Chapter Text
The days of October 2077 were quite eventful, to say the least. In the first few weeks, people were surprised to learn that Vault-Tec had ceased construction on several vaults and other projects. Whether it was for financial reasons or their controversial rumors, it was never made clear to the public.
Then, in the middle of the month, unbeknownst to the public, a special unit in the army discovered China’s plans to eradicate the States using nuclear weapons. So they scrambled to assemble America’s finest to sabotage those plans and save their home.
And then, on October 23rd 2077, it happened. A few nukes were launched and destroyed most of the West Coast, the fallout reaching as far as the central states. The special unit managed to use their training to prevent total annihilation, but the loss was still massive.
As an act of revenge, American soldiers who had sieged a few of the enemy submarines sent the remaining bombs to the sub’s home coordinates. And it was celebrated, despite the very real possibility that it resulted in thousands more civilian casualties. It didn’t matter to some, their hearts cold after the decades of war with the communists. And no one really dared to challenge the narrative, in fear of being labeled a “communist sympathizer.”
Nevertheless, it was all over now. After a few days, the president announced that the war was over, and it was now time to celebrate, mourn, recover, and rebuild. And so, soldiers were given some time to come home and celebrate, blissfully unaware of the hell that awaited them when they returned to duty. If not diving into the fallout to recover important items or assist scientists, they might be lucky and handle the very traumatized and desperate masses of civilians trying to flee to the east.
If not celebrating the victory, or surviving the chaos of it - the people were mourning the fallen. With over half of America either gone or in a life-threatening situation, no one’s life would go unaffected. Some had only lost their favorite vacation spot, some had lost their entire family. It was painful to see so many people merely adding to a number, but that’s how it goes. The only names and faces shown to the public being of the ones who managed to do something for the history books. Their names would be on newspapers, honored in official events, their photos and stories given a permanent spot in museums.
It was the names and faces of the heroes who prevented the enemy from hurting America even more.
Heroes like Nathaniel “Nate” Ward.
His wife, Ilene Ward, had been prepared for the risk of losing him. She was very thankful to know his last years with her and their newborn son were so full of love. They had grown up together with the same military background, and been through a lot together. While that made it somewhat easier to handle moving on, it didn’t make it easier for her heart.
Living in Charlestown with her father Rashaun Ward, they lived rather comfortably. With him working at the National Guard Training Yard, they could afford having her play the role of housewife and enjoy some maternity leave from her job as a lawyer. It gave her more time to recover, and take care of her baby Shaun. Taking one day at a time, almost one year eventually passed and she was getting used to her new life.
Since they lived so close to her father's workplace, Ilene would sometimes take her baby Shaun with her on walks there to visit. And this particular day, the sun was shining like it was inviting them to enjoy the outside.
Just as she had the carrier ready, the phone rang and she went to answer it.
"Hello, Ilene Ward speaking. ...oh hey, Preston!" she smiled as she heard her friend respond. "No, it's fine, but I do have limited time. ...oh, that sounds great! I'll be there! ...yes, thank you. Alright, I’ll see you then! Goodbye!"
Hanging up the phone, she looked over at her son who sat on the floor with a box of hats, trying to find the one he liked the most. She chuckled and sat down next to him.
"That was Preston who called. Remember him? That nice guy from the museum in Concord?" she started gathering the hats he had thrown aside, "He invited us to a meeting they will have at the church, to discuss what to do with Sanctuary. Won't that be nice? Maybe we can go to the museum again while we're there."
"Bang bang!" Shaun cheered and patted the metal lid to his box of hats like it was a drum. Then, having found a beanie he liked, he put it on and looked at his mother, "J-ja-jack-an-apes!"
"That's right," she chuckled and picked him up to put him in the carrier. "And hey, maybe Grumpy will be free to join us! Let's go ask him!"
Making their way through Charlestown, they eventually reached the other side of the Mystic River, meeting a few people and seeing some interesting things. Shaun was especially excited to see the vehicles that made their way to an area known as County Crossing, where new houses would be built. Trucks, cranes and forklifts, all getting ready to work on the land.
Looking at the sign, Ilene noticed the picture of what was planned and what company would build it. It was something to keep in mind for the meeting in Concord. They didn't have much of a budget, so they would have to find either more money, or someone who'd get them a good deal.
When they arrived at the training yard, the offices were rather calm as the soldiers were having lunch in the barracks. So she was soon knocking on the door to her father's office.
Rashaun is a stoic drill sergeant, earning respect through his incredible control of his emotions. He can be as inescapable as the laws of physics, his soldiers would say. If you were on his good side, however, he'd be a good friend. You might even hear him laugh. And of course, if you were in his office now, you'd hear him be a bit goofy.
"Hey! There's my little chunky monkey! Here to visit ol' grumpy!" he chuckled as Shaun eagerly reached for him. He easily pulled the little kid out of the carrier to hold him, then looked up at Ilene, "And hello to you, my gem. Had a nice walk?"
Walking up next to him to give him a pat on the back, she nodded, "Yeah, the weather is lovely. It’s just the right temperature… I’m really gonna miss the summer wind."
“Then how about you two take the wagon up to Concord?” he suggested, ”Maybe spend the weekend there with your friends.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” she gave it a quick thought. “But speaking of Concord, Preston called before we left. They're gathering in the church to discuss Sanctuary. And I figured maybe, if you're free, we can go to the museum afterwards. Preston said they would have the exhibit done by then."
Rashaun thought for a moment, "...I'll have to discuss it with Dornan. We're letting the soldiers go to town for the weekend, so they'd want me ready to deal with the inevitable fools who'll drink too much or get stupid ideas..." He continued thinking about it as he let Shaun play with his hand, his big scarred fingers being somewhat entertaining for the toddler, "...but since it is on Friday, maybe I can let the new guy handle it. ...I'll discuss it with Dornan today, and I'll let you know tonight."
"Sounds great, dad," she smiled and noticed how Shaun seemed to get bored. He yawned and leaned back to rest on his grandpa's chest. "Aw, naptime is starting a bit early today. ...we should let you get back to work, maybe you'll come home before midnight this time."
He chuckled as he helped her gently carry the little guy back to his carrier, "Unless someone starts a food fight again, I'll be home by eight. Be a sweetie and have some food ready for me, will ya?"
"Of course, love you!"
With Shaun so tired, she decided to bring out the harness, strapping it to her chest before putting him in it. He usually slept better when that close to her. When they exited the building, she took a deep breath of that early September air. Autumn would soon be upon them. …and October. But she was thankful for this summer, having met so many wonderful people in Concord, and to start a project they were all excited about. This is what she loved doing, and it would help her get through the cold and dark times. They just needed to know what to build and how to do it.
Getting on the road, she noticed a van parked by County Crossing. It was on the road, which was illegal. As she got closer, she read the text on the side of the van, "RobCo ASAM". It seemed familiar somehow. RobCo is a really big company, so it was difficult keeping track of everything they produced. But she was aware of their shady rumors, so it wasn't surprising if they employed individuals who disregard minor crimes like illegal parking.
Looking over at the construction site, she quickly spotted a man with the RobCo logo on his suit, talking to someone who looked like the manager. By the looks of it, the manager was trying to end their conversation, and the RobCo employee was given a few final words before his shoulders sank in defeat. Making his way back to his van, he didn't notice Ilene until he arrived.
"Oh... can I help you, ma'am?" he asked.
She smiled and gestured at the van, "I'm alright, thank you, I just needed to check if you'd take care of your illegally parked van soon."
Looking at where it stood, his eyes widened, "Oh, shhh-- I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and- thank you, I'll be on my way," he quickly went to the diver's side, getting his keys out to open the door.
Looking at the messenger bag that hung from his shoulder, she noticed flyers sticking out. One was about building homes. That's when she realized what she needed to do. "Say, do you believe in the product you're selling?"
Turning to look at her, his eyes lit up and he smiled, "Yeah! I've tried them myself! And... the few I manage to sell any to, they seem to like them. ...are you perhaps interested?"
"As luck would have it," she chuckled, "I'm working with a few friends who want to build a small community up by Concord. We haven't decided on how to build it yet, so... I'd love to learn more about this option."
"That's great! ...eh, here!" he opened his bag, then handed her some flyers and a card, "Just give me a call - in about an hour, I just need to get back to the office - and we'll find a time to meet and I'll give a demonstration!"
Reading the card, she looked back up at him, "I look forward to it, Mr. Evans."
"Likewise, Mrs..."
"Ward. Ilene Ward."
"And the little one?" he looked down at her baby with a smile.
"Shaun," she chuckled.
"Alright, it was lovely to meet you," he looked back and forth on the road, "Better stay clear now, don't let the little guy breathe in the dust. Have a good rest of your day, Mrs. Ward!"
Crossing the road, she watched as the salesman, Jake Evans, started the van and drove away. Letting it sink in, she felt excited. It was always a great day when she got to make someone smile like that. It seemed like he was struggling with sales and she made his day. And his reaction to Shaun was so sweet. If she had to guess, he was probably a parent too.
That night, Ilene sat on the couch, reading the ASAM flyers, when her father came home.
"Hey there, Gem," he greeted as he hung up his jacket. "What are you reading?"
Putting it aside, she got up to greet her father, "Welcome home, dad. I have some exciting news!"
"Oh?" he leaned down to receive a kiss on the cheek.
"On my way home, I met someone who might be able to help with the Sanctuary Project," she smiled. "He sells RobCo ASAM sensors."
"Oh, yeah, those things..." he went into the kitchen to fetch his plate of food Ilene had prepared for him, "Aw, still warm. Thanks, Gem."
Following him to the dinner table, she studied him curiously, "So you knew about the devices? And didn't tell me?"
"It wasn't ready for the public yet, and then I... forgot about it. But hey, they seem like a good option from what I've seen. We had it demonstrated by someone from RobCo, set it up with a "sand castle outpost" blueprint, then had him compete against Sergeant Hugh," Rashaun explained as he started eating. "Hugh still won but the RobCo guy did much better than most newbies I've seen."
Ilene chuckled, "Better than I did on my first try?"
"Yeah," he chuckled, "Not that it says much..."
After a moment of playful glare, she reached for the salt and threatened to dust his food with it. He quickly moved his plate away and they laughed it off.
"But this salesman you met," Rashaun started as he calmed down, "What was he like? Smelled any snake-oil?"
Giving it a thought, she shook her head, "I don’t think so. We talked some more over the phone and we mostly talked about the story behind the project, what ideas we had, and what he knew the sensors can do. He’s been very honest, it's like he's only been a salesman for... a year, tops."
"Hmm, maybe one of those poor fellas from the west," Rashaun started between bites, “was something on the news about the Fallout Relief Program connecting with RobCo to get folks employed.”
The Fallout Relief Program… the people who were allowed to leave the radioactive west would seek asylum in the east coast states and work hard to keep their spot. While the cities received support and had plenty of apartments for these unfortunate souls, the terms were harsh, forcing the people to go back to the west if they lost their jobs within a certain timeframe. It was to keep cities from overflowing, the Governor said, and to keep the west from being abandoned as the government desperately needed towns with civilians to support the soldiers and workers. And while there were plenty of controversy surrounding the people fleeing from the west, there was no denying they had it really tough. They were victims of war, after all.
"Either way, I'm really glad I found him," she continued. "He seems to be genuinely interested and offered to survey the land, get a better idea of what we can build. If we want, we can make an independent town - with our own water, electricity, farms, shops, and a school."
"All that on that tiny island?" Rashaun asked, a bit surprised. "...then again, I’ve been to smaller camps..."
Fetching the flyers, she placed them down on the table and unfolded the one about the municipal plots. "See here, start small with a generator shack - then the sensor will guide you on how to upgrade it with fusion technology. And all that in this sma--" she was interrupted as Shaun started crying in the bedroom upstairs.
While she hurried up to check on him, Rashaun read through the flyers, trying to find anything suspicious or otherwise noteworthy. And by the time she came down, comforting Shaun as she carried him with her, he had something.
"Did he say anything about the "comm hub" they write about here?" he asked and turned it over for her to see.
With Shaun on her lap, she glanced down, "Oh, yeah, it is what it says: a hub for communication between all the sensors in a large area - if we'd have one in Concord, it would reach Sanctuary and even Lexington. But it's mostly for bigger customers that can build several colonies."
"But how does it work?"
She shrugged, "I don't know, we left it at that since we wouldn’t need it. ...but if you come with us on Friday, you can ask him yourself."
"That reminds me," he took his last bite of food before pushing the plate aside. "Dornan liked the idea of giving the Friday shift to McTavish. He's proven to be capable of keeping an eye on the boys without getting distracted - hell, rumors have been spreading of Miss Hollins trying to seduce him and he just straight up said 'no' and closed the door! Haha! Gotta love a fellow who knows how to prioritize."
“I would’ve loved to see that," she laughed. "But that's great! It’s been a while since we had a family outing."
"Out! Out!" Shaun clapped his hands with excitement, "The... museeeum!"
"That's right, boy," Rashaun leaned down to look into his grandson's eyes, "and this time... they might have one of those hats in the souvenir shop."
Shaun smiled again and laughed, "Ja- jackanapes!"
That Friday, the weather was perfect for a trip in the station wagon. With Rashaun driving, they eventually reached Concord and Ilene showed him where they could park the car. On their way to the church, they met one of the locals just outside the museum.
“Hey, Ilene!” a young lady and her little sister walked up to the family, “You’re here early!”
“Hi there,” she turned to her father. “Dad, this is the Wright sisters, they run the Wright’s Inn at the end of the street, over there. And Nat has her own local newspaper to earn money for summer camp. Piper, Nat, this is my father, Rashaun Ward.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Rashaun shook their hands, Nat being a little hesitant about the big and scary man but tried to be polite about it.
“So, I’ll give you a little heads up, there’s not much on the table yet,” Piper sighed. “There’s plenty of ideas on what to build but we can’t figure out a layout that’s affordable. Looks like we’ll either have to win a lottery, rob a bank or rent some cheap labor,” she chuckled then glanced up at Rashaun, “Eh, that’s a joke, by the way.”
“Just wait and see what I’m bringing to the table,” Ilene smiled with excitement and glanced around, “I think he’ll be here soon, he wanted to be early so he’d park legally this time,” she chuckled.
Piper’s eyes widened with interest, “Oh? Who did you find? A billionaire?”
She shook her head, “No, he’s a RobCo salesman I met the other day. And don’t worry, he’s not like the one from the NLTC,” checking her watch, she saw that it was almost time for the meeting, “Oh, I gotta go ask Paul if Mr. Evans can park outside the hardware store. You guys can head over to the church, I’ll be there in just a moment.”
With Shaun strapped to her chest, she headed over to the hardware store, a short distance from the museum. It was run by a Mr. Paul Jones, who also happened to own the land they called “Sanctuary.”
It was originally planned to become a small suburb of modern houses, which Nate said was Vault-Tec's way to fish for residents for the nearby vault. And one of those houses were reserved for her, Nate and Shaun. But something put a stop to that plan and the land was returned to Paul before anything could be built. Some months ago, she was visiting Preston when they ended up talking about Sanctuary. She got to meet Paul, learn that he didn’t know what to do with the land, and start the project to solve that problem for him.
Arriving at the hardware store, the bell alerted a lonesome worker of her arrival. “Hello?”
Cleaning up his workplace, Sturges looked up, “Hey there, Ilene! Paul and Lupe are already in the church, I’ll be there in a bit.”
“Good - but hey, is it okay to use the parking spot outside here? Got someone coming in with a van.”
“Oh, no problem! We don’t have any shipments incoming,” he gave a thumbs up, “so help yourself.”
Standing just outside the hardware store, greeting the townsfolk as they passed by on their way to the church, Ilene looked down the roads, waiting for Jake. The few minutes they still had until the scheduled meeting were going by quickly and even Shaun got a little restless by the wait. Just as she had assured her son that they’ll head in soon, she heard a vehicle down the road to the south and saw the familiar van arrive.
Driving up to her, Jake rolled down the window, “Would you believe I was stuck in traffic?”
She nodded, well aware of how the roads could be on a Friday, “Yes, I would. But you’re right on time! Park right here and we can head into the church.”
A curious Sturges leaned out of the hardware store, “RobCo, huh? …ASAM sensors, build your own future… so we got another salesperson to deal with?”
Sturges still had embers glowing in his eyes after losing his temper with the NLTC representative. They had been skeptical about the guy’s demeanour and the contract they were given and it took a while for Ilene to read through it and spot the red flags -- like the use of fancy words to slither in a clause about reserving the rights to the land should Paul Jones “expire”. So they managed to dodge a very tactical nuke there. The rep had tried to twist the narrative but to no avail, having to run away from the angry people wielding power tools.
But Jake was not like that at all, “Don’t worry, Sturges, I feel confident about this one. He’s still new to sales, and I think you’ll like him.”
Once Mr. Evans was ready, they headed to the church together. Seeing the rather big crowd gathered in the pews, Ilene noticed how Jake kind of paused before following again. He was nervous. Luckily, there was an empty pew in the back, and she gestured for him to sit there so he could collect himself without the feeling of eyes on his back.
“Ah, welcome! It seems we are all here now,” Pastor Edmund observed, “Time to formally welcome you all, my friends. As I’m sure you all know, we’ve arranged this meeting to assist our dear friend and oldest citizen, Mr. Paul Jones, in the effort to find a use for his baron land - the land we like to call Sanctuary.” Edmund turned to a big portable blackboard, where several ideas had been listed. “While we have plenty of interesting ideas - ranging from a communal park to a summer camp location - our last meeting ended with the common issue of budget. Mr. Jones doesn’t have much to spare, which is another reason why we need to work quickly so he can even afford to keep it. And our deputy mayor, Cedric Mansfield, explained in our last meeting that we need a proper plan to deliver before we can propose an expansion of the town.”
Sitting in one of the front pews, Ilene glanced back at where Jake sat and noticed him listening intently. She looked at the board and all the ideas listed. From what she knew so far about the sensors, all of it was possible. Of course, they needed to pick and choose something that could fit and work well in one layout.
“Miss Ilene,” the pastor got her attention, “from what I have heard, your search for options was fruitful? Before we discuss things further and make a vote, we would love to hear what you have found.”
Turning to her friend Preston, who sat next to her, she handed him Shaun so she could get up and walk over to the board, addressing the crowd.
“Has anyone heard of RobCo brand ASAM sensors?” glancing around, she saw one or two hands, then chuckled when she saw Jake shyly raise his with a smile, “I’m not surprised so few do. With the war over, this product - which would’ve been used to rebuild society in a post-apocalyptic wasteland - is now mostly used by the government in their mission to contain the fallout in the west. So RobCo has dialed back on the advertisement they give to the general public, and the few who see the posters and the commercials seem to think it’s too expensive or too complicated. And “why should we build with a sensor when the traditional method works just fine?” Well, I could share what I’ve learned… or I’ll let someone from RobCo share what he knows,” she looked over at Jake, “Mr. Evans, join me, if you will.”
With a lot of heads turning to him, he nervously picked up his bag and made his way down the aisle to join her, taking a deep breath before turning to face the crowd. Seeing their faces, he could see a rather colorful cast; the people of Concord. He could guess what kind of job some had - and that a few seemed rather skeptical. It was an expression he had seen more than once during his still budding career as a salesman. But Ilene’s support had him relax a bit, and he also happened to notice a familiar face in the crowd, which put a smile on his face. And he felt ready.
“Hello, folks! My name is Jake Evans, I’ve been working as a salesperson at RobCo for some months now and have specialized in the ASAM sensor technology,” he started and went on with his usual trained presentation, albeit a bit altered to make it sound more natural. He may be paid to give the exact speech his supervisor taught him, but he was also encouraged to make a sale using any method - within reason. It was his responsibility, and he liked to do it by giving a summary, then answering any questions to the best of his abilities.
It was exciting to see several hands raised and to be given good questions, like “How big can a plot be?”, “Can I build this and that?”, and of course the natural question “How expensive would this be?”
“Depends on what you want to build,” he began. “We got several package deals to choose from, ranging from the Homestead to the Big City. Based on the measurements I got from Ilene, I’d say the biggest would be the Small Town package that comes with twenty sensors, all the mayoral equipment, and a custom made town sign - at about five hundred thousand.” Pausing for a moment, he could hear the worried murmurs. “Of course, if we figure out how many sensors we need exactly, it could be knocked down a bit,” he assured. “…and the sign would be redundant since we can make one of our own, so that would knock down some ten grand or so,” he jokingly added, breaking the tension a bit.
“And how was it,” Ilene chimed in, “there’s no difference in price if we want to build on a big plot, right? So we could save some by thinking a bit bigger. Maybe have a joint school and library, or build stores with apartments on top.”
“Exactly,” he smiled, “and if I may have you all daydream a little, if we’ll really go for the town design, think about how independent it can become? As long as the residents are willing to put in the work, they won’t have to worry much about inflation or the city’s power outages. You can grow your own food, purify your own water, and build your own home powered by a homemade generator! It may be scary to be off the grid like that, but it’s so close to Concord, it’d be easy to help each other out like one big community!”
The folks seemed to get a bit excited at that, but then Piper raised her hand, “Can you show us how those sensors work?”
“Oh, of course! …anyone got a plot of land and materials for me to use?” he glanced around, waiting for a response.
“I actually have materials ready in my backyard for a storage shed, if that works,” Pastor Edmund suggested, “it’s just outside.”
“Perfect! Alright, those interested in a demonstration can gather outside,” he started heading out of the church, “I’ll just fetch a sensor.”
Eventually, the big group of Concord residents had gathered around the square plot of land behind Pastor Callum’s house, watching as Mr. Evans built that storage shed using the ASAM sensor.
Leaning closer to her so she could hear, Preston whispered to Ilene: “Is he from the west? You know if he moved here recently?”
“I haven’t asked, and I’d like to avoid gossip,” she responded.
“Was just curious. We need to be careful in case he’s desperate and tries selling us more than we ask for, to impress his boss. …and at the same time, he’s a refugee who is just trying to give the Governor a reason not to send him back.”
“Exactly,” she folded her arms, shifting in her stance as she studied the salesman at work. “...even if he’s putting on a show with a cute mask, his reasons are better than those just looking to empty people’s wallets.”
Glancing at his friend, Preston wondered “You told him that you’re a lawyer yet?”
She shook her head, “Not until it’s relevant. Besides, we haven’t decided anything yet. …but what do you think so far? Does this seem like a good option?”
With the storage shed done, Preston watched as the pastor went in to check it out, test the walls and the shelves, then exit with a satisfied smile on his face, shaking Evans’ hand. Preston felt rather certain about his opinion, “It’s definitely more interesting, building everything ourselves. As long as we can get the funding, I’d say we should go for it.”
Making their way closer to the group, they listened as Pastor Edmund addressed the crowd, “Everyone! Let’s thank Mr. Evans for his excellent demonstration of the product.” They all applauded and a few cheered at the shy salesman, then the pastor checked his watch. “I’m sure plenty of you are ready to head home for lunch, but before you leave- eh, Mr. Evans, didn’t you have flyers with you?”
“Eh- yes!” Jake gestured towards the entrance of the church, “I dropped a box on the table at the entrance.”
“Wonderful. So please, friends, when you have the time, discuss with each other what we should build exactly - what ideas could work best together. With these devices, I’m sure we can find a way to compliment our lovely town in very practical ways.” He watched as a few left the crowd and then turned to Jake again. “And again, thank you, Mr. Evans. I for one look forward to seeing the sensors help us build greater things than mere storage sheds.”
As the pastor and more people headed back to the church, Jake finally turned to the familiar face he saw in the crowd.
"Heh-hey! Great job there, cool cat!” The Ron cheered and shook Jake’s hand.
“Thanks, buddy,” Jake chuckled at the charismatic fellow, “good to see you again!”
Curious, Ilene walked up to them, “You two know each other?”
“Eh, yeah, he’s actually the one who found this job for me,” Jake explained, “and helped me with some other stuff. Gotta say, these guys work efficiently.”
“Speaking of…” the information broker leaned closer to Mr. Evans and whispered something.
Shaking his head, Jake assured him “No, not now, I need to focus on my job before taking any risks.” Looking up to see Ilene’s curious eyes, he cleared his throat, “Eh… a personal matter.”
To direct the attention away from the secrecy, she noticed Paul Jones and his two employees standing to the side. Clearing her throat, she introduced them.
“This is the landowner Paul, he runs the Hardware Store - employing Sturges and Lupe.”
While Jake shook their hands, a guy ran up to The Ron, quietly explaining he was needed at the office. “Aw, bummer - duty calls, see you cool cats later!”
With a chuckle, Sturges looked back at Jake, “To think we still have neighbors who call The Ron a troublemaker.”
“Really? Well, I was damn lucky to find him,” Jake nodded and glanced back at the newly built shed, “So! Fellow tinkerers - what do you think?”
“I think they’re really clever!” Lupe happily declared. “That laser pointer that showed where you had misplaced the nails - that alone is something I’d love to have in the workshop, heh.”
“Yup, would be plenty useful, could even give you a free laser eye surgery when it points out the pen in your hair, hehe,” Paul chuckled and gently nudged his young apprentice, then turned back to Jake. “I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. Have heard the horror stories of workers being replaced with robots or given robot bosses, so I was just waiting for the thing to blare up a storm whenever you improvised or skipped a nail. But nope! It embraced the human element!”
“Oh phew! You noticed that! I tried my best to speed things up - I completely forgot to mention that part. But yeah! It will only call out a warning if it detects any weaknesses, like skipping one too many nails, heh.”
Nodding, Paul gave Ilene a smile, seeming very happy about this new idea. “Normally, I stay loyal to the good old-fashioned way. But so far - I’m liking these flibbertigibbets! …in fact, I don’t suppose I could buy one to try out?”
“Oh, no trouble at all! I can fetch one from the truck!” Jake smiled excitedly.
“Sounds good, just let me fetch my checkbook,” the old man then turned to his two employees, “And you two can head up to get lunch ready, I can hear your stomachs rumbling.”
Making their way towards the store, Ilene walked up next to Jake with Preston right behind her, “That makes two sensors sold today, would you count that as a good day?”
Having a bit of a skip to his steps, he tried to compose himself, “The numbers aren’t anything to brag about, but the reception certainly makes up for it. And a lot of people seem to be onboard with the idea, so… a big ol’ order of 20 sensors - now that is something that will make the boss happy!”
“Well, with a peppy presentation like yours, I’m surprised you’ve had trouble.”
They arrived at the van, the store employees disappearing into the building while Jake pulled out his keys to open the van. “Heh, you’d think so… Not everyone would stop to so very kindly inform me I was parked illegally, like you did.”
Glancing down at Shaun, again strapped to her chest, Ilene smiled at the memory, “Being kind is the best way to combat the world as it is now, but I can understand not everyone is ready for it.”
In slight disbelief, he turned away from the boxes to smile at her again. “You’re a diamond in the rough, Darlin’. The world needs more people like you.”
While she was familiar with the Texan charm, she was still a bit surprised and blushed at the nickname and compliment. With Preston by her side and glancing back to see her father stand right behind them, she managed to compose herself and continue the conversation.
---
It seemed like they had found the means of construction, eliminating the need to hire professionals with all their expensive equipment. Now they just needed a plan and materials. Most importantly being the plan.
Concord’s mayor, Mrs. Murphy, had unfortunately gotten stuck in the fallout quarantine after visiting family in Colorado. She was still able to do her mayoral work as long as the mail delivery and telephones worked. Her assistant, Cedric Mansfield, knew what they needed in order to send a request to the mayor - who’d then have to accept it before forwarding it to the state house with a request for funds.
While it was private property, Paul was prepared to sell the land to the town of Concord so it could be used for housing and other things the people needed, basically expanding the town.
That is - if they could dream that big.
A plan was being worked on, and Paul found a few volunteers to begin work on the land, there being overgrown weeds, trees, and the remains of an old house that needed to be removed. With the sensor Paul bought from Jake, they constructed a storage shed for gathering the materials they acquired. And to their surprise, the sensor informed them of ways to use even the stuff they planned to throw away.
Those days they spent working on the land were fulfilling, seeing their progress and being treated to some refreshments by the local bakery. They even had the guys at the Red Rocket Truck Stop help out when bigger tools were needed. It was a perfect example of how good their community was.
Ilene was one of the volunteers helping out for a couple of days, taking her father’s advice and took the weekend to spend with her friends. She remembered how Vault-Tec had planned to build houses there in Sanctuary, call it Sanctuary Hills and construct fourteen houses of the latest design - and her husband Nate had acquired a reservation for one of those houses. They would’ve had that modern kitchen, white picket fence, and maybe buy a Mister Handy.
That future is gone now. Vault-Tec was out of the picture and no one seemed to know what exactly happened to them - other than their work with the government to clean up the west coast. And Nate… Well, he would have wanted her to dream of a new future. And with how things were looking, even if their chances were slim, it felt great to be dreaming big again.
A couple of weeks later, they had a much better idea of what they wanted and how to compromise if they didn’t get the funds. With the ideas sent to the mayor, it took some time but Cedric eventually called for a meeting at the church to discuss the response they got.
“It would seem that Murphy has a chance to purchase the land from Jones,” Cedric explained to the people gathered, “the price being within reason and our suggestions would definitely benefit Concord in the long run. Now all we need to do is get a proper plan. There’s nothing that requires special permits that Concord doesn’t already have, so we don’t need to deliver exact building plans; we just need to plan out where each plot will go, how many sensors we’ll need, how the electrical wiring will go, and, of course, the full budget, including materials.”
“So still no escaping the mountains of paperwork,” Paul chuckled, “and no room for improvising.”
“I’m afraid that’s how it works when you want the government to invest in anything, Mr. Jones,” Cedric folded the letter. “At least this way, you won’t have to deal with all the paperwork yourself. These kinds of projects always require the approval of the government, and that means more than a simple contract and handshake.”
“But we already know how many sensors we’ll need, right?” Preston asked, “So let’s tell Jake so he can get to work on getting us a good package deal.”
“Yes…” Cedric quickly pulled up his clipboard with the main details for the project, “We have plans for eighteen plots, but I believe he mentioned a package with twenty sensors would qualify for a custom sign?”
“That’s an extra ten grand, Cedric, and we can build our own sign,” Ilene chuckled. “We just need twenty sensors and sign up for the newsletter for the comm hub mini they’re working on. It can make things easier for the mayor in the long run.”
Wrapping up the meeting, Ilene headed into the museum to borrow their telephone. While she waited to be connected, she enjoyed the sight of Shaun walking around the office and playing with Preston. Eventually, she heard Jake pick up.
“Hey there, Darlin’!” He greeted her cheerfully. “How’s it going?”
Sharing the update with him and how they need a proposed deal on paper, she was surprised to hear he already had prepared different deals for them and even sounded a bit eager to drive over with the papers, “Oh, been working hard, have you?”
“Yeah… eh, well, it would be nice to help you guys get going before the winter! Heh, the sensors can handle the seasons, but I’m sure you know how difficult it gets buildin’ when it’s wet and cold,” he cleared his throat, “Anyway, you said you needed help getting proper measurements, right? I can help with that.”
Working out the details and wrapping up the call, they soon said goodbye and Ilene turned to sit down with Preston and her son. “He’ll come by and help the others with the measurements around 3 PM. Apparently the sensors can gather data and calculate the best locations for plots, something called "city planning", but he will need to run it on his office computer to get it on paper. Hopefully they don’t need to stray too far from the plans Paul had, I really like the cul-de-sac Vault-Tec had planned for the big oak.”
With a chuckle, Preston remained quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath, “You… planning on helping out or… are you free this evening?”
Looking at him, Ilene had a hunch where this was going and prepared herself, “...I figured it’d be interesting to check out but I haven’t locked it in my schedule. …why?”
“Well, I… was wondering if I could take you to dinner?”
She wasn’t sure what to say, Preston was a good friend and he was really good with Shaun. It was just that…
With her hesitation, he quickly assured her “You don’t have to if you don’t want- I mean, I… I know you might not be ready yet, I just… eh…”
Placing a hand on his shoulder, she smiled, “I’d love to, Preston.”
It may have been less than a year since she lost Nate, but she remembered him making it clear to her that she needed to be ready to move on if he fell in battle. He wanted her to be happy. And if this was her chance to find love again, she had to take the risk. She had known Preston for years, meeting him about a year after moving to Boston. A good friendship had been the base for her relationship with Nate. She might be able to have something similar with Preston.