15: Informant

Piper had barely noticed the week passing. Against all advice to rest, she'd come back into Diamond City swinging, putting her nose to the grindstone. First, she'd released a piece recalling the injustice done against the ghouls of Diamond City, quoting Hancock's involvement in Valentine's rescue. Nick had suggested against this when Piper'd brought the idea up to him, but in the end, Piper felt that Hancock was more of a true leader than McDonough could ever hope to be. That kind of recognition- that kind of contrast- deserved to make it to print. She'd even spared the caps to have a trader run it to Goodneighbor so Hancock could have a copy, though she doubted she'd hear anything back.

That much work over the terminal and printing press gave her what rest she needed to get back to snooping. She'd gone, to her dismay, a bit too hot and heavy at McDonough. What was supposed to be a request for an interview ended with her and McDonough exchanging screams loud enough to hear in the Stands. That had just gotten her thrown out, which wasn't so bad- but it wasn't progress, either.

The day after, she had broken into Diamond City's security office to try and pull their missing persons reports. When she was caught, it was a short walk to her familiar cell; the Piper Suite. She'd spent the next few days alone, save for the quiet glares from security, and Nat stopping by to bring dinner. Piper's recent heroics had her papers selling like crazy, according to Nat. Likewise, a lot of folk were singing her praise. Nice as that was, Piper hardly cared about the caps or recognition. She didn't have McDonough; no laurels to be rested upon for Piper.

When she had finally been released from her brief stint in a cell, she'd gone home only long enough to bathe. Nat had made the suggestion for Piper to slow down, though she didn't press very hard. Nat knew her sister had a fire lit under her ass that no amount of time could extinguish. It was corny, perhaps, but Piper truly had a hunger that could only be sated by the truth. The more time that went on, the more convinced she was that her gut instinct about McDonough was an accurate one.

Clean enough to be considered passable, Piper made her way to Valentine's agency. She received praise from one man, sneers from another. Gratitude from a mother who'd hired Valentine to find her husband's missing caravan, sneers from a trader whom Piper had exposed for selling cans of Cram that had caused a food poisoning outbreak in the city. The fact the trader had only received a slap on the wrist in the form of a fine, but Piper had gotten the boot from the city for posting the Synthetic Truth, only further convinced her that the fat man above the stands needed to go.

When Piper barged into Valentine's office, she found him sitting at his desk while Ellie Perkins went over a manilla folder with him. The door flying open caused Valentine to shoot a reactionary glare toward Piper whilst Ellie nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Jesus, Piper. Somethin' better be on fire." Nick's voice was more than just tinged with annoyance. Ellie had begun to smooth out her hair, looking more relieved than annoyed.

With all the snooping of his own that Valentine did, Piper had only now considered that the door to the agency flying open could very well be an act commonly performed by those who wished to put a bullet (or ten) into the synth detective's not-so-chrome dome. Piper's fire dulled to a smoldering-coal colored embarrassment. "I- Sorry, sorry, I just… All fired up, y'know?"

Nick scoffed, but smiled. "It's been a week. You still ridin' that high?"

Piper nodded, taking a seat across from Nick. "I mean… Yeah. Yeah, a little bit. I thought I was never gonna see Nat again. Figured I'd die about half a dozen ways out there- and I almost did. Now I'm back, and I just… I can't sit still."

Nick blinked. "... Yeah. You're wobbling on that chair like it's got nails on the seat. Never heard it squeak like that- look, that thing's not exactly off the factory line, y'know. You break it, you buy it, sister."

Ellie gave Nick a small swat on the arm with the folder she was holding. "Nick," she scolded. "Cut her a break."

Nick shifted his smile to Ellie. "Right, right… Sorry." He drew a carton of cigarettes from his coat and nudged a two-hundred year roll of tobacco out, drawing it between two spindly metal fingers. "You smoke, Piper?"

"Do you smoke?" Piper snorted.

Nick glanced down at the cigarette. "Well… Nick Valentine smoked, so I guess I do too. Never gonna get lung cancer though. Never gonna really know what it tastes like outside of a memory either. You win some, you lose some."

"Nasty habit." Ellie noted absently.

Nick only shrugged, offering the carton to Piper. She curled her nose and gave a dismissive wave. "Nah. I hate the smell, and besides, can you imagine me calm? I'd never get anything done."

Nick drew a lighter and lit the end of the cigarette. "All I'm doing right now is imagining you calm. Man can dream, I suppose." This awarded Nick another swat from Ellie's folder.

Piper grinned. "Cute. So, did you find anything out?"

"What, while you were cooling off in a cell?" Nick scolded. Piper looked to protest, but Nick raised a hand to stop her. "Dumb stunt you pulled, that little act of B . I get it, hard to get things clean and fast, but imagine if you'd just gotten thrown out again. I know a lotta folk see you as a hero for saving my ass, but you don't need to give McDonough any more reasons to try and justify tossing you out again."

Piper grimaced, resting her chin on her fist. "So, you found out that McDonough hates me. Is that all?"

"God," Nick flicked the cigarette out in an ashtray and rolled his eyes over to Ellie. "Am I like this when I've got a hair up my ass?"

Ellie raised a brow. "Do you want an answer?"

Nick frowned. "... No." He turned the faded yellow glow of his eyes back to Piper's. He paused to take a drag from the cigarette, most of the smoke inhaled through the vacuum in his chest merely escaping again through the ancient cracks and holes in what passed for Nick's organs. "I found something."

Piper's irritation morphed almost instantly into eager interest. She leaned forward, resting her palms on the desk. "Spill."

"Alright, keep your shirt on. First off, what I'm about to say stays confidential, understood?"

Piper nodded. "Of course."

Nick narrowed his eyes. "I'm serious, Piper."

"So am I!" Piper raised her voice an octave, growing defensive. "Public info's my trade, private info's yours; I get it. I'm not gonna start stepping on your toes now, Nicky."

Valentine nodded. "Fair, fair. Sorry, just… See, I've gotten a fair few jobs from Security over the years. Most of it is hush-hush. Run away wife's who made like a banana and got the hell out of dodge after taking one too many beatings from one of the great green jewel's most 'noble defenders', getting dirt on another guard so they can secure a promotion, even looked into a few disappearances of their own- though nothing that tied back to the Institute; raiders or slavers, usually. Run of the mill wasteland unpleasantness."

"Jesus, Nick." Piper grimaced. "Security's got you in their back pocket."

"Hey," Ellie cut in, gesturing a folder to Piper. "Nick's got no control over who comes in that door. A private dick's gotta make a living."

"Yeah," Nick scoffed. "Gotta make sure my assistant is fed." This comment was awarded with a slightly harder smack from the folder, this one hard enough to knock Nick's hat askew. He merely readjusted the cap and pressed on. "Anyway; those few less-than-savory investigations have left me with a fair few favors to pull among Diamond City's finest."

Piper nodded. "And?"

"And…" Nick paused to set the half "smoked" cigarette down in the ashtray. "They've all been keeping a lot quieter than I think even you've realized when it comes to McDonough."

"Well, no shit… But what d'ya mean?"

Nick glanced up. "Ellie?"

Ellie nodded and opened the very same folder she'd used to reprimand Nick. "You know how you got caught a few days ago looking for records on all the disappearances?"

Piper nodded.

"Well… None of them are actually documented. Or, they didn't stay documented, at least. Nick figured out that all the original reports went up to McDonough's office and were never seen again."

Piper almost wanted to laugh. "That's… Damning."

"It would be," Nick noted. "If it were officially known. Remember, we can't flip that intel without me stepping on quite a lot of toes."

Piper began to sit up. "Ok, but if we put that in the paper-"

Now it was Ellie's turn to give a hushing palm. "Hang on, Ms. Wright, I'm not done. The way I see it, there's two ways we can go about this. The first; the clearly illegal act of breaking into the mayor's office and sorting through his files-"

"Not a bad plan-" Piper began, before she was awarded with another hushing palm.

"-or," Ellie raised a brow. "... We go to Danny Sullivan."

Piper Wright furled her brow, expressing something between an amused smile and a disgusted sneer. "Wh- Danny? Danny Sullivan? The most spineless radroach on the entire security force? That Danny-" Piper paused. "Ohhh… The most spineless radroach on the entire security force; you think we can flip him?" Piper smiled. She'd tried to pressure Danny- and everyone else on the force- before, but with Nick's help-

Ellie frowned. "No."

Piper frowned, in turn. "No? Then-"

Nick leaned forward. "We don't have to pressure him. Lean on him a little maybe, but not in the way you're thinking. You've got a bone to pick with basically everyone in Diamond City-"

Piper guffawed. "Well I- I don't think- I mean, I don't mean to be-"

Nick raised, yet again, a hand to give Piper pause. "Hang on, hang on, don't get your panties in a twist."

"I prefer briefs, actually." Piper ribbed.

Nick only rolled his eyes. "You're a loud-mouth, an absolute bulldog, and I mean that affectionately. You're a reporter, Piper, that's how you get answers to the hard questions most folk would rather ignore or would have no hope of ever knowing."

"Right, right…" Piper settled down some- only some. "My pride has been thoroughly stroked. So, Danny? If we're not pressuring him, then what are we doing with him?"

Ellie stood a little taller. "Appealing to his morals." When Piper only raised a brow at her and made a 'huh?' gesture, Ellie pressed on. "Danny's a good guy, in the end. He's dutiful. Dealing with a corrupt mayor is strange for him. He wants to do as he's told, but he's not exactly such a… A mook that he'd do it blindly forever. It's obvious that something's going wrong in Diamond City. More obvious still that Danny, whether he likes it or not, is a part of it. All of Diamond City security is. Maybe some of them can play stupid, pretending that pulling the wool over their eyes acts as some kind of absolution, but we think Danny's a lot closer to folding than you'd think."

Piper shook her head. "Nah, I've talked to Danny about a dozen times. He doesn't know anything."

"No," Nick grimaced. "You bullied Danny about a dozen times. Though you're probably right about him not knowing anything, although he might be able to find something out. We just gotta do what Ellie's suggesting; appeal to his better nature. I know it might be hard for you to believe he has one- I don't begrudge you that- but that's the best course of action we could drum up. Best place to start, at least."

Piper cupped her chin between her fingers, slowly nodding. "It… Probably could work, especially if you do most of the talking… I still say that if we wait for the wee hours of the morning, or for whenever McDonough needs to take a piss or give a speech, I could slip in and-"

"No." Nick and Ellie said, in unison.

Piper sighed and leaned back hard in her chair, throwing a defeated hand into the air. "Fine, fine. No snooping. We'll do it your way; give diplomacy a chance." Piper closed her eyes. In her heart, she hoped that Danny really would fold. She was tired of coming at everyone she suspected of being in on this conspiracy with a meat cleaver. It was exhausting having no friends and making more enemies by the day. She'd never let that show, never let that self-inflicted wound reveal, but it was the truth. She was lonely in her cause. When she opened her eyes and saw Nick and Ellie looking back, relieved that Piper had relented and agreed to their idea, she felt a smidge less alone.

Danny Sullivan nearly had to drag himself out of the Dug Out Inn. Had he the caps, he might've splurged and actually paid for a private room to pass out in, though between a private bed or an actually cooked meal with a flight of beers to wash the day away, the choice was clear. Thus, he shambled his way across Diamond City, hoping he'd collapse in the security barrack before the snoring and flatulence of the other day shifters would keep him from getting enough sleep to do it all again the next day.

He'd passed around the Super Salon when he saw a lone figure leaning against the wall, a lit cigarette illuminating the lower half of his face, a trilby obscuring anything above the nose. Danny could feel his gut turn with instinctual regret. He almost decided to simply turn around and go a different way before he stopped and reminded his buzzed mind that this was his city. He was a member of security. He was a member of the law. If this man was bad-business, it fell on Danny's shoulders to deal with that.

Danny tried to stand a bit taller, trying for a foot but gaining only an inch. "Hey. What're you doing loitering in the dark, pal?" The figure rose his head, glowing yellow eyes piercing the dark to meet Danny's. Normally, the sight of Nick Valentine wouldn't elicit any fear in Danny, though something felt immediately fishy. "Mr. Valentine?"

"Evening, Danny." Nick kept his lean against the shanty wall. "Sorry if I spooked ya. Just wanted to get a private word in."

Danny grimaced, but approached all the same. He'd heard from the rest of security that Valentine had been doing a lot of sniffing almost straight away once he'd gotten back to town. "Uh… Yeah, I guess, sure. But, wouldn't you wanna talk to my superior?"

Nick nodded, flicking the cigarette on the ground. Without its glow, all that remained of Nick's features was his silhouette and the glow of his eyes. "I did. He gave me a bit of what I wanted to know, but I'm hoping that you'll be able to help me with the rest."

Danny gave a glance toward the alley that led to the security office. His gut was screaming at him to just walk away; to tell Valentine he'd have to just check back in officially tomorrow, but his legs remained planted. "Oh? Um, how… How can I help?"

Nick lifted off the wall and sighed, resting a hand on the back of his neck. "Danny, there's… Been quite a lot of missing persons cases this last while. It's not just gossip in Piper's gazette. You know that, I know that, anyone in Diamond City knows that. Hell, I bet most of the trader's coming in and out of town know that too."

"Look- Mr. Valentine," Danny cut in. "I-I don't know anything about that. I just work the door most of the time, I don't know anything about no missing persons."

Nick's head raised slightly. "I know." His voice was soft, understanding. "But I think you might be able to help me find out where some of them have gone- or at least, why everyone gets all clammy when someone brings them up."

Danny frowned and shook his head. "No, I… I don't think I could help you with that-"

"McDonough." Piper's voice came from behind. Danny spun on his heels, as if ambushed by more than words. Piper stood tall, proud, her own silhouette blocking the way he'd come in.

"Wh-What is this!?" Danny demanded.

"Aw, jeeze-" Nick sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Piper- I told you, I'd handle this."

Piper took a few strides forward. "You might not know anything Danny- that seems to be a common trait amongst Diamond City's finest, not knowing anything. But you can find something."

"What?" Danny shook his head, growing agitated. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Piper," Nick raised a finger. "Please, I'm begging you this one time- Just let me handle it. Danny- Danny, look at me." Danny obeyed- it was all he was good for. "I wanted to ease into this, but I guess that road's closed. I'm gonna say this sweet and plain. It's gonna sound bad, but I'm gonna say it anyway. I think McDonough knows something about all the folk who've gone missing. In fact, I'm almost positive he's been covering most of those disappearances up."

Danny was dead silent. Deathly still. It was Piper who spoke next; "But you know that, don't you Danny? Or at least you've suspected it. Everyone in security has. McDonough has you all locked up tighter than a clam. What's he got on you all then? Has he threatened you all? Just some of you? Is all of security in on it, or just some of you?"

Danny grimaced. "You really want to get kicked out again, don't you Piper?"

Nick coughed. "Look- Danny, you seem like a good sort. I'm not asking you to do anything that might land you in the places Piper often finds herself- or worse."

"Then what are you asking me to do, Mr. Valentine?"

Nick sighed, slowly nodding. "I just want you to keep an eye out is all."

"Any eye out?" Danny shook his head. "I'm security, what do you think I do all day?"

"A fine job, I'm sure." Nick assured him. "But I mean keep an eye on McDonough. Nothing so far as snooping; I don't want to see you get into any trouble, son. But… If he's behind folk disappearing? If folk are getting turned over to slavers, or being quietly exiled, or-"

"Being handed over to the Institute." Piper sneered.

A heavy silence fell between the three of them. Piper and Nick both wished they could see Danny's face in the dark after a comment like that. "Or…" Nick began. "That. Whatever's going on… We want to find out."

"Why?" Danny asked.

Piper scoffed. "Because we're decent people? Because all the other decent people in this city deserve to know the truth?"

"And," Nick cut in. "Because we think you might be a decent person, too."

Danny hung his head, running his fingers through his hair, tapping his foot without rhythm on the duckboards below. "... Nothing illegal?"

"Nothing illegal- explicitly." Nick assured him. "If we needed something like that, frankly, I'm pretty sure Piper would have already done it. We think there might be some documents in McDonough's office, missing persons reports lifted out of Security's hands, but we don't know for sure. If you can find a way in there, that'd be above and beyond- but that's not what I'm asking you to do. All I'm asking is that you just… Keep an eye- a closer eye- on who comes in and out. On where they go… On if they go to see McDonough. On anything strange."

Danny was quiet again, pacing. "... I can't promise anything."

"And I wouldn't ask you to. If you find anything, just… Make a mention of it to Nat, or maybe talk to Ellie when she's getting some dinner. Ok?"

More silence. Danny inhaled deeply and turned sharply. He made his way out of the alley, pausing only briefly to turn his head back toward Valentine. "... Ok."

With that, Danny continued to make his way down the alley toward the security dugout.. Piper made her way to Nick, deflating. "... How do you think that went?"

Nick shook his head at her. "Would have gone better if you didn't lay on the heat. But… I think we gave him a lot to think about." Nick watched Danny Sullivan round the corner and disappear behind the schoolhouse.