Hero

by Foxtrot Agent 21

Coty is a resident of Sanctuary Hills, home of the Sole Survivor, General of the Minutemen- Director of the Institute. Coty leaves Sanctuary and its hypocrisy and stumbles upon something incredible: a growing contingent of revenge-driven BoS Knights. But many choices lie ahead of him, and the Brotherhood isn't the only thing that's been growing in the shadows... Rated T for Fallout

Hero: Chapter 1

Coty wiped the sweat from his brow, even as the cool, brisk air of the Commonwealth infiltrated his clothes. The offset of the natural climate by the Great War meant that while it never snowed in the Northeast of the former Unites States like it used to, it still became terribly cold. Still, he supposed he shouldn't complain; it was never too cold for his crops to grow, which was truly a blessing. There were few such blessings that Coty could count in the aftermath of the nuclear apocalypse. One was Sanctuary, the place where he and his mother currently resided. When he had arrived as a young boy of nine, Sanctuary hadn't been much: a handful of settlers, living in shells of pre-war houses. There had been barely enough food to go around and the water had been contaminated with radiation like every other settlement in the Commonwealth.

Over time, though, Sanctuary had grown to be as prominent as Diamond City; almost as populated as the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth. And it was all due to the continued efforts of the Sole Survivor, the General of the Minutemen. The Sole Survivor had made huge waves as soon as he had exited Vault 111, rescuing Minuteman Preston and what would be the first settlers of Sanctuary. That event had rocketed him to the position of General, at the time more of a title than anything else, but now the Survivor commanded a verifiable army thanks to his efforts in uniting the settlements under the blue banner of the Minutemen.

Unfortunately, the Sole Survivor had another title: Director of the Institute. He had betrayed the Brotherhood of Steel, utterly decimating their presence in the Commonwealth. Coty had never been sure exactly how the Survivor had accomplished such a feat; the only ones who knew for certain were the Brotherhood and the Institute, so for obvious reasons there was nothing besides rumors as to what had caused the Brotherhood's flying fortress to crash to the ground. So now, twice every day, the Sole Survivor's voice would play on Diamond City Radio, preaching the virtues of the Institute and ordering the compliance of the Commonwealth.

It infuriated Coty to no end, and every second he spent in Sanctuary burned in his gut. Despite the home the Sole Survivor had helped build in Sanctuary, the towering building holding Sanctuary's 40 and counting residents, the expansive farms that covered all farmable land in the territory, the truly massive wall that kept out all dangers from radroaches to Deathclaws. Despite all of this, he couldn't help but feel that the Survivor had betrayed the people when he chose to side with the Institute. The only upside was that the kidnappings had ceased. After all, the Institute no longer had to use covert means to spy upon the populace; without the Brotherhood, Railroad, or Minutemen to oppose them their synths could roam freely wherever they wished. They had even started appearing in Sanctuary, which had sent many of the settlers into a panic and a fury. The heavily armed squad of Gen 1 and 2 synths had been led by a Courser, which was likely the only reason the settlers hadn't attacked them on sight. It hadn't stopped the Sole Survivor, though.

Coty had never seen him so angry before, not even when Super Mutants had infiltrated Sanctuary and slaughtered the Joneses, back before the wall was erected. He had crashed into the cluster of synths with reckless abandon, tackling the Courser to the ground and blowing its arms off with two blasts of a combat shotgun. He dealt with the rest of the synths in a similar manner, totally silent as he demolished the older synth models. Once those were thoroughly finished, to the shock and awe of the settlers, he turned to the injured Courser. The advanced synth hadn't bothered getting up off of the broken pavement, looking at his Director in confusion. The Sole Survivor had always been a quiet man and his interrogation had been no different. He spoke to the synth of his orders, and of some man named Ayo, before the Survivor had executed the Courser with his legendary .44 pistol. The Sole Survivor had set a precedent there for all of the other settlements under his protection: no synths allowed inside uninvited.

It had set the Survivor on a pedestal for the rest of the Commonwealth, personally lived how Institute synths should be treated. For some it had helped them get past the sudden appearances of synths all around the wastes. Others had begun to even praise the Director, praise his work in setting up a peace between the Commonwealth and the Institute, even credit him for manipulating the Institute in the Commonwealth's favor. But Coty and his mother knew better, even if she didn't admit it. She could pretend to be content with the world and their lot in it, but he knew better. There was no way she could be happy as long as the Institute still stood, not after what had happened to his father. But it wasn't like they had anywhere to go, nowhere except Diamond City, and there was no way he was going to be able to get her there safely, not by himself. So he had formulated a plan, a plan to finally get him and his mother away from this center of hypocrisy and into the safety of Diamond City and away from the synths.

He was going to go out into the wastes and get help from Diamond City. He was certain that there was someone who would be willing to escort his mother back to him. He had scrounged up as many caps as he could in the last few months, steeled himself for the journey, trained up on his aim with his homemade pipe pistol, figured out basic survival skills from Mr. Marcus on the second level; he was ready. All he needed to do was gather up the courage to leave his mother behind.

He knew she would be looked after, and that he wouldn't be gone too long. He was confident that in the end they'd both be happy and fine, but still… he'd never left his mother's side, not once. After his father had been replaced by a synth, and Coty had been forced to kill the robot that had taken his father's place, they had only had each other. He knew that his leaving would hurt the both of them, but he also knew that it had to be done. If he was going to make his mother happy, he needed to leave. He was as ready as he was ever going to be. It had to be tonight.

Mind troubled but made up, he focused on his work, ignoring the slowly setting sun and forgetting about the world. It was peaceful, in a way, and helped him ignore his guilty conscience.

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Getting out of Sanctuary was much easier than I had thought it was going to be. It made sense, I suppose, in a weird way. After all, Sanctuary was meant to keep good guys in and baddies out. They didn't really have anything in place to stop people from leaving; only coming in uninvited. A temporary shutdown of the dozen heavy turrets at the gate had allowed me to slip out unnoticed late at night. I had left a note to my mother, letting her know my intentions. It would only take a week at the most to go from Sanctuary to Diamond City and back but I knew that if I left without a word she'd worry unnecessarily. As it was, she'd at least know where I had gone and I could leave without feeling too bad.

I walked slowly over the wooden bridge that led out of Sanctuary trying to savor every last memory that I could. It was, after all, the only place I had really called "home". The shack where my family had lived before was nothing like a home, but I hadn't known it at the time. Home is a place where everyone is happy to see you, sad to see you leave, comfortable being with you, and vice versa. Despite the way I feel about synths I couldn't deny that its settlers had made Sanctuary into a home for me. It hurt to leave it, but I had made up my mind. The turrets would be rebooting right about now, shutting me off from it as easily as if a moat had been raised. As if on cue, the steady hum and grinding of a dozen mechanical death machines sounded behind me. I turned around to watch the revolving turrets, just outside of their targeting range. Letting out a sigh- of relief or sadness, I didn't know- I turned back around to continue my march away to my new home.

And came face to face with Him.

If you came upon the Sole Survivor out in the Wasteland, you wouldn't think too much of him. He stood at little over six feet tall, with an average build and face. His steel-grey eyes bored into my own blue ones, though his brown hair was tidy and well-kept; whereas my own hair was in need of a good shave and kept falling into my eyes. He wore a leather jacket with an armored left arm over a surprisingly clean white shirt and rugged brown pants. In all the times that I'd had seen the man he had never been without that unique jacket. It had become as much a symbol of the man as the .44 magnum holstered at the legend's hip.

He stared at me as I wondered where the hell he had come from; I had only turned my back for a second! I think he grew tired of my gaping, because he sighed and said, "Hello, Coty."

"S-sir," I cursed my stuttering. When you knew who he was, he went from a guy who looked like he could hold his own in a fight to a man who looked like he could kill just as easily as breathe. From a commoner to a legend, just by the way you thought of him. I had always wondered if the tales about him were true, if he could really take out a Deathclaw with nothing but his .44, if it was just him by himself that had driven the various bands of Raiders from their hiding spots. Among all that knew him he had created a reputation, completing any task thrown at him. I couldn't think of a single tale that had ended badly for the man of myths.

"You didn't have to do that, you know? Disable the turrets, I mean," the Sole Survivor leaned against the remaining railing as he looked at me with a piercing gaze. I tried to pretend my shiver was caused by the winter wind. "So long as you are logged into the databanks, or unarmed, the turrets won't fire upon you."

"I didn't know that. Sorry. I guess."

"It's alright. There was never an instance where you could have learned about that, so I'll forgive you. So, do you have enough supplies to reach Diamond City?" I gaped at him, speechless. How did he know? He pointed to the sack slung over my shoulder and then to the pipe pistol in the homemade holster on my right hip. "I made the trip for the first time myself a few years ago myself. If nothing else, I know the look of a man whose running."

"I'm not running!" the Survivor's eyebrow rose at my outburst. Face flushing with embarrassment, I continued nonetheless, "I'm going to be coming back for my mother in a few days, two weeks at most."

"Right," the Director put on a condescending smile, but even that didn't reach his cold eyes. He wasn't amused. "And just what do you plan on doing once you reach the Great Green Jewel, hm? Run a shop, maybe?"

"I'm sure they could always use more farmers." Dammit, I hadn't thought about that. I hadn't even planned for unemployment. What if I couldn't find a job? How was I supposed to take care of my mother without steady income?

"That's weak kid, and you know it. Look, I'm only going to offer this once, and only because I respect your mother; walk back inside, and we'll both pretend that you didn't steal crops from inventory and shut down our security system. As it is, you'd never be allowed back in Sanctuary." The legend stared at me, grey eyes never faltering, searching for something I couldn't understand. I thought about what he'd said, realizing the full impact of my actions.

I had stolen from my home, not much, but it would still be noticed, especially in a world like this. If I had messed up on the security system I could have had it disabled for hours, leaving everyone open to attack by raiders or worse. That's not even mentioning the thousand caps I had stolen, though I was thankful the Survivor hadn't suspected me of that. To the citizens of Sanctuary (all of whom knew me by sight, if not by name) I had just perpetrated a great crime. I had raided my own home. There was no way I'd be allowed back in, whether the Survivor was involved in the decision or not. What I was doing was wrong, nothing could justify that.

But still…

"I'm going. I don't want to, but I have to." My voice sounded a lot stronger than it had just a moment ago and a little bit of pride filled me at the fact. The Survivor had apparently found whatever it was he had been looking for, because he nodded to himself and made his way over to me, .44 in hand. I tensed up, fear filling me as I contemplated going for my pipe pistol. I didn't though, knowing there was no way I could beat him in a firefight, even if he didn't have his gun already out.

I am willing to admit that I almost crapped myself when he handed it to me, handle first. "I thought you were going to say something like that. Despite my best efforts, the Commonwealth is still a dangerous place and that pipe pistol isn't going to get you very far. Take this, and when you get to Diamond City look for a woman named Piper Wright. She lives by the entrance so she shouldn't be too hard to find. Tell her Blue sent you and wants her to help you. She'll know what it means."

"Blue?" I asked as I slowly grabbed the gun, examining it.

"Her nickname for me, back when we travelled together," the Survivor gave a sad smile as he handed me a small box only a little bigger than his hand. "You shouldn't need this much ammo, but you know that old adage about having and not needing."

"You… why are you doing this?" I couldn't understand it. Why was he helping me? I had half expected him to force me to go back home!

He laughed, actually laughed. "Because your mother would kill me if I didn't, kid," he said it as though it were an obvious answer, clapping me on the shoulder as he walked past, "Now go on, the less time you spend out here, the better. I'll see you around someday."

I watched him as he walked into Sanctuary the turrets continuing their rotations as though he wasn't even there. I looked down once more at the Survivor's legendary .44. I threw my pipe pistol out over the side of the bridge and holstered the much heavier .44 into the homemade holster on my hip. My pants sagged a little at the new weight, but a quick adjustment of the string that held them up stabilized things. Certain that my new weapon wasn't going to fall out or pull my pants down, I looked back once more at Sanctuary. The Survivor was nowhere to be seen but I'll admit that I wanted to thank him. Not just for the gun, but for his words. They had filled me with a determination I didn't know I had, a warm feeling that filled my chest tempered only by the cold edges of sadness and uncertainty. I knew that my journey would be difficult, and my new life in Diamond City just as bad at first, but now I was absolutely certain that I had to do this.

I don't think I'll ever forgive the Director of the Institute. But I think I could like the Sole Survivor. It's just a shame they're the same person.

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I watched the boy walk away from his home with a frown. I was tempted to call him back, to run after him, save him from the horrors the Commonwealth was going to throw at him. They had nearly killed me more times than I cared to count and each one had changed me. Not always for the better, not always for the worse, but they had undeniably changed me. I was not the same person I was when I emerged from the vault; Hell, not the same person as when I had first entered it. Before I even knew what had become of the world it had begun to change me. Some would say that I had grown stronger, wiser, into a true leader. I don't know about all of that. The only thing I am certain of is that I'd have given anything to go back to my world, back to my family, back to normality. And I still would.

That boy had no idea what he was in for, not with his relatively sheltered life here in Sanctuary. For his mother's sake, I had to make sure he made it to Diamond City safely. I heard heavy footsteps behind me and let a small smile cross my face. Just who I wanted to see. "Strong," I told my longtime companion, "Follow Coty. Make sure he gets to Diamond City alive. And don't be seen unless you absolutely have to be."

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I'll admit, I'm a little saddened to see so few SS fics on here. And a little surprised to find that the majority of stories show a female Survivor. I say "a little" only because the Survivor is male in canon. But yes, I know the name of this site, so it doesn't bother me. I just didn't expect it when I first started looking for Fallout 4 stories, haha. But I digress. This here is a story about the aftermath of the Survivor's decisions. In all the times I've played, I've always chosen the Institute and I have a very good reason for it. Yes, the other factions are more personable and yes, the Railroad (my second choice, because the BoS in Fallout 4 are a-holes) has good goals and doesn't directly harm or inconvenience anyone but the Institute, but that's beyond the point.

From the start of the game, all of your actions are focused on finding your son. Nothing else should matter, would matter, when you've put all that work into reuniting with him. Some people get caught up in fond memories of the Brotherhood in the Capital Wasteland or the plight of runaway synths, but those aren't supposed to matter. Your focus is finding Shaun; you can help the other factions but it is obvious that you are merely using them as a stepping stone to Shaun. So the way I figure it, the canon is to choose the Institute. Not a popular decision as I've noticed on this site, but I stand by it.

Anyway, this is my first Fallout fanfiction, and the first story I've written in a while. Let me know what you think!

Foxtrot Agent 21, out.