Sanctuary Hills
October the 25th, 2287
9:37

"You're serious? You were born before the War?"

Nora nodded, eyeing the four men and two women sat across from her. Tiredly, she tried to go through their names again in her mind as question after question seemed to be asked of her. Their leaders…Preston and Derek. The weaponsmith…Sturges. The broken family…Marcy and Jun. And then there was the…psychic. The psychic…Mama Murphy. She sighed. At least I haven't forgotten how to use a gun, not that I ever expected to need to. Even inside and away from the cold and rain, things felt defeated. We're lucky. Lucky to be alive. Lucky that…Derek, isn't it? Lucky that he had been coming to meet up with them with more supplies. The feeling of luck and relief, however, came and went. It was a fleeting, temporary feeling. Two days. It had only been two days. Two days and two hundred and ten years. She pushed the thought away. It was too much. Just the thought of everything was too much to bear, too much to bear all at once.

"She's a good soul," Mama Murphy said, reaching across the table to reassuringly pat the young woman's hands. "A good soul facing unbelievable tragedy. If it's not too much to ask, what was your life before the war?"

"You really think that's an okay thing to ask someone right now?" Marcy snapped. "All we know is she's good with a gun and seems to care about saving people's lives. We're lucky she's not some sort of raider!"

"I don't think someone just joins raiders out of the blue," Jun nervously said, twitching. "I mean, they would have been more likely to kill her rather than invite her to join them."

"They did try to kill me," Nora said, glancing to Marcy. "And it's alright. I suppose…it's understandable for you to be curious."

"As long as you don't feel as though you're being forced to do or say anything, you can tell us as much or as little as you like," Preston calmly said before Marcy could say anything more. "Mama Murphy is correct. You're facing unbelievable tragedy, and nothing about the world now can be easily comparable to the one you left."

"It isn't," Nora hesitated. "I'm twenty four, or, at least, was twenty four when I was frozen. My husband, Nate, and I had been married for just over a year and a half and had a three month old son, Shaun. I was a lawyer, practising law in downtown Boston, about two hours away from here, but was on maternity leave. I had been set to go back to work shortly before the end of the year but…as it would happen, that would become impossible."

"Law seems to be a long forgotten art but it is one we ought to revisit," Derek remarked. "I reckon my wife will have a great deal to ask you. Her great-great-great-great grandfather had been a lawyer, before the War. His law textbooks have been something of a religious text in her family ever since."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "If it's not too presumptuous, did he and his family survive in a Vault?"

Derek shook his head. "In an underground bunker, as it would happen. He was ex-military, and had become something of a – as I believe they would have described it – 'doomsday prepper' who had created a secure and self sustaining home under his own home."

"Sounds a lot better than what we got," Nora paused. "I'm so sorry if that sounds ungrateful or bitter, but, after over two centuries, I wake up with only the memories of my life before the war and my husband and son being kidnapped! When I…when I took a look around the rest of the Vault, it looked like everyone else had already been released before me. I don't…I don't even know what to think."

"Released?" Preston repeated, stunned. "Again, I hope this does not come across as overbearing or an attempt to force you to discuss what I can only begin to imagine is incredibly painful, but how –"

"Please, don't worry," Nora said, attempting to regain her composure. "They…" She sighed. "They froze us in cryostasis. I…I took a look at the terminals for every pod. Everyone else was released when my husband and son were kidnapped. It looked…they said it had been done by Vault-Tec, after receiving an all clear signal that the surface was survivable again. But…it didn't release me. It didn't release me until now, and only as an error. I…why would they do this? Why would Vault-Tec do this?"

"I may have something of an explanation," Derek waited for her to nod. "Vault-Tec had made well over two hundred vaults across the United States, and at least a fifth of those were designed as experiments. Experiments to see how people would handle the aftermath of what they – and the US government – believed was inevitable nuclear war. That's why my wife's great-great-great-great grandfather left the US military, about twenty years before the War, and created his self sustaining home underground."

Nora eyed him strangely. "So, some members of the military knew?"

"Those with high enough rank and clearance, yes," Derek shook his head. "Admittedly, he had an axe to grind against Vault-Tec for other reasons, not the least of which being that they attempted to force him to allow them to give a speech on the US Air Force base under his command at the time. He declared it a gross manipulation of the public and servicemen to use them as a prop for a corporate and political speech."

Nora managed a weak laugh. "He sounds like the kind of person my husband would have gotten along with well. He had only been serving for a few years, but he had his own, strong –"

"That's it!" Mama Murphy suddenly stood up, clasping her hands together as she swallowed the last of what appeared to be her mentats. "The great, green jewel of the Commonwealth!" She turned to Nora and extended her hands. "You need to go there. To Diamond City!"

"Diamond City?" Nora tentatively pressed. "Where exactly is that?"

"Diamond City is the largest settlement in the Commonwealth, or, at the very least, it's most prosperous," Preston said, sending Mama Murphy a pointed look. "It's where one of the strongest and most active radio signals in the Commonwealth comes from – Diamond City Radio – and also has its own government, agriculture, industry, education system, and, frankly, even nightlife. It's in what I…if I remember correctly, it's situated in what you would have known as Boston."

"And it's where you'll find them!" Mama Murphy said, pulling Nora up from where she sat. "The Sight doesn't lie, kid. Diamond City is where you'll find what you need to find your son and husband. You need to go there. You must!"

"Mama Murphy, please, don't force anything on her. I can't even begin to imagine the state of shock she's in," Derek said before he turned back to Nora. "Do you want to go to Diamond City?"

"If my son might be there, I'll go anywhere," She said shortly. "And," She said, briefly embracing Mama Murphy. "This is the best lead I have."


Railroad Headquarters
October the 26th, 2287
13:41

"Things seem to have come together quickly down here. All things considered, I'm impressed, Des."

"Necessity speeds everything up. We had to move quickly. They destroyed the Switchboard and killed many of our own and far too many innocent synths to count, and that was only at the end of August. If we hadn't moved as quickly as we have, the lives of many more synths would have been lost."

With not a moment for hesitation, Desdemona shut the first of the doors into crypt, resetting the cipher, before following after her two companions through the second door which she subsequently shut and locked. Exhausted as she was, she still managed to smile when Tom and Deacon both began clapping the second she stepped into the chamber. The feeling of levity did not last. Almost as soon as it came, it faded, and she quickly stepped over to one of the chalkboards and began drawing. The signs. The signs she had long since committed to memory. In so many ways, they were the same, except for the symbols in the centre. Her hands began shaking, and she pressed harder into the chalk to keep the lines as straight and readable as possible. Eight lines, square box – a cache. Eight lines, plus sign – an ally. Eight lines, right pointing arrow – pointer. Eight lines, teardrop – a dead drop. Eight lines, square with a triangle on top – a safehouse. Six lines, an 'x' in the centre – danger. Danger. Danger. It was inescapable in a way –

"Des, are you alright?" Glory's calm voice was quickly followed by a gentle and warm hand resting atop her own, still pressing the chalk into the board. "You're shaking badly."

She dropped the chalk. "I must be tired," She said, turning around to face her. "I hope I didn't worry you much, Glory. The last few weeks have been rather taxing on everyone."

"Taxing is putting it lightly," Tom put in. "The Institute found us after over fifty years, and killed a huge chunk of our agents and synths we were trying to rescue! I still don't know how they figured that out!"

"I've long suspected they've had spies on the surface," Desdemona said, running her hands through her hair. "Caravaners could be easy targets for them to use as spies. Find someone who is willing to feed them information, and buy their allegiance and silence. Or, more likely, threaten and then buy. Speaking of which, Hadley, have you heard any updates from the Randolph Safehouse?"

"No," She said shortly, looking rather resigned to the thought. "It's been two years since we've received any updates out of there. I last spoke to the townspeople this past week, and all of them have expressed concern about the Institute returning to their town after a visit and kidnapping two years ago."

"Was that verified to be the Institute's doing?" Glory turned to her. "I thought we were still trying to find evidence for what happened."

"I spoke to the girl's father directly, this time he was willing to talk," Hadley replied. "He provided me a holotape of the day his daughter was taken. You all can take a listen to it for yourselves, but it was quite clear. She was asking questions about what life would be like for her in the Institute, as well as what it would mean for her. They promised to let her visit home. I'm unconvinced they've kept that promise, regardless of what her father says. He's grieving, after all."

"It would be unlike the Institute to keep such a promise," Tom agreed. "They're messing with the Commonwealth, the atmosphere, and want to mutate the water! Not to mention they know about the aliens and have proof of them!"

"Tom, please," Glory said, exasperated. "If the Institute were messing with the atmosphere or water, we would know by now and, as for aliens, I think we all know they would want nothing to do with the planet. I'm sure whatever their world is like is –"

"Maybe their planet is in worse ruin than ours!" Tom protested. "And, regardless, I want to know why the Institute keeps working to disprove my theory about the existence of Nuka Cola Strawberry. I can only imagine how refreshing that would be."

Hadley eyed him strangely. "Even in the Capital Wasteland, there was no such thing as Nuka Cola Strawberry, and, had there been, I would have probably found it in the underground home I grew up in because the amount of Nuka Cola my parents and grandfather drink is almost a crime."

"And, frankly, Nuka Cola Strawberry doesn't sound refreshing," Deacon remarked, pulling a chair over to the centre table, sitting down, and kicking his feet up. "It sounds disgusting. Strawberry milk is gross enough."

"Aha!" Tom said, winking at him. "Strawberry milk hasn't been a thing since before the War! You couldn't have had anything but strawberry brahmin milk if you were born after the War, so, thanks for proving my time travel conjecture about you!"

Deacon rolled his eyes. "Didn't think I needed to specify where most people get their milk from these days, and, if I really were a time traveller, would I let a timeline exist where you knew I knew?"

"That's enough messing with each other for now," Glory sent the two men a sharp look. "We have a lot to do. Tom, have you heard any updates from Patriot?"

"Yep!" He eagerly replied, logging into his terminal. "Patriot is going to be sending up three synths. One of them will need to be met at Bunker Hill with Old Man Stockton, one of them will need to be met up with at Ticonderoga, and one of them will need to be met up with just a little ways outside of Diamond city. Shouldn't be too difficult to get them safely through into Goodneighbour so Amari can work her magic."

Desdemona nodded. "Alright. Glory, meet up with the synth at Ticonderoga. Deacon, you're familiar with Bunker Hill inside and out, so you'll be going there. And, Hadley, since you and your family already live in Diamond City, I'll be having you meet up with the synth there. We've got a long road ahead of us. Let's hope the Institute doesn't find us again."


Diamond City
October the 31st, 2287
20:23

"It's Hallows Eve, you people need to have more fun. Besides, I thought we were celebrating Piper getting out of prison!"

"Sure, but you need to lay off the chems, Cait. Just lay down, and try to sleep it off."

Albeit rolling her eyes, Cait stumbled backwards and eventually laid (read: fell) onto the couch nearly the second her other three companions shut and locked the doors behind them. Looking somewhat exasperated, Piper went upstairs, muttering something about need to find a few spare blankets. Left with Cait, her spouse – Lissy – and her little sister – Nat – shared a nervous look before setting off in opposite ends of the apartment. Nat stared at Cait for a few minutes while the woman quickly fell asleep. Once she was sure she was asleep, the thirteen year old took all of the chems she could find in the woman's pockets and then went to hide them. Lissy went to the refrigerator and pulled out a Nuka Cola Cherry, popping off the cap, slipping it into the pocket of their leggings, and then slowly starting to sip on it as they leaned back against the counter, half asleep themselves.

"I can't believe Vadim gives her whatever chems she wants whenever she wants," Piper said, returning with a blanket which she laid over Cait. "It's not good for her."

"Vadim isn't exactly known for doing things that are good for him," Lissy said with a shrug. "It's a stupid thing to do, but his reasoning makes it worse. He always says it's just because he admires the way she always beats the shit out of people in the Combat Zone."

Piper grimaced. "The best place in the Commonwealth to go if you want to get killed."

"And one of my least favourite places in the Commonwealth," Lissy said, passing her a Nuka Cola. "I don't know why anyone goes there willingly but, then again, it is mostly frequented by raiders."

"Well, let's just be glad raiders aren't a problem in Diamond City," Nat said, coming back from around her bookshelves and blanket fort. "And, if they were, we would write them out of town!"

"That's the right attitude, kiddo!" Lissy said, high fiving the teenager. "What are you helping research and write this week?"

"It's my idea, actually!" Nat proudly declared. "Piper promised me that you and her would take me to Goodneighbour to interview their mayor so we can show different things are there! How their mayor doesn't silence people like McDonough does!"

"I'll let my mom know, then," Lissy winked at their wife. "In case the bastard tries to lock you out of the city like he's been threatening to, Piper. I don't know when my dad will be back from his trip, so we can't rely on him to get us back in from the outside."

"I guess I made the right choice to marry someone from the upper stands," Piper teased, reaching over to kiss them. "But you know I love you for much more than just that."

Lissy smiled, adjusting their glasses. "Don't worry, Pipes. I know."

"I can't wait to finally see Goodneighbour," Nat dreamily remarked. "I've heard so much about it from traders coming in and out of the city."

"Well, you need to thank Hadley for paying for her kid's wife to get out of the 'Piper Suite' because we wouldn't be going if it weren't for that," Piper reminded her before turning back to spouse. "Still can't believe she did that the day before your birthday last month, too, I mean, I –"

"She wasn't going to let my wife miss my twenty second birthday, or our first wedding anniversary a few weeks later," Lissy teased. "But you're not wrong that my mom has helped us out a lot. Not that she minds. Just about anything that annoys McDonough makes her happy."

"McDonough is a dick," Nat said, reaching for more paper for her clipboard. "And you can't get him to tell you a damn thing no matter how nice you are about asking about it."

"Is Cait teaching you how to swear?" Piper grinned when her little sister nodded. "Good. She's the best person to teach someone to do that."

"She really is," Nat agreed, turning back to make sure the young woman was still alright and asleep. "I –"

Nat screamed when the door suddenly flung open behind them, causing Piper and Lissy to turn around, startled, only to feel rather silly when she saw the woman anxiously standing in the doorway. Piper quickly waved her in, while Lissy shut and locked the door again as the woman sat down, shaking.

"Ellie?" Piper said, helping the shaking and frassled woman sit down. "What's going on? Not to be mean, but you look like hell."

"He's missing!" She hurriedly exclaimed. "Nick's missing!"

"Nick? Of all people, he's missing?" Piper stared at her, shocked as the secretary broke down. "When did he disappear?"

"A few days ago!" Ellie shuddered. "He told me was going to investigate a supposed kidnapping – he's one of the only people willing to investigate or talk about kidnappings in this town – by the triggermen!"

"Triggermen?" Piper repeated. "Did he say which syndicate?"

Ellie sniffled. "I think it's Skinny Malone's, but I could be wrong! Oh, I warned him it was a trap, that –"

"Calm down," Piper said, gently holding down her shoulders. "Breathe, girl. Breathe."

"He was going to a Vault!" Ellie said, trying to calm herself down as she spoke. "I can't remember the exact number, but I think it could have been Vault 114! But I don't, I –"

"Hey, we'll figure it out," Lissy reassured her. "Start by going through what he has left behind. Then make a list of what he brought with him or likely brought with him. Compare them, and see what clues it yields. He wouldn't have gone without a reason, and especially not without proof of that what he was looking for would be there."

"That's a good idea," Piper agreed. "Did he leave any holotapes, that you know of, by chance?"

Ellie shook her head. "I'll have to look…but he just did what he always does, just smiled and walked out of the door."


Cambridge Police Station
November the 2nd, 2287
7:12

The sign was falling apart, but it was there nonetheless.

Cambridge Police Station.

Stepping out of the vertibird, the five knights, the scribe, and the Paladin quickly secured the machine on the roof before beginning into the station itself. The scribe followed after the Paladin as he scaled down the fire escape. The knights picked the lock of the rooftop entrance and quickly went down into the station. Just outside the walls of the police station were bodies. Bodies of innocent people. Bodies of raiders and ghouls and super mutants. The knights quickly ran down the stairs into the station proper, guns drawn, only to be relieved and surprised to find it empty of people. The scribe and the Paladin quickly made their ways down to the ground, taking in the scene. The scribe immediately began taking notes. As they had been told, the walls around the police station had been fortified by a team which had come before them. The perimeter seemed relatively secure. The Paladin gave orders over the radio. Soon after, the knights opened the front doors to the police station, and gave them the all clear to enter. The Paladin took one last look around the perimeter, gave four of the knights orders to continue to ensure its security, and then entered with the scribe behind him.

"What a wreck," The Paladin said, shaking his head. "This is worse than anything I ever saw in the Capital Wasteland. Even under Elder Maxson, I never saw something quite so brutal. We should be relieved the Prydwen is meant to arrive in the Commonwealth sooner rather than later. Knight Rhys, would you concur with that statement?"

"I would, Paladin Danse," The knight said promptly. "Especially considering one of our central tasks in being here."

"Indeed," Danse turned to the scribe. "Scribe Haylen! Have you made any observations relevant to that mission?"

"I have seen no signs of synthetic beings, yet, sir," The scribe said. "I have made a note, however, a settlement that claims to be capable of identifying them with a simple, psychological test."

Danse nodded. "You have permission to continue."

"While communicating with a few of our ground teams, I was informed thrice of a settlement which refers to itself as Covenant," She said, removing a few holotapes from a small pouch on her belt. "They have developed a psychological test they have dubbed the SAFE Test. The efficacy of their test is something they have yet to conclude, but they seem to be confident in it."

"Fascinating," Danse said mildly. "How did the teams come across this information?"

"One team has entered the settlement undetected, and are examining it, as it is so well sustained it looks to be pre-War," Haylen replied. "This is how they learnt of the test as they were required to take it in order to be granted access to the settlement. The other two teams covertly observed some residents of the settlement enter and exit a location they referred to as 'the Compound.' It seems this place is where they have developed the test."

"Thank you for the information and report," Danse said, taking the holotapes from her. "I will communicate to our teams and have them continue to observe this settlement and their 'Compound.' Any ways these locals may have at identifying synthetics and destroying them will be incredibly useful to us, as will be the information they may provide about this 'Institute' we have heard much talk about."

"May I ask what our primary mission is, here, Paladin?" Rhys said, standing at attention. "Now that we have ensured the security of this location?"

"As Recon Squad Gladius, we are to continue the work begun by Recon Squad Artemis," Danse said, beginning to pace. "We are to look for and retrieve both valuable pre-War and post-War documents and technology. We are also meant to locate Paladin Brandis, should he still be alive, and to retrieve the bodies of our Brothers from Recon Squad Artemis who perished in combat. Our covert comrades will continue their work in the region to provide us the best understanding it before the arrival of the Prydwen."

"Understood, thank you sir," Rhys turned to Haylen. "Have you any further information for us at this time, Scribe Haylen?"

"I do not," She said. "Shall we set up a terminal for the recording of information and the documentation of resources?"

"We shall," Rhys replied. "You ought to begin as soon as possible."

Scribe Haylen nodded shortly. "Understood."

"It would be most prudent to establish power within the old structures already present," Danse said, taking a quick glance at his surroundings. "This should not prove too difficult a task. I will ask one of the other knights to assist you so as to expediate the process."

"Thank you, sir," Haylen replied. "Is there anything else I ought to know before beginning my sweep of the area?"

"Check for usable supplies, medical or otherwise," Danse ordered. "As well as anything that looks to be notably pre-War and/or valuable. We cannot be careless. Everything we do here must be intentional. We have an important mission, after all."


The Institute
November the 13th, 2287
11:39

"How is work going for the two of you? Or shall I tell you how work is going in my division?"

Nearly the moment the words left him, Dr. Alan Binet laughed as he sat down across from the Filmore couple, both of whom seemed briefly startled. For her part, Dr. Allison Filmore merely rolled her eyes when she looked up to see the head of Institute Robotics jovial smile. Beside her, her husband, Dr. Nathan Filmore, was much more amused, and met Binet's smile with one of his own. Work has been stressful these past few weeks, yes, but I do worry it's making Allie painfully tense. She's under so much pressure, and… He took a look between his wife and their colleague before returning to continue eating his lunch, a bit lost in thought. Madison is pushing the Division to the breaking point. Hopefully Allie and I aren't becoming an undue stress on Janet with how many nights she looks after Quentin as well as her own children. After a moment of hesitation, Nathan looked back up at his wife and their colleague only to grimace at the look Binet gave him.

"Is Quentin misbehaving in Robotics?" Nathan uncomfortably asked. "He has already gotten into trouble last week for stealing high grade stimulants."

Alan gaped at him. "He didn't inject himself to attempt to get ahead at school, did he?"

"Hardly," Allie said irritably. "He snuck into the Bioscience Division and injected the gorillas with them."

"Did he?" Alan laughed. "Apologies, Dr. Filmore, but I'm rather impressed by that. Quentin is a brilliant child, much like both yourself and your husband."

"He is, but he doesn't apply himself," Nathan shook his head. "Allie and I have tried for awhile to figure out what could motivate him to focus in school, but we're struggling. Truthfully, I think it is partially our fault because we haven't been able to spend as much time with him in the last few months, but especially the last few weeks."

"I'm sure he can tell you care," Alan said kindly. "He may only be seven, but he's more perceptive than a great deal of people would assume."

"He is," Allie said with a bit of a smile. "I think he might perk up a bit after Nathan and I talk to him tonight. We've been waiting to tell him about this for awhile, but we're finally ready to."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I'll have to wait to ask the boy myself tomorrow, then. But enough of that, I'm so sorry to worry the two of you about Quentin. Do the two of you want to know about the latest out of Robotics?"

"Depends," Allie replied. "Will it be news that will negatively impact work on Phase Three?"

"No, nothing like that," Alan said. "I wouldn't dare say that to anyone unless it were before the rest of the Directorate. Actually, I wanted to ask what the two of you think about the sentience of our Gen 3s."

Nathan sighed. "It's hard to tell. I'm certainly no expert in communication or psychology."

"I would usually concur, but I will admit I tend to assume they're sentient," Allie paused. "I find myself frequently forgetting they aren't human. Though I would say none of this to Ayo, of course."

"No one wants to say anything to Ayo," Alan shrugged. "I've noticed even Father and Mister Nate avoid him as best they can. I believe they only speak to him to avoid speaking to Conrad."

"Conrad Kellogg," Nathan swore under his breath. "That man is less a man and more a brute. I reckon he's worse than some of those Raiders in the Wasteland."

"I have no desire to find out, but I would tend to agree," Alan said with a grimace. "I do hope he hasn't been bothering Miss Spencer. He gave her and her town quite the fright when he first showed up there."

"Conrad never should have been sent to recruit someone to the Institute, much less someone so young," Allie sighed. "She seems to have adjusted well these last two years, though. I'm glad Shaun assigned her to live with myself and Nathan. She's a sweet girl, even tutors Quentin. It's hard to remember, sometimes, that she's only sixteen."

"Speaking of Jacq, we did tell her Madison is accompanying her to the surface to visit her father and town next week, didn't we?" Nathan smiled when she nodded. "Good. The two of them seem to work rather well together, though I'll admit I was a bit surprised, at first."

"Dr. Li can be a tough nut to crack," Alan agreed. "But she has affection in her. Father wouldn't have suggested she go to the surface with Conrad to recruit her if he hadn't thought she would prove useful in curbing the man's homicidal tendencies so we could persuade a town and recruit a valuable asset."

"Well, regardless, she is much more than just a brilliant girl but kind and deeply empathetic," Nathan sighed. "I will never cease to be impressed by her demanding to meet a prominent Institute scientist to Conrad and one of our small, surface teams. She risked everything in doing that, and she did it in the name of ensuring her town would be taken care of should she leave it."

"She was also incredibly lucky," Alan reminded him. "Though, as you know, I feel similarly on the subject. On the few occasions I've worked with her, she's provided insight into my projects I don't think anyone else could have. She is living proof the surface is not as bad nor as hostile as we have so long assumed. It sounds like hell compared to here, of course, but it's certainly not a lost cause."

"If the circumstances were more…controllable, I would be curious to observe it," Allie confessed. "But we have far too much to worry about down here for now before we can consider the surface. Certainly in Advanced Systems, at the very least."

"Perhaps you should accompany your foster daughter on her next trip to the surface, then," Alan remarked. "I imagine Dr. Li would appreciate the company from one of her close colleagues."

"Perhaps I shall," Allie replied, sharing a knowing look with her husband. "I have not been since Madison and I brought Jacq home, and, of course, it is the most controlled environment we can manage, after all."