Hey guys, JC here with another new story. It's been a while since I wrote a Fallout story, and I've been playing a lot of Fallout 4 lately so I figured it was time to get a new thing out.

Piper Wright could not believe the week she was having. First, the lead on a story she had tracked down in Goodneighbor turned out to be a bust. Then, when she had returned home to Diamond City she found the gate closed and herself barred from entry. As if to add insult to injury, she could hear the sounds of gunfire as a firefight raged between Diamond City Security and a group of Super Mutants less then a block away. Well, she had been listening anyway, the sounds had died down just a short while ago.

"What do you mean you can't open the gate?" she asked, speaking into the intercom that sat next to the gate, "Stop joking around, Danny. I'm standing out in the open for crying out loud!"

"I got orders not to let you in, Ms. Piper. I'm sorry. I'm just doing my job." That was the voice of Danny Sullivan from the other end of the intercom. He sounded stressed and put on the spot, but Piper didn't care. In fact, she was starting to get aggravated.

"Oh, 'just doing your job?' Protecting Diamond City means keeping me out, is that it? 'Oh look, it's the scary reporter.' Boo!" she said, flailing her arms toward intercom like she was attempting to frighten a child on Halloween.

"I'm sorry, but Mayor McDonoughs really steamed, Piper. Sayin' that article you wrote was all lies. The whole city is in a tizzy." Now Piper was mad. The mayor of Diamond City himself had ordered her to be kept out, all because of an article she'd wrote. Seriously? What happened to freedom of speech? Freedom of the press?

"Aagh!" she howled in frustration, "You open this gate right now, Danny Sullivan! I live here, you can't just lock me out!" With that, the intercom fell silent. No doubt, Danny was going to give her the silent treatment in an effort to try and make her go away. If she continued with her current approach, she'd just be wasting her breath. Arguing with a metal box rarely got anyone anywhere.

With a sigh, Piper turned away from the intercom. She needed a new angle, a new way to get in. What she found was herself being watched by a man and his dog.

He was tall, with his build being a decent balance between muscular and thin. His face was roughly handsome, despite the burn scars that dominated his right cheek and up across the bridge of his nose to the middle of his forehead. He wore a well trimmed beard on his jaw and cheeks. His steel colored eyes didn't seem to miss a thing as he watched her make a fool of herself in front of the gate.

The German Shepard that sat next to him was looking back and forth between herself and his master, seemingly curious about what was going on. The lit cigarette that hung from his mouth had a waft of blue smoke drifting upwards past the brim of his battered fedora. The surveyor's outfit he wore was splashed with dust and dried mud. And, he was heavily armed from what she could see. A scoped hunting rifle was slung across his back, and a pair of 10mm pistols were sitting in holsters on a belt around his waist.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, an idea struck Piper.

"You," she said, half whispering and motioning for the man to come closer, "you want into Diamond City right?" He took a few paces closer before coming to a halt and folding his arms across his chest.

"Just traveling through," he replied at a normal tone. Piper almost cringed at the fact that her plan was so nearly blown before it even got off the ground, but she could work with what she had.

"Shh!" she snapped, holding up her hands in a shushing motion, "Play along." If Danny wanted to give her the silent treatment, that was one thing. But bluffing her way into the city was an art form that Piper had mastered long ago. She knew that the infernal little box on the wall was always listening.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice returning to normal volume, "You said you're a trader up from Quincy? You have enough supplies to keep the general store stocked for a whole month?" The man's expression didn't change. He just continued to stand there and watch her, like he was analyzing every secret she'd ever had. Deep down, this put Piper a little on edge. But she wasn't about to let that upset her plan for getting back in.

"You hear that, Danny?" she asked over her shoulder, "You gonna let us in, or are you gonna be the one talking to crazy Mirnya about losing out on all the supply?"

"Geez, all right! No need to make it personal, Piper. Give me a minute." The giant green and rusted colored gate began to creak as it was lifted away, and Piper smiled in victory. Another bluff paid off.

"Better head inside, before 'ole Danny catches onto the bluff," she said to the newcomer. The man watched as the gate was lifted well out of reach before he unfolded his left arm in a sweeping gesture.

"You first," he said. Piper gave the man a smirking grin.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she said before turning and leading the way into the city gates. What had once been the admission and food stands for the stadium was now a command post for Security. It was dark inside the wall, with light coming from a few fire barrels and some electric lights on the ceiling.

Waiting for them was the Mayor himself. Piper was instantly floored at the sight of the politician. This last attempt to keep her out was the tip of the proverbial iceberg of issues between herself and the man.

"Piper, who let you back inside? I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut!" McDonough said. Piper came to a halt before the mayor, a grin on her face. She'd gotten under his skin with her success, she was going to revel in it, and she wanted him to know it.

"You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have it scrapped for parts." Piper's grin instantly vanished, replaced with a look of anger. Attacking her was one thing, attacking the paper was something else. The newspaper was her life's work. She had dedicated herself to telling the people the truth, and nothing but the truth, no matter what.

"Oh, is that a statement, Mr. McDonough? 'Tyrant Mayor shuts down the press'," she said, throwing her hand upward like she was broadcasting the next headline. The two stared each other down in anger for a moment. They each held the fate of the others career in their hands, and they both knew it.

The soft whine of a dog caused Piper's ears to perk up, suddenly remembering the newcomer that was watching all of this unfold. Granted, she knew absolutely nothing about the guy. But she also knew her opponent, very well at that.

"Why don't we ask the newcomer?" she asked before turning to the man, "Do you support the news? Cause the mayor's threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster." The mayor was, first and foremost, a politician. That meant that now that she'd dragged the new guy into the argument, he'd have no choice but to retreat and change tactics in an effort to save some face.

"This really isn't any of my business," he replied, looking back and forth between the two curiously. For the first time, the Mayor seemed to take notice of the newcomer.

"Oh, I didn't mean to bring you into this argument, good sir," he said, his posture changing as he adjusted his tie, "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?" Piper couldn't help but roll her eyes at the Mayor's sales pitch. If McDonough had his way, the outside world would believe that the city streets were paved in gold, and every time it rained caps fell from the sky inside the wall.

The man took a last drag from his cigarette before flicking it away in a shower of sparks. All the years interviewing people all across the Commonwealth had tuned Piper into the body language of other people, and it was clear that this man was not impressed by the Mayor's sales pitch.

"This hasn't been the friendliest welcome," he said. Piper flashed a toothy grin.

"He's got you there, McDonough. Guess not everyone is won over by that shark smile of yours." The Mayor waved her off, returning his attention to the newcomer.

"Was there anything in particular you came to our city for?" he asked. Piper perked up slightly, interested in hearing what the man had to say. Her natural curiosity had always left her wanting to know more about every person she met.

"Not really your business," he said, a hint of venom in his voice. Piper instantly got the feeling that this man didn't like having his personal things being prodded into. That, or the Mayor had left a very bad first impression on him.

"Well, whatever you do, don't bother going to Diamond City Security for help," she said.

"I've had enough of this, Piper!" the Mayor snapped, throwing his hands in the air, "From now on, consider yourself and that little sister of yours on notice."

"Yeah, keeping talking McDonough, that's all you're good for," she quipped as the Mayor walked away. Turing back to the newcomer, Piper studied him again. He had folded his arms again as they watched the Mayor go, and she couldn't believe that she hadn't seen it earlier. On his left wrist was a Pip-Boy.

That told her one of two things about his background. Either he was a well off scavenger, or he was a Vault Dweller. The way he eyed everything with a warily look told her that the latter was more likely. Suddenly, an idea for a new article popped into her head.

"Hm, a big Diamond City welcome from the mayor. You feel honored yet?" she asked. He blinked once as he regarded her, but other then that he remained silent. She'd only known him for ten minutes, and Piper got the feeling that this was the most tight lipped man she had ever met.

"Look I gotta go get settled in. But, stop by my office later, I have an idea for an article that you'd be perfect for," she said. With that, she turned and walked into the city, eager to get to her place of business and her home should the Mayor decide to make good on his threats for once.

Nate looked out over the whole of Diamond City, partially in awe. It wasn't the size of the settlement that wowed him, or the defenses. It was the fact that people had managed to do so much with a baseball park. The ingenuity and cleverness that had gone into this place was impressive to say the least.

That, and he would be lying if he said seeing Fenway Park as a shantytown didn't make him want to giggle like a little school girl. Even after two hundred and ten years, he still hated the Red Sox with a burning passion. Not that anyone really knew or cared after two centuries.

Sticking a new cigarette in his mouth and lighting it with his lighter, Nate headed down the stairs toward home plate and the market. Part of him wanted to go around, asking anyone and everyone about his son. The other part, the logical part, told him to keep his eyes open and his mouth shut.

Nate had been a designated marksman during his time in the Army. It was a skill that translated very well to the hardships of post apocalyptic life. When he'd first emerged from Vault 111 almost a month ago, that meant hunting for food. Then he'd started branching out, taking odd jobs. He found that mercenary work suited him, and thanks to his hunting and scavenging trips he knew almost every hiding spot across the northern frontier of the Commonwealth.

But this, this was his first incursion into the actual city of Boston itself. Sure, he'd been to Bunker Hill, several times in fact. He'd even been into East Boston working a job for Kessler, the leader of the Hill. But Cambridge and almost the entirety of the city south of the Charles River he had avoided like the plague. Two hundred years after the collapse of society, Boston was a battleground between Raiders, Gunners, and Super Mutants.

Diamond City, to be fair, was located in the western outskirts of the city. So for Nate, a trip to the Great Green Jewel wasn't that hard to plan and execute. But he had accidentally wandered into the middle of a firefight between Diamond City Security and a group of Super Mutants, and he had a feeling that was just a taste of what awaited deeper in the city.

Compared to the outside, the Diamond City inside the walls was paradise. Granted the majority of the streets were little more then wooden pallets thrown down on top of the mud, and the buildings were basicly tin siding and other bits of junk thrown together, but Nate figured that beat getting shot at on a regular basis by a long shot.

The Rifleman wandered the bases, getting a feel for the city layout as well as searching for anyone who might help. According to that Piper woman he'd met, asking Security would be a bust. The vendors in the market were all too busy selling their wares for them to even notice his snooping around, much less offer any help.

As he started to make a second pass, he noticed a bar called the Dugout Inn. It was, as the name implied, built into one of the stadium's old dugouts. He made quick note of it, knowing he'd have to find a place to sleep for the night before all was said and done. When he reached second base for the second time, he took notice of an alleyway that passed between the buildings. His first circling had taken him through the old outfield, past the Wall and the areas where the city's food supplies were grown.

Heading down this small alleyway, Nate felt a glimmer of hope. It was a red neon sigh hanging in the wall: Valentine Detective Agency. Next to the lettering was a heart with an arrow through it. Considering the location, he figured it was a fifty fifty shot that this place was either a brothel or an actual detective agency. Seeing no other alternative, he headed down the small hallway that the sigh pointed down and opened the door.

Granted, Nate wasn't sure what to expect from a shantytown Detective Agency. But it wasn't exactly this. The whole place was messy and unorganized. Filing cabinets lined both walls. A desk sat directly in front of the door, like whomever was on the other side would be greeting new comers. Standing with her back to him across the room was a young woman. She was leafing through boxes of files and muttering to herself. She was so distracted that he wondered if she'd even heard him come in.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked. The woman jumped, almost dropping the box she had been looking through.

"Another stray coming in from the rain," she said to herself before turning to face him, "'Fraid you're too late, office is closed."

"Sorry, Ms. I'll come back later," Nate said, tipping the brim of his hat as he turned to head out the door.

"No, that's not what I mean. We're not closed for the day, we're closed permanently," she said, stopping him, "the detective's gone missing."

"Picture on milk carton time?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow as he turned to face her again.

"If only it was that simple, right? Nick disappeared working a case. Skinny Malone's gang had kidnapped a young woman and he tracked them down to their hideout in Park Street Station. There's an old Vault down there they use a base. I told Nick he was walking into a trap, but he just smiled and walked out the door like he always does," the woman explained, sadness in her voice.

Ordinary, Nate would have set up a means of payment in a situation like this. The Commonwealth operated on a give and take system, and deals usually were made that benefited both parties. In this case, however, he knew that he'd need this Nick person's help in tracking down those who had killed his wife and taken his son. Besides, if all else failed, saving this guy's hide could serve as his means of payment for services.

"I'll find him, Ms..?"

"Oh! Perkins, Ellie Perkins," she said, extending her hand to shake. Nate shook it lightly.

"I'll get him back," he said before releasing her hand, tipping the brim of his hat again, and strolling out the door. Now back in the alley, Nate brought up his Pip Boy and studied the map. And he didn't like what he saw. From what he could tell, Park Street Station was located on the edge of the Boston Common, right smack dab in the heart of the city.

A whine brought his attention away from the device on his wrist to his ever faithful canine companion. The dog cocked his head to the side, as if asking a silent question. Nate lowered his arm and scratched the dog behind the ears.

"Whatya think, boy? We read for a trip into the heart of the city?" The dog wined and covered his snout with his paw. Nate snorted at the response.

"Yeah, I didn't think so either." Readjusting his rifle, Nate set off toward the Market again. The sky was beginning to turn red as the sun sank lower. As he rounded the corner into the Market, his eye was drawn to a sign hanging on the wall. It was a poster for bounties.

Nate read it over with interest as he took a long drag on his cigarette. The poster was a notice about ghouls that were in and around the Mass Pike Tunnel. It promised good salvage as well as a good time to anyone with a gun and some ambition. Other then that, the note was anonymous, and offered no form of payment other then what was found on the bodies.

"Swatter, swatter, swatter, who needs a swatter?" shouted an older man wearing a baseball uniform in the vendor next to him. Nate left the notice hanging and dropped his cigarette into the mud. Bounties like that offered little in the way of money, and therefore didn't interest him.

"You there, you look like you need a genuine, authentic, custom made hickory swatter," the vendor said, pointing at Nate.

"Swatter?" he asked. Was he referring to the baseball bats?

"Rookie, eh? A swatter, my friend, is a Diamond City tradition. See it use to be that this whole place was a stadium. And two teams would meet and play a game called baseball." Nate had to grit his teeth in an effort not to roll his eyes. He knew the history, hell he'd been here when this place still was a baseball stadium.

"One team would beat the other team to death with these things called Baseball Bats. And the best Bats were called Swatters, true fact!" he declared. Nate blinked as what the man had just said registered in his mind. Did he just say that baseball was a gladiatorial sport? Seriously?

"Look, dumbass. That's not how baseball was played," he said.

"That right, Mr. Smarty-Pants? If you're such an expert, how do you think it was played?"

"There were balls, strikes, bases, and home runs. You kept score by how many players made it to home plate," he deadpanned. The man fell silent for a few moments.

"...I like my version better," he finally said. Nate let out a tired sigh before he turned and walked away. He walked up to the stand at the center of the Market and flopped down on one of the stools. He buried his face in his hands, covering a yawn that betrayed how tired he was.

"Na-ni shimasho-ka?" Nate looked up to find himself looking at a light green Protectron with a chief's hat on the top of its dome.

"What?"

"Na-ni shimasho-ka?"

"Do yourself a favor and just say yes, that's all he understands," a woman sitting near him said. Nate looked at her, and then back at the robot with a small grin. He could have some fun with this.

"Tell me a joke."

"Na-ni shimasho-ka?" With that, he stood up and began to walk toward the city entrance. It had been a very, very long day, and he was ready for some sleep. When he stood on home plate, Nate came to a halt. The Dugout Inn was off to his left, and starting to look real inviting now that the sun was going down. But to his right was the newspaper office that Piper woman had vanished into. Publick Occurrences was it's name, according to the sign on the roof.

Oh well, now was as good time as any to see what she wanted.

Stepping through the door, Nate was surprised to see Piper leaning against an old newspaper stand. She had a lit cigarette in her hand, and her posture suggested that she had been waiting on something or someone. Her face visibly brightened when she saw him.

"Glad you dropped by," she said, putting the cigarette out, "you holdin' up, Blue?" Nate cocked his eyebrow in confusion at her.

"Why are you calling me that?" he asked.

"Cause you're a Vault Dweller? I know you're not wearing the blue jumpsuit, but the Pip Boy and the way you eye everything? Dead giveaways," she replied. Nate silently cursed. He wanted to keep that little fact hidden, and hidden well. From what he had seen, Vault Dwellers were major targets out in the Commonwealth for anyone trying to make a quick score.

"That, and you still haven't introduced yourself..."

"Nate, Nate Adams," Nate said. Piper flashed him a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Adams. So hears the deal, I want an interview, your life's story in print. I want to give the people of Diamond City an outsiders' perspective on the Commonwealth. You do that...and I'll come with you, watch your back while you get use to the world above ground," the reporter purposed.

Nate was already frowning when she said the word interview. This whole time, he'd been trying to stay on the down low. Hell this woman was the only person in the whole of the settlement that knew his name. And now she wanted to go and put his entire life story in print. Besides, he had enough time on the surface to get around and do his job without any effort. Someone watching his back, aside from the dog, might just slow him down. He stuck another cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"Here's your headline," he said as he blew blue smoke upward, "'Local man says no.'"

"Gonna be like that, huh? Smartass. Alright we'll do this later, but I want that interview, you got me?" she said, pointing a finger at him to make a point. He smiled and tipped the brim of his hat at the reporter.

"You have a nice evenin' now, Ms. Piper," he said before he turned and stepped out into the night.

And there it is, the beginning of a new story. Hopefully you guys found it enjoyable and got your Fallout fill for the day. I wanted to get this out on the 23rd in honor of the Great War and what not, but real life delayed me. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like, ask questions, state what you would like to see, and I'll see you all in the next one.