Danse Paladin Danse , unit designation M7 - 97 , registration DN - 407P , is the commanding officer of the Brotherhood of Steel unit known as Recon Squad Gladius , deployed to the Commonwealth in 2287 . He is a possible companion in " Fallout 4 " . Background . According to Danse ' s memory , prior to joining the Brotherhood of Steel , Danse was an orphan living in the Capital Wasteland . As a child he made a dangerous living by scavenging the D . C . ruins until he could afford to open his own junk stand in Rivet City . It was at that time he befriended a man named Cutler , and together the two scraped by as traders . When the Brotherhood of Steel began recruiting , Danse and Cutler agreed it was " the best way out of [ their ] nowhere lives . " Under the command of Paladin Krieg they both became successful soldiers , but a year after being posted to the Prydwen Cutler disappeared on assignment . Danse spearheaded a three - week search for the missing squad which ultimately led to a super mutant hive . There it was revealed that Cutler ' s team had been killed , and Cutler himself had been exposed to the Forced Evolutionary Virus . Danse , saddened to discover his friend had been mutated , killed Cutler . The experience incited an intense hatred in Danse of most non - humans including super mutants , ghoul s , and synth s . By the year 2287 , Danse had risen to become one of Arthur Maxson ' s most respected officers . He was assigned a reconnaissance team and dispatched to the Commonwealth to investigate the Institute , but misfortune quickly reduced their force to three survivors . When the Sole Survivor first encounters Paladin Danse , he and what ' s left of his squad are holed up in Cambridge Police Station , unable to proceed with their mission . Danse enlists the aid of the Survivor to help retrieve an item from the nearby ArcJet Systems complex . Afterward , he offers the Survivor the rank of Initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel , should they wish to join . Danse becomes a full companion following Shadow of Steel provided the Survivor enlists with the Brotherhood . He is fiercely loyal to the order and travels with the Survivor to ensure their ideals are being upheld . As their relationship develops Danse confesses to being burdened by the losses of colleagues , friends , and mentors killed by the many horrors of the wasteland . Unwilling to let their sacrifices be for naught , he asserts the Institute and its synths must be eradicated for the safety of mankind . He believes synths are the embodiment of technology spiraling out of control , and their existence could bring about the end of humanity . As the main story progresses the Sole Survivor will have an opportunity to hack into the Institute ' s mainframe . Should they provide the Brotherhood with a copy of this data it is confirmed through DNA that Paladin Danse himself is a synth . Danse , or unit designation M7 - 97 , goes AWOL and flees to Listening Post Bravo . Outraged by the infiltration of his inner circle , Elder Maxson orders the Survivor to track Danse down and execute him . Once located , a suicidal Danse is adamant he did not know he was a synth . The disgraced paladin then encourages the Survivor to carry out their orders , insisting that he " must be the example , not the exception . " The Survivor must then choose to execute Danse or convince him to leave the Commonwealth . If persuaded to run Danse will leave the bunker only to find that a suspicious Elder Maxson has followed the Survivor to his hiding place . A confrontation will occur in which the Survivor will again have to decide the synth ' s fate . Should Danse survive the events of Blind Betrayal he will be grateful and , with Maxson ' s promise not to have him hunted down , stays to aid the Survivor in their mission . When they rendezvous sometime later Danse is still coming to terms with his nature . Though grateful to the Survivor for saving him , the sudden loss of his identity , memories , and career leave him grasping for answers . The Survivor can attempt to comfort him and , if so desired , may express a romantic interest . Danse will recoil at first , shocked the Survivor could be in love with a synth but eventually admits to feeling the same way . He asks for patience as he works through his " human emotions " and vows to remain steadfast at his partner ' s side . Appearances . Danse appears only in " Fallout 4 " . Behind the scenes . Unused dialogue suggests that Paladin Danse and the Sole Survivor were originally able to challenge Maxson ' s authority as elder through combat according to " the Litany . " Through his defeat , it would have allowed Danse to regain his status as a paladin and grant the Sole Survivor the rank of elder within the Brotherhood .