Crawlout Through the Fallout - Ch. 03

Welcome back, gentle readers. This is the third chapter in my fan-fiction set in the Fallout 4 universe. Here are links for chapters one and two.

I'm sure there's some typos or missing words in here. I try to catch them but I suck at proofreading. As always, I appreciate all feedback, whether good, bad or indifferent. Comments here or feedback through the direct mail tab--either is welcome. Thanks for checking this out and I hope you enjoy!

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When we left our heroine Beth, she'd fallen in with detective Nick Valentine and traveled to Goodneighbor in an effort to get a lead on a missing girl. After a harrowing shootout and a heated encounter with lounge singer Magnolia, she has managed to make her way back to Diamond City, to reveal what she uncovered.

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I looked at three of them. "When Charlie went into his reset mode, I asked about Charlene Baxter. He said she'd left Goodneighbor eight days earlier--" I scrunched my eyebrows together. "--or nine days now, I guess, and headed for something called The Point."

Ellie grunted. "University Point, I'm sure."

Nick nodded. "Probably. Go on, Beth."

"He said she was with some guy named Symington DeLaurier."

"That name rings a bell." The detective rubbed his chin. "I need to scan the files the Vault Dweller's people brought out of the Institute before they cratered the place."

"He also called Charlene an Initiate."

"Initiate," Nick repeated. "That's very interesting. Anything else?"

"No that was all I got out of him before he finished resetting. Before I could try anything else, there was a gunfight. Some creep named Cochran hit on me, a guy named Macready told him to back off and the place erupted."

"That sounds like Goodneighbor," Ellie said with a chuckle. "It looks like you and David came out okay."

David shrugged. "I turned over a table and stayed low behind it. Beth ran off with Magnolia."

"Oh, really," Nick said. "Also very interesting."

I flushed. "Nothing happened."

Three sets of eyes--two human and one synth--stared my way. I could see not a one of them believed me.

David shook his head and returned his attention to Valentine. "More to the point, Nick, we had a run-in with the Brotherhood. That bastard Kells was there with a gamma wave scanner. I thought we were going to fight or run at first but six knights in power armor jumped down from the rooftops and cut us off. Kells picked out Dale Martinez as a synth and had his thugs drag him off and shoot him."

"Shit." Nick turned away, placing his hands on his hips.

"How was that man a synth?" I asked, glad to take the focus away from speculation on my bedroom antics. "I thought all synths were like you, Nick. No offense meant."

"None taken." He faced me, his voice matter-of-fact. "Generation one synths are metal skeletons. Basically on par with robots in terms of independence and brain power. They were mostly used as manual labor and cannon fodder. Second generation synths have more flexible plastic skin and some neural and voice upgrades. They're a bit more capable. A handful, including me, are significantly upgraded. Third generation synths are artificially organic. They bleed, they breathe, they screw. There was no way to tell them apart from humans until the Brotherhood developed that gamma wave scanner."

I looked at the three of them. "So, you're saying that these third generation synths could be right next to us and we'd never know it?"

Ellie stirred. "Don't let your prejudices run away with you, Beth. A lot of synths don't even know they are synths. Yes, there is a danger, since some were working as undercover agents, and others are still susceptible to commands being relayed to their neural implants but by and large, they are people just like us. Most just want to live their lives in peace. Just because they are artificial didn't make them automatically bad. Some people, like the Brotherhood, believe so. Thinking like that is the reason the Railroad used to smuggle them out of the Commonwealth."

I was growing thoroughly confused. "Railroad?"

"Yeah," Nick said. "They were a group that used to hide runaway synths. The Brotherhood found their headquarters in the basement of an old church, stormed the place, and slaughtered their leadership. The rest of them fell apart and disbanded." He dug into a file cabinet, pulled out a sheaf of papers, and started flipping through them.

"Okay. And this Brotherhood you all keep going on about?"

"The Brotherhood of Steel," Ellie growled. "Bigots and assholes."

David chuckled. "Yeah. They came from the south, in a big airship. They took over an old airport on the east side of the city, and left the airship hovering over it. They professed to mainly be interested in collecting and preserving technology but they also killed any 'impurities' they could find: super mutants and feral ghouls, but even normal ghouls and synths. They called synths 'perversions against mankind.' They might have taken over the Commonwealth if they hadn't gotten stupid."

"Meaning?"

Ellie picked up the thread. "Meaning, that after the Institute--and before you ask, they are the shady scientists who came up with the synths--was destroyed, the Brotherhood started trying to flex its muscles, trying to strong-arm people. They even attacked a farm settlement to the north and killed a bunch of the ghouls there, just because they were ghouls. Those settlers weren't hurting anyone and those jerks killed them all the same."

"Jesus, these guys sound crazy."

Nick nodded without looking up from his files. "You're not wrong. Unfortunately for them, that farm is part of the Minuteman network, and the Vault Dweller is the general of the Minutemen. She was as angry as I have ever seen her. She ordered the Minutemen to use their artillery on the Brotherhood's airship. Those guns are old but with their combined strength, they did the trick and shot it down. The zepplin crashed into the airport below, killing most of the Brotherhood in the process. There are still a few survivors running around, gunning down every non-human they find."

David's lip curled. "Yeah. That guy Kells--the one who had the scanner--was the captain of the airship. He survived the shoot down and crash somehow. He's an asshole, through-and-through." He blinked and shook his head. "But we're probably way off the subject here."

"Maybe not." Nick plucked a sheet from his files and replaced the rest in the cabinet. "Symington DeLaurier. Male, age fifty-two. He was an officer in the Synth Retention Bureau." He looked at me. "That's the part of the Institute that kept their synths under control and would retrieve those that ran away."

I nodded.

Nick returned his gaze to the page. "According to this, DeLaurier was working on a project that would allow them to bring runaway synths to heel, even at a great distance. It would enable the Institute to connect with many synths at once, and feed continuous data streams to their neural implants. He had gotten the technical aspects of it done right. They just hadn't solved the power problem." He looked up again. "And the Institute got destroyed before they had their reactors fully up and running."

"University Point." Ellie slapped her fist in her hand.

I tried absorb everything. It was all coming so fast. "I'm lost."

David rescued me. "The scientists at University Point were researching reactor technology before the war. People settled there afterward but the Institute came, killed everyone, and raided the place for information."

"Right." Nick picked up his pack of cigarettes, pulled one, and lit it. "I'm sure DeLaurier is looking for something to power his designs. If he did, he might be able to control a bunch of synths at once."

That thought was sobering. "To do what?"

He shrugged. "Take over settlements? Stir up trouble? Maybe even deactivate them all at the same time. If a bunch of random people suddenly keeled over, that would create a lot of chaos. The Brotherhood would be on board with that kind of control." He took a deep drag. The end of the cigarette glowed.

I stared at him. "Nick, why are you smoking that? Can you even feel it?"

"Of course I can feel it. My circulation regulators detect the nicotine in my air intake, extract it, and based on the quantity, slow some of the sensory input to my adaptive network. In other words, it relaxes me." He exhaled a cloud of white smoke. "But we're getting off subject."

"All right." I thought for a moment. "Who or what is Charlene Baxter and how does she play into this?"

"It may go back to her boyfriend being killed by a synth," Nick said. "That might be enough to drive someone into the arms of the Brotherhood. Charlie called her an Initiate, right? That's the lowest rank in the Brotherhood of Steel. So the Brotherhood may be working with Symington. We're going to have to go down to the Point and see for ourselves."

"So--"

"Let's plan on heading out tomorrow morning at first light."

Ellie smiled. "Leaving me again?"

"We'll be back, Ellie. You know that." Nick patted her hand. The look she gave him was not that of a secretary who was fond of her boss but of something deeper. I smiled and turned my head.

She blinked and focused on me. "By the way, Beth, Piper came by with your apartment assignment. I have your key here. Valentine agency paid for your first month."

"Thank you. How can you afford that?"

"We have our sources. David, can you show her where it is?" The hint in her voice suggested she wanted to be alone with Nick for a few moments. I wasn't sure if that meant they were fucking, or if Valentine even could. Maybe it was just a spiritual relationship.

David went to the door. "Coming?"

"She'll be right out," Nick said.

David stepped outside and shut the door.

Nick eyed me. I felt like squirming under that emotionless gaze. He said, "Something else happened in Goodneighbor."

"I don't know what you mean," I mumbled, looking away.

"Beth, I need to know if there's an issue for our case, or for our office. Sometimes the smallest talk can spiral into a dangerous situation. Keeping information confidential is vital to security, young lady, so talk."

I blushed. "Magnolia, she... I mean..."

Ellie's eyes widened as realization struck. Her mouth fell open. "Wait. You and Magnolia?"

Busted. I nodded, still unable to look at either of them.

"I see." Nick looked unperturbed, as normal. "Did you tell her anything?"

"No. I'm not even sure what happened, exactly. We were in the bar and the next moment..." I trailed off, too chagrined to say anything else.

Ellie recovered from her shock and laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it, Beth. You're not the first."

"What do you mean?"

Nick leaned against his desk. "Magnolia has a reputation. Not that she's easy but that she's programmed. If I had to guess, I'd say she's a synth."

"But she--" I clamped my mouth shut, though I'm not sure why, since they had already guessed what I did. A synth? She was warm. I felt her heartbeat. She smelled human. She tasted human. "How?"

"I told you, you can't tell third generation synths from human," Nick reminded me. "That's why that scanner the Brotherhood has is such a concern. As for Magnolia, like I said, it's a rumor. If I had to guess, I'd say she was programmed to make people happy. If she sees someone she's really attracted to, like you, her conditioning tells her to try to seduce them, and to pleasure them as much as possible. That ultimately makes her upset, since she doesn't feel fully in control of herself while she's doing that. She feels compelled. Not only that, but they also say the Institute implanted her with some tech modifications regarding melodic voice suggestion, that stimulate desire centers in the brain of anyone she focuses on."

'Wait a second," I said, my voice thick, "you're saying she can make people fall into bed by singing?"

"Suggestion, Beth, not command. She can push people into doing something they're already thinking about doing. If they don't have the desire, it won't work. In other words, yes, her voice alone can convince her targets to sleep with her, but only if they want to in the first place." He lit another cigarette from the end of the first one and mashed the spent butt in an ashtray. "She doesn't know for sure if she's a synth, of course, and I can't prove anything. But the theory seems to match the experiences she's shared with me."

"That poor girl." Ellie shook her head. "Those Institute bastards, forever screwing with people's lives for their experiments."

That didn't make me feel better. If everything Nick said was true, it meant that in some corner of my mind, I had wanted to sleep with her. But worse than that, it meant that neither Magnolia nor I had been fully ourselves for our night of pleasure. That concept robbed my memory of some of its pleasantness and--like petrol leaking out over a pool of water--added the oily sheen of violation to the whole affair. No wonder she looked sad. I swallowed hard and said, "Can we discuss that later?"

Nick motioned at the door. "Sure. Take the rest of the night off. Plan to meet back here by eight tomorrow morning, and come prepared to head out."

I hurried out.

David loitered outside. "Come on, let me show you your place." He started walking without looking to see if I was following. His voice was uncharacteristically neutral.

I followed him in silence as we ascended the steps of the terraces lining Diamond City. We passed Ellie's apartment and kept climbing. I glanced back at the marketplace and farms lining the bottom of the arena and half-smiled. I'd only been here a few days and it was already feeling like home.

He stopped in front of a door identical to the others we'd walked by, distinguishable only by the small numbers painted neatly on the front. He handed me the key to the door. "One-two-eight. This one's yours."

I took the key. "Thanks."

"See you in the morning." Without another word, he pivoted and started to walk away.

"David!"

He paused and looked back at me.

I moved closer. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, why?"

"You're coming off very cold and angry. Did I do something to upset you?"

"Not at all. Who you sleep with is none of my business."

"Wait." I gawked at him in disbelief. "You're copping an attitude because I spent the night with Magnolia?"

"Like I said--"

"Where the hell do you get off?" I all but yelled. Like a steam pipe with a sudden rupture, the stress and confusion of the last forty-eight hours jetted out of me in a torrent of rage. "What happened had absolutely nothing to do with you--and you're right, it's none of your goddamn business if I want to fuck every man, woman, and ghoul in Goodneighbor!"

He flinched and a look of pain skittered over his face. "Look, Beth, I--"

"Last night had nothing to do with you. It was something private between two consenting adults." Given what Nick had told me, I knew that wasn't one hundred percent true but my anger spurred me on. "You're an ass, do you know that?"

David's face fell. "I know. You're right and I'm sorry. It's just... I like you, Beth. I thought you liked me too." He hurried away, before I could say anything more.

My anger drained away as fast as it had come. I wanted to call out, to call him back. David hadn't really been mad. He'd been hurt, feeling rejected. Then he reacted poorly, he knew he had, and felt even worse. And I did like him. I hadn't lied; what happened with Magnolia didn't change how I felt about him and since I couldn't even explain to myself how it happened, it wasn't me choosing her over him. Most of my vitriol was born of stress, fear, and fatigue, and he'd been a convenient, if somewhat unfair, target for my angst. I wanted to tell David all of that.

But he was already gone.

I sighed and entered my apartment.

Morning came early and I rose, feeling like I had a head full of sand. Between all the revelations of my trip to Goodneighbor, the uncertainty over my tryst, nervousness about the upcoming venture, and regrets over blowing up at David, I'd spent most of the night tossing and turning. The furnished apartment included a radio, which I listened to a bit, after I figured out how to use it. While I marveled at the music pouring from the small device, it didn't help me sleep. There was also a clock, which I'd watched all night--mostly in increments of fifteen minutes. Finally around five, I'd had enough, and got up.

I ran through the shower but my growling stomach made me cut it short. I hadn't eaten anything since the trip back the day before, and I hadn't bought anything for the apartment. I recalled that David said there was food stocked in the office and I had a key.

But David slept there most nights. Did I really want to face him?

I got dressed. We had to work together and we were about to set off on something dangerous. I doubt Nick would want us growling and sniping at each other when we were supposed to be watching his back, so I figured David and I might as well deal with it while we had the chance.

The first rays of dawn were just starting to lighten the eastern sky when I stepped outside. Diamond City was quiet. The only movement came from the patrols of the armed guards. Still, the streets were lit, so I made my way down to office. I paused at the door, steeled my nerves, and went in.

Nick and Ellie weren't there but David was. He was already awake, though wearing only a pair of shorts. He sipped at a can of water and eyed me when I came in. I gave him a tentative nod. "Good morning."

"Hi. How did you sleep?"

"Like shit. You?"

"Same." He gestured at the cabinet. "Did you eat yet?"

"No, I didn't feel like stocking my apartment last night."

"Help yourself."

I hesitated. "David, I... uh..."

He held up his hand. "Look, if it's about yesterday evening, I'm sorry. You were right. It was none of my business and you don't owe me anything."

"I was going to say, I'm sorry for yelling at you. The stress of everything is getting to me."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Beth."

"I want to. Let's just say we're both sorry and leave it at that. Deal?"

He smiled faintly. "Deal."

I gestured. "You, uh, should probably get dressed."

He did while I rooted in the cabinet for something to eat. I came up with some mirelurk cakes, which I recognized from when Franks had shared his with me. I took a few from the bag and devoured them.

David watched me eat. "You like those, do you?"

"Yes."

"Me too. Mirelurks are nasty to deal with, though."

"I've never actually seen one," I said. "What are they?"

"They're like giant crabs. Their armored shells make them hard to kill, though your rifle is powerful enough that if you can get them in their soft underbelly, they'll go down fast."

I nodded, filing that away for future use.

David cocked his head. "Can I ask you where you got that? The rifle?"

"It belonged to Pops."

"Your father?"

I smiled, a bit sadly. "To be honest, I'm not completely sure he actually was my father. He always told me to just call him Pops, so I did. One of the women in Ratchet Falls said he was my uncle. Another one told me he was unrelated and adopted me, but only so he could make me his mistress when I grew up."

David raised an eyebrow. "That's creepy."

"I know but I think she was full of it. He never touched me like that, even once I was grown. He was very loving but in a parental way. I decided early on that if I wasn't his actual daughter, I was going to pretend I was. Anyway, he built this rifle, in secret. The town leader didn't like us regular people having anything bigger than a little pipe pistol. He always told me to hold onto it, that it would keep me safe." I rested one hand on the rifle's stock. "He's gone now. A yao gui got him. This is about all I have left of him."