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For a moment, Sole almost forgot that the world had ended.
She and Nick made their way through the wreckage toward Diamond City, picking a path through the rubble and pausing when the constant echo of gunshots seemed a little too close. In spite of all the chaos, being with the detective helped put her mind at ease.
A distant volley split the air, then faded into the night. Nick’s hand rested on his gun; he let it relax by his side, then resumed their walk.
“Now, uh, what were we talking about?” he said.
She folded her arms so he would not see her hands trembling. Not that there was much to be seen in the dark. It had been weeks since she escaped the Vault, but she still had not gotten used to being on guard all the time. It was exhausting.
“Poems, I think,” she said. “Got a favorite?”
“Of Poe’s, or?”
“Of Poe’s. We can get to the rest of the Romantics later,” she grinned.
He returned her smile with a smirk, then knitted his brow in thought.
“Hmm… probably ‘Annabel Lee,’” he said. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m a sucker for love poems.”
“I won’t tell. But that’s not a love poem,” she said.
“What are you talking about? Of course it is. ‘And we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabel Lee.’”
She shot him a skeptical look.
“Okay, but sleeping next to her grave all the time?” she scoffed. “That’s obsession.”
He shrugged.
“Even if it is, that doesn’t mean that love isn’t also a part of it.”
“I suppose. It’s just a bit… much.”
“Oh come on. Wouldn’t you want a man to mourn for you like that?”
She thought it over. It would be a beautiful gesture, in a tragic sort of way.
“Well. Part of me would,” she admitted.
“Ha.”
“But I think that would be selfish of me to want a man so dependant that he comes completely unraveled when I die. I would want him to live a good life. Call it cliché, but I really would want him to be happy.”
He looked at the ground and nodded, his expression unreadable.
“I suppose that’s fair,” he said.
They walked on in silence for a time. His eyes were distant; Sole wondered if she had said something wrong. Before she could think of something new to talk about, he paused.
“Hang on. Does something seem off to you?” he said.
“What do you mean by ‘off?’”
“Like something has changed right here.”
“I couldn’t say. Everything seems off to me lately.”
He shook his head and continued on.
“Figured I’d ask,” he said. “Something seems different about this place, but I don’t know what. Can’t see for beans when it’s dark.”
“Really? Don’t you have…” she hesitated, afraid she might offend. “I don’t know. Night-vision or something?”
“I wish. About all I can do is avoid running into things.”
“We’ll have to find you some night-vision goggles, then. We can tell folks they’re x-ray glasses.”
“Oh good, just one more reason for Myrna to hate me,” he chuckled.
“That grumpy lady with the shop? Why one earth would she hate you?”
“Eh, she’s got a thing against synths.”
“Well. She’s missing out on some damn fine conversation.”
She elbowed him, then drew back. Would that sort of gesture seem odd to a synth? It occurred to her that she had no idea how different he might be. He acted like any other person. He acted human—was human, in her book. But being a synth, there could be a number of things he disliked that would seem normal to her. She crossed her arms again.
“Nice of you to say,” he said. “It’s a welcome change, having someone to talk with about—wait.” He stopped in his tracks. “I know this wall wasn’t here before—”
A shot tore through the air. Sole flinched, drawing closer to Nick out of instinct. Gun in hand, he searched for the noise’s source.
“Are you alright?” He said in a hushed tone.
“I’m fine. You?”
“I think so—”
“One more step, and you’re dead!” came a man’s voice. It came from one storey up; a chorus of voices echoed the sentiment.
Sole looked to the first one and found a shadow on a makeshift bridge stretching between two buildings. Nick turned to the man, but she could tell from the way his eyes darted about that he could not pinpoint where he was.
“About the middle of the bridge,” she whispered.
His eyes steadied. Tentatively, he raised his hands.
“We don’t want any trouble,” he called, his voice sure. “See? We’re just passing through.”
“Hey, wait a minute…” the man on the bridge paused, shifting in place to get a better look. “You sound familiar. What’s your name?”
“Nick Valentine. On my way back to Diamond City.”
“No shit? Guns down, fellas; it’s Mr. Valentine.”
“Who?” a different voice said.
“It’s that guy who helped my sister last year. Now get a move on! Let ‘em through.”
A murmur ran through the shadows; behind the wall, a light sprung up. There came a shuffling and a creaking, and then a door made of corrugated tin swung open. Nick and Sole exchanged a glance.
“Are you sure this isn’t a trap?” she whispered.
“I get the feeling that if they wanted to take us down, they could have done it already. But if you don’t want to do this, we can try another way.”
She sidled closer to him.
“If you think it’ll be okay, that’s good enough for me,” she said.
“Alright. Stick close just in case something goes haywire.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
They stepped through the door and found themselves in a ramshackle camp. At least a dozen raiders hovered nearby, tensed for a fight; some of them looked young, barely out of their teens. Sole felt their eyes on her as they walked slowly into their midst.
The man from the bridge met them by the cookfire.
“Good to see you again, Mr. Valentine,” he said. “Shame it had to be under such circumstances.”
“It’s not ideal, that’s for sure. Remind me of your name?”
“It’s Sam.”
“You know Sam, when you had me rescue your sister from a band of raiders, I didn’t realize she was going right to a different band. You left that part out.”
“No, no, no, you got it all wrong,” he said, waving a hand in a dismissive gesture. “She’s back with my folks. I send them what I can now and then. Times being hard, and all that.”
“Noble of you. You think times would be easier if your friends weren’t out here causing problems?”
Sam scowled.
“Watch it. I convinced them not to hurt you this time, but I couldn’t stop a bullet if someone’s finger happened to slip.”
A laugh rippled through the crowd.
“Alright, alright,” Nick said. “Message received.”
“Good. Now get going.”
They started for the other end of the camp, where one of the raiders held the door. The boy was easily the youngest of the bunch; his dark, messy hair hung down to a jaw that had never yet needed a shave. He stared at the ground, seemingly intent on not catching their eye.
Nick paused.
“Hold the phone. Bobby? Is that you?” He said.
The boy almost looked up. Nick stepped closer.
“Bobby Gunderson?” He continued. “Come on, Bobby, I know that’s you.”
The boy muttered something Sole could not make out. Nick took another step closer.
“...It’s Killer-B now,” Bobby said.
“God, do you know how worried your parents have been?” Nick said. “When I couldn’t find you, they assumed the worst. They're still in mourning.”
Bobby met his gaze, then scowled and looked away.
“They don’t care,” he said.
“Yes they do. They miss you like crazy, kid.”
For a brief moment, the boy’s scowl faltered. Nick took yet another step and softened his voice.
“Your mother is working herself into the ground to keep the shop running. And your father’s barely holding himself together.”
The boy remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ground.
“I haven’t met your parents,” Sole added, “but I know what it’s like to have a child go missing. It’s a special kind of hell. Day and night, all I can think about is where he might be, if he’s safe, if he’s already—” she could not finish.
Bobby met her eyes. Behind the hurt and the tough facade, she could see fear stirring.
“I’m not going to force you to do anything,” Nick said, “but if you want to go home, you can come with me and my friend here.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sam cut in. “I said I’d let you through. I never said anything about stealing my guys.”
“It ain’t stealing if he wants to leave.”
“It’s stealing if I say it is. Although…” he circled behind them, looking Sole up and down. “I might be open to a trade.”
Sole’s blood ran cold. She looked to Nick, trying to keep the panic at bay. They had just met, but she was sure he would not sell her out like that. She hoped.
Nick took her arm.
“No way,” he said. “She’s coming with me. And the kid too, if he wants.”
“Is that so?”
The raiders raised their weapons. Sole clutched at Nick, pressing the hand that held her.
“Do you really want to do this, Sam?” Nick said, his voice hard. “Keep in mind that if you kill me, you’ll have all of Diamond City after you. Think that little barricade of yours will hold up?”
“They won’t find out if no one’s alive to tell them.”
“It ain’t that easy kid.” Nick gestured to himself. “Look at all this hardware. Tear me apart, and you still won’t find all the tracking modules I’ve installed. They’ll find me. You can count on that.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Are you willing to risk it?”
A frustrated look crossed Sam’s face. Sole could hardly breathe; the suspense sat like a rock in her middle. After a moment, he let out a grumbling sigh.
“Fine. Go,” he said. “The brat was useless anyway.”
Nick started through the door and motioned Bobby to follow. After a moment’s hesitation, he dashed out of the camp. Sole still clutched Nick’s hand to her arm.
When they made it a good distance away, Nick let out a breath and leaned against the bricks of a nearby building. Sole reluctantly let go. He ran a hand over his scalp.
“Well folks, to be honest, I wasn’t sure that would work,” he said.
“Thank goodness it did,” Sole said, surprised by the unsteadiness of her voice. After cutting her way through all those Triggermen, she found it odd how the situation affected her. Perhaps it was the difference between getting the jump on her enemies versus staring down a dozen barrels at once.
“Oh, uh—sorry for dragging you into this,” Nick said.
“It’s okay. I’m just glad everything worked out.”
He nodded, then turned to Bobby. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” he said, his voice closer to the breaking point than Sole’s.
Nick clapped him on the back.
“Yeah, you’ll be alright,” he said. “You’re a tough kid. Let’s get you home.”
“But—they’ll shoot me. I look like a raider now.”
“They won’t shoot you. If they try, you’ll have me as a human shield. Well. A synth shield.”
Bobby gave a thin laugh.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
“You remember the way, don’tcha? I can’t see very well in the dark.”
The boy nodded and took up his place in front. Nick fell back beside Sole.
“Hey,” he said quietly, “you sure you’re doing okay? You sound pretty rattled.”
She considered telling him that she was fine, but if her voice was what gave her away, then he would know she was lying. She let out a breath.
“…I’m shaking all over,” she laughed.
“Goodness. Is there anything I can do…?”
“Only if you can keep my knees from knocking together.”
“I don’t know how much I can help that, but I can at least make sure you don’t fall over.”
He slipped his arm around hers. She pressed close, surprised at how natural it felt. She expected him to feel rigid, like the unyielding metal he was built from, but his body moved and gave like any other. In the dark, it felt no different than a human.
It felt safe.
For a split second, she wanted both of his arms around her.
“Boy, you weren’t kidding,” Nick said.
The comment startled her from her thoughts.
“Huh?” She said.
“About the shaking.”
“Oh. Yes.” She tried to think of more to say. “Better keep your distance so I don’t shake one of your screws loose.”
She cringed at her lack of tact. She eyed him sidelong, gauging his reaction. To her relief, he laughed.
“Some folks think I’ve already got a screw loose. Sometimes they’re right, and I mean that literally,” he said. “But if you want me to let go of you—just say the word.”
She wondered at the offer. Then it hit her how her joke must have sounded like a sly way to keep him at arm’s length.
“No, no, you’re fine. I appreciate the help,” she said. “Unless you’re tired of it, of course. I’m sure I’ll be fine. I mean—I want you to keep holding—uh—holding me up. Anyway.”
She was glad for the darkness; it would hide how her face burned. The sensation made her wonder. She could not deny that was fond of the detective, in spite of having only just met him. But why would she blush for him? He was somewhat handsome, in a rough sort of way, but not her usual type. It made no sense. She kept her mouth shut and resolved to keep it that way until they reached Diamond City.
It was a short walk, less than a quarter hour. Sole remembered when she first visited the city two days before; she had laughed to find that it was an old ball park. It had not occurred to her that the “diamond” part of the name referred to a baseball diamond. She had expected something more glamorous.
The city was half-asleep when they arrived. Only the guards and a few night owls walked the streets. Bobby all but ran to his parents’ house at the far corner of the field, past the Power Noodles.
He pounded on the door. A moment passed.
“They’re heavy sleepers,” he said, his voice anxious.
He pounded again; the door flung open. The man on the other side rubbed his eyes, a scowl on his face.
“This better be important—”
His eyes landed on the boy. The scowl disappeared.
“Bobby?” He said.
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
Before he could say anything else, his father wrapped him in a bear-hug. The man’s shoulders heaved with the effort to hold back his tears. Mrs. Gunderson emerged from the dark house; with a sob of relief and disbelief, she threw her arms around them both. She looked to Nick.
“Thank you,” she said.
Nick nodded.
“I’m just glad he’s home safe,” he said.
Sole tried not to think of how wonderful it would be to have Shaun back. She tried not to imagine holding her baby close—even though he would not be a baby anymore. She didn’t care. She just wanted him back.
She forced back the tears. She wasn’t ready to let them fall. Not yet. She would find him, and then there would be no need to cry.
Nick started back the way they had come, and she followed without thinking.
“I guess we shouldn’t keep Ellie waiting,” he said. “What are your plans afterwards?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. She tried to hide the lump in her throat, but her voice nearly broke with the strain.
He glanced her way, squinting through the shadows. With all the neon around them, she wondered just how much he could see.
“Is something wrong—oh,” his voice softened. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about it—I should have sent you straight to Ellie before taking Bobby home.”
She waved a hand.
“It’s alright. I’m glad they’re together again—” she could not finish.
“Hey,” Nick paused and reached out as though to put a hand on her shoulder, then let it fall to his side.
“We’ll get your boy back,” he went on. “I promise.”
His yellow eyes stood out against the night. He had no way to guarantee it, but she appreciated the thought. At least he was sincere. She nodded.
“Anyway, do you have a place to stay tonight?” he said.
She took a breath to clear the shakiness from her voice.
“There’s an inn down that way, isn’t there?” she said. “I don’t remember.”
Almost before she finished speaking, he said,
“I’ve got a spare bed, if you’re interested. Well, technically it’s my bed, but I rarely use it. It’s up for grabs, I guess is what I’m saying.”
“That does sound a lot better, actually. Thanks.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to see what the rooms at the Dugout look like.”
Sole chuckled.
“You’re right about that.”
He smirked and started toward the Agency. Something about the expression—the way his laugh lines tugged up, how the smile even reached his eyes—it made her heart skip a beat. It was all very strange.
And for a moment, she truly did forget that the world had ended.