FO4 | Book 1: Bombs on Monday Morning ✔️

Ch 24: All's Fair in Love and War

"Have you seen Hancock?"

Preston looked up from cleaning his laser rifle by the gate. "I haven't. What's going on?"

"I just need to find him before we start the whole... uh... Institute thing."

"W-Wait, when are we doing that?" He stood up straight.

"As soon as I can find Hancock, wherever he is."

"He's not exactly necessary to carry out the mission," he grumbled.

I waved my hand at him. Hancock was necessary to me, and I didn't feel like explaining myself. Then I stopped in my tracks and sighed. I still owed him an apology at the very least. "Preston. About last night."

He held up a hand to stop me. "No need. You were under a lot of pressure. I haven't lost any respect for you, General."

I nodded. "Thanks. That means a lot."

I continued my search through Sanctuary for Hancock. No one seemed to know where he went off to, and he hadn't given MacCready any details.

I traveled outside town. I didn't see him across the bridge or at the river. I carried on to Red Rocket Station. he wasn't there, either. I searched around the town of Concord for a little while to see if he was scavenging or something, but the only things I found were Radroaches, skeletons, and junk.

I gave up and went back up the road to Red Rocket.

The old fill-up station was still a dump. No one had touched it in who knew how long. Sanctuary was our main priority. I remembered Sturges eying this place when we first came here a few months back; he loved it. Called it his "vacation home."

I thought of doing something for Sturges to repay him for all the hard work he's done for me. I knew I asked a lot of him with the Power Armor and the Relay. Maybe I could fix up this place and give him the vacation home he deserved.

I leaned on the broken guard rail by the road and examined the building. I was almost certain we could take out the old gas pumps and robotic assistance arms from the overhang, then clean up the inside and make it presentable again. The old counter could stay. The toolboxes and crates, too; Sturges could put those to use. The garage area looked like the perfect place for Sturges to use as a workroom for larger projects.

As my plans unfolded in my head, I heard something down the road. I rested my hand on my pistol and peeked around the corner. I saw the familiar red and black of Hancock's frock and hat, and behind him something black and brown was scurrying across the pavement. It stayed at his heels but sometimes jumped up to nibble on his hand that hung at his side.

I could hear him laughing and talking to it. "Calm down, now," he'd say.

It was a dog. It looked like a Rottweiler. It wasn't very big, though, still in its adolescence.

Hancock waved at me as he got closer.

I waved back curiously. "What are you doing?"

He finished his walk toward me before speaking. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and looked between me and the panting dog, who was now jumping on my knees excitedly.

"I wanted to make up for last night. I didn't mean to get so angry with ya. And I shoulda never doubted you..." He motioned to the dog. "She was kind of a... last-minute decision? I was walkin' around, thinkin' about how I was gonna make up for all that crap when a guy walked by and asked if I wanted to buy a dog. He was apparently a breeder that traveled around sellin' pups. And I heard back before the war, pups were given as gifts to ladies and kids."

I gave him a sideways smirk and crossed my arms. "You got me a puppy?"

"I mean, I could probably take her back if you don't have time for her. But seein' as how you didn't come back with Shaun, I thought... Ah, this was probably a stupid idea..."