Here's the one-shot I promised on my Tumblr blog. Warning, this is in first person and when I do write in that POV, it can be pretty cringe-y so I apologize. I am used to writing in third person. Anyways, enjoy.
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Fenway Park. Or, at least that's what it used to be.
I remember going to Fenway for baseball games so many years ago, watching the Red Sox beat the shit out of other teams. Good times. Now, it's a city. How the hell did they manage to turn a ball park into a city? I guess I could stay around for a while to see the changes, despite already deciding I wanted to get in, get information on how I could find Shaun, and then get the hell out. I can hear Dogmeat growling to the right of me, and then hear gunfire. I quickly grab the rifle on my back and survey the area, trying to find out where the gunfire is coming from. I can hear people yelling, and more gunshots.
"Sniff 'em out, boy," I say to Dogmeat. He makes a sound of acknowledgement as he lowers his nose closer to the ground, trying to gain a scent. He starts trotting forward, leading me towards the commotion. Dogmeat stops dead in his tracks, barking in the direction where I assume the skirmish is.
"Thanks, Dogmeat." I raise my rifle in my hands, waiting for the enemy to attack. All of a sudden, I feel a deep pain in my shoulder. My vision blurs as I can hear bullets fly past me. I stumble over to cover before firing random shots towards my attackers. As my vision finally clears up, I peak over the barricade I took cover behind to see who is attacking me. Three, green, giant people are standing there, firing their weapons in my direction. I think Preston told me they were… what, super mutants? Yeah. Super mutants.
I aim at one of their heads, firing. The bullet makes it to their head, but doesn't kill them yet. The stock of the weapon pushed hard into my shoulder, causing it to hurt more. Adjusting my grip on the rifle to prevent the recoil from causing more damage, I turn to my right to see two armored men shooting back at the super mutants. I hear more men scurry to the other side of me, also firing back.
A mutant drops dead as a bullet from one of the other men reaches its chest. I fire more rounds towards the mutants, most of them hitting. The second drops dead, and then the last one.
"What are ya doin' out here, scavver?" the man asks, turning to me. I recognize the accent, the Bostonian accent. I mentally laugh, remembering my accent I gained after moving back to New England. Thank God it eventually went away. Even I couldn't understand myself. I fall back into reality as the man before me speaks again.
"Hello? You in there?" he says, waving his hand in front of my face.
"Oh-Uh, sorry. I'm looking for… Diamond City," I reply.
"Well, you're in the right place. The Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth is just that way," he informs me, pointing left.
"Thanks," I say. The man stops me with a hand on my shoulder, causing me to slightly wince in pain.
"Who are ya, anyway? Oh, and… here's a stim for that shoulder," he says, handing me a stimpack, to which I nod and take.
"The name is Jack Schmidt," I tell him, slowly forcing the needle of the stimpack into my shoulder, wincing once more.
"And... you're a vault dweller, am I right?"
I nod, slinging my rifle over my other shoulder and gripping the fabric of my vault suit with my free hand. "It's a long story, trust me. I don't really have time to explain. But, uh, thanks for the help."
"No problem," the man says before waving. I walk in the direction the man pointed me in, coming across a doorway, and more men, who I am starting to assume are the Diamond City Security Guards. As I step through the doorway, a flashback hits me. It's Fenway Park again, the statue out front clean and looking polished. Nora is standing next to me, saying something that I can't understand.
The flashback ends abruptly, pulling me back to reality. I almost want to just sit down and… and just…
There's a feminine voice shouting near the gate, stopping my thoughts from becoming too irrational. I walk towards the source of the voice, finally finding a woman dressed in a red trench coat and cap. Her hands are flying wildly through the air, and I can finally make out what she's saying.
"-What do you mean you can't open the damned gate? Stop playing around, Danny! I'm standing out in the open, for crying out loud!"
I almost want to grab her by the shoulder and ask her if she's alright, considering that there just were super mutants not too far from the gate, but I let the scene continue.
"I got orders not to let you in, Piper! I'm sorry, I'm just doing my job," the male voice says through the speaker.
"'Just doing your job?' Protecting Diamond City means keeping me out, is that it?" she says, her voice sharp with anger. "Oh look, it's the big scary reporter! Boo!" She makes hand gestures as she speaks.
"I'm sorry, but Mayor McDonough's steamed, Piper. Sayin' that article you wrote was all lies. The whole city's in a tizzy!"
"AGH! You open this gate right now, Danny Sullivan! I live here! You can't just lock me out!" she shouts, still speaking with her hands. The woman, Piper, I think her name is, turns to me as she sighs. A wave of vertigo hits me as I get a good look at her. Nora… I blink a few times as I try to push that thought out of my head. Yet, she looks a lot like Nora… The irrational part of my brain wants this woman to be Nora, but my common sense kicks me for thinking that.
"You." Me? "You want into Diamond City, right?" Piper whispers.
"I-Uh," I can't even get a goddamned word out my mouth. She shushes me anyways.
"Shh, play along," she whispers once more. "What's that? You said you're a trader up from Quincy? You have enough supplies to keep the general store stocked for a whole month? Huh." I can hear the slight sarcasm in her voice.
"You hear that, Sullivan? You gonna open the gate and let us in? Or are ya goin' to be the one talking to crazy Myrna about losing out on all this supply?" she says, once more using hand gestures as she talks.
"Geez, alright. No need to make it personal, Piper. Gimme a minute," the voice says through the speakers.
Piper leans closer to me before whispering again. "Better head inside quick before ole' Danny catches onto the bluff."
The gate opens slowly. "You first," I choke out. I still can't get over how similar she looks to Nora.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Piper replies, locking her fingers before turning and walking in. I follow behind her.
"Piper, who let you back inside!?" I hear a husky voice say, coming from who I assumed to be Mayor McDonough. "I told Sullivan to keep that damned gate shut! You… devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The… the level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have that printer scrapped for parts."
It seems a lot to me that Piper is a big thorn in this mayor's side. "Oooh, is that a statement, McDonough? 'Tyrant mayor shuts down the press?' Why don't we ask the newcomer? You support the news? Cause the mayor's threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster!"
"'In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act'," I take the opportunity to get an old quote in there. "That includes freedom of speech, the press, and religion."
I am almost taken aback by own words. I was always a huge-ass nerd for history.
"Oh, I didn't mean to bring you into this argument, sir. No, no, no… You look like Diamond City material. 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 here tell you otherwise, alright?"
I almost laugh a bit as I say it. "This hasn't exactly been the friendliest welcome. I've had better."
"He's got you there, McDonough. Guess not everyone gets won over by that shark smile of yours," Piper interrupts. McDonough clears his through, throwing his hand in the air.
"Was there anything particular you came to our city for?" he asks. I kind of want to punch this guy for some odd reason as he asks me that.
"Looking for something," I respond. I notice the anger and frustration in my voice, and I'm almost sure Piper noticed it too.
"What is it you're looking for?" the mayor asks.
"Missing person," is all I choke out. I'm not telling this guy too much.
Piper chuckles. "Well, whatever you do, don't go bothering Diamond City Security for help."
"Don't listen to her," McDonough insists. "I'm afraid our security cannot follow every case, but I am very confident you can find help from somebody here. One of our great citizens can surely find the time to help."
"You're a mayor," I begin. "You must know everybody. Who is it that can help me?"
McDonough almost hesitates, as if he doesn't want me to actually find any help, but continues anyways. "Well, there is one person who can help you… Nick Valentine. A detective who specializes in tracking people down. Now, I must be going. I'm sorry Diamond City Security doesn't have time to help, but I'm sure Mr. Valentine can help you."
"This is ridiculous!" Piper exclaims. "I want the truth, McDonough! What's the real reason your security always shrivels away when talk of missing persons comes up?"
"I've had enough of this, Piper. From now on, consider you and that little sister of yours on notice."
"Yeah, keep talkin' McDonough! That's all you're good for!" Piper exclaims as he walks away.
"I'm impressed," Piper begins, turning to me. "Not everyone can claw out information from McDonough. Hmm… it's getting late, why not stop by my office? I think I just found my next story."
"S-Sounds like a p-plan," I choke out, going a bit red in the face. Ugh. Just because she looks like Nora doesn't mean you need to develop a crush on her.
"Great. Come on." I followed behind her as she walked inside. The moment I stepped into the city, I could feel my breath taken away. It may be a garbage city now, but the view of the city from where I'm standing is beautiful. It was just getting dark, and the lights lit up the city so perfectly. I wanted to grab Piper by the shoulders and say, "This is Fenway Park, the ball park I set foot in two hundred years ago! Do you know how fucking nostalgic this is for me?" but I resisted the urge to do so as I followed her to her office. Piper's place was close to the entrance. The moment I stepped inside, a smell of newspapers and ink burned my nose. I loved the smell of newspapers. There's something about the scent of fresh paper and ink that I really enjoy. I watched as she grabbed a notebook and pencil.
"Alright, Blue. I've got a deal for you. You willing to take it?" she asked me. The nickname struck me as odd.
"'Blue?' What's with the pet name?" I question her, contradicting her own.
She chuckles a bit. "Cause you're a vault dweller? The blue jumpsuit, pip-boy and 'fish out of water' look? All dead giveaways. Anyways, here's the deal. I want an interview. Your life story in print. I think it's about time Diamond City had a little outside perspective on the Commonwealth. You do that, and… I'll tell ya what. I'll come with you. You know, watch your back while you get used to the world above ground."
I give her a look of uncertainty. "You don't want to travel with me, Piper. I'm not a person you want to get involved with," I warn her. Not only am I a big asshole, but I really don't want to do this interview. Besides, who would really want to risk their lives to travel with me?
"Come on, Blue. Don't be such a downer," she says.
"Fine. I can tell that if I argue, it won't to me any good… so… fine, I guess," I tell her, sighing.
"Alright. So I know you're from a Vault. How would you describe your time on the inside?" she asks me.
"Why is that so important?"
"Blue, I told you, this is a perspective piece. People in Diamond City need to know you're from a different world than them," she tells me. Couldn't be more accurate, could ya, Piper?
"Fine. My family and I were frozen. We-I didn't spend much time in the Vault," I admit.
"W-Wait a minute. They boxed you up in a fridge? The entire time? What, are you saying you were alive before the War? You're telling me you saw everything before it was all blasted to hell?" she asks me. Yes.
"Behold! I am immortal!" I exclaim, throwing my hands in the air before regaining my tough composure.
"You know, I guess you… kind of are, aren't you? Oh my god. 'The Man Out of Time.' So, you've seen the Commonwealth. Diamond City. How does it compare to your old life?"
I gave my first unhesitant answer. "Honestly… seeing everyone surviving? Rebuilding the world, trying to bring it back to its former glory? It kind of gives me hope," I explain to her.
"Wow," she begins. "That's uh… that's surprisingly inspired, Blue. We are definitely quoting that," she says as she writes something down in her notepad. "Now. The big question. You said you came all this way looking for someone. Who is it?"
The moment she says that, I immediately feel anxiety build up in my chest and throat. "Do I really have to explain that?"
"This is news," she begins. "No one else in Diamond City may care about missing people, but my paper does."
"I-I just lost family, alright? I need to get one of them back," I quickly explain. I don't want to tell her any more than I need to.
"What's their name, Blue? Who are they?"
I sit down on the couch behind me, cradling my head in my hands. "His name is Shaun, alright? My son. Some jackass kidnapped him. He isn't even a year old yet." As I finished my sentence, Piper sat down next to me, a hand on my wounded shoulder.
"I know, it may be hard, Blue… but trust me. If you can do this, you'd be helping the people of Diamond City and yourself, alright? I'm sorry for forcing this upon you, but it's for a good cause," she tells me. I really want to believe it, I really do. "And, uh… Blue, c-can I just ask… if you had a wife, where is she?"
I twist the golden band around my ring finger before answering her. "I don't know," I begin. "She's just not here right now." Piper gives me a confused look. I don't elaborate further. It hurts to much to even try to.
"Alright, that's fair," she can tell I'm hiding the real truth from her. "Now, uh, do you think the Institute is involved?"
"Who is this 'Institute?'" I ask.
"That, Blue, is the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth. No one really knows who or what they are, but their handiwork is everywhere. Synths, synthetic people. Sent from their hidden labs to do the Institute's dirty work. Sometimes they replace a person with a synth double. A covert agent no one would ever suspect. Now, not everything that goes wrong has the Institute behind it, but there's always a chance. That's why I'm asking," Piper explains.
"Sure as hell sounds like they could be behind it," I reply.
"Not even a baby is safe from them," Piper says, sighing. "And people wonder why I can't just look the other goddamn way… Anyways, for the last part of the interview, I'd like to do something different. I want you to make a statement to Diamond City directly. The threat of kidnapping is all but ignored in the Commonwealth. Everyone wants to pretend it just doesn't happen. What would you say to someone who has lost a loved one, but may be too scared to look for 'em?"
What? "People just ignore kidnappings up here?" I ask.
"Yeah, Blue, you haven't noticed? You grow up in the Commonwealth, and eventually someone will be taken. Maybe not someone you know, but someone. And people just say 'well, could've been worse. Could've been raider attacks, or super mutants, or feral ghouls.' They just give up. I want my readers to hear what keeps you going. What would you like to say?"
I sat there, thinking about it for a minute. Finally, the words formed together. "No matter how much you want to give up, don't. You need to have hope. Faith. Faith that you'll see them again, or at least you'll know the truth."
"A strong note to end on, Blue. Thank you," Piper said, scribbling down a few more words. "Looks like Diamond City is going to have plenty to talk about. Anyway, I agreed to come with you, right? Watch your back? Just say the word when you're ready."
Shaking my head, I stood up, gripping my shoulder. "Thanks for the offer, Piper, but I think I'm good. I've got my dog. I'll be fine," I tell her, about to leave when she grabbed my arm.
"Are you sure?" she began. "I don't want you getting killed or hurt out there. I just met you."
"I can take care of myself. I made it this far, didn't I?" I say, giving her a weak smile. "I'll be fine. You have a newspaper to work, I have a child to find. I'll be alright."
She looked down at her feet before looking back up at me. "Alright. But you come back here when you're ready, alright?"
"Got it," I say, giving her a thumbs up before grabbing the handle of the door. I stand there a moment, wanting to say something more. "Piper?"
"Yes, Blue?"
"Jack Schmidt."
"What?"
"My name is Jack Schmidt. Just so you know," I tell her, leaving without any hesitation. I almost wanted to walk right back in and let her come with me, but I couldn't let her risk her life for a stupid vault dweller. She looked so much like Nora, that if she were to face the same fate as her, I'd probably be a mess. I can't let that happen.
Letting go of the door handle, I looked up at the dark sky.
Hey Nora. I'll be alright. Don't you worry, I'll get Shaun back. I promise.