Chapter 2: Rage Against The Machine
Welcome everyone to the second Chapter of Commonwealth Blues. Huge thanks first of all to Mandalore the Freedom, Anknownymous, PaladinDelta, torrerofranches and Fanfictionfan3601 for all of their reviews and support!
I do not own Fallout, that belongs to Bethesda.
Silence was the most popular sound inside of Publick Occurrences, punctuated only by the sound of pen on paper and the occasional question. It wasn't even a nice silence; it was a tense one, a silence that hung over awkward situations that neither party wanted to address, for fear of dredging up problems.
Piper Wright had thought that this interview would be the one she could hang her cap on, the interview that would bring the largest audience to her newspaper; an interview with not only someone who had lived in the pre-war world, but the General of the Minutemen and destroyer of the Institute. It seemed like a no-brainer choice, having an interview with the most-talked about person in the Commonwealth.
And while it seemed like a good idea on paper…actually going through with the interview was a different story all together.
"So, what has been the biggest change for you, going from your world to this one?" Piper inquired. "I can only imagine going from a Pre-War world to a world like this, must've been one hell of a culture shock. What has been the hardest thing to get used to?"
The woman across from Piper leaned back in her chair, biting her lower lip and looking up at the ceiling. Her hair was cropped short and dyed a black that was as dark as midnight, with skin a shade of white rarely seen in the Wastelands. She wore a leather jacket covered in badges and pins and wore a black skirt that reached past her knees. A baseball bat, stained red with blood, laid on the ground next to her. Piper only needed to take one look at this woman to see that her name, Riott, was quite appropriate.
"Oh, has to be the food." The Sole Survivor answered. "The Nuka Cola is flat, all the pre-war food is stale as shit, and don't even get me started on Brahmin steaks. I've chewed on tires that were less rubbery than these damn Brahmin meat."
"…really?" Piper asked. "Not the killing? Or lack of a government? Or even the fact that the whole world got enveloped in nuclear fire, killing millions of people?"
"Nah, it's the food." Riott stated, nodding her head. "Or maybe the lack of clean mattresses….nah wait, it's definitely the food."
'Lord, give me mercy.' Piper thought, letting out a tired sigh.
It had been like this for the past twenty minutes; Piper asking serious questions, either about the pre-war world or her role as leader of the Minutemen or even about her destroying the Institute. And every answer she had been given so far had been…well, just jokes. Piper could just hear the sarcasm dripping from every word that left Riott's mouth, and it was starting to get on the reporter's nerves.
"Is…well, is there anyone from the pre-War world that you miss?" Piper asked. "Any family members or friends you wish were still around? Maybe like your husband or your mother?"
"Yeah, of course." Riott responded. "My dog, Gizmo. I miss the poor bugger every day."
"Can you please give me a serious answer?" Piper asked, no practically begged. "It's important that people get a first-hand account of the pre-war world."
"Well I can tell you one thing for sure." Riott responded, a grin on her face. "Best thing that happened was nuclear apocalypse."
Piper just sat in her chair silently, eyes wide with shock as she stared straight at the Sole Survivor. Before the reporter even knew what she was doing, she had bolted straight up, her chair clattering to the ground. Her notebook and pen went hurtling across the room and landed on the other side of the room, as Piper turned to face Riott.
"How can you be so blasé? How can you just not give a damn about any of this!?" Piper demanded, her voice rising with every word out of her mouth. "Everyone talks about you, saying how much of a hero and a saviour you are. But all you've done so far is talk about Nuka Cola and dogs, instead of actually giving proper answers. How could you not care about your husband, your child, or anything about the world you lived in before? What kind of damn person are you!?"
To the Vault 111 native's credit, she hadn't so much as flinched as she listened to Piper's passionate tirade. Riott had just sat there silently, her pale face having gone stone still, all hints of mischief and sarcasm vanished. Riott reached down and grabbed her baseball bat, before standing up right in front of Piper, their noses just brushing up against each other.
And as Piper stared into the brown eyes of the Sole Survivor, seeing the anger and fury that blazed in her eyes, the reporter couldn't help but feel that she might have just put her foot in her mouth and pissed off someone that she should've left well alone.
"I don't like talking about the pre-war world, Miss Wright." Riott stated simply, her words laced with fury. "It was like being ruled over the Brotherhood of Steel; everyone was forced to enlist into the army and fight the Chinese, no matter who they were. Protestors were rounded up and sent to camps, along with anyone who even had a hint of Chinese heritage. I can't tell you how many friends I had simply disappear, cause they talked badly about the war or the government. And don't even get me fucking started on the fact that I was forced to marry Nate."
"Wait, what?" Piper asked. "Forced marriage?"
What little colour Riott had quickly drained from her face, as if realizing she had just said too much. The Vault 111 native fell silent for a few seconds, before finally speaking up.
"I was…well, dating Nate for a few weeks, set up between our parents. He was alright, but not really someone I could love. He was just…well, too emotionally distant for me. Anytime I cried or showed any emotions besides being happy, he went running for the hills."
"But…how did you end up marrying him?"
"He got me pregnant, and the idiot immediately told his parents and mine. We were forced to marry, as it was considered 'sinful' to get a woman pregnant you weren't married to. And I wasn't allowed to get an abortion, as it had been banned by the old government and women were tossed into prisons if they did abort their children. Children were needed for future soldiers in their wars…"
"Oh my god…" Piper muttered. "I am so so–"
"Don't…just don't." Riott fired back, fixing Piper with an intense glare. "And don't you dare publish anything I've just said, otherwise I'll rip your damn head off."
"The ceiling is starting to crack," Riott thought to herself. "Need to tell Codsworth about it."
The Vault 111 native didn't know how long she had stayed inside of her room in Sanctuary Hills, lying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. It had definitely been a few hours, just hard to say exactly how many hours it was. And quite frankly, Riott didn't really give a damn how long she had stayed inside her room, cause right now she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.
"Had a bad day?" A new voice inquired.
Lifting her head up at the voice, a small smile graced Riott's face as she turned to face the doorway. Standing there leaning against the doorway was X6-88, former Institute courser and currently the person Riott trusted the most. It was definitely an odd coupling, a synthetic killing machine and a rebel goth punk teaming up, but it was definitely a pairing that worked. For whatever reason, the two just seemed to gel together well, both in fighting skills and personality wise.
"I thought you wouldn't be back for another day, X6." Riott stated, sitting straight up. "Already cleared out the construction site?"
"All the Mirelurks there have been exterminated." X6 explained. "I must admit that your friend Cait is…quite unique."
"She can be a handful at times, that Cait." Riott answered. "Makes me shocked that she's dating Curie, of all people."
"Indeed." X6 answered, sitting down next to Riott. "But you seem troubled; what happened to you today?"
"Just had to deal with that Wright woman in Diamond City." The Sole Survivor explained. "Just opened up some old wounds that I'd rather leave alone."
"I remember Dr Ayo complaining on several occasions, about Miss Wright. I do not blame you for feeling annoyed with her."
Riott wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so instead gave silence as her answer. Silenced filled the pre-war house, as the two occupants sat on a bed in silence.
"Do you ever regret it?" Riott inquired.
"Regret what, specifically?" X6 responded.
"Turning your back on the Institute and joining forces with me, even if it meant the destruction of everything you worked towards." The Sole Survivor clarified.
"…to be honest, no." X6 answered. "It was a tough choice, yes. But it was the right choice. As Father was dying, so was the Institute. Father was convinced that you were the future of the Commonwealth, and I could not agree with him more. And while you might not have become Director as Father had hoped… seeing how you've handled everything, from the Brotherhood to Far Harbor to Nuka World, has convinced me even more that you are the best choice for the Commonwealth's future."
"Even though I'm basically an fucked-up emotional wreck?" Riott asked. "Cause let's be honest, I'm about as screwed up mentally as Cait was before she got clean."
"You have mental baggage, that's true, but so does everyone else. There is no-one in the Wastelands who does not have a past they want to leave behind." X6 answered. "And you have constantly proven to be a good person. You have not allowed any of these hardships to break you or make you go against your ethics; you have stayed true to yourself and been an honourable person ever since you stepped foot in the Wastes, a trait that is most commendable. You are a good person Riott, never forget it."
The Sole Survivor turned to look at the courser, a smile etched onto her face, before leaning over and planting a kiss on X6's cheek. A surprised look appeared on X6's face, before quickly returning to his normal 'poker face' look.
"You know for a genetically-engineered killing machine, you can be a real sweetheart." Riott stated. "Guess I owe Piper an apology, eh?"
"I believe that would be most courteous, yes." X6 answered. "And Riott…if you ever need to talk to someone, I am here for you."
"X6…please, call me Amber." Riott responded, scratching the back of her head. "It's my real name, Amber Glencross. But if you tell anyone, I'll kick your ass from here to D.C."
"Your secret is safe with me, Amber." X6 answered. "And I thank you for the trust."
And Chapter 2 of Commonwealth Blues is done and dusted! I hope all you Piper Wright fans aren't too pissed off with me (although I suspect you might be). But I'm also gonna be real honest with all you guys; my update schedule has died out completely with school work and illnesses. So basically don't expect me to update regularly or consistently for the rest of the year or so, while I try and sort my life out. But anyway, I hope to see you guys and gals for the rest of this story!
Love,
The Desert Dancer