"I love it when a plan comes together!"

[infinite1up]

Who: Members of the City Guard, Sato, and a few others
What: Catchall for everything associated with Assault on Guard HQ
Where: City Guard HQ
When: From after Sato's network post through the next morning.
Warnings: Many violences, much death (likely mostly Sato's), wow.

Comments

[synthedick]

Nick returns that self-deprecating smile with a wry grin of his own. The original Nick Valentine was no scholar, no genius scientist or professor; he was, however, a good man with a good heart that made its way into the synthetic shell standing before Firo. He had good gut instincts that helped him on the job -- Nick has learned to trust those instincts himself. They don't often lead him astray.

And that gut feeling, along with Rey's assurance that Firo isn't a bad guy and his own distaste for violence as an answer, are why Nick is giving him a chance here. "If that's the only way you're willing to handle this, but I get the feeling Rey wouldn't be very happy if either of us got hurt." Especially him, given the talking to he got that morning before leaving the house.

[foundafamily]

Grudgingly, Firo has to nod in agreement; he knows Nick's right. "Yeah. I don't care about you, but I wouldn't wanna make her mad by hurting you."

Well, madder. No matter how this goes, they have to have a little chat afterward, just like she said.

He bites his lip and thinks. No matter what, he can't let Sato think he betrayed him, because that would mean everything he'd done was for nothing. "Would you make a deal? I can't shoot if you punch my lights out. But I want the gun back after this all is over."

He knows he can't trust Nick to give it back, of course, but he's not sure what else he could do. Worse comes to worse, he could try to steal it back. Honestly, as much as he'd hate to lose the gun, not having it would be one of the better ways to make it seem like he fought back.

[synthedick]

While not exactly eager to give the gun back to a guy who'd agree to this madness, Nick does take into account the fact that Firo seems willing to work with him at all. Firo is taking his offer and giving him a chance to end this as peacefully as possible, and while Nick might not fully trust him or his motivation in all this, that's a hard bargain to pass up, considering that's what he hoped to accomplish in the first place.

He pushes a sigh through him, one he doesn't actually need, given what he is. He might be a detective and have the mind of a long-dead cop, but he's dealt with his fair share of shady and amoral characters in the Commonwealth. You have to get your hands dirty if you want to want to root out the weeds. Firo might be a pest in the garden, but he's not the main threat here.

"All right. It's not as though you don't know where I live to get it back. I'd take you into custody, but anyone who's seen me in the last couple of months knows I'm not in any shape to be dragging a body down a flight of stairs."

[foundafamily]

Firo bites his tongue--so Nick's not in good health? He could've just taken him? The old Firo would've been upset to hear that, because he would've taken advantage of it. Now, he knows that he wouldn't have exploited the weakness anyway, but he still kicks himself for his stupidity.

He swallows that regret and smirks just a little. "Funny enough, I'm fine with it if you don't."

His smile flickers away. While his hand rests on the back of the gun, he doesn't move to point it elsewhere or go for the trigger. "So go ahead. I can't just hand it over--it has to look good."

[synthedick]

Given the cane and the limp, what's ailing Nick these days is obvious. Being a machine, he can't get sick like a human, can't fall ill from old age; however, it's not as though parts like his grow on trees, and there aren't any Institute synths in Hadriel to scavenge spares from. Unlike the flesh-and-blood folks, he can't mend with time or magic.

That'd be one of the main reasons why Rey didn't want him here here, why she kept him away from the main battlefront to begin with. She depends on him as much as he depends on her, but he couldn't let this gunman go -- not when there was something he might be able to do, even with a bum leg, and not when Rey is out there risking herself for this.

But just because his leg has seen better days doesn't mean he can't throw a punch that hurts like hell. All the metal parts help with that. As he closes the gap between them, his brow furrows -- it's clear he's not entirely happy about having to bludgeon Firo at all, but if they're going to do this, they ought to do it right. He picks up his cane and looks between it and the bare fist, and determines that the cane will probably be less painful than the sharp angles of his metal skeleton.

The job is the same either way. He grimaces as he rears back for a swing. "Sorry about this."

And if the regretful look he gives Firo is any indication, he truly means that, despite the circumstances.

[foundafamily]

Firo doesn't know what to make of the facial expression and the apology; in the brief window he has to react, his own expression shifts from defiance to confusion. Perhaps then it's fortunate that he doesn't really have time to make anything of it.

All that matters is that now he can honestly tell Sato that they fought and Nick took the gun. It'd be better if he'd have a mark as proof, but immortality will make sure that doesn't happen. Head injuries always take longer to regenerate, but it'll only take a minute or so for everything to be fixed. He just hopes that Nick's gone by then--facing him would be awkward.

[synthedick]

The cane connects with Firo's temple with enough force to knock him flat, and Nick can't help but close his eyes upon the impact. This isn't him defending himself against a raider, or taking out someone he knows truly deserves it. Something in what Firo said indicated that he made a deal with Sato and had no way to get out of it. While Nick doesn't know what that deal was, he has no doubt Sato would skip out on his end of the bargain if he thought it best for his agenda. Nick has found that madmen tend toss their compatriots in the garbage as soon as they've outlived their usefulness, no matter how loyal they may have been.

However, more important than this possible deal is that Rey trusts Firo for reasons Nick has yet to figure out. Whether that means her faith in him is misguided, or he's a good guy in a bad situation is unclear, but it means something, and that's enough for the synthetic detective for now. His glowing eyes flick to the window, to the battle happening at the headquarters -- a battle he promised he'd steer clear of, but one that troubles him all the same. His family is out there, and there's no real telling if she's all right.

After stooping to pick up the rifle and having one more look at the building in the distance, he heads out, taking the weapon back home for now, keeping his word to her. Firo might not believe Nick will return it, but he intends to make good on his word. Reliability goes both ways, after all, and unlike Sato, he's no madman: he upholds his end of a deal, especially one that helps Rey and the Guard.