*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD* This story will contain many, many spoilers. So please do not read until you've played all the way through Fallout 4.

SYNOPSIS: Nora is the Sole Survivor. She's made her way across the Commonwealth to find her son. And now that she's found him, she finds herself successor to Director of the Institute. She's already betrayed the Brotherhood of Steel for her son. Will she also eliminate the Railroad for him?

Future of the Commonwealth

"Ah, there you are," Shaun said as Nora approached him in his quarters. The old man was on his computer, probably writing a report or answering an internal inquiry. Nora couldn't help but look at the terminal from the corner of her eyes as she approached. Always the curious one she was; and she was sure she caught her own name and the Brotherhood of Steel somewhere in the text. Later she would have to hack into his terminal to read the entirety of it.

"You've met with the Directorate?" Shaun asked when Nora was standing right next to him. He rotated his chair in Nora's direction to give her his full attention. "I assume they made their intentions known. It was difficult for them to reach the decision to engage in open hostility. What about you? Do you agree with their decision?"

The truth was that Nora did not agree with the Directorate's decision to engage in battle with the Brotherhood of Steel, though she had not expressed her disagreement at the meeting. "How long has this been coming?" she asked her son, purposely avoiding answering his question. "When did they decide on this course of action?"

"The arrival of the Brotherhood's airship was the final straw, really. There's too much at stake. We… You... can't afford to lose it all," he said grimly.

Nora dropped her head, but shortly nodded in agreement.

"You know, Mother, it's no secret that you worked with the Railroad in order to first reach the institute," he so suddenly changed the subject. "The depth of your involvement with them has been called into question, repeatedly. I'm sure you can guess by whom. The question is: where do you stand with them now? Do you count them amongst your allies?"

"I can't lie," Nora said softly but proudly. "They are allies."

"Well, I appreciate your honesty," Shaun replied with perhaps understanding. "I won't ask for details. I'm sure I don't want to know. But these people, with their twisted ideology… They seek to undermine everything the Institute stands for. Surely you can see that."

"They're not a threat," Nora tried assuring him. She had friends in the Railroad. Deacon. Glory. Tinker Tom. Hell, Nora didn't even mind Doctor Carrington's harsh demeanor. She considered herself on good terms with the good man. And Desdemona… Nora didn't know much about the woman, but it would make Nora sick to her stomach if any harm came to the Railroad's leader.

"I've been dealing with them far longer than you have," Shaun said so defensively that it surprised Nora. "They have slowed the Institute's work and progress many times in the past. They are a threat. Surely you see that you can no longer work with them," he stubbornly insisted, which made Nora believe there was more bitterness—more of a personal reason for Shaun to want the Railroad's elimination—than she had thought. "The time has come to put an end to them," he demanded. "For our sake. For our future. I'm afraid this is an order, Mother. The Railroad leadership needs to be eliminated." He turned away to his computer and insensitively expressed. "I expect a report when it's done."

It was supposed to be the end of the conversation, Nora knew. Shaun expected results; he always expected results and the results had to be in his favor. "Shaun… I have friends among the Railroad," she concernedly told him.

He sighed—the old man sighed, but did not turn to his mother. "Just as, I'm sure, you had friends among the Brotherhood of Steel," he tiredly replied. "But you chose the Institute, did you not? We are your future. We are your family." He pinched his brow. "We are running out of time," he said like a mantra. "The Railroad must be dealt with, and you are the best candidate to do the job. I'm sorry, Mother. I know it will likely be difficult for you." He fell silent before he added, "I am tired. We will speak again when the Railroad has been taken care of. If you do not return, then I will at least know why."

Nora walked out of the room with natural grace, but when she was out of Shaun's sight, she pulled her hair in frustration. Strands now stuck up from the top of her head and bun. So badly, Nora wanted to punch something. Or shoot something. She didn't know the difference anymore. Violence now seemed a part of her. And that's what Shaun was using her for. Violence.

How could he be so insensitive? Would it be different if she was the Director and Shaun was the one who was being asked to murder friends? A mother asking her son. Would he do something like that for her?

No, Shaun obviously wouldn't go play soldier for the Institute. Until recently, Shaun had never been outside the Institute. Had Shaun ever even seen someone die at his own hands?

Shaun didn't understand what he was asking. It was that plain and simple. He was a selfish, spoiled, old man. And all Nora could think of to that end was that if she had raised him, he never would have turned out this way. But he had turned out this way.

The future in which Nora had dreamed of had been stolen from her. Nate and Shaun had been stolen from her. The strange turn of events was that Shaun had survived.

As she depleted a few laser cells on the targets in Advanced Systems, Nora realized that Shaun, no matter how selfish he was, was still her son. What did she have left, if she was not going to help achieve her son's goals? In the end, wasn't that every mother's dream? To see their children achieve their hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Nora put the laser rifle she had been "testing" down. When she walked away from shooting range, X6-88 was standing, awaiting her attention. "Father has asked me to accompany you to the Railroad's headquarters. He believes it will make the task easier for you."

"No," Nora immediately told him, brushing past the stiff synth. The scientists working around them had momentarily stopped and stared, so she stopped in her tracks. Turning back to X6-88, she politely told him, "We never did have that conversation you wanted to have. How about you tag along and then we can talk."

"Alright," he agreed.

He followed her to the relay room; they were both silent. They worked better together, that way. Whenever she went into the Commonwealth with X6-88, Nora felt as if she was a sneaky assassin. X6-88 would go in with guns blazing, and she would crouch down and pick targets off from a distance.

"X6," Nora spoke before hitting the relay button. "Before… the last time we talked, you mentioned I would be proud of Father if I knew all that he'd done and accomplished."

"Yes," he confirmed the statement.

The countdown for the transport started and Nora walked with X6-88 onto the relay pad. "I am proud of him," she told X6-88. "But… " She did not finish before letting the countdown finish. There was the expected flash and then thunder of the transport; her entire body instantaneously ripped from one place to another. Red spots and light blinded her eyes, as they always did after transporting, until a few seconds after standing still. When Nora's sight adjusted, it was to the night of the Commonwealth.

She turned to where X6-88 had been transported alongside her. He stood, carelessly wearing his sunglasses in the dark, waiting for Nora. "A mother doesn't need her son's approval in order to be proud of him." Now staring at the Courser, Nora was trying to decide if he would understand. He was, after all, programmed to be loyal to the Institute.

"Are you going to betray the Institute?" X6-88 asked with no inflection.

"I cannot betray my son," Nora replied with hurt in her voice. "Just as you are programmed to be loyal to the Institute, I am inherently programmed to protect my son and his interests. And even in knowing that I am being used, X6, just as you are being used, because of our programming, I will not destroy what my son has worked to accomplish."

"That is good to hear, Ma'am," he said, showing some unexpected form of relief.

"I need your help, X6," Nora now told him.

"That is why I am here," he responded.

"You find the Commonwealth so disgusting," she went on, ignoring his acknowledgement. "I do not. Because I have something that Shaun does not have. I have hope, X6. Hope. It's the very same hope that led me to Shaun. Hope that I would find him. Hope for a better future. I've asked myself what I would have left if I did betray the Institute. And I realized. I realized that I would have the same thing I had when I didn't even know if Shaun was alive. Hope. Hope for the Commonwealth. More significantly, I have hope for the Institute, too. I really do believe the Institute is the future. And if it's not, then I will make it the future. I want—"

"Hold that thought," X6 interrupted, doing the complete unexpected. "I have something I need to say."

"Go on," Nora encouraged him.

"I'll just lay it out there. I look up to you. All my life, I've always looked up to Father. You already know this. What you didn't know is I was a lot less sure about you. I followed your orders because I had to, but you seemed… I don't know, unprepared. You looked lost and confused, maybe even scared. I didn't think you could handle this life and the work I do. I figured you'd just slow me down or get in my way."

Nora giggled. "Funny, I thought the same thing about you."

"Sarcasm noted," he responded, before continuing. "If I've learned anything since we've been running together, it's this: Holy Shit, was I wrong about you. You're as tough and determined as anyone I've met. Maybe more. Given all the things that have happened to you, and everything you've lost, that's impressive. What I mean is, you have a sort of focus… a will. I think you could accomplish anything that you set your mind to. I'm not only sure that you can handle the task of running of the Institute—I think you'll be the best leader we've ever had."

"I… Wow," Nora was stunned. She had never expected to hear X6-88 say anything that would encourage her to make the decision she was about ready to make. "I don't know what to say, X6."

"A response is not necessary," he put plainly. "Now, please continue with what you were saying before I so rudely interrupted."

"Well, since you just lay it out there, I guess I will too," Nora resumed. "Father doesn't understand the Commonwealth as I do. He's lived within the Institute all his life. I know what the Commonwealth was like before the war, and I've dragged my ass through what is now. So as Director, I'm not going to make the same decisions as Father would for the Institute. Though I am proud of what he's done—I truly am—I am not Father. I am… me. I have my own ideas of what's good for the Institute. And I understand the amount of good the Institute could do if it didn't stay so isolated. Do you understand, X6?"

"Ma'am, are you suggesting opening up the Institute to the surface dwellers? To the Commonwealth filth?

"Not as direct as to allowing anyone to walk into the the Institute, X6," Nora conveyed. "That would be unwise," she phrased it as if she were a robot.

"Was that a hint of sarcasm?" he inquired.

"No, not sarcasm." Nora smiled. "Whenever I have a conversation with you, I feel the need to speak more… I don't know… robotically? Because that's how you sound. I'm not making fun of you; I just want to be as cool and collected as you are. Because I admire you too, X6."

"This conversation has gotten weird," he openly noted without flinching.

"Welcome to being my friend," Nora commented, patting him on the shoulder.

"Friend," he repeated.

"Yes?" Nora answered to it as if it was a beckon.

"Nothing… Ma'am," he hesitated which was so unlike him.

"Very well," Nora said through a smile. "Let's talk work, then. This Railroad business, X6. I know I said you could tag along, but… I think I need to do this alone. No… I don't just think. I know I need to do this alone. It's just... I need to make this decision on my own. I hope you can understand."

"Nora," X6 called her by her name for the first time. "You never have to worry about whether I understand or not. I trust that you will make the right decision. I now know that any decision you make is for the good of Institute."

He did understand. And it made Nora so happy that she moved in and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered. "I needed someone to listen. I needed someone to understand. The fact that it was you lets me know that I am making the right choices. So thank you."

"I am much more comfortable shooting people, Ma'am, than I am with this… hugging."

Nora laughed and pulled away. "Noted. You are armed and dangerous. And you don't like hugs."