Silver Lining

Ride of a Lifetime

Friday, October 15th, 2077

The apartment building in Cambridge that housed the Connolly Brothers had a courtyard. By many of the tenant's opinions, it was a small, caught no sunlight except from morning until noon when everyone was at work or school, and only had one bench. That was the bench little Marlene Glass sat on, with her pony toys beside her. It was unusually hot for October, but the news said the weather would start cooling down by the next week and start feeling like autumn. Marlene's school was closed for drills, though her parents were never informed what kind of drills they were. Of course, as schools do, they only mentioned these "mandatory" faculty drills on Thursday, which meant Mrs. Glass had to find a babysitter for Marlene while she ran her errands.

Her first, usually best choice, was Kent Connolly, the building's handyman and friend of the family. Kent and his brother, Buster, didn't seem too surprised to see frazzled Mrs. Glass knocking on their apartment door that morning. With only scant details, Mrs. Glass had Marlene go inside the Connolly Brother's apartment and then left in a hurry. Kent, Buster, and Marlene stood in the entryway of the apartment with confused looks on each face.

After Buster had gone to work and Kent made his morning rounds with Marlene in tow, Kent decided to get to work on another project he had only recently started. This was thanks to Marlene's usually absent father, Mr. Arlen Glass. And the best place to do anything mechanical related was the usually unused courtyard so he wouldn't be disturbed or disturb anyone else. The building manager didn't mind, and was actually talking to Kent about having a little playground put in. Kent guessed that it was so any prospective tenants with children will come look at old Mrs. Gladstone's now vacant apartment.

"So, how long did Daddy have that?" Marlene asked, putting a pony beside another pony and making them walk together.

Kent scratched his head and looked down at the machine in front of him. "Your mother said he b-bought it a couple years ago, right before you were born. He wanted to show her how 'young and hip' he was when they were dating." Kent chuckled at the thought of Mr. Glass doing anything young.

"Daddy is kind of old, isn't he?" Marlene asked again.

"Well, Ma used to tell Pop that he was only as old as he felt." Kent laughed a bit. Marlene was one of the only people Kent felt at ease around; probably because kids weren't as demanding as adults.

It was no secret that Arlen and Cheryl Glass weren't very close in age. In fact, most people mistook Marlene for Arlen's granddaughter. Kent thought Arlen was at least a little over forty, but was surprised the other day, when he was given the machine he was working on, that Arlen was pushing fifty. Cheryl was barely a day over thirty.

"Arlen Glass, you get rid of that thing! You are almost fifty years old with a small daughter! You have no business riding around on that damn thing!" Cheryl Glass yelled to her husband on Saturday. Kent had been checking the mail and saw Mr. and Mrs. Glass arguing over something outside. It was one of the rare moments that Mr. Glass had a day off, and he was spending it with his wife and daughter. "You are not using the only day off you've had in TWO MONTHS to work on that thing. It broke down years ago and it's just been using up space in storage. I can't believe you brought it out TODAY of all days! Unless you plan on leaving it out for the garbage collectors, I want you to put that thing back in storage NOW!"

When the two saw Kent come outside to look at what they were arguing about, it was then Mr. Glass had an idea. He proposed to his wife that he'll let Kent work on it and if it's fixed by Friday, he'll sell the motorcycle and drop the matter. If not, it goes back in storage. Kent didn't like being dragged into the Glass' family matters, but he jumped at the idea of fixing up something he never tried before.

The machine in question was an old model Lone Wanderer motorcycle. It wasn't as sleek as the newer models Kent often saw zooming down the street, but it was cherry red and had Lone Wanderer on the side in gold (that was rusting off a bit). In truth, the design and the mechanics of the motorcycle hadn't changed much in ten years. It needed a new coat of paint, which Kent noticed off the bat, and according to Mr. Glass, it had an odd sputter when it started that isn't present in any model of the bike and sometimes had trouble starting up at all, among other things.

Kent spent most of his down time that week working on this machine. When his rounds were done and his reports turned in, Kent would go out to the courtyard, where the bike sat in an unused garden shed, and get to work. It wasn't easy, and it got expensive. He got money from selling some of his comics at Hubris, which broke his heart a bit. Hannah Howard, the object of his affections and the clerk, could see his heart breaking when he handed over some of his prized comics.

Buster was happy that Kent had something other than the Silver Shroud to occupy his time, but he got worried when it starting taking up more of Kent's time. Requests for maintenance were piling up by the phone and Buster was starting to get tired of taking messages from angry tenants. On Wednesday, Buster told Kent to take a break from working on the bike and do more than just his maintenance rounds before an angry mob kicked down their door looking for him.

As talented as he was at repair and maintenance, Kent did all the back requests in one day, finishing just in time for dinner. But on Thursday morning, Kent was right back in the courtyard, working on the motorcycle. Now, it was Friday, the day when he'd show them his finished product.

Marlene swung her feet and watched Kent as he tightened something and untightened something else. "Mommy says you're good at fixing things. And she's right! You fixed Buttercup's leg and now he hops better than ever! I bet you could get a job at Daddy's work making all the sick ponies feel better."

Kent smiled and sat on his feet as he worked on the bent kickstand. He had to buy a new one because the current one was too rusted and bent to fix. He was in the middle of installing the new one when Marlene jumped down from her bench and walked over to him. "Are you getting hungry, Marlene?" Kent asked, looking up from installing the kickstand.

"No, I'm fine. But I wanted to ask you something." Marlene help one of her pony dolls close, looking for the words. "Mommy looked worried listening to the news last night. They said that bad things are coming and after they said that, she called Daddy at work, saying something about a vault. What's a vault?"

Kent seemed taken aback by this. He was even more surprised the Glass Family hadn't already reserved a spot in one of the Vaults. Of course, with Mr. Glass being the head of the family, he probably wasn't home enough to sign any papers. There was still something bad stirring oversees. The news said so every morning. He didn't want Marlene to be worried, so he smiled at her.

"Well, Marlene, there are some bad people overseas that don't like us very much. They want what we have and they might hurt us real bad. So, this company called Vault-Tec is making these big underground hotels called Vaults where people can go to be safe in case those bad people decide to hurt us." Kent felt he should apply for a sales job at Vault-Tec with a pitch like that. It seemed to make Marlene feel better and she went back to playing with her ponies. It felt pretty hollow to Kent, though. He didn't know what else to say.

How could he explain to a little girl that everyone in the world, including her parents, were in denial about what was happening? He couldn't blame Marlene for not being more world weary. She was a kid. She had no control over what was happening.

"Mommy said she saw you talking to a pretty blonde lady the other day." Marlene blurted out. Kent dropped his tool and started shaking. "I've seen her come here before. One time, she came here holding a bag with a comic book in it. Another time, she came with brownies. I saw her out my window. She looks nice. Is she your girlfriend?"

Kent swallowed and turned slowly to face Marlene. "The p-p-pretty blonde lady is a very close friend of m-mine. Her name is Hannah Howard and she w-w-w-works at Hubris Comics."

Marlene smiled a mischievous smile. "You talk funny when you get nervous, Mr. Connolly. Daddy does the same thing with Mommy sometimes whenever he's in trouble. Are you in trouble with the pretty blonde lady?" Marlene leaned forward, almost knocking one of her ponies down.

Kent shook his head and went back to working on the motorcycle. It was quiet for a while after that. Someone's window was open and music was playing on the radio. Kent didn't recognize the song. Something about a wanderer and driving.

"Are you and Other Mr. Connolly going to get a television?" Marlene asked, apropos of nothing.

"We don't need one, we have a radio." Kent answered, searching for a tool in his kit.

"But I heard that they are making a Silver Shroud show for T.V. and I know how much you like him!" Marlene hugged one of her ponies close.

Kent remembered that they were making a Silver Shroud pilot, but he kept hearing rumors that it was constantly being delayed. Hannah, who worked at Hubris Comics where they were filming the pilot, didn't know much about it. She wasn't allowed up there and they did most of the work when the store was closed. Kent loved the Silver Shroud and if one had asked a few weeks ago, he'd have been all a twitter about seeing the Silver Shroud on the small screen. But now, even he, the most die-hard Silver Shroud fan, was having his doubts about the show.

It didn't stop him from swiping some of the posters advertising the show and putting them on his wall.

It was a little before noon when Kent decided he was finished. He stood back and smiled, satisfied with the end product. Marlene, after putting her pony toys in her little play purse, hopped down from her bench and stood beside him. As if by instinct, Marlene climbed onto the seat (with Kent's help) and rode the bike as Kent wheeled it to the side path leading to the front of the building. He was parking it in front of the lobby doors just as Mrs. Glass was pulling up in the family car. He wasn't expecting Mr. Glass to be there with her.

Mr. Arlen Glass was a tall man, an inch or so taller than Kent, with greying hair and a gruff voice that was probably the result of long hours in the office while smoking and brainstorming. He seemed to be telling his wife about working on new servos for legs on a new line of Giddyup Buttercup toys, though Mrs. Glass looked like she had no idea what he was talking about. She laughed a bit when he recounted one of the toys kicking a hole in the floor of a test room and nearly kicking an intern into the wall.

"See? Isn't it nice to get away from the office and take a lunch break with your wife?" Mrs. Glass teased as they approached Kent and Marlene. Mrs. Glass looked surprised to see them when Marlene ran up to hug her father. As Mr. Glass fawned over his daughter, Mrs. Glass walked up to Kent with her pocketbook out. "She didn't give you any trouble, did she, Kent?" Mrs. Glass asked, reaching into her purse and pulling out some money. Kent shook his head and appreciatively took the money. He tried to refuse Mrs. Glass' offer to pay him earlier before she left, but couldn't seem to talk her out of it. He secretly hoped she'd come by with some of her delicious cookies later, though.

"Oh, n-no trouble at all. I like having little Marlene around. She's g-g-good company." Kent put the money in his pocket and walked over to the motorcycle. "Well, what do you think?"

Kent presented the motorcycle to Mr. Glass, who was walking over with Marlene running beside him. "Mr. Connolly fixed your bike, Daddy!" Marlene shouted, going to stand beside the motorcycle. While Mrs. Glass looked pleased, Mr. Glass looked dumbfounded.

After explaining everything he did to Mr. Glass, who stood there with his mouth agape the entire time, Kent felt oddly proud of himself. He never doubted he could fix the motorcycle, despite all the work that needed to be done. Something about seeing a finished project made Kent giddy.

About a half hour later, Buster came home early from work. He didn't want to leave Kent with Marlene all day. Not long after Buster walked up, Hannah appeared as well. She had on a backpack, which Kent assumed was filled with books from her classes. He thought it was odd that she was carrying this around when she only had weekend classes. She had gotten off work and wanted to visit Kent. She knew he was working on something big, which is why he only came to the store to sell some old comics that week, and wanted to see how that was going. She didn't expect to see a fully functioning motorcycle sitting in front of Kent's building with Kent leaning over it.

"A Lone Wanderer?" Hannah asked, looking it over. She seemed more impressed that Kent fixed it up than she did about the motorcycle itself. "My brother had one in high school. Used to drive me to school on it. Mom was furious when he came home with it instead of the car he was supposedly saving for with that summer job. I think he sold it when he joined the army. You did a knock-out job on this, Kent!"

Mr. Glass just stared at the motorcycle, not noticing his wife smirk or Kent blushing from Hannah's compliment. "Y-yes, Kent certainly did a good job." He said, not actually expecting Kent to finish it. "It's a late model. The parts must have been hard to find."

Kent only shrugged. "Kind of, but the guy at the s-scrapyard let me have them at a reasonable price. Had to sell some of my old c-comic books to afford them." Kent rubbed his forearm a little and then went back to the motorcycle. He didn't see Hannah tighten her grip on one of the handles for her backpack.

"Wow, Kenny; I knew you were talented with a wrench, but even I didn't think you could fix up this monster!" Buster shouted, looking the bike over and under.

"Me either…" Mr. Glass murmured.

Mrs. Glass cleared her throat. "I believe the deal was if Kent fixes up the motorcycle by Friday, you sell the stupid thing and finally free up that space in storage."

Marlene looked up at her panicking father. He wanted to keep the motorcycle for himself, she could tell. "Yes, I did promise that, Cheryl." Mr. Glass admitted, sheepishly.

Kent cleared his throat. "It needs to be taken for a test drive to see if it works, still. I hadn't had a chance to do that, yet."

Mr. Glass smiled appreciatively at Kent. "Well, that's something. It needs to be tested before we can prove it works. Kent couldn't possibly have the proper license."

"Actually, I d-do, Mr. Glass." Kent chirped. "On Tuesday, right before I went to the j-junkyard and Hubris Comics, I went to the DMV and ch-changed mine over. I was the first one there."

Mr. Glass tried to think again. "W-well, you don't have a helmet! I can't, in good conscience, let you ride around on that thing without a helmet! If you got hurt, I'd never forgive myself!"

"Daddy, why let him use your helmet?" Marlene piped in. "You took it out of the closet the other night to show me, remember?"

Buster was finding this amusing, but didn't let Mr. Glass see him laughing. Mrs. Glass smiled, putting her hand on Hannah's shoulder. "And let's not forget the helmet you bought for me!" She said. "I'm sure Kent's 'friend' here would love to go on a ride as well, and she looks just about my helmet size. It's been sitting in that closet for so long. It's a little dusty, but nothing a wet rag won't fix."

Mr. Glass was out of arguments. He sighed, letting the little crowd know he conceded. "Alright, a deal's a deal. Kent, take her for a test drive. See if she handles well. If you make it back, I'll..." Mr. Glass looked like he had trouble saying the words he needed to say. He sighed. "…I'll sell the motorcycle."

"And?" Mrs. Glass glared at her husband with her arms crossed.

"…and I'll pay you back for the parts and labor." Mr. Glass said, sheepishly.

Kent, Buster, Hannah, Marlene, and Mrs. Glass cheered softly. The little crowd around Kent's new toy broke eventually, leaving just Kent, Hannah, and the bike. Kent had just finished wiping it off with the same moist rag that Mrs. Glass brought down along with the two helmets she had to wrestle out of Mr. Glass' hands. Kent stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm. "I can't b-believe I get to t-test drive a motorcycle."

"A motorcycle you took apart and built up again." Hannah corrected, walking around the bike a few times. "You'd make one heck of a car owner."

Kent never saw himself owning any kind of vehicle. He figured he'd be taking the bus for the rest of his life. But now, right now, Kent was polishing a motorcycle he took apart and built up again. The only things Kent ever had confidence in were his abilities to build and repair and his knowledge of comic books. Now, he had something else. He didn't want it to go to his head, though.

"I took apart a highly s-s-sophisticated motorcycle and p-put it back together again." Kent murmured.

"It is pretty surreal." Hannah said, looking the bike over again. "Surprisingly fuel efficient, from what I heard."

Kent wasn't sure about that. He hadn't gotten a chance to actually ride the motorcycle to see if it was or not. "It's strange. Being able t-to go anywhere and not have to abide by the bus schedule." Kent felt a bit of pride, like he owned this motorcycle. He then remembered this was only a test drive. As soon as he was done making sure it was still good for driving, he'd have to turn it back over to Mr. Glass so he could sell it. His excitement over the motorcycle soon waned a bit.

The motorcycle shook a bit and it was then he noticed that Hannah climbed on the seat. She had a big smile on her face and looked like she was waiting. "Well?" she shouted. "What are we waiting for? Let's take this puppy out for a spin!"

Not sure what to say, Kent simply watched as Hannah got on the back of the seat and started strapping on the helmet. Kent blinked a few times and caught the helmet she tossed at him. "T-take it for a spin? I just b-barely finished working on it!"

"Well?" Hannah shouted, happily. "Mr. Glass wants you to test drive it so it can be ready for sale. Let's give it a go before he comes back and changes his mind!"

Swallowing, Kent took his hat off and put the helmet on before straddling the motorcycle. He remembered learning to ride a bicycle as a child, but this was a whole new ballgame compared to that. He kick started the motorcycle like he had seen in movies and was happy to hear it sputter on. It made a loud roar as Kent made sure everything was working. The brakes were connected, the accelerator was functioning, and to Kent's surprise, it had a full tank of gas. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but there was no going back now.

Kent knew next to nothing about riding a motorcycle. "Alright, right side accelerator." He murmured, touching the handle with his index finger. "Left side, brake." He murmured again, his hand firmly squeezing the brake. Kent put his foot on the gear shifter and made sure. He wondered if she knew he had no idea what he was doing.

After the engine warmed up, Kent made sure no other cars were coming before finally taking off. He went slowly for a bit. He didn't want to risk hurting Hannah or himself on a machine he barely knew how to work. It seemed odd that he could build something but not know how to work it. Every fear went through his mind at that moment. What if they hit something? What if he drove right off the highway? What if he hurt Hannah somehow? He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to Hannah.

As these fears roamed around in his mind, Kent didn't realize that Hannah had started holding onto his waist. Before he knew it, they were out of the city and on the road. He had never felt anything so free in his entire life. The wind in his hair, the feel of Hannah's arms tightening around his waist. He didn't know where he was going or how he was going to get there. All that mattered was that Hannah was holding tight to him and along for the ride.

"This is amazing!" Kent shouted over the wind.

Hannah laughed loudly as Kent sped up. "My brother used to scare my mother half to death riding around with me on the back of his bike! When he accidently drove it into the neighbor's trash can with me still on it, she forbade him to ever let me ride it again! No one was hurt, but it was still funny to see her screaming!" Kent could barely hear her over the wind. He was a bit wobbly with the bike at first, but soon it became as natural as walking.

Maybe it was serendipity or possibly destiny, but Kent found himself driving the motorcycle away from Boston proper and on the highway going north toward Revere Beach. He wasn't sure what was making him go to this specific place, but he wasn't going to stop now. This was probably the most adventurous thing Kent had ever done, aside from talking to Hannah. He had an urge to smell the sea air and hear the gulls flying overhead. He had the urge to share this with Hannah. As if sensing this, Hannah pointed to the right turn off and Kent pulled in. It felt like he and this machine were one.

Kent pulled into a free spot near the boardwalk. While most of the businesses looked closed for the season, some were still open. Kent thought it was probably because it was unusually hot and some people wanted to take advantage of the weather before it started getting cold.

For the longest time, Kent and Hannah sat on a bench near one of the only opened shops. Hannah's backpack sat in between them and for a little while, both forgot it was even there. It was late afternoon, some of the beachgoers were packing up their cars and the seagulls seemed to be enjoying the spoils of waiting by the trashcans for old hotdog wrappers and partially finished bottles of Nuka Cola. Kent had bought them ice cream and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Something was on Kent's mind and he barely noticed his ice cream melting all over his hand. He was faintly aware of Hannah talking about last week's episode of the Silver Shroud.

"…and when the Mistress of Mystery threw her blade at Fat Fahey, I nearly choked on my drink! Remember that?" she asked, barely aware that Kent wasn't paying attention. "I still can't believe he took out all those mob bots by himself. He should have let the Mistress help him. I wish they'd stop trying to make her out into some damsel in distress. She's totally capable of being her own hero!"

"Hannah…" he started, giving up on his cone and tossing it in the nearby trash. "…look, I-I think I should tell you something."

Hannah looked up at him mid-lick.

Kent sighed. "Our date last Friday…"

"That? Kent, it's okay. You weren't feeling well." Hannah tried to go back to her cone.

"No, I wasn't s-sick like that. My parents always said th-that, but I don't want you to say it, too." Kent rubbed his head, trying not to say something he'd regret. "Ever since I was a kid, I've h-had problems. These problems have always been something of a 'bugaboo' in my l-life. The doctors called it 'anxiety', b-but there always seemed to be something more. I'd panic, curl up into a b-ball, and drown out everything until I either passed out or it passed over me. Sometimes, it got so bad I had to be t-taken to the hospital. My parents were good people, but I th-think they were in over their heads. One time, I heard them talking about taking me in for 'treatment' at the old Parson's Hospital. I don't know what that place is, but I knew it c-couldn't have been any better than the other places th-they tried to send me to. I didn't have a lot of fr-friends in school and Buster always felt he had to protect me. I don't want to be his b-b-b-burden anymore. But at the same time, I don't th-think I can make it without him."

Hannah didn't know what to say. She stopped licking her cone for a moment and tried to think of what to say. There was nothing she could say.

"It turns out, Buster did get a response back from Vault-Tec. We weren't accepted." Kent confessed as a seagull flew overhead and perched on a post. I w-was scared it was because of me. He kept saying it wasn't, but part of me still feels like it w-was. Maybe if I wasn't so anxious, we'd b-be on the list."

It went silent for a moment. The only sounds were the seagulls, the waves, and some beachgoers telling the other people in their group to hurry up and pack up the blankets. Hannah swung her feet a bit and looked out along the sands. "When I was a kid, I used to get teased a lot." She started. Kent looked over at her. She wore a bittersweet smile and kept her eyes on the beach. "The other girls thought I was strange because I preferred comic books and radio shows about super heroes than dolls and such. I didn't have many friends outside my brother until I was in high school. Whenever I was sad from the other girls teasing me or smearing mud in my hair or whatever horrible trick they would play on me, I'd run to my brother's room and take out his comic books. I'd read until it was dark and there was no more light to read to. I'd imagine the Silver Shroud swooping in to save me from the bullies and whisking me away like I was the Mistress of Mystery. What hurt the most was they judged me before they got to know me. If they had asked me, they would have known there was more to me than the comic books or radio serials. As I got older, I promised myself I'd never judge anyone at first sight the way those little girls judged me and that one day, I'd find someone who was just as strange, or just as comic book loving, as me. What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to pretend to be anyone else around me. Just be you. That's enough for me."

Kent smiled a bit, looking out on the beach. There was a boat going by in the distance. Kent realized he'd never been anywhere outside of Boston. He always felt he needed only Buster, their apartment, and the Silver Shroud. But now, Kent felt a yearning in him he never felt before. Kent stood up and motioned for Hannah to follow. Hannah threw away what was left of her ice cream and followed after throwing her backpack on. They weren't going anywhere in particular. He seemed to be following the boat.

"I want to travel." He said, stopping in front of a photo booth. "I never w-w-wanted to travel until recently."

"I want to finish college." Hannah said. "So I can travel the world and help people. I want to travel to other countries and help people." She looked over at Kent and smiled. "But…if something comes up, say a nice guy asks me to stay, I just might."

Kent blushed, feeling Hannah take his arm. He couldn't find the words he wanted to say. He looked around for a distraction and saw the photo booth. "H-hey! Look at that!" he shouted. He walked over to the booth and read the side. "4 shots for $25.00! That's…that's something, huh?" he stammered.

Hannah smiled and pushed him in. He wasn't going to avoid the obvious on her watch. The machine happily accepted their money and a few flashes later, the final product was dispensed out through the slot on the side of the machine. Both seemed happy with the results.

Before either of them knew it, they were zooming back toward Cambridge on the Lone Wanderer. Kent was reluctant to give it back to Mr. Glass, but knew he had to. Mr. Glass was probably wondering where they went off to on his motorcycle. Kent wanted to get home before Mr. Glass persuaded Buster to file a missing person's report. The ride back was just as sweet as the ride there. With Hannah holding on tight, Kent felt anything was possible now.

It was early evening when Kent dropped Hannah off in front of her building. Her building was a dorm on the Massachusetts Bay University campus not far from the main building. It had a group of girls standing out front, discussing something Kent couldn't make out. They all seemed impressed when Hannah pulled up on the back of a motorcycle. She got dismounted and opened her backpack. Kent's eyes widened when she pulled out a stack of comic books in a bag. "I bought them back from my manager after you left the other day. Here, take them. They're yours."

Kent shuffled through each of the comics and noted they were all here. "Hannah, you didn't have to do this." He said, trying to hand them back.

"No, they're yours." She said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Consider them a gift. And a bribing tool. I have one favor to ask."

"Anything, Hannah!" Kent semi-shouted.

"Next Friday, I want you to take me dancing." She said. Kent nearly dropped his comic books on the ground. "The college is having a charity dance next Friday and I really want to go. That weekend is going to be a big one for my family, and I want to have some fun before they arrive. I know it's a lot to ask, considering…well, everything, but I really think this will be beneficial for…"

Kent thought she murmured "us" but couldn't make out what else she said. Kent leaned against the handlebars and smiled. "I g-guess I owe you for that disaster last Friday. I'm sure I can fish out a suit for the event. Alright, I'll g-go with you."

Hannah smiled, hugged Kent tightly, and kissed his cheek. "I'll give you a call tomorrow with the details. Thanks for today! I had a blast!" Hannah waved to him as she walked through the group of girls and into her dorm. Kent roared off, feeling content about everything for once.

When Kent pulled up to his building, he was surprised to see Buster and Mr. Glass standing outside. Kent turned off the bike and dismounted. "Oh, thank goodness!" Mr. Glass shouted, speed walking over to Kent and the motorcycle. "I was afraid you'd run off with it! Cheryl already has a few potential buyers!"

Buster took one look at his brother, with his blushing cheeks and lucid expression, and asked what in the world he did all afternoon. It was then he noticed Hannah wasn't with him. "Where is Hannah?" he asked, as Kent gave the motorcycle helmet back to Mr. Glass.

"We're going dancing…" Kent murmured, walking past the two men and into the building. "I n-n-need a suit…"

With the night, came questions from Buster. Kent wasted no time telling Buster what had happened. Buster didn't say anything as Kent told him about how amazing it felt to ride down the highway and how he never felt so free in his entire life. Buster asked questions where it was appropriate, but still let Kent to all the talking. Buster even noticed that his stutter was going away. This only happened when Kent was comfortable talking about something. Spontaneity was something Kent didn't do, but now it seemed he was working his way into it. This gave Buster a sense of peace. Soon, he hoped, Kent would be able to do more on his own and wouldn't need to rely on his brother so much. They were so engrossed in conversation, they barely noticed the Galaxy News Radio promo playing on the radio.

"I'm glad you had fun, Kenny." Buster laughed. "Hey, guess what happened today at the office? I was going to tell you when I got home, but you apparently had other plans. I got tickets to next Saturday's World Series game! How about you and me go and witness history together, ehh?"

Kent smiled and sat back. For the first time in his entire life, Kent felt everything was going to last. And now, he prepared for the perfect end to a perfect day.

When evil walks the streets of Boston, one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent, judging the guilty! That guardian is…the Silver Shroud! Today's Episode: Into the Robot's Den…


Hi hi, everyone! I'll make this short:

THE END IS NIGH!

Sorry, I kind of had to. I've decided to make this story eight chapters instead of six. One for the Friday before the bombs, one for Saturday, and an epilogue. So, that's twice the story than when I first promised you! And that shit's free!

So, looks like Kent's coming out of his shell, huh? Will the following events push him right back in? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out! And you know how you can keep this and my other stories going? By writing a review and telling me how I did!

So, how did I do? Did I get anything wrong? Did I do well this chapter? Is there anything you think I missed or want to see? Let me know in a review and I'll see to it with the best of my abilities! And don't forget to follow the story and me on Tumblr for updates on the story and the occasional odd rambling.

Oh! Want a good song to listen to that inspired this chapter? Listen to Nada Surf's "Cold to See Clear". Trust me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for work!

Kent Connolly and Fallout belong to Bethesda.