Talia didn't know how long she spent deliberating Dave's warning, but every second it hung up in the air was a second too long. She worried that any moment Autumn might come through the door to decide she was useless and put a bullet in her head, like he did Janice.
But even if she could give up the code, she would be just as useless once he had it. She had to think further ahead. She had to stay alive. She wasn't sure what for. She hoped for rescue but wasn't really banking on the Brotherhood showing- surely they could have sent more people to secure the G.E.C.K. if they'd really wanted to. If they were that short of people, she was screwed anyway. And how could Burke even know where she was, let alone what could he do about it? But she wasn't ready to go just yet, and certainly not at the hands of Autumn, or worse, some goon he ordered to deal with it because he was too busy stealing her dad's work.
She stood by the hatch and rapped on it continuously, calling to Williams. Eventually her knuckles met open air as it whizzed open and Williams' eyes were visible through the slot.
"What is it? If you keep that up I'm not going to check on you at all. One knock is enough, you hear?"
"I know Williams, sorry, I'm really sorry, but it's important. I need to speak to Dave. Can you get him? Please? Right away. I need to tell him something."
"...Oh." Williams sounded surprised and Talia saw his eyebrows rise. "Right. I see. Yes, I'll send for him… Seen the light have you?"
"Please just get him. Thanks." Talia forced her words out politely despite feeling exhausted yet wired on adrenaline. She had no idea how screwed up her thinking might be in this state, whether he'd see through her right away, but she was pretty much dead if she didn't try.
She sat in the containment spot while she waited, going over her speech in a whisper. When he entered she watched him approach with wide eyes. He looked pretty much the same as always, though his warm brown hair was a little unkempt.
He crouched in front of her on the other side of the force field. If he was annoyed at his summoning he wasn't showing it. "You have something to tell me?"
Talia nodded. "I've been thinking about what you said…" He had to believe it. If he thought she knew the code and was just buying time, it wouldn't help her situation. "I… I don't know the code, because the purifier didn't work. Why would we activate it until we had the G.E.C.K.? That's the only thing that my dad thought would work."
Dave tossed a hand in the air as if disappointed. "Talia-"
Talia raised her hands to quiet him. "But listen, listen. I can probably work it out. He was my dad, right? It could be my birthday, or my mom's birthday, something like that. I would know those kinds of things, right?"
Dave began stroking his chin in thought.
Talia continued. "I doubt that's it though. Too simple. I know one of his old computer passwords was a lyric from a song we… we used to sing together, when I was little." She swallowed a lump in her throat and took a breath. Focus. "So, it's probably a bit more cryptic. But I can work that stuff out, right?"
"Right." He was still considering her words.
A hollow pit grew in her stomach while she waited for his response. She had to push him to stop the feeling she'd be swallowed by it. "Um… so, what do you think?"
"Well, tell me what those two birthdays are. We'll have to try those first."
"It won't be those-"
"But we'll have to confirm that," Dave interrupted firmly, going back to thinking.
Talia bit her lip while waiting for his next words.
"But… yes, it makes sense." He nodded in approval and the lead weighing Talia's limbs melted away. "And you are best placed to know what it could be. That's why you're here, after all. We could sit down and talk about your father… these kinds of things you mentioned... We'll work out possible codes and try them out. Yes, that could work.
"Well done Talia. I knew you'd be smart in the end."
If the force field wasn't there Talia swore she'd float away. Tears welled behind her eyelids. She pressed her palms to her eyes, forced them back with a breath, and put on a smile instead. But when she dropped her hands Dave had raised a finger.
"Now... some might question if you're not just buying yourself time and feeding us nonsense. That wouldn't be the case would it?"
Talia shook her head vigorously and shifted up onto her knees. "No! No, I just got dragged into all this. You know my story. I'm not trying to die for this water- my dad already did that-" Her voice wavered. "And why?- you guys just want to get the thing working too-" Unplanned tears broke through her facade. That was basically the truth. Aside from being on the Enclave's wanted list and her desire to see Autumn and Dean in the ground, she basically didn't care which assholes in power armour switched it on. Everyone would have clean water and she'd still be a prisoner, at least until they killed her.
"It's alright. Talia, it's okay, you did good."
She looked up and pressed a hand against the light barrier, ignoring the way it pulsated under her touch. "Will I be okay? I'm going to help, that's what you want, tell me I'll be okay?" She was so tired, and tired of wondering if Death would be the next one to walk through the door.
"Yes, yes- Talia, look at me. You'll be alright. I just needed to check, alright?"
She frowned in confusion.
"I need to tell the boss I believe you so we can do this. I had to push you, you understand?"
Talia nodded and wiped her eyes.
"Now I'll see to it no one disturbs you for a while, and we'll get started in a few hours. Get some sleep. You'll feel a lot better. Just tell me those birthdays, and then I'll see you after you wake up."
She paused, doubt setting in. What if James really had used one of those dates as the code? No, he couldn't be that simple. Anyway, she had no choice. She had to give Dave something to seal the deal. She told him the dates. He smiled, thanked her, and promised her she wouldn't see anybody else but him.
It was a pleasant story to believe, and she was asleep before his footsteps had faded.
Talia waited patiently in her cell for her escort to arrive. She lived on a schedule now. In the morning she would be cuffed, blindfolded, and walked to an interview room. Here she would meet Dave, and they would spend the day talking. Mostly about her dad and their shared past, but they went off on tangents quite a lot. There was enough time for it. She'd spent the entire previous day with him, and it must have run well into the evening for she was exhausted. The short nights she was given to sleep and the length of the day were one thing, but she was hardly prepared for the mental effort required in his sessions.
She'd hoped to draw out the time between discovering potential codes, getting tangled in long histories while teasing out cryptic clues that might not even be there. Put on a good show of cooperation that obscured the lack of results until she could figure out what to do next. But he wasn't approaching this like a puzzle or a battle. The first night she'd told him all about her escape from Vault 101 following James' disappearance. The next day she'd found herself sobbing into her jumpsuit as she recounted memories with James from her childhood.
He'd let her cry. He gave her a hanky. He was very understanding.
All the same, she felt her mind and soul had been wrung out like a wet rag. She'd kill for another hour to remain curled up in her cell, imagining Burke's warm hands around her face, rich voice telling her everything was going to be fine.
At the interview room she was guided into a chair like yesterday and her guard took off the hood that covered her head.
"Thank you. Oh- you didn't pull my hair today. You're spoiling me, Charlie." Talia joked without much mirth in her tired voice but took some satisfaction from the poorly hidden amusement she read on the soldier's face. She'd learned from Williams she'd had the same escort since she arrived, but he was obviously under orders not to engage with her. So she'd named him Charlie in lieu of a proper introduction.
She toyed with her handcuffs, draping the chain into patterns on the heavy metal table while waiting for Dave, then took to awkwardly reaching an itch. The door opened while she was twisted, so she heard Dean before she saw him.
"Hello again, wastelander."
She jumped in her seat and a nervous gasp escaped her lungs.
"Missed me?"
Talia pulled back in her chair and folded her hands to her chest. "W-w-w-what are you doing here? Where's Dave?"
Dean sat across the table from her with his usual wicked smile plastered on his face. "I'm here to make sure you've been telling the truth," he answered, ignoring her other question.
She said nothing, clutching at the collar of her overalls. She tensed up as he reached into his jacket pocket. He seemed to notice and pulled out a piece of paper inordinately aggressively, just to watch her flinch.
"You've been telling some interesting stories," he said, watching her strain to see what was written on the sheet as he unfolded it. "I have all the details here. If you've been making things up just to make yourself seem useful, I'm going to find out."
"I haven't made anything up," Talia croaked.
He raised his voice suddenly, making her jump again. "Did I ask you a question?"
She shrank further into her chair. "No, Dean," she forced out levelly. She'd pushed him out of her mind, thinking herself free of him after she made her deal with Dave. But alone with him again. Surprised by him. Her breath was short. His eyes were determined. She was no physical coward, but this wasn't just work for him. She'd bet he hoped she was lying just so he'd be free to let loose on her. Just to cure his itch. At least Autumn wouldn't waste any energy disposing of her and give her a quick bullet to the head. If it came to it.
Would it come to it? She wasn't lying. She hadn't changed any facts when talking to Dave. Nothing had seemed relevant. The only reason she might stumble now was nerves. And Dean made her very nervous.
He flattened out the paper on the table and clasped his hands on top of it, leaning into his elbows. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer. No stalling for time. Understood?"
"Yes, Dean." She gulped.
He covered everything she remembered discussing with Dave, as well as things she didn't. He just wanted the details. Names, dates, specifics of an event. And the asshole didn't care what the subject was- dead mom, dead dad. She really didn't want to get upset over James' death or one of the few sweet memories they had, in front of him. But maybe it would only convince him she was lying if she refused to react to his obvious and blunt probing. It was a very hard line to walk, and she fell on the side of getting more emotional than she wanted to. She hated being so tired.
"Well…" Dean let the word hang after maybe an hour of questioning, sneering in distaste. "I'm supposed to believe you've been telling the truth."
Talia let out a breath and loosened her claw-like grip on her jumpsuit.
Dean stood abruptly and the scraping of the chair legs on the floor gave Talia a fresh fright. "Stop fucking snivelling," he barked. "This scared little girl act doesn't fool me. You might have repeated the same bullshit today as yesterday, but that doesn't mean you're in the clear." He sat on the table at her side and bent unpleasantly close. "I don't believe this act one bit."
Talia leaned as far away from him as she could without leaving her seat, staring desperately forward.
He wasn't done. "These tears, give me a break. I've given you a harder time than this and you didn't fucking cry. Where is she? Who is this pathetic fucking mess?" He shoved her in her seat. She winced and turned to protect her face. She was still black and blue and very tender.
He laughed. "Jesus, don't tell me you've gone all soft on me now." He grabbed the chain that linked her handcuffs and hoisted her up from the seat. The hard metal dug into her wrists but she managed to limit her reaction to a sharp breath. She closed her eyes and just wished for it all to be over quickly. Maybe he'd get bored and leave.
He shook her. "Come on, where is she? You're no fucking fun anymore, you know that?"
"I answered your questions, Dean. Aren't we done?" She opened her eyes again even though she could hardly bear to look at his vile face. God she wanted to punch it, if only she wasn't cuffed.
He tightened his fist around the chain. "We're done when I say we're done, you arrogant little bitch."
If only she wouldn't be marched out to some wasteland ditch after dark, she'd break his goddamn nose and make sure he choked to death on his own blood.
"There she is." Dean's eyes grew darker and she realised she must have let her thoughts show.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said coldly.
"Oh, now you're definitely lying to me. I can see it in those steely fucking eyes. You fucking hate me don't you?"
Talia bit her tongue. If she was only strong enough, she would crush the air from his windpipe with these cuffs.
He raised his other hand and roughly grasped her by the throat. "I asked you a question, you stupid little cunt."
"Fuck you." It slipped out with what little breath she could get past his fingers.
She could do nothing to resist as he swiftly forced her face down onto the table, struggling to catch her breath as her body met it heavily. He shifted his grip into her hair just to pull her head up and slam it back down, hard, before pinning her there. Her vision swam and her lip burned. She tasted heat and blood.
"That's 'fuck you, Dean.'" He laughed smugly while she sputtered for breath between his weight and her blood, slowly spreading from under her face. Why did she rise to it? She was so fucking stupid. She was over these beatings, but it wasn't as simple as saying nothing. None of it was.
"I like you so much better when you be yourself, wastelander," he continued, leaning over her so he could speak right into her ear.
"I'll kill you," she hissed. Fuck it. He obviously wasn't leaving without a fight, she might as well say what she really felt.
He grinned and stood back. "I'd like to see you try."
She slithered off the desk and righted herself, trying not to look too disorientated or in pain. He was baiting her. No, she wasn't that stupid.
"I don't know where you get your attitude, wasteland bitch, but I like it. I'm going to enjoy wiping that fucking psychotic little look off your face when you realise how fucking dumb you are." He shunted the chair aside with his foot and backed her against the table. "Kneel down."
Her eyes grew wide with wild fears and she hesitated, though mostly out of a stubborn unwillingness to submit to this asshole.
He scowled. "You fucking lunatic, you think I'm an animal?" He grabbed her hair with one hand and squeezed her thigh with the other, hard, right where she had a not-completely-healed scar from a Regulator's knife. She screamed out from the sudden nauseating pain and buckled under the force of his other hand, landing heavily on her knees.
"Nasty scar that, isn't it?" He yanked her head back, revelling in the tears of pain that now filled her eyes. He believed these were real. "I wanted you down here so you know how everything is going to look when your game is all over. I know you're trying to play your way out of this, and it isn't going to work. Autumn is going to lose his patience. Dave is going to lose his patience. And you'll wish you had just given up the code when you had the chance.
"Because you might still have a chance to keep your sad little wasteland life- for now. After that, you'll be on your knees begging for a bullet. It's your choice. It would be a lot easier if you just give it up. But a lot less fun for me. So I don't really care either way." He released her with a jerk.
She glared at his boots as they turned and drew away from her, disappearing as he left the room. She leant forward onto her hands and gritted her teeth through the pain still throbbing in her leg. After a few moments she heard the door again. She peered up only enough to see the same boots approaching. She was already on the floor. She could stay here easily enough. She kept her eyes down and her mouth shut- aside from spitting some blood that was still bubbling from her lip.
Toecaps appeared in her vision. She willed her heart to beat more quietly.
"You alright?"
She looked up to find Dave crouched beside her. A weight lifted from her chest so suddenly she almost felt dizzy. "Oh Dave, he's crazy. He wants to kill me."
"Here, for the blood." He insisted she take the hanky he was holding out to clean up her face, and offered a hand getting up when she was done. "Well, you passed, so don't worry about that."
Talia frowned while hobbling around to the chair. "What..? That was… you knew?"
"They wanted to verify what you've told me so far, that's all."
Talia froze. "That's all? That wasn't- you told me this wouldn't happen anymore Dave!"
"Talia- no, look, it's okay-"
"No it's not! You said if I cooperate this wouldn't happen anymore!"
"That's not how this is-"
"I'm doing what you want! And still!" Talia shoved the chair over and retreated to the wall. "I'm never getting out of here. I'll help and my thanks will be a fucking trip to the incinerator."
Dave came around from the other side of the table. "That's not true. Just sit back down and let's keep talking, huh?"
"What's the point? I'm dead either way. He'll do it first chance he gets."
"That's not true. Come on, just sit back down."
"I don't believe you."
Dave scoffed. "Well I'm sure you'll believe that if you stop now, I'll get reassigned, and then you know who your only visitor will be after that. Now, given I believe you're not intentionally hiding the code, I'm your best chance. Now let's sit back down and work it out together."
Talia clutched her forehead. She couldn't deal with this headfuck right now. "No, please, I don't want that…" She didn't really know what she was saying, but she didn't want to get handed back to Dean.
"Me neither. So, come sit down." Dave, who had got close now, gently took her arm and led her back to the table, righting the chair for her. Talia sat defeated. "I'm sorry, Talia. Really. It came from the top. I just found out today. They had to check you could repeat what you've told me so far, so we can continue. You understand don't you?"
Talia stared at him while her frazzled mind chewed on his words. He was so good looking. They all were. There must be something in their water. Or else the rest of humanity really was a messed up version of what it should be, like they seemed to believe. But today it was no distraction. He paced the room a little, and she noticed again his boots, just like those Dean wore. Eventually he sat down opposite her, clasping his hands in front of him and leaning into his elbows as he shot her a sympathetic smile.
God, she was an idiot. How did she forget where she was, who he was? He and Dean were on the same team. He was one of them. This was probably all staged. Though the yearning in Dean's eyes for a reason to punish her was so real, she wasn't completely sure about that.
She nodded. "I understand."
"I'm glad. So…"
Talia interrupted him. "Um... can we just take a rest? Before we start? It's been one hell of a morning." She needed to think.
He smiled at her joke and looked her over. Either he was a damn good actor or there was an undercurrent of pity and even annoyance beneath his clean-cut features. "Sure. I'll be back in five."
She held his hanky to her sore lip and stared into the door after it shut. Dean's prediction loomed at the back of her mind. If she was lucky enough to figure out the code before they did, should she tell Dave right away? She desperately wanted to believe his reassurances that she would be rewarded for being helpful. Even Dean had suggested as much. But she'd met Autumn. She didn't believe it. He just wanted to start the purifier as soon as possible and more than likely would want her out of the way.
What was her next move? What would Burke do? Burke would make a deal. Well, she'd done that and bought herself however long until they worked out the code themselves. Now she had nothing else to offer. What else might they want?
A thought surfaced, shifty, cautious, beckoning her attention from the back of her mind. She looked around the room as if someone might see her consorting with it. The only thing that made her unique from other wastelanders at this point was her association with the Brotherhood of Steel. Her knowledge of the Citadel from the inside. Surely the Enclave would find that sort of information interesting…
She scrunched her eyes shut. She couldn't think that far. She didn't want to. She just had to be careful what she told Dave. She'd prefer to know if she had the code before letting on so she could decide if and when to reveal it.
She jumped in her seat as the door opened again. Trying not to look guilty as the thought crawled back under its rock, she saw Dave had returned with two coffees. She watched, agape, as he set one down on her side of the table.
"What? Never seen a coffee before?"
"Not... here... other than to taunt me."
"Well you can drink that one. Our secret, huh." He winked.
Her conspiratorial mind was still churning. What would Burke do? Take advantage of whatever he could. Pull at the cracks. Agitate. Manipulate. She bit the uninjured side of her lip and summoned dew to her eyes, privately thanking Dean for the inspiration. Enter 'scared little girl'.
"Thank you," she mewed, tentatively wrapping her hands round the cup as if half expecting it to explode. She took a cautious sip and made a show of how amazing it tasted (though that part was genuine). She peered up and locked eyes with him, sighing and sagging her shoulders in gentle defeat. "You're so nice to me…"
"It's just coffee," he said, but he smiled a little knowingly.
"No, it's everything…" She watched as he set his chair at the table edge perpendicular to hers, joining her for their drink. "I'm sorry I shouted. I just… I'm scared."
"Don't be. You help me and I'll help you, okay?"
She looked down and shook her head softly. "You didn't see him though Dave… he really hates me. He doesn't believe any of this."
"Well, he's not the boss."
"Oh yeah, Autumn seems reasonable."
"You let me worry about that, alright?"
Talia sighed and quietly sipped her coffee.
Dave sighed and put his back down. "Ugh, you're still mad aren't you?"
Talia frowned. "No. No… I, uh…"
Dave leaned in. "You have to trust me Talia. You can't fake your way through this. I'm sorry about today. I won't let it happen again, I promise. But if you clam up or try to lie about things now because you're mad, it will just ruin everything we've done so far. I can help you, but you have to trust me."
Interesting. Was he worried she was going to dry up on him? He was really concerned for either her or his job. Talia made a slightly strained face like she wanted to believe him, if she could. It seemed to worry him further.
"I'll make it up to you, look- I'll get you some meds for this, okay?"
Talia softened her expression. "Oh, I don't want to draw attention to myself, I know Autumn hates me even using up the air in this place."
Dave waved the notion away. "I'll get it for myself. No one will know. I told you, I can help you. I'll make sure you're not hurt."
Well this was a result. She'd put out the feelers for any signs of sympathy, but scoring some coffee and meds wasn't half bad in her current situation. Dewy eyes weren't a reach given the fresh reminder of how much healing her leg still had to do. "You'd do that?"
"Yes… but you must trust me." He looked at her expectantly.
She returned his gaze, paused dramatically, and let a tear fall. She broke the tension with a big exhale. "I do, I do… oh, it was just so stressful earlier, I-"
Dave cut off her spiral with a hand on her arm. "I know, but it's over."
She nodded while he rubbed her arm, smiling like she'd just now realised what a fool she'd been. And in the quiet moment that followed, that gentle contact suffused every question, qualm, dream or doubt in her mind, the way an ocean tide washes over every grain of sand on the bank. When she wasn't alone there was a good chance she was being restrained, moved, or beaten. A simple comforting touch was... enough.
"I don't think I've seen you smile like this," Dave commented.
She blinked back to reality. "Oh…" His hand was still on her. "I… I guess this coffee's really good," she joked with an awkward laugh, busying herself with a big slurp from her mug. His hand lingered until he caught her eye again, and she plunged her sights right back into the drink.
"Well," he concluded with a sigh, "are you ready?"
She wasn't sure if he thought what she thought he thought… but she could find out. She had nothing to lose and a very distant, completely non-Enclave-related death to gain.