Chapter 1 Ain't that a kick in the head?

Crawling out of that vault was the hardest thing I'd ever done, or would do. Freezing cold and alone, I pulled myself out of it, unable to even cry from the shock. Nate was dead. Dead, just as the rest of the world was. His corpse slouched over in that icy sarcophagus like a wax figure. And Sean... he was gone. Taken by some fucking psychopaths in lab suits. It didn't seem real.

What the fuck was going on?

That's the one thought that kept blaring in my head. How long had I been down in that vault? Seeing the bomb hit and the mushroom cloud shoot up in the air, I understood it wasn't exactly going to be sunshine and rainbows up here. But what about the radiation? All the crappy ads had said it would take decades, maybe even a hundred years for it to be safe... Breathing in the clear air was a lot more unsettling than it should be. The skeletons lying everywhere weren't helping either. I stumbled as far as I could through the wrecked world until I got to Sanctuary Hills. I'd met Codsworth there, our old handyman robot. He told me where I was, what had happened. He mourned the death of Nate, as much as a robot could and he accompanied me further out towards the city. He told me there were more people in Concord. That's where I met the ever admirable Preston Garvey. It shocked me to meet someone so kind out here and yet... I still would never get on the wrong side of Preston. I'd seen what he could do with that rifle first hand.

And that was me, thrust out into a post apocalyptic Boston, trekking half way across it, risking life and limb to find my baby boy. Sounds like something straight out of a movie doesn't it? After founding Sanctuary Hills as a safe place for people to live, and rescuing another few places like it, I set off for Diamond city, whatever that meant. Mama Murphy, the crazy old crack head, told me that I'd find someone who might be able to get Sean back. If I'd learnt anything growing up in Boston, it was that crack heads usually know what they're talking about, no matter how bat shit it might come across. So I took her advice. I'd little else to go on. I also took her dog, Dogmeat, she called him. I asked if I could change his name but she told me that he picked it so it wouldn't be right. I warily agreed. He was the sweetest dog, came running straight over to me at the Red Rocket. It was nice to have someone nearby when I was travelling through this wasteland.

I got... distracted a few times on the way to Diamond City. For one, I stumbled across a place I thought was Diamond City that turned out to be some run down place called Goodneighbor. Ended up on some sort of heist with a ghoul called Bobbi. Don't get me started on the ghouls.

"You done staring, vault suit? Take a picture it might last longer." She'd croaked when we were digging our way through the tunnels to her treasure trove.

"Sorry. I didn't realise... does it hurt?" I asked.

She scoffed and shook her head, "Christ you must be new in town. I'm a ghoul. Radiation, sweetheart, it's a killer for the complexion. Still, I'd say I look pretty good for 220."

I had to do a double take, "You're shitting me." I sputtered out and she laughed. She didn't explain any further.

From what I gathered, it meant that most ghouls were there or somewhere around, when the bombs dropped. It was hard to wrap my head around, yet here I was 230 years old having just climbed out of a freezer. It was then I'd met Hancock, the mayor of the shit hole that was Goodneighbor. He was another ghoul. Though not one that was there when the bombs dropped, no his particular affliction was due to some crazy drug. I liked Hancock, I could buy into his "Of the people for the people" bullshit. He was honest and had a smart mouth. Give me a guy that can make me laugh any day. But most importantly, he liked to see bad guys get hurt. That was something we could both readily agree on. He even took me out to target practice on a couple of raiders.

"I gotta say, Nora, you got a knack for it." He said once the firefight was done.

"Well, I was married to a soldier. I've shot my fair share of beer bottles off the wall."

He chuckled easily, "Well, a bit more practice and you'll be one hell of a gunslinger."

I was quite proud of myself for that. In my old life, I'd never even think about picking up a gun to shoot an actual living breathing thing. No, a beer bottle was where I drew the line. Killing, fighting, surviving... That was Nate's domain. I used words, I talked. I was a lawyer and a goddamn good one at that. Seemed like nobody wanted to talk anymore. Hancock finally got me to Diamond City but made up some excuse about having to head back to Goodneighbour.

"Official Mayor business. I won't bore you with the details."

I watched him with suspicion as he disappeared back into the shadows of the Boston ruins. From that alone, my opinion of Diamond city was soured, somewhat. I met Piper then. She looked like a caricature of some old world paper girl, but she was sweet. Slightly salty when I refused an interview but she convinced me none the less. I remember, back in the old world, when a missing persons case came up, the more you kept it in the public eye the more likely they'd be found. So I gave her an interview and I told her what happened, who I was and how I'd gotten here.

"Wow, Blue," she'd taken to calling me, "Thank you for your honesty. I'm sure someone out there will have heard something or seen something. This can only help!"

"That's actually why I came here." I sighed, standing up from my chair and grabbing a Nuka Cola that she'd offered me earlier. I took a long sip. "I was told that I might be able to find someone who could help me track down Shaun."

Piper thought briefly before chirping up, "Valentine!"

"What?"

"He's a detective here in Diamond City. He's just down past the market, there's a sign you can't miss it. Valentine's Detective agency." she smiled, also sipping a cola.

"Detective Valentine." I repeated. Surely not. He'd be long dead.

Piper looked curiously at me, "I know the name's a bit corny, but he's one of the good ones, Blue. Probably your best shot."

"Yeah, of course. I'll find him. Thanks, Piper."

"Hey, thank you. This story will go right off."

The bell on her small door chimed clearly as I stepped back out into the bustling streets of Diamond City. When I say streets, I mean the planks of wood laid out in neat rows, and when I say city, I mean the old baseball stadium. God, if Nate could see what they'd done to the place he'd be furious. He loved his baseball. I continued on past the market and true enough, a gaudy, pink, heart shaped sign caught my eye. It flickered and buzzed, but I followed it's glow down a small alley to where I found the agency. I hesitated before going in. This was too much of a coincidence and being a lawyer, I'd learned there's no such thing. But it was impossible, even if there was such a thing as ghouls, Nick lived right in the city, he wouldn't have a pass to a vault... He couldn't possibly be here after all this time. My heart was skipping beats when I pushed open the door and walked inside.

It was a dingy room. Dust floated about in the thin beams of light that managed to get in and everything was a mess. Files everywhere, paper crumbled up and thrown on the floor. The ash tray on the desk hadn't been emptied for days. It smelt musty too, like an old living room. The only sign of life was the young woman that came bustling from behind a filing cabinet, haphazardly carrying a bundle of paper. She made a surprised noise when she saw me and puffed a stray strand of hair from her face.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're closed." she said, setting down the papers on the already cluttered desk.

"I uh... I was told there was a detective here?" I said, stepping into one of the dust beams. She tried to tap the papers on the desk to make them neat but she stopped sharply when they wouldn't stand straight.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to come back another time." She rubbed the bridge of her nose and got back to her papers.

"Okay toots, ease up on the attitude." I wasn't leaving with nothing. This was my only lead on finding Shaun, to hell with her "come back later" bullshit.

Her gaze snapped to mine and she looked everything like a rabbit caught in headlights. But her eyes softened and she shook her head.

"No you're right, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude... Just that. The detective is missing."

"Missing?"

"Yes missing. He was working on a case: Skinny Malone and his gang kidnapped a girl and he was hired by her family to bring her home. He tracked them to their base and took off. I told him he was headed for a trap but he just smiled and walked out the door like he always does. I haven't heard from him since." She sighed and slouched down in the desk chair.

This couldn't be just a dead end. I wasn't going to wait around on some detective who may or may not be dead.

"Where did you say he went?" I asked.

She looked up at me again and nodded, "Oh no I wouldn't ask you to go, ma'am. The detective can handle himself, it'd be too dangerous. He could walk through that door any minute."

"What's your name, sweetheart?" I asked, shortly.

"Kellie, ma'am." Again with the rabbit in the head lights.

"Look Kellie, I've just pulled myself out of a 200 year nap in a freezer, I watched my husband get shot in front of me and I watched the same bastards that killed him run off with my son. Now, your detective is the only hope I have of finding my son in this god forsaken hell hole. So, you gonna tell me where this guy went? Cause I'll tell you now, there's nothing too dangerous out there that will stop me from finding my boy."

Kellie swallowed hard and immediately began scrambling amidst her paper. She finally grabbed one and read out,

"Park Street Station. That's where the gang is based. There's an old vault down there."

I nodded and tried to swallow my temper. Honestly, she didn't deserve that so I tried to be calmer.

"Thank you," I said quietly, "I'll find your detective, you can count on that."

She seemed to nearly smile when I said that but she didn't say anything as I left.

I remembered where park street had been back before the bombs but navigating was tricky when every street you used to know was reduced to near rubble. It took me a full day and night before I finally stumbled across the square. The little freedom trail robot was still there.

The station itself was filled with gangsters. Real cheesy ones, with the Tommy guns and tailored suits. They seemed to be coming from everywhere. I found myself pinned behind a pillar, clutching my rifle in hand and hoping to god that when I poked my head out that I wouldn't come face to face with a bullet. Two were on me firing from the opposite side of the tracks and neither coming out of their cover. But their guns ran out of bullets quickly and it was easy enough to time a gap in their fire. I felt as though all of Nate's endless talk about soldiering was finally coming in useful. The break came and I pounced. I barely aimed, only sheer instinct told me where to fire, but I heard a definite thud to the ground. When the shooting started again it only came from one gun.

"Come on," I whispered to myself. "Think of Shaun, think of Shaun..." I said this to myself over and over until I finally ducked out and fired. The guys head exploded and the train tracks fell quiet. I fell back against the pillar and tried to calm my breathing but it was no use. I thought my lungs might explode. For the first time since I'd came to the surface I was aware of how fucking insane this was. Any one of those bullets could have killed me. Any one of those bastards could have blown me up or beat me or worse and still I'd ran in, shooting them down, not even thinking about who they were or what lead them here. Did them have a family? Were they lonely? Were they afraid to die? I couldn't stop the big messy sobs that escaped my mouth then. They echoed down the tunnels like ghosts.

"Think of Shaun." I whispered as I pulled myself up to stand. "Think of Shaun." I wiped furiously at my tears. I tried to think of my baby's little hands and his arms and that smile he'd yet to master. I tried to think of his big blue eyes and his giggle that only Nate seemed to get out of him. But when I tried to, all I could think of was that bastard pointing the gun at Nate, pulling the trigger and walking away with my son.

"At least we have a spare." He'd said.

I could see his face, clear as day. Ageing, balding, ragged and scarred. His mean black eyes looking right through me before he walked away.

"You'll get him, Nora." I said to myself. This dried the tears on my cheeks. "I'll get him." I said again. I sniffed once more, before tightening the grip on my gun and continuing on inside the vault.

The same mobsters were on guard here too. I took down each and every one of them. It didn't matter who they were now, in my mind all I could see was his face. They stood in my way of finding Shaun, they were as culpable as he was.

I finally came to a quiet stairwell. No mobsters aside from one at the top and he was talking to someone through a glass window.

"How you doin in there, Valentine?"

Bingo. Without another thought I put my gun to my eye and fired. It hit him in the neck. I rushed up the stairs and tried to open the door. I heard a muffled voice through the glass and saw a silhouetted figure point to the terminal behind me. I scrambled with the keys to open it before any more of those goons showed up. The doors finally hissed open and I turned to see the mysterious detective.

"Gotta love the reverse damsel in distress scenario," The figure pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The small glow revealed a pair of yellow eyes. I knew that fucking voice. "Question is why did our brave heroine come all this way, risk life and limb for an old private eye?"

My stomach lurched but I stepped into the light to get a better look. It caught me off guard at first. I'd expected his brown hair and clear intelligent eyes or the five o'clock shadow that he never shaved. I didn't expect to be looking at a broken down robot with yellow eyes and half a hand missing. But the way he smoked that cigarette was so Nick. It had to be him... The voice was the same, the way he carried himself, hell even the situation he was in right now. It couldn't have been anybody else.

"Nick Valentine..." I said, taking another step towards him. He must have seen me clearly because his jaw dropped and so did the cigarette. Those eyes were his too, yellow LEDs as they were, they still held that quiet intelligence. Whatever kind of robotics that were inside him whirred that little bit louder before he spoke.

"Nora?"