thelittleone

Chapter 18: One Good Neighbor -------------------------------------- The dense city blocks seemed to drag on forever as we moved slowly through the ruins of downtown Boston, but with a veritable army in tow, it was no surprise we were making such poor time. I truly hated this feeling… To be so exposed and out in the open like this, but hey, at least there was strength in numbers, even if those numbers would’ve taken my head if they could. That was at least one thing Hancock had gotten right, things might have been bad, but they could always get a whole lot worse… Even as the thought was forming in my mind, a hard shove su

Chapter 17: A Eulogy for Jacob Burns -------------------------------------- We talked for what seemed like hours in that dark, dingy back room, Hancock pouring the wine like a fountainhead even as Ilya and I strained to stay awake. It had been a long night in that library, even longer still after nearly losing my head. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but didn’t dare let Hancock out of my sight. The way the ghoul kept leaning in towards Ilya, always with the offer of another glass of wine, had me on edge, but thankfully, Ilya knew enough to keep her wits about her in a situation like this. Despite this distraction, it was clear, the

Chapter 16: Stranger at the Gate -------------------------------------- I felt like I’d been hit by a freight train. The back of my head throbbed angrily as my mind pushed through to consciousness, voices echoing off in the distance as the ringing in my head began to clang louder than a railway crossing. I opened my eyes, only to shut them again, certain I was about to throw up. I was being carried, slung over the shoulder of a massive man. The jerking motion of his uneven steps made my stomach feel like it was trapped on a tilt-a-whirl gone haywire, but I focused all my energy on the situation at hand. I raced through the blurring

Chapter 15: When the World Comes Crashing Down -------------------------------------- “Hello? HELLO!? Can anybody hear me? Good heavens, is this thing on? Well, no wonder it's not working right, just look at these calibrations… They’re all over the place! Emogene, you weren’t messing with my settings again, were you? …Emogene? EMOGENE!” “Oh forget it..." The man sighed to himself, “She never listens to me anyway. Why, I could stitch that very message right into her cerebral cortex and it still wouldn't sink in! Now then... What was I doing again?" Ilya and I looked at each other, no words to

Chapter 14: The Writing on the Wall -------------------------------------- “Director…” I growled through my teeth. Ilya quickly ducked behind me as I reached for my gun, but before I could even graze the handle, the Protectron had fired off a warning shot at my feet, stopping me dead in my tracks. “Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said through the cold static of the speakers. We stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, no idea what to do. I could barely wrap my head around the reality of it all. It seemed only moments ago we were celebrating our first major breakthrough in this whole

Chapter 13: A Light in the Darkness -------------------------------------- We crept down the dark, dank stairwell in silence, spiraling deep into the earth as I held out the torch in front of me. Long black shadows stretched before us, dark shapes shifting along the walls like a formless phantom that gripped my imagination and conjured the darkest of visions into the back of my mind,  sending my already finely tuned senses over the edge. I held my gun close to my chest, ready at a moment’s notice, while Ilya had her nose buried in the Pip-Boy, no doubt keeping an eye out for even the slightest hint of danger as we moved deeper into th

Chapter 12: A Very Unexpected Guest -------------------------------------- It wasn’t long before we were over the bridge and back into Boston, but this time I had made sure Ilya knew to keep close and keep quiet. The Back Bay District was a known haven for raiders and Super Mutants alike, neither of which I had much of an answer for should we get caught. It was easy enough I supposed, Ilya was still moping over Valentine and hadn’t spoken a word since we’d left, but none of that mattered now. A synth’s a synth and I certainly wasn’t about to risk my neck for the likes of him. Even so, I looked back at Ilya, onl

Chapter 11: Way Back Home -------------------------------------- "Hold your fire, hold your fire!" The yell echoed throughout the room as the figure doubled over in pain, but I kept my gun trained squarely on him, refusing to let the man out of my sight. “Who are you? What are you doing here?!” I demanded as I approached the stranger on the ground. “Ugh, the name’s Valentine, and there’s no need to be pointing that thing at me, so put it away, will ya?” “Valentine?” I said curiously as I lowered my gun. “Detective Valentine, from Diamond City? I’ve heard of you…” &#

Chapter 10: Out of the Park & Under the Wire -------------------------------------- We woke up the next morning in an abandoned townhouse, having gone as far as we could the day before. Luckily for us, the place had remained intact over the years and made for a great hideout throughout the night. Besides, we’d both been exhausted and were in need of a well-deserved rest. Ilya greeted the day with a pearly smile and a skip in her step now that she had gotten her way. I, on the other hand, was left on edge, wondering how on earth I managed to get myself into this situation. There were a million questions running through my mind, no

Ch 9: The Man Behind the Mask -------------------------------------- Chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. People screamed as a flood of refugees came pouring into the plaza, desperate hands snatching up anything and everything in sight. Fights broke out all over the city as the residents ran terrified into their homes, leaving the poor traders to fend for themselves among the hungry masses. The guards struggled to contain the bedlam, overwhelmed by sheer numbers alone, but I saw more coming their way fully decked with riot gear and heavy artillery. "W-what is happening?! My city! It's ruined!" The Director stared aghast at the madness outs