Fandom Fallout-Atom Bomb Baby (1x1 with Lucyfer)

[Halani]

Nick sat idly at his desk as he sorted through the latest batch of small-town cases, mostly petty disputes. If there was one thing in his life that he was happy over, it was how predictable the residents of Diamond City could be. One moment it's Moe screaming that some down on his luck sod stole his entire supply of swatters, when in reality he had been too intoxicated at the Dugout Inn, as a scav ran off with them. Or the paranoid shop owner scouring the streets for synths, and immediately claimed he was spying for the Institute the moment they met. Honestly, he was occasionally tempted to play along, after decades of the same ridiculous game with these people, he tended to be an expert on placating them. Heaving back a heavy sigh, he adjusted the rim of his fedora as he turned his attention to Ellie. "Well, Ell, I think it'll be a good time to close the agency soon, see if you can get a wink of sleep, eh?" He drawled softly with an amused smile, his eerie golden eyes exuding a warmth beyond his clear robotic nature. The chair squeaked in protest as he rolled it to the other side of the office, the mess of papers growing increasingly more chaotic. He was typically organized, but Ellie was his saving grace with his tendency to forget the smaller details.

Ellie couldn't help but snort in amusement in his attention to shoo her away. "Ah, Nicky, you can't get rid of me that easy. We still have an hour left, and you can bet someone will wander in the second you want to shut this place down." She tossed a pencil at the snarky synth, completely missing the mark as it sailed over his head. Nick raised his hands in a placating gesture, not willing to argue with his secretary, she was one of the most stubborn women he had the pleasure of crossing paths with. Dang sassy dames, at the very least he enjoyed the banter. "Alright, alright, but I'm serious on you taking a break, alright?" He pointed at her in mock callout, causing the woman to finally acquiesce to his demands, albeit reluctantly.

Two Months Earlier

Juliet stumbled through the war-torn streets as she scrambled to hide behind the charred remains of a car, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest as she covered her mouth. The mutated creatures grunted as they stormed off, their prey out of sight, and apparently out of mind. Her once neatly combed black hair was frayed from sprinting through the streets, having been chased by monstrous humanoids armed with weapons. To any wastelander, these were simply Super Mutants, a terrifying, but average part of living in the wasteland. To Juliet, it felt as if she was in a nightmare. Mere moments ago, the bombs had dropped, with her having been one of the many trapped within the recesses of Vault 103, as the living world was ravaged by the nuclear bomb. Yet here she was, having collapsed out of what she had initially thought to be a decontamination pod, in the middle of an abandoned vault. With what little bearings she had gathered, she had fled the shelter looking for her husband, for anyone. Her pip boy baffled her, as she tapped on the date. It couldn't be right, the dammed thing must be glitched.

A bastion awaited her ahead, a sign of civilization, and glowing lights loomed ahead. Desperation overwhelming her, she raced towards the gated community, forcibly shoving the door open as she stumbled into the safety of the community. Collapsing onto her knees, she didn't see the leering stares of the men and women in front of her, one seeming particularly irate that another stranger had stumbled onto their doorstep. "Eh! You, the hell you think you're doing, barging into our community like that?" He sneered, circling the delirious woman like a vulture. She was certainly easy pickings for any experienced mercenary.

 

[Lucyfer]

Diamond City was far from the largest settlement that Nevaeh had seen in her life. Really, it was on the comfortable side, although she suspected that was due to just how vast the Commonwealth was. Settlements sprawled throughout it, and she’d helped create a few, back when the Minutemen were, well, operating.

That had fallen through only a year after her arrival to the Commonwealth.

It was two years since then, and Nevaeh was finally stricken by, well, the past. Her past, and the Old World. Rumor spoke of a songstress who’s work was kept in Vault 103, but Nevaeh was no good at tracking things down.

So, that led her to Diamond City, home of the detective known as Nick Valentine – a synth, or so rumor had it. Nevaeh wasn’t sure how to feel about synths, though anymore, she tended to give non-humans more credit than some likely deserved. The Enclave had taught her that they ought to be purging non-humans, and they’d been wrong.

Terribly wrong.

Still, the old teachings hung on, and they kept her guards up as she found the glowing heart in the darkness and approached the building. She wasn’t sure if she ought to knock, or just open the door, but ended up trying the door to see if it would open.

It did, and she slipped inside, “Hey, is anyone—oh!” she jolted a bit as her own green eyes fell on a set of glowing yellow ones.

‘I thought synths looked human!’

She didn’t say as much, and tried to recover herself, “Sorry—not sure what I expected. Are you Valentine?”

~***~

Goodneighbor was thriving. It’d been five years since their leader, John Hancock, had bothered to visit Diamond City, though he heard plenty of rumors from the traders and travelers through Goodneighbor. It was starting to drive him mad, though. The ghoul had gone on ventures from Goodneighbor in that time, but with talk increasing about synths, he was just getting…anxious.

He felt like he didn’t know enough about what was going on outside of the walls of his city.

It’s no doubt what led him to take a walk through the city streets, “Hey, don’t worry about it. I got plenty,” he said as he gave an older woman a wink while handing off a bit of jet to her. It was his drug of choice. Some said it gave them a certain extra sight.

Hancock couldn’t say it did all that for him, but it felt like everything slowed down for a while, and that sort of trip felt like time travel.

He was winding his way to go visit his favorite, murderous assaultron, when he caught sight of a group loitering near the gates, and some woman in a vibrant blue vault suit who had just stumbled in – and threatening her.

‘Ah for fuck’s sake.’

“Tommy!” Hancock called out to the mercenary as he approached, “didn’t know I hired any additional watchmen for Goodneighbor. Thought I couldn’t afford your rates,” he joked, walking into the group that started to disperse.

“Hancock—what’s it to you? We’re all just trying to keep Goodneighbor safe.”

“Oh, I’m sure this woman who looks like she just stumbled out of a vault is a huge threat, isn’t she?” He patted Tommy’s arm, “What’s your name?” he asked her, putting on as charming a smile as he could, given his irradiated face. His fingers clenched down into Tommy’s arm so he couldn’t just slide away.