Maria took another long, slow, swig of whiskey before glancing once more at the images on her Pip-Boy.
The voices matched perfectly, yet the physical transformation proved extraordinary. The simple and bleak features marking the 'before' image paled in comparison to the chiseled perfection of the 'after' image.
"It's just not fair," Maria thought bitterly. "How could he possibly be an android?" Involuntarily she stared after Harkness, the security guard who'd first greeted her at the entrance to Rivet City.
She couldn't deny her attraction to him (despite their age difference). She did not, however, act on her feelings in fear that he would not return them. Instead she simply admired him from afar, like a shy schoolgirl with an unrequited crush.
To her surprise, the man turned suddenly and locked his brown eyes with her blue ones. Maria dropped her gaze to her drink, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. Gripping the dirty glass slightly harder than necessary, she downed the rest of her drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Spurred on by the alcohol, she threw a couple of caps on grimy counter and gathered her things. For his own good, she had to let him know.
She approached Harkness slowly, smoothing her face into a blank expression. As she drew nearer he noticed her and smiled, intensifying the regret she was already experiencing.
Ignoring the constricting feeling in her chest she said, "I need to talk to you. In private."
Harkness frowned. "Now? But I'm on duty."
"It's very important," she assured. "Trust me, you'll want to hear this."
He ran his fingers through his cropped brown hair and sighed. "How long will it take?"
"Just a few minutes," she answered.
He nodded and turned to another guard. "I'm taking a quick break for urgent business. Get Shapiro to cover for me." He turned back to Maria. "Where do you want to go to discuss it?"
"I… have a hotel room. It's private enough there", Maria said, aware of how suspicious she sounded.
He lifted an eyebrow and said, "We could just discuss it here, where no one can hear us."
Maria agreed, and together they found a more confidential corner of the Rivet City Marketplace.
"Now," he said after they'd settled in, "what's this about?"
"Well," she said nervously, "I, uh, don't know to put this but… you're not who you think you are."
He looked at her like she'd sprouted another head. "Excuse me?"
"You're, well, you're someone else. Someone quite… different," she finished lamely.
"What are you talking about?'
"I'm sorry, Harkness, but… you're an android," she finally explained.
He looked stunned. "Is this you're idea of joke? Because it's not funny. Not funny at all."
"No, it's not a joke. God, Harkness, I wish I were joking!" she said in frustration. "You escaped from the Commonwealth and from your creator, a man named Zimmer. He hired me to find you."
"But it can't be true," he exclaimed. "I mean, I cut myself shaving this morning! I, I had a family back in-"
"The blood is synthetic, Harkness, and anything you remember right now is false. They gave you those memories so you could protect yourself," Maria said.
"No," he insisted, "it can't be. This is insane. You're insane!"
Maria closed her eyes in sorrow. "Forgive me, Harkness," she said, and spoke the code that activated his memory core.
He froze completely as the code processed. After a moment he said "My God… I can remember everything! The escape…, Zimmer, The Railroad…," he trailed off. He looked at the floor morosely. "Everything."
"I'm sorry about this," she whispered. "I really am." When he didn't respond she continued. "I mean, I only came to this rusted-out boat to find my father. I never intended to for any of this to happen. I swear."
"It's okay," he said slowly. "You were just trying to help me. I understand. Really, I do." He looked up at her finally. "What are you going to do about Zimmer?"
She pulled his old part from her pack. "I'm going to show him this, then tell him that I found you completely destroyed. With any luck, he'll leave."
"Really?" he asked with hopeful surprise. "You'd do that?"
Maria nodded. "Yeah, I'll do what I can to help you out."
"Was he going to pay you?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter to me," she shrugged.
After some deliberation, Harkness finally handed her his most prized possession: his plasma rifle. "Here," he said, "take this. It's saved my life countless times."
Maria's face flushed. "It's yours," she said. "You can keep it." She tried to hand it back but he shook his head and backed away.
"I insist. Take it." Harkness scanned the Market Place almost sadly. "I should get back to duty," he said quietly. "We should end this conversation now, before people start to talk."
Maria shouldered the weapon. "I'll see you around." Slowly, she walked to the Rivet City Exit.
Before entering the radiance of the Capital Wasteland, Maria glanced once more at the looming figure of Harkness, still standing where she'd left him. His brows were furrowed and his expression was unfathomable. Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the light and left him standing in the darkness.