Chapter 59: Chapter 57

There were screams of surprise and terror as the meeting room was suddenly lit up in flames. Desdemona’s last sight was Sev about to get up, as if sensing the threat too late. Then the blinding heat washed over her face, melting her eyes and searing her skin. The whole wall shook, but judging from the lack of roaring flame filling her ears and the fact that she still lived, Sev’s physics-defying construction held.

She tried not to scream or let the fear of sudden blindness make her flail about. The rest of the room was nothing but echoes of panicked and pained screams and cries. Soon enough, she heard the door open and the familiar sound of Mr Handies (Or Ms Nannies) hover engines were filling the room. Desdemona felt herself being carried away in cold metallic claws, and knew better than to struggle against the grip.

She wasn’t sure where they were being led, but the chorus of pain around her was a clear sign that everyone was being carried somewhere, perhaps to safety?

Right now, despite her own wounds, Desdemona was worried about Sev and his Nexus. On hindsight, it was clear that the Institute was prepared to take ‘no’ as an answer, though that form of assassination was not what she had expected. With Sev and his girls caught in the blast, what would happen to the Nexus now?

She feared for the vengeful wrath of its people far more than her loss of eyesight. They had the means to render the Commonwealth a proper wasteland if they wanted to, and the synth pogrom that could easily follow would be a brutal and bloody thing.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly felt a chill and heard the humming of some sort of machinery. The humming got louder, then Desdemona was lowered onto her feet and gently nudged forwards. Reaching out blindly with her arms outstretched, she carefully took a step, then another, and then another. Warmth crept up all around her, and the Railroad’s leader suddenly felt her old wounds and hidden aches vanish.

There was an urge to blink, and after she followed through with that, Desdemona almost fell over startled when she could see again. The gasps and cries of the others made her turn around to see other Railroad members and the Diamond City delegation being led through the same studded archway she was currently under, and it then hit her that this was the much rumored healing arches Sev was known for having.

To be able to restore melted eyes… Blinking a few more times in amazement, she felt her face, feeling if anything smoother than ever. She looked to her hands and found them devoid of calluses or scars or aches. Her whole body felt lighter, younger. As the looked up to glance around, everyone else from the meeting room was going through the same healing process.

Shaking off the creeping distraction of becoming slack-jawed with awe, Desdemona joined her fellow Railroad abolitionists and brought them back from their own marvelling stupor. Despite the restored eyesight, they now had to deal with the potential of Sev’s-

“Everyone’s alright? Good.”

Sev’s voice rang out. Desdemona’s head snapped to the doorway to find him there with Cait, Piper and Gwen covered in soot running past him, but otherwise unharmed. Not only that, Curie was just behind him with the claws on one arm impaled clearly through the unconscious or dead Institute messenger. A quick look at the Courser’s ruptured abdomen told her where the explosion came from.

It was an explosion intense enough to melt the eyes of everyone who saw it. How the hell did the synth remain intact? How did Sev and the others survive that?

“Apologies for that,” Sev sincerely said, oblivious to the unbelieving stares he was getting. “I didn’t expect the use of suicide bombers like that. Apparently the synth had a mini nuke sewn into his body. We’ll have to upgrade our security protocols it seems.” His tone was far too casual for Desdemona’s comfort, and she-

Did he say mini nuke? She blinked, then suddenly the searing blindness made sense.

But everything else about that event didn’t. If it was a mini nuke, how was the room, how was the whole level still intact? Nevermind Sev and his people, how was the synth just suffering losing meat between his ribs and thighs?

Sev gave a glance and then a nod to Curie, who then disappeared down the hallway with her prisoner/corpse. The girls and Gwen ran through the healing arches, looking only annoyed for people who’ve survived a contained explosion. They hacked and coughed out soot and smoke, muttering curses while as the arches hummed and healed them.

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While Desdemona still struggled with her thoughts, Sev walked over to Mayor Sacklen, ash and soot flaking off him as he moved. “Terribly sorry about the experience. Hope you won’t hold it against me.”

The mayor was wide eyed, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly before his thought processes finally worked. “N-No, no! Not at all! If anything, we’re thankful for your quick assistance to...uh...heal us, and are glad no permanent harm was done to you or us.”

Desdemona barely noticed the well restrained fear in the mayor, though his entourage were far more obvious with their slack-jawed stares at Sev. Why wouldn’t they? He walked out of something intense enough to burn off the eyes from the next room, and seemed no less healthier for it.

Sev gave a cold smile as he turned his focus to her and addressed the group of Railroad agents, and Desdemona couldn’t help but feel a chill running up her spine. “As you’ve seen, the Institute has used a rather cheeky way of declaring hostilities on us.”

He straightened, the smile becoming colder and sharper. “Instigating a raider army might have truly not been their fault, but this…” He paused to take a breath. The whole room was silent, awaiting Sev’s next words.

”This is not war. The Institute does not deserve a formal war declared on them. They will be removed from the playing field.”

Desdemona felt the promise of violence in Sev’s stare as he locked his gaze upon her. “If you have any plans for the synths you want to save, I suggest you send them to me as soon as possible.”

With that, Sev left, leaving the robots to tend and then usher everyone back out to the surface. No doubt the news of the Institute’s cowardly assassination attempt would be exaggerated as it inevitably spread, but now the Railroad had to work overtime in formulating a response to liberate as many synths from Sev and his Nexus’ wrath as possible.

*****

The training sessions became more intense for members of 1st Platoon. News had quickly reached Caladan of the Institute’s treachery, and the anger at that act was only matched by the increased awe they had for Sev. He had survived, along with everyone else, including the prisoner. The room was only covered in soot, and the guests were harmed but quickly restored.

Everyone in 1st Platoon had immediately agreed to take part in the retribution Sev surely had planned against the Institute. Nevermind that the Institute might have unknown and potentially dangerous tech, it was unanimous that 1st Platoon wanted to make their wrath known, even if it might cost them their lives.

Only Sev’s direct order dissipated their fury. Edward, the newly promoted platoon leader had the pleasure of relaying what plans the Nexus’ protector had for the Institute, and it turned the young soldiers’ outrage to wicked glee. Sev would break the dressed up slave state of the Institute, and he would break its people too. After receiving their part of the operation, 1st Platoon was highly motivated to train and hone themselves in preparation.

Sev didn’t want anyone suffering so much as a bruise to the Institute, and nobody wanted the shame of disappointing him.

And so they trained hard over the few days they had left while Sev finished his end of the planning. Unfortunately for 2nd Platoon, they were dragged into the training as well. The intense ordeal with Eversors and Centurions caused a few resignations from the 2nd, and the establishment of a dedicated mental health clinic staffed by Dr Forscythe and some bright-eyed apprentices.

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