359. Interrogate the Broker

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Goodneighbor was safe—thanks to the combined strength of its people and the Minutemen who stood with them in their hour of need.

With the Broker bound and subdued, Sico and his team began the long trek back to Goodneighbor, the captured figure shuffling along between them under close watch. The man who had unleashed so much chaos was now just another prisoner, his threats and bribes carrying no weight. Despite his earlier bravado, his face now held a flicker of nervousness as he realized that no bargaining chip remained.

The journey back was solemn yet filled with quiet satisfaction. Sico exchanged a glance with Hancock, a mutual understanding passing between them: the nightmare that had haunted Goodneighbor was finally over. Now it was time to seek answers.

As they reached the outskirts of Goodneighbor, the sight before them filled Sico with a sense of accomplishment. Hancock's men were patrolling the streets with renewed energy, securing every corner and assisting the civilians as they slowly returned to their daily lives. The signs of recent battles were evident—scorch marks, broken walls, and scattered debris—but there was an undeniable resilience in the air as people emerged from their homes, clearing rubble, rebuilding, and helping one another. The city was healing.

Sico guided the group toward the Old State House, where they would house the Broker for questioning. The Broker walked silently, his eyes darting around as if calculating possible escape routes, but with armed escorts on every side, he had no choice but to follow. They arrived at the building's entrance, its sturdy doors a symbol of Goodneighbor's unbreakable spirit.

"Preston, Robert," Sico said, nodding toward his trusted allies, "take the Minutemen and make a few rounds of the area. Let's keep this place secure. We can't afford any surprises while we deal with him."

Preston gave a sharp nod. "You got it, General. We'll make sure no one else slips through the cracks."

Robert added, "We'll keep an eye on the main roads. If anyone tries to cause trouble, they'll have us to answer to."

With that, Preston and Robert directed the Minutemen to patrol Goodneighbor's perimeter, spreading out to cover every vulnerable spot and maintaining a strong presence in case any remnants of the Broker's loyalists attempted one last act of defiance. Their determined expressions made it clear: Goodneighbor would not be caught off-guard again.

Meanwhile, Sico and Hancock led the Broker into the Old State House. The building's cool, shadowed interior provided a stark contrast to the bright daylight outside, its silence punctuated only by the sounds of their footsteps as they made their way to the basement.

The Old State House's basement, a sturdy, windowless area once used for storage, had been repurposed into a holding cell. Reinforced steel bars separated one side of the room, forming a simple but effective makeshift prison. Hancock opened the cell door, motioning for the Broker to step inside. With a resigned sigh, the Broker entered, casting a wary glance back at his captors as the cell door clanged shut.

Sico and Hancock pulled up two chairs, positioning them across from the cell. The Broker shifted on his feet, his face set in a stony expression, clearly attempting to hold onto whatever dignity he had left.

Hancock crossed his arms, his voice calm but laced with steel. "You thought you could own this city, Broker. Thought you could manipulate, threaten, and buy your way into control. But look where you are now."

The Broker gave a cold smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Goodneighbor's a haven for the ruthless, for those who understand that power is all that matters. You don't realize how much I did for this place."

Sico leaned forward, his gaze unwavering. "Did for Goodneighbor? All we've seen is the suffering you caused, the people you put in harm's way, the lives you destroyed. If you really cared about this city, explain why you brought the Iron Wolves here, why you let this city bleed just to satisfy your own ambitions."

The Broker's smile faltered slightly, but he maintained his facade of control. "You don't understand the bigger picture, do you? Power has a price. In this world, only the strong survive. The Iron Wolves were a means to an end, a tool to consolidate my control. They respected power, and I offered them what they wanted."

Hancock's fist clenched at his side. "Respect? All they did was terrorize the people you claim to have 'helped.' You're nothing but a parasite, Broker."

Sico kept his composure, refusing to let the Broker's smug demeanor affect him. "Then let's talk about your endgame. What was your plan for Goodneighbor, Broker? If you'd managed to keep control, what was your vision?"

The Broker's eyes gleamed with a strange, dark ambition. "My vision was stability—a city where people didn't just survive but thrived under a unified rule. Yes, it would've been harsh, but it would've been effective. Goodneighbor has always been a mess of competing interests and unstable alliances. I was going to change that, make this place a true bastion of power."

Hancock scoffed. "Power over what? A city full of people too scared to live their lives? There's no 'stability' in ruling through fear. The people of Goodneighbor deserve better than that."

Sico shook his head, his voice steady. "You lost sight of what makes this place worth protecting. It's not the power you can hold over others—it's the freedom people find here, the chance to live on their own terms. You betrayed that trust for your own gains."

The Broker's expression hardened. "You talk like idealists. But you're just as ruthless as I am. You're here because you fought and won, not because of some 'moral high ground.' Don't pretend you're any different."

Sico met the Broker's gaze, his voice unyielding. "We're here because we believe in something more than just power for power's sake. This city deserves leaders who will protect it, not exploit it. That's what sets us apart."

The Broker fell silent, the weight of his failed ambitions hanging heavily in the air. He glanced away, his face a mixture of frustration and bitterness. For all his bravado, he knew that his grip on Goodneighbor had been shattered.

Sico rose from his chair, looking down at the defeated man in the cell. "This is over, Broker. Goodneighbor will rebuild, and it'll move forward without you."

Hancock added, his voice resolute, "You had your chance, and you blew it. Now you'll live with the consequences."

Sico's gaze hardened as he stared at the Broker, who had remained defiant even in the face of his defeat. The Broker had told them a lot about his plans, his ambitions, but Sico knew there was more to this man than he let on. The Broker's past, his real identity, and his true motivations were still veiled in mystery.

"You know," Sico began slowly, his voice low but firm, "you're not fooling anyone. You say you've done all this for power, but I've seen this kind of thing before. People like you always hide something. Always try to protect something."

The Broker looked up at him, his cold eyes narrowing. For a moment, he said nothing. But when Sico's words hung in the air, the man finally broke his silence with a chuckle—low and bitter.

"You think you've won? That you've broken me?" The Broker's voice trembled with barely suppressed fury, his hands clenched into fists despite his restraints. "You have no idea what you've just done. You think you can just waltz in and undo all the work I've done? When I escape from this cage, you'll see how wrong you are. I'll make sure of it. I'll have my revenge."

Sico's expression remained unchanged, his mind already piecing together the puzzle. The Broker was clearly a man of secrets—his plans had been too complex, too coordinated, to be the work of a simple thug or power-hungry opportunist. There was something more to him. The question was: what?

Sico leaned forward slightly, his voice colder now, cutting through the room like a blade. "That's where you're wrong, Broker. You've already lost. There's no escape from this. And there's no revenge to be had. This city's seen enough of your games."

Hancock, standing beside Sico with his arms crossed, nodded grimly. "Sico's right. You're not leaving this place. We've got all the time in the world, and I promise you, you'll wish you told us everything before this is over."

The Broker's eyes flashed with anger. "You think you can scare me?" he spat. "I've seen worse than you. You think you can torture me into submission? I'll never tell you who I really am. And if you think for one second I'll ever—"

Without warning, Sico's hand shot out, striking the Broker across the face with a swift and forceful slap. The blow echoed in the small, cold basement, and the Broker's head snapped to the side. The shock on his face was fleeting, but the sting of the action lingered. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he glared up at Sico with a mixture of hatred and disbelief.

Sico stood over him, unyielding. "You're not in control anymore. Not of me, not of this city, and not of your secrets." His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it, a promise that the Broker wouldn't get off easily.

Hancock took a step forward, his calm demeanor masking the anger simmering beneath. He uncrossed his arms and looked at the Broker with a gaze full of judgment. "Listen, pal," Hancock said, his voice still eerily composed but now carrying a weight of menace. "You've been running this show for far too long, but your game is over. Now, you're going to tell us who you really are, or we'll make you wish you had."

The Broker's lip curled into a sneer, his fury barely contained. "I'll never tell you. I won't let you take everything from me."

"You're not in a position to bargain anymore," Sico shot back, his tone unwavering. "You're in our hands, and you'll stay that way until you tell us everything."

The Broker's expression faltered for a moment, his eyes flickering with uncertainty before he steadied himself again. But it was clear from the shift in his posture that Sico's blow had done its work. The Broker had underestimated how far they were willing to go. He had expected fear, intimidation—perhaps even respect—but he hadn't expected the resolve they both brought to the table.

"What makes you think I'll ever tell you the truth?" the Broker hissed through gritted teeth, his chest heaving with barely contained rage. "You think you can break me with your pathetic tricks? I've faced worse than you."

Sico didn't flinch. His eyes were sharp, his mind already moving in calculated patterns. He knew this man was playing a game, and he wouldn't let himself be fooled. The Broker wasn't the type to crumble under pressure—not unless something more was at stake. Sico's hand rested lightly on the table, the leather of his glove creaking slightly as he leaned closer.

"You think this is a game?" Sico said, his voice barely above a whisper now. "You've killed people. You've torn families apart. You think you're just some shadow, hiding behind your walls of lies? Your identity—your real identity—has to be worth something. But whatever it is, it's not going to save you. Not anymore."

The Broker's eyes flickered with something more than just defiance. There was something deeper, something darker, that Sico couldn't quite place. The man was holding back, but why? What was he hiding that made him so desperate to keep his identity secret?

Hancock stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension. "Tell us what we need to know, Broker. Don't make us go down a road we don't want to travel. We don't want to start tearing apart your past, but we'll do it if we have to."

The Broker let out a bitter laugh, though it was tinged with frustration. "You think you're the first people to threaten me? I've survived worse than this. I've survived people like you, people who thought they could take me down. You'll never know who I really am. I'll take my secrets to the grave, and you won't be able to stop me."

Sico's eyes narrowed, a flicker of suspicion crossing his mind. He knew the Broker was hiding something—something far bigger than simple vengeance or greed. But what? What was this man really after?

He stepped closer to the cage, his voice low and filled with quiet authority. "I know you're lying. You want me to think you're just some random power-hungry maniac, but you're not. There's something more to you. And if you won't tell us, I'll make you."

Hancock's eyes darkened. "The clock's ticking, Broker. You think you're still in control? Well, we've got ways of making you talk. And believe me, you won't like them."

The Broker's defiance was beginning to crack, his eyes betraying a flicker of doubt. But he quickly recovered, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "You won't break me. You'll never get the answers you want. Not from me. Never."

Sico leaned in closer, his voice almost a whisper now. "We'll see about that." He paused for a long moment, watching the Broker closely, sensing that the man was on the verge of something. The pressure was mounting—his resolve, Hancock's threats—everything was pushing the Broker toward a breaking point.

"Who are you?" Sico asked again, this time more forcefully. "Who do you really work for? You're not just some petty warlord. There's something bigger going on here."

The Broker's eyes darted around the room, his face contorting with frustration and fear. It was clear he was trying to hold on, trying to retain control over the situation. But in the end, no one stays in power forever. And Sico was getting closer to understanding just how deep the Broker's lies ran.

Hancock stepped forward, his patience thinning. "You can hold out all you want, but it's just a matter of time before you crack. And when you do, we'll know everything."

Sico's gaze never wavered. "Tell us who you really are, and we'll end this. If not..." He let the words hang in the air. The silence that followed was thick, laden with tension.

The Broker's shoulders sagged, a glint of desperation creeping into his eyes as he realized there was no way out. Sico and Hancock's relentless pursuit had cornered him, and every layer of his carefully crafted facade was beginning to peel away. In that moment, the weight of his secrets threatened to crush him.

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• Name: Sico

• Stats :

S: 8,44

P: 7,44

E: 8,44

C: 8,44

I: 9,44

A: 7,45

L: 7

• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills

• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint

• Active Quest: -