A Legend, A Hero, and One Lucky Mo-Fo

Ex-Sentinel Albert Cole's pov (aka Lone Wanderer)

Everyone eyed the 101 on my back cautiously as I walked through Diamond City. The guards would stiffen as I passed, as if I were wearing my nigh-indestructible prototype Winterized T-51b. A girl waved a paper to me.

"Heya mister! You new here?"

The fact that this little girl wasn't intimidated by me brought a smile to my face.

"Yeah, I am."

I don't know why but this girl reminded me of the first time I met Sarah's junior-scribe protégé, Arthur Maxson. He was intimidated by me when we first met but he had warmed up to me before-

Before Sarah died.

"Whatcha got there kid?"

"Publick Occurrences! Finest paper in the Commonwealth, Vault dweller! Say, where are you from, mister?"

"D.C."

"That's cool! Here! It's free for newcomers!"

"Nice kid, hey Charon!" I shouted back to the ghoul catching up with me down the steps, "You want a paper?"

"No thanks, boss."

I squinted past him.

"What?"

At that moment a large group of ash, mud and blood covered people started half-running, half-falling down the steps of the stairs. The town was quickly filled with maimed, wounded and dead... the people carrying them either hadn't realized it or refused to accept it. Maybe they wanted them buried here, I had no clue.

"Sanctuary has been taken. Taken by the Enclave!" Someone shrieked.

My face was a flat line but my mind flittered back to Col. Augustus Autumn and the moment my father died. Run, he said, as the hairs on his head fell off right before my eyes. Nothing but glass and radiation separating me from my dying father. After all I had done to find him he died right in front of me.

Heh, a friend of mine once said, "I hope you never figure out what it's like to have your father die right in front of you." It was like foreshadowing in a book. Back in the present a woman in a red trench coat tugged a boy along and then swallowed the paper girl in an embrace. Not even caring about the mud caked to her.

"Piper?! What's happening?!"

"It's a long story, Nat. Look, can you and Shaun go inside?"

The mud caked boy hiding behind Piper was looking at the ground, clearly traumatized. I watched as more and more wounded were getting dragged in and Nat began to stare. Piper guided her eyes into hers.

"Can you do that sis?"

Nat nodded and did as her sister bid her. I watched as Piper retreated to a bench and got into the fetal position. Burying her head in her arms. After a moment of reflection and assessment I ordered, "Charon, have Fawkes get more caps after you get food and drinks for all these people. I will offer assistance to the doc."

***

3rd person pov

Diamond City became awash with refugees. Guards were helping carry the weak and weary, families were keening, children meandered around asking where their family was and in the middle of all this a stranger leant a generous helping hand. Charon, after wasting a few words at the noodle stand went to Vadim.

"I need to make an order." Charon was never the polite or charismatic type.

"Oh no," Vadim said, "we don't serve your kind here."

Charon merely scowled, growling out, "Fine, smoothskin."

"VAAADIIIMMM!"

The bartender laughed, "I kid! I kid! What did you need friend?"

"Enough food and drink for a hundred refugees."

The bar got deathly quiet and Rose stopped sweeping, exclaiming, "What?"

"I'll give whoever helps me hand out all this crap all 1,000 cap tips."

"YEEEEFIIIIMM!! You better get up here right now brother!"

"I'll get Travis!" Rose cried.

That motivated them. Soon the whole town was helping, some refugees were from Sanctuary and others were from supply caravans attacked by the same foe. The ex-Sentinel made a good first impression on the citizens of Diamond City. Piper sat at the bench and never moved her eyes away from the entrance, waiting for the General to return.

Despite the town coming together, several important people were still missing. Nick had disappeared unannounced a few days ago, leaving an odd note behind. Cait, Howler, and Ashman had been separated from the main group and pushed towards an odd radio signal. While others on the squad were doing things completely different, although oblivious to the threat facing the Commonwealth.

And one of them was Roger Nix, codenamed: Noir…

Noir also known as... The Silver Shroud

Magnolia, getting off early in the morning after working a long night was walking, alone down an alley. Six goons, new to Goodneighbor, ignorant of who's turf they were on started messing with Magnolia. Luckily Kent overheard the event unfolding as he was making his way to the Memory Den! Practically running to the radio he started,

"Silver Shroud! Magnolia is in a heap of trouble not far from the Third Rail! You need to go quick!"

At the moment of this broadcast Roger Nix, mayor of Goodneighbor until Hancock's return, was sitting at his desk, reading Piper's latest paper, as Fahrenheit put his coffee in front of him with a saucer. The exact second the distress call hit his ears he snapped to attention.

"Oh?" He said with a melodramatic hue creeping into his voice, "Did you hear that?"

Fahrenheit sighed, "I'll close the office."

Once she did, zippers unzipped, buttons unbuttoned and in a few moments Roger Nix was in his tightie-whities, his expensive suit, black rim glasses, and slacks neatly folded on his desk. He pressed his hand to a hidden button on the wall and part of it slid back. Fahrenheit observed from the door, used to this by now.

"Go on, keep going."

She said it in such a way that Roger was unsure if she meant to keep stripping or go ahead and get ready. He went ahead and started putting the costume on.

"George would kill me."

"Not if he didn't know." Fahrenheit said in her odd condescending tone.

Finishing the costume, he put his chrome aviator shades on with a flourish and said in movie-like fashion, "I'll be back" before vaulting out the window. Running to the location of the ruckus he checked his weapons. Deliverer? Check. Silver Tommy? Check. Grenades just in case? Check. With his momentum he slid into the center of the alley and began walking towards the goons.

"What's this? The tools of evil trying to FOIL the flowers of INNOCENTS?"

"Do who?" A triggerman said.

"Who in the hell is this?" Another crowed.

"Shroud!" Magnolia cried, "Thank God you're here!"

"Worry not, for the visage of RIGHTEOUSNESS will not suffer your beauty to be defiled! You FELONS! Prepare to taste DEATH!"

"Shoot him," someone drawled lazily and a shotgun kicked Nix on his butt into the street. When the goons continued to harass Magnolia, Roger groaned thinking, Thank God, & Tinker Tom for that Lvl.5 Ballistic Weave.

"You- FOOLS!" Roger bellowed, getting up, "Behind this Shroud is the face of JUSTICE! And JUSTICE is BULLETPROOF! You MALEVOLENT FIENDS! Your demise shalt be swift!"

"Holy crap! It IS the Shroud!"

Time seemed to slow down as Roger mentally locked onto all six of their heads. Then he drew The Deliverer, a special silenced 10mm from the Railroad, and killed all six of them with such accuracy that Doc Holiday would be jealous. In three seconds, six men were brain dead or becoming brain dead. Finally with a dramatic twirl, Nix holstered his weapon.

"Are you alright civilian? Did these COCKROACHES of HELL touch thee?"

"Bravo, Shroud, bravo! And no, I'm fine, thanks to you."

"Y-you're most welcome ma'am! N-now! Since justice has been served~ I must go."

Before Roger could leave Magnolia asked, her voice suggestive, "Oh, my knight in silver! Could you please help a tired girl to her room? Perhaps refresh yourself?"

The Shroud knew she was using her charms on him. The fact that he is who he is shows an almost blatant kick for melodrama and she was using it as a wedge. Nix smiled and~ (want the X-rated version? Tell me so...)

***

Elsewhere, around midday, was Samson Grimes. A man, alone on a pier, dangling his feet over the side. It would seem to most that he were fishing, with the bucket laying close to him and the fishing rod, already cast, and waiting on a rack for a bite. However there was something else close to Grimes- no, there were three more things.

One was a Mirelurk Hunter getting ready to launch at him.

The other two?

Only once the Hunter pounced did it realize the folly of its efforts. Grimes, aka Knuckles, grabbed his two power fists and gave the beast a stiff right in the eye by luck. No one in the Commonwealth knew that he was the absolute luckiest man in the Wasteland.

Not even him really...

Killing the beast with a OHKO he grumbled to no-one, "What? No Mirelurk King?"

With a sigh Samson got up and jumped into the water to drag the monster out so he could skin it. It was also at this moment when a raider came up on him while he was in the water. The man was lucky already for two reasons: one, he didn't get sick from the radiation and two, he jumped into murky water not knowing if more Mirelurks were down there. Chambering a bullet into her bolt action pipe sniper, the Raider took aim and shot at the perceived idiot.

Only to hit a tin can and have it ricochet off, hit a Corvega and ricochet again and then hit a Molotov on the Raider's belt. Samson saw the tin can jump, picked it up and looked inside for a fish before going on about his way. He was never wiser to the distant screams of the Raider burning to death.