"Just about everyone here saw the Brotherhood Blimp that arrived, and heard their messages too. Nothing say's 'We come in Peace', Like a dozen vertibirds, 100 suits of power armor, and a thousand laser cannons, all pointed down at the Commonwealth. We'll keep you up to date on the developing story here, but as I'm sure you'll figure out like I did, we'll all probably hear it, before we see it come over the desk here at Diamond City Radio.

"I hear you knockin'..." Up next.

When Nate ushered the group into the bar, Paul Pembroke recognized his boss and asked if there was anything he could do. "Lock the door, it's a private Party, Paul. We're closed." Doling out whatever expensive things he could trade, and bottlecaps, He added, "Go grab four porterhouse steaks from Polly's down there, bring 'em up. I need them medium-rare. Where's the grill? Fire it up." Paul grabbed the order and took off, eyeing the intimidating looking crowd as Nate rearranged a few tables by the bar, Hancock stepped out of his power armor, and Deacon helped move some chairs.

"Danse, grab a seat," Nate said, plucking two decks of cards from behind the bar, along with a bottle of dark colored Tequila. The label was worn off, but the glass still had the emboldened letters '100% Agave Azule Tequila' printed on the collar of the bottle.

The paladin sunk down into his seat, facing the door, with his back to the bar.

Pouring seven shot glasses, and brining them over to the table. "First thing's first." Nate said, setting them down.

Holding one up, "To those who can't join us here today, to those we all miss dearly, and to everyone who we wish could be here today. Here, here."

"Here, here." Hancock and Deacon both said, grabbing their own.

Danse was biting the inside of his cheek, slowly reaching out to grab it, but his stomach clenched up and felt sore. Fingers stopping just inches away from the shot glass, curling up as he retracted his hand.

"You don't have to drink it. Just hold it."

That seemed to help as Danse grabbed the drink and sniffed the air.

"Cheers, Gentlemen."

As they all downed their drinks, Danse was the only one who abstained, left staring at the other three on the table.

He felt Deacon's hand patting him on the back, Nate sat across from Danse, Hancock to his left, Deacon to the right.

Nate for the first time tried shuffling the cards with his large hand, and regular fingers, managing to get one break in before he had to use his regular hand to regroup the playing cards and straighten them.

Spreading them all across the table, mixing them up he instructed, "Everyone, grab 4 cards, face down. No looking at them, then take four more cards and place them face up on top of them. Then, draw eleven cards for your hand."

"Nate- I'm only really here to talk about Athena."

"And I'm only here to play cards and have lunch. She's not going away any time soon. We'll get to her after we play a round. The game is 10's, Gentlemen. Object of the game is to get rid of all your cards. We each take a turn laying down cards into a center pile, starting to the right of the dealer. Kings are High, Aces Low, 10's clear the pile. You can lay as many of the same type of card at once, and you're trying to get rid of them the fastest. So, Deacon do you have any kings? Once you play a card, the next person in line can't play a card with a value higher than the one you placed.

"I've got two kings."

"Put them down, Danse, you can play any kings, or lower. Four of a kind clears the pile and you get to go again. That means if you have two kinds, you clear the pile and can then play a Queen, Jack, or anything lower. If you only have 1 king, then Hancock plays 1 king, The pile is cleared and Hancock gets to go again, You've got one king face up, so do you have any in your hand as well?"

Danse organized his cards, shaking his head, "No," Playing the face up card,

"Three kings," Nate says. "Hancock?"

"Nope."

"Then go lower, Queens, Jacks, 9s, 8s,"

"Three Jacks."

"Alright, so I can't play Queens or Kings now that Hancock laid down three jacks. I have one jack. That makes four of a kind, that clears the pile. I get to go again. You win by getting rid of all your cards. Losers count up the face value of their cards, and lowest scores win. Kings, Queens, Jacks are worth 10, 10s are worth 20 once the game is over, so it's imperative that you get rid of your 10s when you start seeing other people get down to their final cards. When we keep score, and we play a few rounds, it adds up. When we get down to it, and you're still holding onto a high card, you can make it difficult or easier for next person by playing a really low card. Typically you want to hold onto Aces, twos, for later in the game. I'm laying down my King now. Deacon?

"Two Queens."

"Queens to you, Danse."

"A ten?"

"Hold onto that, that'll clear the pile. If you can't play a card equal to or lower than the one face up, then you have to play a card, and pick up the rest of the pile. That card remains face up on the table, while you pick up the rest. You don't get to go again after that."

\111/

Paul returned with the steaks, moving into the kitchen in the back to throw down the meat on the grill.

Going around the table, when they played their hands, "When it comes to the face down cards, you don't get to look at them. Once you flip them, you must play them regardless of what's already on the pile. No take-backs or oopsie-daisys. You pick them, you play them. That's the challenge. You don't know if you've got a face down King, or 8, or 2, which is why the best strategy is to clear the face up cards first. You can't play face down cards until you've played the face up cards. Getting the ones off the table can help you focus on the cards in your hand, and play to have 4 or 5 of a kinds, I've even gotten 7 and 8s of a kind, and then once the pile is cleared, played a face-down card to eliminate the risk of having to pick up the whole pile."

"Gotcha..." Hancock said. "You know, I think I played a game like this a long time ago...man it's been years since I been in here. Can I get another shot?"

"Help yourself. Bar's right there. Go after your turn though."

Danse remained silent for a few more rounds until he made a pained whine noise in his chest, it was quiet, like trying to clear his throat, but Deacon and Nate both heard it.

"So, Danse. Did you finally learn you were a synth?"

Hancock and Deacon both looked to Nate, seeing how his approach to letting the anecdotal 'Cat out of the bag', by dumping the whole sack upside down and shaking things out.

Danse quickly set his cards down, "What the hell do you know about that?" Seeing his shoulders rise up, Nate could see the amount of discomfort it brought Danse.

"Danse, this is the first time we've actually met face to face. You met Meathead before, twice now. Meathead can tell in an instant who's synth. Who's human, who's real, who's fake. Who's telling the truth, who's lying. He is the key to the Institute's downfall," Nate said, leaning in, "And he likes you. You're a good traveling acquaintance." Nate sat back, sipping from the shot glass as he held up two fingers to Danse.

Danse pushed himself away from the table, wiping his eye then asking, "What? Why didn't you tell me this before? Who the hell is Meathead?"

"His dog..." Hancock said, "His shapeshifting, face-swapping, perfect lookalike changing dog."

"A changeling." Nate added.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I've been busy. Working my ass off, or in case you didn't notice. I got my fucking arm ripped off. Killing Windigos are a bitch and a half. The one down in the Glowing Sea got me good, and now Mona and Athena are fucking me over a barrel, Danse. Look at this. They fucked you and your crew too. I couldn't tell you what Mona wants, I have no idea what she is after. How she moves or operates. All I know is that she has some sort of leverage over the angry-unicorn working for her. Athena on the other hand, she's mad at everything around her. She wants to end slavery, killing Sola and Firelance is a pit-stop along the way in her mind."

"What's she want with them?"

"Because, the story I was told, was that Sola and Firelance are responsible for the Brotherhood's expansion and takeover of Pittsburg. She also mentioned she put molten-hot chains around a guy's neck by the name of Werner,"

"Crimony, this is her? This is the same unicorn that's been dogging the Brotherhood for over a decade...Shit."

"This hand. Mona put it on me to have leverage over me now. Proxy-through Athena, I have to find Sola and Firelance before she does. The only way I can see myself getting out of this magical bullshit Mona cast on me, and whatever hold she has over Athena, is by getting to Sola and Firelance first. Firelance is supposed to be an Alicorn. I know that Alicorns and Windigos get along like sandpaper and tar, so as I see it...Athena wants to kill Firelance. Firelance is probably the only thing on this planet right now that could break or undo, or hold off any type of kill-switch Mona's placed on me. If I go against her. I'm dead. That's why I've been hunting down super mutant leaders these last two days. The Brotherhood arriving...that's no accident. Mona and Athena have been planning to draw them here for a long time."

"At least seven years Athena's been setting the stage, prepping the field for you guys to come floating in like that. This isn't going to end well for anyone until we deal with both of them." Deacon said.

"She has a list of Brotherhood targets too, everything that seems valuable, or the Brotherhood wants to pick over, I'd strongly recommend against sending whole teams into claiming without expecting a big fucking trap laid out."

"Unfortunately, that's not how the Brotherhood operates." Danse said, "Our way of doing things involves going in loud, and wiping the field clean before neutralizing all other threats."

"Danse, I need you to tell me everything you know about those two. Anything. Mona and Athena are putting the screws to me to keep my promise and help them kill these two when they show up, but as you can see; How much help I've been getting I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Hancock, Deacon, and you."

"Why, what did I do? You said we've never met before until today. So what are you talking about?" Danse asked.

"You helped save Meathead's life last week while you were scavenging the rocket complex West of here. Meathead said you warned him of synths and kept him out of the line of fire. That's his weakness too. Meathead can't see synths. He couldn't see you unless he visually looks with his eyes. He can't tell where they are. He said you pulled him out of the way before a whole group started blasting at you."

"I don't remember anything like that," Danse said, trying to bring up the trip through ArcJet Systems, stepping in the way of some laser blasts in the exchange of fire, but nothing heroic to what Nate was describing.

"That laser rifle you gave Meathead, he ended up using and saving my life with it. He's kept it with him everywhere he goes. It's the only rifle he's ever been gifted, he appreciates it and takes good care of it, trying to preserve the gift you gave him."

Danse drew in a breath through his nose, shaking his head, the details escaping him.

The door to the Taphouse rattled, shaking as someone on the outside tried coming in, only finding it was locked.

"I didn't save his life." Danse said.

"That's not what he says. Either way, I owe you an opportunity to expand your network and find the new path you're deciding to take once we're done here. I'll tell you how to Kill a Windigo. How to Kill Mona. The one who did this to me. Unraveled me, promised that unless I worked for her, she would kill me, and then go after my wife and my community I'm rebuilding."

There was knocking at the door now, insistant, then a voice called out, "Nate?"

"Deacon, could you see who that is?"

Deacon nodded, checking the door and peering outside, "It's Piper and a guy I don't recognize."

"Keep the door closed."

"Are you sure about that? She's a reporter, she'll be trying to find out what we were talking about."

"Then it's a shame she didn't get the memo. Keep the door closed."

"Danse?" Paladin Brandis could be heard,

"That's Brandis," Danse said, standing up away from the table. "He was with me when we stormed Trinity Tower. I lost track of him. He thinks I'm dead. Let him in."

"Hold on there, Danse. Deacon. Danse. Tell me. How committed is he to the Brotherhood, and what's the play he is going to make when he learns you're a synth? Violent reaction? Strung up in the streets? Or will he be cool and calm like the rest of us are right now? You open that door, and you're inviting in your own responsibility to handle that situation. That decision weighs on you and only you, Danse." Nate said, pointing at him with the deathclaw pointer finger.

"I know how Piper acts, and how far out of the loop she is, that she will batter all of us with questions, trying to figure all the angles out to this whole situation brewing in the Commonwealth. No doubt she wants to talk about the goddamn Blimp that just few over, and if she sees you, she's going to want to know everything you know about the Brotherhood and WHY they are here. We know why, and if she can't figure that out, then she's not as good of a journalist she thinks she is. That's the weight of my choices; That's why she stays out there like everyone else. But, if you say let Brandis in, then he comes in, and he gets to be filled in on everything we're discussing now. I trust Piper. But I don't trust her to the extent that if push came to shove, she wouldn't pick this group over herself. Plain and simple trust issues. So. I still need to know about Sola and Firelance. Are you ready to let people know you're a synth? Or do you want to sit here, and learn how to kill a Windigo?"

"It ain't easy," Hancock added, "But we smoked that one down in the Glowing Sea. Mona's gonna need a little more prep work. That bitch and the raging cunt of a unicorn don't seem like the type to be taken down easy. We gotta nuke her from orbit; Use one of those space lasers I've been hearing about to blast her from a million miles away so she doesn't ever see or hear, or know we're coming."

Danse looked across the room to the door, to Deacon acting bouncer.

"Let Brandis in. He lost his whole team three years ago, and just saw the rest of my team plunge to their death because of Athena. He was guarding the bottom floor when it happened. I...can only begin to imagine what he's feeling right now."

"Deacon, you heard the man." Danse blinked at that. "No girls allowed."

Brandis was pulled through and Piper's voice could be heard, "Nate? I just need to talk to Nate for a moment- Nate!"

Piper barely got a glimpse inside, shut out, too inquisitive and too much of a gossip to be trusted with secrets that could change the fate of the Commonwealth. She started pounding on the door, calling out every few seconds.

"And this is why I didn't let her in. She still can't seem to get the message through her skull that the world doesn't revolve around her and her pursuit of answers. Did she recognize you Deacon?"

"I don't think so."

"Paladin Brandis." Danse said, addressing the silently stunned man,

"Paladin Danse...I'd thought you perished. I waited, but once the mutants retreated, I saw an opportunity to leave, so I did. I was in the marketplace, saw a group in power armor, then you coming down the steps. That woman, Piper, spotted you as well."

"God she's persistant." Deacon said, listening to her knocking grow louder and more frustrated.

"For the love of God, whatever you do. Don't open that door. She's about to learn an important lesson about humility."

"That's cold," Deacon said.

"And so is being stuck in a freezer for two hundred years. I outwaited the whole damn War, I can wait for her to leave."

"I'm NOT GIVING UP!" Piper shouted through the door, "I'll be here all day if I have to! I can wait all night! I know who all came in with you, don't make me get Diamond City Guards!"

"And there's the threat," Nate said, "She's weak and relies on others to further her own manipulative agenda. Narcissistic characteristics, I picked up on that after traveling with her for a day. Like I said, push comes to shove, she chose herself. Not thinking about the negative consequences that her actions has on those around her or herself. She thinks she's perfect."

"So what are we going to do about this?" Hancock asked, looking towards the suit of power armor.

"Let her get the guard. Let her scream and whine all she wants, she's not getting in."

"There's no back door to this place," Paul said. "Food's ready too."

"Don't worry. Let's finish our game, I've got it all handled." Nate said, going to Brandis, welcoming him into the circle, "Paladin Brandis, care for a piece of steak?"

"I'm famished."

"Good. I'll share a piece of mine."

The knocking cut off, and the group could hear the footsteps leading away from the Colonial Taphouse.

"I'd say about five-ten minutes before the guard gets here," Nate said. "Longer if the guard still holds a grudge against her. Paul? Got any plates back there or are we just eating off the table?"

Deacon, Hancock, and Danse all wondered why Nate was acting so oddly, aloof, but self-sure that nothing bad would happen. He smiled as Paul brought out four steaming cuts of beef, still blood pooling up on top.

With a knife he cut straight down the center with the sharp tip, taking half and giving it to Paladin Brandis as Paul scrounged up more silverware so they could cut into the meal. "Hancock, three 4s to you."

Danse sat back at the table to get Nate's attention again, "You need to tell me what you know about Athena."

"Aside from the fact she's filled with much more rage than I thought, get's off on torturing the Brotherhood of Steel, constantly on the move, she wants to end slavery for ponies in Nuka-World...No I shouldn't say that. She told me otherwise. She thinks that the only way to create an alicorn, or force one into existence is letting slave raising themselves up to a higher level of consciousness, triggering an Alicorn's creation. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Athena plays the devil's advocate on both sides, hedging her bets to make sure slavery continues to exist until an Alicorn appears...She wants Nuka-World, or at the very least, ending slavery isn't her end game either. I doubt she's the type to settle down and stop fighting after getting what she wants. What she needs...she was open about her attempts on becoming an Alicorn. If anything I'd say she's settling for the next best thing..."

"Which is?"

"Mona. She is going to use Mona to Frankenstein apart an Alicorn, and put her together again with all the right bits and pieces."

"Franken-what?"

"She's going to hack apart an alicorn, and use Mona to thread all the magical bits and pieces back into her. She did it with my hand and arm...why not an Alicorn and a pony?"

"Fuck. She is relentless," Deacon said.

"I can't say for sure, but signs are pointing that way. Creating an environment designed to produce more Alicorns. A scary one, like a biological arms race. Forcing evolution. She wont stop until she gets Firelance and Sola. Speaking of. I know nothing of them, so please, Danse. Brandis. Deacon. Who the hell are these guys? What do they look like? What did they do while they were active? I need a reason to not kill these guys, and put a point under 'reasons I shouldn't do Athena's dirty work, so please. Who are they? I need to know any and every story about them that you heard."

"I know Sola." Paladin Brandis said. "Firelance too." Chewing on his piece of steak, he quickly cut off a large piece and munched on it for a few moments as he thought his words over. "Met with them and spoke with them...oh...six years ago. After they came back from the Commonwealth. Before they left the Brotherhood for good."

"Why did they leave?"

"Elder Maxson put out a decree, kill all mutants. Kill all abominations. Leave no stone unturned, no warped bits of DNA across the land unsmashed. He and Firelance didn't break away at first. There was a whole year of him and the Alicorn trying to change things from the inside, trying to make things work, but they never got any better. I don't know where along the line they realized Maxson was the wave of the new future for the Brotherhood, and that he wasn't going away any time soon. Too many Brotherhood knights had fallen to Super Mutants down South. The ones up here. They're savage, but idiot savants compared to the geniuses running around D.C. It was a bad time to be steel or green down South. Too much bad blood, and Maxson saw that as a uniting factor. Everyone hated Super Mutants, not one person in D.C. hadn't come across them at some point in their lives."

"Sola and Firelance filled us in on personal details Recon Squad Vagus acheived, places to go back and search. Recon Squad Artemis wouldn't form for another four years, and our expedition wasn't even considered back then. You see, while he and Firelance were up here, roaming around the Commonwealth, looking for the Institute, Elder Maxson put out the decree, and had their friend, a mutant named Fawks hunted down and killed by a loyalist Brotherhood death squad. The incident was highly praised by Brotherhood knights and paladins who spent most of their lives fighting Mutants up and down D.C. They managed to befriend this one, and that ignited the whole rivalry between Maxson and Sola. I didn't really know the Unicorn, or Alicorn. He was always there, however. Always at Sola's side."

"Why? What's their history?"

"Sola and Firelance both came from the same vault in the Capital Wasteland. Vault 101. A Vault-Tec experiment, they had dozens of ponies, and humans, and other creatures all living in this Vault."

Nate nodded, mind going to Vault-tec registration day. "As far as I know, they grew up and lived together. Best Buds. Inseparable. Where one went, the other followed."

"Okay, so what did they do to get so involved with the Brotherhood?"

"Going back to their father, he was an engineer and scientist responsible for a massive aqua-purifier capable of de-radiating the whole bay. Cleaning it in one go. Another group called the Enclave got wind of this, and forced us out. The Enclave killed Sola's biological father, and Firelance retaliated." Paladin Brandis sighed, rubbing the sides of his forehead, trying to force memories to resurface. "He was instrumental in expanding the Brotherhood into the Pitt after we secured D.C. from the Enclave...Lotta bad blood up there too. Fuck what was his name? Raider boss in charge of the Pitt...can't remember...he and Firelance were moving around...point to point..." Brandis sputtered out, "I'm losing track of when it happened..."

"Ashur." Nate said, "Athena gave me her version of what happened. I need to know what she didn't see, or conveniently left out."

"There's not much we can say...Sola did what he did to take over the city. Hung the Pitt slavers out to dry. The only contension I know about is that Maxson was pressing Sola and Firelance for weapons they wouldn't give up or turn over."

"What kinda weapons?"

"Crap that made our laser pistols look like flashlights compared to these death cannons. Equestrian Alien Technology. As far as I knew back then, Sola said the weapons came from the Institute. But...after seeing the synths and their weaponry...there's no way the weapon I saw Sola and Firelance with six years ago, doesn't compare in the slightest to anything I've seen the Institute put out into the battlefield since then. It had to of been the magic connection...Something Sola and Firelance didn't want the Brotherhood finding out about, or falling into the rut of 'keeping it out of the hands of the people for the safety of humanity'. Trying to keep humans from laying waste and blowing us all back to the stone age a second time was a goal of the Brotherhood since its inception. I've reflected plenty on the Brotherhood, while I'm still in, I haven't been in the loop since meeting Danse and his crew four days ago. The last three years I've been on my own to the North of here. A nasty habit of the Brotherhood is that once we find relics of the past. Nuclear reactors. Caches of weapons. Old Med-Docs. And Primarily, crap like the Institute is hiding away, once the Brotherhood gets their hands on it, it disappears into the archives for good, but is never forgotten."

Nate sighed, placing a big question mark over Sola and Firelance. Nothing overtly that he couldn't figure out already, but Nate saw Firelance as his potential only hope right now of getting out of Mona and Athena's grip.

"Alright, so you want to know how to kill a Windigo?" Nate asked. "First off, you'll need a conductor, something to channel electricity, and three fusion cores worth of energy at once to stun her. Cook the nerves right out of her. Char her fucking black. Bullets, grenades, fire, it helps slow her down a tick. I brought a railroad-tie slinger. A pressurized rail-gun with copper ties to stick the Windigo full of metal, and then had Meathead fly up and gather clouds to build up a lightning bolt to shock the Windigo. But, to really finish a Windigo off, you need to burn the brain and burn the heart. That's a lot of burning, so gas or enough electricity to light these bitches up like a 10,000 watt halogen-bulb Christmas tree. Back in the day, we rigged a suit of power armor to a reactor generator, and electrified the outsides. Couldn't get anywhere near those suits in a fifteen meter radius without rubber and no metal, otherwise the shocks would travel out and hit you. We waited for the Windigos diving on us, so we set up tesla coils to trip the moment they got close and fried them to kingdom come. After that, we
threw their bodies in the incinerator and called it Kum-bay-ah for the night."

"And how'd the arm come about?" Danse asked.

"Hancock? You want to fill them in?"

"The Windigo down there possessed a Deathclaw... Hell's bells that's how he became one. He didn't possess it, he just did that magical shit to pull all the body parts up around him...Frankensteined himself a new body. Anyway. I'm getting side-tracked. The bastard speared Nate through the arm, suit ripped, radiation creeping in. We finished him off, and used the deboned the Deathclaw arm and wrapped the skin around Nate's to keep it in like a cast...and to keep the radiation out." Hancock added. "It was the only thing we had that would've worked as a patch in the situation."

"And I still have a working arm because of that...I never thanked you or Meathead for that, Hancock. Thank you."

"So what do we do now?" Danse asked, "The Brotherhood doesn't wait idly by, and will be expecting one of us to make an appearance. They don't know about what happened in Trinity Tower, but if their synth-detection technology has improved since Gladius' departure, then there's no point in hiding that I'm a synth. I'm already a marked doomed man."

Brandis looked crossly at Danse for that, then back to Nate, Deacon, and Hancock. "Athena's convinced the Brotherhood is bad for the Commonwealth. Them showing up is all part of her plan to bring down the hammer on them, to force Sola and Firelance out into the open. So far, everything's going exactly according to her plan."

"That's not true. Up in Trinity Tower. I killed a mutant named Strong. She said she had plans for him, and that she wanted him to be take the role of super mutant leadership, but right in the middle of this... she seemed to give up and say 'why bother', Mona had Athena pit the two of us in a fight to the death. Mona and Athena may be on the same page, but they're working towards different goals. Their relationship is a temporary one at best, and once she gets Sola and Firelance, I don't see any reason why Athena and Mona's partnership would continue." Danse reasoned.

" Except for the fact they're both extremely dangerous, and have the potential to wipe each other out, but don't attack each other knowing that the end result would leave one of them desolated."

"So the question is..." Deacon said, formulating the words in his mind. "Any way to accelerate that fight? Any way to turn Athena against Mona now?"

Nate pressed his fingertips together, "Super mutants organizing is something that Athena and Mona don't like, so anything they don't like is something we need to pursue." Digging into his pack, Nate pulled out a dozen cases of Mentats. "These are why the super mutants on Mona's kill list are becoming smarter and intelligent enough to refuse Mona's mental manipulation. Rage. Hammer. Big Mack. Savage. All these mutants had the Mentats in common. With Strong dead...and is Fist dead as well, Danse?"

"Mona froze him. Athena smashed him to bits. After that she pinned the mutant Strong against me in a death match. Winner got to live."

"Uh..huh..." Nate said, picking up and filling in his own details on what happened next. "Back to finding another mutant then. We force a bunch of Mentats down their throat and get him on our side. Take up the mantle of pacifying super mutant gangs in the Commonwealth. All in favor?"

"We're voting?" Deacon asked.

"We're all together in this. This is a group decision, and I've brought it to the table. We're voting on this. Danse, Brandis, Hancock, Deacon. I want to hear all your opinions on this. We can't do anything until we find Sola and Firelance, or get word to them that Athena and Mona are waiting for them. Until then, the only other options we can play, remain active and in the game of staying alive. If organizing a green gang together puts the screws to Mona and Athena, then that's a route worth pursing until we all agree that no one fits the bill. As we all know, there are independent super mutant strongholds out there. Our goal is to put one mutant in the spotlight who has our backing, and is smart enough to keep his guys in line. So...negatives. Aside from the impossiblity of finding a decent mutant to hear us out and take the role; Let's hear them. We already know Maxson and the current wave of Brotherhood will be against it, making us and him a target for whoever we choose. Therefore, once we do find a mutant with enough sense, and smarten him up, we'll need to hide him for the time being. Both of those tasks are equally long and grueling prospects, but could net us the end result of keeping the peace between raiding mutant gangs, and human settlements. Anyone else?"

Deacon shook his head, "I...know of a group of mutants who might fit the bill. It's a long-shot, but better than letting Athena and Mona keep setting the pace."

"Who?"

"A pony and mutant scrapyard down south of here, junked Giddyups and a handful of ponies working with the mutants to maintain a small lot worth farming on. Mutants give them protection. Ponies get to live independently. The pony connection is the only link mutants listen to and follow. Otherwise, any humans get shot within iron sight distance."

"It'd be hard to do, but has legs." Hancock said. "I know some ponies willing to work. I'm in favor. Aye."

"I don't know any mutants I could trust." Brandis said. "Never have. Doubt I ever will."

"That's not the issue. The super mutants will never trust someone to lead them who isn't one of their own is the real issue. You don't have to trust what he may or may not do, only that all the super mutants end up rallying around behind him. Someone that we can control...and I may know a super mutant who fits the bill." Nate said.

"Getting back into things...What the hell? Might as well. Aye." Brandis said.

Hancock raised his chin and nodded, "Ahhh...I know who you're thinking of. Double Aye, I think Virgil would work."

"Who's he?" Danse asked.

"A rogue Institute scientist whose life's work has been modifying and studying the FEV virus. He injected himself with a modified strain, turned mutant, and ran from the Institute. He's been hiding in the Glowing Sea ever since, and will do anything to keep the Institute from pegging him down again. He will do anything we ask him to, since he also knows he doesn't have a leg to stand on if we decide he needs to pay for all the sins of his work the Institute put out into the world. I don't think he knows about the Mentats stashes either."

"That doesn't help me put any more faith into this plan, Nate. But...I can't see Athena and Mona as the best choice for the Commonwealth. If it helps from ever having to endure a situation like that where I lost my team and everything else like that again...Aye."

"The only issue is that we don't know how to get in contact with either of them." Nate said.

"I think I know how I can get word to Sola and Firelance..." Brandis said, "Send out the feelers, hope something catches...I wont know if they hear it, or if it gets passed up the chain, but...If I go to the Brotherhood's Blimp, I'm sure everything Danse and I say will be relayed up the chain of command as valuable info. Except of course what's been ocuring here. While I may not know much about mutants, I know ponies and mutants get along. You send that one, Thunderstruck in, and she'll turn those mutants over in her hoof. She's got a way with words. I however, have never met a mutant I could trust."

"Let us handle that, if we can't find a mutant, then maybe they'll listen to a pony." Nate suggested.

"Go find your mutant and your pony, I'll make sure Danse secret remains buried. There's plenty I wouldn't want to discuss anyway, but if it gets me back into the loop, then there's dozens of other things to shine light on in this Commonwealth, away from Danse and the unfortunate fate of our teams."

"The majority Ayes have it. Once Meathead arrives, you three will take to the Brotherhood, and report what you've found. Deacon, Hancock, and I need to see about the source of the mutant's smarts, and get Mona's leverage out from over my head." Nate said, banging his large fist on the table like a gavel, "Meeting adjourned."

\111/

No less than two seconds after their first meeting agreed on the course of action, knocking at the door, followed by someone trying to open the door and voices calling out. "Diamond City Security. Open up!"

Everyone's heart rate rose a notch, and everyone looked towards Nate and then Hancock.

"Time to get going,"

Nate looked up towards the ceiling, and as Hancock moved for the power armor to hide himself back inside, a loud 'Pop!' and flash of green light materialized Meathead just over the bar before he touched down on the counter, dropping as gravity brought him down.

"<Phew!>" Meathead said, panting lightly.

"Ah, Meathead, perfect timing. Anychance you could help us relocate to the Boylston club? We've got security at the door."

Meathead clambered down and nodded quickly. "<Hi guys.>" Exhaling a loud breath, and quickly shoring up his magic reserves again. "<Everyone get close and hold hands, it makes it easier for me to concentrate on one group.>"

As they quickly linked up, "Paul, go let them in after we're gone." Nate said, Paul Pembroke nodded, calling out through the door.

"I'm coming!" Paul shouted, the banging on the door was more insistent.

"Hurry up, or we knock this door down!"

As Meathead focused and channeled the magical energy, he said, "<This is the largest group I've done so far, so...don't expect to go too far.>"

With a moment of silence for Meathead, they all vanished and were lifted sideways through space, shaking once they all landed inside a building surrounded with comics and in a large reading area with lounge chairs and rows of shelves with more faded comic books.

"<Hubris Comics.>" Meathead said, head sinking low to the ground as the rest of his body laid down. "<Ooohhff. That took the wind out of me. Gotta lay down for a sec.>"

"Close enough. Thanks Meat." Nate said, praising his friend.

"<So what's the plan? What'd I miss?>"

"All the mutants Mona wanted killed are dead. But, that just means we need to find our own green bosom buddy and cram him full of Mentats to let him take the roll of super mutant president leader. If Plan A is no good, we'll see if Thunderstruck can swing some mutants opinions our way. Virgil is first in line, after the Institute; Otherwise, we stay on the lookout. These two are heading towards the Boston Airport where the Brotherhood flew in. Go with them, they wont take...my appearance too well. Brandis is going to try and send a message to Sola and Firelance. If Mona doesn't let me out from under her thumb, I want to have a plan B to undo any magical hold she has over me. As for any targets the Brotherhood is interested in getting to now that they're here...everyone needs to know Athena has that list and has been preparing for this exact day when the Brotherhood arrives. I don't have a single doubt in the world she's rigged all of these places ready to blow. So...be on the lookout and know it's a trap from here on out."

Danse took the warning to heart. Biting at his lip, trying to not let himself appear too shaken as Meathead suddenly transformed into Nate's former uninjured self.

"<Gotcha. Haven't gotten North yet, but I felt the four of you all freaking out there for a second so I thought it was best I popped in.>"

"I'm headed there after Med-Tek. Deacon. Hancock? Anything else?"

"Nope. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can put the Windigo and Unicorn behind us. Lead the way."

"I'm just along for the ride at this point, keeps things interesting." Hancock said. "...And...heading to drug super-lab USA central sounds like a pretty decent ride for me. Dibs on any drugs we find."

Dispersing out through the front door of Hubris Comics, Deacon, Hancock, and Nate heading to the right and then North, as Meathead, Danse, and Brandis went left towards East Boston.

\111/

As Paul unlocked the door to the Colonial Taphouse, welcoming the guards in, everyone saw the empty tables, half-finished drinks, unfinished meals and cards still on the table.

"Where'd they all go?" A guard asked,

Piper quick-stepped her way into the Taphouse after the guards, "Paul? Where'd they go? What happened to them I just saw them here."

"You just missed them. A few seconds after you left, they all took off."

"But where?!" Piper insistantly wanted to know, "Where did they go? There's no one here and I know they brought in a Brotherhood agent into this bar!"

Paul took the glasses and cleared the table, "Guess you didn't see them walk out." He said, "Try again next time, Piper."

"Was Nate here? Meathead? What happened? I need to know."

"Nobody's here. Piper. Leave."

"Gah! You're so unbelievable! I can't believe this!"

"You whined your way into my bar, I have every right to deny you service for whatever I feel like, Piper. And if I don't feel like it, then you ain't coming in, end of print. You being a toney-brat sure doesn't help your cause either," Paul replied.

Storming out onto the patio walk, "I can't believe I'm getting shut out!" Looking out beyond the Great Green Wall, she turned her gaze to the horizon,