The outer ring of Fenway Park funneled traffic through the mezzanine by security blocked off paths leading to other food stands and stalls around the baseball stadium. Boarded up, and locked down, the only way to go was straight through. Up and over a rap that exited out down through home plate, the rails were scrapped and moved to the side. The stairs leading all the way down to the baseball field was a catwalk ramp that was ripped out of somewhere else in Fenway Park and laid down on top of the original stairs.

The stands and bleachers were filled with junk and trash discarded by the people of Diamond city. Through seats with little metal number plates screwed onto them were sprouted bushes, now dying off in the cooling late fall months. Dominating the center of the pitcher's mound was a three-story pipe stack with steam coming out of the top. At the bottom of this stack was a neon sign reading 'Power Noodles', with a counter and chairs shoved up to it. All along the ground was a wooden boardwalk and dirt paths. Palates or wooden signs large enough for people to walk on lined the ground. Beyond the Diamond City Market was Diamond City Radio, in his single trailer, broadcasting all hours of the day.

In the Left Outfield was a small park shared with farms and animals, tended to residents of Diamond City, the Center and Right outfield was dominated by a large pit used for gathering water, and a purifier shack built in the center of the pond with docks leading out to it.

At the bottom of the stairs, directly to the left was Publick Occurrences, Piper and Nat's newspaper stand which both of them operated and lived out of. Across from them, was 'All Faiths Chapel', a building the size of a double-wide trailer.
next to a chapel was a 'Choice Chops' with different cuts of meat outlined on the pig-shaped sign.

At the bottom of the stairs to the immediate right was a ramp with the sign 'Mayor' and two arrows from street signs leading back up towards first base, where the path forked to the left and right. On the right was a lift was built to carry people high up to the Club Level of the baseball stadium. This is where the announcers and sportscasters would sit, looking out over the field and watch the game. This was the way to the Mayor's office of Diamond City, as the speakers and instruments to operate the mechanics around Fenway Park hadn't operated in the last two hundred years.

The Colonial Taphouse in the upper seat section was still serving drinks, a deck with chairs and sun umbrellas were set out on the patio in front of the door. Above the bar were more houses, built out and over the stands and supported by giant girders.

All throughout the baseball diamond was Diamond City Market, stands surrounding the pitcher's mound selling everything, just as Mayor McDonough said. There was a spinning sign that read 'Mega Surgery'. With a blue cross on top, the building to its right was 'Chem-I-Care' advertising to everyone to have their prescription filled with any type of drug they wanted.

Where the Boston Red Socks dugout used to be, was now the Dugout Inn, with a patio of dining tables out front, but the piles of garbage out front attracted smaller vermin and rats to the area.

Behind Publick Occurrences was 'Cathy and John's Super Salon'. A walk up stand with a spinning wooden chair, and a faded red couch pushed up against the back wall. There was a brightly lite sink with white towels and a bureau with bottles of shampoo lined up.

To the left of the Super Salon was a two-story building with a large red 'Fallon's Basement' sign, the same font as the one in the General Atomics Galleria. It was a showcase western-style font that was chosen to get people to impulse buy. With a staircase dug down directly into the dirt field, leading to the basement two mannequins dressed in fresh clean clothes stood outside.

Across the boardwalk was Moe's Swatters, on the top of the building was a giant metal bat with nails driven into the head, this building was nearly outdone by the large rocket sponsoring Commonwealth Weaponry. Painted onto the yellow sign were two ARR rifles and a smaller slogan that said: "In God We Trust, everyone else pays CAPS."

The last shop in the marketplace was Diamond City Surplus, a large junk stall with everything scavenged from the ruins of Boston. There were plenty of plates and sections of power armor lining one wall, along with two power armor frames stripped down to the bones.

Above nearly every shop was a trailer with a hitch, wheels propped up on cinder blocks, or in one instance, a school bus all with little chimneys poking out of the top.

\111/

Nate nearly tripped over home plate, the pentagon-shaped bag was cemented into the ground. Piper's younger sister Nat was welcoming her sibling back, gladly jumping down from an overturned plastic milk crate and running up to her.

"Hey! You're back!"

Piper bent over and smiled, putting her hands on her knees, "Hey Kiddo, How's the paper sales?"

"Well, the presses are getting overloaded. That motor is going to go soon if we don't replace it." She said looking off to her right inside the store.

"Ah, you've been saying that for weeks, but the old girl keeps on cranking. Stop worrying so much, I gotta head into the office and unload. You start whistling if you see any angry politicians coming our way." Piper gave Nat a quick hug and then went to a red door that swung outwards, showing the staircase leading up to the second floor.

"Why is something wrong?" Nat asked, turning to follow her sister.

Piper didn't respond, not even a wink, nod, or shake of the head. "Piper?" Nat sighed.

"Ey. Don't worry. There's always something wrong. If it's not one thing, it's something else." Nate said to Nat. She looked up at him, and then to Meathead standing by his side, panting and sniffing at her.

She looked back to the store, to where an old hand operated printing press was sitting,

"Do you want a free copy of last week's paper, mister?" She asked, there was a short stack of extra newspapers. "Free papers to newcomers. If the Institute grabs you in the night, at least we warned you."

"Where can I find Nick Valentine?" Nate asked, tucking the newspaper under his armpit.

"On the left, take the road to third base, then make a right, and after that, you'll see the sign for his house." She said.

"Thank you."

\111/

Nate glanced at the paper, walking down the road while reading. The caption, 'The Synthetic Truth'.

"Sixty years ago, a man shoots the bar owner of Power Noodles." Nate read to Meathead, "The shooter kills a few more people, then the guards shot him dead and they found out he was a synth. Doesn't say how they found out he was a synth, just says he does. His cheek twitched, and then he went wild."

Meathead growled outwards keeping his tone level.

"Listen to this Meathead, Mayor McDonough sat at Power Noodles, chewing and eating the same spot that Mr. Carter the synth went haywire, and mercilessly killed several people - after spending hours sharing an experience the people of Diamond City assumed was reserved for members of the human race. They were wrong. Are we?"

"The hell is this crap? Meathead. Damnit. We wound up in the age of the witch hunts. We need to end this shit. We know better than that, don't we Meathead? Huh, boy? Who's a good boy?" Nate said, folding the paper back up.

<Bark! Arhoo.> Nate scratched Meathead's head, behind the ears.

Walking a lap around Diamond City Market, they came upon Cathy and Johnny trimming a woman's hair, having a disparaging conversation.

"If anyone is one of those things...it is her secretary of his. Her and her perfect hair." Cathy said, in her right hand was a lit cigarette she daintily took puffs from. Every movement of her hand was punctuated with a jab at Johnny with the cigarette hand.

"The mayor's secretary? Come on, ma, I cut her hair myself, and I know human hair." His hands were on the woman's skull, fingers pinching together lines of hair while using a pair of scissors to even it out.

"That's just it Johnny, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. If you nicked McDonough with a razor, he'd bleed, don't mean nothing."

Nate was dragged into the conversation as he caught Cathy's eye, and she pointed her right pointer finger at him.

"You there. Talk some sense into my nitwit son. McDonough's secretary, is she a synth?"

Nate scowled. "Where's your proof, lady?"

"I think the Institute made Geneva-"

Nate cut in, "OH! So do you THINK or do you KNOW? Which is it? Do you know for sure, or are you just saying whatever's coming to your mind, because you were thinking about it?"

"Ain't no woman look like she does." Cathy's eyes narrowed, "A little too...perky. She's a synth, right? She has to be."

"Lady, by that logic, I could call your son a synth, and you wouldn't be able to stop me from screaming it as loud as I want."

"Hey, you can't do that!"

"I'm not a synth!"

"She just said, she thought Geneva was a synth because she looked too perfect. If your entire argument is based off looks, who says that the Institute doesn't make ugly looking synths. Now if that were the case, I wouldn't be the one to talk, just by looking at you. Come on, lady, either you have proof, or you keep your thoughts to yourself because no one is interested in what you think. I don't care what you think either. Do you want to know what I think?" Nate detested the idea of people not having absolute proof or guarantees behind their arguments.

"Yeah! Tell me what you think." She demanded, she then took a long drag off her cigarette and walked to Nate, exhaling it. Waving his hand in front of his face, and wafting away the smoke, he coughed.

"Too bad. You shouldn't care what other people think. Meathead, pee right there." He said, pointing to the post supporting the outside wall of her shop. Meathead padded over, leaning forward, and peed right in front of her shop.

The woman was absolutely mortified that she was refused and now a dog was peeing right in front of her. She coughed on cigarette smoke and gagged. This made her cough even harder as she doubled over in a bow to stay standing.

"Careful now, those cigarettes will give you cancer."

Cathy tried to raise a fist and respond, but after one lungful of air, she was back doubled forward in a massive heavy cough that shook her down to her toes. She was still coughing as Nate and Meathead walked away.

\111/

They followed the path to Nick Valentine's detective agency and knocked on the door while opening it.

"Hello? Hello?" He asked, across the bottom floor of office space with two desks and ringed with file cabinets, a woman with a bobbed haircut curled inwards and wearing a brown vest, white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her bicep, with a pink dress. She was going through a box of papers when she heard Nate and turned around.

"Afraid you're too late. The office is closed."

Nate tossed his hands up then clasped them together, "Sorry, wait. Who are you? I'm looking for the detective."

"I'm Nick's secretary, I handle the appointments, his papers, that sort of thing." She stopped to rub her temples with one hand, "At least that's what I used to do until Nick up and disappeared. Can't run a detective agency without a detective, you know?"

"Any idea where he went?" Nate asked.

"He disappeared working a case on Skinny Malone's gang. They kidnapped a young woman, and he tracked them down to their hideout in Park Street Station.

Nate clenched his jaw and nodded, exhaling loudly through his nose. "I just walked by there this morning."

"There's an old Vault they used down there as a base. I told Nick he was walking into a trap, but he smiled and walked out the door like he always does." Nate saw her bite her upper lip, she was nervous.

"What's the skinny on Skinny?" Nate asked.

"Local mob boss, he's from Goodneighbor and runs a group called the Triggermen. They're all wearing well-pressed suits and tote Tommy guns." Nate rolled his head slowly to Meathead, glancing down at his dog.

"Well. I guess I'm headed back that way, I'll help find him."

"Nick should be easy to spot, he's always wearing that old hat and trench coat getup. Like the detectives from the old days."

"Thank you, I never got your name. I'm Nate." He said, offering a handshake. Meathead raised his head up and squinted his eyes at the ceiling. <Ark! Ark! Arf!>. He barked, then headbutted Nate in the leg, urging him on.

"Ellie Perkins, and please, hurry."

"Will do. Thank you, Ellie. Come on, Meathead."

\111/

“<The mayor is a synth, but does he know?>” Meathead said, rolling his eyes up to Nate.

"If he does, he's dug himself into a pretty deep hole and will be looking at a mountain of shit. If he doesn't, good for him."

"<Anything we need before...>" Meathead trailed off, jerking his head up. "<Bark!>" two people turning the corner around the far end of the alley spotted Nate and Meathead. Nate scratched Meathead's neck and back, and the people walked by, sparing the dog and owner a glance.

"We'll stop by the market, and head out afterward, Meathead. How's that sound?"

Meathead shook his head, '<Rawl. Rawl. Grrr...> Growling high in his throat, he looked up, twitching his head back and forth. He saw the people disappear out of sight, then stood up on his hind legs and put his front paws on Nate's chest.

"<There's something in the stadium.>"

"Good or bad?"

"<Melancholy.>" Meathead shook his head after realizing how insane that sounded coming out of his mouth. "<Get your stuff. I need to find out what this is.>”

Nate went to the market, buying ammo and reloading his weapon along with supplies. Passing Moe Cronin's Swatter stand,
he casually glanced in Moe’s direction, Nate studied the man’s hands as he balled them into fists.

The man was starting to sweat, shaking, leaning from one foot to the other. Rubbing his eyes and trying to shake it off, Moe clenched his eyes down hard.

“Hey, Moe! Are you going to be alright? It looks like you’re about to pass out.” Nate called out.

The baseball bat seller looked down at his hands first, they instantly stopped shaking as he looked up and saw Nate’s concern.

“Yeah, doin’ much bettar. I was standing too long with my legs locked,” His eyes flicked to a stall at the opposite side of the marketplace, over Nick’s shoulder. “Might grab a little poor man’s five-minute trip to the moon, if you know what I mean.” Moe gestured with two fingers towards Solomon’s Chem-I-Care stall. Nate looks over his shoulder and saw Solomon in a leaning back in a chair, eye’s closed, and but fingers pressed together.

“Are you gonna make it? Go get some water, or beer, whichever is safer to drink, sheesh.” Moe nodded, reaching up with one hand, he pulled shutters to his shop down and retreated inside. They could hear a few loud coughs, and followed by a “Hwuuh!”

"Check out the doctor, don't go dying on us, Moe," Nate called out after the baseball bat seller.

Meathead was on top of Arturo's Commonwealth weaponry, barking down at Nate. The rest of the evening market visitors turned to watch, and Arturo stuck his head out, looking up at Meathead barking at Nate.

"What's your dog doing on top of my shop?" Arturo demanded to know.

"Barking, what's it look like? Meathead! Get down from there!"

Meathead barked and retreated from the ledge, "Get your dog off the top of my shop!"

"Alright, alright. Give me a sec." Nate said, reaching up he pulled himself onto the roof and quickly went to Meathead who lead him farther away.

"Come on Meathead. Come here." Nate looked to his left and slowly walked out of view of the people watching from the market.

Meathead was looking up and to the east, barking every so often and wagging his tail. spreading his front paws, and raising his rear, he wagged his tail.

"What are you looking at?"

"<East floodlights. There.>"

Beyond the water pond with docks and pilings sunk into the ground to support shacks, there were the outfield stands, then above those were the burning bright floodlights that illuminated Diamond City and made it seem so bright down below on the field.

Nate squinted, there were birds around him, cawing softly and jerking their heads to observe the one man and his dog.

"<There.>"

It looked like a large bird was perched above the top row of floodlights, giving the figure a silhouette of a hunched over bird with its head tucked into its wings. Then it spread its wings and dove off. Meathead and Nate both saw the flash of cover as it passed the lights, the bamboo yellow colored wings, and body, the two tones of pale orange and sandy yellow in the pegasus' mane.

"<Nate!> Meathead whined, except he said it so high and whimpered and growled all at the same time, Nate opened his eyes wide and looked down at the overexcited changeling-dog. "<We gotta get her! It's a pegasus!!>" Bolting over the rooftops of shacks, Meathead jumped from one roof to the next, barking and howling.

The Pegasus did a slow circle high over Diamond City, then flew up and over the southwest corner of Diamond City, over home plate and over the top.

"<Shit!> Meathead barked and howled, howling all the way, jumping ten feet down over the roof of Commonwealth Weaponry and into Diamond City Market. Raising everybody's alarm, Meathead barked loud and everybody heard, turning their attention to the whining cries of the German Shepard.

"Meathead! Meathead ge' back here!" Nate shouted, jumping down off the roof, he landed on his heels, rolled once and then was up on his feet, sprinting after his dog.

There were twenty people in the market place, and they all turned their heads and avoided the vault dweller stomping after him. "Meathead!" Nate shouted. The dog was running up the staircase leading towards the exit, and towards the gate.

"Hey, mister! Your dog went that way!" Nat said, pointing up the stairs.

\111/

Piper was watching the door, listening to the dog barking getting louder, then Meathead raced past. Followed after were Nate's shouts to try and get his dog to come back to him, and then the vault dweller ran after his dog.

Piper stood up, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her back, "Watch the shop." She said to Nat, bolting out after him.

"Wait, where you going?!" Nat yelled after Piper, "When are you gonna be back?!"

"I don't know, and soon!" Piper shouts back to her sister, readjusting her bag while bolting after Nate and Meathead.

They were only stopped by the city gate for only a minute, ducking underneath the door when it wasn't even half way up. Piper shouted out after them

"Hey, Blue man! Wait up!"

"Not now, Piper!" Nate yelled back.

Hanging a left out of Diamond City gates, the wind was whistling through the outer ring as they ran past the guards and into the night. Sticking to the wall, the could see the Pegasus flying towards two skyscrapers, one collapsed and leaning into the other. Meathead and Nate sprinted through the parking lot, moving between vehicles, tall ten-foot weeds, and towards Trinity Plaza.

Thundering across the street up worn down concrete stairs past a boarded up pharmacy, the sounds of laser rifle fire and gunshots filled the air. Shouts from a group of raiders fighting growling feral ghouls were in the middle of the first skyscraper foyer. Surrounded by ghouls and blasting their way out, the noise drew sullen ghouls attention. Then to their right, the entrance to a bank collapsed, and the second floor dropped outwards and jutted into the street as seven more ghouls rolled upwards and shook off the dust.

“<We ain’t got time for that!>” Meathead said, skirting the edge of the building to avoid detection. His eyes were still pointed up at the air. Running past buildings, Nate's pip boy pinged another location into his map. “Layton Towers.”

That was all the warning they had before the sound of a reciprocating shotgun filled the air.

Six shotgun blasts aimed at the Pegasus hit their mark as a plume of feathers were shorn off the Pegasus’s side and she started falling, falling, down and landing right on top of Wilson Atomatoy’s Headquarters. The darkness of the night was cut by two bright searchlights flipping on, blinding Nate for a moment as he threw up his hands and turned back the other way.

The Wilson Atomatoy's HQ building was half buried in rubble, with blue walls and bright red lettering. Iron girders the length of semi-truck trailers stuck out of the rubble like porcupine barbs. Splashed red with impaled bodies dried and left to rot or ripped off in chunks from scavenging animals. Trashcan barrels burned brightly and a horn like a howl was followed with two massive green mutant dogs running at them.

Sprinting down the road, putting concrete barriers, cars, and lamp posts behind him to block the clattering of pipe rifles barking down the street.

They both darted into the doorway of a boarded-up building, and crouched down low, waiting on Meathead's signal for it to be clear.

“The Mutants are coming!” They heard one raider yell, only to be followed with more gunfire. The bang and pop of guns going off, the constant barrage of bullets flying through the air, it made Nate clench his teeth and try and keep them from chattering for how cold he felt. Despite the burning in his head and his shallow breath, he readied his rifle and rubbed his fingers together for warmth.

No bullets were coming in their direction, giving them enough breathing room to observe the turf war break out in front of them.

One raider foolishly ran out to meet a super mutant armed with a tire iron, he got one hit in that was about as effective as a foam mallet bouncing off the super mutant’s thick muscles before the mutant threw one punch that snapped the man’s neck backward.

“STUPID WEAK HUMANS! MUTANTS WILL RULE EVERYTHING!”

Nate swallowed, and Meathead felt Nate’s fear. That sort of declaration was one that didn’t offer much grey area.
"Okay, new plan," Nate said, turning on his heels and trying to drag Meathead with him. Getting off the street and into the cove between two ATMs.

"Someone is watching the sky and shot your bird. I'm going back for the power armor in the police station. Meathead, I need you to circle the building, I need to know the number of exits because we're going in and I want to be able to have alternate fallback points. Go far out, at least a block and then come back in. Stay quiet, stay hidden, no flying. I haven't heard any more shotgun blasts since then. That was an automatic combat shotgun...bad range, but it's night so I wouldn't be surprised if they have night vision or heat sensing. Be back here in fifteen, take this. " Nate said, popping his Pip-Boy off.

Meathead stared at the pro-offered device, and exhaled softly, holding out his left arm, Nate strapped it on and spun the dial to the utility screen and selected timer, then fifteen minutes.

\111/

Following every shot of a laser weapon, there was always the sound of something burning. This was the target of whatever the laser touched, how it was being scorched and singed black. When a laser is fired, it's not like a traditional bullet firing from a cartridge with the gunpowder cap being hit by a hammer, forcing the bullet to fly out the barrel.

A laser is a contained beam of energy powered by energy cells. Inside the containment unit, the particles are bouncing around at high velocity, creating intense heat. Then, to get the laser to leave, it needs to have an opening. A small magnetic cap connected to the trigger opens and closes, faster than the blink of an eye on a camera. The beam is focused or broadened through a crystal lens, and then strikes whatever it is pointed at.

Every bullet coming from a gun made a different bark, as the saying goes, the bark is worse than the bite. Not always the case, but it does help identify what caliber of bullet is being shot at you.

Caught between raiders and ghouls by the Dartmouth Professional building, she tried staying out of the raider's sights, but they were well aware of the laser shots directed at ghouls. One raider saw her and made her way towards Piper.

As Piper changed the energy cell to her pistol, three ghouls charged at her. The unfortunate thing about killing something that is considerably already dead is that it doesn't know when to die. The shriveled away limbs and dead nerve endings prevent feral ghouls from feeling pain, there's no brain matter connected their nervous system, to their synapses. As she fired six times, the magnet retracting in her pistol clicked like a loud camera.

Charging towards the first one, she put up her elbow and smashed it against the ghoul's chest. The ghoul latched onto her, dragging her down as she tensed up and tried shoving it away. With her right hand, she passed it to her left and fired directly into the ghoul's skull as the other two ghouls tackled her on the ground. Their bony hands were like mallets, she kept on firing as one bashed a fist into her face. Blinded in one eye by the strike, she rolled back to her heels and shot at the knee of the second and third ghoul. The leg of one was melted off, causing the ghoul to fall over. She reached down, grabbing the dismembered ghoul leg and whipping it around like a club against the third ghoul's head. Giving herself enough firing room, she shot the last ghoul seven more times until the entire body suddenly disintegrated into a plume of red glowing ash.

Dropping the boney leg, There were still five ghouls, but between the raiders and herself, she took off running, only to be kicked in the knee by the female raider chasing her. She shouted in pain and collapsed, right knee swelling as the raider bashed her in the head with the butt of her Sten gun. Blindly firing, she struck the raider once in the stomach and she screamed as well, clutching her front as flesh and internal organs were seared.

Piper carried a small hatchet, metal all the way from the blade to the grip, it was one solid piece of metal. Looped through her belt loop, she tore it up and out, swinging it into the raider's foreleg. Cutting right into the meat and bone of her leg, she screamed again, louder and fell to the ground while her hand was clenched on the trigger, firing a dozen 9mm rounds wildly.

Falling on top of Piper, they both wrestled for the Sten gun, a small machine gun with the ammo clip on the top left side of the barrel, rather than underneath it like most rifles. Piper gripped the smg with her left hand, by the tip of the barrel, making sure it would never be pointed at her while maneuvering her laser pistol up and firing four more times into the raider's chest and stomach. The woman shouted and Piper threw her off, rolling over on top of her, she ripped the gun out of her dying hands and pulled the trigger. Firing up through her chin, the woman fell back dead.

Grabbing the Sten gun, and patting down the dead woman for more ammo, she pulled a single spare clip from the woman's front pant's pocket while rubbing her eyes to clear them. With more raiders going to be on her in seconds, she fired five rounds into the air and fled, chasing after Nate and Meathead.

She looked to her left down an alley and saw Nate run by at the far end, back towards Diamond City.

"Hey, Blue! Wait up!"

Running down the alley, only a little bit disoriented but shaking herself more awake with every step, she went after Nate.

\111/

Nate ran inside the Police Precinct 8 building, and Piper was right behind him twenty seconds later, "Blue! Blue!" She said with her voice rising.

"What?" Nate called back, demanding to know who they were and why they followed him.

"It's Piper! Don't shoot!"

Nate went back to what he was doing, connecting hydraulic hose lines to their fittings and clamping the hoses down. He scrambled through the garage, tearing open cabinets and cupboards and grabbing handfuls of bottles filled with hydraulic fluid, and going back to the power armor frame. Piper poked her head into the garage, "Blue?"

"Kinda busy, Piper." Nate opened the hydraulic tank to the power armor and squeezed the first bottle in. He clenched the bottle tight and collapsing it as it emptied.

Nate dug his fingernails into the back panel protecting the fusion core. Police T-51 models were outfitted to prevent tampering or theft. Four deadbolts screwed into place were left to rust, Nate wedged a crowbar into a small slip between the panel. Placing his left foot against the power armor, and then his right, he was hanging all his weight to pry the plate off.

The bolts were stripped and forced to bend outwards as the plate curved upwards. Jerking his head back and forth, he tried snapping it off by rocking up and down.

"Whatever you're doing, I can help."

Nate jerked his head to her, opening another bottle of hydraulic fluid, then slammed it down onto the counter. Taking off all his guns and laying them on the counter. He emptied his pockets and set everything down.

"Make sure those are loaded. Make sure your own weapon is loaded."

"What are you up to?"

"I need power armor. Mutants at the toy factory."

Nate struggled with the power armor, trying to get all the pieces on and fitted, making sure that it wouldn't stall on him while roaming around in the suit, and making sure the lines were free and clear of any built-up blockages.

It took Nate longer than he expected, but while Piper was there, waiting for more instructions, a memory came to Nate as he was working to get the protective panel over the fusion core off.

"I went to Mexico for a few days with five other guys in my unit. The first police officers I saw were in a massive 4x4 truck, with the man in the back, may have been a woman, and their hands on a mounted fifty caliber. Everyone was wearing full body armor and helmets, and the big white lettering on their front and back that said 'Policia'. They were cruising around, lights flashing, so I turned to my buddy and said 'Damn! Those guys are on patrol!"

Heaving and straining his triceps, he finally managed to move the plate a few centimeters before falling and crashing onto the yellow support frame holding the power armor upright.

He gripped his head and he cursed, then went for the metal block hammer and went back behind the suit of power armor.

"Alright, you little bastard. Time to come off." Beating on the plate for three solid minutes, it clanged and rang out until he finally managed to warp and bend the piece so he could pull out the dead fusion core. Nate shoved in a fusion core to the police power armor, and twisted it to the right, securing it in. He tossed the old fusion core into the wastebasket like a basketball, arcing it through the air and listening to the glass shatter in the bottom of the can.

The power armor frame lit up, and Nate reached his hand in, dumping another bottle of fluid into the tank while priming it, making sure fluid went everywhere through the system. Pulling the plug to the oil, he let it spill onto the ground, running and grabbing a carton of oil, he poured it in until the oil at the bottom was coming out red, and then he closed it.

Prying off plates from the second frame, he snapped them into place on the first T-51 power armor and then opened up the back.

"I'm taking on the mutants at the toy factory, you know how to use a sniper rifle?"

Piper nodded, "Yeah, I'm a pre-"

"Good." Nate shoved a scoped hunting rifle into her hands and stomped out the door. "Keep quiet, or I will force you to go where it's safe while I keep going. I need a gunner watching my back, and keeping an eye on the perimeter. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Then follow me. I'm on a rescue mission."

"To save who?"

"Someone...who was shot." Piper took note of Nate's hesitation, and unsure response. He didn't know who he was rescuing, only that there was someone who needed help.

The hideaway headlamps on the shoulders popped up and started flashing red and blue as Nate ran east back towards Wilson Atomatoys HQ with Piper right behind him.

\111/

This was one of the first scene's I imagined when it came to writing 'Vault Dweller'

Meathead and Nate at Diamond City, first night, flood lights shining down on Diamond City Market, but then Meathead feels a disturbance in the force.

He looks up towards the floodlights to see the silhouette of a Pegasus, moments before she takes flight, doing a lap over Diamond City before flying off into the Commonwealth.

Her flight is cut short when she's struck down by a shotgun blast, and lands on the roof of Atomatoys HQ, a super mutant base.