Fallout 4: AR

20. Sanctuary

Mama Murphy was as good as her word. We made the trek to Sanctuary in less than an hour, the seven of us crossing the bridge over a small river into Sanctuary Hills housing development with the afternoon light throwing our lengthening shadows ahead into the quiet neighborhood. I was struck with how intact the houses looked compared to downtown Boston. Sure, they were dilapidated. 200 years of neglect left their mark, but the frames were basically sound, the walls on most of the buildings intact. With a comparative minimum of effort, this place could become a decent place to live.

We continued up the street until I spied what looked like a large mechanic's frame standing at the back of a car port. With the last dregs of power left in the fusion core, I angled the power armor to stand underneath the frame. It's as good a place as any. Hitting the release button, I exited to a cool breeze and gave the armor a fond pat on my way out from the overhanging roof.

The others were standing in a small group on the street in front of the house. Garvey was speaking encouragingly to the distraught couple, making broad gestures with his hands. "I mean, look at this place. I really think this could be what we've been looking for. You've got to look past what it is, to what it could be. We've got water, plenty of space, should be pretty defensible..." He broke off at my approach. "Anyway, we can discuss this in detail later." He turned to me. "Now that we've got some breathing room, we can talk about why you found us."

"It's kind of a long story," I began, and told him all about the Pip-Boy and how I think I got here. About three sentences into my recitation, Garvey motioned Sturges to come over to listen. The other three settlers moved off to start evening preparations. By the time I finished Sturges was practically twitching his fingers in eagerness to examine my Pip-Boy, and Garvey looked very thoughtful.

"I'm not sure what I can do, but you can count on the Minutemen... all one of me." he finally said. "I'd like to help, but you know my situation. I've got to deal with the immediate problems first. We can barely help ourselves right now. So... there's something I need to ask you."

"Okay," I replied tentatively.

"What we need is a place to live, and the numbers to build the Minutemen back up to a force for good." Garvey explained. "Here's what I'm thinking, so hear me out. If you can stay for a few days, help us get the basics up and running, I can ask Sturges here to take a look at your Pip-Boy when he has some time and see if there's anything new he can tell you about it."

Sturges spoke up, "Yeah. I'd love to take a look at that thing, but right now I need to help get this settlement livable."

"So," Garvey continued, "would you be willing to help us out for a couple of days, at least until we get some more people here? In exchange, Sturges will happily-"

"Very happily," Sturges added with a friendly grin.

"-very happily take a look at your Pip-Boy. Does that sound like a good deal to you?" Garvey looked around the development, as if already planning where to build.

I turned to murmur to MacCready, "Your thoughts?"

He muttered very quietly in my ear, "I don't know how much they can tell us, Boss. This Sturges guy doesn't look like the science type to me. Still, having allies isn't a bad thing, and if they owe you a favor or two... It's your decision. I wouldn't stay any longer than absolutely necessary."

"All right, Garvey, you've got a deal," I told him, and his face lit up with a genuinely grateful smile. "But only until you get some more settlers here. We can't stay for long."

"Sounds good." We shook hands. "I'll even make you a Minuteman. That way, you can always call on us if you need us. And, you can send anyone looking for a home to us here." He grinned at my surprised blink, and added, "General."

"Oh, no." I insisted. "I was a Staff Sergeant in the Army. There's no way you're commissioning me." I heard MacCready's muffled snicker behind me. "You're the last Minuteman, you're the General." I twisted a wry grin, elbowing my companion in the ribs to shut him up. "Besides, the NCOs are the ones with boots on the ground."

Garvey's face fell, but he reluctantly agreed to my terms. "Fine... Sarge." I groaned and MacCready broke out into a hearty guffaw.

That first evening was spent surveying the neighborhood, scavenging supplies, dismantling broken furniture and beginning the long process of making the area inhabitable. We picked a couple of houses that were mostly intact, and worked on getting some basic necessities set up. Sturges was instrumental in repairing the walls, tossing instructions over his shoulder at the rest of us on how to cobble together basic necessities using the scraps from our salvage.

MacCready accidentally let slip that I was a repair technician, another tidbit from my stolen memories I hadn't known he knew. As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze up, apology written all over his face when I leveled an angry glare at him. But the words had been said.

"Hey, great!" Sturges had exclaimed happily. "Another member of the hammer-and-nails club! Building a couple of beds while I work on getting a generator going should be a breeze."

"Uh, not quite." At his confused expression, I explained further. "I work on a much smaller scale, you see... and it's not building so much as maintenance and repair."

"What do you do, then?" he inquired, running a hand through his hair, leaving a streak of grease on the side of his head.

"I... fix musical instruments. Flutes, clarinets, trumpets, that sort of thing. Had my own shop and everything." My shoulders drooped a bit, homesickness sneaking up on me. "Not much call for that kind of thing out here."

"Hey, that's cool!" Sturges' enthusiasm teased a slight smile from me, he was so cheerfully upbeat. "Any kind of repair skill is useful. Here, let me show you the basics..."

In silent apology, MacCready stayed to help me after Sturges finished his lesson. In the few hours of light we had available, we managed to scrape together enough basic beds for most of the settlers. Sturges and Garvey moved them into a couple of the houses while we grabbed a quick bite of dinner. Deathclaw steak was tough and chewy, but nutritious, if my bodyguard was to be believed.

When it got too dark to see, Garvey led me to one of the partially repaired houses, a single bed placed in the main room. The others were apparently staying in the house next door. Garvey figured, correctly, that I would be more comfortable with my own space away from people I didn't know all that well, and merely smiled at my thanks. "Giving you some privacy is the least we can do for you after everything you've done for us today," he explained. "Sleep well, Sarge. See you in the morning."

"Good night, General Garvey."

The light from my Pip-Boy was bright enough for me to make my way over to the bed. MacCready had already piled his own sleeping spot on the floor with enough random fabric that it looked almost comfortable. He blinked at me sleepily from halfway across the room as I stretched out under a tattered blanket. "You sure you're okay there?" I asked.

"Fine, Boss." He rolled his eyes. "You're the boss, you get the bed. This beats sleeping on a rocky cave floor any day. G'night... Sarge." A snicker floated in the air.

I'm gonna get him for that. "Good night, Mac."