Her heart pounded in her chest, a deafening reminder that she was still alive to witness what was shown before her. The trees were barren and spiky, and there were more than she remembered. The grass was no longer well kempt and green but brown and gone in many places, replaced by an oddly colored dirt. She looked out to the horizon, seeing the little town she had lived in before, the walls of the houses torn to shreds and in a few cases collapsed in on itself. She turned in a circle, slow, taking in the sight of the new world. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and feeling a thickness in the air, making her lungs feel ever so slightly raw. She turned he gaze back towards the ruined town, making her way there for some sort of start.
For such a short distance, it took her some time to get there, as every little thing was new and old at the same time. She wandered up into the town, pace matching her heart now as she sped in the direction of her broken down home. A familiar metallic frame came into view, tears prickling in her eyes as she stumbled up to a still functioning Codsworth. "C-Codsworth!" she gasped in excitement. The robot responded, turning to face her, surprise in his voice "As I live and breathe!" he exclaimed, hovering closer to her. His voice came out half choked, as If he were suppressing tears from spilling over despite his inability to do so physically "I-Its really you!".
She clung to his body, pressing her forehead against his cool surface. "This… This isn't happening…". She murmured, her tears staining her cheeks as she let out soft whimpers and swallowing back her sobs. "C-Codsworth- Codsworth the world- everything- its gone, all gone.". Codsworth hovered carefully, keeping himself still for her comfort. "Well, ah- yes, mum, the bombs went off.". He made a few clicking sounds before continuing "But youre distraught, mum! Perhaps sir could offer one of those hugs you humans are so fond of? Speaking of, where is your better half?". Codsworths innocent question sent another whimper pouring from her lips and she started coughing, sinking to the ground as she tried to calm herself down. Codsworth let out a worried oh my! and watched her carefully.
"They…. They came in the vault.." She murmured when she could finally speak clearly enough to be understood "They…. They took Shaun from him, he wouldn't let them though, he wouldn't let go of Shaun- oh god he was so brave-" she pressed her palms against her eyes, trying to stop the tears. "Hes…. Codsworth hes dead. They shot him to get Shaun, I don't know why they did it.". She looked up at Codsworth, rubbing the snot off of her nose with her sleeve. To say she was an ugly crier would be a major understatement. Codsworth moved his crab like claw hand down, brushing it over her cheek to wipe away her tears, or attempt to at least, though his metal made the tear simply roll to the side. "Mum, these things youre saying" he began, his voice a little softer "These…. Terrible things. I believe you need a distraction . Yes! A distraction, to calm this dire mood.".
She let out a sharp snort "I don't need a distraction, I need my family back!". Codsworth helped Mary to her feet, insistently straightening her clothes. "You must be suffering from… Hunger induced paranoia. Not eating properly for two-hundred years will do that, Im afraid.". Marys head snapped up to look at Codsworth, eyes widening. "T-Two-Hundred years?!". Codsworth floated towards the front door of what used to be her house, leading her along. "Closer to two-hundred and ten years, to be exact. Give or take a little for the earths rotation and a few dings to the chronometer.". She blinked several times, breaking into a cold sweat. They just made it past the back of the couch when she fell to her knees, stomach boiling over with the nerves and a nasty sour paste made its way up her throat and onto her tongue before flowing out of her mouth and splattering to the floor. Codsworth mad sounds of surprise, sticking by her side and patting her back until she finished retching. He floated of into another room while she focused more on not falling into another bout of sickness.
Codsworth returned shortly with a dirty cloth and a half open can of beans, handing them both over to her. "Come now, mum, youll be much more comfortable on the couch rather than the floor. I do apologize for the state of the place, two-hundred years of decay is very hard to keep at bay.". She stood shakily, moving over to the couch and settling down to wipe her face and sniff the beans she wasn't quite ready to eat. She took a deep breath, apologizing about the vomit. Codsworth waited patiently for her to rest a little, using another rag and some old cleaning fluid to clean up the mess.
After sitting there for nearly an hour, just thinking about the state of the world, she finally started in on the cold beans, drinking them like a chunky soup. It made her feel better, and her stomach slowly stopped churning. After finishing the beans, she let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead. "How much food and water do we have?" she asked, certain that the robot had catalogued the supplies more than once, as he was prone to do. He floated in front of her, taking a moment to recollect the information. "We have six cans of beans, a can of mixed vegetables, a can of beef stew, three nuka colas, and a few bottles of water, but they are not necessarily clean. I took the liberty of collecting the med kit as well while you were eating. You have two Stimpaks and one Radaway.". She nodded slowly as he spoke. That was enough food and water to get her a good ways away, and she had no time to waste. She needed to learn this world as fast as she can. She looked up at him again. "Is Nates pistol still where it was stored?" she asked, standing up.
Codsworth watched her inquisitively. "I believe so, mum, though it is locked and I do not have the key.". Mary nodded. "He kept a key in the dresser, under a loose piece of the bottom board.". She headed to the bedroom, ignoring the room that she knew had held Shauns crib, and before all this, Saun himself. She went into the bedroom she shared with Nate, staring at the torn bedsheets, around at the walls, the closet and their mixed clothes. She looked down at herself, and the bright blue and yellow that she now associated with betrayal. She stripped the suit off, going to the closet and pulling out her least ruined shirt and a pair of pants, dusting them both off. Her eyes fell on the thick camo jacket that lay crumpled on the floor of the closet. She picked it up and handled it with care, slowly brushing the dirt and grime from it. It was stained in places, the color faded a little, the patch over his breastpocket spelling out 'Sole' in stiff letters.
She was so proud of Nate, of all he had done for the country. If he hadn't, she and their son would be amongst the skeletons around the broken down gate, or perhaps she would be a skeleton in new york, where she had lived before meeting Nate. They had met in an unconventional way. She was seventeen, living with her mother in new york, when she joined the letters for soldiers program. She was assigned a soldier, Nathaniel Sole. Their letters started out innocent enough, she made it clear she was underage and was only writing as a friend. A year passed, and she learned more about him than she intended to at first, about what he hoped for, how many kids he wanted, everything from his favorite color to what he wanted his future to be like. No war is what I want he had written to her and a pretty little wife and a dynamic family, two point five kids. We can be whoever we want together, she supports my dreams and I support hers. Maybe a robot nanny too. At the time, she hadn't expected that the pretty little wife would be her. She had spilled to him about Jimmy Rochen, her highschool crush, and he had written back with encouragements. Three years total she had been writing him, and it had been when she was in college that she finally got to see him face to face for the first time. Eight years difference between them, but neither let that stop them from embracing at the airport, best friends at the time, but a few months later he asked her to be his girlfriend. A year after that they were married and found out she was pregnant, she had Shaun, and then it was all gone.
She felt tears welling up again, and pushed the memories away like they were brand set on claiming her and throwing amongs the ashes of a past life. She set the jacket down and moved to the dresser, salvaging a fresh set of undergarments and changing completely. She grabbed the key and the locked box from under the bed, pulling out Nates handgun and the three boxes of ammo that sat next to it. She checked and loaded the gun, thankful that the box kept it preserved all this time. Thirty bullets total for this gun and four for the 10mm she also had. She turned back to the military jacket on the bed, debating leaving it behind, at least for now. She decided against that, though, and quickly slid it over her shoulders, sliding her arms into the sleeves and relishing the warmth it brought to her. It felt almost like he was still here, arms wrapped around her waist with that love he had given her, and all the love he no longer had the chance to give. Part of her wanted to pretend that in some ways, he really was still here.
Mary walked out of the bedroom, once again ignoring Shauns room, and back into the living room. "I must say mum, despite the jackets size, it looks rather good on you." Codsworth commented, handing her a Nuka Cola. She popped it open and tucked the cap into her pocket absently before taking a swig. "Ok. Ok Codsworth I need you to gather up all those supplies that you mentioned earlier and put them in a bag of some sort, like a backpack or something." She strode into the kitchen and started rummaging around, chewing the dried skin from her lip and spitting it to the floor, a nervous habit she had when she was a toddler, that still made a debut on the occasion with she was stressed.
Codsworth floated by, doing as asked quietly. Mary salvaged a steak knife, and a chopping knife , a box of matches with fraying edges, a small container of Crisco, and a half full container of salt. Codsworth came back swiftly, an old knapsack in tow. "If I may ask, Mrs Mary, what do you need this for?" he asked, handing it over. Mary slid her new supplies inside, along with the old wrench, and threw the back over her shoulder. "Im going to find my son, and the people who killed Nate.". Codsworth whirred worriedly, lower part of his body spinning a little. "Do you wish for me to accompany you, mum?". Mary shook her head, giving him a small smile. "No, Codsworth, but thank you. I need you here. Fix up this house as much as you can, salvage anything you think might be worth it. If you can, patch holes in the walls, take scraps and gather supplies from the other houses if there is anything to salvage. Stuff like radios and anything that can still turn on are pretty important, as well as food and medical stuff. Clothes would be nice too." She put a hand to her hip and thought for a second "Don't do anything to rash or daring, OK? Id like someone familiar to come home to.". The robot lifted his claw up and did what could only be described as a very strange bow, as best as a floating ball with claws could do "I will do what I can, mum. Do be sure to come back and visit on occasion, and please… don't die.".
Mary smiled softly and gave a soft chuckle, chewing her lower lip again before she turned away and headed out the door. "Don't worry Codsworth, Ill be sure to come visit as often as I can.". She closed the door behind her and looked at the path stretched out before her, prepping herself mentally for whatever she may see in this new wasteland.