Chapter One
"My name is Jack Cabot; and, being of sound mind and body, I will give my last will and testament."
Nora paused the recording and looked up at synth X6-88. "This was all you found at the house?"
X6-88 shook his head. "I also found Jack Cabot's body. He died from trauma to the chest. His heart stopped beating on impact, his chest had concaved from whatever had made contact. I also found the remains of X6-81. I removed his memory chip for your records. Perhaps we can see what happened?"
Nora nodded. "My thoughts exactly; thank you, X6. You may go now."
"Shall I take him back to Diamond City?"
The "him" X6 was referring to sat in the corner of the spotless, white office; a cigarette hanging from his slightly mangled mouth. Nick Valentine still wore his signature trench coat, hat, and suit. After years and years of travels, he was still living up to his detective persona. He had accompanied X6 to the Cabot house once he heard Jack had finally kicked the bucket. Now, he was interested in finding out why Nora wanted his home searched.
Nora smiled at Nick, and then turned to X6. "It's okay, X6," she said. "I'll escort him back to Diamond City myself – once we are finished here."
She could tell that X6 wanted to say something. His heavily tinted sunglasses hid his eyes, but his body language tipped her off to his hesitation. Thankfully, though, he stayed silent and exited her office without a word. Nora was relieved he didn't pursue the matter. She was far too interested in Jack Cabot's holotape, and was glad her old friend was there to help her fit the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Nick asked as he pulled his chair up to her large desk. "Let's load it up and listen."
Nora grinned and pressed play.
"My family and I have lived long, full lives, with the help of my father's blood. Unfortunately, after his mental state deteriorated, he had to be terminated, with Nora's help, of course. Now, the last of his serum has been used, and old age has finally caught up with us.
"I leave this holotape for you, Nora, the new Director of the Institute. I can only hope my distress beacon reaches you. There is more to my research than I had told you about previously, and it needs to be known before I die. My hope is that you can help.
"In my many years of study, I met many other brilliant minds who shared my passion of magic and the science of it. I was careful not to divulge any information to these acquaintances about my father's… condition, for obvious reasons. However, there was one man who eventually piqued my interest enough to share with.
"His name is Alistair Crowe. He was a scientist at the Boston University and majored in rocket propulsion systems and dreamed of a day we would send humans into space. He had a deep respect for, and interest in humankind, and wrote many a thesis on the advancement of homo sapiens' stamina, psyche and, most importantly, their lifespan.
"See, he knew our current lifespan of a mere eighty years stopped us short of realizing our full potential. At the age of forty-one, he already felt the toll of his mortality, and he feared his research would never be fully recognized. Shortly after our first meeting, Alistair's research was put on hold to work on the Manhattan Project. This furthered his distress of never fully realizing his life's work, and he wrote to me numerous times about his fears.
"I found a sort of kindred spirit in the man. After all, I was relatively young – so to speak – and my own research was somewhat similar to Crowe's; how could I not want to share with a man as passionate to see the human race succeed as I was? So, I began to supply Alistair with my serum, allowing him extended life and access to my work. For the next hundred years, our friendship would flourish and our minds were kept sharp by each other's scientific views and discoveries. By 1961, Alistair was able to realize his first major success in his field, and sent Carl Bell into space!
"However, Bell's tragic end also led to the end of Crowe's research funding. He was angry, defeated. Years of friendship began to unravel as he began to slip into solitude to work on a new thesis, using my serum as his focus. He wanted to enhance the human race: to make us faster, smarter, stronger. He wanted us to excel at a pace we would not be able to sustain due to the evolution of our DNA. He wrote to me multiple times, refusing to see me, but always sharing the details of his work. He advanced to human trials quickly – too quickly; and his tampered serums would turn them into vegetables, their brains not yet evolved enough to handle such a genetic mutation that he was introducing.
"I officially lost track of him in 2059, shortly after the first AI was created. His final letter was cryptic in its message, but he says he has finally found the key four our survival, thanks to our newly constructed artificial intelligence. He wrote that the pieces of his work were finally fitting together, and all he needed now were more test subjects. He claimed to have all the serum he could ever need for his work, and that we would see each other again once he crafted his perfect being.
"Nora… Nora, the courser you sent to me all those years ago has finally brought back results. Alistair's lab was found inside of Vault 35. It was built under Columbia University and was powered off Time Square's power grid and backup generators. I believe he became employed by Vault Tec to continue his demented experiments on the Vault dwellers that were unlucky enough to be accepted.
"But Nora… he succeeded. The crazy bastard actually did it. The man was able to fully transfer human consciousness into a synthetic body. I-I can't be sure how he did it, or what he now hopes to accomplish; but I have solid proof with the courser X6-81's footage that was recorded into his memory chip. Check the logs dating back to September 19 and you'll see two people amongst the fallen buildings. The man in the long coat is Alistair, of that I have no doubt in my mind. The woman he is with must be his synth… or human… or whatever you'd call it.
"Nora, please, this technology is dangerous. There is no one else I can trust with this information. I trust you will keep her hidden and isolated, and deal with Crowe as you see fit. I have left coordinates with X6-81, and his memories will take you to the last known location of Crowe and this woman.
"Please, Nora. Please find them before Alistair is able to create more like her. The world will depend on their destruction-"
The recording suddenly cut out, leaving Nick and Nora in a heavy silence.
Nick took a final, long drag of his cigarette and scrunched it in the ashtray on Nora's desk. He exhaled and looked at his old friend. "So, where's the memory chip?"
Nora brought out a small rectangle with gold plating along the inside. The thing was so small, about half the size of Nick's cigarette pack and half the width. The things Nora had been able to accomplish had amazed Nick since she began at the Institute. He had been skeptical of her decision, at first, for obvious reasons; but to see the changes happening in the Commonwealth with his own eyes put any uneasiness to rest.
"So… where do you put it?"
Nora smiled. "It's a very new technology. We've created an image transmitter that will play whatever image was recorded on this chip. To do so, we've had to build a bigger computer. Follow me."
The two left Nora's office and they headed down one of the many white corridors of the Institute. Nick could feel a definite change in the air all around him. Synths were no longer slaves to the scientists and doctors who resided here. They were paid employees, and some had even become higher ups in the science divisions. Anyone living in the Institute was now allowed to come and go as they pleased and could even relocate to the Commonwealth, if they chose. That being said, the people of the Commonwealth were also allowed into the Institute to work, explore, (with guided tours, of course) or bring any concerns they had to Nora.
She had changed the world, according to many. Some, of course, did not agree with all of her decisions; but such is the politics of humans.
Nora led Nick to the Synth Reassessment Bureau; another of Nora's changes. They walked in to numerous holding cells, some populated with synths that were under arrest for numerous crimes. They would be tried and convicted under the Bureau's discretion, and be reprogrammed, released, or removed completely, based on their sentence.
Nick thought it a fair, if slightly flawed system of justice.
They continued up the spiral stairs and entered a large room full of equipment with blinking lights, switches, knobs and gears. Some things Nick had never even seen before now clicked and buzzed and beeped away, all working in unison to power the large computer that engulfed half of the room's space. Nora pulled a chair up to a large keyboard and began to type in commands. She placed the chip into an open slot in the large machine and waited.
A very dim light slowly emitted from a screen on the machine, and soon the whole square was illuminated with a black and white still image. The picture was fuzzy, and the image flickered and bounced slightly, but Nick knew what this was. His old memories brought up long nights of his human self, sitting on his couch, drinking a beer, and watching the latest program on his television.
Nick's eyes widened. "Nora…"
Her smile was proud, beaming, and making her appear years younger. She laughed.
"TV again, Nick, can you believe it? Slowly we're getting there. Now," she edged closer to the screen and typed a quick command. "Let's see what X6-81 was able to give us."
The image began to play and Nick saw the usual destruction he always saw since the end of the Great War of 2077. Buildings crumbling, roads destroyed, dead trees and garbage everywhere. There were rusted, long forgotten cars littering the sides of the ripped apart roads and skeletal remains lying here and there from people long since dead and forgotten. However, in the distance, he thought he saw a small shadow amongst the rooftops. At first, he and Nora thought it was a glitch in X6-81's system; but at the shadow got bigger, they realized how wrong they were.
It was a person. A person was jumping from one rooftop to the next in a single leap. A person was scaling the ruins of Time Square without stopping to catch their breath, and without any caution or fear of bodily harm.
X6-81 obviously thought the sight was bizarre as well, and he got closer. A few yards ahead was a man wearing a lab coat, watching the person overhead and documenting what they could only surmise were the results of testing. He was writing down furiously and it wasn't until a raider's gun was pointed at his back that stopped and raised his hands.
"No audio?" Nick asked.
Nora shook her head. "Baby steps. Just keep your eyes sharp."
The man they could only assume was Alistair slowly turned to face his attacker. The raider was yelling at Alistair, most likely threatening him for his belongings, or caps, or weapons. Alistair, however, seemed unaffected by the intimidation. He said something back to the armor clad raider which was not accepted well, and the raider began to shove the gun in Alistair's face.
Alistair just smiled, raising his arms in defense, though he opened one of his raised hands, revealing a remote control and casually flicked one of the switches on it and winked at the raider.
In an instant, the stunt woman from the rooftops landed just behind the attacker. The raider turned abruptly, thrown off by the sudden arrival of this woman. Without missing a beat, two hands were at the side of his head and his body went rigid, gun discarded, and arms struggling against her.
"What is she doing?" Nick asked as he and Nora inched closer to the screen.
The raider continued to fight in her grasp, clawing at her hands and seeming to plead with her. It was then that her hands suddenly came together in a spray of red blood and chunks of skull and brain.
She had squeezed his head.
She squeezed it, and it had popped like a ripe tato.
"JESUS CHRIST!" Nora yelled. She and Nick both nearly fell backwards off of their chairs from shock. The recording stopped and Nora and Nick stared at each other in disbelief.
"I'm not the only one who just saw that, right?" Nora asked, her heart still racing from the shock.
Nick shook his head. "I saw it, all right. Can't say I'd want to see it again, but I saw it."
"Cabot was right. Alistair has created something that should have never been."
"Now, let's not get too hasty," Nick warned. "Remember, this woman is apparently human. I doubt that she volunteered for this."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Well," Nick pulled out another cigarette. He damn near needed it now. "When that Alistair guy put his hands up, he had a control in his hands. He must have some sort of command chip implanted into her so she obeys his orders."
"Nick, that doesn't make her any less dangerous, if it's true."
"It makes her less guilty."
Nora scoffed. "How do we know it's not simply a distress signal? She could be acting in her own right mind."
Nick took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled. "Well, I guess we'll have to find them and find out the truth."
Nora nodded, typing away at the computer. "I'll let the Reassessment Bureau know so they can take the necessary precautions for their cells."
Nick turned to her, his expression surprised. "You mean you'll bring them here?"
"Well, where else would I bring them, Nick?" she asked, sighing as she removed the memory chip and logged out of the computer. "There isn't anywhere else capable of holding a madman and his pet synth killer."
"Alleged," Nick defended. Then, he pointed at Nora. "And you, you're sounding a little too much like your son."
She slammed her file folder on the desk. Angry eyes turned in Nick's direction and she seethed.
"Excuse me?"
Nick was unaffected by her anger. He knew her better than most and knew that she was a smart woman. However, sometimes her emotions could cloud her better judgement. Changing the Institute from the scary, human stealing, synth enslaving monster it was into what it had become was no easy feat. Nora had needed to make difficult decisions; some that Nick knew would haunt her for the rest of her days. She had made a lot of enemies in her years of being Director, both inside the Institute and outside in the Commonwealth. There were times where she had to be cold and calculating; but he couldn't let her slip into the persona her son had once put forward all those years ago. She still had that pre-war humanity in her; she still had compassion and a sense of justice. He had to remind her of that.
Causally, he put out his cigarette and put his hand in his pockets. "Innocent until proven guilty, Nora. You've always said that. Cabot's testament is enough to prove this Alistair guy is a nut job. But that remote proves that girl could be one hundred percent innocent. I say we keep them separate and get their stories separately. Let's be smart about this, and get a good grasp on the situation before we act."
"But not here?" Nora challenged.
Nick stared at Nora, his eyes locking on to hers as he walked closer to her. He pulled his hands from his pockets and gently placed them on her shoulders. The wrinkles around her eyes reminded him of just how much time had passed since they first met. However, she was still as fiery as before, still as determined and that was what he admired the most about her.
He'd give his life for hers, artificial or not, and he trusted her with his own.
"Is it safe?" he asked, his voice sincere.
He wasn't sure if it was the tone of his voice, or his question that caused Nora to pause and calm herself. He watched her shoulders loosen, the tension slowly slipping away, and finally, she relaxed and thought hard about his question.
Tension had always been in the Institute ever since she was appointed Director after her son had passed away. It was not common for succession of the Board to be handed down through blood line, and it certainly wasn't common for an outsider of the Commonwealth to not only be welcomed inside the walls of the secret organization, but to be made the head of the company? It made many powerful people in the Institute angry. Coupled with the changes she had made, despite many vehement protests, well, the risk of inside enemies betraying her with this new technology that has yet to be researched was high – too high for Nora to risk it.
With a deep breath, Nora shook her head. "No," she sighed, feeling defeated. Rubbing her temples, she wracked her brain trying to think of where to take them. "We could take them to Vault 111? They cryo pods can easily be made operational again."
"Not enough security," Nick replied. "We need a place where they can be under constant watch. Somewhere no one would bat an eye to harboring fugitives or mad scientists…"
Nora glared at Nick, crossing her arms. She knew exactly where he was going with this.
"No."
"Now, Nora-"
"Nick, no, absolutely not." She walked past the battered synth and left the room, signaling that she was done with the conversation.
Nick followed. He wasn't finished.
"Nora, it's been over thirty years now."
She continued walking. "There isn't enough time in the world, Nick. Besides, he wants nothing to do with me."
Nick kept up with her fast pace, following behind her. "Now, you don't know that-"
Abruptly, she stopped and turned, making Nick stop in his tracks.
"Thirty one years, two months and five days ago. That's how long it's been since he made me choose either him or the Institute. I tried to make him understand, Nick, oh boy did I try; but he didn't want to listen. He walked away from me." Nora stated, her temper flaring again as an old pain that she hadn't felt in decades came crawling back into her chest. She steadied herself and drew in a long breath, her tone normalizing. "He walked away, Nick. And he told me to never show my face in Goodneighbor ever again."
Nick's face softened. He slowly took steps towards his old friend as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. He took her fleshy, human hand in his own stripped mechanical one and gently squeezed it.
"He was hurting, Nora, you both were. Things were said, but we need John's help now. Like you said, we can't keep those two here. Goodneighbor, for what it is, is the most secure place I can think of aside from here."
Nora groaned and shook her head. "We're going to Goodneighbor, aren't we?"
Nick grinned. "Afraid so, kid."
"Well… goddammit."