IN WHICH Renee is questioned on what makes a human.

"Piper, stop!"

"He tried to kill you!"

Renee tightened her hold where she had her arms wrapped around Piper. "I know, but he didn't, and I still trust him. He wouldn't have come here if he didn't have a good reason."

Piper continued to glare at the Synth. "Hmph."

X6-88 removed his sunglasses. "I apologize for my sudden appearance, ma'am."

"No problem. I was hoping I'd get to see you again, anyway."

It'd been roughly a month since Piper was attacked by the Deathclaw. While she was mostly recovered, there was no way she could stand her ground against an enemy, much less a courser. Not that it would stop her. In the interim, they both tried to move on with life, putting the Institute in the back of their minds and focusing on the here and now. Until X6-88 decided to teleport in again.

Against her better judgement, Renee released her girlfriend. Piper sat down on the couch with a frown. "Why did you shoot me?"

"I was ordered to kill you by the Director. But I didn't wish to kill you." His lips twitched into the smallest of smiles. "You should know me better than that, ma'am. At point-blank range, had I wanted to kill you, you would be dead."

"I'm aware." Renee gestured to a chair. "Please, sit down." She sat herself next to Piper.

"Thank you." He did so, relaxing and bringing up one foot to rest on his opposite knee. "I'll get to the point. The truth is, ma'am, that I need your help."

The redhead blinked. "You need my help? For what?"

Piper snorted but said nothing.

"I haven't forgotten your words to me during the Libertalia mission. You made it clear that you want the best for the Commonwealth, and that you agreed with basically nothing the Institute does. And I… I am finding myself agreeing with you." He furrowed his brow, deep in thought. He sighed. "So, Miss Jones, I wanted to ask you a question before I proceed."

"I'm all ears."

X6-88 leveled his gaze with her, looking her in the eye. "Are Synths human?"

Renee glanced away. "That's…"

"Are we human, ma'am?"

She thought a moment more before giving him a slow nod. "Yes. Synths are human, or at least eventually."

Piper grabbed her arm. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Are Synths human, Dr. Loken?" Renee crossed her arms as she asked, unable to hide her displeasure.

"Human? No. They are machines, Miss Jones. Made of metal and circuits. You can see for yourself." He gestured to the large machine dominating most of the room. "Here, allow me to explain.

"First, our machine builds an interior skeletal frame for the Synth—"

"What is it made of?"

Max Loken raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, what is it made of? Because I've seen enough bones to know what bone looks like. And that looks an awful lot like bone." Renee stepped closer to the machine as it built the skeleton.

Max cleared his throat. "Well, in order to give our generation three Synths a more life-like appearance and demeanor, we have actually managed to replicate bone, in a sense. Do you know anything about stem cells?"

"I do. I remember reading quite a bit on it before the war. Scientists were already able to grow their own ears and parts of organs in labs, if I remember correctly." Renee narrowed her eyes. "You mean generation three Synths are made from stem cells?"

"In a sense. We give the cells something to latch to and grow from. And do they ever grow." He chuckled as they moved on the next part of the process, where the skeleton received both a nervous system and muscular structure. "It's amazing the speed at which these cells multiply."

Renee watched the new Synth carried to the electrical dock, where it had life literally shocked into it. "And the brain?"

"The brain is not from stem cells, at least not completely. We give Synths a robotic component and, again, a shell to latch to. I suppose the longer a Synth lives, the more organic their 'brain' becomes, but I'm quite certain not all of it will ever get there." Dr. Loken gestured to the new Synth as it was dumped in the dark red vat to complete the process. "Bring that Synth to me. Miss Jones would like to study it."

The Synth was brought to them. Dr. Loken turned it around and pointed out a very small diode behind the left ear. "This is what separates generation three Synths from humans. This single component is their life force. In a sense. It allows us to track them and reprogram them, if necessary." He shooed on the Synth. "Off with you."

Renee watched it leave before turning back to Max. "If I shot a generation three Synth in the head, would it bleed?"

"I… What?"

"If I ripped out a generation three Synth's heart, would it continue to beat in my hand or would it stop?"

Max took a step back. "Miss Jones, I'm not sure I understand."

"Are you telling me these Synths aren't human because you don't want to believe it, or because they are truly machines? Because what I just saw was the creation of a human being. Stem cell research was designed to replicate human organs and parts in order to prolong or enhance life. Isn't that what you've done? You've made a human. A living, breathing, organic human."

"Synths are not human. No matter how many times their cells split, they will forever be machines. You cannot create human life from nothing. Not even the Institute can play God."

Both Piper and X6 gazed at Renee in a mixture of confusion and amazement. The reporter rubbed the back of her neck. "I… I had no idea they were…"

"Then I suppose you say we are human because you have seen our creation?" X6 tilted his head. "I want to make sure I understand."

Renee stood and paced the floor. "Before the war, I knew several people that had to have bits of their body replaced with machinery. Hell, my own husband had an artificial knee after he stepped in a mine. But that didn't make him a machine." She stopped and looked at the courser. "I don't believe Synths are machines. I believe they are humans with some robotic parts, not the other way around. I believe they are brainwashed humans, but humans all the same."

"That's what I was hoping for." X6-88 grinned and slipped his sunglasses back on. "In that case, I believe it's time for you to act, ma'am. The Institute needs someone like you. As does the Commonwealth."

"Whoa, hold on a minute. You don't mean you want Blue to just drop everything and go run the Institute?" Piper narrowed her eyes. "Because that's as likely to happen as McDonough not threatening to throw me in the slammer."

Renee smirked. "You know, I did go to law school before the bombs." She put her hands on her hips and smiled wider. "If anyone can convince the Institute to stand down, it's me. If nothing else, I could probably manage to lock them in a contract."

"Then that's exactly what you have to do. I know The Board, and the Director. They won't back down without a fight." X6 shrugged his shoulders to adjust his uniform on his body. "I need to go back before they get suspicious. I hope to see you again soon, ma'am."

And with that, he walked out into Diamond City without another word.

Renee looked to Piper. "We have some drafting to do. And I need to contact Preston."

"Hold it." Piper stood and grabbed Renee's hand. "Renee, the Institute has been terrorizing the Commonwealth since before I can remember. Do you really think it's a good idea to just…make peace like this? What if something goes wrong?"

This stopped her. Renee sighed and looked away. "I want to believe my own son would honor something like this. The Institute isn't bad; they've made some pretty shitty decisions, yeah, and the Synth project is horrible, but if the Commonwealth is going to thrive, then we need their technology and their science. It's the best for everyone if we can all work together."

"I…" Piper dropped her hand. "Fine. I trust you. But don't fuck this up for all of us, okay?" She forced a smile.

Renee nodded. "I won't. You have my word."