It was late at night. Most of the city was probably asleep, the members who were awake were probably up to no good. Hancock usually liked being up thinking that he was one of the many members who were up to no good even if he was trying to catch up on his paperwork.
Tonight, he would rather be in bed with two or three lovers all exhausted from trying out new techniques. Instead, he was pacing his office, waiting for news from the caravan he sent to Diamond City.
The news of the attack reached him long before the call from Ellie did. He was discussing the pros and cons of sending supplies to those pricks when the call came through. He almost didn’t answer it, figuring he could call Ellie back. Marian was important to him, but his duties were to Goodneighbor. When the message she was sending over the radio mentioned Marian being injured, all debate about sending aid to Diamond City ended.
It still took hours to put a caravan together and send it off to Diamond City. Shortly after it left, Hancock released Fahrenheit to get some rest. There was no point in him trying to sleep, he was too worried about Marian.
Hancock was browsing through his chem stash trying to decide what he was in the mood for and what would help him feel better about not knowing what was going on in Diamond City. Maybe he could try a new mixture. Mentats, psycho, and jet. He wasn’t sure what to call it, but he was sure it would either give him a really great ride or kill him. He just wasn’t in the mood to find out which. Instead, he decided to just huff some jet and hope for news before he finished that ride. Maybe Ultra Jet, then he would have more time for news to arrive.
As he shifted through his stash, checking to see if any of his jet happened to be Ultra Jet, a flash of lightning filled his office. He turned to the source of the light just as it faded to see exactly who he expected to see.
“Hey, Nate! It’s good to see you again! Sit down, take a load off, enjoy some chems,” he invited his friend.
“Thanks, Hancock,” Nate responded as he moved to the couches and took a seat.
Hancock sat at the other couch to face his friend. “To what do I owe the honor of your visit?” he asked, brandishing a jet.
“I wish I could say this is a social call,” Nate responded. “Unfortunately, I’m here for business.”
“Business, pleasure, why not be here for both?” Hancock asked.
Nate gave a good-natured laugh. “I wish I was as good at balancing that as you are, my friend,” he responded. “Perhaps you can teach me the trick to it, one day.”
The part that Nate was asking for a rain check to spend time with him told Hancock that he wasn’t planning on staying. Hancock was skeptical of his motivations. Nate was still his friend, but ever since he chose to join the Institute to the detriment of the Brotherhood of Steel, and especially the Railroad, Hancock had been less than pleased by his performance in helping the Commonwealth. Hancock had to be wary.
“Maybe another time then,” Hancock replied. He put down the jet and picked up some mentats. “So what can I do for you?”
“I recently received word of an attack on Diamond City,” Nate started out.
Hancock decided to play dumb. He wanted to see how much information Nate would give him. He finished scooping the mentats into his mouth before replying. “That’s tragic,” he agreed as he discarded the tin. Fred Allen will be able to refill it later with more of his high-quality stuff. “Did you miss your aim? Diamond City is a way from here.”
Nate chuckled at Hancock’s joke. He was up to something, Hancock wanted to know what. “I know it sounds strange talking to you about it. Especially given your history with that city. However, I am wanting to know about what your choices will be.”
Hancock had lit his cigarette while Nate talked and was enjoying the sensation of it. “I don’t follow,” he admitted.
Nate breathed in and let out a bit of a sigh. “You are a nice person,” he began. “You may be a little rough around the edges, but I know you. We ran around the Commonwealth long enough that I got a good feel for how you treat other people. What was it you always said? ‘If someone needs help, we help them.’”
“’If someone needs hurt, we hurt them.’” Hancock finished his mantra and philosophy. “I still believe that.”
“I know,” Nate replied. “That’s why I came here. I wanted to know if you were going to help Diamond City, despite everything.”
Hancock took in a deep breath of his cigarette and then slowly blew it out, buying himself time to think. Nate was up to something, wanting to know about his choices on how to treat a city that threw its own citizens out into the Wasteland to die slowly. Still, something wasn’t sounding right to Hancock. His gut feeling was that Nate wanted more, but what was it?
“This isn’t a matter the Institute normally gets involved with,” Hancock parried, “so why the curiosity about my political choices?”
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“It is a matter that the Minutemen would get involved with,” Nate pointed out. “And I am still their general.”
“Are you though?” Hancock asked. “Every time I turn on Radio Freedom, they are putting out a new call for you. Rumor has it that you haven’t visited The Castle any more frequently than you have any other part of the surface of the Commonwealth.”
“I left Preston Garvey in charge; he’ll be a great leader.”
“Yes, he will,” Hancock agreed. “When he is ready. You and I both know he’s still reeling from what happened in Quincy. He may put on a good show, but he needs time to recover and realize that what happened wasn’t his fault.”
Everyone deals with grief differently. Preston’s way was shutting down his emotions until he was merely saying what he thought he would normally say. He did what he could not to make things worse until he was able to take the time he needed to get better. He was starting to come out of his shell and was showing emotion again.
The Minutemen became famous in the Commonwealth when they defended Diamond City almost a century ago. The idea that he failed to repeat that famous moment may be too much for Preston. Hancock worried that it would cause him to go deeper into himself until he had less emotion than a gun turret.
The thought of Preston being in a situation he wasn’t ready for, and Nate thinking that was a good thing angered Hancock. He was going to need Jet soon to calm down.
“He’s been doing fine,” Nate insisted. “Between Minutemen patrols and synth patrols, the Commonwealth has never been safer.”
“Until today,” Hancock pointed out.
“That was because the Commonwealth is becoming crowded,” Nate scoffed. “All these Raiders are coming from the Capitol Wasteland, harassing our farmers. The Minutemen are doing their best, but the fact that they are feeling encouraged to come in and do what they want doesn’t help.”
“So, you want me to send some medical supplies to help my brother?” Hancock asked.
“I don’t see why you would,” Nate told him. “You have nothing to gain from such charity, and I know both you and three quarters of this city hate him.”
Hancock decided to tip his hand and see what he could get from Nate. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he told Nate. “I received word that my war advisor got caught up in the fight and needs some supplies. I figured that sending a general care package would be a good way to open up negotiations for more trade.”
“You’re not at war,” Nate told him.
“Not right now, but as you said, there are a lot of refugees coming from the Capitol Wasteland. There is a war going on down there, and rumor has it that it can start migrating north like so many other refugees.”
“If she’s your advisor, why was she not here to do her job, but in Diamond City like a common Raider.”
Hancock found himself growling at Nate. “First, you will speak of Marian Halcombe with respect,” he insisted. “She is not a raider and is not interested in becoming one. Secondly, as you so thoughtfully pointed out, we are not currently at war. I will not keep her under lock and key, that is not what Goodneighbor is about. If there is no war going on, she is allowed to explore the Commonwealth to see what other settlements are doing and get ideas for herself.”
Nate sat back in his couch and crossed his legs. “Are you not afraid that she will sell her expertise out to a higher bidder?” he asked.
“If her loyalty is that cheap, she can go where she wants,” Hancock responded. “If and when the Brotherhood of Steel get here, we will need to work together to defend ourselves from them. I would prefer that she takes her time helping strengthen everyone the way she’s been helping Goodneighbor.”
Nate pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and brandished it to Hancock. “What if I told you I have evidence that she’s a spy from the Brotherhood of Steel?”
Hancock held out his hand and Nate gave him the photo. It was posed photo of four children ranging in age, three boys and one girl. All of them were in uniform. She was so young in the photo, but it was still her face. She was smiling like the boys, but it looked weak, like she was putting on a show. She looked more like a hostage smiling to survive long enough to be rescued.
He turned the picture over. It had the names and ages of each person in the photo. “Last day before Peter joins his own company,” the writing on the back said, “Peter (17); Christopher (15); Isabel (13); Edward (12)” So, she was only a teenager when the photo was taken.
“This tells me nothing,” Hancock said.
“It’s proof she has connections with the Brotherhood of Steel,” Nate argued.
“She told me that on the second day I knew her,” Hancock pointed out.
“And you still trust her? How do you know she’s not running back to her family to tell them about the city’s weakness?”
Hancock laughed out loud. “No spy would use a story like hers,” he told him. “She told me that she left the group ten years ago. If she was a spy, she would have never told me that she was ever a member. If she thought that insider information could get her closer to me, she would have told me she left right before coming here and had current information. Instead, she trusted me with her life by telling me she had old information that may help. I respect that.”
“Until she turns on you.”
Hancock was tired of this parley. He knew everything he needed and was ready to act. He just needed to get Nate out of his office first. “If she does, I’ll gut her myself, but I don’t believe she will. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Do what you like with her,” Nate said, “but I may not be able to save you from her.”
“I never asked you to. Now, I have a city to run, please visit again. I’d love to know about what you have been doing in the Institute.”
Nate pulled back and blood drained from his face. Hancock almost wished he kept his office better lit just so he could see if Nate’s pupils dilated with that statement. How did that hit a nerve? He’ll need to look into that.
The Director pulled himself back together in less than a second and stood up. “Yes, we will have to talk again, in better times.”
Hancock leaned forward to put out his cigarette and stood up, signaling the end of the conversation. “In better times,” he agreed.
Nate stepped away from the couch. Then he leaned down and did something with his pip-boy before disappearing with another lightning flash.
As soon as he was gone, Hancock walked to the door of his office and opened it. “Larry,” he called to the guard at his door.
“Yes, boss?” Larry replied.
“I want you to go wake up Fahrenheit, tell her I need her. Then get MacCready and have him come here. If he asks why, tell him his sister is injured, but don’t tell him unless he asks.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Larry said and left to follow through on Hancock’s orders.
The mayor shut his door and turned back to his chems. He sat down on his couch and stared in the dark at the spot where his friend had been sitting.
“So,” he said to the still warm spot, “war it is.”