Reuploading with some edits to numerous chapters! This story takes many liberties with the Fallout 4 plot and will contain spoilers, albeit with my own spin on things.
Warning: This story contains profanity, violence, and depictions of drug use. There are also brief references to sexual assault, moments of extreme mental distress, and various other forms of sensitive subject matter. There won't be anything too graphic, but I recommend proceeding with caution if any of these things may negatively impact you.
A loud knock at the door startled Juan from his concentration. He sighed at being pulled away from his work. Large stacks of documents, notes, and personally addressed letters covered every inch of his desk. There was a relentless shower of paperwork detailing crisis and calamity day after day. It seemed no matter how much he got done there was always something new to investigate, something to adjust to: raiders building coalitions to hold onto territory, trade lines being ambushed by super mutants, ghouls wandering into farming settlements, production stalling…
He furrowed his brow and rose from his chair. Grumbling, he made his way down the stairs, his thoughts still tangled in his work. It was around 7 P.M. He was seldom bothered this late. He was a frail, nearly bald man in his 50s with a thin mustache and large spectacles. Deep creases etched the sides of his mouth, almost mimicking the face of a ventriloquist's dummy. He shuffled through the hallway of his small Diamond City home towards the door. Looking through the peephole, he saw three people standing in his doorway, none of whom he recognized. He hesitated for a moment before opening the door just enough to poke his head out.
"Can I help you?" Juan asked, his voice thick with impatience.
One of the three, a pale woman with dirty red hair tied back into a ponytail stepped forward. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant General Benítez. I hope we're not disturbing you."
"Who are you? What do you want?" he practically barked, unimpressed by her formalities. He was not even close to reviewing all the work he needed to cover before meeting with the general.
"I'm Third Battalion Commander Emily Mahoney of the Minutemen Yao Guai Division," she flashed a small badge in the shape of a yao guai claw on the inside of her coat. "These are Officer's Winnfield and Vega," she gestured to the two people behind her, a clean shaven dark skinned man with a deep scar running three inches across his forehead just above his right eye, and a large, muscular woman with a permanent scowl. "We're sorry to drop in this late, sir, but the General asked us to visit you."
Juan opened the door the rest of the way and stepped outside, causing a rush of cold air to hit him. The breeze sent a shiver through his spine. The three Minutemen, all coatless, seemed unfazed by the weather.
"Yao Guai…" Juan muttered under his breath. The marketplace was eerily quiet. Looking around, he noticed it was unusually empty. Even the guards were gone. He looked back at the three Minutemen confused. "I'm sorry, did you say Yao Guai division? Why are you here?"
"May we come in, sir?" the redheaded woman asked.
"Well, yes," Juan shook his head, brushing his paranoia aside for his fellow Minutemen, "I suppose. Just wipe your feet on the mat."
Juan turned back inside, leaving the door open behind him. The three Minutemen followed, entering the small house in the corner of the Diamond City market. He could still feel the chill from the outside as he led them into a living area. The room, as the rest of the house, was rustic in design, with fine quality wooden cabinets and drawers, the furniture a shade darker than the varnished maple floorboards they rested upon. A comfortable looking tweed couch sat in the middle of the room in front of a smooth coffee table half covered in books Juan read in his off time. Across the table, facing the couch was a grey lounge chair, usually Juan's favorite spot to read or unwind after a long day of analyzing Minutemen reports and dossiers. To his surprise, the redheaded woman sat down in the armchair and the two officers stood to each side of her. Juan hesitated before sitting across from them on the couch. "What's all this about?" he asked. "Osha has never sent over Yao Guai for Minutemen business in the past. Is there some sort of emergency?"
"You could say that, sir," the redheaded woman responded. The officers to each side of her remained quiet and stone-faced like two well trained attack dogs. "You obviously know that any rabble about the Commonwealth being post-war is just that. New threats arise, requiring us to enact various new security measures with the climate in mind. Have you reviewed the General's provision regarding GLF and post-Institute forces?
"Of course—most of it anyway. I was actually going through this month's new procedures when you arrived. Sanctuary and Concord are obviously a low priority these days, so I understand why Osha wants resources directed to the Commons. A bolstered presence there may bring some stability to the region. There's a few coalitions that have been worrying Diamond City security, although the spread of super mutant populations through the area are keeping them occupied. We may have to contend with that threat eventually. We'd hate to meet the same fate as the Brotherhood in D.C."
"Yes, sir, those situations are being monitored. But you're aware of the investigations being carried out within settlements regarding internal connections to Institute remnants and GLF insurgents? Loyalties being as fluid as they are in the Commonwealth, internal threats are surely as important for security as external ones."
"I don't disagree. Osha and I spoke of this matter personally," Juan replied. Conversations like these often put him at ease. It was his element…but this felt different. He went on anyway, allowing his comfort with Confederation politics to supersede his feelings. "Synths being produced by remaining Institute scientists are a very real threat to the stability of the provisional authority."
"And the GLF?" the redhead asked.
"Of course. Synths are hardly our only concern."
The redheaded woman leaned forward in her chair and rested her hands on her legs. "And your position on the GLF, sir?" her eyes practically pierced his own, yet her demeanor was calm.
"My position?" Juan looked at her confused.
"Yes, your position on the GLF - the Ghoul Liberation Front."
"Yes, I'm familiar with who the GLF are," he responded, irritated. "What's going on here?"
"And how familiar would you say you are with the GLF?" the redheaded woman ignored his annoyance.
"What is this?" Juan asked slowly. The commander's ambiguity was wearing on his patience.
The woman continued to ignore his questions. "You said you were reviewing this month's provisions regarding security protocols, correct? And where did you procure these documents?"
"It has always been my jurisdiction to oversee and advise the general on defensive protocols!" Juan snapped back, "I'm your superior, commander. I suggest you put a stop to this interrogation of yours and start answering me!" His voice grew louder as he spoke.
The three Minutemen remained where they were, unflinching.
"Where are these documents, sir?" the redheaded woman asked.
"They're upstairs on my desk. Now, this is the last time I'm going to ask," Juan sneered and glared angrily at the three soldiers, "What's going on here?"
"The general has simply asked us to visit you and ask you several questions. We are acting on his authority now, lieutenant general."
"Is this about the council? If someone on the council has been compromised, then I need to speak to General Nathaniel immediately!" He rose from the couch but froze when the two officer's beside the commander took a step towards him.
"Winnfield, please go upstairs and gather the lieutenant general's work," the redhead instructed the man beside her, never taking her eyes off of Juan. The male officer left the room without a word.
"Fine then we'll see visit him together! Osha will want my consultation. If the council is compromised then we're dealing with a potential catastrophe. We can't leave anything behind that can potentially fall into the hands of the enemy. Have your officer's pack my documents. We'll bring them with us."
The redheaded woman didn't respond. She continued to stare at him, her expression blank.
The woman's lack of acknowledgment only made Juan more frantic. "We have to go now! Osha will want to hear from me. He needs me!" Juan turned his back and began a fast pace towards the door. "I'll bet it's Malchenko! I know he has—" a sudden pop caused his ears to ring and a sharp pain to shoot through his back. He stumbled forward, knocking over a nearby lamp as he threw his arms out to catch his fall. The lamp fell over with a crash. Juan caught himself against the wall. He was confused.
What just happened? His mind reeled for answers.
Steadying himself, he managed to turn around. The female officer was aiming a small, silenced pistol at him.
POP POP POP
Three shots to his chest sent Juan stumbling backwards onto the hallway floor. His right hand grasped at his chest as blood soaked through his shirt. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't hear. His ears were ringing and his vision was fuzzy. He gasped repeatedly and tried to crawl backwards out of the room and down the hallway. His heart pounded and his mind searched desperately for an escape. He knew he had to get out, get help.Blood trailed across the wall and down the hallway as he crawled towards the door. He looked back, dreading the sight of his attackers turning the corner after him. He was coughing up blood and struggling for air as the redheaded woman walked into view. Juan looked at her, paralyzed and helpless.
"He needs me," he gurgled with his hand to his chest, his own blood pooling around him.
POP POP POP POP POP
She emptied the last of her magazine into him. The woman tucked away her pistol as the commander rose from her seat. The other officer returned from upstairs carrying a large brown box stuffed with various papers from Juan's study. The three left quietly, stepping over Juan's lifeless body on their way out.
Author's notes: The series is back in production and will feature regular updates. Be sure to fav/follow for new chapters. Also, please leave a review, especially if you have notes. I'm new to writing fiction so I make a lot of mistakes!