AN: More hints in this chapter... But here's Codsworth!

Chapter 10

Codsworth's Take

The folds of fabric, the gushing of water, the shrill of the kettle boiling...the cries of young infants; They were the sounds a Mr. Handy would hear very often. Within their subroutines, they would whittle down the chores with utmost enthusiasm. They would scan the faces of their owners daily and listen to their commands most eagerly. They would wave them and wish them goodbye as they went to work and greeted them as they returned with a cup of tea or coffee. They thrived for the noise, the sound waves of a busy life style. For the humans were important to them as the Mr. Handy line became a popular item in the Commonwealth.

Robots only have the expectations they were designed for. The complication of their apparent sentience came up for debate often, but it turned out they were more than glad to have a chirpy voice ringing throughout the house, even when their owners were in dire moods. There would be the occasional debacle as to the emotive needs, but not much else was brought to people's attention. The jolly natures of the majority of the models had...mixed to good reception.

Codsworth liked hearing the voices of Delta, Nate and Young Shaun. He became accustomed to the pleases and thank you's and the bubbly laughter around him. He became attentive to their needs and wants. Humans considered their lives not all the greatest, but for a Mr. Handy that had a loving family. It was all they could ever ask for. All he could ever ask for.

Sadly, developments were sent forth for what was never really planned.

Codsworth was more than happy to help find Miss Delta. Possibly the most enthused. Almost, possibly the most worried. The worst thing that could happen would be to lose family again. After all the longing and the waiting...he just wanted her safe...she'd originally left in such an unfortunate manner, Sanctuary Hills was the place to be, once upon a dormant time. It was meant to be the best neighbourhood to in for the whole Commonwealth, filled with respective people and their families. A house made a home for all who would enter it. That home would become dark between the blasts upon until he found Delta. Or Delta found him. He had to watch the tragedy unfold as the world turned to rust and as man mutated and changed for the worse. The first fifty years were difficult, as Codsworth protocols dictated that he had to be upbeat and chirpy. He tried. Tried with everyone as they came and went...as children were born and as they died. He was loyal to Miss Delta and her family but without them...he was bent on preserving what he could. Part of it must have impacted him far more than he knew of himself. The ways that churned his internal systems...the very kernel of it...into something he feared.

He lent out a claw to Detective Valentine as a courtesy.

"Ah Miss Delta has told me about you." He told the Synth. Now he was told Synths were bad from many a human around him. But, this one wasn't bad. Robots had gone a long way since the 21st century.

"I'm ecstatic to finally meet the person who helped find her young Shaun. I do hope you can find Miss Delta though."

He waited until Nick shook back after about a moment of stillness between them. Codsworth insisted on shaking Ellie's hand as well. To meet and greet was another one of his task he did with pride. Ellie was surprised, then went back to work.

"You're a bit different from most Mr. Handy's I've met. Huh...alright. So tell me, Codsworth. I would gather out of everyone she's even spoken with, you would know her more than anyone? Your profile says you came from her family?"

Ahh yes. The day he his eyes met with the young family that welcomed him into their home was one of his most happiest of memories. The smiling Delta, the delightful Nate and little Shaun. He was glad to be made part of it.

"Miss Delta was a wonderful mum and wife. I performed my duties to the letter." Codsworth commented. And not a lie to be had in that.

"Uh huh. Good to know. So...anything to note during those times? How was the woman we know different from then?" Nick inquired.

Miss Delta was beautiful. She'd been a busy woman, with all her work as a lawyer gave her.

"The work of a mother and a lawyer was never easy for her. She always said that. I told her she was doing astonishingly well. There were days where she'd come home so fatigued she'd collapse on the couch or even on the rug...I had reservations about the softness and how I had yet to vacuum, but she was so dedicated to her work that it exhausted her and exhausted me just looking at and the dark circles around her eyes. I could only imagine the amount of input she put into it. It was good to see that she could at least put that all aside, even momentarily, so she could focus on her family." Codsworth mentioned. Days could go by where she would stop smiling...but then she'd be smiling again with moments of settling down again.

Nick looked at another set of notes and flicked through them.

"The law is a fickle mistress of it's own...you had to chase it down or else it'd fly away, leaving with the utmost dissatisfaction. Moving on, Delta's also mentioned the time the bombs went off. Can you give me a brief explanation of how that went down?"

That was a day never hoped to bring back into his memory; that dreadful, awful and cumbersome day. Part of his circuits either malfunctioned, but it was the first time since he was switched on, that fear was something he definitely was experiencing.

"It all happened so fast. Miss Delta and Mr Nate originally had plans for the evening so I had planned to tend to young Shaun while they were away. Miss Delta answered the door and there was a man from Vault-tec standing before her." Codsworth continued, his voice with a touch of panic and stress.

From one of Codsworth eyes, he could see all the information being written down onto a sheet of A4 paper. He wondered how this would help find Delta but he was glad to share it nonetheless.

"I recall him making several attempts to talk to us, but Miss Delta had made the decision to sign the family up. Sir rekindled the remark that it was important to protect their family. Then, not long after, we heard the news about the bombs going off. It was all hush, hush and rush and...I dreaded to think of what would have happened to this wonderful family. Sir quickly grabbed Shaun as Delta and he had begun to make their way to Vault. All in the timing."

Codsworth just wanted them to be safe and healthy. Nothing more. He had been curious as if Delta ever told that story to anyone else about what happened that day. Just to ensure it was healthy for her to speak about traumatic events, as Delta was definitely not the same woman she had been back then, that Codsworth was certain of. Nick was increasingly interested in it however from pure observation.

"What about you? I'll take a swing and say because you were a robot, they wouldn't let you in?" Detective Valentine asked him. Much to the Mr. Handy's sadness, yes.

"The only thing I cared about was them getting to safety. Perhaps that in the wake of all the destruction, that they would come back home." Codsworth answered.

Nick's face fell. Was it that obvious?

"Yet you waited for over 200 years...to see Delta again..." Valentine pointed out, slightly surprised.

He was right. It was worth seeing her again.

"She looked famished. She had been late for dinner. So I offered her to make her something quick, but mum wasn't entirely hungry. I understood." He said depressingly. He recalled the days gone by, trying to get rid of all the rust and the fortnightly floor waxing. Thought to be impossible, but the house just got dirty quicker than he could clean it. It was driving him insane. He helped others in the meanwhile over the years that wandered by. Overall, the lack of contact just prompted him to clean to ensure his hardware and software were up to snuff.

"Right...so, her husband...Nate. What he was he like?" Nick asked him, getting a new sheet of paper.

Oh sir! Yes. Good sir. He could never forget the day he laid his eyes on them when they activated him. He felt so honoured in given the name Codsworth, named after Nate's grandfather. Good man...good man.

"Oh Miss Delta and Sir Nate were a joy to be with. Their love for one for another could set an example for all others out there you know. A veteran and a lawyer...defenders of peace and justice. A match made in heaven, I might add."

All up until Delta returned of course. When he sensors caught a glimpse of her form returning to Sanctuary, he was relieved. He was so concerned that something had happened to them, but she came back. It looked like that Vault-tec representative did the right thing and that the vault they'd gone in truly saved their lives.

He wondered where sir and Shaun had gone off to. Delta said they had gone, but his programming wouldn't let him believe. He had sworn that everything was still normal. He wanted to grasp onto that slight chance that they could have been a family again. Shaun could have still been alive...but Delta had to take him into the vault to prove that sir had...indeed left his world in an untimely manner. His eye appendages sunk down a tad.

"When Miss Delta...showed me sir's body...I could scarcely believe. I saw it in her eyes, the way she had changed. Oh Detective Valentine if you have seen it yourself. A woman who'd lost everything..." Codsworth spoke of sadly. It was painful to recall that he almost felt physical pain from thinking about it.

The synth nodded.

"But she had you. Were you not family?" He asked.

His eyes perked upwards as his aperture widened.

"Of course! I...Miss Delta means the world to me. I just want her to be happy. I understand that what ever was had over 210 years ago can't be brought back. If she could have moved on...maybe found new love."

Nick's glanced to his side, at a nearby wall. Did Codsworth touch a nerve?

"Love is complex. She's never given any signs of moving on. None that anyone told me, anyway. If they had that good a relationship, it's the heartache that she would have gone through. No one comes out better for seeing their spouse getting shot. Trust me on that one." Nick stated, his voice low and on the verge of trembling.

Love was love to Codsworth. He thought that Delta and Nate were a lovely couple and that what they had for each other and for Shaun were the best examples. He was unable to peer down the deeper paths alongside it. It was far too messy for him for his programming to give him a clear answer on. He only knew what was enough and that was the love of family. The worst part however...

"But...you could at least hold her. I have the inability to do so. I am only so charitable with words. Sir and Delta used to hug each other on the couch while they watched the television together. My sensors could only adore it. But these days I...whether recent circumstances have made me see it for what it was...from books that I've read to those brief moments in Concord from the remnants of the citizenry there..."

Nick made a face. Codsworth wasn't sure what the face meant but a small smirk and eyes that read something indescribable puzzled the bot.

"You're talking about physical intimacy? You...want that?" Nick asked, a bit confused himself in the matter, but his tone suggest he was more amused with the idea.

Codsworth middle eye rose up higher.

"Of course not! I wasn't suggesting that for myself! Heavens no! Haha...I wasn't even designed to hug. I wouldn't mind it though if my form even allowed it, unless you want to be charred, scared or maimed. All three if you really push my buttons."

Nick's grin grew wider.

"So you merely wanted to gesture to Delta...that you cared. Nothing wrong with that, my friend." He elaborated.

Codsworth sighed. It was really hard to describe it. But..he really did care for her. Even back before the bombs hit.

"Not clearly enough as sir did. He himself was a very busy man. He may have retired from being from the direct front lines, but to head a small army himself demanded a lot of dedication and hard work." Codsworth commented. He was similar to Delta in terms that while the days ahead of them called out their names constantly for their attention, at the end of the day, they could come home to each other, to give that attention amongst themselves.

Nick lifted his his chin.

"Nate lead a small army?" He asked him, his voice a little higher but softer.

Indeed he did. While the military didn't need his services, Nate still wanted to fight for the Commonwealth.

"Yes of course...he was their commanding officer...on their little, super secret duties. I'm certain in old...possibly and most likely destroyed records, that you'll find his name amongst the old ruins of...what was that place called? Oh...I don't think he ever mentioned it. He only told Delta that it was situated in a place only few knew about. And that his meetings would run very late at night."

Detective Valentine wrote all of this down as well. Wasn't sure what sir had to do with this. Unless it affected Delta in any way.

"I could...maybe. Not everything's burnt to a crisp. What ever helps. What was his full name?"

Of course the full name! Names always helped if they were plucked from the registrar, owners names were often pre-programmed into their software before they were turned on.

"He was Corporal officially before he was discharged...but then it changed to Captain Nathan Nier, unofficially."

All of a sudden, Nick froze. He held the pencil above the paper. Codsworth lowered his middle eye close towards Nick, curious as to why he stopped like that.

"Detective Valentine, is everything alright?" He remarked with worry. Perhaps his internal runtimes suddenly went dead. Probably just needed a reboot.

With an achingly slow pace, Nick placed the pencil down, then looked at the Mr. Handy. Hm...much to filter through, Codsworth thought. He hated that when that happened. Only when so much data had to be processed. Self-diagnostics were very useful when that occurred. He must have placed about...20,745 requests within 210 years when glitches would cause him to act out of his limitations.

Much had to be altered...system resets, code replaced, code removed. Code moved around, added, subtracted. All the usual administrations that came with being a good version of the popular model.

"No I'm..it's okay. Just...had a bit of hiccup that's all." Nick explained. Codsworth felt unassured as his eyes refused to focus on his own, but rather not trace anyone at all, besides the wall, floor, desk and roof. The synth stood up, then his eyes eventually met with one of Codsworth's. His face remained...dull. It wasn't hard but it seemed stiffer than it was before. He leant out a hand.

"I appreciate taking the time to see me on short notice. I'll get Deacon to take you back home."

It was odd to see Nick's manner change within a microsecond. He should ask Curie how synth runtimes work. He often wondered what it would be like to be a synth, but he had others matters to worry about other than the trivial curiosities of an aged robot.

"My pleasure Detective Valentine. Oh and did you receive my package? I asked Deacon to bring it along, thought it might help with the investigation."

Nick nodded as he looked at Ellie who went to grab the crate nearby.

"Yeah. I did. Filled with books and holotapes. These Delta's?" Nick questioned.

"Why yes. I thought it might have be useful to utilise. These are what Delta had collected during her travels. Last time I saw her, she handed one back to me. I've thought of keeping it, but...it might also help."

Nick watched as Codsworth brought something out of his internal storage. He held a holotope in his claw and handed it to him. It was the one holotape that sir had told him to give to her when she needed it. First time she heard it as she played it from her Pip-Boy, she cried.

"I saw her...two months ago. She looked dreadful. I wanted to help. She...she said she was going away for a while. She didn't say where or why. But..that tape was the last remnant...the last fragment of her...what she had."

He could see Nick judging him from his words, like why he didn't mention this before. Delta made him promise not to tell anyone, but...what heart Codsworth had, it was breaking...and no normal diagnostic run time could fix it.

"Codsworth..." Detective Valentine muttered with empathy.

"I'm sorry...I broke your promise Miss Delta..." He cried. He absolutely hated doing this. He made a distinct bond with her that she had hardly shared with anyone else alive today. He had to remain strong for her. For everyone. He grew accustomed to Preston, he grew accustom to Cait of all people...sweet Miss Curie too. He dedicated his time in assisting them as hew grew to care for them as family too. As with Dogmeat...the family pet...but his relationship with his owners would be strongest he'd ever had.

Nick pursed his lips, then checked out the holotape labled 'Hi Honey.' and handed it to Ellie.

"I'll make a point to listen to it later. But...really Codsworth. Thank you. I take cases like this very seriously. So I'll get her back no matter what."

He'd left the premises, thanking Detective Valentine. As he exited into the alleyway, he saw a young woman he'd hoped was Delta, but this one wore a red jacket. She had the short brown hair that seemed to be around Delta's length, but her face didn't match. She also wore a hat. Delta didn't like wearing hats.

"Oh Piper! Hello my dear! How's the presses going these days?" He asked the young lady in his usual chipper tone. It wasn't hard for Codsworth to bounce back. As much as he thought he could, for his state of mind.

The woman smiled at him. She was a nice woman that Delta had introduced him to once before. If Diamond City was the green jewel, then Piper was the red one, from Delta's previous description. From what he'd seen for himself so far, majority of the people became closer to Delta as a result of her enigmatic personality. Just like the clients of the old days she mentioned would buy her lunch or dinner for the knots they'd gotten themselves in. It was normal for her to attract the right kind of people. It felt like she rubbed off on him, now that those Delta called friend had somehow...in a weird way, became family to him.

"Oh you know how it is Codsworth...I'm pulling all stops to get Delta back like everyone else. Like Nick, I'll need everyones thoughts on the matter, even put in a few bobs worth myself." Piper replied with gusto.

Codsworth could only simulate so much into his life. He'd hoped he wouldn't lose more of the family he gained.