James cleared the house and only found skeletons. Likely those that belonged to the original owners of the house. James continued to step through what remained of the house's skeleton. He sighed and turned around.
"It's clear!" James called back to where he left Katherine and Marie.
"Preston?" Katherine shot back. James was a little disappointed that was the first person she thought of.
"No. I'm gonna check the shed, see if you can fix us a place to sleep. Sun's gonna set in a few hours." James shouted before making his way to the shed.
Katherine stood up and stretched. She'd been crouched in the tall grass for over fifteen minutes while James combed the area. He takes too long doing that. She thought to herself. She made the U to Marie before making her way to the house. As Katherine got closer she realized it was once a two-story house. She sighed and wondered who had been living there when the bombs went off.
Katherine stepped in and unstrapped her backpack. She slung it off of her shoulders and threw it next to Nate's. She began to look for a bed or bed frame for Marie. Katherine noticed the stairs to the second story had been obliterated so she walked out of the hole in the house and climbed up the hill. She walked onto the second story that way and found a bed frame. There were two skeletons entangled in one another. Katherine's heart sank. If it weren't for the vaults, she may very well have met her end like that. But because of the vault I also lost Nate. She remembered. Katherine fought back the urge to shed a tear. She had two people to look after, she had to be on her a-game to survive in this new world. Suddenly a flash of blue light lit the room, she saw her shadow plastered against the wall.
"Intruders? Activating tracking unit." A low eerie voice said from behind her. Katherine turned and drew her laser rifle. She counted at least five white humanoids in pristine white clothing and another man with them.
"Clear the area!" The man shouted. They came over the hill, one looked in Katherine's direction. Katherine took aim immediately and pulled the trigger. A red beam shot from the barrel of her rifle and rocketed it towards the Synth. The synth dropped dead, half of its head burned off and rolled down the hill.
"Intruder detected." Katherine heard the unison of voices. She ran across the floor and leapt to the hill below her. She landed and turned as quickly as she could. She looked for Marie.
"Marie!" Katherine whispered. She continued to crouch but she was sure the synths were now looking for her. Katherine took a quick look around but she couldn't find Marie. Katherine stood up, starting to panic. A blue bolt shot through the air and slammed into the floor beneath Katherine. Katherine cursed herself and squeezed the trigger of her own rifle. Blue bolts shot back and forth between her unseen enemy and her. Katherine ducked behind a couch and popped out the spent microfusion cell. She popped one back into the rifle and she stepped out from behind cover. In front of her stood four synths clad in white armor, all aiming their rifles at her.
"Miss Katherine. Please put down your weapons." One of them said. She guessed it was their leader since its helmet was a slightly different shade of white.
"How do you know my name?"
"We know the names of everyone native in the Commonwealth. The Institute knows everything. Join the Institute. Help it save the Commonwealth." The synth responded.
"You think I'm going to buy that propaganda stuff? I know what the Institute's really been doing." She continued to hold up her weapon at the leader. "Now answer my question. How do you know my name?"
"I'll take it from here. A3." A voice said. A man clad in a black coat walked into the view. "Please, continue to search the area."
"Of course, X6." The synth leader responded.
"Miss Katherine. Please. Have a seat." X6 gestured at the couch. Katherine didn't move. "If you do not lower your weapon, ma'am, I will lower it for you." Katherine lowered her weapon something in the man's tone resonated with her and made her want to listen to what he had to say. She took a seat on the couch.
"How does the Institute know my name?" She asked once more.
"The Institute has Vault-Tec records of all of the vaults on the East Coast. Vault 111 is one them still fairly functional. Your name was in there and the current readings from the site suggest that your pod is empty. It was not overly difficult to reason that you" X6 gestured at Katherine's vault suit. "a new settler from a vault is the same as the woman missing from her pod at Vault 111."
"Actually that's a very strange conclusion to make on such little information."
"You have me. I do not actually know how the Institute knows your name. I only know that the Bureau has instructed all synths and coursers to look for someone matching your description and to bring them into the Institute." X6 responded calmly. Katherine noticed that X6's hand was resting on his pistol.
"Do you know what the Bureau wants with me?" Katherine asked calmly as she slowly shifted her seated position to get her closer to her rifle.
"I'm sorry ma'am. I do not. Now please, come with me. If you do, I promise you that my synths will not harm your friend and that cowboy hiding out in the shed." Katherine looked at the shed. She could imagine James and Preston, camped out in cover inside the small building, concocting a plan on how to save her from X6 and his synths.
"Fine. I'll go quietly."
"Smart choice, ma'am. Father will be pleased to hear this."
"Father?" A red bolt shot from the shed, X6 side-stepped it effortlessly. Katherine stood up from her seat on the couch. James suddenly materialized in front of Katherine. He gave her a small smile as he tackled X6 into the wall.
"Impossible." X6 commented.
"Stealth Boy." James bragged. James punched X6, causing his sunglasses to fly off.
"Intruder detected." The synth leader's voice said as it marched into the room. Suddenly it flashed red and fell on its face, its back smoking red.
"Hey, over here!" Preston's voice called from the shed. The synths began firing on the wooden structure. Katherine grabbed her rifle and ran to help Preston.
James punched X6 two more times and raised his fist to throw another one. X6 caught it and began forcing James's hand back. James grunted as he tried to overpower the man.
"Interesting. The Bureau holds no information on you." X6 commented.
"Uh, cool?" James said as he continued struggling. James threw an uppercut with his left hand and X6 shot back. He released James's hand from his iron grip. "Okay, that hurt a lot." James said. He drew his machete and rushed forward at X6. He slashed with the blade, but X6 dodged and sidestepped it. X6 threw a punch at James, but James blocked it and headbutted X6. X6 fell backwards and rolled out of the hole in the house.
James threw his machete at one of the synths nearing the shed. It collapsed as the machete lodged into the synth's spine.
"Additional combatant detected. Calculating." Another synth said. Katherine threw a pule grenade and James leapt for cover. The grenade exploded and James felt himself get thrown into the hill by the force of the explosion. James grunted and stood back up. The synths were down.
"You guys alright?" he called out. Katherine waved at him.
"I can't find Marie!" Katherine shouted at him.
"What?!" James shouted back. He searched the area and noticed a small cave. He made his way there.
"Marie?" James asked.
"Uncle James!" Marie called out to him. James ran into the cave.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Uncle James behind you!" she shouted at him. James turned quickly but X6 threw the first punch. James stumbled backwards and tried to block X6's blows. X6 threw punch after punch and showed no signs of tiring. James then grabbed one of X6's arms and snapped it with his elbow. X6 merely looked at his broken limb, now hanging loose as if it hung by a wire. James threw a punch at X6, but X6 dodged it. James continued to punch at him, but X6 continued dodging blow after blow. X6 headbutted James and ran. James shook his head clear and saw X6 scoop up Marie into his arms.
"Uncle James!" She cried.
"No." James hissed at X6. X6 merely stared coldly at James as he began to be enveloped by a bright blue light. James jumped at them, but phased through them. Then the light was gone. "no. no. no." James muttered. He stood up and saw Katherine and Preston standing in the entryway to the cave.
"They're gone." James muttered.
"James." Katherine said quietly. James walked past her. He tapped his earpiece.
"Morales, I need a vertibird to extract me now."
"Are you sure you want to risk it, sir?"
"Yes."
"Put down your weapons and hands in the air!" A voice shouted over loudspeaker.
"What now?" James muttered. Three vertibirds circled overhead. "No. It's too soon."
"This is the Brotherhood of Steel. Surrender peacefully and you will be treated well."
"Check that, Morales. I need Alpha Team here now."
"Understood. Alpha deployed."