(FO4) Dweller, Her Journey

Diamond City, Swing Batter

It took half a day to get through the ruins to Diamond City but I was relieved when I saw the old green gate leading to the Stadium. It was weird seeing the city this way, there was downed roads from the highway, weird ogre looking mutants, raiders, and diamond city security. They seemed to watch me curiously as Dogmeat and I walked through the west gate.

The gate was closed and there was a woman yelling at the speaker. I didn't know who she was but she wore the standard reporter attire. Was the newspaper still around? As I got closer, Dogmeat huffed and sat waiting for the me to do something about it. My suit screamed at me as the power levels were low and I sighed taking my helmet off. Tucking it into the crook of my arm, I approached the angry woman cautiously.

"You open this gate right now Danny Sullivan! I live here..you can't just lock me out!" I must of caught the tail end of it because she glanced over her shoulder at me. Raising a brow, she smirked and waved me over.

"Hey, you wanna get into Diamond City..right?" Her smile was mischievous and it made me chuckle.

"I just got here but, yeah." Raising a brow at her she giggled and waved her hands downward.

"Alright...play along..." She leaned towards the speaker. "What's that? You are a trader from Quincy, you have supplies to keep the general store stocked for a full month? Huh...you hear that Sullivan? Are you going to let us in, or are you going to be the to talk crazy Myrna here about losing all the supplies?"

"Alright Piper jeez! No need to make it personal...Just give me a minute."

The sound of the metal scraping echoed as the gate slowly opened. Piper fiddled with her fingernails and sighed. "Better get inside before Danny catches onto the old bluff."

"Lead the way." Smiling at her, she chuckled.

"Another great day in Diamond City." She seemed like a nice woman, despite having a rebel attitude. It was best to follow her lead for now. The fiery woman went on ahead and as soon we cleared the doorway a man cringed at our arrival. He was a fat man wearing a grossly colored suit, the fedora made him look like a donut.

"Piper! Who let you back in here? I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut." He proceeded to swing his arms angrily and I stifled a laugh. Piper seemed to sigh as he spoke. "You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The...level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have that printer scrapped for parts."

"Oooh....Is that a statement Mr. McDonough...Tyrant mayor shuts down the press!" She glanced in my direction and I blinked taking a step back. She was about to drag me into this bullshit...I could feel it. "Why don't we ask the newcomer?"

Yup...there it is...

"Do you support the news? Because the mayor's threatening to throw free speech into the dumpster." She crossed her arms and glared back at him. I really didn't feel like being dragged into other people's business..

"What newspaper are you even talking about?" My questioning stare made her tilt her head at me.

"Mine..Publick Occurences, and we're the hard look on truth. So are you with us, or not?"

Over 200 years ago the newspaper was only good for one thing...trouble, but I could see the predicament. She wasn't asking about the drama, she was asking about the rights.

"I've always believed in freedom of the press...but this isn't really any of my business.." Tilting my head, I noticed the mayor's shark smile a mile away. "I'm with the Brotherhood of Steel."

"The Brotherhood are here?" Pipers eyes widened. "I gotta get an interview with you!"

"Piper..." Mr. McDonough cleared his throat and sighed. "Anything you need is right here in the great green jewel of the Commonwealth." His smile made me cringe and I raised an eyebrow pursing my lips. "Was there anything in particular you were looking for?"