Nora had managed to make it through her recount of the last couple weeks to Preston without breaking down and weeping, a fact which made her feel both proud and pathetic all in one fell swoop. Before the bombs had dropped, she had never been the best at suppressing her emotions, but she did usually have the forethought not to cry in front of anyone except Nate.
Apparently having the love of your life murdered in front of you, your son kidnapped and probably long dead, and losing everyone you'd ever known in instant, had a bit of an effect on a person's psyche. The rational part of her brain told her that she was doing the best she could, considering the situation, but the ego-centric part of her was ashamed of her weakness.
Ashamed for not doing more, for not waking up sooner, for not mourning as much as she should, and for mourning too much for things she couldn't change.
Nora knew that if she was back in 2077, her former therapist would probably considered her 'unstable' or 'at risk for psychosis', but none of that mattered anymore.
Hell, she thought, who in the Commonwealth isn't both of those things? How could anyone still be sane after dealing with the constant bombardment of threats the wasteland had to offer?
The settlers of Sanctuary had gathered around a bonfire, buzzing with chatter surrounding the impromptu return of their General. She at least knew how to fake graciousness when they approached her, having had plenty of experience with forced professionalism when citizens would approach her and make awkward small talk. After a decent hour of pleasantries, when her appearance no longer seemed to be required, she quietly slipped away, stealing off with a few lukewarm beers and ambling toward the bridge. Almost as soon as she settled down, legs hanging over the wall, overlooking the once crystal-clear ravine, she heard heavy steps approaching from behind her.
"Mac, for a sniper you sure stomp like a supermutant." She teased, shooting a glance behind her as he came into sight.
"That's cause I want you to hear me, boss." He retorted, moving to settle next to her, grabbing one of the bottles seated next to her thigh. "If I didn't want you to, you'd never see me coming."
She hummed in response, eyes glazed over as she toyed with the thoughts harassing her. All she could think about when she closed her eyes were the faces of the settlers, regarding her with a mix of wonder and apprehension. It wasn't all that different from how people would look at her before the war, when she'd walk into a fueling station or a Slocum Joes in uniform.
Distrust or respect, sometimes a mixture of both.
"Cap for your thoughts." MacCready prodded as Nora refocused, staring at the bottle in her hands.
"Just one? Hell of a discount you're getting." She smarted back, considering where she could redirect the conversation that could distract her from the insurmountable sense of responsibility she was suddenly aware had been bestowed upon her with her new title of 'General'. "Why don't you curse?"
A sharp intake of breath was the only indication that he had heard her, the resulting moments filled with silence before he finally answered.
"Yeah, I figured you'd ask me about this sooner or later." The mumbled reply was vulnerable in a way Nora had not heard her friend be before, and she knew they were about to breach sensitive territory. "Might as well tell ya, considering everything... It's not about you, it's about a promise I made, to Duncan."
"Okay." She answered, her tone soft but empathetic, offering subtle encouragement for him to continue. "That's fair."
"I left the Capitol Wasteland to try and help provide for my family. I had a beautiful wife, Lucy..." He paused, looking at a fixed spot of nothingness on the dark horizon before continuing after a few heavy swallows. Nora didn't have to ask what he meant, the word 'had' was enough to gather that she had been another victim of the wasteland. "But, Duncan... I made a promise to clean up my act and to be a better person, for him... I guess that sounds pretty stupid coming from a guy who shoots people for a living."
"You did what you had to do." She answered, firm but supportive. "I'd kill every single person in this god-forsaken world for my son, Mac. Without a second thought."
MacCready offered a small smile in response, apprehension Nora recognized. As dejected as he looked, his posture was tense and anxious. The man fiddled with the bottlecap between his fingers, and immediately she recognized that he wanted to ask her something.
"What is it, Mac?" She urged, nudging him in his arm. "This is bigger than some old Gunners, isn't it?"
He let out a breath, shooting her a guarded glance. "You really don't pull any punches, huh?"
"I was never known for my subtly." She admitted, downing the rest of her warm beer with a grimace.
"Duncan's sick. I don't know what's wrong with him. One day, he's playing out in the fields behind our farm... the next he took a fever and these blue boils popped up all over his body..."
"You didn't just come here to get those assholes off your back did you?" As much as it was posed as a question, they both knew it wasn't. Nora nodded quickly, processing his words as much as what he hadn't said. "So there's something here in Boston that can help him... How serious is this?"
He finished his own drink, looking away from her as stubborn tears prickled at the corners of his eyes. "Last I saw he was almost to weak to walk. Honestly, I don't know how much longer he's going to last. I know I got no right to ask..."
"I'm there, Mac." The assurance snapped MacCready's eyes to her own, unwavering gaze. "Where are we headed?"
"I'm about fucking sick of ferals, goddamn it." She cursed, nose crinkling at the scent of death and decay, her adrenaline having long since worn off as they walked into the abandoned diner. "Can't smell just like normal ghouls, hell I'd take supermutants over these..."
Nora stopped suddenly, tugging at the clasps of her chest and arm armor, which quickly dropped to the floor. In a quick movement she pulled her knife from her collar and unzipped her Vault suit.
"Uhm... boss?" MacCready offered, shooting a cautious glance around them where they were barely concealed inside the Slocum Joes.
"What? You want to walk to Diamond City with me smelling like rotten feral blood?" She snapped, exhaustion wearing against her already short temper.
It had taken them a whole day to get to Greentop Nursery, a variety of supermutant camps stopping any meaningful progress. The radiation storm had forced them to stick to camp that night, where of course, the settlers had multiple things they needed help with.
Not only had the other settlement she was supposed to check on, Breakheart Banks, been compromised by supermutants, but of course there was a feral ghoul problem, that wasn't even including the matter at Med-Tek's less than scrupulous research facility. Between MacCready, Dogmeat, and herself, they'd barely manage to grab the cure before it was decided that running from the rest of the unwelcome residents of the facility was their best bet.
Nora had managed to get the top half of the suit pulled to her waist, a mere undershirt the only protection against the chill of the night air, as she began sawing at the fabric more aggressively than she'd intended. After a few long, and frankly mortifying, minutes as she struggled with the fabric, the top half of the suit was on the ground and she was pulling a pair of worn jeans over the bottom of the outfit, held on exclusively by the holster and armor she had over it.
"Sorry, Mac. I'm... I'm fucking exhausted after that." She shuddered, thinking about the experiments the facility had been conducting on it's subjects. Watching MacCready's nervous fiddling with the large, red syringe as Dogmeat stared at her from where he sat next to the mercenaries feet, she forced a smile to her face. "But we got it, man. Duncan has a chance now."
He nodded, eyes cautiously scanning the horizon before turning back to her, armor now replaced over her undershirt. "Thanks to you, that is."
"Thanks to you, Mac." She approached him, pulling him into a hug which he awkwardly returned before pulling away. "You're a good dad. He's lucky to have you in his corner."
A small, sad sigh escaped MacCready as he nodded, the compliment had been exactly what he needed to hear, but his own anxiety prevented him from acknowledging it. "I hope it's not too late."
"Listen, until you know, don't go down that rabbit hole. It'll only distract you, and you know damn well what that means out here." Nora's tone was firm, grasping the mercenary's shoulders steadily as she spoke. "You're no good to him if you go and let something get the drop on you."
MacCready finally refocused, once again scanning the area and placing the syringe in the pocker of his coat.
"Bunker Hill is about an hour and half south of here." He stated, gesturing in a vague direction. "It's no Diamond City, but it's our best bet this far out."
Dogmeat stood suddenly, realizing their little pow-wow was over and began heading toward where MacCready had indicated. Shaking her head, Nora began following, constantly amazed at the animal's perception.
The walk, had mercifully, been peaceful as the trio snuck quietly through the shadows, avoiding any of the major known hot-spots for their less-than hospitable activity. After the draining last couple of days they had, neither of them were particularly eager to start a fight with any of the Commonwealth's ugliness that night.
Save for the strange drifter who seemed to watch them more intently than she deemed appropriate as they walked into Bunker Hill, no one even bothered to look at the raggedy trio as they crossed the threshold. She suddenly felt very uneasy, a protective panic filling her chest as she wonder if the Gunners had heard about their escapades at Med-Tek. Without warning, she dragged MacCready back out of the settlement, into the street just as she saw a uniformed Raider step out from around a wall.
"Gunners." He gasped quietly, squeezing himself further back into the shadows as she nodded her affirmation. Forcing herself to swallow, Nora quickly scanned the area, unconsciously moving in front of MacCready despite the fact that she couldn't fully conceal him behind her form.
She was aware once more of someone staring at her, the familiar prickling sensation causing the hairs to stand on the back of her neck, but before she could find it's source, a fight had broken out near the back of the make-shift bar.
"Let's go." She ordered, briskly slipping away from the front steps, everyone's attention now turned toward the scuffle inside.
It wasn't until a good twenty minutes later, once across the bridge from Bunker Hill that she dared to speak. "Well, I gotta say... That shit was too close for comfort."
He paused, leaning against a rusted old trashcan momentarily to light a cigarette be responding. "No kidding... That'd be fu- freaking ironic. Walk right into a Gunner's nest after getting Duncan's cure."
She let out a small chuckle, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one had followed them out of there. Bringing her PipBoy up, she scanned the map, trying to make sense of it's outdated landmarks. Sturges had already enabled the two way radio on it, but she wondered if he could do something about the outdated map features.
"I've been staring at this thing, and I still have no idea where we are in reference, to well... anything." She admitted, a hopelessness in the statement as she gestured toward the crumbling buildings. They were both exhausted and hanging around anywhere for too long in the dead of night, particularly in their state, was a death sentence for one or both of them. Hell, even Dogmeat was beginning to slow down, not even pacing around her feet as he waited for them to head out.
"Well," MacCready drop the cigarette, crushing it under his boot before moving to stand strait up again as he smugly continued. "Your fancy tech isn't all that, boss. Goodneighbor's just around the corner."
"And by around the corner, you mean another thirty minute walk through mutant camps and pissed off Raiders?" She quipped back, relieved to see her friend's plucky demeanor return, much more reminiscent of the pissed-off young man she'd snatched up from the back of the Third Rail.
"Something like that. But... I might happen to know a shortcut." With that, he strode forward, leading her down an unfamiliar alley. Then again, at night all the alleys looked fairly unfamiliar to her.
Despite her protests the next morning, MacCready insisted on accompanying her back to Diamond City. He was in notably improved spirits, either from the night of rest on an actual bed or, she thought more likely, the fact that he'd already sent the cure off to the Capitol with one of Daisy's passing traders.
In normal circumstances, Nora would have been elated to see the young man so enthusiastic and relaxed, but her exhaustion had not been remedied by the night of sleep. Even after she had learned that Mayor Hancock had stationed one of his bodyguards outside her door, waving away her protests of 'not necessary' and 'overreaction' that she'd been too worn out to argue longer than a few moments, her sleep had been fitful, undercut by frequent nightmares and a growing anxiety that nettled her thoughts.
The nervous flipping of her stomach only grew stronger as they approached the outer walls of Diamond City. She briefly considered asking MacCready, for the third time so far on their trek, if he was really sure about waiting to take care of Winlock and Barnes until after they got met with Valentine. But, as he had already reminded her, they had left the Power Armor back at Sanctuary and Nick was waiting for them. Not to mention the fact that they were already almost a week late to their scheduled rendezvous back at the agency because of all their extra stops.
"Nora." MacCready's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she realized she had stopped walking, standing just far enough away from the entrance to the city. She turned to meet his eyes, unable to speak. "Until you know, don't go down that rabbit hole."
Hearing her own reassurance from her friends lips brought a small smirk to her lips. "The words of a great philosopher, huh?"
"Something like that." He responded, patting her shoulder awkwardly in an attempt at comfort. In spite of his unfamiliarity with such vulnerable contact, Nora felt herself relax marginally at the sentiment behind it. She began walking toward door, which was now creaking open, despite the fact that no one else seemed to be in the vicinity.
"That's... disconcerting." She mumbled, half to herself.
"If that means really freaking weird, I agree, boss." MacCready whispered carefully back to her as they approached the entrance.
The answer to their question came in the form of an excited screech. "BLUE!"
"Jesus fu-" Before she could finish speaking, Piper's arms were around her shoulders, the arms capable of much more strength than she'd originally given them credit for."Hey, Piper."
"Where the hell have you been!" She demanded, pulling away to offer Nora her attempt at a scolding expression.
"Long story."
"Ugh, you always say that." Piper complained, shooting MacCready a brief glance. "You getting her into trouble or something?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" MacCready smarted, moving past the women as he trekked into the city with an amused smile, Dogmeat following eagerly behind him.
"So how did you get control of Diamond City's gate?" Nora asked, draw Piper's attention away from whatever smart comment she was on the verge of making about the mercenary.
Fortunately, Piper began launching into details about her recent second date with Danny Sullivan as they began walking toward the marketplace.
As they approached, Nora was suddenly aware of someone watching her, yet again, and she turned, catching a pair of guards waiting by the platform up to the Mayor's office, staring at her. She went to turn to mention it to Piper, when she realized everyone was staring at her as the they made their way through the market.
"And I even got a few people asking about how to join the Minutemen!" Piper finished, excitedly turning to her.
"What?" Nora retorted, realizing she had tuned out almost everything that the reporter had said since her rendition of her date.
"Well, don't get mad," The younger woman cautioned as she groaned in response to the statement.
"Piper..." She warned.
"Okay, so I knew the article was going to be a big deal with your statement about the Institute and everything... So, I may have also added on the back page that an unknown 'General Smith' was rebuilding the Minutemen. From the ground up."
Nora's eyes went wide, suddenly remembering she'd given Piper the go-ahead to publish her life story for the entire Commonwealth to entertain. It was no wonder everyone was staring at her.
"The article." She stated plainly, shooting a harsh glance at one of the onlookers who reeled away like she'd struck him.
"Oh my God, Blue. It's been so popular, our best piece yet. We had to print a second set of papers! I even got a few donations. Donations! To keep the paper up and running." Piper smiled widely. Her excitement was infectious and Nora softened at the woman's eagerness. It was rare to find someone so passionate about their trade in her old life, and she figured it was much less common now in the Commonwealth, so she acquiesced.
"That's great Piper. I'm glad it was a hit." She offered, pointing toward the alleyway entrance. "I got to check in with Valentine, I'll stop buy in a bit, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. You owe me an explanation for disappearing on me! Off the record." The reporter gave her a quick hug before leaving. "I'll be at the Publick if you need me."
Nora watched the woman retreat, letting out a breath she had been holding. As much as she liked Piper, the woman's energetic vigor could be overwhelming, and given the emotional unrest she was already dealing with, the reporter's absence offered a peaceful solitude.
She quietly walked down the alley way, pausing only briefly before pushing the door open to the door to the agency. Nick was seated in a chair, his feet kicked up on the desk as he poured over a manila file.
"Leave it to you to scavenge old manila folders for your cases." She smarted, moving to flop down in the chair next to him. He scanned her slowly, the yellow glow of his eyes was only slightly unnerving as he examined her face.
"Gotta say doll, I thought you'd up and ran out on me for a hot minute." Nick finally stated, his tone even, but she immediately heard the twinge of irritation.
"Aw, I could never leave ya on your own out here," As she moved to shrug her pack off her shoulder, Nick watched her quizzically. "But, I knew you were gonna be mad, so I came prepared."
Nora quickly pulled a yellow and red tin, presenting it toward the detective who looked about as surprised as she remembered him capable of looking.
"This tin better not be filled with spring tubes or some shit." Nick grumbled, pulling the lid back ever so slightly to peer inside before relaxing. "Cafe Bustelo. Where the hell did you get this?"
She settled back into her seat, a wry smirk on her face. "Codsworth kept some in the root cellar. Figured you'd appreciate some of my stash."
"Codsworth? That old bucket of bolts is still kickin'?"
"Yeah. He waited 200 years trying to clean the house and polish the Corvega until I got back." Nick raised an eyebrow, the coffee tin clutched firmly in his hands, as she continued. "Maybe I'll arrange a play date. You two might get along better now."
"That's cute, Nora. Think of that one all your self or did the pipsqueak help you with that?" He smarted back, moving to place the tin in a locked drawer of his desk.
"Pipsqueak?" Nora asked, a small chuckle escaping her lips as she eyed the folder, wondering if it was the lead on Kellogg or just another missing drifter that had up and left their family behind.
"Yeah, that kid running around with ya, following at your heels like a pup." Nick waved his free hand before offering the folder to her.
"MacCready?" The folder felt like it was burning a hole in her hand, but god she did not want to look desperate flipping through it. Nick grunted in response, pointing toward the folder.
"All the intel I could scrape on Kellogg so far. I have another lead, but they're a little... eccentric." She carefully opened the folder, her chest suddenly felt hollow, scanning the small photograph of the man who's face had haunted her for the last month, angry and glaring at the camera. "Rumor is Kellogg is holed up at an old military base, but as for which one, I couldn't say. We have a few of them left, but checking each one would tip him off too easily."
"I know exactly where he is." Her voice felt tight, the base of her neck prickled as she felt unable to swallow as everything around her seemed to fade away.
She was vaguely aware that Nick was speaking, asking her something, but all she could see was Kellogg's dark, hateful eyes, the words he'd said in the cold Vault were the only thing she was able to hear as they echoed in her mind.
"It's the Vault Tec guy, again." Nate called out, peaking his head around the door to the nursery with a small smirk. "I think he's waiting for the boss of the house."
"Oh shut up." She groaned, winking as she moved to stand, Shaun still cradled in her arms. Almost as if knowing he was about to be put back to bed, Shaun looked up at her, his tiny arms waving toward her, trying to grab her hair as she placed him back into the crib. "Shh, sweetheart. Mommy will be right back, okay?"
Nora kept her hand rubbing Shaun's back for a few moments longer, just enough that she started to see the flutter of his eyelids guiding him to sleep. A few careful steps away from the crib told her she was safe enough to exit the room without waking him back up, assuming she didn't trip over anything along the way.
She entered the hallway, watching Nate sip his coffee, shooting an amused gaze toward the door. Codsworth was also pretending to work, dusting the same corner of the counter he'd been working on when she got up to change Shaun a few minutes before. Her gaze flickered between them skeptically when it dawned on her, they were preparing for the show.
The eager Vault Tec representative had been hounding them on and off for the past month, trying to get them to sign up with a variety of poorly executed sales methods. On one hand, she had to admire the persistence. On the other hand, she had a two week old baby and if she got woken up from one of her rare chances to sleep one more time, she was certain she was going to lose her shit on the guy. Apparently Nate and Codsworth had the same impression.
Painting a friendly smile on her face, she opened the door, the enthusiastic face of the representative breaking into a big smile. "Mrs. Hartt! How wonderful to see you again. Have you thought about our previous conversation?"
"Listen, I appreciate the persistence of Vault Tec's business model, but I'm not sure-" She started.
"Mrs. Hartt, I don't mean to be rude." The man sighed, suddenly looking like an abandoned puppy in the rain. "I was told in no uncertain terms that if I didn't get Captain Smith's daughter and her family registered for Vault 111, I might as well not come back at all."
Nora let out a small laugh, shaking her head. Any of the irritation or lecture she'd been planning gone in an instant. The man's persistence made much more sense now, and she took pity on him immediately. Besides, she figured if she just agreed, he'd at least stop dropping by. "That stubborn bastard... Fine, man, sure we sign up or whatever."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" He gushed, handing her a variety of paperwork. "You're pre-approved for entry, nothing needs signing, not officially. After your father worked so hard to get Vault-Tec to partner with the the federal government, it's the least we could do to make sure you're prepared for the future! "
"Yeah, uh, thanks." She mumbled awkwardly, taking the paperwork with a small wave as the man rushed off toward the end of the street and out of view. Closing the door, she was met with Nate and Codsworth's eager gaze. "I guess we're the proud new owners of a fine plot of real estate in an underground tomb."
"Hun... That's not funny." Nate offered, eyeing her face to gauge if she was joking. "This isn't a bad thing. Hopefully we never need it, but, I'm honestly just surprised you caved more than anything."
She paused, tossing the papers on the side table, looking away from them. "Said something about how he was being pressured to make sure Captain Smith's daughter signed up."
She forced a shrug, looking away from the sets of eyes on her, moving toward the kitchen to grab, well, anything to keep herself busy.
"Nora, I'm sorry." As soon as he said it, she felt his arms around her waist, pulling her toward his chest and resting his chin on her shoulder. He knew that when she was escalated, it was better to just wait for her to speak her mind on the matter.
"It's fine. I'm sure it's what he would've wanted. Probably made those creepy bastards put it in his contract or some shit." She muttered, relaxing against Nate who placed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"He would want you to be safe, that's the important thing." Nate reassured her, moving until the were face to face.
"I don't trust them, there's something off about it all." She shook her head, sighing as she tried to scrutinize the prospect. "It's whatever, like you said. We don't have to use the thing at all."
"I have been known to make a good argument on occasion." He joked, moving to catch her lips in a quick kiss. "Don't worry about it too much. We have a birthday to plan for a certain nosy-trouble making friend of yours."
"Yeah, yeah." She whispered, smiling fondly as he pulled away, turning to go through the cardboard box on the counter.
She blinked slowly, the fuzziness in her vision solidifying into solid figures, objects compiling together to fill the scene around her as she came back to her reality. The old, rusted desk barely standing on it's own was the first thing she recognized.
A stack of manila folders piled on the corner, a deeper shade of yellow than she remembered, either from time or smoke. The smell of dampness and dirt surrounded her. Had her eyes not been open she would have sworn they were underground.
Valentine's Detective Agency.
She looked up, meeting Nick's gaze. The man was once again kicked back in his seat, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he gripped a small notebook, reading over the scribbled writing.
"Sorry Nick, I spaced out, you were saying something about your contact?" She offered, embarrassed by her lack of attention, especially given the gravity of the situation.
"You been doing that a lot recently?" Nick asked, his tone careful and calculated. Something about his demeanor was screaming at her, but she couldn't quite place what the message was.
"I've been more tired recently. Hard to find a decent hotel these days, you know?" She joked, but Nick didn't react in the slightest. "Don't get me started on room service."
Nick shot a look behind her, MacCready had situated himself on the couch, Dogmeat asleep in his lap with the mercenary's arm thrown over him. She hadn't even heard them come in and wondered how long she'd been daydreaming.
"She's been spacing out a bit, yeah. Nothing like this though." MacCready answered, shooting her an apologetic glance. "Sorry, boss."
"Guys, I'm fine." She groaned, reaching for the folder that she had dropped to the floor in her daydream. As soon as she saw Kellogg's picture, she recalled what had triggered the memory and her sympathetic nervous system began roaring in overdrive in an instant. She was ready to take the fight to the smug bastard, finally get her answers. "Like I said, I know exactly where the bastard is."
"Nora, kid." Nick warned as he stood, walking toward where she had been seated. "I think you need to take another day before we go -"
"Absolutely not." She snapped, pulling herself up and stepping closer to him, her shoulder squared as her cold gaze scanned his face. A fervent panic begun welling up inside her at the suggestion of waiting and she suddenly felt very trapped inside the office, her heart rate pounding in her ears as she considered her options. She didn't think Nick would try to stop her, but Shaun was so close, she could almost see his tiny toes and his pudgy cheeks."You can stay back all you want, but I'm getting Shaun."
"You said you knew where Kellogg's hiding... Feel free to share with the class?" Nick asked, glancing back toward where MacCready who was now standing as well, watching the exchange with quick, darting eyes.
Nora scanned the mercenary's face, figuring out exactly what had transpired while she was busy taking her stroll down memory lane. As much as the back of her mind was screaming at her to pump the breaks, everyone in between her and Fort Hagen looked like an enemy, just another clever obstacle to be thrown in her way. MacCready offered her a quick nod, almost imperceptible, and she felt relief in the solidarity. If it came down to it, she was confidant she could get passed Nick, one way or another, but the younger man was another story.
"This is a game to this fucker." She spat, deciding there was no point in hiding it from Nick. He could either stay back as she and MacCready dealt with Kellogg or come with, it didn't matter to her anymore. Her blood still pounded in her ears, thinking about the day her father had proudly told her the news that he was being stationed in Boston. A feeble attempt to rekindle their ruined relationship. "He went back to where it all began."
"Love the dramatic one liners here doll, but I'd appreciate a bit more information before we go headed into the belly of the beast." Nick stated, recognizing with a resigned sigh that there was no stopping the pair of idiots from rushing in head-first. "Kellogg is gonna be surrounded by top of the line defenses, we need to be on our game for this."
Despite her growing irritation, she knew Nick was right and forced herself to explain. "My father was a member of the Army Special Forces, he was temporarily stationed at Fort Hagen while on medical leave for a grand total of two months. He was helping with a tour one day for these pretentious asshole scientists, eager to peddle their new uranium-based tech to the highest bidder. My father recognized the potential benefits of said technology if it could be applied to the battlefield and unintentionally spearheaded the deal that associated Vault-Tec with the federal government. Vault-Tec gave them cutting edge uranium weapons and technology, the feds funded their Vault project. It's... It's all some cosmic joke, really. Hell, they have a plaque for him at Fort Hagen and everything. He's the accidental hero of Vault-Tec, and he didn't even intend for it to happen."
"Dang, Nora." MacCready said suddenly, the first the break the heavy tension that had settled around them at the confession.
"If Kellogg really is at Fort Hagen, that gives credence to a bigger concern." Nick stated, watching as all eyes turned on him. "It means one of two things. Given the significance of the place, he's either waiting for you, or someone is leading you straight to him."
"I don't know which is worse." She muttered, forcing herself to breath in slowly. All she could think about was that if Nate were here, he'd know what to do, know how to calm her down and talk her through everything, know the right decisions to make. "I don't understand why he'd want me to find him."
"There's only one way to find out." MacCready volunteered, gesturing toward the door. They exchanged nervous glances, the significance of what they were up against not lost on any one in the group.