Chapter 4

Stop Me If You've Heard This One


"It's this way boy!", she called.

Their new canine companion seemed adamant about heading into Concord. However, it was her plan to take the road around it , skirting the town, it would take a bit longer, but it should be safer.

Right…?

The dog made a beeline straight down the road leading into the town, his barking and whimpering catching her attention when she turned left at the fork in the road.

"It seems rather determined to go that way, Mum"

"I was hoping to avoid Concord, I don't want to run into anymore of those people before we get to the base", she explained, pensively looking out over the town from the elevated road.

It all looked hollow, weathered, rotting and broken from her vantage point. Walking through those narrow streets and between the densely packed buildings was a good way to get ambushed, she didn't need military training to see that.

Another bout of barking catching her attention. Her new friend obviously felt quite strongly about it. He sounded almost desperate that she follow him.

She chewed on her lip, looking down the road she was headed and then back towards the town before making up her mind. She un-holstered her pistol and turned towards Concord, trailing behind the dog.

So…a lawyer, a dog and a robot, walk into a ghost town, she sighed.

"Alright, we'll go around the buildings and use the alleyways, stay off the streets", she decided.

"As you say Mum".


Ragged curtains still fluttered in shattered windows, paint flaking off of warped walls. The wind was picking up, shades of grey slowly creeping across the sky.

Store displays blown out, bakeries and hardware stores stripped bare. Naked mannequins, once proudly showed off the latest fashion trends, now staring up at her, worn and broken , helpless, silent witnesses to the passage of time.

The sound of gunfire caught their attention not long after entering the town, causing them to dash into a nearby alley. They made their way towards the sound, between the buildings, silent and unseen, before peering around a corner towards the museum at the edge of town. Four people, in the same likeness as the ones that invaded Sanctuary. Tattoos, face paint, filthy, ragged clothing under cobbled together strips of leather armor. All of them unloading a barrage of gunfire at some hapless soul on the museum balcony, who was barely able to return fire before having to take cover again. Two men and a woman at the front, shooting from their position behind walls of sandbags that ran across the street, the fourth man, closest to her position, firing from behind a lamppost, their backs to her, still unaware of her presence.

What should we do? , she thought for a moment, taking in the skirmish unfolding in front of her.

"Shhh, boy", she whispered, her voice calming as she crouched next to the snarling German Shepard, trying to restrain him from dashing into the firefight.

Should we even do anything, we don't even know what's going on.

"Perhaps it would be best if we found another route past these savages, Mum"

"Maybe…", her anxiety rapidly growing every second she stood there.

These people could very well have been part of the same group that attacked her.

"Maybe we could…..", she began.

"No boy!", her mind was made up for her in an instant as she lost her grip on the dog, the canine bolting towards the closest shooter, taking a chunk out of his leg, his scream drowned out by the gunfire.

Shit.

"Codsworth go!", she hissed, dashing out from behind the building, drawing her pistol and putting two shots into him before he could swing the butt of his rifle at the dog, dead center, perfect aim, shifting her sights a few inches to the side to take aim at the woman just beyond him. They may not have heard his screams but they definitely heard her gunfire. It was too late however, she squeezed the trigger three more times while advancing, a rapid barrage that hit the woman in the chest and head. Codsworth's laser fire making short work of the third, and a timely, well placed shot from the stranger on the balcony, taking out the last one. The entire exchange took no more than fifteen seconds.

"Hey!". Up here on the balcony! , I've got civilians inside, the raiders are almost through the door. Help us, please!", he pleaded before, something inside caught his attention and he was gone, not even allowing her the chance to respond.

Everyone seemed to be unharmed, her impulsive canine friend trotting up to the museum and scratching at the door, barking at her to follow.

"Are you unharmed, Mum?".

"Mhm", she answered absently, hands shaking ever so subtly as she slowly walked towards the museum. Her eyes lingered on the bodies littering the street as she walked by. They never stood a chance, no time to react. This was different than before. She initiated this, not in anger or fear for her life, not hopped up on adrenaline, this was murder.

But you did it to save someone, she told herself.

Did I?

They deserved this, they were monsters, just like the ones that attacked you in Sanctuary.

Maybe…

"This is how it's going to be isn't it?", she muttered under her breath, looking down at the bodies in remorse. This wasn't her world, not anymore, the law held no sway here. Did such a thing even exist anymore?

She sighed, sparing another glance at the empty balcony above before settling on the museum doors. She had started something here, it might have been against her better judgement, but she would see it through. Besides, making friends was never a bad thing and something told her she'd need all the friends she could get, if she wanted to make any progress in her search.

She could hear the muted sound of gunfire inside.

Deep breath.

"Let's go".


"No more British occupation!".

She moved slowly among the lifeless redcoat and civilian mannequins, the sparse lights casting eerie shadows on the walls while a pre-recorded re-enactment played through the speakers in the ceiling. She could hear Codsworth in the next room, drawing the raiders' fire, keeping them distracted while she tried to circle around.

Room by room she crept, eyes on the shadows for any sign of movement. She could see display cases lining the walls of third room even before she entered.

It was as she entered the doorway, that a hand shot out from the side, grabbing her gun arm, pulling her in and causing her to stumble forward.

Another hand on her throat before she saw his face, pushing her into a broken display case, smashing her arm on the wooden frame, causing her to drop the gun.

His laughter, as sickening as his stench, and his face, too close to her own.

She was off balance, bent backwards over the case, her right wrist captured while her left hand clawed at the fingers around her throat.

She could see another raider coming up behind him, self satisfied grin on his face, gun in hand.

"Hold her!", he growled.

His grin instantly devolving into panicked screams as her canine companion burst through the doorway, knocking him off his feet, snarling and mauling him.

"It's that damn dog!", her attacker snarled, looking over his shoulder.

"Get it off'a me!", the other raider screamed, dropping his gun as he tried to protect his face from razor sharp teeth.

She took full advantage of the distraction, bringing her knee up into his groin, "Fffffuuucckk", he choked, releasing her wrist to clutch himself.

Seizing the opportunity, she pried his fingers off her throat , twisting his wrist and forcing him to bend over, kneeing him in the face.

He staggered back, reeling from the blow as she followed up with a stomp to his chest that sent him crashing into another display.

Retrieving her pistol and bringing it to bear on him as she advanced, three shots in the chest before he could recover.

It wasn't over. She whistled, a brief, sharp, high pitched tone, catching the dog's attention and causing him to jump off of the other raider, allowing her to follow up with one bullet to the chest.

"Good bo…", a sudden movement in the doorway to the other room catching her eye, before a hail of gunfire came at her. Searing pain in her shoulder causing her to cry out as she dove behind the nearest display case, pulling the dog into cover and shielding him as shards of glass and splintered wood rained down on them.

Her hold on her companion was tenuous however, allowing him to break free and dash towards the threat.

Shit.

A few blind shots from her pistol overhead causing a break in the gunfire as the raider took cover behind the wall.

The sound of growling and a panicked scream, was her queue. Pushing herself to her feet and taking aim, just as the dog, with a firm hold on the raider's arm, dragged him into view. A single shot to the head finally ending it.

She staggered back, trying to catch her breath, thanking whatever deity that still existed in this world that she hadn't hit the dog , and slumped down against the wall, making sure she had a view of all the exits.

Her finger gingerly prodding at her shoulder to check the damage, eliciting a muffled whimper through clenched teeth. It was a scratch, it stung, but was nothing compared to the first time she was shot.

Her heart was still racing, although it wasn't from the same unbridled fear and panic that she felt in Sanctuary. She wasn't weak from hunger and dehydration, her head didn't feel like it was about to explode. Her emotions, her fear, had been under control this time, for the most part.

Her eyes fell upon the bodies in front of her. It was getting easier, to pull the trigger. She could still feel the weight of their lives, though not as heavily as before.

Was she imagining it?

Was she really starting to become numb to it all, so quickly?

It scared her, the thought of it.

She pushed herself to her knees as her furry friend came bounding back, having scouted ahead she imagined.

"Hey boy, good job", she smiled as he licked her face, giving him a quick hug before checking to make sure he was unharmed.

"Good boy", she scratched him behind the ears, before standing. They really did work well together, throughout that entire scrap it really felt like they were on the same page.

The sound of gunfire in the main hall had become less frequent and she could hear shouting from the floors above.

"C'mon boy".


"Hello?...are you alright in there?", she called, standing outside the door of the room the group were holed up in. At least she thought it was, the raider kicking at it and yelling obscenities at it only moments ago, seemed to think so.

"Who are you?", came a voice from inside.

Really?...

"The one that helped you outside earlier, can you open the door?", she asked.

"Don't do it, it might be a trick, they might be…", she heard muffled mumbling behind the door.

She sighed, "Listen, the raiders are gone, it's alright to come out".

"Nice try bitch, we're not fucking stupid!", a woman's voice from inside causing her to raise an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.

More muffled mumbling. She was getting annoyed, straightening her stance and looking over the railing into the main hall below. Codsworth stood guard just inside the door to the museum, the dog sitting behind her quirking his head when she flashed him a glance, one ear flopping to the side.

She turned back to the door. "Fine, don't let me in, but the raiders are dead, you can come out when you're ready…or don't".

"Stay in there for all I care", she muttered under her breath

"I'll just be on my way, you're welcome", she turned, walking past the dog, earning a whimper from him before she heard a man's voice.

"Wait!", came another voice and she looked over her shoulder, the sound of something heavy being dragged from behind the door, a desk or some piece of furniture.

"Give us a minute".

She turned to face the door once more, the dog trotting over to her, licking her bruised knuckles, earning him a weak smile and a gentle scratch behind the ears.

The noise stopped, and the door clicked, opening slowly. She brought her gun up, just in case.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there miss, we're the good guys", a handsome man, a little dirty perhaps, and a mechanic of some sort, judging from the tool belt around his stained, grimy jumpsuit. He backed up into the room, showing her his open palms.

Next to him, the gentleman from the balcony approached, dressed in colonial attire, a laser rifle at his side, a friendly smile on his face. "Ma'am, I don't know who you are, but I'm damn glad you showed up when you did. Sorry about the confusion, but given what we've been through these past few weeks, trust and faith in our fellow man is kind of in short supply", he threw a brief glance at the woman pacing back and forth at the far end of the room, mumbling to herself.

She lowered the pistol to her side as the dog ran past her legs, towards an old woman seated on a nearby couch who whispered in his ear and seemed to be having quite the conversation with him.

"That's fine", she managed a polite smile. "Is everyone alright?"

"As well as can be expected", he replied, looking at the haggard group around him, five in total, including himself.

"What about you though" , he looked her over with furrowed brows.

Dust and dirt dotted her face and clothes. There were minor cuts on her lip and forehead, splotches of blood on her shirt, and obvious wounds on her shoulder and abdomen.

"We have a few stimpacks left if you…", he continued.

"I'm fine, thanks" , she gave him another polite smile.

"Are you sure?...I mean you look…"

"I said I'm fine" , she repeated, a little more sternly than she intended. She was aware of how she looked, and while she did have a few cuts and bruises, which were already rapidly healing thanks to her own stimpack supply, she knew the blood on her clothes was mostly not her own. Something she would rather soon forget.

"Hey it's alright", he brought a hand up in surrender. "I'm just saying, I know it couldn't have been easy making it past those raiders, so if…".

"Listen…uh…" , she paused.

"Oh sorry, Preston, Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen", he offered his hand and she took it, holstering her pistol.

"Minutem…?".

"This here is Sturges", he nodded to the man in the jumpsuit, at his side.

"A pleasure miss", he nodded

"The Long's , Marcy and Jun at the back and Mama Murphy there on the couch", he motioned to the old woman.

"It's nice to meet you kid", the elderly woman nodded to her with a smile. "You're not at all what I expected Dogmeat to find out there", she paused, "Although, that might be a good thing".

"Uh, thanks, I think", she threw Preston a questioning glance. "Wait, Dogmeat?", she quirked her head at the dog, who mirrored her expression. Oh, you poor thing.

"Is he your dog?", she asked the old woman.

"Dogmeat?", the old woman patted him on the back. "Naw, he ain't my dog, he's his own man, a free spirit if ever I saw one".

"We found Dogmeat, or rather, he found us when we were fleeing Jamaica Plain from the Gunners", Preston explained.

"After the Quincy massacre, we thought we could maybe settle there, but they caught up to us after a few days", his fist clenched at his side, eyes unfocussed as he replayed, what she could only imagine, were extremely painful memories in his mind. "They torched our camps, most of our supplies and ran us out, killing anyone they could".

"Quincy…massacre?", she interrupted.

"You haven't heard of it?", he raised his brow in disbelief.

She shook her head.

"I thought everyone had heard the story by now".

"…In any case", he continued. "We ended up in Lexington after that, turns out the entire town was overrun by feral ghouls".

"Ghouls?", images of Halloween costumes, ghosts and goblins, flashing through her mind.

"What are ghouls?", her confusion clear on her face, it had to be a metaphor or something.

Preston just stared at her for a few moments, mouth agape.

"Wha?...haha", Sturges chuckled, unsure if she was being serious. "What do you mean, what are ghouls? You know…rotting flesh, irradiated…".

"How do you not know what ghouls are?", Preston interrupted him, a somewhat suspicious look on his face.

The two men were stared at her as if she had sprouted another head.

She opened her mouth , taking a second to gather her thoughts before she finally spoke.

"I've, actually been locked in a vault, for a….while", she explained. "I've only been out for a few days so….this is all still pretty new to me".

Apparently that was enough, as she noticed the two men visibly relax, seemingly satisfied with her explanation.

"Well I guess that explains the Pipboy", Sturges gestured to the device on her wrist.

"So you're a vault dweller?", Preston added.

"You could say that", she nodded.

"Look", she continued, sighing, wanting to change the subject, "The way out is clear, we should probably…"

"We can't leave yet" , Preston interrupted, "I overheard one of those men earlier, apparently there's another group of raiders on the way".

"We leave now and we'd be sitting ducks out there in the open, even if we try to run it wouldn't be long before they caught up to us", he explained, looking over the group.

"So then, what?", she asked, leaning on the broken bookcase next to the door, "Wait here until they show up, and hope they give up before you run out of ammunition or water?"

"You won't last the evening", she folded her arms.

The raiders had pushed them back to this small room and they were down to one pistol and a rifle, from what she could see. There was no doubt they'd be dead by now if she hadn't showed up. The fact that she managed to make it up here was surprising in and of itself. The raiders she encountered were almost all high on, something, or not quite playing with a full deck. This made it relatively easy to get the drop on them. The makeshift guns they carried did nothing to help their aim and their martial skills seemed to be limited to drunken brawling. Despite all that, it was no easy feat making it up here and she had the bruises and cuts to prove it.

If they decided to sit here and wait for the raiders then she would definitely not be sticking around to see it, she thought to herself, absently tracing a thumb over her bloodied lip.

"Maybe", he agreed, "but we may have a plan".

"Oh?", she tilted her head, questioningly.

"I don't know if you noticed the crashed Vertibird on the roof", Preston explained.

She nodded "What about it?".

"Well there's more than just a Vertibird up there", the mechanic interrupted, a childlike grin on his face.

"If you head on up, and I shit you not, you'll find a complete suit of T-45 Power Armor!", he paused, obviously expecting some sort of reaction.

"Really?", was her lukewarm reply, decidedly less enthusiastic than he was hoping.

"Really!?", he repeated incredulously, obviously taken aback by her response, or lack thereof. "C'mon man, we've got a walkin tank up there, not to mention the minigun still bolted to the vertibird". "I mean granted it looks like its seen better days, but from what I could tell, it should be fully operational".

"Then why haven't you used it?", she asked.

"Power", Preston supplied.

"The suit's missing an FC, but luckily we know just where to find one", the mechanic continued. "Trouble is, it's behind a security gate".

"Ah, the generator in the basement", she realized, receiving a nod of confirmation from both men.

The PA system, the handful of lights, not to mention the terminal behind the mechanic, had to have been drawing power from somewhere. The power grid out here was down, if the state of Sanctuary was any indication.

"Now, I'm not that good with computers" Sturges explained. "But I was gonna rig a charge for the lock, at least before those raiders managed to break through the doors and we had to barricade ourselves in here".

"I see…Sturges was it?"

"Yes ma'am".

"Can you come with me?", "I'll get you your Fusion Core".

"Seriously?", she could hear the hope in his voice.

"You really think you can get past that lock?" , Preston chimed in.

"I should be able to", she nodded, heading towards the door.

"There are a few… bodies outside, and downstairs, you should probably check for anything you can use", she advised.

"After I get you the core I'll be on my way", he heard her say as she entered the hallway.

"Wait, you're leaving?", Preston made after her, motioning Sturges to stay put in the room before he himself caught up to her in the hallway. "Wh…?...please, you have to stay, we're going to need all the help we can get when the next group shows up".

She turned to face him, her sympathy apparent on her face, "I can appreciate that, really, but I have my own problems to deal with".

"Yeah? Like what!?", his tone and expression betraying his frustration and anger. She knew it wasn't directed at her, not completely anyway, but it irritated her nonetheless.

It's true, from what vague details she was given about their journey these past few weeks, it sounded like they'd been through hell.

But so what? So had she. For crying out loud, she was still in it. Her world taken away, Nate, her love, her strength, her soulmate, and Shaun, her precious baby boy, her heart, ripped from her. She was a shell of a person, walking forward on sheer willpower. It was a constant struggle to keep her emotions in check. Memories that threatened to break through, immediately quelled. Always just below the surface, threatening to overwhelm her.

"My baby was taken from me!... kidnapped", her fists clenched at her side so tightly, it hurt.

"And my husband, was…", she couldn't finish, instead closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before once again focusing her gaze on him.

"I…..I'm sorry..I…", Preston began.

"What's his name, your son?", he managed after a moment of awkward silence.

She sighed, her tension melting away as she leaned against a pillar between the railings, eyes downcast.

"His name is Shaun…he's not even a year old".

"He's out there, somewhere and I, I don't …", she felt the tears in her eyes, and tried her best not to let them fall, hoping he couldn't see her face well enough in the dimly lit hallway.

"…I don't even…", she swallowed, her breath hitching in her throat, "I don't even know where to start looking, or…", she flashed him a forced smile, running a hand through her hair, brushing it back and looking skyward, trying to blink the tears away.

"Everything is so different…none of this feels real", her voice faltering, she let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, causing the tears to roll down her cheeks.

"Shit", she muttered, brushing her cheeks dry, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.

His heart sank as he stood there, unsure of how to comfort her. She was clearly uncomfortable, letting him see her cry, so he turned to the side, leaning on the railings that overlooked the main hall below. A Mr. Handy robot kept guard at the museum's front door.

"I get it, you know", his voice little more than a whisper.

"The Minutemen were my life", he risked a quick glance in her direction, catching her eye before returning his gaze to the hall below.

"I watched it come crashing down at Quincy…..with each soldier that fell, each friend I lost...my commander…".

"It's a weight…deep inside", he tapped his chest with his fingers. "I've been feeling it ever since we escaped, it keeps trying to pull you down. I saved who I could, lead them away from…", he paused, the same unfocused eyes she'd seen earlier. "...I lead them away, made it up as I went along, we didn't have anywhere to run to, we just ran".

He shook his head in regret. "Every decision I've made since, has led us from bad to worse…every time I fail them, it gets heavier. Makes it difficult to breathe, to move, always questioning myself…. Is my next decision finally going to get them all killed?"

"They've made it this far because of you, haven't they?", her voice soft.

"Hmph…", he scoffed, looking down at his open palms. "That's just it, I left Quincy with nineteen, most of them civilians".

"This…", he nodded towards the room to his right, "This is all that's left".

"I've failed them…the Minutemen…the people I was supposed to protect…".

"I'm sorry", she said simply, what else could she say.

"Why did you help us?", he turned his head to her finally after a few moments of awkward silence.

"What?", she looked over at him.

"You didn't have to, you could have turned back at any time".

She looked at him for a moment and shrugged, folding her arms and leaning her head back on the wooden pillar.

"I guess…because you asked, because you needed it, and maybe…maybe I felt lonely".

She chuckled under her breath at his mildly confused expression.

"I've lost everyone I know, the world I know…knew. It's all gone, and the only people I've met so far, have tried to kill me, I think maybe I just, wanted to see a friendly face".

He studied her face for a few seconds before finally chuckling himself. There was nothing mean about his laugh, in fact it was quite friendly, subdued and somewhat contagious.

She couldn't help but smirk, "Did that sound as childish to you as it did to me?".

"Haha, no, no not at all", his grin weary but genuine. "You just don't hear many people talk like that out here".

"And a friendly face", he straightened himself. "Well that's...that's something I haven't seen in a while myself, not until you came along anyway".

She returned his smile.

"Thank you, for everything, it was wrong of me to ask you…", he began.

"I'll help you", she interrupted him.

"No, I didn't mean to…".

"Yes you did", she cut him off again, still smiling, "And you're right".

Truth be told, she hadn't really made up her mind to leave, and knew herself well enough to guess that by the time she retrieved the core, her conscience may very well have changed her mind.

"I thought to myself, I couldn't afford to risk my safety, not while my baby was out there, waiting for me, maybe I still do. But I figure, if I can't get through something like this, then I probably don't stand a chance of surviving alone out there long enough to find him", she pushed off the pillar and joined him, leaned on the railing, overlooking the hall below.

"That and, well, I did start something here…and I don't think I could live with myself if I just walked away and left you all to your fate…my safety isn't worth my humanity…you know?", she explained, looking down at her hands, absentmindedly toying with the two rings on her finger.

Preston couldn't help but stare at her, somewhat slack jawed. The weight on his shoulders suddenly felt lighter, if just a little bit. The growing ache in his chest, a confusing mix of emotions. Guilt, admiration, fear… a sliver of hope.

Should he have dragged her into this?

Was he going to get her killed? he asked himself.

No, she made the decision, and it wasn't an offer he could afford to refuse…wasn't an offer he wanted to refuse.

He turned to her and offered his hand once again, "Thank you…Miss…?", he paused, confusion evident on his face.

"It's Leona", she shook his hand for the second time.

"Just Leona?" he probed.

"Just Leona", she repeated in a softer voice, a flash of sadness behind her smile, perhaps he imagined it.

"Well then, thank you Miss Leona, I don't…."

"We should probably go get you that fusion core", she interrupted, looking over his shoulder at the mechanic in the room behind him, clearly pretending to mind his own business.

"Right, of course", he agreed. "Sturges", Preston called, motioning to his comrade.

"Alright, let's get this done!", Sturges clapped his hands together, hyped as ever.

Was his sunny disposition just an act?

Even if it was, it was more than welcome.

He grabbed his pistol off the desk and started towards them.


They saw the explosions of dust and debris before they realized what was happening.

"Sturges!", Preston was at his side just as the mechanic's knee hit the ground, pushing him to the floor.

"Mama Murphy get away from the wall!", he called over the sound of gunfire, crumbling stone and splintering wood. "Stay down everyone!".

She took cover behind the doorway just outside the room, her heart racing as she waited out the gunfire. She could see Preston and Sturges just inside. The mechanic had taken a bullet to the leg, his face contorted in a grimace while and Preston did his best to shield him from the torrent of debris.

And just as soon as it started, suddenly the hail of gunfire stopped, leaving the room in a thick cloud of dust. The only sound, a barely restrained, guttural growl from inside the room.

"Gah!", the mechanic managed through gritted teeth.

"Hang in there Sturges, you're gonna be alright", Preston assured him, looking him over and retrieving a stimpack from his coat.

"I'm alright, I'm alright, just took one in the leg, can still hold a gun", he assured him.

"Preston!", "You have to do something, I swear if we…", a shrill voice coming from the back of the room.

"Quiet!", Preston hissed at Mrs. Long.

Besides Preston and Sturges, she couldn't see the others further in the room, but it sounded like everyone was unharmed.

"Hey!", a man's voice called from outside.

"Hey!", "Still alive in there?!", another round of gunfire shredding through the boarded up windows. Met with panicked screams and angry barking.

"Hahahaha, so you are still kickin!".

She ground her teeth.

They were the same as the ones in Sanctuary.

"Fucking Animals", She growled under her breath.

"You know I've been thinkin!...", the 'raider's' voice droned on, glib and cocky.

Preston moved to help Sturges up.

"Wait, stay down", he heard Leona say, catching a glimpse of her boots, as she passed him. Did he imagine it, there was something about her voice, a calmness very much at odds with their current situation.

"Get away from the window!", Preston pleaded, keeping his voice low.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot here…" , the raider continued.

Keep talking.

He wasn't going to shoot, at least not yet. She was sure of it, enough to risk her own life, but only her own. She recognized the type. Prosecuted a few in her time even.

"My boys tell me…"

Psychotic and unpredictable by nature. But there was one thing you could always count on.

"...You come into MY town…."

Their ego, and the absolute need to hear themselves speak.

"Leona!", Preston's voice came again.

She held a hand up, silencing him as she leaned her back against the wall between the boarded windows. Through the cracks she could see them. Huddled behind the sandbags in the street, standing on the carcasses of ruined vehicles, and poking their heads out of the ruined hardware store just outside the museum. Twelve visible, more likely hidden, relaxed, drinking and…were those inhalers?

"...So I'll give you scavvers a choice…"

And of course, their fearless leader, winding down his little spiel, and standing in the open street in front of the others, arms spread as if he were the second coming.

Murderers, rapists, psychopaths, these were rare creatures in her world. Here however, it seemed they were a dime a dozen.

She unhooked a grenade from her belt.

Six seconds.

She pulled the pin and hurled it through the largest opening she could find, and into the street below. Her movement met with a short burst of gunfire which ended the instant the raiders realized what was thrown.

"Boss!"

"Fuuuuuck!"

Sounds of panic and frantic scrambling from outside.

3…2..1…

"Get up!", she screamed, just as the explosion rocked the streets below, reverberating through the wooden floorboards.

"You heard her!","Move!", Preston shouted, his voice almost drowned out by the panicked screams and anguished wailing outside. His voice snapping everyone into action.

Mama Murphy ran to Sturges' side, taking a shoulder as she and Preston rushed him out the door, followed my Mrs. Long, dragging her husband by the arm. "Come on Jun we have to move!".

"You Fuckers!", "You're DEAD!". "You're all DEAD!". Their leader's voice, even more crazed than before, drifting from the street below, sounding weak and strained inside the wooden walls.

She couldn't help but smirk to herself as she stepped out into the hallway and a hail of gunfire began to devour the small room.

"Codsworth!", she called down to the main hall.

"I'm here, mum!".

"Bar the doors!", she instructed.

"I already took the liberty mum!", he informed her.

Thank you Codsworth! , she nodded to the robot, 'good job'.

Indeed the door was barred with wooden beams and broken furniture. She wasn't sure how long it would hold, but from what she could see, it couldn't have been done any better. It would have to be enough.

She looked over the group while heading down the hallway. No one else was injured, and thanks to the stimpack, Sturges looked like he was recovering quickly. Enough to put a little pressure on the leg. Dogmeat at his side, looking up at her as she passed.

"Leona!", Preston called, causing her to turn.

"Where are you going?".

"The fusion core", she explained. "That power armor is probably still our best chance, if it still works."

"It works", Sturges insisted, pushing himself upright, standing against the wall and hiding a pained grunt behind a chuckle and a smile.

"It's gonna work", he repeated. She gave him a sympathetic look before turning her attention to Preston."

"Keep them away from the doors as long as you can", and with that she was gone.


He took a deep breath and looked to the room behind him, the boards covering the windows were completely shredded, the gunfire having since shifted to the museum's front doors below them. The balcony doors still held steady but that wasn't an option. He wouldn't last a minute out there, cover or no. From what he'd seen so far, the guns these raiders were using were a step up from the last group. It was stil lthe best vantage point to cover the front doors. The windows however, would need to be barricaded again, a desk, a couch…something.

"Marcy, Jun, come with me, we need to block those windows".

"What?!", Marcy shouted at Preston in disbelief, "Are you crazy, we're not going back in there!".

Preston scowled, he could do this, he could get them through this, but he needed their co-operation.

"I got ya boss, what's the plan", Sturges appeared between them, tucking his pistol into his belt as he limped towards him.

"Sturges…?".

"I'm good, c'mon man, you got a plan right?", a pat on Preston's shoulder as he limped past.

"I'm commin too", Mama Murphy stood up.

"No, Mama Murphy, I need you to find some place to lay low, we…", Preston held a hand up.

"Don't gimme that Preston, those raiders break through and we're all dead, besides, that kid is gonna need all the help she can get and worrin about us ain't gonna do her any good out there".

Preston sighed, they were wasting time, "Alright, alright, then I need you to check any bodies you can find, gather up any weapons and ammo they might have been carrying".

Mama Murphy nodded, and shuffled past the Long's , Dogmeat running after her before they disappeared into a dark room off to the side.

"Cods..uh…Codsworth!", Preston shouted over the railing.

"Yes sir?" , "How may I help you?"

"We could really use another hand up here!", he called.

"Ah I'm sorry sir but…."

"It's alright Codsworth", Leona's voice, he could hear her, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Go on, you've done all you can down here".

"Aye mum, as you say!", "I shall join you shortly sir!".

Preston nodded.

"Good, we can do this", he muttered, more to himself than anyone in particular before turning to follow Sturges.

"Mister Garvey, sir", Preston turned around.

Jun Long pushed himself to his feet. "I'll, I'll do what I can to help"

"I appreciate it", he nodded to the haggard man before disappearing into the room.

"Jun no!", Marcy pleaded, grabbing her husband's hand. "They can handle it, we need to find some place safe".

"No, Marcy…I…I need to do this, I need to do something", never looking back at her, he let go of her hand, leaving her alone in the hallway. It took her a minute, lost in thought as she paced back and forth before finally coming to a decision, and running after her husband.

A few rounds of ammunition and two rusty pipe pistols so far, all wrapped in a cloth sack. Mama Murphy could hear the others working a few rooms over as they attempted to barricade the windows while under fire from the street below. She regarded the body of a dead raider at her feet before kneeling and taking a hold of his lifeless wrist. The aging woman going into a trance like state, unmoving for almost a minute before being nudged back to her senses by the cold nose on her arm and Dogmeat's concerned whining. She patted his back reassuringly, "That kid is gonna get herself killed if she keeps pulling her punches", her worry evident on her wrinkled brow.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden floorboards catching her attention. "Speak of the devil".

The young woman emerging from the staircase, moving at a hurried pace.

"Ah, kid…".

"Sorry", Leona forced a polite smile, as she walked past the old woman, a smile she realized, that probably couldn't be seen In the low light. "I have to hurry".

"Stay there boy", she held a hand up at Dogmeat's enthusiastic bark.

"Mrs. Reinhardt", Mama Murphy called to her back, freezing the young woman in place, before she turned around, her confusion obvious.

"Sorry, what did you…?", she must have heard wrong.

"Be careful out there kid, raiders are gonna be the least of your problems".

"What…".

"There's somethin commin, somethin big…", Mama Murphy continued.

"I…I have to go", she nodded to the old woman, before turning on her heels and disappearing into the darkness. Her expression, a mix of confusion an mild annoyance. Unsure of what to make of the old woman's words.

Cryptic and useless.

What exactly was she supposed to do with that.


The deafening crack of thunder pierced the heavens. Cold winds biting into her skin as the rain bombarded the rooftop, creating a constant dull thrumming in her ear that complimented the chaos in the streets below. She stood there, fusion core in hand, soaked to the bone as she scanned the suit. A solitary steel golem, hunched over, forlorn…abandoned.

Time had been cruel. Its rusted armour looked like it had already taken heavy abuse. She brushed a hand over its scars.

The T-45 series.

Vastly outdated by military standards. These were a common sight back then, even more so in the days leading up to the bombs. They saw widespread commercial use, especially among the police and private companies. These groups all made their own modifications for efficiency, ease of use and comfort. Indeed in the latter days before everything ended, civilian rioting, terrorist infiltrations within the inner cities all provided her with a decent idea of the suits capabilities. Actually using one however…

She jammed the core into the suit, locking it in place with a twist. A high pitched whirring, leveled out into a low hum as new life was breathed into it.

A mechanical hiss when it opened. A black, thick inner layer of synthetic fabric beckoning her forward. It had all the trappings of a coffin. She swallowed the lump in her throat when another gust of wind bit into her.

How did she get here?

These 'situations' she found herself in felt like they were becoming the norm, yet still, none of it felt real. In the back of her mind, she was still waiting to wake up.

An ear shattering explosion from below startling her out of her thoughts.

The doors!

It had to be. If they weren't already down from that, then it wouldn't be long now. No more time to waste, she rotated her grenade belt, brushed back her wet hair and grabbed onto the suit.

"I'll get through this…".

Come what may.

She pulled herself into the suit's dark embrace before it closed in around her. The soft cushioned fabric hugging her snugly.

Wake up.

Darkness replaced by light as the suit's HUD came to life.

Yes!

Diagnostics flashed before her eyes. Hydraulic pressure, power…

'Suit integrity' , catching her eye. Critical damage to the left leg and right arm. She expected as much.

"Alright pal, I'm in your hands, hope you have one more fight left in you", she whispered, flexing her fingers inside the soft fabric.

"Dust off those old bones…", the groaning of hydraulics, the whirring of gears and servos waking from a two hundred year slumber as the armour rose, standing tall.

"And let's see what you can do!".


NOTES :

Wasn't sure how to split this chapter in a way that would make sense, but decided on this point.

As such, the next chapter will be rather short since it should technically be part of this one. Once I'm done with the little skirmish at Concord I'll introduce a little bit of Piper and Nick, see how things are going in their neck of the woods^^.

Changed residence a few months back and kind of lost touch with the game. But I've recently reinstalled Fallout 4, modded the crap out of it and hoping to get back into the story.

To any lore buffs that might be reading, you'll notice I bend and sometimes break the lore at some points. I'm fully aware of it and do it if I'm of the opinion that it sounds better, and sometimes I do it if I write myself into a corner XD. Regardless, if you're interested in strict adherence to the lore, fanfiction probably isn't the best place to look^^.

Also this is my first attempt at a fanfic, so there'll be errors, grammatical and otherwise. I hope to improve as I get more experience under my belt so please bare with me.

Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Thank you.