3 Quid Pro Quo

Preston hadn't lied about Sturges being a technical guru. While Preston and I set about fixing the roof and walls of the house, he set about getting a few things working that would help us, while he suggested he could take a look at my power armour whenever I needed. Meanwhile, the two Long's and Mama Murphy foraged nearby for anything we could use, each of them taking at least a pistol, just in case they ran into trouble. They managed to return with some wild fruits, nothing I recognised but assured it was all edible, and the three set about planting a few crops out the back. "They'll grow quicker than you expect, Nate," Mama Murphy assured me. I should hope so, as after only a couple of days, with six mouths to feed, we were rationing carefully but the stocks were already dwindling.

It was a few days later that Preston and I were in conference on the deserted street, another warm, sunny day. I'd already thought 'to hell with it' and bathed in the water by the bridge. I checked with a Geiger counter, and there was a little radiation. Telling Sturges what I wanted, he managed to procure some anti-radiation medicine for me. "Just inject it and you'll be good, Nate."

"Really? I mean, I read about this sort of stuff…"

"Rad-x. We live by the stuff whenever hitting an irradiated area. If you're feeling the effects, just get your hands on some Radaway. Works like a charm."

So I headed down to the river, injected as instructed, then hit the water. No soap for the moment, but I at least felt a little cleaner than before, and that's all anyone wanted. I only spent a couple of minutes, not wanting to tempt fate too much, Sturges suggesting the anti-rad medicine would remain in my system for quite a while, at least twenty-four hours. I was already used to not having a chance to bathe daily, sometimes going a week or more while at the front in Alaska, and I figured I'd be living the same life yet again.

But in addition to the building work Preston and I was doing, he managed to fashion a generator from parts scrounged. I'm not sure how he did it, but the sound was music to my ears. The next day, he managed to get electricity before he then sketched out a plan for us. "I can build us some sort of radio beacon. If people are listening, we can let them know about Sanctuary."

"What about raiders?" Preston asked.

"A chance we'll have to take. But if we're serious about this, we're going to need numbers," I replied before turning around. "We've got at least six houses we can fix up and make habitable. Those in ruins, we tear apart and use for scrap. Sturges, how will you make the beacon?"

"There's enough steel around here to make a rudimentary dish and antenna. Long as it's tall enough, the signal should carry at least some distance."

"Do it." He nodded and headed off as I turned to Preston. "We need food."

"I know. Crops might grow fast but not that fast. And we could do with a source of meat too."

"What about those double-headed cows…"

"We call those brahmin. And, yes, I can see your thought process. They're mutated cows but their meat is good eating. Leather as well. Use them as pack animals. You might see a few traders, or caravans, wandering the Commonwealth."

"We'll just have to find salt to keep it good."

"You can find salt anywhere, Nate. That won't be a problem."

"Okay, so we've got salt beef. What else?"

"Would you be willing to eat radroach?"

"No. I'm not eating what were once cockroaches. The stench alone when I killed one nearly made me vomit."

"Bloatfly?"

"What?"

"Big arse mutated flies."

"God no. Look, I'm pre-war. We at beef, chicken, lamb… veal…"

"Ah, radstags. You can always go hunting for those, but you'd need some sort of hunting rifle, as they startle easily. Much like brahmin, if you manage to kill one, it's good meat and leather. Though, if you're feeling brave, mirelurks."

"Mire-what?"

"They're from the ocean. They have a hard shell but some very good meat if you manage to kill one."

"Sounds like a mutated crab. Okay, so that's always an opportunity if I end up near water. So there's a chance for a little meat. Get a fire and a rudimentary spit going, and we can at least eat some of that. So next is another food source. Fruit and vegetables. I'm aware many of them are mutated but eatable, and that's all that matters. You know where there are nearby farms?"

"I don't know their locations, but I've heard about two. One is called Abernathy Farm. Family run place to the west of here, I think it was north of Concord. We were looking at stopping there to resupply before we were hit by the raiders. Second farm is to the east of here, at least from word of mouth. Tenplines Bluff. Run by a couple of settlers. An isolated settlement but they might sell us crops too."

"How do they store things nowadays?"

"Due to the mutations, fruit and vegetables seem to last forever, even after cultivation. I guess it comes with the new conditions it has to grow in."

"Well, that's something at least."

"You planning on heading out then?"

"If they can supply us with enough food to keep us going for a couple to a few weeks. We'll just have to ration carefully. Sturges is working on a water pump, so hopefully ground water is safe to drink. If not, we just boil it. I was always told boiling water kills most things. Other than that, we need to work on a way of making this place safe. The bridge is the only way in and out so we need to guard that."

"Once we have some settlers arrive, we might have to give them a little training, then set a patrol schedule."

I nodded. "Good enough for me. Nearly everyone can help. Not Mama Murphy. She's… too old. And I'd rather Sturges keep working on all his projects if necessary."

"How is the food we find in packets still edible?" he wondered.

"Chemicals and preservatives. No doubt they planned for life in the vaults, and it made its way into food sold in supermarkets. Fruit, vegetables, meat and milk was still perishable, but anything boxed was planned to last… a long time. I didn't think this long, but anything I've opened up hasn't been that bad."

"Well, can't complain as it's kept some of us fed for a long time now. And there is still an abundance out there. The rule always was when out on patrol to grab anything that could be used for later. Food and water was essential, though if we get an actual farm going here…"

"Let's not get too excited, Preston. Lot of work to go yet, but we've made a good start."

A couple of days later, we had the roof and most of the walls somewhat fixed on the first house. Certainly shouldn't be too many water leaks anyway, and when Sturges managed to get a few light bulbs fixed and wired up, we had a house with lights. No running water, but small steps to start off with. Sturges was on the verge of getting the beacon ready, while I was now planning my own trip.

Grabbing some paper and a pencil, I started to make a map of the surrounding area, taking guesses at distances. Lexington was south. At least a half days walk. Anything further than that, I was looking at time away from Sanctuary for it to be a worthwhile venture. I still thought about Vault-Tec and what happened. I did show Preston where I'd buried my wife, having fashioned a small wooden cross for her, with her name, date of birth and put her date of death as October 23rd, 2077. She'd been a believer, more so than myself. I now wore our wedding rings on a thin band around my neck. I was tempted to just hide them away somewhere, perhaps the safe in our old home, but I wanted a close reminder, feeling them every so often as a reminder to at least find out why. Anyone responsible was long dead, but if I could find answers, that would suffice.

A week after meeting Preston and the others, it was time to finally leave Sanctuary again. Not willing to travel without power armour just yet, it came with an in-built compass, Preston letting me know that he thought that Abernathy Farm was due west of Concord. That worked for me, so leaving just after dawn, I clipped weapons to my armour and began the journey, only Max at my side, as Codsworth was proving rather handy at helping Sturges with all his projects.

The road back to Concord was still deserted. Walking down the main street again, the bodies remained where they had fallen. I did have to tell Max to back away a couple of times. Dead bodies were not something to be tampered with. Checking the compass, I turned until we were heading west, then began the walk into the wilderness. Most of the grass did seem to be dead, though there was no surprise weeds seemed to be flourishing. Every single tree was dead as well.

I sent Max ahead to sniff out anything dangerous. He seemed to understand nearly everything I said, from simple one word commands to more complex instructions. I certainly wasn't going to complain though. I'd always wanted a dog!

The walk to Abernathy Farm barely took a couple of hours, and in an air-conditioned suit of power armour, it wasn't too difficult. Though I was almost a walking tank, I had to put little effort into actually moving, the suit doing everything for me. Eventually I noticed a steel lattice structure, an old transmission tower, which had what looked like a wooden building built around and within it. I guessed it was safe as I doubted any electricity was still flowing.

Showing up in power armour definitely scared the shit out of them, a woman tilling the land noticing my approach. She yelled out something, an older man and younger woman appearing from inside the shack. The man definitely yelled something as he took out a rifle, pointing it in my direction. I ordered Max to halt and sit as I held up both hands, keeping them away from weapons. No matter where he shot, the bullet would just ding off, but I wasn't there to fight. I could understand the reaction.

"I'm friendly!" I yelled out.

"Prove it!" the man yelled back.

The only thing I think of to do was step out of the armour. Once I'd done so, he still pointed the rifle in my direction but relaxed slightly, spinning slowly to show I was unarmed. "I'm just here to hopefully trade," I shouted.

His rifle dropped, pointing away though still in position to be raised quickly to fire. "Okay, you can approach. Carefully."

"Max, up. Take it slow, boy." I walked forward slowly, and with each few steps, the gun was eventually lowered to his side. I glanced to see the two woman slowly approach at the same time. "This Abernathy Farm?"

"It is. Who are you?"

"Nate. I'm from Sanctuary Hills."

He glanced at his wife before looking at me. "Sanctuary Hills? What are you doing there? The place has always been empty."

"Not anymore. It's a long story but we're making a settlement. We need food though. I was told you might have crops to sell. And if you have seeds that we could use, it would be appreciated."

He leaned and looked past me. "Where hell did you find power armour?"

"Concord. Part of that long story."

He looked at his wife again, and she nodded, so the gun was looped around his body and he looked at me. "Grab your power armour, bring it closer to the house. I'm sure we can do you a good deal."

After grabbing the power armour, leaving that outside the house, making sure I took the F.C out of it, I headed inside, where introductions were made. Blake, the husband; Connie, the wife; and Lucy, the daughter. Taking a seat on one of the battered old lounges, I was offered a cup of water, accepting it with thanks, as the three gathered around. "Don't get too many traders up this way. Not anymore," Connie stated.

"And we're careful of raiders after…" Blake paused, "After Mary."

"You were attacked?" I asked.

The chuckle was bitter. "We're always under threat. Isolated farm like this has advantages, but if raiders learn of your existence, they have no problem showing up in force, taking what they want, killing who they want. Mary fought back and…" He trailed off and looked away.

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks. But what's your story?" He looked me up and down. "What brought you to Sanctuary of all places?"

"I'm from a vault." That didn't seem to be a surprise. "And I lived there before the bombs dropped." That caused surprise, which I had a feeling I was going to find a little enjoyment in.

"That's going to take some explaining," Connie suggested, so I gave them a brief outline of my life, general military service, Nora and what happened in the vault.

"So I met Preston and his small group in Concord and we're trying to get a settlement started."

"And he's a Minuteman?"

"He is." I looked at the door to where my power armour was resting. "Guess I could count myself as one too. Considering what power armour would allow me to do."

"Take the fight to raiders?" Blake asked. I met his eyes. I had a feeling this would go somewhere else. I nodded and he clearly thought. "The raiders who killed my daughter… they took something of hers. To anyone else, it would mean nothing, but it's important to us, and it was important to her. So I'm willing to make you an offer."

"I'll hear it."

"Get that locket back for us, and we'll assist Sanctuary however we can. We'll set up a trade route, or at least set up a trade. We'll supply you with food if you can provide protection. We grow more than enough for the three of us."

"I'll certainly do what I can regarding that, but we're going to need more numbers before I can offer full-time protection."

Blake looked at his wife. "What do you think?"

"We need help, Blake, and it sounds like our new friend here needs it too." She looked at me. "You were part of the military?"

"United States Army, ma'am. Rank of Major."

"Was that a high rank?"

"Two steps below Colonel, three below Brigadier General. That's when you earn a star. Battalions I looked after in Alaska generally numbered between three to five hundred officers and soldiers."

"So a lot of responsibility?" Blake asked.

"I had their lives in my hands. I received orders and passed them down, knowing I could be sending a lot of them to die. So what I'm doing now? Simply trying to help people survive. Good thing I was always adept at organisation. I've only been out of the fridge for a little over a week and my life is completely different."

"Are you willing to do that favour for us?"

"Yes. Favour for a favour. Do you know where they are?"

"These raiders were based north-east of here. I heard them talking when they had us roped up. They mentioned something about Olivia Station."

I knew immediately to where they referred. An old satellite station that was mostly used to intercept and decode enemy transmissions, generally from the Chinese, though I'm sure they spied on us at the time as well. Places like that would have been a haven for criminal elements as they would be well-fortified. I was going over ideas in my head immediately. "Looks like he's thinking already," Mary whispered.

"I remember driving by it once with my wife. We did a lot of travelling around the Commonwealth when we had the chance." I looked at Blake. "Ever heard of Tenpines Bluff?"

"Yes, they're another small farm to the east of here. Lovely couple. We occasionally trade with them. Generally, we'll send each other messages by caravans that sometimes make their way up north."

"I'll be heading there either tomorrow or the day after. So I'll go see them then swing back to Olivia, take care of the raiders there, then head back here. Might be a few days, and if I don't return, that means I'm dead. Power armour is good but it's not indestructible."

"Don't get yourself killed on our account, Nate. Just do whatever you can," Blake stated.

"We'll give you some food and seeds now," Connie added.

I chuckled. "Tato… Never thought I'd see a half tomato, half potato."

"Tastes damned good though," Connie stated, "Particularly in a stew. If you have enough people, I would suggest farming brahmin. Good for meat and leather."

"Are there a lot of them around?"

"Yes, there are plenty. All you need do is corral them. They're docile otherwise," Blake replied.

"Good for fertiliser as well," Lucy added.

They gave me a small bag, noticing how many tato's they gave me, and a small bag of seeds. I could only shake their hands, thanking them profusely. "You'll have vines within a week, and tato's growing within two to three if you plant them correctly."

"They grow that fast?"

"It's to do with the mutations," Blake replied, "If you can, get your hands on mutfruit. Damned tasty. Corn still grows as well. Carrots too."

"Healthy diet."

"Probably better than what you enjoyed pre-war. Just have to be careful of the radiation at times."

"Thank you all for the assistance. This will keep us going for a couple of weeks." I grabbed a piece of paper. "Do you have a ham radio?"

"We do."

"Tune it to this frequency. I think it's the frequency of my Pip-Boy, and I'm still working on getting the radio in my helmet to the right one too. If you have any trouble, you can reach me on my radio. Otherwise, you can send messages and, if we're listening at the right time, we'll hear you."

"Thank you in return, Nate."

They watched as I slid inside my power armour again and, with a last wave, I headed straight back to Sanctuary. It took a couple of hours crossing overland, and I did have to fire a couple of shots in the air to scare off a couple of wild dogs. Max was a good boy, obeying my commands to just let them go.

Making it back to Sanctuary, I got out of my power armour before reporting progress made. No-one was surprised to hear it was a favour for a favour, but Preston was pleased that they would accept a trade link in the end. "Farms like theirs will keep us fed until our crops are going." I showed him the supplies I'd been given, and that earned a slap on the back. "Excellent. We'll get the seeds planted immediately. Will you head to Tenpines Bluff tomorrow?"

"Yes, and hit Olivia Station on the way back. I might not be back until day after next, depending on the situation. I'll be going well armed if I'm taking on a gang of raiders."

"Want any help?"

"You stay here and protect these people, Preston. When does Sturges think the beacon will be up?"

"Tomorrow, and we'll begin transmitting immediately. Hopefully a few people will head in our direction."

"Soon as we have some numbers, and if you want to restart the Minutemen, then you're going to need recruits to train. They're going to need weapons, at the least." I paused for a moment, thinking. "We'll head back to Concord and pick up all the weapons left by the dead raiders, whether on the street or in the museum. I'll grab what I can from Olivia Station as well. Hopefully I'll find us some more supplies as well. Dying for a cigarette, to be honest."

He grinned. "Hold one minute," he said, walking indoors, returning seconds later with a packet and flip-lighter. "Didn't know you smoked, so didn't think to offer."

"Do you?"

"No. But feel free to smoke the pack."

I sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall, taking a nail from the pack, placing it between my lips before lighting it up, sucking down the smoke and holding it for a moment. Probably the best feeling since I'd woken up, savouring the taste. Yes, smoking was bad for you but, honestly, I didn't care any longer.

"Good?" Preston asked.

"The wife and I would enjoy some really good sex and then share a cigarette afterwards." I paused and chuckled. "God, if she was alive and heard me say that…"

He sat down next to me as we stared up at the sky. "Think she's up there looking down?"

"She believed so, yes, she's up there. Better than the alternative." I paused again. "I'm glad she's not going through this. The world as it is now? Harsh doesn't even begin to describe it. And it's our fault."

"What do you mean?"

"We dropped the bombs and destroyed the world. If Boston looks like this, I wonder what places like New York, DC, California or Texas look like. DC must have been obliterated. New York too." I glanced his way. "Don't suppose news reached this way?"

"Nothing I've heard nor anyone still alive of our group. No-one travels like that anymore. Just travelling the Commonwealth is dangerous. Going from here to somewhere like DC? Almost impossible now. The only way you could possibly move is by caravan, and travelling those sort of distances just isn't really done, unless you're willing to pay a lot of caps."

I ended up enjoying three or four smokes in addition to a glass of bourbon, opening a bottle and pouring one for Preston and Sturges as well. The Long's seemed to keep to themselves, Jun walking around, slumped as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders, while Marcy was just…angry. I didn't blame her, to be honest.

The next morning, I decided to head off straight away, making sure I took the minigun this time, in addition to my shotgun and pistol. I took Max with me again. Sturges help me link my Pip-Boy to the power armour interface, so I was able to bring up a map that contained co-ordinates. Sanctuary Hills and Abernathy Farm now appeared on the map. "The compass links with the map, so you can save the co-ordinates whenever you want, and all you need to do is give it a quick label. Shouldn't be too difficult."

"So he says," I muttered, "But thanks. It'll be trial and error until I figure it out."

Max was excited to head out again as we headed out across the bridge, past the Red Rocket, turning left to head east just before hitting Concord. It was then virtual silence except for my breathing, Max scouting ahead, sniffing the ground but not heading off out of sight. And all I could do was look around and see continuous devastation. It appeared everything had been abandoned. Cars, trucks and buses remained where they'd likely ground to a halt the day the bombs fell.

I was told that if I make it to Bedford Station and head due north-east, I should eventually stumble upon Tenpines Bluff. Approaching Bedford Station, Max came to a halt and growled, his body language suggesting he was ready to attack. I stopped next to him, crouching down. "What is it, boy?" I asked quietly. He growled again. "You smell something bad?"

I did wonder what he could smell, but I didn't particularly want a fight, so checking our position, I headed north to skirt around the station, keeping into cover where I could, checking to see what Max had sensed. I couldn't see anything though saw a number of bodies. Considering they looked… fleshy, I did wonder who or even what they may have been.

But I put that out of my mind for the time being, checking the compass again, and headed in the direction I thought was correct. In the end, we passed the farm and had to head south to find it. The farm was on a bluff, overlooking the ruins of a nearby elevated highway. Their reaction to my arrival was similar to Abernathy Farm, though both approached me armed, ready to fire. I performed the same act as before, getting out of my armour to reassure them I was friendly.

"What brings you out this way, stranger?" the male asked, introducing himself as Michael, his wife as Laura.

"Trade. A group of us are forming a new settlement at Sanctuary Hills. We need supplies, primarily food. I was hoping to either purchase some produce or form some of trade agreement."

"Sanctuary Hills? Where is that?"

"West of here, north of Concord."

"Anywhere near Abernathy Farm?"

"A couple of hours walk at most. I visited their farm yesterday with the same idea." I paused and smiled. "Had the same reception too. Showing up in power armour…"

They both smiled. "The occasional raider has a basic form of power armour. Usually the frame with their own modifications. We see it show up and naturally grow concerned," Laura stated.

"We can definitely agree to something," Michael added, "You do something for us, we'll do something for you."

"Favour for a favour? I can do that."

"Who do you represent?" he wondered.

"One of those in my group is a Minuteman. You know who they are?"

"Word reached us what happened in Quincy. I'm surprised any of them remain in uniform," he replied.

Preston hadn't told me what happened. So I had to ask, "What happened?"

"Details are sketchy as we only receive it through word of mouth long after it happened, but apparently the Minuteman collapsed, a bunch of civilians were massacred and some Minutemen turned raider instead."

"Shit," I muttered.

"Are you with the Minutemen?" Laura asked.

"It's a long story, but I was United States Army. Considering my life now, I guess I'll end up considering myself as a Minuteman as well. Better than any alternative."

"I'm sure Frank Abernathy already asked but if you could organise some defences for us…"

"Already spoken to Preston about that," I stated, "As soon as we get settlers arriving, we're going to train some up and send them to Abernathy, and we can also send them here to assist with farming, but also ensure your farm is safe. We'll send at least a trio to each farm to begin with."

"Once the caravans hear of your new settlement, you should have little problem with supplies. There are at least half a dozen regulars that operate around the Boston area," Michael explained, "Anyway, about the favour. Have you been told about ghouls?"

"The basics."

"A pack of feral ghouls has moved into an area nearby. Bedford Station. There's only two of us and there's nothing we can do. They've started wandering out and we're concerned they might end up attacking us. There's no reasoning with feral ghouls, all you can do is put them down. Think you could take care of it for us?"

"I think I saw a few of them lying around earlier. I was wondering if it was a ghoul or two."

"They do that to sucker in people."

"Okay, favour for a favour. It's not far away. I'll take care of that, let you know, then I have to hit Olivia Station."

"If you wish, you can camp here for the night before leaving tomorrow. You won't make it there before sundown, and you don't want to be travelling the roads at night, even in power armour. We have a spare bedroll if you don't mind sleeping under the stars."

"I don't mind at all."

Getting back into my power armour, I didn't think I'd need a mini-gun for ghouls. Didn't know how tough they'd be, but assumed it wouldn't be like fighting a deathclaw. I figured just a shotgun for some crowd control. Anything feral meant it would be aggressive, vicious, attack without really thinking. Suited me. I'd just blast away.

Max headed out, sniffing away, as we approached the station no more than half an hour later. Taking a knee, I assumed there must be a few down there. I looked down at Max, who started to pant, tongue sticking out, no doubt waiting for the order. "Max, round them up. To me. Understand, boy?"

He barked happily then disappeared as I just headed straight for the first ghoul I could see. It started to rise as I approached and I got my first good look at one. Horrific was the word that came to mind. Skinless, muscles and everything else on display. Their eyes were almost inhuman. No nose, lips, ears. No hair at all. And being naked, no sexual organs either.

And it immediately charged at me. So I just levelled my shotgun and pulled the trigger, sending it flying back, a gaping wound in its chest. I heard Max barking and more growls as he led the ghouls in my direction. "Good boy, Max!" I shouted as I stepped forward, lining up the next ghoul. There were quite a few of them, so I let them come to me, finger on the trigger again, pull, pull, pull.

There were more than anticipated, shotgun eventually empty, so I dropped then and took out my pistol. Now it was headshots, if possible. One ghoul got close, basically charging and leaping at me. It collided with my armour and fell to the ground, so I simply stamped on its head. The sound of it squishing was rather horrible, but it distracted me enough two more ghouls were upon me.

Max grabbed the ankle of one and basically dragged it away while I hurled the second one away from me. It stood up and charged again, levelling the pistol and putting a bullet through its rotted brain, before grabbing the wrist of the ghoul attacking Max, flinging it away and shooting that one three times in the chest.

Picking up the shotgun, I quickly put a few rounds in and went searching, finding two more that were hiding underneath a carriage, shooting one before it could stand up, the other I put a round into its chest, surprised it kept moving, so blew its head off with a second blast.

"Max, go check." He barked again, running around the lone building, sniffing around a few carriages, before he returned and sat in front of me. I gave him a scratch on the head. "Good boy. Really need to find you some food, eh? Or will you eat meat I don't like?" He barked a couple of times. "Yeah, dogs will eat anything. Just don't eat ghoul." He whimpered at that. "I'm fairly sure you can understand everything I'm saying. Right, I think we should check around, see if we can find supplies."

I hit a little jackpot as an adjoining signalling post had a few cans of food. Two centuries later or not, I didn't care. I also found a can of dog food, showing it to Max, who was very happy with the find. I found something I could put it all in, performed a last check for any ghouls being sneaky, before heading back to Tenpines Bluff. They were pleased to hear the news the ghouls had been dealt with and assured them that, if any returned, just send word and we'd clear them out again.

The three of us sat as night fell, sitting around a small fire as we enjoyed a small meal of a few cooked vegetables. They might have been mutated versions of what I'd once known but they still filled the gap. The one thing that seemed to be abundant was alcohol, as a bottle of vodka was popped, cups produced, as we enjoyed a couple of drinks under the stars, before they headed to bed, needing to rise with the sun. Guess it was just like the days in the distant past, rising with the sun, heading inside as it set, then sleeping early.

I woke with them the next morning and after being handed a few supplies, I wished them good luck as Max and I headed off. The satellite dish came into view within the hour, the closer we approached, the slower I walked. Once I was within range of anyone at least half talented with a rifle, I stopped behind a few dead trees and tried to ascertain how many were on site. There were wooden steps and some other wooden features, so it appeared the raiders had been resident for quite a while.

Though using the minigun would be fun, I elected to go with a shotgun again, figuring it would end up being rather close quarters fighting. I wasn't invincible with power armour, but if I was being fired at by just these pipe weapons all raiders seemed to carry, then I wasn't overly concerned.

No point trying to sneak in power armour, considering the bulky frame, the enemy no doubt seeing and hearing me coming. Whoever was on lookout duty up in the satellite dish saw me coming, as I didn't hear a shout, but bullets started to fly immediately. I learned quite quickly that raiders used intimidation tactics, no doubt used to scaring and fighting scared civilians and settlers. And when one charged me with a melee weapon, I almost burst out laughing… then put a shot into his chest, sending him flying backwards.

"Oh fuck!" he cried, stepping over his soon to be dead body, hearing bullets now ricochet off my armour. I knew I couldn't withstand a barrage forever, so quickly moved into some cover.

"Who the fuck is this clown?!" I heard one raider yell out.

"Get Ack-Ack. He'll sort this fucker out!"

Okay, so Ack-Ack, whoever that was, seemed to be in charge. "You're in trouble now, fucker. She's going to tear you apart!"

Ah, so it was a woman. If they thought I'd hesitate shooting a woman, they were going to be disappointed. The Chinese used all-female units in Alaska, figuring we'd hesitate shooting. After the third atrocity, where units of men had hesitated and been wiped out, we butchered them like we did any male units. As I've said earlier, the fighting was barbaric at times.

Taking care of the few raiders outside wasn't a problem, charging myself, and that was enough to put the frighteners into one raider. Heading up the stairs, I did worry about them breaking under my weight, and that's where I found one raider on lookout duty with a sniper rifle. He turned to fire at me, the bullet glancing off and he seemed almost helpless as I raised my shotgun.

"Shit," he muttered as I put him on the ground. Picking up the rifle, it was a pipe weapon but seemed to be in better condition than most of the others I'd seen. Best feature was that it came with a scope. I'd never been the best marksman but I'd always enjoyed lining up someone in my sights and putting a bullet in the target. I clipped that to my back and headed back downstairs to the building. Heading inside, it wasn't a surprise that the facility was underground. A couple of raiders came towards me, no doubt to check what was going on, and the sound of shotgun blasts soon echoed, hearing shouted voices in return.

"Alright, fucker, you've just picked the wrong place to crash," I heard someone yell.

"You're in trouble now, arsehole. Ack-Ack will have your number shortly," someone else yelled.

I just took the chance to fill up my shotgun with rounds and moved ahead cautiously, checking corners, sweeping any room I entered, taking a moment to check supplies I could take later. Max was still at my side, though I told him quietly to stay behind. I didn't want him shot.

Ack-Ack made her appearance, and she earned her name due to the minigun she hauled around. I was impressed considering she didn't wear armour, though once it spun up, she could barely control it. Once again, it was about producing fear and intimidating people. Bringing a minigun to scare a bunch of farmers? No wonder the Abernathy's were scared to death.

This time, it was my turn to simply charge around. Anyone who got in my way was shot. The weaponry was still awful, Ack-Ack and I searching for each other as I didn't present a still target. I was trying to circle around on her, get her from behind, not wanting to give her a chance to get the chance to spin the minigun up. Then I had an idea, whispering for Max to head to the entrance, and I found a corner of darkness to stand in, remaining completely still.

That's when I saw Ack-Ack in the light for the first time. She looked absolutely crazy, face painted up like a clown, or some sort of freakish clown. She wore no armour, and I was still amazed she could haul around the minigun. She was the last one alive, having heard her swear more than once when finding the body of a colleague. I must have hidden myself well, as she walked right by me.

Soon as she passed me, I moved forward and she spun around to be greeted by the sight of the barrel of my shotgun, aimed right for her centre mass. I would pull the trigger more than once before she'd spun up the minigun.

"Who sent you?" she asked.

"Give me the locket, and I'll consider letting you live, at least. Though you won't be remaining here. I'll be marching you off."

She laughed. "All this for a fucking locket?" She paused and laughed even more. "The fucking farmers… Abernathy's? They sent you here for a fucking locket?"

I pointed at the minigun. "Drop it." Surprisingly, she did and I stepped forward, prodding her with the barrel, forcing her backwards. "No, not just a locket. I woke up after two hundred years in the fridge to find humanity a shadow of its former self, or so it seems. And cunts like you are now preying on the innocent with, from the sounds of it, no-one around to stop you. I think it's time for a change and for the people to fight back."

"You won't last five minutes against all of us."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I fought for an ideal once. Maybe I was wrong about that ideal, considering our own problems, but maybe this is something I can fight for and know it's right."

"Let me go and I'll just come back with an even bigger force. We'll just kill them all next time."

I sighed. "You see, that was just the wrong thing to say, because although I'd love to do what was right…" I stepped forward, putting the barrel under her chin, "I saw some of the most awful shit in Alaska. And, between you and me, I did some awful shit as well. You think you intimidate me? Think I'm scared of a bunch of raiders? Wrong. I fought the fuckin' Chinese Army, and they were warriors, trained to do one thing. Kill American soldiers. So we killed them in return, in great fuckin' numbers. Did things to their corpses at times that would even make someone like you shudder. And don't get me started on those taken prisoner. Think you know torture because you scare a few civilians? I've already seen the inhumanity of man. I've seen the sins we committed. I've lived through the bombs. I'll now live through this, and I'll wipe your kind from the map instead."

I pulled the trigger, blood splattering into my helmet as her dissolved into little more than blood, bone and brains. While others thought it was disgusting, as I'd said, I saw the most sickening things possible in Alaska. The cruelty and barbarity on display at times had made me wonder just what we were capable of.

I left the minigun but took all the ammo, finding a duffel bag and heading around, grabbing all the supplies I thought worthwhile. I found plenty of food and purified water, plus vegetables that I assumed came from Abernathy Farm. Any ammo I could find I packed away, and I eventually found the locket, hidden away next to a bed. I also found an F.C, which would come in handy later on. I checked the charge of my armour and wasn't surprised I'd barely used more than a percent or two. Cores were designed to last for decades, and armour designed to use them sparingly.

Max was waiting for me at the door leading outside, showing him the second can of dog food I'd found, left thinking humans were eating it simply due to lack of food otherwise. It was still bright and sunny heading outside, beginning the journey back to Sanctuary Hills. It was almost dark by the time I returned, requiring the spotlight as I skirted the edge of Concord, mostly so I didn't trip over anything. And it let those in Sanctuary know it was me returning.

I noticed Preston's face as I came into the light, giving me time to step out of my armour and I noticed why. The helmet and torso were covered in blood. "Obviously none of it is mine," I stated, "But the raiders at Olivia Station won't be an issue any longer."

"You took them all out alone?"

I slapped one of the arms of the armour. "These are walking tanks. And the bullets pipe weapons use won't penetrate this. And considering this is the most basic armour, if we get our hands on even better power armour."

Sturges walked out and said, "Oh, there are plenty of frames around. And you'll find suits here and there as well. Most are left where they are as you can't just step into armour and use it. Takes training to use it."

"So are they going to help us?" Preston asked.

"Tenpines? Yes. Quid pro quo. Favour for a favour. Took care of some feral ghouls for them."

"Ah, had your first look at them. Just try not to shoot ghouls that aren't feral."

"I'll do my best, but can only assume they still act civilised."

"So what's next?"

I glanced at Preston, wondering why he was asking me all the time. But I guessed, after everything that happened to him and his small group, he just didn't want to be responsible any longer. I couldn't really blame him. I glanced and nodded at the beacon. "I see that's up. Is it broadcasting?"

"It is. The range won't be brilliant just yet, but a lot of it is word of mouth. Caravans will already be passing word of a new settlement. Those willing to take the journey will eventually make their way up here."

"Soon as we have a few more people, we'll start fixing up a couple of more houses, hook up some electricity. Could do with a radio, to be honest. Are there any still broadcasting?"

"A couple. One plays classical music. The other is Diamond City radio."

"Diamond City?"

"Largest settlement in the Commonwealth. Definitely worth a visit when you can organise it."

"Okay, as to your question about what's next, I'm not sure just yet. But I think a journey south might be worthwhile. What's the condition of Lexington?"

"Full of raiders. We avoided it on the way to Concord. A whole group has taken over the old Corvega Assembly Plant. They control all approaches, taken over a few of the ruined buildings."

"That Super-Duper Mart might still have supplies, even after all this time. Possibly been ransacked but might be worth checking."

"It's your choice, Major."

"Nate, Preston. The United States Army no longer exists." I paused. "But thanks. Never thought I'd end up doing something like this. Now, what I definitely need is a smoke and a drink. It's been a long couple of days."