Chapter Three: Goodneighbor Ghouls
Mayor John Hancock wasn't a pre-war ghoul, but he's the first non-feral ghoul Malcolm meets, and what an impression. A ghoul dressed exactly like the original John Hancock, with the tri-corner hat and everything, stabbing a guy trying to hustle him for 'insurance' and disrespecting his office of mayor.
He also appeared to be high on chems, so Mal wondered how much of the 'easy going charismatic guy' was a product of that, and how much of it was genuine.
"I know you probably had it handled, but sometimes a mayor's got to make a point." he said breezily. "Ya feel me?"
Malcolm nodded, "What better way to make a point, than with a tip of a knife."
Hancock laughed, "I like you stranger, you got wit. Rare thing these days. Welcome to Goodneighbor; we're of the people, for the people, ya dig?"
"Yeah, Nick Valentine sent me-"
"Oh Nicky, yeah he's a great guy. I know him. You tracking down a missing person?"
"Well hopefully he's not missing, I just need to find the Memory Den?"
"Alrighty, that's easy enough friend, it's just down the way, you can even see the sign from here!"
"Thank you, I appreciate your help, all of it."
"Just give Nicky my best, and tell 'im to come visit me, okay? I can't get into Diamond City, they're too anti-ghoul for that."
"That's rude of them, I'll pass the message along when I next see him."
After a few exchanges of farewells, Malcolm continued on the the Memory Den.
Malcolm was looking for Kent Connolly, a pre-war ghoul who rented a room in the 'Memory Den' where people re-lived old memories, which considering what Malcolm was after, seemed rather appropriate.
He apparently was a huge Silver Shroud fan, and actually broadcasted some of the old radio shows from the room he rented there.
Irma looked skeptical of someone who wanted to meet Kent until Malcolm explained that he really wanted to talk comics, and was a huge fan of the Silver Shroud.
Malcolm was allowed to knock on the door, "W-who's there?" a stutter, like Nick had said, but not a nervous one. He'd apparently had the speech impediment even before the war. "A huge Silver Shroud fan, just wanted to meet the guy responsible for airing the old serials."
Kent hummed behind his door, "Alrighty, if y-you are s-such a h-huge fan of the Shroud, w-what is the name of t-the robot inventor?"
"The Mechanical Maestro."
The door opened and Kent sized Malcolm up from a gap in the door. "Y-you. You're a f-fan of the Shroud?" he said disbelievingly, "You l-look like a j-jock, sort."
Malcolm handed Kent some comics that he's managed to scavenge, "Appearances can be deceiving." Kent practically threw open the door and waived Malcolm in.
"So d-detective Valentine told ya 'bout me?" Kent wondered aloud, "Y-yeah he v-visits the Memory Den s-sometimes for his cases, but y-you probably know t-that. He knows about m-my b-broadcast?"
"Yeah I asked him, and him being sort of pre-war himself, I'd figured he'd know of the Silver Shroud. He vaguely remembers it, but he's not a fan himself."
Kent laughed, "So he pointed ya in my d-direction?"
Mal smiled, "Yeah, I thought I'd be nice to find someone who'd like to talk about comics with me, and the radio show too."
"Heh… y'know a-about where t-they taped the s-show?"
"Yeah, Hubris Comics they almost filmed a TV show, I think."
"You're r-right, got as far as t-the c-costumes… you know, what w-would be fun?"
Kent told Malcolm about how the costume was probably still in the studio, and it'd be really cool to have such an iconic piece of Silver Shroud memorabilia. Malcolm, of course, agreed heartily. Agreed to check it out and let Kent know when he'd found it.
Malcolm immediately visited the comic shop and found not only the costume, but a few comics and also all the reels of the first season Silver Shroud radio broadcast squirreled away in a box in the backroom. Jackpot.
Malcolm also picked up enough ballistic weave on his way back to Goodneighbor to use to kit out the whole costume, because why not?
He passed by Diamond City and informed Nick that Hancock wanted him to visit Goodneighbor more, and Nick had said, 'I might get around to it pretty soon.' so he'd passed on that message.
When he got back to Goodneighbor Kent was overjoyed. Eagerly backing up the radio reels, gushing about the 'lost season' and how he was sure that none of the first season reels had ever been recovered in such good shape before. Malcolm sewed in the ballistic weave, into the costume as Kent detailed how he had gotten a modded prop silver machine gun to actually work.
Almost like they could bring the Silver Shroud to life. They talked late into the night, only realizing how late it was when Kent started yawning, "We've b-been at this f-for h-hours, it's p-past midnight!"
Malcolm shrugged, "Wow, we really talked the day away, but I had a blast, this was really fun and very relaxing."
"It-it's not safe to t-travel the Commonwealth at n-night."
"I could just get a room here at the Memory Den?"
"I-Irma's probably asleep," Kent eyed the single bed in his room, and if ghouls could blush he would be, "Y-you could s-stay h-here, w-with me?" nervous stuttering mixed in with his natural speech impediment.
Malcolm yawned, "Probably a good idea, better than traveling at night...man I'm beat." Malcolm rolled out a sleeping bag, "Been a long time since I had a sleepover."
They woke up late in the morning, with Kent waking first. He looked at the sleeping vault dweller, and realized with a start, 'I don't even know the guy's name!', but he knew he trusted this man, this vault dweller. Pre-war like him, and so kind. He'd given Kent so much hope, and he'd never felt safer.
Still though, sleeping in the same room with someone whose name he didn't even know was so unlike him. Malcolm stirred as Kent shifted to get up.
Malcolm stretched awake, "Man, I haven't slept so comfortably in...a long while."
"R-really?" Kent marveled, "M-me n-neither."
Malcolm got up and considered the costume he'd carefully hung up the night before, and put it on over his own clothes, "Fits really well actually," he considered his reflection in a mirror as he adjusted the hat and fedora.
Kent felt in awe of this strange vault-dweller, "Y-you look e-exactly like 'im. You...you c-could almost be the Shroud! Fighting crime and e-everything!"
Maelstrom responded in a booming voice, a marvelous fax simile of that of the radio broadcasts. "I shall clean up Goodneighbor, fear me evil doers for death has come for you and I- I am its' Shroud!"
Kent whimpered, it was almost like the Silver Shroud was standing right in front of him. He could almost reach out and- when had he stood up? Kent looked and saw his had placed flat on the back of the shoulder of the costume.
The vault dweller turned suddenly, and Kent found himself touching his chest.
Kent gulped in a nervous breath as he found himself frozen to the spot, with the Shroud asking him 'What's wrong Kent, are you alright?'.
"I-I...I never got your name!"
The Shroud chuckled with a self depreciative tinge, "I'm terrible at introducing myself. Seriously, ask Nick next time he comes by, I'm just awful at it… Just promise not to freak out on me?"
Kent marveled at a seemingly bashful Shroud, "Y-you're afraid of i-introducing yourself? A-afraid I'll t-treat ya different?"
Malcolm shrugged, "My name… might have preceded me?"
"You're not a famous gang member or raider or anything?" the vault dweller shook his head adamantly, "No, the exact opposite actually."
"So...you're saying you're a h-hero. A g-genuine h-hero?"
Kent saw a look concern spread on the handsome vault dwellers' face, "Sit down f-for a sec?"
Malcolm sat on the bed, and Kent nervously hugged him, he pulled away just as the hug was beginning to be reciprocated, "I knew it, the second y-you returned w-with the costume , the c-comics, and the reels. I knew you were a hero. Your name won't c-change that, but I'd s-still like to k-know."
"Maelstrom Germaine, call me Malcolm, or Mal. Please... of the Minutemen… I'm their General."
Kent jumped in shock, "A-and...you...gave me…" Kent gasped, "The...the fact t-that y-you g-gave me the t-time of day even!" Kent looked at the wary face of the man sat in front of him, "You- you're the hero… wow."
Malcolm sighed, pleadingly he said, "Please, I'm just-"
Kent suddenly hugged Malcolm again, surprising him, "A h-huge Silver Shroud n-nerd turned cosplayer?"
"Yes." Malcolm said desperately, "That's exactly what I am." He smiled even as tears of relief streamed down his face, "I just woke up—thawed out, like a month ago, and just started helping people. So I wouldn't have to think about how I was 200 plus years into a post-war future, and how my world was gone. Somehow, and I don't know how, I have become the 'Commonwealth's Greatest Hope'." Malcolm let out a sob, "I'm just a normal guy… honest."
"You...said earlier, 'bout c-cleaning up Goodneighbor?"
Malcolm nodded, wiping at his tears "Just need to root out the criminal element, know where I should start?"
Kent raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "A-aren't you busy w-with the Minutemen?"
Malcolm sighed, "I'm delegating, due to check in with Preston Garvey in a few days, so I have some time to burn…"
Malcolm started his quest by wiping the floor with a chem dealer who sold chems to children, and various other nefarious characters. He even left behind the Shroud's calling card so that people who discovered their corpses would know the Silver Shroud was cleaning up Goodneighbor.
He attracted the attention of Mayor John Hancock again, pretty quick.
"Heard that there was a costume freak running around Goodneighbor, who wasn't me. You look familiar actually… yeah, the guy who was looking for the Memory Den?"
"I am he."
"You're something else, running around, bashing heads, I respect that. So far. You seem to have good intentions, took out some real lowlifes. My question is, why?"
"I need a reason for being against selling chems to kids?"
"...Point taken, again respect. Who's even paying…" Hancock considered, "Wait, the Memory Den is where Connolly is at, he put ya up to this?"
"Gave me the idea for using the costume, but I'm not doing this for caps. I am picking up the stuff and caps the criminal element drop when I route them, but Kent didn't pay me anything."
"Figures it was his idea...the costume, I mean." Hancock took a huff of Jet, "Man Valentine sent a real doozy my way."
Fahrenheit coughed, "Speaking of Detective Valentine, he has just arrived at Goodneighbor."
Hancock hurried out into the courtyard, "Nicky!"
Valentine sighed at the ghoul's enthuseasum, "Hancock, long time no see."
"Vault dweller send you my way?"
Malcolm followed after Hancock, "Hey Nick, I still am terrible at introducing myself."
Nick laughed, "Nice get up doll, I should have figured you were behind the reports of 'The Silver Shroud' cleaning up Goodneighbor."
Hancock almost doubled over with laughter, "Is..is your name Doll?" he practically snorted, "That's a hell of a name for a guy built like you Sunshine."
"Name's Maelstrom Germaine-"
Hancock seemed to instantly sober, and be in awe, "Wait...like the Maelstrom Germaine. As in the General 'Storm' Germaine, of Minutemen fame?"
Malcolm nodded, "The very same, feel free to call me Sunshine though, that's a new one."
Nick patted Malcolm's shoulder, "It certainly suits you doll."
Hancock straightened, "You got to tell me the story of how you two came to be in cahoots, I want the full story. Especially, how in the hell Valentine came across the notion of calling you 'doll'."