The story of a rose in a shallow grave belongs to Wombag1786, the sequel to this one.

I do not own RWBY and Fallout.

Autor: Andiclip

A rose over a shallow grave belongs to Wombag1786

Chapter 11: get a clue

The return trip wasn't as complicated as they had expected, except for the occasional raiders until they reached the perimeter of Diamond City. As they entered, Nate remembered what Piper had asked him.

"Wait a moment, Seis, Nick. I need to take care of an interview."

"Sure, Nate. I suppose it's with Miss Piper, right?" Nick asked sarcastically.

Nate nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?" he asked.

Nick just smiled. "Let's just say we're friends, and I know when she has a 'story of the century.'"

They would descend to the printing office, where all three would find Piper typing on a typewriter with a cigarette in an ashtray. When she looked up, she saw them and smiled. "Well, you're back and with Nick. I'm glad you're okay."

Nick tipped his hat. "Well, I had trustworthy friends," he said.

"So, are you ready for the blue and cowboy interview?" Piper asked as she took a drag from her cigarette.

"Why the nicknames?" Seis asked.

"Well, because of the blue jumpsuit and the cowboy look you both have. The Pip-Boys show one as a fish out of water and the other as someone with a lot of experience in the wasteland, not to mention the scars," she said, pointing to the areas with her finger.

"Okay, here's the deal. I'll interview you. I think the Commonwealth folks will be interested in the story of a Vault and someone from the outskirts. What do you think?"

"Well, it will help me understand what the new Commonwealth is like," Nate said confidently.

"I don't have any problems with that, but keep it professional," Seis said, sitting down, while Nate and Nick leaned against the wall.

Piper pulled out a notebook and a pencil. "Great! Let's start with the basics. Um... Well, we're here with..."

"Nate Smith."

"Seis."

Piper raised an eyebrow at Seis's name. "Nate Smith, a Vault resident, and Seis, a visitor from the Commonwealth. We'll start with Nate. Tell me, you come from a Vault, right?" Nate nodded. "So, how would you describe your stay in the Vault?"

"Well... I'd describe it briefly because my family and I were frozen for two hundred and ten years."

She stopped writing to look at him. "Wait, are you saying you were frozen in a cryo chamber? Were you from before the war?" she asked.

"That's right. The bad part is that thing reset my brain. The only things I remember are some events and the moment when the bombs fell."

"Well, that's to be expected. Most of the Vaults were actually strange experiment capsules."

"Wait, experiments? Wasn't Vault-Tec supposed to be saving the American people?" Nate asked in disbelief.

"Unfortunately, no," said Seis, lighting a homemade cigarette. "In the Mojave, there were several Vaults with the same theme. I remember several, but the one that caused the most hatred towards that company was Vault 11. They had to sacrifice a resident each year to avoid dying from radiation," he said, surprising everyone inside. "Yes, even yours was intended to study the effects on the body after freezing."

Nate couldn't believe what he was hearing, but knowing that shattered his reality. "My God."

"Yes, that's the harsh reality of the Vaults," Piper said, understanding his distress. "Back to the interview. What do you think of the Commonwealth, especially Diamond City?"

Nate smiled a bit. "Seeing people rebuilding gives me some hope."

"A man out of time, with hope for a better future," Piper said as she wrote it down. "Why did you come to Diamond City? You said you were looking for someone?"

"My son, Shaun. He's no more than a year old."

"The search for a missing child," she sighed. "Always touching. Tell me, do you suspect it was the Institute?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But whoever it was will pay," he said determinedly.

"Not even a baby is safe, and people wonder why I look the other way," she noted. "Now, Seis, tell me where you're from?"

"I'm from Nevada, specifically the Mojave. In New Vegas. I arrived via the Jet route."

"So you came from the other side of the country. Why?"

"Well, one of my children, Ruby, had a transmission from the Vault Nate is coming from. She convinced us to come here to investigate... It's strange for me to see buildings. I prefer the desert."

"By convinced, do you mean more of your children came with you?" she asked.

"Yes, well, they're not MY children, but I'm their adoptive father. They're in Sanctuary, rebuilding it."

"I see... What do you think of Diamond City?" she asked.

"It's just another settlement, not as big as the Strip, but it's good."

"Well, this will be the last question, and it's directed at the people of Diamond City. What would you say to those who have lost someone but are too afraid or desperate to search for them?"

"Don't lose hope, even when the situation is desperate. You will succeed."

"Don't lose track. If you have a clue, hold on to it and keep going," Seis added.

"Well, that will be all," she said, finishing her notes. "That's enough. I'm going to start writing and selling it. By the way, Blue, if you need a second hand, just let me know."

"Thanks, Piper. Let's go, guys," Nate said as they stood up and left Piper's office.

"My God, Nick, you're back!" Ellie said, surprised.

"Well, it's hard to miss this face," Nick joked with his assistant.

"Pff... If you keep laughing at death, one day death will laugh at you."

"Not while I have friends supporting me," Nick said, looking at the group.

"Well... You've saved Nick and my job. This is the least I can give you," Ellie said as she went to a locker to hand over a bag with 100 caps and a set of detective clothes, which Nate took and put in his backpack. "If you're looking for work, Nick could use a little help."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nate said, closing his backpack. "But for now, we have my case to solve."

"Right, have a seat. Ellie, get a chair for his companion," Ellie nodded and went to the back to get a chair for Seis. "Alright, if it's about finding someone, we need details. Tell me everything you can remember... no matter how painful."

Nate closed his eyes, recalling that day. "It happened in Vault 111. It was a cryogenic station. We were frozen for a long time. We were suddenly woken up, and I saw... two people. One was, I think, a scientist in advanced radiation gear, and the other... looked like a combat-experienced man with light combat gear, bits of protection, especially on his left shoulder... he killed my wife Nora with a .44 revolver, if the sound it made is accurate. They took my son Shaun from Nora's lifeless body, and the last thing he did... was look at me and say, 'At least we have the backup plan.'"

"Interesting..." Nick said, analyzing the information as Ellie took notes. "A group of scientists must have hired this mercenary to kidnap your son, but out of all the Vaults, yours was chosen. It has to be a group that took the effort to research everything about you... but the question is, why the baby?"

"The million-dollar question is... who would do it? Let's rule out super mutants and raiders... but the Gunners or The Institute are possible suspects."

"What are the Gunners?" Seis asked.

"High-level mercenaries. No job is too brutal for them. The mercenary might have been hired by these scientists, but they are not the ones responsible," Nick elaborated.

"That leaves this 'Institute.' What is it or who are they?" Nate asked, analyzing this name that hinted at science.

"We don't know much about them. They are the boogeymen of the Commonwealth. They send their first-generation synths to scavenge in areas of high scientific interest and attack whatever they see first. But the recent ones are a tough task. You don't know if the person is human or synthetic, and they operate undercover. And the worst part is that no one knows their plan or aspirations when they enter a settlement or what their purpose is. I don't even know, and I'm one; a discarded prototype."

"Wait, you were part of the Institute? I thought you were from Robco," Seis said, surprised.

"From what I know, yes. One thing that is known about a synth is that it needs a consciousness to be hard to recognize. In my case, my consciousness belongs... or belonged to an old detective named Nick Valentine from two hundred years ago."

"From my time," Nate said, incredulous that this Institute existed before the war. "That explains the way you speak. Even more reason to find Shaun."

"Right, let's focus on that. Especially on this mercenary. What do you remember about him?" Nick asked.

"He was bald and had a scar running across his left eye." Nick's eyes widened suddenly.

"Wait... it can't be... You're not talking about Kellogg, are you?" he said, in disbelief.

"Wait, you know him?!" Nate asked, astonished, standing up from the chair.

"It's too much of a coincidence. Ellie, what do we have on Kellogg?" Nick asked Ellie, who hurried to search through files for Kellogg's case.

Ellie opened her eyes wide as she looked. "The coincidences are exact: bald, scar on the left eye. Known for dangerous work as a mercenary. No one knows who his boss is."

"He bought a house here, and he had a child with him."

"Yes, the house in the West Stands area. The boy was about ten years old."

"It's Shaun!" Nate shouted, unable to believe he was here. "Are they here?!"

"No," Nick said to calm Nate. "They disappeared a long time ago. Maybe they left a clue about their location in that house," Nick said, standing up to see Nate, who was impatient to find his son, while Seis was analyzing the information.

'The child is ten years old, but Ren from the store said he was still a baby. Could it be possible he was a synth?'

"The security doesn't patrol around there, but be careful," Ellie said, worried.

"I'm always careful," Nick smiled at her and then left quickly with Nate following closely behind.

Six just tipped his hat and followed them while analyzing this information

As they headed to Kellogg's house, Nick spoke up. "I didn't want Ellie to hear this, but you need to know. Everything I found out about Kellogg before his disappearance is bad news. He's a professional—fast, clean, and meticulous. He has no enemies... because they're all dead. This indicates he's our guy, not just because of his appearance, but also his methods."

"Kidnapping a baby with a small group and leaving one of the parents alive for later. Not many mercenaries can pull that off."

"Yeah," Nate said seriously, and Seis noticed his finger twitching on his gun. The house was in the area Ellie had mentioned, a two-story building connected by a walkway.

"Watch the entrance; I'll try to force it," Nick said as he worked on the metal lock. After a second attempt, Nick stood up. "The lock is too tough. Want to give it a try?"

"I'm not good with locks," Nate said.

"I doubt a cherry bomb would do the trick," Seis said, looking up at Diamond City. "What's up there?"

"That's where the mayor lives... Why don't you try your luck up there?"

"Wait here, Seis," Nate said as he left.

While Nate was gone, Seis spoke with Nick.

"Doesn't this seem strange to you?" he asked.

"About Kellogg being with the Institute? It's likely, but we don't have much evidence until we get inside," Nick replied.

"But what intrigues me most is Shaun."

"Why?" Nick asked while lighting a cigarette.

"A trader said she saw them, but the thing is, Shaun was still a baby. Could this ten-year-old be a decoy or a trap?"

Nick paused from smoking to consider it. "You've got a point... another mystery with the Institute, but the backup plan intrigues me. Why did they say that to Nate?"

"It must be a long-term plan... I hate surprises," Seis said.

Nate returned after ten minutes. "Let's go in," he said, approaching the door, but before opening it, he held up his hand with the palm open, indicating them to stop. "A knife, quickly."

Seis handed him a knife, and Nate cut a wire at the entrance. "Clear."

When they entered, they saw a loaded shotgun mounted above the door, pointing down.

"Spring trap, commonly used in the Alaska war," Nate said as he stepped inside.

As they searched the house, they found two beds on the second floor.

Seis approached the desk and found a button underneath it, which he pressed, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside were ammunition, supplies, and explosives, along with a sofa and a table with alcohol and some cigars.

Nate picked up the items and recognized them. "Gwinnett Black Beer, .44 revolver bullets, and San Francisco Sunlights cigars," Nate said as he analyzed the items.

"The brand won't help much... but the smell might," Nick said, discovering something. "Let's use your dog; they have a good sense of smell."

Nate nodded and went outside where Meatball was waiting for his master. He knelt to let the dog smell the items. "Find that son of a bitch, Meatball."

The dog barked and began sniffing the air, and upon finding the scent, started running. Nate followed him, with the others trailing behind.

But unbeknownst to them, a raven was watching

"Subject 027 has been located. Would you like to contact the Institute?" asked a robotic voice.

"No," said a man, looking at a terminal. "Let him come; just proceed with Plan B," he instructed the machine.

"Acknowledged," the robot said, moving away.

"And I thought I was the most stubborn man in the world," he said as he turned on a megaphone. "Activate the defenses, and protect the area by any means necessary," he ordered before heading to a room to get his weapons. "Alright, let's see what the old man has planned."

We approach the anticipated confrontation. Who will win? Stay tuned for the next chapter. :)