The Commonwealth
January the 20th, 2288
9:23

Waiting a day to get one final scope of the old Weston Water Treatment Plant had been for the best. As they had hoped, the mirelurks and super mutants outside the facility had, for the most part, done away with each other. Getting into the facility had been gone relatively smoothly.

Navigating the facility was a separate issue.

As they had expected, the entire facility was flooded to at least a foot of a water on the entrance level. Wading through the water, Becca hacked through some of the algae with the butt of her gun, throwing her free arm out to push the others back before kneeling down, passing her gun to Nora to hold. Slowly stepping forward, still crouched, Becca ran one hand through the water, apparently looking for something. Suddenly, she paused and dropped her other hand into the water, hands wrapping around before twisting and tugging at something under the water. After a minute of fighting with it, she ripped out a large, metal plug caked in algae, rust, and hard water. Slowly, the water in the room began to abate, swirling down the drain. Standing up and holding the plug in one hand, Becca waved the others past her and around the draining water, Nora first, soon followed by Preston, Derek, Ava, and, finally, Codsworth. Frowning at the drain as the water flowed down it, Becca waved at Nora to throw her gun back to her, which she quickly caught with one hand before, finally throwing the plug to the side, hitting the concrete floor with a harsh, metallic thud.

Hands wrapped tightly around her gun, Becca walked down to the end of the corridor where the others were waiting. Standing between the doors to keep them from closing, Nora swallowed hard when the elevator bell rang, and waved Becca in. Once she had slipped into the elevator, Nora stepped all the way in herself, hands shaking around her shotgun. The elevator bell rang again, and then began its descent. Closing her eyes for a minute, Nora took in a deep breath, and steadied herself. The doors opened again, and Nora stepped out first, quickly followed by Preston, Derek, Becca, Ava, and Codsworth. Leading the way, Preston reloaded his musket, and fired several shots at the few, armed turrets there were with Becca and Nora slipping past to shoot down the other turrets he couldn't reach. The turrets (forcibly) deactivated, they took a look around their surroundings. A broken clock on the wall, burnt out fluorescent lights, and a cork bulletin board with a few pieces of paper still tacked onto it were still hanged on the walls. Towers of file cabinets around desks with melted through computers on them had files still within them, some of them with boxes on top of them, too.

Feeling something was very wrong, Preston slowly turned a corner before calling Derek over to attempt to access one of the few, still working computer terminals in a dimly lit part of the room where a few lights were, also, still working. With not a moment to spare, Derek holstered his pistol and began to work on hacking into the computer terminal. Preston stood near him, watching his back. Ava flicked on a flashlight, and began to take a look around before finding a storage closet, which she opened. She rummaged through the boxes for a few minutes before finding a few stimpaks, radaway, and an assortment of recreational drugs. She unzipped her backpack and dropped the items in before quickly zipping it back up. Nora, Becca, and Codsworth paced the room, looking for a way deeper into the plant. After a few minutes, the group reconvened and began through a door into the facilities manager's room. Nora shot down another turret, and then walked over to a nearby desk to take a look over a few of the files on top of it.

"Damn…" Nora raised an eyebrow before laughing when she found a set of comics underneath a lifestyle magazine. "I haven't seen this many of these in a long time."

"Grognak The Barbarian?" Codsworth noted, taking the magazines from her when she handed them into him. He put them into a small bag he carried. "If I recall, Mister Nate was quite fond of these."

Nora managed a faint smile. "If no one else, I'm sure Shaun will eventually enjoy them."

"This another working terminal?" Derek began to work on accessing it when Nora nodded. "Just a second…hmm…"

When the computer terminal opened past its login screen, he quickly pulled up the facility logs. A few minutes of struggling to navigate the somewhat buggy computer terminal, he managed to access the facility's main controls, and deactivated all turrets before attempting to redirect the facility's power to an auxiliary generator in order to turn the electricity fully on. Although the system seemed to struggle for a minute, eventually it gave a pop up saying the power diversion was in progress. Then, the group followed after Preston through a set of doors and down a flight of stairs into the heart of the facility. Lights were starting to flicker on, and Preston walked over towards a set of terminals and manual controls for a Mark VI, emergency flood control water pump. Taking a look over the controls to ensure he didn't hit the wrong thing, Preston eventually found the pump activator. He opened the lid, and pulled the lever up. Rumbling began, and, through the windows at the terminal centre, some of the water began to drain, revealing a walkway into the heart of the facility.

Walking over to the closed door, Becca hit the now-active button for it, and waited for it to open. She swore loudly when a mirelurk all but charged at her, and began shooting at it, letting out a sigh of relief when it collapsed dead. She then waved the others towards her, and Preston went into the main facility first, followed by her, Nora, Derek, Ava, and Codsworth. Moving slowly on the slippery walkway, slick with algae in a few places, they walked down the steps before turning left towards another, apparent control room. Hearing the sounds of a few mirelurks below them, the group steadied their guns before shooting at the mirelurks as soon as they were in sight. A few started to come up from down below, and the group shot them down before following Preston into a long hallway leading to a machinery room. When they reached the other side of the room, he hit the button and opened the door. Finding another terminal centre, he pulled open the lid and pulled the lever, and some more water began to drain.

Preston took a look around while Nora, Becca, and Derek began down another flight of stairs.

Her hands a bit shaky from the increasingly cold and wet metal seemingly all around them, Nora reached into her pockets and pulled out another round of ammunition, reloading her shotgun. She, Derek, and Becca turned the corner while Preston and Codsworth kept an eye on the system as it struggled to continue to drain. A few more mirelurks came out from the water as it drained, aggravated by the noise, scent and sound of people, and lowering water levels. Nora steadied her hands around her shotgun and pulled the trigger, barely skidding out of the way of the mirelurk which, Becca, thankfully shot down before it could get any further. The walkway slick as ice from the algae and remaining water, Nora nearly slipped and fell ten feet down into the water but was pulled back when Derek, quick on his feet, holstered his pistol and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her back to safety. He let go of her as soon as she was steady and safely away from the edge. Her chest rising and falling rapidly, Nora mumbled something to him in gratitude.

Tucking her shotgun under her arm as she tried to warm her clammy hands a little, Nora stepped out of the way so Derek and Becca could pick up the dead mirelurk and push it off and down into the water below. Less than a minute later, Codsworth and Preston caught up to them. Seeing how she had paled despite her otherwise rosy skin being somewhat flushed from the anxiety, Preston gently set a hand to Nora's shoulder, and found himself startled when she put her gun back in its sheath wrapped around her leg before hugging him and starting to cry. With a worried sigh, Preston loosely hugged her, too, and lightly patted her back. Sharing a short look with Derek, Preston let Nora cry into him while Becca, Ava, Derek, and Codsworth turned around and headed to the other side of the facility to address a third pump, lower down and becoming increasingly visible while the water level continued to lower. Slowly walking them back towards the room from which they came, Preston helped Nora along as she shook the same way he had too many times before when helping fellow Minutemen, who had gotten injured in the line of duty, back to wherever it was they were operating out of. Once they made it to the room again, Preston guided Nora over to a chair where she sat down and buried her face in her hands, almost as though she were embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry," She finally got out, flinching when they heard rumbling sound of another pump being turned on, followed by the sound of water slowly beginning to further drain. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I…"

"You don't have to apologise for anything," Preston gently told her, shifting his laser musket from under his arm to strapped behind his back. "It's been a hell of a day, and it's not even the afternoon yet…if I'm guessing the time correctly."

"It has been," Nora said, trying to steady her breathing. "But that's no excuse. I shouldn't be…I need to control myself. I can't be holding you guys back."

"Nora, please, listen to me," Preston shook his head when she looked up, swallowing hard. "You are not holding anyone back. You are more than allowed to feel things, and to feel them strongly. We all do. You are facing things I don't think anyone could have ever anticipated. Hell, we get caught off guard too."

"I suppose," Nora hesitated, tiredly rubbing at her eyes. "I…I feel selfish, having such a heavy fucking heart about what little I know, what little I know about not only my husband but our baby, and why everyone but me and them had been released decades before us. I…why us? Why did it have to be us?"

"Truthfully, I think only God has the answer to that," Preston said, pausing until she nodded to let him know it was alright to continue. "But you are not selfish to want – strongly – to find at least answers for what happened to your family, and, hopefully, reunite with your husband and son. That's not selfish, not at all. I…in a perfect world, what happened to them would be a…what was it they used to be called? Federal crimes?"

"Non-consensual, uninformed, coerced participation in a scientific study and assault and kidnapping, yes, those…they were federal crimes," Nora sighed, her hands shaking again. "I…I prosecuted a case of the kidnapping of a woman and her child by the ex-husband shortly before Shaun was born. The ex-husband…he killed her and their child and…and…and he…"

"You don't have to go on if it's too much," Preston said when he noticed her beginning to choke up again. "I can only imagine how it felt to have to fight for two people whose voices had been taken away by such a monster."

"It was," Nora eventually said, taking a deep breath, her voice quieting. "The son of a bitch threw their bodies into an old mine shaft hundreds of miles away in rural Virginia. Because it was a federal case – our state had outlawed capital punishment decades before, but the federal government had not – he was sentenced to death. I hope he's rotting in hell. I…" She glanced to her friend, trying to steady her hands when the sounds of a fourth pump draining began again. "I know you might not have the answer, but…do you know who started the War?"

"Actually, yes," Preston said with a heavy sigh, taking off his hat for a moment and bowing his head. "A few years ago, the Minutemen and I came across a former US government facility – CIA or DIA I think it was? – where we found the minute by minute logs from…NORAD I think it was called? They were logs from the day of the War. China fired first. The US didn't launch any counterattacks until the first Chinese bombs were fired. It was six hours before the US fired. Bombs hit Pennsylvania and New York just before ten am and Seattle, San Fransisco, and Los Angeles about ten minutes later."

Nora stared, horror setting in, and taking over her entire body. She began shaking and struggling to breathe the way she had the day of the War and the evacuation to the Vault. Hesitant at first, Preston set his hat back on his head and came over to her and knelt down, holding her shoulders steady.

"According to Derek, and by extension the Brotherhood, the US general communications went down about five minutes after New York and Pennsylvania were hit because Washington DC was hit," He eventually said when Nora waved a hand to tell him to go on. "At least some of what information remained in the former…military headquarters in DC? The Pentagon? The Chinese officials sent a…video to the US government, citing the massive escalation due their being sure they would lose the War."

"Oh my God…" Nora whispered. "I…Nate came back from Alaska, shortly before we…before we conceived Shaun. He was sent back after he was a part of a major operation that removed the Chinese military from Alaska and western Canada. Fucking…"

She and Preston both flinched when the sound of another pump beginning to work went off and began rumbling alongside the others, followed by gunshots, presumably taking out more mirelurks.

"Nora, you are a good person," Preston finally said, standing up when she began to calm down. "You just explained how you fought for justice for others before the War, and you helped us without question when you found us in Concord."

Nora managed a small smile. "I was glad to help…and I certainly couldn't have asked to gain a better friend afterwards."

"I'm happy you feel that way," Preston said, adjusting his hat. "Nora, you've done everything you can to try and balance your desire for justice for others and your desire for justice for your husband and son. But you shouldn't feel you have to do and be everything for everyone. It's okay to go back to Diamond City, or wherever you need to go to try and find them."

"I…I do want to," Nora ran her hands through her hair. "Will you guys be alright without me?"

"We can hold down the fort," Preston said with a short nod. "I'm sure Codsworth wouldn't mind helping, too. He's quite the character – and I mean that in a good way."

"He can be," Nora agreed with a small laugh. "Alright," She finally said. "Thank you, Preston. I…I appreciate you more than I can say."

"If you find anything or need more help, let us know," Preston said, smiling when she nodded. "You've been through hell. You deserve to get closure…if not real, solid answers."

"I just hope those answers don't lead to anything worse," Nora said tiredly. "It's already bad enough, knowing they were taken. Who would even want to take my husband and baby? It doesn't make any damn sense."

Preston hesitated. "There is…one group of people who might be interested in learning from pre-War people, especially a father and his child."

Nora eyed him strangely. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"Have you heard of the Institute?" Preston said, dismayed at the thought. "They're a group of scientists who are behind the creation of synths, the thing a lot of people in the Commonwealth are scared of. I don't understand that fear, to be honest. Synths are just like us, they're just not exactly the same biologically. If real people can be as horrible as raiders or as ruthless as gunners, a synth can be too. But most people aren't like that, and most synths aren't either, at least from the little experience I have."

"So, wait…the Institute would want to watch my husband raise our son in their…wherever the hell they are?" Nora said, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What on earth would be the point of that? It's not as if they would be unconscious of the fact the War happened."

"Maybe it would just be curiosity to see how they adapt to Institute life, although no one really knows where the Institute is or what it's even like there," Preston said, himself confused at the notion. "At the end of the day, I have no idea. But…you still should know all possibilities and, as probably outlandish as it is, that's one of them."

Nora sighed, standing up, and slowly reloading her gun.

"I'm glad you're looking out for me. And…thanks. You're right. Unlikely as it probably is, nothing's out of the picture. That's what gets me the most. Anything could have happened to them…and I suppose not knowing is what scares me most."

Covenant
January the 24th, 2288
21:03

"A few goddamn weeks, and you're finally a tolerable human being," Dan frowned when Annette flipped him off across the table where she, him, Deacon, Haylen, and Rhys were having dinner and drinks. "You are still a – pardon my language – bitch, but I apologise for having been quick to judge you."

"I am as well," Haylen said shortly, her eyes narrowing at Rhys when he snorted. "We have all become dedicated to determining what happened here. Dan is particularly invested in this, as I'm sure you can understand."

"I do," Annette said, taking a sip of her glass of wine. "I am well aware that I am guarded, and for that I can come off as cold or rude. I would ask, but, truthfully, I'm nearly certain I'm significantly older than the rest of you."

Rhys narrowed his eyes. "Are you still attempting to feel superior to everyone else? I'll have you know my Sister – Janet, here – and I are –"

"I'll spare you, please," Annette raised a hand to silence him, pausing to take a sip of her wine. "I'm twenty nine, thirty in August," She waited for any of them to say anything but they didn't. "Well, it seems I'm right. Regardless, I should think our main focus should be on what we do know, now. I understand Brian has learnt more about this alleged 'Compound?'"

"I have," Deacon said with a slightly smug look towards Rhys, not noticing the man had turned on a holotape to record the conversation from under the table. "The gate guy, Swanson? He seems a little too fond of a spot near where the small lake drains into some sewers."

Dan turned to him in surprise. "I think I may know where you're talking about."

"Where that old man who's always smoking a pipe or drinking a gin and tonic likes to fish?" Deacon winked when he nodded. "Glad we're on the same page."

"But how could the sewers be connected to this 'Compound' when the grates are almost certainly impassable?" Haylen leaned forward when she took the recording holotape under the table from Rhys. "Even if there is an underground location underneath the sewers, I can't see any feasible way of getting to them."

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Deacon said, winking at the waitress when she brought him another round of shots. "See," He said after taking down one of the shots. "It ain't a secret – well, at least, now, anyways – that the sewer systems had access tunnels for the DIA. I guarantee you there are intact facilities of theirs in them somewhere."

"Interesting theory," Annette paused in consideration. "I will admit, I know a little about the DIA. Their presence in the former Capital was immense before the War, considering they were headquartered there alongside…other institutions."

Rhys eyed her sharply. "It sounds as though you don't hold them in a particularly favourable light."

"I don't," Annette said shortly. "Had the US government put more focus into building a virtually impassable nuclear defence system, the impact of the War would likely have been less severe on the country. Areas such as this Commonwealth and the Commonwealth in former Virginia were lucky, spared direct hits, but they were close enough to places hit directly for them to face serious consequences post-War."

"I haven't been particularly far south, but I did see New York City, once," Dan said grimly, looking between her, Haylen, and Rhys. "Do you know the history of the World Trade Centre there?"

"I'm afraid not," Haylen said. "My Brother and I are ourselves from the former Capital. We went around that region to arrive in the Commonwealth for…rather obvious reasons."

"Can't blame you, it's a lot like San Fransisco, not that I expect any of you to have been out west. I've only been once, but I'll never forget it," Dan said, his voice growing increasingly heavy when he looked back to them, Annette, and 'Brian.' "The World Trade Centre didn't just fall on the day of the Great War. About fifty years before the Resource Wars, a middle eastern terrorist organisation orchestrated an attack on the US. I think most people before the War referred to it as '9/11' or something because of the day it happened."

Annette took in a sharp breath. "I have heard that name before, but I never was able to find out much about the event it referred to."

"What I know is just what I've heard over the years," Dan said, running a hand through his hair. "From what I know, it was brutal and only ended when two planes were hijacked and crashed into the then-so called 'Twin Towers' of the New York City World Trade Centre. Another hit the Pentagon in the Capital, and another ended in a field in Pennsylvania. Supposedly it was meant to hit a major government building in DC but crashed in a field when the passengers fought the hijackers. Thousands of US civilians were killed. If I'm remembering the history correctly. It started a twenty to thirty some odd War right before the Resource Wars."

"Despicable," Rhys said, a harsh tone entering his voice. "Everything about the War and what led up to it is despicable, but civilians ought not be brought into government conflicts."

"The US government grew increasingly unstable in by the 2030s," Annette told him. "I've learnt a little about it from my own research regarding the Enclave both during and after it was…dealt with. One president even made the horrific choice to attempt to overthrow the government in the decade before, though thankfully failed. First president to be sent to prison for something nearing treason, actually."

"Fascinating," Dan said, eyeing her closely. "You're quite the well read person. I wouldn't have guessed that from our first few interactions."

"No, I imagine you wouldn't have," Annette said, a slightly frigid tone entering her voice. "Regardless, I do appreciate the knowledge I'm not surrounded by a bunch of idiots who need to be handheld through history in order to understand what avenues may exist for us to continue a thorough investigation. Now. Enough with the detours. What's done is done and, frankly, I suspect, even if a defence system had been in place and maintained to prevent the War from severely impacting the US, the US government would have been little better than the Enclave."

"Pessimistic but I suppose understandable," Haylen shook her head. "I do concur with you that it is easier to attempt to figure out where our investigation will lead us if we know what infrastructures are able to and perhaps being used now."

"My point exactly!" Deacon said with a slightly smug flip of his (falsely) long blonde hair. "If we can find a way into the sewer tunnels the way some pre-War government assholes did, then I bet you a place with the resources of this creepy ass town can too."

"If you're right about this 'Compound' being near the old man's fishing spot, though, it seems it's not accessible from there," Rhys irritably reminded him. "And we still don't know if this alleged 'Compound' is anything useful to us at all. We only know the faintest bit about this place's concern around synths because of Dan's…thievery."

Dan bristled. "You can't do everything by the books when you're attempting to find out what happened to people in a place where those alive are actively working to cover up their own atrocities. If it's true they're attempting to weed out synths – which it seems likely they are – then I sincerely doubt they're doing so just out of the goodness of their hearts. I see only two reasons for it. Either they're working with or are part of the Institute – which is the most disturbing possibility – or they intend to kill and likely have killed real people just to see if they were synths."

Haylen raised an eyebrow. "How would killing someone reveal them to be a synth or not if synths are, as you and Brian have helped us understand, indistinguishable from the rest of us?"

"I happen to have quite the answer to that," Annette took a long sip of her wine, looking a bit forlorn at the thought. "After you and, of course, Dan explained this Institute and their synths, it occurred to me I and several others I knew may have had contact with them without realising it in the former Capital."

Haylen and Rhys suddenly turned to each other with stunned and horrified looks. Though she already had one recording, Rhys discretely took out another holotape and began recording himself.

"How?" Dan said, eyeing her critically. "How could you or anyone else have possibly had contact with the Institute without realising it?"

"I don't appreciate your accusatory tone," Annette said with a haughty glare. "This was about a decade ago, so forgive me for having to think on something such as this when the people we had contact with did not refer to their organisation in particular detail."

"You said yourself you grew up in a Vault," Rhys coldly put in. "I should think questions towards you on the subject are more than reasonable."

"Enough," Annette took another sip of wine before setting down her glass and leaning forward on the table with her hands clasped. "Yes, I grew up in a Vault. Vault 101. That is why I'm here. I believe it's quite possible that place is tied to there, somehow, and, considering the pain the overseer would go on to cause me and my family, I want answers now I am in a position to seek them."

"Reasonable," Deacon said with a shrug. "Hell, I'd want answers too."

"Thank you," Annette said, barely able to mask the exasperation she felt. "My father and I were forced to leave the Vault, him before me, and I spent well over a month struggling to find where he went. I had to do quite a bit of digging in order to find him, which initially led me to Rivet City, where I met one of his former colleagues. She was, understandably, shocked to see me, and was the first person to tell me the truth – which is that I was not born in the Vault and my mother had died giving birth to me."

"Jesus that's rough," Deacon said with a slight grimace. "Sorry you had to go through that."

"I am too," Annette shook her head. "Dr. Li gave me a decent bit of information which eventually led me to my father. We went back to Rivet City at which point she agreed to return to an old project she and my parents had been working on alongside the Brotherhood Of Steel called 'Project Purity,' a project to purify and deliver clean and fresh water to the entire region, to millions of people in former Maryland, DC, and Virginia."

"I believe I've heard of that before," Rhys said mildly. "Go on."

"My father would go on to be killed by the Enclave, but the project was ultimately successful shortly after the Enclave's defeat," Annette pursed her lips. "When one of the Brotherhood's most important members gave her own life to stabilise and de-radiate the purifier's central command room. I'll be quite plain: Dr. Li, her assistant, and myself were routinely bothered by someone I know believe to be an Institute agent before and after that time."

Haylen raised an eyebrow. "How so? Who was this person?"

"A serious piece of work named Dr. Charles Zimmer," Annette said, looking rather disgusted at the mere thought of the man. "Among other things, he told Dr. Li – who, mind you, is a brilliant woman and one of the most empathetic people I've ever met – he wouldn't be leaving her lab or even Rivet City until she, and I recall his words specifically because of how often he said it and how…condescendingly he said it, would 'stop playing with her chemistry set and start talking real science.' He was there looking for what I now am inclined to believe was a synth."

Dan frowned. "Why do you suspect he was looking for a synth or was with the Institute at all? Sounds more like he was a real nasty person but not necessarily with them."

"Well, among other things, he would not shut up about the power of his so-called android bodyguard, although it was more a thinly veiled threat than anything else," Annette said sharply. "Dr. Li personally refused him the right to speak with her, and her assistant and eventually myself and my father would tell him the same because, among other things, he was consistently interfering with her developments in hydroponics and, later, Project Purity itself."

"The bodyguard was a synth?" Haylen repeated. "I assume he used the term android interchangeably with synth?"

"I can't quite remember but I wouldn't be surprised," Annette shook her head. "When he spoke to me, he insisted I help find his 'missing property' which I, after quite a bit of hassle, managed to get out of him was another one of his androids. The way he explained them, it sounded as though this android had been escaped from his supervision. I assume, now, he was referring to himself as an Institute agent. Considering how he treated all of us, I imagine he's quite important there."

"Damn…" Deacon said with a low whistle. "What'd he tell you?"

"He – condescendingly might I add – informed me that, just like his bodyguard, the synth he was looking for would appear and act as though it were human," Annette replied, unclasping her hands, her fingers impatiently tapping up and down against the table. "He also noted that synths are unaware they aren't human unless somehow informed otherwise, and implied some even have their minds wiped. Slated I believe was the term he used."

"What did he expect anyone would be able to do?" Rhys scoffed. "Sounds as though even he couldn't have found the damn thing."

"No one could, and it drove him mad. Admittedly, watching him get angry was fun to watch," Annette said with a smirk. "But the most important thing I can remember is that all synths – whether they were, in his words, 'older models, and easily replicated,' or newly created and advanced – have a component in their brains, a chip integrating into the basic brain processes including genuine emotion and consciousness otherwise developed over the course of one's life into that of a fully developed and functional adult. He said because of this they 'start to think for themselves' and 'fool themselves into thinking they have rights.' I believe he also said the synth he was looking for was meant to hunt down and recapture other escaped synths but how or why that works I have no idea."

Dan eyed her closely. "Sounds like a synth as we know them alright. Anything else?"

"The same chip also allows them to perform all of the same tasks we do every day from breathing to eating and digesting food and water. As you said, Dan," She glanced to him with a hint of suspicion. "I or anyone else couldn't tell the difference between a synth or a person. The only way to tell would be to kill them and see if there were a chip in their head. If this 'Compound' exists and this town is trying to weed out synths through it and their test, then it seems most likely the end result for all of their subjects – human or not – is always death. Horribly barbaric, if you ask me, but what other conclusion is there?"

Rhys and Haylen glanced to each other, well aware their thoughts were in about the same place.

When this information reaches Paladin Danse, he's sure to bring it directly to the Elder's attention…it's vital to the Brotherhood, and we've just about struck gold.

The Institute
February the 2nd, 2288
20:23

"Have we heard anything from Kellogg?" Nate sighed when his son glanced up from the report a synth had brought him with a morose look. "Damn. That's unfortunate."

"It really is," Shaun agreed, continuing to page through the report. "Kellogg is usually quite responsive, considering he tends to request what he needs as necessary throughout an operation. He's always been that way, and it's incredibly well documented. The previous two directors left quite an extensive profile on him."

"Director Jamison was the one who ordered our release, wasn't he?" Nate paused in thought. "It was ultimately a good thing, of course, but the way it was handled was awful. The last thing I remember before being rendered unconscious was a second scientist stepping in front of Kellogg and his gun going off. The last thing I recall saying was insisting they wouldn't be taking you from me. I'm glad they didn't."

"I am too," Shaun said. "Though I do wish Jamison hadn't chosen to leave mother in the Vault, or his very soon after successor, Dr. Anne Levitt, monitoring and…hastening the release of everyone else from the Vault to ensure she was not bothered."

"It's terrible," Nate briefly looked over to where life was going on as normal below from where they were on the balcony, looking down at the centre pavilion of the Institute. "But it's not nearly as awful as some of the things put in motion during the War. Yes, it was a wonderful and imperfect world, but some of the things…I doubt I'll ever forget what I saw while fighting in Alaska. Considering what I've been able to learn since about, in particular, Vault-Tec…it's rather sad to think about."

"Vault-Tec's actions were unconscionable," Shaun said, setting down the file. "Knowing so is part of why I don't understand the choice of either of the former directors to leave mother as the only person in the Vault. I imagine she thought she was the sole survivour of Vault 111. It's terribly tragic."

"It is," Nate said, shaking his head. "Hence why I'm concerned about lack of information from Kellogg. I don't much like him, and I know you and the vast majority of the Institute feel the same, but he's been an incredibly valuable informant. I'll admit, too, I have had a few fascinating conversations with him about where he came from in…what is it they call it? The New California Republic? I'm amazed they were able to at all re-create the US government, even with some corruption but, of course, corruption was part of the US in all facets of life, too."

"It's quite fascinating, considering how it began to emerge so soon after the War, although some of their stories are rather…strange," Shaun said with a laugh. "Their flag has a two headed grizzly bear on it, doesn't it? I recall the…unmutated creature being on the original state's flag. I find it particularly funny one of their current politicians campaigned for his position with the mutated bear on their flag in a pen."

"One of our pre-War politicians did the same with an unmutated grizzly bear," Nate said, laughing himself. "It happened when my parents were children. For as amusing as it was, he lost his election."

"I imagine so," Shaun said. "I always appreciate your stories, from then. I wonder if mother will have the same…or be willing to discuss them."

"She's one of the most brilliant women I've ever met," Nate smiled. "She graduated top of her undergraduate class in two years instead of four, and then into law school. She passed the bar and was hired as a lawyer shortly before you were born. I had never met anyone like her before, someone so self assured and driven."

"I hope to meet her soon," Shaun said, surprised when his father handed him an old photograph of them and his mother. "It looks so idyllic. I can only imagine what life would have been if things had gone better for humanity, not only for us. But it can't be…and fixing that mess is part of our work."

"It is, and I hope your mother will understand everything happens for a reason," Nate paused, sadness falling into his voice. "It has taken me decades to come to terms with everything…and I hope finding us will expedite the process for her."

"I do too," Shaun said, staring at the photograph of his family. "I couldn't be more proud of what we've achieved. I hope she will feel the same. I can only imagine what she's going through. After all she has lost – after all we have lost as a family – I can't help but wonder if she's become despondent…and given up hope on us. When I had her released from the Vault, I had to accept and have no expectations she will survive out there. Losing the chance to be with her once has been a hard enough reality to accept my entire life. Losing the chance to reunite with her now…it would hurt more than I can even imagine."

"It would. At the same time…knowing your mother, I would be shocked if she gave up so easily," Nate said, reaching over to pick up one of the many files on top of the table between him and his son. "She may be disoriented for a while, but I have no doubt she won't give up on us, and certainly not on you."

Shaun glanced up from the photograph to look at his father.

"How are you so sure?"

"You meant everything to us from the moment you were born, and especially to your mother," Nate said, brushing aside tears that began to rise. "After I came back from the War, from…everything that happened in Alaska, she had been terrified of something happening to me. Things had been…especially brutal. Fighting off the Commies who had been trying to destroy our country had come with a cost for all us who made the sacrifice to try and ensure the future for everyone."

Shaun nodded slowly. "Of course. I absolutely understand. From everything you've told me over the years, and from all of the Institute's records from then, the War was nothing short of terrible, which is I'm sure to be an understatement."

"It is, but I don't think anyone could truly express the things we went through, even then," Nate said, hesitating for a few seconds. "The day of the War, I was supposed to give a speech at the Veteran's Hall in Concord. It's strange looking back, realising how we never could have known what was going to happen. In some ways, maybe we, at least in civilian life, never stood a chance."

"Maybe so," Shaun said. "But…what was it you were saying about mother?"

"Oh, of course," Nate managed to laugh a bit. "There's so much I could say about her. As I'm sure I've told you many times before, she's one of the strongest, brightest, and most compassionate people I have ever met. When we met, it was because I was attending a surf meet my older brother was competing in. She was in a different competition, but I was amazed by her ability. She didn't win, but I couldn't even imagine doing some of the tricks she did without falling off."

"It's strange to remember there was a time when it wouldn't be horribly dangerous to do something like that on the surface," Shaun said, almost wistfully. "Even stranger is to consider I was alive then, though, considering I was infant, I unfortunately can't remember any of it."

"It's what I regret most," Nate said, falling silent for a moment. "At least, I wish you were able to remember your mother. When she and I first started talking, I learnt she had taken up the sport after years of competitive swimming since she was a child. It's sad to remember how, before the War, she had hoped to, in a few years, make the American team and compete on the world stage at the Olympics. God…there were so many things we had planned for."

"The War has ruined so much," Shaun said, looking back to the family photograph. "I understand it might be too hard to discuss, but, I am curious, how did mother get the scar from her ear to cheek on the left side of her face?"

"Truthfully, I don't know," Nate said, his voice briefly wavering. "She never wanted to talk about it, and I never pushed her on the matter. The last thing I wanted was to make her relive something I can only imagine to be incredibly traumatic."

"Of course," Shaun paused when he noticed a Courser in the doorway. "Has Dr. Ayo completed his analysis early?"

"He is still awaiting information from X6-88," The Courser replied. "I have come only to inform you Dr. Watson would like to speak with you."

"Send him in," Shaun said shortly. "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir," The Courser said. "I will take my leave now."

The Courser stepped to the side to let Dr. Evan Watson into the Director's quarters, then quickly leaving to return to the SRB.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Evan said when Nate motioned for him to join them. "I understand, with so much happening and with so many threats to the Institute, at the moment, any time of respite seems to be dwindling more and more by the day."

"You're not," Shaun told him. "We are friends, after all."

"Has something happened?" Nate said, raising an eyebrow when Evan nodded. "Advanced Systems or something else?"

"Advanced Systems," Evan replied. "In light of the increasing and deeply concerning presence of the Brotherhood Of Steel, I do have some concerns about Dr. Li."

"Dr. Li has more than proved her loyalty to the Institute," Shaun said pointedly. "Even when she has, for instance, gone to the surface. I hope you haven't forgotten her integral involvement in convincing Jacqueline Spencer to come to the Institute."

"Considering the information and evident skill and intelligence this girl has, I have decided it makes the most sense to grant her request, particularly because she was willing to stand up to Kellogg," Shaun had said, pausing for a moment when Dr. Li crossed her arms. "I understand returning to the surface for any time will be stressful for you, which is why I have also decided Dr. Filmore will accompany you."

"Really?" Madison had raised an eyebrow. "To what end?"

"Considering this girl's interests and skills, she would, I imagine fit best in your division and Dr. Filmore's," Shaun had replied. "If we're going to bring her into the Institute, instead of sending our usual scientists, we should show her the respect she has clearly earned. Kellogg is a brute. Anyone willing to demand something from him has a great deal of dauntlessness."

Madison had frowned. "Allie doesn't have much experience above ground."

"True," Shaun had agreed. "Which is why I am asking you to accompany her. Take care of Dr. Filmore, if you would. She's eager, but, yes, you're correct in stating she doesn't have much experience above ground. You do and can more than take care of yourself and her. It certainly would remind some of your dedication to your work and the Institute, as well."

"I suppose," Evan said warily. "I'll admit, while I am deeply concerned about the Brotherhood entering the Commonwealth, I do want to reverse engineer and gain access to their design for the Institute. I hope she will facilitate that."

"Dr. Li has a great deal of resentment towards the Brotherhood," Shaun added. "They took advantage of her and stole her work on more than one occasion. She has more than proved herself over the years."

"Understood. I simply wanted to cover all bases," Evan said with a short nod. "She is a brilliant mind. It would be a shame to lose her to the Brotherhood…and they are disturbingly driven and relentless."