Chapter 42 “Come with me.”

Rosie tried to speak, but couldn’t. She felt submerged somehow, like being underwater. She heard John shouting.

“How the fuck do you know that name?!” John’s mind raced for an explanation. No one could breach Brotherhood comms, and whatever codes the stolen armour had would have expired long ago.

He heard a soft whistle from the shadowed tree line. A man clad in black, about his size, emerged without a sound, suppressed carbine held tight. He heard the same whistle from behind and knew he’d fallen for the same tactic he’d once used with Sara.

“I asked you a fucking question, thief!” John snarled, keeping his gun aimed at the Baron.

“Is that how my niece taught you to address a superior officer?” The Baron spoke with his own voice, quickly followed by a sound John knew meant the armour was opening.

A man emerged from behind the bone and steel. In his late forties, greying hair, average build and unremarkable, except for the eyes. He saw the sharp eyes of a soldier, quick yet calm, like Sara.

“You trained under Tempest, you were sworn in by Elder Clarke Maxwell.” John saw a brief smile. “Grimm stood for you.” No one else could have known that.

“Sentinel Brandon Cross, that's pronounced sir. Holster your weapon and report Knight Blake. That’s an order.” John felt an intense wave of relief at having a direct order, a chain of command. Backup.

“Rosie, the battery.” John couldn’t believe the words but saw that he was just being distracted. He heard running from behind him and saw a woman slide towards Rosie.

“Rosie, talk to me kiddo!” John saw Rosie relax and start holding up the pipboy under the suit that John couldn't even begin to understand. Within seconds the woman in black had opened the suit and pipboy, exposing the fusion core. “Deep breath kiddo.” Rosie slumped for half a second as the core was swapped.

Rosie sat bolt upright, leaping to her feet. “John stop pointing fucking guns at people!” She strode over to him, her anger cooling for a moment when she drew close and felt the breath catch in her throat. She saw John have the same reaction and shift slightly to hold her, that made her anger flare. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“And she’s back.” The woman who saved her let out an amused sigh.

“Rosie, I…are you ok?” John couldn’t think of anything else to say, Rosie didn’t answer with anything but a glare.

“Report Knight Blake. Stand to attention when you address an officer.” John stood straight, as commanded. He wondered if keeping tight discipline helped them out here.

“Sir.” He heard Rosie snort with derision. “There’s a warhead—”

“Ah yes, the weapon of mass destruction you failed to mention till now.” John wanted to argue but knew better. “Disarmed. I do hope Tempest taught you better than what I’ve seen so far.” Sentinel Cross began to pace, dressing John down. “Bursting into the Four Corners and assassinating a gang leader in front of witnesses and armed guards.”

“He had it coming.” John didn’t feel bad about anything he’d done. “Sir.”

“Well at least you were discreet about it and left quickly. Is this how Paladin Maxwell taught you to operate? Answer me knight.” John knew any answer he gave would be wrong, so took a risk.

“No sir. She taught me to do whatever it takes to do what's right.”

“She taught you well.” John shared a moment of respect with the sentinel.

“Yes sir, she did.” John took the chance to look at Rosie, catching her eye. “What now?”

Rosie had been pacing, getting fussed at by Charlie while they let Brandon talk at John. “Now I need my code back.” Rosie lied, her anger at seeing John with a collar on, at hearing about the insane stunt he'd pulled, made her lash out.

“I’m...I don’t have it.” He’s lying, she thought, although he’s getting better at it. “I deleted it after the elder, I have a copy.” John wasn’t lying about that.

“Where is it?” Rosie hid her impressed smile with a sharp tone.

“Home.” She saw John’s face beam. “Come with me.” Rosie had to bite her lip to keep from saying yes.

“Knight Blake, hold the watch while I talk to my officers.” Brandon kept a stern face until John had turned away, then Rosie saw him smile.

“That was fun!” Brandon laughed as they gathered out of John’s earshot. “Haven’t got to pull rank in ages.” Rosie hadn’t enjoyed it as much, although she saw how it calmed John and brought him a sense of stability. “Tornado. Core Check.” Rosie couldn’t meet Brandon’s stern eyes as they focused on her.

“I fucked up, but they had a collar on his neck and gun to his head.” Rosie knew it had been a risk to use the last of the charge to save John, but she trusted him to get her here.

“I get the collar.” Matt and Rosie shared a glance at Paul’s words. He’d dispatched the mercs as the Baron, then switched with Brandon, like they had done for the past year. “But those guys were solid.”

“John convinced them he had air support inbound. Then offered them double to let him go.” Rosie had heard enough as she stalked them in the dark. She knew that it would buy John respect.

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“Did he have the caps?” Brandon asked, holding his judgement.

“No.” Rosie saw Brandon and Charlie smile.

“Good man.” Brandon glanced over to John for a moment as he stood guard with just a pistol. “Alright Rosie,” Brandon put his hands on both her shoulders, smiling, savouring the moment. “Go home.”

“I, but…” Rosie knew what she wanted to do, yet couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“We’re not going anywhere kiddo, take a few days and come back.” Charlie smiled, knowing what it meant to Rosie to have John back.

“I’ll get the mapping data, then I’ll come back. I still need to offload the intel, and there’s still Jones.” Rosie made it clear that she wasn’t giving up. She knew whatever home looked like, it wouldn’t stay that way long without a fight.

“Ok, Rosie.” Charlie humoured her.

“Sir?” John stood to attention near them, addressing Brandon.

“Speak.” Brandon snapped, just managing not to laugh.

“Jones sir. I’ve heard the name.” Rosie smiled and turned away, impressed that John had been listening. “We extracted a field scribe team from raiders. One of them surrendered to a forward operating base, he’d been sent to ransom the scribes to Jones. Apparently he pays extra for Brotherhood.” John had a scowl that they all seemed to share.

“This raider,” Brandon asked. “You saw him surrender?”

“No sir. Two scouts had him. I interrogated him, then they killed him.”

“Which two scouts?” Brandon had found something of interest at the odd set of circumstances. Rosie couldn’t help feeling pride as she saw John offer a piece of something that might help.

“Didn’t get callsigns sir. A man with a beard, and a woman with dark hair.”

“The base commander?” Brandon asked. John thought for a long moment, unlike Rosie and her instant recall.

“Moore.”

“As you were.” Brandon turned from John and Rosie saw the wheels within wheels turn behind his eyes.

“If it’s Moore, then it’s Nickel and Cobalt.” Charlie sounded sure.

“I promoted Moore myself when her knee went. She was a damn fine scout.” Brandon had something.

“You ever heard of a raider surrendering at a gate?” Charlie put it into words.

“So they bring in the raider, fine, why bring Tempest into a Recon operation. Why the story. ” Brandon had the right question. Rosie had an answer.

“You need someone to listen to a story.”

“They needed the lead on Jones to come from someone else.” Brandon started to put things together. “If it’s an Apparition, Recon would need support.” Something occurred to Brandon, his officer act slipping. “John, when was this?”

“Oh, well…” John started to count on his fingers, unsure, then he rolled up his sleeve and began slowly clicking through the pipboy. Rosie had to pinch the bridge of her nose to keep from yelling at him while the others chuckled. Rosie snapped, already wondering about the digital mess she’d have to sort through.

“Comm logs John. Under—”

“I got it.” John shot back, Rosie knew he felt embarrassed. “Twelve days ago.” He sounded like he didn’t believe it. Brandon turned from John and Rosie lent in.

“I’ll confirm that.”

“Be sure. If it’s right that means Recon has been onto Jones before us, and has made moves to hide it.” Brandon looked worried, frustrated at being on the outside.

The look faded as he glanced back over at John then back to Rosie. “I like him.” Rosie welcomed the approval, and knew it didn’t come easy. Brandon touched her shoulders in turn with the edge of his hand. “If he asks, you’re a captain.” Everyone seemed to find delight in that.

“What does that mean?” Rosie asked, wanting to be sure.

“Means you’re in charge.” Brandon answered with a serious undercurrent in his voice.

“How is that different?” Rosie didn’t need Brandon to tell her that.

“That poor boy.” Brandon rubbed her arm warmly and waited till he saw John looking. “Salute, quick.” Rosie managed to keep a straight face as Brandon walked over to John.

“What should I tell Janey?” Matt asked as he hugged her.

“Tell her I’ll be back in a few cycles.” Rosie used the word Janey did, sharing a chuckle with a man once so terrified of the robot he thought it was a hallucination.

“Don’t stand for that wastrel muck they call food Rosie.” Paul handed her a pack, stuffed with the food he’d made for himself that morning. He let a hand rest on her shoulder, then pulled Matt away to give Charlie a chance to talk.

“You know if things aren’t going to work out with you two, I’ll take him off your hands.” Charlie’s expression and joke made Rosie laugh and dislodged the lump in her throat.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, or the day after.” Rosie had learned so much from Charlie, things that went beyond training, things that made her a better person.

“No you won’t, that’s an order.” Charlie hugged her tight. “We’re on comms and never that far away.”

John stood staring at the white bone and power armour monster he’d wanted to kill. “Impressive, isn't it.” John turned and saw Sentinel Cross approaching.

“Yes sir.” John couldn’t deny the brutality of it, or its effectiveness. “The things they say.”

“What do they say?” John saw the sentinel smile.

“It’s a dead body inside, or that it’s cursed, that you send out ghosts in the night and put heads on spikes.” John paused. “Which I suppose actually makes sense.”

“Quite. Fear is a weapon. We cleared the east road of trouble in a few months, let the rumours spread, then rolled into town carrying the heads of the opposition. Mostly we contract out the work, keeps us plugged in to the world.” Sentinel Cross seemed to have a point to make. “After today, they’ll be saying things about you.”

“They set me and my friends up, sent us into that thing's nest.” John tried to explain, but he could barely process everything that happened, and hadn’t slept since waking up yesterday.

“Brave and loyal. That’s what my Sara told me. I don’t doubt it.” John saw him soften at the mention of his daughter. “This place of yours, where is it?” John hesitated. “Did Sara send you off without asking?”

“No sir. East of Shadowtown, it’s well hidden and safe.” John didn’t think that sounded right. “It’s a nice place. Good people. And I have a Vertibird.” John thought that would have been more impressive.

“Listen, John, Rosie, she’s—” John cut him off, and spoke loudly.

“It sounds like you’re going to tell me about the woman I’ve loved since before I understood what that meant.” John’s stress had loosened his tongue and didn't welcome the assumption he needed to be told things about Rosie.

“And if I was?” Sentinel Cross asked, his reaction neutral.

“If you were I’d tell you to go fuck yourself, sir.” John heard laughter from the shadowed figures, and saw a change in the stern face.

“She taught you well indeed.” John smiled and felt glad he spoke his mind. “Well then.” Sentinel Cross shook his hand then saluted. “Knight Blake, stand easy, await orders.”

“Yes sir.” John tried to keep his composure.

“You’re in command...Captain Powell.” He saluted Rosie and John’s face dropped.

“Captain?!” He blurted out and then wished he hadn’t.

“Come along John.” Rosie took point with the suit hood down and a borrowed sidearm gripped tight.