Sometime after sunrise, Nadia blinked herself awake, sunlight peeking into the dusty room through the windows.

The scent of iron infected the air, as the bloodstains throughout the building had dried onto several surfaces and walls, and the corpses downstairs had started to rot. Nadia pushed herself upright on the old mattress, yawning and glimpsing around, feeling a faint dampness on her cheek. Codsworth had gently dabbed the blood off her in her sleep, and now, he hovered close by her, placing a new can of water beside her and popping open a can of cram, holding a fork and stabbing it into the prepackaged meat.

"I regret... I couldn't find anything more nutritious for you, Miss, Nadia," Codsworth said kindly, handing the can off to her. "But it should suffice nonetheless. Better than nothing."

"Oh... thank God," Nadia breathed, taking the cram and scooping out a large chunk of it. "Thank you, Codsy. I'm starving."

Codsworth waited by as Nadia hurriedly ate her scavenged breakfast, chasing it down with her water and feeling suddenly refreshed. Once she sprung to her feet, she and Codsworth marched downstairs and stepped outside, sunlight washing over them as they headed toward the heart of town. Nadia planned to speak to Charlie and collect her caps now, but something else caught her eye along the way, making her gaze upward and slow to a stop on the cobblestone path.

Many of the townspeople had gathered around the center building - and from up above, the white balcony hovered over them all, decorated with star-spangled banners. And above the town, Hancock stood, leaning coolly on the balcony and smirking at his people down below.

"Now, now... don't get distracted," Codsworth urged, gently tugging on the edge of her tank top. "We're off to see the old chap down in the pub, aren't we?"

Nadia held up a finger and motioned for him to wait, staring up at Hancock with intrigue. The mayor was trading comments with the people standing below, as Nadia had just wandered in during the middle of his speech.

"You know what I'm talkin' about!" Hancock told them, gesturing fancifully. "Us freaks gotta stick together. Especially against what drives us apart. Now, what out there in the Commonwealth works to drive us apart? What kinda twisted unneighborly boodeyman would wanna hurt our little community?"

"The Institute and their synths!" a woman yelled up at him.

Hancock snapped and pointed down at her. "That's right! You - come up to my office later. You earned yourself a some jet. That's right. The Institute. They're the real enemy. Not the raiders, or the super mutants, or even those damn tools in Diamond City."

"I don't know, man!" a ghoul hollered up at the balcony. "I sure as hell wanna give McDonough a kick in the ass!"

Many people in the crowd snickered, and Hancock chuckled as well.

"Hey... we all know I got my own personal beef with that lard-ass," Hancock remarked. "But stay focused. I want you all to keep the Institute in mind. Whenever someone starts actin' funny... when a loved one starts pushing you away... when somebody starts doing shit they wouldn't usually do. We all know who's behind that kinda shit. Only way to stop it is to stick together. They control us through fear. Fear's the best damn tool that the man's ever had to keep people under control. But they can't control us if we're not afraid. Now... who here's scared of the Institute?"

"Not us!" many of them shouted, their voices rising.

"Yeah?" Hancock yelled with a smirk. "Then what town should the Institute not fuck with?!"

"Goodneighbor!" the crowd screamed.

"And who's in charge of Goodneighbor?!"

"Hancock! Of the people, for the people!"

Following numerous cheers and bouts of applause, Hancock gave them a definitive nod, clapping once and raising his hands, motioning for them to dismiss. At that, the crowd began to disperse, all of them wandering back to their regular routines with an air of inspiration lingering in the atmosphere. Nadia continued gazing up at the balcony until Hancock vanished into his quarters, releasing a deep cloud of breath, Codsworth's eyes seeming to shift between the balcony and her.

"I sense another crush is in the works," Codsworth commented. "But do stay focused. We have tasks to attend to."

"No, no... I..." Nadia mumbled, clearing her throat and facing him. "I actually just thought of something."

"Oh? What's that?"

"He knows about the Institute... at least a little bit. Did you hear the way he was talking? It sounds like he at least knows more than we do."

"You just want a reason to go and talk to him, don't you?"

"No... Codsy, listen," Nadia said insistently. "Preston said that our settlers got attacked by synths... but Hancock's talking about them all different. It sounds like the Institute doesn't just blindly attack people around here. It sounds like they... I don't know... they blend in. They make synths and infiltrate the societies around here."

Codsworth was silent for a moment, a sighing noise echoing beneath his metal. "Oh dear... if that's the case, we may be up against an enemy that's far craftier than we initially thought."

"Exactly. That's why I..." Nadia paused, glimpsing at the balcony again. "I'm gonna go ask him what he knows."

"All right, my dear. I shall defer to your judgment as usual..."

Nadia stopped by the Third Rail just long enough to speak with Charlie and collect her caps. Once she slid the large baggie of caps into her backpack, she and Codsworth wandered back up to the surface and entered Hancock's estate, gazing up the narrow spiral staircase before hesitantly wandering up to the top floor.

Hancock stood against the far wall in his living quarters, chatting with Fahrenheight on the couch. When Nadia and Codsworth approached, they both fell silent, their eyes fixating on the newcomers.

"Well... if it ain't our little newcomer," Hancock observed. "What can I do ya for?"

Nadia gulped and marched closer, trying not to mind Fahranheight's eyes following her across the room.

"I ah... I'm from out northwest," Nadia told him. "I'm not really from around this area, so... I don't know a whole lot about the Institute. But you sound like you know more. I wanted to ask... what do you know about them?"

Hancock hesitated, glimpsing over at Fahranheight before giving Nadia an interested squint.

"Heh... now that's a first," Hancock said. "Not usually the kinda thing people come into Goodneighbor for. Most folks here wanna get away from something... not go hunting something down. Especially not something like them. I'm curious... what're you trying to do, here? Why're you sniffing around for the Institute?"

Nadia sighed. "It's a long story. Me and the Minutemen are kinda worried about what they're doing, since some of us got hurt by synths... so..."

"Whoa. Hold the phone." Hancock straightened up, sauntering away from the wall and surveying her intently. "The Minutemen? You're with the little resurgence of Minutemen out there...?"

Nadia nodded. "Yeah..."

"Well. Here I thought I was the only freedom-fighting revolutionary in this neck of the woods," Hancock said with a laugh. "So... why the interest in the Institute?"

"They... they attacked a couple of our settlements northwest of here," Nadia informed. "I don't think it was organized. It sounds like it was just a couple instances of freak-chance encounters with the wrong people. But... it's possible I'm wrong. And if I'm wrong... and if the Institute really does make replicas of people and send them into society like spies... then we could be up against a bigger threat than I thought. Which means... I just need to know as much as I can. I need to be able to keep them away from us. We're rebuilding out there, and they could seriously ruin it. I can't let that happen."

Hancock slowly nodded along with every word she spoke, revealing another coy half-smile. "Well said, sister... well said. And... it sounds like you and I have a similar agenda, here. Rebuilding the wasteland under the name of freedom... and keeping the Institute the hell out of our lives. That's something I'd be willing to support in a heartbeat."

"Well... that's good," Nadia said with a smirk. "So, do you... know anything about them?"

Hancock stroked his chin, releasing a deep sigh and slowly sinking into the couch across from Fahranheight. He leaned back and outstretched in a relaxing sort of way, rolling his neck and gazing lazily up at Nadia with a thoughtful expression strewn across his face.

"Ehh... well, I don't know much more than you probably know," he told her. "But, being in charge of Goodneighbor for as long as I have... I've seen a few things. Picked up a few tiny details over the time I've been in charge here. It's only happened in Goodneighbor once that I know of... someone being outed as a synth. It was this dealer, old running friend of mine... and he suddenly stopped moving product in and out of town. Had a change of heart, didn't wanna do that kind of work anymore. Now, I can respect a man's change of heart... God knows I've had more than my share of those life-changing experiences... but this was different. He suddenly started caring a lot about his family, even though his family was insanely detached and abusive. He wanted to start a church here in Goodneighbor, too. His personality did a complete 180 turn-around. Then... about two months ago, when a gang of raiders tried to force their way into town... he was killed in that firefight. Head exploded n a burst of blood and bone. And, as fate would have it... we found a round little computer chip among the blood and flash on the cobblestone. A synth component. That was the first time we saw the reality of the Institute's presence in the wasteland. And ever since then... we've been on absolute red alert. Always watching. Always waiting for the next time they get stupid enough to come at us again."

Nadia absorbed the story intently, sitting on the edge of the couch beside him and gazing into him with intrigue.

"Oh... 'nother thing." Hancock snapped and pointed loosely at her. "I've got a friend who might know a little more. Detective friend of mine back in Diamond City. I don't live there anymore for a lot of disturbing reasons... that's a long story... but the point is, that detective buddy of mine is a synth. An older generation synth, robotic rather than organic. He says his knowledge of the Institute was mostly deleted from his mind as a protective failsafe, but... to be honest, he's damn good at his work. Sniffing around for answers and all that. So... if anyone could help you find answers, he could. Name's Nick Valentine. Good guy."

"Oh... that's pretty helpful," Nadia replied. "Thanks for telling me. I was actually headed to Diamond City to ask around about their synth attack back in the day... and you just gave me a pretty good head start, there."

"Yeah, well... just keep this in mind. I wouldn't advise you to go to the mayor," Hancock mumbled disdainfully, sighing and wearing a grim visage. "He won't help you. The detective and the reporter would, but the mayor definitely won't."

"Gotcha," Nadia said with a nod. "Anything else you can tell me?"

Hancock pondered for a moment, turning and giving her an intense look - such a deep stare, his pearly black eyes seemed to glare directly through her, making her heart give an anxious jolt.

"Yeah. One more thing," he said gravely. "You might see an old balding dude there... old, but fit. Scary-ass face and leather jacket with armor on the shoulder. I think his name is... Kevin, or something. No, wait... I think it was... Kellogg. Yeah, that's it. His name's Kellogg. He was the shadiest bastard I ever saw in Diamond City... and I overheard from someone in the bar there that he's a mercenary, but nobody knows who he works for. The way he acted... always disappearing from town for long periods of time, and even coming back with random kids at some point... I think he's Institute. I think he's a merc and a human smuggler that works for the Institute... and the fact that Mayor McDonough never seems to care what he's doing, never investigates his weird behavior and the bizarre little routine he has of showing up with random kids that end up disappearing later... that makes me think the mayor's in on the whole thing. I've heard rumors that the mayor was swapped with a synth. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but... I think he's at least in league with the Institute. Whole damn thing stinks to high heaven."

"Oh... oh... dear," Codsworth murmured faintly, though the others didn't seem to hear him.

"Maybe," Nadia mumbled thoughtfully, staring down at her lap. "Maybe if I find that guy, I could track him back to..."

"No, no - Miss Nadia, please," Codsworth interrupted, reaching over the back of the couch and waving in front of her. "You remember what Mr. Garvey said. He said he only intended for you to be eyes and ears. We're seeking information, not chasing down serial kidnappers. I cannot approve of such a dangerous idea. I simply can't."

"Codsy..." Nadia sighed, turning and offering him a somber smile. "I love you, and I love that you worry so much... but this might become necessary. If I don't find more info about the Institute any other way, then I'd have to find this cornflake dude and use him to track down the Institute somehow."

Hancock let out a raspy chuckle, shooting her an odd look. "Cornflake dude?"

Nadia blinked. "Yeah. Cornflake... like Kellogg's Cornflakes. You never found any pre-war cereal before?"

Hancock laughed again. "Oh, I like you. Got the same backwards humor as me. I like you, sister. That's hilarious."

Nadia grinned, feeling herself flush and instantly looking away. She shifted her bangs aside and released an anxious giggle.

"Oh, for the love of..." Codsworth sighed. "Please focus, M'um. I believe we should seek this Mr. Valentine and gather whatever information he can offer. That's the safe plan of action."

"Yeah... that's what we're gonna do, Codsy," Nadia assured. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna go after Kellogg unless I have to."

"Oh... good. Good," Codsworth uttered with a hint of relief in his tone. "Well, then... we'll just have to make sure it doesn't become necessary. Mr. Hancock... you said the detective and the reporter might assist us?"

"Yeah, the reporter... the writer of Publick Occurrances in Diamond City. Piper," Hancock remarked, glimpsing upward and smirking. "Crazy little troublemaker, she is. I like her style. She's always giving McDonough hell... and she's hell-bent on taking the Institute down. She'd help you in no time flat."

"Good, then. We've got two people to go see," Codsworth determined. "Now we'll just need to find a way to get there safely."

"We also need more money," Nadia remembered. "I'm glad I made some caps this morning, but we're gonna need more if we wanna find a place to stay in Diamond City."

"Well... check around town," Hancock suggested. "People are always hiring for odd-jobs around Goodneighbor."

"Okay. I think we can go, then," Nadia disclosed, reaching her feet. "Thanks for the help."

Hancock stood before her, standing a head taller and gazing down at her with a charming smile.

"Thank you, sister," he said smoothly. "Good to know I'm not the only one fighting the good fight out here. You might not even see it... but what you're doing is damn important. Don't ever stop. Ya' feel me?"

Nadia smiled and nodded. "I feel you."

Hancock offered his hand, and she returned the handshake. As she did, his warm hand with its crooked skin stroked softly against her smooth one, his hand lingering for a moment as he gave her a profound stare.

"And... since you're fighting the same fight I am, then I should say," Hancock said softly "You're always free to come back here if you ever need a hand with it. I'm always willing to get my hands dirty for the good fight. So... keep that in mind."

Nadia hesitated, briefly savoring the touch of his hand before withdrawing hers. She felt a fuzzy static-like sensation spread throughout her, and she gave him an affirming nod.

"I will," she told him. "Thanks. I'll seeya later."

Hancock replied with a final nod, and Nadia waved him off, turning and strolling out of the room with Codsworth hovering along behind her.

"Well, this is becoming tedious..."

For the majority of the day after leaving Mayor Hancock's estate, Nadia and Codsworth wandered the town aimlessly, searching for work and having precious little luck. When they found themselves passing by an alleyway, Nadia let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah. It is," she agreed. "Nobody else needs anything done today..."

"Well... let's just make camp and look again tomorrow," Codsworth suggested, motioning down the alley. "Come along."

Nadia groaned in defeat, wandering down the alley and strolling around the corner. She reached out for Codsworth's bag, preparing to pull out her sleeping bag - but then, she slowed to a stop, spotting a door at the end of the alleyway that she hadn't noticed before. So, without thinking, she wandered toward it, eyeing it interestingly and wondering who was inside.

Then - the rectangular slide on the door shifted open, a pensive pair of eyes gazing out of it and observing her.

Nadia inched closer, surveying the mysterious pair of eyes and realizing they belonged to a ghoul woman.

"Hey... you," Bobbie rasped. "You lookin' for work?"

Nadia smirked. "Oh... finally. Yeah, I'm looking for work. What's the job?"

"The job is simple... and it's good for anyone who works hard and doesn't ask too many questions," Bobbie told her firmly. "You in?"

Nadia traded skeptical glimpsed with Codsworth.

"I guess so," she shrugged.

"Good," Bobbie replied, stepping aside and pulling the metal door open. "Come on in."

Nadia and Codsworth entered the mysterious area, greeted by a dusty old room that looked entirely unkempt. They followed Bobbie down the stairs, arriving in a dirty living space, complete with another doorway leading to God knows where.

"I just need some money for where I'm going," Nadia informed. "I'm good for anything as long as it doesn't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it. That's my basic rule."

"Then you're gonna do just fine here," Bobbie replied, folding her arms and studying Nadia up and down. "Although... you don't look like much. You look like a runner... fast type. Not strong. And what I need is strong."

"Hey. Would I be wearing this if I didn't have some power behind it?" Nadia smirked, holding up her arm and showing off her power fist. "Agility's my best skill, but I wouldn't rely on this thing if I was a weak little fairy princess. Trust me. I'm good for hard labor."

Bobbie flashed a half-smile. "That's what I like to hear. Now, listen... this job is of a... secretive nature. And it's only gonna hurt the pockets of a guy who definitely does deserve it. I need diggers. We're digging a long, long way... straight to the Diamond City strongroom."

"Whoa... so it's kinda like a heist," Nadia figured. "Cool."

"Yup. Mayor McDonough doesn't need all his little riches in there... and he definitely doesn't deserve 'em," Bobbie told her. "I reckon that falls in line with your little rule."

"I guess so," Nadia uttered. "So... when do we start?"

"First thing in the morning," Bobbie informed. "My buddy Mel's working on his little digging bot now... and after we get some sleep, we're off on an underground adventure."

"Awesome," Nadia said. "You mind if I sleep here? I can lay out my sleeping bag upstairs. I won't be in the way."

"Go right ahead. Just be ready to dig at the crack of dawn. I don't pay slackers."

"Gotcha. Seeya in the morning."

Nadia ventured upstairs with Codsworth, laying out her sleeping bag and plopping down on top of it. She folded her arms behind her head and gazed into the crackled ceiling, pondering on the new job and flashing a contented smile.

"This is so perfect," she muttered. "We're getting more money and we've got a safe path to the city at the same time. I was almost ready to give up today..."

"Yes, well... do be careful, M'um," Codsworth advised, draping the flap of the sleeping bag over her. "That woman seems nearly as sketchy as the first man we met in this town. Just show some caution around her."

"I know... I know," Nadia assured. "I'm gonna have her pay me up front before we dig anywhere."

"Smart move," Codsworth replied. "Do get some sleep, now. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Nadia nodded, her eyes drifting shut as her exhaustion crept up on her. She drifted to sleep in no time, Codsworth watching over her through the night as always.

By the time morning came around, she blinked herself awake, hearing Bobbie and Mel chatting downstairs. After packing up her sleeping bag and eating a breakfast of sugar bombs, she and Codsworth headed down the stairs and joined with Bobbie and Mel, spotting the hovering robot Sonya floating along beside Mel's head.

After some coercion, Bobbie agreed to pay her the caps up front. Then, they all headed through the mystery door in the corner, arriving in a huge dugout with an expansive tunnel stretching deeper into the earth.

The day was filled with adrenaline - Nadia wearing a new construction helmet and following its beaming ray of light through all the tunnels, occasionally becoming startled by a mirelurk and smashing here heated power fist into its face. She overheard Bobbie telling Mel how grateful she was to have hired a fighter, and Nadia smirked proudly as she headed into the final area of the tunnel, allowing Sonya to blast away the final mound of dirt before she dug it fully open and stepped through.

Now, they found themselves beneath a massive metal ceiling - or father, a foundation, the one holding up the strongroom just above their heads.

Nadia heaved several tired breaths, wiping a spot of dirt from her face and looking to Bobbie and Mel.

"Okay... what now?" she asked.

"Now... Mel's little robot makes one final blast, and we're all home free," Bobbie told her devilishly.

"Uuum..." Mel surveyed his map, shooting Bobbie an odd squint. "I think Diamond City should be a little north of here. I've been mapping the whole thing out, and..."

"Hush up, Mel. Just have your little robot do her thing," Bobbie ordered. "Come on."

Mel sighed and stuffed his map away. He, Bobbie, Nadia, and Codsworth all stepped through their tunnel hole, leaving the room while Sonya delivered her greatest blast at maximum power. The round shook as an explosion of blue light erupted from the room beneath the foundation - and when they returned, they found a great gaping hole in the foundation above, Sonya lying in ruins just beneath it.

"Aww," Nadia frowned sadly down at the robot. "Poor little baby..."

"Oh, shut up. Mel can build himself another robot," Bobbie snarked emotionlessly, not caring for the saddened look on Mel's face. "Let's head up top now. Hurry up. We've got a lot of looting to do and very little time."

They all climbed up the broken metal slab above them, emerging in a side open warehouse filled with various crates, boxes, and a single train cart against the wall.

Nadia gazed around at all the loot, grinning and feeling excited by it all - but the smile fell off her face when she glanced up at the balcony hovering above them.

Fahrenheight stood atop the balcony, hand planted on her hip as she glared down at all of them pensively.

Bobbie spotted her, releasing a hissing sort of groan. "Shit..."

Mel squinted up at Fahrenheight. "What... what's she doing here?"

"Why's she in Diamond City?" Nadia wondered, turning to Bobbie. "That... that's Hancock's friend, right?"

"Right. Yeah, about that... we're not exactly in Diamond City," Bobbie informed them.

Nadia felt all the excitement and accomplishment of the day drain out of her all at once.

"I see the rest of you are in the dark about this," Fahrenheight sighed. "You all just broke into Hancock's strongroom."