Chapter 1: Out of Time

[October 2287]

Nate Adams gasped as he fell to the floor, coughing. He tried to clear his mind and remember where the fuck he was. Looking about, he squinted at the pod before him. 'Strange, she looks familiar.' Nate thought before his eyes widened with a realization. 'Nora!'

Scrambling forward, Nate pounded on the door while looking for a release button. Spotting a red lever, he pulled it as wailing sounds started blaring. Hissing as it opened, occupant fell to the ground coughing. "Nora! Nora, can you hear me?" Nate cried out, helping his wife up.

"Nate…" Nora Adams replied groggily, blinking her eyes out. "Where…SHAUN!"

# # # | # # #

Nora coughed as her pod opened, hearing a voice ordering her to let Shaun go. Holding her baby tighter, she saw two blurry outlines in front of her. "No, wait. I…I got him." she assured.

"Let the baby go. I'm only going to tell you once!" an angry, gruff voice said on her right.

"I'm not giving you Shaun!" she snarled.

Suddenly, she felt something smash into her head. "Have a nice sleep…if you ever wake up." the gruff voice said before everything faded to black.

# # # | # # #

"Nate-Shaun's been—"

"—kidnapped, I know." Nate answered, surprising Nora. "I remember seeing the whole thing from my pod. The bastard told me something before I…was frozen, I guess - something about being a backup or the like."

"You…you saw the kidnapper?"

"Kidnappers," Nate corrected. "First things first: let's get out of here."

"You're…you're right," Nora agreed, her motherly instincts calming down once she noticed where they were. Accepting Nate's hand, she stood up and dusted her legs. "Where to, sergeant?"

Nate shook his head. "I should ask you, captain." he sassed, grinning.

Nora shoved him lightly, rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said. She moved towards a nearby terminal, checking if there was information there. "This place gives me creeps."

"Let's free the other first. I'm surprised…" Nate trailed off, only to see his wife already typing something on the terminal and gasped. "What's wrong, Honey?"

"They're…they're…they're all dead!" Nora exclaimed, Nate hurrying over. "A…according to this, the pods' life support were turned off – except ours!"

"My God…" Nate muttered. Something caught his eye, filling him with dread. "Nora…look…look at this."

Her eyes followed to the bottom of the screen, reading 'Number of days since Pod/s were opened: 21,900 Days'.

Nora gasped, covering her mouth, realizing what the numbers meant. "No…Oh God no!" she screamed, her wavering voice filled with fear, holding on to him. "This…this has to be a goddamn joke!"

Nate was silent, realizing its implications. "When I get my hands on that son of a bitch…"

"Get in line!" Nora growled, her body shaking with anger and despair. '60 years,'Nora thought, glaring at the terminal. '60 years has been taken from me experience my baby boy's life!'

"Nora, we're going to find that bastard who did this to us." Nate said, glaring at the terminal. "And we're going to give him hell."

Nora nodded determinedly. "But first, we go to find where he sent Shaun then we give him hell. I don't care if it's a grave or an old man who doesn't know us – I just want to see what happened to him. Alright?"

Nate gave a grin then gave a passionate kiss. "Fine," Nate said after they broke off. "Now, let's go!"

Opening the door, the two saw an empty tunnel filled with pipes on the sides and another sliding door at the end of it, with a tool box and what looked like a hammer at the floor. As they walked towards it, Nate asked "When did you get so good with computers?"

Nora, still slightly shocked about the fact that their son was roughly 60 years old, was confused about his question. "Why'd you asked?"

Nate just shrugged. "Brother Benji taught me one thing back during the Reclamation: Never dwell on things you can't change." he answered by quoting his CO, Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin Montgomery. Nora snorted at the reference, recalling how the two were close. "'Focus on the present,' he would tell us, 'because through that, we can change the future.'"

Nora chuckled. "I remember that," she replied just as they reached the door. "He told us that at our impromptu wedding, right? And FYI, I took a crash course before we went home from the Frontlines."

"Huh, that's convenient." Nate replied, punching the door's control panel. Suddenly, blaring sounds erupted around them.

"Malfunction in emergency exit door override." the Vault-Tec computerized voice announced. "Please contact your Vault-Tec maintenance representative for service."

The two just frowned before looking at each other. "You know," Nora commented. "I just realized there are no Vault-Tec people running around…"

Nate grabbed the hammer from the floor, examining it. "So did I...come on, let's enter through this other door."

Fortunately, it opened to short corridor. Walking through it, Nate and Nora exited to a sight they'd never forget. "Is...is that a giant cockroach?" Nate asked his wife, mouth open in shock. She merely nodded numbly - nobody could blame her: her son got kidnapped, all of her fellow Vault Dwellers were dead, and now she was staring at a (roughly) two-foot-long roach sticking on the widow.

The slowly approached it, trying to get a better look at it only for it to fly away. "What the hell did we just see?" Nate exclaimed.

Nora just gave him a confused look. "The fuck if I know," Nora said. She opened another door. "I hope we don't come across...oh, fuck."

Unfortunately, Nora jinxed it as they came upon one - thankfully, Nate's hammer killed it for them. "They're roaches alright." Nate commented, trying to shake off some of its slimy bits from his makeshift weapon. "Well…larger ones, I guess."

"Eww!" Nora exclaimed, seeing the gooey stuff falling on the floor. "Stuff it sergeant, we got things to do."

The next few rooms offered nothing of an explanation of what happened to the vault and its inhabitants. The mess hall was dirty and the only thing that offered something was the recreational terminal featuring the Red Menace. The next room, on the other hand, confused them.

"Looks like someone went on beast mode here." Nate said, giving the room a once over. The sleeping area was in disarray: bunk beds overturned, mattresses on the floor, a broken terminal, and one locker on the floor. "Wonder what happened?"

Nora shrugged. "Let's check the other door."

Few minutes and five dead roaches later, the couple stood in front of a door labeled 'Overseer's Office'. "What do you think we'll find here?" Nate asked, staring at the door.

"Answers, I hope." Nora replied, punching the control panel on its left side.

Upon opening, the duo saw a grim sight: a skeleton was lying on the floor, behind a semi-circular desk. Half the room was ransacked, as if someone stormed it. There was a N99 pistol beside the termina, with paper scattered on the floor. "Check the terminal, Nora." Nate ordered as he grabbed the pistol, checking for ammo. "I'll look for weapons."

Nora nodded as she browsed through the terminal's files, revealing the real reason behind the vault - it was an experiment regarding the effects of long-term cryogenics on people. Problem was, the vault's supplies weren't set for a long period of time, causing the security to revolt. It was probably a bad move, Nora reflected, as radiation would probably be still present outside.

Nate, on the other hand, found some spare ammo, an extra pistol, and a freezer-like display. "Honey, does the computer say anything about a freezing box?"

"It's a weapon." Nora answered as she came besides him. From the Overseer's notes, he was using Vault-Tec funds on his pet project. "Some kind of portable freezing gun."

"Seriously?" Nate said, giving her an incredulous look. When she nodded, Nate whistled. "Damn…wish I had some bobby pins. Probably can lock pick it and use that baby."

Nora gave her husband a weird look. "You can pick locks?" she asked, getting a nod from him. "You never told me that?"

"I didn't?"

Nora shook her head. "How did you learn to do that?"

"When I was a kid." Nate revealed. "Tough neighborhood means you gotta be tough: join gangs, do street fights, pick pockets, the likes. Oh, here's another one. Might come in handy later."

"Have any other secrets for me?" Nora joked, pleased the pistol was loaded.

Nate shrugged and grinned. "May be…" Nora punched his shoulder lightly before pointing towards the open door.

"I opened the emergency tunnel. Hopefully, it's clear of roaches." Nora replied just as two of the roaches entered the room. "Damnit!"

She shot the two, groaning as more entered the office. It took them both one magazine each just to clear the tunnel, the buggers jumping about like grasshoppers on Jet. "I think," Nate suggested as he reloaded his pistol, Nora glaring at the corpses. "You should stop saying things like that."

"Agreed..." Nora said as they entered the Cog Entrance. There were three skeletons lying around, with two roaches nibbling on them. Sighing, Nora fired at the two before they could notice them. "Fucking roaches."

"Hey look, it's a Pip-Boy!" Nate exclaimed, pointing at the portable wrist computer still stuck to a skeleton. He made his way near and grabbed it, spotting another one to the side. "There's enough for two of us!"

As he went over to get it, Nora pushed the large yellow button on the control panel. "Pip-Boy interface required to activate Vault door." a computerized female voice announced. "Have a nice day."

"Have a nice day my ass." Nora grumbled as Nate handed her a Pip-boy.

"Here, put this on while I open the door." he ordered. Walking up to the control panel, he plugged his Pip-Boy's connector to it. His screen lit up, displaying 'VAULT DOOR REMOTE ACCESS: READY'. Punching the button, klaxons started blaring as the Cog Door screeched open.

Nora, on the other hand, examined her Pip-Boy. It had two small knobs at the left side, one with selecting different options on it (namely Status, Map, and Radio). There a tiny Geiger Counter and a radio tuner just below it (no signals since she was underground. Checking out each, Nora was pleased to know that this mini-computer had a health sensor (it seemed to gauge the wearer's pulse). The map, on the other hand, was useless since its last update were years ago (exactly 20,000 days).

"Jeez," Nora winced, the Cog's screeching irritating her. "Someone needs to oil that thing."

"Guess Vault-Tec decided to cut cost." Nate answered. "Shame, the Pip-Boy map would have been very helpful right now. By the way, you injured? I have some bandages with me."

Nora shook her head, exiting the vault. "Can't believe were back here again, hun."

Nate chuckled as the two stood before the receiving area of Vault 111. They watched the platform come down, slowed down by the years of disuse. "Ready to see the surface?" Nate asked her once the platform arrived

Nora nodded, breathing in deep. "Let's do this."

They stepped onto it, the platform rising slowly. "Enjoy your return to the surface. And thank you for choosing Vault-Tec." the speakers announced. Before they could complain, the ceiling opened up, the sun blinding them for a moment. Once his eyesight began to steady, Nate stared at the view before them. It was Sanctuary…or what's left of it. A few houses were left standing (although they weren't the Sanctuary models), some weird looking structures, and a small farmland near the bridge. Surprisingly, their house was the was the only ruined structure in the area.

"I…I expected something worse." Nora said, taking in the destroyed scenery.

"Me too." Nate agreed. "What year do you think it is now?"

"2137? Shaun was kidnapped 60 years ago, right?" Nora guessed, unsure of her answer. If the bombs did fall and someone took Shaun afterwards, radiation should have already entered the Vault. Plus, they would have contended with the security team that was left in the vault.

"I think we should change our clothes," Nate stated, looking about to see if anyone was around them. "We're sitting ducks out here."

"We don't have any clothes besides these, Nate." Nora pointed out. While the Vault Suit was comfortable, it wasn't perfect for open areas they were in.

"Not if our house is still standing." he argued, pulling out a key from his pocket. "I have some BDUs under our bed. Probably still there if nobody scavenged them."

"Wait," Nora said just as Nate started walking for Sanctuary. "Do…do you think the government is still out there?"

Nate was silent. "Dunno," he admitted, shrugging. "If they were, we wouldn't be stuck in the pods back there."

Nora conceded. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. "Point taken."

As they walked back, it was evident that not everyone survived. Bodies littered the path heading towards the vault, all of them skeletons. However, upon reaching the village proper, the couple was treated to a rare sight. "Codsworth?" Nora exclaimed, seeing their trusty Mr. Handy idling about their ruined house. "Is...that you?"

"As I live and breathe…" their robot butler rejoiced, its three arms spinning in happiness. "It's…it's really you!"

"Codsworth!" Nate laughed, rushing towards him. "Boy, am I glad to see you! What…what happened?"

"Well…the world's a bit dull, sir." Codsworth said. "It'll be much more exciting with you and miss back! Where is the young Shaun, if I may ask?"

"I...Shaun's missing, Cods." Nora said, trying to calm herself. 'Why does world like to remind me about my missing son?' "Some-someone took him!"

Codsworth stiffening. "It's worse than I thought. Hmm…" the robot began, as if diagnosing them. "You're suffering from hunger-induced paranoia. Not eating for 200 years will do that to you."

'You have to be kidding me!' "200 years?" Nate repeated, praying Codsworth was joking. "You're...you're joking, right?"

"Bit of a 210, actually sir — give or take the Earth's rotation and some dings to the old chronometer." Codsworth confessed, chuckling. It sounded far more morbid given the ruins surrounding them. "I guessed that means you're very late for dinner!"

"Codsworth…you're acting a little weird." Nora asked, worried for him. It reminded her of her time in college, seeing her fellow pre-law students trying to act optimistic when everything was breaking down. "What's...what's wrong?"

With that, the robot started crying – or sounded like he was crying. "I…I…oh mum, it's been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve." The Adams couple just stared at each other as their faithful robot started breaking down.

"I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing! And don't get me started about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! The car! How do you polish rust?"

Nora was shaking besides him, clearly shocked with the revelations. "Nora, we are alive and that's all that matters right now." Nate comforted his wife before turning to his loyal robot. "Stay with me Codsworth, focus!"

"I'm afraid I don't know anything sir. The bombs came and all of you left in such a hurry, I thought you…you were all dead!" Codsworth confessed. "But enough feeling sorry for myself. Shall we search the neighborhood together? Young Shaun may turn up just yet!"

"Why don't you search the area, Codsworth? Nora and I…we need some time to digest all of this." he ordered, knowing he and Nora need time to digest everything.

"Proud to serve, sir!" Codsworth exclaimed, saluting. "Insect smashing time!"

Nate watched him fly off before noticing Nora enter their ruined home. Following her in, he was surprised to see most of the house was intact – including the furniture – as Nora sat on a very dusty couch. "210 years, Nate…we were gone for 210 years!" Nora sobbed. "And...and Shaun! He was kidnapped about 60 years ago!"

Nate hugged her, let her cry on his chest. "I know, Nora, I know." he comforted, rubbing her back. "Remember what we promised when we got out of those damn pods?"

Nora shook her head, wiping out her tears as her mind was still processing everything. "We promised to find the bastards who did this to us? We're gonna give him hell." Nate reminded her, smiling. "Now, where's that strong woman I married during the closing days of the Alaskan Reclamation campaign?"

Nora's answer was a simple yet passionate kiss. "Right in front of you, sergeant." she murmured after they broke off. "This is one of the reasons I married you, you know?"

A cough behind them made them realized Codsworth returned. "I'm afraid young Shaun isn't here, mum, sir." Codsworth apologized. "However, I did find these in the other houses. Thought it might come in handy."

The General Atomics robot placed a weird-looking pistol, another N99, a 'Grognak the Barbarian' and a 'You're SPECIAL' comic, and some bobby pins on the coffee table before them. "Hey!" Nate exclaimed, examining the 10 bobby pins. "Finally, I can pick some locks."

Nora, on the other hand, checked the other pistol Codsworth scavenged. It was rusted, that was for sure, and most of its parts were made of pipes and wood. "What do you think this is?" she asked her husband.

"That would be a pipe pistol, mum." Codsworth offered, who was idly floating behind them. "Must have missed that when I cleaned out Mr. Able's place a few years ago."

"People lived here?" Nate asked.

"Plenty!" Codsworth replied. "They were much better companions than those folk from Concord."

"People still live in Concord?" Nate asked, blinking back in surprise.

"Yes, although they're a bit...rough. You remember the way?" Codsworth answered. "Just across the southern footbridge out of the neighborhood and past the Red Rocket station."

"Let's change first into those fatigues of yours, Nate." Nora ordered. "Might be best not to wear the Vault Suit now."

# # # # # # # # # #

After gearing up, the three walked towards the village's bridge. "Codsworth, you didn't put those did you?" he asked, pointing to the guard post.

The robot laughed. "Certainly not, sir. They were built by some people who tried to turn Sanctuary a village again – a settlement, from what the leader told me." the Mr. Handy replied, gesturing towards a large windmill near the water. "They even built some large windmill generator, a large water purifier, some turrets, and even a guard post!"

"What happened to them then, Codsworth?" Nora asked, crouching to inspect a downed turret near the bridge.

Codsworth sighed. "Raiders happened, mum." he replied, sounding down. "I did help but...by the time it ended, I was the only one alive."

"What did you do with the bodies?" Nate asked, trying out the guard post. 'Good position - it guard post and checkpoint rolled into one.'

"I gave them a proper send off by cremation, sir. Much how those old medieval movies did when all four of us watch before the bombs fell." Codsworth said proudly. "As for the raiders, I dumped near the vault."

"I thought you were alone for two centuries?" Nora said.

"I was mum." Codsworth replied. "But eight years ago, a group of people came here and started building. I couldn't stop them because…it was nice to have someone to talk to again."

"There, there Codsworth." Nate assured, patting him on his head. "We'll turn it back into a settlement, if you want. I just need someone to teach me who to fix those stuff though."

Suddenly, Codsworth whistled proudly. "No fear sir! I know Mr. Arthur hid the plans around here somewhere. I'll find it and give it to you!"

Nora laughed. "Go ahead Codsworth," she encouraged. "If it makes you happy, do it!"

"Shall I cook dinner by the time you get home?" he then asked. "Mrs. Donald taught me how to make a stew out of some radroaches and bloatflies."

"What?" the two exclaimed, looking horrified at the floating robot.

"Radroaches and bloatflies." Codsworth repeated as if he was lecturing some kid. "They're mutated roaches and flies from massive radiation caused by the nukes."

"They're...they're edible?" Nora asked, not comprehending what their robot was saying.

"Of course!" Codsworth replied. "Much of the animals around here have mutated except for a small few."

Before Nora could ask again, Nate intervened. "Pork and Beans would be nice, Codsworth. I recall seeing the fridge having at least two cans in it."

Codsworth saluted. "Very well sir, I shall cook Pork and Beans for dinner." With that, their Mr. Handy left, leaving the couple alone to digest the information.

"Things are getting weirder and weirder, Nate." Nora stated, summing up everything.

Nate just chuckled, finding the whole thing funny. "How many sci-fi books said something like this would happen?" Nate pointed out as he started walking.

"It's not the same!" Nora argued backed, falling in step with her husband. "All of them said at least some form of government was left standing."

They continued towards the Red Rocket station (after passing a dead person and a mutated dog) when Nora heard a bark. Suddenly, an armored German Shepherd with a red bandana and welding goggles on it came running towards them, stopping only in front of them a few seconds later. "Hey, boy." Nate said as he patted the dog behind the ears. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

Nora knelt beside the dog and scratched the ears. "Where's your owner?" Nora asked, only to get a mournful whimper before darting off. They quickly followed the dog, seeing a M118 Fastback and a wounded old man clutching his stomach beside it.

"Hey man, everything's going to be alright!" Nate began as brought out a stimpack and bandages when the man shook his head.

"It's useless kid, I'm dying anyway…" the man rasped, coughing up some blood, his wrinkled face wincing in pain. "At least my APC and dog are in safe hands."

The man grabbed his hands, shoving a key on it. "This baby here's a real beauty – 75 mm gun with a double 50 cal. on either side of the turret." He coughed violently, blood coming out of his mouth. "She has a working reactor and can survive anything short of a nuke. She'll keep you safe if you…keep her safe."

Nate nodded grimly as the dog howled sadly. "I'll miss you too Bobby…heh, take care of your new owners, will'ya?" the man said as he scratched Bobby's head one last time. He then grabbed something from his neck and gave it to Nate. "Hey kid, make sure to hang my dog tags on my grave, hm?"

With that, the man breathed his last, leaving a smile on his face. The three of them remained silent as Nate looked at the dog tags handed to him. "His name is Logan…and he was a marine." Nate said, surprise on his face. "How the hell is he still alive after two centuries?"

"Let's just ask Codsworth…you hear that?" she asked, bringing her pistol up as gunfire came from Concord.

"Gunfire." Nate stated as the three ran towards the source. Staying close to the houses, they came upon the main street of Concord. At the very end, the Museum of Freedom (an exhibit of Concord's great history) was being attacked. From afar, it looked as if someone was holed up near the roof, firing red beams down below at whoever was attacking.

Nora crept towards a sandbag wall, spotting a person in mixed-match armor shooting behind a wrecked truck. "Tango, up ahead." Nora whispered to Nate, keeping Bob beside him. Spotting something on the floor, she picked it up and examined it. "Nate, looks like someone upgraded a pipe pistol."

Nate nodded. "Seems someone tried to make a rifle out it. Wanna try it?"

Nora popped out of cover, killing the person in a couple of shots. Nate moved forward, his wife giving him cover fire. "Tangos, 12 o'clock." Nate shouted as he fired, distracting the other three while Nora moved up.

"Push forward!" Nora ordered as she fired, forcing the attackers to duck.

"Give me your pistol," he shouted. Nora threw it to him, popping from cover and taking an attacker down.

Nate rushed forward, firing both pistols as Bobby trailed behind him. The dog then proved his worth when he jumped over the truck and tore the throat of an attacker. "Good job, Bobby!" Nate praised the dog as he fired at the last attackers. Nora headed towards Nate's position just as the last one died, getting killed by the guy on the balcony. Looking up, Nora saw it was a black man in a light brown coat, holding what looked like a rifle.

"I've got a group of settlers inside! The raiders are almost through the door!" the man pleaded. "Grab that Laser Musket and help us, please!"

Nora grabbed the gun's strap as she ran towards the wall beside the door, Nate standing on the other side. "How the fuck do I use this thing?" she cursed as she slung it behind her.

Nate just shrugged. "Ask the guy later." he said, reloading both his pistols. "We got some Raiders to kill."

# # # # # # # # # #

Preston Garvey, the last Minuteman, was thankful to God, Yahweh, Allah, Atom, or whatever deity's name was that sent them these two people kicking the raiders' asses with ruthless precision."Thank God!" Sturges exclaimed, spotting the couple heading towards them. "For a moment I thought we were toast!"

Preston chuckled. "Man, I don't know who you are," he began as they entered. "But your timing is impeccable. Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen."

"Glad to help," the woman replied, smiling while her companion shook Preston's offered hand. "Name's Nora Adams and this is my husband, Nate."

The man saluted. "We were actually just passing through, you know." Nate said as he reloaded his pistols.

Preston nodded, becoming serious again. "Well if that's true, we could use some more of your help." Preston said as Nate peeked out the window. "As you can see, we're in a bit of a mess here."

"You can say that again." Nate remarked, counting the raiders outside. "Multiple contacts outside, Nora."

Nora went to the window to look at the situation and cursed. These raiders (as Preston called them) were getting restless outside, slowly approaching the museum. "If you got a plan, Preston, better tell us now." Nora ordered, taking pot shots at the raiders from the window with the Laser Musket she learned on the fly.

"There's a crashed vertibird up on the roof: old school, pre-war. You might've seen it on your way up here." Sturges said. "Well, looks like one of its passengers left behind a serious sweet good: a complete T-45 power Armor – military issued!"

"Is it West-Tek internalized servo-system power armor?" Nate asked, knowing fully well Boston was its training ground (although a handful of prototypes were used during Operation Anchorage). He was even asked to be one of its test pilots before the bombs dropped.

If he was surprised by Nate's knowledge, Sturges didn't show it. "Hell yeah, it is!" he exclaimed, grinning. "With it, you can rip-off the vertibird's minigun and give those raiders hell!"

"Great idea," Nora said, sounding sarcastic as she narrowly dodged a bullet. She fired back at the raiders trying to suppress her, forcing them to find cover. "What's the catch?"

"The suit's out of juice." Sturges confessed, Preston moving to help Nora stall the raiders. "Probably been dry for a hundred years but it can be powered up again by—"

"—a fusion core." Nate finished, surprising the Quincy survivor. "I know."

"Try the generator at the basement." Nora suggested, taking the words from Sturges' mouth, recalling the last time the two of them visited the museum. "The tour guide said the whole building was powered by one."

Nate smirked at his wife. "Keep them from entering, will you?" he asked before dashing off.

Preston and Sturges just stared at Nora, surprised at her knowledge. "How did you know about that?" Preston asked as Nora turned another raider to ashes.

"Careful, kids…" the old lady in Preston's group proclaimed, stopping the two. "There's somethin' comin'…and it is…angry."

"What do you mean, Mama Murphy?" Preston asked, narrowly missing a shot. "Shit, that was close!"

"Be ready, my dears…" Mama Murphy whispered ominously. "The devil is quite strong."

Nora and Preston just stared at her, the former giving the Minuteman a look. "What the hell was that?" she asked incredulously.

Preston just shrugged. "Beats me." he said, cranking his Musket. "Mama Murphy always seemed crazy but she can predict stuff."

"Tell me more later," she gritted, still concentrating on keeping the raiders back. 'Plus, we got other things to worry.'

Thankfully, Nate arrived with a fusion core on hand. "Got it," he said, grinning. "Turns out, you can just lockpick the door."

"Show-off!" Nora shouted to him as he sped past her, heading straight for the roof, before returning fire at any of the raiders firing at them. "Bobby, guard the door!"

Upon reaching the roof, Nate grinned once he saw the power armor. Granted, it wasn't like his old suit back in Anchorage and it looked like it was moments from falling apart. Still, it was a T-45d power armor and that's what counts. Plugging in the fusion core, the all too familiar sound of the T-45d powering up was heard. With a gleeful expression, he entered the suit with a big smile on his face only to grimaced. Right arm and left leg were red (indicating it needed repair) and the core was at 30%, not enough for more than five kilometers trek. On the bright side though, the suit was still intact, no radiation in it and hydraulic pumps was at 100%. "Just like the good ole days." Nate grinned as he ripped the favorite weapon all PA Trooper loved off its stand.

"Come and get me, bitches!" Nate screamed, landing with a loud thud before firing the dream weapon of any Power Armor wielder: the CZ55 personal minigun.

With the same firing rate of its older and younger brothers – the CZ53 personal minigun and CZ57 Avenger minigun, respectively – the CZ55 was the more elegant version of the two. Instead of the usual designs, the CZ55 was belt fed and had a much larger magazine (storing up to 500 5mm bullets in it), firing from four barrels. However, most of them were made for the assault-class vertibirds (since they were heavier and were meant for air support), only a handful made it to the hands of T-45d and T-51b operators (mostly through scavenging down birds).

Yet Nate was here, standing in front of the Museum of Freedom, raining down 5mm bullets on the attacking—

Bang

Everyone – including the ones on the balcony – stopped firing when they heard the sound.

Bang

An inhuman roar followed it as the barrels of the CZ55 slowed down.

Bang

From the ground burst a huge, brown, horned beast, roaring at all those before him, scaring the shit out of everyone. At that moment, everyone on the street knew this creature needed to die first. Every single person with a gun opened fired at the demon as it rampaged, smashing and throwing anything within its reach. Nobody let up their shooting, even as they dwindled down to a mere 10 until it finally – FINALLY – died.

Slowly, all of them attack walked towards it. "Is…is it dead?" a raiders asked, shakily point her gun at it in fear.

Nate fired a short burst from the CZ55, getting no reaction from the creature. "Yup, it's dead." Nate replied to everyone. "So…do we keep on fighting each other or do we go our separate ways?"

# # # # # # # # # #

"Nate Andrew Adams!" Nora berated her husband an hour later. "I cannot believe you had the nerve to pull such an act!"

They were gathered near the museum entrance, Nora patching up the light wound on his left. The other Quincy survivors (the Longs and Mama Murphy) watched them in amusement, their mood lifting up after months of constant fear and gloom. "To be fair," Nate countered. "It really was a sound suggestion."

"Never thought I'd see a day where a man tried to dissuade people from banditry." Struges wheezed, still trying to calm down. "Mere moments after defeating a Deathclaw."

Preston tried (and failed) not to laugh. Nate's suggestion ended up sparking a free-for-all shootout amongst the survivors. In the end, he came out as the last man standing (losing only the entire left arm of the T-45d and getting a bullet graze on said arm), freeing Concord from the raider for the time being. Unfortunately, Nora was not impressed with the way he handled things.

Nate gave a sheepish smile. "Alright, alright…I'm sorry, okay?" he apologized to her as Nora fussed over his arm once again. "I won't do it again."

"Either way, that was a pretty amazing display - both of you, actually." Preston praised, earning a grin from Nate and a warm smile from Nora. "I'm glad you guys are on our side."

"Feeling's mutual, Preston." Nora kindly replied as she stood up. "You guys going to be okay now?"

"Yeah, for a while anyway." Preston grumbled. "We can at least move someplace safer now."

"Why don't you guys come with us?" Nate offered, surprising the Minuteman. "We got a settlement up north that needs populating anyway."

"Re-really?" Preston stammered. "You…you really mean that?"

Nora shrugged. "Yeah," she confirmed, confused why everyone was looking at her as she grew two heads. "It already got a generator that needs fixing, a purifier that needs power, and people to live in."

"What's the catch?" Marcy asked, eyes narrowing at her.

"Err...no catch!" Nate assured. "I mean we might have to repair a few things but it got houses, purifiers, and even arable land!"

"Oh, that sounds like a sanctuary, dears!" Mama Murphy proclaimed happily. "But there's more to your destiny, isn't there? I've seen it…and I know the pain you two suffer…"

"Destiny?" Nate repeated, wondering what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"You're a couple…out of time, out of hope…but all is not lost," the lady cryptically replied. "I can feel…your son's energy…he's…he's alive…"

Preston just sighed. "Look, Mama Murphy's just—"

"You know where Shaun is?" Nora demanded, grabbing the old lady by the shoulders. "You know where our baby boy is?"

"The Sight is foggy…but I can feel it." she replied, shivering. "And I don't even need the Sight to tell you where to start looking: the great, green jewel of the Commonwealth, Diamond City…"

"Shaun's in the Diamond City?" Nate asked. Hope was finally rising on his son's whereabouts.

"Look kid, I'm tired now. Maybe if you bring me some chems, I can—"

"Absolutely not, Mama Murphy!" Preston cut, looking angry. "That junk will kill you! I've told you many times already…."

The Adams, on the other hand, tuned out of the argument. "You heard that, Nate." Nora said, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "Shaun's alive!"

Grinning, Nate gave her a bone-crushing hug. "It's not much…but at least we now know where to begin."

"First things first: let's get these guys to Sanctuary first." Nora said, prioritizing things before calling the others. "You guys ready to move out?"

"More than ready!" Sturges cheered, jumping up and down like a kid who got his Christmas wish early. "Let's move out!"

As they made it outside, Preston stopped by the dead man, tipping his hat in respect with the rest following suit. "You'll be missed, Jack. Thanks for watching our backs all the time."

"You can bring the body with you, you know." Nora offered, getting their attention. "Sanctuary has a backyard you can bury him in. We're planning on doing the same thing to another guy we met uphill."

Preston nodded, everyone working quickly to construct a makeshift sled for Jake for Nate to drag. He took point for the ragtag convoy for Sanctuary along with Bobby, the Quincy survivors taking up the middle while Preston and Nora guarded the rear.

"So, who exactly are the Minutemen, Preston?" Nora asked as they left for Sanctuary, the sun beginning to set.

Preston chuckled. "We're citizen soldiers - 'Protect the people at the minute's notice' was our motto, our slogan." he proudly proclaimed before sighing. "Sadly, our leaders forgot what we truly stand for, breaking us apart. I think I'm the last Minuteman…after what happened at Quincy."

"Reminds me of another group like yours…" Nora said, remembering the Night's Watch of Boston. They were a volunteer neighborhood watch of boys too young to join the military and were trained by veterans. Nate was the Commander of the Sanctuary Watch, giving them light training to everyone's amusement.

Preston chuckled becoming thoughtful. "By the way, you never did answer my question earlier."

Nora sighed. "Fine, you guys deserve it anyway." she said, staring at the night's sky. "Nate and I…we lived under a rock, literally. Some idiots at Vault-Tec, a company way before the bombs fell, decided to make an experiment on what happens to people frozen. Lucky us, we got drafted to the experiment unwillingly the day the bombs fell."

The Minuteman connected the dots. "That's why Mama Murphy said you guys were 'out of time'. You guys are literally Pre-war!"

Nora nodded sadly. "Bingo, Preston – and that's not the best part yet: our son, Shaun, was kidnapped 60 years ago." she muttered, kicking a stone in anger. "One day, a bastard decided to open up our pods, get my son, and freeze us again. We just woke up this morning, found out my baby boy could be dead already or doesn't know us, and the world has gone to hell."

Preston was silent throughout her outburst. "Well, since you did help us, maybe we Minutemen – or what's left of it – can help you." Preston offered, smiling at Nora. "I'll put in a word of mouth to any passing trader we met if they know a 60-year-old man named Shaun."

Nora gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks Preston. I know we just met earlier and all…"

"It's the least I could do for you. Oh, here's some caps as payment for what you did earlier for us." Preston said, handing over a bag of caps to Nora. Realizing why Nora was staring at him in confusion, Preston smacked his head before laughing. "I forgot, you guys just woke up! Caps are the monetary system nowadays. Don't ask me how it happened, it just did."

Nora stared a little more at the bag of caps before placing it in her rucksack. "Well…looks like Nate and I have enough money to survive now." she said, chuckling. "Nate's going laugh about-"

"Halt!" Nate shouted, Bobby barking afterwards. The group stopped, preparing for trouble. "Identify yourselves or I fire – and nobody touch the Fastback, that's ours!"

The rear guards shared a look before dashing towards Nate. Upon arriving, Nora saw it was another group of people accompanied by – surprisingly – Power Armor…with interesting color schemes. They were gathered around the Fastback and were about to loot it (thankfully, Nora had earlier locked it before running down Concord). "Dude, we're friendlies!" someone in a T-51b with (shockingly) a Vault-Tec paint design. He sounded like those old car enthusiasts back in the day. "We were just…Yo Preston, that you?"

The Adams turned to Preston, who waved at them. "Hey Zeke, what're you doing here? You guys are pretty far up north from your garage." he asked, turning to them. "Nate, Nora, meet Zeke of the Atom Cats. If you're looking for Power Armor mods, they're the best people to buy from."

Nate gave them a once over, sizing them up. "You guys military?"

"Nah man," an unpainted PA behind Zeke replied. "We're just PA enthusiasts. Name's Duke, by the way."

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Preston asked. "Your Garage's way further south."

Zeke just gave a sigh. "Gunners man! A small detachment we can handle, but half of the entire Gunner faction? Nah!"

"What happened?" Nora asked, making a mental note to ask Codsworth about these Gunners.

"Well, we were just chillin' back in our garage when suddenly, the Gunners popped outta nowhere and started firing at us! We handle them from time to time, but they've never attacked us this ferociously. After the tenth wave bro, we were just like 'Damn, these guys want our armors so bad!'" Duke recounted before pointing at Zeke. "Zeke here then decided that it was time to abandon the old home base. So we rig it to blow up and brought all the things we could carry. Damn, I wish I could have seen the faces of those Gunners when it blew up!"

The other Atom Cats joined in laughing until someone behind them shouted "Yeah, until you guys brought the Gunners to our place!"

The speaker was wearing a green shirt and had a hood over his head. Behind were four other people towing along…well, three two-headed cows carrying some baggage. "The Warwick Homestead was under attacked by Gunners as well, Preston." he growled, glaring at him. "I was firing all my flares up in the air, waiting for the Minutemen to come and help us. None came, and these Atom Cats brought in more people to shoot at."

Zeke bristled. "Oi, watch your mouth Roger." the Atom Cats' leader warned. "If it weren't for us Atom Cats, you guys would be dead."

"I'm thankful for that, don't worry." Roger countered, pointing at Preston. "I'm angry because no Minutemen came to help us!"

Preston was about to answer but Nora beat him to it. "That because the Minutemen is just down to one last man, Mr. Roger." Nora responded, looking at Roger dead in the eye. She raised her Laser Musket to a threatening position. "And he was bogged down trying to help this group stave off a raider attack."

"Now, if you got a problem," Nate continued, shifting the weight of his CZ55 up. With his voice filtered, it made his tone more menacingly. "I suggest you keep it for the time being. We're out in the open and chances of getting attacked are increasing by the second."

"Alright, listen up!" Nora shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Everyone's going to have to play their part in this convoy. Zeke, you guys good with weapons?"

When he nodded dumbly, Nora grinned. "Good. You stay with Preston and protect the rear. The five of you," Nora said, glancing at the remained Atom Cats, "are to protect our flanks as we walk – two per group and one in the middle, understood? My husband and I will be scouting ahead."

"Why should we listen to you?" a semi-bald man in a white shirt from Roger's group complained.

Nate walked up to him, leaned forward, and brought his helmet close to the man's left ear. "Because if you don't," Nate whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "You won't survive the night."

With that, Nate walked away, Nora and Bobby closely following. "You coming or what?" Nora asked as she glanced at them, still reeling from Nate's threat.

"Alright Atom Cats, you heard the lady!" Zeke ordered, getting out of his stupor. "Duke, Johnny D., Roxy, you go with the Warwicks. Rowdy, Bluejay, go with Sturges'. WHO ROCKS?"

"ATOM CATS!" they yelled, forming themselves around the convoy. Nora smiled and walked away, catching up to Nate.

"Damn Preston, that lady's good!" Zeke exclaimed as they guarded the rear.

"She's married, Zeke." Preston said, getting a mock reaction from him. "She and her husband…are well, new all to this."

"Vault Dwellers?" Zeke guessed, getting a nod the Minuteman. "Don't act like one though."

"That's because they have military training." Preston revealed as the convoy passed an abandoned Red Rocket station. Sturges and Duke started clamoring about the potential loot the place could have. "Well, they act like they have, that is…but I have a feeling they're a real deal Zeke."

Up front, Nora recounted what Preston told her about the Commonwealth Minutemen and the monetary system nowadays. "…so that's about it." she finished, looking at Nate to get his reaction.

"That's cool…I guess." Nate replied, forehead scrunched up as they reached the bridge to Sanctuary. "I'm still surprised bottle caps as money nowadays. Damn, should have saved up those caps from all the drinking we did back in Alaska."

"So am I." Nora agreed, laughing. "I just realized: we have about five hundred caps with us."

"Wonder what we can buy with this stuff?" Nate asked, getting a shrug from his wife.

"Beats me but…I hope it's enough to support us."

Codsworth was there waiting for them once they crossed the bridge. "Good evening mum, sir!" he greeted, doing the twirly arm dance of his. "I take it you manage to find something in Concord?"

Nate snorted. "A bunch of bad guys, some people, and a dog." Nate informed Codsworth. "By the way, did you find any caps lying around?"

"Of course, sir!" Codsworth announced, producing a small bag jingling with caps. "I had forgotten to inform you that today's monetary system has been changed. Instead of dollars, it seems caps are what people use to buy and sell…along with bartering, of course. I do believe the exchange rate is a purified water for 20 caps."

Nora hummed in agreement, knelt down and scratched Bobby's ears. "Ah, traders…although I do believe its protection detail is too much." observed Codsworth as the convoy entered Sanctuary.

"More of like refugees, Codsworth." Nora corrected, standing up. "Their homes were attacked by…Gunners, was it?"

Duke nodded. "Looked to me like the biggest gathering of Gunners – hell, I won't be surprised if they were from Quincy!" the Atom Cat revealed. "Wonder what got their panties in a twist?"

"Shall I escort them to the Strip, mum?" Codsworth asked, pointing to a three-story building in front of their house. The rest of the convoy looked nervous, still unsure if they should enter. "It was to be the town hall by Mr. MacArthur, the old settlement's leader before they were all killed."

"Do that, Codsworth." Nate said, agreeing to his suggestion. She turned to the others, getting their attention. "Alright everyone, please follow Codsworth here to the Strip. Sanctuary's not much…but it's defendable."

The convoy cheered before following their Mr. Handy. Preston whistled as he looked around. "Can't believe the original Minutemen statue was here." he said, amazement in his voice. "That means…this right here must be the Old North Bridge, where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired."

"That's true, Preston." Nora replied, placing right hand on his shoulder. "The Kennedy Administration built this village for the Commonwealth veterans of the Alaskan Reclamation campaign. It was a reward for what we did during the war."

"I'd call that the best omen I've seen since we left Quincy." Preston mused, beaming like Christmas came early.

"Yeah…I don't know what you're talking about, boss." Sturges remarked, his arms crossed as he gave the Minuteman a grin. "But I'm glad you're happy about it."

Nate snorted before seeing his low power levels. "Shit, fusion core's almost out," he said once everyone was across the bridge. "I'll run up ahead and park this baby."

"Go ahead, honey, I'll follow shortly." she replied before turning to Sturges. "So, how long is it going to take to repair the generators?"

Spotting the fairly large – yet intact – windmill generators, Sturges grinned. "Give me a five, ten minutes tops." the engineer proposed. "I can have the baby powered up in no time."

With that, Sturges ran up ahead, leaving Preston and Nora alone by the bridge. "You know, after all that you did for us," Preston began, staring back at the Minutemen statue across the river. "I think you should know how all of this happened – how I became the last Minuteman."

"I'm listening," Nora said, encouraging Preston.

"It all started with the Quincy Massacre: where all the Minutemen betrayed each other…and the people we were supposed to protect." Preston started, looking downcast. "I was with Colonel Hollis' group when the Gunners attacked Quincy, its people calling for the Minutemen for help. Sadly, we were the only ones who came – the others...they didn't even answer our calls. I ended up in charge of the survivors when the settlement fell, Hollis buying us time to escape. We've been on the run since, disaster and death following us every day. That's how we ended up in Concord and with you two showing up."

Nora raised her hand, making him pause. "Preston, as long as you don't give up, the Minutemen will survive."

"That's the thing," Preston muttered. "I'm not about to give up – but I can't protect the Commonwealth all by myself. Hell, I could barely protect these people!"

Nora smiled, surprising him. "Then we'll protect them with you, Preston." she offered. "My husband and I know war, and if there's one thing that's constant about it—"

"—is that war never changes." Nate finished, grinning as he walked up besides his wife. "Count me in for this Preston. I still have a few bones to pick, anyway."

"That…that means a lot coming from you." Preston replied. 'They'd make great Minutemen,' he thought before an idea popped up in his head. "But I can't rebuild it: I'm a soldier, not a leader. However, I do know who can…and they're right here in front of me."

The Adams blinked, surprised by the turn of events. "Wait, what?"

"You came guns blazing, killing those raiders left and right – even before I asked for help." Preston continued, a plan forming in his head. "You took charge of this ragtag convoy without my consent and got them follow your orders when we met up with the Warwicks and Atom Cats. If anyone can turn the Minutemen around, it's both of you."

"Look Preston…" Nora began, pursing her lips. "We can help the Minutemen but I don't think we can lead it. The biggest group either of us have lead was around ten or so."

"Besides, we didn't even know what we were doing half the time we were out there! I mean, Nora only found out how to use the Laser Musket after she fired it and cranked the lever – on a wall with me guarding her." Nate added, getting a punch from his wife. "What, you know it's true?"

Preston pursed his lips. "Will you at least consider it?"

Nate and Nora shared a look. "We'll…we'll talk about it first." Nora replied, sighing. "Don't get your hopes up, though."

Preston conceded. After all, it was a large task that needed to be thought over first. "Alright," Preston replied, shouldering his Laser Musket. "But I do hope you will accept it."

"What the hell did we get into?" Nate muttered, Nora shrugging in reply.

Edited: 12/15/19