A/N: Salutations my fine friends. Apologies for not posting last week, I ended up doing a bunch of family things. That's in the past, though. Today, we have more story. I think, as usual, Fallout 4 didn't do enough with the characters or story elements in Far Harbor. While storytelling constraints keep me from spending too much time exploring them, I'm hoping to do a better job than the game. Anyway, leave a review if you're so inclined an, as always, enjoy!
Chapter 99: ... To the Summit
This is the part of 'diplomacy' I hate. Even if I knew DiMA wouldn't drop everything and help get us to the Institute, that's what I wanted. Waiting for him to make a decision wasn't something I was interested in. I'm used to direct action; if I had to wait, it was because someone else was taking care of something. Now, I'm just waiting.
I took a deep breath and turned to Nick. The detective hadn't moved. He was standing in the same spot he had been when DiMA walked away, staring at the bank of computers he'd disappeared behind.
"You want a minute?" Nate asked.
Nick jumped like he'd forgotten the three of us were there with him.
"No, no." Valentine shook his head. "No, I-" he stopped, his mouth twisting into a frown. "I don't think I got enough information to figure out exactly what I'm supposed to be thinking, you know?"
That seemed reasonable. DiMA hadn't told him much. It was easy enough to guess they'd been in the Institute together, as prototypes, and escaped.
How had they escaped? And why were the two of them so different? While it might be egotistical for me to assume, I'd bet those were two of the questions he was asking.
"Maybe you should take a little time", I said. "You've told me to do that."
As he turned to me, he cocked his eyebrow, clearly amused. "I don't know if I should be insulted or flattered by the comparison."
He was just like Nate: they both resorted to sarcasm when they were uncomfortable. Since both of them did it so much, it could be hard to tell when it was real and when they were trying to avoid a subject. Not that I have much room to talk. Maybe they've rubbed off on me but I've also started using sarcasm a lot.
Even so, I don't use it to deflect.
"We don't know when they'll make a decision", I continued. "You have time."
Nick adjusted his rifle's sling and rolled his shoulders.
"As much as I'd like to give these old servos a rest, we don't have time. Whatever their decision, I still have to keep my promise to Rei and Kenji."
Kasumi.
Nate nodded. "Fair enough." He looked at Old Longfellow. "Did you want to hang around up here? Like Damon said, we can't let you go back to Far Harbor without us. You don't have to follow us wherever we go."
He doesn't? I cocked my head at the ex-soldier.
"You can stay with him if you want", he said. "I'm just trying to make things as comfortable as possible for everyone."
"Neither of you has let 'him' answer", our guide said in his tired, weathered voice. "Seems like I'm around for the long haul, might as well dig into whatever's goin' on here."
Nate looked at me. It… wasn't my call, really. This was a personal request for Valentine. If he felt uncomfortable bringing Longfellow with us, I'd support him.
"Well?" I asked the Synth.
Valentine shrugged. "I don't see why not. Unless something sensitive comes up."
While I wanted to go bother DiMA until he agreed to help, it wasn't the right thing to do.
So I motioned back down the hall.
"You bringing that with us?" Nate asked, pointing over my shoulder as Valentine started toward where our host had said the staircase was. The pack?
"Yeah. I'm fine with it."
He nodded as we followed Nick and Longfellow back down the hall, Dogmeat padding alongside me. The man who'd greeted us, Terrance, was sitting beside the entrance in what looked like a dining room chair, reading a book. The Synth looked up and offered a smile as we passed before returning to his book.
The stairs were to the entrance's left. The building's interior was in much better repair than almost anywhere else I'd been. The concrete was still cracked and pitted in several places. However, the steel railing, which I'd expect to be covered in rust given the salty ocean air, was corrosion-free. Even the lights set in the walls and ceilings were clean and lit.
If I didn't know I was in a post-apocalyptic hellhole, I might assume I was just walking through an older, well-maintained facility.
I could hear activity below us: talking, the subdued sound of boots on thick concrete, and the distinct, metallic ring of someone hammering on metal.
At the bottom of the stairs, we emerged into another hallway, not unlike the entrance above us. When we came out, there was no door to the left. The corridor extended to our right toward another large room. The main difference was the lack of a massive telescope or computer banks.
Replacing those things were people- or Synths, I guess.
Before we'd made it halfway to the room, I counted at least half a dozen different Acadia members.
"All Synths, huh?" Nick mused. His head turned to Longfellow. "You know about how many they had?"
The old man shook his head. "Nope. That ain't none of my business. Had to bring a few folks here over the years. What happens after that's their business."
It would have been nice to get that information. If they saw the Synths as a potential risk, knowing how many people they'd be dealing with and what their specializations are would be step number one.
Maybe they don't see Acadia as that bad? I don't know.
Whatever the case, they weren't presently our enemies; if necessary, we can count.
As we emerged into the room, the Synths nearest the door glanced at us. Then, when either Nick or I registered, their glance became a stare, and their eyes went wide.
There were a variety of different people in the room. That caught me off guard. Several men and women, wearing some mixture of overalls, coveralls, or aprons, were obviously technicians or mechanics. Half of them were covered in grease or presently working on an item that, without the clothes, would have identified them. Others were wearing some kind of protective suit. It reminded me of the scientists at the Institute who worked on the hydroponics farm.
…
That was what was off. These are a bunch of Synths. Despite knowing third-generation Synths could be almost indistinguishable from humans, my image of Synths was built on what I'd seen in the Institute. Sure, I met Sturges, Andrew, and Curie, but those were a few individuals. There were… maybe 15-20 of them all living in the same area, working together to survive.
I was expecting something different.
They were all working on one of any number of objects. Equipment, computers, frames, and what might have been planters, along with a few tables and a lot of tools littered the large space.
"Hey!" someone, a woman, shouted from the other side of the room. "Hey, I know you!"
That voice… I knew it. I remembered it from somewhere.
Scanning the room, I couldn't find-
A young woman detached herself from a large frame she and a few others were working on. She had pale skin and short, black hair over a narrow face. Like many of the others, she was wearing a set of coveralls that made it hard to tell what kind of build she had.
"You… oh!" The Synth stopped in front of us- in front of me, mouth pulling into a wide smile. "You saved me from the Gunners and that Courser a few months ago, remember? I'm Jenny!"
Gunners and Courser? The only time I fought both of those at the same time was-
Oh. "In CIT?"
Jenny nodded vigorously, still smiling. "Yeah! Yeah, I never got your name!"
That makes sense. It was a while ago. "Damon. You were the Synth they had locked in the top floor?"
"That was me. I went to Goodneighbor but… things were a little too much for me there. Diamond City wasn't gonna happen, so I ended up in a small settlement a little ways north. Then I learned about this place, and it seemed better than staying."
It… wasn't a story I'd asked for but it was good she managed to survive all of that, especially considering how things started for her.
Nate stepped up beside me. "You two met when Damon was chasing the Courser?"
"Mhmm." Jenny nodded again. "Killed it before it could get to me."
"Huh." He glanced up at me. "Guess we're all learning something new today."
"Well, I… thank you again." She smiled again, this one a little more shy. Her eyes dropped to the ground between us, and her face started turning red. "I didn't wanna put you on the spot or anything."
I looked up to see every other Synth in the room now looking at us.
That was aggravating. She hadn't been trying to do that, though. "I'm glad you're safe."
"I owe you everything. Please let me know anything I can do for you."
Everything? That seems a bit excessive. I hadn't even gone there to save anyone…
I held up a hand to wave the statement off. "Don't- uh…" Was that the right thing to do? Was this like the situation with the Finches, where telling them they didn't owe me anything was wrong?
"It's kinda his thing", Nate stepped in before the silence could take hold. "I'm sure he really is just happy to see you made it here."
"Still, saving someone's life is a big deal", she replied. "Anything, and I mean it."
Jenny didn't wait for me to respond. She turned and hurried back to the trio of Synths working on… it looked similar to the power armor service bays the Brotherhood used.
The other Synths didn't bother pretending they weren't watching me. All 15 of the ones that weren't Jenny stared as silence draped itself over the room.
Motion to my right caught my attention and I turned to see-
My right hand shifted toward the pistol grip of my Mk-18 as a Courser marched toward us. Except, she wasn't quite right. Her hair, while not stylized, had waves I didn't remember seeing from the straight-edged tracker units in the Institute. As she walked toward us, I noticed her jacket was wrong too, it was old and brown with a ragged hem; it, and its owner, had seen a lot of action. Like her hair, it lacked the antiseptic air I'd come to associate with everything Institute.
Was she not a Courser? She may have taken it off one they'd killed. Not sure how much I'd trust a ragtag group of Synths to kill a Courser, though.
"You're the newcomers Terrance was talking about", she said. Her voice wasn't quite right either. It definitely had some of the detached matter-of-factness I'd expect from a Courser, but it wasn't entirely devoid of emotion.
For example, that was accusatory.
"That's right", Nate said, nodding.
"He said you", she looked at Nick, "are someone he's been thinking about for a long time. The other prototype third gen. he escaped with."
As she spoke, the Synths around us started returning to their tasks. Not that they didn't look or throw an occasional glance our way.
Nick shrugged. "That's what he tells me. I don't remember a damn thing." He didn't try to hide the confusion in his voice. His speech was slow and plodding like he had to examine every word before it came out in case he was about to say something wrong.
"You hunted down and killed a Courser?" the woman asked. She was all business, it seemed. The information Nick was a former associate of Acadia's leader probably should have had some effect. Not with her; it was information to be processed.
I could respect that.
"Yes."
She frowned… no, her frown just deepened. "DiMA said you're here for help getting back to the Institute."
If DiMA had told her why we were here, she was probably part of this place's leadership.
"Affirmative", I replied.
"He didn't tell me why."
"They released a disease in the Commonwealth. We're trying to stop it."
She put her hands on her hips. "So you thought you'd make that our problem and put us at risk for that?"
Security?
"We're trying to keep the risk to you as low as possible", Nate interjected. "It's why there's only three of us here."
"Uh-huh." She didn't sound impressed. "And what are you doing down here?"
"Looking for a girl named Kasumi."
The newcomer pursed her lips for a heartbeat before waving for us to follow. "This way."
She led us around one of the projects in the middle of the room and over to the far side. Despite the room's size, with as many things going on in it as there were, weaving between all of them was difficult. For me, anyway. The others didn't have a problem with it…
When we reached the other side, the… security officer walked to a door set in the far wall and swung it open.
"Through", she commanded.
On the other side was a set of stairs leading down.
As much as I didn't want to take an order from her, I had no reason not to besides being stubborn.
So, I ducked through the door and started down the stairs.
When we were all descending, I heard the door clang shut behind us. Like the other staircase, this one was clean and well-lit, the cracks in the concrete its only signs of age. It wasn't very long and curved right, following the edge of the room we'd just left. A few seconds later, I was at the bottom.
It was a small room, maybe four meters on either side, and opened into a much larger one. Before I could examine it, everyone else had joined me at the bottom of the stairs.
"I'd like to ask a few more questions", our new 'escort' said. I turned to her along with the other three.
"As a function of my job, I'm much more active than most in Acadia. Even paid the Commonwealth a few visits in the last year. I know who you are."
I cocked my head. "Apparently, everyone in Boston does."
She squinted at me. "I mean, I know about you and your relationship with the Minutemen, the Railroad, the Brotherhood, and the Institute. I know the Brotherhood has attacked you multiple times, including in the middle of Diamond City. I know the Institute tried to have you killed."
I saw Nate frown out of the corner of my eye.
"What's the point?" I interrupted.
"Point is you're a person of interest for everyone in the Commonwealth. How do I know no one's followed you here? We're very careful about security protocols, and you coming here without following any of them might have compromised our position.
That… was fair. We hadn't followed their security protocols.
We had followed mine.
"We weren't followed", I replied. "I've spent a lot of time running clandestine operations. We have our own security protocols."
She nodded. "You may. They aren't our protocols. I used to be a Courser; I know how the Institute operates and how they hunt."
"I've been fighting them for three months. I may not have direct experience but I'm familiar. And we work with the Railroad."
"Yeah, I know that too", she shot back.
"Do you mind explaining what your goal is, here?" Nate asked. "It doesn't seem like you'll be satisfied regardless of what we tell you."
She looked at him. "I need you to understand the consequences of your actions. If the Institute finds us, especially cooperating with you, that's the end for us."
Nate nodded. "We know. I used to be part of a group in the Institute trying to subvert their primary objectives. I'm painfully aware of how they operate. And we all know the risk we're taking on your behalf by coming here. We took every precaution possible."
The former Courser frowned, eyes darting between the four of us. After a few seconds of quiet, she grunted again. "Kasumi's through there", she said, motioning into the large room. "Name's Chase. I run security for Acadia. For now, I'm asking that you don't do anything else to put us in danger."
"Yes, ma'am", Nate replied.
Chase lingered at the bottom of the stairs for a few more seconds before marching away. I watched her until the tattered jacket disappeared around the staircase's curve.
A Courser working security for escaped Synths. How the hell did that happen?
Movement beside me dragged my attention back to our ongoing situation. Nick was already heading through the door and into the room beyond. Nate followed with Longfellow, and I started after them.
This room wasn't as well-lit as everywhere else had been. Between the large wood crates, steel containers, and scattered toolboxes, the circular room looked more like storage than a workshop. If it weren't for the couch against a wall I walked past, and the piece of equipment in the center, I might have mistaken it for one.
And there was someone at the side of that equipment in blue coveralls, bent over, working on something. Her black hair was tied back in a bun to keep it out of the way.
"Power circuit's completely fried…" she muttered. "Don't know if I'll even be able to salvage any of this."
She sighed as she pulled at something. There was a gentle click and her hand came away with a cable, its end charred.
This was Kasumi? She sounded young, which made sense if she was Rei and Kenji's daughter.
"Kasumi Nakano?" Nick said as he came to a stop a few meters from her.
The girl bolted upright and turned to face us, ruined cable still trailing in her right hand.
"Who-" her eyes went wide and I saw her expression go through open-mouthed surprise and a confused frown at the same time. "You're new here. Who are you? And why do you look like DiMA?"
Nick nodded. "You're right, I'm new here. My name's Nick Valentine. I look like DiMA because… we came off the same assembly line around the same time. I guess."
"You're from the Institute?" The question wasn't alarmed or scared. She sounded more curious than anything else.
"Originally, yeah. Haven't been there for a long time."
"Do you know DiMA?"
Nick crossed his arms over his chest. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed, amused, or curious. I've met these types before. She reminded me of Sturges when I first met the group in Concord. Yes, he was nervous like everyone else but as soon as he had something that grabbed his interest, that all dropped away.
"Apparently." He held up a hand to stop her next question. "Kasumi, take a breath. The information ain't going anywhere if you don't get it right away. My name is Nick, these three are Damon, Nate, and Old Longfellow. Longfellow's from-"
"Town, yeah, I met him." Her eyes moved from the old man to Nate, then froze on me.
"Oh my god." She walked forward until she was standing directly in front of me, eyes darting around my armor like she was trying to see all of it at once.
It probably would be easier if you weren't standing a half meter from me. I'd seen that look before, too. The first time my techs got their hands on my new armor, they both looked like someone had given them the suit.
Which, in a sense, they did. Every time I brought it back in rough shape, they'd always say it was theirs.
"What kind of suit is this? It isn't standard design. There's no segregated frame. In fact, I don't see a frame." She reached forward and I took a step back. That didn't seem to bother her.
"It looks like the hard armor is integrated with a reinforced undersuit at points of articulation-"
"Kasumi", Nick interrupted, managing to sound both amused and annoyed. "Tormenting Damon's one of my favorite activities but that isn't why we're here."
Her eyes lingered on me for a few more heartbeats before she turned back to Valentine. "Right. Sorry. It isn't every day you see an entirely new armor system." She frowned. "Wait, why are you here?"
Nate huffed at the same time as I smiled. She was… interesting.
Nick cocked what should have been an eyebrow. "We're from the Commonwealth. Your parents asked us to find you."
The interest and confusion fell from Kasmui's expression. Her shoulders sagged and she looked down for an instant.
"My parents sent you all the way here from the Commonwealth, huh? And you came here for me? Even with how dangerous it is?"
"Well, not strictly, no. We have some problems of our own. Your parents are old acquaintances of mine, though, and they wanted me to find you."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she shook her head, hard. "Sorry you came all this way for nothing, then. My parents- those people who were taking care of me- they wouldn't want me if they knew the truth."
"The 'truth' that you're a Synth?" Nick asked.
Kasumi nodded, her eyes still closed.
How does she know she's a Synth? That would have been my first question. Then again, there's a reason I'm a SPARTAN, not a detective.
Nick frowned. "When did you realize you're a Synth?"
"I… I don't know." Kasumi opened her eyes. "It was just one of those things that built up over time, you know. I don't mean to be rude but I don't want to talk about it with people I met 30 seconds ago."
"Don't worry about it", Nick replied, waving the concern away. "I get how personal that can be." He paused and his glowing eyes flicked to me. "Nate, Longfellow, can you guys give us a little space?"
I knew that voice, too. Why did he want me to stay?
Nate frowned but he didn't protest. "Sure." The ex-soldier looked at Longfellow and jerked his head at the open doorway we hadn't entered through. "Come on. Let's see what else is around here."
While they walked away, Nick turned back to Kasumi and offered a lopsided smile. "Having an audience always makes talking about personal stuff harder. Do you mind if I ask about what it's like here? Why you came and what you think about it?"
Kasumi glanced at me before shaking her head. "No, that's fine. I… came here looking for answers. It's somewhere I can live and be. Everyone accepts me here. Staying in the Commonwealth with my- with Rei and Kenji would only have made things more difficult."
"What do you mean 'complicated'?"
"Exactly that", she snapped. That question had touched a nerve. "Complicated. How am I supposed to tell them 'Hey, I'm not your daughter. She's dead and was replaced with me!'?" Kasumi shook her head. "No. No, it's better this way."
"Believe me when I say I'm only asking a question but… your parents asked us to come all the way up here to find you. Do you really think this is better?"
"Stop calling them my parents. They aren't." The way Kasumi added the 'they aren't' was odd. It was too soft like she didn't believe that part.
My eyes narrowed and I felt my mouth tug into a frown. She didn't know what she believed, but she ran away from her home and her parents because she was scared of talking with them? What the hell is that about?
"Even if that's the case", Nick said, voice almost as soft as Kasumi's, "even if you really are a Synth, you still lived with them. You still care about them. They told us about your relationship with your grandfather. Losing people, especially ones close to you, is hard."
"I didn't do this because Grandad died."
Valentine nodded. "I know. I'm not saying you did. I know what it's like to feel you don't belong. You lose a connection and it's over. I get it."
My head was still stuck on her leaving her parents, her home, without saying anything to them. That holotape was locked in a safe and wasn't addressed to them. It was her own journal to herself.
What the fuck?
"What's your point?" she asked. "Are you trying to convince me to go back?"
"Kasumi, I'm a detective. Probing's in my nature. Kenji and Rei asked me to bring you back but it isn't my place to force you." Nick shrugged. "All I'm doing right now is learning."
"Good. Because, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm somewhere I'm supposed to be. There are answers to questions I've been asking for years in this place. I don't want to lose that."
"I would say it'd be a good idea to let them know you're safe and happy. Kenji's been yelling into that radio of yours since you left. Even if you don't wanna go back… they could use the closure."
Kasumi stepped away, eyes going wide. "What?! No, I- no. I can't talk to them."
You can't talk to them? Your parents? The all too familiar images flashed through my head. What would my parents have said if I did this? After what they did for me? I don't know if hers would make the same sacrifice but they're sure as hell worried about her.
My hands balled into fists at my side.
This wasn't about them; it was about her. She was scared. She wasn't sure about this, and she was afraid talking to them might make her second-guess this decision.
"That's bullshit", I said quietly. At first, I didn't realize I was the one who'd said it. It wasn't until Nick looked at me, eyebrows raised, and Kasumi's wide-eyed stare found my visor.
"What?" the young woman asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
I glanced at Nick. Was… I supposed to do that? It- what she was saying was aggravating me but this wasn't my show and my feelings weren't the issue here. Hell, my concern was getting to the Institute.
That doesn't mean this isn't bothering me and my emotions don't matter.
What purpose does getting upset here serve?
No clue. Then again, I'm not the most experienced person here.
For his part, Valentine hadn't stepped in to redirect the conversation.
Guess that means he wants me to answer.
"You have parents that care enough about you to send someone they haven't seen in years 200 kilometers away to find you. You're throwing that in their faces because you're too scared to talk with them. That's bullshit."
I expected her to protest. At least, I think I did.
Kasumi didn't. She just stared.
"Sorry about Damon, he isn't the most eloquent person in the world", Nick said, voice still quiet.
Wait- he didn't want me to interject?
Then why didn't you stop me?
Was he-
My eyes narrowed.
Nick had done this to me several times, he'd never used me to do it to someone else before.
Whatever; let it go.
"It's normal to be scared, especially when you aren't sure what's going on. You came to DiMA because you're looking for answers-"
"I'm not here for DiMA", Kasumi interrupted. "I'm here because of Acadia. This place… it's somewhere I think I can call home."
Valentine frowned. "What do you mean you aren't here for DiMA. Is something wrong?"
… Am I missing something? What did he pick up on?
"... Uh…" It was Kasumi's turn to frown. She looked like she'd said something she didn't want to.
"Kasumi, I'll warn you before you say whatever you're about to say, part of the reason I'm a detective is because I'm never satisfied with a mystery. It's gotten me into plenty of trouble over the years, but I'll keep digging until I find an answer."
She squinted at him. "You said you weren't worried about not knowing if I'm a Synth."
"Yeah", Nick nodded. "That's different. I've learned personal questions like that are sometimes better left to whoever's asking them. If there's something wrong here", he glanced at me, "that interests me."
There wasn't an immediate answer. Instead, Kasumi took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. So there was something wrong. Nick was right; if there was a problem, that did become our concern.
"Fine", Kasumi relented after the silence dragged to 30 seconds, "but- you have to promise you won't tell anyone."
"Detectives don't make it very far if they can't keep their mouths shut."
She took another deep breath.
"Alright. You saw all those computers that DiMA's hooked up to, right? They hold his memories or offload data from his brain. Or… maybe some combination of both?" The young woman glanced behind us at the staircase.
"Well, Faraday asked me to do some repairs on them and, you know… I got curious. There's like a century's worth of memories in there."
She started to sound like she had when talking about my armor.
"And that's when I see it. Data models DiMA has been making. One was the Fog taking over Far Harbor. Another was a nuclear detonation on the island. Plus… death counts." Kasumi frowned. "What if DiMA is so open and welcoming because he's hiding something from us: a plan to wipe out the rest of the island."
Wiping out the rest of the island? On one hand, that made sense: wipe out the rest of the island and you curtail any potential security risks, either from the other inhabitants or their ability to spread word about your presence. On the other… it didn't. Why would DiMA be running simulations of the Fog overrunning the town if he provided the Fog Condensers? That's wasted time and resources that don't get you anything but positive relations and, maybe, favorable trade.
"So you don't trust DiMA even after coming all this way for him", Nick mused.
"I didn't come to Acadia for him." Kasumi's voice hardened. Same with her eyes. This was something she was serious about. "I came here because this place offers answers. And now that I've found a place I belong… I'd rather not lose it because DiMA is secretly planning to destroy everything."
Nick took a deep breath of his own. Or a facsimile of one. I still don't know if he needs to breathe. "So the spread of a radioactive fog and a nuclear blast. I know about Far Harbor but what's this about a nuke?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe something to do with the Children of Atom? I haven't talked with any of them… I don't know who else he'd be planning to blow up."
"It isn't like we can do much about the Fog if DiMA decides to turn off those condensers. And a nuke…" Valentine shook his head. "That isn't something I want to mess with. I'm missing a lot of info here, Kasumi."
"I know. It's something I've been working on but I haven't had much luck. I'm new here and… I know everyone accepts me for me. They're really careful about security, though."
"Is there anything else you can tell us? I think this is something we can and are interested in helping you with." He cocked an eyebrow at me.
If this jeopardized our operation? Absolutely.
I nodded.
"You will? Thank you! I-" Kasumi frowned. "I'm not sure what else I know that can help."
"Anything you can think of. Most of the time, an innocuous detail is the key to breaking a case."
Valentine's voice had changed. I could tell he'd put his detective hat on.
"Well… Faraday has access to all DiMA's memories. And he's known DiMA the longest. If anyone would know what he's planning, it's Faraday. He has a terminal upstairs but I haven't been able to break in. The security on it is really good. What else… Oh, I've seen DiMA go into the lab with Chase and Faraday plenty of times while I've been down here. Every time they come out, they look like they've been arguing."
Nick nodded. "And they're the leadership here?"
"Yeah. Others take charge of some things but everything goes up to them in the end."
"Okay…" Nick said quietly. "I don't think the terminal's a good option unless you've been holding out on your hacking skills."
"No."
He shrugged. "Didn't think so. Either listening in on one of those conversations or talking to them directly are our only two options. Talking to them directly is a nonstarter. If something is going on and they catch onto us suspecting them, that could be a disaster."
Nick looked at Kasumi again. "Is that lab big enough to hide in?"
"No", she shook her head. "I've only seen inside for a few seconds. Pretty sure it's one room, though."
"What about rooms butting up to it?"
"Uh…" She trailed off, glancing at the hall Nate and Longfellow had gone down. "There's… a storage room at the end of the hallway. I think they share a wall. It's locked, though."
"Locked, huh?" Nick smiled. "That's something I know how to deal with."
The last time we'd run into a locked door was at Kellogg's house in Diamond City. I'd had to break it open because neither he nor Nate knew how to pick a lock.
"You do?" I asked.
Nick nodded. "I've picked up a few new skills. Fixing shortcomings, and all that." He looked at Kasumi. "Are other folks down here?"
"I don't know if anyone is right now. They'll come down here sometimes for maintenance."
"Alright. I'll see what I can find out from a little snooping." He held up a hand to stall her thanks. "But. If I do this, I want you to promise you'll tell Rei and Kenji where you went and that you're okay."
Kasumi frowned. "I thought you said you're interested in what's happening."
"We are. Problem is we're risking our jobs to do this. If we get caught, we're in trouble." The detective shrugged. "Up to you."
He was bluffing. I knew he was bluffing because I wouldn't make that call. If there's something here we need to investigate, we're investigating it. Especially if it might compromise our mission and, subsequently, the Commonwealth.
It was quiet for several seconds, the only sounds drifting through the large room's two doorways. Nick might have been the one to deliver the ultimatum, but Kasumi was glaring at me.
Well, I am the one who called her 'approach' bullshit.
A true statement.
"Fine. I'll call them after we figure this out."
Nick smiled. "Fine by me. Thanks, Kasumi. We'll be back as soon as we got something worthwhile." He looked at me and jerked his head to the hall Nate and Longfellow were in. "Let's go find our friends."
"Please", the young woman pleaded. "I don't want to lose this place."
"We'll do our best."
I started toward the hallway, Dogmeat padding beside me. He'd been so quiet this entire time I'd forgotten he was there.
Nate and Longfellow were at the far end of the corridor. Standing beside the door Kasumi had described. Between us and them were what looked like half a dozen large generators on the right-hand wall behind concrete supports.
Nick drew even with me as we walked toward the two of them. The wall on my left had several doors, one near the end of the hall that led to a small, windowed room. That might have been the lab. There was another door on the far side of the room we could see through the window as we passed.
"Damon", Nick said, "gotta say, I expected a little more from you back there."
We stopped in front of Nate and Longfellow.
"What?"
"Well… not to be too forward but that hit pretty close to home. What you said was good, I was just surprised you didn't say more, is all."
He was grinning up at me.
"So you did want me to say something", I mumbled. "That's why you wanted me to stay."
"That's right." The bastard nodded. "You did good enough."
"I'll remember that."
Valentine grunted. "That sounds ominous."
"So… what happened, exactly?" Nate asked.
"Kasumi's scared to contact her parents", Nick replied. "But there's something else going on here. Apparently, DiMA's up to something shady and she wants us to look into it. Could impact what we're here to do too, so we agreed."
Longfellow frowned, or I assume he did. It was hard to tell with his beard. "Shady? What's that supposed to mean?"
"She isn't sure. All she knows is DiMA has simulations of the Fog overtaking Far Harbor and a nuke going off to, I assume, kill the Children of Atom."
I shook my head. "It doesn't make sense for them to wipe out Far Harbor after giving them the condensers. I don't know about the Children of Atom; it seems like the same would apply."
"You sure he won't do nothing?" Longfellow asked. Or maybe 'accused'. "You only been on the island a few hours. Known DiMA for 15 minutes."
"No, I'm not sure. I said it doesn't make sense."
"We aren't sure of anything yet", Nick said. "We know how to get some more information but it might take a while." He pointed to the door we were standing beside. "This leads to a store room that shares a wall with their lab. Kasumi says the leadership here, DiMA, Faraday, and Chase, go in there to argue pretty regularly. If we listen in on what they're saying, we might figure something out."
Nate reached back and gave the handle a tug. "It's locked."
"Uh- yeah, we know." Nick sounded like he was trying very hard not to roll his eyes. "Give me a minute and I'll get it open."
He started to walk forward but the detective stopped before he could take a step. "We can't all do this. Even if no one finds us, it would be suspicious if we all disappeared."
That one wasn't hard to solve. "I'll go in with you", I said. "Our story, for now, is the two of us went back outside."
"And what's wrong with him doin' this on his own?" Longfellow asked.
"We don't have an excuse for Nick disappearing on his own. It's a more reasonable explanation."
Our guide cocked an eyebrow. "Don't ya think they'd notice us leaving?"
"We can ask Kasumi if there are any alternate exits."
A place like this would have to have some. "We don't have time to stand around arguing about this. We don't know when someone will come down here. Or when they will." I nodded to the door. "Get started; we'll watch for anyone coming down."
X
There had been alternate exits. Three, according to Kasumi. One of them was left unmonitored because it was a hidden subterranean exit. She told us it was only to be used in case of emergency.
It had taken Nick less than a minute to pick the lock and once he had, he and I slipped into the store room. Inside… was a store room. Several shelves and boxes were arranged around the walls, most of the contents dusty. It didn't look like anyone had been inside in a while.
Not only did this room share a wall with the lab, but it also shared a window. We could see straight into the small, one-room lab. Other than more shelves and materials, a computer terminal, and what might have been a small operating table, the lab was empty.
Not the lab of someone thinking about wiping out two population centers.
Then again, my handler's office had been pretty benign, too. And that guy made me, when I got here, look empathetic.
"Looks like as good a spot as any to do a little snooping", Valentine had whispered as he settled to the floor against the windowed wall. It would hide us from view unless someone walked up and pressed themselves against the opposite side.
I followed suit, lowering myself to the concrete and leaning up against the wall beneath the window.
And then we waited.
Neither of us spoke, no need, especially when that risked giving our position away.
Nick was staring at the floor a meter from his boots, unmoving. It was one of the few times I'd seen him look like the machine he was. His face had gone slack, too, like every bit of processing power he had was being used elsewhere.
He's been hiding it well but this must be difficult.
Funny, in a sad sort of way. We'd been in a similar position when he'd picked my past apart in Fort Hagen after I'd killed Kellogg.
Even if I had no reason to stay quiet, I had no idea what I'd say.
Time crept by with no DiMA, Chase, or Faraday. There were footsteps outside accompanied by talking every once in a while but, as minutes turned into an hour, nothing.
It was both excruciating and infuriating. I'm not good at sitting around and I'm not good at feeling like a situation is out of my control. I couldn't do anything to make this process faster, nothing I wanted to do, anyway, but it still felt like I wasn't doing enough, sitting here. Unfortunately, sitting here, waiting for Acadia's leadership to show up, was the best thing I could do now.
And it sucked.
Just before noon, after we'd been waiting for almost two and a half hours, I heard the lab's outer door swing open. There were voices, I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. I could tell one of them spoke with DiMA's slow, deliberate cadence.
I waved to get Nick's attention. When he looked at me, I motioned to the lab and he nodded.
A few seconds later, the door swung open.
"- without bloodshed", DiMA was saying as he walked in. I heard his feet clacking against the concrete floor. There were two other sets of footsteps with him. Probably Chase and Faraday. "Far Harbor and the Children of Atom have a right to exist on this island, the same as us."
The walking stopped and I heard the door swing shut. "They're going to kill each other, DiMA." That was Chase's voice. "There's no stopping it. We need to pick a side now."
Something started tapping. "Haven't we already picked a side? Building the Fog Condensers around Far Harbor wasn't exactly a neutral act." A new voice. Lower and a little nasally. Probably Faraday.
"We couldn't stand by and let the people of this island die to the Fog."
Chase huffed. "Just like you couldn't leave the Cult of Atom without a home? Giving them the submarine base was a mistake."
Cult of Atom? Apparently, Chase wasn't as sympathetic to whoever the Children of Atom were as DiMA. And what's this about a sub base?
"The "Nucleus", as they call it, is basically one big fortified position."
"Far Harbor cast them out", DiMA replied. "They have strange beliefs, but they have always accepted us for what they are. And Confessor Martin was a friend."
"Well, the new confessor isn't", Chase retorted. "High Confessor Tektus is an unstable megalomaniac and he's gonna keep threatening us as long as we're helping Far Harbor."
And that must have been Martin's replacement. Honorifics like "confessor" were always odd to me but the switch from 'confessor' to 'high confessor' was a red flag. While I knew nothing about 'Tektus', that title was suspect. It stank of the same sort of, in Chase's words, megalomania I'd seen from Fundies.
The same sort I saw from Maxson.
"Guys", Faraday interrupted, "can we talk about the elephant in the room? We keep dancing around it."
"My old memory banks in the submarine base", DiMA replied.
The sentence was low and halting like he didn't want to say it.
I heard someone step forward. After spending enough time observing people, you pick up on some things. This wasn't careful or soft. The step was just short of a stomp. Chase wasn't happy. "I can't believe you never told me about those. I have to wait until they become a security risk!"
She sounded pissed.
"Just like with our 'new arrivals'. I didn't know anything until they were downstairs."
"Their arrival was… unexpected. I know how it looks in hindsight but, at the time, it was an act of trust. I was honestly more worried they'd accidentally trip the prewar security and get hurt. Giving the Children my old home. Allowing them to safeguard my old memories. I thought our people would be working together."
There was a short pause before Chase sighed. "Just how secure are the banks? How long do we have? And what's in them?"
Good questions. Straightforward and direct, meant to assess what kind of risk they posed. Chase knew what she was doing.
"I've gone over this before, Chase. I don't know what's in them. That's how it works. It's as close to 'forgetting' something as I have. But I've… run some projections of… worst-case scenarios. If we do nothing, and the wrong knowledge falls into the wrong hands…"
That was worst-case scenario for a security concern. Not only did DiMA not know what was in the memory banks, he didn't know if and when they'd be breached. Would they have information on Acadia? On Far Harbor? On their operations? Would they be able to access DiMA's systems here?
If the exasperated grunt that came from Chase was anything to go by, she knew all that, too.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd say send me", she said. "But now that you've let these newcomers into Acadia, I can't."
I heard servos whine softly, probably DiMA moving. "We can't risk it anyway. If they saw you, it would be war."
"Wait", Faraday interjected, "why couldn't you? What has you concerned about these newcomers?"
Another step. "Nick Valentine? After all this time, Nick Valentine shows up here? Someone DiMA's been looking for since he escaped?" She huffed. "And then we have Damon. I've been hearing a lot about him over the last few months. As far as I can tell, he appeared out of nowhere. Those are two major unknowns. Unknowns means risks and it's my job to minimize risk."
"Well- we should at least prepare her to go in", Faraday replied. "We're running out of options. I say we tell her how to crack into the memory banks."
"I told you-" Chase began but cut herself off. "You've been working on this without me?"
Wow. They don't care as much about security as they should for a group hiding from the Institute.
"It came up in a private moment, Chase", DiMA replied. "But yes, we've been writing a program that will let you access and download my memories. It's not going to be like a normal hack. You'll be breaking through a version of my own mental network. It will consider you an intruder. I've loaded the program with some instructions I've recorded that will help guide you through it. I'm afraid it's difficult to explain without seeing it for yourself."
"I'm finishing up some tweaks to the program right now", Chase added. "I'll leave a copy of it for you on my desk when I'm done."
Chase sighed again. "Get the program, use it to break into the memory banks. If I feel secure enough leaving Acadia while they are here."
"Hopefully, you won't have to", DiMA said. "We'll keep monitoring the situation. I only want you going in if we have no other choice."
"Do we have schematics or a layout of the base?" Chase asked.
"Yes, on the computer bank in my office", Chase answered. "I can give them to you."
Another pause before another sigh. "Alright, let's go. I need to put a plan together, at least."
"Fantastic", Faraday said and I heard the door swing open. "I'd rather not let this concern continue to fester."
Their footsteps filed out of the door and it shut a moment later.
After a minute passed, Valentine let out a low whistle. "Well, sounds like Kasumi's concerns about DiMA blowing everyone up aren't quite right. Though, I'm not sure what's really going on's much better."
I nodded. "Agreed."
"But it does give us a bargaining chip."
When I looked at Nick, he was already watching me.
And I knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Offer to have me help them extract the data. That way they get someone besides Chase who's proficient at infiltration and intel gathering, and she doesn't have to worry about leaving me alone in Acadia."
Nick nodded. "Yes on the first part, I didn't think about the second one. That might score some points with her, too." He climbed to his feet and I followed suit. "Let's give 'em another few minutes, make sure the coast is clear, then meet back up with the other two. Gotta talk this one through before diving in. If we play this wrong, we might get a lot of people angry at us."
That was true. I don't think it was that simple, though. Or maybe Nick was focused on a different aspect of our current situation. Not only did we have the issue of earning the leadership's trust, but we now have to deal with another fundamentalist group led by a megalomaniacal leader with the added wrinkle of a genuine religion. One that's already unhinged.
Worshiping radiation? I've seen some crazy ones, mostly when fighting them. This one was easily the most self-destructive. At least the Fundies that worshiped the Covenant might survive meeting their gods.
It makes sense DiMA's running simulations for nuclear detonations or the Fog, but he should probably add in ground fighting. Between the antagonism from Far Harbor, their leader, and their potential access to DiMA's memories, the Children of Atom could be a serious threat.
It's even worse if there's a sub in that base.
Wait… a nuclear detonation-
… Oh. Oh shit.
"There's an armed nuclear sub in that base", I muttered.
Nick turned to me and frowned. "Armed? You think?"
"Why else would DiMA simulate the results of a nuclear detonation?"
I watched the realization click between "the" and "results". Valentine's mouth dropped open for an instant before he regained control of his face.
"Oh shit", he said, echoing my thoughts. "And… if DiMA lived there, he might know how to launch one of their missiles. And if these people worship radiation, and they have access to a thing that can spread a lot of radiation, and they learn how to use it…"
My feet were carrying me toward the door before he finished talking. The detective almost tripped over my armored boots as we hurried from the room. I heard Dogmeat pad out behind us.
This entire situation just got a lot more complicated and a lot more dangerous. We're past the need to gain trust. An armed nuclear sub, if its missiles were topped with nuclear warheads, was another armageddon waiting to happen.
My pace was fast enough Valentine had to jog to keep up as we passed the generators lining the wall back toward where Kasumi had been working.
Submarines hadn't been used commonly in warfare for hundreds of years but they were incredibly influential in the 20th and 21st centuries. Entire fields of study were written on subsurface warfighting and, considering the three-dimensional characteristics of underwater combat, were still used and added to.
Yes, I knew the impact an armed sub could have.
And this world didn't have anything that could deal with that.
No one was in the room when we passed through the door. Other than the piece of machinery Kasumi had been working on, and the collection of crates, boxes, and a couch, it was empty.
We started back up the stairs-
Just in time to see Nate and Longfellow coming around the turn in the other direction.
Something in Nick's face or my body language must have tipped the ex-soldier off because his jaw went rigid a heartbeat after seeing us.
"Outside", I said and the two of them turned back up the stairs. We marched through the large workshop the Synths had set up, then up the well-lit stairs to the main floor.
The door was unmanned this time, Terrance having left his post beside it.
I shoved it open and ducked through into the early afternoon sunlight. It rippled through the trees and cast waving shadows along the cracked concrete parking lot, the observatory, and Acadia's perimeter wall.
Suddenly, the island didn't seem so secluded and quiet. It seemed dangerous. Whether they'd do anything with it or not, this place had a secret that could glass anywhere the Children decided to set their sights on.
Marching away from the building, I passed the opening in the wall and stopped 20 meters down the road. The others followed, Longfellow wearing a deep, confused frown.
"There's an armed nuclear submarine in a base somewhere on the island", I said before either of them could ask. "It used to be DiMA's home; he gave it to the Children of Atom. He has memory banks there and they're concerned they might find a way to access them. If they do, the Children might be able to launch a nuke."
Nate grimaced. "You're shitting me..."
"A submarine?" Longfellow asked. "Yeah… I remember somethin' about a base but I didn't know there was some kinda submarine in there. And you said it can launch nukes? The Children of Atom would love somethin' like that. Spread all kindsa radiation with that thing."
"And turn wherever they spread that radiation into dust", Nick said.
"Do you know where the base is?" I asked.
Longfellow shook his head. "Nah. Never been there. Pretty sure it's somewhere on the other side of the island from Far Harbor. Not that that narrows down where we gotta look."
"DiMA knows where it is", Valentine said. "We could ask him."
Nate shook his head, frowning. "We're a little new to the area to tell him we know something like that."
"Yeah, but they sounded awfully concerned about it themselves, especially Chase. If we're gonna do this, we should probably make the best of it. Extracting those memories like they were talking about might be our best option." Nick looked at me. "I'm sure you don't want to use a more direct approach."
These people might be fundamentalists but they hadn't detonated any nukes yet. Not that I needed to wait for them to do it to justify using force. It might be better, for now, if we used a more subtle approach, if available. I don't have enough information to know what kind of shitstorm outright attacking them would kick off.
"Correct", I said, nodding. "Our options at the moment are to take whatever program Faraday was working on and use it ourselves, infiltrate the base and destroy the data stores, or attempt to work with them."
We were on a short timetable and not only did I not have any intel, I didn't know enough to know what questions I should be asking. Building an image of the situation from scratch would be hard and time-consuming. We hadn't even completed our original objective: getting DiMA to help us get back to the Institute. And that is on a short timetable just like this was.
Sounds like the decision's already made, then.
"We'll talk with DiMA", I continued. "We don't have time to do anything else."
Both Nate and Valentine nodded in unison.
"Agreed", the detective said. "I think we should go now. They're clearly nervous about this situation. Chase is nervous about us and the faster we get things rolling, the better it'll be for everyone. Hopefully, if they're still on the fence about helping us, doing something like this will convince them."
We started back toward the front door. Walking through the gate into the parking lot, I glared at the building ahead of us. DiMA… might have gotten this operation up and running, but if he had security lapses this bad, I don't know how it had been around as long as it had.
However long that was.
Probably Chase's doing. She's a lot more security-conscious than the other two.
DiMA's idealism might have been blinding him to the risks. He was trying to see the best in everyone.
Considering Far Harbor wanted to wipe out the Children of Atom and the Children had a crazy person as their leader, it wasn't going as well as he'd hoped.
But, with everything I'd seen, it's about as well as I'd expected.
Back inside, the hallway leading to DiMA's hub felt much longer than it had the first time. It was strange, nuclear warheads- they weren't a common part of modern combat. That didn't mean the UNSC was sparing in their use against the Covenant.
Here, though, a nuke in the hands of a group that worshiped radiation was apocalyptic. And that's assuming whatever sub was in that base only had one. It was common for missile subs to have a dozen or more warheads. Not all of them were nuclear but if just a few out of the complement were…
When we marched into the large, circular room, DiMA was, again, hooked up to the computer bank in the center via his strange chair. He was facing us and there was no way he didn't know something was up.
"What seems to be the matter?" the Synth said as he detached himself from the contraption.
I just stopped myself from talking. What I wanted to say was something along the lines of "You gave a radiation-worshiping cult a nuclear missile sub? What the fuck is wrong with you?" I didn't. It was best to let the others handle the talking.
For now.
"Well…" Nick said slowly as we came to a stop in front of him. I felt more than heard something move behind and to my right. When I looked back, I saw Chase and Faraday exiting a door. Chase had the right side of her jacket swept back and her right hand on her hip. It had a holstered handgun on it.
"Since we're in a situation where we're asking you to be honest, I guess I'll start."
Turning, I faced the pair behind us. Chase fixed her eyes on my visor and I returned the glare. I didn't have my hands on my rifle but I don't think she needed them to be to understand I was ready if I needed to be.
She said she's heard about me, after all.
"We were eavesdropping on your meeting", Nick continued. "Heard about the concerns with the submarine base, the Children of Atom, and your memories."
"Ah, I see", DiMA replied. "I was hoping you had been spending your time getting to know more about us. I guess you have, in a way."
His voice was hard to read and, I couldn't rely on his body language since I was facing away from him. That being said, it sounded like his normally neutral tone had taken on a… disappointed tinge.
"I would say 'sorry about that,' but I don't think it would mean much since we just met and already know about your big secret."
"That is true; it would not mean much. Considering that you are sharing this with me, Nick, I am inclined to allow for some explanation. I wish to know why you made your decision and what your thoughts are." DiMA spoke up. "Chase, Faraday, please join us. I do not wish for any undo tension to disrupt this already difficult conversation."
Chase's eyes left me just long enough to glance at Acadia's leader before returning.
Wordlessly, the two of them marched toward us. Chase's eyes stayed locked on me but her hand moved off her sidearm.
We still need their help and may be offering them ours. If they're trying to keep things from escalating… I held my own hands out to my sides, away from my rifle.
Even so, the two of them gave us a wide berth as they moved to stand with DiMA.
"Unless someone discussed the lab's location and that we met in it regularly", DiMA continued, "there would have been no reason for you to eavesdrop. And, considering you did not talk with anyone besides Jenny on the second floor, I must assume this was something Kasumi revealed to you."
Nick nodded. "That's right. She didn't know what was going on. She told us she saw some things that concerned her. Don't be too hard on the girl. All she was trying to do was make sure her new home was safe."
"Understandable", DiMA said, nodding too. "Kasumi is extremely intelligent and curious. I asked her for help with my memory banks here. It is unsurprising she would have wanted and been able to access their contents. I would ask why the word of someone you had only just met was enough for you to endanger the help you require from us. However, this situation is… unusual."
"We have to know if there are nuclear warheads in play and if there's a danger the Children of Atom might set one-off", Nate said. "That goes beyond being a security risk to the people on this island."
"It is, I understand. I do not know if the submarine docked there has nuclear warheads. It was part of my memory contained in the banks in the Nucleus."
I had a question. "If you're concerned the Children of Atom might gain access to dangerous information or armaments, why would you give them the sub base?"
Chase's frown deepened and, for a moment, she tore her eyes away from me to look at DiMA.
"They were exiled from Far Harbor", he replied. "They needed a place to call home and, though their beliefs are… strange, I am not one to pass judgment on them. Confessor Martin was a trusted friend; they would keep my former home and memories safe." DiMA frowned. "High Confessor Tektus is not. My intent for this was to work together with the people of Far Harbor and the Children."
"We've played the middle and now everyone wants everyone else dead or gone", Chase snapped.
"It was an attempt to create a peaceful environment for all to live in."
"Not to add to the fire", Nate interjected, "but people have an annoying habit of doing things you don't want them to, especially when you're trying to mediate between two hostile groups. I understand what you're trying to do. Unfortunately, diplomacy doesn't work all the time." He motioned to himself and me. "That's when you bring in people like us."
DiMA shook his head. "I do not intend to resort to violence-"
"Then you need to act", I interrupted. "The only thing 'monitoring the situation' will do is guarantee a fight. If the Children of Atom get access to nuclear warheads, that problem gets a lot bigger than you. You have a method to extract your memories. If necessary, we can disable any firing systems still functional."
"If you get caught trying to extract my memories, Tektus will know we sent you. No one else knows about them. That would mean war. War is not something I am willing to risk."
…
…
What!?
"What the fuck do you mean you aren't willing to risk it?" I snapped. "What don't you get about this becoming everyone's problem? You don't get to make decisions for everyone else."
"Are you saying you will assault them if the need arises?"
I nodded. "The need already has arisen. They might have access to nuclear warheads. Under most circumstances, I'd be on my way there to determine the best method to neutralize the threat."
"Then I do not desire your participation in this conflict", DiMA said. "It will only lead to more death."
My hands balled into fists and I forced a deep breath through clenched teeth. Losing my temper wouldn't do any good.
But this asshole was really pushing it.
"I'm sorry, DiMA", Nate replied before I could, "but we are involved. And while his delivery could use work, Damon's right: it isn't fair for you to make that call for other people. We aren't talking about a small skirmish between you and the Children", he motioned around us. "We're talking about nukes. Whether you want it or not, we're here and we are involved."
"Do you intend to act on your own if we do nothing?"
Nate nodded. "Knowing a potential threat like this is out there, even if it doesn't reach the Commonwealth, I can't stand around and do nothing. None of us can. Regardless of how anyone else feels about it", he jerked his head toward me, "we have someone who can keep a potential threat from turning into a real one. We want to work with you, though. That's why we're here, talking about it. If you have a better solution, we're here for it. Hopefully, we can build some trust while we're at it."
Faraday stepped forward. "It sounds to me like you'd want to try our idea: extracting DiMA's memories."
It sounds like that? I didn't say that?
"That's right", Nate replied. "Damon's very good at getting into places he isn't supposed to be. Nonviolently, if he's in the mood. We need something from you so", he looked at me, "I think we're willing to play ball."
"Yes", I said.
"If you're determined to do this", Chase added, "I'm coming."
She was a Courser. I've seen and fought enough of them to know they're quality infiltration units. I didn't have a problem with that.
"I have not agreed to this", DiMA retorted. "You presume my cooperation, something I have not given."
Nick shrugged. "Not to sound like Damon but I think this problem's getting dealt with one way or another. Best way to keep everyone vertical is to help."
"Vertical?" Faraday asked.
"Means 'alive'."
"Ah." The lab-coat-wearing technician turned to DiMA. "DiMA, I agree with Nick. I think giving them the program and whatever else they need will be our best option at this point. Unless we're willing to try preventing them from engaging in their methods."
"We'd really prefer you didn't", Nick added. "We aren't your enemy. We came here for your help."
The Synth leader of Acadia looked at each of us in turn, his milky eyes lingering on Chase for a split-second longer than anyone else.
It would be better if he cooperated. The last thing I'm gonna do is leave the keys to an armed nuclear submarine in reach of a cult that worships radiation.
Whatever that looked like.
But I'd still prefer to not kill people I have no intel on.
"What information would you like?" DiMA asked slowly. If his strange voice could sound begrudging, that was it.
At least he's willing to cooperate. "A layout of the sub base, estimates on their numbers and armaments, and the location of our objective."
Next Chapter: 1/17, A Little Nuclear Field Trip