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Under the Sky

Recording by Scribe Ellison

My son was waiting on the roof of the CIT building. He'd gotten appropriate clothes, leather trousers and a coat and hood patched together from prewar fabric. The clothes were right, but Shaun still looked transplanted from another time.

The weather was threatening; big dark clouds had blown in overnight and hung heavy over the ruins. I was a little late since I couldn't find the scaffolding that led up to the roof, and Dogmeat and I had to skirt around a bunch of dead super mutants all over the ruins. Dogmeat sniffed around the roof while I waved and walked to join my son at the edge. "Were you waiting? I'm sorry."

"Not long. You know, in all my years I've never set foot outside the Institute. Not once, since the day they brought me here. I've never had a reason."

I don't know why that startled me. "You didn't want to see..?"

"Seeing it now just confirms the truth I've always known. The Commonwealth is dead. There's no future here. The only hope for humanity lies below. Standing here, I'm reminded of how fortunate I am that I was spared a life in this wasteland."

A cold wind swept the rotting mud stink of the river at us and I wrinkled my nose. "This isn't the Commonwealth's best side. Are you ok to walk a little, just over the bridge and into the ruins? If we're lucky we'll meet up with Carla, she's heading back to Diamond City today."

"I must admit I don't understand. Why Diamond City? I would have thought you'd want to show me the town you built."

I did want to show him Sanctuary, wanted it so bad it ached. But… "I want to show you the one you built. Is it safe for you to meet people? If I had to get a medical check before I came in..."

"Oh. No, that doesn't matter."

I whistled for Dogmeat and we went down the scaffolding from the roof. I gestured at a pile of scorched super mutants. "Your welcoming committee?"

"Justin insisted on sending a courser up to scout for threats before I visited the surface."

"One courser? Damn." I said without thinking, feeling a wave of greed. To take out a super mutant nest without risking lives. A place like this would take a week or two of scouting, trying to get a count of the mutants, probably a map drawn up in the situation room in the Castle to pick the best attack point for each troop. And we might still lose people.

"Unfortunately I can only justify assigning X6-88 to assist you on Institute business." Shaun said, and I had to take a deep breath so I wouldn't say something really angry. If wiping out super mutants was this easy the only reason they were still killing people in the ruins was that my own son just… hadn't thought of it.

Carla's brahmin was still plodding down the road but she'd stopped to look at the massacre. She said, "Are they all dead? I'll make space on this idiot and clean the place out! Come back with me and keep watch, General? I'll give you first choice if I find any books!"

I smiled. "I'd be glad to, if I haven't been called away to some emergency before you come back. Hey, my friend and I are headed for Diamond City, we'll tag along behind you all right?"

"Sure, whatever you'd like. Always good to have a dog along!"

Dogmeat knows about hiking with a caravan, he ranged out in front of the brahmin and came back every so often to check on us.

The road to Diamond City was quieter than I'd ever seen it. Nothing moved, even the distant gunshots were silent. There are a couple of buildings nearby that attract raiders. They aren't always inhabited; raider gangs move or split up or just implode pretty often so it wasn't totally unexpected for it to be so quiet, but I still said, "Courser?"

"Probably. I didn't ask Justin how large a perimeter he planned."

"You all right to walk this far?" I asked.

"Doctor Volkert designs exercise regimens for everyone. We can't afford to be sedentary intellectuals." A ghost of a smile. "By the way, Clayton is favorably impressed with the quality of reports he's getting. We didn't expect farmers to be able to read much less use a soil testing meter."

"Most people out here can read at least a little. Any group stable enough will educate its kids, find a wandering teacher and offer him a bed and food in exchange for passing on what he knows."

"And where do these teachers get their information?" My son asked, sounding skeptical.

"Prewar books. Experience. We may not have lots of equipment but the scientific method works for everybody."

"Not fast enough to save this civilization, I fear. How is Mr. Warwick doing?"

I shrugged. "He's a wreck. Afraid to sleep, afraid to let his wife and son out of his sight. The doctor at the farm diagnosed him with a nervous breakdown so he has a little time to get it together before someone suggests that he may be a synth. It'll be some time before we know what Doctor Holdren's experiment cost."

Shaun seemed to think about that. Anyone would've been shocked, and guilty about what might still occur, but my son was practiced in never looking anything but calm and wise.

We followed Carla and her brahmin through the empty ruins past the first sign for Diamond City. A guard called, "Welcome, Miss Carla! General! Good to see you! Weird today, too quiet. Gate's closed. Someone will be at the intercom."

Carla waved, "Thank you!"

The gate was indeed closed, the huge slab of iron firmly shut. A couple of guards were stationed outside, looking twitchier than usual. "Something stopped the raiders shooting. Raiders're always shooting."

I looked sideways at my son, who shrugged slightly. How many coursers had Ayo sent out to make sure the Director was safe on his visit to Diamond City? And if this was all it took to clear out the raider gangs from the ruins I was very angry it hadn't been done before. Or maybe the different gangs were trying to work together, that happened and made the shooting stop, following by lots more shooting when the alliance fell apart. Or a deathclaw could have wandered into the city. That happened too, according to Piper. So maybe it was a coincidence.

Carla didn't look worried. She turned on the intercom. "This is Carla, with a full load on my brahmin. Brought along the General herself, with her guest and Mister Dogmeat."

The speaker crackled back, "Say something, General. Guards're twitchier than usual."

I stepped forward, "It's me, Danny. Got some errands to run, and wanted to show my friend the 'great green jewel.' I vouch for him."

Carla grumbled, "So open up!"

"You got it, Carla! Go see Myrna right away, wouldya? She's out of… I'm not sure what but she thinks you'd trade some! Now stand back!"

We did, with Dogmeat scooting up to the brahmin's forelegs to encourage it to step back. There were some clanks and rasps from behind the wall and the gate swung up. I found myself smiling again, every time I see that thing open or close it brightens my spirits. It's such a big obvious sign of what people working together can build. I was hoping Shaun would see it that way.