08:37 am
Alex shoved Piper and Nat to the ground with the explosion, covering their heads with her arms. Screams rang out around them with the surprise of the massive blast.
Cait huddled against them, covering her head, "Mother fucker!"
Looking past Cait's shoulder, Piper gasped. The mayor's and city council's offices had exploded. The shards, of wood, paper, metal, and glass made a peculiar, almost crystalline sound as debris rained down. Black smoke poured from the building's many shattered windows.
They were far enough away from the water pumps to be safe from the glass and debris that was falling on Diamond City. "Minutemen, defend Diamond City! That's our priority." Alex shouted over the noise to the uniformed people around her. Alex pulled Nat and Piper to their feet shouting, "We need to stay together, no matter what."
Another explosion rocked the offices, and Alex shoved them back down as the city's lone elevator was blown to pieces sending the fragments like spears into the ground and buildings below. The black smoke that billowed from the machinery was consumed by the black smoke that was pouring from the offices.
A third explosion blew out the side wall of the mayor's office, throwing the pieces, papers, remnants of metal, cloth, and wood onto the old walkway below it.
"Jesus Christ!" Nat ducked again, next to her sister and Alex.
"Stay down," Cait yelled at them over the screams of the people around them and the noise.
A fourth explosion blew part of the roof off. The panels and other debris spun through the air. All around them the city guards and residents were in chaos. People were running and ducking in all directions. Screams and shouting added to the disorienting commotion.
Alex stood again, "Minutemen, to the gate!" Her back was turned to the guards who were rushing from the water pumps toward the mayor's office. Cait shoved Alex back to the ground just as a city guard raised his rifle, and pointed directly at Alex's unprotected back. Piper shot him just before his rifle went off. As he fell, he pulled the trigger as his final act, and the bullet hit Cait in her upper thigh.
"Fuckin' Hell!" Cait grabbed her leg, dropping to the ground, "The guards are dirty."
Alex looked at the fallen guard, then at Cait. "The mother fuckers are in the city!" Alex's radio cracked, "Sullivan, come in. Gunners are in the city dressed as guards! Close the gate and don't trust anyone."
Gunfire answered her, echoing through the radio, "We can't get there. They're coming in!"
The night before… 17:02 pm
"Well, honey, by the time the whole world went to Hell in a handbasket, my sisters and I had quite a few businesses under our belts. Most were run by people we knew and trusted, but Helena ran the books on everything until she passed on. She didn't miss a penny, she even had Lexi and Betty helping her starting when they were both fifteen," Florrie took a drink of her gin and tonic, thinking, "Lexi, you might need to remind me of a few of them… but we started off with a little club, in downtown. Just a tiny gin joint, with live music, and standing room only. But oh, was it the buzz!"
Joanna put down her fork, wearing a confused look, "What's a gin joint?"
Florrie smiled. She was more animated than Piper was telling a story, "It's like a bar, sweetheart, with just a little more swank to it. We made everyone dress up, jackets, ties, dresses, heels… the whole thing was a show. We were the new dames in town, and we had to make an entrance. It was called the 'Moonlight Lounge', and it was the nicest gin joint in the Commons."
Nat giggled, eating. Alex chuckled, glancing at Piper who had covered her face while laughing.
"We weren't in business for more than three days before these serious-looking fellas come waltzing in. Well, we had them pegged as mob the second they stepped through the door. Helena comes over to me, as cool as a cucumber, "Florrie, go tell them to behave or get out'." She put her hand on her chest dramatically, "Me? They aren't going to listen to me…" Florrie laughed, "My sister looks me dead in the eye and just says, 'Yes, they will. You are the Lolo Rodriguez, and the top cop of the Commonwealth is sitting right over there with the Lieutenant Governor and the damn Captain of the Boston Police Department. So, you go tell those boys to behave and enjoy themselves, because you just told Shaun Jansen, Cecil Maynard, and Seamus Murphy to do the same. Any business done here is confidential."
Alex set her fork down and studied her, "You let mobsters run out of your business and Papa let you do that?"
"Oh, kid," Florrie shook her head, "You're damned right we did. We didn't want to end up at the bottom of the Bay. Your daddy knew the stakes like we did. Our clubs were neutral ground, and everyone was on their best behavior. That's how we broke the different family's hold on the entertainment businesses in town."
"What's a mobster?" Joanna was watching them, trying to understand.
"It's like a raider, except they live by a code. It was called…" Florrie snapped her fingers trying to remember.
"Omertà," Alex answered, irritated.
"That's it. They had a certain honor system. We even let Shaun set up a meeting with the heads of a few families. Lena Crenshaw was singing that night. That woman had the voice of an angel, body of a devil." Florrie chuckled.
Alex shook her head and pushed her plate away. Piper moved the food around on her plate watching Alex. She could see how angry she was as Alex ran her hand through her hair. The red in her cheeks was a dead giveaway for how pissed Alex was becoming. Piper studied her,
"Lexi, that's how things were done back then. Your daddy was the Commonwealth's Attorney. He told them our club was off limits and he'd respect that so long as they played by the same rules. It's how we stayed in business and above ground."
"It's fine." Alex spun the whiskey glass in her hand, "I understand." It was clear she didn't.
Florrie put her hand over Alex's, ending the glass's dance. "You were a Commonwealth District Attorney like Shaun, so I know you understand. I also know you like it about as much as your daddy did."
"What's a district attorney?" Nat asked, slightly nervous.
"I prosecuted criminals that police arrested," Alex continued to study her aunt for a moment, then pushed back her chair. "Essentially, we were the top cops of the Commonwealth, and we were elected to our positions. If police made an arrest, we were the ones that either charged them or let them go. I'll show you." Alex got up and walked out of the room.
"She's really pissed," Nat whispered to Piper. Piper gave her a look of warning to be quiet.
"I figured she wouldn't like it, but her father knew. Helena made him swear to it before we even bought the club."
"Blue's mom made him?" Nat was shaking her leg under the table, nervously. It was shaking the entire table. Piper gave her a tap with her foot and Nat stopped. Nat always got nervous when people were angry.
"Lexi is just like her father. Shaun wanted to put every mobster in Massachusetts behind bars and so did she." The ghoul set her glass down on the table, "The mobsters wanted Lexi's dad six feet under, and my sister didn't want to bury her husband before he turned thirty. So, yeah, she made him cut a deal with every family in town. Our clubs were neutral, and he'd put his reputation on it. They knew he'd respect the boundaries. None of the cops used our businesses to gather evidence."
Piper stared at her plate, "She was protecting him."
"She was protecting all of us. That's something Lexi can't understand. She helped put her father's…"
Alex pushed open the door carrying a bundle. Nat opened her mouth, but the ghoul shook her head. Alex set the bundle down on the table and unwrapped it revealing a newspaper and a gold pocket watch. The old ghoul picked up the watch with a sad smile, "How do you still have this?"
"My house had a safe. With Codsworth there, no one ever sacked it," Alex pulled the black ten-millimeter pistol from the back of her pants and set it on the table. "There were only a couple of things that lasted the centuries."
The ghoul looked from the gun to Alex, "Nate's?" Alex only nodded as she unfolded the paper. Nat and Piper shared a quick look.
"Who is Nate?" Joanna set her fork down and pushed her plate back.
Nat's eyes got wide, "No, it's cool. I'll tell you later…"
"It's fine, Nat. She doesn't know," Alex cleared her throat. "Nate was my late husband. He was murdered sixty-four years ago trying to stop an Institute agent named Kellogg from taking our son."
The ghoul inhaled sharply. Piper rubbed her head; she wasn't sure how much worse dinner could get.
Joanna folded her hands on her lap, "I apologize, Alex. I only knew of Father's origins and yours."
Florrie looked between Joanna and Alex confused, "Father? Does she mean Shaun… your son Shaun?" Piper felt a headache coming on.
"Yes," Joanna's answer was emotionless, but her face conveyed her distaste for the man.
Alex sighed and Piper could hear her mounting irritation, "It's fine, Jo. I know you weren't told."
"Does that mean she's your granddaughter?" Florrie started to get excited, "You didn't tell me you have a granddaughter?!"
"No, I am not biologically related to Alex," This time Joanna's answer was terse. Piper couldn't understand the reason. Neither Joanna nor Alex was looking at anyone. Piper wondered why.
"I'm confused," Florrie looked between Alex and Joanna. "How are you not, if he was your daddy?"
Alex drained her whiskey glass, "I need a drink. I'll be right back." With that, she left the room.
"Father was only a name he was referred to as. It was his DNA that was used for the creation of all third-generation synthetic humans like me."
"Say what now, honey? Third generation… what's a synthetic human?" She waved both her hands in the air, "Hell, I don't even care about that. I'm not biologically related to Lexi, and I've loved her since before she was born. If you're family, then you're my grandniece." She pointed at Piper and Nat, "The same goes for the two of you. You're family now, all of you and it's important that you know that. That's how we are and how we raised Lexi. I can see she loves all of you and that's all that matters to me. You three are my nieces. End of story."
"Jo, while you explain synths, I'll get everyone a fresh drink." Piper stood, picking up the plates. She made a hasty exit with everything, pulling open the door to the other room.
Alex stood at the shelf, drinking directly from a bourbon bottle.
Piper set the plates down on the counter and walked over to her. "I told you; this won't solve anything." She pulled the bottle from her hands, then took a long drink watching Alex.
"She won't understand." Alex shook her head, angrily crossing her arms.
Piper let the bottle drop, "Is it worth arguing over?"
"We aren't related, and that man wasn't my son!"
"You're right. He wasn't. He was nothing like you." Piper took a breath, watching Alex relax, "But your son will always be the baby both you and she remember. She won't understand the science or what's happened. Is it so bad to let her think Joanna is her niece? You already treat her like she's another member of our family."
Alex let her hands drop to her sides, "I'm not lying to my aunt, Piper."
"You told her the truth! Besides, you do treat Jo like she is your child and differently from the others."
"I treat her differently because…" Alex took a deep breath, "Because I feel guilty."
Piper was confused, "Why?"
"I had to put a gun to Edna Garrett's head to get her to trust me. She was in so much danger, I had to get her out. So, yeah, I treat her differently. I couldn't save my son or my husband, but I could sure as hell save her." Alex took a step forward and pulled the bottle from her hands, "I wanted to save them all because it was my boy who made them. My baby was gone, but they were right there, and they were nothing more than slaves and experiments."
Piper pulled the bottle from her hands and poured it into her glass. She took another glass from the shelf and poured herself some too. "This won't solve any problem you have. My mom decided this was more important than Nat or me before she left. I don't want to see you become like her." She pulled the gin bottle from the shelf and opened the fridge. She grabbed two Nuka-Cola grape bottles and the tonic water. When she turned around Alex was right there.
"Piper…"
"Not a word," Piper stood on her toes to kiss Alex.
"She's not going to get the whole thing. Besides, it doesn't matter to her."
Piper sighed at her as Alex took the bottles from her hands. "Tell me why not," Piper picked up her glass and Alex's.
"Because my aunts and mother weren't biologically related. Their parents were best friends, and they were raised together. It's a long story. I know that's not how people see each other now and I don't want to make people feel uncomfortable."
"No. That's not true. Being related or not, it doesn't matter, they chose to be a family and so can we. Now let's go enjoy ourselves." Piper kissed her again, "In fact, let's get her to tell us about it."
08:57 am
"Blue!" Piper yelled. The sound of another pipe bursting made her jump. It scared her more than gunfire. The safety of Diamond City had become a myth, and the reality of it was terrifying.
"Fuck sakes, Piper, she can't hear you, just stay there. We're coverin' them," Cait pulled her back down behind the Power Noodles counter.
Piper was desperate to have Alex with them. Cait had protected Alex twice, the second time getting stabbed in the forearm as a Gunner dressed as a city guard swung his knife at Alex's neck. Alex had traded Cait her combat rifle for Cait's shotgun and went after them. She fired at the Gunners that were around the corner pinning them down. "On the right!" Piper ducked again to reload. Nat and Cait returned fire, taking down two more Gunners.
Piper looked over the counter, searching for Alex. Their radios cracked, "We can't get the gate controls to shut it. Gunners are pouring in!" Piper could hear the desperation in Danny's voice.
"Hold on, Danny, we're almost there!" Alex was heading toward the main gate with as many Minutemen as she could rally. They had chased three men dressed as city guards that had fired at them. Which is how they ended up at Power Noodles. Piper had pulled the group into cover when Danny called for backup. Piper had felt her heart clench when Alex kissed her before she jumped the counter.
Piper could hear the non-stop gunfire from the tunnel while she looked around at the chaos. Diamond City residents were fighting back, guards they knew had pulled off their helmets so they wouldn't get shot by residents.
"Ernie!" Nat yelled at a guard as they ran by. She raised her gun and shot the other guard following him. Piper just looked at her. Nat shrugged, "I didn't recognize her."
Ernie stopped, looking over her, "Thanks, Nat!"
"Help, Blue!" Nat yelled back at him. Ernie nodded, running toward the gate.
Takahashi had been disabled and was slumped over in the middle of the tent. The radio cracked again, "General, the cavalry has arrived… we're pushing them toward the gate to trap them in the crossfire." Piper's eyes flew wide at the sound of the man's voice.
"Fuckin' right! MacCready! 'Bout time your sorry arse showed up." Cait yelled into her radio.
"Welp, Cupcake, he made a wrong turn at Albuquerque and ended up at vault ninety-five. But he got a bunch of them doctors with him. We'll have ta show that boy how'da read a dang map. Now we're fixin' ta get some Gunner ass. You an' Miss Piper with da boss?" The man's Southern accent was filled with mirth.
"Negative, Tex. We needed ninety-five's doctors. Got nothin' to do with skill, buddy. I actually thought of it like a big boy!" MacCready's teasing voice made both Piper and Cait laugh. Piper was laughing with relief knowing they were out there.
"Ya right! Everyone knows skill is part of it, son!" Tex laughed into his mic.
Piper laughed, her jumpsuit's mic keying to her call. "Tex this is Piper, Blue's trying to clear the gate to close it. We're picking off the rats that are on her backside," Piper said trying to not laugh with relief as she talked.
Cait chuckled.
"Y'all blueberries heard the pretty lady, giddy up. Get in there and get some!" Tex answered over the radio.
"Affirmative! Eighty-Eight heading in."
"Rodger that, Tex. Eighty-One copies."
"Nighty-Five en route with Minuteman escort."
"Liberators are enroute. Keep the gate open, General, we're almost there." Piper breathed a sigh of relief hearing Savannah's voice on the radio.
Water flooded in, flowing over their boots. "Do you smell that?" Nat looked around then at the ground watching the dark colored water shifting colors in the light. "Piper. We need to leave. Right now." Piper looked over at her hearing the panic in Nat's voice.
Cait shot a Gunner as they ran by. "The fuck you talkin'…" Cait looked down at the amount of oil that the water was carrying and the burning pile of debris it was heading for. "Move!"
Nat helped Cait over the bar, and Piper slid over the top, knocking everything off in her path. They moved just in time as the oil-slicked water roared to life, bursting into flames. The string lights burst with the intense heat that instantly consumed everything the oily water touched; the red awning went up in a draft of white smoke. The wood planks and walkways were on fire. The flaming river rolled down the stairs into Fallon's Basement and pooled everywhere. Gunners ran by, throwing Molotov cocktails into the different stalls and buildings.
People were on the road as Piper and Nat pulled Cait along towards a burning Publick Occurrences. The Gunners had doused the place in fuel and had set it on fire. Black smoke was pouring from the print shop. "We'll be safe over here in cover," Piper shouted, pulling Cait's arm over her shoulder. It was breaking her heart to see Publick on fire, but right now their lives were on the line.
"We can't go inside, it's too dangerous!" Cait no more got the words out before another explosion tore out of the security offices, throwing metal and concrete through the school, Publick, Fallon's, and the Super Salon. Flames erupted all around them as oil, paper, cloth, wood, and chemicals mixed.
The screams of children within the school pulled Piper to her feet. "Cait, the kids!" Piper took a step toward the school, "We have to get them out."
"Help me up," Cait caught Nat's hand and pulled herself to her feet. Piper took one look back and sprinted toward the school door, as she passed the opening between Publick and the school, the chemicals and flames met in the Super Salon causing another explosion, blowing Piper off her feet and into the school exterior wall, knocking her out.
"Piper!" Nat ran after her sister, pulling her away from the flames. Piper's head was bleeding, and her face and hands were bright red.
Cait pushed Nat out of the way, "Cover us. I've got her." Cait struggled, and Nat helped her hefting Piper up over her shoulder in a fireman carry. "Let's get toward the chapel!"
Nat turned seeing the look on Cait's face, just as two guards ran up to them still wearing helmets.
One of the guards grabbed Piper, "We'll take her."
"I don't know you," Cait pushed him away. "Fuck off."
"Bitch, give her to us," One of the guards raised his gun pointing it at Cait.
The other smashed Cait in the face with the butt of his rifle, knocking her off balance and stunning her. Nat shot the guard without a second thought. The second guard started to turn toward Nat. Pulling the trigger three more times she dropped the second guard before she realized what she'd done. "Oh my god," Nat tried to help Cait balance, but holding Piper, Cait was too heavy for her. Cait's nose was broken and bleeding everywhere, and she fell to the ground. Piper's head hit the ground hard and blood began to pool around her head as she lay there unconscious.
Nat jumped back to her feet, looking around in a panic, trying to find anyone who could help them. "Blue!" Nat yelled as loud as could.
"She can't hear you," Cait called to her. "Help me up."
"Natalie!" Joanna ran through the smoke, her voice slightly muffled by her gas mask. Her white lab coat was covered in blood, laser pistol in hand.
"Is that your blood?" Nat grabbed her hand, trying to inspect her.
"No, I'm fine. But we need to get them someplace safe," She let Nat's hand go, and helped Cait up, "I can't carry them both, you'll have to walk with Cait. I'll take your sister."
Nat took Cait's uninjured arm and put it around her shoulders. Then she wrapped her arm around Cait's waist, "We're good."
The Colonial Taphouse exploded above them.
The day before… 05:45 am
"It's a wooden spoon." Nat's eyebrow was arched giving Alex a skeptical look. "I'm not scared, Blue."
Alex smirked, "This was a deadly weapon my mère could wield with lethal accuracy."
Nat rolled her eyes, "I doubt that."
Alex swatted her on the thigh.
"Ouch!" Nat rubbed her leg with surprise. "Damn, that hurt!"
"Don't doubt the pain this spoon can deliver." Alex's smile grew. "If you want to use VATS, then you focus on me. Remember, the point is to take the spoon from my hand, not cripple me. You need to think of me as an enemy and attack. VATS will read your brainwaves, change with thought patterns, and adjust accordingly."
Nat nodded, and then she focused on the spoon. The targeting system suddenly appeared. "Oh my god, this is so cool," Nat lunged, smacking Alex's wrist, and pulling the spoon free of her hand. "It's also really… wow… it moves with me?" She walked around Alex, "Oh man, I love VATS."
Alex took the spoon back, "Good job. That was a great first try. Now Joanna, your turn."
Nat looked at Joanna, questioningly, "She doesn't have a Pip-Boy."
"I don't need one," She focused for a second, then lunged. She moved much faster than Nat, pushing Alex's arm up, and sideway while stripping the spoon.
"Excellent, Jo," Alex took the spoon back. "Ok, this time, I'm going to use VATS to stop you from taking the spoon. Again, no crippling."
Nat held up her hands stopping Alex, "Hold on a second, how is Jay using VATS without a Pip-Boy?"
"Mine is built in, puny human," Joanna smirked smugly at her.
Nat stood looking at her with her mouth hanging open. Then she grabbed the spoon so fast from Alex, that when she smacked Joanna on the butt with it, she'd spun to stay out of Joanna's reach.
"Ouch!" Joanna rubbed her backside.
Alex laughed, "That was impressive as hell for a 'puny human'."
Joanna playfully glared at her, "You'll pay for that, Natalie."
Nat held up the spoon, teasingly dancing side to side, "Bring it, Tiny. I'll whoop you again."
"Nat, I wouldn't tease her like…"
Joanna moved in a flash, grabbing Nat, and dropping her carefully onto the floor while stripping the spoon from her hand. "You were saying?"
Alex started laughing harder, "Tried to warn you."
"Oh my god. Seriously?" Nat lay on the floor, watching her. Joanna gave her a bright smile and a single nod. "Ok, don't say I didn't warn you." Nat wrapped her legs around Joanna's waist and the synth cried out with surprise as Nat flipped her over and pinned her to the ground.
The move was so impressive Alex gasped. "Who the fuck showed you that?" It was almost the same move Piper had used on her in bed. Except Nat had used her legs.
Nat held the spoon in her teeth, still holding down Joanna's wrists. "Cait."
"Figures." Alex chuckled. "That slut will do anything to get someone on their back."
"You know, you're going to pay for that." Joanna was smiling.
"No crippling each other," Alex took a drink of her coffee. "And Jo, you'll need to head off soon. So, making the puny human pay might have to wait."
Nat got up and held out her hand to Joanna, who took her hand and let Nat pull her to her feet. Nat kissed her quickly and Joanna touched her lips with a smile.
"See, not gross," Alex teased.
Nat rolled her eyes, "That's cause she's not your sister."
Alex chuckled, drinking her coffee, and gave Joanna a wink.
09:36 am
"Assaultrons! Apprehend all Diamond City guards. Disarm and disable, but do not kill." Alex shouted, three dozen assaultrons raced past her, disappearing as they activated their stealth mode. "Liberators, round up the Gunners, if they resist, shoot them. Use stealth through the city and find them all," Alex watched the ex-coursers run past her, disappearing into thin air. Their built-in stealth technology was activated with her command.
"Eighty-eight, assist the residents. There are a lot of wounded. We need to get a shelter set up for the doctors. Curie, you've got vault ninety-five doctors at your disposal. Eighty-one, you've got guard duty. No one enters this city!"
"We will head to the Dugout Inn. Bring all the wounded there." Curie ran by Alex, not wasting a moment. The black and blue vault suits followed her without a word.
"Where do you want us?" MacCready looked at everything that was on fire from the top of the hill where the tunnel exited into the city. "Jesus Chri… I mean, holy moly."
"Isy! We need to start getting the fires out. Can the Protectrons help?"
"A bucket brigade will be faster," Preston offered.
"The fires… look at them, black smoke means they probably used petroleum fuel as an accelerant," Isy looked over at the three Protectrons. "Chopin, you have fire detail. Take Bach and Vivaldi with you." The Protectrons chirped walking past her. "Water won't work for oil and electrical fires; we'll get people killed. We can do water for white smoke fires."
Alex nodded to Preston, "She's in charge of fire detail. Get anyone available for that. Priority is getting Gunners rounded up and saving lives. Go Isy. Take your team in."
"Do you smell that?" Danny pushed his way next to Alex, "It's the tires the mayor had brought in months ago. They were supposed to be coated in flame retardant. That fucker! He had them sprayed, but now I don't know with what."
"Gas masks on! Now!" Alex shouted through her radio, "The air is toxic!" Alex pulled her mask on, while Danny shouted through his radio for the guards to do the same. "RJ, get your team up on the catwalks, shoot any mother fucking Gunners you see coming." She looked over at the large man next to him with the trucker cap on, "Tex, you're with me. Your team is now with RJ."
"Where do you want me, Lex?" Alex looked at the tan-skinned man who was only slightly taller than her. His short, jet-black hair was sweaty and messy, brushed out of his face. His worn vault suit had seen better days. The royal blue was faded on his shoulders. His leather armor was like Alex's. His included a leather chest piece, forearm guards, and thigh guards.
Biologically, Alex and Isaac were approximately the same age, but Isaac still looked impossibly young, more like he was still in his early to mid-twenties. The black stubble on his face and neck drew her eye to his collar and the numbers one-zero-one on it. She contemplated him as the various teams moved by them, his deeply tan skin stood out against the faded blue. For a moment she was grateful that he was still in the Commonwealth. "Do you mind sticking with me for now, Doc? Could use another smartass vault dweller to keep me sane."
"Not at all. 'Sides we never get to hang out," His smile came easy on his face. His dark brown eyes sparkled, even if they still held his worry. "And you don't need to call me Doc. That was my dad…"
"You talked Li into tackling our water problems in the Commonwealth. You've been an engineer for the last fourteen years, you're a doctor, Isaac." Alex watched the last of the medical doctors run by, "Preston, we're going to head back to the lake." She looked over her shoulder at the Vault-Tec Engineering team. Looking at the people in modified power armor, Alex made her decision, "Tina, I need you and Bobby to focus on getting water up and running. Get the robots tackling your primary issues with the backup water filtration systems, we'll leave the rest for later. The doctors are going to need fresh water and so are the survivors. Doctor Chase will give you a hand. We'll cover you, while you guys assess what you need. We're going in and heading left."
"Gotcha, Lex." Her voice sounded mechanical from within the confines of her modified power armor.
Alex looked at the red-haired ghoul standing next to her, "Stay with me, Titi. We'll cover each other."
The older ghoul patted Alex's arm, "Always, mija."
She looked over to her left and saw Publick on fire. "Piper. Cait. Come in." Alex looked at her Pip-Boy, wondering if they'd turned on their beacons. "Bug? You there?" She clicked through the menu to the radio frequencies. Quickly reading through them, she didn't see theirs or Nat's. "Fuck," she mumbled, realizing she needed to find them. She hoped they were still down at Power Noodles where she left them. She looked at the time on her Pip-Boy, it was 09:52.
"Let's go," Alex started walking down the hill, searching for her family. When they arrived at the bottom of the walkway, Alex stared in shock at the destruction. The salon was gone, and so was most of Fallon's. The schoolhouse building was leaning away from the hole in the ground that was the security office entrance.
White smoke was pouring from what was left of Fallon's and black smoke was coming out of the panels of Publick. The wind was blowing all the smoke into the market and city. The wooden walkways in front of Publick were on fire. Then Alex saw it, in the middle of the walkway burning on the edge, near Publick's door. Piper's smoldering press cap.
"NO!" Alex ran to the cap, stomping out the flames, then picked it up. "PIPER!" Alex screamed, spinning in a circle looking for her. She was panicking. "PIPER!" Alex looked from Power Noodles to the salon, to Publick. Terrified, she ran to the door, she held the back of her hand close to the knob, feeling the heat from it as black smoke seeped from it. Alex started kicking the door yelling for Piper and Nat.
Preston grabbed her, "If she went in there, she's gone."
Alex shoved him away, "PIPER!" She couldn't lose them. She kicked the door as hard as she could, she wasn't losing her family again. Not this time, she was right here.
Preston tacked her when she pulled her magnum and pointed it at the handle, "She's gone and if you go in there, you will be too."
Alex screamed hearing the word 'gone'. The time, Alex punched him in the solar plexus. "PIPER!" She shot the automatic lock and kicked the door in. Flames poured from Publick Occurrences and Alex took three steps backward. She was going in.
MacCready, Isaac, and Tex tackled her, "STOP! Stop, Al." Tex held her down, MacCready sat on her chest and Isaac grabbed her legs. "She ain't dumb. But you go in there, you're dead."
Florrie dropped next to Alex and cupped her face in her hands, careful not to remove her gas mask, "Lexi, they're right. She's not in there, honey. Stop fighting and think!" She held Alex for the time it took for her words to sink in. "We'll find her. She's not in there." Another explosion shot white smoke and debris up in the air, this time from the right side of town from where the Dugout Inn was.
12:34 pm
Alex held Nat close, sitting on the foot of the bed. "I promise you; we're looking now. If there are more Gunners, in Diamond City, we'll find them. They aren't going to hurt anyone else. We're looking for all the explosives too. Which is why I need you to stay here for a bit and be with your sister," Her husky voice was a whisper, the old-fashioned Boston accent rounded all her ending Rs off into A sounds. Nat could hear how tired Alex was. Despite the reassurances, Nat was still scared. Nat hated the Gunners, and she didn't hate anyone.
Nat wiped away her silent tears, "Everyone's hurt." She whispered back sadly, "How can people be so horrible? How can they come into a whole city just to destroy it and kill everyone? I don't understand." She hated crying too.
Alex kissed her on her head softly, "I don't understand it either. The people that do these kinds of things, only care about what's easiest for them. No one else matters."
Nat looked over at her sister and the black Pip-Boy on her arm. Next to Piper, on her left side, lay an unconscious and injured Curie. On Piper's right side, Cait lay silent, staring a hole into the ceiling, listening.
"What if Piper doesn't wake up?" Nat whispered. "What if Curie doesn't?"
Cait choked back her tears, trying not to cry. She was failing miserably.
Alex was shaking while she held on to Nat, "You can't think like that. Just can't."
Curie and Piper were both covered in white burn pads. Both women had suffered from concussive blasts and chemical burns, and both had serious head trauma.
Only three buildings in Diamond City had minimal damage. Alex's home, Commonwealth Weaponry, and Diamond City Surplus. The Gunners couldn't hide explosives between or inside of the buildings because Alex, Myrna, and Arturo had blocked off their alleyway for the three places to use as outdoor storage two years ago. It had saved their homes from the damage that the rest of Diamond City suffered from. Alex had opened her home to the doctors to use as a hospital. Myrna had let the Minutemen engineers go through her stock to begin repairs. Arturo handed out weapons and ammunition to everyone in the city for defense.
Alex's breath hitched and Nat could hear her fighting back her tears. It took Alex several breaths to be able to talk, "I…" Alex swallowed hard, trying not to cry herself, "We're all going to be ok. Just have to believe that Nat." Alex wiped her face with the back of her hand, "But right now, I can't be in two places at once. If anything changes, or if you need me, use your radio to call me. I'll answer."
A metallic banging from the distance was getting louder and closer rapidly. Alex, Nat, and Cait all turned in the direction it was coming from.
"Human, cease your activities." The banging was an Assaultron running across the roof, "Surrender or die. I really don't care which." Above them came a distinctive whine, like a motor winding up.
Alex stood, tracking the noise, "Nat, I need to go."
The Assaultron stopped, directly over them, discharging its laser. The sound was electric, high pitched, and it terrified Nat. No one moved until the discharge ended. "I told you, you would die," The mechanical female voice called out. The metal feet walked to the hatch in the roof and stopped. "Idiot human."
Alex turned to Nat, "Ruby will bring Jo to your room when Doctor Sun is done checking her. She's been with her this whole time. Okay?"
Nat nodded, wiping her own tears away.
Alex walked from the foot of the bed to the right side where Cait was lying. "Do you need anything?" Cait was holding Piper's hand. She was holding it carefully, to not disturb the burn bag it was resting in. Cait's own tears rolled silently from the corners of her eyes, "These two arseholes to wake up and annoy me."
Alex laughed and cried at the same time, putting her hand over Cait's and Piper's. She leaned down and kissed Cait softly on the lips. "Take care of them," Alex whispered to her, and Cait gave her a nod back. Alex set her shotgun within reach of Cait and walked back to Nat, "I'll be home soon, mija." She hugged her one more time, then walked down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs leading to the loft, a lone white Assaultron stood sentry.
"Ada," Alex wiped her face with her hand.
"Yes, Ma'am?"
Alex sniffed trying hard to control her emotions, "Would you stay with my family, please? It would make me feel better knowing you were with them."
The robot remained motionless for a second, then her servos came to life as she moved her arm and put her hand on Alex's shoulder. "I'll stay with them, Alex. I'll keep them safe until you return."
Tears slipped from Alex's red eyes, "Thank you, Ada." Alex walked to the red door, slipped on her gas mask, and took a deep breath, before stepping outside to meet her aunt.
The night before… 19:07 pm
"Do you remember that dance you and Betty made up?"
Alex looked at her aunt with a big grin, "Which one? There were so many!"
Piper sat on the couch with Nat and Joanna, watching Alex and her aunt in the middle of the big room. Their evening, after their talk in the kitchen after dinner, had become fun. Alex and her aunt were entertaining all of them with the different dances from over the years and with different styles of music. Joanna had asked Florrie about dancing and the old ghoul decided to show them what real dancing looked like.
Piper and Nat were sitting next to each other, with Joanna on the far side of Nat on the couch. Over the year of living together, on rainy and snowy nights after dinner had become fun filled with board games, magic tricks, and lots of dancing. Predictably, Nat had done well with the faster dance moves that didn't involve a dance partner. Piper was better at the ones that involved having a particular blonde as a dance partner. In the late hours of the night, after Nat had gone to bed, Alex had taught her to tango. Piper had to end those evenings with a cold shower and Alex always inevitably went for a walk and a smoke. It was then that her secret shower fantasies had started of Alex.
Looking back, Piper had missed how much style and grace went into dancing, because Alex always broke it down for them to learn. She'd never had someone else that knew how to dance like her aunt. She was floored at how they moved and how amazing dancing was just to watch.
Her aunt walked to the jukebox, "It was the disco one… you know. We're up to the nineteen-seventies now, so we should do that one. It was always so much fun."
Alex laughed, "We made them all up to disco. Betty loved disco, remember? It used to make you crazy when it was her turn to pick a song."
Her aunt rolled her eyes, making all of them laugh, "You know that's because she picked one from the same six albums. Disco is easy, honey! It was flash, hips, and whole lot of young, sweaty, single people trying to get laid. Spiders do a better mating dance for Christ's sake! I mean, swing dancing has so much more to it… and you know what you're really getting for the night. A partner needs to be able to keep up!" Nat and Joanna started laughing. Piper shook her head, feeling her cheeks turn bright pink. "Now, Tango, that's where it's at," She waggled her eyebrows at Piper. "She teach you to Tango yet, Piper?"
Piper bit her lip and nodded. Her whole face was turning bright red as she shared a flirtatious look with Alex.
"Good, or I'd disown her," Florrie playfully slapped the air in front of Alex. "How about you girls?'
Joanna looked at Nat and they both shook their heads.
"Oh, kids, we're fixing that!" Florrie clapped her hands together. "But we have time for that later."
Alex laughed, still looking over at Piper with a playful grin, finally back at her aunt, "Can you tell me at least the song? I don't remember which specific one you're talking about." Alex had her button-down shirt tied up in the front, and Piper was having a hard time looking at anything other than her milky white skin and muscular abs. The low-sitting, snug-fitting jeans she wore weren't helping either. In the low light, Alex's scars weren't visible.
Her aunt looked over her shoulder at her, "That one you did for that magician gal you had a thing for."
Piper raised her eyebrow at Alex. "Ohhh! Wow, ok." Alex blushed looking over at Piper. "Yeah, I remember."
"Ya, I bet you do, kid." Her aunt laughed, "She was cute for a young thing. I could see why you two liked her."
"You had a thing for a magician?" Nat laughed.
Alex ran her hand through her hair, "That was centuries ago, Nat."
"What was she like?" Nat pressed and Piper watched Alex give her an amused smile.
"Magical," Alex said with a laugh.
"Blue, you suck so hard sometimes. That was terrible," Nat sat back on the couch with her arms crossed.
"It was just a fling, Nat." Alex was turning more red.
"It was more than a fling, honey!" Florrie laughed and clapped her hand on Alex's back. "She roped in the entire staff to help her get a date with that gal. You were dating both, Nate and… oh what was her name?"
Piper raised an eyebrow at Alex, who just shrugged. "She was hot. I was a desperate nineteen-year-old." Alex looked over at her aunt, "It was Olivia Robinson."
"Hold on, you dated Nate and a girl at the same time?" Nat sat up in surprise.
Alex cleared her throat, "Technically, Nate and I were both dating her." Piper's eyebrows threatened to leave her face. "What? We were nineteen! And she was hot… like really hot and it was a fling. A really hot, nineteen-year-old fling."
"Did you and Nate date anyone else?" Nat was kneeling on the couch, staring at Alex.
"Maybe," Alex said with a coy smile.
"Yes, they did," She saw Alex's look and laughed brightly, "Oh come on, we owned nightclubs and bars around town, it's not like we didn't know, honey." Her aunt looked over at Piper, "And you definitely have a type, cariño." This time Piper blushed.
Alex just shook her head, "It was a funkier version of the seventy's song. It was an amazing song, and I got that date. Besides, I had to help Betty get a date with Nate's friend, so I owed her."
"You mean her then future husband? Sam. It wasn't like Betty didn't plot with you two all the time. You three were constantly getting yourselves in trouble."
"Um, I remember the Grand Mistress of Cool herself telling us how to score that date with the magician who was working in her club." Alex crossed her arms watching her aunt. "And how to work Nate into it."
Her aunt chuckled, "Yeah, well I wonder why you got that date… You only showed a little more skin then." The old ghoul winked at Piper. "Come over here and find that song for me. I think the kids would like it. Besides, they'll see that mashup of disco and shuffle dancing you kids loved doing."
"We aren't really going to show them, are we?" Alex looked over at her family sitting on the couch.
"I want to see it," Nat waved at her, "Go put the song on!" She nudged Joanna.
"Oh, yeah, me too." Joanna gave Nat a smile. Piper smiled and nodded, giggling at how audacious Alex was. She was having problems thinking. If Alex got any more distracting, Piper would drag her upstairs.
"Okay," Alex walked over to the jukebox. "One over-the-top dance coming up."
"Say, did she ever show you three those magic tricks she loves? She got pretty good at it during that… fling. Used it in court too if I remember correctly. That's how you got that one gangster to talk."
Alex pulled her braid out, "It came in handy." She tussled her hair and Piper watched the muscles in her back move. She was having a hard time sitting on the couch next to her sister. She set her beer down deciding she might have had enough to drink for the night.
"Um, yeah," Nat stood up, pulled her cards out, and shuffled them.
"You showed her how to do magic?" Florrie's smile was huge.
Alex punched in several numbers and flipped through the menu, "I showed her, and then she taught herself more. Now we have a competition to see who can win the grand prize."
Florrie chuckled, "What's the prize?"
"Do you remember that famous magician out in Springfield, Oswald the Outrageous?" Alex tapped a few more buttons and the music clicked on. Shaking her head, she punched in a few more numbers.
"This wasn't the song, honey." Florrie paced in a circle, thinking, "Wasn't he on old Bradberton dime? Over at the amusement park there… Nuka World? Now that man could make the inventor of Capitalism blush with the amount of money he made with a tonic."
"Sure was. He's a ghoul, I met him at Nuka-World a couple of years back. He gave me his hat after I did him a favor." Alex flashed a grin at Nat, "Nat and I compete to see who will hold the magic hat and claim it as either The Magnificent Blue or Natalie the Astounding." Her aunt laughed.
"So far, the Magnificent Blue is still up by one and the hat, Natalie, is still mine." Alex gave Nat a dazzling smile.
"How many am I up by?" Piper chipped in.
"We aren't discussing that," Alex glanced at her, waving her hand dismissively. "No tricks, no claim."
Piper scoffed, "Those weren't the original rules. I believe Piper the Perfect has a very long and unbroken winning streak here."
Florrie looked from Piper to Alex, "What's that mean?"
Alex looked over at Piper, "Lois Lane over there likes to figure out the tricks. But, because she doesn't do the tricks, she can't win the prize. We had to change the rules to make it fair for actual competitors."
Her aunt laughed, "Lois Lane, that's a good one, honey." She glanced at Piper, "I take it that you've figured them all out?"
"Yup," Piper tipped her head back laughing, "I told you, you both are terrible liars! You both have such obvious tells. I don't know how either of you can't figure out each other's tricks." She brushed her long, black hair over her shoulder watching Alex.
The holotape in the jukebox rotated and Alex hit pause. "Nat, you going to let your sister talk that kind of trash about us? Where's my backup?"
Joanna sat back enjoying the show. Nat glared at Piper playfully, "I can lie, Piper."
Piper burst out laughing, "No, you can't. You're terrible at it. You are the worst liar ever, Natalie."
Nat gave her a challenging look, "Play your song, Blue, but after, I've got a trick for Piper."
Alex gave Nat a big smile, "Alright, kiddo. I've got one for her too. I've never shown either of you the one I have."
Piper sat back enjoying both being cocky with her, "Are you willing to put the hat on it?" She loved it, truth be told. When Alex and Nat got competitive with her, they'd do anything to win. It made their loss even more gratifying. Piper shifted uncomfortably on the couch, watching Alex. The way Alex was looking at her was making her stomach hurt from how turned on she was.
Alex and Nat shared a quick look, "Yes," they both answered eagerly.
Piper smiled brightly at them, "Looks like we have a friendly wager, and… I'll have a new hat tonight."
Alex laughed, "I wouldn't be so sure of that, mon amour."
Piper raised an eyebrow at Alex, enjoying her playful certainty, "You know I love a good challenge, Blue."
Alex put her tongue to the back of her teeth, giving Piper a teasing grin, "Huh. Well, if that's what you want to call it." She pressed play on the jukebox and walked toward Piper as the holotape clicked into place. The lights automatically changed, darkening the room with the start of the music.
"Lexi," Her aunt tossed her the Silver Shroud hat that was hanging on the wall over a wooded Silver Shroud display. Alex caught the hat, her hips moving with the quick, rolling drumbeat and fluid string music came within a few seconds. It was loud and the lights and Alex's body moved with a quick tempo. The speakers on the jukebox thumped with excitement. The neon light, slowly grew in hot pink, fading and pulsing with the beat. Above them, a single blue light shined brightly on a rotating disco ball. Alex's feet, moved with her side shuffle, so quickly, that Piper was astounded by how she simultaneously moved and stayed in the same place. Piper was beginning to regret the amount of whisky and beer she'd been drinking since dinner. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Alex and the way Alex was looking at her was even more intoxicating. Next to her, her sister was bouncing along with the beat, studying every move Alex made. On the other side of Nat, Joanna sat slack-jawed watching.
The man's deep voice as he sang was vibrating through the air of the room. The women's voices that sang in chorus pulled Piper's attention, as the lights flickered around them to the tinny guitar and repetitive drumbeat. Watching Alex spin was dizzying, as her heels and body moved at an exhilarating pace. Her hands spun the hat as she shuffle-stepped switching to the quickening hopping pace as the song neared the end. Piper's head was spinning as fast as Alex moved her body. Whoever was singing about Rasputin being Russia's biggest love machine needed to be kissed. The smile Alex wore was dazzling in the flashing lights as they changed colors and electrifying the way Alex's body worked.
Alex spun as the song ended, smiling at Piper. She flipped the hat off her head and bumped it with her arm to Nat.
"W-Well," Piper was trying hard to control herself. "I can see why, why you got that date."
Alex laughed and looked over at Joanna who was still just staring at her, "You okay?" Joanna silently nodded; her aunt started snickering. "I can teach you to dance like that if you want." Nat got off the couch, "I think my favorite is how you switched from that disco jump-thing to a moonwalk and then did the Melbourne shuffle with skipped steps. You did it so fast! That was amazing."
Joanna watched Nat walk to the Silver Shroud display and hang the hat up, "You know how to do that?"
"Um, yeah, a little. I can do like the running man, Melbourne shuffle, moonwalk, and stuff. I'm still learning things like swing dancing, Piper's good at that." Nat walked back to the couch dragging the table with her. Alex grabbed an edge lifting it with her. "I've been teaching them the fun stuff since we've been living together. We had to take the last three months off while I napped."
Piper glanced between her sister and Joanna, watching their silent communication, shaking her head. They weren't subtle in the least bit. She looked over at Alex and Alex's coquettish smile grew. Blushing, she realized neither she nor Alex were either. She didn't care.
Nat cracked the cards on the table, shuffling. She looked at Piper and smiled, "Still ready to lose?"
Piper laughed, "Bring it on, little sis."
Nat held out the deck to Florrie, "Ok, Aunt Florrie, pick a card. You can show them, but not me. Make sure they all see it. Especially my annoying sister." Nat narrowed her eyes at Piper. Florrie picked a card, showing everyone except Nat, the five of spades. Nat held out the deck, "You can put it anywhere you like." Nat shuffled the deck twice and walked toward the jukebox. She looked right at Piper then let the cards spray through the air as she threw them at the jukebox. As the cards fell to the ground, Alex groaned, "You are such a little shit." Stuck on the inside of the jukebox glass was the five of spades.
"Good, right?" Nat started to Charleston in place, "I can already feel my win coming on."
Florrie chuckled, "How the Hell did you do that?"
"Magic!" She laughed as Florrie shook her head. Nat stood with a grin waiting for her sister, "Well?"
"I don't get how you did that either," Joanna stared at the glass.
"Huh. That was pretty good. I'll need a minute." Piper walked over to the jukebox to retrieve the card. Together she and Nat picked up the rest quickly. Nat counted them out to make sure they were all there.
Alex shooed Nat toward her room, "Alright, you, fetch me a pen." Alex walked into the kitchen and brought out a Nuka Cola cherry. Nat came back with the pen faster than Alex came back from the kitchen with the soda. Alex walked to the table, took the pen from Nat, and set it on the table next to the cola. Shuffling the deck, she flipped the cards back and forth. Then she shuffled again. "I'm going to let each of you pick a card, one at a time. You can show me and everyone at the table the card. We'll go in order; Titi, Jo, Nat, and Piper." Alex held out the deck, fanning it out. "Ok, Titi, you're up." Her aunt drew a card from the deck and flipped it over, showing everyone, it was the ace of hearts. "Ok, slide it back in there." Alex shuffled the deck again, then fanned it out, "Jo." Joanna took a card and flipped it over; it was the ace of hearts. Joanna stared at the card, "The probability of drawing the same card as…"
Nat sighed at her, "It's magic, no statistics, Jay. Just put it back." Joanna slipped the card back into the deck and Alex shuffled again, she spread out the deck on the table, looked at Nat, and smiled, "Your turn, mija." Nat grabbed a card and flipped it over, revealing the ace of hearts. "You suck, you know that right?" Alex laughed and pointed at the cards, and Nat slid it back in.
Alex shuffled the deck again, splitting it, she fanned out the deck halves in each hand. "Pick one." Piper drew a card and flipped it over, showing everyone the ace of hearts. Piper looked at Alex and smiled, "This is obvious, Blue."
Alex smiled back at her, "Mon Coeur, this isn't the trick. You guys are picking the card for the trick." Piper nodded at her and looked at the card, "Looks like the magic card for the night is the ace of hearts."
"Now that the magic card has been drawn, I need each of you to add to it. Piper and Joanna, please write your names on the card." Piper and Joanna scrawled their names, and Joanna gave the card and pen to Nat. "Nat, you are next, then Titi." When they finished Alex took the card from them and held it up. She looked at Piper and smiled, "This, mon amour, is the trick." Alex tore the card into tiny pieces and put them into her mouth.
"Ugh, that's disgusting," Nat groaned at her. "Those were on the floor."
Alex picked up the Nuka Cherry and flipped the top off with her thumb. Joanna caught the cap in her hand. Alex showed them the card in her mouth.
Nat made a face at her, "Yeah, ok, Blue we get it. You're gross."
Alex chugged the cola, draining the bottle.
Piper cringed, "That can't be good for your stomach, and I have to sleep with you." Alex laughed, setting the bottle down, and opening her mouth, showing them she'd swallowed the pieces of the card. "Okay, so what's the trick, not getting indigestion?" Piper laughed. Alex's stomach started making a rumbling sound. Piper looked at it and then to Joanna, "I really hope this trick does not involve the bathroom." Joanna and Florrie laughed.
Nat palmed her face, "Oh gross, Piper."
Alex held up her hand, "I'm a lot of things, but crass isn't one of them." She held her fist to her lips as her stomach made another noise. Then she started to heave a little.
Piper cringed watching her rub her throat, "Blue, you aren't looking so good. You sure you're, okay?"
Alex nodded rubbing her hand farther up her neck, then she opened her mouth, pulled out the intact card, and held it up for them all to see their names clearly written on it.
"Oh, wow, kid." Florrie stared at the card.
Nat stared at the card in Alex's hand, "Oh, no fucking way."
"Wait, that's not possible," Joanna looked from the card in her hand to Alex's smiling face.
"I am… THE Magnificent Blue." Alex smiled at Nat and bowed. She looked at Piper, "Well, my love?"
"I'm actually impressed. Those were both really good tricks." Then she smiled at Nat, "How about we go get everyone some drinks, Nat."
Alex smiled waving goodbye to Nat, "Piper figured out her trick."
Joanna turned to watch Nat skip after Piper. "How?"
This time it was Florrie who answered, "I don't know but her trick was amazing."
"She's an investigative journalist, that's how." Alex sighed, "That woman is every bit incredible."
13:13 pm
Alex cocked the hammer on her double action, .44 magnum, walking past several men slowly, looking at each one before she stopped and pointed her gun at the man's head. "Who's in charge?"
He just stared at her. Alex pulled the trigger and the man collapsed, dead. The contents of his head sprayed over the edge of the wall. She walked past two more men and stopped again, cocking the hammer back. She pointed her gun this time at a woman, "Who's in charge?"
"Not me!" The woman's exclamation didn't change her fate.
Alex pulled the trigger, killing her. Cocking the hammer again, Alex continued her walk. She walked past three more men, stopping again at a woman. This one was dressed as a Diamond City guard. "Who's in charge?"
For a second, she hesitated, then she spoke, "Sergeant Meyers."
"Are you Sergeant Meyers?"
The woman stared at Alex for a second, "No."
Alex shot her and Evelyn Kelley jumped. She hadn't been expecting Alex's gun to go off that time. She watched the other vault dweller walk over to the dead woman and wordlessly throw her body over the wall like he'd done with the others. Alex reloaded her gun while the rope around the woman's feet snapped. Then she stepped to the next man, "Are you Meyers?" She cocked the hammer back.
"Does it matter? You're going to shoot me no matter what I say."
Alex smirked at him, "No, I'm going to shoot you if you aren't Meyers. If you are Meyers, then I'm going to ask you a question."
"He's not Meyers! That's Meyers," The Gunner jerked his head toward another man that Alex had passed a moment ago.
"Shut the fuck up, Corporal Henderson!" Meyers leaned forward chastising the man.
Alex shot the man she had just questioned. Cocking the hammer, she walked back over to Meyers. "You're a great leader… letting your men get shot when you could have answered. You might have saved their lives." She pointed her gun at his head.
"My ass. You're going to shoot everyone here. Doesn't matter what anyone says," He scoffed at her.
"You're right, I am." She turned and looked at the guy who answered, "Except maybe him. I might let him walk away." Alex smiled at him, "Now, you're going to tell me who hired you."
"The fuck I am."
Alex turned and looked down the row of people, "Hey Henderson, do you know who hired the Gunners?"
"You going to let me walk?" He leaned out of the line looking at her.
"Isaac, untie his feet." Alex turned back to Meyers. "Danny if that fucker tries to run, shoot his legs."
"You bet, General." Danny took a step back raising his shotgun.
Meyers popped his eyebrow up, laughing, "Get a load of this bitch. Thinks she's a General."
"Isaac, can you untie Meyers for me too, please?" Alex didn't move or lower her weapon.
"That's right, lapdog. Untie me."
Isaac walked over and untied him quickly.
Meyers chuckled, "One oh one, huh? Where's that vault?"
Isaac tossed the rope back against the structure it was tied off to. "It's in the Metro DC area."
"Huh, kinda far from home, aren't ya?" Meyers continued to chuckle. "Maybe I'll send ya packin' when I'm done with General Bitch here."
Alex lowered her gun, easing the hammer back into position. "Do you know what the difference between a bitch and an asshole is, Meyers?"
"Nah, why don't you enlighten me, bitch."
"A person is a bitch either because they have to be or because someone makes them one. Someone is an asshole because they can be." Alex holstered her gun, "Here, let me show you." She took one quick step forward, kicking him square in his chest, and knocking over the edge of the wall. She stood there listening to him scream until he hit the ground far below. "That's General Asshole to you, bitch."
"Evelyn, you want the last ones?" Alex looked at the city councilwoman.
"It'd be my bloody pleasure," She shot the first Gunner at point-blank range in the head. She didn't stop walking until all the Gunners were dead. Isaac walked behind her throwing the corpses off the wall. The rope around each's feet pulled taught, smacking their bloody corpses against the outside wall of Diamond City for anyone who might be outside the settlement to see.
The last Gunner standing was Henderson. Alex, Isaac, and Evelyn walked over to where he stood with Danny Sullivan.
Alex crossed her arms, waiting. "Now's your time to sing, little Nightingale. Unless you want this to be your swan song."
He rubbed his wrists from where Danny had cut the duct tape off. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know, ma'am."
"Can you read?" Alex asked him because she needed a starting point. If he could read, he knew more than most Gunners.
"Yes, quite well. I went to school here and everything."
Alex watched him, he was a talker. So long as he thought he was going to get a deal that favored him, he was going to tell them whatever they wanted to know.
"In Diamond City?" Evelyn asked, her tone was difficult for Alex to place. But it wasn't a stretch to think how pissed she was. Alex hoped she didn't blow up at him or shoot him before she got the information she was looking for.
"Yes, ma'am. I lived here until eighty-two with my folks. We moved out West after that."
"Who ordered the attack on Diamond City?" Alex wasn't interested in life stories, she needed answers. They were preciously short on time, and she needed to work fast.
"Captain Wes did. It was part of a bigger plan he had. If we sacked Diamond City, Gunners would get to use this hub to finish taking over the Commonwealth and get rid of the Minutemen."
"So, like Quincy?" Alex started to pace. It was an old habit, after years of questioning in the courtroom, she'd developed the habit. But it kept the jury and witnesses looking at her, she always had a subject attention when she wanted it.
"Yes, ma'am, with bigger stakes for the Gunners if we were successful."
Evelyn looked between Alex and Henderson. "What was the bigger plan then?"
Their radios crackled to life, "Danny Sullivan, come in."
Danny keyed his mic to answer the unknown man, "This is Danny, go ahead."
"Danny, this is Doctor Jerran Winslow of Ninety-Five. When you have a moment, could I see you? It's urgent, Captain Sullivan."
Danny looked over at Alex, she gave him a nod to go ahead. "I'll be right down Doc. Are you at the General's residence?"
"No, Sami Venegas' residence. I have her son, Theo with me. He's requesting you to please hurry, Captain. This is urgent."
Danny blinked. The second time he blinked, tears ran out of his eyes. He couldn't answer.
Alex stood up and walked to Danny, "Doctor, this is General Sterling, Danny is on his way."
"Thank you, General."
Danny took a step back, "I can't." He shook his head, his tears flowing faster. "I can't go, Alex."
Alex hugged him, "Evelyn. Can you help Danny with this?" Alex pulled Danny closer, "Your family needs you, Danny. You have to be there for them. You'll regret it if you aren't. That boy needs a father figure right now. He needs you, Danny."
Danny swallowed, wiping away his tears, and nodded at her.
Evelyn walked quickly to Danny and took his arm, "We're going to do this together, Danny. I'll stay with you the entire time." She started down the steps, leading him down the staircase.
"General Sterling? Do you copy? It's Tina De Luca."
"This is Sterling, go ahead, Tina." Alex watched Isaac and Henderson.
"General, when you get the chance can you come over to the radio antenna, please? I need to brief you… there's a lot to talk about, boss. I have Travis and John with me."
"I'll be there in a few minutes, Tina. I just need to wrap up a loose end." Alex looked directly at Henderson.
"Roger that. I'll see you when you get here."
"What was the big plan, Henderson? How much detail can you tell me?"
"Quite a bit; actually. Not many Gunners can read, so information gets left out all the time." He sat down on the ancient light structure's concrete footing. "The captain had a trader contact, a guy by the name of Alister Riley. Some big-time guy from outside the Commonwealth."
Alex sat on a concrete stepped bench, pulling out a cigarette. "You ever meet this Riley character?" She motioned with the pack towards Isaac, who smirked and shook his head no.
"No, never saw him. The captain had some go-betweens over in Goodneighbor he used. Now, this is a rumor, but one of the go-betweens was supposedly the mayor of Diamond City, Roy Thomas."
After taking a moment to light her cigarette, Alex looked at him, "How much stock do you put in that rumor?"
"A lot. The captain had his notes out one day, right after the bounty came in. It involved a deal between the mayor and him. Said some things about that reporter girl, Piper Wright." He picked his teeth while he thought, "Fairly certain he just wanted her as a toy. He wrote about it in a couple of letters to the capt'n."
Alex could feel her blood turn cold, "You know the names of the go-betweens in Goodneighbor?"
"Yeah, sure do, Aldo Garibaldi and Enzo Mancini." Henderson wrapped his arm around the metal structure and got more relaxed.
Alex figured he was going to sing for his freedom. She took a drag from her cigarette to focus her anger instead of just kicking him off the top of the wall like Meyers. "They do work for the Gunners in the past?" She looked over at Isaac who was listening intently from his perch near the ledge.
"All the time. How much detail do you want?"
Alex smiled at him, "One second." She opened up the pouch on her hip and pulled out a blank holotape. Opening the drive on her Pip-Boy, she popped the tape in and hit the record button. "Mister Henderson, you're a Gunner is that correct?"
"Yup, sure am."
"Thank you, now, you know why we're here. I want to talk about today's attack on Diamond City. Mostly though, sir, I'd like to get as much information from you as I can about the Gunners' plans for Diamond City, along with the mayor, Roy Thomas, and any information you have on Mister Alister Riley."
"I can do that."
"Let's start with Goodneighbor." Alex gave him a dazzling smile. "Mister Henderson, can you tell me in as much detail as possible, about Gunner interactions with Misters Aldo Garibaldi and Enzo Mancini in Goodneighbor. You called them Gunner go-betweens. Can you tell me about them?"
He laughed, "You sound like one of those old-timey cop radio shows."
"I've had some practice." Alex smiled brightly at him, noting the confused look on Isaac's face, "So, is that a yes, sir? I'd love to hear all about it." She'd clue him in later.
He slapped his leg laughing, "Yeah, yeah, sure. God, that's good stuff."
Alex gave Isaac a look and he just shook his head smiling. "Well, Mister Henderson?"
"Yeah, so those guys act as go-betweens for the Gunners. They aren't gunners themselves, but they are doing the work where Gunners can't." Henderson leaned back as he started to talk. "They get paid well for it, plus they get Gunner protections."
"So, what you're telling me is that they're moles," Alex took a long drag from her cigarette.
Henderson had a good chuckle, "You're funny. 'Moles'. Yeah, thinking about it, that's what the old gangster shows would call them. So sure, we can call them moles."
"Now is it the sort of stuff that Skinny Malone or John Hancock would be… upset about? Seems to me any moles in a neighborhood would be a cause for concern for two fellas like them." Alex played up, letting her Boston accent shine in its full glory.
He laughed again, "You know, you're real good at this old-timey cop thing? Yeah, I'll say they'd both be pissed. Capt'n Wes has been runnin' ghouls through Goodneighbor as part of Gunner trade they worked out with that Riley character."
"You mean taking slaves, right? How does that work? How do you take ghouls from a ghoul city, and no one notices?" Alex watched Isaac shake his head with disgust. Isaac had told her in the past about how he'd helped a ghoul who later became his best friend, Roy Philips. She could see how pissed he was getting.
"Well, those ghouls, they're just over there getting hopped up on chems. No one really gives a shit 'bout them. The capt'n has them undercutting Marowski, with stolen chems. Then they get them ghouls to a safehouse for pick up, and they are out of the Commonwealth in no time flat."
Alex looked at her smoke, "Sorry, who's them? You mean Aldo Garibaldi and Enzo Mancini?"
"Yeah, that's right. Those boys. The capt'n has them running things down on the count of the Triggermen. Marowski is one of the gang. But he's up to his tits in the hole," Henderson was also looking at her cigarette. "Capt'n Wes was making sure he was there. Got some deal cut with a ghoul mobster named Bobbi No Nose or some shit like that. Marowski owes her for his own chems. Crazy, huh?"
Alex stood and walked over to him, opening her pack. She extended it in offer and Henderson took one. He needed to keep talking and kindness was getting her everywhere with him. She lit the cigarette for him, then walked back to her spot to sit again. "Sounds pretty genius, rip off the biggest chem dealer in the Commonwealth and then sell his chems in his own backyard, without anyone getting their cut, except I assume this Bobbi person. That'd put anyone in a hole they can't come out of."
"Right?" He laughed, "But I do gotta tell you, the captain's got people everywhere. Even Diamond City. How you think those chems are getting ripped off? Here it was two fellas named Latimer and Cooke."
Alex crossed her legs, pretending to be impressed, "Wow, really? Diamond City's own Upper Stands residents? You do mean Misters Nelson Latimer and Henry Cooke, correct?"
"Yeah, they get paid out by that ghoul Bobbi No Nose. Capt'n Wes doesn't deal with them personally as far as I know." He paused long enough to smoke his cigarette, "To be honest, that's not even the most impressive part."
"Well, don't leave a girl hanging. What's the most impressive part?" Alex leaned forward, she needed everything this idiot was going to tell her.
"You know that blowhard, Hancock? He's a dumb fucking ghoul thinks he's got that town on lockdown and he's king. He doesn't even know we've been taking ghouls right under that ugly hole in his face." He sat forward on the footing, "And get this, that small-time crook, Skinny Malone? He runs most of the gamblin' dens with the girls and chems, right? The chems are the ones Marowski cooks up and all that. But Malone doesn't know that the capt'n has people in the Triggermen and in the dens. Malone's getting bent 'cause the capt'n has his guys cookin' the books. Caps, chems, you name it, they are robbin' him blind."
He took a quick drag, "Garibaldi and Mancini are just the two I know in Goodneighbor, of course. But the capt'n got guys that run friendly tables to some bigshots the capt'n knows, help them win big, then our guys walkin' with Malone's caps." Henderson laughed harder, "That moron's been getting' soaked for the better part of two years now."
"Wow, that's…" Alex looked over at the shocked look on Isaac's face, "That's pretty deep stuff. Is that why Mister Malone has never been able to get into the big time?"
"Pretty much. If he went through his own books, he'd see he been getting' robbed blind." Henderson chuckled, "He's too fuckin' dumb to see it. Like them ghouls he fuckin' loves… just dumb."
Alex thought her head was going to explode, she was getting so angry, "Ok, so is it ghouls or humans that are screwing Skinny Malone?"
"Oh, humans without a doubt. Those dumb fucking ghouls, they're loyal to that asshole. The captain tried to shake 'em up, but no dice. Had to bribe the humans to do it. Worked out in the end, because they're loyal as the day is long to the captain."
She stood with a stretch keeping her anger in check, "So let me get this straight, in my own head, because we've talked about a lot of things. But, the Diamond City mayor, Roy Thomas, he does a lot of business in Goodneighbor. He takes trips there quite often. Now, you told me before that he wanted the Publick Occurrences reporter, Piper Wright, as his personal… toy? Is that the correct term? Was that it?"
"Yeah, from what I overheard the captain sayin', the mayor has a vendetta against her. Hates her guts and all that." Henderson kicked back in thought, "You know if he was going that often… nah. Couldn't be."
"What, Henderson?" Alex sat back down, smiling at him. "Talk to me."
"Well, okay. This is just a thought. Remember I said Capt'n Wes left out his notes and papers, right? Well, he doesn't know I can read. So, one day he tells me to tidy up that big desk of his at the plaza…"
"This plaza is where, please?" Alex asked sweetly.
"Oh, Gunner's Plaza is that old GNN Plaza. You know it's still got all that old television junk in there?"
"You don't say, how nifty!" Alex was starting to ham up her performance and Henderson was eating it up, Isaac however made a face at her that she couldn't read. "What did you find on his desk?"
"It was a letter from Roy Thomas, but the way it read… I got the feeling that Roy Thomas was Alister Riley. They were always in Goodneighbor at the same time. But here's the thing, they were both doing the same thing and they both want the reporter gal for the same reasons."
"What makes you say that?" This time, Isaac asked.
It surprised Henderson, "He wrote in the letter he didn't want to keep going to Goodneighbor, because he'd eventually get found out. In another letter, he'd written to the capt'n a lot about Piper Wright."
Alex could feel her anger building, "What did he write, can you be more specific?"
"He was real clear he wanted her, and her sister kept separate from the boys. Didn't want anyone messin' with them. Kept sayin' he wanted his pound of flesh, specifically from Piper. Said she cost him more caps than the Gunners ever seen. Once he got her, Wes was going to be big-time here in the Commonwealth. He'd be running as one of Riley's chosen boys. He'd get his chance at the little sister once Riley had what he wanted from Piper. That's why I think they're the same. Because in one of the letters, the handwriting looked the same and it was from Riley who said the same thing."
"So, Roy Thomas is Alister Riley? And he wanted the Gunners to take over Diamond City and the Commonwealth for his own gain? Interesting." Alex's blood pressure was through the roof. She was developing a massive headache. "Now, if Roy Thomas is Alister Riley, then Mister Riley essentially has fucked over all the ghouls, the Triggermen, Skinny Malone, Mayor John Hancock, Diamond City, and any merchants in the Commonwealth, all to try to line his own pockets… Did I miss anything?"
"Yeah, he wants that reporter and her little sister too. You forgot them. That's why he had their place burned down. No more newspapers."
Alex hadn't forgotten, she wanted him to say it. She welcomed the storm that was brewing. "And to be clear, the reason he wanted them was because Piper had exposed him through her paper? His corruption, I mean."
Henderson nodded, taking another hit from his smoke.
"Mister Henderson, please say your answer for me."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Sorry. Yes. He hates that Piper person so much that one part of the deal for Diamond City was burning Publick Occurrences to the ground. Riley wrote that into a letter to Captain Wes. He even wrote what he was going to do to them…"
Alex held up her hand to stop him, "Let me guess, it involved raping both of the Wright sisters?"
"That's putting it mildly," Henderson answered. "He planned to torture Piper's kid sister in front of her. Sorry, I can't remember the kid's name. It was some pretty gruesome stuff. Not like the captain cared, he's just interested the caps and the Commonwealth being Gunners' turf."
She was fed up with pretending. Alex stood and walked over, standing next to Isaac while crushing out her cigarette, "Tell me something." She unlatched the retention strap on her ten-millimeter. "What makes a man attack a town he lived in?" She chambered a round and clicked the safety off.
Henderson looked at the gun in her hand, and slowly stood, "You said you were going to let me walk out of here."
Alex smiled slowly at him, a wicked grin, knowing she had him. She planned to enjoy his pain; she wanted it. "That doctor just called the captain of the city guard down to say goodbye to his girl, who you murdered. Her son, is my kid's best friend."
Alex could feel the black waves of her rage crashing over her, "My wife is lying in our bed and the doctors can't tell me or her sister if she's going to wake up. My two best friends are lying next to her, trying to recover. One of them took a bullet to the leg and got stabbed saving my life twice inside of ten minutes. A Gunner tried to knock her teeth out because she saved my wife's life. My other best friend was trying to save people's lives because she's a doctor." Alex shot him in the left leg, just above the knee and he screamed. "What the fuck makes you think I'm going to let any Gunner walk out of Diamond City or the Commonwealth like nothing happened today?" Alex hit stop on the recording.
Henderson fell to the ground grabbing his leg, through gritted teeth he growled, "You lied to me!"
"No, you fucking moron. I said I might let you walk out of here. I never said that it'd be alive." Alex stood over him, pointed the gun at his right knee, and pulled the trigger. He doubled over screaming in pain.
"You had every chance in the world to make sure today never happened. You could have stopped everything before it happened by simply showing up here with those letters." Alex snarled, "But you didn't do that, did you?"
He tried to back away on his elbows, looking to Isaac for help. "Come on man you can't let her just off me like this! I told you everything!"
"So what? You squealed because you got caught." Isaac crossed his arms as he answered, "You and your crew killed half of Diamond City. You turned a thriving, peaceful community into a warzone for a few caps. Yeah, man, I can."
Alex growled deeply, as anger washed over her, pulling her down into the darkness she now embraced. "Like everyone else in your group, you chose the easy way for you. You wanted to make a quick pile of caps and fuck the people that lived here." She glared at Henderson, "My wife is Piper Wright, and her little sister, Natalie, is my kid. I'll be fucking damned if I let a piece of shit like you walk the fuck out of here on two legs still breathing."
Alex looked at Isaac, "You might want to leave, I doubt you want to be a part of this."
Isaac walked over, picked up the rope, and started to tie a noose. The growl in the back of his throat rose with a crescendo until it became a word, "Nah. He deserves what's coming to him. I'm staying, Lex. Let me just finish with this. Keep him alive long enough so that he can wear it when we throw him off the wall."
Alex pointed her gun at Henderson's left shoulder and pulled the trigger.