Summary:
Nora is imprisoned by the synths at Acadia in fear that she would go back to the Brotherhood and warn them of DiMA's plans. With their nuclear device still missing, DiMA considers more drastic measures by contacting the Followers of the Apocalypse to help him carry out his goal of eradicating the threats to Acadia.
Maya and the Brotherhood of Gold hold a meeting to discuss the situation at hand. With evidence of Maxson's Brotherhood infiltrating Sarah Lyons' bunker with the intention to kill her, they have to decide whether to contact The Circle or face Maxson himself.
Gripped by regret and fear of DiMA's intentions to carry out his plans at any cost, Faraday finds it within himself to help free Nora and give her safe passage back to the Commonwealth with Old Longfellow's help.
Time is running out for all involved... One wrong move and they could risk a nuclear war.
Chapter Text
Sitting in one of the empty seats on the boat with Chase nearby, Nora gaze out at the thick fog ahead of them; they were close to reaching their destination. The boat's engines groaned and throttled as the captain maneuverer his way around sharp rocks and decaying ships, haphazardly strewn in the waters from previous unlucky sailors. Nora couldn't help but wonder what on Earth made her decide to come here in the first place.
'You're here to talk some sense into DiMA and the other synths', she told herself, 'If anyone could reason with him, it's you'.
Shortly after the boat pulled into the dock and the passengers disembarked, but something didn't feel right. There were no signs of life at the Far Harbour settlement, no people, just an eerie silence disturbed by creaking wood underneath their feet and clanging of pulley systems hitting the side of the dock.
"Was Far Harbour abandoned? … What happened here?" Nora asked suspiciously. The last time she was here the settlement and its people were content, the issue between the synths of Acadia and the settlers was quelled, and with the replacement of High Confessor Tektus with one of Acadia's own left the communities at peace with one another… so what had happened in all this time to leave Far Harbour abandoned.
"Don't linger. We got a long walk ahead of us", Chase evaded her question, raising Nora's suspicions that this had something to do with the synths. Something told her she wasn't going to get any answers from Chase, but maybe someone else at Acadia was willing to talk. Keeping her eye on Chase for any attempts at deception, Nora followed her through the settlement and up the hill toward Acadia.
When they reached the base of the synth settlement, Nora was surprised to see several synths about patrolling the area, armed with a varied array of weapons, from Institute laser rifles and pistols to semi-automatic rifles she'd seen the Gunners favour. It was as if they were expecting an attack to occur.
She was stopped by two synths she recognised, Cog and Dejen, who frisked her for any weapons at the gate.
"Come on guys, you know me. There's no need for this", Nora protested as their hands patted her around her waist, up her arms and down her legs looking for concealed weaponry.
"Sorry Nora, but we gotta make sure", Cog shrugged, though from the look in his eyes and their body language, Nora could tell they didn't trust her. In fact, they were wary of her, almost fearful.
After getting the go ahead from the two men, she proceeded inside the base still sticking close to Chase and keeping her hands out of her pockets and where they could easily be seen; with the very air electrified with suspicion and fear, she didn't want to give anyone a cause for misunderstanding her presence here.
Chase took her through the main gate, up the stairs and into Acadia's main building to meet with DiMA. With so many familiar faces staring warily at her, Nora couldn't help but wonder what she could have done to receive such a cold reception. None of this made any sense.
"Good morning Chase. I see you've brought company with you", DiMA's cool voice came from the centre of the expansive observatory room.
"I wish I could say it's nice to see you DiMA", Nora said, her tone solemn and serious, "I hear you've been quite busy since I was here last".
DiMA's synthetic mouth twisted to a soft smile and he motioned for her to approach and speak face to face with him.
"A lot has changed since we last saw each other, yes", he replied, a solemn tone in his voice, "We thought that with the destruction of the Institute, we would be left alone… We were very wrong".
"What happened here DiMA?", Nora looked around her at all the wary faces staring back at them, "Where are the people from Far Harbour? Why is everyone acting so suspicious and wary of me?"
A forlorn look crossed his features and he broke his gaze from her, "I think it'll be better to show you, and let you make your own conclusion". He led her to one of the many terminals dispersed in the observation room and inserted a holotape into the receiver. The screen flickered to life and was displaying video footage recorded from an individual's perspective showing them walking through the Far Harbour settlement, trading with the settlers and generally having normal conversations with its people.
"What is this?" Nora's gaze shifted to DiMA who carried on watching the video footage with growing sorrow.
"These are Aster's final memories", he replied solemnly.
"Aster?" Nora questioned, remembering Acadia's scientist and doctor. If they were watching this video footage, that only meant one thing…
"She's dead?"
DiMA nodded slowly before directing her attention back at the screen, "Here… This will answer some of your questions about Far Harbour".
As Nora carried on watching, Aster appeared to be having an amicable conversation with Teddy Wright before they heard several gun shots go off in the main square, followed by terrified screaming and yelling. When the shooting finally ceased, Aster broke cover and went out into the open only to see Captain Avery screaming in pain and repeatedly hitting her head with the palm of her left hand, a pipe pistol in the other, and several dead Harbour men strewn at her feet. Disturbed by Aster's approach, Avery pointed the gun at her but did not fire, and Nora could see that Aster was trying to calm her down so she could take the gun out of her hands. Before she could succeed, Allen Lee appeared out from the corner behind some cover and caused another panicked volley of shots from Avery, of which several bullets caught Aster. Nora watched in horror as the woman toppled to the ground on her side. Avery quickly ran out of ammunition and as she was frantically attempting to reload her weapon, Allen came out from behind his cover and shot her in the chest, spraying a bloody mist into the air behind her.
Nora was no stranger to seeing blood and gore, but this footage made her turn white as a sheet. Shortly after watching Avery slump to the ground, the footage began to fade to black as Aster perished.
"What the hell happened there?" Nora's voice was low and severe as she turned to DiMA, searching his features for an answer.
"Shortly after what you just saw, the settlers of Far Harbour came to Acadia demanding justice", DiMA's shoulders slumped as he recounted the events, "We tried to reason with them, to make them understand, but there was no way to prevent the inevitable… After Avery's reaction, they came to the only logical realisation – that she was a synth. To this day, we don't really know what caused Avery's adverse reaction… I can't tell you how many times I've watched that video played back, over and over, looking back at my own work for evidence to explain why she went into a violent frenzy… But to this day, I have found none. The only conclusion I can make is that there was a discrepancy in the memory extraction that I did on the original Captain Avery and, over time, the memories of the two people caused a schism in the psyche".
"So… You killed them? All of them?" Nora's eyes widened with dismay.
"No, not all of them. Only the ones that opened fire on our people", DiMA replied, "We had no other alternative".
"Where are the others? Were there any survivors?"
DiMA hung his head slightly, giving a nod of confirmation, "Yes… Several survivors that fled the Harbour. We found out they arrived in the Commonwealth safe and sound and made new homes for themselves… Though not before they spoke with the Brotherhood of Steel and told them of our whereabouts".
Nora listened to DiMA as he recounted the events that occurred after, the covert Brotherhood scouting that was sent to find Acadia and eliminate the synths, and how they fought the scouting party off and prevented them from sending a message of their findings through to their Elder. They managed to kill all but one of the Brotherhood scouts. He didn't have to say it, but Nora could already sense where this was going.
"So, let me get this straight… you thought that doing the same thing you did with Avery and with Tektus was going to be a good idea – replacing him with one of your own".
"It was the only way to get the Brotherhood's scent off our trail", Chase interrupted, "If we didn't replace him with one of our own, the Brotherhood would have descended on Acadia and this site would have been a smouldering rock".
Nora couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief, "I can't believe what I'm hearing… After what happened with Avery, who's to say the same won't happen with Tektus? And now with this Brotherhood scout? What's your plan when they go on the fritz and spaz out, and the Children of Atom and Brotherhood of Steel find out they are synths?" Nora's gaze shifted between Chase and DiMA, waiting for a reasonable answer that never came.
"That wasn't going to be a problem for long", Chase answered with a frown, "We had a solution that would have guaranteed our existence remains secret"
"Oh, you mean the solution where you were about to blow the Commonwealth to kingdom come?" Nora scoffed, "I'm just glad you allowed me to come here and try to reason with you before you flipped the switch".
"We didn't wait for you Nora. The bomb was supposed to activate when we were at a safe distance from the Commonwealth… something must've happened in that time to prevent it from going off", the Courser added, appearing visibly displeased in contrast to the shock that was spreading on Nora's features.
"You WHAT?!"
"Your presence here is only tolerated because of what you've done for us in the past Nora. I offered it for you because DiMA, and many of the others here in Acadia, still seem to have some trust in you".
"Please, Chase…", DiMA gave her an imploring glance and the courser relented with an exasperated sigh, giving them both some space so he could carry on speaking with Nora without interruption.
"Nora, I know what this looks like. But we have no alternative".
"No alternative?" Nora couldn't believe what she was hearing, "DiMA…you're trying to commit genocide!"
"And your people have been murdering innocent synths for decades purely out of fear. Can't you see? There are so few of us left now, a slight bump in the road and our whole community could be completely annihilated… a mere footnote in the history of the Commonwealth", DiMA shook his head sorrowfully, "And the Brotherhood now in charge of the Commonwealth brings even greater risks to us. No… I cannot allow this to happen".
Nora couldn't believe what she was hearing, the information was overwhelming. She couldn't believe that someone like DiMA, who showed such compassion and reverence for life, would go to such abominable lengths.
"So… this was just a big waste of time then, me coming here?" Nora shrugged, feeling an inconsolable wave of anger and disappointment, "You were never going to change your mind, were you?"
DiMA's gaze broke from hers and he slowly shook his head.
'Fuck… what do I do now?' Nora thought desperately, wanting nothing more than to scream at all of them at the top of her lungs. If she went back to the Commonwealth there was no way to know where they hid the bomb or how to disarm it, but if she stayed in Acadia and didn't find a way to stop DiMA's plan from succeeding…
"I'm sorry Nora… but you will not be able to change my mind on this", he said, "And… I'm afraid we cannot let you go back to the mainland".
"You can't keep me prisoner here!", Nora's brow furrowed in anger, but before she had a chance to protest further Chase grabbed hold of her by her arms and began to drag her out of the room, "No! Get your hands off me… You can't do this! You're not murderers! Please!" Nora begged to an indifferent audience.
"I'm sorry Nora. Rest assured that, once our task is complete, you will have your freedom back. But until then we cannot risk you informing others of our plan", DiMA's serene voice attempted to reassure her as Chase gruffly hauled Nora down to their holding room, enduring her kicking and yelling in violent protest.
"DiMA please! Everyone… you're all making a mistake!" she begged, though no intervention or rescue came and before she had the opportunity to wriggle free, Chase knocked her unconscious with the butt of her gun. Dragging her limp body down to a windowless concrete holding room, Chase set her down gently on a mattress on the floor and locked the door behind. When she turned around to go back up to the observation room she noticed the others had begun to loosely gather round, all looking on at her with trepidation.
"Was that absolutely necessary Chase?" Faraday approached her, voicing the concern others seemed to share.
"This is for our own good, as well as hers", Chase answered sternly.
"It's Nora for crying out loud!" Faraday added, "We all know her, she wouldn't do anything to harm us. There was no reason for you to knock her out".
"Enough!" Chase shouted causing the others to flinch in surprise with her irrational reaction. Regretting her outburst, Chase heaved a weighty sigh to calm herself, "This is for the best, we're just trying to keep everyone safe… Now, should anyone have any concerns they wish to speak about, I suggest you go talk to DiMA. And don't even think about unlocking this door". She pocketed the key safely on the inside of her long faded black coat and returned to her duties.
Within moments everyone went back about their business, unwilling to go and question the status quo… All except Faraday. He stood rooted to his spot in silence, his mind going over the events that have happened over the days, weeks, and months that have directed them onto this path.
'There has to be a way to change things, alter the course for a better future for all', a voice in his mind contemplated. Faraday couldn't shake off the unnerving feeling that what they were doing was inherently wrong; the others knew it too but were unwilling to defy let alone question DiMA and Chase on the matter… all except Faraday. Up until this point Faraday couldn't see a way to stop the events that have been set into motion; however, Nora's sudden appearance gave him a glimmer of hope. If he could somehow find a way to get inside, get to Nora…
He would have to be extremely careful and stealthy as Chase was bound to be on the lookout for anyone trying to tamper with the door, given the fact that not everyone was completely on board with the current plan. He would also have to keep his ears open to any new information regarding the bomb; his plan would be moot if Chase and the others found another means of fulfilling their objective.
'This might just work', he thought optimistically as he went back to his duties at the observation room, waiting for the right time to make his move.
Gathering around the several terminals in the briefing room of the Brotherhood of Gold bunker, everyone's eyes flicked over the images displayed on the small screens; live images gathered by the multitude of carefully hidden cameras designed to activate and relay their footage if they detected movement. All had the same expressions on their features, a mix of confused curiosity… all except Maya and Chuck. They were watching several Brotherhood of Steel soldiers break through Sarah's secret underground bunker on the edge of the Glowing Sea and overturn everything that was not bolted down to the concrete floors. From the look of them there was no doubt in anyone's mind: they were there to exterminate Sarah.
"Ugh, whose idea was it to not use the cameras with voice recording?" Ash groaned as he squinted in annoyance at the flickering screens.
"Give it a rest Ash", Jesse grumbled, shifting on his feet while everyone carried on watching the silent broadcast of the Brotherhood soldiers completely overturning Sarah's bunker, desperately looking for clues as to her whereabouts.
"Well, we knew this day was coming…", Sarah sighed and shrugged, "Just didn't expect it to happen this way… And so quickly".
"And if it wasn't for Cross intercepting that message we probably would've been too late", Chuck nodded, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Yeah, but… how did they find out?" Maya asked the question that was burning on everyone's lips.
Sarah and Chuck shared a worried glance; none of them knew the answer to that question.
"It doesn't matter how. What matters is what you do now", Boone added in his calm and collected voice.
"There's nothing we can do, except for sit on out cheeks and wait them out", Ash answered while he bounced a worn out tennis ball several times on the wall opposite him as if he were a kid practicing his catching skills, eliciting a look of disappointment from Chuck.
"War has been declared on your doorstep. If they knew where Sarah was hiding, it won't take them long to find this place", Boone added sternly.
"There's no way that they will find out about the BOG bunker", Chuck fervently shook his head, "We made sure to take every precaution when we set Sarah's bunker up… There's no way they'll be able to trace us back to here".
"We can't know that though… I mean, they must have spies, informants working for them… Someone must have noticed one of our scouting parties delivering supplies to my bunker and reported that information back to the Brotherhood", Sarah shook her head, "No… Boone's right, we have to answer this".
"You planning on marching yourself to the Boston Airport to have a chat?" Chuck asked, his tone dripping with irony.
Sarah stood silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on Maya, "What do you say?"
Suddenly all attention was now focused on Maya, their questioning and curious gazes felt intrusive.
"I wouldn't let them get away with this, if that's what you mean", Maya answered after a moment, "Although I wouldn't just march up to the main entrance. We need a plan".
Chuck laughed as if it was the most ludicrous thing he'd ever heard, "And just what would you suggest doing? We can't fight them, there's too many of them and too few of us. We certainly can't reason with them, Maxson has practically brainwashed the Brotherhood".
"Maybe…maybe not", there was a determined look in Sarah's gaze, one Maya had seen before, "If we can figure out who gave the order for my head, we'll be able to put a stop to this whole conflict once and for all".
"I know what you're trying to do Sarah, but it won't work", Jesse shook his head.
"We're still Brotherhood Jesse; The Circle may have denied us reinforcements, but they did not strip us of our ranks".
The room broke out into concerned and excited chatter among the rest of the members, only to be quickly quelled by Chuck with one piercing whistle that directed attention back to the issue.
"Alright, everyone calm down. Sarah, if we do contact The Circle with this information it will take days for them to review our case, weeks to corroborate, and months to reach a decision".
"No, it won't… not for something of this magnitude", Maya shook her head, "An attempt was made to assassinate the last surviving daughter of Elder Owyn Lyons… Although Owyn wasn't liked among the Circle because of his direct violation of the Lost Hills Elder Council, there is no denying that the Lyons Pride had a significant impact on the Capitol Wasteland".
"Maya's right. We eliminated the last of the Enclave and brought Project Purity to the people. That's gotta count for something", Sarah added, "We now have video evidence of their act, as well as evidence of previous attempts. I can put together a data package within the hour to send for review, and I'm certain that once they see it they'll act on it quickly".
"Not to mention we also stopped a nuclear bomb from going off in the Commonwealth", Ash interjected, "So yeah, The Circle and Maxson's Brotherhood owe us big time".
"I say you're wasting your time. Our best option is to wait this whole thing out", Chuck countered with a gruff.
"Then let's bring this to a vote", Maya walked up next to Chuck with a determined look, "Those of you who wish to follow Chuck's proposal, go ahead and raise your hand".
Chuck raised his arm above his head and looked out at the others expectantly, though when he saw that there were only two others who agreed with his idea he huffed in disapproval and shook his head.
"Alright, now those of you who want to send a message to The Circle and answer Maxson's assassination attempt on your Elder", Maya raised her arm and was met with an overwhelming majority of votes, including Boone who gazed at her proudly and gave her an approving wink.
"Fine", Chuck exhaled with exasperation, giving in to the arguments presented by his people, "We go with the majority vote. I'll send a communique to The Circle but there's no promises they will even give us the time of day".
"Then you better drop some names in there for good measure", Sarah's brow furrowed with determination, "You may want to start with Maya – remind them that she's one of the reasons why we even have a Brotherhood left. And she's here in the Commonwealth ready to back us up".
At the mention of her name, Maya stiffened and felt all the attention burning on her.
Chuck mulled the idea over in his head, "Hmm… I dunno... that might work. Maybe if the message came from you-" he pointed to Maya but was quickly cut off.
"Oh no", Maya interrupted him, adamantly shaking her head, "No… In case everyone forgot, I burned that bridge when they gave Owyn his ultimatum. They're not going to listen to me, certainly not after all the…bouquet of descriptive words I used to describe them".
"Heh, wish I could have been there to hear that", Ash chuckled in amusement.
"Even so", Chuck tilted his head and gave her a look that showed even he wasn't in the mood to talk to those bloated wind bags, "With you standing beside us during the communique, we'd have a better shot at getting through to someone. Your name, and the Lyons Pride title, still carries a great weight to it. I know for a fact there are still those who admire and respect you within The Circle, even more so after you handed them that bouquet, as you so elegantly put it".
With the added pressure of having everyone examining her expectantly, Maya had two choices: call it quits, pack up and leave back for the Mojave… or confront the problem.
"Fine…" she gave in begrudgingly, "But we should prepare everything we're going to say, to the letter. We can't have holes in this communique, otherwise it'll be a constant back and forth".
"Agreed. Maya, Jesse, you're with me then. We'll carry on here in the briefing room. The rest of you should go ahead and hash out a strategy as to what we're going to do should this whole thing go sideways. Prepare as if we're expect an imminent attack from Maxson any day now. We need to be ready", Chuck called to the group, ending their meeting on a somewhat grim note.
The group of people dispersed and it seemed like everyone knew what they needed to do… all except for Maya.
"You ready to do this?" Boone asked when she moved to stand next to him, "Anything I could do to help?"
"No, and yes", Maya chuckled nervously, "Seems like everyone knows what to do except for me".
"That's not true", Boone gazed at her, a certain look on his features as if he knew she could do no wrong.
"You sound so sure", Maya folded her arms in front of her chest, trying to comfort herself.
"I know because you've proven it, time and time again", he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close, "When those you care about are in danger you are the first to lead the charge, and your instinct has never led you astray in tactics and strategy. You just gotta remember to believe in yourself, like I believe in you… that's all".
"That's it?"
"Mhm", he gave her an affirmative nod.
"Well…then this should be a walk in the park", she grinned, still feeling a quiver of uncertainty in her core.
It was late in the evening when the rooms in the observatory were finally beginning to clear as many of the others went to have their dinners and the guards changed their shift; it was the perfect time to break Nora out.
Taking a bobby pin out from his shirt pocket, he inserted it into the lock and managed to pry the door open.
"Faraday? You…of all people-" Nora began to make her accusations but was quickly hushed.
"Shh sh shh", Faraday interrupted her so she wouldn't bring attention to them both, "I know what you're going to say, but we don't have time. I'm here to help you escape", he whispered, untying her wrists.
"What?" Nora questioned in a hushed voice, her face riddled with confusion, "What's going on out there? Has DiMA gone ahead with his plan?"
"No, they haven't been able to locate the bombs. It looks like someone may have intercepted them".
"What do you mean intercepted?" Nora's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"I mean they're not where they are supposed to be", Faraday grabbed hold of her hand and began to lead her up the empty staircase, "Someone, or something stole them".
Even though Nora was happy that the bombs DiMA intended to use on the Commonwealth had mysteriously disappeared, it did give her trepidation as to what was going to happen now and, if someone did steal them…their intentions may be more grim than DiMA's. Either way, this was not a time to argue or ask the multitude of questions that were burning on her lips; if she was going to get some answers, they needed to escape first.
Reaching the main doorway, Faraday took off his coat and placed it around her shoulders and took out a newsboy cap that was folded in his back pocket placing it on her head to help cover her face.
"Here, wear this. You'll be less conspicuous", he instructed, "Tuck your hair under the cap if you can".
Nora nodded, twisting her fine hair into a bun and hastily slipped it under the dark brown cap.
"Just a moment… Waiting for the guards to change", Faraday whispered, opening the door to a thin sliver of a gap so he could observe the movement outside. They waited for what felt like forever before she felt him grab hold of her wrist again and gingerly walk out the main entrance.
Nora's heart was beating in her throat, she was sure that any moment now they were going to be discovered; Chase was going to appear out of a corner somewhere with her goons and then she and Faraday would both have to share a cell. But nothing came…
They hurried in an Easterly direction through the brushes and stayed away from the main road, heading to an unknown destination. When they were far enough away for Nora to feel confident speaking without having to whisper, she decided it was time to get some answers.
"Alright Faraday, tell me what's going on. And why this sudden change of heart on your part?"
"Things are far more complicated than I ever thought they would be", he answered hurriedly, and Nora could detect apprehension in his tone, "So much plotting, planning, scheming… it's hard to keep up with who's on whose side what we're all doing let alone why we're doing it".
"Then give me the summary, give me anything!" she demanded.
"Alright, alright! I'll try", Faraday answered breathlessly. This was the most exercise he'd done in a while and he wasn't used to a fast paced walk for prolonged periods of time, but he pushed through it, "After the fall of the Institute and the Brotherhood taking over the Commonwealth, we thought that all knowledge of our existence would be erased. For a while we were safe…until some of us started to fall ill to a mysterious disease, one that we noticed didn't affect humans. After some of our scouts went in search for answers in the Institute ruins, we discovered something…troubling. The Gen 3 synths all contained a surreptitious recall code that began a slow shut down of their organic functions, forcing them to return to the place of their creation so that it may be reset and their biological processes may return to normal".
"I had no idea…", Nora answered.
"With nowhere to turn to for help, DiMA ordered Chase and the rest of the scouting party to gather as much data from what was left of the Institute…everything from the spy stations and infiltration methods they had set up to how the synths were made. Well, we got almost all the Institute's encrypted infiltration methods up and running under our control… Did you know that the Institute made and used synth animals as spies? Ingenious"
"What?"
"Animals! Pretty clever right?" Faraday almost sounded like he was proud of the Institute for their espionage methods, "Crows comprise the majority, but we also found supposedly wild brahmin, radstags, dogs and cats…even fish! All transmitting live footage back to a single station".
A cold chill went down Nora's spine… If this was true, then DiMA had eyes all over the Commonwealth. She shuddered to think what his intentions were.
"I digress… So… After we got eyes and ears in the Commonwealth, DiMA and I noticed a lot of chatter focusing on Far Harbour… even hearing Acadia mentioned a few times by Commonwealth citizens and Brotherhood alike. The Brotherhood found some escaped synths that didn't survive the recall code and they sent a party to investigate. That's when things turned from bad to worse".
"What do you mean?"
"You were only given half of the story in the observation room. We were not innocently minding our own business when the Brotherhood came knocking on our door as you were led to believe… Chase and the other scouts knew that the Brotherhood party was on their way… All thanks to the Institute espionage tech. They set up a trap to capture them, but in the firefight that broke out all but one of the soldiers survived. They took him back to DiMA for questioning and… after they got all the answers they needed from him they…switched him with one of our own. Just like you and DiMA did with Tektus".
"Don't remind me", Nora said, once again feeling the familiar weight of that burden.
"With one of our own gathering intelligences and relaying it back to us, DiMA's worries grew with each progress update. The Brotherhood is not convinced that we just want to live in peace, to be left alone. They think that there is a secret Institute base here in Far Harbour and that every synth in Acadia is under the Institute's control… ready to capture and replace every human being with a synthetic version".
"What? But… that's not true, right?"
"Of course it isn't!" Faraday's glance snapped at her, an expression of disbelief that she would even suggest such a thing.
"I'm sorry…", Nora's gaze broke from his in embarrassment, "So, what possible explanation is there that has made DiMA want to wipe the Commonwealth off the face of the Earth then?"
"The latest information from our operative", Faraday's voice trailed off, "He found out that soon as they dealt with a rogue Brotherhood group in the Commonwealth, they were going to send their troops to Acadia".
"Wait…what did you say?" Nora stopped and pulled Faraday to the side, gazing into his eyes in search of any deception in his gaze and tone.
"There's another Brotherhood faction in the Commonwealth. I think they call themselves The Brotherhood of… Gold or something".
It was as if all the air was taken out of her lungs and all Nora could do was feel the wave of fear and dread building within her.
"I'd ask you what's wrong, but you'll have to tell me on the way", Faraday urged, "We don't have long. Old Longfellow is waiting for you by the shore, across the MS Azalea".
Nora shook her head to bring herself out of shock from the dreaded news she'd just heard. She had to get to the Brotherhood of Gold bunker and warn them before it was too late.
"I know them… The Brotherhood of Gold I mean", she panted as they began to jog, the shore coming into their sights, "Faraday, I have to warn them!"
"No! Your priority is to get to Maxson and make him see reason! Talk him down, draw his attention elsewhere, just do whatever you can to sway them. If DiMA see's that they aren't concerned with us anymore, he'll back away".
"No he won't Faraday, and if you really believe that you're not as smart as I thought you were", Nora chided him, "The Brotherhood of Gold are our best chance for peace".
"They're still Brotherhood Nora! They're no different than Maxson's people" Faraday replied with bitterness.
"That's where you're wrong. I've had a chance to get to know them, and they are nothing like Maxson's Brotherhood. They do not follow his dogma, they embrace change, diversity, and they know that in order to prevent the mistakes from the past they need to change their tactics and priorities as a people", Nora argued.
"Whatever you say", Faraday replied warily, "But I still believe you should heed my suggestion. And I will do my best to sway the others here", Faraday promised.
As they neared the shore they saw a hooded figure waiting by an inflatable dinghy.
"What took you so long?" Longfellow grumbled when they approached him, pushing the dinghy into deeper waters, "Get in! We got a long way to go and hopefully enough fuel for the motor to get us there".
"Remember what I said", Faraday called behind her as Nora waded into the knee-deep waters and boarded the boat.
"I will", she called back, "Good luck!"
Without another word, Longfellow jumped into the boat and throttled the motor, making a speedy and successful getaway.
"God speed", Faraday murmured while he stood by the shore and watched their boat disappear into the fog. The fate of the Commonwealth now rested on Nora and her wits. Although the odds of success were slim, Faraday liked to think that if he were a betting man he would place his wager on Nora's abilities to find a way to save them all.