Chapter Nine
Reunions

Some time later, I was lying on one of the mattresses Piper had found and staring at the ceiling. (Actually, there was a huge hole in the ceiling, so I was just gazing at the stars above. Two hundred years must make a difference - I didn't know those constellations.)

With an exasperated sigh, I rolled over and picked up the Pip-Boy I had taken off for the night. I touched the screen and the device came to life, bathing the room in a weak green glow. I looked at the time. It was almost midnight.

I couldn't fall asleep. Again.

I quietly stood up from my makeshift bed and grabbed my leather jacket. It wouldn't hurt to go for a walk. I rounded the mattress Piper was sprawled on (she had quite a cute little snore) and carefully stepped over the roll of fur on the floor that was the sleeping Dogmeat.

I walked down the stairs while putting on the jacket. Maybe if I went for a five-minute walk, nothing would attack and kill me. I just really needed fresh air. Or company. Or loneliness. I actually wasn't sure what I wanted. I just knew that I was too nervous before tomorrow to just fall asleep.

As soon as I set foot on the floor downstairs, I noticed Nick Valentine sitting by the broken display window. He was smoking a cigarette and looking outside, at the street. I didn't think he saw me at all until he looked straight at me, his robotic eyes faintly glowing in the darkness.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked and his voice was so full of concern that in a fraction of a second something inside of me opened and I couldn't keep my feelings squashed anymore.

"Can't force myself to close my eyes," I admitted. This late into the night, I couldn't pretend I was fine anymore. Some things really needed being said aloud. "I keep thinking about tomorrow." I sat down next to him. "I miss Nate... He would know what to do. He always did."

Valentine looked away. "You seem to be getting on just fine on your own, if you don't get me the wrong way. It's just that... the way you go on? It's pretty darn inspiring."

"I know I have to be strong, to push on. But I really don't feel that inside." Late night confessions? Late night confessions. I was feeling so forthright at the moment that it seemed like a good idea. "I feel empty without him. Definitely not strong."

"That's what love is about, isn't it? Completing each other." He flexed his fingers. "It's only natural you'd feel like that."

"Completing? I don't know. Nate was a soldier, I was a lawyer. How does that work?" I shook my head, smiling fondly at the memory. "We met at university. I was studying social psychology, he was into journalism. Then, the war came about and the government began drafting... Nate volunteered, he had always been the romantic - God, Honor, Fatherland, you know - and had actually wanted to serve in the army... Things changed. I worked for a law degree and finally could become a lawyer, Nate got another promotion. We got married even though the threat of a war was still in the air. It wasn't a good time for beginning a family, but I couldn't help myself - I always felt safe when he was around. After the battle of Anchorage, Nate got recognized as a war hero - like all soldiers who had survived it. I gave birth to our son, Shaun, and it felt like things were finally starting to settle down. Almost a year later, we were finally together. Nate was supposed to give one last speech at the annual Veterans' Hall in Concord..." I opened my eyes. The memory was all gone now, the world - bleak and grey once more. "But the war didn't pass us by. That was when it all went to hell."

"War never changes," Nick said quietly, looking at the empty street outside.

"War never changes," I confirmed bitterly. "Ugh, I hate this world as much as it hates me."

Valentine just shook his head, amused.

"Want a smoke?" He asked, offering me the pack of cigarettes. I didn't smoke - or at least hadn't since I had got pregnant - but I just shrugged now.

"Why the hell not." I accepted the lighter he gave me and lit the cigarette. I inhaled deeply, trying to find comfort in the drug. The world had already gone to hell, so what did it matter? Everything was so irradiated anyway that I would probably put myself in more danger just drinking a Nuka-Cola than smoking.

I sighed. "The truth is, between losing Shaun and losing Nate, it's Nate I miss the most."

I hadn't said that to anyone ever before. Not even to myself; I didn't want to admit that I was almost indifferent to losing my only son. What kind of mother did that make me? What kind of person?... Except it was the truth - I wouldn't care about the kid for a second, if only Nate... If only he had survived.

But Nate was gone, and all I had left was our son.

"It's strange, but I'm not even sad," I realized aloud. "There was anger, but it's burnt out by now. All I feel is emptiness." I looked at the synth, as if expecting him to have the answers. "Isn't that weird? I should be sad."

Nick took the lighter from me and lit a new cigarette for himself. He inhaled a good deal of smoke and then slowly breathed it out.

"Guess that's a good thing," he said eventually. "It means you're moving on with your life."

"But what if I'm scared of moving on?"

"Scared of moving on? What do you mean by that?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"Let's face the truth: I've gotten a second chance to live my life. By some miracle, I have survived the thing that killed billions of others. I got a new life." I bit my lip. "I certainly don't want to live it alone, that would destroy me. But... how can I ever learn to love someone again?" I motioned to everything around us. "Look at this world - it's hell. Look at what I've been through, what I've lost. I can't see how I'll ever be able to feel love again."

"You're one straightforward person, you know?"

"Yes, I've been told that before." I glared at him. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Nora..." Valentine shook his head with a smirk. He breathed out some smoke. "I'm in no way an expert on these things, but I know that you need to give yourself some time. You're still grieving over your husband's death - you're not thinking straight. You don't want that to happen again, you don't want to be alone, I get that. But the thing is... Love is the single most beautiful thing a living creature can experience. It's not predictable, it's not understandable... And if there's one thing I can tell you for sure, it's that love is always a comfort for the aching of heart."

That was surprisingly beautiful - and poetic too. Now I felt stupid for the way I had been feeling.

"How do you know all of this, Nick?" I asked quietly.

"Haven't you seen the sign on my door? It's not a broken heart for no reason."

I looked down.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine. At least, that's what I tell myself." He waved a hand. "Hey. Don't you go worrying about me."

"Okay..." I said quietly, still not entirely convinced that he was alright. I needed to change the subject, quick. "So how did you become a detective in the end? Because I think I missed that part of your story."

He chuckled.

"Opened up a fix-it stand in Diamond City after I moved in, and that's how I made my living. Not that I need much to live. Don't eat, don't sleep... Still, it was fair work, and I've got quite the hand for mechanics. But... I guess folks never really forgot that I had rescued the mayor's daughter. They asked me for help in other similar cases every now and then. Someone's gone missing? Go to Valentine. Your girlfriend ran off with another? Get the synth. To be honest, this work gave me so much happiness that at first I didn't even consider actually charging people - only when it got more serious than my repair business, I decided to make this a thing. So with time, I was no longer Valentine, the synth - I became Nick Valentine, Diamond City's resident private detective." He shook his head, smiling. "I love it, honest." He threw out the cigarette and looked at me critically. "And now that you got your story, go get some sleep."

"Yes, dad," I said sarcastically, but complied. I had this funny feeling inside of me - like I had lost something, but at the same time had got something too. In a way, it was a good feeling; there was someone I could talk to about my problems, someone who understood.

But it was also depressing... The most decent person I've met in the Commonwealth wasn't even human.

That's what the world had come to.

oooOOO***OOOooo

Next morning, after a breakfast which consisted of 200 years old Sugar Bombs cereal (and no milk), we had to hit the road again. The chances of tracking Kellogg were rather slim already, and it was clear Dogmeat was having a hard time following the scent now, so I was worried we might lose the trail. We didn't.

It had been exactly a day since we left Diamond City when he finally found something.

We were in the suburbs of Boston - the other side of the city, actually. I had a funny feeling about this area for over half an hour. Nothing had attacked us for a long time, and that was much more alarming than any attack could be. Had my mind actually reverted to some primal, prey-predator way of thinking? If so, I was the prey. Because the lack of any other living creatures around here had to mean there was some dangerous predator that had killed them all

"Kellogg," I growled, tracing my hand along a splatter of blood on the road. The blood belonged to a dead raider, who was lying nearby. Someone had been here lately and shot this guy up pretty badly. Who else than a professional mercenary?

"Looks like his handiwork," Piper nodded and helped me stand up from where I had crouched to check the body. "We must be getting closer."

"And so the hunter has become the prey," Valentine mused. "I've got a strange feeling about this... You're right, Piper. We're getting closer."

"Closer to Kellogg," I agreed, loading several newly-scavenged bullets into my hunting rifle. "Closer to Shaun. Closer to ending all of this." I bit my lip, then looked down at the ground. "...I hope."

Dogmeat barked urgently and we all looked in his direction.

"Looks like he's got something," Nick noticed aloud. The dog barked again and, seeing that he had our attention, ran towards a smaller alley. We exchanged glanced and quickly followed him there. For a moment I was afraid we had lost track of him, but eventually we found him, scraping at the door to a small warehouse.

"Here?" Piper knelt down next to Dogmeat to pet him. "He's in here?"

"Figures," I said, looking at the building. "The place is heavily fortified - had been even back in my tim... I mean, before the War." I dug my nails into my palms (again. It wasn't enough to draw blood, of course, but I was beginning to notice little lines on my skin. I shook my head - that wasn't important now. "I wouldn't find a better hideout if I were some shady mercenary."

I tried the handle, but the door was locked from the inside.

"Awfully calm, isn't it?" Nick wrinkled his nose. "I don't like it."

"Yeah, neither do I. Let's find some way inside."

"Hey, um... Nora." He grabbed the sleeve of my leather jacket. I looked over my shoulder, surprised to see the concerned expression on the synth's face. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Of course I am." It wasn't a lie, not exactly. My heart was beating maybe a bit faster than usual, but I didn't feel particularly distressed. "Why're you asking?"

"We've talked about this," Piper drummer her fingers on the surface of her bag, "and we... Just... If you need to do this on your own, we'll understand."

My eyes widened for a second when I realized what that truly meant. That they would respect my privacy even with something that dangerous. A wide smile spread on my face.

"You guys..." I looked down, still smiling. "Thank you so much. But after what we've been through together, I think I'll feel more secure having you with me." I huffed. "If you're insane enough to follow me, that is."

Valentine let go of my arm. "I doubt either of us had been in their right mind even before you came along," he laughed. "You can count on us to have your back."

I nodded.

"Great. Now, for that entrance..."

It took us almost half an hour to find a door that wasn't chained, locked, barricaded, or in any other way rendered useless. The message was clear: we were expected. There was nothing we could do but play along, to be honest.

We entered the building as cautiously as it was possible: with our pistols out and our guard up. The room we had just entered was empty.

"I don't like this," Piper said in a low voice. "I really don't like this, something's wrong here."

"Got shivers down my spine," I agreed. I had been expecting something or someone to attack us as soon as we made it there. Instead, it was almost peaceful. And, of course, in an abandoned military warehouse like this, peaceful meant creepy.

Nick Valentine just narrowed his brows. He took a step ahead and froze.

"Oh, crap." He said weakly. I cocked my head at him - he didn't usually just throw swearwords without reason.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

If synths like him could swallow, I was almost sure that was what he tried to do.

"I think the two of you should go on ahead," he said slowly. "Like, soon."

"Nick?" Piper reached out to touch him, but he shook his head.

"Don't touch me now. You might set it off if you move me." He let out a breath, staring at the ground. "...I'm standing on a landmine."

I stirred. Piper clenched her fists.

"The way I see it," Nick continued in spite of our reaction, "if you leave this room now, I'll just have the space to get far enough in time after it sets off."

"Great," I muttered. "We've been here for ten seconds and we're already losing one of our own."

"I'll be right behind you," the synth promised. "No way am I letting myself die over some stupid floor trap."

Piper smiled and grabbed my arm.

"Come along, Blue. Nicky'll be alright." She seemed just a bit too cheerful for my liking.

She pressed me against the wall in the other room.

"We're safe!" She called to Valentine - even though she was standing right by the door.

I heard a click, then some quick beeping. Nick ran into our room and Piper just barely slammed the door behind him. The explosion that happened afterwards was enough to knock her (and the door) to the ground.

She coughed, apparently satisfied with herself. Her face was cut by splinters in several places.

"Piper!" Nick exclaimed. "What the hell was that?!"

"Saved our lives," she said proudly. "Especially yours."

I whacked her across her head, knocking down the red press cap she always wore. "You're an idiot, Pipes!"

"Thanks." She grinned. "But you really shouldn't let your guard up like that. Next thing you know and-" She pointed her pistol at the doorway to the corridor, but it was empty. "Huh. I kinda really thought there'd be something there."

I shook my head. Somehow, I couldn't smile in these circumstances. We were so close... Kellogg was here, I just felt it.

So the final confrontation would happen here, in this old, pre-War military outpost... Military, how appropriate. Pre-War. This was almost too appropriate to be a coincidence.

I narrowed my brows.

"We should get going," I said with new determination. "I don't care what he throws at us, Kellogg will pay for what he's done."

The next door led to a hallway, and a staircase at its end. I wrinkled my forehead.

"Up or down?" Nick wondered aloud. "You know, I'd toss a coin, but those don't exactly operate anymore."

"Hmpf." I kicked a small piece of concrete which lay on the floor. "Down. Did you see the building from outside?" I took the first step onto the stairs. "It's just two stories. And I'm expecting a bit more resistance than just that. He's gotta be hiding underground, the coward."

Nick and Piper exchanged looks, but neither of them said anything. I only gripped my laser pistol more tightly when I heard some sound coming from ahead.

Being stealthy had never been my strongest side, and I had always preferred to see the enemy ahead of me. But still, I didn't need to look for my mind to match the sound I was hearing now with something I had been through before.

Metal. Metal, but muffled.

"Synths," I whispered, my eyes widening. "No... The Institute? Here?" I clenched my fists. "Why today? Why are they always where I go?!"

Piper opened her mouth to ask a question, but the only sound that left her was a scream when a blue beam of energy hit her in the back.

"Warning! Intruders on Ground Floor Staircase," a synth none of us had noticed had managed to approach us from behind.

That was why I didn't like sneaking around!

"Piper!" I cried out and threw myself to help her. Except she wasn't injured. "What the hell...?"

"Leather," she said weakly. "Good against energy damage."

I hadn't realized it before, but both her red coat and the jacket she had given me were thick leather. "So people look for damage protection in all clothing now, is it?"

"You can stop and chat later!" Nick was holding the other synth in a headlock, using the robot as a shield. Three more synths from downstairs were now shooting at us.

One of them managed to hit me straight in the chest and I was eternally grateful to Paladin Brandis for giving me that combat armor chestpiece. The beam of energy didn't do anything to me, except for smoldering the Brotherhood of Steel emblem.

I remembered that my laser pistol needed reloading and swore aloud. I should really think about those kinds of things when the time is right!

I pulled out my assault rifle. While I didn't mind having it holstered on my backpack, holding the heavier gun in my hands was a bit hard. I managed to aim and shoot at the synths, but with too much spread. I almost didn't control the flow of bullets.

I did manage to bring down two of the synths. A well-aimed shot from Nick's revolver destroyed the third's visor. The blinded robot was kicked off the stairs by Piper.

Nick leaned his head back and sighed.

"This isn't nice at all," he summed up. "One, we've just officially announced our presence to everyone and everything in the building. Two, those were Institute synths. Which means there are higher forces at work here than just your son's kidnapper."

I stared at him, something completely different on my mind.

"And you're... alright with this?" I asked, looking at the destroyed robots on the ground.

"If what you're asking is if I have a problem with killing these things, I don't."

I blinked, surprised at how easily he had called those robots so similar to himself 'things'. Then again, I hadn't considered them alive for a moment, either. Nick was right about one thing - there was a huge difference between the old synths and the new ones. Even if I still hadn't seen a new one, I knew they could pass as humans. (So maybe I had seen one, but didn't even know it. That thought was a bit scary.)

"More synths coming," Nick said. "From upstairs."

"Huh?" I turned to him in a fraction of a second. "How'd you know that?"

"Well, can't you hear it?" He grabbed my arm. "Doesn't matter, no time. You said down, right?"

I heard the synths' metal footsteps from the stairs above us now, too. There were many... At least ten.

"Yeah," I said quickly. "Down sounds good."

There was a synth on the stairs ahead of us, but Piper just pushed it down the stairs like the previous one. We ran over it on our way down.

"Elevator, quick!" I noticed aloud before pushing the call button. The light lit up, but the elevator hadn't arrived yet. "Shit!"

The synths were getting closer.

"Seriously?!" Piper exclaimed, aiming her pistol at the other end of the hallway. If this elevator didn't come in time, we would be done for!

The first synth that rounded the corner was killed by three bullets from Nick's revolver and one from Piper's pistol. The second one managed to shoot and would have hit me if I hadn't moved aside in time.

The elevator doors opened and the three of us practically jumped inside, me and Piper frantically pushing the door-closing button.

The rest of the synths didn't make it to us before the elevator set off.

We rode in silence - the only sound was me changing the fusion cell of my automatic laser pistol.

When the doors slid open, I cautiously peeked out to see what environment we had been brought to. I fired my gun almost without thinking as soon as I saw the two synths ahead.

There were more of them here than in the ArcJet building, I realized as, with help of my friends, I destroyed both of them. I didn't like it. And the way they were just waiting... It was clear they had been expecting us.

"Well, if it isn't my old friend, the frozen TV dinner. Last time we met, you were cozying up to the peas and celery. Never thought you'd come knocking on my door." The voice that came from the intercom was eerily confident, and the sarcastic tone of his voice only made me angrier.

"I'm going to kill him," Piper growled.

"Don't you dare. He's mine." I narrowed my eyes. "Frozen TV dinner? What a child." I raised my eyes at the speaker, convinced there was also a camera there. "You can do better than that, Kellogg!"

Piper looked like she was concerned this wasn't the best course of action, but she didn't comment.

"I'm not turning back now," I said, loudly enough for the camera to register it.

"Look... Nora, wasn't it? I'm sorry your house has been a wreck for two hundred years. But that doesn't give you the right to invade mine. Leave."

"Not a chance," I muttered. Besides, I had every right to invade his house after he had murdered my husband and kidnapped my son.

I ruthlessly shot down the next synth before it even noticed me. I opened the door to reveal yet another segment of the hallway. This time, it was empty.

"You're pissed off, I get it. I do, really. But... Whatever you're hoping to achieve here? It's not gonna go your way."

The next door was automatic, remote controlled.

"Alright." Kellogg sighed."You want to talk so badly? Fine. Come on in, my synths are standing down. Let's talk." The door opened. I gripped the handle of my pistol more tightly, and carefully stepped over the threshold.

The door shut closed the instant I walked through it. I immediately jumped forward to avoid being squashed.

"Nora!" Valentine exclaimed - from the other side. "You alright?!"

"Yeah..." I said weakly. Of course, it wasn't about hurting me - not yet, at least. It was about cutting me off from my friends.

"You can't go in there, Blue," Piper warned me. "He wants you alone, to confront him when no one can help you."

Oh, so now I needed help? I gave her a dark look (which she couldn't see through the door).

"What choice do I have?" I asked flatly.

"I'll find some other way around," she promised. "Try not to get killed meanwhile."

I narrowed my eyes and dug my nails into my skin. I looked down, surprised to see that I had drawn blood. Damn it, I've got to be more careful. Enough people are out to hurt me already; I don't need to add myself to that list.

I walked through the newly-opened door on the other side of the hallway. There were two synths in the room, but they left as soon as I entered it. Aside from them, there was also...

"And here she is, ladies and gentlemen!" He raised his arms to show he was unarmed. "The most resilient woman in the Commonwealth!"

...the man who had murdered my husband.

"Where is Shaun?!" I asked, pointing the hull of my laser pistol at his head and hoping that I looked threatening enough. "Where's my son?!"

He raised a single finger to silence me, completely unphased by the weapon I was aiming at him. "All in due time. First, let me just congratulate you. To be honest, I was giving it 50/50 odds that you make it to Diamond City before the Commonwealth rips you to shreds. And I am most pleasantly surprised!" He clapped his hands. "Oh, you were amazing! Absolutely amazing! Who would have thought some soft pre-war housewife could handle the Commonwealth and come out on top? And gathering allies already, my my. For the record, let me say - joining the Brotherhood of Steel? That one really managed to impress me." Kellogg shook his head, looking at the floor with a smug smirk. Then, he frowned. "Oh, but you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

If all he wanted to do was to make a show of how well-informed he was, he did it right. Where had he gotten all that information from?

"So you know what I've been doing," I said warily, not sure if I should lower my weapon. He didn't seem to have much consideration for my threats. I shrugged, trying to play cool. "Big deal." How does he know?! "You know why I'm here as well, then."

"Of course. The oldest story in the world, isn't it? A grieving mother, ready to tear the world apart just to find her child... The thing is, you're a bit too late to get him back." He cleared his throat, suddenly more serious. "Listen, Shaun's a great kid. Not much of a 'baby' anymore, but still - he's alive and well. Only... he's not your son anymore. I think you already figured that one out. A little bit of time has passed while you were frozen in that icebox. He's a bit older than you were expecting, am I right?"

"Where is he?" I asked in a low voice. All that talking about was making me nervous. Sure, he was hiding something, but how long until he let me in on that secret?

"I'm truly sorry... Really, I am." Kellogg pulled out a small revolver from his shoulder holster. But he didn't do any hostile movement towards me, just started toying with it absently. "I don't think you could understand how or why, but I am sorry that it had to come to this. You didn't do anything wrong, to be honest - just wanted fair justice. I get that. But..." He looked up from the revolver to look at me. "Not this time, Nora." I shivered when he used my first name. "To think all you had to do was just walk away and forget this all... You would have been fine. No one would have gotten hurt... But who am I to judge? Hell, I even understand you."

That was in no way the answer to my question.

"Where is he?" I repeated.

"He's in a place where he's loved and cared for." Kellogg put his fingers together. "In a place where he's happy, in the place he calls his home. In the place that's been his home for years."

"Where." I dropped my voice to a dangerously low tone.

He sighed, seeing that I wouldn't abandon the question.

"The Institute."

It was like a punch in the stomach. For a moment, I just stood there, staring ahead without a word, too surprised to even gather my thoughts. I shook my head.

"The Institute is real? I... I thought it was just an urban legend..."

"Don't act so surprised," he rolled his eyes. "You had to have been expecting this."

"But..." But I wasn't ready for something like that. I hadn't been supposed to get myself tangled in this whole Institute business. All I had wanted was to take my son and find some peace for both of us. That plan had changed as time went by, of course. I had seen how terrible life in the Commonwealth was and now I wanted to help. I had joined the Brotherhood of Steel and now I had my obligation to them. I had made friends in the Commonwealth and now I didn't want to leave them. All of those things that had affected my point of view hadn't affected my main goal, which had always been getting revenge on the murderer of my husband. Even when I had realized how small the chances of finding Shaun were, I hadn't stopped hoping - not really. None of those things had made me reconsider my entire plan.

But now, it was like a bucket of cold water - my brain was trying to adjust to all that new information. Shaun was still alive, but he had grown up without me. He was in that very Institute everyone was afraid of. I probably wouldn't see him again. The Institute were really the ones responsible for Nate's death.

I stood there, unmoving.

"What? Too hard to process?" Kellogg shook his head at me. "I know. But I hope you can at least appreciate all that they've done for the kid. What kind of life do you think he would have in this wasteland? The Institute gave Shaun a chance you wouldn't ever be able to." He closed his eyes. "He's happy. I hope that's enough to give you your peace before we have to end this."

"End...?" I repeated hoarsely.

Kellogg slowly reloaded his revolver.

"It's nothing personal, you understand. But with everything you know, I can't just let you go. You're a potential enemy for the Institute, especially with your little drive for revenge. The thing is, we're just pawns, you and I. The guys pulling the strings... They ain't even here. And I doubt you'll ever meet them."

"So what's the point of telling me all of that, huh?" I asked darkly, desperately trying to play for time. I noticed some movement behind him. "If you just wanted to kill me all along?"

"Because I reckon you deserve the truth. We're not that different, you and I. The only difference is that I'm standing on the right side of the gun."

He pointed the gun at my head while I quickly looked around, taking in every single detail of what was happening. I needed to be aware of everything.

"Famous last words?" He asked. I smiled widely when my playing for time finally paid off.

"Just one," I said, staring at a very particular spot behind him. "Piper!"

The girl whacked Kellogg across the head with a fire extinguisher. I didn't want to know where she had gotten it, but it angered the mercenary enough to fire the gun at her instead of me. Piper instinctively covered herself with the extinguisher and the bullet tore through the metal, white foam splashing all over.

I took the cue to swing my laser pistol at him and knock the revolver out of his hand. I quickly aimed the pistol at his head, fully aware that I couldn't afford to hesitate to shoot this time.

"Oh no, you don't!" Kellogg exclaimed and charged at me headfirst. I fired the gun at him, but that didn't kill him. Startled, I stared as he continued forward. I managed to jump back when he swung a knife at me.

I risked another shot at him and this time managed to hit him in the shoulder. He swore, but that didn't slow him down. I shot again, terrified when the energy beam that reached his stomach didn't kill. How can one person survive being shot up that much?!

I pulled the trigger again, but the laser pistol only clicked. I must have used up the fusion cell inside. I looked up, despaired. Kellogg hadn't moved to pick up his handgun - at this point, he knew that I wouldn't be able to reload before he reached me.

He pushed the knife into my abdomen and I sucked in a breath, too shocked to even scream.

I took a single step back, pressing my hands onto the wound in my right side. But I managed to smile when I noticed Piper standing behind Kellogg, aiming her revolver at his head.

"Do it!" I shouted. He raised his eyebrows at my order, for a moment convinced that I was talking to him. But I soon saw the realization on his face as he moved to turn around - but he wasn't quick enough.A single gunshot filled the air, and he stumbled backwards before finally falling to the ground.

He didn't get up again.

Dead.

The man who had killed my husband was dead. I had finally gotten my revenge. I had accomplished my goal, I had fulfilled the promise I had given... Finally, I had made it.

Somehow, that didn't make me feel good at all.

I took several steps back until I could feel the wall behind my back and lean on it for support. Piper was immediately beside me, throwing all weapons aside and instead searching through her messenger bag.

"Hang on in there, Blue," she said frantically. I let myself chuckle, still pressing my hands onto the wound in my side.

"I'm not dying just yet," I smirked, even though all I wanted to do was grit my teeth in pain. "So please don't act like I am."

"Yeah," she nodded, "of course. Sorry."

There was a moment of silence as she took out a roll of bandages and a bottle of disinfectant in a state that made me question whether it was even safe to use it. She spilled some of it onto a piece of cloth and I just watched without a word, letting her roll up my blood-stained shirt.

"You shot him," I said eventually.

"Guess I did, yeah." She pursed her lips. "Not the first time I've killed someone. And Kellogg had it coming."

"It's just that you stole my kill," I grinned, leaning my head back as she pressed the damp cloth to my wound.

Piper snickered and shook her head. "Sorry about that. Next time, I'll be sure to let you get cut up more lethally before I intervene."

"No, I just... I do wish I got to be the one who killed that bastard, but I..." I let out a breath. "I'm just glad he's gone."

"That makes the two of us," Piper said seriously.

"That makes the three of us," Valentine added as he walked into the room, limping slightly. He was pressing his palm to his left thigh. "I hope you had fun, two-against-one, while I had to fight all those synths back there on my own."

Piper bit her lip. "So sorry for leaving you, Nick. I figured Nora needed more help than you."

He knelt down next to us and gave me a criticizing look.

"Hope it was worth it," he said softly. "I can tell this isn't gonna heal nicely. So, did he tell you where's your kid?"

I let Piper apply the bandages to my wound. The blood soaked right through almost immediately, so she had to add three layers before the makeshift dressing was more or less efficient.

"You could say that," I said in response to the detective's question. "I learned some things..."

"So, what did you find out?" He asked in an encouraging tone. I looked at their faces - they really did care, they really wanted to help... But it was a hopeless cause.

"What do I even begin with?" I asked quietly. "The part where Kellogg turned out to be working for the Institute?" I clenched my fists. "Or the part where he told me they've got Shaun?"

"The Institute?" Piper repeated. "Oh boy... I'm so sorry, Blue. I had no idea it was that bad."

I motioned towards the bandages wrapped around my waist.

"You think?" I didn't spare them any sarcasm. "Can't be that bad."

Nick made an expression that suggested something like that wouldn't have happened if he had been there with us at the time.

"Except this is where the trouble begins," he mused. "No one really knows where the Institute is, much less how to get there. Not even I, and the bastards made me."

"Then I'm not ever getting him back, am I?" I winced when I put too much weight on the left side of my body. "I'll just... have to accept that he's gone."

"No way!" Piper grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look into her shining, jade green eyes. "You're not giving up here, got it? I've been researching the Institute for over a year by now, I'm sure if we work on all the info I've got in my office back in Diamond City, we can come up with something. But, Blue... Don't give up like that, damn it. I'll help you out for all it's worth, but we're all gonna need your commitment. Got it?"

She was so passionate about it that I even managed to fake a smile. "Yeah. Got it." I nodded my head. "If there's anything on the Institute, we'll find it."

I didn't know if Piper was fooled by my pathetically fake enthusiasm, but she let go of me and stood up. "That's the spirit. I'll go on ahead, check up on Dogmeat, but you two don't take too long." She looked around the room and shuddered. "This place gives me the creeps."

I watched in silence as she called for the elevator and just left. I hung my head.

"Say, Valentine... This Institute. Do they have any enemies or... I don't know, any way to get to them?"

"Beats me. There's supposedly the Railroad, but that's more of an urban legend than a solid lead. People prefer to pretend the Institute doesn't exist than to oppose it. This is gonna be one hard case to close."

"This is hopeless," I whispered. Nick looked down at me.

"Hey." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Chin up. I know the night just got hell of a lot darker, but it can't last forever."

"Thanks," I said, looking at the tips of my shoes. Some blood was splattered on them, and I didn't even know whose it was. "I'd really want to believe that."

"Can you stand with that wound?" Valentine asked, concerned.

"Yeah," I replied, standing up and leaning on the wall. "A bit dizzy, but I'm fine."

"You must have lost some blood there. If you ask me, our first stop is some doctor."

"First stop is claiming my loot," I said, staring at Kellogg's dead body. The fancy custom revolver was lying on the ground a few feet away. "I'm definitely taking this." I winced in pain as I bent to pick up the gun. "Also, I guess it wouldn't hurt to see what he had on himself..."

I knelt down next to the body.

"You know," I said quietly as I searched the pockets. "This is one of the biggest differences between now and then. When somebody dies, no one... They just leave the body." I hung my head. "I know Kellogg's done terrible things, but does he really not deserve to be buried? I still hate him, but I don't hate anyone that much."

And yet, I'd killed people already. I'd killed many people in the last week, and I hadn't even considered giving them a burial. Maybe it was the fact that death was now so much more common, that you'd see dead bodies every so often and the sight became almost normal. But still... I didn't feel any remorse for killing the men I'd killed. It was always self-defense, or defending others. I had always had a reason. But it still didn't justify the fact that I left their bodies like that...

This world, it's harsh. In this world, blood flows a lot and there's loads of suffering and killing. Basically, I'm trying to say that if you had any restraints before looting the body of a dead man for supplies, don't have them anymore. Because that's what you gotta do to survive out here.

That had been first advice I had got in the Wasteland. The first truth I was taught about this world. Even the dead did not get to get their peace.

I sighed, hiding the large pouch of bottlecaps into my backpack. Maybe at least I could pay for medical treatment with this. Kellogg's revolver was also nice - a modified version of a .44 Magnum, if I knew my way around guns as well as I thought. I even had some ammo for it, mostly scavenged from Kellogg's house in Diamond City.

"What's that?" I wondered aloud as I noticed something strange on the corpse. There was some kind of metal implant in the neck. Curiosity took the better of me and I tried to pull it out. It went surprisingly easy, although I splattered my hands with blood. "I've never seen anything like it," I said, turning the compound in my hands.

"Show me," Nick asked. I handed him the implant. "Huh. Looks like some kind of pain inhibitor..."

"That's why he didn't react to me shooting him up that much," I realized. "And..."

Piper had shot Kellogg in the head, so a good part of it was now a bloody mess, but I could very well see the shining of metal on his temple. The object that I took now was completely different - I had never seen anything like it, even though it was clear this was some kind of implant too.

"All that tech..." I looked at the body again, this time with disgust. "He was barely human."

"I guess." Valentine shrugged. I suddenly remembered who I was talking to - he was barely human too, even if in a different way. He stood up. "If you're about done with that necroscopy of yours, Nora, we could get going. Piper's not of those who take pride in their patience."

I quickly wrapped both cybernetics in a cloth and hid them in my jacket's pocket.

"I'm done..." I took one more look at the corpse. The pool of blood beneath it had grown slightly larger over the last few minutes. I looked away. "Let's go."

The elevator took us to the ground floor again, but this time on the other side of the building. The door which had been chained before was now left ajar, the metal chain lying on the floor nearby. Piper had been here, then.

"Look who I found," the journalist said happily as soon as the two of us left the building. She pointed at the German Shepherd. "He waited for us!"

Dogmeat whimpered affectionately and cuddled to her. I was guessing he liked Piper most out of the three of us.

"What now?" Piper asked. "As I said, I have loads of stuff on the Institute in my office in Diamond City. And you could use a professional doctor's care, Blue."

I nodded my head without a word. "Diamond City it is, then..."

I looked at the screen of my Pip-Boy. 30th October 2287. It had been exactly a week since I woke up in this nightmare of a world, and I still didn't have all the answers.

I had thought today would finally bring me all the information I wanted, but it seemed I only had more questions now.

And the Institute was involved... Until meeting Nick Valentine, I had had serious doubts about whether the Institute was even real. Even now, with everything put so plainly, I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that that shady organization everyone in the Commonwealth was afraid of... that they were the ones responsible for ripping my family apart.

I really hadn't wanted to be a part of anything that big... I still didn't want to.

I sighed, looking at the ground beneath my feet. I could more or less walk on my own and ignore the pain in my side, but we couldn't keep as fast a pace as before. My friends tried to cheer me up at first, but they both gave up soon and just accepted that I needed some time to think things through.

We spent the next night under some half-collapsed bus stop. It made an actually nice hideout, and since Nick didn't need to rest like we humans did, me and Piper had the perk of having someone watch over us as we slept.

The only thing that was distressing about the location were the bodies of three or so people nearby - bloody and dismembered. Just looking at it made me feel somewhat sick.

I didn't know what kind of creature could do something like that to a person, but I knew for sure that it wasn't something I would want to meet.

"This is just depressing," I said. "Isn't there anyone who would try to maintain at least some order around here?"

Piper sighed and raised her eyes to the sky. "If you want some kind of noble military force that would selflessly protect innocent civilians, you're in the wrong place, Blue." She glanced at me. "I mean, sure, there's the Brotherhood of Steel in the Capital Wasteland, and the NCR in the Mojave, don't count on the kindness of strangers in the Commonwealth."

I narrowed my brows. "Did you say Brotherhood of Steel?"

"As I said, not in the Commonwealth, so I don't know why it would matter to you."

I raised a finger. "But, you said Brotherhood of Steel as in an actual military force? Not just, I don't know, like four people?"

"You're acting weird, Blue. And I mean more than usual." Piper raised an eyebrow. "But yeah. The Brotherhood is a pretty big deal in the Capital Wasteland. Here in the Commonwealth, though... Well, there were the Minutemen, but no more."

"The Minutemen?" I repeated. Another group I had encountered before. And Preston Garvey said he's the last Minuteman.

"They were a volunteer militia force," Valentine explained. "Of the people, for the people, that kind of agenda. It actually worked for, like, five years. Then, things fell apart. Some people did wrong things, some people mistrusted other people... Eventually, no one had faith in the Minutemen anymore."

Piper smiled bitterly. "And you can't exactly have a volunteer army without volunteers."

"Still, if I were you, I'd be interested." Nick drummed his fingers on the pile of rubble that served as our small shelter's wall. "The Minutemen tangled with the Institute once, so if you want to gather allies against our favorite boogeyman, the Minutemen'd be the first to go."

"You said the Minutemen don't exist anymore."

"They're scattered to the winds, sure. But don't mistake all things that are gone for dead." He shrugged. "And the fallen Minutemen are still a better lead than the nonexistent Railroad."

"The Railroad does exist, Nick!" Piper protested. "They're just very secretive."

"I've heard that name before," I said, wrinkling my forehead. "The Railroad... You mentioned it before. That it's some urban legend."

"It's more than that," Piper said. "The Railroad is a group of people devoted to helping runaway synths escape from the Institute. But they're secretive." She raised her eyebrows. "Ultra-paranoid." She bit her lip. "But they're real, I'm sure of it."

"Aren't you a bit obsessed with conspiracy theories?" I smirked.

"She thinks that Mayor McDonough is a synth spy," Nick pointed out.

"It makes sense, Nicky."

I really didn't want to listen to the two of them quarrel about that, however friendly a quarrel it might be.

"Goodnight," I said simply, set the alarm in my Pip-Boy to wake me at eight, and lay down. "Don't be too loud, you two."

The next thing I knew, Piper lay down beside me, an offended pout on her face. I snickered at that.

For the first time in the Commonwealth, I fell asleep feeling almost safe. Then again, it wasn't surprising that I should be feeling like that.

After all, I had my friends with me.

oooOOO***OOOooo

The road to Diamond City which had taken us little more than a day before, now that I was injured required almost three times that much. As a result, we arrived at the Fenway Park stadium sometime after noon, 2nd November.

We had missed Halloween.

At least, that's what Nat told me while Piper organized all of her research to render it actually usable. People in the Wasteland still celebrated some holidays, apparently. Which reminded me of the upcoming Veterans' Day on 11th. I didn't know why I still cared about it that much - there would be no one I could celebrate it with, after all. No more soldiers. No more war.

The world had ended already.

"I've got nothing!" Piper exclaimed, angrily standing up from her place behind the desk covered with newspapers and notes. "All those records on the Institute and none of them say anything about how to get there!"

I shook my head. "Were you really expecting them to be that careless? The Institute are professionals, there's no doubt about that. Besides, they've got all that freaky advanced technology and everything."

"Yeah..." She wiped her forehead. "Still, it's hard to believe they didn't leave anything behind. There has to be some lead..."

"Shall I get Nick to help you out or do I have to do it on my own?" I asked with a smirk as I watched her rub her chin thoughtfully. She looked so focused that it was funny.

"Yeah, Valentine'd be nice. He could help for once," she muttered absently.

"I'll go tell him you've got nothing," I said. "It's been a day, Pipes. You could lay off a bit. But, what do I know? I'll just go now."

"I'll come with you," Nat offered. "Beats sittin' here and listening to my sister go on about her conspiracy theories."

"I heard that!" Piper shouted from the other room. "And you believe in those theories too!"

I snickered and opened the door. "Alright. Come on, kid."

"I'm thirteen," she pouted. "Don't call me a kid."

"Sorry."

We had been in Diamond City for a whole day by now and all the while, Piper had been going through her research on the Institute. I had to give her one thing: she sure was dedicated. There had to be tons of it.

One more thing I had learned about the Wasteland during that day, (aside from the fact that medical services were absurdly expensive and treating that stab wound had cost me almost all of Kellogg's money) was that hot water didn't exist. Or, at least, not from the faucet. I had tried to take a shower in Piper's bathroom and was splashed with ice-cold water.

I had even called Piper out on it later because she had said that they had running water in Diamond City. She had replied that running water didn't mean hot water and that I was too sophisticated. Even warm water was considered a luxury - that was what kind of world I lived in now.

"Hi!" Ellie said when we walked into the detective agency. "If it isn't my favorite newsgirl." She ruffled Nat's hair with a smile. "And Nora, what can I do for you two?"

"You could get your boss," I ran a hand through my hair. "Piper's finally admitted she needs help."

"Hallelujah for that," Nick muttered, walking into the room with his trench coat thrown over his arm. "I swear, that girl tries to take too much upon herself."

"So will you help her?"

He slowly put the coat on and gave us a cocky grin. "I never said I'm done with this case, did I? Come on, let's see what she's got."

"She hasn't got much," Nat pointed out. "That's why she's askin' for help."

"Figures." Nick took out a pack of cigarettes and without a word handed it to me. I had to admit I was pretty much done with all this stress, so I accepted gratefully. "Diamond City's really something, isn't it?" He asked and stopped to light the cigarette as soon as we were outside. I looked around. Those tiny buildings were all cramped in such a small space, it was dirty and the style was completely inconsistent, but... It was also somewhat inspiring.

"I guess." I shrugged. "Why are you asking?"

"It's just that..." Nick gave Nat a gentle nudge. "Go on ahead, will you?" The girl nodded and ran off. "It's just that it was a bit hard for me to get used to all of this... Sure, it may not be perfect, but Diamond City's what I made home." He looked at me seriously. "With some time, it could be your home, too."

I blew out a small cloud of smoke, then laughed out loud. "I don't know, Nick. Don't get me wrong, this is one hell of a place, but... I'm not really sure I'm ready to settle down just yet."

"Still chasing that vengeance of yours, right?" He sighed. "The Institute isn't exactly the wisest choice of enemy, you know."

"So you've told me." I threw the half-burnt cigarette to the ground and stubbed it out. "Everyone's been telling me that. You people are all just afraid of them."

Nick smirked. "Piper isn't."

"Piper isn't." I agreed with a laugh.

"What aren't I?"

We both turned around at the sound of the journalist's voice behind us.

"Heavens, Pipes! When did you get so stealthy?!" I exclaimed, slightly startled. She shrugged, though I was pretty sure she enjoyed scaring us.

"So you're here to help me help Nora?"

"One day's passed and we're all working together again," I said with a smile. "Maybe it's better that way. We make quite a team."

"Sure do," Nick agreed. "Now, show me that research of yours, Piper."

She took off her cap and wiped her forehead with it. "I don't know, Nick. It's really nothing. There's no one who's even tried tailing the Institute. Well," she glanced at me, "at least until our friend came along."

"Hmm..." Nick rubbed his chin. "There isn't anyone who would know how to even contact them, is there?"

"Well," Piper rolled her eyes. "We know at least one person who must have had a way inside the Institute. But Kellogg isn't really much of a lead anymore." She turned to me. "You spoke with him... Didn't he tell you how to get to the Institute?"

"Oh sure!" I smiled widely. "He kindly pointed me the way and even showed two alternative routes in case I get lost!"

"You're a piece of work," Piper laughed. "So no clues here."

"I would have done it again," I said, now seriously. "He deserved exactly he got."

She sighed. "Nice headline: murderer and kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent. That would be a great, happy ending - if we still didn't have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve."

"Where is the Institute," I said. "And how to get there."

"Exactly," Piper nodded. "What do you think, Nick?"

"His brains..." Valentine repeated absently. He chuckled. "Heh. His brains."

"What are you on about?" I asked.

Nick looked at us with a wide grin. "You know what? Maybe we won't even need the man alive."

Level up.
New perk: Moving Target - they can't hurt what they can't hit! Get +10% damage resistance and +10% energy resistance while moving.