James sat arms crossed in the Concord church next to the Concord Museum of Freedom. A banner hung low in the front of the church reading: "Congratulations Sigma Academy Graduates!"
Marie had graduated Sigma Academy and was deemed ready to serve the Enclave or Brotherhood, pending her choice of course. According to a brief chat with Danse and Nate, both organizations were ecstatic at her scores and were ready to leap over mountains just to get her accepted.
"We've never had a candidate with this much potential!" Danse exclaimed, actually sounding excited in the first time since James recruited the man into Lyons' Brotherhood.
"It's ultimately her choice, but I can see about reserving a spot in the Lyons Pride just for her, boss." Nate said proudly before the ceremony began. All of the Lyons Pride attended the ceremony, minus their armors of course, this was a social event after all.
"Marie Hwang!" the principal announced. James was shocked to hear that she had adopted his last name. Nate leaned over and whispered.
"While you were gone, she learned about the Pitt. When asked, she started using your last name." he said. "She told me it was 'cause she never had a last name and the Enclave documents were asking about one, so she panicked and jotted it down."
"Huh." James muttered in response as Marie accepted the diploma from the principal and walked off stage. As she did, James started clapping. The Pride was much more enthusiastic, hooting and shouting compliments as she gracefully walked down the steps to join her fellow graduates.
"And that's the last of our graduates, I hope you all had a great time with us. And now to complete the ceremony, let me welcome a very special guest from our former Madam President!" the principal announced. A gasp resonated within the room as Katherine entered from a side door while wearing a purple sequin dress. James acted surprised, but he knew she'd be here. Marie was definitely, surprised, gasping with the rest of the crowd and holding her hand over her mouth as if to block the gaping hole of surprise that enveloped her face.
"Good Afternoon, everyone." Katherine said softly into the microphone. The gasps and whispers faded away as Katherine started talking. "I'm glad you all made it here today and even more happy to welcome the next generation of leaders, workers, builders into the arms of our society. No matter what they choose to do, the best we can offer to them is our unconditional love and support for their choices in continuing their lives. I wish you graduates the best of luck out there in the Wasteland. I hope you all have a great rest of this day!" she said excitedly before backing away from the microphone.
The crowd clapped as Katherine stepped off the stage and began to greet the graduates individually, shaking hands and exchanging greetings. Nate leaned over again.
"What a gal, huh?" he whispered. "Back for not even a day and she's acting all presidential."
James chuckled as he admired her from afar. "You really know how to pick 'em, Nate."
"Yeah, I sure did." Nate agreed but said nothing else. They sat still and silent as parents shuffled out to meet the great and now-legendary Sole Survivor of Vault 111.
"So when did you start using my last name?" James asked as he walked Marie back to Sanctuary Hills. They had just arrived in the outskirts of Concord and were five minutes out from the Red Rocket gas station.
"Well, about three years ago when I was saved." she responded. She fiddled with her own Pip-Boy. James smiled at the memory of receiving his own Pip-Boy on his 10th birthday. "While they were processing me, they had me fill out a form. It asked for a last name, I didn't know any so I put yours."
"Huh, is that so?" James asked as Marie suddenly figured out how to activate the Pip-Boy. The screen lit up with green code as it beeped into life. "Looks like you have one of the old models."
"Yeah, it's not as cool as Miss Katherine's." Marie said, disappointedly. As James opened his mouth to respond, Marie looked up at him and spoke first. "But I've heard that the older models are sturdier and have longer lifespans so I guess I still like it anyways!"
James smiled as he observed the girl he had helped raise suddenly seem to transform into a wastelander of her own. She was an adult now. At least by Commonwealth standards. James looked down and realized that meant she could also leave now, if she chose too. If she joined up with either the Enclave or the Brotherhood, they'd put her through rigorous training and eventually induction into their respective military structures. Then, to make things worst, she'd probably volunteer for combat deployments and may face unknown horrors out in the Borderlands. James shook his head at the idea and noticed that he could see Red Rocket at the top of the hill they were walking.
"So what are you going to now, young lady?" James asked. Marie thought for a moment before responding.
"I don't really know." she responded. "Most of my friends are just following their results from the Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test, but I didn't really place on that."
"Wait, Generalized occupational what?"
"It's like a test. We fill it out and our responses determine what role we are best suited to to benefit society!"
"That sounds an awful lot like the G.O.A.T." James replied, skeptical of whatever test the schools were using now.
"G.O.A.T.? That sounds stupid."
"Well, that's what I took!"
"Really? What was you job?"
"I got Marriage Counselor. Apparently even back then, they thought I was pretty charming!" James joked.
"Marriage Counselor? Oh man, I hate think of how many couples you split apart." Marie said, shaking her head.
"Hey!" James protested. "I did my job well!"
"Well, the thing with my results, though, I don't have a job."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I didn't place in anything specific. I took the correctly and everything but it turned out that I was naturally so well-rounded that I could choose to do whatever I wanted."
"Huh, so what's that mean for you then?"
"Well, Nate told me I could do whatever wanted. And that I was always welcome to join the Lyons Pride as backup."
"Wow, the Lyons Pride as backup?!" James said, impressed. "Guess he really did lower standards to get more members." He said, speculating.
"I did not!" Nate protested. James looked up and realized that they had arrived at Red Rocket Gas station, which incidentally was now a functional diner. Apparently, one of Nate's friends hit it hard in Jamaica Plains and returned without a single cap to his name. Nate rented out the place and helped him set up a diner to get back on his feet. Though it did come at an expense to James's workshop space. "We've only had three members pass the Induction tests in three years!"
"So does that mean, you guys will still take me?" Marie asked. Nate smiled and looked at her.
"Only if you pass, little lady." Nate responded. "Here, Shaun and the rest of the guys are in the garage. Why don't you work on that pet project of yours?"
"Okay!" Marie responded, throwing down her backpack at James's leg and ran off to join her friends.
"She's friends with Shaun?" James asked. "Your boy?" Nate beamed proudly at the suggestion.
"Yup, they really hit it off in school. She didn't seem to like you dissapearance all that much, but when Shaun first transferred to the Academy, they really seemed to help each other grow up a little."
"Hmm, he better not get any weird ideas." James cautioned Nate, who laughed the threat off.
"I still don't think she's that type of girl yet, James." A woman's voice cut into the two mens' conversation. James calmly plucked up Marie's bag and turned to find that Katherine had just arrived at the gas station with Dogmeat at her heel.
"Katherine." James greeted.
"James." she nodded in response, also appearing amused, but not entirely happy.
"Hey, honey." Nate said awkwardly. Guess things weren't so great between them too.
"Where have you been?" James asked. Katherine appeared to have ignored Nate altogether as she walked forward.
"Let's grab a drink first, guys." she said, turning to show that she held a handful of caps. "I'll buy" then turned back and continued walking. James reached for his belt and realized that his pouch of caps was missing.
"Oh you, son of a-!"
"I see you've been busy." Katherine commented as she swirled her cup of coffee in her mug. She was referring to the growth in settlements and playing a direct role in the economic growth that the entire region had seen in the past years.
"Well, that wasn't really me." James admitted as he finished his own cup. "Arcade ran the fort while I was out."
"Out?" Katherine asked. James nodded.
"Father stuck me in some twisted Anchorage simulation." James said, recalling the events leading up to America's invasion of China and the memories he was forced to live through in the simulation. "Said it had to do with my survival or something."
"Mm." Katherine nodded. "He said the same thing to me after I left."
"How long did it take to complete it?" James asked. "Deacon recently filed a report that revealed that each member forced into the sim was told of other participants but each person experienced a different version of the same scenario simulation."
"I think it took about a year." Katherine said, trying to recall. She just finished her cup of coffee and raised her cup for another. "I didn't make it all the way to China. Would have been interesting to see it, after seeing what it did to my home."
"Well, I wouldn't want to ever have to see it again." James replied. "I don't have good memories of the place, even if they were faked." He said recalling the countless sleepless nights spent wandering the Gobi Desert.
"How long were you in for?" Katherine asked? James thought about his last memory in the simulation. He had just stormed the Communist Government's Headquarters but was stopped short of having prevented the launch of the first wave of nukes directed at America.
"I just got out two weeks ago." James replied, not actually entirely sure how long he had been awake. He assumed it had been two weeks. "What have you been doing for two years? These people were really lost without a leader."
"I was, just wandering. Figured, I deserved some time off." she responded quietly. James understood immediately the feeling she talked about. But it didn't make it right that she led people to believe that she was just missing for two years. James kept his mouth shut and sipped his second cup of coffee silently as the radio switched stations. Katherine sighed, catching James's attention. "I also spent most of my time tracking down Maxson's Outcasts."
"What?" James asked, surprised to even hear Maxson's name.
"Maxson survived the Battle at Boston Airport, I've confirmed it myself." Katherine said. "He took Fort Hagen a while ago, but one day abandoned it for some reason." There were a bunch of destroyed robots at the site so I investigated and found loads of Pre-War tech that had been salvaged and repaired. Tanks, actual tanks from my time."
"Tanks?!" James asked, imagining the deafening firepower that Maxson would possess if he ever found a way to deploy them. "Were they functional?"
"I don't know. I didn't stop to check." Katherine replied. "But I soon found out that the reason Maxson abandonned the site was simply because he moved it."
"Where?"
"I'm not entirely sure, I tracked him out of the Commonwealth and further West towards Chicago."
"What's a Chicago?" James asked, Katherine ignored the statement and continued.
"Turns out there were airships, James. Huge and operational. I don't know how or even how many they have but Maxson apparently usurped authority of the local garrison."
"You know what, I think I recall Elder Lyons mentioning something about a garrison around that area. I thought he was kidding though, since he said that the East Coast was isolated." James commented. Katherine nodded and continued.
"Apparently Maxson started some kind of Civil War with the local garrison and won. He battled some guy called the Warrior or the descendent of the Warrior or something and then won the respect of all involved. Now he's rebuilding and he's planning on coming back in force." Katherine said, finishing her cup of coffee before dropping a few caps on the counter. She stood from her stool and gestured for Dogmeat to follow her.
"That's why you came back." James said, following her as she left the gas station. Their discussion had taken up the rest of the day. The sun was already setting. Katherine nodded as she turned to answer James. "You weren't sure if the Commonwealth was ready."
"They're not." she replied. "Thanks to Father, I guess I learned something about war that my husband never told me about." James frowned as he was reminded of how even her son had betrayed her. "It is absolute Hell. I don't want to see it happen to these people. Not after they believe that they finally accomplished peace."
"Well, one could argue that it's just relatively peaceful." James interjected but Katherine ignored him again.
"They're not ready, James. The only one close enough to match Maxson's Outcasts is the Enclave. But even you aren't ready for what I've seen." she said, darkly. She had clearly seen something of Maxson's that spooked her. Something about her journey alone into unknown territory and the simulation changed Katherine. James frowned as he attempted to think of all the possible factors but gave up when he stood himself up straight and threw his hands in his pockets.
"It doesn't matter if I'm ready." he said confidently. He paced slowly towards Katherine as he spoke. "We have you back, and that's all we need to fix things here." James smiled at Katherine, who seemed surprised by the absolute confidence of the man who was easily the most powerful man in the Commonwealth.
"I'm really not sure you stand a chance, James." Katherine said quietly. He now stood a breath's distance away from her. He could see that she was definitely worried about something that she wasn't yet willing to disclose.
"I never did." he replied softly. "And that's why I have to try. How long do we have?"
"I don't know." James nodded, satisfied with the answer. He turned and eyed Nate, leaning against the bar counter, watching them from the window while pretending that his newspaper interested him. "Nate, we have some planning to do!" James called out at his friend.
James yawned as he stepped out of the briefing room in the Mobile Crawler. Above him was the night sky. He looked up and admired the dark night and the stars that glowed brightly. He sighed as a cold breeze passed before walking forward and leaned over the rail. He watched as Rivet City began turning off its lights in the distance, likely to prevent attracting Mirelurks. He sighed as he thought of all the ridiculous responsibilities now pouring onto him from various directions. It was almost as if he just couldn't catch a break. The door opened behind, causing James to turn to see who had decided to join him on the deck.
Katherine stood with Marie and Dogmeat flanking her. She had a coat on, and she had changed her clothes to a more familiar look.
"Why the vault suit?" James asked jokingly. Katherine gave him a look that even he could see in the dark.
"Couldn't find my other clothes." She replied curtly and joined James on the rail.
"Things are really going to get busy around here." James said aloud, Not directing his comment to any one particular person.
"James," Marie said suddenly, causing him to look over at her. "I decided that I don't want to join the Enclave." James smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Great!" he said excitedly. "I was hoping you'd enjoy a quieter life anyways, what are you going to do?" She didn't reply for a while.
"I've decided that I'm going to follow you." she said suddenly. James gave her a curious look.
"What do you mean?" he asked her.
"Teach me to be like you." she replied confidently.
"You know what kind of life I lead, right?" he asked her carefully. There was a time where he would have denied her on the spot. That's what his dad would have done.
"You have a chance to a better life, son!" James Sr. had told him while expressing his frustration with James Jr. back when they had arrived at Project Purity. They had gotten into an argument about why even continue to develop the filtration system since no one seemed to care. James Jr. was angered by the lack of help and the condition of the building. He was confident that there was no way that they would be able to get it to work. "I'm not giving up on you!" James Sr. had said while James tried to walk out on the project. He grabbed James's shoulder, turned him around and looked James square in the eye. "This was all for you, son."
"James, something's wrong!" Dr. Li's voice interrupted their heated discussion as a pipe exploded with steam.
"Dammit!" James Sr. mumbled as he released his son and ran towards the steam. "We'll talk later, get to the maintenance tunnel and wait for my instructions!" he shouted. James nodded and ran towards the tunnel to help. And the rest was history.
James stared Marie square in the eyes the same way his father stared at him all those years ago and was disappointed to find that she was absolutely serious. He nodded and then reached for his pistol. He pulled his father's treasured M1911 and handed it to Marie. She hesitated to grab it, but James did not move his eyes aways from her.
"This is yours now." James said quietly. "Take care of it and it will take care of you." Marie's fingers closed around the handle of the pistol as she took it gingerly from James's hand. Her hands went to work as she checked the sights, checked the safety and the condition of the magazine before inserting the gun into her own newly fashioned leather thigh holster.
"Thank you, James." she said. James nodded and took a knee to tell her a few things.
"The life I lead isn't fun." he began. "It's not an adventure. It's surviving. We do what we have to in order to survive, do you understand?" he asked. Marie nodded.
"When we are out there you will do everything I tell you without protest, do you understand?" she nodded.
"Be patient, you'll learn everything I have to teach you, but only when you're ready." he said before standing. Marie nodded and seemed satisfied with James's attempt to convince her of the seriousness of his life. His father once tried to do the same and stop James from pursuing a life of wandering. It didn't work, so James figured he might try supporting Marie instead. Katherine seemed to have no problems with this as she didn't move from her place at the rail and only looked at Marie's pistol with great interest.
"Isn't that you father's pistol?" Katherine asked. James nodded as he returned to his post. "Why did you give it to her?"
"She needs a good gun to start. Experience comes later." he responded simply.
"You're not being very specific."
"That gun was the only weapon I had after nearly being captured at Project Purity. My father slipped it to Dr. Li before entering the Purification Chamber with Colonel Autumn. Using the pistol alone, I managed to get everyone out of ghoul-infested sewers with only 9 rounds. I like to think my dad watched over me while I used the pistol."
"And now you hope he'll watch over her." James didn't respond as the door opened once more. James looked over to reveal a man in a white tux striding forward. "Hmm, I don't recall inviting you over."
"Well, I guess that's one way to treat a friend." Nathan Hale said as he stood next to James, leaning back onto the railing and facing towards the way he came.
"If you're what I call a friend, then I guess you're one Hell of a weird one." James replied. Hale chuckled and reached into his coat. He produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and soon puffed away at his first cigarette for the night.
"I suppose that's fair." Hale replied.
"How long have you been out for? I saw you in the sim, that means you were caught too." James said. Hale chuckled again and scratched at his stubble.
"I'd say about a few months?" he replied. "I'm not really sure. I got out because I was tortured to death in some barn near Shanghai. I didn't wake up the sanest person around."
"Well, you look great for a torture survivor." James joked.
"Hey, I did get shot in the head,"
"And live to tell the tale. You never stop talking about that." James finished as he laughed as well.
"So you're the glorified mailman." Katherine said, greeting Hale. She pushed her hand out and Hale took it and gave it a firm shake.
"And you're the frozen ice princess." he said, as a puff of smoke exited his mouth. "Good to meet you."
"How's our friend, Mr. Young doing?" James asked. Recalling that last he heard, the former President George Young was being held in an NCR prison.
"Apparently Arcade and Boone got his ass out and moved him into Jamaica Plains. They set up a casino as a front for his laboratory and he makes up weapons designs in return." Hale replied.
"Wait, so the casino isn't yours?" James asked. Hale shook his head.
"You really think I'd want to make a casino here?" Hale asked, in shock. "It'd be way easier overbilling the idiots here for renovations and infrastructure repair. Hell, with my train it'd be way faster to bring materials and workers from Colorado Springs. I'd make a killing out there!"
"I guess that is true." James admitted. "So I take it, I have Mr. Young to thank for upgrading the Enclave in my absence?"
"Mostly, Arcade helped a little too." Hale replied, taking a long puff from his cigarette. Another breeze passed the group. Marie was practicing aiming her pistol at a nearby target with some help from Nate, who had just exited the briefing room.
"So what are you doing here?" James asked. Hale puffed on his cigarette once more.
"I have some people claiming to be from Vault 101 request an audience with you." Hale said simply. James glared at Hale as he imagined the possibilities of that happening.
"Why would they go to you?" James asked.
"Most likely because Jamaica Plains is the only bit of neutral real estate left in the Commonwealth. Factions are gearing up for war, it's only natural they'll head for the place with the least to lose."
"Hmm. Where are they now?"
"Still at my place. I'm here to take you since I wanted to make sure they'd be absolutely safe."
"Why? Concerned for my health?" James asked jokingly.
"I'm concerned for theirs. Their uniforms made them look like military so I wanted to be certain that they wouldn't start a fight that they'll lose on my property."
"Hmm, ever the altruist."
"And also, I've been hearing some weird rumors float around the casino. But I don't want to say anything conclusive until I you get to Jamaica Plains."
"Fine then." James responded. "Nate, get us a vertibird, we're headed for Jamaica Plains!"