A/N: Took me a while to get this chapter done. Between moments of writer's block, the length of the chapter, and revising it, I just wasn't able to put it up as soon as I had hoped.
I still feel like I could have done better with this chapter but maybe in the near future I'll look to revise and rewrite any chapters I felt that could have used some work.
So yeah...Long chapter, lots of dialogue and some fluffiness at the beginning. Enjoy!
…
The day had initially started well for Artemis. She carried a large tray of breakfast that she was sure Isabel would like as she climbed the stairs towards the inn section of the Drunken Huntsman. A mirelurk omelet, a sliced mutfruit and a bottle of Nuka Cola should lift her spirits for the day.
Artemis wasn't too fond of anything made out of mirelurks, slimy buggers that they were. But the cooks under Aaron's employ seemed to have a Midas touch when it came to food, cooking up gourmet masterpieces out of meats and ingredients that would have otherwise looked and tasted awful.
The Huntress nudged one of the doors open as she made her way inside to the room she shared with Isabel.
She was still sleeping soundly when Artemis arrived and the synth couldn't help but admire the figure of the petite woman before her. Isabel had tossed aside the blanket in her sleep, revealing the worn out sports bra and underwear she had hastily put on before throwing herself onto bed for some much needed shuteye.
Artemis couldn't resist craning her neck a little to take a good look at Isabel's cute little bottom.
"For shame, Artemis. Ogling your sleeping girlfriend? Bad Huntress! Bad!"
Artemis quickly looked away, blushing as she went and placed the breakfast tray on the nearby end table and turned her to attention to the sleeping woman. She smiled as she brushed away some of Isabel's hair and dipped her head down to place a tender kiss on the woman's cheek.
"Wake up sleepyhead." Isabel began to stir at the sound of Artemis' voice. The woman slowly turned, lying on her back and opened her eyes to find herself staring into the redhead's glowing gaze.
"Hey honey," Isabel greeted with a smile, reaching up and running a hand through the Huntress' loose hair.
"Hey there gorgeous," Artemis caught Isabel's lips with her own and kissed her softly. She pulled away and took the tray of food while Isabel sat up on the bed. "Here babe, I brought you some breakfast."
Isabel beamed a smile at Artemis as the synth woman placed the tray on Isabel's lap and then moved to sit on the bed. She made herself comfortable sitting behind Isabel, wrapping her arms around the young woman's waist. They sat in comfortable silence as Isabel happily ate her breakfast while Artemis watched, her hand tenderly caressing the flat plane of her girlfriend's stomach.
Isabel started giggling and nearly choked on her last bite of the omelet when she felt Artemis' fingers trace circles around her bellybutton.
"Sweetie! That tickles!" Isabel chided as she took a swig of Nuka Cola and reached for a slice of mutfruit.
"But you're so cute when you giggle!" Artemis said as she leaned in and nipped the mechanic's ear. Isabel nearly made a mess with the mutfruit and decided enough is enough. She put the tray aside on the end table and turned to look at Artemis, who was looking back with a cheeky grin.
Artemis reached up, cupping Isabel's face with both hands and drew her in for a languid kiss. The redhead relished the sweet taste of mutfruit that lingered on Isabel's lips and felt like she couldn't get enough. The synth woman eventually pulled away and licked her lips, which drew a whining noise from her girlfriend.
"Your lips taste so sweet," Artemis complimented, "But then again, you are the sweetest girl I've ever met."
Isabel rolled her eyes and giggled at Artemis' lame praises.
"Oh, stop it and just keep kissing me," Isabel ordered and the Huntress complied, capturing the other woman's lips again, only their kiss was a lot more heated than any of the previous ones they shared.
Artemis slowly lowered Isabel onto her back and pushed her tongue past the other woman's lips, while in turn Isabel's hands were on Artemis, one tangled with the synth's red locks while the other rested on the small of her back.
Isabel felt her body slowly heat up and warmth pool in the pit of her stomach.
She was quite mesmerized with the way Artemis treated her, the way she wanted her. Never in her life did she think she would be in a place like this, with someone else who desired her. It made her wonder if she was really capable of winning someone's heart after all.
Her desire to get people to like her at least as a friend and role model, coupled with wanting to try and make the Commonwealth a safer place was what initially drove her into becoming the Mechanist.
Behind the mask of The Mechanist, she felt powerful, confident, in control. Under the guise of the comic book icon and her robot army, no one would ever see the real Isabel for who she truly was; a socially inept, stammering mess who could only find companionship with robots because she couldn't even hold a conversation with an actual person for even a minute without making a fool of herself.
And despite how badly her plan to save the Commonwealth backfired, Isabel was still able to gain some friends in the form of Aveline, Ada and some of her other companions, after they spared her and gave her a chance to right her wrongs. Anyone else would have most likely shot her or thrown her to a lynch mob for all the trouble and suffering she indirectly caused.
And with Artemis, she found love, something she truly never expected to find in her life.
No matter what anyone else said or thought of Artemis, Isabel saw her as a human being. It didn't matter to her whether the Huntress was made of metal or flesh; she exhibited a love and tenderness that very few actual human beings were capable of showing.
The warm smile that Artemis displayed after pulling away from Isabel was evidence of that.
Artemis gave her one last peck before getting up from the bed and looking for her travel pack. The woman looked back at Isabel, who was pouting at her and she found it adorable.
"Can't you stay a while longer?" Isabel asked, patting the empty bed space next to her.
"Sorry Izzy, but I really gotta go and find our mutual friend. Hopefully, it'll only be for a few minutes and then we'll head back to your place by the afternoon."
Isabel sighed and stood up, reaching for the Nuka Cola she had yet to finish.
"Well, I guess I could go to the markets to purchase some supplies I need to finish my latest projects," she said before gulping down the rest of her drink.
Isabel squealed when she felt Artemis give a playful swat to her butt. She turned around, narrowing her eyes and pouting at her synth girlfriend.
"Artemiiis!" She whined as the Huntress cackled with laughter.
"I regret nothing!" Artemis proclaimed, pulling Isabel into a one armed embrace and nuzzled her cheek, "I'm going to look for Aveline. Make yourself comfortable here and stay out of trouble, alright?"
"Sure thing," Isabel replied and gave Artemis a quick peck on the lips, "I'll catch up with you later."
Artemis placed her goggles over her eyes as she left the room and walked out of the Drunken Huntsman with a smile on her face.
She honestly didn't know what she did to deserve someone like Isabel. She was supposed to be a machine, a tool for a group of scientists who would have been too weak, too cowardly, and too arrogant to fend for themselves without their precious synths. Yet the girl loved her, desired her and Artemis reciprocated those feelings.
Despite all their flaws, Artemis felt that she at least owed the Railroad and specifically, Desdemona and Aveline, for teaching her that it was okay to exhibit these sorts of emotions.
Maybe one day, if things get better, she would explain to Isabel what she really did for a living. But for now, she would need to keep the mechanist in the dark; her way of protecting Isabel's life should shit hit the fan with the Railroad.
Artemis approached Aveline's house and she hoped to whatever gods out there that Charmer was around. It was a long trip to Sanctuary and she didn't to feel like all this time traveling was for nothing. She also couldn't afford to stay another night at the settlement as the woman needed to escort Isabel back to her little bunker and after that she would return to HQ.
Artemis sighed at the thought.
It had been almost three weeks that she was last at HQ and no doubt she was going to come face to face with a slightly pissed off Desdemona. The Alpha had sent her Huntress to complete a mission and she ended up taking twice the amount of time to do it, simply because she had other things that garnered her attention.
Artemis had some information that might be vital to Charmer and would hopefully give her fellow agent some sort of advantage when she would get around to infiltrating the Institute. It wouldn't be much to go on but if there was one person in the Commonwealth who could still put the intel to good use, it would be Aveline. That woman wielded words and information as effectively as any weapon in her arsenal, living up to her namesake as Agent Charmer.
But much to her shock and surprise, Artemis ended up knocking into Desdemona of all people when she was about to make her way into Charmer's homestead.
Which led to the current situation the Huntress found herself in.
"So, Artemis, anything I should know?" Desdemona asked her as she purchased two packs of cigarettes from one of Sanctuary's traders. While she was sure Dez was partly glad to see her again, Artemis also recognized the irritation in her tone.
"Yep. She's pissed."
"Look, Dez, I know I owe you a shitload of explanations but could you at least oblige me for a moment and tell me where Charmer is?" Artemis counter-questioned as they walked away from the market area.
Desdemona heaved a heavy sigh as her shoulders sagged.
"Charmer's in the Institute," she flatly responded, "Has been for the past two days."
Desdemona turned to look at Artemis and found the Huntress wearing a slightly shocked expression on her face.
"…Shit, already?" Artemis asked, "You mean the relay's been built and it actually worked?"
"The relay is at the edge of Sanctuary if you wish to take a look later. But perhaps you would have known that and would have known that I was going to see it for myself if you hadn't missed our last two meetings!" Dez snapped at Artemis.
The Huntress rubbed the back of her neck as she gave Dez a look akin to that of a puppy that'd just been kicked.
That was another thing about Artemis. While the synthetic woman had surefire confidence in her combat abilities, she had little experience in feelings that had nothing to do with fighting. No doubt the synth was feeling embarrassed and she was looking for some way to express a proper apology to Dez.
Desdemona gave a weary sigh and she put a hand on Artemis' shoulder.
"Artemis, working for the Railroad bears a heavy weight on all our shoulders, even yours. I can understand that you may want a distraction or some time to cool off," Desdemona said as she looked the Huntress in the eye, a certain softness trying to reassure her agent, "But this moment right now? We're practically making history here. We have an agent inside the Institute. I honestly never thought we would make it this far, but we have."
Desdemona's expression hardened a little as she let go of Artemis and clasped her hands behind her back.
"But you are among one of our best and most capable agents and we need you more focused now more than ever. Because I can't shake off the uneasy feeling that despite everything we have achieved thanks to you and Charmer, this is only the beginning"
Desdemona pulled out and lit a cigarette, taking a puff from it.
"The real fight starts now. And one mistake, one moment of carelessness that deviates us from our objective will cost us everything. I need you to understand that."
Artemis understood that of course. For the three years she's worked for the Railroad, it always felt like they were walking on a tightrope with the winds of destruction blowing from every corner.
There were plenty of risks to be taken but now the Railroad was clearly committing itself to a path that they will not be able to back out of. Everyone in the organization was going to have to give it their all and perhaps more if they had any hope of living to see the end of this war.
"I understand Dez," Artemis responded, straightening her back, "I haven't let you guys down before and I'm not going to start doing so now. With Charmer poking around the Institute, no doubt those eggheads are going to step up their game, but I'll make sure to be ready for them."
"I doubt one could prepare themselves to face whatever the Institute might have planned," Desdemona said, the corners of her lips twitching into a small smile, "But I appreciate your dedication."
Desdemona gestured Artemis to follow her and they both went into Aveline's homestead. The redhead agent made herself comfortable on an armchair in the living room area while Desdemona went into the kitchen. Artemis couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow, seeing how casually Dez wandered around Charmer's home, almost like she owned the place.
Dez came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses and set them on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.
"Want one?" she asked Artemis.
"Isn't it a little too early to be drinking?" the redhead asked as she watched Desdemona pour wine into one of the cups.
"Not for me, it isn't," Dez calmly said as she took a sip.
Artemis sighed. "What the hell. Pour me one," she said. She might as well offer to be Desdemona's drinking buddy in an effort to cheer her up. Dez didn't take up drinking unless she was celebrating or there was something truly bothering her.
And Dez definitely did not look to be in a celebratory mood.
"So, how did Charmer build the relay?" Artemis asked curiously.
"She had help," Dez responded as she handed a full glass to Artemis, "Charmer mainly gathered supplies and materials. She sought assistance from one of the Minutemen's technicians when it came to actually building the thing. Sturges was his name."
"I've met him before. Great guy," Artemis said with a grin, "Gotta say I'm impressed. I knew the guy was damn talented when it came to building things out of scrap but building a teleportation device with random crap is just genius." She looked into her glass and swirled the liquid around a bit. "But I figured Tom would've wanted in on this as well."
"Actually, Tom did help. I brought him here with me and he was the one who ended up completing it not even a day after we arrived," Desdemona responded as she sat down on the couch closest to the coffee table.
"Geez, the guy takes being a workaholic to the extreme," Artemis said as she put the glass to her lips and downed her drink in one go, "Wow, this is some pretty good stuff. Where is Tom by the way?"
"Tom's currently taking a nap," Desdemona said, "The man had avoided sleep ever since we left HQ and made it here, so it's obvious he would burnout eventually." She gently shook her glass of wine and took another sip.
"I might have also thrown in a sleeping pill or two into his Nuka Cola," she added nonchalantly.
Artemis looked up at her with widened eyes.
"Really? Is it that hard to get him to get some shuteye?"
"You have absolutely no idea," Desdemona said with a frown before she downed the rest of her drink, "I didn't have much of a choice. Tom needs to take a goddamn break because the last thing I need is for him to crack under pressure when we need him the most. So it was either the sleeping pill or knocking him out with a pistol whip."
"Shit. I guess I can understand," Artemis said and then sighed, "Poor guy. The Institute's really gotten to his head, hasn't it?"
"I'm afraid so. Carrington had warned me years back that his psychological health was slowly deteriorating," Dez said, remembering the doctor's warning about Tom's paranoia, "But where am I going to find someone with Tom's technological brilliance if I kicked him out? He's the reason why the Railroad is a lot better armed and equipped than before. Back when I first joined we didn't have ballistic weave, gauss and railway rifles, not even the armored coats we issue to most of our heavies. Hell, back then we were considered lucky if any of us got our hands on an assault rifle or some decent armor."
Desdemona poured herself another glass of wine. "Not that I would ever kick him out in the first place. The kid doesn't deserve that. He just has his own way of coping with the Institute's shit. I can only hope that once our fight is over, he and others who are suffering similar predicaments like him can get some sense of normalcy back."
Artemis slumped back into the chair while Desdemona treated herself to more drinks. Soon, the bottle had been emptied between the two of them all the while they sat in relative silence.
Eventually, Desdemona spoke up.
"You've been wandering the Commonwealth for over three weeks. Did you at least do what I asked of you?" she asked.
"Yeah, I checked on Mercer and Frey safehouses like you ordered," Artemis responded.
"What's their status?"
"Things are running quite smoothly at Mercer Safehouse, so far. Charmer did a good job of clearing out the raiders around there and with Outpost Zimonja's seclusion and proximity to the Commonwealth's northern border, we might be able to safely move any potential packages. Hangman's Alley on the other hand…"
"I brought some heavies to look after Frey but it's still not a good place to send synths yet. Between the Raiders, Brotherhood patrols, and the daily skirmishes fought between Super Mutants and Diamond City Security, the surrounding area is a freakin' warzone. Even had to borrow some of Charmer's scrap supplies to set up a few turrets there just to put our agents at ease," Artemis concluded.
"Very well. I'll see if I can pass off a message to our people at Frey," Desdemona said, "I should have them survey the area without putting themselves too much at risk. As for Mercer, I suppose we can start putting that route to use. High Rise has been looking out for another synth that is ready to be moved out, and I suppose now's a good time as any to go for a test run."
Artemis nodded in agreement while Dez moved to sit in a slightly hunched position, her fingers tapping against each other. It was one of the Railroad Alpha's usual stances whenever the proverbial gears in her head started spinning. It was a while before she focused on Artemis once again.
"So, tell me," Desdemona began, "You were looking to find Charmer. Why exactly?" she asked looking at Artemis directly in the eye, "Oh and for the record, you're a lousy liar Artemis, so don't bother trying to pull a page out of Deacon's playbook. I want the whole truth."
Artemis sighed because trying to pull a page out Deacon's playbook was exactly what she intended to do. Not that it was going to work. There was no way in hell she was gonna weasel her way out of this.
"Well, it is something you should know," Artemis conceded, "Do you remember when I told you that the Institute had some sort of failsafe in place against runaway synths? The kind that basically causes us to 'forget' any and all important details, including the location of the Institute?"
Artemis remembered the time she escaped. As soon as she left and put some distance between her and C.I.T., she was struck with an intense pain in her head. Humans would have described it as a migraine, only in this case, once the pain subsided, Artemis realized she suddenly couldn't remember the names or identities of the Institute's staff and leadership, where exactly the Institute was located nor the many classified (and possibly unethical) projects that she would've normally had access to as a Courser.
Dez gestured for her to go on and Artemis continued, "Despite that failsafe, there are times where I get these…how would I describe it? Like flashes or glimpses of my time in the inside."
"Well, I had another sort of flash as I was leaving HQ to check on our safehouses. So I made a quick detour to Goodneighbor to see if Dr. Amari could access whatever information had just wormed its way into my head."
"Hold on a moment," Desdemona interrupted, "How come you can get these sort of flashbacks but Glory can't? She refused the mind wipe just like you and she remembers little about the Institute."
"I honestly don't know much myself," Artemis replied, "Might depend on what tasks we were assigned during our time under the Institute's thumb. This really isn't Glory's favorite subject but from what I was able to pry off of her, she mentioned something about continuous underground expansion and maintenance tunnels. So we can assume that she was a maintenance worker. On the other hand, I was a Courser and one of the Institute's pet projects. She wouldn't have had the same clearances nor would have met the eggheads in charge like I have."
"I see," Desdemona nodded her head in understanding.
"Technology might have something to do with it as well," Artemis added, "Glory joined the Railroad what? Like seven or eight years ago? And that's not taking into account how much time she had been working in the Institute since her creation and how long she would have spent wandering the wasteland since her escape. Compared to me and the technology used in my creation, she's a slightly more outdated Gen-3 synth…just, uh, don't tell her I said that."
Desdemona ignored the Huntress' accidental jab at Glory. "Okay, I can understand that part. Now, what was Amari able to extract from your mind?"
"Some sort of data that I thought Charmer would have liked to know. It wasn't much information to go on but I figured that sharing it with Aveline could've worked to her advantage."
"Artemis, what information are we talking about here?" Desdemona asked with a mix of curiousness and impatience.
"It's on the leader of the Institute," Artemis admitted. She had to admit that she found it kind of funny, the way Dez's jaw almost dropped upon hearing that bit of news. But as expected, Desdemona quickly composed herself and Artemis prepared herself for the telling-off she was going to get.
"You've just had a glimpse on the leader of our enemy and you didn't think to run it by me first?" she reprimanded.
"I was going to notify you. I sent a runner, carrying the message that was meant to be seen only by you and Deacon, from Mercer to HQ, while I made my way here. I didn't expect to find you in Sanctuary," Artemis responded, narrowing her eyes at Dez, "Besides, I figured that Charmer should've been the first to know since she's the one risking her life going to the Institute!"
"And you think I don't know that?!" Desdemona suddenly raised her voice, and that surprised the both of them. She set aside her brief moment of anger and calmed herself.
Artemis, on the other hand, was wondering why Dez got defensive all of a sudden. This might confirm some suspicions she's had about the two of them.
"Sorry," Dez muttered, "If the information was vital to Charmer, then I suppose you were right to bring it to her first."
"Don't worry about it boss," Artemis assured, "And honestly, it's not much anyway. All I recall is that the leader of the Institute holds the title of 'Director' but the synths and the younger generation of scientists referred to him as 'Father'."
"Father?"
"Yeah. Apparently they call him 'Father' because it was with his DNA that the Institute was able to produce synths that didn't look like trigger-happy metal zombie rejects out of a prewar sci-fi flick. It was the key to perfecting us human-like Gen-3 synths."
"And did you recover anything else?"
"No. That was all that Amari was able to pull out of my mind without resorting to experimental lobotomy," Artemis said with a chuckle, "I wasn't even able to remember how this so called 'Father' looked like. Really wish I had more to offer though."
"No, it's okay," Desdemona slumped back into the couch, "But now we've got new questions…just who exactly is this 'Father', apart from him being the leader of the Institute, and why use his DNA?" Dez tapped her chin as she tried to make some sense out of this revelation, "If they needed human DNA, I'm certain they could have chosen from many others within the Institute. I wonder why him specifically?"
"I'm afraid that's gonna be up to Charmer to figure out now that she's inside," Artemis responded.
Dez sighed as she reached into her pocket and fished out a cigarette.
"You should really tone it down a bit with the cigarettes," Artemis spoke as Dez lit the cigarette and took a drag from it, "I've seen some medical images and pre-war holotapes on smoking and it does some really nasty shit to your lungs."
Dez ignored her warning, flicking some ash away and taking another long drag.
"I'm going to get her killed, aren't I?" she spoke with a weary tone, "I basically threw her right into the wolves den just so she could contact Patriot and gather as much intel as possible."
She threw her head back on the cushy side of the sofa and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I didn't take into account how the Institute would receive her and I didn't properly plan on how she would go about infiltrating their organization. I doubt they would welcome someone who's screwed with their operations with a smile on their face."
Artemis shook her head in disagreement. "Hey, come on Dez. Don't talk like that. Charmer knows what she signed up for."
Artemis got up from her chair and walked over to her boss.
"Besides, she has a reason to be in the Institute. She's looking for her kidnapped kid, right? Charmer was going to find a way into the Institute anyways, with or without our help. We just gotta have a little faith in her is all," Artemis said as she patted Dez on the shoulder. Dez merely sighed as she tossed the cigarette to the floor.
Artemis kept studying Desdemona, noticing a glint of sadness and worry in her eyes. The woman was clearly struggling between staying hopeful or resigning herself to the possibility that she had sent another agent to their death. An agent that she clearly loved.
"No more beating around the bush. Time to get to the bottom of this."
"You care about her, don't you Dez?" Artemis asked, breaking the brief silence and hoping to steer Dez away from gloomy and melancholic thoughts.
Desdemona looked back at her with a flabbergasted expression, as if wondering how Artemis could ask such a thing.
"Of course I care about her!" Dez responded, "I care about everyone under my command. I may not seem to show it but-"
Artemis held up a hand to interrupt her. "Not what I meant boss," she said as an amused smirk slowly appeared on her face, "You care about her…if you know what I mean and I think you do," the redhead said in an almost sing-song voice while waggling her eyebrows.
Desdemona found herself speechless for a moment there.
"No, that can't be possible. I could've sworn we were keeping our relationship a secret!"
"I…I need a drink," Dez said, suddenly feeling flustered as she reached for the wine bottle but remembered it was empty. Her next course of action was wishing that the ground beneath her would just open and swallow her.
Artemis hoped to break the somber mood and perhaps getting her boss to fess up and admit that she had feelings for a certain blonde agent would help ease the stress and worry. Well, maybe not so much for Desdemona.
"Hey, I'm not judging Dez" she said, "There's nothing wrong with feeling something more than professional friendliness with our mutual friend. I'm honestly happy for the two of you." She couldn't help but feel amused by the way Dez kept averting her gaze.
"I'm also happy for myself, because it means that means Karla, Terry and Tinker Tom owe me 50 caps each."
Artemis grinned even wider when she saw that Dez's face had become quite red.
"Wait, there's been a betting pool on whether I had a relationship or not with one of my agents?" she asked, slightly mortified and a bit angry that her agents were secretly making bets on her private life.
"No, the betting pool specifically mentioned whether you were in a relationship or not with Charmer and a lot of our folks already suspected there was something between you two. You ladies weren't as secretive as you hoped to be," Artemis said with a slight shake of her head, "Did you really expect the lot of us to believe that those times you wandered deep into the tunnels together with Charmer you were just having a smoke break with her? Especially when the two of you would come back with swollen lips, disheveled hair and reeking of sex?"
"You should also know that Drummer Boy was so ecstatic at the possibility of you two hooking up that he went and wrote some saucy friend-fiction about the both of you. I read it and I gotta admit that if the kid lives through this and settles down in the near future, he's got a promising career in writing erotic novels."
"I really can't believe this is happening," Desdemona said as she buried her face in her hands, unable to hide her embarrassment any longer. She was gonna have to round up any and all of Drummer Boy's creations and burn them once she returned to HQ.
Maybe after she reads a few pages to see if the kid is actually good at writing.
"Oh, don't be like that, boss," Artemis said, "We have a betting pool for pretty much everything at HQ. I mean, every minute could be our last when we're tangling with the Institute. Some of us just want to die a few caps richer when shit hits the fan."
"So yeah, we've placed bets on you and Charmer hooking up. We also have a betting pool on Glory and if she's picked a name for her minigun yet. I have 70 caps riding on her naming it 'Sasha'."
"And Tom's put a bet on Deacon's duffel bag being some sort of portal to another dimension filled with nothing but his disguises."
Dez rolled her eyes at that one. "Okay, you are just shitting me right now," Desdemona said, unbelieving at all the ridiculous behavior that her agents got into behind her back.
"I shit you not," Artemis retorted, "It sounds stupid but some of our folks seem inclined to believe Tom's theory and actually put money on it. Sure, one could wonder how the hell ol' Dicky can fit dozens of disguises inside a small travel pack but maybe he's just a very meticulous organizer."
Desdemona chuckled but said nothing. It still annoyed her that she failed to keep her relationship with Aveline hidden from the others, but at least now they wouldn't have to be so inclined to search HQ for every hidden corner possible just to have a private chat. It's not like anything was going to change much.
Though knowing her agents and their corrupt little minds, they'll probably bet on her and Aveline shooing everyone out of HQ so they could defile Dr. Carrington's personal desk by the end of the week.
It would not surprise her if Artemis was the one who would set up that betting pool, the conniving little shit.
As much as she wanted to take the rare opportunity to stay relaxed and mindlessly chat with Artemis, they both had work to do.
"Come on, Artemis," Desdemona said as she got up from the couch, "Let's go find Tom."
"Lead the way then boss," Artemis responded.
Dez and Artemis stepped outside and walked over to the unpowered relay and the Huntress let out a whistle upon seeing the machine as Desdemona approached Tinker Tom.
It might not be in working condition for now but it still left quite the impression. To think that Sturges and Tom built this out of random junk…
Meanwhile, Dez nudged at Tom's sleeping form with her foot.
"Time to get up Tom."
Tom's eyes sprang open and immediately sat up.
"Who? What? Where?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes and looked up at Desdemona, "Oh, hey Dez! What-" He turned to stare at the woman beside Desdemona. "Oh shit!"
Before anyone could react, Tom shot up from where he was sitting and had wrapped his arms around the redheaded woman, pulling her into a bear hug.
"Damn Artemis! It's been a while girl! We've all been missin' you at HQ!" Tom said.
"Yeah, I doubt that everyone missed me," Artemis responded as she patted Tom on the back, "But I missed you too buddy. Now, could you let me go? It's getting kinda hard to breathe."
Tom let her go and Artemis made a show of coughing and wheezing dramatically. Desdemona watched their interaction and deep down she couldn't help but smile. They were practically a family of sorts, a dysfunctional one at times, but a family nonetheless.
"Artemis, do you intend to leave before nightfall?" she asked the other woman.
"Yeah, I was planning on it," Artemis responded, "Why?"
"There's something I have to ask of you. I need you to escort Tinker Tom back to HQ. He's already done his part here and he will no doubt have plenty of things to do once he's back at our place."
Artemis looked over at Tom and shrugged.
"Eh, sure thing, boss," she said, "I just hope he doesn't mind extra company."
"Extra company?" Desdemona asked.
"Artemis!"
The redhead agent turned to look at Isabel jogging up to where they stood. She now wore a clean blue mechanic jumpsuit with the Red Rocket logo and carried a heavy looking backpack that seemed to be filled with assorted junk and scrap.
"I see you've been on quite the shopping spree, Izzy," Artemis said as she walked over to Isabel and pecked her on the lips. Dez quirked an eyebrow while Tom shyly looked away.
"Dez, Tom, this is my girlfriend, Isabel. Isabel Cruz," Artemis introduced while Isabel blushed and waved meekly at them.
Desdemona simply nodded in her direction. She found it hard to believe that the shy young woman that stood before her was also the one responsible for unleashing a horde of crazy robots out into the Commonwealth.
Oh yes, she knew all about 'The Mechanist.' Aveline and Artemis had given a full report to Dez on everything that occurred in the week that both agents had travelled together a few months back. From answering a distress call from an ambushed caravan, to fighting a new group of raiders known as Rust Devils (Because that's just what the Commonwealth needs. More treacherous groups of psychopaths.), and it all led to confronting the Mechanist in their hidden lair.
And the Mechanist turned out to be some young woman barely out of her teens who only wanted to make the Commonwealth a better place by playing hero. And like everyone who wanted to play the hero in the wasteland, Isabel only ended up adding more problems than solutions.
But Artemis seemed to have held a fondness for the woman for a while now and was helping her correct her mistakes by hunting down and destroying any rogue robots that Isabel picked up on. And it seemed that their mutual partnership grew into something more over time.
"Did you find Aveline?" Isabel asked Artemis.
"No…she's not here in Sanctuary," the redhead responded, "She might be at the Castle, doing some jobs for the Minutemen," she lied.
"So, we're going there next?" Isabel curiously asked.
Artemis shook her head. "No. I'm taking you back home," she said as she pointed at Desdemona, "Dez here is a mutual friend of ours and she'll pass on the message. In exchange, I gotta take our buddy Tom to where he lives, so I'm gonna drop him off by Bunker Hill," she turned to look at Tom, "If that's all right with you."
"Yeah, yeah. You could drop me off there. Gotta catch up with Old Man Stockton for a bit before I head to the crib," Tom responded as he left to get his pack.
"Ready to go then, Isabel?" Artemis asked and the woman nodded, "Go wait for me by the gate then. I'll catch up in a minute."
Isabel left for the gate, leaving Artemis and Desdemona alone for a moment.
"Does she know anything?" Dez asked.
"Don't worry Alpha. Our Railroad secrets are safe with me. I don't like lying to her but it's a safety measure I'm aware I have to use, which is why I'm going to drop Tinker Tom at Bunker Hill. He can make his way to HQ from there," Artemis responded, "In the meantime, I take it you're going to stay here until Aveline comes back?"
"Yes. I think I will though I'm hoping she'll return soon."
Artemis nodded in understanding. "In that case, I'm heading out then. Send my regards to Charmer when she comes back."
She turned away to head over to the gates of Sanctuary but stopped after taking a few steps.
"Oh and for the record Dez, I know I embarrassed the hell out of you a while ago but I'm honestly happy for the both of you," Artemis said, looking over her shoulder, "All the more reason to fight to see tomorrow ain't it?"
"I suppose so," was all Dez said, giving a light chuckle. She watched Artemis turn back and approach her. Before she knew it, the Huntress pulled her friend into a warm hug, which Desdemona responded in kind.
"Charmer's gonna come back," Artemis assured, "And when she does, it'll be our turn to kick the Institute's ass for once."
"I can only hope," was Dez's response, "Take care out there Huntress."
Artemis smirked and turned on her heel, heading over to the front gate where Tom and Isabel were waiting for her. The trio left Sanctuary and Desdemona realized she was now pretty much alone as she waited for Aveline to return.
Desdemona looked behind her to stare at the defunct molecular relay, which still stood ominously at the edge of the settlement. Her mind wandered to thoughts of Aveline and wondering if her agent was doing well in the Institute. Despite her worries, she had to recognize that Aveline was a resourceful woman and she would not go down so easily, no matter what the Institute might have planned for her and everyone around her.
…
Three more days went by since Artemis' visit to Sanctuary, which now totaled five days that Aveline had been inside the Institute.
Desdemona had been staring at the ceiling for the last hour as she lay in bed, unable to sleep. She turned on her side and looked at the alarm clock. With a deep sigh, she got up from the bed and decided to pack up her belongings. She wasn't going to leave now, but it was mostly likely that Dez would leave in the morning or the next day.
As much as she wanted to stay, she had been away from Railroad HQ for more than a week and that was not a good impression to make, especially in these decisive moments that her organization found itself in and when most of her agents would kill for a break like the one she enjoyed staying here in the settlement.
Desdemona put on her clothes and wrapped her scarf around her neck, deciding to take a small midnight walk around Sanctuary.
At one in the morning, Sanctuary was quiet and almost devoid of life. Everyone was tucked away sleeping in their rooms and only a handful of guardsmen were out to keep watch over the settlement. Plenty of turrets made up for the lack of manpower during the night.
Dez made her way to one of Sanctuary's exits, the one that faced the small bridge that led up towards Vault 111. The vault that held Aveline in cryo-stasis for more than 200 years.
She had heard stories about some of Vault-Tec's experiments and many of them gave Dez the shivers. The Institute may be all kinds of messed up but Vault-Tec was definitely on another level when it came to fucked up experiments.
At least Vault-Tec was long gone now (or so she hoped), while the Institute remained a very real threat to the Commonwealth at large.
Desdemona walked over and sat on a dried tree stump outside the settlement, a little off from the main path. There were no guards but three machinegun turrets and a laser turret were enough to keep trouble away from that side. Dez reached into her pockets to fish out another cigarette.
However, before she could light it, she was startled when she saw a flash of blue light up on the hill by the vault.
"Wait, blue light? That could only mean…"
Finally, it seemed that Aveline had returned. At least that's what Dez hoped. She stayed put however, in case that the Institute instead sent a synth or Courser to spy on Sanctuary. She patted her waist to look for her gun but she left her weapons in her room.
"Shit. I must've left in a hurry."
Desdemona was about to get up and turn back to get her pistol when she noticed that a lone figure was walking down the hill, heading for the settlement. Dez looked closely and felt relieved when she saw that it was indeed Aveline who had made it back.
She noticed that the blonde woman kept a brisk pace as she walked and…
"Wait…where is her son?"
Desdemona noticed that her agent had returned alone.
"Aveline!" Dez called as the other woman approached the settlement.
Aveline, however, either did not seem to notice her or chose to ignore Dez as she continued her quick pace and didn't even look in Dez's direction as she entered Sanctuary. Desdemona got up to keep an eye on Aveline and noticed that instead of heading for her actual house, Aveline headed for the ruined one that remained in Sanctuary.
Desdemona's relief turned into a sense of dread as she quietly followed Aveline to the place she had once called home.
