Are we close to the final? Not exactly but im checking the notes of ideas I had more than other days so it's a good sign
If you are very very very delighted with one fic and want a continuation I didn't write or post you can donate me at least $5 bucks, most of this fics have next chapters I don't finish because lack of motivation but hey a $5 is a $5, I see a few reviews and comments that fics that are abandoned months laters receive comments of wanting to know what happens next. Here it is, I finished my handling with you all, enjoy the fic
Arthur saw with worries the yellow sky with gold thunders surrounding all the Commonwealth. Its been radraining since almost two weeks everyday and he can only think if…his son was okay…if Nora was taking enough precautions...
His soldiers on the airport were all using all the available power armors and the ones inside the Prydwen were on dosis of component 111 everyday, radstorms doesn't have strong effects but the exposure is dangerous in long term. They were even short in power armors and he wanted to ask Nora to borrow hers but this goddam radstorm was dangerous to have people on the outsides wandering around looking for her ass, he was unable to even spy or track her and Maccready with this climatology
He was so used to how handful an resolutive she was, before her they were for months tracking the institute and she find the way in all by herself, just asking people, getting inside by her own results, of course he put Ingram in charge of the construction and most of the materials and handwork but…
If he wanted to send a letter…he should send it to Sanctuary? Castle? Someone will give her the message? He was sure Nora wouldn't deny him the help…or maybe…she would? After all this awful months he didn't know, he wasn't sure of anything now…
He sighted and started to write the letter, Castle wasn't that far from here anyway. It was so strange because he can send a radio message or a transmission to put on loop and she would listen but he had to make sure this fall on her hands, after all, in conflict or not, she was still sentinel, it wasn't obligatory for her to do missions but still had a compromise with the cause. And if he tested her compromise…
Three days later he received a strange report, there was almost no people in Castle were they deliver the letter, neither in the settlements around Hardware Town or the new Wilson Factory, almost empty, there was people in Croup Manor but of course they were highly protected by the Brotherhood soldiers to go out in the radstorm, it wasn't smart to go out but still, strange from the other places. There was people around in the Mass Fussion building, but it was people from Boston and Goodneigbord, Hangman Alley completely empty, fully trapped, traps everywhere, like a raiders gang invaded the place but there was no raiders, not anyone, just robot traps around not letting anyone in.
The family in Nordhagen Beach wasn't there, again, the place trapped, a lot of traps and turrets were placed in the perimeter and even turrets in the walls of the house.
Seems like they left but…keeping the place up, protecting in, like they were coming back, same with Hangman Alley, most of the furniture was still there but it was highly protected by turrets.
Of course, they weren't going to force their entrances to places where obviously nobody wanted nobody inside too…
These were minutemen settlements, truth is he didn't follow up all of them because most were only a family living or really small places, also there was a lot even if they did patrol frequently the commonwealth trying to help their citizens it wasn't his business that much to take care of them but anyway with this climatology he cant do much to help anyone, his soldiers were on all the power armors outside protecting the airport, Croup Manor, Mass Fussion, Hardware Town, Wilson Factory…and for now this was enough, he realized that he didn't have enough power armors skeletons to grow up further and more, its okay, this kind of events were okay to learn sometimes, to put you in places.
Coming back to our business, where the hell was the people? Where they all move? Surely it was a Nora and Preston thing. Does he had to search for her? Again? No, no no no no no, he its going to send this letter to Castle and that's all, they will deliver to her.
But it was so strange to hear of other people organized with power armors that it wasn't Brotherhood Soldiers.
The letter was delivered, and a few hours later, there was an answer with a patrol of 3 minutements in power armors at the entrance of the airport delivering the response.
"Come to Quincy Quarries, armored and with escorts, it doesn't matter, youll be received by my Minutemens in power armors, follow them with confidence, well meet."
It was her script, her italic calligraphy, theres no doubt of that, it wasn't fake, she wrote this. But the content was so strange…Quincy Quarries? Wasn't that place full of raiders? In a pond of radioactive runoff? What the hell is she doing in such dangerous place? Oh gosh…
He sighted and move out from his quarters, since the Brotherhood was isolated by weather there wasn't much work lately anyway so this was at least some movement.
He put on his power armor and get on a ventibird with the four paladins in also power armor. Again a location in the south. She was interested in cleaning from raiders and claiming the zone even if it wasn't really suitable or good enough to live in, as she tried before with the Northen Star ship, but the Quincy part was a shithole of raiders and gunners. Arthur had never been in this place personally, read the reports from his search patrols but it was really…awfull…even in the surroundings, the vegetation was dead, the land was flooded, there was much more destruction than usual…but the glowing sea was close, so its only logic.
-Hold on something team! We are going down! –as soon the pilot say that the five men in power armors grab the bars holding for the landing. Turning deaf for a moment because of all the noise from the air vehicle.
The white marble quarry was as much he read operational until the war, almost knew until the bombs dropped, like the factory, but all the radioactive water make it unusable so he can only wonder what the hell she was doing here.
They were received like the note said by Minutemens in power armors at the entrance, the ventibird wasn't exactly a stelth machinery so they must come to receive them when they approach the mine from the skies. As much he can analyze not really good quality, obviously it wasn't top nocht like Brotherhood brand new and maintained armors, its true that Nora isn't any power armor specialist, she just take the ones she sees and use them, barely repairs them to keep moving but not modify at all, doesn't know how. At least operationals, scratched and with rust but it could be worse, they were protected from the radiation for sure and maybe that's her intention and not much more.
-Welcome Elder Maxson, our general told us to expect you soon –said one of the minutemen, apparently not used to how the helmet change his voice. Soon? Rude.
-Please follow us, we already alerted her to be ready for your arrival down –that strange Arthur, down? Sure, there wasn't anything up…
Guided by the Minutemens they walk across the old raider fortress empty of stuff until meeting a marble hallway down, his paladins suspecting anything to protect the elder put their laser rifles up, the minutemen noticed this but…didn't do much, surely they were warned about this type of situations because it was inconvenient to react, especially with the number difference, 5 versus 3 doesn't sound like a good idea to be defensive about it.
The stairs of marble turned into limestone, and dust, and dirt, and junk, there was sounds of turrets working not so far until they were received by a big and luminous spotlight blinding them even with the power armor helmets. His escorts reacted to it fearing it was a tactic or distraction and harm the elder
There was a vault door operational: an open vault door, functioning, with all lights and machinery. From the entrance where they walked there was turrets on the walls receiving them and foot turrets in front of them, clearly the entrance was…protected from every sight, you cant just throw a grenade and expect to enter disabling the defenses, youll be shooted by other angles. And that was clear because there was a pile of 3 bodys on the side giving it a clear warning to everybody who wanted to play around. Looking close to the sinister decoration that shooked Arthur a bit because this wasn't proper of Nora, it seems to be raiders bodys, at least for the clothes.
-Don't worry, this bags of STDs tried to sneak inside the last week, raiders aren't allowed here and never will be if they try to break using violence –said one of them to not perturb the brotherhood squad, surely they must see things before but it was still tetric to be guided down into a closed space with a pile of dead bodys…
-Why do you held the bodys? –ask one of the paladins curious, also looking at their ropes.
-The generals says that everybody deserves a burial and not a common pit -it was true, Preston and Nora did have a savage and cruel side sometimes, they will use violence to defend people if it was needed but they did have an humanitarian side very marked, they think…after its done- im more of the opinion that this fuckers don't deserve nothing but in this corner they surely don't brother anymore–said the minute men.
-What about the molerats? They sneak to eat bodies –ask another paladin.
-Better here in this corner than inside the vault –said other minutemen, walking inside.
Crossing the giant rounded wheel door of the vault there was people at the sides and fronts in what it looks like…security vault clothes, old fashion police or security personal uniforms, very well preserved, and that strange the elder.
-Welcome to vault 88, until the radstorm end this will be your refugee –said one of the security guards at the sides.
-Your escort will teach you how to move around the vault and the cave -what?- please follow their instructions, its important to keep the peace and organization upon the arrival of new people for all of us to have a good stay until we can return home
How did she…get this? How does she make this stuff all the time?
One of the minutemens accompanying them take his helmet out and hold it in his arms.
-Go outside and keep patrolling, ill watch over our guests –the other two agree.
-Ill go to pee and have a sip of water –said one going out of the circuite and stepping out of his power armor, breaking from the group.
-Ill wait here for you man! –said the third one, going to a corner parking his power armor, sitting on a metal box to stretch his arms and legs, its true, you get sore and tired all day in one.
There was people walking around in well preserved vault suits along with what he assumed were normal citizens of the commonwealth from their clothes and ages. The air inside the vault was clean, it smell like wet dirt but not like rust metal like the radiation. Sure, it wasn't as clean, organized, nice or professional as his ship, it wasn't military at all either but for the wastelands standards it was…fine…it must be difficult to keep all this ignorant and non domesticated people together living in a closed space away from their homes, all so different and with different values and life experiences.
His chest closed, his heart hurt and his thoughts were a mess, nonononononono he never wanted to let Nora go, he wants to be at her side and do this stuff together, he wants to see her achieve this and protect people, to collaborate…but she doesn't let him. Suddenly and surrounded of people, even his paladins protecting him, he felt alone, and vulnerable.
The metal boxes were organized as seats around, no junk or debris on the floor unless people was working around, tables and furniture were out of stuff…clean as it can be, of course the vault was a bit mistreated and old but as wastelands standars it was fine.
-Come with me, ill guide you to the oversee office –oversee what the hell?
Walking inside the vault they all can see how much of the rooms were used as sleeping rooms, separated by black carpets there was a clean bed and a tall cabinet in blocks of at least 6, and for the items placed in the cabinet they can only assume that's were the childrens sleep. Toys were in the cabinets and it was a little bit more messy than the rest of the rooms.
There was adults and children walking around in the vault but something was off.
Nora was in the oversee office, wearing a typical blue and yellow vault suit, with an gold 88 in the back…and for some reason she had a wool fisherman's cap.
-Hello there –said the sentinel, not turning around.
-General Nora…or Sentinel Nora too –said Arthur, finally taking out his helmet, breathing fresh air with his nose and not the filter of the mask.
-Im oversee 88 here too –she said pulling a chair and sitting in front of them in the rounded desk.
Arthur see clearly her pregnancy belly in the tight vault uniform, a bit more bigger than the last time, seeing it take a gasp out of him.
-Not much protection against radiation I see –he said a bit annoyed, making the four paladins uncomfortable with their couple drama, its not like they were unaware of it especially when they take this mission…
-Oh please everything im wearing has a rad resistance…-she said with a smile.
-And the hat? –ask one of the paladins.
-Has a funny story behind but yes it has rad resistance…-she giggled annoying the man- sorry if my office is a bit messed up is still…unfinished…
What?
-I don't get it –he said, something was really off.
-I see…-she said, didn't mind the paladins here tho, it wasn't a secret anymore that she was pregnant of Arthur son- anyway lets talk about that armors first and then ill give you a tour around the vault, so in case you are not interested in my offer neither of us loose time
-Offer? –said joking one of the paladins.
-I don't have that many armors –said Nora pulling her chair closer to the elder, the man took one and sat in his side of the desk in front of her- but I do have exoskeletons if you like
-You mean only the machinery? –she nodded- I thought you had more
-I borrow all my complete armors to the minutemens in the outside, thing is I don't have that many complete armors, I have a lot of exoskeletons because most of that armors get lost or break too much to get fixed, what can I say? Im just a lawyer I cant be an expert in everything –true, she wasn't fond of power armor mechanics at all
-Do you have some armor parts?
-Some, of all kinds, most t-45 than anything, I can give you that models permanently if you wish since I don't know how to exploit their full potential anyway
-Its strange that you didn't give them to the Atom Cats –said Arthur remembering what Maccready told him once, Nora smiled.
-I did, Zeke had the garage full of only my power armors right now, its impossible to take more work for him without getting ambushed by raiders, he is working to repair as most as possible but like I said, Im lacking in a lot of armors parts.
-Brotherhood scribes are experts in manufacturing armors, same with mods, im sure we can use the exoskeletons at least to avoid radiation –said one paladin.
-Cool, you have to pick them at Sanctuary, I already have them separated since there's no one down here with enough knowledge to use them or make armors, Zeke has his hands full so they were just…parked…I believe there's some 20 or so but since I can't rescue their real value I don't know the exact number, maybe its 20 for me but 3 for you
-We can organize a patrol for recon to arrive there
-Sure, there's not much people now in Sanctuary but ill warn them about your visit, so they don't shoot the ventibird…I have to say this: fucking stay away from my robots and my supermutant, just pick up the goddam power armors and leave from the place
-Yeah we can take your offer –said Arthur- we can make it up for the missing parts
-Theres a lot who only have an arm and a leg since I get rid of them when I was in trouble or need to have less weight on…
-It's a deal, don't worry, I accept, we need to have more people on the airport, it's a really big terrain to cover, we are not going outside until the radstorm ends.
Nora smiled relaxed.
-Cool, since you came all the way here why don't you stay for lunch? Ill will be nice to show you the place –Arthur look at his paladins and rise his shoulders, they were curious too.
-Sure, why not
-Park your power armors here or walk around with them, whatever makes you feel more comfortable, I must say that the hallways are small tho
-Wheres yours? –ask one of the paladins
-More close than you can imagine, handy, but I don't need to use it down here
Arthur and a Paladin parked out taking with them their fusion cores, the other three paladins stay inside their armors.
Soooooooo this was an interesting tour for sure.
There was a series of machine where people exercise and make energy…
One that make edible tonics that make people humor up…
Other that will entertain players but also make them a secret profile of them…
-This is…-said one of the paladins low talking to other.
-Horrible –said out and loud another.
-I know, I did as much I can with oversee Valery around at that moment, frankly this was the best options to keep it the most humanitary as possible
It wasn't all bad, but the most shocking thing was that…the vault wasn't finished from the start…most of the settlers were living in boxes on a giant cave…a lot of powered water pumps were on the ground and it makes sense since they were underground better to get the most out of it also there was a lot of cattle around because it was impossible to grow crops down here since theres no sunlight, sadly, they were all to sacrifice, there was no crops, not enough food for so many people and killing one brahim you can feed everybody in the vault for the day at least, and if there was no food to feed the cattle better sacrifice them, brahims eat a lot and frankly it was better to save that food for the people and sacrifice the animals, after all if you let the cattle in the surface with this radstorm they will surely die poisoned or attacked by savage deathclaws or yao guais.
For now, lets eat the meat, is the best we can do, after surviving this radstorms, well have time to grow up more cattle for the farms, all the farms, for this days, we need to survive
-The water idea is actually really good –said Arthur. Walking around with Nora like they used too was giving him bad chills, he shouldn't feel this way so close to her after missing and worrying so much.
-Is there any beast down there? –ask another of the paladins.
-Molerats, but that's common underground, there was some deathclaws trapped in this caves two years ago but Valery told me to wipe them to clean some areas of the vault
-How big is it? –ask Arthur, unable to take his eyes out of her belly as they walk together, not close to each other but still together.
-I think is the biggest I ever seen –ja biggest- even the institute wasn't as big as this circuit of caves –wow she was talking about the institute with the paladins- but truth is I haven't see much livable underground facilities
-What if the Quarry flows down in a rain day or has some problem at the entrance where we enter?
-Since the vault is unfinished there's a lot of entrances everywhere, every way out is signalized properly and of course every passage into the vault is defended by turrets and alarms, since Quincy is an actually inhabited place there's not much risk of raiders, yes gunners, there's a lot of gunners down in this part of the Commonwealth but we take very seriously the maintenance of the entrances.
-So people know were to go in and out
-Not exactly, only the vault dwellers I recluted two years ago when I funded the vault as a settlement with Valery, right now the security officer is a commonwealth citizen named Clem, he organize the tours for the new families coming in for refugee while the radstorm is on, controls the exits and entrances and has plans in case we need to evacuate but together didn't find any reason to actually evacuate
So organized, Arthur was impressed.
-The families are under vigilance?
-No, the entrances and exits are under vigilance, that's more where the power armors are right now, Clem is so devoted with this vault, he considers it his home from the first moment Valery bring him down
Every family was sleeping in their own big container box like it was some kind of neiberhood there was even an organization of space and "streets" and that really call Arthur attention -How do you move this? Is so hard this big objects…-for some reason, each time he asked something to her, she smiled, or responded with a glowing smile.
-Theres a lot of old heavy construction machines in this caves, settlers that are handy on machines were able to repair and use…3 machines if I recover right, the ones who were standing, the others were down on the ground laying and no matter how many teams I organized to try to stand them up it was completely impossible, even with the power armors we cant just lift a machine 5 times bigger than us up our heads no matter if we used ropes or not
-What about dissembling them?
-We don't know how
-I can send a group of scribes to figure out how to recover this machines, constructions machinery are just so useful
-That would be nice, you can keep the machine if you want, I have no problem but the terrain here in the south is swampy and unstable for heavy bodies to move
-Who is driving this machines? –ask Arthur not actually wanting to hear a certain answer…
-The handy settlers, I call them mechanistas as a funny joke –pew, that was a relief, this sounds like a lot of job for a four months pregnancy lady, no matter how skilled Nora was- most of this vault was settled two years ago, I discovered it not so much later than destroying the institute
Arthur had a question right now, where the hell was his security guard? He didn't pay Maccready yet and if Nora knew anything about their…arrangement she would mentioned…but no…
-Why there's people having their own space here in the shipping containers and others just sleeping in the vault floors? –ask a paladin.
-Organization issues, but I made the childrens sleep separately from adults because it gets cold here during the night and inside the vault together the rooms are warmers –well that sound good. He see Nora look to a certain direction were people were moving some tablets and chairs, the cave was gigantic, it was difficult to smell anything besides wet dirt but there was a faintly smell of charcoal in the air- Paladins, bathrooms are in that direction, lunch will be ready in twenty in that place, well meet you, Elder come with me, there's some things to discuss privately –Paladins may think whatever they want of her poor choice of words but he knew it wasn't horny time, she didn't have that look in her face, Arthur nodded to them and the team separated leaving the couple alone.
Both walk back to the oversee office, Arthur studying his surroundings, people were walking around with plates, purified canes and cutlery for the upcoming communitarian lunch. Once they were alone behind the door he asked.
-Are you eating brahim meat today?
-I don't know –what the hell was that answer?
-Are you eating properly?
-This is for you –not or yes or no huh? Nora gave him a folder with some documents inside, he look at it, but focused on her gaze- give it to Cade, we have a pretty good nursery down here, I did the basic exams you make me have in the Prydwen so you can have a record and track of time-so she made…controls…for a son she didn't want to have…
-Who performed the test? You have a doctor down here?
-Curie is around, we have a lot of children wandering around the vault so she is more than happy –right, again the robots
-Im sure you did as much as possible to avoid radiation this days –he hoped so at least, it was one of his concerns when he sees the rain during more than 24hs, how she was dealing with it to not affect the pregnancy
-Im doing fine…-she said sitting in the round desk, looking elsewhere.
-You have grown –he also sat on the desk, but on the opposite side, further from her.
-Yes –a hand of her slowly place on her belly, Arthur lift an eyebrow confused, he wasn't understanding anything. No, she wouldn't play with him today. If she was confused well, let it be, but she wouldn't confuse him, he knew what he wanted.
-Are you planning to come back to the Prydwen anytime soon? –he wanted to hug, to place a hand were his child was but he wouldn't allow himself to be tricked again.
-Im not sure when the hell this radrain will be over, there's so much to organize here, this settlement only had 20 people before and now it has over 100, the fact that there's so much water makes the coexistence so much easy, I mean people can rest submissively on sleeping bags if they have a shower daily…that's the level of much water I refer but all this work will still be here once the people come back to their original homes.
-What if they don't want to go back to the surface? Are you going to be oversee 88 forever?
-They will, nobody wants to be sealed in a tomb like this for eternity –that hit the man severely because…That was a thing Danse said. It pass some time since the last time Arthur think on him.
-Are you feeling okay lately? –confused, hurt and mad he was of course, concerned about her too
-I cant stop going to pee but the worst months are yet to come –and she didn't want to expend it with him supporting her, fuck everything, he was annoyed no matter how much she insisted this wasn't about him- I pass through this before so im not scared of the pregnancy itself…
Arthur sight and shut his eyes, a pain stab him on the chest. He was in the middle in…wanting to be at her side now and…not wanting to be here at all, mocked, played like a toy.
-I been fine too, thanks for asking –yeah, this always was about her, what she does, what she did, what she felt, how is she…never about him, never about how he feels, never how this situation affects him…this wasn't a couple they weren't something together anymore they…were separated. He never wanted to separate.
-Would you like to stay over? –Arthur blink and raise his head, not looking at her- lunch and then…expend the noon until dinner…there's a guy who make this superdelicious stew…
The fact that she will eat something from the commonwealth diet did surprise him but…
-No –something gets caught in his throat by saying that, but goddam it was needed to be say
He heard her gasp, but didn't look at her. He was mad. If she chooses to stay away and break up like this so many times no matter how much he tried, how different he approaches it…
-Come on its not easy to go out on a radstorm and…
-Ill take a ventibird
He can feel her eyes on his neck, but he wouldn't look at her.
No, she wouldn't cling to him just to discard him again when she is tired or confused or bored or whatever crossed her mind any day.
-Are you sure? –her voice cracked, and he shut his eyes, what was the point of this? She always end up leaving him, the man nodded and felt how she step down on the ground from the desk –why did the baby have to change everything?
What a nasty comment.
-Nora…
-We were just fine before all of this…-heard how she walked around the room, but didn't open his eyes to look at it- why can't everything be like before?
-How can you expect that something like this would not change things? –heard her opening some lockers and cabinets looking for something, heavy breathing- I wouldn't change this, I love both of you –then something hard hit him on the chest, making him open the eyes surprised to see Nora in front of him striking his chest with more…papers…and folders
-Give this technical documents to Proctor Quinlan if you are leaving now, go to eat alone if you want, I lost my appetite –Arthur rolled his eyes, sniffing hot air trough his nose, sure, if things didn't go like she wanted she gets mad, funny. Oh this was causing him a headache
-If you are giving me these I suppose you are not going back to the Prydwen anytime soon –he said with a low voice picking up the folders organizing them to be more easy to pick.
-I said I don't know…-oh my gosh she had the nerve to be upset like a little girl. He was tired of this bullshit.
-Yeah I suppose you have a lot to do here…oversee…-Arthur step in the ground and leave the folders on the desk, taking out his fusion core from his jacket and placing it on his power armor back, yep, he was leaving.
-And general of the minutemen
-And Sentinel of the Brotherhood of Steel
-You came for your power armors, you got your power armors, I suppose im performing just fine as a sentinel doesn't? –he didn't look at her and only get inside in the power armor, feeling the exoskeleton closing around his waist and back, not sure if the feeling of being trapped was from the angust or the power armor- you can go
-I also lost the appetite –he put on the mask seeing her close the arms around her belly, her chest going up and down pretty stressed- if you need something you know where to find me
-Sure –she said biting her lip swallowing the anger down the throat also getting stuck, looking at the ground, Arthur take the folders and look at her a last time, specially looking at her 4 months pregnancy belly.
Maybe Maccready wasn't around, but she was fine.
-Try to eat something at least at night
-Yeah don't worry the institute packages are doing their thing…-at least he knew that
He look for the paladins walking around in his power armor to the communitarian lunch they saw before, the paladin that parked his power armor with the elder before come back to the oversee office, the door was open, but no one was inside, Nora had already left, again.
The 5 Brotherhood soldiers left the vault and get inside the ventibird waiting for them to go back to the Prydwen.
Another month more, 5 months left, for this one and maybe until radrain stops she was fine.
The only thing that wasn't fine was their relationship.