A/N: I'm baaaaaaaack! We had a little hiatus but, worry not, this story isn't dying or dead. It's mostly been my lack of discipline. Aaaaanyway, here we are, on our way to solving the Commonwealth's latest catastrophy and, in the processes, dealing with even more life-destroying challenges. Like filicide. Well, we aren't there quite yet. ;) Leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!

Chapter 96: On the Road Again (Again)

Valentine pounded on the door. "Kenji!"

I could hear someone shouting from inside. We were standing on the porch of a boathouse, the pier stretching off to the right. Four small boats, maybe 10 meters long, and a fifth, closer to 15, moored to the dock. Considering that both Nate and I would be using it, and he would be in Helen's armor, the larger one would be the best option.

Not that I trust a 200-year-old boat but we're short on options.

"It's Nick Valentine", the Synth said and pounded the side of a fist on the door again.

"Kenji!" another voice came from behind the door. "It's been hours. You need to rest."

The sun was just touching the horizon to our west. It had been a little over a day since we learned the Institute had released the disease Sturges had been investigating. Six hours ago, Shaun had made his broadcast.

Since then, it's been nonstop. That itself wasn't unusual for me. I'd spent most of my life in 'go'. What was…

I took a deep breath.

What was unusual was the target. Nate probably thought I was upset about how unfair this situation was so I'd lashed out at Preston. He was right. Partially. I am. It pisses me off how people look at me when there are other, better examples of courage than I can ever be.

This was something I couldn't lie to myself about. The attention, and the irritation that came along with it, was nothing new. No, what had me aggravated was my target.

"She's out there, Rei. Someone has her. They could be Raiders or Gunners or god knows what else!" the man, Kenji, shouted.

Shaun is my target, and I have more reason to eliminate him than any other mark I'd been given by ONI. Those were names and bios—a trigger to be pulled.

Not now. Shaun was someone threatening people I care about. He was threatening people I'm supposed to be protecting. He was threatening every person, innocent or not, in the Commonwealth.

But he was Nate's son, too. Regardless of whether he was the toddler he'd been when they were put in cryostasis, the boy Nate thought he was looking for, or the 60-year-old leader of the Institute, he was Nate's son. It was hard to miss how much the ex-soldier was struggling with this and- well, I know what it means to him.

Footsteps approached the door from the other side, the wooden floors squeaking under the shifting weight.

It doesn't matter that he's almost twice Nate's age, he can't disconnect himself from Shaun.

Even so, he's coming on this operation that will, if all goes well, end with the death of his son. He's doing it because of what would happen if we can't get whatever treatment the Institute has out to the population.

I don't know what this will do to him, though. Leaving him behind wouldn't only be a strategic error on my part, I think that might be a worse betrayal than the church. If it wasn't, it would be a close second.

The door rattled as the latch was undone and one of the house's occupants swung it open.

Considering the circumstances, me and Nate were standing on the far end of the porch. Whoever Nick's contact was didn't need to be greeted by two power-armored soldiers standing outside their door.

"Rei", Valentine said as soon as the person on the other side was visible. "I got your message a while ago but things have gotten complicated. I'm… sorry it took so long."

It was an obvious attempt to keep the tall, long-haired woman's attention on him and not us.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Who the hell are these two?" she snapped, eyes narrowing. "You're with the Brotherhood?"

Nick shook his head vigorously. "No- no, Rei, they'd blow me apart as soon as they saw me. We're with the Minutemen." He turned aside so he could look back at us. "You heard about that guy we got, right? The one who's been running around the Commonwealth causing all sorts of trouble."

Rei set her hands on a pair of narrow hips and locked her eyes on me. "Since I'm assuming you don't mean the one in Brotherhood armor, are you talking about the one on the left?"

"Yeah, that's him. Damon. Our resident disaster on two legs. We like to call him Tin Man. The other fella's Nate. These two have been working together for a few months now. They're the best the Minutemen's got."

"Where'd you get the armor from?" she asked.

"Uh-h", Valentine half-laughed. "Well, Damon's is an interesting story I'll leave to him to tell. The Brotherhood kit was donated by one of their knights."

"What do you mean 'donated'?"

The Synth shrugged. "Donated. Given to him for this. Things are a little sensitive; sorry I can't tell you more. Believe me, we're here to help."

"You are, huh?" she mumbled, eyes darting between me and Nate. "You expect me to believe the Minutemen would send their 'Tin Man', the guy who has rumors like he fought a bunch of Deathclaws floating around, and his friend in a suit of 'donated' power armor on an errand for you to help an old friend?"

"No, I don't expect you to believe that because that isn't why they sent them. It's why I'm here."

"Let me do the talking. All of it", Valentine had said. "If we're gonna ask these folks for a favor like this, we owe 'em whatever they need in return."

"We can't if it slows us down", I'd replied.

"That's why I said let me do the talking."

Rei's frown deepened. "So why are they here?"

"Because we need your help too. I'm guessin' you heard that broadcast that went out a few hours ago?"

The woman nodded slowly.

"We're doin' something about that", Valentine said. "We got a lead on something that will help but it's a long way out. We need to use a boat. We'll do whatever you need us to. And I can promise whatever it is is as good as done with these two around."

As soon as he said that, the stern exterior melted. Rei's eyes widened, and she let her hands fall from her hips.

When she spoke, her voice matched her change in expression. The suspicion and borderline anger were gone. In their place was desperation. "It's Kasumi- our daughter. I- I know you never met but she's a good girl. She's gone- she went somewhere without telling us and we don't have any idea where that might be. We didn't know what else to do."

Nick looked around Rei into the house. "Is that what Kenji's shouting about?"

She nodded. "Yes. Using Kasumi's radio. He thinks someone took her but I don't know."

A missing person? Their kid?

I glanced at Nate. It was impossible to tell through the armor, so I didn't know for sure. It felt like he was wound tight.

Valentine turned back to me. "Sounds like we have a case here. I think we can give them the time to hear it out."

"Agreed", I said, nodding.

After returning the nod, Nick motioned inside. "Let's have a talk, maybe we can figure something out."

Rei shot another look at me, then Nate, some of the suspicion returning. There was a brief hesitation before she turned and marched back into the house.

Valentine followed. Nate, Dogmeat, and I were right behind him.

Through the door was the living room, furnished with a couple of couches that looked like they'd been repaired multiple times, a few coffee tables, and a long, well-kept dining room table with several likewise maintained wooden chairs. Between the furniture, the relatively clean floors and rugs, and the intact windows, one would be forgiven for thinking this place hadn't been through a nuclear apocalypse and 200 years of exposure to the ocean.

Behind the table, an older man with thinning hair was leaning over it, yelling into the microphone of an ancient-looking radio.

"Kenji", Rei said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Nick came with help. He's here to look for Kasumi."

The man's head shot up from the radio. Like Rei, his eyes only paused on Valentine briefly before snapping to Nate and me.

Maybe we should have stayed outside.

"Slow down", Rei continued before he could respond. "They're with the Minutemen. That one on the left is that guy we hear about every time we go into town. Nick said they need to borrow a boat but they'll help find her."

"I didn't know the Minutemen worked with the Brotherhood", Kenji spat. "You need one of my boats to ruin more lives?"

Valentine shook his head. "It's not like that. Nate here has been with Damon for months. No one is with the Brotherhood. We're only using their armor. We don't know what we're gonna be dealin' with, so better safe than sorry, you know?"

"Then tell me, what do you need a boat for?" Kenji's eyes stayed locked on Nate as he spoke.

"We're tryin' to get to an island a ways away from here. Since we don't have a Vertibird, a boat's the only way."

"And you'll help me find Kasumi if I give you a boat."

"Yessir, and like I told Rei", he motioned at us again, "dunno what you've heard about them, but one of my personal favorites was helping Damon track down Kellogg. This big bastard wiped out that monster's force of Synths and the man himself single-handedly. I wasn't much better than a spectator. We got the experience and firepower to find anyone."

"Kellogg", Kenji repeated. "You're telling me that story's true? And you were part of it?"

"That's right." Nick nodded. "A place north of Boston called Fort Hagen, if memory serves. Look, I'm not here to brag about my exploits, all I'm trying to say is, if you help us, Kasumi is as good as back here."

The man snorted. "You know, you still owe me for the lead stuck in my hip."

"I do", Valentine said. "If it were up to me, I'd have come a long time ago and, if it were just me, I'd agree. These two are here because we're all in danger and I can't pull them away from their job. But they've agreed to help if we can finish it. I promise you, I have a much better chance of bringing your daughter back with them. Please, Kenji."

"And how long is this job going to take?" He leaned over the radio again, eyes drilling into the Synth. "How long until I can get someone to help me find my daughter?"

I don't see you out looking for her.

I didn't let the thought reach my mouth. Nick said he'd handle the talking; I'd let him. As much as I didn't want to consider having to take one of this guy's boats, the idea was starting to tug at my mind. It wouldn't be the worst thing I've ever done… That being said, this mission is too important to let something like this hold us up. Too many people were counting on us to get to the Institute and get the treatment out.

"A few days, maybe a week", Nick said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few questions about your daughter so I can at least get an idea of what we'll be chasing."

"We'll take whatever help we can get", Rei replied before her husband could. "Ask whatever you need to."

Kenji held Valentine's gaze for a few beats before his eyes dropped back to the radio. "Go ahead."

Nick glanced back at me and nodded. "What happened? When did she leave?"

"It's all thanks to this damn radio", Kenji snapped.

Rei set a hand on top of it. "Our daughter likes to fix things. This radio was her latest project."

"Until she made contact with some kidnapper who lured her away from us."

"Or maybe she left on her own", Rei retorted, narrowed eyes turning to Kenji. "She's not a child anymore."

The moment passed and, when she turned back to Nick, the anger was gone. "Our daughter is 19. She knows how to survive, and she's capable. I… think maybe she left because she wanted her own life."

Kenji shook his head. "No, she would've told us where she was going. She would've… said something! I know my daughter is in danger. I can feel it."

"So… she was taken?" Nick asked. "Or she left on her own?"

Rei glanced at her husband again. "She left on her own."

"We know she took one of the boats, but that's all", Kenji added.

"How long ago was this?"

"Three weeks now", the balding man replied. "Two since I contacted you. She could be anywhere."

Nick ignored the jab. "You think she contacted someone on this radio set and she took a boat… not a lot of information to go on. Has anything significant happened recently besides fixing the radio?"

The two of them shared a look and Rei's shoulder sagged. "Kasumi's grandfather passed. Since then, we've… all been fighting a lot more. He was the only one who could really… talk to her. Kenji and I don't understand machines, but those two could work together for hours."

Rei looked out of a window to my left and toward the pier. "She started staying in her grandfather's boathouse late into the night. I thought she was just trying to cope with the loss, but now I wonder what she was up to…"

I followed her gaze out of the window. The boathouse was perched over the water a few dozen meters away. It was large, made of rusted sheets of steel and dried wood.

Nick hummed. "Might be able to find some physical evidence that could be useful…" He turned back to us. "You two mind if we take a bit to search this place? We can give them that much."

This house wasn't very large and… for as overprotective as Kenji seemed, it was their daughter. Even if she just ran away to get out from under him, I'm sure it would help to know.

"Yeah", I said. "That's fine."

Valentine nodded. "Good. Nate, you mind hopping out of that oversized can and helping me search for clues around here? Damon, I think the boathouse would be a good place for you to look."

The ex-soldier looked at me.

At least, if we were getting on the boat immediately afterward, I wouldn't have to strap the pack back on him for a while.

I stepped forward to undo the shoulder loops and pulled the backpack from his annoyingly cumbersome armor.

Once that was done, the armor hissed and its rear folded open, allowing Nate to push himself out.

He motioned toward the stairs. "Lead the way."

"Thank you, Nick", Rei said, turning to us. "And you as well."

"It's your daughter", Nate replied. He hid it well, but I heard the edge in his voice. The pain.

With the two of them beginning toward the stairs, I marched out of the house, Dogmeat following alongside me.

The pier was old, and the wood didn't look like it was in the best shape. It groaned as I stepped onto the gangway heading toward the boathouse. Fortunately, it held and I carefully made my way to my objective.

Now that I was in front of it, the boathouse might have been larger than their residence.

As I walked inside, I was greeted by what looked like a well-organized workshop. On my left were several filing cabinets next to a desk with an old-looking computer and a framed picture on it. The screen was off, and the picture was of waves crashing into a shoal.

Past that was some kind of computer bank wired to another, smaller one to my right. It looked like it could have been out of the 20th century which, even for this world, was old. Beyond a small divider wall was more equipment. Any of that could hold information on Kasumi's whereabouts but I didn't know how any of the equipment functioned and damaging anything wouldn't help. Nick and Nate would have a better idea.

While I've never been part of a missing person investigation, it felt like searching through the filing cabinets and desk before I knew exactly what I was working with would be a mistake. I find it's always best to look for obvious information first.

With that in mind, I walked further into the boathouse. The small cart and workbench to my right were largely bare, besides a few tools and a toolbox. Past the retaining wall, other than the ancient computer equipment, I didn't notice anything of value…

There was a small alcove ahead and to the right, behind the wooden hull of a boat.

In it was- a safe?

It wasn't just a safe but it caught my attention. The tool board to its left was empty and what looked like some instrumentation behind it wasn't of interest.

The thing was an old, rusted combination safe.

Doesn't get more obvious than that…

Who knows if there would be anything of value in it but looking in a safe was a lot more interesting than sifting through whatever was waiting for me in the filing cabinets.

On it was a note.

Leaning down, I picked the old piece of paper up.

"My Dear Kasumi,

If you ever get locked out of the safe, then the answer is here in the boathouse.

Picture where the key is.

Love,

Grandad"

Locked out of the safe? So I'm looking for a key.

I turned back to the rest of the large room.

"The answer is here in the boathouse." Did that mean the key was in the boathouse? Or did that mean I'd find out where the key was from something in the boathouse?

My eyes drifted back to the piece of paper.

"Picture where the key is."

That's pretty obvious.

I marched back to the desk and set the note on it. Unless I was being dense, it seemed like the note was talking about the picture.

Picking it up, I turned it around—nothing on the frame or in the back.

Something could be inside…

Four tabs were holding the back of the frame on and the picture in. I set it back down and began undoing the tabs. Once they were open, I pulled the back off-

And there was the key, taped to the back of the picture.

This feels too easy.

"Way too easy…"

Dogmeat was standing beside me. His head was just high enough to see over the desk, eyes fixed on the frame. Why he was so focused on it, I didn't know.

Let's see if there's anything useful in here.

Moving back to the safe, I knelt in front of it, wood planks groaning under my armored boots. It took me a second to find the keyhole. Once I did and turned the key in the lock, I heard the mechanism unlatch and pulled the safe open.

Inside were two rolls of duct tape and some kind of cartridge.

Okay… I don't know if this will help us but it was in a safe, so it might be important.

My problem was I didn't have any way to tell what was on the cartridge.

I glanced around the boathouse again.

It's possible something around here could do it. The better option would be to take it back to the others. If this is important, the last thing I'd want to do is corrupt whatever information's on it because I tried to read it incorrectly.

As I stood, my right leg panged, a reminder it hadn't healed all the way.

Now, the question was whether I should look through the filing cabinets or take this back to Nick.

The question didn't have a chance to process before my feet were carrying me out of the boathouse. It wasn't a lack of patience. Not entirely. This could be an important piece of information. If it was, it would save the time I would have used to search the rest of the boathouse. If it wasn't, the only time I'd be losing is walking back and forth between the two buildings.

When I walked back through the front door, the living room was empty except for the suit of T-60 and Nate's pack. I could hear the sounds of shuffling feet and muffled voices from upstairs.

"Nick", I called.

A few seconds later, footsteps were pounding down the stairs. The Synth emerged first, followed by Nate and the house's two residents.

"Usually, when someone comes back this quickly, it means they found something good", Valentine said.

I held out the cartridge. "This was in a safe."

"Huh." Nick took the device and squinted at it. "We've been finding these around Kasumi's room. Seems like she likes to keep audio logs for journals."

Turning, the detective offered the cartridge to Nate. "Let's see what we have here."

A compartment on top of Nate's bulky wrist computer popped open, and he slid the small orange and white data storage device inside. There was a soft click and a voice began playing.

"Project log. Um… myself." The voice was young and light, probably Kasumi's, which would make sense if she'd been leaving other audio recordings. So then, if she put this in that safe…

"I never really thought about who or… what I am, but… God, where do I start? The radio. I was right about the range. I managed to get a signal— a strong signal, from up north. There's a group of people there. They say they're all Synths, synthetic people. Made by the Institute."

A signal from up north? A group of Synths?

"They're trying to build a place for their kind. Where they can be themselves and be accepted for what they are alongside human beings-"

"Synths?" Kenji snapped. A click sounded from Nate's wrist as he paused the playback. "Why would Kasumi-"

Rei's face grew stern, eyes hard, and mouth set in a deep frown again. "Kenji, why don't you stop talking for once and listen to what our daughter has to say!"

The slender man turned to his wife, face red. "She's talking about Synths!" he roared. "The goddamn Institute's walking abominations! They are the ones she has been talking to? And you want me to stay quiet about it?!"

"YES!" Rei shouted back. "I do want you to stay quiet and at least let me listen to her. She's a strong, smart young woman who can make her own decisions. You haven't seen the way she's been acting recently? How much she's wanted to go out to see the world? And you wouldn't let her! Because you are scared."

The woman turned back to Nate, pointedly breaking eye contact with Kenji.

"Please keep playing it."

Nate looked back and forth between the two of them. Kenji's eyes were wide and his hands were balled into fists so tight I could see the tendons in his wrists straining.

"Please", Rei repeated. "I want to hear what she has to say."

After another heartbeat, the ex-soldier clicked the 'play' button again.

"It sounds wonderful, but… then they started asking about me. And some questions came up. Questions I don't have the answers to. I mean… I've always felt… off… like I'm not really supposed to be here, but then there are things in my childhood I can't remember, and I've been having strange dreams… I… I'm going to go. To meet with these Synths. I… I have to know the truth about myself. They've told me to sail up north to a town called Far Harbor. I can make my way to them from there."

Nate's wrist-computer clicked and the recording fell silent.

A group of Synths up in Far Harbor. DiMA. She went to the same place we're going to find the same Synth.

No shit.

"My daughter… believes she is a Synth?" Kenji asked. He was quiet, a complete turnaround from his angry shouting a minute ago. "Questions she can't answer? Things about her childhood? And she went to Far Harbor? That far north? No wonder she took the boat." He turned to me. "Where did you find this?"

"A safe in the boathouse."

"That's where we were going for our mission", Nick said. "Far Harbor. We should leave. The faster we get there, the better. We're already behind the eight ball here."

Kenji shook his head. "Wait- I don't understand." He started raising his voice again. "My daughter thinks she's a Synth?"

"Kenji, I don't have any answers for you. I will only get them if we get to Far Harbor."

Rei stepped around her husband. "Go. You can take whichever boat you want. The large one is sturdy and has a navigation system… I know Kasumi is alive. And I know she is no Synth. I gave birth to her and she- she hasn't changed. Please, if Kasumi doesn't want to come back, we understand. Just tell her we love her and there will always be a place here if she wants it."

"How can you be okay with this?!" Kenji shouted again. "Our daughter thinks she's a Synth and- and- and is she?" He looked at me again. "And how can we trust these people? One of them came in Brotherhood armor and the other is, supposedly, some mythical soldier fighting for the Minutemen. Hunting down Kellogg, killing Deathclaws, fighting the Brotherhood and Institute- HA!" He jabbed a finger at my visor. "I'm supposed to believe what some fairytale tells me about my daughter? The girl I raised?"

Nick stepped in front of him. "No, Kenji, you're believing me when I say Damon is exactly what you've heard he is, and, not only would he never fabricate something like this, we don't have the means to. Now, do you want us to go find your daughter or not?"

"Go", Rei said again, this time more insistent. "Kenji, you're being ridiculous and you know it. Let them do what they said they would. We don't know anything about what's going on here."

Nate and I exchanged a glance and I jerked my head toward his armor. He nodded and climbed in.

As the suit closed around him, Nick stepped aside and I picked Nate's pack up from beside the door where I left it.

"How could Kasumi think she's a Synth?" the man asked. "How?"

Rei shook her head. "I don't know. We asked for help because we can't do this, so we should let the people who can take care of things. You wanted to call Nick. We should trust him."

"We'll find her", the detective repeated. "It sounds like she's with the people we're looking for too, so don't worry."

"Thank you, Nick", Rei said. "Don't let us hold you up any longer."

Valentine tipped the brim of his hat to her and started out the door.

"What are the odds of that…" he mused once we were outside and out of earshot. "The person we're looking for just happens to be with the other person we're looking for."

"No clue. It makes things a lot more convenient though, that's for sure", Nate replied, his voice once again distorted by his helmet's speakers. "I'm guessing neither of you know how to drive a boat."

We came to a stop beside the larger craft. It was in better shape than most vessels I'd seen since coming here. Its low, single-story cabin would barely be tall enough to accommodate me without having to duck. Most of the boats were open-deck fishing craft.

While I didn't have much experience with boats, I'm familiar with basic fluid dynamics and buoyancy. Provided I, or Nate, don't fall through the deck, it would have more than enough capacity to carry both of us.

Nick shrugged. "Vaguely from back when Kenji and I worked together. Haven't done much sailing since then."

"Boats don't drive like spaceships, so I guess it's up to me to save the day again." I could hear the sarcasm, even through the bad exterior speakers.

He stepped from the pier to the side of the boat. It swayed under the added weight before settling. Then he hoisted himself all the way onto it.

I followed, Dogmeat excitedly jumping aboard after me, then Nick.

Nate walked to the back of the boat's cabin and exited his armor again beside the door. Once he was out, and had retrieved his rifle from its mechanical manipulators, he walked inside, slinging the weapon as he went.

As he did that, me and Nick began undoing the boat moorings. By the time we'd untied the last one, I felt a rumble under my armored boots through the deck, and the boat's engine surged to life.

"Alright", Nate called from inside the cabin. "Everything looks good up here. Are we free?"

"Aye, captain", Nick replied, smiling.

"Good, let's… uh… what's the phrase here?"

Valentine laughed. "You're looking for 'shove off'."

"Yes, let's 'shove off'." Nate turned around to look at me through one of the cabin's windows. "That means give us a push, Mr. supersoldier."

… I don't know if I'll get through this trip without throwing one of them overboard.

Instead of doing that, I planted my feet and pushed against one of the moorings, guiding the boat away from its dock. Once the tall, well-built post was out of arm's reach, I heard the engine spin up and the boat began chugging away under its own power.

As it picked up speed, I did the math. A boat like this wouldn't do more than 20 knots on calm water. That means this is likely a 10-hour trip—10 hours with nothing to do on a small boat. It isn't like I can refine our plan or examine our intel. Our plan is "go find a Synth" and, outside of learning it either runs or is part of a group that acts as a sanctuary for Synths, we have no new information to parse.

Well… that might be enough to work with.

"Nick", I called. The detective was at the boat's stern, watching the water churn in our wake. When he looked at me, I jerked my head toward the cabin.

He followed me inside after one more glance at the white, frothing water.

The cabin's ceiling was low enough I had to stoop to keep my helmet from hitting it. Not ideal but it would be a lot easier to talk inside and it meant Nate didn't have to come away from the controls.

"Our target is part of this group Kasumi left to join", I said once Valentine had joined us. He skirted around me and settled into the seat beside Nate. "It's likely they're the leader."

Nick nodded. "Probably but I'm not sure that's too important. Not like we have any contact with these Synths. They're just the one that might have the information we need."

Dogmeat trotted around the cabin to the front of the boat. He paced for a few seconds before rearing back to prop his front paws against the bow's railing.

At least he was excited to be here.

That made sense. We needed to contact the group if we wanted to get in touch with our target. Whether they're the leader or not doesn't matter. "Fair. The positive is if this group is broadcasting in the open and attracting Synths to Far Harbor, they'll have had contact with the town and established peaceful relations."

"I was just thinking that… one of these times, you'll have to help out with an investigation. You might suck with most things that aren't fighting but deductive reasoning ain't one of them."

"You probably can't afford him", Nate muttered. "The guy costs as much as a naval fleet. Must get to charge one helluva service fee."

"... Okay then." Valentine cocked a brow at me. "I assume there's a story behind that. We can get back to it after we nail down any new ideas from what we learned."

Nate looked away from the sea ahead of us and frowned. "Sorry, not trying to sidetrack. I'll drop the sarcasm."

"No worries, we got time." Valentine crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. "Kasumi got in touch with these Synths on her radio. Doubt she got lucky enough broadcasting in the blind to stumble on them by herself. Means they were the ones broadcasting and she found their signal. It wouldn't be anything to out themselves, the Institute would be sending Coursers out in a heartbeat if they knew there was another group like the Railroad."

"Don't we think it's weird the Railroad doesn't know anything about these people?" Nate asked.

"Hmmm." Nick closed his eyes. "Yeah, I think we do… They aren't directly linked but I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Synths the Railroad extracted ended up finding this signal and heading up there. Seems like something a group like them might notice." He opened his eyes and looked at me. "You're our resident intelligence expert. What say you?"

"If they're tracking where the rescued Synths are going, yes. They knew about one that was working with Raiders and another with the Gunners."

Nate nodded. "That's right. The job Deacon gave us when we met him in Diamond City."

"Yes", I replied. "But they didn't know about the one the Institute sent us after. Their intelligence network is limited; a few dozen active officers at best. They don't have the resources to establish a wide net so, no, I doubt they know where all or most of the rescued Synths are. They may have heard something, but it likely isn't on their radar."

Nick uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his knees. "Okay… okay… so this group is probably small. Their broadcasts would be targeted and subtle. They're looking for specific traits in the Synths they attract. If the Railroad hasn't heard of it, my guess is the Synths they find are ones the Institute planted in the Commonwealth. That means whatever their messaging is, it plays on things those ones have in common but the ones the Railroad brings out don't."

It was an interesting thought exercise but… "What does this have to do with finding them? We have good reason to assume the people in Far Harbor will know of them and, potentially, where they are."

"Because it isn't just about finding them", Nick replied. "It's about getting their help, too. We want their help to do something that could be really dangerous for them. I'm building a profile. I want to know what kind of person we're going after so we know how to approach them."

That was a good explanation; it made a lot of sense. It also sounded rehearsed. He was expecting to be questioned and had a prepared answer. I can think of one reason he might do that.

"You want to know who you escaped with. The kind of person they are."

Valentine smiled. "Maybe. I'm making it official: when you're not off doing crazy missions to save the Minutemen, you're on retainer with the Valentine Detective Agency. I can see it now: "Tin Man, sleuthing aid and security force." Eh, I think I'll need to workshop that with Ellie when I get back. Doesn't roll off the tongue."

On retainer as a detective? I cocked my head at the Synth. Or, I tried before the roof of the cabin reminded me it wasn't high enough for me to stand up straight. "I'm sure you can find more effective assistants. I know where I provide the most value."

"Ah, come on, our first case together was tracking down and killing the most dangerous mercenary on the East Coast. You did great!"

Hunting down and assassinating targets? Yeah, because I want to go back to doing that on a regular basis. It was one of ONI's favorites.

"If you plan to use me to track down and wipe out dangerous people, you'll have to talk to my old handlers. For now, we have a job to do."

Nick squinted up at me from his chair. "I can't tell if you're annoyed or messing with me."

"Both."

"Alright", he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Yes, I want to know who I escaped with. That doesn't mean there are no other reasons to do this. Building a profile will give us a few things. First, we'll better understand their relationship with those around them. If it's good, that means we can get the information we want easier and approaching them will be safer. Second, it might give us an idea about where they'd hold up, so tracking them down will be easier. And third, when we do get in touch with them, we'll know how to ask for what we want."

I took a deep breath and pushed the flash of irritation away. He had only been messing with me. The problem is… well, the conversation with Nate the other day, and realizing what I'd been used for- what I'd been doing- I'm still processing that. The idea someone would want to use me in that role again when I wasn't even done coming to terms with what I'd done to this point was uncomfortable.

"What else do we know?"

X

By the time the first hour passed, we had nothing else to discuss on Valentine's 'profile' for our target. It was almost pitch-black outside. Our transportation had several floodlights on its exterior and, considering we were 30 klicks from the coast, we all thought it was safe to light them up.

Once they were on, the powerful LED lights cast a harsh glare against the night. The water was black, as much light reflecting off its surface as was going through. The effect made it look more like a writhing solid than water. Between that and the incredibly clear night sky above us, I almost could have been fooled that we were in space if it weren't for the boat's constant rocking and the burbling thrum of its engine.

In my opinion, we didn't have much in this 'profile': we were looking for someone intelligent and careful. They had deliberate targets, would have to know intimate details about Institute-deployed Synths, and could construct a message that would reach them without tripping anyone else's alarm. If our assumptions about Far Harbor were right, they'd also know the value of maintaining relations with surrounding populations that would otherwise be hostile. My guess is they did something for Far Harbor, maybe supplied resources or technical expertise.

The other two were satisfied with what we'd deduced. They had much better soft skills than me, so I'd defer to their judgment, for now.

By the end of the third hour, Nate asked Nick to take over piloting the boat. It was late and he needed sleep. Based on the guidance system and the map from Nate's Pipboy, we maintained the correct heading and made it a little less than a third of the way to our destination.

Plenty of time for him to get some rest.

They switched seats and I settled against the wall beside the entrance. Nate could sleep first, I'd gotten more rest over the last week than any time since… probably the two weeks we spent at the church with the Railroad.

That was a long time ago.

Dogmeat, having grown tired of pacing the deck, had come inside and laid down beside me.

I gave him some food and water then, when he looked at me after he was fed, tail gently swishing from side to side, I remembered what Brenda had told me about him.

So I ran my hand along his back.

The large German Shepherd started panting as I pet him, leaning into my gauntlet contentedly.

After a few minutes, I decided I needed some food and water too. My gaze went to Valentine. He sat at the controls, staring ahead into the harsh LED-illuminated night.

It was dumb; I knew it was dumb. This is Nick. He wasn't going to attack me.

But that wasn't the issue. Nate was the only person who'd seen my face since I dropped here. For most people, this helmet was my face.

This is something I'll have to get over eventually. Unless I'm planning on living in this armor the rest of my life.

That will probably happen regardless of what I want.

That's beside the point.

It would also be the first time I've eaten with anyone here. It would be the first time I've eaten with anyone besides my squad since I was pulled away from Gamma company.

It's either that or not eat and drink for this entire journey… I'm being stubborn.

While the argument could keep going back and forth for however long I wanted, it would be stupid of me to forgo nourishment because of it. Nate was currently eating something called a 'Salisbury Steak' out of its box.

I may not be a food expert, but I'm pretty sure 'steak' isn't supposed to come in a box.

Despite the obvious answer to this question, my hands stayed in my lap. I looked down at them, encased in their gauntlets, the same way they had been for months now. I hadn't been out of my armor since coming here. Even for how much time I spent in it before joining Fourier's team, that was a record.

Just eat… I know Valentine will probably make a show out of seeing my face but what else am I gonna do?

Alright…

Taking a deep breath that shouldn't have been necessary, I unsealed my helmet and reached up to remove it. Dogmeat's head shot up and he stared at me.

Great, now the damn dog too?

Whatever.

I pulled my helmet off and set it on the deck beside me. Nate paused his eating for a moment and squinted at me. The break only lasted a heartbeat before he resumed, pointedly fixing his eyes on a spot by my right shoulder.

Dogmeat cocked his head, nose twitching.

Yes, I have a face.

As I took my own choice for dinner out of my pack, a piece of fruit, two large slices of bread, and a pouch of jerky, Nick happened to glance back-

And then turned all the way around in his chair. The detective's eyes were wide and his mouth fell open.

"Damn Nick", Nate said. "Pick that up off the deck."

He shot a look at the ex-soldier before his eyes returned to me. "You're telling me to not be surprised to see Tin Man's face after all this time? I still wasn't convinced you weren't a robot. Well… to be honest, I'm not sure seeing a face in a world where something like me exists convinces me of that either but that's beside the point. Point is, you haven't taken that damn helmet off in front of anyone for months, and now you do it with two people?"

"Nate already saw my face and I wasn't going to not eat."

I took a drink from my canteen and pulled a piece off one of my bread slices.

Valentine rolled his eyes. "Typical answer."

"Nick", Nate interjected before the Synth could say anything else. "Don't make a big deal out of this."

"You know what bothers me?" Valentine continued, ignoring the ex-soldier. "You ain't a bad-lookin' guy. No bad scars, nice square jaw, a face that isn't the wrong size for your head-"

"Nick. Enough."

Valentine looked at Nate. "He's a big boy. If he wants me to stop-"

"I want you to stop", I said before he could finish. "There's a reason I don't take my helmet off or eat around other people. I don't need this to be any more awkward than it is."

… Shit.

The detective got that same curious frown he had when I killed Kellogg and he started digging around in my past.

"There's a reason, huh? If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with your family…"

There was a brief pause; the only sounds were the boat's engine and the water roiling around its hull, as Nick watched me. He was about to start digging again. Did I want him to ask about why I don't like eating around others? Why I took most of my meals at night when stationed on ships to avoid a crowded galley?

"Eh", Valentine said and turned his chair to face the bow again. "You'll say something if you want me to know."

Or… not…

Maybe Ellie's finally getting through to him. I didn't know how long they'd been working with each other but it's been a while. It didn't surprise me. While he's a great detective, I'm sure his mouth has gotten him into plenty of trouble he could have otherwise avoided.

Me and Nate shared a glance and he shrugged.

As the ex-soldier went back to eating his Salisbury Steak, I continued pulling chunks off my bread.

Once I finished the food, I secured my helmet back in place. It was a relief to see the small indicator light for the suit's seal wink green. As much as I wanted to say I didn't know why it was a relief, I did. While that anxiety was something I should probably work on getting over, it could wait. This mission didn't care if I didn't like eating around other people.

Neither did the disease that was compromising the safety of tens of thousands of innocent people.

Standing, I ducked out of the now much more cramped-feeling cabin and out into the night.

The thrum of the likely diesel engine and the soft churning of the water were nice. Peaceful. It drew my mind back to my… conversation with Nate after I killed Castle. It was peaceful then, too. I still wasn't sure that was something I deserved after everything I'd done.

Punishing myself won't do anyone any good.

No, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't.

My gaze wandered up to the sky. It was mostly overcast, the dark shapes of clouds blocking out the sky. A few stars were peeking through the cloud cover, pinpoints of light in the sea of black. Maybe they were stars and systems I'd been to in my universe. In a previous life. My previous life.

If that was my previous life, the previous me, can I really keep punishing myself for what happened?

Yes, I can.

Is it right?

Good question. There are a lot of dead people who probably don't care I've changed.

And there are a lot of living people who do care. What did Nate say? He thinks the intent matters?

Who gives a damn what Nate said. He's killed two orders of magnitude fewer people. And he didn't do it because he was running from something.

Yes, he did. My mistakes aren't new or unique. I need to get over myself.

I took a deep breath and dropped my eyes back to the water. That was probably true. This punishment wouldn't be for the people I've killed, it would be to make myself feel better. It would make me feel like I'm doing something to pay back and suffer for everything I've done.

That was bullshit, though. There was only one way I might be able to do that and it wasn't punishing myself in meaningless gestures like asking if I deserved to have a peaceful moment every once in a while.

The boat rocked to port hard enough Dogmeat bounced off my right leg. The impact sent a pang through my knee and into my hip.

"Sorry 'bout that", Nick said. "Water's gettin' a little choppy."

The German Shepherd righted himself and laid on the deck with a grunt. I smiled. He sounded annoyed.

Sitting beside him, I leaned against the rear of the cabin. We were 30 klicks off the coast and getting further from Boston every second. On one hand… it felt weird. I'd spent the last almost half a year in the same city. That was the longest I'd spent in one place since the Covenant attack.

On the other hand, it was a relief. That place had been nothing but constant fighting. Part of me still enjoyed that, but not all of me. It was exhausting, especially considering I had to worry about so many other people now—people who weren't other SPARTANs, which meant they were vulnerable in a war.

Yes, they're still counting on us to get them the Institute's treatment for this disease. The only people I had to worry about for the next few days, hopefully, were myself, Nate, and Nick. No, the two of them weren't SPARTANs but Nate had Helen's armor and Valentine was smart and resourceful enough to stay out of trouble.

The first time we met him, he was being held prisoner by a gang.

For the most part.

I smiled again and leaned my head against the cabin's wooden siding.

It also meant, unless someone else had a boat or Vertbird and their exact location, I didn't need to worry about being shot at.

At least, for the next six hours, I could afford to relax. A little bit.

A/N: So... apologies for the long lapse. It's mostly been editing laziness on my part. I've been writing the entire time, I just haven't been posting. We've changed that and, for my pennance, I'll be posting weekly again for a little while to get caught back up with my schedule. I'll see everyone Friday!

Next Chapter: 12/20, Far Harbor