"I will teach him the basics tonight and let him have some target practice in the morning. Let him shoot at some radroaches or something." Jace fell into a short silence. "I didn't mean to insult him. I haven't known Raider long, but I can tell he is a good kid even though he tries to hide it. He's had a tough life...that I won't deny. But I don't know what he expects in staying with us. I think it would be best for everyone if we just left him at the next town. This place is too dangerous for a helpless kid like him."

Basil almost laughed at that. "If we're using that sort of logic, then wouldn't it be best for me to be left there with him?" He fell silent, pursing his lips. "Leith didn't even trust me to scout out a small area with him. I know that he has no reason to trust me with a weapon, but, well, it's just that, I guess. I'm not sure if there's a single person here who trusts me. Even when it comes to the science aspect of our mission, we're having to put our faith into a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, aren't we?" Good for nothing. That's what he had to be. Just a replacement that couldn't quite match up to the original and might as well not even be around.

Jace stared at Basil from the corner of his eye and sighed. "You have your uses. Remember, you have to watch the BOS woman work on the GECK so you'll know how to replicate the design when it comes down to it. You are the only one who has even the smallest amount of knowledge on the subject an have the chance to actually make this work. If we lose you, then Basil's mission will have been for nothing...our mission will have been for nothing. All of this would be nothing more than a waste of time without you."

Basil frowned at his slip. He supposed that he should have known better than to speak with Jace about such things; he wasn't his friend.

This was never the "real" Basil's mission to begin with, though. What would Jace do if he knew that? Would he decide that none of this was worth it, would he decide to leave me altogether?

He somehow couldn't help but feel as if he'd been reduced to the level of a Mr. Handy; he was just a convenient tool, rather than an actual ally, rather than an actual person.

Uncomfortable silence filled the space between them and it was quickly getting to Jace. His head was pounding even more now that they'd stopped walking and the rush of blood in his ears was deafening and annoying. Everything around him had crumbled to smitereens in less than twenty-four hours and he still couldn't help but feeling cheated. He'd been living a lie for so many years, wasting time that he would never get back because of the imposter before him.
Perhaps "Basil" hadn't known what he was like he'd claimed, but it still didn't hurt any less to know the truth. This mission was the only thing that he had now, and once it was over he was honestly afraid to know what the future held in store for him afterwards. Would he find a higher purpose after they succeeded in their mission? Would he become a drunk just like his father and die in the streets just as everyone had claimed would happen? Would he even survive to see this mission through to the end...?
"I'm going to go find Raider and bring him back. It's getting dark out," he muttered. He then started walking in the direction that Torin had disappeared.

"Be careful," Basil said as Jace walked past him, staring at the ground. A part of him didn't want to be left alone, but on the other, he wanted Torin to come back; plus, he knew that Leith would find a table, somewhere, to flip if he came back and no one had done as he'd asked. Not to mention that the silence between them was almost painful, in a sense.

Kaye's groaned echoed off the walls of the cave as the duo traveled deeper inside. She couldn't see anything past ten feet in front of them, but luckily she had thought to light a torch before entering deeper into the entrance. She couldn't make out much, but the small entrance led into a large cavern that seemed endless much to her surprise. There weren't many natural caves in the Deeper South, especially one of this caliber.
"This place is huge," she muttered to Leith. "There could be a whole army in here and we would hardly notice until they were right in front of us." She moved the torch around the room, scrutinizing the walls and floor for any visible signs of anything suspicious. "I don't see any bones littering the place or scratches on the walls, so I'm pretty sure we're not walking into a deathclaw's den or a mother yao guai."

Leith nodded in agreement, "Likeliest suspects are either coyotes or Mirelurks; if it's the former in here, expect a larger pack than usual, since this cave definitely isn't a small one. The latter would only be the case if there's water further in. And in that case, we shouldn't be too worried as long as we stay up here and keep someone on watch." From what he could tell with his limited vision, it seemed that the cave wasn't occupied--not in this general area, at least. Just a lot of empty space and a cool draft suggesting that there was a lot more of it to be discovered if someone dared to venture in.

"Since it's so cold in here, do you think that they're might be a water source in here?" Kaye asked. "The air does have a clammy bite to it. Maybe we can even get some good mirelurk steaks for dinner." Even as the thought crossed her mind, her stomach voiced its agreement.

Leith shook his head, "It wouldn't surprise me if there is water further down, but I doubt that we should head straight into a Mirelurk lair, especially not when Jace might as well be down for the count and Torin doesn't even know how to shoot a gun. A King might even be down there. It's their territory, after all." He turned to Kaye, noticing her expression; he knew that she was sick and tired of eating canned beans and other pre-war non-perishables, but all of them were. It didn't warrant disturbing an entire pack of mutated predators. "I wouldn't want one of us to get a concussion--or worse--from a King's sonic blast."