October 27th, 2287
5:55 P.M.

Nate and Meathead spoke very little, keeping the air of mystic and authority around them while warding off any side conversation. Placating the raiders with a tour of Faneuil Hall, they needed to suppress the urge to vomit in the upper floors, as the lingering smell was far from dissipated. He gave them the packs of cigarettes, which even despite their pungent odor, was more preferable than the rot.

Eight raiders stayed behind, throwing up barricades however they could, expecting a mutant retaliation in the near future. Nate was guided by Rathen and the rest of his crew back towards Haymarket Mall.

Lead back through the parking garage into Haymarket Mall, they walked through the building and were almost immediately offered drugs, which Nate accepted, but he only stowed them away.

The interior was nearly dark, with only a few ambient light sources. Dirt, mud, and fallen bits of ceiling, along with debris caked the floors. Every step was walking over piles of built up trash and refuse that needed to be swept out.

The storefronts were all repurposed, a home outdoor and recreation store that once sold grills, lawnmowers, and patio furniture was their kitchen, with the light sources being barrel fires. A clothing store was their bunk house, mats and beds lined out on the floor. A second clothing store on the lower floor was their dumping grounds for all the loot they brought in, and guns, food, and alcohol, while also serving as their first line of defense. The second clothing storefront was adjacent to the main street entrance, if someone came in through the front, past their gates outside, there wouldn't be any cover for anyone advancing in.

Down through the two story mall, Nate looked up and to the walls where turrets were mounted high up in the corners.

"Rathen." Nate stopped and pointed one finger lazily up to the turrets on the wall.

"What?"

"Rathen, do those turrets work?"

"No. They've never worked, we know they have power, but we don't have anyone who can turn them on."

"Well, how's this? I turn the turrets on, and then we talk about maybe doing some trading in the future? Is there a terminal somewhere in the building? A security office where these turrets might be connected to a computer?"

"Yes, but we don't have the password. No one to get into the thing."

"Show me, and as an act of friendship, I will turn them on for you."

The group of raiders inside Haymarket were lit with activity, their spirits high at the deaths of all the neighboring super mutants. More were sent over to Faneuil Hall to quickly loot the guns of the mutants, and bring back any worthwhile supplies.

Others were sticking close behind Rathan, Nate, and Meathead. Nate's declaration that he could turn on the electronics sparked interest in all of them. "Downstairs. Off to the right here."

Lead into a utility tunnel, through a door marked 'Security', there were two more protectrons in their pods, one a medic for shoppers who might've suffered a collapse, choking, heart attack, or stroke within Haymarket Mall when it was still a place for customers to come through unabated, while the other was a police protectron to discourage shoplifters.

Nate was shown the computer, and the raiders poked their heads into the utility tunnel, or crowded around the desk. Nate booted the computer up and ran the maintenance protocol, and quickly found a backdoor into the user access. In less than a minute, Nate gained access to the computer. "Do you want those two protectrons on patrol?"

"You can get those too?" Rathen asked, the other raiders cast their attention towards the protectron pods, there were crowbar marks around the seal, chips in the glass where people tried to force the pods open to no success.

"Yes."

"Turn them on."

"Alright, now whatever anyone does, just do not shoot at them, otherwise they get...well, you know. They'll try to kill you."

Nate turned on the Haymarket Mall's defenses, around the lobby and exterior of the building, the laser turrets sprung to life for the first time in over two hundred ten years, and the pods opened, revealing two pristine protectrons. The raiders were in awe and shock at something they've never seen before in all their years of staying within the Mall for shelter.

"[Powering up! Protectrons on duty!]" They both said in unison, stepping out of their pods.

"Now I'm saying it again, I strongly suggest that you do not shoot them, nor the turrets, because otherwise they will kill you. got me? Got it? Got it?" The raiders gave quick little nods in return. Nate swept his eyes across the room as the raiders made room for the protectrons to pass by on their patrol routes. "Got it? Got it?"

"What's your name? I never got your name." Rathen asked.

"Nate. That's Meathead."

Rathen snapped his fingers, "Oy, you two, show him the way; but before you go, Nate, could turn on two more computers? There's one in the offices above us, and then one in the parking garage."

"On the promise that I just want to be able to walk around without being shot at, sound good?" Nate was planning on coming through here again, with the U.S.S. Constitution so close, with robots up above, and raiders down on the street, his desire for a safe walk to and from places formulated the basis for plans with the raiders.

"Yeah, we just want to bulk up our defenses. This'll be good. We've never had these things turned on." Rathen nodded, the other raiders stepped up with their confidences bolstered, knowing they have a new ally.

"I'm Jata-" A woman approached him wearing a blue beanie, white shirt, grey pants, and boots laced all the way up to her shin, with patches of armor strapped to both arms and carried two pipe pistols on both sides of her hip. The man behind her wore a green shirt and shorts, with grey slip on sandals and a short pipe rifle.

"Polo." He introduced himself as, Nate looked at them and waved his hand for them to lead the way. Minding the protectrons walking down the utility corridor, they lead him around Haymarket Mall once more, turning on old security systems and showing Nate the ins and outs of the old building.

"They can show you the computers, I need to go see what's happening with the Hall. Nate, when you're done, where are you going?"

"Goodneighbor."

"They can show you our route we use to get there," Rathen said, "I'll let my people know you're one of us."

Nate smiled at that, looking down at Meathead who remained quiet the entire time. Petting him, he passed on a bit of love, and then was guided around the Mall to the other computers. Running the maintenance program, and using administrator access, there was one more protectron that booted to life, and wandered around in a circuit through the parking garage.

Up in the offices above the mall, the interior was even more dark, thrashed, dilapidated, and the site of many shootouts. Out of all the entrances to the Mall, this was the only one that could be accessed through a maze of apartments, torn down walls, and an elevator that gave access to a garden terrace, which lead down into a neighboring apartment building. The roundabout path was rigged with explosives, but mutants and other raider gangs braved the path because it offered the most firing cover if they were chased back. From the time Nate and Meathead first entered the Mall, to when they left with Jata and Polo escorting them, only thirty minutes passed.

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"That's the bookstore, Goodneighbor is on the other side of the rubble mound." Polo pointed out. The entire street was blocked by a semi truck and trailer, with a small mountain of rubble large enough to cover the truck all the way up so only the roof of the cab and trailer were visible.

"We usually go around the backside of the big red building." Jata commented.

"Mass Fusion?" Nate inquired.

"Gunner territory. They're camped out inside." Jata said.

"Gotcha."

"Any chance we can convince you to go after them like you did with the super mutants?" Polo asked.

"Get a few beers in me, and then I'll think about it. I haven't been inside there for a long time." Nate said, rolling his eyes up to the sky. Poking above the tallest buildings on Nate's right side was the looming Mass Fusion tower. Easily one of the tallest buildings in all of Boston.

"There's two bars in Goodneighbor, one the Third Rail, the other is in the hotel across the street." Jata said.

"The only reason I'd want to go up there is to throw a person I have in mind off the top." Nate said, pointing to the ledge dozens of stories above their heads.

"Huh? Who?"

"I want to hang the man who kidnapped my son." Nate said.

"Oh. Bummer." Jata said. "What's he look like?"

"Wore a black leather jacket, green pants, bald, scar on the left side of his face from where his hairline would've been, to of his cheekbone. Carried a .44 magnum." Nate traced the imaginary scar on his face, but both raiders shook their heads.

"No dice." Polo said. Jata shrugged, not knowing who this person could be.

They walked through the alleys behind the super structure and pointed to the backside of the Old State House. "There she is, Goodneighbor."

"Thank you for your guidance."

"Thank you for being a bad ass. Holy shit. You knocked out a whole shitload of super mutants and didn't even flinch when Rathen walked up to you. I thought for sure he was gonna cap you right off the bat, but you were just sitting there like you owned the place."

"I suggested to Rathen to prepare for a counter attack from super mutants. I don't know how Mutants operate yet, and I'll give you the same advice I gave to him. Be alert. You'll never know when some one mutant or a dozen may come along and walk through the door, unaware of what's happened, only to find a whole bunch of people sleeping in their beds."

"Good point." Polo said,

"Before I leave, do you know how many gangs are between here and Diamond City?"

"Too many. At least ten. They're all over the place, main roads are neutral ground through, no one can claim them, but the buildings surrounding them are good vantage points. Otherwise, avoid the swan."

"The swan?"

"Big fucking mutant. Lives in the pond in the park. Stay the fuck away. He'll ruin your day and squish you flat." Jata said.

"How big?"

"Twenty Feet tall. I've seen him take a missile to the chest and shrug it off like it was nothing." Polo described.

Nate nodded, looking down at Meathead.

"Thank you, Jata. Polo. I suggest you return to Rathen and stay safe."

\111/

The backside of the Old State House was boarded up and gated all they way across the street, blocking off everything and funneling foot traffic down to a door marked by a neon arrow that read 'Goodneighbor'.

There was no guard, and through the gate, the area opened up. A low brick wall running along side the street, with the aesthetics of old gas street lanterns that were changed to electric centuries ago, but then changed back again in the present time. The Old State House and plaza around it was well lit up. To the right, the gate extended and then made a ninety degree turn after ten meters.

Directly in front of the gate were two stores, one neon sign of a pistol with a yellow and black sign behind it reading 'Guns, Guns, Guns.' A third sign sticking out of the corner read 'Kill or Be Killed'.

Next to that was a Nuka-Cola sign followed by 'Daisy's Discounts', where the wall connected to the outside of the building, blocking the rest of the road off.

They were barely both through the small unguarded door when they were held up by a bald man wearing a leather jacket and jeans, but no scar.

"Hey. This is your first time to Goodneighbor, you can't go walking around with a little insurance." The man said.

Nate narrowed his eyes, glancing down to Meathead, the dog started growling and Nate went up and looked the man in the eye.

"Insurance was, and always will be, a scam. Back off. Not interested." Nate said, brushing him off and walking past. The man held out a hand to Nate's chest, stopping him. Meathead growled louder, saliva dripping off his bared teeth.

"I don't think you realize your not safe walking around the streets of Goodneighbor, friend." Nate's hand went to his holster, ready to draw when a voice to their left called out to them. A man that was leaning in the doorway of the Old State House pried himself off and walked towards the duo.

"Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa. A man walks through the gate for his first time, he's a guest. You lay off that extortion crap"

Wearing a red leather frock coat that came down to the man's shins, adorned with faded frills, large archaic buttons, and wearing a black leather tricorn hat, Nate saw the mans face and was instantly aware that this wasn't an ordinary man. Black eyes, without any whiteness to them, sunken heavily into the skull. The skin was so dark and dried that it looked like tanned jerky. Without a nose, the man was actually a sentient ghoul.

He walked down the steps with both arms out to the side, "What'd you care? He ain't one of us."

"No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let 'em go."

"You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor." Finn threatened.

Nate readied his .44, spinning the ammo chamber so that it clicked loudly and brought Finn's attention back to his gun. Hancock held up his palm to Nate and he lowered it.

"Come on Finn, this is me we're talking about." Hancock walked within arms reach of Finn and placed his left hand on his right shoulder. "Let me tell you something."

Reaching back with his right hand behind his waist and pulled out a long sharp six inch knife and plunged it straight into Finn's throat and chest. Finn put his hands to his throat to staunch the flow of blood out of his body, but his lungs were filling with blood as one collapsed. He fell to the ground, dying and choking on his own blood.

"Now why did you have to go and say that?" Hancock said, talking to the dying man. Looking up to Nate, "Now I know you had ole' Finn handled there, but a mayor's gotta make a point sometimes. You all right?" Nate nodded.

"I'm good, thank you for taking care of him. Can't say the same for the mutants at Faneuil Hall, but, I'm good."

"Good. Now don't let this incident taint your view of our little community." Hancock shrugged his shoulder's back and opened both hands wide open to him. "Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everybody's welcome."

Finn finally uttered his last gutteral dying breath and Nate looked down.

"Nothing a few drinks wouldn't help me forget. I feel you. Now, where's the bar I've heard so much about?"

"Good, so long as you remember who's in charge." Jerking his thumb over his shoulder down the alley leading to Scolley Square, the path wrapped around to the front side of the Old State House. "That a-way."

"Come on, Meathead. I'm thirsty as a mother fucker and I intend to get drunk." Nate said, "Man it's been a long fucking day."

Mayor Hancock turned around, walking back for the door leading into the Old State House. Nate took one look up at the two stores in Goodneighbor and kept on walking. He was stopped by a red-head's comment with the hair shaved off the left side of her head, and combed over to the right.

"A new player in Goodneighbor, welcome to our fun and games, Pawn." She smiled deviously and walked up the door into the State House behind Hancock.

"People are just get fucking weirder and weirder, Meathead. This day and age...must be something in the water." Nate said, writing off the murder that happened in front of him.

The short walk around the corner was watched by the Neighborhood Watch, a group of button up suit and overcoat wearing men and ghouls carrying submachine guns, and looking they walked right out of a gangster movie. The ghouls shared Hancock's sunken in, dried skin look, and didn't mind commenting on the new arrival.

"Vault suit? Classy."

"The blood washes right off. It's pretty good." Nate said in passing. Standing directly below the sign that read 'The Third Rail', there was a balcony above them, and Nate could see Hancock looking down.

The way Hancock regarded him, made Nate feel he was bound to speak with him again.

\111/

Next Chapter: Ch. 21 The Third Rail October 27th Estimated time remaining: 30 Hours, 46 Minutes