Dr. Madison Li tried her hardest to ignore the heavy weight of the letter in her pocket. She blinked hard and focussed again on the printout of test results she was analysing in the Citadel lab, beneath the looming mass of Liberty Prime. They wanted to use the robot to take back the purifier from the Enclave, but it was useless with its power issues. Lucky for them, she had spent many of her earlier years working on portable fusion power and had faced similar issues at Project Purity.

She kicked back her chair and took the long way to the coffee machine upstairs. The letter was from the man she'd met outside about a week ago. The man she'd turned away out of loyalty to the project, despite knowing he was who he claimed to be. She'd posted Talia's letter to somebody of the same name the previous night, after all.

This would be her fourth coffee of the day. It was easier than eating, for the mild nausea she'd had for days had not yet subsided. When the Elder's daughter had returned alone, she'd thought of nothing but whether things might have been different if she'd only told this Mr. Burke everything she knew. Perhaps he would have aided them. But that was foolish. She knew nothing of him except a name. And he'd never have caught them up anyway. What she did was the only sensible thing she could have done. Project Purity had fallen once, she wouldn't let it happen again.

She looked across the railing at the head of the anthropomorphic weapon on which she was now working. Heavily armoured and wielding an array of advanced weaponry, it ought to be exceptionally devastating in battle, once operational. It didn't contain an artificial intelligence as such, just autonomous navigation and targeting systems, but its humanoid form gave it an eerie air of personality. She often looked up into its face, as if she should wonder whether to trust it. A preposterous thought. The Brotherhood controlled it, so the pertinent question was did she trust them? No, but in order to get the purifier online that's what she had to do. Janice and James had died for this project, and probably Anna and James' daughter too. She wouldn't give up like James had when Catherine died.

There was no love lost between Li and Talia. She'd heard the girl admit her role in the destruction of Megaton. The details, well, did they really matter? It was monstrous. But it wasn't right how Owyn had used her. Li was no soldier, so perhaps the two women going after the G.E.C.K. alone was the wisest course of action with the Enclave crawling everywhere. But since Sarah Lyons had returned, she was the only one besides this Burke who showed any concern after James' daughter. The rest of them were as robotic as Liberty Prime over here.

In his letter, Burke told of how he'd heard of Talia's capture and was seeking any information on her whereabouts, whether she was alive, whether the leadership in the Citadel had any line of communication open with the Enclave. He said he had also written to the Elder to offer his assistance, and requested if Li could lend some weight to his entreaty. His hope burned in her throat like bile. She had already approached Owyn about doing something for the girl, but he told her it was not possible. They couldn't spare any troops from the Citadel, and certainly not with the purifier assault looming. They would need every man and woman they had when the time came.

She wasn't naive, and she'd told the Elder in no uncertain terms. This wasn't all. The pair had found the G.E.C.K. and now the Enclave certainly had it. It was probably installed in the purifier already. Lyon's daughter had returned, and James' daughter had served her purpose. Who was left to worry after Talia except this man writing letters? What had happened to the Owyn she knew twenty years ago? He'd once followed his principles in defiance of his Elders and provided real assistance to the people around Rivet City, and now he couldn't help someone who had risked and probably given her life for his goals? He disgusted her.

She disgusted herself. Knowing all this, yet here she was working on his superweapon. Somehow she'd convinced herself that this was the only way she could make a difference out here. But she had been making a difference, small but tangible… until she let James convince her to come back to Purity, just as his daughter had followed him out of the Vault. That was foolish. But he'd have tried it anyway. And Purity was and had always been worthwhile, ambitious, the ultimate dream. The work she had been doing in the city was nothing compared to the purifier and the effects it would have when it worked. Because it was going to work, that was clear now. She could curse James for his choices, but his brilliance was undeniable.

It should have been exciting news, but after all that had happened it was nothing more than a relief to know they wouldn't have died in vain. It was the bare minimum Li needed to make any of this tolerable. And first the Brotherhood regained control of the purifier. That's why this robot had to function.

She sighed shakily and fingered the envelope in her pocket. She didn't have any information for Burke even if she dared respond. The Brotherhood had used the girl up just like they would her, if she remained too long. There were no talks, the only objective was the purifier. He would likely never see her again.

She swallowed the last gulp of coffee along with the lump in her throat. She knew the pain of losing someone important, twice over now. But that would be no consolation to the man. My project was more important, but at least I know how you feel. For all her achievements, she could think of no way to make this better. Unless the Brotherhood had a time machine somewhere, she would have to carry this one. She would have to finish what James had started. She would have to make a difference.

Burke's gaze stretched across the tidal basin of the Potomac River, reaching from where he stood on the former flight deck of the aircraft carrier that had become Rivet City, across the toxic waters that supported nothing more than deadly mirelurks or the occasional malformed, sickly fish, to the Jefferson Memorial. The Enclave force field still shimmered through the fading afternoon light, taunting him silently even from several miles away.

He'd discovered a little about the Enclave, and far too much about everything else going on in this rusty bucket that a few thousand people called home. To add insult to injury he'd had no response from the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, nor from Doctor Li, from whom he'd implored support. He was trying to be patient, for she'd seemed the sort to come around only after her conscience had had time to give her some trouble, but it wasn't like he had any other options. He'd never felt so unconnected, so irrelevant, so hopeless.

He turned away with an embittered snarl and drove his foot into a pile of snack boxes that rested dangerously close to the edge of the deck, sending them hurtling out over the river before they plunged down into its frigid depths.

"Hey! I was gonna eat that!"

Burke scowled at Mr. Lopez, an old man he regularly encountered on the deck. "Well go on in after it then. You keep saying you want to jump."

"I… yes… well, I"- the elderly fellow weakly waved a hand, wrapped in rags as protection from the bitter wind- "it wouldn't taste any good now anyway." He sighed and stood down from his post, lowering himself onto a crate with tired defeat humming in the creak of his bones.

"Why do you keep coming up here Lopez? You clearly don't want to end it all or you'd have done something about it by now."

"Oh but I do. Maybe one day I'll get the courage."

"You'll die of old age before that happens."

"A mercy that will be."

Burke breathed sharply into his hands and shoved them into his pockets. The old man was one of the most pitiful creatures he'd ever encountered. "What keeps you coming up here? What have you done?"

"Why would you even care?"

"I deserve to know your story if I must endure your miserable presence while I seek some peace and quiet up here."

Lopez' face contorted in what Burke assumed must be offence, and he actually raised his voice slightly. "Hey, look, I was here first. This deck's big enough for two useless old men. Just go over there if I bother you so much."

Burke twitched. "Watch your mouth, you degraded heap of garbage. And who are you calling old? 'Useless'- I'll show you useless- I'll push you off this tin can myself."

Not used to threatening suicidal people, and feeding on fear, his rage subsided as quickly as it had risen when Lopez appeared relieved at the prospect and stood once more. "Ah..! Would you... A quick shove should do it…"

Too cowardly to live, to cowardly to die his own death. Burke sneered. "Quite. What's in it for me?"

"Well you just said you wanted the deck to yourself. Which is all I wanted, by the way, but you keep hanging around for some reason."

The temptation shivered across Burke's chilly fingertips. Everyone would assume he finally jumped. No loose ends.

A momentary release is all it would be. It wouldn't help his predicament. "No. Who would I look at to feel better about my life?"

Lopez returned to his usual downcast stare and melted back onto the crate. "Huh. That's about all I'm good for…"

Burke turned back to the horizon. "You didn't answer my question."

"Hmm?"

"Why you come up here at all."

"Why do you come up here?"

"To think."

"Right. It is a good place to think."

"I'm certain my thoughts are a hundred times more productive than yours," Burke snapped. "You know what I'm looking for," he added to drive the point home.

"I'm not sure I do." Lopez let the statement hang. Or perhaps he was just tired of talking, but Burke didn't elaborate beyond their foregone discussion concerning a way to contact the Enclave. He had to overturn every stone.

Lopez eventually broke the silence. "My family… was killed by Raiders. I was about your age." He went quiet.

Burke peered round at the pause. Lopez' gaze was distant. It didn't seem like there was any more to the story. At least that explained the guilt. "That was some time ago," Burke commented.

"Yes. I couldn't…" He stopped speaking again.

"You couldn't save them," Burke concluded.

"Now… I'm even more useless."

"No more than half the others on this ship," Burke sniffed quite sincerely. Nobody had heard a whisper of the Enclave before the previous week, but they offered a wealth of information on every other drama currently unfolding in the city. He'd uncovered political conflicts, affairs, and a bizarre story of a rogue android being pursued by both its creators from the north as well as slavers. It had been a while since Tenpenny had insisted on keeping a slave, but it seemed Eulogy Jones' men were now available for hire to anyone with a runaway problem, be they slave or otherwise.

Oh, the web of shadows this city offered…

"I'm not sure I enjoy your company, Mr. Burke," Lopez said, interrupting his thoughts.

Burke looked at the grey pile of rags beside him. A self sustaining pit of despair and regret that couldn't save his family nor seek revenge in their name. Burke could tell. A man who'd found vengeance might still hurt after all this time, but he would carry no shame. It was no wonder Lopez found himself here.

"Likewise," Burke replied. "I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Lopez." He left confident in his statement, though not happy about it. If Burke had believed in God, this was surely proof he had a twisted sense of humour. He stood here racking his brains day and night for a solution only to meet this ghost. This echo from a life not lived, merely endured. Burke was the antithesis to this creature! He despised having to spend another day breathing the same air as him. He had lived and worked amongst people of excellence, ambition…

And he would again. He would not allow annoyances to distract him from his goal. He would find a way. He must. If only to feel in control once more, for he was deep in unchartered territory. The only people to occupy his thoughts as much as her had been… personal targets. Was that it? She had defied him and run, and his pride brought him here. No, it was more. He had always felt complete alone. Other people were passing scenery, environment in which he operated, tools with which he worked. He had friends, he knew how to gain trust and loyalty, but if they were all taken by the wastes his life would go on. So this eternal void in his stomach, the incessant what if what if what if that clouded his mind was maddening. He only wanted to make progress, to do something, to quell the alien sense of unease that plagued him.

But without an Enclave contact the best he could do was to stand outside along with the crowds, who had now moved onto the supermutant shooting galleries that had formed in the maze of energy barriers erected amongst the city ruins, and they were no great help to his cause. Though it would leave him at a dead end, he grimly suspected the Enclave had no spies amongst the city populace, that they were not interested in any deal. What could any wastelander possibly offer them that they could not build or take? They took the purifier after all.

And that left him in a disagreeable spot. What if she was simply gone? What if he never shook this feeling? What the hell had happened to his cigarettes? He found them after violently turning out every one of his pockets at the bottom of the stairwell. The silver case clattered to the ground and sent its contents spilling over the floor. He grumbled to himself and considered simply buying more when a young voice drifted lazily on the air.

"Aw, dude, what a bummer. These things are like… rare around here."

"Hello, Ted." The young drifter was harmless, if a complete air head.

"Here, lemme help." Ted brushed his long hair out of his face before crouching to help clear up.

Burke followed suit and retrieved his case first. "They're not especially rare."

"No, but this brand?" The boy ran one beneath his nose and took a discerning sniff. "Oh yeah, these are good smokes. You have good taste, my man. You should hold onto these. Or, you know, smoke 'em. That's what I'd do." He proffered the cigarette at arm's length to Burke.

"Er, you can keep that one, my boy."

"Really? Wow, thanks dude. That's cool of you. I knew you were alright." Burke smirked a little at the boy's hapless charm. He was always hustling even if it was for half a joint or some forgotten chems. After he'd carefully stashed the cigarette in his shirt pocket he gently gathered the remaining strays together and held them up for Burke to pack away.

Burke thanked him and stood.

"No sweat. Thanks for the smoke. You want a drink? Oh, no, wait, I'm kinda short on caps… uh, I dunno, you can chill with me if you want, dude."

The lad might have potential if he'd just stop ruining his mind with chems. But something about his complete lack of concern for anything beyond the present moment was refreshing. Burke always had a plan, which usually allowed him to relax and watch events unfold, but with the current situation he could barely plan two steps ahead; there were too many unknowns or complete blind spots. The boy reminded him not to worry. He could adapt and improvise as he had in the past.

Plus, the kid was Talia's age. Given his brain rot it was astonishing he'd even made it to adulthood, but it was reassuring. Burke reasoned that, with her savvy and training, Talia had probably secured her situation amongst the Enclave, even if he couldn't know it.

"A drink sounds good, Ted. Come along if you want, I have a tab downstairs."

"Dude, sweet, I'm down."

Burke continued down the ship's levels, Ted lazily in tow. They squeezed themselves along the narrow gangways, becoming closely acquainted with any locals going the opposite direction. Burke had become used to it and kept alert for pickpockets, while Ted had a congenial greeting for anyone who wasn't in a hurry. The heating systems strangled the chill in the air while a stifling humidity rose with the growing density of bodies as they went below to the Muddy Rudder. It was a rough bar for those who did rough jobs, or those who couldn't afford to drink anywhere else, and it seemed to erupt in violence more nights than not. It reminded Burke of Moriarty's, only the people were chained to its offerings by the futility of their circumstances as opposed to an unscrupulous landlord. It was no place for a man of his standing, or at least that's what Bannon would say.

Would've said. Now, he might disagree. "What are you drinking, Ted?"

"Whatever, man, it's all good."

It certainly wasn't, but Burke was unsurprised the boy would enjoy anything if it was free. He ordered him a beer and lit a cigarette while Belle went back for the bottle Burke had reserved for himself. "Need a light?"

Ted patted the pocket containing his cigarette protectively. "No man, I'm saving it. I like to keep the best for special occasions, you know. Aw, that does smell real good though..."

Always hustling. Burke snorted softly and took out another cigarette, handing it to the boy. "Here."

"Aw dude, really? Thanks."

"Call it a bonus for your help with our friend."

"No sweat. People say I'm lazy, but I'll work, if it's easy, and it pays good. Hey, Belle," he turned to the landlady as she returned with their drinks and laid a hand on Burke's shoulder, "this guy is awesome. You should give him a free drink or somethin'. You won't regret it."

"When someone's finally payin' for your drinks? Yeah right. I opened him a tab already. Which I'm wonderin' when he's gonna pay," she steered a glare toward Burke, "or are ya just gonna up and disappear one day, huh?"

"You don't need to worry about that, madam, I can assure you," Burke cut in.

She nodded knowingly with a grumble. "We'll see. Long as there's no more tax hikes and Brock can be left alone to keep my place in order... I'm happy I guess."

"She's happy," Burke smiled to Ted with an upturned palm.

Ted grinned after a second. "Awesome. See Belle, I told you."

Burke let the lad take Belle's wrath and turned to survey the room. It wasn't packed like it would be by evening, but there were plenty from the lower decks with more time than caps to keep the place warm throughout the day. He sensed a shift in the laissez-faire attitude of many who survived here on handouts. With the Enclave looming next door, they must be worried about their future should the carrier change hands. The Enclave propaganda was designed to make the people of the wasteland accept and welcome them, but with the sceptic commentary of Galaxy News Radio alongside the recent withdrawal of Lieutenant Sloan and other friendly faces, they must be on edge. Security was having a tough time easing tensions already.

Speaking of security, Burke spotted who he was waiting for descending the catwalk into the main pit. He left Ted chatting to whoever had found themself next to him and waved the Security Chief over to a quiet spot.

"Chief Harkness, good to see you," he extended a hand.

"Councillor," the young man took it firmly, nodding a short acknowledgement to some of the patrons who greeted him. "Never expected to meet you in here. Most folks from above stay away from this place."

"Must meet the ordinary people, Chief. Surely we can't run this place from the top alone."

The Chief nodded in approval, pleasant surprise washing briefly over his chiselled features and leaving him looking marginally more relaxed. "I agree. I was worried this would appear to be something clandestine."

"Nonsense. It's on your rounds, no?"

"Yes- unfortunately." He nodded to Burke's glass, unwilling to drink on the job. He could if he wanted; he was extremely fair minded, treating all ship inhabitants equally and with a little more humanity than some of those under his command, thus the lower deck citizens rather liked him. But he was too straight laced, or smart, to alter his judgment or leave himself open to attacks on his character.

"Well, I appreciate you stopping for me. While I understand the focus of my appointment, I'm all too aware I'm fairly new to the city."

"Don't worry about it. Mr. Bannon nominated you and I approved, didn't I? With Dr. Li gone and all this going on, I think it's far more important we have a full council dedicated to steering us through this unprecedented situation, and your skills in diplomacy might just do that. But I'll get you up to speed on everything you ought to know."

Burke nodded, pleased Bannon was keeping up appearances so far. "Well, perhaps then first we should discuss pressing matters? Has there been any more word from our friends?"

Harkness shook his head subtly, keeping his voice low. "Nothing but the original message. 'They're here to bring order and clean water to the wasteland. We may continue to run our city but they want full cooperation and open access to our science lab and team'."

"I see. Anything else at all?"

"No. And they didn't request a response, which to me sounds more like a demand than a negotiation."

"Or a threat, considering the technology on display outside?"

"Yes," Harkness hummed darkly.

"There's no way to know what they may demand in the future, though at the moment they seem to want to control the water… Could we get a response out?"

"There's a number of ways we could try to contact them…"

"Excellent. Then we should draft something to get their attention, that will make them want to talk."

"We'll have to consult Bannon on this too."

"Of course- call a meeting for the morning. Now, I appreciate you're busy, so let's go over everything I should know about this city. Spare me no details, if I'm to secure a satisfactory arrangement, I need it all."

Harkness obliged until duty required him elsewhere, after which Burke finished the whisky lingering in his glass with a satisfied flourish. As outraged as Bannon may have been over his appointment, it was becoming clear to Burke he was exactly what this council needed. Harkness was a strong candidate all round, but perhaps a little too trusting, and he couldn't handle this alone. Bannon would roll over at the first sign of trouble, desperate to secure his position among the new authority. Burke deduced Li usually leant most of the brains and cynicism to the council, but he doubted any of them were prepared for a situation such as the one facing the wasteland right now. Luckily for him he arrived in their time of need, since it looked as though he may gain a way to contact the Enclave leadership.

It was Vera who put him onto it. She mentioned that some hapless fool who wouldn't leave her alone was thinking of running for a council seat, probably to impress her, which she was adamant wouldn't work. Except that she mentioned it several times, citing that the man in question seemed really serious about it ever since Li had disappeared. The council needed another member to join Security Chief Harkness and trade representative Jeff Bannon.

Burke had visited Bannon at his market stall. The man was a perfect fit for Tenpenny Tower, full of a false sense of status and inflated self-importance. They got along famously. The man then tried to buy Burke's cooperation on a sensitive matter... The matter of Vera's admirer. He had no interest in a member of the "great unwashed" rising to the rank of Councillor, and employed Burke to find some dirt on the man that could be used to crush his election hopes. It was no blind plea- it turned out the man used to sell people to the slavers, and he was receiving mail from Eulogy Jones himself, who hoped to reestablish a partnership so he could draw a share of the caps in Rivet City.

But Burke had found his own dirt on Bannon, with the help of an obliging young drifter running low on beer money. Aside from the fact that his actions to defend his seat wouldn't go down well with Harkness, the man had a habit of catching venereal diseases and was forking over a fair deal of caps to the ship's doctor for treatment and discretion.

The city was every bit as greasy and sordid as Burke had imagined it would be. It was quite obvious Bannon would be easy to blackmail. His reputation was everything to him. He couldn't expose Burke without exposing himself (anymore than he seemed to already). And so he agreed to nominate Burke's alter ego Mr. Elliott Miller, an old acquaintance of both himself and Doctor Li, to take her place on the council in these troubled times. Harkness already agreed the new arrival seemed to have the brains and temperament required for possible difficult negotiations with the Enclave, and his association with Doctor Li cinched it.

Burke chuckled at the thought of Bannon raging privately in his cabin, concocting even more flimsy plans to get back at him. He wondered what his mediocre mind would cook up, and whether his ego would allow Burke to go to work first. Surely he wouldn't be so foolish to interfere when the stakes were so high. Surely he could tell that the freedoms of the city depended on the council's approach to what the Enclave threatened.

Burke smiled to himself as he recalled the information Harkness had bestowed upon him so far. Should he manage to bargain with the Enclave on behalf of the council, he would now have an entire city at his disposal, and his demands were small by comparison. After all, he simply wanted the girl.

The investigator had found it easy to track the strangely behaving mutant people had told him about. It was no myth; it left unmistakable tracks and a trail of devastation in its wake. It seemed to be on a mission, heading north in an unwavering fashion, trampling over or simply through any obstacle in its path. Then at some point, the significance of which only the mutant knew, it stopped going north and commenced a pattern around the mountains. It circled, doubled back, expanded a little, doubled back again. Like it was searching for something.

He wasn't particularly sure he wanted to meet the creature, but fortunately the tracks were old enough to reassure him that it had found its quarry or given up and moved on. Then another coincidence. Too frequent to be down to chance. Up in the mountains, about half a day away at his pace, he counted eight aircraft fly out of the peaks, all headed southeast. Then, he heard something he could only describe as a mountain imploding.

Too much coincidence. Or, a mutant he really didn't want to meet.

He took a tea break and later headed toward the source of the aircraft. A felled wire fence. U.S. Government Property. Trespassers will be shot. Bodies. And a new trail.

The new trail had been made by someone much smaller than the rumour-making mutant, for he would wager this was a human. He would wager they weren't a part of the outfit whose laser-riddled bodies scattered the clearing. He would wager they had stolen the armour that made the clumsy tracks, whose original owner now lay frozen in nothing but his long johns and a full face helmet. He would wager this person was someone he should be very interested to meet.

Burke awaited a quick dinner on the hangar deck when the pair he was eavesdropping were drowned out by a deep rumbling. He turned to Gary in the kitchen, but he just returned an equally perplexed look.

It seemed to be growing louder. A few diners exclaimed something about the ship's engines, but the craft was beached, its power system was only run for heating and utility.

Engines… The hangar deck had a hatch straight to the entrance bay, where the footbridge to land joined the ship. Burke stood and headed outside, a small crowd following. Across the water, at the site of the Jefferson Memorial, were more than a few Vertibirds, queuing to land in the area while more arrived from the north. The collective sound carried far and loud in the cold night air.

The security guard on the bridge tried to calm a few panicked women while some children expressed awe at the air show. Burke brought a worried fist to his lips. They were reinforcing. With the Brotherhood of Steel just across the river, he anticipated a battle. But damn it, if the Brotherhood and Enclave fought it out too soon he might never find Talia. What if she was caught in the crossfire, what if they were holding her someplace he would never learn because this would ruin his chance to negotiate? These idiots would destroy everything he could hope to achieve! He must delay this somehow.

"Bannon!" he called out without turning.

"Er… Miller. What?"

"Get Harkness, we have to meet now."

"Now?"

"Now," Burke confirmed, and even Bannon managed to deduce that he ought to scurry away at great speed. Burke enjoyed spelling things out to people, but sometimes he simply had to load a myriad of threats into one word, for efficiency's sake.

He whirled back into the ship, mind effervescing with ideas on how to twist events to his advantage, but mired in an ominous fog of uncertainty and harassed by two persistent intruders: what if.