Katherine stirred herself awake and sat up in the bed with a jolt. Nate flexed in his seat, quickly looked around the room before relaxing himself. Katherine stared at him. What am I doing here? She wondered. Nate was cleaning her M1911. A gift from James. He frowned as he inspected it.

"Dirty. You don't clean it very often do you?" he asked coldly.

"No, I don't have much chance to fighting for my life." Katherien snapped back, flopping back onto her bed. She laid her arm over her forehead. "What are we doing here?"

"We got jumped." Nate replied.

"What?"

"You don't remember?" Shaun entered the room and limped to Katherine side. She looked over at him. Thanks to his illness, Shaun was looking older than ever, bags under his eyes and the light in his eyes gone. Shaun sat on the bed beside Katherine and took her hand.

"Mother." He whispered. "Are you okay?"

"yeah" Katherine croaked. "Or I think I'll be. I don't know." Shaun quickly looked up at Nate.

"What happened?" He snapped. Nate sighed and loaded the 1911.

"The Brotherhood got there before us. Maxson was ready for us and he ambushed us." Nate said, placing the pistol gingerly on the night table by Katherine's bed. "I got shot, Kat took a few rounds carrying me out of there." Shaun looked at Katherine with exetreme grief and worry.

"I'm fine. You should be worrying over big boy over here." Katherine waved at Nate. Shaun nodded and patted Katherine's hand.

"Okay then. As long as you'll be okay." Shaun said with a smile. He stood up and glared at Nate. "We need to talk." Nate nodded but his eyes never left Katherine's gaze. Nate stood with a grunt and the two walked outside. As soon as the door closed Katherine heard sounds of yelling and things slamming against the wall. She lifted her legs off the bed and limped over the door. She pressed her ear against it but could not hear anything. So she opened the door slightly.

"-You mean to tell me that the Brotherhood has the Beryllium Agitator?!" Shaun shouted.

"Father, please. It wasn't her fault."

"You're right!" Father shouted. "It's yours!" Shaun made a gesture and a flash of blue blew Nate's head open in front the door. Katherine repressed a gasp, though it was not difficult. This was not the first time she saw her husband murdered. Nor the first that she'd seen a laser bolt do that to a man. "I want the next clone ready within the hour. Program him with specific orders to lead her to the Prydwyn and leave her."

"What purpose would that serve Father?" Madison Li asked.

"Maxson believes he can trust her. We will use that."

"You would use your own mother as bait?!" Madison Li asked.

"Yes, for the good of the Commonwealth, I will do anything. Even kill my own father." Shaun growled before storming out. Madison Li's eyes caught Katherine's. Katherine quickly shut the door.

"I don't know the first thing about cloning." Nathan said.

"Wait, what?" James asked.

"Yeah, I thought you knew that."

"Fuck!" James shouted. The two stood over the brook at Sanctuary Hills. Streams of wounded soldiers made their way across, the first to arrive from the Battle of the Castle. James was extremely irrated to learn that he had missed that and that many of his friends were missing as a result.

"Is that why you wanted to see George?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. But seeing as the NCR had him locked up God knows where you were my next best option. And now I learn you know nothing?!"

"Well I do know how to get that thing we brough over working."

"That's useless without an energy source." James responded. He slammed his fist against the bridge railing. "Fuck. I thought you'd be able to help us."

"With what?"

"Insitute's got cloning tech."

"So?"

"So they've got us outnumbered."

"How well trained are they?"

"…"

"Axe." Nathan began.

"Yes, sir?" Axe replied on the radio.

"Take the team out for a recon mission to known Institute insertion areas. See if you can engage these synths and maybe a team of clones. I'd like more intel."

"Roger, that sir."

"What was that?"

"Clones and numbers don't matter unless they have training that means something."

"Really?"

"And I thought you were the smart one."

"Yeah, well I haven't had the luxury of working with an active and operation military for most of my life so please forgive me if I didn't think of that."

"Well, that's why I'm here."

"You couldn't do that last time?"

"I'm expensive."

"I'm not paying you."

"I'm here on paid leave."

"How does that work?"

"I get paid to dick around out here." Nathan gestured to the Commonwealth. "I'm beginning to see why you're so attached to this place."

"I'm not attached."

"If you say so." Nathan shrugged before munching on a mutfuit. "I get paid either way."

"You're self-employed."

"So I get more money. No problem." James shook his head.

"Sir, that's the last of the survivors." Dusk said.

"Did you find Preston?"

"No, sir."

"How can one man be captured so many times?" James muttered.

"this happen before?" Nathan asked.

"Oh yeah."

"He inexperienced?"

"At our type of fighting."

"oh."

"Yeah."

The two men stood in silence as the brook bubbled beneath them.

"This place is beautiful though." Nathan said.

"Yeah." James sighed. "I think so too."

"So what's the plan?"

"We need to get back in the game."

"There was a game?" James nodded.

"The Enclave fought the Brotherhood to a standstill before Maxson pulled them out. Then while I left, I hear he made a new assault."

"Sounds like you're going to need to teach him a lesson then."

"Yeah. But I'm not sure how I'm going to do it."

"I do." A new voice came from behind the two. James turned and found Danse, standing in the middle of the bridge in a winder jacket and jeans. He held a holotape and his tags in a gloved hand.

"The intel you recovered when you captured my team…" Danse said. "Sturges told me I'm a synth. Maxson got my team out months ago, left me for dead. I need answers."

"You think he's going to give it to you?" James asked.

"No. But I know of a way I can."

"And what's that?" Nathan mumbled, his voice muffled by his chewing.

"Are either of you interested in becoming an Elder?"