After a day full of surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant, Daniel went to bed. It was 8 o'clock but he was very tired as he played all day with Nate. Even though Nate is tired too, he decided that he should spend his time with his wife. Sandra was very happy seeing her husband home and even more so, making love to her. It was so relieving feeling him there, knowing he is alive, that he is safe in Diamond City. After their passionate moments, he left the bed and turned on the radio.
"Jesus, honey… I spend so little time with you and when I finally have you all for me, believe me, I don't need to hear Travis."
"Shhh, it's important!"
"Okay… I suppose I will resist for another thirty minutes."
"That's my girl!"
Good evening… umm… Ladies and gentlemen… It's time for… you know, The Voice… The Voice of the Wasteland with me, you know, Travis! Tonight is a very… very special edition, as we have a… special guest! The Mayor of Diamond City, Mr. Adrian Hicks! Good… evening, yeah… Good evening, Mr. Hicks!
Good evening, Travis. Thank you for having me. Good evening to the fellow citizens of Diamond City and to people of the Commonwealth. I am here tonight to make an announcement that will change the face of the Wasteland forever. In the last three months, the ruling council of our beloved city worked on a very special project, one that will improve dramatically our lives. As you probably know, before the War that almost destroyed humanity, the Corvega assembly plant in Lexington remained largely intact, after the bombs fell. It was the one of the largest vehicle production facility in the old United States and now, it would become again a center of industry and prosperity. A few weeks ago, a joint team formed of Minutemen and Diamond City guardsmen spearheaded by our hero, Nate, managed to wrest the complex from the hands of Raiders and managed to discover certain pre-war manuals and devices that would help build the first post-war car in the Commonwealth! And now, I ask every mechanic, every man or woman who knows how to hold a hammer and every tech specialist in Diamond City and beyond to come to Lexington and help us create the future! Imagine a world where traders from all corners of the Wasteland wouldn't need the slow moving Brahmin to sell their wares. Imagine a world where your fear of being killed by all the dangers of the Commonwealth will disappear! In the distant past, the Industrial Revolution brought change in the world. Let 2299 become the year of the new Industrial Revolution! Those of you who wish to volunteer for this glorious endeavor are free to come to Diamond City and help us change the Commonwealth. When we will have enough manpower to begin the project, we will leave for Lexington and start the work!
Wow… Cars in… the… Commonwealth. That's… That's good! Imagine listening to me and to… Diamond City Radio while you drive your own… umm… Car! That's… incredible!
Indeed it is, Travis. Well, thank you again for having me. Good night, fellow citizens of Diamond City and the Commonwealth! Help us create our dream!
Umm… thank you for being here, Mayor… Hicks! So there it is, ladies and gentlemen! The new… future of the… Commonwealth! To celebrate, let's hear some music! What about the… Uranium Fever by… Elton…BRITT?! Yeah, Britt!
"Huh… I would have expected Travis will learn who sings what, considering the fact that he plays those songs over and over again for like, what, twenty years?!"
"Nate!"
"What?"
"This is your problem now, that Travis has forgotten who sings the song again? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, it's a surprise! I wanted to be here when Hicks would have made the announcement. We cleaned up the Corvega factory a few weeks ago and we found out plans, schematics, materials… the Railroad's tech specialist, Tinker Tom, said that the devices found there could be used to build vehicles. We can do it, Sandra!"
"Nate, it's just that… I never thought I would see the day those cars would work."
"In the NCR, I heard that they repaired certain vehicles and they make use of them for transporting personnel and resources within the republic but we plan to build a vehicle from scratch. Those rusty old buckets you see in the Wasteland would never work, even if we clean them up. They run on nuclear energy."
"Wow… And how long do you think it will take to build one?"
"I don't know, hon. It's difficult to say. If we would have, let's say, a hundred or so skilled persons, we would probably finish up in a couple of months. It's just so much work to do! God… it will be harder to restore the facility than it was when we took it from the raiders."
"It was a hard fight?"
"Very hard. They were holed up there, hiding from Ghouls. We had to kill those Ghouls first before giving the raiders a chance to surrender the plant and leave unharmed but the stubborn assholes refused and it turned into a blood bath!"
"Hey, it's alright! Let those feelings go, I am here, with you. You did what you had to do for the good of the Commonwealth. You are a hero!"
"Hmm… Yeah. A hero with blood on his hands…"
"Hey, listen. In this world, you do what you got to do! Change will not come easily. Sometimes, you need to make sacrifices to bring change. You brought that mad picture home to give you the image of a future to avoid. But that factory you seized, it's the image of a future that needs to happen. If you started this action, see it through! For Daniel, for me and for all the others!"
Sandra was right. Nate could always count on her to be kind and compassionate but also to be firm and decisive when she needed to be. But it was different now. He was afraid of things that could happen. It was easier back in the day when he would make enemies with the Brotherhood of Steel and the Institute and defeat them both with reckless abandon. He loved nobody then. Nobody awaited him home to return from one of his crazy missions that more often than not involved killing, maiming and destroying. After his son, Shaun, died, Nate would risk his life in any way possible but now, he has a new son and a new family. During the mission to take the Corvega plant, he fought like Mars, the god of war, in one hand the Dalton, in other hand, a Shishkebab. Nate thought then, what would Daniel say if he saw his Daddy turning a man into a red paste with his dual-wielding might? The killing need to stop, and it will stop, if the project will bear fruit. But it's a long way until then. Nate wanted just to sleep, having his wife in his arms, knowing his beloved child is safe. It was still early in the evening, but Nate was exhausted. He quickly has fallen asleep.