Run For the Hills

Deacon. There was an interesting man. A man who was in no way a stranger to the terribleness of the wasteland world and way of life in it. And even in knowing the terribleness, he could still put on a smile as easy as a disguise and without flinching. There was a spark of life in him that never went out, though the man never dillydallied, anywhere. He never stopped to smell the radioactive roses, because he was always on the move or one step ahead.

He was also a walking encyclopedia. Sometimes, when Nora had traveled with Deacon doing Railroad business, Deacon would talk about the pre-war days as if he'd been there. He'd even familiarized himself with literature, art, and culture from her time so he could quote it, or point it out. He loved talking about antiques and had once gone into a long explanation of the difference between old-world maps versus pre-war maps. "Which now could be considered old-world, too, technically," he'd said.

It was as if Deacon knew—somehow knew—that before the bombs, life was better. Greener. Livelier. As if he understood the peace that came with sitting under a lush green tree on a sunny spring day. Or what it was like to go into the city for the soda shop and drink a chocolate malt while listening to the jukebox.

Talking to Deacon sometimes made Nora desperately homesick for the past. And for Codsworth. Because when she would get excited with Deacon about something pre-war, she would suddenly bring up a memory. With Codsworth, who had actually been there 200 years ago, the robot could reciprocate. With Deacon… he listened to her too carefully. He hung on to Nora's words like she was one of the antiques he admired. It stung. It slowly made her bitter toward him. The monster inside her was ever growing.

That was when she started travelling with Deacon less. The man was poetic, classy, and smart. He was a master of disguise. Could weave a story as good as gold. And had an excellent sense of humor. But when he was with her, Nora couldn't stop thinking about what she didn't have any more.

So Nora abandoned him because she didn't want to hurt his feelings—she didn't want the monster that she was becoming to lash out at him for being… who he was. That moment, when Deacon snuck up on her as she watched the Brotherhood of Steel attack Old North Church, that was the first time she had seen him in weeks. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him.

"You look a little scared," Deacon remarked as Nora came up to him. "Maybe worried that I caught you with your pants down, hmm?"

Levity, Nora recalled something that Shaun—Father—had said to her when she entered the Institute for the first time. After she had made the comment that all they needed (to complete the madness) was the teacups and a mad hatter, Shaun was happy to see that Nora was handling the trauma with humor. He said it meant she adapted quickly to stressful situations. She thought it had been an understatement.

"I thought you'd be upset," Nora admitted, feeling relieved that Deacon wasn't angry.

"Upset?! Hell no," Deacon immediately proclaimed. "If that's who I think it is over there, I'm not upset at you; I'm scared for you." Nora stared at him in wonder, waiting for an explanation. "Besides," he didn't give one, and chose to prattle. "This is the best intel I've ever gotten on you. I can use this as leverage. Maybe I can blackmail you into coming back to work for the Railroad."

"I didn't abandon the Railroad, Deacon!" She hadn't, she believed. She believed it was Deacon she had abandoned. And she had remorse over it.

"No, you were just taking your sweet time so you could make gaga eyes at Mr. X over there. It's fine, really. Hey, in your absence, I had to make some decisions that were… iffy. I made Drummer Boy second in command. He's a rookie, Nora, and he's running the show while I track down our all-star."

"At least Drummer Boy seems capable," she wanted to be encouraging about the choice.

"He's the only one who would step up to do it," Deacon went informative. "Everyone else thinks this is the end of the line. Some have already left, for good. And with HQ pretty much out for the count because it's in shambles, it won't be long before other safehouses fall apart, too."

"It's not over," Nora replied with unwarranted stubbornness. "There are still synths that need our help."

"Clearly," Deacon said with a smirk, glancing over at where X6-88 patiently stood. He was expecting a defensive remark returned by Nora, but she was, instead, blankly staring at Deacon with wide eyes. "Uh-oh," he immediately expressed. "Boss, I've seen that look before. You have an idea. Probably a maniacally ingenious idea. Let's hear it."

"We need people," she murmured. "If the Railroad wants to stay intact, we'll need more people."

"An obvious deduction, but please continue."

"This might sound crazy," she started. "But… What if we had Coursers helping us?"

Deacon cracked a smile and pretended to be enthusiastic about the idea. "That's so crazy it might just work. Why didn't I think of that? Oh wait," he dismally stopped pretending. "Now I remember… because it's not an option. Coursers are loyal to the Institute. It can happen; they can go rogue. It doesn't happen often. In the past, the Railroad has helped a Courser or two escape the evil clutches of the Institute. It usually doesn't end nicely."

"Wait… the Railroad has helped Coursers escape?"

"The last one was a long time ago," Deacon shared. "When a Courser goes rogue… all hell breaks loose. The Institute considers a rogue Courser a high priority for take-backsies." He was in his storytelling mode, and he stood a little straighter offering hand motions and gestures to explain. "That last Courser the Railroad helped, we got him out of the Commonwealth into the Capitol Wasteland, and the Institute sent the head of their SRB to retrieve him. For the Institute, Boss, that's a big deal. If you don't already know: Those lab-coat bastards hate leaving their hole in the ground.

"We haven't heard anything of the Courser's fate since. Brotherhood of Steel activity is heavy in the Capital Wasteland, which makes it difficult for the Railroad to operate there. Once a package crosses the border, we don't usually check up on them." With a shrug, he finished up with, "So yeah… The Railroad having an army of Courser agents would be nice, but the Institute would probably rather blow up the surface again than let their Coursers run free."

"Shit," Nora replied, glancing over at the ever patient X6-88. She had had no idea that the Institute would be so unforgiving on a Courser that wanted to be free. "So it was a Courser that Dr. Zimmer went to retrieve."

"That's the one," Deacon confirmed. "And now you know why I'm scared for you and your little Courser romance you've started up."

"It's too late," she repeated X6-88's words to her. "I didn't realize what it meant for him… What he would lose, if he… Uck, I've been acting like a stupid child. A love sick teenager! How could I be so naïve?"

"Hey, we're all allowed our slip-ups," Deacon lazily consoled her. "It's the consequences you have to worry about. And… " he went all sympathetic. "I don't blame you. Mr. X does have killer-eyes. Because he's a killer… "

"Shut up!" Nora scolded, because he had prompted her to. "Don't make me mention the countless massacres we've been through together. We're killers, too."

"So tell me," he kept going, evidently getting the reaction he had wanted out of her. "I'm curious. What was it that brought this… promising romance along? Was it the cold-killer look, or maybe he's so boring that it's refreshing compared to your otherwise crazy, adventurous life?"

Nora grunted and pulled at her hair. "Do you know how frustrating you can be?"

"Oh, yeah." He, of course, wasn't going to deny it. "I'm so frustrating that I frustrate myself all the time. I frustrate myself so much… I don't have hair anymore. Maybe the same will happen to you."

Nora started pacing in frustration. "We need a plan, Deacon," she felt like she needed to remind him, when she was really reminding herself. "We need Railroad Agents, and we need a plan."

"Your friend, Scribe Haylen was asking where you went," he randomly replied. "Told her I'd be right back, hopefully with you in tow. She said she understood; you have a habit of disappearing. For now I have Tinker Tom distracting her, keeping her busy until she realizes she's not allowed to leave. Ever. She's our prisoner."

"What if she helps us?" Nora suddenly proposed, not stopping her pacing.

"Great," he said as if it was a fact. "How?"

"I don't know, Deacon. I'm just throwing ideas out in the big blue yonder like bait and seeing if you think any of them look tasty."

"I don't think you get it," he said starkly, throwing his hands up and then pointing at her. "I'm depending on you to come up with all the ideas and go through with them, Nora. You're the boss. Really. Truly—the Boss. You get to call the shots. You are the leader of the Railroad. How else do you want me to say it?"

"What about you?" she quickly inquired, her pacing never stopping, but getting faster.

"I'm not a leader," he firmly expressed. "But I can pretend to be one so long as there's someone else calling the shots. That's you. I will do anything you tell me to do, so long as we're on the same page."

Nora froze, mid-step. Then put her foot down as she clamped her mouth shut. "Oh," she said after assimilating his words.

I am the Institute's future Director. I am the Leader of the Railroad. I am both? Can I lead both? Is that possible? Could I run the Institute while helping the synths that want to leave the Institute? It would have to be a very, very careful operation. Secretive, more so than any other Railroad operation. Could I pull it off?

I suppose there's only one way of finding out…

"I accept," Nora quietly declared. "I will lead the Railroad."

"Great," Deacon happily repeated. "Now will you tell me what to do? I've been bored."

Nora rolled her eyes, but then looked up at the morning sky, in thought.

So… I have to pick up the pieces of HQ and put it back together.

Keeping HQ at the old north church was out of the question, she knew. It had already been discovered by the Brotherhood of Steel. Fortunately, it seemed the Brotherhood was now giving the Railroad time to lick its wounds. An error in Maxson's judgment, Nora believed, but a fortuitous error for the Railroad.

What would be a good place to regroup and reestablish Railroad HQ? Far away from the Brotherhood's operations?

Nora looked down at the ground, tracing her steps throughout the Commonwealth. It took a moment, but she realized she was standing on her answer. Her eyes went to the elevator that went to Vault 111. "This place… " she thought out loud. "We need a new HQ. One that's safer. I think… Vault 111 is that place."

Deacon smoothed his face, thinking. His chin was scruffier than usual; he probably hadn't shaved in the last two days. "Are you sure?" he finally questioned. "I mean, I know this place has… bad memories for you."

"It just makes sense," she had already come to the decision. "It's not close to the city, but it's well protected. The only way in and out is with a Pip-Boy. It's right up the hill from Sanctuary Hills. It would be easy to set up a safehouse there."

"And you don't think that's too dangerous for those who've already settled in Sanctuary Hills? They might become casualties of something they never wanted to be a part of."

She disregarded the concern and said, "Sanctuary Hills is safeguarded by the Minute Men. I lead the Minute Men."

"Ah yes, intel I gave you," Deacon wise-assed, before he sincerely conferred, "Even with the Minute Men's protection, that won't stop other parties from taking an interest in our activities so close to Sanctuary Hills. Sanctuary Hills could become a target of the Institute—"

"The Institute won't touch Sanctuary Hills," Nora intercepted with fanatical force. "If they do, it would be the last thing they ever did. It would be a sure-fire way to piss me off. And I've been missing out on a personal vendetta ever since I blew up Kellogg."

"Whoa-ho-ho-oh," a humored Deacon admired. "I guess we found your sore spot." Then he sighed, revealing tiredness. "If you're sure, I'll start sending agents to Sanctuary Hills. We'll need a new code phrase. Those who don't know it can't be trusted with any new intel."

"Did you see that Super mutant rampage the other day?" she smartly answered.

"Umm… do you mean the one that happened as the Brother of Steel tried to attack us—" He halted his own question and shook his head, understanding. "Yeah, I ran for the hills."

"Yes, yes you did," Nora approved. "Now go tell everyone else to run for the hills, too. I'll meet you back in Sanctuary as soon as I take care of some side business."

"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted, but Nora wasn't going to tell him that Minute Men didn't salute.

A grin perked up his face. The next thing she knew, he was hugging her. "Thanks," he warmly voiced. "I mean… for not abandoning the Railroad-thing. For not abandoning me... I really didn't want to go back to... You know, the Raider life." He finished the hug that she'd happily returned, saying, "I did have some new names picked out, though. What do think about: Sam the Slugger? I'd go around with a swatter," he said it like Moe Cronin in Diamond City, "smashing everything in my path. And I'd walk day and night in a straight line, never deviating. Never…" he said in a spooky voice.

"Get out of here," she pushed him. "You're making me change my mind. Because I'd so want to see that." Nora watched him go, smiling.

Not too long after, X6 was standing next to her.

"Before you say anything," she spoke first. "I'm not betraying the Institute on this one. I'm… improving the Institute. The SRB needs some changes. And this is how it's going to start."

"I wasn't going to say anything," X6-88 responded.

"Good," she mischievously smiled back at him. "Because if I'm going to have it my way, we have a lot of work to get done at the Institute. But first… I need to convince a certain man he's needed. I'll be going to Listening Post Bravo. Then, I promise I'll return to the Institute. And there will be changes."