[color=00aeef][b]Boston Commons - The Commonwealth[/b][/color] Swan. Swan is swan. Swann is me. Me is swan. Swan felt the cool water around him as he sat motionless in his pond. The water was still, and he could nearly feel every vibration that rippled through it. When a mongrel lapped up the water desperately in a feverish thirst, he could hear it. When a human dipped a toe in intent on grabbing some piece of flotsam for salvage: he could feel it. Many creatures wandered into the commons and though he could frequently hear their footsteps skirting his refuge; he would never emerge unless they disturbed his pond. He wanted quiet, he had to concentrate. Concentrate on something he knew he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be Swan. He had to remember: he was Swann. Something was coming from far off now, he could feel the vibrations of the ground below him. A great rumbling was headed towards his pond. Hopefully the noise would go away. He didn’t want to fight now. He just wanted to rest and be Swan. Briefly the noise broke him from his almost meditative state, but he returned quickly enough to focus back. Me is Swan. Swann. Swan. [b][i]You are Edgar Swann. [/i][/b] Swan opened his eyes. There was that voice again, gnawing like a worm at the back of his mind. Who was it? Why did it always bother him? A memory flashed across his mind, only briefly. He remembered being small: much smaller. The size of a human. He was sitting. Sitting in a bright room. His arm ached. He looked to where the pain was coming from, and something was in his arm. A sharp pain and something protruding from him. It was called a needle, he remembered. The memory disappeared as quickly as it came. Yes, me is Swan. [i][b]Swann.[/b][/i] “Swan,” Swan voiced, bubbles coming from his mouth as he breathed out the words. The rumbling was close now, it was coming towards him. He knew he’d have to fight. Swan would have to become a monster again: kill things so he could keep his pond safe. Swan didn’t like being a monster. Swan just wanted to be Swann. There were voices now, many voices. Some of them sounded like humans, others sounded different. Swan would have to kill many things today to protect his pond. Why did they not just leave Swan alone? Swan then felt as something touched his pond. Something had stepped into the water. Swan became angry. How dare they disturb his pond? Touch his water? He had to become a monster once more. He burst forth from the water, raising his arm high. The heavy anchor he used as a weapon swinging down swiftly onto the thing that had stepped into the pond. It was pulverized instantly. Swan let out a great roar, “SWAAAAAANNNN!” ------- “Open fire!” X4-35 gave the order as the Behemoth smashed to pieces the Gen-1 Synth that had been sent in to lure him out. Every Synth in the vicinity opened fire on Swan. Dozens of blue laser bolts tore through the air and burned scorch marks into the beasts hide and armor. Even under heavy fire the behemoth still rampaged through the commons, smashing Synths left and right. It sent some flying into the air with the force of the impact and others simply pulverized under its makeshift club's enormous weight. X4 looked on impassively as the Gen-1 and Gen-2 Synths fought helplessly against the creature.They were clearly outmatched, regardless of numbers, the Synths simply did not have the firepower to bring the beast down. It was time for a little more firepower. X4 gave a nod and a Gen-3 Synth trooper next to him dropped to her knee and aimed a missile launcher at the beast. An explosive missile burned its way through the air towards Swan, and only a chance defection with his makeshift paddle boat shield spared him the brunt of the projectile’s force. His shield exploded under the impact, and part of his hand was torn off. Swan roared in pain and clutched his wound. The rebuilt pre-war IFV they’d been traveling alongside rotated its turret towards the Behemoth. X4 made a motion with his hand, and the turret opened up. A single 105mm round punched through the air and struck Swan’s abdomen, tearing into it. A great explosion ripped apart the creatures innards and sent it crashing to the ground, nearly blown in two. “Swaaannn,” Swan shuddered as his lifeblood drained away rapidly, “Ed-gar...Swann.” ---- X4-35 stepped over a single one of Swan’s arms, even as a corpse the beast was formidable looking. He stared into the painted face of the abomination, it was a disturbing facsimile of a swan’s. X4 suppressed his disgust and opened a channel to the SRB, “SRB, this is Task Force Aurora. Boston Commons is clear. ” “Copy that X4. Continue sweep of the area. Secure the perimeter of the Massachusetts State House and surrounding buildings. Await reinforcement from other units.” ---- Inside his quarters Thomas watched watched the monitor array feed closely as legions of Synths battled their way through Boston. Block by block, inch by inch retaking the city from the degradation and decay that had infested it all these years. It would take weeks or even months to clear out the multitude of raiders and mutant warbands that inhabited it, and it would likely be years before the city could be fully scoured entirely of the likes of ghouls and other mutant aberrations. Still though, time was on his side, and he had no shortage of Synths that could be set to the task. For every synth lost, another simply walked off the production line to take its place. The Institute’s resources were expanding considerably each day that past as their operations on the surface increased and the amount of raw material, pre-war tech, and machinery came flooding in, along with the reignition of many pre-war manufacturing and industrial locations. Visions of the future flooded his mind. Plans for the city and what he might do with all the wealth of technology at his disposal. He would build a new Boston, a true city of the future with The Institute at the helm. Thomas glanced over at the profiles SRB had sent, the ones they’d compiled from the New Vegas meetings. Perhaps it was time to begin showing others just what that future might be.