#and megaton impresses me more than diamond city

[newvegascowboy]

I actually really love how megaton looks. Like in comparison, diamond city feels really barren and devoid of character to me, but megaton feels sooo much like a real city. Seeing the creative ways people make use of limited space, and how the city feels so organically built. Diamond City feels so lacking in comparison and like. I guess i get why with engine limitations and all, but it just feels like there was so much more that could have been done. Idk. Megaton just feels like a really good example of fun city planning.

[nashnolastname]

I’ll Carry Your Soul

I was reading sad fanfics today, because... why not? And I was inspired to write really depressing shit. A little backstory: Lee is a mercenary and one of the first synths implemented by the Institute. She’s from the Capital Wastes, and was renowned for being the person who blew up Megaton and massacred many innocent people. All her deeds earned her the title of Valkyrie. Though she wasn’t 100% in control, she’s been trying to make a new start and leave her past behind. This led her to the Commonwealth, and to John Hancock. (Also Andy is Lee’s friendly Angler pal that she found in Far Harbour, it’s a long story... and one I might post if anyone wants it.)

It came on gradually, and at first Lee barely registered the change. Hancock was always prone to minor memory slips, just a side effect of the chems… but this was different. The lapses became more frequent and it wasn’t long before Lee was catching him blanking out for minutes at a time.

“Hancock? John? John?” the merc said, louder each time while waving a hand in front of her lover. They had been in the middle of talking when suddenly he’d gone quiet and just sat staring into space. “John, babe, are you okay?” she was getting more worried, gently shaking his shoulders.

It took a few more tries but suddenly he came to with a confused frown as if nothing had happened. “Sunshine? You okay?” he rasped, confused as to why she was knelt in front of him.

“You were spacing out, John.” she explained, her eyes conveying concern. “Are you… feeling okay?”

John shook her concern off with a chuckle. “Guess I just need to cut back on the jet.” he leaned down and pecked a kiss to her lips. “Nothing to worry about, Love.”

Lee tried to push the worry from her mind, she prayed to whatever gods would listen that he was right. She would rather live in denial than face the fear and pain that was edging its way into her head.

After than night things went downhill quickly. Hancock was forgetting things more and more, but it wasn’t until they were taking out some raiders that Lee’s fears were confirmed.

The merc ducked behind cover as bullets pummeled the spot she had been seconds before. She cursed under her breath as she slung her rifle back and cocked her sidearm. “God damn fucking raiders.” she hissed waiting for a break. “If we can take out these fuckers we can edge our way up to those turrets-” she frowned as John growled beside her, the sound guttural and rivaling the sounds she’d heard often in the D.C. subway tunnels. “John?”

She didn’t have time to process what was happening before he threw his shotgun to the ground and lept over the low wall they’d been behind. The merc shouted, ducking out over the wall to see him lunge at the nearest raider. His hand grasped around the man’s head, twisting with a bone crunching crack that echoed through the decrepit building. Another raider shouted but only drew Hancock’s attention. He was on the man before a shot could be fired, teeth dug into flesh as screams echoed hauntingly through the air.

Lee shot up and ran towards the adjacent hallway, using the opportunity to take out the turrets blocking their escape. The room fell into silence as the screams and mechanical whirring died out.

Slowly she made her way to John’s crouched form. Blood pooled from the raiders torn throat and stained the ghouls body.

“J-John?” Lee called, hating the quivering fear that crept into her usually commanding voice.  

“What’s happening to me, Sunshine?” he questioned quietly. “I- I don’t… remember?”

Lee dropped to her knees and enveloped him into her arms. He fell into her without question, his face void of emotion and covered in blood. “We will fix this, John. I promise we will-”

“I think we both know what’s happening, Love-”

“We’ll fix this-” Lee chanted again. “We will-no we have to-”

“Sunshine.” John pulled away from her, turning to look at her, a serious frown creasing his face. “There ain’t no fixing this.”

Lee’s lip quivered as she shook her head. “No, no, John, there is, there has to be, there-”

He pressed his blood stained lips against hers and she returned the kiss greedily, even as the tears managed to escape her closed eyes.

It didn’t take long after that. Fahrenheit had been informed, but Lee knew that if it came down to it, she had to be the one to pull the trigger. Another soul for the Valkyrie to reap, and the one she wished more than anything she didn’t have to.

She lay on her back, staring up at the cracked ceiling of the State House. John laid next to her, his chest rising steadily as his thumb caressed her hand slowly.

“I can feel it… it’s like falling down a black tunnel…”

“John please… I- I don’t want to lose you, I can’t. I’m not ready to say goodbye.” Lee choked out.

The bed creaked as John rolled onto his side, propping himself up on an elbow. His free hand pushed open her unbuttoned flannel shirt exposing her upper chest and worn tank top. His fingers traced over the tattoo of his name that traced its way from her sternum to her shoulder. Lee had received the tattoo from in Diamond city after a night of drinking. He thought she wouldn’t do it, but she wanted everyone to know who owned her heart. It was one drunken decision that she could never come to regret.

“I’ll never really be gone, Sunshine.” he said softly. “You made damn sure that I’ll always be a part of you.” he chuckled lowly, a feat that Lee couldn’t bring herself to mimic.

“So this is the part where you tell me you’ll always be in my heart?” Lee said flatly.

“You better sing Celine Dion at my funeral.” another laugh, except this one turned into a ragged cough. “Ah hell.”

He rolled back and Lee move to wrap her arms around him, cradling herself against his chest. “Gods damn it, it’s not fair.” she cried, not even trying to stop the tears from falling.

“It’s okay, Sunshine…” Hancock comforted, but his voice was becoming strained. “I’m proud of you, you’ve come so far, I knew you could.” another cough. “I love…” the room fell eerily quiet as John Hancock’s consciousness slipped away.

A ragged sob broke from Lee’s lips as she clung to his body. His breathing slowed, as his heart beat became suddenly faint. “Please don’t take him, please gods take me, I deserve this, not him, please not him-”

His body began to stir, a ragged feral gasp breaking from his lips. “John-” Lee pulled back, looking at his face, searching for any sign of hope she could find, but the cold black eyes that stared back at her gave her nothing. The deep onyx pools that had once been full of warmth glared back at her with the icy blackness of the deepest ocean depths. His thin ruined lips pulled back in a snarl, a low hiss escaped him. He regarded her a moment before lunging forward. Lee jerked back, rolling off the bed and grasping the .10 millimeter that lay waiting on the nearby table. “John I am so sorry…”

The gunshot that echoed through the State House told everyone the news they dreaded to hear. Minutes past and it wasn’t until the second gunshot echoed through the worn out building that Fahrenheit rushed into the room.

The redheaded bodyguard shot through the door and halted dead in her tracks. There on the floor lay the body of John Hancock, a clean bullet wound through his brain. Beside him lay the dark haired merc lay, a similar, but self inflicted gunshot evident through her temple. The weapon glinted in the low light near her left hand, while her right hand was entwined with the former mayor’s.

“God damn it.” Fahr breathed, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. She should have expected this, but even she wasn’t ready. Her eyes fell on a scribbled note that lay waiting on the messed bedsheets. Slowly she picked it up and began reading.

Fahrenheit,

I know you will be the one to find us, and I know this isn’t want you expected. I’ve done a lot of bad in my life, and finding John was my salvation. I can’t go on without him, I’m scared of who I will be without him.

I know John wanted me to look after Goodneighbor, but I know you will do better than I ever could. I was never meant to be a leader, but you? You can keep this town running the way John always wanted.

Did you know that my namesake was known for carrying the souls of the valiant dead to Valhalla? They called me Valkyrie because of my impressively shameful body count. All the innocents that I’ve taken too early, but now? If it is John’s soul that I must take, I shall personally escort his soul to the otherside. That might not be how it works… but maybe that name will finally mean something to be proud of.

Take care of Andy for me, he loves mirelurk cakes and fancy lads. He also enjoys taking walks along the coast every now and then. If you throw a stick he’ll bring you back a dead mirelurk.

See you on the otherside,

Lee

P.S. Could you play that old Celine Dion song at our funeral? Don’t ask.

Fahrenheit scoffed back a sad laugh. The above had obviously been written a while ago, but the P.S. was still glistening with wet ink. “Godspeed Valkyrie,” the usually stoic woman said with a sad smile. “I know you’ll take care of him until we meet again.”