Nora had graduated High School when the Ration Riots had started in Chicago. The entirety of the Midwest was in revolt. Most families were starving and while a small few were getting by, it quickly became a class issue. You could be walking down the street on the way home or to your job when the street became a battlefield. A fight between the police and people looting, or a small mob breaking into a nice house and dragging out the occupants. Eventually the police would be replaced with soldiers in power armor. That was when her father, the cop, decided to call in a favor with a detective he had worked with on and off. The detective was working on a case in Boston and clued them in on a small house that had just been put on the market. He even secured them safe passage there.
Nora had already been applying to colleges out there when they got the confirmation of the move. She remembered that first summer there fondly. It was an exciting place to be. It seemed mostly untouched by the issues out west. People talked about the plague like it was happening overseas. Her mom secured a job at CIT and her father quickly got work at the precinct. She loved hanging around, reading in the cafes around College Square. The whole place felt so academic and progressive.
She had always been the child with her head stuck in a book. She was also the kid getting into fights. She had been in third grade when she got in her first fight. A boy larger than her had been pushing a small girl and stealing her pencils. He'd been pulling on the girl's hair and managed to take a sizeable chunk of it when little Nora decided enough was enough. She closed her book and ran up behind the boy kicking him in the back of the knee. He went down and she brought the book down on his head. He had needed five other little girl started crying and ran to get the teacher. Nora was suspended.
She decided to work with some volunteer groups when she moved to Boston. Battered women's shelters, soup kitchens, the like. That was how she met Nate. He believed most people did bad things because they didn't feel like they had any other choice. His eyes would light up and his hands were in constant motion when the topic came up. Nate was the kinder, softer soul of the pair.
Nate walked her home after they left whatever shelter they both "happened" to be volunteering at that week. It was on one of these nights at the door to her house he asked Nora on a date. She'd been waiting for it. Two weeks prior she had overheard him asking her father for permission to do so. Her father had curtly informed Nate he was the wrong person to ask, but when he came in the house mentioning how he liked "that Nate boy" she was always with she knew the right impression had been made.
They went to see a film at the Brattle Theatre in College Square. Nate had brought Nora a copy of Journey to the End of Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine which she had mentioned wanting in one of their earliest conversations. As usual a festival was going on in College Square and the pair opted to have their picture taken by a photobooth bot. Nate bought a copy for each of them.
Nora was swept up in him. Even her persistently gruff cop father loved Nate swearing he hadn't even bothered running a background check on this one. It was that summer when Nora met Nate that she decided she would turn over a new leaf. She would fly straight and narrow. She would become the kinder soul. She would use her wits and words over her fists.
Nora filled her pack with food, water, stimpacks, and ammo. A couple personal items made it in as well. Codsworth had taken extra care to save some special items for his masters if they returned. The holotape from Nate and a copy of Journey to the End of Night were rolled in a towel. Inside the book was a photo of them on their first date and her movie ticket. Nate also owned a copy of each but they stayed tucked away in his wallet. She slipped both of their wedding bands on a strip of leather and tucked them away inside her vault suit.
It was time to head out and see what information she could find about Shaun's kidnappers. She looked back over Sanctuary Hills, the place that had once been their home before the war. The people she saved in Concord lived there now. Sturges had insisted that it could be her home too. She'd done what she could to help them. A makeshift wall surrounded the houses and Preston frequently could be found patrolling them. They'd gotten a lot done in two weeks time. Mama Murphy was the first to suggest that she make her way to a place called Diamond City in Boston. She could find the information she needed there.
Nora said her goodbyes and headed out with only Dogmeat in tow. She wanted to bring Codsworth along, but Preston warned her that the road to Diamond City would be dangerous and she'd need to travel unnoticed.
Sturges and Preston filled her in on the general wildlife found in the new Commonwealth. There were mutated bears, rats, dogs, flies, deer, and even people. Worst of all was the Deathclaw. The very thing she'd gone up against in Concord. Apparently not common, if you could avoid a fight with them you should. Sturges had been really helpful in retrieving the hide and showing her how to make leather. They'd made some modified leather armor, producing something that was bullet proof and resistant to energy blasts. Preston helped with the hunting rifle they had looted off a Raider, adding a suppressor to it. She was as ready as she would ever be.
Deacon made it back to Sanctuary Hills and found Nora was no longer there. He changed into a smelly pair of road leathers. He threw some knee pads and a metal chest piece on to toughen up the look.
He practiced his gravely voice and said, "I am Eugene Wrayburn. People call me Wrayburn because anyone who calls me Eugene doesn't live." He furrowed his brow mor. "I'm a caravan worker and I've been seperated from my group in the last Raider attack." Hemingway and Dickens' character names always worked. Most wastelanders couldn't read or didn't have the time. With Eugene Wrayburn firmly in his thoughts he headed into Sanctuary approaching the man he knew as Preston.
"Hold it right there," Preston called out raising his musket higher aiming at the man with sunglasses approaching him. "What is your business here?"
"I'm a caravan guard and I got separated from the others during a raider attack. A place called Sanctuary Highs was supposed to be our destination. I am looking for directions there." Deacon knew giving a similar name would humanize him, mistakes made people out to be harmless. Preston was the sort who would always help his fellow Wastelander if thought they were good natured.
"Well this is Sanctuary Hills, but we haven't had any caravans through recently," replied Preston lowering his gun and walking towards the caravan guard. "I'm Preston Garvey, with the Minutemen."
Deacon nodded frowning somewhat and saying, "I'm Eugene Wrayburn, but people call me Wrayburn. Have you seen any caravans in the area? One of our guards ran into a woman during the night watch in a vault suit who said we should try trading at a place called Sanctuary. Then we went right into a group of Raiders in Concord."
"Damn," said Preston, "that must have been Nora. She left around two days ago. She was talking about this place here. We haven't gotten any caravans though. Would you want to stay here for a little while and see if your caravan shows up? I could try to call in some Minutemen and have them look through the area? In the meantime we could always use help with the garden or mending some walls."
Deacon needed to back out. He hadn't taken into account the man offering help to this degree or expecting help in return. He still needed more intel on where Nora was heading. "If you don't mind I'll just stay long enough to eat some food then head back to where we were attacked. See if I can find any signs there I might have missed in the dark."
"Not a problem. If you head to that third house there is a cooking station and some beds. I'll go let the other residents know you're here." Just like that Preston took off ahead of him.
Deacon made his way to the cooking station and sat down at a table nearby pulling out some radstag jerky and taking in his surroundings. Looks like she left her robot butler and took the mutt. He heard shuffling footsteps behind him. The old woman sat next to him.
"Caravan worker hey? Got any chems on ya kid," she said in her raspy voice, "if you do I can maybe help you with the Sight. It's my gift."
"Sorry all the goods were with my group," he shifted in his seat. Something about this woman was annoying and unsettling.
"You're the man with shifting faces. Never wants to be anyone."
Ok, that was definitely unsettling but still vague enough that he wrote it off as the usual mystic bullshit. Deacon took a large bite of the jerky and spoke with his mouth full, "who wants to be anyone these days?"
"If you keep running from your past kid you won't be able to receive its gift. She's the decider of the Commonwealth. You'll see," and with that she got up and shuffled off. Deacon was sitting with his mouth open full of food.
Everyone is running from some sort of past he told himself. He finished his meal and headed for Preston. He needed to get out of here and start trailing Nora. She had a full two days of travel on him.
"You said that vault dweller left recently? I hope she was heading somewhere close because I have to be honest she looks like she hasn't ever been in the 'Wealth," Deacon said gruffly. Preston seemed a little hesitant so Deacon pushed more.
"I have to be frank with you fella. You seem like the nice sort, but I can't believe you let her leave all on her own when she clearly ain't got a clue. I hope you suggested a safe road for her travel? If I find my caravan I can send my sister Liz to guide her the rest of the way. Give her an extra gun wherever she's headed."
Preston shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, "well… I mean I suggested the safest road I know to get to Diamond City."
Deacon raised his eyebrows, "she's headin to Diamond City with only that mutt?"
Preston clearly looked worried, "let me show you the route on a map. Do you think Liz could catch up to her?"
"She is the fastest woman in the 'Wealth. She also doesn't like women running around alone. It's how our mom went. If I find her I'll send her to catch up with that vault woman." Preston let the caravan guard go on his way after he marked out the route.