Chapter Text

Chapter II

His talent was to have a very refined instinct. One who was never wrong when whispered in his ear to do certain things that, although they seemed incomprehensible at the time, turned out to be completely appropriate. But the day before his instinct hadn’t whispered, it had roared loudly in his ears, waking him from his sleep.

Before the sun rose on the horizon, Deacon had risen with an obsessive idea going around his head: that day was perfect to stretch his legs and he had to hurry.

When he was preparing his backpack, Glory approached to ask him about the details of one of his last missions. He had listened to her questions and smiled broadly, showing his white teeth while he threw a shirt inside his backpack.

- I don't know, Glory, right now I prepare for a delicious walk through our beautiful and peaceful city. I want to go visit the tourist places and buy souvenirs for everyone. -

Desdemona and Glory looked at each other as Deacon threw his backpack over his shoulder and left the barracks, whistling a tune. Desdemona knew Deacon enough and also knew that it was better to let him do what he wanted, and her disinterest in Deacon's affairs was due mostly to the total confidence she had on him. She was sure that if it wasn't important, Deacon would never leave the headquarters in such a sudden way.

But this time Deacon not even knew where he was going or why he had to go. He was only sure that his instinct shouted at him that something big, truly big and important was approaching and it was best to secure a front row seat.

By the afternoon of that day he had camped near Postal Square, inside a hollow of a semi-hidden building that he had considered would be an excellent refuge for the night. For dinner he opened a can of cram, which he had eaten directly with a spoon after heating the can in his bonfire, while listening to the light sound of a persistent cold rain that wet the commonwealth.

He fallen asleep at some point in the middle of the night, wrapped in a blanket made of scraps, and had woken up feeling disoriented and with the clear feeling that someone was watching him. But when he looked out, he saw that there was no one out there, not even a soul was sliding between the buildings at that time.

He spent the last hours of the night smoking and contemplating the bright street in the rain, thinking about the events of his past and the huge collection of skeletons that he kept very deep in the closet.

He also wondered, in a melancholy and languid way, why he had decided to recapitulate all that. He well knew that the past was better this way, buried under thousands of tons of cynicism and immature games that made his life more bearable. As much as he wanted, he couldn't do anything to change the things that had already happened, and to remember them all he did was provide him with a huge dose of anguish. And the anguish was not like fear, which prepares you to act and refines your senses. No, the anguish was paralyzing, constricted you in cold sweat and guilt and didn't let you think of anything other than what you had done wrong. It forced you to be martyred and prevented you from seeing the front to appreciate what you had in the present.

Smoked after smoking, Deacon consumed his entire pack, recalling and scratching his most painful memories, while his hazy gaze was lost in the shadows of the street. It was those nights that he hated the most. The nights that woke up the Deacon that he had been many years ago, the one he had loved so furiously and hated with so much despair.

The Deacon who couldn't find the strength to cry because his heart was tired.

At dawn, he had picked up his few belongings, returning them back to his worn backpack, which hung over his shoulder. At the morning light his wretched thoughts had vanished. He left behind the melancholy with which he woken up and returned to focus on the expectation that nestled in his chest to discover what would happen next.

He didn't have an exact place to go, and he didn't really care to get it, he knew that his instinct would take him wherever he needed to be. But he was still surprised when his feet led him right to the blue door of Goodneighbor and wondered what the hell could happen in that settlement full of drug addicts and homeless people that might be important.

Of course Deacon wasn’t bothered by Goodneighbor, there he had an outpost without knowledge of the mayor or with his participation and consequent blessing

Deacon was still not clear enough if Hancock only tolerated or sympathized with his cause. But he didn’t consider Goodneighbor the place where an event of relative importance would arise, or that even Goodneighbor was important.

But he was no one to judge the importance of absolutely no one, and after all he wasn’t there by choice, he was there just to find out why he was there, even if that sounded so contradictory.

Upon entering he received the familiar smell of wet garbage and urine that he remembered so well.

He stood a moment looking at the entrance street, the arms shop and the grocery store, doubting what his next step should be.

He could go to Memory Den to see Amary and find out about the latest news regarding the Synths that had been rescued, but he didn't feel like sitting down to talk about work and pretending he was interested in those anonymous people whose memories had dissolved . Although perhaps he could also stay in one of the machines and plunge into some pleasant memory of his past.

As he thought about it he approached the gun shop, where he leaned on the wall while deciding what to do. And then, as if someone had given an invisible signal for the next act of the play to begin, Deacon saw Nick Valentine appear through the doors of Goodneighbor.

He immediately felt a familiar tickle going up the back of his neck, that tickle that appeared every time he proved, with absolute arrogance, that all that time he had been right.

Without thinking, he turned for a moment, intercepting one of the homeless residents leaving the gun shop.

- Hey, friend, do you want to earn 20 caps? -

The guy looked at him sideways, assessing him and weighing how much he needed for the caps, but in the end he shrugged, perhaps thinking that the caps were worth what that stranger was going to ask.

- What do you want me to do? -

Deacon slipped the caps into the tramp's hands and nodded to Nick, who had stopped for a moment to interrogate the entrance guard.

- Just do social work and inform the mayor that his dear friend Nick Valentine is in the city. I'm sure Mayor Hancock will thank you for the information. -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nick arrived at the door of Goodneighbor relieved that the trip was quick and smooth. For a moment he worried about the possibility of finding in his path some difficulty that prevented him from following, or that delayed his path. As he had said to Piper, Goodneighbor wasn’t a great distance from Diamond City, but on the way lurked many dangers that made anyone fear. That was why very few people ventured alone through the city.

Nick tried to travel in a hurry and go relatively unnoticed, completely convinced that a Synth of an old model like him couldn’t interest anyone but himself, and he found with satisfaction that luck had smiled at him. Of course, the trip made him prepared for the worst to happen and had walked with the revolver loaded and ready in his hand, barely hidden by the folds of his coat. Nick wasn’t a person who randomly left small details that could harm him.

The guard who guarded the entrance given him access to the place promptly and almost without a word. Nick was well known there and everyone knew that between the Synth and the mayor there was a strong friendship that went back many years. So he was never denied access.

As soon as he had gone through the door, Nick approached the guard, who closed the gate again and secured it.

- Hey bud - Nick called. - How have things been around here? -

The guard turned to him and gestured with the hand that Nick understood instantly. He approached him and pulled out a battered pack of cigarettes from his coat and handed it to the guard. The guard took one of the filters and leaned down so Nick could turn it on. The guard took a deep drag, throwing his head back and letting the nicotine invade his bloodstream. Nick watched him enjoy his cigarette and exhale thick columns of smoke into the cold air that prevailed that morning.

- In Goodneighbor things remain the same; people get drugged in the streets and garbage accumulates where it is. - He took another drag of his cigarette and looked at Nick. - What do you want to know, Mr. Valentine? -

Nick smiled at him and smoked from his own cigar.

- There are rumors about sightings of shooters very close to Diamond City, do you know any of that? -

The guard's face changed slowly, his expression of curiosity and interest moved to a completely illegible. Nick smiled to himself when he saw him doubt a few moments before throwing the butt of his consumed cigarette to the ground and crush it with his boot.

The guard took a deep breath and unconsciously moved closer to Nick in a gesture that the detective interpreted as worrying about being heard speaking.

- I don't know about that, Mr. Valentine. Everyone knows that those businesses are carried by Marowski. Maybe you can ask him. Try the Rexford Hotel, he is always there. -

Once he said that, the guard turned partially to get away. Nick could tell he seemed a little nervous and the way he said "those businesses" didn’t go unnoticed. He definitely sensed that he was on the right way.

Nick said goodbye to the guard with a nod, who answered him in the same way, and continued on his way.

He wasn’t sure what his next step should be. On the one hand, I was tempted to go directly to the Rexford Hotel and meet with Marowski, but he didn't think that plan really paid off. He didn't have an established friendship with Marowski to justify his interrogation and the trafficker might well consider that Nick was trying to get his nose into his personal affairs. If that happened Nick could throw himself over a powerful enemy, and frankly he wasn't there to afford that. He must see for his safety, for his business... for Ellie.

The best, he told himself, was to go cautiously and investigate subtly.

He did a mental review of all his acquaintances in Goodneighbor who could help him gather information from Marowski, but all those he knew were decent people who didn't usually get involved with traffickers.

Except one person; Hancock.

Nick didn't need to be a genius to know that Hancock wouldn't want to help him with Marowski, since Marowski was the main asset that fed the city's finances. The taxes on trade in Goodneighbor were fine, but they were only the crumbs of a small cake.

However necessary Daisy or K-L-E-0 businesses were, these weren’t the ones that increased the wealth that Goodneighbor generated.

Hancock protected the merchants, but good intentions didn’t pay the salaries of the guards, nor did they supply bullets, medications, weapons, or equipment.

On the other hand, Marowski moved huge quantities of caps thanks to his lucrative drug business. Business that operated and flourished under Hancock's firm iron hand.

Marowski was a delicious slice of a huge cake. It was he who maintained the constant cash flow in the city and Nick knew that Hancock would jealously guard his interests.

Because the mayor of Goodneighbor owed more to his people than to his personal friends. That put him in a terrible dilemma.

Nick was still thinking of a solution when he turned a corner he faced Fahrenheit.

The redhead, who at that moment looked at the street with studied indifference, slid her gaze around until she looked directly at Nick. Their eyes met and Fahrenheit's lips relaxed in a sleepy, syrupy smile that enhanced her attractive features.

Nick had never seen her so beautiful and vulnerable that there, standing as if by chance, outside the Old State House.

Nick knew Fahrenheit superficially, but he had heard a lot about her. In all the rumors that people whispered in the streets of Goodneighbor Nick heard that only a handful of women were dangerous in the wasteland, but without a doubt Fahrenheit was the one who always topped the lists.

Nick knew that his apparent tranquility and vulnerability was only a facade created to encourage them to trust and lower their guard. Fahrenheit was an excellent player in the power game and an expert in knowing and using all her resources as clear advantages.

Nick told himself he had to be careful. But a deep curiosity also invaded him, since he never before been an object of interest by Fahrenheit.

Trying to act carefully, Nick approached Fahrenheit. She watched him smiling, calmly recharged on the facade of the Old State House.

- Look at what the rain brought us. - Fahrenheit said when he had Nick a span away. - I love to see a pretty little face adorned with bright intelligent eyes in the morning. -

Nick put his hand to his hat, gently touching the edge while giving a nod as a greeting.

- Miss. -

Fahrenheit smiled in pleasure, the expression on her face was open and friendly, but her eyes looked hard at Nick.

- Let's see Hancock. He is waiting for you. -

Nick warned in Fahrenheit's voice that this wasn’t a kind request he could refuse. That had been an order, and it made him feel a slight tingling in the circuits of his neck and he thought that if he could at that moment he would be sweating cold.

- I'm surprised that Hancock already knows about my arrival. Not even 10 minutes ago I crossed that door. -

Fahrenheit, still smiling, reached out a hand and touched Nick lightly on the shoulder.

- Hancock has eyes everywhere and cares a lot for his friends. - She deliberately paused while her hand slid to Nick's chest, caressing slowly and suggestively. - He especially cares about you, Mr. Valentine. -

Nick felt chills, but he tamely followed Fahrenheit.

He never feared Hancock before. No matter that many described the mayor of Goodneighbor as someone brutal, Nick knew he was more than that and that his concern for outcasts, the unprotected and those who didn’t fit anywhere was genuine. They were joined by a close friendship that went back to the first years Nick had arrived in Diamond City. At that time Hancock wasn’t even a ghoul. So he didn’t understand what the sense of danger that flooded him in those moments was coming.

As he climbed the stairs of the grim Old State House, Nick tried to shake off his fear and reserve. It was repeated many times that Hancock was his friend, someone he had to trust.

But the figure of Fahrenheit, who walked swinging his hips a mere two meters from him, reminded him that Hancock was also a powerful man surrounded by many people and personal interests. Hancock was a good person, but he was also a politician and the life and safety of many people depended on Hancock and his actions.

Arriving at the penultimate floor, Nick looked at Hancock's office. The doors of this one remained open and Nick saw the mayor standing next to a guard. He could see that Hancock was talking to the man, but the meaning of his words escaped from him. Only murmurs reached his ears.

Fahrenheit entered the room ahead of Nick and placed himself next to Hancock. Nick was aware that his friend had already seen him arrive, it was impossible that he hadn’t noticed, so he was surprised that the mayor didn’t look in his direction until Fahrenheit leaned toward him and whispered something in his ear.

Hancock raised his head and looked directly at Nick. With a bow and a last whisper he dismissed the guard, who left immediately, and turned to face Nick.

Nick turned to see the guard and checked with a shiver that he was the same one he had interrogated at the door.

- Brother, I haven't seen you in a long time. Please come in and get comfortable. What brings you to our humble city? -

As he spoke, Hancock approached Nick with open arms and hugged him in a hug. Nick reciprocated by inertia, still feeling out of place. But when Hancock looked at him in the short distance smiling at him kindly, Nick realized that the one who greeted him was Hancock the mayor, not John his friend.

Nick tried to shake fear and mistrust from his head, wanting to convince himself that there was nothing to fear took a seat on one of the couches in the room. Hancock and Fahrenheit sat in front of him.

The mayor took a cigar from one of his pockets and took out a cigarette. Nick saw Fahrenheit lean forward to light Hancock's cigarette. There was something intimate in the languid way Fahrenheit had bowed to Hancock that Nick felt he was observing something he shouldn't.

But it was too late to look away, Hancock stared at him still smiling. Nick cleared his throat, hoping to shake his discomfort.

- John long time no see you. - He noticed how Hancock was grimacing at the mention of his first name. - But judging by your appearance I can assure you are doing well. -

Hancock gave him a dull smile.

- You make fun of me, my friend. It's not like there are options when someone looks like me. -

Nick also smiled when he heard Hancock, and he could hear Fahrenheit's carefree giggle.

- But tell me, Nick, what made you get out of the big green jewel? -

- Direct to the point as always. - Nick replied. He threw away his consumed cigarette in one of the ashtrays on the table in front of him and took out another. - I came to investigate the whereabouts of a Diamond City girl. -

Hancock's gaze didn't change, but Nick noticed that Fahrenheit was looking at him now, slightly interested.

- I hoped you could help me. -

Nick's voice was a little shy, as if he didn't believe that possible.

- If someone ran away from home and came to hide at Goodneighbor, I suggest you leave them alone. -

- It isn’t a case of escape, but a kidnapping. -

Nick felt a stab of panic grow exponentially when he saw Hancock and Fahrenheit exchange a quick look. The countenance of both revealed nothing, but Nick knew that something was happening and that they both knew it. He wondered what kind of things Darla was in.

Fahrenheit looked away, deliberately trying to avoid Nick's gaze. Hancock, on the other hand, leaned down to put out his cigarette in the ashtray of the table and stood up. Nick watched him approach a piece of furniture in the corner of the room.

- I'm going to do you a favor, Nick, and I'll solve the mystery for you. - A generous jet of liquor was served in a glass tumbler that once had to be transparent and now only looked amber. - The girl is a lost cause. He got tired of playing the farmer and flew out the window like a cute canary. -

With the glass in hand Hancock returned to the couch. Nick watched the elegant way in which Hancock lifted the glass to drink from it. When he placed it on the table, it made a dull sound. The mayor waved a hand in Nick's direction.

- You won't forget the girl, right, mate? -

Nick slowly denied. He still had the pleading look of Darla's mother fresh in my memory. Nick realized that the case was getting even more complicated, but it was impossible for him to back down. He felt committed to that woman and knew that he wouldn’t have peace until he could bring news of his daughter's whereabouts.

The brief laugh Hancock gave him out of his thoughts.

- I don't understand why you insist on this matter, but I want to help you, Nick. -

Nick leaned forward at the same time as Hancock, who was taking another cigarette from the silver cigar. Their eyes met.

- I just need you to give me a hint. Tell me where to start looking and I'll go. -

Nick's voice splashed with anxiety and Hancock smiled at him. The detective noticed how close he was to his friend when he noticed that the yellow of his eyes was reflected in Hancock's blacks.

Slowly the mayor moved away from Nick and leaned back on the couch.

- I don't want you to go, Nick. -

Nick saw Fahrenheit take Hancock's cigarette out of his hands and light it herself.

- I'm going to help you, Nick. - Fahrenheit took two long puffs on the cigarette and then placed it on Hancock's lips. - But I need you to do me a favor. -

Nick was fascinated by the interactions between Hancock and Fahrenheit, and he almost failed to hear the mayor's words, but his brain clicked and understood the meaning of what Hancock was telling him.

He looked at Hancock for a moment feeling suddenly upset and agitated.

- We're friends, Hancock, you don't have to coerce me to help you. You just have to ask for it. -

Hancock smoked in silence for a moment, weighing Nick's words. Even in silence he exhaled a puff of smoke and his features disappeared momentarily.

- We are friends... -

Hancock's voice was impersonal and cold, and at the same time far away. Fahrenheit laughed shortly. His laugh sounded melodious and at the same time cruel.

- You call me your friend, but you shy away from Goodneighbor and their people. Tell me, friend ... - Hancock's eyes shone in the perpetual semi-gloom of the room. - were you going to visit me today? -

Nick was silent, feeling dismayed by what was happening in front of him at that moment. A wave of unease struck him by the sensations he was perceiving from Hancock. He looked hurt.

Nick desperately searched for something to say, but nothing came to his mind in those moments.

Restless he shifted in his seat.

Hancock had remained motionless and with his eyes on his lap where his hands rested. Nick would have given anything to know his thoughts.

But Hancock looked up again, and whatever it was that had dominated him, was gone now.

The mayor of Goodneighbor looked at him with a radiant friendly smile and when he spoke his voice rang as usual.

- A business is a business. I give you something and you give me something. -

Hancock's smile and expression was normal again and Nick felt immense relief spreading through all his circuits. It immediately corresponded to Hancock's smile.

- You ask and I’ll see what I can do. -

Hancock nodded, his entire posture implied that he was satisfied.

- The man you are looking for is Skinny Malone. A couple of months ago our good friend Malone decided that he no longer wanted to be under Marowski's orders, so he gathered a few friends who got the idea that they could be a better band than Marowski's and tried to stay with his territory. Obviously Marowski didn’t stand with his hands crossed and Malone and his boys fled with their tail between their legs. -

With an elegant and leisurely movement, Hancock took a drink of liquor. He set the glass on the table and crossed one leg.

- His band is hiding in an abandoned vault that is in Park Street Station. It shouldn’t be hard to find. -

Nick took a small notebook from one of the pockets of his coat, scribbled on it and put it away again.

- I appreciate your help, Hancock. Now tell me about your business with which you want me to help you. -

Hancock's gaze flew to Fahrenheit, who immediately understood the message and jumped up from the couch. Nick saw her approach the door with long and agile steps. Fahrenheit closed both doors and assured them, Nick looked for Hancock's gaze without understanding what was happening. But Hancock waited until the redhead returned to her seat to speak.

- You know me, Nick, you know that I tend to be very overprotective with my people. And in order to keep them safe I must make certain sacrifices. -

Nick was silent.

- I have always hated when a government leads to a dictatorship. But sometimes, to save people, you have to become a dictator. -

- I'm not a murderer, Hancock. -

- I know, dear friend. What I want is something more complicated. -

Curiosity flooded Nick.

- What is it about? -

- I want you to investigate Marowski. -

- Do you think Marowski is stealing from you? -

Hancock smiled. His white and perfect teeth were visible in the dim light.

- If that were the case I would have fixed it already. No, my friend. I suspect that Marowski is playing the informant. -

- Marowski a spy? Whose? -

Hancock's voice vibrated with hate and his eyes shone cruelly.

- From The Institute. -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Deacon saw Nick Valentine leave the Old State House and head for the front door. The guard exchanged a few words with the detective and opened the door for him. Deacon watched him leave and wondered what he should do next.

Nick had spent most of the morning locked in Hancock's office, chatting with him and his bodyguard. Deacon would have wanted to know what they were talking about, but that was practically impossible. Hancock wasn’t one of the people who maintained an excess of security, but infiltrating the Old State House without being seen was very complicated. There was always someone posted at the door.

Deacon pulled his backpack behind a dumpster and hung it on his shoulder. The guard at the door didn’t ask him questions and opened it, surely he had taken it for another wanderer.

Deacon went out to the commonwealth even without deciding which way to go. If he rushed he could reach Nick and follow him some distance away. But that wasn't a safe plan, Nick could always realize he was being followed or he could simply lose sight of it among the many buildings.

His feet moved nervously over the concrete and forced himself to make a hasty decision.

No matter what Nick was doing, sooner or later he would have to return to Diamond City.

With that thought in mind, Deacon turned to the great green jewel.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Piper hoped to wake up that morning and have new news about Darla's whereabouts, but upon arriving at Nick Valentine's office, she found the news that the detective wasn’t there yet.

- He didn't come last night. - It was Ellie's answer.

Piper tried to reassure her by telling her that it was likely that Nick didn't want to come back at night and just down that dangerous road, so he was likely to have stayed at Goodneighbor for the night. Ellie wasn't so sure.

- Where would he sleep? On the street with all the bums? No I don’t think so. It’s not likely. -

But Piper reminded her that Nick had multiple friends in Goodneighbor and some of them had to offer him a suitable place to sleep.

- Like Dr. Amary. -

Piper immediately regretted seeing Ellie's hurt expression. No one who had seen Ellie and Nick together could doubt the nature of the affection the secretary had for Detective Synth. Piper reprimanded herself for the awkwardness of mentioning Ellie the probability that the object of her affection has stayed overnight with another woman.

- Or maybe he stayed with the mayor. Remember that they are good friends. -

Although there was nothing she could say to fix her previous skid, Piper sighed relieved to see that Ellie considered that option and seemed calmer.

The reporter decided to accompany Ellie the rest of the day to wait for Nick's return together. But as the hours went by and Nick didn’t return, Piper was feeling more and more restless.

Goodneighbor was not far, but the road wasn’t without danger.

Unable to sit longer, Piper decided to look for something to entertain and return later. Ellie dismissed her at the door, promising that she would inform her at once if there was anything new.

Piper went home, thinking that a small delay didn't mean Nick was in trouble. In addition, Nick was an adult capable of defending himself and had extensive experience roaming the commonwealth. To that she had to add his past as a pre-war cop and his exceptional resistance for being a Synth.

There was nothing to worry about.

But when he sat down in front of his typewriter that night, the words refused to come to her.

She looked long at the white page that she introduced into the machine and which in turn contemplated it accusatively. There should be the beginning of a long article about how unhealthy the bottling drinking water seemed and the little importance the mayor attached to the living conditions of its citizens.

But Piper couldn't concentrate. Various fateful scenarios of what might have happened to Nick passed through her mind. And all those thoughts only contributed to feed their worst fears. Piper regretted not having accompanied Nick.

The days accumulated and neither Ellie or Piper had news of Nick. When the first week of Nick's disappearance had passed, Piper decided that something more active should be done to help.

Without further delay, she sat down in front of her machine and wrote a note.

The note was for Travis, the shy boy in charge of city radio. Piper hoped people would help locate Nick. Or, if Nick listened to the radio wherever he was, he knew there were still people waiting for him in Diamond City.

Nat peered briefly at the door and saw her typing furiously. The girl shrugged and decided to leave her alone. Sometimes Piper used to get in a bad mood when she interrupted while writing. Piper said she cut her creative process.

So Nat turned around and left Piper alone with her machine, her creative process and whatever it seemed that she was corroding.

Piper finished the note, reread it and nodded satisfied. Now all that remained was to convince Travis to read it on the air.

The trailer where Travis lived and that was the same place from where the radio signal was transmitted, was at the other end of the city, very close to Abbot's house. Piper left her house with the hope that the note would be transmitted and help Nick return. she had days without going to see Ellie, because she couldn't bear to see her so worried. Her pain broke her own heart and she couldn't find a way to do more.

she knocked on the metal door with her knuckles and from inside came the sound of a crawling chair and light steps. Travis opened the trailer door and looked around before his eyes fell on Piper's figure. The DJ changed his expression of eternal concern for one of absolute surprise.

- PIPER! -

Travis looked both ways, perhaps hoping to see Piper accompanied by city guards. But he found that the reporter was alone, and that only contributed to his nervousness.

- Wh-what ... What are you doing here, Piper?. -

She gave him a friendly smile that tried to be reassuring. She knew Travis was the excitable type, and the boy was afraid of literally everything. And in recent months he thought that joining Piper would only cause problems.

But those were just ridiculous and unfounded fears.

- Can I come in?. -

In a reflex act, which almost made Piper laugh, Travis clung to his jacket and crossed his arms over his chest demurely.

- N-no ... I don't think ... I don't think that's a good idea. -

Piper raised her hands and bit her desire to laugh. The last thing she needed was to offend Travis, who was her last and best resource at the time.

- Come on, Travis, I promise I won't get you into a trouble. -

- It's just ... I ... I don't know. -

- Travis, I swear it's something important. -

- Yes Yes. It is just that... -

- Come on, Travis! It's about Nick. -

At Nick's mention, Travis was interested.

- Nick Valentine? -

- What other Nick do you know? You know what, don't answer me. -

Travis said nothing, just stepped aside to let the reporter come in. Before closing the door, he took a last look. He was never too cautious and he knew that not all the people in the city liked Piper very much. He closed the door carefully and turned to Piper.

Before he could say anything, Piper started talking.

- Listen, before you say something or even think about denying yourself, I want you to reconsider that I‘ve always been your friend and I’ve supported you in everything. -

- Jesus! You scare me, Piper. What is this all about? -

- It's about Nick. He has disappeared. -

- What? But how? -

- We don’t know. All I want is for you to convey what I wrote in this note and if someone comes because they know something, let me know immediately. -

She handed the note to Travis, who immediately took it and read it. When he looked up, his indecisive gaze met Piper's determined gaze.

- Mayor McDonough won't like this. -

- Who cares what that fool thinks? -

Travis was startled.

- I care. The mayor can take off my job. He will replace me with any other person. I’ll be left homeless, without food ... with nothing to do. -

Piper approached him and took him by the shoulders, she noticed that he was seriously hesitating to help her.

- Travis, nobody can replace you. You do a wonderful job. -

The boy laughed nervously and without a drop of humor.

- I wish I thought like you, seriously. -

She decided to ignore Travis's words and left. Once the note was delivered, all she could do was wait for news. She hoped that people would respond and provide information on Nick's whereabouts.

That continuous silence of the detective made her very nervous. Deep inside on her chest she hoped that nothing bad had happened to him. But her most fatalistic side kept making terrible scenarios and situations.

Piper was sincere with herself and accepted that she was completely terrified. She feared for Nick's physical integrity.

With thousands of wretched thoughts buzzing in her head, she came home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Despite her hopes, Piper noticed that nothing had worked. Travis complied and the news of Nick's disappearance had been aired. But despite requesting information to help locate it, no one had been able to do anything. No one knew anything about Nick.

Piper couldn't stand having to listen to Ellie's continuous questions, to which she always answered in a negative way. Seeing the disappointment and sadness in Ellie's expression made her stomach squeeze. She wanted to do something else, but she didn't know what.

When Nick turned two weeks gone, Piper decided she had enough. From under her bed she took out a cardboard box from which she extracted the only weapon she had, a simple 9mm pistol. He loaded the gun and put it in one of her trench pockets.

She couldn't keep sitting waiting, she had to do something.

She left his house without telling Nat where she was going, because she didn't want to worry her. Although it distressed her to leave Nat alone, Piper had a plan. The last time she had seen Nick, he was addressing Goodneighbor, so she decided to go there to find out what had happened.

Near the entrance door she noticed that the mayor's elevator was in motion and was the Mayor the one who came down on it.

Piper hastened the pace to avoid meeting the man. Just a few days before she written an article denouncing Mayor McDonough as a spy and a synth of the institute, based on irrefutable testimonies and evidence that confirmed that fact. But despite the solidity of her evidence and claims, nothing had happened in the city. All citizens were content to look the other way and just murmur about the matter during dinner.

Piper felt disappointed. But she didn’t let the blindness of her neighbors stop her. She was more determined than ever to unmask the corrupt liar who served as mayor.

Of course, although her article had barely raised a stir among the citizens, the scandal had been a scandal in the mayor's office.

The day after it was published, Mayor McDonough in person had pounded her door very early in the morning. Piper opened the door, still confused for being awakened so early, and had faced the angry man shouting at her face. He threatened to evict her from the city if she didn't retract and begged public apologies for writing so many lies in her newspaper.

Although Piper hadn’t been intimidated, the truth was that since that day she refused to meet the politician again. she didn't want to tempt her luck, so it was best to keep a low profile until she managed to prove McDonough's guilt.

Piper looked down and tried to go unnoticed as she hurried over to get to the door.

But bad luck was chasing her that morning, because the mayor seen her and was after her.

- PIPER! -The man called out.

Piper clung to the inner fence and opened it quickly, trying to put as much distance as possible between the mayor and her.

- No comments, Mayor McDonough. -

The guards watched her hurry through, all of it turned into a whirlpool of red raincoat that literally ran out of the city.

At that moment Danny Sullivan was on duty and looked out when he heard someone's hurried steps and the shouts of the mayor speaking to Piper. He saw the reporter go by, but he never intended to leave his cubicle to try to stop her. Behind her came Mayor McDonough, but unlike the young reporter, he stayed at the entrance contemplating the path where Piper had disappeared.

Sullivan suspected that something bad must have happened, and when the mayor turned to look at him he was certain that something worse was about to happen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Piper hadn't wanted to stop to have the same useless conversation with the mayor. It wasn’t that she wanted to believe that McDonough was an infiltrated synth in the city who worked as a spy for the institute, but there was too much evidence to certify this fact. And although there was a minimal possibility that she was wrong and McDonough wasn’t a synth, there was still the fact that the mayor was completely incompetent to solve the problems that afflicted the citizens. There were too many terrible things that McDonough allowed to happen in the city; from the complete indifference of the security body to the abductions and disappearances, to the shameless sale of drugs that occurred in front of their noses and possibly overlapped by it.

Piper didn’t understand how that man still had the nerve to say that everything was fine within the city walls. That was something that bothered the reporter deeply. McDonough had to be removed from office, whether synth or not.

She was still muttering hier annoyance when she stopped a few meters from the city, just where the merchant caravans stopped to camp with their animals.

Piper looked on both sides of the street until he located Cricket. The merchant was sitting on a wooden box, chatting with one of her guards.

Piper had begun a friendship with Cricket, even despite her obvious addiction to hard drugs, a couple of years earlier, not knowing the day would come that she would need a favor from her. The reporter approached hier, smiling kindly.

- Hey, Cricket. -

- The reporter. What can I do for you? Do you want to buy something? I‘ve good prices and good weapons, whatever you want. Large or small. Whatever you need. -

Piper smiled uncomfortably. Cricket's explosive and neurotic energy managed to make her extremely nervous.

- Not today. But I need you to do me a small favor. Do you still go to Goodneighbor to sell? -

Cricket looked at her suspiciously.

- Goodneighbor is dangerous, and then there's that creepy robot. One day he will kill everyone, girl, I tell you. It is better not to approach Goodneighbor. I tell you. -

- It's just that I need to go to Goodneighbor, Cricket. You can help me? -

Cricket hesitated a few moments, looking at Piper and the road alternately, as if weighing if it was worth taking the trouble to go to that city. After a few minutes,s he sighed.

- I'll not go to Goodneighbor, that place is bad and they never buy anything. But I’ll help you. You can go with Clark and I'll wait here for them to come back. -

Clark, who was one of two guards who followed Cricket everywhere and pouted when he heard her. Most likely his anger was that he suspected he would have to do it without receiving an extra pay.

Piper nodded and thanked the merchant for her help, and headed for Goodneighbor behind the mercenary.

She felt optimistic for the first time in those two weeks. She was hoping that at Goodneighbor she would find Nick or at least someone who knew where to find him.

The trip to Goodneighbor was much easier and faster having someone right-handed to help her. Between the mercenary and Piper they were able to travel quietly to the city. It was always better to travel with someone who could cover your back. It took less than an hour to reach the blue door of Goodneighbor, and once they did Piper felt again that pessimism invaded her.

As told by the door guard, Nick left the city two weeks ago, more specifically the same day she had arrived.

- Are you completely sure? Maybe he came back when you weren't on duty. Would you mind asking? -

The man looked at her strangely that Piper didn't understand.

- I would care. Believe me, at Goodneighbor we all know what happens. Mr. Valentine is not in the city. -

Piper nodded silently and decided to leave. It was clear that the guard was not willing to let her in and she knew she would win nothing by arguing with him. She never had a good relationship with the mayor of Goodneighborn.

To be honest, Piper deeply disliked Hancock, and suspected that the feeling was mutual.

She walked back to Diamond City feeling lost and frustrated. For a moment she felt like sitting on the floor and crying inconsolably. Nick was one of the few people Piper trusted, he was his friend, a neighbor worried about others. Technically, Nick was the only person Piper trusted and couldn't imagine returning to Diamond City without him.

But Piper wasn’t a woman who gave up so easily. she was terrified of succumbing to emotions and buried everything under layers of indignation. She told herself that the thing couldn’t get worse.

But things could always get worse.

Piper said goodbye to Cricket thanking her for his help. Dejected and mortified, she returned down the road to Diamond City, still weighing on what else could be done to find Nick.

Piper wouldn't give up, she would find a way to solve that, she always did, she always managed to get by. While walking she prayed for a miracle to happen, that something fell from heaven and favored them.

She was so involved in her thoughts that she didn't see the city gates closed until she almost fell on her face.

Disoriented, she approached the intercom to find out what was happening.

On the other side of the intercom she could hear the quiet voice of Danny Sullivan, the one in charge of the front door.

- Who goes? -

- Danny, it's me, Piper. Open me. -

Sullivan hesitated a few moments. When he spoke again, Piper could tell the tone of apology in his voice.

- I can’t open the door. -

- What do you mean you can’t open the gate? Stop playing around, Danny! I’m Standing out in the open here, for crying out loud! -

- I got orders not to let you in, Miss Piper. I'm sorry. I just doing my job. -

Piper felt anger raging in her gut.

- “Just doing your job?”Protecting Diamond city means keeping me out, is that is? “Oh look, it’s the scary reporter!” Boo! -

But no matter what Piper said, Sullivan wasn’t willing to let her pass, he had even confirmed to Piper that her banishment was the mayor's work. And she was furious and stunned.

When the communication was cut, Piper took a moment to breathe. A deep sigh sprang from her chest, and it was when she noticed the figure of a one person standing near her. Piper turned and her eyes connected with Nora's.

She couldn't know, but she had just met the person who would change her life forever.

- Your. You want into Diamond City, right? -

Nora smiled at her and Piper felt that in the end everything would be solved.