FO4 | Book 0: The Diaries of Anarchy ✔️

March 17, 2288

I spent the last few months silently bein' jealous of MacCready. The newcomer, Gwen, wound up takin' him with her for a while to God-knows-where while I wondered at least once a day if I was ever gonna see her again.

Somethin' about her... She had these piercing eyes like she could see right through me and every wall I erected, every facade I hid behind, every lie I've ever told. She had this tenacity like everything was about life or death, like everything in the world had meaning and purpose. She had a clear view of right and wrong and an unwavering resolve.

She told Fahrenheit and I a bit about her troubles before she left, and I couldn't stop thinkin' about it. I just hoped that she was prepared to go into the Glowing Sea.

Then, finally, MacCready came back to town with someone in a suit of power armor. Didn't see power armor very often in Goodneighbor, so she garnered some attention before she got out of the suit. She looked so good when her boots hit the concrete, all dressed up in a blue suede General's uniform, a gun holstered on her hip, her blonde hair in a messy bun. Then, to top it off, she pulled a fancy tri-corner hat outta her bag, and I 'bout hit the ground.

I had a few drinks with MacCready and Gwen in the Third Rail. Aside from Mac incessantly singin' her praises, I learned that the newcomer was actually the new General of the Minutemen. Time and time again, I seemed to underestimate her. I wanted to get inside her head. What drove this woman? What gave her this unrelenting strength?

I insisted on walkin' her to the hotel that night. We made light conversation, and I think I even made her laugh a time or two. Then, before we went into the hotel, I confessed that I wanted to travel with her. I gave her some lame excuse, but the truth was, I just had to know more about her.

Plus, my ego was a bit inflated after makin' her blush by the gate and do that little hair-tuck thing that women do.

She was inclined to agree after I explained to her that I was immune to radiation and would make the perfect travelin' companion if she was headed toward the Glowin' Sea.

We said goodnight, and I saw Fahrenheit standin' with her arms crossed across the street.

I groaned, knowin' she heard a good portion of my conversation.

"What's all that about?"

"I'm going with her."

"We'll discuss this in the State House..."

We walked back to the State House in silence. I knew she was peeved with me. It had been a while since I skipped town.

We took a seat on the couches with the door to the office closed and locked eyes with each other.

"No," she stated as if I'd asked her a question.

"I'm not askin' for your permission. If I don't go with her, she could die. She thinks she can make it through the Glowin' Sea in this hunk of metal alone."

"That's her choice."

"And it's my choice to tag along. She already said I could."

"There's no telling how long you'd be gone, Hancock. Or if you'd even come back! People would be talking about an election before long."

"I'll deliver a speech in the morning, let everyone know I'll be back."

"As if that'd go over well with the citizens..."

"I swear to you, I'll be back. I just... can't explain why I feel like this is somethin' I gotta do."

After traveling with her a few hours, all the pieces started to click together when she told me she was prewar. That explained the look in her eyes, her well-groomed exterior, the deer-in-a-searchlight expression. She essentially wasn't from this world. I was even more interested in her from that point on.

I had been missin' somethin' my whole life, a piece of me deep within that I could never replace. But when I talked to her, it's like that hole was finally plugged. I didn't wanna tell Fahrenheit — she'd take offense if I said some stranger could plug the hole that she couldn't after all these years. But with Gwen...

Gwen gave me back my wanderlust. Gwen made me want to wake up and inhale life's sweet breaths. Gwen made me want to fight every battle with the same youthful energy that used to drive my every decision. Just when I thought I had found the end of my life's adventure, I fell in love with life again and impatiently opened a new chapter.