Chapter Text
"That's what you get from hubris." Nora thought as a green-skin wielding a super-sledge landed a powerful blow right in her chest, sending her flying backwards into the abyss, arms flailing to no avail.
She plummeted towards her certain death, her life passing before her eyes as panic tore at every fiber of her being.
Nothing would save her.
It couldn't end like this! What about the settlers who now depended on her aid? What about all of her newfound friends? What about Dogmeat? Would he understand that she hadn't abandoned him? Would he know he was a good boy?
What about Shaun? The apple of her eye. Her sweet little baby boy, who now would grow up without a mother or father. Orphaned, too young to have actual memories of his biological parents. Would he survive out there?
But, gravity did what gravity does and she was pulled to the ground at a maddening speed, without any regards to all those who she would soon leave behind.
She let out a terrified scream as she collided with the corner of a rooftop of a dilapidated building, which sent her hurling uncontrollably. The last thing Nora thought before hitting the ground was Nate.
Maybe they would be together now, for eternity.
An ear shattering rumble was emitted from the impact. Dust and debris shot up into the air by the shock wave and clouds of particles danced through the last rays of evening sun that trickled down between the ancient skyscrapers.
Then, complete silence.
"This must be it." She murmured as a yellowish, bright light blinded her. "Nate my love, I'll be right with you darling."
From the far off in the distance, a faint beeping sound reached her ears, which she couldn't identify.
"What the..." she began as her vision came into focus.
It was the monitor of her power armor that was blinking and beeping furiously, showing all different kinds of warning symbols.
Nora blinked a couple of times, then let out cackling laugh in disbelief. She was alive! She thanked her lucky star for the X0-2. It had saved her life, once again.
Another noise slowly traveled towards her auditory organs. It sounded like muffled shouting and dialogue. Then, one distinct sound penetrated through her consciousness.
"Robot or man?" a gruff voice demanded.
"Huh?" Nora answered, completely dazed as faces started to appear in her line of sight.
"Where the fuck am I? Who are these people?" she started to wave her arms in the direction of the faces.
"Who the fuck are you?!" she asked a ghoul who materialized in front of her, pointing a sub machine gun at her face.
"Answer me tin can, or I'll blow you to hell." he growled while he removed the safety of his weapon.
"Would you give a gal a second to catch her breath?" the attorney groaned as she started to wiggle her fingers and toes. Nothing seemed to be broken. Thank god!
"I'm warning you robot, I'm counting to three..."
"Whoa, whoa, easy there gentlemen. I'm human and I request the permission to sit up and remove my helmet, if I may?"
The ghoul regarded her suspiciously for a moment, then snarled. "Very well... but any wrong movements and you're done for. Capich?"
"Copy that." Nora replied, then slowly sat up and removed her helmet. "See? Human."
"Who are you and what the fuck happened?" the leader of the trio spat.
"I'm Nora Crocetti, general of the Minutemen." she said with an exhausted sigh, as she ran the large mechanic hand of the power armor through her unkempt, sweaty hair.
Geesh, what a day.
"Minutemen? You mean the Minutemen? Heh, they helped my cousin down in Warwick homestead not long ago." one of the men blurted out. He was met by angry glances from his 2 colleagues, but he didn't seem to notice in that moment.
"Oh, you mean the issue with their pump?" Nora turned to the guard with a tired smile. "Yeah, took me a while to get that thing going, but should be running smoothly now, I hope."
"You know June?" the man asked.
"Sure do. Lady makes some wonderful mirelurk cakes."
"She does!" he exclaimed, forgetting himself, but regained his composure as the ghoul cleared his throat in annoyance and gave the man a nasty glare. He then returned his gaze to Nora and regarded her suspiciously.
"To answer your second question." she continued, slowly turning back to her post-human inquisitor. "I was tasked by Preston Garvey of the Minutemen to aid the people of County Crossing to get rid of some Super Mutants. Fought my way through Hub 360 but was hit by a green-skin so hard it knocked me off the bridge up there." she said and pointed her finger at the direction of her vertical departure point on Fallen Sky Bridge.
The ghoul growled under his breath and seemed to be considering the information for a moment. In the middle of her chest plate was a large indent that could only have been made with something hitting her with a tremendous amount of force, so that part of the story seemed to be right. She had too many teeth to be a raider and didn't treat him like shit, like any brotherhood fucks would do, just for being a ghoul. In fact, she didn't even seem to notice that he was any different than his colleagues.
He slowly nodded at his colleagues and they lowered their weapons.
"Much obliged." Nora let out a sigh of relief. "Now, if you gentlemen would excuse me, but I need to repair my armor and get the hell out of here. Still have a mission to fulfill."
"There's a power armor station at Kill or Be Killed." the third man pointed with his tommy gun at an old brick building with a large, yellow sign where "GUNS GUNS GUNS" was written with black, bold letters.
"Great, thank you! Gentlemen." Nora said with a nod.
She slowly grabbed her bag of loot and supplies that had landed beside her on impact and started to get onto her feet. Hopefully the items hadn't suffered too much damage due to the fall. Oh well, there was always more junk to be found out there in the Commonwealth.
All the while, the 3 men were exchanging glances between themselves.
She staggered forward, her motions slow and strained. The power armor had suffered greatly from the collision.
"Sure hope I can get this repaired." Nora thought as she entered the store.
To her surprise, she saw a familiar looking... thing, standing behind the front desk of the shop.
"Well, hello. Everything here is guaranteed to injure, maim or kill at your discretion. Except me. I only kill when I want to."
.
As a military spouse, Nora had permission to see her husband when he was stationed at Utica as a staff officer. On one of her visits she had seen a couple of those war machines walking around on the grounds.
Nate had told her that they always gave him the heebie-jeebies. They were made to have an alluring personality, probably due to some underfucked, horny programmer with a robot fetish and he was weirded out every time when a bot armed with a laser shooting face and knives for hands started to have flirty conversations with him.
Nora had laughed so hard when he told her this, that she almost fell off her chair in the mess hall, where they had been eating lunch together.
For being a decorated war hero, her sweet Nate was a very bashful person, when it came to being flirted with. It was a pure miracle that he had engaged in her bold advances when they initially met.
The Assaultrons had first been introduced in 2072 to the US military and she was fairly sure that people nowadays lacked the right technology and know-how to produce these kinds of machines anymore, so this robot had to be between 210 to 215 years old.
.
"Sure can imagine that a lady like yourself could cause a whole load of glorious carnage with that laser of yours, if you'd so please." Nora said as she leaned on the counter, careful not to put the whole weight of the power armor on the thing.
"Myees, you're absolutely right." the machine purred. "It's nice to meet someone who seems to appreciate my certain set of... skills."
"I've read all about it. The very true pinnacle of RobCo Industries ingenuity."
"You flatter me sugar. Name's KL-E-0. KL- EEH-OOH. Now, are you here to do some business or just to sweet talk me?"
"Could imagine standing here talking to you all day, but I'm actually here for business. Need 10 rounds of 5.56's and would like to ask you if I may use your power armor station. Mine sardine can here is in dire need of a thorough once over, I'm afraid."
"Indeed, I can clearly see that." KL-E-0 said, as her optical instrument roamed up and down Nora's damaged armor. "You made quite an entrance there before... Tell you what, I'll let you use the station and my workbench."
"Oh, you're too generous darling." the attorney said with a seductive smile.
She attached the helmet again, walked over to the power armor station, put down her bag of loot next to it and then exited the suit. The mechanic protested vehemently and groaned loudly as it opened up and she was suddenly hit by the chilly evening air.
Nora immediately felt incredibly vulnerable as she stepped out of her safe confines and down onto the floor. Like a small snail without it's shell.
The suit closed up again and she started to inspect the damage.
Her thoughts went back to her beloved Nate. How she had swooned over him as he stepped into his set of T-45 and walked around with it during one of her visits on base. She hoped he would be proud of her.
The X0-2 was beat up pretty badly. This would consume a lot of material, time and effort. And caps. Lots and lots of caps.
The Assaultron came back with the ammo she had requested after a couple of minutes and Nora turned towards her and said. "Looks pretty bad. Will need a hell of a lot of material. You don't happen to sell shipments of aluminum by any chance?"
"I do. As well as steel, copper and circuits."
"Perfect! Then I'd need to get 1 shipment of each and 7 pieces of circuits."
"That'd be 2024 caps then."
Shit. That was a problem.
"I only have about 400 on me, but... you could have these pieces of weaponry I acquired on my travels."
Nora picked up the loot bag from the floor and started to unpack all of the weapons. 2 of the rifles were unfortunately completely ruined, but the rest of the assortment were still in good condition.
The optical lens of the Assaultrons zoomed in as she inspected the items.
"That would leave you at 1078 caps."
"Alright, then I'd have to find a way of getting the rest of the sum. Any chance you'd know of a job here inside the city walls where a gal like me could make some quick money? I'm NOT venturing outside into Super Mutant territory without my armor. "
The Assaultrons scanned her from head to toe. "Well, you could always sell your body, honey. I'm sure there would be a steady stream of customers lining up to get some of that...."
"I'm not looking to enter that certain line of business, but thank you anyway." Nora interrupted, blushing uncontrollably the mere idea.
"Then I'm at a loss. Go talk to Daisy, the owner of the store next door. She might have an idea. You can leave your suit here with me. Nobody would dare to steal from an Assaultron."
"That would mean the world to me! Thank you once again, gorgeous." Nora said with a wink.
"See you soon, killer." the Assaultron purred as she returned back to her place behind the desk.
Nora exited KL-E-0's store and walked over to the other business where Daisy's Discount was written above the entrance.
As she entered the little space, her eyes settled upon a ghoul with full set of dirt blond hair, put up in a simple hairdo and patched three piece suit that had seen better days.
"Good evening m'am." Nora greeted the woman with a friendly smile.
"Oh. A new face enters my shop, and you're not screaming yet. Very curtious. You let me know if see anything you like."
"Now why would anyone be screaming? the former attorney asked as she approached the counter.
"Oh some people haven't ever seen a ghoul before. Can't handle a friendly face I say."
Nora let out a chuckle. "They simply don't know whats good for them."
The proprietor's mouth curled up into a wry smile.
"So, here to buy stuff?" she asked.
"Not right now, short on caps you see. KL-E-0 told me to come over and ask you for some advice. I'm sure you saw me entering your fine community earlier."
"You in the power suit? Yeah I noticed. Kinda hard to miss. Almost choked on my coffee out of fright."
"Sorry about that." Nora winced. "Well, I need an insane amount of material to fix the thing and to do that, I need lots of caps. I'm looking for a job inside the city walls. There's no way I'm heading out of Goodneighbour before I get my tin can repaired. Aaaand I'm not into the body-selling-business either. Got any tips?"
"Hmm... I'm not hiring myself, sorry to say. I would have a job for you, but it's concerning super-mutants and venturing outside of the city limits, so I think that's a pass right now. My best bet would be to check at The Third Rail, the local bar. You find it on the short side of the state house. Large brick building to the right, can't miss it. Go all the way down the stairs to the old subway station and tell Charlie I said hi."
"Thank you so much m'am! Wish you a lovely evening!" Nora said with a smile.
"Well, well, well, someone hasn't forgotten how to use their manners. Come back here when you've got your gear repaired and then we'll talk about the green-skin job I need fixi'n." the ghoul smirked.
"Will do." the attorney answered, then stepped out into the street and turned towards the alley leading to the bar.
Nothing could ever be easy now, could it? Run there to talk to this person, to be instructed to run over to that place, in order to find this specific thing, then search up another fella who would tell you to do god knows what.
It was all so exhausting!
Oh, how she longed for an uneventful, homey evening with Nate, after a hearty, home cooked dinner they'd prepared together with Codsworth. Then, as their trusty Mr. Handy took care of the dishes, they'd each enjoy a cup of tea, herbal for him and the Irish way for her, like her nan always made when she came to visit Sligo, all cozied up on the couch while they listened to the latest episode of The Silver Shroud, their shared guilty pleasure.
After Nate's speech at the Veterans' Hall in Concord, on the evening of the 23rd of October, that was exactly their plan. To attend the ceremony and stay as long as they could, but then to hurry home, as not to miss the next episode. But before that, the world as they knew it had ended in a fiery, irradiated inferno. And for what?
Nora let out a sigh, reminiscing on her past, but was jolted out of her thoughts as someone suddenly intercepted her.
"Oy, easy there. You new in Goodneighbour? Can't just go around without insurance."
In front of her stood a rough looking fella, with a tight fitting, black leather outfit and a clean shaved head.
A shit eating grin spread across Nora's face, but she quickly regained her composure.
With a saccharine smile she said. "Excellent! You see, I was actually looking to upgrade my insurance plan and would be greatly interested to hear what kind of benefits and additional coverage your insurance might provide, so I can compare it to the one I already have."
The man was taken aback by that and just stared at her for a second, like she was completely insane, before snarling sardonically. "Oh, you think you're so smart, now do you?"
"No, I don't think so. I know. Me passing the bar exam should be proof enough." she said as she casually inspected her nails.
"Now, I am however starting to suspect that you on the other hand, good sir, seem to have chosen a rather unwise line of endeavor, since, if it turns out that you are not actually a licensed and authorized insurance provider, registered with the Insurance Information Institute, the iii, it would lead me to think that you are consequently violating the integrity of the insurance associations, and may well be pursuing a scamming operation. I am however willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and am for now going to assume that you genuinely are an insurance representative. In that case, you have to already be fully aware of that in order to fulfill your mission as a state regulated provider of insurance you must, as mentioned previously, be registered with the iii before taking up business, provide clear information to your clients and apply fair treatment to each and every individual seeking out your services, just to mention a few essential prerequisites. Should you however fail to reach the requirements of a lawful undertaking and not be following the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945, I'm afraid that legal action is inevitable. If it turns out that you're not following insurance obligations, but rather committing hard fraud, trying to distribute non-viable services and/or policies to unsuspecting American citizens, infringing policyholder rights, then I would like to inform you, that it is a serious felony that could quickly result in... let's see... 2 to 5 years in a state prison."
She then leaned in closer to the thug, as if she was sharing a big secret. "However, between you and me, since we both know that the last insurance company was reduced to ash and rubble 200 years ago, and I hardly believe that you're off this profession, I'd recommend you to swiftly quit your little intimidation games and get yourself a real job instead." she concluded with a corporate smile.
The man had obviously lost track of all her judicial jargon and snapped frustratedly at her. "Stop yapping! You hand over everything you've got in them pockets, or accidents will start happening. Big, bloody accidents."
Nora took a deep breath and braced herself for a fight, heart racing in her chest, but was surprised to hear a voice suddenly calling out. "Whoa whoa, time out."
Out of the shadows emerged a man who looked like he had stepped out of a historical museum exhibition.
He was wearing a red frock coat that bellowed out behind him as he walked towards them. Underneath it, he wore a half open shirt with frill around the collar and a long, blue vest, embroidered with an intricate patterns made of gold thread and a pair of black leather pants. His head was adorned with a tricorn hat, of all things.
She blinked slowly, trying to process the visual information. Was she showing signs of a concussion?
He approached them with such swashbuckling confidence that Nora couldn't help but feel a little bit intrigued. As he lifted his face to look at them, she saw that it was a ghoul.
"First time someone sets their foot in our town, they're a guest, so you lay off that extortion shit." he said with a raspy, yet velvety voice.
"This should be interesting." Nora thought, as she observed the 2 men puffing their chests in a demonstration of power.
"What do you care? She ain't worth shit." the bald man spat, his words coated with disdain.
"No love for your mayor Finn? Now, leave her alone." the ghoul answered with serious look on his face.
Mayor? This man was the renowned mayor of Goodneighbour?
"You soft Hancock. You keep letting outsiders do as they please, one day there'll be a new mayor."
"Come on man. This is me we're talking about. Let me tell you something..." the ghoul said, as he raised his arms like he was about to embrace the thug, but then he pulled out a knife at the speed of light and without a warning, stabbed the goon in the chest.
Nora stood there, chocked. Death was always lingering around every corner in the wasteland, but she had not see that one coming.
The man fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood and stopped squirming after a while.
"Now why did you have to go and say such things? Breaking my lol ol' heart over here." the ghoul said to the now dead bozo as he wiped the blood off his blade with a handkerchief, then slowly turned towards Nora.
"So sorry about that. I'm always keen on my town giving a first great impression to our guests. But luckily enough, doesn't seem like ol' Finnyboy here will be bothering you no more." he said as his gaze met hers.
The streetlights reflected in his onyx eyes like stars in a clear night sky as he studied her face intently. There was a sharp and cunning mind residing in those deep, dark pools.
Like all ghouls she had encountered, he lacked a nose and his skin was mottled with scars from radiation burns, yet she could clearly see the handsome bone structure under the muscles and tendons.
He must have been beautiful when he was still human. The ghoul exuded a mesmerizing allure that was enthralling, in a dangerous way.
"You alright there sunshine?
"Yeah... I'm fine, thanks for helping me." she said as she tried to read his face, wanting to decipher him.
"Good. Now don't let this incident taint your view of our little community. Goodneighbour is of the people, for the people. You feel me? Everyone's welcome."
She watched him warily, as fear and arousal was raging a battle inside of Nora. God, what was wrong with her?
"I feel you." she answered.
A gorgeous woman with fiery red hair and heavy metal armor stepped up beside the ghoul, eyeing the attorney with a look she couldn't interpret.
"Good. You stay cool and you'll be part of the neighborhood, so long as you remember who's in charge." the mayor of Goodneighbour said, never breaking their eye contact.
That last bit left a foul taste in Nora's mouth, as her suspicion grew against the man in front of her.
She had dealt with enough power hungry and scheming politicians and big-wigs in her profession. Many of them were doing everything in their might to cling their power, influencing the outcome of the future by trying to twist and turn the rules at their disposal. She had been fighting court battles with tooth and nail in an attempt to at least make the life of such people a little more difficult, even though it had once almost cost her her life.
You might end up making some powerful enemies, when trying to uphold the law.
"Noted. Again, thank you for helping me, Sir. M'am." she said with a nod to them both and hurried off towards The Third Rail.
"That man reeks trouble. Best to avoid him all together..." Nora thought to herself as she turned a corner, casting one glance back at the pair and saw that they were still watching her.
She booked for the door, wanting to get away from them as quick as possible.