their way out into the town, afternoon sun glaring down on them. V had desperately missed sunscreen in the last couple of weeks, and made a mental note to look for some if she ever got around to scavenging.

With exactly 4 caps she'd found in odd pockets to her name, the thought had crossed her mind more than once. It wasn't like she was going to get a job out in the wasteland with a resume that consisted of law school and homemaking.

They walked in silence very briefly before MacCready spoke up. "So where exactly is this detective friend of yours?"

V bit her lip. "He's been kidnapped. I have it on good authority that he's being held in a metro tunnel near here," she said, skipping over anything she thought she could. "And he's not my friend. I've never even met him."

MacCready looked confused. "So you've never met the guy, but you're gonna rescue him anyway? Let me guess, just for kicks?"

"Yeah, not exactly," she said, as the rounded the corner to where the gate was.

Finn's body hadn't been moved at all, still sitting in a pool of blood in the middle of the plaza.

"Damn. When'd that happen?" MacCready said, moving closer to see who it was.

"Yesterday," V answered, trying to sound casual. "Hancock stabbed him."

MacCready laughed a little. "Man, I've got to get out more. You know what he did?"

"Who, Finn?"

MacCready nodded.

"He threatened me, actually. And you know, disrespected the mayor. The usual grounds for stabbing one of your citizens to death in broad daylight," she explained.

"Yeah, that sounds like Goodneighbor," he said, and then she watched in disgust as he looted the body. There were some things she'd never get used to. "There's some good shi- stuff on here, surprised no one's taken it."

He tossed her a pipe pistol, some .38 rounds, and two boxes of mentats.

"You should sell these," he said, dusting off his knees as he got up. "Consider it a gift."

V looked toward Daisy's store. "Uh, thanks."

"I'll be honest with you, boss, I'd buy a new outfit."

"What, torn vault suits aren't in this season?" she said, looking down at the offending garment.

MacCready snorted. "Well yeah, but you look like a walking target. And judging by that," he said, gesturing to the bullet holes in her shoulder, "not just in theory, either."

V figured he was probably right, so they stopped in at Daisy's and bartered all of Finn's worldly possessions for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that were about her size a leather jacket that was definitely not.

She changed in the back room and admired her new outfit in the mirror, making a few last touches, tucking her jeans into her boots and rolling up the sleeves of the jacket so they didn't hang past her fingertips. The whole ensemble looked a little ridiculous when she finally strapped on her holsters and pieces of leather armor, but she did admit it was an upgrade.

She stepped out and found MacCready leaning against the stairwell, idly tapping his fingers on the banister.

V gave a little twirl. "More inconspicuous?"

MacCready rolled his eyes. "Sure."

She did one final check to make sure her gun was holstered properly and that the baseball bat strapped to her back wasn't going to fall before she fell in step beside MacCready and they walked towards the gate.

"Ready to go?" he asked, pausing at the gate.

She'd never been happier to leave a town in her life. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

With MacCready with her, V felt a little safer, but not by much as they walked out into the mutant-infested streets of Boston. Every little noise made her jump and grapple for her bat, which MacCready immediately took notice of.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He said after a particular loud bang that had her running for cover.

V pushed the hair out of her eyes. "What made you guess that? My obvious lack of combat experience or my clean nails?"

He laughed. "Definitely the nails. Seriously though, the whole dam- dang world is irradiated to hell and back, where did you live that wasn't dangerous?"

V wasn't about to spring the whole 'I'm over 200 years old and pre-war' thing on him yet, for fear the merc might just take her caps and go, so she just laughed nervously.

"Very far away from here. What about you, are you a Boston native?"

MacCready seemed equally good a dodging questions and just replied with a short 'no'.

They continued on to Park Street Station in a relatively comfortable silence, and V was thankful that they hadn't run into any super mutants or raiders on their way.

V glanced down at her pip-boy and back up at the entrance to the metro. "This is it," she said, taking her pistol out of her holster with shaky hands and making her way down the stairs.

MacCready was right behind her and she silently prayed that whatever was inside the station wouldn't be opposed to just leaving her the hell alone.

She opened the door as quietly as she could and peeked inside. The stairway down into the metro was clear, at least, but she could hear people talking further inside.

"Malone's gone soft, did you see how he handled that detective?"

"Don't tell his new girl that, she'll take off your head with that bat of hers!"

V looked at MacCready, who had a rather sour expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"You didn't tell me your friend was being held by Skinny Malone," he hissed.

V at least had the good grace to look sheepish. "Would you have still come?"

"Good point," MacCready said, and motioned for her to follow him down the stairs.

"We could try talking to them," V said, and the following 'it might work' died on her tongue when she saw his expression.

He shook his head. "No way. The Triggermen aren't really into talking."

V sighed, defeated and they each took up a position on each side of the door into the station lobby. MacCready was mouthing things at her and using hand signals she didn't understand, but she nodded anyway when he began a silent countdown.

They both burst from cover at the same time, guns drawn, and evidently surprised the Triggermen standing guard, MacCready taking them both down easily with clean shots to the head.

V hadn't even pulled the trigger once but supposed she liked it better that way and mimicked the merc as he looted one of the bodies for anything useful.

He tossed her a box of .45 rounds and a stimpak and she stored them along with her own loot in her thigh pouch.

They kept going further into the metro, walking as silently as possible, and when they reached the stairwell MacCready picked off three Triggermen before they'd even known anyone was there. V blindly shot at the rest clumsily, all the confidence she'd had a week ago killing raiders completely gone as she eyed the sub-machine guns most of the Triggermen carried.

"Jesus, have you ever been in a firefight before?" MacCready yelled over his shoulder to V, who was rather shamefully taking cover from the hail of bullets.

"Not many," V mumbled, once again stumbling to reload her 10mm with shaking hands.

"I guess you're going to have to learn the hard way, then," he said as he ducked out from behind the column he had been taking cover behind.

V took a breath and readied herself to face the gunfire. "You can say that again."

She raised her gun and aimed carefully at one of the ghouls focused on MacCready. She squeezed the trigger and watched as the bullet hit pretty close to its intended target, getting the man square in the knee.

V fired off several more shots, most of which missed, before the tunnel was finally silent and she got up from her spot behind the remnants of a metro door and went to find MacCready.

He was leaning up against the wall on the other side of the tunnel, breathing heavily and clutching his side.

V's smile faded as she got closer and saw blood.

"Shit," she said, jogging over to him and pulling out a stimpak, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have dragged you down here."

He shook his head. "Barely a scratch."

She didn't believe him as he took the stimpak from her and winced as he injected it into the wound.

"Seriously, I've had way worse," he said, throwing the empty needle to the ground and kicking it out of the way with his boot. "I should know better anyway, you vault dwellers are always trouble."

V laughed nervously. "What makes you think I'm from a vault?"

MacCready snorted. "Well the vault suit, for one, and the fact you're saving some guy you don't even know from the wrath of Skinny Malone. People in the wasteland don't do that sort of thing unless they're getting paid, which, unless you're holding out on me, we're not."

V holstered her pistol. "You've got a point. But I wouldn't really say I'm much of a vault dweller."

He moved from his spot on the wall and looked down further into the tunnel. "Well whatever you are, let's get moving. There's probably more down there."

V sighed. "There always are."

AN: Hey there! I hope you all had a happy holdiay if you celebrate one, and I apologize that once again, this took so long but I didn't have power for several days so when my laptop died I couldn't really write anymore. Anyway, as always thanks to anyone who followed or favorited, and see you in the next chapter!