Chapter One
In The Dark

The Commonwealth sky is beautiful at night. Of course, the lack of light pollution helps.

Below, the desolate ruins of the city that was once Boston sprawled across the landscape. More than a century has passed since the bombs dropped and destroyed most of the world. What is left of mankind managed to survive only in scraps of civilization, having found ways to cling to life in scattered settlements, scavenging for resources and rebuilding what they could from the remnants of the old world. In the absence of law and order, the wasteland was a realm of chaos.

Nick Valentine stood at the peninsula stretching from the southeast of Boston. The cool night air was heavy with the scent of decay and damp earth. Around him, run-down buildings and rubble bore the scars of years of warfare and destruction. Despite the desolate and dark scene around him, the detective tilted his head up and watched the stars twinkle like scattered diamonds against the canvas of velvety blackness.

Beauty amidst and above tragedy. A silver lining, perhaps—or a cruel reminder of what could have been.

The stars above weren't the only source of light. Before him, the old campus grounds of Massachusetts Bay University, now known as University Point, was in sight. The settlement casted a fluorescent hue that glowed above its crumbling structures and the ramshackle yet sturdy walls around it.

The detective waited outside in the ruins, his thoughts returning to the distressing letter he received back in Diamond City:

Emma Salah, daughter of Achmed Salah, went missing a day ago. She was seven-years-old, with blonde hair and fair skin tone.

Once the letter reached Nick, the detective rushed off to the scene of the crime. In cases like these, it was always better to come to the scene of the crime as soon as possible, while the tracks were still fresh. Missing person cases were Nick's specialty. After all, the Commonwealth wasteland was filled with such unfortunate events. Solving them, however, didn't always guarantee a happy ending.

About ten yards in front of him stood the northern entrance gate to University Point. It was one of the few settlements in the region that had gained some semblance of prestige in the wasteland. The settlement was rectangular in shape, encompassing the expansive campus, with impressive makeshift metal walls integrated with existing buildings to form a robust perimeter. The only side left unprotected by walls was the university's edge, bordered by water that served as a natural deterrent against intruders.

On top of the buildings and walls, UP guards vigilantly watched for outside threats. The settlement was considered to be safe by the standards of the wasteland. However, as of now, it is considered to be the last known site of Emily Salah's appearance.

By this point, the watchmen must have spotted Nick outside. As he watched the night sky and waited for his contact, he huffed his half-burnt cigarette through his plastic lips, filling his synthetic lungs with nicotine, simulating what the intoxicating chemicals used to feel like.

Since University Point was situated at the water's edge, the occasional mirelurk—a human-sized, mutated, territorial shellfish standing around five and a half feet tall—would sometimes emerge and create havoc on land. However, the inhabitants have adapted, turning these mutated shellfish into a valuable resource, breeding them and trading their parts for profit. Their presence brought with them a briny stench mixed with salty seawater and hints of decaying ocean matter, a smell that was intrusive to those living deeper inland.

Nick couldn't fathom how the occupants managed to get used to the smell, but he was grateful for his ability to filter out the stench whenever it intruded on his senses. It was one of the perks of being a synth—androids created by an enigmatic organization known as the 'Institute', the Commonwealth's boogeyman. Little is known about the Institute: their operations, their goals and even their location can only be speculated upon. Based on experience and stories, it is clear that their synths have no qualms about taking innocent life when they see it fit. Nick, however, was different. While many of the latest synths looked increasingly like humans and less like robots, Nick's design was caught in between. From afar, one could mistake him for an animatronic (or a shot-up mannequin if he stood really still), given his skin was made of a strong, plastic-like material. His robotic components were also hard to miss, visible through the cracks of his body's outer layer.

For purposes still unclear to Nick, they had installed the memories of a pre-war, grizzled detective into him, lending him the original Nick Valentine's personality in the process. After some years of processing the new world and the conditions he lived in, he assumed that he was a discarded prototype that the Institute didn't really care much for.

He decided that wearing a button-up shirt, a tie, a trenchcoat, and a fedora would help people identify him as a private eye. Over time, the ensemble also helped divert attention from his more discomforting metallic parts. Who knew a synth donning a detective's outfit would look quite funny to people a hundred years after the war?

With a short puff, he let the smoke drift out through his mouth and nostrils, the haze floating up and dissipating into the night as he heard footsteps approaching him.

"You must be Detective Valentine. Glad you made it," the man said in a raspy voice.

Nick's synthetic eyes — dark glassy spheres with yellow, glowing irises — focused on the approaching voice in the dark. The figure was a ghoul, a post-human mutant birthed through radiation, with mottled and decayed skin which told tales of the horrors he'd endured. Ghouls face a similar discriminatory sentiment but some have come to be accepted by many communities. He was wearing leather armor and had a rifle saddled on his back. He had worn-out security guard blues underneath the armor, fitting for a watchguard of University Point. His eyes were also as black as Valentine's, a very common side-effect of ghoulification. From here, Nick could tell that the ghoul walked with a slight limp, probably for a long time as he seemed well-adjusted to the condition.

"Nice to meet you," Nick paid back the courteous greeting, dropping the cigarette to the ground and crushing it under his boot. "I came as quickly as I could."

"Thanks, much appreciated," the ghoul replied. "My name's Jack, I'm a friend of Achmed. Kindly follow me, I'll take you to him."

With that, Jack led Nick towards University Point's northern entrance. Bullet holes in the walls and casings on the road caught Nick's synthetic eyes, indicating a recent skirmish.

"We were attacked by some raiders who took potshots at us, nothing we couldn't handle," Jack stated, noticing the detective's gaze on the aftermath.

"No one even got seriously hurt. It's what happened after..." Jack trailed off as they trudged forward. The big steel gates in front of them slowly creaked open, letting them through the small gap between the two doors.

"Tell me about the girl." Nick opened the conversation with something simple. Gathering as much information as possible will help him map out the scope of the case.

"Well, Emily is about seven years old but she's smarter compared to the other youngins' her age. She looks more like her mother than her father. She had blonde hair and pale skin."

"Where's the mother?"

"She died giving birth… Hit Achmed hard but he loves Emily more than his own life. The girl was named after her mother."

"And Achmed? How much do you know about the father?"

"He's my friend, even before he started living in UP. We used to be Minutemen under Colonel Bridger. After I resigned, I decided to work as a night guard here. He contacted me and wanted to find a place to settle down. Three years now."

"A Minuteman, huh?" Nick said, impressed. Minutemen was a militia filled with volunteers who wanted to do right by others. And they did. Over the years, however, their zeal started to decline. "What made you resign?" the detective followed up, honestly curious.

"Oh, these old bones can't keep up with the new blood." Jack said with a touch of nostalgia and a hint of jest, "They offered me a leadership position but I declined. I knew when I was wearing out my usefulness."

"Yet you took a guarding job."

"It's less demanding." Jack smiled.

Inside University Point, the old, crumbling institution had telltale signs of a thriving community in the wasteland. It wasn't the first time Nick walked through this settlement, and yet the resilience and resourcefulness of the people here always struck him. Despite the decaying buildings and the constant threat of danger, there was a degree of normalcy and peace.

The buildings were arranged in a rectangular layout, with the shorter sides of the campus facing the east. In the middle, wooden structures were built around a razorgrain farm, with stalls and tables surrounding the area. Generators hummed, sending power through the various buildings and makeshift structures, illuminating lightbulbs and posts.

The University was a hub for trade. They had a steady yield of crops, allowing them to sustain themselves and establish trading connections outside. One of their buildings, known as Sedgwick Hall, was half sunken into the waters. Its lower, flooded floors became Mirelurk hunting grounds and fisheries while the top areas housed extra sleeping quarters and spaces. Children often played in the central grounds near the farms, as traders haggled over goods and guards kept a vigilant watch from their posts.

Tonight, however, the community was on high alert. The recent incident had deeply unsettled their sense of security. Stalls and booths had closed early, and the lights blazed brightly, casting an intense glow over the central area. Guards, visibly agitated and alert, kept a close watch on Nick as they made their way through the grounds.

"Don't mind the stares." Jack said, "It's just their first time seeing a friendly synth."

Not a very reassuring comment.

They walked past unmanned stalls and trading posts, and arrived at a small dormitory, now repurposed as a residential area for some of the settlers. It was situated at the northeastern corner of the settlement, almost at the edge of the waters. At the lobby, Nick made several observations: the building had only two entrances, both connecting to the inner university grounds. All first-floor windows and external exits had been securely barricaded with steel, cement, and plywood to prevent breaches. Security guards were busy locking down the dormitory and conducting interviews with the inhabitants about the incident.

'Good,' Nick thought, 'Makes it easier to cross-examine testimonies.'

Climbing the staircases, Nick looked to the second-floor hallway and observed a loud commotion between an old lady and a guard, arguing about something. Once they reached the third floor, they were stopped by two other guards.

"Hey, Jack. Who's this?" one of the guards said, with some disdain in his voice.

"Relax, he's the detective we talked about. Let us through. He needs to talk to Achmed," Jack replied.

Nick peered past the guards and looked down the hallway. There were only three doors between the staircase and the end of the hall. One door was set against one side, while the others were on the opposite side. A man was sitting beside the lone apartment door, his back slumped on the wall. His right palm covered his forehead, and his other arm rested on his knee.

The man wore a uniform similar to Jack's and appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent—though such distinctions had become largely irrelevant in this new world. He had thinning hair and wore eyeglasses. His gaze was fixed downward the entire time.

This must be the father.

The two guards looked at each other and let them through. Nick could've sworn he heard the guard mutter freak under his breath. They approached the father sitting in the hallway.

"Achmed, this is Detective Valentine," Jack introduced.

Achmed looked up, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with desperation. "Please, not now, I–" Achmed was taken aback as he lifted his eyes toward Nick, a reaction very familiar to the detective by now.

Not everyone appreciated a synth's presence. After all, the Institute itself was shrouded in mystery, and their synths raided several settlements beforehand. Several reports of missing individuals were also allegedly tied to them. Building trust was something Nick had to keep doing if he wanted to help people.

"You—you're a synth?" Mr. Salah exclaimed. "You didn't tell me that Diamond City's detective is one of those… those things!" In clear distress, he stood up and directed his attention to Jack. Nick didn't take offense. He had done this song and dance plenty of times.

"Relax, Al, he's here to help," Jack said as Achmed paced around the hallway, "If those folks at Diamond City can vouch for him, what do we have to lose?"

Nick nodded. "I'll do everything I can to help, Mr. Salah. But I can understand if you need time. Just say the word."

Achmed was silent.

Nick and Jack shared a look. Getting properly started on this case hinges on his trust. Eventually, Achmed turned around and faced them.

"Fine," Achmed sighed, "Anything to save my little girl."

Note/s:

1. This is vaguely set around 50 years before the events of Fallout 4.
2. Consider this map of University Point as a reimagined interpretation of the in-game area. It's somewhat larger, but the overall atmosphere and layout remain consistent. (The key difference is the addition of a university dorm turned residential area for settlers; there's a building on the map that loosely fits the description given.)
3. Edits are mainly typos hehe