The first thing to register in Mason's mind was the sunlight. With him not expecting it to be daytime, he put an arm in front of his face while his eyes adjusted to the light. Looking around, Mason can't help but be surprised and ticked off at his surroundings. Where was everyone? And Sanctuary. Once a beautiful neighborhood, it now lied in ruins. Of the twelve houses that were there, only eight remained standing, while the other four had caved in. Where there was once vibrant green vegetation, now dull shades of brown and yellow. And the trees, no longer barring leaves, were growing out of control. He was glad the bomb had exploded from a distance, seeing as all the damage was caused by a shockwave.
"Well, this is foutu," Mason muttered as he started to walk toward Sanctuary. "Seeing as there are buildings standing, the only thing I'll have to worry about is food and water, and I've already taken care of water."
Mason understood if anyone heard him talking, they'd think he's crazy. Unfortunately, he had never learned to keep his thoughts to himself, leading him to get into more than his fair share of fights. When he searched the guard outpost by the gate, he found antibiotics and Rad-X. There had been Radaway as well, so he collected that as well, making sure to put it in a position where nothing would make it pop. Walking down the path, he thought about the last time he had been walking up here. How it seemed it was just yesterday. It could have, though if it was those people wouldn't have been able to get into the vault. And right now, until he could find Shaun, he was the sole survivor of the vault. The Lone Wanderer? Nah, he doubted he'd be traveling alone for long. There was no way he was the only one alive. His siblings had to have kids after everything. He'd have to try to search for them after finding Shaun.
As he walks into Sanctuary, he hears a beep on the Pip-Boy, and when he looks through the map, notices it's been marked on the map. That was a nice feature. Meant he wouldn't have to mark locations he's been to if he needed to find them. When he looks up towards his house, he stops and stares. Codsworth? Before going up to Codsworth, he looks around the neighborhood for anything, noticing everything that could be scrapped or picked up was in a dumpster by the front of Sanctuary. While he was looking around, he killed four roaches and six giant flies. It took eleven bullets to take care of them, only because he used two bullets on one of the flies. Afterward, it felt like my senses besides eyesight had grown stronger, though that could just be my imagination. Turning to Codsworth, he approaches him slowly, keeping himself from running. If it was him, Mason hoped his circuits weren't fried too badly. He loved that robot.
"Codsworth?" Mason utters, relieved when he didn't attack him.
"As I live and breathe… It's… It's REALLY you!" Codsworth remarked, elated at seeing his master.
"Codsworth? This means other people could still be around if you're still here," Mason mused, holding himself back from hugging the machine.
"Well, of course, I'm still here. Surely you don't think a little radiation could deter the pride of General Atomics International?" Codsworth declared, proud of his manufacturers. "But you seem the worse for wear. Best not let the wife see you in that state. Where is the missus by the way?"
"She's… in a better place now."
"Sir... these things you're saying… These… terrible things… I believe you need a distraction. It's been ages since we've had a proper family activity. Checkers or Charades, perhaps? Shaun does love that game! Where is the young lad by the way?"
Mason took a deep breath, feeling he would snap if he didn't, before releasing it and answering.
"Shaun's been kidnapped. But I'm going to find him. I'm going to get my son back."
"It's worse than I thought. Hmm hmm. You're suffering from… hunger-induced paranoia. Not eating properly for two hundred years will do that, I'm afraid."
Mason sighed. "It doesn't matter how long it's been. I feel fine."
"A bit over two hundred ten, actually sir. Give or take the Earth's rotation and some minor dings to the old chronometer," Codsworth stated before chuckling. "That means you're two centuries late for dinner! Hahaha. Perhaps I can whip you up a snack? You must be famished."
Even if Codsworth was a machine, Mason could tell he wasn't telling him everything. "Codsworth, you're acting… a little weird." Mason remarked. "What's wrong?"
"I… I…Oh, sir, it's been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve," Codsworth broke down, and if machines could produce tears, Mason knew the area would be flooded. "I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floor waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing! And don't get me started about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! How do you polish rust?"
"I need you to stay with me, pal. Focus," Mason told him, trying to get him to calm down.
"I'm afraid I don't know anything, sir. The bombs came, and all of you left in such a hurry. I thought for certain you and your family were… dead," Codsworth sniffled. "I did find this holotape. I believe the missus was going to present it to you. As a surprise. But then, well… everything happened." Accepting the holotape, Mason took a look at it and read what was written on it. 'Hi, Honey.'
"Thank you. Cods." Mason said, glad he'd have something to remember her voice.
Codsworth sniffled. "You're welcome." After perking up, he looked at Mason. "Now, enough feeling sorry for myself. Shall we search the neighborhood together? The missus and young Shaun may turn up yet?"
"Codsworth, I already looked. They're not here," Mason told him, frown evident on his face.
"Then… They're really gone, aren't they? Oh, sir…"
Mason sighed, before reminding him"Shaun's out there, Codsworth. I need to find him.
"What about Concord, sir? Plenty of people there. And last I checked, they only pummeled me with sticks a few times before I had to run back home."
"Thanks for the help, Codsworth," Mason responded, before thinking of something. "Before I head there, mind helping me clean up Sanctuary. Want to make sure the place lives up to its name for any new people."
After finishing the conversation, Mason walked around Sanctuary, picking up all the materials that could be scrapped, with Codsworth breaking down what he brought to the workshop. There were some things they didn't turn into scrap though, like a few workbenches. Mason understood the need for them, with them being useful for fixing armor and weapons, as well as a cooking pot for food, and a chemist station for trying a hand at making explosives.
While they were searching through one of the houses, Mason found a pair of jeans and a General Atomics T-Shirt, which he put on once he got them. That vault was too tight for his liking. When it was nearing nighttime, he had to try cooking the radroach meat he had collected.
"Not bad, not great, better than nothing," Mason remarked as he ate the food. While he was eating, he was messing around with the settings of the Pip-Boy, finding a way to change the color of it. Changing it to a tranquil orange, Mason put it into flashlight mode and continued eating.
When he was done, he went to his old house, where he and Codsworth had set up a bed made of cloth and scraps.
Picking up the Grognak Magazine that had somehow survived the passage of time, he flipped through it, taking note of the way the character was swinging his ax in the panels. Finishing the book, he left it on the couch for the time being and headed to the back of the house. Going through Shaun's room, he pushed the bed to the corner of the room to leave it alone and looked for anything useful. Although not particularly useful, Mason did find the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. book under the dresser and fit it into his back pocket. When he was done looking through Shaun's room, he went to his old room and took off his Pip-Boy, setting it on a table beside his bed with the book.
He grabbed the comic from the couch and set it on the table as well, before pulling out his wallet. Opening it, he let out a sigh of relief. There, in the section where a license or ID normally would be, was a family photo, of not only him and his family but his brother and sister as well. They had taken it when he and his brother retired from the military since it had been the first time in seven years they were able to all be in the same place. Looking at the picture brought happy memories to Mason's mind, bringing a grin to his face. Putting the wallet away and resting his head on a pillow, he went to bed with a smile.
For two days, he and Codsworth cleaned up Sanctuary. One of the days was spent painting and fixing up some armor Codsworth had found in one of the houses. After the second, which was spent putting together some containers for the weapons and clothing they had found, Mason grabbed a bag in his house and put the armor on, and after letting Codsworth know he should be back by the end of the day, left Sanctuary.
As he exited Sanctuary, he picked up a tire iron off a body at the end of the bridge, putting it in his bag. Approaching the Red Rocket, Mason didn't know what he was expecting. A German Shepard that looked to be in good health certainly wasn't something he had thought was a possibility.
"What are you doing here, boy?" Mason asked as he kneeled in front of it, a ghost of a smile on his face as it put its head into his outstretched hand. As he rubbed its snout, Mason got a feeling of the past he hadn't had in months. "Lose your owner, bud?" As he stood up, the dog began to whimper and moved closer to Mason, which made him look at it pity. Poor thing had no one. Almost like him. "Alright then, let's stick together."
As he got ready to move, Mason pulled out his pistol, feeling something dangerous nearby. As he starts to walk into the station, giant rats started to pop out of the ground
"Putain de merde," Mason yelled angrily as he shot at the rats. This was closer to what he was expecting, though not by much. "Only day four in this putain de world, and I'm already fighting merde like this." Kicking one away, he stuck the pistol in the mouth of one that tried to attack him from the right and pulled the trigger. As the one he kicked got back onto its feet, Mason aimed at its body and pulled the trigger. One of the rats jumped at him, jumping right into the weapon. As it fell after the bullet went through its body, Mason grabbed one by the throat when it tried to bite his leg. Dropping the body after he finished it, he noticed the dog had some blood around his nose and lips and saw one of the rats had its throat torn.
"Now I've got to keep you with me," Mason remarked as he grinned. "You kept me safe."
The dog barked as Mason patted its head, and when he was done, he went around to collect the bodies. After piling them up, he found a cooking spit in the back of the place and used it to cook the meat. Using a cooler to hold the meat, he attached it to the bottom of his bag and began walking to Concord. On the way there, they killed two giant bugs that reminded him of mosquitos. He was busy searching a building for anything when he heard gunfire.
Pulling his weapon out, he went behind the buildings, hoping to see who it was they were fighting to figure out how to handle the situation. Putting on the helmet as he crouched, the dog followed him close behind, trying to keep silent with him. Upon reaching the end of the street, Mason peered around the corner and saw something that made his blood boil. There were five people trying to kill someone on the balcony of the museum! Luckily it seemed that guy was a good shot, as there were two bodies that matched the clothing of the five in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, Mason stood and stepped around the corner, aiming his weapon at the people.
When the raiders saw him, they almost froze. They were supposed to be taking care of some random settlers, who the hell was this guy? Normally they wouldn't care and just kill him like anyone else, but this guy towered over them. It seemed he didn't care who they were, as he raised his pistol and pulled the trigger, a bullet going into the head of one of their men.
"Asshole!" one of them yelled as they ran at the giant with a tire iron.
"Wait!" one of the raiders yelled, before going white. As the one with the tire iron reached the man, he grabbed her by the wrist before pressing his weapon to her temple.
"Que ton dieu ait pitié," the man said, confusing the three other raiders before pulling the trigger. This made them snap out of their stupor as they raised their weapons and started firing. Seeing this, the man got ready before charging them, going from side to side, making him a hard person to hit for his size.
"You bast-'' one of them started to yell before the man's hand was on his face, pushing him back. As he pushed back, he slammed the man's head into the ground, making him blackout. Before the other two could help their friend, the man shot him in the head, taking him out. As the man stood up, they saw him reach into his bag, making them step back in fear. While they had never seen the guy before, it was impossible to see the blood of their friends on him, as his armor was a color that hid blood. Before they could retreat, the man on the balcony took out one of them, and a dog bit down onto the leg of the remaining one.
"Aggh," the last raider yelled, before seeing the man approach him, tire iron in his hand.
"Choisissez un dieu et priez," the man said, and the raider began praying to any god to have mercy on him, before finding his jaw broken. As he fell, the man raised the iron and slammed it into the back of his head, putting him out of his misery.
As he looked around at the damage he did, Mason noticed a rifle of sorts by the entrance with some fusion cells after the man in a cowboy hat yelled about it. Although he didn't see an immediate use for them, he put them away in his bag. As he entered the museum, Mason ducked into a nearby room and listened to the sounds of the gunshots. There were two on the top floor, one on the third, and one on the second. There were possibly three more, but he couldn't tell. As he walked through the room, Mason put the tire iron away and held his gun in front of him. As he walked through the room, he could hear someone in the room in front of him. When the person walked through the door, they tried to raise their weapon to fire before feeling a bullet hit their chest. Before recovering, Mason fired another round into her skull, making her drop to the ground. Searching her body, he finds a pistol and ammunition, along with a switchblade that could be scrapped for steel.
"Putain de merde!" Mason grunted when he neared the doorway leading to the stairs. A bullet had grazed his arm, and he had to pull a stimpak out. He didn't want to use it, but the wound would make him weaker, and he didn't need to be weak against things he hadn't fought. After injecting the stimpak into his arm, he wrapped his arm with a bandana he had found earlier, before leaning against the wall. He had to stop the dog from going out into the open, not knowing if they would shoot him. He kept listening, and when he was sure they had turned their attention away from him, he sped through the door, heading down into the basement through the caved floor. Looking behind him, he noticed a fusion core in a generator and got an idea.
After picking the lock and stepping up to the generator, Mason sighed and was thankful he didn't rely on sight as much as others. Taking a hold of the core, he pulled it out and smiled. The power in the building flickered for a minute, using what little power it had before the lights went out.
"Shit! What happened to the lights?" one of the raiders yelled as Mason began to walk up the steps. Without lights, they couldn't see. And with that, he was able to get to them easier. Keeping an ear out as his feet grazed the floor, Mason heard someone on the walkway and felt his way over to it. Reaching the walkway, the man in the middle heard him and fired his weapon in Mason's direction. When a bullet hit the armor and helmet, Mason felt the impact all over, though it wasn't anything new. He had been shot while wearing armor before, and while it hurt the first time, even breaking one of his ribs and knocking him onto his cul a few times, he had grown used to it after a while, making him tolerant to gunshots that hit armor on his body. Still hurt to get shot, sometimes broke a bone or two.
Charging forward, he planted a hand on the man's stomach as his shoulder hit, and flipped him over his back. Pulling out his weapon, he quickly fired a round into the man's skull. Thinking about how many bullets he had fired, he got another magazine ready, knowing he'd likely have to reload the gun soon.
Moving slowly so as not to make too much noise, Mason shifted the weapon to his left hand, his back to the wall as he moved through a hall leading to a room.
"I'm telling you, we need to get out of here," a raider urged someone as Mason neared them. "You can't say it's normal that it's gotten a bit quieter."
"Maybe they've gotten the minuteman," the other said. "It's about time too. We've been chasing them for a while."
Peering around the corner, Mason noticed an open oil lamp near the back and a propane cylinder, giving him an idea.
"Baise stupide!" he yelled as he pushed the cylinder toward the lamp, hitting the leg of one of the raiders.
"What the-" one the raiders began before being hit across the face by a gun. He staggered back into his friend, knocking them both down. Aiming the gun, he fired a bullet, hitting the propane cylinder near the lamp.
"Damn it," one of the raiders said, trying to stand on a broken leg before falling back down. "Who the hell-"
Before the cylinder exploded, Mason got behind the wall as the explosion killed the two raiders. Walking out from behind the wall, if he had a weak stomach, Mason would've spewed his breakfast from the sight. Picking up the weapons and ammunition, he put them away in his bag, keeping his pistol in his hand. Emerging on the third floor, he noticed the outline of a door to his right. Moving slowly, he heard a man on the other side of the door, and two more in front, firing at someone in the room leading to the balcony. Forming a plan, he took a deep breath before releasing it. Stepping up to the door, he grabbed the doorknob, which would've been stupid had they noticed him. Slamming the door shut, one of the raiders yelled.
"We've got company!" they shouted as they tried to pry the door open. Using her voice as a point of reference, which was hard through a door, Mason put the barrel of the gun on the door before pulling the trigger.
"Shit!" one of the raiders yelled as Mason stepped back. "They got Mags!"
"What the hell is going on?" the other yelled, and as Mason heard him stomping near the door, he kicked forward, pushing the body and slamming the door into the person running.
"God damn, my nose!" the raider yelled as he grabbed his face.
Stepping out, Mason aimed his gun at the furthest raider, firing a round into her back.
"Son of a bitch," she grunted as she looked behind her before freezing, and the one who got a door slammed into him did as well when he looked up. They couldn't see his face, but they could see his size. And besides him being tall, he was large, his frame taking up the width of the walkway. Aiming their weapons, the man charged forward, grabbing the nearest raider by the throat. The woman kept firing, though the man swung the raider in front of him, the bullets going into the raider. When she started to reload, the man slammed the raider into the wall headfirst, the sound of his neck breaking making her drop the magazine in her hand. Before she could pick the magazine up, she saw him raise his hand in her direction. Unable to see what was in his hand, she couldn't even react as he pulled the trigger to his weapon.
After searching the bodies of the raiders, Mason headed to the room where the cowboy was, which was lit by the light coming in through the windows.
Taking off his helmet as he approached him, the cowboy greeted him, "Man, I don't know who you are, but your timing is impeccable. Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen."
Looking him up and down, Mason could tell this man had been through a lot. His coat was extremely dirty, his hat looked like it needed to be treated, and his gloves had a bit of blood on them.
"I was glad to help," Mason told him, keeping a straight face.
"Well if that's true, we could use more goodwill. As you can see, we're in a bit of a mess here," Garvey remarked. Looking around, Mason could see it was likely taking all the man had to keep these people safe. Of the four people that the man was protecting, only one looked capable. There were two men and women, one of the men being almost as large as Mason, though a bit shorter, while the other looked like he'd hardly eaten in a while. The two women were another story. While they both needed food, one was old and looked to be on her last legs while the other woman looked like she had something under her nose. Wonder what happened to make her pissed off. When they looked at him, they were wary, and Mason wasn't surprised. The man protecting them had a hard time with the raiders, then he came in and took care of them rather easily. He doubted many had those kinds of skills nowadays.
"The world… it's changed a lot," Mason stated, a look of remembrance on his face. "A good bit of what I've seen doesn't make any sense."
"You alright? Listen. We need your help. And then maybe we can help you, huh? What brought you out here?"
"My robot butler," Mason remarked in annoyance. He didn't know why, but he didn't expect to run into raiders in Concord. "But do you know anyone who can help find a missing person?"
"Used to have a few good trackers in this group. Not many now," Garvey remarked, a distant look in his eyes. As he looked around, the buff man said "Hey." Snapping Garvey back to his senses, he continued. "A month ago, there were twenty of us. Yesterday, there were eight. Now we're five. First, it was the ghouls in Lexington, and now this mess."
When Mason listened to the man, he recognized the sound of frustration, it being common back when he had first started to learn boxing when he was in middle school, though the sound was slightly different.
"Sorry about that. Sounds rough," Mason told him, offering his sympathy.
"Thanks. It's… good to meet someone who really cares. Anyway, we thought Concord would be a safe place to settle. Those raiders proved us wrong. But… well, we do have one idea."
"One good idea can make all the difference," Mason stated, grinning to try to make the man more at ease.
"Sturges. Tell him," Garvey said as he gestured to the buff guy from before.
"Hey, Buff Man," Mason grinned, making Sturges laugh.
"Well, I suppose I'll call you Hero Man," Sturges remarked, laughing at the name. "There's a crashed vertibird up on the roof. Old school. Pre-war. You might've seen it. Well, looks like one of its passengers left behind a seriously sweet goodie: we're talking a full suit of cherry T-45 power armor, military issue."
"I've got some experience with that," Mason stated, leaving Garvey surprised. "Not only that, but it provides some serious protection."
"Oh, it gets better. Get the suit, you can rip the minigun right off that vertibird. Do that, and those raiders get an express ticket to Hell. You dig?"
"You're in luck then. The only concern with it would be the power source, and I grabbed the fusion core from downstairs," Mason informed them, leaving a grin forming on Sturges face and a smile on Garvey's.
"Well all right," Garvey happily stated. "Maybe our luck's finally turning around. Once you jack the core into the power armor and grab that minigun, those raiders'll know they picked the wrong fight. Good luck."
Before heading out, Mason sat down on the couch beside the old lady to regain energy.
"Careful kid," She said eerily. "There's something comin'. And it's… angry."
"Ma'am?" Mason remarked, surprised by what she said. It was creepy, though not the first time someone said something like that to him.
"You're not what I expected Dogmeat would find in that little neighborhood. But oh, so much better." That was… good for him to know. At least she wouldn't be biting Mason's head off anytime soon.
"Well, he's a good dog. Rather smart too," Mason told her with a smile.
"Oh, indeed," she agreed, nodding her head. "Dogmeat's good at finding folks who need him, and he'll stick by you now. I saw it."
"You 'saw' it?" Mason questioned, finding the phrasing of it a bit worrying.
"It's the chems, kid. They give ole Mama Murphy the 'Sight.' Been that way for as long as I can remember."
Even if she did use drugs, Mason did find the ability impressive. "That's incredible."
"I can see a bit of what was, and what will be. And even what is, right now. And right now, I can see there's something coming. Drawn by the noise and the chaos. And it is… angry."
Why did it seem the world already wanted to screw Mason over? He supposed it could do with his horrible luck. But he wasn't going to let his luck kill him before he found his son."What is it? Mama Murphy, I need more. Please."
"I'm sorry, kid. But I just don't know. The sight isn't always clear. But believe me when I tell you it ain't a raider," she said, and Mason could hear the fear in her voice. "Ah, I'm tired now. And if I ain't mistaken, you've got a job to do…"
He sighed and reached down to pet Dogmeat. Even if he didn't know what he would be fighting, he was sure of one thing. He wouldn't let it kill him.
In his hour-long rest, he found a Vault-Tec bobblehead that was looking in the distance and a comic book with a holotape game. When he finally was ready to go, he walked by a woman who complained, "We can't just stay trapped in here. This is ridiculous. Somebody do something."
"Do something yourself then, chienne," Mason growled at her as he walked past. One thing he had never been able to stand was people who complained about everything. Even if he didn't know their story or why they acted that way, it was a pain for him to deal with.
After getting to the rooftop, Mason took the fusion core from his bag and put it into the armor. Taking his helmet and putting it in his bag, he strapped it to Dogmeat, who went inside, probably waiting for him to come out on the bottom. He had drunk water in the hour he had regained energy, which worked out due to him not having drunk any the previous day.
Checking out the pieces of armor, he noticed how the right leg and left arm were damaged severely, but could still use them, so he left them on. Opening the back, he stepped in, raising his head into the helmet. As the back closed behind him, he decided to test the armor, doing a few swings to make sure the joints weren't too rusted.
Walking into the vertibird, he ripped the Minigun clean off its mount, the armor allowing him to carry it with ease. Holding the weapon in one hand, he walked forward, noticing a raider on the opposite side, and grabbed an oil canister. When he got to the edge, he pulled his arm back, before throwing the canister forward, watching it hit the raider in the head. If the initial impact of the hit didn't kill the raider, falling on his face onto concrete did. Taking hold of the minigun, he crouched before jumping off the building, landing on the ground with a thundering BOOM!
As he walked forward, he saw fear in the raiders' stances as they stepped back before he raised the minigun.
"Shit! He's got a minigun," one of the raiders shouted before bullets peppered his body, tearing him to shreds. Making quick work of the others, Mason noticed the grate of the sewers rise but thought he was just seeing things in the receptors before it got launched off the ground, and that's when he remembered Mama Murphy's words.
"Putain de merde!" Mason yelled as he ran into a building, hoping whatever that was couldn't get in. He heard someone yell something about a deathclaw, though what it was he had no idea. Going up the stairs of the building, he would've been shot by a raider if he hadn't swung the minigun up, hitting the man back. Raising the gun, he charged forward, pushing the man back before knocking him out a window. Turning left, he saw a raider on a balcony and got ready to fire before a dark gray claw grabbed him. Walking forward, Mason saw a giant lizard, almost making him freeze in fear before remembering he'd faced scarier things.
He was about to run down before hearing a whimper. Looking back at the deathclaw, he saw Dogmeat laying on the ground in front of a wall, appearing to have been thrown into the wall. He took a few steps back before running forward, jumping off the balcony and landing on the ground, shaking the ground behind the deathclaw and getting its attention. Standing up, Mason dropped the minigun and got into a stance.
"Bring it on, baiseuse de mère," Mason growled, and the deathclaw glared. It charged forward, swinging wildly at Mason. Ducking under it, coming up. Mason threw a fast punch, sending it flying back. It tried to regain its sense, before he threw a cross, cracking the creature's snout. It roared in pain before running at him, and when it tried, he brought up his knee into its stomach, the armor provided him with limited flexibility.
"You won't hit me today, bâtarde," Mason snarled. "Not after what you did to Dogmeat."
Before the deathclaw swung up, Mason brought a metal fist onto the top of the creature's head, slamming it to the ground and cracking the road beneath. Bringing back the other hand, he slammed it into the creature's snout again, sending it flying into a car behind it.
Mason got ready for it, getting used to the feeling of the frame. He may not have enjoyed war, but stepping into power armor again brought back memories of excitement, something most soldiers felt when stepping into the suit. And despite having used it in war, it never tainted the feeling of joy felt when the suit worked.
The deathclaw roared, and Mason got ready. It charged, swinging wildly with its claw. Stepping forward, Mason brought up an arm, catching the deathclaw in the arm, and it tried to roar into the face of the helmet before Mason swung upwards, slamming the jaw shut and sending it back.
"You hurt my dog," he snarled, body shaking, holding back screams of frustration. "You. You're gonna pay for that."
Getting ready, he charged forward, ducking under the creature's claws, before standing straight, slamming the top of the helmet into it. The creature tried to roar in pain before Mason grabbed its throat with ruthless pressure, the hands digging into the windpipe. The deathclaw tried to wipe at Mason, but he used his free hand to grab it, then brought a knee into its stomach.
"You. Will. Die," Mason fumed, his voice dripped in menace. Releasing its arm, he punched it across the face, tearing the windpipe as blood splattered onto the armor. It reached up to its throat before Mason grabbed it by a horn. Slamming it into the engine of a car, he brought the hood of it down. Taking a step back, Mason looked around for something. The deathclaw began to claw at its own throat as if it was trying to shove air down it. Coming back to the deathclaw, Mason held some grenades in one hand and a pipe pistol in the other. While the gun was weak, it'd do the job. And while he didn't know how strong the thing's skin was, a few grenades oughta do the trick.
Throwing the grenades at the deathclaw, it didn't seem to notice them. Taking a few steps back, Mason aimed the pistol and fired. BOOM!
Hitting one grenade set off a reaction, causing all other grenades to explode with it. He covered the face from the explosion, and while the helmet protected him from the sound, he didn't want to mess with the visual receptors. He would've checked on the state of the creature if its head didn't roll to the feet of the armor.
Stepping out of the armor, he ran over to Dogmeat, who had his bag on him. Going through it, he pulled a stimpak out and used it on him, and Dogmeat soon stopped whimpering as it took effect. Taking the bag off him, Mason held it in one hand and sat there as Dogmeat started to feel better. While sitting there, Dogmeat laid his head in Mason's lap.
As he rubbed Dogmeat's head, he wondered how this dog had already made him care about him that much. If it weren't for him, it was likely he wasn't going to fight the creature up close and used the minigun from the building. That was the first time he'd fought something like that. If it weren't for the armor, he would've died. And looking at it from his position, the armor had taken a beating, the arm pieces bent. All things considered, that wasn't much, but it could've been worse. After sitting there with him for a while, Mason stood up and looked around. He started to search the bodies, collecting ammunition and weapons off them, finding some molotovs on some of them. He collected a bit of armor as well as a key off one person, and a note that said something about Corvega.
"Let's go bud," Mason uttered to Dogmeat as he walked back to the building. As he walked into the building, he found the people in the lobby area of the museum, which made him glad to not have to go back upstairs.
"That was a pretty terrifying display. I'm just glad you're on our side," Garvey said as he walked up to them. He didn't know why, but the guy was impressed.
"Will you guys be fine now," Mason questioned as he squatted down. His legs were hurting, and he couldn't wait to get back to Sanctuary.
"Yeah, for a while anyway. We can at least move someplace safer," Garvey said as he lowered his musket, clearly relieved at the break. "Listen, when we first met, when you said you were glad to help, well you did, and we owe you our lives. So here. It's not much, but it's the best way I can say thank you." He handed Mason some bottle caps, which he didn't understand, and some fusion cells.
"You're welcome," Mason said, relieved that they were safe now. "I'm happy to help anytime."
"Well, since you say that, maybe you'll come to Sanctuary with us," Garvey said, reassuring Mason with a smile. "We could use your help getting settled there."
"Actually, I already live there. I'll meet you guys there."
"Oh, that's wonderful,' Mama Murphy said. "But there's more to your destiny, isn't there? I've seen it. And I know your pain."
"Please, tell me," Mason said, pleading with her for help. "I need to know."
"You're a man out of time. Out of hope. But all's not lost. I can feel... your son's energy. He's alive," She told him cryptically.
"I knew it," Mason said as his voice shook. This was the best thing he'd heard. "Please tell me where he is! I need to find my son."
"I can't see him," Mamma Murphy told him sadly. "But I feel his life force. He's out there. And even I don't need the sight to tell you where to start lookin'. The great green jewel of the Commonwealth. Diamond City. The biggest settlement around."
"Please, Mamma Murphy. I'm working from nothing. I need more," Mason said, unable to relax now.
"Look, kid, I'm tired now. Maybe you bring me some chems later, the sight will paint a clearer picture."
Garvey interrupted them and said "No! Mama Murphy, we talked about this. That junk… It's going to kill you."
"Oh shush Preston. We're all gonna die eventually. We're gonna need the sight. And our new friend here, he's gonna need it too," Mama Murphy said as she scolded Garvey. "Now let's get goin'. Sanctuary awaits."
"Alright folks," Garvey addressed the group. "Thanks to our friend here, it's safe to move out. We're headed to that place Mama Murphy knows about: Sanctuary. It's not far."
"She knows about it? You mean she had one of her 'visions' while she was stoned out of her gourd. And now you want us to head out on another wild goose chase based on no better plan than 'Mama Murphy saw it'?" The chienne Mason said something to earlier said.
"It can hardly turn out worse than-" Garvey began but was interrupted by Sturges.
"Hold on, hold on. Everybody just take it easy. We're all in this together, right?" Sturges asked them. "So, Marcy. You got a better idea of what we should do next?"
After a moment of silence, Sturges said "Anybody?"
When no one said anything, he said, "Well then, Sanctuary it is. Let's just hope it lives up to its name."
After that, Mason went and got back into the power armor and started walking back to Sanctuary, a bag in one hand, Dogmeat on the other side.
