The sound of cutting torches echoed from the courtyard. There wasn't much left of the hood, but they had more than enough steel from it to make some things. The metalsmiths were busy processing it into ingots. As they made a small pile of them the lead metalsmith went up to Liberator's Quarters. Inside sitting at his desk were Preston Cody and Sturges helping him plan their next move. The Old Ghoul smiled at the metalsmith.
"Come in need anything?"
The metalsmith asked. "Sir we're growing quite the pile of ingots but if we don't use them for something they're useless the boys and I had some ideas, but we want your take on it."
Liberator stood up and walked over to him. "Well, was it y'all need more than anything right now?"
The metalsmith answered. "Tools sir we left almost everything we had back at Quincy only taking what we could on our backs."
Liberator nodded. "Well consider this your first order. I want y'all to restore your inventory if not surpass it. You can't make many things without the tools you need so making said tools is top priority."
Cody stood up asking a question of his own. "If you want, I can bring you pre-war tools I know some are going to be in poor shape but you're going to need all the steel you can get."
The Old Ghoul turned to Cody. "Hey, remember how your old man loved the history of WW1 well the Germans developed an armor-piercing round called a K Bullet. It meant Kern which in English is core. So, with the broken tools we can melt them down to make a tool steel core just like the Germans giving us the ability to produce our version of armor-piercing rounds. Or for short C Bullets. We'll punch through Greenskins and Raider Power Armor like a hot knife through butter."
They were all in agreement.
Cody presented his plan on the map. "Daddy taught me the old saying divide and conquer it's what happened to us, but we could also use it against our enemies. Nearby is the South Boston High School and the Gwinnett Restaurant, the school full of Raiders, the Restaurant as we know full of Super Mutants. So, we piss them both off making them think one another started it both will fight then we pry weapons and anything else useful from their corpses and butcher whoever is left."
They went with Cody's plan since no one else came up with a better one and Liberator was keen to see how this could turn out. Cody scouted ahead noticing both sides had more guards since they killed the last ones. He threw a rock at one of the Raiders. The Raider chased him then he threw a rock at one of the Mutants before diving into the nearby lake. Both rammed into each other and the enraged Greenskin began brutalizing the Raider causing the rest of them to run out of their encampment and start a full attack. For half an hour both sides fought each other inevitably the Raiders were beat back to their encampment, but the Mutants weren't done. They continued their slaughter till the entire Raider Gang was wiped out but many of them were heavily wounded as the Raiders put up a hell of a last stand. The remaining Mutants were now easy prey.
The Minutemen sprang into action guns blazing. The Mutants couldn't escape and were cut down. They stripped anything useful weapons ammo armor bandoliers off the Raiders. Cody went first into the school to his surprise there were no bodies, just crumbling ruins. The ceiling was caved in forming a walkway. In the bathroom, there were skeletons from when the bombs dropped. He moved on to the closet and inside was a suitcase full of Raider armor. In an old display case was a typewriter along with a camera. Liberator took the typewriter planning to restore it for personal use while the rest grabbed anything metal including two empty paint cans. Inside one of the lockers were T-shirts and slacks all still preserved and just needed cleaning. Cody went up the walkway and saw an old mattress, a chemistry station, and a safe. He pulled out a hammer and screwdriver banging out the hinge pin. Inside was a 10mm Pistol along with some ammo for it.
Evan was confused. "Cody, why aren't there bodies strung up or signs of living in here?"
Cody answered. "This place is more used for storage from the looks of it. No two Gangs are the same. Can't blame them though this place looks like it's about to collapse in on itself let's grab everything and go."
They returned to Fort Independence where Liberator would brief them on finishing off the Super Mutants. "We killed their outside guards but there's a few more inside. Evan and I will be first in the rest of you cover our backs."
He climbed into his armor, and they went on to finish the Mutants. Liberator opened the doors and the horrid stench of rotting flesh hit them. Cody was unphased, used to the smell from constant combat and bearing witness to so many atrocities. Evan was grateful his respirator systems were working Liberator felt much the same with his being repaired. The rest had a hard time handling the stench covering their mouths and noses with rags and bandanas. The dining area was littered with bags of meat and bone chewing on one of the bones was a Mutant hound.
Liberator ran up to the beast wrapping both armored arms around its neck and snapping it with a sickening crunch. Silencing it before it could alert its masters. He picked up his M2 Browning and they pushed forward. They heard the signature clacking of Mirelurks and the shouts of the Mutants, they were fighting each other in the Brewery. The Mirelurks fought hard, one of them slashed its claw across a Super Mutant's belly disemboweling him. The Mirelurks lost when the Super Mutant's Leader arrived. Only Two Greenskins remained.
Liberator gave his order. "Evan go for the dying one the Leader is mine."
The Ghoul General banged on his chest plate signaling a challenge. The Mutant screamed in response. It was a battle of strength and cunning. The Mutant had one, but Liberator had both in spades. Both charged forward with armored hands Liberator pulverized the Mutant's ribs. The Mutant hit back cracking Liberator's visor. Now angry Liberator socked him in the stomach repeatedly till the Mutant fell. He crushed his foe's head beneath an armored boot. Now both Raiders and Mutants were eliminated.
It was back to scavenging. One group scavenged the brewery, the other the restaurant Vera was particularly disgusted as she saw Cody casually rummaging through the bags of meat and gore in search of anything useful. His face lit up.
"I found nine rounds of 308."
He pulled out his canteen washing the blood off the rounds before stashing them in his pocket.
Vera turned around to Liberator. "Does he always do this?"
Liberator chuckled. "Yep, when we're not fighting Cody's our little scavenger. He can reach places we can't. You'd be surprised what gets lost in vents and crevices. Well, let's get back to it."
Time rolled by and they all returned with their loot which was twenty-three pint glasses around seven bowls and a whole lot of beer bottles both full and empty from the brewery. Once more Vera was confused she understood the need for glasses and bowls but not all the beer bottles.
"Um General I know some of them are still full, but most are empty why bring them back?" Asked the Wolfess.
The Old Ghoul chuckled. "Well, my dear medic we can use the bottles for Molotov Cocktails. Put it plain. It's a bottle filled with flammable liquid with a rag stuck in it as a light. You throw it at the enemy, and it sets them on fire. Well let's head back to base with our haul we'll figure it out further from here."
They returned to Independence, all the metal junk was added to the scrap pile while the beer was taken to the kitchen and the empty bottles to the chemistry station. Liberator went back to his Quarters content to take apart and restore his newly acquired typewriter. Cody was anything but content, the gears in his head turned they needed recruits. He looked at the old radio tower where Radio Freedom used to play. It was once covered in overgrown dead vines and brush but now clean like everything else.
Cody pondered. "What use is that eyesore if it doesn't have power? Wait, that's what we need. Power and troops. Time to take a trip to Goodneighbor."
The young boy snuck and killed his way through the dangerous ruins of Downtown Boston before reaching Goodneighbor. He opened the ramshackle wooden gate where Finn greeted him.
The ruffian was shocked and nervous. "C-Cody your alive I thought you perished at Quincy?"
Cody just smiled taking a swig from his flask. "Nice to know you missed me, Finn. So how have things been?"
Finn shrugged his shoulders. "Good just kind of bored I'll admit not much to do lately."
A pair of arms picked up Cody from behind it was Mary. Tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "CODYS HERE HE'S ALIVE HE'S ALIVE!"
The people of Goodneighbor dropped what they were doing rushing to see their little hero. He was bombarded with questions about Quincy, where he'd been, and where was his squad, they were all silenced.
"THAT ENOUGH GIVE HIM SOME SPACE!"
The voice belonged to Hanock. The Mayor of Goodneighbor pulled Cody into a tight hug. "Good to have ya back trooper."
Cody hugged back. "It's good to be back Hancock."
Everyone went back to the Third Rail for a drink and to hear about Cody's journey.
Whitechapel Charlie served him a cold glass of whiskey.
"Here you go kid you've always been good for business."
Cody drank down the glass in one go and sat his M1 helmet on the bar counter. He told his story in intimate detail however he left everything out about Star Fox and Corneria knowing for one almost no one would believe him two he knew the Insitute had a thing for sending synths to replace and spy on people even if Goodneighbors Watchmen were excellent at sniffing them out the last thing he wanted was to endanger his new friends let alone the one who was the closest that he had to a mother figure. They all gave their condolences a moment of silence and Hancock bought a round in memory of the fallen Minutemen and Youth Soldiers
"Thanks, everyone. So, Hancock got any work that needs done I got a good chunk of caps but could always use more for the war effort."
Hancock beamed. "I got plenty of warehouses that need to be cleared out usually I'd only pay two hundred but for you, I'll double it to four hundred."
Cody shook his hand. "You always look out for me Hancock. Well off to work I go I'll let ya know when it's done."
Just as he was leaving two men entered they were wearing Gunner fatigues.
Cody drew his M1911 aiming for the head of one of them. Hancock grabbed him at the last minute causing him to miss and hit the wall instead.
"DAMN IT HANCOCK WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?"
The two gunners walked closer they saw the cross tattooed on his forehead along with the Minutemen emblem on his left cheek. Their blood ran ice cold. It was Cody Mason. The Last of The Youth Battalion and a survivor of the Quincy Massacre. Both men turned pale and fled Cody was already a deadly adversary but most of the time if he was anywhere Liberator was nearby.
It took time to console Cody and reason with him.
Hancock explained. "Cody Goodneighbor isn't ready for a full war yet. We already have the Mutants and Insitute breathing down our necks. We don't need the Gunners being the cherry on top of the shitty sundae."
Cody couldn't help but laugh at the metaphor. "I'm sorry it's just."
He was hugged by Hancock before he could finish. "Hey, you're just doing your job. I got someone you might want to meet, he just drifted into town."
The two walked in. "Cody, I want you to meet the finest sharpshooter from the Capital Wasteland."
They shook hands. "Cody Mason."
"Rober Joseph MacCready. No offense but I didn't think the Minutemen were hiring mercenaries?"
Cody shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures what's your price?"
"Two hundred and fifty caps. That leaves me with one question how do I know you won't just put a bullet in my back?"
Cody answered. "All I can give you is my word and caps. I need all the help I can get."
He handed MacCready a small bag with two hundred and a small pouch with fifty.
"Well, little boss you got yourself a hired gun lead the way."
Hancock put his hand on Cody's shoulder. "Before you go the old warehouses were taken over by hostile triggermen. Keep what you kill ammo guns gear but take nothing from the warehouses they're homes to the drifters that were kicked out."
Cody nodded. "Understood Hancock."
Each door was locked Cody didn't bother picking instead he shot them with his M16 going in loud. They repeated two more times collecting an assortment of weapons. From 10mm pistols to Tommy Guns of all Variants some M1921 M1928 and some being the M1 model. KL-E-0 was especially happy to see her favorite little killer back. As a welcome-back present, she took the guns and restored and oiled them along with providing crates of 10mm and 45 ACP to boot he would have to pick them up tomorrow.
He went back to Hancock who paid him the four hundred caps. "Hancock, I need to ask do you have any generators by any chance?"
The Mayor of Goodneighbor scratched his chin. "How big?"
"Big enough to restore power to Radio Freedom and the water purifier in Fort Independence."
Hancock finished his huff of jet. "Daisy should have two of them along with the Biodiesel needed to run them go check with her."
Daisy smiled as Cody walked up. "Nice to see our hero is back what is it you need trooper?"
Cody answered. "Hancock told me about those generators how much?"
Daisy scratched her chin. "Tell ya what you helped me a lot when you were stationed here, and you lost almost everyone as expensive as it is they're on the house fuel included. You know I was around not just before the bombs but when Radio Freedom used to play."
Cody's jaw fell. "How did you know?"
The Ghoul broke into a melodious laughter. "Who else would need two massive generators to restore power to a massive fortress? Everything you do is for us and the Minutemen you good kid Cody sad thing is you're more of a man than most people I know or ever will be. Say high to Liberator and the troops for me."
The massive generators were taken apart and put on carts pulled by Brahmins along with several fuel drums. Later during the night, everyone grew worried for Cody Liberator was cool as a pre-war cucumber confident in Cody's abilities.
They were woken up at midnight by the sound of cheers and bells ringing. They stood in awe at the size of the generator parts. Sturges begrudgingly got up knowing the sooner he could help Liberator put them together the sooner he could go back to bed. When the generators were put together both stood at over twelve feet tall. The biodiesel was poured in, and the wires connected to the Fort. With a cough and a groan, they sputtered to life running in a steady chugging rhythm. The switch was thrown, and the light and radio turned on. Lights lit up and film reels spun. The Radioman now finally had a radio to work with.
"You're listening to Radio Freedom it's 2:00 AM we have an announcement we are looking for recruits and volunteers if you don't wish to fight that's ok, we need those who are skilled or can learn skills from mechanics metalsmithing, and even engineering. As always stay safe out there."
Colonial violin music played. Daisy was one of the first to pick up the signal along with other supporters in Goodneighbor. Soon the signal reached University Point. Jacqueline lit up when she heard it realizing her best friend Liberator was alive and did not die at Quincy.
Deep in an underground bunker outside the Commonwealth...
Ronnie Shaw lit another cigarette. Bored of Diamond City Radio she turned her radio till the static was interrupted by violin. Her cigarette hit the concrete floor.
"It can't be..."