Cabot House. It was the only thing that appeared like it might have those hundreds of years ago. When she was still building a life...in that formulaic way everyone had. Back when she thought she'd never have to pick up a firearm again. Back when she could stop being military and start being a mother, a wife, a bake-sale block-party PTA neighbor.

And the primary reason she couldn't was why she was here.

Because that wasn't the militia counting on her to rebirth it. Not the science fiction non-corporation that was mildly holding every life in the Commonwealth hostage for her leadership. Not even the holocaust of nuclear fire that hadn't spare any thing else.

The General unlocked the door and set boot upon vacuumed carpet.

"You again.", Edward stated. "We don't really have any jobs right now. No matter how well you did the last one. But word is, you're more than busy enough."

"I need to speak with you and Jack.", she explained. "And no one else. Not even your other...are they still 'employers'?"

"Heh.", Edward understood. "I'll get Jack and we'll head into the dining room."

The General didn't have to wait long. "I'm sorry, General.", Jack began. "I don't have any other gifts besides perhaps a small portion of bottlecaps. I've been locked away in my studies attempting to recreate the serum. After all, we have lost the source and without it the Cabot family's end is soon to come."

The three sat around the table with Cabot at the head and Edward across from the General.

She dug in her pocket for a moment. "Oh, you mean this?", holding up a volume of MYSTERIOUS SERUM.

"How do you have that?", Edward accused.

"When you asked me if there was anything the raiders had left, I lied.", the woman told them. "In fact, there's a lot I'm lying about. And I'm going to lie a lot more.

"But there is a real truth that I need to bring you in on. Jack, for your expertise. And Edward, for your experience in keeping certain matters on a really strict code of silence. You both understand the compartmentalization of information and its need. Now if that's a price you can pay to know, we can get into what you're going to pay for knowing."

"On the other hand. If you're on board. I can hand you this vial of serum. And should the Institute be able to replicate it, many more instead of just a few.

"But in all honesty. You're a scientist. And what I have to tell you will allow you at least two things. The first being the single greatest mystery you will ever have. The second being an opportunity to save the whole world: the planet, humanity, the whole kit and kaboodle. What scientist could resist?"

Edward cursed. "Bull/"

"Edward!", Jack stopped him.

"Think about it, Jack.", Edward demanded. "General of the Minutemen and from all reports, including her own, the foot in the boot of the boot on the neck of the Institute itself wants to deal. There's no way we're going to survive any of what she wants us to volunteer for! If she was after something we had, between a gang of Minutemen that don't have shelter in the condition of this house and a gaggle of Synths, the she'd just take it. She wants us to do something. And that something has to be astronomically dangerous."

Cabot lifted his hand, as if to physically pause him. "And that's why she didn't want mother or Emogene here. Considering she's coming to us, it has to be my expertise she's interested in - you have pointed out she has an overabundance of military might. And that this expertise doesn't exist within even the Institute, despite their technology allowing them to kidnap and replace people.

"So, General. What aid with LORENZO'S ARTIFACT can I offer. Help designing a process for its mass manufacture?"

The General looked at Cabot. Looked at him real hard. "Does that mean you're in?"

Jack nodded. "Sure."

And the woman shook her head. "No. I mean, are you in? Have no misgivings gentlemen. If you're in, then that's it. If you breach my confidence I will kill you all. Not just you two. Your mother, your sister, the physical house...I will grind the asylum to the ground and search through the library to erase the name Cabot and all evidence of everything this family has ever been involved with from history. No matter how many artillery strikes or synths I lose doing so. Not as a punishment or a threat of coercion. As a precaution."

Edward and Jack looked at each other. "You really mean it, don't you?", Edward confirmed.

The General didn't respond.

"We're in.", Edward told her.

"Now wait a minute/", Jack started before the ghoul cut him off.

"No. We're in.", Edward informed. "We've been around a long time. And the only person who gets it is Emogene. This family facing mortality will crumble instantly and rip itself apart, Jack. And that's just us. The important part, the real important part, is what she's after. Something tells me that if she can't get this done, we're screwed anyway."

Jack took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, I've always noted your council. I have no reason not to do so now. And, as the General so aptly points out, I have a very liquid reason to accept."

The General wanted to make sure. "Should I tell you what I am about to then you can't tell anyone. Even to do what I need you to do, you'll probably have to all but disappear. However, you seem to be able to accept your isolation. And you've maintained for longer than just the two hundred years of the post-war era. Last chance."

The two men nodded.

"Is the house wired?", the General asked. "Is there anyway your other family members will hear this, or a hacker could steal this information?"

"No.", Cabot stated.

"Just checking.", she replied.

Then she brought up a map of the Commonwealth on her pipboy. "Here, in an unmarked spot outside of Oberland Station. An alien craft is crash landed, out in the open."

Edward glared at her.

The woman took out an ALIEN BLASTER and set it on the table.

"Okay.", Edward acknowledged.

Cabot's fingers reached out reflexively but he hesitated. "May I?"

The General nodded. She pulled out what she believed to be the ammunition for the weapon before handing it over. But for all she knew, it could be internal decoration if aliens decorated things they couldn't see due to a difference in culture.

The scientist poured over the weapon. "And the craft?

"The alien.", she continued. "I tracked a bizarre signal to a cave. In that cave was an actual visitor from another planet. Not wanting to mess up first contact, I had every thing holstered and walked in to meet him. It? It saw me and just started shooting. I backed out of the cave. No return fire. It just kept shooting. I had to put it down for my own safety. Fortunately, human weapons worked. Or at least if they have a force field or unobtanium armor, this one didn't. I stopped the signal and promised myself I'd get back to it after I found my son.

"Well, I have found my son. And now I'm getting back to it. That thing reacted to me like we react to a death claw - an existential threat that can't be reasoned with but could be eaten. If these aliens show up in any number or even with less crash worthy ships, the whole world is doomed. And not just blow ourselves back to the stone age with nuclear weapons screwed. I mean, no one survives, no one rebuilds, no one.

"So I need you to analyze everything there. We need to not only understand the threat, but be able to meet and exceed their technology before they get here. You're the only person I know with any kind of know-how in this type of situation. On top of that, I can't let any of this get out. So I can try to get you things from the Institute or resources from the Minutemen. But you'll be on your own. From doing the actual investigation to building some sort of structure over the thing to keep people from finding out."

"You saw what the fear of the Institute did to people.", the General explained. "Imagine if they knew we weren't alone. And that the company we're keeping is dangerous. I'm not talking just the last straw that broke the camels back on people struggling to keep any kind of hope alive. What happens when the Children of Atom view an alien power source as a glow from above and actively try to destroy any defense against them? Edward, you've probably seen a fusion core going critical. What happens when some scavver comes along and tries to dismantle a star drive?"

Edward cut her off. "Why not go to the Institute? From the outside looking in, they seem to have a good grasp on technology and the ability to keep their mouths shut."

She shook her head. "If the Institute saw an existential threat, they'd abandon the Commonwealth entirely. Maybe the rest of humanity. They'd spend all their time holing up and prepping a mega-weapon. Everyone else could go hang and our species would die before any alien fired a warning shot."

"So, let me get this straight.", the ghoul rasped out. "You want Jack to reverse engineer an alien spacecraft and anything that came from it, including the pilot, well enough that it's not only usable but available to replicate. We need to keep this entire operation more than hush-hush: not just from raiders, but the Commonwealth wide Minutemen and it's spook the Institute. It'll be just us with the occasional 'care-package' from you. And if we mess up, it's bye bye humanity. And if anyone finds out, you'll burn us before the untold power of the aliens does. And all we get in exchange is a vial of serum, that you damn near stole from us to begin with, and a lead on more?"

The General pursed her lips. "That...about sums it up. This is our ticking time bomb, gentlemen. Everything I'm doing is in preparation for what this foretells. And I have no idea what number the countdown's on. All I know is that it's game over, no continues."

Cabot clapped his hands. "When do we start?

"Now, right?"