The tired eyes of the watchman slowly scanned the horizon as his fingers slowly danced over the grip of his revolver. He could see some dots on the horizon, fiery ones, monsters on the warpath. Thankfully they came into contact with another group and quickly killed eachother off.
Jamaica Plains...
Whoever thought that this shithole would make a good settlement?
It was then that he noticed how the silence was being broken, by someone slowly approaching footsteps. His eyes quickly darted across the landscape and locked onto whoever was currently approaching him. He swiftly drew his gun and turned to face them, taking aim but quickly held his fire as he saw a tattered machine who stood mere inches away. A grey Android, gen 2 if he wasn't mistaken, the mechanical detective who's mask had been long since torn.
"Jesus John, when was the last time you got some sleep?" Nick asked, pulling a cigar from his coat pocket and sticking it between his teeth.
John rolled his eyes and lowered the gun, slowly down to his holster.
"Jesus Valentine, I would've thought that a man of your years would know better than to sneak up on someone when they're on watch!" He said, sounding rather sharp as he watched the Synth light up.
"I didn't..." Nick's lighter needed a bit of encouragement before it lit the tip of his stoogie, prompting him to give it a good shake.
"I walked up to you, you just weren't paying attention."
John simply sighed, looking out to the horizon again as he saw what was left of the battle that had taken place there.
"My attention was elsewhere..." He admitted, looking back to his synthetic guest.
"What d'you want, Nick?"
"Hancock..." He said, as if John should already know it. Though in truth, why would anyone else come out to this part of the commonwealth.
"Heh... Well, I'll be...
Nick Valentine actually looking to spend some time with Hancock, what is it, April first?" The Watchman mocked, giving Nick a slight smirk, sadly Nick wasn't exactly in the mood for jokes.
"Hancock..."
With a sigh, John gestured to the town, Hancock was usually found farming in that old parking lot. He said it 'helped him stop thinking' and reminded him of some good times, collecting 'herbs.'
"Take care John..." Valentine said as he began to walk away, leaving the watchman to go back to his duties, staring out onto the horizon.
"Argh... Son of a!" Hancock stopped so that he could suck the blood from his fingers. His skin split so easily sometimes, making farming without gloves a bitch. He was offered a set of farming clothes but if he caught himself dressed like that, he'd have to kick his own ass.
"Hancock, at least put the gloves on for christ's sake..." A Red Haired settler insisted, though the Ghoul shook his head.
"Nah, best save them for the kind of wuss who needs them."
"Well, put a bucket on my head and call me a protectron." A familiar voice said, calling out from behind him and swiftly getting the ghoul's attention as he glanced over his shoulder. This was the last thing he needed.
Argh shit...
"Nick... Should've known that Naomi would've gone back to you, the lure of poking her nose in other people's business was always one that she struggled to resist." The Ghoul said, slowly rising up to his feet and dusting himself off with his hands, thankfully his coat was red, so the blood from his paper cut didn't show up very well.
"Not that I can blame her of course. Whenever her life gets dull she often finds herself blundering into a more interesting one." He said, cracking a faint chuckle.
"How's she doing?"
Nick furrowed his brow, seeming concerned by his answer.
"I was hoping that you'd tell me." The Synth said, glancing down to the ring around Hancock's neck, tied down by a chain.
Though she hadn't officially told anyone, Naomi and Hancock had had a thing going for some time now. The ring just proved it as she wouldn't give it to just anyone.
"Heh, I see, well I haven't seen her in nearly a month either. She's probably on that island of hers. You know how she gets her head immersed in building shit and coordinating the place."
"MacCready's confirmed that she hasn't been there either, not for a few weeks at least. It's... Concerning that she'd just disappear."
"You think someone took her?" Hancock asked, curiously, though he was disappointed when Valentine shook his head.
"There have been sightings of her. Diamond City, she's been to the hair dressers there and had some major work done. The Island also said that she spent the best part of three days crafting a... robot of some kind."
"So? She's out playing with her new robot." Hancock shrugged, not understanding where the old bucket of bolts was going with this.
"I think she's more likely isolating herself..." Valentine sighed, glancing down to the floor.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm a little concerned."
"Didn't know you cared, Nick." The Ghoul said, giving the Private eye a smirk.
"I could say the same about you, yet here we are." The synth said, with a smirk, glancing off to his left.
"Look erm... If you could keep your ear to the ground and let me know if you hear anything... It'd be a great help."
"Sorry but you're literally standing in the asshole of the commonwealth, no one tells us shit. If I press my ear to the ground of this place, all I'll hear is farts.
I mean, I can give it a shot but..."
"Charming…" Nick murmured, he didn't think that Hancock could stoop so low as to use toilet humour based analogies.
"Still, glad to hear it. I'll keep in touch."
Nick slowly turned away from the Ghoul, wandering out of the parking lot, however, even he knew that he wouldn't get away from Hancock's intuition.
"What aren't you tellin' me?" He asked, getting the Synth to stop dead in his tracks as he slowly turned back around to face his ghoulish comrade, pausing out of hesitation.
"I've heard... Stories...
Reports of Brotherhood activity in the south..."
"Heh, those assholes are coming back for round two? Didn't they see what we did to their flying ship and take a hint?"
"You'd think that...
But they don't look like they're on the offensive, more like the defensive. Like they're protecting something."
"Something... What? They got an Ace up their sleeve or somethin'? What could they even have? Their giant robot was reduced to scrap metal by their collapsing ship."
"Hope, Hancock. They have hope or... believe that they do." The Synth sighed, flicking his cigar away, not even watching as it bounced up the parking lot, spraying sparks in several different directions.
"If what I've heard is right... These folks might just be protecting their future leader. The next Elder, to lead the next generation of Brotherhood." Nick paused to sigh once more, glancing up to the rebellious mayor with a tired gaze.
"If what I've heard is right, these people might be harbouring Maxon's Son."
Hancock fell silent, trying to process this piece of information as it just didn't seem possible.
Arthur Maxon... Had sex?
The one guy who had a face that needed to be hidden behind a power armour faceplate to cover up his ugly mug managed to score? Someone was pulling his leg, surely.
"Ain't he like… Brotherhood royalty or somethin'? It would make sense that they'd keep his family line going but…
The kid can't be any older than five, since the guy was… what, twenty?"
"It's a newborn apparently.
I doubt that Maxon even knew about it. From what I've heard the Brotherhood have spent quite a lot of time tracking the mother down, so that they could retrieve it." The Synth paused, glancing back up to Hancock.
"Naomi needs to know, only she can get the minutemen together to keep the Institute off of that babes' back and if she isn't around to do it, then I'll need to go to Preston myself."
"You think Preston can do it? Keep the Institute off of the Brotherhood's back and bring peace between the Minutemen and the Brotherhood?
You have met the guy haven't you?" Hancock asked, seeming amused by that idea. Preston seemed like a well-meaning guy but the Ghoul got the feeling that he needed help tying his boots in the morning, never mind bringing two enemies together and protecting a child from the most dangerous organisation in the world.
"I don't know…
Sounds like he might be more successful in the later but I doubt he'd have much success with the former. Either way, I think that Naomi is the woman for the job. She could smooth talk a Deathclaw into surrendering a Brahmin steak." The Gumshoe said, with a bemused smirk, one that he got back.
"Hmm…
Well, I ain't gonna get much done, elbow deep in Brahmin shit. I might as well come with, see what it's like being a private eye." Hancock shrugged, looking from side to side, he actually wondered what it would be like to be the law and not the guy running from it for a change.
"Heh, like I'd ever allow that." Nick said, though he was mostly being facetious. Though Hancock wouldn't be his first choice as a partner, in fact, he'd probably be somewhere between 4000 and 5000 on his list of people he'd bring along on a case, he knew two things. That Hancock probably knew Naomi better than anyone and now that he'd blabbed that something might be wrong with her? There was no losing the ghoul now, the ghoul was coming, whether Valentine liked it or not and to be honest, he didn't exactly plan on protesting.
"Well, might as well make yourself useful and get yourself some armour."
"Armour?" Hancock asked, drawing his shotgun from his back.
"The hell do we need armour for?"
Valentine paused, giving Hancock a smirk as he slowly drew another cigar, he'd need it if he was going to explain to the ghoul what he had planned. He had a lead, though it was sketchy, it was still worth checking out.
"I might need you to go undercover…"
