Unlikely Valentine 1

*knock knock*

No answer was given so Alex turned the door knob finding it unlocked and walked inside the sketchy looking building, finding himself inside of a small office lit by a dim light.

"Who are you, what do you want?" A woman was holding a pipe pistol aiming at Alex, he didn't really have the most welcoming look.

Alex: "Easy there, my friend needs a bit of help from Detective Nick Valentine." Alex raises his hands, after all the woman in front of him was Ellie Perkins- Nick's secretary and most trusted friend.

Ellie: "Nick? I-I'm sorry but I don't think he can help your friend.... not anymore anyway." She lowered the pistol but didn't holster it, nobody drops their guard to strangers in the wasteland.

Nora: "I'm sorry but what do you mean by that?" Nora was panicking a little, the only hope to finding Shawn was suddenly gone?

Ellie: "It's because of people like you who take his help for granted!....I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way.

It's just that his last job got him entangled with the wrong people and I don't think he's coming back. He's been gone for a week..." her hand holding the pistol trembled, no hope left in her eyes for Nick.

Nora: "W-we can help, just tell us where his last job took him!" Nora can't lose this easily.

Ellie: "Fine, there is an old vault that Skinny Malone and his group use as a hideout... Nick knew that he was walking into a trap but he smiled and walked out the door like he always does." She started trembling even more when remembering the last time she saw him.

Nora: "Just give us the location of the vault-" She was suddenly interrupted by Alex.

Alex: "Slow down sugar, there is no we here." Nora looked at him along in surprise, a confused look on her face.

Nora: "W-What do you mean?"

Alex: "This job seems pretty dangerous and I already took you all the way here. I didn't make any caps for the past week it took us to get here, so I think that's the best I could do.

If she pays us for the job, I'll take it. If it's free then you're on your own, it ain't personal but nothing comes for free. I like you, I really do. Just not really enough to risk my life."

Nora though depressed and a little hurt, completely understood his words. He was a mercenary that took the risk of escorting her across the wasteland for the past week at no cost.

Ellie: "I'll pay you!" Ellie looked at the man up and down and could tell that he was pretty dangerous, but decided to take a leap of faith.

Alex: "Looking at the state of your office... I doubt you can." Although everything looked like shit in the Commonwealth, he could tell that the they lacked caps- the large holes in the roof were enough proof.

Ellie: "I've got some money saved up, here!" Ellie took out 200 caps from a locked drawer, it was clearly every last cap she had.

Alex looked at the pile of caps and Ellie, the woman had a pleading look in her eyes and she knew this was nowhere near enough for this kind of job.

Alex: "... Argh fuck it, I'll take the job." Nora breathed a sigh of relief, but had a knowing smile on her face. Alex took the caps and left the office with Dogmeat, not wanting to think about his decision.

Nora: "He might seem cold, but I bet he would have taken the job if you offered half the amount of caps." She whispered to Ellie so that Alex wouldn't hear them, Ellie looked at the mercenaries back with a complicated look in her eyes.

Alex: "Nora, you coming or not? You need this guy more than I do." Nora gave Ellie a reassuring hug and made her way to Alex's side.

-15 hours later-

Alex and Nora arrived at the entrance of a subway station, taking a rest because of the previous skirmish they had with a pack of mole-rats. Alex didn't need it much, but Nora was out of breath and she got scratched by one of the rodents and Alex is patching her up.

Alex: "Grit your teeth darlin', this is gonna sting a little." Alex applied some wound disinfectant he bought from the shop, surprised that he found it here-after all you can't find it in the game.

Nora: "*hiss*" through gritted teeth Nora was squeezing Alex's shoulder, though she was a soldier so she was partly used to this feeling.

Alex bandaged up the wound and held her up after resting for 15 minutes, she was very anxious to rescue the detective.

Alex: "Before we enter you need to calm down, your safety comes first alright?" Nora's response was a vigilant nod in a ready fashion.

Alex was leading the way down a wide stairway, Nora and Dogmeat following close behind. They avoided some cans tied to the ceiling, obviously a trap set up to alert in case of intruders.

?: "You know what, I hate this fucking place. It's always dark and damp it makes me feel like I'm a goddamn mole rat." A conversation was heard near the stairway entrance, so Alex halted everyone.

As quiet as he possibly could he unsheathes a machete he looted off some raiders, and Nora copies his example. Slowly walking down the stairs without making a sound they spotted two men, both carrying Tommy guns and wearing typical gangster attire.

?: "Quit your yapping, you've got no idea how bad the other place was-" He was cut off by Nora slicing his neck from behind, gripping his mouth to silence him.

Adam did the same with the other, and dragged the bodies out of the light so their absence won't be spotted easily.

Hiding behind counters and occasional rubble they reached the ticket office in the subway station, spotting four people this time. Alex pointed to some rubble and Nora took his signal, making her way over there in absolute silence.

Two gunmen were inside of the office, making them harder to aim at so Alex told Nora through signs to leave those two to him. Nora's targets were easier as they stood in the open in front of a staircase.

*bang bang*

Alex shot his revolvers, breaking the silence and killing the two gangsters inside the ticket office.

*bang bang bang*

Nora shot at the two remaining gunmen, hitting the first in the head and the second in the chest so she fired a third shot to finish him off.

Shouting was heard coming from the stairway they guarded, their presence becoming known.

Alex: "Grab one of their submachine guns, from now on you need a bit more firepower to counter theirs as we lost the element of surprise."

She picked up a Tommy gun and salvaged what ammo she could from the four gangsters.

Alex: "Right, how much ammo do you have?"

Nora: "I've got about two drums." She estimated.

Alex: "We'll pick up more as we go on, now let's get moving." He spoke while reloading his revolvers and heading towards the stairs leading down.

On the floor below were the remnants of the subway tracks as Nathan recalled, packed with barricades and concrete pillars perfect for cover. Unfortunately this worked both ways, if the gangsters sit it out and wait for them Alex and Nora will be forced to make the first move.

Alex: *Lets see... I need a couple of explosions as a diversion* he thought and browsed the shop for some frag grenades.

*tic tic*

He removed the pins off of the grenades and threw them blindly down the stairs, rushing down the stairs with Nora and Dogmeat at his side.

*BOOM*

"Argh!"

"For fuck's sake!"

"MY AARM!"

The aftermath of the grenades could be heard as Alex and Nora took cover behind a thick concrete pillar.

*RATATATATATATA*

Their opponents were shooting blindly at the smoke and rubble, as they didn't notice where Alex and Nora were hiding. Some shots did hit the sides of the pillar, startling Nora because of how close they were.

Alex waited for silence and for his enemy to make their move, if they run for the stairs he's got free aim towards their backs.

Just as he expected 3 gunmen made their way near their cover, running towards the entrance of the stairs.

*BANG BANG BANG*

Alex took the opportunity and shot the three of them with his revolvers, all of them died without knowing what hit them.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU HIDING?!"

*RATATATATATA*

The remaining gangsters panicked and shot at every cover near the stairway, from the angle they were at they couldn't even tell where Adam shot from as he was hidden from their view.

*crack*

The sides of the concrete pillar were turning into Swiss cheese, bullets flying around them from every direction.

Alex: "Go take cover behind that broken train wagon." He spoke as soon as the firing came to an end.

Alex rolled from his cover taking the attention of all the remaining shooters, who turned to his direction.

*RATATA*

He was to fast and made his way behind another concrete pillar, on the way he counted 8 people and remembered all of their positions.

*clink clink*

He flicked two heavy coins to the side of the pillar, held his breath and estimated the current positions of the two nearest gunmen.

*BANG BANG*

Two bullets ricocheted with deadly accuracy off the coins, embedding themselves in the foreheads of the two unlucky gunmen.

*thud*

Their bodies fell lifeless to the ground, telling Alex of his successful shots. The gangsters were suddenly frozen... some wanting to surrender after seeing how their comrades died.

*BANG BANG BANG*

Nora reaches her new cover and started firing at the unsuspecting gunmen, all had their backs turned towards her so 3 of them became easy picking to her while Dogmeat jumped and completely mailed 1 to death.

From the thuds coming from their bodies as they fell, Alex could tell that there were two people remaining so he jumped out from behind the cover.

*BANG*

One shot is all it took as the bullet passed the first man's head like it was butter, ricocheted off the broken down wagon behind the men and hit the second man in the back of the head.

Alex: "Bullseye" His only comment as he blew the smoke off of the revolver.

Nora witnessed his combat prowess in previous situations but now realised just how polished he is- adapts easily to the battlefield, used to working as a team and now fully convinced that- He. Never. Misses.