Chapter 1: Dives and Lazarus
"Codsworth, Rebecca is dead. She died like the others in the vault. Both she and James are not coming back."
Ash had to give the rust bucket credit. For being a robot programmed to synthesize human emotions he was taking the news of his master's death quite well. His body frozen in mid air as the gears in his head finally pieced together what she told him.
"I... I see." The lenses of the robots triple eyes narrowed. "And young Shaun? What about him?"
Ash turned her gaze, her eyes staring down at a patch of dead grass. "I don't know but I intend to find out."
"Thank you, Miss Ash. It isn't the news I wanted to hear but it is better than not knowing."
The woman bit the corner of her lip, her gaze finally returning to the Mr. Handy's "eyes".
"I know. I swear on my life I will keep my promise and find out what happened."
The robot didn't seem to acknowledge what she was saying. It was content with floating about the abandoned home she found him in, moaning lightly over the loss of the ones he was programmed to love.
Letting out a deep sigh she bowed her head and stepped outside. The air around her tingled and the geiger counter in her pack began to click slowly. Pulling her lips back Ash reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a small bottle. Quickly she downed several of the dark red pills, along with a slow sip from her new canteen. The counter continued to click yet she smiled as the medicine took its desired effect.
It's going to be a long night.
-xox-
"Next time you ask for the directions!" Ash screamed as she ran down a narrow street, barely launching herself over a dilapidated staircase.
The German Shepherd next to her barked playfully as it ran underneath the stairs. A mole rat the same size as the dog nearly biting its tail off.
The narrow alleyway opened up to a larger street, Ash ran about twenty feet down the road before she nearly face planted into a painted plywood sign. Several feet back from the sign stood a man in a dusty umpire getup and a gun resting on his hip.
Ash let out a short bark, "Hey batter batter!"
The man turned his gaze towards Ash. He growled while raising his gun. The gun popped several times and the pack of mole rats that were chasing the woman and dog collapsed. Lowering his gun the guard laughed.
"Really Scavver? My grandmother could kill those rats in her sleep."
Ash dropped the bag she was carrying and placed her hands on her knees.
"Hey now... normally... I... I would have killed them. But those little bastards were burrowed beneath a pack of ferals. By the time I dealt with the shambling zombies, I ran out of bullets." She then stood up strait and slapped the guard on the arm. "Thanks for dealing with them."
The man shook his head and gestured towards the large opening in the wall behind him.
"Whatever, Diamond City is right through this gate." He looked in the direction of where he was pointing.
"Be careful. Piper is outside, which means one of two things." The guard looked back.
"Either she found a lead for her newspaper and is following up on it..." He stopped and shook his head.
"Or?"
The man sighed and lifted the goggles away from his face, revealing a pair of brown eyes with dark bags hanging under them.
"The second being the Mayor finally has had enough of her shit and locked her out."
Ash nodded and slapped the man on the arm again as she passed him. As she stepped through the large hole in the junk wall she was greeted by an expansive courtyard of stone and asphalt. And smack dab in center was a teal statue of a baseball player swinging for the home run. To her left was what appeared to be a large entrance with a hydraulic gate blocking the way. Ash heard shouting and saw a woman with tanned skin and dark shoulder length hair standing near the gates speaker. Ash wasn't sure what was being said but from the woman's eccentric arm movements it must not be going her way.
As she got closer, Ash could hear a man's voice from the speaker. It was tired and almost monotone.
"I'm sorry Piper, I got orders not to let you in. I'm just doing my job." Ash sighed, the poor man must have been getting an earful from this 'Piper'.
"What do you mean you can't open the gate? Stop playing around Danny!" The woman threw her hands up into the air with all the emotion of a hormone driven teenager.
"I'm standing out in the open here, for crying out loud!" She huffed and crossed her arms. Turning her head, Piper caught site of Ash and her eyes began to sparkle.
Ash frowned and folded her arms across her chest. Looking between the woman and the speaker, she sighed and walked up. "Sorry to butt in like this."
The speaker crackled for a moment, then the voice picked up a cautious tone. "Who are you?"
Piper laughed and placed one hand on Ash's shoulder and one on her chest, as if asking her to be quiet.
"It looks like she is a trader from Quincy. From the pack she is carrying, I say she has at least three weeks worth of scrap on her right now."
Ash shrugged her shoulders, forcing her unwelcomed companion's hands off of her.
"I'm Ash, a Scavver from up north. Not a trader." She turned her gaze to the woman, her mask hiding her smirk. Piper frowned and threw her hands up in the air.
She then leaned in and growled, "What are you doing?! He would have believed that. He's quite gullible you know."
"I heard that Piper."
"Shit!"
Ash sighed and tugged at her gas mask. "Look, I don't know what's going on but I just escaped a ghoul attack and was nearly eaten by mole rats. I know you would rather have a trader with consistent things to sell but I need to sell all this scrap. Plus I need a place to crash for the night."
The man sighed and Ash could almost see, whomever this man was, was shaking his head. "Look I'll open the gate. But I don't want to hear any of it if you and your sister get kicked out because of this, Piper!"
Piper mumbled something incoherent and squared her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, just open the gate already!"
The gate protested loudly as the hydraulics lifted the large metal door away from the entrance. It was dark inside the entrance with only a few candles lighting the dim room. There were several pillars in the front where Ash stood, separating the otherwise open floor design. Everything was also covered in what appeared to be tannish-green tiles, giving it a look more akin to a greek temple with old lady bathroom decor. She chuckled as her dog ran up the stairs and looked back at her, as if asking what was taking her so long. More guards dressed in umpire clothing stood around a man in a well kept suit. His mustache bristling at the sight of Piper and his cheeks turned a noticeable shade of rose.
"Piper! Who let you back inside? I told Sullivan to keep that door shut!" He began to waggle his sausage like finger towards the two women.
"You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The... the level of dishonesty in that paper of yours!" The rose from his cheeks began to crawl up his face and into his forehead, giving him a lobster-like look. "I... I'll have that printer of yours scrapped for parts!"
Ash tried to swallow, her throat cracked. She needed a long nap and a cold beer. She looked over to the other guards and pointed to the stairs leading to the city. They nodded and made room for her to head up the stairs.
Piper waved her hands in front of her face. "Ooooh, that a statement Mr. McDonough?" She then moved her hands as if she was looking at floating text. "'Tyrant Mayor Shuts Down the Press!'" She made a desperate motion towards Ash who was already half way up the stairs.
"Why don't we ask the new gal, huh? You support the news? 'Cause the Mayor is threatening to throw free speech out the dumpster!"
The Mayor began to blubber incoherently and the red that splashed his face drained.
"Oh, I didn't mean to get you involved in this argument, Miss. No no...no.. Y-you look like Diamond City material." The man straightened his tie and spread his arms out as if welcoming Ash into a bear hug. "Welcome to the great green jewel of the Commonwealth! Safe. Happy. A fine place to come, spend your money, settle down. Don't let this muckraker tell you otherwise."
Ash crossed her arms. "This isn't my first time here..." She looked around and her voice lowered to a mumble. "Though I will admit a lot has changed." She then looked back at the two bickering people. "But if this was my first time, the behavior you two are displaying isn't encouraging."
A sneer plastered itself on the Mayor's face before he coughed and waved his hand as if waving it off. "Now was there anything you needed my dear woman? Anything particular you came to our city for?"
Ash sighed. "As I told your security, I came to sell my junk and get some rest and... perhaps borrow a hot shower."
A wide toothed grin appeared on the Mayor's face. "Wonderful! Wonderful! I hope you find everything you need."
He paused for a second before snapping his fingers. "Ah yes that reminds me. We have a home for sale. 'Home Plate' I believe, it is called. Talk to my secretary if you are interested in purchasing it."
Piper sniffed. "Keep using your pretty speeches, McDonough, I don't think it is working on the new gal!"
McDonough bristled once more. "I've had enough of this, Piper! From now on consider you and that little sister of yours on notice!"
The news reporter raised her chin and smirked. "Yeah, keep talking McDonough that's all you're good for." As the Mayor walked away huffing the entire time, the woman brought her hands near her chest and balled them into fists. "Oooh, a Diamond City welcome from the Mayor. Do you feel honored yet?"
Ash sniffed and turned around, following the Mayor and his security guards up the last flight of stairs. Just as she was about to crest the top and see the Great Jewel, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw the reporter. Ash shrugged Piper off her arm and gave her the best dead pan look she could manage through darkened lenses.
"Hey stop by my office later, I have this article that I think you would be perfect for."
"Whatever..."
-xox-
One of guards took a long pull from his cigarette as he watched Piper and the Mayor bicker over The Public's latest article. He laughed. Just another day in Diamond City. He did take note of the Mayor's strange behavior however. Even before the article came out accusing McDonough of being a synth replacement, the Mayor has been less and less focused on "The People" and more on "his" people. Between the complete massacre of the ghoul population in Diamond City and it's "us vs them" mentality slowly taking over the minds of the residents. It wasn't surprising that Piper's article caused quite a stir.
What surprised him the most however, was the newcomer. She didn't let two of Diamond Cities largest personalities sweep her away. Instead, in her own offhanded way, she took control and escaped the fire without getting burned in the process. His curiosity peaked as he pulled his sunglasses down to watch her walk into the city. She was a tall woman, considering she towered over Piper and was able to keep steady eye contact with the Mayor. Wherever she came from, she must have been well fed considering her body. Though lean, she had some obvious fat around her waist. Taking one final pull from his cigarette he threw it to the ground and stamped it out.
Time to report back.
The man sighed as he grabbed his bag from under the counter and stepped into the elevator connected to Diamond Security. As the doors closed the man waited for a few moments before pressing the halt button on the door's panel and began pulling the heavy umpire armor off his body in order to slip into some more durable road leathers. Grabbing his sunglasses he slipped them back on his face making sure to be careful of the new nose he got.
Now don't put too much stress or pressure on it or all my hard work will be for not!
Letting out a sigh, the man shook his head, it wasn't the first time he has had his face changed. He paused in his changing as he looked at his bald head in the elevator's cracked mirror.
It is definitely time for a new face, D. Finally, he grabbed a wig he found and pulled it on. Looking into the mirror one more time, he grinned. Perfecto!
With that, the man stood on his bag to open the hatch leading to the top of the elevator. Slipping on his pack he jumped up and hoisted his leath frame up and out of the car. To his pleasant surprise he came face to face with one of the lower level doors. With a grunt of effort he opened the doors and showed himself out.
-xox-
D. walked into his 'home' to discover it quiet and deserted. Yes it was around eleven at night but even so generally there are at least two or three agents walking around trying to get rid of stress and he "knows" for a "fact" that Des doesn't even sleep.
He smirks, Ok. Maybe she does sleep... but the way she runs around this place like a brahmin with a tick only lends proof to my theory.
The man sighs as he drops his bag near the closest table. The smell of dust and ancient bones filled his nose and D. forced himself not to sneeze. He never liked it here; between constantly digging up old bones in order to expand and the mixture of cold damp air, D. wouldn't be shocked if he or one of the other agents didn't catch one of those pre-war diseases. Though, knowing their doctor he would never let that happen.
Speaking of which where was that annoying asshole?
Looking around, D. saw the lights in P.A.M.'s room were on and he could hear her talking. The man laughed inwardly as he walked towards the assultron's room. Knowing the good doctor, he was probably 'geeking out' over something that Tinker Tom discovered or something along those lines.
D. heard the robot move back and forth in her room before stopping.
"The probability of Railroad failing in its duties triples if the heavy-to-synth ratio does not change within the next month."
D. frowned. As of late, they were not doing that great. If what P.A.M. says is true then the likelihood of being discovered by the Institute also increases and that was something he really didn't want to happen. Coughing lightly, he stepped through the hole in the wall which was P.A.M.'s door. Looking around, he saw Dr. Carrington and Desdemona standing with their backs facing the entrance. At the sound of D's voice the two turned around; Des smiled while the Doc simply huffed and folded his arms.
Des's auburn hair bounced around her face as she turned completely toward D. He could see the bags under her eyes and he frowned; they didn't need their fearless leader falling down on the job. "Deacon, it is good you are back. Haven't seen you around recently. What info can you give us?"
Deacon walked towards the stairs and leaned against the metal railing.
"Depends on what you want to know. I have been all over..." The man sighed and rubbed his face trying to wipe the exhaustion from it.
"Diamond City is the same; the Mayor is trying to expand his 'no ghoul or synth' campaign past the ballpark's boundaries. He has been acting more desperate since The Public Occurrences came out with its latest article. Makes you wonder what really is going on."
Deacon stretched and rubbed the back of his neck. "Bunker Hill is quiet. Old Stockton though, seems a bit on edge. When I approached he told me that he would only talk to a heavy. I think he was expecting Glory. Should have Drummer check out some of the dead drops just in case. Last but not least, Goodneighbor seems to be under control for now. None of our packages appear to be making an impact on the general populous and they seem to be unawares."
Des smiled and nodded. The muscles in her jaw finally loosened as her face went back to its blank stare. "And what of your personal project? Did you find what you were looking for?"
Carrington sighed and sent Deacon a half glare. "And when will you be gracing us with the knowledge of this mysterious project."
Deacon grinned. "But Doc where's the fun in that?"
"Deacon..."
Deacon let out a huff. Reaching into one of his many pockets he pulled out a holotape. Turning towards P.A.M. he gave his wrist a little flick tossing the tape in her direction.
"P.A.M. catch. The information on that tape describes what I have been doing for the past couple of years."
P.A.M. caught the tape and plugged it into the tape reader on her chest. "Analyzing... Analyzation complete. Project 'Wanderer' confirmed. Requesting authorization code."
Deacon grinned. "Authorization: Cloak and Dagger."
"Authorization code: Confirmed. Setting human-to-machine interface to 100 percent." P.A.M. turned her gaze toward Des and Carrington her eyes glowing slightly.
"Greetings Agents. Project 'Wanderer' is Railroad property. Any unauthorized usage of Railroad property will result in immediate termination. Project 'Wanderer' is the research and possible discovery of the generation three synths origins and the location of the Institute."
Carrington sucked in a breath through his teeth. "How?"
"Answer: Rumor of Institute sightings near a settlement now registered as 'Sanctuary' in the year 22 27. Sixty years before generation three synths were created."
Des frowned. "Alright P.A.M. how do sightings from sixty years ago help us discover the Institute."
"Answer: Agent codenamed 'Deacon' went to the source of the rumor. Discovery: Vault 1. 1. 1. Vault registered as a cryogenic research facility." P.A.M.'s eyes seemed to flicker as she accessed Vault-tech's mainframe. "Research: test long term effects of cryogenic sleep on Pre-War citizens. Agent 'Deacon' entered Vault. Discovery: Lists of registered participants included an infant of seven months. Conclusion: there is a 78 percent chance this infant's genetic code was used to create the generation three synths."
Carrington uncrossed his arms and walked over to the center terminal in P.A.M.'s room. He began to tap the keys furiously taking notes. "PAM can you tell me what happened to the residents?"
"Answer: mass critical failure. All residents presumed dead. Likelihood of survivors 30 percent."
Deacon's lips dipped for a moment before forming a thin line. "Last time I was there there was at least one pod still active. It was a woman I think."
P.A.M. moved to face Deacon, her lens shutters moving as if blinking. "Answer: cell pod activated October 23, 2287. Status of resident, Rebecca unknown..."