The city was shrinking behind them by the time the sun rose. Talia and Sarah skirted the river for some miles before breaking off west, taking the route on which Sarah least expected to find any Enclave checkpoints.

Sarah had just finished demonstrating how to kill a man by stabbing him in the kidneys. "Now you try."

"Oh, maybe when we take a break. It's a really long way and I wanna keep my eyes open for anybody."

"Good thinking," Sarah flipped her knife before sheathing it. "Do you even have a knife? Gotta have a knife."

"Yeah," Talia showed hers.

"Eh," Sarah sniffed at it. "It's practical I guess. No the best for fighting though. I like 'em more like mine. And that grip's gonna be no good for your hands in a situation like that."

"Oh? There aren't really any knife fighters in the tower. It's more for cutting stuff than… that."

"Gotta have options, girl. Plus, it scares the shit out of people when they see you go for the knife. Or better if they don't see you at all."

"Right." Talia let her wax on about a subject that was clearly close to her heart, wondering if this was how she'd risen to Sentinel so young or if this was how all children of Steel turned out. "And have you ever done that for real?" She couldn't really see how a squad of heavily armed Knights could need to resort to such close combat.

"Oh, sure. Not for a while though. Been busy with supermutants mostly, so you can imagine it's a little bit more difficult with something seven feet tall with skin like tough leather." She sighed contentedly. "Ah, I'm tellin' you, it's nice to be away from the city actually. It's where the action is for sure, but this open space, the quiet, the chance to use my knife for a change. It feels good!"

Talia raised her eyebrows. "I prefer relaxing in a nice hot bath, but whatever floats your boat."

They continued in silence for a while, the main threat of Enclave roadblocks far behind them for now. They were dressed as a pair of wastelanders so as not to attract any more attention than necessary, and hoped to bluff their way past any more Enclave troops if they were even to be found this far from the city. Talia was feeling much better after a decent sleep, and Star Paladin Cross' words from the evening prior drifted back to the forefront of her mind as they walked.

"What's the deal with that Cross woman? Star Paladin?"

"Star Paladin Cross. She's Elder Lyons' personal bodyguard. And the highest ranking Brother, so mind your tongue around her, hey?"

"Oh, I see. I ran into her last night. Is she kinda… odd?"

"She's a cyborg, if that's what you mean."

"What?!"

"Well, maybe it sounds quite extreme. She's had a number of 'technological enhancements'. Years ago now. You never seen that?"

"No. I mean I don't think so. Huh…" She thought back over their interaction. "That actually explains a lot."

Despite Cross' wooden delivery, her words were full of noble intent. She had hoped to fight by Talia's side? Why? Was she desperate to finish a twenty year old project too? She seemed to think extremely highly of James, so perhaps she was living by her own words and finishing his work as a kind of memorial.

But that was what James was doing. All this time. The water. The Bible verse. Your mother's dream. Her whole life he had seemed most alive when trying to share his memories of Catherine with Talia. Until the outside. Here he had been a whole new man. Only 'new' wasn't the right word. Resurrected, with a single aim from the past rather than looking to a new life ahead. His vision was that of Catherine's. The verse that spoke to her so strongly had almost become a reality because of his efforts. And after her death, the goal hadn't faded any less than his love for her.

Talia swallowed a lump in her throat. The pain was still raw, the anger still simmering over how he chose to leave her like that. But she had to concede Cross' words seemed to fit. And shit, it wasn't half romantic that he had built what he had in order to bring life to her mom's favourite words. Everyone in the Citadel credited him as a visionary, the great mind behind the project, but Mom was the ideator. He was the energy, the driving force.

And wasn't it true? She left the Vault only after he did. So what was his plan when he caused the overload? She wasn't sure he had one.

"So tell me," Sarah interrupted her thoughts. "What do I need to know about you? Someone after you?"

"Huh?"

"People have told me things. I'd ignore it as rumour, only you're awfully watchful."

"It's not smart to walk out here without staying aware of your surroundings."

"True. But I need to know if we should be expecting anybody."

She probably knew everything anyway, but she wasn't asking about that. She simply seemed focussed on whether it would affect the mission. Talia cleared her throat. "Well, I haven't seen them in a while, they might not be interested anymore…" She wondered if Burke had actually succeeded in scaring them away.

"Who?"

"Regulators."

"Ha! Those guys that like to dress up and play Sheriff? Alright. Anyone else?"

Talia shrugged and shook her head.

"Okay."

Talia took a sidelong glance, but Sarah seemed satisfied with the information. The coil in her stomach unwound and she muttered thanks under her breath.

"What was that?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, I said, man look at that," she covered, pointing behind them to the east, where the morning sun had painted the sky in beautiful hues of pink and orange. She still hadn't tired of seeing it.

Sarah followed her gaze. "Red sky in the morning. Could be some bad weather coming… real pretty right now though, huh.

"I sometimes forget there's more out there than the city rubble and mutants. That sun has been rising for millions of years and will keep doing it for millions more, and it will always look that gorgeous whether or not anybody's around to see it. We're just drops in the ocean, huh."

The rain began to come down as Burke reached Wilhelm's Wharf on the northern edge of the city. The universe sometimes had a grand sense of timing. Truthfully he disliked the city. Or at least the ruins of it. Rivet City itself was enjoyable enough; crowded with the hungry and desperate, run by the honourable and corrupt alike, each as predictable as the other, with a healthy smattering of unscrupulous individuals throughout. It was rife with opportunity for making a quick buck, though he'd always been interested in a longer affair; the security was too tight to really work the system from the outside, so one would need to wield some amount of control. The city council was the key to that.

But the ruins… the remains of the city were too badly damaged to repair like he'd arranged for Tenpenny Tower, too numerous and dense for the methods available. And until they turned to ash they made reaching the city painfully laborious. Furthermore, they had been infested with supermutants for as long as he could remember. The Brotherhood of Steel gave them a kicking every now and then but had achieved little more than that. Add in raider gangs hiding in the rubble like the rats they were, picking off the unwary traveller who had avoided kidnap or liquefaction at the hands of the mutants… it didn't make for much opportunity for growth as he saw it.

The only half safe route in was along the river from the north, past an old bar and grill now run by an elderly but entirely capable woman calling herself Grandma Sparkle. She provided a place to fuel up before leaving or a last meal before entering, and she always knew what had been happening in the area.

"Well look who it is. Mr. Burke, it's bin awhile! Sit yerself down young man. I've got some fresh crabcakes today. The boys caught a coupla 'lurks last night. Oh, and where's that young lady who was with you before?"

"I can't stay," Burke raised a hand as she pulled out a chair on a quayside table. "That's actually why I'm passing through. She's been working down near Rivet City. I was hoping to find her. Has anything been happening in these parts?"

"Has anythin' bin happenin'?! Where have you been? Not two days ago I saw some o' them vertibirds I think they call 'em. Flew right overhead they did. I since heard they took over that old water purifier. Folks sayin' they're back, stationed all around, though I haven't seen any. I'm surprised you haven't run into them if that really is the case."

"Who, woman, who?" Burke pressed, suddenly more tense than he'd already been.

"The Enclave, Mr. Burke. You know, them recordings off the radio. Seems like there was still somebody alive behind 'em after all."

"And they're at the purifier?"

"That's what folks told me. I saw 'em go that way, nothin' more wi' my own eyes though."

"And the city?"

The old woman shrugged, adjusting the hunting rifle slung over her shoulder. "Same as always as far as I heard."

Burke paused while he assessed the information. "Thank you, Ms. Sparkle. You've been most helpful, as always."

"You're very welcome. Now, don't run off til you tried one of these crabcakes. Why not have a drink too? You seem awful tense."

"No, I have to go. I need to see what else the Enclave are doing… and whether they have our friend." He finished his sentence over his shoulder while leaving the quayside dining area.

"Oh I see. Well alright, I won't keep ya. Make sure y'all come back here when you find her, y'hear? I'll have a coupla fresh 'lurks again soon I reckon."

He waved a hand in acknowledgement as he headed back to the surviving bridge. Rivet City was on the other bank, and so was the old purifier facility. The Enclave! He had to see this for himself. Presumably they wanted the purifier because it would be an ace in the hand of whomever controlled it. The common people were never far from being desperate for clean water, since local purification was available in relatively small quantities only in places with the technical ability and the means to protect it. And if the Enclave wanted the purifier then it must be working.

All that time spent teaching Talia discretion. Typical that her father's work should draw the attention of not only the entire city, but the Enclave. Perhaps it was even the reason for whomever had sent her name to Littlehorn; anybody effecting big change in the wasteland was bound to cause somebody else problems. Damn do-gooders.

He pushed on until Rivet City was almost in sight. He didn't have to wonder where the purifier was exactly. He could see a glow in the distance, and as he neared he made out a few crowds of people lining the approach. He accosted the first group to ask what was going on. Nothing much was the answer. The Enclave had erected an energy shield around the facility since flying in, and curious people were just waiting to see what happened next.

He almost envied their simple existence.

He continued toward the energy shield. It grew brighter and taller, a multi-story transparent wall of shimmering blue light enclosing what used to be an impressive building in of itself. A small crowd had also formed close to the barrier and the people there were testing the energy shield by throwing various objects at it. A cheer went up when, instead of bouncing off, a mutfruit liquified on impact.

Down to the left Burke spied a single Enclave soldier ambling towards them. Even being entirely covered in power armour the colour of anthracite, he could tell the soldier was swamped in a kind of defeated frustration.

"Alright people, how many more times are you gonna make me come out here? Please don't mess with the shields. You must have tested everything by now. It either bounces or it breaks. You must be getting bored." His last statement was more of a plea.

"Nah, sometimes it turns to goo like that fruit!" someone from the crowd answered.

"Sometimes it sparks!"

"I bet we could make something skip if we get the angle right!" someone else offered.

The soldier's helmet shook side to side as the crowd bubbled with excitement at this new challenge. Burke followed him as he stepped aside, shoulders sagging despite the solid armour not moving an inch.

"Welcome to the wasteland," Burke crooned wryly.

"Sir, before you ask: no you cannot touch my gun or try on my helmet, I cannot shoot the shields for you, and I must advise you against trying to throw things over the top. As official PR officer however, I am able to answer any actual questions you have about the operation."

"Lieutenant," Burke said on noticing the rank insignia on his armour, "do I look like one of these knuckle draggers? I'm not here to bother you with such inane stupidity. However I will take you up on your offer to discuss the operation. Cigarette?" He took one for himself and offered them up to the young officer, who accepted after a small hesitation.

"Yeah, I guess you don't look like them." He removed his helmet, revealing a head of short blonde hair and a face that could barely be a day over twenty two. Or perhaps the Enclave, in their genetic purity, retained an exceptionally healthy, youthful appearance.

"Name's Miller," Burke lied as he held a flame for the officer.

"Sloan," the young man responded after poorly hiding how much he had enjoyed that first drag.

"Tough day?"

"Mmm… who's asking?"

Burke affected embarrassment. "Oh, of course. Elliott Miller. I write for the Times in Rivet City- it's a newspaper. Well, the only one worth the paper it's printed on. Or rather, the bits. Not much paper around you see. We're part paper, part digital, part old fashioned town crying, I suppose. The people of the city need to learn what's going on somehow, apocalypse or not! Even the ones that can't read." He waffled amicably until he saw signs the officer had relaxed his guard. "So, the Enclave exists, and arrived just after those scientists restarted this project. Does that mean this is a joint effort?"

"Er, I can't comment on the exact details, but the effort for clean water in the tidal basin is being led by the Enclave."

"I see. Very noble. And do you have any estimation as to when it will be operational?"

"No specific dates can be given as yet."

"Of course. It all sounds very complicated. And what is the need for all of these defences?"

"Such a valuable resource requires protection. Though only a few would be foolish enough to attack the Enclave."

"...You mean the Brotherhood of Steel?"

"I can't comment on the specifics."

Burke smirked and took another drag with Sloan. "Now, I'm just thinking out loud here, but I heard those scientists started this project alongside the Brotherhood of Steel a long time ago. Have they really switched sides now to work with the Enclave?"

"I cannot comment on the motivations of those individuals."

Burke smiled skeptically. "Forgive me, Lieutenant Sloan. But how can I take any of this to the city? It's all very vague."

"I have my orders, sir-"

"Please, call me Elliott."

"Elliott… I can answer questions but only within my remit. The Enclave has everything under control and will soon deliver pure water to the area. Is that not enough for a story?"

"Soon! So the scientists have stayed on?"

"That's… that's not what I said."

"So they refused to work with you? What happened to them?"

"That's not what I said either. Ugh, I can't comment!"

Burke acted mildly exasperated. "Sloan, my boy, help me out here."

"Boy? Listen, wastelander, I'm the one in charge here. I told you the facts, now you should go report that. This is good news. I'm giving you it right from the source. What paper did you say you worked for again? If you insist on twisting my words then I'm going to have you checked out."

Burke held up his hands in faux surrender. "Alright, alright," he said in a low voice. "You got me Lieutenant. I'm no journalist. I'm just doing a little… private investigation."

"What for? State your intentions immediately." Sloan sounded slightly panicked. The mob had really worn him down, or his superiors had told him to push one very rigid line and he was worried he was about to go down in writing as giving away more than he was supposed to.

"Profit, my boy, nothing more. Calm down, I'll level with you. I sell insurance. With the Enclave suddenly on the scene I wanted to get in with you first, see if there's a market, you know? Nothing for you to worry about. Well, not unless you don't have any insurance, that is."

"Insurance," Sloan repeated slowly, looking Burke up and down.

"Yes. Sorry about the newspaper thing. People aren't very open to insurance men, and I just wanted to find out more about what's going on here first. This lot know next to nothing."

"Insurance exists out here?"

Burke chuckled bashfully. "Indeed it does. We're not all spear wielding tribals, you know."

Sloan smiled a thin smile. "What kind of insurance?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Personal injury, mostly. People are trying to rebuild everywhere, but with scavenged materials, lacking the manpower, tools or even knowledge to do so properly. I'm telling you, if they didn't have the option of my insurance, many would rather live like tribals than risk being maimed or killed by an unsound building falling apart on top of them. Or malfunctioning machinery. Unsafe work methods. Gas leaks, chemical burns, poisoning, smoke inhalation, exploding cars, exploding engines, exploding factories, exploding labs-"

"Okay, I get the picture," Sloan interrupted.

Burke glanced over his shoulder and added one more. "Even angry mobs.

"You would think wastelanders would support progress, but the war has left us with a lot of knuckle draggers like you see here. They'll turn on you as easily as they get spooked, you see. Moving the country forward is a dangerous business. But some are willing to be part of it- if they can buy a comfortable life with their payout should any of the aforementioned accidents occur."

Sloan shifted on his feet and Burke could see the cogs turning behind his blue eyes. "This mob is no match for us though."

"I agree. Just look at the technology you have here. No one has seen anything like it, as I'm sure you've noticed."

Sloan looked pained as he glanced at the crowd again, the energy fence fizzing and crackling under their barrage of miscellany.

Burke continued. "But what of the purifier here? Oh, I'm probably wasting my time. Your whole outfit seems to know what it's doing. I'm sure you're covered if this whole facility is blown sky high for some reason."

"W- Why would it do that?" Sloan asked a little too urgently.

Burke shrugged. "I've no idea, but I sell enough policies that cover industrial explosions to suggest it's not as unlikely as you'd hope.

"But I'm sure the scientists in there know what they're doing. My whole job is based around thinking about the worst case scenario. I understand not everyone likes to think about it. Only you can decide if the risk is great enough to warrant insuring yourself against it." He backed off and focussed on finishing the rest of his cigarette.

Sloan took a few steps closer. "And, er, how would a man go about getting one of these policies?"

"Oh, simple," Burke answered nonchalantly. "I just ask him what kinds of accidents he wants to cover and how he wants to pay, fill out a form, one copy each, and he's covered as soon as they're signed." He turned to Sloan and blinked as though he only just followed the reason for his question. "Oh, why, are you saying you're interested?"

"Er… maybe for the explosions part."

"Maybe or definitely? I can't maybe cover explosions."

"Explosions, definitely... And mobs. Just in case." He caught Burke's curious glance at the cheerful crowd, who were trying to skip stones across the force field, and elaborated. "It's my first encounter with wastelanders, and it's not at all like the training said."

Burke nodded. "Very wise, very safe. And the explosions? Don't trust wasteland engineering?"

"Not without wasteland engineers. It all seems very haphazard, not at all in line with our scientist's ways." Sloan seemed to be talking to himself at this point. "This purifier seems more like an animal they're struggling to tame without its trainer."

Bingo. The scientists were not inside, which probably meant Talia and the others had made their escape somehow. But to where?

"Any idea where they are?" Burke nudged while making a show of searching for something in his satchel.

"I… I can't discuss that," Sloan answered, realising his slip of the tongue. But not before he'd sighed with the exasperation of one who had no idea.

Burke continued smoothly. "Well, I suggest you find out just how much of a grasp your people have of this facility, as the price of your policy depends somewhat on the chances of a catastrophe occuring.

"However, your caps are safe for now as I'm afraid I'm out of forms. This all happened so quickly you see. I came here to find out what was going on as soon as I heard, but I was already due to return to the office. Anyway I'll give you my details and return as soon as I can with a preliminary policy."

He shook Sloan's hand and wagged his eyebrows. "Try to avoid having any accidents in the meantime." Burke smiled and Sloan laughed nervously, pocketing Burke's card.

Burke flipped up the collar of his overcoat and left the spit of land on which the memorial sat. With no clues as to where Talia might have fled, but confident she was not imprisoned within the Enclave energy fence, he would continue to Rivet City. With it's heavy security and Grandma Sparkle's word the Enclave had not invaded, it would still be a reasonably safe haven, large enough for a handful of people to hide out. If nothing more, there were plenty of people who might know what became of the team from the purifier.

Talia crouched behind a rock as green plumes of plasma burst against the tree above her, sending splinters of deadwood flying in all directions. They were strange weapons, the projectile large and seemingly slow. It was not really an object at all like a bullet, but rather a glowing hot green ball that seemed to pull itself through the air, like a flame apparating along an invisible stream of flammable gas. At least she assumed it was hot from the hissing sound that came with every strike.

"Look alive soldier!" Sarah yelled to her left. "I need you to cover me. Can you do that?"

Talia nodded.

"I mean really cover me. I'm gonna flank 'em, get close enough for a couple grenades, show's over. You got that?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, do it!"

Talia rolled onto her front, peeking around the rock just enough to fire back at the two remaining Enclave soldiers while Sarah darted left. They had tried talking their way past the outpost, but things started heading south. Sarah had taken out the officer quietly with her knife (not in the kidneys though- too slow), giving them time to dash to cover before the two grunts realised what had happened.

She wasn't hitting them but it worked; the plasma stopped flying while she hailed down bullets on their position. She caught a glimpse of Sarah behind the old truck, then two eggs sailed silently overhead. The second blast followed the first by a split second. Talia jumped up along with Sarah and they reached the Enclave barricade together, firing into the downed troops for good measure.

"Ha! Have that! Oh man, I thought these guys were gonna be tough. Two on three, we smashed them!" Sarah was positively beaming.

"You love this shit don't you?"

"What's not to love?"

Talia shrugged with a chuckle and stepped over to inspect the plasma rifle dropped by one of the soldiers.

"Good drills Talia. You know your stuff for a civilian," Sarah commented while she inspected the bodies.

"Really?"

"Sure."

"I learned from some ex mercs."

"Mercs huh? Must be one of the better crews. Some of them are nothin' but thugs. Which is fine if that's all you want from them, I guess."

"Oh? Guess I got lucky." Of course Burke had hired the best for security. She'd never thought about that.

"Thinking about upgrading?" Sarah asked as Talia aimed down the sights of the Enclave weapon. "That rifle of yours is alright. Quaint, but it still does the job."

Talia laughed. "Well no, I don't even know how this thing works. Your laser rifle is awesome though."

"Of course. I love it. Don't have to adjust for wind, range, movement, anything. You want a go?"

Talia set the plasma rifle back down and took up Sarah's offer with an enthusiastic nod. She fired at a distant tree and whistled as the dead branches ignited. "So what you're saying is, you don't have to be as good a shot?"

"Mind your tongue you cheeky cow," Sarah joked, taking her rifle back. "It's damn lethal, is what I mean. And it isn't from the stone age like your pea shooter."

Talia giggled. "And your knife gets a pass does it?"

"Yeah… there's just something visceral, primal you know? Damn."

Talia raised her eyebrows again as Sarah spoke about her knife in a way Talia might gush about her favourite flavour of cheesecake. "Well, I know how my gun works, which means I can keep it working, which is good enough for me."

Sarah nodded. "That's the main thing. If all our initiates were like you we'd have a lot less numbskulls driving Paladin Gunny up the wall. Here, help me with this will you?" Sarah started rolling one of the bodies over onto its front.

Talia obliged and changed the subject. "Sarah, were you flirting back there?"

Sarah shrugged. "I got the idea from you and your escapades in Rivet City."

"Hey, I didn't do that!" Talia protested at the reference to the solicitation charge.

"How do you know? Do you remember?" Sarah asked with a smirk.

Talia was stumped. "I probably didn't do that. Why would I?"

"I'm just messing, girl. Look, I prefer going head to head in a fight, but we're out here, just the two of us, undercover, without armour. Don't judge me."

"I'm not… what are you doing?"

Sarah was running her hands around the Enclave power armour. "Looking for a release mechanism or something. This armour looks better than ours. I'd love to bring some back if I can, Scribe Bowditch will want to see it. But at least… if I can… try it… I can tell him- aha!" She succeeded in finding whatever she was looking for and the armour popped open, revealing the dead soldier inside. "Out you go," Sarah chirped, while gesturing for Talia to help her heave the dead guy into the dirt.

"You're not getting in that?" Talia grimaced, as Sarah levered the suit upright.

"How else am I gonna know how well it works?" She stepped inside it, more like a vehicle than clothing, and after a few seconds feeling around gasped again in triumph. The suit closed itself around her. "Ooh, this feels weird," she mused, looking down at herself as if trying on a new dress.

She moved around on the spot, squatting and rolling her arms around, testing its range of motion. "It's light." She sounded impressed. She took a jog over to a tree and back.

"Having fun?"

"This is serious research of enemy equipment," Sarah scolded. "But man have they got some good shit."

"What's it like? You make it look easy."

"It's not. Try it." Sarah exited the suit and gestured for Talia to try.

"I'm not gonna get stuck in it am I?"

"Unlikely. Though it is damaged. Don't worry, I'll prize it open with my knife if I have to."

Talia chuckled at the image. "I always wanted to be a coconut. Okay, here goes." She climbed into the suit and followed Sarah's instructions as best she could. She managed to get the suit to close around her, but on attempting to take her first steps she only toppled forward like a felled tree. The size of the chestplate prevented her face from hitting the dirt, and the armour did its job keeping her completely unharmed inside. Still, it did nothing to save her ego a bruise.

When Sarah had stopped laughing she hit the catch in the rear. Cool air rushed up Talia's shirt, but the way her arms were inserted into the arm pieces prevented her pushing herself up. "Little help," she wheezed.

Sarah practically lifted her out, surprisingly strong for her stature only if you didn't know she was a Sentinel in the Brotherhood of Steel. "Alright, enough messing around. We should still be on schedule if we don't have any other problems. You good?"

Talia nodded as she finished putting her jacket back on.

"Now let's act like we didn't just completely destroy these guys, and hopefully no one will bother a couple of boring travellers." She linked her arm through Talia's and they continued west, the setting sun obscured by an overcast sky.

Talia sang to Dogmeat as she usually did on the road or around dusk, when he got twitchy. Sarah joined in, amused by Dogmeat's joyous howls at having two fellow adventurers in his pack tonight.

Long after the sun had set, Burke was already leaving Rivet City. He'd headed straight for the science lab but, finding it locked, he'd left for the bars and the markets, not wishing to risk a security issue just yet.

Amongst the locals the Enclave was all the talk, but nobody seemed to know what had become of the scientists or the Lone Wanderer, a name that had come about for Talia, the kid from the Vault. The stories attached to the name were wild and varied, though nobody was certain which were true, embellished, or completely fabricated. However that seemed less important than the fact there was someone to talk about, even if they didn't know her name- or if the Lone Wanderer was a girl at all. There was dispute among some whether a girl could have achieved some of the things attributed to the name. Another camp found it hard to believe she could have perpetrated some of the other things.

Such small, simple lives, Burke thought. If these people had any vision or ambition for their own existence, they wouldn't find the stories about a girl out of a Vault unbelievable. They might even admire her. But given the sum of all their years had landed them in a glorified open prison, signing over their potential in exchange for having their most basic needs met, their minds were too trapped, too desperate to imagine such myths could be about a real person. Even themselves, if they only had the will.

He pondered what would become of them when the council's altruistic policies came to an end, as they inevitably would if the leech class continued to grow. The lower decks were full of these people, yet only a handful appeared willing to return the favour the city did them in giving them a free bed, by working. Even he could see the carrier needed more hands to maintain its structural integrity. He suspected they would accept any and all new rules, if the only alternative was to leave. But then he'd have thought the continued cases of red lung would have spurred most of them to action already. But the human mind had a remarkable ability to ignore such passive threats and lay the yoke of responsibility at the feet of those with higher status.

He chuckled at the similarities in many ways to Tenpenny's tenants. If rent was raised or they were told they had to lift a finger to maintain the place, they would not accept it. They simply knew their place in the world was above doing that kind of thing. They would bat the duty down, unerringly. But they were equally trapped. They had become rich enough to buy their way into the tower and that was where they had placed their ceiling and settled their ideas. He doubted many would find the will to survive should their comfortable life be upturned. They might even leave, as a few had threatened to do during the peak of the ghoul situation. Their self image was so grand they thought they could simply walk across the wasteland into the same life elsewhere. At the least the lower deck dwellers knew they stood little chance alone.

It was fascinating to see how limiting the mind could be, regardless of situation. He'd never had that problem. He had built himself a way out of his shabby beginnings, and never stopped looking up. People got bogged down in a sense of status, their place, other people, morals. It all led to stagnation. Dashwood had wanted adventure, and the status and women that came with it. He got it all, and survived to retire somewhere luxurious. He achieved enough notoriety that his stories were turned into a radio drama. Tenpenny had crossed oceans to find new opportunities for wealth and power. Talia had killed people around whom she'd grown up, in order to survive, escape, seek a free life. It took a certain kind of mind to do that. It wasn't the kind of mind that was content to feed on gossip in the belly of a rusting ship.

After lurking around the science lab again, a cleaner entered, allowing Burke to follow. But the man also knew nothing of the scientists' whereabouts, and Burke found no clues to other labs or anything about the water purifier. In the end, as Burke watched the man go about his work through unfocussed eyes, it was his radio that answered the question. Burke was damned if he knew how Three Dog was so informed, but he had no reason to doubt his intel, nor anything else to go on. Three Dog said the scientists had escaped to the Citadel, to the Brotherhood of Steel. That was just across the river from the city, so Burke had set off immediately.

And here he had stood, outside the tall gates, under the steely gaze of its guard, for an hour now. No civilians, supermutants or salesmen allowed. Paladin Bael didn't smoke and wasn't much of a talker, so Burke had taken a seat on some rubble and waited.

There wasn't much activity. Not visibly anyway. A few grunts and a sentrybot patrolling the perimeter, yet he knew inside must be all go, rising excitement and anxiety at the return of the Enclave. A new threat for them to tackle, definitively, unlike the supermutants. Or perhaps they weren't up to the task. He knew nothing of their inner workings since they were so secretive, despite taking on outsiders from time to time. They must take care over who they inducted.

At some point the gate opened a fraction and a woman slipped out. She looked miniscule next to Bael's armour. They discussed something briefly, each looking irate, and she seemed to placate him by holding up her hand as if to say she just needed five minutes. She walked around the corner and to the edge of the path that surrounded the building, stopping where it dropped to a level below, meeting the river. Burke approached as she struggled to light a cigarette.

"Need a light?"

She gasped quietly, though he hadn't attempted to sneak up on her. "Thank you. Damn thing is no good." She put her lighter into a pocket of the oversized soldier's coat she wore and held her cigarette to Burke's flame.

She was very neatly put together, delicate hands tipped with clean nails, hair greying but long and tidy, expression restrained as trying to hold back what was felt underneath. The flickering flame illuminated a face probably as old as his, frown lines decorating her brow and long creases framing lips that hadn't smiled enough over the years. He noticed her hand was shaking.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked before he could say anything. Her voice was quiet but firm.

"I'm looking for someone. She was actually with the scientists that were at the water purifier before the Enclave showed. They're saying on the radio they fled here, but my friend over there won't tell me anything. I don't suppose you were with them too?" He gestured to her attire, the coat the only thing military about her. Beneath she was clearly wearing a smart dress and lab coat, legs bare except for a pair of black heels. "Or are you Brotherhood of Steel?"

Her slight frown suggested she was not Brotherhood, but she wouldn't give anything else away. "Who wants to know?" She was studying him intently, suspicion heavy in tired eyes.

"The name's Burke." He extended his hand. He needn't use an alias now, since if she heard he would want Talia to know who had been asking after her.

The woman cautiously took his hand, not dropping her gaze. It was chilly but soft. "Doctor Li," she said as softly as before. There was a melancholy to her that was almost tangible, as if the moonlight gave it form.

"A pleasure," Burke nodded. "You're not Brotherhood, I can tell. You seem perfectly normal."

The joke caught her off guard and she exhaled in a way Burke took for mild amusement. "No," she confirmed. "I… yes, I was one of the people working on the purifier. Your friend… do they have a name?"

She was cautious. "Talia. She joined your outfit only recently."

Li locked him again with her analytical stare. He tried to appear truthful and unthreatening, which strangely was more difficult when that was genuinely the case. She took a drag before speaking again, dropping her hand away quickly as it shook. "I don't think I should discuss this with a perfect stranger. What do you want with this person, anyway?"

Burke was impressed and grateful at her apparent wariness around him regarding Talia, though it would make his life easier if her tongue was even slightly loose. "You know, I never said they were my friend," he pondered out loud.

Li paused a few moments before responding. "You seem concerned. Plus, you did say the guard over there is your friend, so I may as well trust what you don't say over what you do."

Burke smiled and imagined the woman might have smirked had she not had the weight of something like the world on her shoulders. "You're a smart woman, Doctor Li." He stepped closer and lit a cigarette of his own. Seeing the effect Li's was having on her was too tempting.

He looked across the river and matched her dampened tone. "You're right. She is a friend, and I am concerned. Now I know at least some of you escaped the Enclave, that is some relief. But I must know, is she alright? If she's in the Citadel, at least pass her a message for me. Would you do that?"

Li smoked in silence for a while. Burke watched her eyes darting between nothing in particular in the distance, while her mind whirred behind them. She carried a sense of solemnity, responsibility, and defeat that tinted her natural allure and made a man want to show her that all was not as bad as she thought. She stood at the centre of a war between the two most powerful factions in the whole of North America. If she could free herself of whatever weighed her, she would reach great heights.

"She's not here," she croaked. "She was. What I mean to say is that she escaped with us. She got us out, in fact. But you've missed her. She left during the night."

"Where?" Burke pressured.

But Li shook her head. "On a mission. I'm sorry, I shouldn't say anything more. Ugh, I've said too much already. You could be anybody."

Burke gently caught her arm as she turned to leave. "I'm not anybody, Ms. Li. Where did she go?"

Li paused while she fought with herself again. "I… I really can't say. I don't even know specifically myself. But I can't risk the Enclave finding her, or... After all that time we worked on it-" She stopped herself as emotion began to fuel her words, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry. I have to go. Goodnight." She hesitantly took her arm from Burke's and headed back to the gates, throwing her cigarette butt to the ground.

"Doctor Li," Burke called after her. "Do you have a first name?"

She turned as she waited for Paladin Bael to open the gate for her. "Yes. Do you?" She stepped inside, the gate closed behind her, and Burke was left alone with the knowledge Talia was at least alive, even if now she could be anywhere within a day of the Citadel.

Or he would have been, had Bael not resumed glaring at him in lieu of any real authority to order him away.

"Help me out, Bael. Which way did they go? Then I'll leave you alone."

"That way," Bael barked, pointing without looking upriver.

"Thank you. I can see us becoming good friends. I'll see you around."

"Oh good, I look forward to it," Bael grumbled as Burke passed.

It was one of only two ways out of the city, unless she swam downriver, so fairly meaningless. But he set off quickly all the same. She was less than twenty four hours away, and perhaps his man had caught her departure. He had his methods, after all. He was only annoyed he couldn't reach the tower sooner to check for letters. He hated being in the dark.