Already breaking my self-imposed rule about posting days. In my defense, my Internet stopped working Tuesday and didn't get fixed until Saturday. ha ha ha. . .I'll do better this week, I promise!~~~

For better or worse, Diamond City was the keystone of the Commonwealth. Every major decision in recent regional history had been backed by the Diamond. With Goodneighbor as a notable exception, people outside the Wall were in awe. They marveled at the surpluses. Stores, schools, power. Hell, running water and multiple doctors made it worth risking life and limb in the Ruins. Year after year young hopefuls would dare to brave the radioactive wasteland to get there.

Having taken up residence in the city years ago, Marina was long disenchanted with the place. Even after being away for a month, the familiar clatter of the gate shutting at her heels and the weary eyes of the City Guards on her, she had to sigh.

"Do ya seriously have ta do this, Danny Boy?"

"Cities rules are the same as they were before you left, Mara." Danny finished patting down her pants and straightened to his full height. "You're all clear. Go ahead inside."

"Yeah, right. Yer just lookin' ta cope a feel." She threw a wolfish grin into his flushing face. He ushered her quickly into Diamond City proper.

Though plenty tired from the trek home, Marina didn't go straight to her apartment/office. Partly lacking interest in the rent bill no doubt waiting for her, and partly bracing for whatever potential jobs were hovering on her front doorstep. She wanted to relax. Settle in, if only a little.

With that in mind, she veered for the market. It was early afternoon, so the streets were jammed. Mechanics, power plant workers, water purifiers, the nine-to-fivers had been released for lunch. Every merchant from Sheng the water boy to good ole Arturo in the armory were buzzing. She managed to get a space at Power Noodles before the worst of the chaos set in, and took her time eating. A pair of familiar faces came to chat her up while she waited for the lunch crowd to disperse, updating her on the who, what, and when of the city. Both took off after a short while.

Just as she considered heading home, something interesting caught her attention. Or rather someone. A new face. Somehow Marina knew she would've recognized a head of curls that thick if she'd seen them before. Especially ones that blonde on a woman that small. Couldn't have been more than 5'2, the two rifles strapped across her back far too big. Poor thing had been backed into a proverbial corner by the guy who was practically a fixture in Diamond City's market.

"Hey, Quinn! Parker!" Mara waved them down.

Ever the entrepreneur, Parker kept that salesman quality grin pinned to his cheeks. "Ah, here! Ya don't need to take my word for it. Just ask Mara. My charge cards-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop ya right there, Parker." one hand on her hip, she jammed the opposite thumb sideways. "Take yer con-man bull up the block. Yer ruinin' my home comin' pullin' that shit in broad daylight."

"The fuck, Mara? You disappear for a month and suddenly you re too good to play with your old pal Parker?"

"Oh, please. I've always been too good for ya. Only hung round for the laughs."

"Good laughs."

"And guess what? Joke's over. Beat it. Unless ya wanna settle this like professionals?" she made a point of flipping the strap to her Smith and Wesson holster.

Both of Parker's hands shot up. "Fine. Fine. But you're going to regret this one day, Mara. Cause one day old Parker's gonna-"

Just pretending to put the gun in her hand sent him running. Once he kicked up enough dust for his own storm, Marina huffed a laugh and snapped the strap back in place. She glanced over her shoulder at his former victim. "Sorry 'bout that. He talks big and fast, but old Parker's mostly harmless. Blow him off and ya'll be fine."

A smile turned her cheeks cherub soft. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

"Yer- not from round here, are ya?" head cocked, Mara couldn't help smiling back.

"That was fast. How can you tell?"

"Call it a hunch." she stuck out her hand. "Name's Marina. Go by Mara mostly."

"Savannah." after a good handshake, she let go.

"Well, Savannah. What brings ya ta our dear old dusty emerald?"

Soft, thin laughter escaped before the words. "It's complicated."

"Oh? Does complicated have a name?"

"Huh?"

"6'2? 182 lbs? Maybe disappeared out of the blue after an argument recently?"

"Ah. No. It s not quite like that. Though I am looking for someone." A delightfully delicate giggle rippled out of Savannah after she caught on.

"Yeah?" Marina straightened. "I might be able ta help with that. Ya got anyone lookin' inta it?"

"I do, actually. Valentine Detective Agency."

She hissed a laugh. "So Nicky beat me ta the punch again. Damn tinhead." When she noticed the odd look Savannah gave her, she said. "Ya met the agency's namesake, right?"

"Yes, I have. Do- you two know each other?"

"Been known ta run a job or two together, actually. We're in the same line of work. Only two private investigators in the city." Her chest puffed up with pride.

"Then would you be able to point me in the right direction? I've been there twice already, but . . ."

"I'll do ya one better and lead ya there. Was meanin' ta poke my head in on the old synth anyway." She waved and Savannah at her heels trotting like a lost puppy that finally found a home. As they weaved through the back streets and narrow alleys, they chatted about nothing in particular. How she liked the city, did she meet the mayor, and yeah McDonough was kind of an ass. Eventually, they came upon that heart shaped neon sign.

"Hey, Nick! Nicky!" Marina knocked on the outside walls all the way down to the door. Without pause, she pushed inside. Ellie was at her desk and acknowledged them with a mild nod. A not too unfamiliar scene was playing out in the main room.

"Come on, Nicky! I'm just asking for your opinion. It'd be a great quote."

"She's a client, Piper. Why don't you learn not to snoop on a woman's private affairs?"

Shoulders slouching, Mara sighed. "This a bad time, Nick?"

Reporter and detective turned to her in unison. The latter caught his voice first. "Mara?"

"Sup? Been awhile, my mechanical friend." She cheerfully saluted.

"Can say that again." Nick huffed. "Where have ya been? Thought that case you were running was only supposed to take a week."

"It would've if it had only been the one kid." Marina shrugged. "Determined lot too. Old man Radcliffe is in for some bad news."

"The mayor's friend?" Piper hit her with a frown. "I heard his daughter went missing a few weeks ago. You were looking into it all this time?"

"None ya business, Pipes."

"Come on, not you too!"

"Hey, hey, don't give me that. It's company policy."

Crossing her arms, Piper arched a brow. "You are your own company, Mara."

"Don't make it any less true." she smiled broad and wolfish. Then refocused on Nick. "Never mind all that. Word on the street is ya've been stirrin' thin's up lately."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. Thought I told ya ta keep yer ass out of trouble while I was gone?" when he shrugged and grunted noncommittally, Marina eyed him up hard. "Last I checked disappearin' for two week then goin' ta sniff around Kellogg's old place wasn't keepin' out of trouble, tinhead."

"It was a job. Both of them. Now if you'd let me speak to my client?" he nodded at Savannah.

"Fine. But ya still owe me an explanation."

The moment Savannah took the forefront, Piper took an interest. She leaned back, arms crossing as she did. "Well, well, speak of the devil."

"What happened? Where's your son?"

From there on, Marina sat back and listened in. It took her a few minutes, but she got the gist of what was going on. By then, Piper was saying. "I've been investigating those creeps for over a year now. The Commonwealth's boogeymen. Feared and hated by everyone. Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave old synths behind to remind us that they're out there. But to this day, there's one thing nobody knows."

"Where the Institute actually is. Or how to get in."

A long, grim pause followed.

"Well, there's one person who would know, right?" Marina found herself on the receiving end of three simultaneously bizarre looks. She pointed at Savannah. "They took yer boy ta the Institute, right? Then whoever took him there-"

"-must know where it is! I get it!" Piper clapped.

"Kellogg, huh."

"That's- going to be kind of difficult." hand running through her curls, Savannah ducked her head in an almost abashed way.

Nick caught onto her meaning. "I thought as much. He's already dead."

"So a murderer and a kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent." Piper tasted the words the way most people tried on new clothes. "It'd be a great ending if we didn't still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve."

"Wait. Yer sayin' you killed Kellogg?" Marina wasn't sure she was hearing right.

Savannah frowned. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Yes was the immediate word on her tongue. Luckily Mara managed to catch it in the back of her throat and swallow, opting to hold up both hands and back step. Before anyone else could say a word, Nick had his metal hand pressed to his chin.

"Gets his brains blown out, huh? His brains. . ." he hm-ed and ha-ed.

"Oh no." shoulders sagging, Marina watched him. "Why don't I like the sound of this?"~~~~

There it is everybody. For anyone who hasn't caught on, Savannah is the Sole Survivor of this story. So, yeah. There's that.

Also I had a comment on Marina's speaking mannerisms and to clarify, she's not supposed to sound Boston-ese. Or Irish like Cait.(Can you imagine trying to a Boston accent for EVERYONE? The sheer amount of work that takes to write would've been exhaustive. lol) I choose these particular verbal quirks because she sounds different than everyone else. Not extremely so, but noticeably. There's a particular reason for that.

The last thing I'm going to say about it is I try to abide by specific rules for her way of speaking. If I mess them up I apologize, I am my only editor. It shouldn't be difficult, but if there is any difficulty understanding what she's saying, try reading it phonetically aloud. Hopefully that will help clear things up.