Sorry for the long wait. I actually had this chapter ready for a while. Again, certain priorities needed more attention. Also we finally managed to meet a certain reporter in this chapter.


The Prohpet of Chems

The Commonwealth, Boston Massachusetts

George Liu

Shen Lung Trooper

Shadow Blade Clan

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Mike, and Sturges finally put together enough supplies and resources into cleaning out the Red Rocket Truck Stop from the molerats. With a few more settlers arriving at Sanctuary to join the NCA. Preston remained to train the newcomers with the help of Clinton while Sturges took command of the truck stop.

From the distance among the prickly dead trees, George Liu foresaw the progress of the NCA's strength. He looked down at his heaving monstrous form of a mutant body. Going in under the cover of his cloak wouldn't do well, but then again approaching them directly wouldn't be as better. Either way standing and stalking their village expansion doesn't make the wait any easier.

"Alright Sturges. We got our vacation home well fortified. Let those Raiders come. We'll be waiting for you sumbitches." Sturges spoke to himself while manning the watch barriers. All this pre-war Military ordinance definitely has Sturges on the edge of his nerves. He's no soldier, but he's all they have.

A thump of a pebble poked at the back of his ear. Quickly turning around to catch the trickster, but nothing was there. Only the settlers back in Sanctuary, and there was no way any of them could have thrown that at him.

"Don't turn around." George whispered.

From there, Sturges felt a cold piece of metal poke the back of his neck. For a moment he realized it was the barrel of a 9mm.

"I have only one demand, drop your weapon, and keep your hands up. Do this and we'll both walk away in one piece."

"What do you want?" Sturges unstrapped his rifle and unholstered his sidearm. Sweat raised as hard as his hands on the side.

"Nothing of material. I'd actually like to join your group, but before that, I just need you to take a deep breath, turn around slowly and do not reach for your gun."

The moment George released his weapon from Sturges he bolted around to see George Liu uncloaking to show him the metal pipe he used to trick Sturges.

"Holy shit, what the fuck are you?" Sturges asked, rather more petrified than eager to reach for his weapon.

"Let's just call me one of those supermutants found in Boston. I'm sorry for the scare. As you can see you'd probably shoot me on sight if I approached you directly." George threw away the old pipe.

"Just for scaring me with that piece of lead I oughta shoot you now… But then again you don't seem to be looking for a fight. I'm Sturges, welcome to Sanctuary Hills. Home base of the NCA" Sturges picked up his weapons after George gave him some space.

"I'm George Liu."

"Alright, let's see if we can find you some work." Sturges suggested as he pulled out his newly acquired shortwave radio.

"Hey Preston, we have a… Super mutant here asking to join the group. He's on his way now."

"I'm sorry, Sturges, a super mutant?" Preston asked in shock on the other line.

"Yeah… Just make sure no one shoots him. He's crossing the bridge now."

"Tell him to hold back a bit. Keep an eye on him."

The line was about to end on Preston's end, but he was caught off guard by a certain addict in a brand new custom wheelchair.

"Preston, it's alright. He means no harm. Let him over. I'll greet him myself." an old ladies voice is heard in the background of Preston's side of the line.

"Sturges, tell him to wait at the perimeter. Mama Murphy wants to meet him."

"Oh of course she does." Sturges finally ends the comm link, "Cross the bridge and wait for Mama Murphy.."

"Umm, okay?' George walks his way across the bridge.

A sudden sense of disturbance occurred to George while crossing the bridge. This is the first time George interacted with other wastelanders. All those long two centuries with other Shen Lung Troopers was all the family he ever knew after the bombs. All it took was one wrong catch of hostages and two soldiers with one suit of Hellfire Power Armor. Still, the same wrong catch gave George something he forgot after all these years. Something no amount of anger and training in secrecy could surmount to in any form. Something he hoped would come back to him at least one more time. He could never guess the very word till he arrived in Sanctuary at this very moment.

Closure.

The one man he saw with sorrow and empathy on his face before his whole life turned upside down survived this wasteland to tell him the truth.

Arriving in a seat with the legs of a Sentry bot wheeled her way to the tall thin supermutant.

"Ah, I was expecting you, the look on your face shows me all the pain you've been through all these years. I'm Mama Murphy."

"Umm… Nice to meet you too, Mama Murphy. I don't think we met though?"

"Ah don't worry, the Sight showed me your arrival to this place just after our last man of the past. Give me your hand, George." Mama Murphy held her hand for him.

"You know my name?" George asked in shock.

"The sight showed me a lot more than just your name. Oh, hold lemme get some Mentats." Struggling to reach through her duffle bag on the side of her seat, George had to pull out the chems for her. He popped open a pill for her and shortly after she rode the high to see her new vision.

"Give me your hands, George." Mama Murphy asked to which he obliged kindly, "Oh… Oh, my. The shakes alone tell me the amount of pain you've been through. I see a… It's a Ghoul, one of the Prewar Ghouls. She has both wedding rings around her neck from before the war. She's… Sad, and her love for you keeps her going despite the life she was denied. All these years, she still has hope to find answers of your whereabouts. Whether your dead or alive, Lori Yang stays at the Hotel Rexford still holding onto hope that she'll find the truth of you, someday… Oh, I almost forgot how to breathe just now."

"Lori… Lori Yang's a-a-alive?" George Stuttered.

"It seems like it, George."

Soon after, George fell to his knees shattered by the irony of his life for the last 200 years. He thought she was dead all this time, and yet… She's still out there just as he was all along. All of his pain, frustration, and agony. All of his trauma that corroded over the last 210 years was finally unleashed with only a single yell.

Murphy gave the Shen Lung the time he needed to pick himself up from this news.

"The Hotel Rexford? That's where she's at?" George asked.

"Yes, and when you find her, bring her here. You two deserve it. Something to keep living for."

"Thank you!" George took her hand in his as he felt a tear fall down his cheek.

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Freedom of the Press

The Fens, Boston Massachusetts

Nathan "Nate" Shaw

Recon Squad Gladius

Brotherhood of Steel

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"What do you mean you can't open the gate? Stop playing around, Danny! I'm standing out in the open here, for crying out loud!" A woman in a red trench coat was standing before a tall door shouting at an intercom.

"I got orders not to let you in, Ms. Piper. I'm sorry. I'm just doing my job." The one, Danny, on the other side of the intercom responded to the woman named Piper.

"Ooh just doing your job? Protecting Diamond City means keeping me out, is that it? "Oh look, it's the scary reporter!" Boo!" Piper argued back at the intercom responding as if Danny was really in front of her.

"I'm sorry, but Mayor McDonough's really steamed, Piper. Sayin' that article you wrote was all lies. The whole city's in a tizzy." Danny definitely sounds conflicted with the situation, but this mayor, the one who locked Piper out seems to have him on a tight leash.

"Agh... You open this gate right now, Danny Sullivan! I live here. You can't just lock me out!" She sighed in exhaust with rolled eyes. A small glint of stress started rumbling in the bottom of her stomach,

"I know you're listening, and I can wait all day, Danny. Open up!" Piper finally stopped responding to Danny for a moment to breathe out her frustration. Turning over to the side, she noticed a man in a black and red uniform. The emblem over his jacket was from the Brotherhood of Steel. Not the most praised group around in the Commonwealth, but beside him was a dog, Mister Handy, another member in Power Armor, and an eyebot. For a moment, she thought they were for Brotherhood business, but something about them felt a tad different.

"You guys, you want into Diamond City, right?" Piper asked the one in no power armor.

"We just got here, but yeah." Nate whispered with a little hint of confusion.

"Okay, shh, play along. Oh what's that, you're soldiers from the Brotherhood of Steel, you brought enough trade to keep the general store stocked for a whole month? Huh. You hear that Danny? You gonna open the gate and let us in? Or are you going to be the one talking to crazy Myrna about losing out on all this supply?"

Nate managed to crack a smile with a chuckled huff. He turned back to see the Storyteller nod his way. He can't see it, but Nate can tell the Storyteller's just as amused.

"Geez, alright. No need to make it personal, Piper. Give me a minute." A moment after, the big gate started hauling upwards with a loud screech. Making the entrance to Diamond City all the more interesting. Then again, for Nate, this whole bluff was already an interesting impression on the town here.

"Better head inside before ole' Danny Catches on to the bluff." Piper said as the door kept ascending.

"Sounds go, let's go." Nate answered.

"Another great day in Diamond City." Piper made her down the entrance before it was too late.

"Piper! Who let you back inside? I told Danny to keep that gate shut! You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have that scrapped for parts."

"Oooh, that a statement, Mr. McDonough? "Tyrant mayor shuts down the press? Why don't we ask the newcomers? You support the news? 'Cause the mayor's threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster."

"Always believed in freedom of the press. One of the things I used to fight for." Nate responded.

"Rightly so. A true medium for the people." Codsworth commented.

Dogmeat barked in response. As well as EDNA's beeping.

"The best and only source to know the stories around the wasteland." The Storyteller was the last to comment.

"Oh I didn't mean to bring you gentlemen into this argument. No no no… You two look like Diamond City material. Welcome to the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth. Safe. Happy. A fine place to live, spend your money, settle down. Don't let this muckracker tell you otherwise alright?" The Mayor known as McDonough responded to Nate and the Storyteller exclusively to the group of five.

"To be honest, this hasn't been the friendliest welcome." Nate answered pretty bluntly, and truthfully.

"He's got you there, McDonough. Guess not everyone gets won over by that shark smile of yours." Piper looked at Nate after his interesting response.

McDonough coughed quickly to avert the conversation back to him in his favor, "Now, was there anything particular you came to our city for?"

"I'm trying to find someone."

"Someone, who?"

"My son, Shaun. He's less than a year old."

Piper could hear the sorrow emanating in the words through his teeth, "Wait. Your son's missing? Oh, you hear that, McDonough? What's Diamond City Security going to do to help this man, huh? This isn't the first missing person's report to come through here, and now we've got an infant who's been taken."

"Don't listen to her. While I am afraid that our security team can't follow every case that comes through, I'm confident you can find help here."

"Just not from you, is that how I'm hearing this whole thing right now? From a Mayor? In a town big enough to occupy a stadium?" Nate called out. For a moment, he felt like he was dealing with one of the local politics from his past.

"This is ridiculous, Diamond City can't spare one officer to help? I want the truth McDonough, what's the real reason security always shrivels when talk of missing person comes up?"

"I've had enough of this, Piper. From now on, consider you and that little sister of yours on notice." the Mayor walked away.

"Yeah, keep talkin' McDonough. That's all you're good for." Piper said with the mayor leaving

"Hmph" McDonough responded when he left the vicinity.

"Look, I-I'm sorry about your boy. Why don't you guys come by my office, later? I think I just found my next story. Give me some time to get settled in, and I might be able to help."

"Thanks Piper."

Piper took her leave into the stadium along with the Storyteller and Edna. Nate could hear his armored companion whisper the word "I smell noodles." in a very tempting allure.

Nate walked over to the two front guards and asked for Danny.

"You Danny Sullivan?" Nate asked as he looked over the two guards. They both wore Baseball umpire padding and simple ballistic weapons.

"So you guys are the brotherhood soldiers Piper was talking about? And yet, something tells me she's pulled the wool over my eyes again, am I right?"

"I didn't mean to lie, officer. It all just happened so fast. I mean we are with the Brotherhood, but… We're not here for trading."

"You're not the first guy Piper pulled into a heap of trouble he wasn't ready for. Thanks for being honest. If it were up to me, we would have just let the both you in, but the mayor's calling the shots. And, well, you saw how mad he is. Hey, what's brought you into town, anyway? Be good to note it down in the logs."

"My boy Shaun's been kidnapped. He's just a baby."

"Oh, look, I'm sorry, but we're under orders not to get involved in missing person cases. There's a lot of Institute paranoia right now, and we really can't risk fanning those flames with official action. What if people panic?"

It took Nate a whole lot of restraint to not pull him from the counter and beat out the answers from Danny as a desperate father, but as a soldier he understands where Danny's coming from.

"Hey man, chin up…" Danny peaked over the counter to see if any other security personnel were nearby. Only his partner beside him, having another smoke, "Hey what's your name?" Danny whispered.

"My name's Nate."

"Alright Nate, that woman earlier, Piper. She's been digging into all kinds of missing person's cases here. She may be a loudmouth… But she's a smart loudmouth. She knows a private detective in town that can help."

Nate smirked in the corner of his lips and nodded lightly, "Thanks." He whispered and made his way into Diamond City.

Danny looked back at his partner, leaving out a few more cigarettes on the table from his pockets, "You only heard that because I was on break, deal?"

"Then it was a well deserved break." he took Danny's cigarettes.


My Skyrim project will need more time. I actually plan to reboot the piece. Though it may need more of a rewrite than a reboot. At least for the chapters after the third. Regardless, all in good time.

Here's to Creativity!