The echoing sound of metal on metal is a ring to his ears, a sound his subconscious mind had been listening for while he slept. Alex doesn't know how long he's been asleep, but from the crick in his neck, it's probably been a couple of hours. Enough; it's enough. His brain's reset in the darkness of sleep, and his thoughts are back up to the quick running speed he's used to.
Going on the assumption they are coming down here is the safe one. Taking ED-E's advice is also the path he committed to. Thus, there are only a few things to do.
He stands, stretching out the kinks in his spine, then pushes the chair against the wall, out of the way. He crouches down, points at Dogmeat, then points at Neil. "Stay," he says with aplomb. Whether the dog would listen or not is up in the air, but hopefully he'll prioritize his master. Alex then looks at ED-E, who is vibrating in a way Alex knows is rebellion. After everything that happened today, let alone the past month, Alex knows ED-E isn't willing to leave his side.
However, Alex also knows how the BOS out here treats eyebots. In the West, ED-E was revered for his tech, wanted by them just to look and touch. In the East... Each and every eyebot they had seen was shot down, except for the two surviving (if you could call it that) ones they had comes across. Eyebots were Enclave, and this Brotherhood was decidedly adept at destroying them. Even when the kids weren't even able to do anything of a threat anymore.
Alex swallows. Points again, this time at ED-E. "You stay in this damn room, or so help me, I will never bring you with me anywhere again."
The eyebot stills, so much so that Alex thinks he'll just drop from the air. After a moment, he makes a high trill that sounds like mourning, and rushes to the back corner, facing away.
Alex will make it up to him later. Honestly, he will. This whole past day ED-E has been nothing but fucking perfect in every way and Alex has just been using what ED-E offers. This whole situation makes him feel like crap--the past month, as well as the fact that Alex knows ED-E has been having it rough since seeing those moving husks of eyebots. This is shit, and he knows it, but he's not going to lose his kid. Not even the risk of it.
Despite the pain in his chest, he crosses the room to his packs, rummaging through the one with the extra armor and clothes. His assassin suit is shook out, and he slips into it like an old skin; still the best fucking armor to him. Doesn't hurt that Christine had it for a time.
Underneath the clothes are pieces and parts. Ones he had, before they left for the Capital, packed with a show of excitement. It was a favorite item of his, one he did not use casually. The ammunition wasn't easy to come by--it included a trip to a place he loved and loathed, a new dose of radiation, and a few skirmishes with the Marked Men. There was no shortage of it there, but here-- Here he only had brought around one-hundred.
Crouched on the floor, Alex starts rebuilding the missile launcher, thinks of the irony of using a weapon made for the glory of the US against the descendants of men who had put their lives on the line to defend that self-same country. Thinks that that country, after all he's learned, might not have been worth protecting. It's ironic, he thinks further--both Ulysses and he respects the old world, but where one idolizes it, the other demonizes it. He wonders which is right, wonders if it's always, always a matter of perception, in how you look at things.
The casing snaps into place, and Alex hears the sound of something being moved. He continues putting the weapon together, and Dogmeat continues to watch the sleeping Neil. ED-E continues to wonder if Alex doesn't care for him anymore. The sound continues.
no subject
Going on the assumption they are coming down here is the safe one. Taking ED-E's advice is also the path he committed to. Thus, there are only a few things to do.
He stands, stretching out the kinks in his spine, then pushes the chair against the wall, out of the way. He crouches down, points at Dogmeat, then points at Neil. "Stay," he says with aplomb. Whether the dog would listen or not is up in the air, but hopefully he'll prioritize his master. Alex then looks at ED-E, who is vibrating in a way Alex knows is rebellion. After everything that happened today, let alone the past month, Alex knows ED-E isn't willing to leave his side.
However, Alex also knows how the BOS out here treats eyebots. In the West, ED-E was revered for his tech, wanted by them just to look and touch. In the East... Each and every eyebot they had seen was shot down, except for the two surviving (if you could call it that) ones they had comes across. Eyebots were Enclave, and this Brotherhood was decidedly adept at destroying them. Even when the kids weren't even able to do anything of a threat anymore.
Alex swallows. Points again, this time at ED-E. "You stay in this damn room, or so help me, I will never bring you with me anywhere again."
The eyebot stills, so much so that Alex thinks he'll just drop from the air. After a moment, he makes a high trill that sounds like mourning, and rushes to the back corner, facing away.
Alex will make it up to him later. Honestly, he will. This whole past day ED-E has been nothing but fucking perfect in every way and Alex has just been using what ED-E offers. This whole situation makes him feel like crap--the past month, as well as the fact that Alex knows ED-E has been having it rough since seeing those moving husks of eyebots. This is shit, and he knows it, but he's not going to lose his kid. Not even the risk of it.
Despite the pain in his chest, he crosses the room to his packs, rummaging through the one with the extra armor and clothes. His assassin suit is shook out, and he slips into it like an old skin; still the best fucking armor to him. Doesn't hurt that Christine had it for a time.
Underneath the clothes are pieces and parts. Ones he had, before they left for the Capital, packed with a show of excitement. It was a favorite item of his, one he did not use casually. The ammunition wasn't easy to come by--it included a trip to a place he loved and loathed, a new dose of radiation, and a few skirmishes with the Marked Men. There was no shortage of it there, but here-- Here he only had brought around one-hundred.
Crouched on the floor, Alex starts rebuilding the missile launcher, thinks of the irony of using a weapon made for the glory of the US against the descendants of men who had put their lives on the line to defend that self-same country. Thinks that that country, after all he's learned, might not have been worth protecting. It's ironic, he thinks further--both Ulysses and he respects the old world, but where one idolizes it, the other demonizes it. He wonders which is right, wonders if it's always, always a matter of perception, in how you look at things.
The casing snaps into place, and Alex hears the sound of something being moved. He continues putting the weapon together, and Dogmeat continues to watch the sleeping Neil. ED-E continues to wonder if Alex doesn't care for him anymore. The sound continues.