Fallout: A Relic of the Old World

by Jayan phoenix

This story follows Alec Carter, the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, a man from a bygone era who must plot his own path through the Commonwealth to find that which was stolen. Can a pre-war relic successfully navigate the fractured, isolated and desolate wasteland, or will it destroy him? A prequel to Fallout 4: Rise of the MCR

5. Chapter 4 (Part 1)

Fallout: A Relic of the Old World

Chapter Four

Founding Sanctuary Hills: Part 1

The walk from Concord to Sanctuary Hills took far longer than it had taken Alec to journey into town. Unsurprisingly it was Mama Murphy who held up the group. As Alec had suspected the older woman wasn't so spry on her feet given her advanced age and questionable health. Not that the others were much faster, the group was tired, hungry, and defeated.

As they had left the centre of town both Alec and Preston took point, ensuring that the path before them was clear and kept a sharp eye out for any lingering raiders or threats that might attempt to waylay the group. The roads and side streets were fortunately clear with the only movement coming from an errant bird or wind-blown trash.

"Now that is what I am talking about!" Sturges cried happily once they had made it far enough up the road to see Red Rocket Station. The man had gone from being glum to being like an excited child on Christmas morning. "I don't know about this Sanctuary, but I think I just found my new home."

Preston shook his head at the mechanics obvious enthusiasm.

"The place does have potential. I looked through the garage before I found you in Concord. There's tools, machines and all such things inside, although from what I could tell the old generator wasn't fully operational." Alec told him feeling compelled to caution restraint, "It also had a pest problem. I was attacked by a hoard of rat creatures when I approached."

Sturges looked at Alec in surprise, "so you looked the place over huh? Rat creatures? You mean mole rats?"

Yet again Alec's lack of current knowledge about this new world became apparent but he was not about to reveal the true extent of this to these strangers. Not yet.

He shrugged, "Sure, Dogmeat and I dealt with them, but I suspect there could be more. They likely burrowed up from somewhere, could be a warren or nest under the garage."

The mechanic merely nodded and didn't seem at all perturbed by the revelation that the structure could be infested by mole rats, if anything he regarded the structure thoughtfully. Was it possible that mole rat infestations were so common that people considered them mere pests? Alec couldn't quite believe that. Surely even if they were common, they still posed a significant threat should they catch a person unawares.

Watching Sturges looking towards the garage Alec was reminded of what Preston had said about the man. As the resident mechanic and engineer of Quincy, Sturges likely would have had his own workshop in town to conduct his work and business. Perhaps he now saw a way to replace all that he had lost.

If only it was so simple to replace what he himself had lost, Alec thought dourly, but quickly moved away from such depressing thoughts. No good could come from dwelling on the past.

As they continued up the broken road Sanctuary Hills became visible across the lake and the groups pace increased on seeing their destination. Before they could approach the wayward bridge Preston stopped having noticed the old statue by the side of the road.

"Is that…." He said walking towards the statue partially obscured with brambles and looking up at it in wonder. "I'll be damned, it is! This is the monument to the original Minutemen. I knew that it stood somewhere around Concord, but I didn't expect to find it on our path."

Preston turned away from the statue somewhat mournfully but took a greater interest in his surroundings now as though trying to recall something and looked towards the other landmarks in the area.

"If this is the statue then that must surely be Old North Bridge. This was where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired!" He said excitedly and looked back towards the group noticing that they didn't look anywhere near as happy as he was, "this is surely the best omen of good things to come we've seen since Quincy."

Alec heard the snort of disdain from Marcy, but it was Sturges who spoke.

"Well I don't know what you're talking about boss." Sturges said easily, shooting a glare at the woman, "but I'm sure glad you're happy about it. So is this Sanctuary?"

Watching this exchange silently Alec suddenly realised that he was not the only one who was ignorant of history. While Alec might not know the current history and local knowledge of this new world, he did know the history of the larger world, the United States of America and especially New England and Massachusetts. It strangely reassured him, but also revealed that much more had been consumed by the atomic fire or lost to time in the intervening years that he had first thought.

"Yes, that island is Sanctuary Hills, this is the sanctuary you've been looking for I think." He told Sturges and glanced briefly to Mama Murphy and saw that the woman was giving him a knowing look which he tried to ignore and instead turned to Preston. "You know your local history I see."

"I learnt about the Revolutionary War from Colonel Hollis; he was a man of many interests, but history was one of his passions." Preston explained, "The Colonel aways said that to lose our history was to forget the lessons we'd already learnt. He always travelled with a book or two to read by the campfire and he would let me borrow them occasionally."

Whomever this colonel was he was most certainly dead; Alec didn't miss the use of the past tense, but it was the pain and mournful look Preston wore when speaking of him which truly gave it away. He had lost a leader and perhaps friend, but Alec also suspected perhaps mor importantly a role model and mentor.

The small group slowly made their way across the rickety old bridge, Alec had been increasingly nervous about crossing since he was wearing the power armour and carrying the minigun but fortunately the ancient timber bridge successfully bore the additional weight without complaint.

As they made their way up the main road through the neighbourhood the refugees looked around with bright interest at what they hoped could be their new home. Unlike Alec they didn't seem at all shocked by the awful condition of the various houses, but then unlike him, they didn't know what they had once looked like to notice a difference.

Both Preston and Sturges were happy with what they saw and pointed out things of interest, whereas Marcy regarded everything with a cool indifference and her husband didn't seem aware of where they were at all. Mama Murphy on the other hand strode purposely along the road leading the group to the very heart of Sanctuary Hills and didn't stop until she reached the old Young Residence as though she had already known where the house was.

Perhaps she did Alec thought to himself as he regarded the woman warily as she reached out to touch one of the rusted yellow panels of the house. He wasn't sure or comfortable with her whole Sight business.

"Hey boss, I don't think we are alone here." Sturges said warily pointing to the house on the opposite side of the street. "This place looks like it's been claimed, there is smoke coming from its chimney, what do we do?"

The house was of course the Carter Residence, still tightly secured with the shutters closed concealing its interior and valuable contents. It was time for Alec to come clean and he wasn't sure how to approach his omission.

Preston regarded the house cautiously taking in its appearance and primed his musket in case they should suddenly meet a threat. "Alec, do you know if anyone resides in this property or the island? You said you were familiar with the area."

Before Alec could reveal the truth, the door to his house suddenly opened and Codsworth came barrelling outside. He had to lunge forward quickly, dropping his minigun and helmet to jerk Preston's gun barrel skyward preventing the weapons discharge from hitting the chrome dome of the domestic robot.

"Mr Carter you have returned!" He called in relief making a beeline for Alec completely ignoring the weapons discharge or slight ruckus before him, "You're even early! Sir has brought guests home, how lovely. Did you find what you were looking for in Concord?"

The group looked from the robot to Alec in surprise.

"Codsworth these people will be moving into the neighbourhood." Alec explained releasing his hold on the musket and stepping away from Preston, "they have been through a lot and could likely use your help when you have the time."

"Well of course sir." Codsworth said happily and he turned to the group of refugees, "My name is Codsworth, I am the domestic robot of the Carter family, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Preston blinked in shock but managed to ask, "Why didn't you tell us that you lived here?"

"I didn't tell you originally as I didn't know who you were or what your intentions were. You're wary of me now, but I have been wary of you since the moment I met you in Concord. We're strangers to each other, but you were in need, and I came to your aid." Alec explained simply.

"I understand." Preston said slowly and he looked around the rest of the street, "So other than you and the robot who else lives here?"

The neighbourhood was filled with the ghosts and memories of all those who had once called it home, but fortunately for the refugees only Alec and Codsworth could see them.

"No one. I'm the sole resident of this island." Alec replied reassuringly, "I suppose it's my privilege to welcome you all to the neighbourhood. You all came here seeking a sanctuary, a refuge from the horrors of Quincy, a place to settle and call your own. Sanctuary Hills can be your home just as its mine."

Preston regarded Alec closely for a moment with his eyebrows raised before exchanging a look with Sturges who only shrugged in response.

"Very well and thank you." Preston said finally returning to the matter at hand and he looked to Mama Murphy, "looks like you were right all along Mama Murphy, we have found our new home."

Mama Murphy snorted and wagged a finger at the man, "Course I was right Preston. The Sight isn't always clear but it's never wrong." She then turned to look around the neighbourhood with a far away look although that could be because she was partially blind or stoned, it wasn't easy to tell. "Sanctuary Hills will be the seed from which a flower will grow and bloom, its roots will spread across the Commonwealth, I've seen it."

This statement oddly seemed to reassure the group, all except Marcy Long. She looked mutinous, obviously not a believer in the elder woman's self-proclaimed gift.

"I'll leave you'll to settle yourselves in." Alec told them, "Claim any of the houses that you wish, but I would suggest we stay close to each other. There is safety in numbers after all. Should you need anything my door is always open."

Not waiting for a response he picked up the dropped helmet and weapon and left the group standing in the middle of the street discussing which houses they would take and led Codsworth back to the house.

"I see you have found yourself new armour. If only you had a sword you could be a Knight of Camelot sir!" Codsworth laughed as he followed him, but he became serious after a moment, "Who are these new neighbours you brought home Mr Carter?"

"Friends I hope but we shall have to see." Alec assured him understanding that the robot was seemingly apprehensive. Codsworth had been alone for so long and had suffered at the hands of strangers, it wasn't unthinkable that a person would be nervous. The fact that Codsworth was a robot was beside the point. To Alec, the automaton was a member of the family. "I helped them out of a tough spot in town, they've been through a lot and needed a home, so I brought them here and we're not exactly short on room."

Alec didn't say it aloud, but he also had a slightly ulterior motive in bringing these people to Sanctuary Hills. They presented him with the opportunity to learn about this new world he found himself in, through them he could learn what he needed in a controlled and minimal risk way. He wasn't completely comfortable with his decision, but he had to take any advantage and opportunity he could find if he was to find Shaun and come to grips with this new reality.

"Has anything happened while I was gone?" He asked the robot.

Everything had been quiet within the neighbourhood so without anything else to tell him Codsworth began to regale Alec with a running list of chores he had completed. The robot had been halfway through talking about scrubbing the broken toilet when he stopped mid-sentence having suddenly noticed Dogmeat following them. Codsworth then sprung ahead and blocked the doorway to the house.

"Sir!" Codsworth exclaimed horrified, "You cannot allow this filthy beast to enter our clean house! No. I will not allow it!"

The reaction was so dramatic Alec couldn't help but laugh, a deep belly laugh that echoed across the street. Behind him the Quincy survivors looked on in wonder and surprise, but Alec didn't notice. He hadn't laughed so hard in ages, well centuries in fact.

Eventually he managed to catch his breath long enough to introduce the two of them to each other and permitted the robot to take the dog outback to be thoroughly washed. Dogmeat seemed to think Codsworth was a playful toy, but Alec suspected that once the water was warm he would come to realise the robot meant business.

Leaving the two of them to get acquainted Alec deposited his pack and numerous bags he carried on the doorstep along with the spent minigun and helmet before he shucked the delipidated armour. Once free of the armour he began to carry everything inside. Everything within the bags would need to be sorted through, most of what he salvaged was junk, but Sturges had told him to take it anyway promising that anything he didn't want or need would be good for trading.

Stepping into the bathroom he looked over his face in the old tarnished mirror and saw the swelling around his eyes confirming he was right about getting blackeyes. The rest of his injuries were mostly superficial. He pulled off the vault-suit and saw numerous new bruises already beginning to show across his pale skin. What wounds he had suffered were fortunately shallow, the vault-suit did offer a small level of protection, but he thought himself lucky to have not been shot by any of the raiders before he had donned the power armour.

Taking out an ancient bottle of antiseptic Alec treated his wounds and hoped the liquid still retained some of its properties even if it no longer had its strong sharp smell. The last thing he wanted was to get an infection for he doubted there were any antibiotics left in Massachusetts. Pharmacies would have been stripped clean long before now and of course the manufacturers no longer existed.

As he had been cleaning up Alec had listened to the sounds of Sanctuary Hills. From behind the house he could hear Codsworth and Dogmeat, from the nearby houses he could just make out the sound of the refugees moving around the abandoned properties.

It was strange, after the silence of the last few days he had thought the noise would unsettle him, but it felt surprisingly normal. Suddenly the world outside his familiar house was not so alien, and Alec didn't feel so out of place.

Dressing once more in the vault-suit, Alec retrieved a set of keys from his workroom and stopped to down two glasses of warm water from the refrigerator. Stepping back outside he clambered back into the power armour and crossed the street to unlock the garage door to reveal the Youngs workshop.

At the back of the garage was an old engine winch which he thought would function well as a power armour workstation. Positioning himself under the winch Alec exited the armour, withdrew the fusion core, and came back around to fully inspect the damage.

When he had found the armour on the roof of the museum it had already been in bad shape but now it was far worse. The fight with the raiders had done minimal harm, but the deathmatch with a deathclaw had resulted in serious damage to its armour plating. The front chest plate was fractured, and large rents crossed the armour from the strikes of the creatures' claws, and the already compromised armour had partially crumpled under the weight of the beast when they had fallen.

The T-45 helmet plating was intact if severely tarnished with rust, but almost all of its exterior components were broken, bent, or crushed. That was just the obvious damage many of the interior components of the armour would also need to be replaced or repaired but that required dismantling the armour first.

None of the damage was irreparable, in fact Alec had restored and repaired power armour that was in even worse states during his time in the U.S Army. The only difference was that during his service he had access to tools, supplies and resources that no longer existed or at the very least were not so easily accessible to him now.

A whistle distracted Alec from his contemplation, and he turned around to see Sturges standing on the threshold.

"Well who knew that the house I picked to lay my head also came with this secret hidden behind a locked door." Sturges said looking around the workshop with keen interest. "You know this here is a great workshop, far better equipped than almost any I've seen outside of a pre-war industrial or commercial building. The fact that its intact, well that's just amazing. You will need all of this if you are to get that armour put right Mr Carter."

"Call me Alec." He replied waving away the formality, "so you know armour?"

"Well enough to recognise it and make minor repairs." Sturges admitted and he came up to the T-45 armour and shook his head, "I'm no Atom Cat, but I can do what needs doing. It won't be easy, but looking about we have the necessary tools, it's just the materials we lack."

"Atom Cat?" Alec asked tentatively hoping that this wasn't another example of a mutated creature.

"Name of a little outfit down near Quincy. They love their power armour," Sturges explained. "Sure they might be a strange bunch with their style and speech, but they are good for a bit of mechanical work when needed. The Atom Cats are good people, but like I said, strange. Will you repair the armour?"

"In time perhaps." Alec said gazing lustfully around the workshop, "Like you said, this place has almost everything it needs but to use it requires restoring the power to the garage. I don't know if the wiring is still functional, but even this fusion core couldn't power up most of the equipment in here alone."

"You would need to rig up a port and power distributor to use that." Sturges said contemplatively but on seeing the look on Alec's face looked at the fusion core in surprise, "You mean this house can be powered by fusion cores?"

Alec nodded and walked over to the side wall of the garage that connected to the main house where there was an electrical junction box imbedded in the wall. Under its control buttons sat three distinctive circular ports which a fusion core could be plugged into.

"In theory it could." Alec explained, "Sanctuary Hills was designed and built for the Atomic Age. Every part of it was built to incorporate and be compatible with the latest atomic innovations of the twenty-first century. Every house on the island could draw power from the main electrical grid, but they might if they chose to utilise fusion cores instead."

Rosa Young likely never even contemplated purchasing a fusion core to power her house, Alec doubted any of the houses in Sanctuary Hills had been utilising them given their substantial cost. He and Kate hadn't been able to afford one themselves and had been forced to take electricity from the grid which meant ever increasing electricity bills each month.

Looking at Sturges he saw the man was looking at him expectantly and realised he hadn't been listening to him.

"Sorry what did you say?"

"Would you mind if I used the workshop?" He repeated hesitantly.

"Have you all picked out a house already?" Alec asked avoiding the question slightly, he wasn't about to give up a valuable commodity so easily.

Sturges nodded and pointed towards the wall of the Young Residence.

"Preston, Mama Murphy and I settled on this house, that was before we even knew about this garage." Sturges explained, "I will share the larger bedroom with Preston, and Mama Murphy has the smaller room overlooking the street. The Longs have taken the smaller house, the one next to your own I believe."

That was not something Alec was pleased to hear, the thought of having Marcy Long as a neighbour was not something he found at all appealing. Hopefully her demeanour would change once she settled in, and the stress of recent months was to blame for her entire personality. Something told him that this was just wishful thinking on his part.

"You'll need to find a new bed for your room, I unfortunately took that for myself. I wasn't exactly expecting new neighbours to move in when I took it." Alec said thoughtfully wondering if he had misjudged the two men but not caring all the same.

"Not a problem." Sturges shrugged, "Mama Murphy has a serviceable single in her room, if we can find two mattresses it won't be difficult to fabricate two metal frames with rope bases. Even sharing the room we will both have plenty of room."

Alec pulled out the keychain for the Young Residence and realised that it could no longer be called that since both Youngs had died two centuries before and their home had new owners. The keys for No.41 Sanctuary Hills did not belong to Alec and he therefore had no qualms handing over the keys to the house.

"This is the key to your new front door, if you're going to live here you should have it. Although you will need to make copies as this is the only one I found when I searched the house." Alec told the man who was to be his new neighbour and hopefully a friend but that remained to be seen. "You may as well take the garage key too, but I would appreciate a copy for my own use."

Sturges took the offered keychain silently and looked at Alec as if he was not sure if he was serious or even real. No doubt the man hadn't expected to get access to the garage so easily.

"If you and your people are going to make yourselves at home you will need access to everything within this garage, but I do have conditions." Alec continued and he allowed an authoritative note to enter his voice. "You must ensure that the garage is kept clean, tidy, and organised, you will also be responsible for its upkeep and security. You understand how valuable this garage is as a resource, I will not part with it without assurances from you."

"Done." Sturges said quickly, "You can rely on me boss. Shouldn't be too hard to make you a copy of the key either, even without all of the power tools in here. You don't know what this means to me, I thought I lost everything in Quincy. If you ever need work doing you only need to ask Alec."

"I will remember that." Alec assured him and decided he could very well use the man's talents but first he would need to put them to the test, especially before Alec allowed him to so much as touch that power armour.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening Alec watched with wonder at the amount of work that the exhausted but obviously determined refugees were able to accomplish. The street had rung with the peals of hammers, the sizzle of welding and the constant sound of brooms and brushes sweeping and scrubbing.

Sturges, much like Alec, made good use of the scrap materials from the collapsed houses of Sanctuary Hills to carry out the necessary repairs and had been aided by Preston, both Longs, and even old Mama Murphy. Alec had offered to help them but had been politely rebuffed and told that he had already done too much for them, or in the case of Marcy Long, his offer was met with stony silence.

Not at all at ease sitting around idle, Alec instead went out into his backyard and began to attempt to re-landscape the yard and putting it back in order. First on his list had been repairing and restoring the boundary picket fences of the property. The fences offered both privacy and distance from his neighbours but also enabled him to clearly mark his property lines. Restoring the fences had been simple enough although a nail gun would have made it go faster but instead Alec had used a trusty hammer and a box of nails. With the revelation of the Longs moving in next door he had also decided to attempt to replant several hedge clippings along the fences and hoped they would grow in time.

For the rest of the day he had laboured to dig a deep hole in the ground in one corner of the garden. This hole was a necessary chore since Alec had yet to fix the plumbing and sewage systems, which meant finding a solution for certain daily needs to be met. The short-term solution was the construction of an outdoor privy. Literally a hole in the ground covered over with an outbuilding containing a toilet seat for comfort.

By the time the sun began to set Alec was exhausted after the activities and labours of the day and wanted nothing more than to soak his aching muscles in a warm bath but that was a luxury he would likely never experience again.

Dinner had been a quiet affair within the Carter House, both Alec and Dogmeat had been served some unidentifiable food from one of the cans they had sourced from Baker's bunker. It was edible, but Alec tried very hard not to wonder what it was that he was eating. The food was tasteless but thanks to whatever preservatives it contained had not gone rancid.

Codsworth had suggested that Alec invite the neighbours over for dinner to welcome them to their new home, but Alec hadn't been keen. He was in no mood to host the Quincy Refugees and thought it better to let them settle in on their own. Although he did provide his new neighbours with a small gift to see them through the night.

To keep himself busy Alec sat himself at the dining table with the electrical remains of the holotape player dismantled before him. He was in the process of cleaning and inspecting the components to try and work out what was broken to see if it might be repaired. Alec hoped he might salvage the device to play his tape collection, without the television and radio there wasn't much to entertain himself with in the evenings.

With little in the way of outstanding chores to complete, Codsworth had excused himself to the storeroom and powered down for the evening so that he might carry out a maintenance subroutine. This left Alec alone with only Dogmeat for company. The dog in question lay sprawled in front of the lightly smouldering hearth, half asleep but Alec suspected was keeping a close watch for the domestic robot. Dogmeat had been miserable ever since he had been forcibly washed by Codsworth. Just how the robot had managed to douse and scrub the dog was a mystery, but he had clearly accomplished the task. The result had been a clean sulking dog and a smug automaton.

So engrossed was Alec in his work it came as a complete shock when there was a loud knock on the front door. Dogmeat jumped to his feet and gave a loud booming bark, whereas Alec had reached instinctively for the weapons he was still wearing in their holsters and silently moved, standing and fully alert. A quick glance at his PipBoy told him it was just after eight o'clock, it was dark outside and it was rather late for visitors.

Stepping carefully up to the front door Alec glanced through the peephole but couldn't see much through the darkness since there was no working lights outside, however there was just enough light emitted by the stars and moon to make out a somewhat distinct shadow stood on the front step. Given the silhouette Alec was fairly sure he knew who this visitor was.

With his weapon drawn and primed Alec moved backwards slightly and called "Who's there?"

"It's Preston Garvey, Alec I thought we might talk." Came a deep voice in response.

Tentatively Alec unlocked the door, drew back the barricade bars, and opened the door and the light from the lanterns in the house revealed the dark face of Preston. He stood with his weapon slung over his shoulder and held out a bottle of amber liquid taking no notice of the weapon Alec had trained on him.

"I suppose we should speak." Alec said and lowered the pistol and gestured for him to enter and eyed the bottle, "Whiskey?"

"Bourbon," Preston corrected handing Alec the bottle. "Found that in a cupboard in the house, thought it a fitting gift for the man who pulled us from the fire in Concord."

Inspecting the bottle Alec nodded appreciatively noting that it hadn't been cheap when it had been purchased although he very much doubted Preston knew this. Normally Codsworth would see to guests but since he was powered down Alec got the glasses from the sideboard and poured them a healthy amount of the amber liquid.

"Glass?" Preston said taking the drink and looked surprised, "You don't often see intact glassware."

"Well it helps to have a Mister Handy keeping the house tidy." Alec smiled and sipped the bourbon and thought it wasn't half bad given its age. "Shall we sit down? How have you and your people settled in?"

Preston sat himself on one of the couches and looked around the house with keen interest, the condition of the house and its furniture was obviously not lost on the man, his eyes found the dismantled holotape player on the table and what remained of his book collection on the bookshelf next to the door.

"They have begun to settle, all the better thanks to your generosity," Preston said turning his inquisitive gaze from the house to its owner, and he looked like he was trying to understand or get the measure of Alec. "You cannot understand the depth of gratitude we owe you, even more since not only did you save us in Concord but have also provided food, water, and shelter. Charity is no common thing in the Commonwealth."

That was not at all a surprise to Alec, he was beginning to suspect just what life was like out in the wilds of Massachusetts and it wasn't a pretty image. Preston was clearly sincere with his gratitude, yet Alec could feel the man was regarding him with a great deal of wariness and suspicion.

"Don't misunderstand me Preston, I helped you as it was the right thing to do but there are limits to the aid, gifts and charity that I can provide." Alec said delicately, "I invited you and your people here to settle Sanctuary Hills, which in truth is not actually in my gift. Everything else, well that's more complicated but you will need to support yourselves."

This did not seem to surprise Preston if anything he seemed slightly offended.

"They might not look like much now, but these people helped turn Quincy into the largest and most prosperous settlement south of Boston." Preston assured him but became downcast as he added, "Not that there are many of us that survived the Massacre."

"You've mentioned that several times now." Alec said attentively finally finding the opportunity to learn more about these people without being inconsiderate or rude. "What happened in Quincy?"

"I'd thought everyone in the Commonwealth would have heard tell of that now, but I suppose Sanctuary Hills is too far for the news to have spread to just yet by word or radio." Preston said almost to himself before he spoke in a louder voice, "well I suppose I should start at the beginning."

According to Preston's account the town of Quincy had risen to prominence almost twenty-five years prior from a small backwater ruin to a wealthy trading town with a population and economy that could rival Diamond City. It had achieved this through its trading operations expanding south and to the far west and in direct competition of other trading companies.

Quincy was in Preston's opinion an example of what a settlement could become if its people worked hard and were industrious. The town wasn't without enemies; Diamond City, University Point, Salem, and Bunker Hill were both political and economic competitors but had never entered into direct conflict, the true threats to Quincy came from raiders or super mutants.

"What is a super mutant?" Alec asked quickly wanting to get the necessary context.

"A monstrous green human-like creature." Preston explained, "They are brutes. Incredibly strong and huge in height. If you ever see one you had best hope you have support because they are incredibly resistant to most firepower."

This was just yet another example of a mutated creature for Alec to add to his ever-growing encyclopaedia of what to watch out for and he was beginning to wonder if any normal creatures still existed.

For the most Quincy was able to deal with many of the smaller threats thanks to its outer walls and local police force which kept the town as safe and secure as it could be. When a larger threat appeared the town would call on the Minutemen for aid, and for years this worked well, and the town was always good to the Minutemen even as it began to decline.

Preston continued to tell the tale of the Quincy Massacre, how the town was attacked by the Gunner Mercenary Group and would have been seized had it not been for the timely arrival of the Commonwealth Minutemen under Colonel Ezra Hollis. This was how Preston came to be in Quincy for he had served in the militia. The militia successfully routed the Gunners away from the town killing almost a third of their attack force and were welcomed gladly into town.

"I didn't know this at the time, but Colonel Hollis was well aware that our militia force was no match for the Gunners and if they committed to a full-on attack on Quincy we would be unable to stop them." Preston said sourly, "The Colonel led the townsfolk and our militia in fortifying the town, which is how I met Sturges incidentally. So Quincy bunkered down for what might be a long siege and waited anxiously for the reinforcements the Colonel requested."

Alec contemplated what Preston had said and could easily picture it, he himself had been on both sides of such altercations and it gave him a greater appreciation and understanding of what Preston and his group had faced and managed to survive.

"The towns prosperity meant that it was well stocked for a siege so that wasn't a concern, but the situation was certainly grim." Preston continued and he sounded bitter now, "Despite our request no reinforcements came, and when the Gunners returned they led daily attacks on the defences, probing for weaknesses and reducing our numbers."

Quincy had endured such probes and attacks for six days with only a small number of casualties but on the eve of the seventh they had been shocked to see a large contingent march unimpeded upon the main gate. Preston admitted he had naively thought this group could only have been their reinforcements, but it was soon revealed to be a battalion of Gunners led by a turncoat.

"I'd never seen the Colonel so furious as he recognised the leader of the force at the gates." Preston said staring into his glass as though it was a window into the past and he could see the night in question. "Captain Billy Clint had served with the Colonel for almost ten years, hell he'd come to Quincy with our militia but had disappeared several days before. We had thought him dead, never would we have guessed he would join the Gunners! He had the audacity to try and negotiate Quincy's surrender. Well the Colonel and the Mayor refused on principle, the Colonel bellowed for all to hear that Clint would not succeed and when the time came the Colonel would ensure he was hung as a deserter and traitor."

Pouring them both another glass of bourbon Alec pushed on "So what came next?"

Preston sighed deeply, "in hindsight our fate was sealed the moment Clint joined the Gunners. He knew every fortification, every defence we had established and was intimately aware of any weaknesses in our perimeter. The attack came at the dead of night, they blew out a highway bridge to breach the town defences and struck at us from the high ground. We valiantly tried to stem the tide, but the Gunners were merciless, and we were outnumbered five to one."

The attack had been swift and decisive, much of the militia and townspeople had been killed. During the confusion the Colonel had given Preston command of four other minutemen and ordered them to evacuate a group of survivors away from Quincy.

"Colonel Hollis was a good man, he covered our retreat and rallied what remained of our militia against the Gunners to do so." Preston said regretfully, "I would have stayed myself had I not been ordered to get the people out of Quincy."

"Had you stayed I doubt you'd be alive, and those survivors out there would likely have all perished during the flight from Quincy." Alec stated firmly and he sat silently contemplating the tale and asked. "You said you were all part of the Commonwealth Minutemen; I assume that they were not unlike their namesake from the Revolutionary War."

"Defending the people at a minute's notice." Preston said nodding, "or at least that was the idea, a civilian militia that banded together protecting themselves and their communities. The Minutemen worked well for a long time but had been in decline ever since the death of General Becker. Since then the Minutemen had splintered without good leadership and fell due to political and economic squabbles from within. The Colonel refused to give up on the mission and kept our regiment together and fighting until the very end."

This group, the Commonwealth Minutemen, were obviously well intentioned but without leadership like all groups they were doomed to fail. Alec had seen military units fall in combat due to poor leadership and breakdowns in the chain of command. The fact that they were a group of civilians with likely no training only meant it was easier for them to fail.

Before Alec could ask more about this militia force and learn more about what else remained of Massachusetts Preston spoke.

"So that's me, Preston Garvey the last minuteman." He said and he turned his gaze to Alec, "Now who are you exactly? I can accept that the tale of Quincy might not have reached these parts, but you should know of the Minutemen at least. You wear a vault-suit which could explain much, but you handled yourself better than any naïve vault dweller I've ever seen, hell better than veteran Minutemen! Even this house is odd, not to mention your domestic robot. You just don't make sense. Who are you?"

Alec stifled a small smirk at the man's candour and wondered just how long Preston had been wanting to ask that question. It was a very valid question and both of them were trying to learn about the other and gauge whether they could be trusted.

Putting down his as of yet untouched second tumbler of bourbon Alec went to the bookcase and pretended not to notice the look of unease cross the other man's face or that his eyes had darted to his laser-musket left propped against the door. Eventually Alec found what he was looking for amongst the accumulated clutter of personal belongings lining the shelves which he was sure Codsworth would eventually order if Alec didn't and retook his seat.

"You're not the only one who has lost everything." Alec told him looking at the photograph he held, and it brought back a lot of memories and he quickly turned it over so that he could no longer see it. "You're also not the only one who's the last of their kind."

Preston took the offered photograph with no small amount of confusion and quickly turned it over. The picture was of a group of twelve men and women dressed in an array of military gear, from fatigues and combat armour to even suits of power armour. There were numerous vehicles in the background and behind the group the U.S flag flew proudly.

"What's…" Preston began to say but stopped, his mouth moved wordlessly as he suddenly noticed one of the people in the photograph. "That's you… but… what… Who are you?" He asked again looking to Alec for answers.

"Major Alexander Carter of the 2nd Battalion of the 108th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army." Alec said, "that photograph was taken of my unit prior to the Anchorage Reclamation, January 2077. I was only a captain then; I got a field promotion during the campaign not to mention my scars."

It was amusing to watch as Preston processed that fact and realised exactly what that meant.

"How…"

"How am I speaking to you?" Alec laughed shaking his head, "God I ask that same question every day. I was born over two hundred years ago but I was… well I was frozen as mad as that sounds, I only woke up a few days ago."

"Damn, so you're like one of those old pre-war ghouls…" Preston said in wonder, and he looked around the house again, "This house…."

"Was and is my home." Alec nodded knowing what Preston was thinking. "I bought it when it was new before the bombs fell and destroyed everything. You said you thought me a vault dweller, if that's the term used then I'm exactly what you thought I suppose. I was placed in frozen stasis within Vault 111 which is not that far from here."

There was no need to tell Preston exactly where the vault was. Alec was willing to trust the man to a certain level, after all he needed information from him, but he wouldn't endanger what he'd left behind within the vault.

"When we met you said you were looking for your son." Preston said quietly as though lowering his voice would reduce the impact of what he said, "Your family are…"

"My wife is dead." Alec said curtly, "my son was taken from the vault. I am the sole survivor of Vault 111."

Preston immediately noticed the abrupt change in Alec's demeanour at the mention of his family and changed the subject quickly.

"So you saw the Commonwealth before the Great War." Preston stated guardedly but with barely contained enthusiasm. "I can't imagine it myself! I've lived in and walked through the ruins of that era across the Commonwealth of course, but its hard to comprehend what it must have been like before. I suppose it must have been a shock to see what the Commonwealth has become."

That was quite the understatement Alec thought to himself. Preston looked at the ruins of Boston as people used to look on the ruins of ancient civilisations, like the pyramids or the colosseum. They saw a glimpse or fragment of what had once been but couldn't comprehend it without the context of how those people lived. Two hundred years was no small amount of time, Alec supposed the Atomic Age was not unlike ancient history to most people now.

It was also fitting that the Sino-American War was referred to as the Great War. It wasn't the first war to be called as such, but Alec thought of any war it had surely earned that title and said as much to Preston who had shaken his head preposterously.

"You don't know what the Great War is?!" He cried out aghast but then blinked with startled realisation, "Well I guess you wouldn't! Where do I even begin?" Preston paused for a moment to gather his thoughts on the topic before he continued. "Well, depending on your view point I suppose you could say that they are one and the same. However when people speak of the Great War they are principally speaking of the culmination of that war. It is the name given to the day the bombs fell which destroyed and collapsed society not just in the Commonwealth but across America."

This Great War as it was called had destroyed far more than just a single nation. The world was far larger than just the United States of America after all. If America had fallen then so too had every other nation and society across the world. Alec doubted a single country had been spared a direct nuclear detonation and was certain the entire planet had suffered from the fallout of mutually assured destruction.

"You keep referring to the Commonwealth, and you called your militia the Commonwealth Minutemen." Alec stated frowning deeply, "is the Commonwealth a type of government, or loosely organised collection of settlements?"

"The Commonwealth?" Preston blinked, "No its nothing like that. It's the name of this wasteland. You've been using the old pre-war name of Massachusetts which isn't a name you hear used except on old buildings or in books. If you're looking for a central authority, government, alliance, or partnership out in the Commonwealth you will not find it. None have existed or attempted to form such a thing for what must be sixty years now."

Now it was Alec's turn to blink dumbly. The official name of this U.S State had been the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A holdover from the states earlier colonial history. Yet somehow that was the name that had become commonplace and defined the identity of the land Alec now called home.

Preston placed his empty glass on the table and when Alec offered to refill it he shook his head.

"If you're to survive the Commonwealth you're going to need to learn quickly." Preston told him firmly, "as a soldier you should appreciate the unknown is a worse enemy than the known. You must have many questions, let me see if I can help you."

o-Fallout-o

The following morning instead of waking up of his own accord or from his PipBoy alarm, Alec was rudely roused by the enormous racket of repairs and cleaning coming from next door at the newly named Long Residence. The cool morning air was turned blue by the stream of curses Alec had uttered over the Longs decision to move in next door.

Despite Alec's best efforts he couldn't drift back off to sleep as his irritation got the better of him. As he dragged himself moodily out of bed he somewhat seriously contemplated the idea of shooting his neighbours so that the quiet tranquillity of the previous day might return to Sanctuary Hills.

In an effort to distract himself Alec had begun thinking back over his late conversation with Preston. They had spoken for several hours, but even this was an insufficient amount of time to learn everything he didn't about the Commonwealths history, people, culture, politics and much else besides. For every morsel of information and every question Preston answered, Alec had thought of more, but they had been forced to be pragmatic in what they discussed. Alec had a unsatiable thirst and hunger for knowledge that still burned painfully.

Despite that need to learn more, Alec felt like he was mentally sagging under the sheer weight of new information he had been given. Everything he had learnt since leaving Vault 111 surged through his thoughts and it was impossible to process it. It didn't come as a surprise when a sharp pulsating throb began to emanate from his head signalling the start of a tension headache.

Feeling thoroughly overwhelmed and needing a way to try and process everything Alec suddenly recalled something an old friend had said. No doubt triggered by seeing the photograph the night before.

Back during the war he had served with a Corporal Bryce Lowe who at the end of each day would write down everything about his day. From idle observations, mission notes, ideas for assaults, tactical data, to just general reminders and thoughts. Alec had often laughed and joked about Lowe's habit which had bordered on compulsion, but his friend had always shaken his head and smiled lightly asserting that it helped settle his mind and keep his thoughts straight.

It was hard not to think about the fact that Lowe was dead or imagine how he might have died. Instead Alec chose to remember his friend as he was. Smiling fondly and feeling rather foolish, he took out one of the blank journals he had taken from the bunker and began to write. Not knowing where to even begin, he started at the beginning, jotting down what he could recall of the people who had broken into Vault 111. It was strange to sit writing such things, but stranger still that the pen continued to move as his thoughts, feelings and observations began to mark the pages and he slowly began to digress onto other musings.

The Commonwealth, a name Alec had to remind himself was a splintered wasteland. Its people fractured and spread across a small number of established settlements or else scattered amongst various homesteads. Neither the federal or state government had survived the Great War and the rule of law was gone and the settlements loosely governed themselves.

Raiders like those encountered in Concord were not uncommon. Gangs regularly formed but most often fell or splintered due to infighting, but all of them sought to steal and take what they refused to grow or build themselves. They were also somewhat notorious for stealing people, for unthinkable reasons that were best left unsaid. Vicious to the extreme, raiders were known to be notorious drug users or as Preston called them chem addicts.

Then there was the Gunner Mercenary Corps. Preston hated them for obvious reasons but as he had told Alec more about them it had occurred to him that there was more to the Quincy Massacre than it seemingly appeared. Preston had explained that the group were merely hired muscle and would sell their services to anyone who could pay their fee. Logically this suggested that someone had hired the group to attack Quincy, which left the question of who would do it. Alec couldn't answer that yet and he had decided not to voice this to Preston.

Lastly there was the former Commonwealth Minutemen. Alec could easily understand the need for such a group and by the sound of it they had been well respected prior to their fall. Preston thought that pockets of the group might still exist further away from Boston, but without the means of communicating with them it was impossible to know and it was unlikely that the group could be reformed.

Time had just melted away as he wrote but slowly his mind had cleared as he digested and absorbed all of the new information and was no longer distracted by surging thoughts. It was only then that he began to contemplate his path to finding Shaun. He pulled out a set of paper maps of both Boston and the larger Massachusetts, they were of course completely out of date, but they were better than nothing and he was looking at the possible routes into the city.

After lunch Alec had thought to finish building the outdoor privy but Codsworth had all but ordered him to sort through the numerous bags of junk he had brought back from Concord. He had been in the middle of sorting through a large duffle filled with an assortment of leather-made armour when there was a knock on the front door.

Codsworth answered it before Alec could so much as say or do anything.

"Sir! Mr Garvey wonders if he might have a word." The robot called from the other room.

A whole range of emotions went through Alec. Relief that the visitor was just Preston, fury that Codsworth had just opened the door to someone who could have meant them harm, but also bewilderment. What could have brought Preston back to his door so soon?

"Preston." Alec greeted gesturing for him to step inside the house and turned a sharp eye to the domestic robot and made a mental note to alter his programming when it came to answering the door. "Codsworth, go and help the others with their efforts to repair and clean their houses, I will see to our houseguest."

The robot left them men alone oblivious to his owners' irritation.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon after our conversation last night." He said but on seeing the mans face stopped, "What is it, has something happened?"

"Not exactly." Preston said slowly looking somewhat apprehensive which did nothing to reassure Alec. "We've continued with our efforts to get ourselves settled but I thought we should discuss our settlement plans. This is your home and you brought us here. You should have a say on how we go forward, its only right."

Alec gaped slightly. Of all of the things that had gone through his mind that could have brought Preston to his door again, this was not among them.

"I see." Alec said awkwardly, he was uncertain why his opinion seemed to be so important to Preston, he was hardly the owner of Sanctuary Hills after all. "You do understand that my main concern is finding my son."

"Of course I do." Preston replied easily before adding, "but if you find your son, what then?"

"What do you mean if I find him?" Alec said curtly, "it's not a case of if, it's a case of when I assure you."

"No, no, of course!" Preston said quickly trying to appease him, "I didn't mean to suggest otherwise believe me. I merely meant that when you find your son, what do you mean to do then? Do you have a plan?"

Alec opened his mouth to retort but suddenly realised that he hadn't actually thought that far ahead. He was so focused on finding Shaun he hadn't actually considered what he would do once he had. Thinking about it now, he realised that first thing he would need to do was restore the boy's bedroom since it was now a workroom.

"That's what I thought." Preston continued when he saw that Alec couldn't. "I've spoken with the others, and all of us wish to settle here properly. In time we might rebuild everything lost in Quincy, but there is enough space here for us to grow into a good-sized settlement, although it will require a great deal of work."

It wasn't a terrible idea and Alec wasn't against the prospect of having Sanctuary Hills resettled, but again couldn't understand what this had to do with him.

"I'm no longer with the Minutemen which means I can stay here and provide limited security and protection to the island." Preston began to explain, "Sturges is a technical and engineering genius and can help our rebuilding efforts and is already looking into our water supply issues. The Longs were chemists and ran the Quincy pharmacy and can make all sorts of chems, cures and remedies. Even Mama Murphy ran a curiosity shop in Quincy before she… well she lost the shop. The point is that together all of us have a part to play here and if we pool our resources we can make Sanctuary Hills anew."

As Preston spoke Alec got the impression that the man had been preparing this explanation all morning and he had to force himself not to laugh at how absurd it was that he was being pitched this idea. It also meant that at some point during their talk the previous night Preston had come to a decision about his character, whether that was a good decision or not remained to be seen.

"You've clearly given this a great deal of thought." Alec replied in a measured voice, "where do I fit into this grand plan?"

Whereas before Preston had spoken with passion and conviction as he tried to sell Alec on his idea, now he became slightly hesitant but soldiered on.

"I learnt during my time under Colonel Hollis that it's important to have a homebase, a place to call your own where you might return, rest and restock before your next mission." Preston said carefully, "You might roam the Commonwealth, but if this remains your homebase then you have a vested interest in our success and prosperity and can find opportunities to help. When you find your son you can bring him home to a Sanctuary Hills which could provide a safe and nurturing environment."

As far as proposals went it wasn't a bad one. Alec sat silently considering what Preston had said and couldn't see any harm in it, if he was able to help them then it would also help him. It was a win-win scenario. So he agreed to support the resettlement of the island and act as a kind of agent serving the interests of all those who lived in the neighbourhood.

"That's great! Thank you for doing this." Preston said sincerely but he wasn't done, "there is an immediate problem that we must resolve if we are to make this work."

Talk about burying the lead Alec thought darkly giving Preston an appraising look. He hadn't expected such a move from the man, but then they didn't know each other well enough to predict one another yet.

"You played that very well Garvey, very well. A sneaky move to get me to agree before presenting a problem." Alec congratulated sarcastically, "Now tell me what this issue is. If we are to work together Garvey you'd better be honest, don't hide things from me."

To his credit Preston looked slightly abashed having been called out for is underhanded tactic but he quickly steered the conversation on having taken note of the hint of warning in his tone.

"Well if our goal is to settle Sanctuary Hills then we must do this properly, we have roofs over our heads but there are other needs that we have yet to meet. If we are to survive, live and grow here then our immediate concern must be to begin planting and cultivating our own food immediately. Without the ability to farm produce ourselves and generate a stockpile of food we will starve. Winter is fast approaching, and she is a fickle and temperamental season, we are fortunate it's a mild season now but that is not to say it will not change. Your own supplies are not indefinite, you will need the ability to make and replenish your rations and stores."

Alec hadn't actually thought about the weather much, but it was November and he remembered how cold a winter in Massachusetts could be and wasn't at all looking forward to wintering in the Commonwealth.

Food he realised was something he had overlooked. Alec was accustomed to access to grocery stores and markets to replenish his kitchen or the army providing rations during his deployment. Sure the pre-war supply chains were somewhat temperamental towards the end of the war, but food was readily available for the most part even with rationing. All of the supplies he now had were salvaged but originated from his own time.

"As you came to me I assume you have an idea how we might rectify the problem?" Alec asked, silently hoping the man did have a solution for he had no idea where to begin. That now was two things that Preston had seen and thought of that Alec had not, but this time this could have been a naïve and costly mistake.

"Water is our first priority; to survive we must have access to clean water. Not only for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and washing but its also essential for farming." Preston explained matter-of-factly, "we discovered last night that there is still running water on the island, filthy and sporadic though it is. Sturges believes that the islands old infrastructure might be viable and is investigating, or he will once he finds the access point."

The lake was not only the source of water for Vault 111 but also Sanctuary Hills. If the vault still had a functioning water supply it wasn't surprising the island did too. Sturges idea was a good one and it was something Alec had considered himself.

"Farming is both the short and long-term solution to our food problems. Sanctuary Hills is pretty isolated but given time it might be possible to attach ourselves to a trade caravan route. That being said we couldn't rely solely on traders for our food, it makes us too dependent and easy to extort. Not to mention the roads are too treacherous, a failed delivery could be catastrophic. To say nothing of the cost which we couldn't possibly afford right now even if we wanted to. Our only option is to clear land and begin farming it ourselves. No small undertaking, but it's very possible and we can scale up our efforts as we grow."

"Preston what do you need me to do?" Alec said with slight impatience, "I understand what you have said, just come out and say it already."

Preston wasted no more time in explaining that in order for Sanctuary Hills to begin its first steps towards farming and producing its own food they needed to acquire an assortment of tools, a supply of crop seed and a good amount of fertiliser to help improve soil quality.

"This is but the bare minimum we'll need" Preston cautioned, "if we are to establish a good and hardy foothold here in Sanctuary Hills. We'll need to hunt animals for meat and forage what we can from the nearby wilderness before winter sets in even if it doesn't freeze. With a bit of luck we won't starve before we get our first harvest."

It sounded like a simple enough plan in theory but had a gaping hole. The source of these necessary supplies had to be local since everything would have to be transported on foot which ruled out travelling to Boston, the problem was that Preston wasn't certain where they could find a place to acquire the supplies.

"I don't know this area of the Commonwealth well." Preston confessed sheepishly as he looked over the map that Alec had laid out on the coffee table and gestured in a vague circle, "Marcy thinks there is a farm somewhere around this area. The farm would supply Quincy with herbs, flowers, and roots periodically. Never directly admittedly always through traders and such. I cannot even tell you if this farm is still operational or its owners even alive but its our only lead."

Searching such a large area was not at all appealing. Especially on nothing more than the word of Marcy Long that there was even a farm in the vicinity. His lack of confidence and enthusiasm must have shown on his face for Preston tried valiantly to reassure him, but he had admitted it wasn't ideal.

"I will do what you ask." Alec said darkly, "I will look for this farm, but if this search turns out to be a fool's errand then I warn you now, I will not be held accountable for what I will do to Marcy Long."

Preston had taken his words in jest although Alec had been quite serious.

"There is no knowing what the cost of this endeavour will be." Preston said glumly, "we lack the funds to purchase the supplies directly so our best hope will be to obtain them through trade. You will find that it takes a canny negotiator to barter and trade in the Commonwealth, you will need to hone your skills if you don't wish to be extorted."

Alec decided not to tell Preston of the several thousands of dollars he had sitting hidden safely secured in his safe. That money he hoped would be put to better use in the city to help find Shaun and get some other essentials.

"Thank you for doing this." Preston said finally as he had gone to leave, "If you do indeed find this farm, you must ensure you do whatever it takes to get what we need. All of our survival depends on it. We are putting our lives in your hands Alec."

With that he left the house and closed the door behind him leaving Alec sitting on the couch looking unhappily over the map in front of him.

"No pressure then." He grumbled.

o-Fallout-o

It had been a day and a half since Alec had once more left Sanctuary Hills and he had spent all of that time meandering his way across the open wilderness south-west of Concord searching for any sign of the elusive farm.

Unlike the first time he had left Sanctuary Hills, Alec had left home wearing several pieces of leather armour. From amongst the collection he had salvaged from the dead raiders of Concord he had found serviceable vambraces, shoulder pads and shin guards. It was meagre protection to be sure, but it was all that he had for now. Over the top of this he donned a worn brown leather duster, which despite Codsworths best efforts had an odd musty fish-like smell to it. Dogmeat had acquired a collar from the collection, in truth it wasn't much more than an old leather belt cut down to size.

Just as Alec had been about to leave the house with an excitable Dogmeat, Codsworth had offered to accompany him on his journey. It was a surprising gesture, but Alec had politely declined and instead instructed Codsworth to remain in Sanctuary Hills. Not only to continue to maintain the Carter Residence, but also to assist the neighbours with repairs, cleaning and making himself helpful.

Given he had little more to go on than a vague area for reference, Alec had established a search grid to follow and had spent the last day and a half investigating any building or area within the grid that looked like it might be a farm or homestead. It wasn't what Alec would describe as a fun journey, but it certainly hadn't lacked in interesting discoveries or strange sights to someone new to the Commonwealth.

All of the local flora had been decimated by the Great War. Just like in Sanctuary Hills at first glance everything in the scrubland, wild fields and clustered tree groves looked to be dead husks but on closer investigation were actually thriving after a fashion. The plant-life had recovered and began to grow anew reclaiming the land after decades of stunted growth and dormancy. Unfortunately natures resurgence meant that the area was full of large brambles, barbed vines, crooked branches, and scarred trees.

It was November, so most of the foliage, shrubs and flowers had already lost their blooms and leaves even if winter had not yet come and the weather was still mild. Alec had never had a green thumb but as he walked he'd thought he would recognise some of the plants and trees, but they were either unrecognisable or completely unknown to him. Almost all of the plants to varying degrees showed signs of prolonged exposure to radiation, which in some cases had resulted in induced mutations.

Plants were not the only sight that had caught Alec's attention.

On their first day out in the wilderness the two of them had passed through a small cluster of trees to investigate a wooden manse when Dogmeat had suddenly froze and sniffed the air. Alert instantly to a potential threat, expecting to see Raiders, Gunners or worse a deathclaw, Alec had drawn his newly equipped hunting rifle and chambered a round before he too froze.

A herd of deer had darted through the thicket of trees into the clearing before them without a care to their presence. There were six deer, two males with their distinctive antlers and the rest female. All of them had a mottled reddish coat with numerous white markings. Or at least that's what Alec had initially thought as he beheld the sight before him but as he overcame his shock he realised his mistake and the sight before him became far more astonishing.

There might well have been six heads looking towards them, but it had been a stomach-dropping moment to realise that below them there were only three bodies. These deer were abominations, no creature should have two heads and Alec was reminded of the stories of Frankenstein's monster. Yet the two heads wasn't the only grotesque change to the deer's physiology. They had four front legs, two of which were malformed, weak and didn't touch the ground. Their reddish fur was marred by angry skin lesions and burns and even the males' antlers looked deformed and unnatural in shape.

Before Alec could do anything but gape at the herd, Dogmeat had given a booming bark and shot towards them. The deer had bolted away far outpacing the pursuing hound despite their alarming deformities. Dogmeat had returned to Alec with a disappointed look, but his tail had been wagging playfully, his quarry might have escaped but he'd enjoyed his chase it seemed.

Strange deer were not the only wildlife they had encountered. There had been various birds roosting in the trees, flying through the skies, or nesting in abandoned buildings. Most common of which were crows, doves, pigeon, and sparrows but there were others too; smaller and larger some even speckled with surprising colour. There was also a noticeable population of smaller mammals like rabbits, opossum, foxes and one very angry weasel.

Dogmeat was playful and excitable, would race after any creature he saw and in one such chase eventually caught what Alec suspected was some type of squirrel. It had been almost completely bald except for the fine fluffy hair along its long tail, but it was hard to tell much more before the poor creature was devoured triumphantly by Dogmeat.

It seemed that unlike the deer most mammals were not unlike those Alec was familiar with, although none so far had looked to be what Alec would call healthy examples of the species. There was something of an unkept, scrawny, diseased, or disfigured look about them all. Only the fat opossum had been like the deer with an obvious deformed mutation, with the creature having no fewer than three heads sprouting from its neck.

Outside of the intriguing discoveries of the local flora and fauna of the Commonwealth there had been no sign of the elusive farm or any human life for that matter. Although there had been plenty of houses, structures and outbuildings including one very large shipping warehouse. But as the sun had begun to set on the first night Alec had reluctantly halted his search for the farm in favour of finding a place to shelter for the night and eventually settled on an old, abandoned ranger cabin.

If the first night sleeping in Sanctuary Hills had been unsettling and restless, it was nothing in comparison to a night spent in the ranger cabin.

Despite its first impression the cabin hadn't been abandoned. On entering the cabin Alec made the unsettling discovery of the skeletal remains of a girl inside and had moved her outside as respectfully as he could. Later he been looking through the cabin and came upon a holotape and slotted it into his PipBoy. He regretted this almost immediately. The tape had been made by the girl. Hearing her voice and plight brought her to life in his mind. Having removed her from her resting place Alec couldn't help but feel as though he had disturbed her memory or awoken her spirit and all night he felt like he was being watched.

Throughout the night Alec had been on edge, jumping at every small sound outside, his limbs trembled and twitched, and his pulse raced. He was unable to control or calm himself despite his best efforts. A pistol remained in his hand all night, its grip slippery with sweat from how hard he had gripped it. Only Dogmeats presence had eventually allowed Alec some respite and rest, the dog had laid protectively on the floor watching over his new master listening to the outside world.

Alec was tired and increasingly irritable the next day as they had resumed the search but had no luck. If anything fortune had turned against him for the weather had changed and it began to rain heavily. By days end Alec was cold and soaked. He had snapped three times at Dogmeat for chasing after rabbits and squirrels or spraying him with mud. It was a relief to finally retire for the evening in a dank garage around a fire for warmth and lay on his bedroll without feeling like he was being watched.

The next morning feeling slightly less tired but at least warm Alec resumed the search once again and was pleased that it had stopped raining during the night. He was following a trail of old electricity pylons careful of the wet earth beneath his feet when he finally saw a sign of what he was looking for. A steady plume of smoke rising into the air.

Locating the source of the smoke didn't take long and once he saw where it originated Alec was certain he had found the farm. The smoke was billowing out of a brick chimney that was attached to an old wooden panelled two-story house which was surrounded by several fields of cultivated land. If it had been a farm before the war he couldn't tell, but it most certainly was one now. Curiously the properties adjoining defunct electricity pylon had been clad in some type of ramshackle structure.

Dogmeat whined longingly towards the farmhouse and sniffed at the air as Alec began to scan the farm through the scope off the hunting rifle he had brought with him. He placed a steadying hand on the dog's neck to reassure him but also ensured Dogmeat couldn't run off and give away his position by keeping his collar close at hand.

"Easy boy," He said, "we can't be too careful out here."

This was no time to venture forward without first understanding what he would be walking into. Concord was a lesson in that regard, he had acted rashly but it had worked out alright for the most part, but he couldn't be careless.

Instead Alec remained hidden within the treeline watching the property from afar for some time.

It was early in the morning but after an hour of watching the idle farm the inhabitants seemingly roused, the wooden shutters covering the empty window frames were pushed open emitting a low light from within that was still noticeable in the dim. Eventually people began to leave the house and begin their daily chores. From the distance Alec identified only a single man and two women, but that was not to say there was no others within the house he had yet to see.

He was unable to learn much about these people, their numbers, intentions, or disposition but Alec was at least reassured that they were farming folk and not raiders. So he reattached the scope to the rifle and slung the weapon over his shoulder and slowly began to walk up towards the farm with Dogmeat by his side.

It didn't take long for his presence to be noticed by one of the women who suddenly cried out a warning.

"Dad come quick!" She called urgently, "There is a stranger approaching the farm!"

The man Alec had seen through the scope came hurrying from around the house hefting a weapon and he was followed swiftly by a woman from the large wooden structure.

"You've come close enough stranger!" The man called loudly aiming his weapon at the two of them, "we're a peaceful farm, we don't want no more trouble. We will defend our property if you try anything."

Beside Alec a low rumbling noise began to emanate from Dogmeats chest, and he quickly grabbed hold of his collar. The dog was uneasy and eyeing the strangers warily and Alec shared that reaction with his hand twitching towards a weapon, but he stilled the impulse. Alec wasn't sure what his new companion would do but wasn't about to let him rip the man's hand off or get them shot by accident.

"Then it's a very good thing I'm not looking for trouble then." Alec said in what he hoped was a soothingly honest voice, very much aware that his infernal scars and bruised eyes gave a contrary appearance to his words, "I've come seeking trade."

Surprise flittered across their faces and Alec realised that they were likely a family. The younger of the two women's resemblance to the elder was suddenly made evident by their matching expressions. The man gave a firm gesture that had the two women hastily retreat into the pylon shack although Alec was sure they would still be watching.

"Trade you say?" The man repeated once his family were out of sight, "Well if your lookin' to trade then it's my wife you would need to speak to, she handles all our domestic trading. But first things first. The names Blake Abernathy. Been some time since I've seen one of those vault-suits, you new to these parts stranger?"

Now it was Alec's turn to look surprised, Blake was the second person to recognise the blue and yellow vault-suit he wore under the leather duster. Obviously the coat didn't hide the vibrant colours as much as Alec hoped. Although the recognition of the vault attire would be a discussion for another time.

"I'm… yeah I suppose you could say that." Alec said awkwardly not wanting to lie but stuck out his hand in greeting, "Alec Carter, I've recently settled in the area. Tell me Mr Abernathy, how long have you been farming out here?"

Blake took the offered hand warily but shook firmly before looking over the house, fields and shack and gave a wistful sigh and his expression became pained. "This farm's been in the family generations, all the way back to my grandfather's father. The Abernathy's have long worked this land before me, and if the Commonwealth allows it they will continue. In time I will pass this place on to one of my… to my daughter Lucy."

They spoke easily enough but Alec was very much aware that the other man had yet to holster his gun and he remained somewhat uneasy during their exchange. Alec on the other hand wasn't so worried now, sure he was unarmed but he was fairly confident if it came to a fight he could do what was needed.

"You know this place is quite remote, it took me several days to find you." Alec commented and out of the corner of his eye he saw movement atop the pylon structure and caught sight of both Abernathy women watching the men from up high.

"Don't I know it." Blake said surprisingly bitterly, "our remote location has benefitted us for decades, but trouble will find us eventually. Farming in the Commonwealth aint no easy life. Out in the field all day every day. Not a minute goes by where we aren't lookin' over our shoulder. You said you've settled near here, have you began workin' the land?"

Farming had never been an easy vocation even before the bombs fell but Alec suspected that these days you couldn't be too careful. Trust, friends, aid, and protection were in short supply. This was likely what led to the creation of the Commonwealth Minutemen originally; settlers, farmers and traders banding together to protect themselves and each other.

"No I haven't, but others have begun to settle around me and that's actually why I have come." Alec said sincerely peering around the farm with greater interest wondering if everything here might be replicated at home. "I came primarily to obtain supplies, but I'm curious to learn more. What do you grow here? Do you have livestock?"

Blake didn't immediately answer his question, instead Alec noted that his eyes flickered to the pistols holstered on his legs, to the rifle over his shoulder before they fell on Dogmeat who had now sat down bored with their exchange and not at all bothered by Blake.

"Mostly we grow tatos and melons." Blake said hesitantly, "but we've had some limited success expanding our crops over the last few rotations. This season has been fortunately mild meaning we should have a decent harvest to see us through until spring but enough still to do trade in the city. Our winter crop includes bega, cabbage, neeps, pumpkin, and tatos most of which are about ready to harvest and is our biggest job. We used to raise a small number of livestock, but those days are behind us now since we can't recover or replace what we've lost."

"I was led to believe that you grow herbs and medicinal plants, that's actually what led me to you here." Alec said curiously thinking back to what Preston had told him about the Longs buying from trade caravans.

"You don't say! Well most of what we grew was for personal use, but we did some light trade in the city and through the caravans." Blake stated before the bitter tone from earlier entered his voice once more. "My Ma had quite the greenhouse filled with all manner of plants, herbs, and such things. We lost the lot in a fire two months ago; we lost a great deal that day."

He spoke with such sadness that Alec looked away awkwardly, but he wondered if everyone in the Commonwealth had a story like his, or the Quincy survivors.

"You know this is an impressive thing that you and your family have built out here," Alec said honestly after a minute or two when he thought it was safe to speak again. "Truthfully I didn't know what to expect, my neighbour wasn't even sure you were still here. Being totally honest my settlement needs help; we have no idea what it takes to farm in the Commonwealth. Do you have any advice for a bunch of novices?"

Blake laughed despite his low mood but agreed to give Alec a tour around the farm showing him the fields where he and his family grew their crops and at one time reared livestock. As they walked Blake gave all manner of advice, tips, and suggestions on farming. Explaining things such as crop rotation, necessities of fertiliser, pest control, seasonal planting and harvesting and even animal husbandry and selective breeding. The man was a fountain of agricultural knowledge, and he certainly knew far more than Alec and everyone back in Sanctuary Hills combined.

The farm was rather impressive given the fact that its fields were ploughed and planted by hand by the Abernathy's. Large industrial farming with machines and vehicles was ancient history although Alec did notice a tractor sitting in an old garage attached to the house and it was in better condition than most other vehicles he had so far encountered.

Four small fields had been cleared and cultivated by the Abernathy's over the years, clearly marked by borders of low rock and stone walls, and additional wayward wooden fences and deer wire. Only three of these fields were currently planted, the fourth lay empty so far as Alec could tell. However despite only having four fields almost all of the accessible soil around the area was used for smaller plots and patches for growing food or seedstock. He also spotted the remains of a small greenhouse behind the house, or at least he assumed that was what the blackened skeleton of a structure had been.

Eventually they came upon the shack built around the defunct electricity pylon. The shack was incredibly ramshackle but up-close Alec could now tell that the outer walls were a patchwork of pieces of old barn cladding and salvaged timber.

"I don't suppose you have all of this written down?" Alec joked having had to pull out his journal to write down the information after only a few minutes into the tour, "Farming the Commonwealth by Grandpa Abernathy? Or perhaps the Abernathy's Guide to Farming? I expect there would be quite the market for what you and your family have learnt and built out here."

"Me write a book. Not likely, where would I find the time!" Blake snorted, "we have the odd book, journal and scraps of knowledge left from the old world and what we have pieced together but most of what we do and know comes from working the land. Not many people take up the shovel to grow what they can from the land, worse still are those who just steal what they want at gunpoint."

There was that same bitterness as before and this time Alec stopped his appraisal of the farm and turned his complete attention back to his host and began putting the pieces together in his mind.

"Raiders?" Alec questioned lightly but on seeing the look of pure hatred cross Blakes face he knew he was right. "You said trouble finds the farm from time to time out here, how often do you run into Raiders? I've very recently had a run in with a group in Concord not three days ago but had hoped they were an isolated group and that there are no others in the vicinity."

Blake stood silent and seemed to be lost in thought. Alec wasn't sure the man had even heard the question and was about to repeat it when Blake pointed towards the shack.

"I believe you mean us no harm Carter, so go inside the barn and speak to the wife. Connie will see to your trading needs." Blake told him before he hurried away towards the rear of the house and began muttering to himself, but Alec caught only a few words. "Raiders… Olivia… Mary… Minutemen…"

Frowning at the man's sudden change in demeanour Alec did as he was bidden and went over to the door to the barn. Its outer walls were cobbled together and looked to be held up and secured only by the pylons metal framework but despite appearances it looked surprisingly strong. Stepping inside Alec was first assaulted by a strong smell of manure and heard the distinctive noises of a cow hidden out of sight within one of the stalls.

"Don't let that dog anywhere near Clarabell, she don't like 'em and will kick." Came the stern voice from up in the barn's rafters, it was Blake's wife Connie, "Why have you come here stranger?"

From what Alec could tell Connie was at least ten years older than him, she had a hard face and what looked to be a permanent frown. Her face was framed by dirty blonde hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed or cut professionally at any time in recent years.

"Your husband said that you're the one I should speak to for trade?" Alec said taking her advice and keeping a firm hold of Dogmeats collar who was attempting to pull him towards the stall or worse the pile of steaming manure. "I've recently settled near here and I've come seeking supplies so that we might start farming the land. I'm Alec by the way."

"Blake told you right, but we don't have much to sell in way of supplies not since… well we just don't have much." She scowled and came down to the ground and begun shovelling manure into a pile, "You've only recently settled near here? This is the first I've heard of any new settlers out this way."

That was hardly surprising Alec mused, Sanctuary Hills had been abandoned for centuries and had only seen new activity for less than a week. Connie was suspicious and he knew he would need to tread carefully if he was to get the supplies they needed.

"The settlement is very recent." Alec admitted, "I wouldn't say it was planned but the people I represent want to establish a new home for themselves and I was told this farm was likely the best source of what we need."

Connie considered him for a moment and like her husband seemed to weigh him up but eventually spoke again.

"I don't know you or your people, and I don't make a habit of trading with folk I don't know." She said frankly, "times are tough in the Commonwealth, and this farm has suffered enough in recent months, so we're not about to risk business with a stranger. What we have is for our own table or trade in the city. I am less concerned with making friends than I am with bringing in our harvest before it turns bad as we don't have the manpower we need."

"Then we should get to know each other Mrs Abernathy because as much as I understand your policy, we really need your help." Alec said earnestly, "My people were ousted from their homes with little but the clothes on their backs by mercenaries, they have been chased across the Commonwealth by beasts and hunted by raiders. I rescued these people in Concord and together we are building a new home, they are who led me to your door."

Connie paused in her work and sighed, put down her shovel and regarded him speculatively as she came to her decision. "If its supplies you want Mr…" She paused not knowing his surname and Alec was quick to provide it. "If its supplies you want Mr Carter then you must earn them. Let it never be said that the Abernathy's don't help others. You help us and we will see what we can do to help you."

"Earn them?" Alec frowned questioningly having not expected this. Preston had claimed that the Commonwealths economy was built on trade or direct purchases if you had the money. It was rare for such exchanges to be turned down.

"I told you." She said somewhat crossly, "we have a harvest that we must bring in. Right now that is the cost of business. You want access to our supplies; you must help us. Take it or leave it."

This wasn't what Alec had planned for but then he was acutely aware he didn't have much choice in the matter if he was to acquire the necessary supplies and materials needed for Sanctuary Hills to survive the coming winter. Alec ground his jaw, labour wasn't what he would call a fair trade for mere friendship and access but knew he was in no position to argue the point. The problem was that Connie Abernathy was in the position of strength in these negotiations and she knew it.

"Very well." Alec said shortly, "What would you have me do?"

"Lucy!" Connie shouted, "Get down here girl, you will set Mr Carter to work bringing in one of the fields."

From above them Alec heard footsteps and a door close before a young woman not much younger than him appeared in the rafters looking down at them.

"Mom, I'm not deaf you know." She said in a light jovial voice ignoring her mother's cold look, "leave the stranger to me, I will set him to work so you can get on."

Connie gave her daughter a stern look before she turned her gaze to Alec and gave him a look that clearly said, 'do anything to harm my daughter and I will make you regret it' and she left the barn.

"It's Alec wasn't it?" She said obviously having been eavesdropping, "moms roped you into helping out around here huh?"

"Something like that." He nodded giving her a friendly small smile despite his feelings on the matter, "What's the job then?"

"I would love to have given you the job of mucking out the brahmin stable or milking her, but I've already done both." She told him, "But mom already said you were to work in the fields, so let's go out back and harvest the neeps. If you hate boring labour you have come to the right place stranger."

"What's a brahmin?" Alec asked curiously.

"Did daddy put you up to this? This is the sorta thing he used to pull before…." She said suspiciously but on seeing his perplexed look it was suddenly mirrored. "Wow. You don't actually know do you? You sure aren't from 'round here."

She instead led him over to the inhabited stall and pointed inside.

"This is a brahmin, one of the only friendly animals you will see about the Commonwealth." She told him but her eyes fell on Dogmeat, and she smiled, "well perhaps except your dog here, what's his name?"

"Dogmeat." Alec replied and he added quickly, "no I didn't name him that."

Brahmin he discovered, was a cow. A large mutated and unfamiliar species of cattle with two heads, giant udders, and small horns. Most of the creature's hair was absent, exposing its skin which looked browned with sunburn and marked by several skin lesions.

"She's been with us as long as I can remember and is the last of our livestock. Clara here gives us all our fertiliser and milk." Lucy told him fondly and she rubbed one of the creature's heads, "she is a good girl but lost her calf last week. Mom thinks she would now be better off as a stew or a pair of boots! I like to consider her as much part of the family as Maisie, she's our family cat before you ask. Now come Mr Carter, the crop won't harvest itself and we have a long day ahead."

Alec was led back out of the barn and towards one of the fields and was quickly put to work digging out the large neep harvest. A neep Alec quickly learnt was a form of turnip, with stunted greenish-brown leaves and a root that was yellowy-white but covered in black spots which didn't look at all appealing.

For hours he worked in the field digging out the neeps from the wet soil and depositing them into crates and buckets which he stacked along the wall to be transported who knew where. Storing the harvest would be the job of the Abernathy's once Alec was gone or not in sight. The size of the field was large and was filled with a good harvest, but Lucy had instructed him to only dig up a quarter of the crop and that the rest would be harvested later.

As he worked Alec was well aware that the family was watching him work and they seldom spoke to him except when asked a question directly. Each of them were very much aware of the other, and Alec felt like he was being interviewed or giving an audition of some kind but continued to work regardless. Dogmeat had made himself useful when he wasn't trying to chase the family cat or bait the brahmin when she was let out to pasture. He had caught three baby mole rats that threatened the Abernathy crops much to the surprising, although limited, delight of Blake.

After a long morning of harvesting neeps Alec was instructed to move on to the second field containing something called bega which Alec had recognised as some form of descendant of a pre-war rutabaga. The root of the plant was roughly the same as those from before the war however it had developed a rough outer skin which reminded Alec of a pineapple or a coconut.

Halfway through the labour in the bega field Alec was brought a jug of water by Blake much to Alec's surprise.

"I thought you might like some water." The man said hesitantly.

"Thank you." Alec said appreciatively since he had been rationing his own water supply throughout the day.

"You came here for advice on how to start up your own farm." Blake said quietly as Alec drank greedily, "well my father always said you needed the three L's: Land, Labour, and Love. You gotta have land to work, put in days, weeks, and months of labour but you must also love what you do, and I tell you having a family is more helpful than you can know."

Blake had meant nothing by the comment about family, but it felt like the man had stabbed Alec through the heart and his hand trembled on the cup that he was holding.

"Word to the wise though." Blake continued unaware of Alec's reaction, "settlement or farm, you must be ready to deal with raiders."

"I've already encountered them in Concord." Alec told him again, "they were attacking a group of refugees from the south and had I not intervened they would be dead. Instead they live and now we're starting a settlement together."

"Raiders in Concord!" Blake spluttered and the colour drained from his face, and he looked around the farm in fear, "That's only a few miles from here, what if…"

"They're dead." Alec quickly assured him, "none survived Concord, or if they did they have fled in terror."

The farmer stood gaping at him for a long moment before he seemed to take comfort at this news. Yet as he continued to drink Alec saw that Blake was once more regarding him with a questioning or speculative look, as though he was trying to decide on something. However he didn't seem to have the courage to ask whatever it was that was on his mind for he said "Good," and quickly hurried off leaving Alec to his work.

Alec hoped he hadn't said the wrong thing or given the wrong impression to Blake, he had only wanted to reassure him about the raiders and their relative safety. After all those raiders who might have survived hadn't been terrified of him, it had been the deathclaw.

Despite this potential misstep Alec laboured on to help the Abernathy's with their harvest, and it was late in the afternoon when he finally finished in the bega field and was moved onto pumpkins. This time the vegetable was easily identifiable although it lacked its distinctive vibrant orange appearance and now looked dull almost beige in colour. The pumpkins were smaller, about the size of a softball and were somewhat deformed resembling a partially deflated soccer ball.

As the sun began to set and darkness drew in across the Commonwealth the days labours came to an end, and it was Connie who came over to Alec this time. Her expression was as stern and serious as before and Alec hoped that his misstep hadn't cost him the supplies he needed.

"Thanks for your help today Mr Carter. We couldn't have done so much without your help." She said brusquely and from her jumpsuit pocket she pulled out a key. "You'll be tired and need a place to sleep. This key is to one of the trailers out behind the property. Blake's grandfather installed them decades ago to house any hired farmhands, it's been a long time since they were used but it's better than sleeping in the barn with the brahmin."

It was a unexpected gesture especially from the Abernathy matriarch, but he had never expected them to host him within their house. He took the key as a good sign, and it was true it wouldn't be much; it would however be an improvement on the ghastly ranger cabin and better than a smelly barn with the cow.

"Thank you." Alec said pocketing the key appreciatively but had to ask, "what of the supplies I came here for?"

Connie nodded curtly not at all surprised by his question and seemed to have expected it.

"A deal was a deal, and I don't renege on a deal." She told him, "We don't have much, but if we can spare it then I'm sure we can come to an arrangement. Do you have a list of what you need?"

"My people and I have very little except the land we have decided to settle." Alec admitted, "we need to begin farming that land if we aren't to starve but don't have the means to begin. We need tools to work the earth, seed to plant and fertiliser to help it grow. I was hoping you would know better than I what is needed."

"Very well, I shall consider it and get back to you." Connie said vaguely, "where have you settled? Assuming we come to an agreement you will need to transport it back where you came from."

"We're just north of Concord," Alec told her. After a day working on this farm Alec had realised that despite their long-term intentions to call Sanctuary Hills a settlement was a gross exaggeration, but wasn't about to give too many specifics just yet. "Your farm was the only place known to us where we might find the supplies within a feasible distance. Are there others in the area?"

"Several small solitary homesteads but not much else." Connie said noncommittedly, "being so rural and isolated does have its advantages but when trouble comes there is little help to be had. I will discuss your request with Blake, he will likely have an idea of what you might need then I will see what we can spare, and we can come to an arrangement."

As she left him in the fields Alec felt a sense of small accomplishment and was one step closer to the supplies he needed. It was a small thing, but it made him feel more confident in himself.

Leaving the fields Alec had led Dogmeat to the rear of the farm in search of the trailers and it didn't take long to find them. There were four of them arranged like two letter L's back-to-back along with two battered outhouses that looked about ready to collapse.

Finding the trailer the key opened Alec stepped inside. Connie hadn't been wrong, from the amount of accumulated dust and dirt it had been decades since the trailers or at least this one had been used. It was at the very least dry and enclosed, and there was no skeleton in residence.

After a meagre dinner of a ration pack and a tin of some mysterious mixture for Dogmeat, Alec rolled out his sleeping bag atop the dank mattress and sat himself down on the ancient metal bed and cringed as its bedsprings squealed alarmingly.

"Well I won't be moving much tonight." Alec said dryly to Dogmeat who had wisely it seemed claimed the sagging old couch in the outer partitioned section of the trailer closest to the door. "Sure you don't want to swap boy?"

Dogmeat merely yawned and lay his head on his paws looking back at him.

"Today went about as well as could be expected." Alec continued rolling his aching neck after the day of labour and wishing he was back home in his own bed, or at least the one in his own bedroom. "Not sure what they can provide us, but anything is better than nothing and as my gran said, 'beggars can't be choosers'."

Yawning Alec got to his feet picked up the solitary lantern illuminating the trailer and set himself at the battered desk in a chair that was annoyingly lopsided. He tuned into the classical radio broadcast from his PipBoy as he began to write in his journal and contemplated what he had learnt.

Abernathy Farm was small and remote, yet it had offered a glimpse of what Sanctuary Hills might accomplish with the right supplies, lots of labour and above all time. The island had great potential, but if the day had highlighted anything it still had a long way to go.

Given the amount of decay to the plants of the Commonwealth Alec had worried about the variety of viable crop but had been delighted to discover that the farm grew a wide range of produce seasonally although with considerable effort and at great risk. The farm might grow melons and tatos (some type of odd hybrid of pre-war tomato and potato's) predominantly, but they also cultivated carrots, corn, cabbage, and silt beans whenever they could.

Livestock farming also still existed although the Abernathy's days rearing livestock was all but over, they had a long and somewhat successful history of it. Chickens, turkeys, and goats were once bred alongside the brahmin and if Lucy was to be believed a horse or two. Admittedly Alec wasn't completely certain of any of the girls claims since when Connie had heard them speaking of it she had scolded her daughter fiercely and told her to get back to work and stop telling tall tales.

Connie Abernathy cut a very stern and intimidating figure, she was evidently a powerful matriarch and ruled over much of the family's lives. Yet despite her abrupt no-nonsense manner Alec couldn't help but respect her. She didn't waste time and looked after her family and their interests.

Her husband on the other hand had a far easier way about him. Blake was the farmer and in charge of the day-to-day operations on the property and was the expert in his field. A deep sadness hung over the man like a black cloud, he was struggling and suffered bouts of melancholy.

In stark contrast to both her parents, Lucy was light-hearted and mischievous much to her mother's evident disapproval. It was to her that Alec spoke the most throughout the day and had eventually discovered that Lucy was in fact the youngest Abernathy daughter.

None of the family spoke of the eldest daughter, she might have run away but Alec suspected she was dead. Most likely in the raider attack that had destroyed the greenhouse and lost the farm its livestock, produce and other supplies. If Alec was right it was clear the family was still grieving and struggling over the loss, and he was surprised how easily they had taken to him despite their obvious wariness.

A sudden growl from Dogmeat had Alec jerk around and almost fall off the wayward chair, he clicked off the radio and grabbed hold of the pistol left readily on the table next to him. The dog had sat up on the couch and was watching the door closely his hackles raised. Alec moved away from the door slightly and into a more defensible position.

An orange glow illuminated the blackened grimy window briefly before there came three knocks on the trailer door.

Alec didn't move, he had the gun pointed towards the door his finger on the trigger ready to fire if the door should suddenly open. Dogmeat moved on the couch and sat back on his haunches looking ready to jump.

Unaware of what was happening within the trailer the night-time visitor knocked again and louder.

"Mr Carter?" Came a male voice, "Its Blake, I understand its late, but I would speak to you."

It could be a trap Alec thought to himself, and he thought back to the monster from Vault 111 and his empty hand twitched. This trailer was not dissimilar to the cryo-pod and the door was his only way out.

"Mr Carter!" The voice called louder and banged loudly on the door, "I can see the light on, please open the door."

Breathing quickly Alec calmed his racing heart, unlocked the door, and slid it back all while keeping his gun in his hand and aimed directly at the visitor.

"Mr… ahhh!" Blake cried out in alarm as Dogmeat launched himself out of the trailer and his paws collided with the man's chest knocking him over his lantern sent flying into the nearby bush.

"Dogmeat! Stop! Down!" Alec called urgently rushing out of the trailer to grab the dog's collar in case he should try and eat the man. Hearing the command the dog halted its advance and lay down on the ground not taking his eyes off of Blake's prone form.

"You should know better than to sneak up on someone during the night." Alec said in a low voice helping the obviously terrified Blake to his feet. "You're lucky it was just Dogmeat, you very nearly got shot Mr Abernathy. But I apologise for the fright, I only acquired the dog a few days ago and we're still erm… getting to know each other."

"I… well I didn't… you shouldn't…" Blake spluttered as he retrieved his lantern from the bush and looked ready to run back to his house which was now shuttered up for the night and but still noticeable due to the small amount of light escaping through gaps in the shutters. "I will leave you…"

"Wait." Alec called firmly, "You've been dancing around me all day, if you have something to say or ask then do it. I don't have the time or the patience to waste. You have nothing to fear from me Mr Abernathy, I came to do business nothing more."

Blake flushed slightly but didn't move towards the house but regarded the prone dog on the floor still watching him.

"Would you come inside?" Alec said as he looked around the dark open expanse of the land warily, he gave a gesture, whistle, and a command to try and summon Dogmeat back inside, but the dog remained stubbornly rooted to the spot. "Stay outside then you silly animal. Don't worry Mr Abernathy, he won't bite."

Or at least Alec hoped he wouldn't, the dog was independent contrary to appearances and who knew if he had been trained at any point. It was a situation Alec knew he would need to remedy if he was to trust the animal and ensure he was reliable.

Sliding the door closed once they were both inside Alec turned to see Blake looking around the trailer curiously.

"I haven't been inside one of these old trailers for years." He said wistfully, "not since I was a teenager. They were good for when a young man needed some privacy from his parents. Connie keeps the keys secured away these days."

Despite himself Alec smirked, he remembered a time in his own teenage years when such a trailer would have been useful. With a free-spirited daughter like Lucy, it could very well be a good thing that her mother kept the trailer keys secured and out of reach.

"Connie and I have spoken about your request for supplies to help get your settlement started with farming." Blake said simply, "We can provide you with the most basic of tools and a supply of seed and fertiliser. I will also give you the knowledge and expertise of my family so that you might get things up and running. The little we can provide will cost you, and no small amount I shouldn't think."

This was hardly surprising, but then he had come to make a deal and he would have to find a solution.

"Do you have a price?" Alec questioned.

"Oh I'm sure Connie has one in mind; my wife is a shrewd trader after all." Blake stated and he chewed his lip pensively, "that being said… well. What would you say if I told you there is an opportunity… an opportunity for you to not only earn the friendship and support of the Abernathy's but also a worthwhile discount from Connie?"

"An opportunity?" Alec said raising an inquisitive eyebrow slightly intrigued at this turn of events and wondering what Blake could possibly have in mind. "What is this opportunity?"

Blake took a deep breath and seemed to force himself to tell his tale.

As Alec had initially deduced the farms recent troubles had indeed been caused by a raider gang. Blake had been away trading in the city when the gang had come to the farm, not only had they stolen food, supplies and possessions, torched the greenhouse but worst of all they had killed the Abernathy's eldest daughter.

Mary Abernathy was two years older than her younger sister, and when confronted by the raiders she had stood up to them. The girl had actually successfully managed to force them to leave the property. A brave move but a foolish one, nevertheless. Delayed but not defeated, the raiders had returned and in far greater numbers and claimed their revenge.

"I should've been here." Blake said bitterly, "if I had I…" He stopped and Alec thought he likely had no idea what he would've done. "This wasn't the first group to trouble us, nor will they be the last. Raiders are a part of life out here in the Commonwealth. Parasites the lot of them! But it's my fault my daughter now lies buried in the earth behind the house."

The pain of Blakes loss reverberated within Alec and he was once again forced to confront his own sense of loss and feelings over his wife's murder.

"I understand more than you know." Alec said quietly, "I was forced to watch as my wife was murdered, and my infant son was stolen from her arms. I too feel guilt over what happened to my family. I could say it is not your fault, but you will not listen."

Blake shook his head, "No! It is my fault Mr Carter! I would tell the girls stories when they were small. Tales of the Commonwealth Minutemen. Of the everyday people who rose up and banded together to protect themselves against raiders, savages, and beasts of the 'wealth. Mary loved those stories; she idolised the Minutemen. She made a stand like those in the stories! My stories! And just like the minutemen she got herself killed. If I hadn't told her those tales then she would still be alive."

Alec considered the defeated man before him and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Blake clearly mourned his daughter's loss and the guilt he felt was eating away at him. He needed closure, without it he wouldn't move on or worse it would kill him.

"I may not have known your daughter, and I barely know you or your family." Alec said delicately, "but it seems to me that your daughter died fighting for what she believed in. You can mourn her passing but you should also treasure and celebrate her memory. It's all you have left of her now Mr Abernathy, don't squander it. Your stories inspired her, if more people were like your daughter then the threat of raiders would be a thing of the past."

Whether his words got through to Blake or were just ignored Alec couldn't tell. The man had just stared at him for a long moment before he returned to the matter at hand.

"Those bastards not only killed Mary, but they stole a great deal from us." He explained, "The supplies and the like I might easily forget, but they also stole the locket Mary wore. Took it as a trophy or some such thing. It was Connie's mothers, it's the last heirloom of her family and has been passed down since before the Great War."

"A locket?" Alec frowned, "this opportunity is retrieving a locket?"

"Don't misunderstand me. I want that gang destroyed and made to pay for what they did here." Blake said fiercely. "Whatever else you find is yours but kill them and bring back the locket and I will ensure you get everything you need from us and at an exceedingly reduced rate. I should also point out that this raider gang poses not only a threat to my farm but your own settlement."

Alec didn't like this proposition; it was inherently risky. There was a vast difference to saving a group of refugees in trouble to storming a stronghold to destroy and kill everyone inside.

"I'm no hired killer." Alec stated wondering if that is what Blake and his family thought.

"I didn't think that you were, but you have the look of one who can handle themselves. Raiders are a scourge, and like any diseased crop they must be removed root and stem so that the rest of the field can thrive. It's distasteful to be sure, but this must be done Mr Carter."

That was an easy distinction to make when it wasn't you pulling the trigger Alec thought darkly and wondered again whether this entire affair was worth it. The Abernathy's were friendly enough, but he couldn't help but think them sharks.

"Was I even to consider this dangerous proposition of yours – and that is a big if – tell me where I might find these accursed raiders." Alec growled mulling it all over in his head, "I assume you do know where I would find them Mr Abernathy, or this awkward conversation is for nothing."

It was clear that the man didn't in fact know their location and the fiery confidence with which he had been speaking of their murder was suddenly snuffed out like a light.

"Ah, yes." Blake said awkwardly, "well you see.. I can't say for sure you understand. You know I wasn't here… but Lucy swears she heard them say they had to get back to Olivia…"

"Who is Olivia?" Alec asked firmly cutting over the man but remembered him muttering the name earlier "If that means something to you then you had better tell me if I am to do this dark favour."

Blake looked uncomfortable as the atmosphere within the trailer became noticeably cooler but bristled slightly at the tone in which Alec spoke with him.

"There is an old satellite facility not far from Concord that's long been abandoned, I've seen it several times since I was a boy when I've carried out trade in the area." Blake explained, "Olivia is the name of the place according to the signs."

There was in fact a satellite station in the area Alec recalled, he'd seen it himself the day before as he had been travelling the wilderness looking for the Abernathy Farm. It had been off in the distance and resembled nothing more than a derelict ruin of scrap metal but looks could be deceiving.

With the proposition made Blake had quickly left the trailer and fled back to his house. With their visitor gone Dogmeat came back inside and sniffed around the floor curiously as though he could smell the tainted atmosphere. For surely this proposition was a devil's deal if ever Alec had heard one so he wouldn't be surprised if the dog could smell something foul.

"Well Dogmeat you better get some sleep." Alec said testily as he locked the door for the night and shot the dog a stern glare for its earlier behaviour but that would be a matter for a different day. "Tomorrow we have yet another task to complete. Preston said we should get these supplies no matter the cost, and this had better be worth it."

O-FALLOUT-O

Authors Note:

I must have gone through at least 7 versions of this chapter, it reached 40,000 words before I realised it would need to be separated into two chapters and then had to undergo a great deal of refining and structuring. Sometimes converting a game so rich with lore into a story is very trying and hard.

Abernathy Farm:

Before anyone shouts at me I have taken some creative liberties with their farm. Its not the same as it is in the game but its not that dissimilar either. I have uploaded a couple of pictures of the farm to my twitter account. Take a look!

Creatures of the Commonwealth:

You will also notice that I have included a greater variety of animals in the story so far, I know this is a fallout game but i's not constrained by game development and limitations. There will be a wider range of creatures, not all of them docile or normal. If you want a fleshed out world you need a larger amount of wildlife in my mind. I have plans for chickens, turkeys and goats (and other livestock) to eventually be introduced, or at least their mutated fallout descendants as this story and the sequel progress further.

Lucy was however joking about the horses, but that's not to say the don't exist in some fashion or another but I have no immediate plans to introduce them.

Food of the Commonwealth:

Like with animals, I wanted to add a few more plants into the story to flesh it out more and add some additional variety and as the story continues additional crops, flowers and plants will be introduced.

Edited: 14/08/2022

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