"Well that was certainly an interesting night, it got everyone talking, and all of Diamond City is buzzing with the news after what happened last night. Conrad Kellogg, a murderer, kidnapper, and a Institute agent, was hung early this morning from Mass Fusion Tower. I'm told that his body is still hanging there as a warning to all others who think that type of behavior is acceptable."

"If there's anything else to say, I would ask our resident news outlet Publick Occurrences for the latest details, that is, when Piper's around. Other than that here's Talk To Me by Sunny and the Sunglows...kindof redundant, but that's just me.

Oh, before I forget, "Solomon cares about what type of Chem's you take, so come to Chem-I-Care. Cleanest Chems, Cleanest highs. Chem-I-Care."

They reached Diamond City later that afternoon on the same day Kellogg hung after sleeping through the early morning.

"Well, well, well, look who finally decides to swing by." Piper said to Nate, flashing a wide smile. "So, are you two finally going to let me in on the story? I've spread the word, rallied people of Diamond City, and gone all over the Commonwealth with you, but this story seems to stretch beyond time and space and have half a dozen names and places involved. So. What's the story, what did Kellogg say? What was with the frieking pony?"

Meathead inhaled, drawing in a large breath. "<How much time do you have, Piper?>"

"I've got all week, I'm ready for your story, from the beginning, wherever that is, to the end, wherever that may be." Piper sat with her legs crossed, and a holotape recorder, and even a note pad with a pen ready to take notes. "So, what did you learn?" All the while, Piper didn't realize she was talking to Meathead, disguised as Nate.

"<I'll start with what you know, and I'll fill in the rest of the details when we're on the road.>"

"Road? Where are we going?"

"<If you want the whole picture, you're going to need to come with me. I'll start with Kellogg. I got everything I needed to know from him.>"

"And what exactly is it that you learned from the Institute spy?"

"<Everything. The renegade, the location of the Institute, although, it was Nick who confirmed the Institute's location. I speculated on it, but after meeting him back in Vault 114, it was all about piecing it together. It's been seventy years since he kidnapped Shaun, so whatever boy he had in Diamond City, the one you and a few other people scantly remember, my boy wasn't the only one he's kidnapped.>"

"Wait. Seventy years? But he looked like he was in his fifties."

"<Plastic surgery and access to the best tech in the world, Piper. He was probably closer to a hundred and ten years old.>"

"How did you and Nick come across the location of the Institute? How did you manage to piece it together with him when we were in Vault 114 together?"

"<I've got a holotape file on my Pip-Boy. I'll play it for you, it's an apology letter from Nick's captain to Nick Valentine. Old Nick. The real human Nick. From what on this tape, the contents were telling Nick Valentine to go to the Institute, before it was the Institute of today.>"

"Why was Old Nick's captain telling him to go to the CIT?" Piper asked.

"<I...from what I pieced together about Old Nick, was that Eddie Winter set a hit after his wife and kid. Everyone knew it, but Eddie was untouchable, he was double crossing the Mafia for the Federal Government, for protection. I can only begin to imagine it caused him stress, or anguish, or any number of things, and told him to go to the CIT because people at the time thought it would help calm him down. They probably made him sign a contract filled with legal jargon and scientific terms he had no idea what it meant to allow his mind to be recorded.>"

"Why would people even need something like that?" Piper asked.

"<....The world was safe enough to care about people's feelings, Piper. Other people's feelings and their emotions. God, I wish you could've seen the tech we had back then, the MRIs, the X-rays, the ultrasounds...that's barely scratching the surface. What the Institute was doing...did. The pre-war Institute was recording people's memories, and scanning brainwaves, storing the information for archival data, and for study and application later on. We all know the story of Nick Valentine of 2287, he remembers waking up in a trash pile in the streets of Boston, over one hundred years after the bombs fell, thinking he's a human, when his memories are now piloting a synthetic body.>"

"Uh, huh. So how did this tape lead you to know about the location of the Institute?"

"<It was all about actually seeing to believe it. If I never met Nick Valentine, I would've never known about the connection from Old Nick, to today's Nick. The Institute is cunning, but trying to hide themselves is like a giant game of hide-and-seek, eventually the seeker is going to narrow down the places the Institute is hiding.>"

"Christ, the Institute. I've been investigating them for over a year now, and you go and rattle the closet holding the Commonwealth's boogeyman. So how and where are they? How do they get in?"

"<Because I'm paranoid, and rightly so, I can't tell you that out loud, but I can show you. As to how they get in, that's the second thing I tried to figure out, and I've been wanting to show you something since the twenty-ninth, before we talked with Nick at his office. I've been putting it off, but I think it's now time to show you all the things that are in Vault 111.>" She straightened up and cracked a wide smile.

"Ohh..Goody. A field trip, can't wait."

"<Mind if I ask you a few questions of my own, Piper?>"

"Go right ahead."

"<To you, how big is the Commonwealth? How far does it stretch? What's inside the Commonwealth? From what I've heard, Salem is the farthest settlement in the North, Quincy to the South, Boston tooo...>" Meathead circled his left hand counterclockwise, and Piper jumped in.

"Fort Hagen, the military bases to the west. No one is really out there except for raider gangs and of course, Kellogg, but that's no longer the case. Even they eventually realize they've got to use all those caps they've scavenged off corpses and buy something with it when no caravans pass bye anymore. That's about how far the Commonwealth goes in your little box."

Meathead smiled, trying to infect Piper with an unshakeable, knowing, optimism.

"<Piper.>" He said, grinning madly. "<Do you really want some perspective? You said you find out eventually, but,>" Smiling wider, happy, his teeth were showing. "<Do you really want to see the Commonwealth from my perspective?>" Meathead asked.

"Yes. I know you're a Vault Dweller, but I need to know what your take is on the issues or major differences and changes that you see outside of the Vault. Diamond City is in desperate need of new insight from the outside."

"<From what I've gathered in the short time outside the vault, there's plenty of tension with social trust, people feel like they can't walk outside anymore without bumping into a ghoul, super mutant, or the Institute. However, I've notice people tend to group everything negative together, and would rather deal with raiders pounding on their door, a physical threat, than the threats they perceive in their mind.>"

"People freak out over the tiniest things nowadays, just because someone gets a new haircut or tries a different dish, it's like any thing new or out of turn from routine is cause enough for alarm." Piper said.

"<The only demons here, are the one we create inside our heads. Since I'm new, but from an older time, I consider myself immune to social pandering and rumors, I don't get swept up in the mob mentality that comes with fear of the unknown.>" Meathead said.

" Can you describe your time on the inside?"

"<Inside the the vault was short, but then again, time was relative.>" Meathead replied. "<Things change, but war never does. Piper, how far would you go to learn the truth?>"

"I'm willing to hit the road, and be by your side if that's what it takes to get the story.>" She said, slowly shaking her head, casting away any doubts in her own mind to commit.

"<Piper, from walking here from Vault 111 to Diamond City, I learned plenty about Boston and the surrounding cities.>"

"What do you have to say, Blue?"

"<Society crumbled. Out there, Fenway Park is like a castle, with everyone protected by the Wall, warding off bands of rogues raiders and mutants. Piper, before I tell you more, I want to ask, what would you be willing to do to better yourself?>"

"What do you mean?"

"<Have you ever been muscle tested?>"

She shook her head, "No, unless you're talking about when Dr. Carrington took the little rubber hammer and tapped it against the soft spot of my knee."

"<Close, but that only gauges the response of a single muscle group in the knees. The way I muscle test is to see if I can get a reaction from every single nerve in your body, and make sure all the nerves are communicating with each other.>"

"I'm not following you."

"<Alright, do you know that the human body is seventy percent water?>"

"I think I heard that somewhere."

"<Well, how does water get around your body?>"

"Through the blood?" Piper ventured a guess.

"<You would think that, but it's actually the nervous system that carries the water through your body. The blood carries oxygen. There's the muscles, bones, blood, and nervous system, and every single part of your body needs to stay hydrated. When I say that, people assume, oh I need to drink water. That's true, you do need to drink water every day, about half your body weight in ounces to stay hydrated. This goes deeper. We can always go deeper.>"

"Have you ever been sat down for too long then stood up and felt your legs go numb? She was nodding the entire time.

"<That's because all the veins, nerves, and capillaries in the legs are being pinched. Squeezed tighter. Now when you stand up, the flow returns to normal. But during the entire time you were sitting, you still needed blood and water. The only problem during this, is that it's redirected or the flow is cut off. Eventually, it doesn't hurt, or you get accustomed to the pain and stop thinking about it, but as long as you don't realize it, you aren't able to use your legs to their fullest extent. What I aim to do, is tell your brain to check your entire body, and make sure the water is going to where it needs to be. I'll check to make sure water is going to all your organs.>"

"That sounds too bizarre to be a real thing. Where did you learn of this?"

"<A man I met in Seattle.>"

"You've been to Seattle? When did that happen? Where all did you go getting back? We're you walking the whole way? Did you get a ride on a caravan? What took you to Seattle? How long did it take?"

"<A very long time ago, It's not really important, I'm getting ahead of myself and I was coming from somewhere else. Seattle was only a stopping point. I was waiting a week for weather to clear up before it was safe to leave and met the Chinese man there. What is important is what I learned from him. I was stressed, Hah!>" The laugh escaped Meathead's throat as if it were a massive understatement. "<And he healed me. I want to offer this same treatment to you. After this, then I feel you will be fully prepared to hear my story.>"

"Okay, Mr. Blue, what do I do?"

"<Piper, hold out your left arm.>" Piper obliged, raising it up. "<Would you mind removing you hat for a moment?>"

She picked off her cap with her right arm and put it under her armpit.

"<I just want to check something really quick. I've been getting a vibe that you're a little anxious, maybe a little nervous, and...this should help with that.>" Meathead said, standing up.

Placing both hands on the sides of Piper's skull, he held them there.

"What'ch y'a doin' there, Blue?"

"<Integrating. It takes about twenty, twenty five seconds for our energies to be compatible. Around the world, touch is very, very significant in many cultures, because everything has an energy to it.>" Meathead said, taking his right hand, he held it above Piper's. "<When I press down, I want you to try and keep your arm up and apply the same amount of resistance. If it's too much, just let your arm drop.>" Meathead said, swiping his left hand twice across the left top side of Piper's skull and pressing down on her arm at the same time. Her arm wavered a bit, and he repeated it again. This time completely solid.

Repeating it a third time, this time swiping against the right top side of her skull, near the soft spot. She held her arm firm.

"<But, there are also negative energies, tension or worry,>" Meathead waved his ring finger against the right side of her forehead, just below the hairline and tested her response.

"<Along with anxiety, or fear, depression, sadness, anger. It stems from parasites, viruses, foreign energies... Would you mind placing your right hand on your pubic bone? That's your pubic synthesis. It's below the stomach, above your groin. Just a little bit of pressure.>"

Meathead tested once, running his hand down the full length of her leg. Her eyes went wide and her knee joints audibly popped.

He smiled, and tested her again. Her arm was rock solid.

"Whoa there, Nate. What're you up to?"

"<Just a little bit more, hand off pubic synthesis, please. What I'm doing...is helping your body tell itself it needs to heal.>" Meathead tested Piper's reaction and her arm lost all strength, Piper recoiled and wanted to shake the feeling of rigormortis in her arm.

She paled. "What did you do to me?!" Trying to shove Meathead away and stand up backing away from him.

"<I found an unresponsive nerve, Piper. Every living creature I know of has a nervous system and blood vessels. When we breathe, oxygen fills the lungs, and is absorbed by the blood. The oxygen travels through the body, and flushes out carbon dioxide from the body. The blood goes back to the heart, and is pumped up to the lungs, where it is revitalized by fresh oxygen. So breathe deeply.>"

She sucked in a deep lung of air and then eyed the laser pistol sitting on her desk, taking one side step towards it.

Meathead raised both palms of his hands to be facing Piper, "<Look at the most energy consuming device in your whole house. Has it ever tripped a breaker or blown a fuse?>"

Her eyes betrayed her, she thought of the computer upstairs. Piper couldn't stop from gulping and tensing up.

"Stop." She said, Meathead smiled and stayed rooted to the spot.

"<When the fuse is blown, or the breaker is tripped, what...do...you do?>"

"I'm not answering that." She said, leaning over and grabbing the pistol off her desk, she raised it at Meathead. "What are you, Institute? Come here to finally replace me? Buy your way in with a fake story? What is it, you piece of shit? Were you sent after Kellogg to tie up loose ends? Is that it?" Piper's gun arm was shaking, Meathead continued to smile.

"<That gun must feel at least fifty pounds.>" She had to brace herself as her grip faltered and reposition her feet for a better stance.

"<Piper, you want to find out? You want to know everything? Then the first thing I'm going to tell you, that might infuriate you, is that Silence is Golden. You need to be more open-minded, or my perspective will truly be too much for you to handle.>"

Meathead watched as her trigger finger squeeze tighter, "<You'll miss.>" She pulled back on the trigger. From less than five feet away, he accepted that he was going to be shot at and didn't move a muscle. He didn't even blink as the jet of deadly energy intending to kill him struck the ground at his feet.

"<I don't blame you for that. I should've worded that better.>"

Meathead was holding both arms out, chest bore towards her, "Whatever you're doing to me, stop." Her gun arm was shaking, and she wanted to be angry, but she couldn't stop from looking down at her hand. It felt stiff, like she hadn't eaten or drank anything in days, an all too familiar feeling. She cringed, reminded of the cramps that came with not taking in enough salt in her diet.

Her hand felt so cramped holding the gun, she wanted to get rid of it by heaving it as hard as she could, just so she could massage her hand.

"<The gun will fall from your hands and I will stop after you've sat down and I've finished healing you.>"

Piper grimaced, her hand was in agony and she couldn't fire another shot. She grit her teeth, baring them to Nate. She wanted to rip his throat out.

"You're a monster. What did you do to me?" The gun fell from her grip, and her fingers were locked.

"<I'm resetting your nervous system, Piper. Like a blown fuse, unless something is done about it, you're crippling yourself. If water doesn't get to every single part of your body, it becomes dehydrated. You cramp up, you feel dizzy, nauseous, and easily irritable. You are still your own house, but unless maintenance is done, and your body is repaired, you will never get past this moment in your life.>"

She was silent, and stared at Meathead with the same burning intensity of a guard dog wanting nothing more than to rip the intruder from limb to limb.

"<And there it is.>"

"You're a smooth-talking politician, is what you are! A con-man who fucking did something to my body, and now it wont work!" She sank down onto her knees and tried to pick the gun up fumbling it around in her hands like she's never held one before.

"<Piper, your brain needs to clear the blockages in your system. Your body needs to listen to your brain and if you pick up that gun, and shoot at me, I will use force.>"

Pinching the laser pistol between her palms, she was about to aim again, when Nate was there.

Pressing his thumb directly into her temple, and flat palm against her main aorta on her chest.

"<Heal yourself.>" Meathead said, Piper fell backwards onto the ground.

In the span of two seconds, all Piper felt all these things:

She didn't know what emotion she was feeling. All the nerves, all the goose pimples on her entire body prickled, from the tip of her toes, shooting up her calves, rocking the knees, through her thighs and up into her pelvis and hips, up through her intestines and spine. Her stomach dropped, and the breath she took made it feel like her lungs were like a balloon that could never stop expanding. So deep, she never knew her lungs could feel so open. For a moment, she didn't know whether or not her limbs were still attached, as her hands stopped shaking and they didn't cramp.

It felt like Meathead punched through her rib cage and forced her heart out the backside from how heavily her heart was slamming against the inside of her chest. Her throat felt tight and then clear as all the nerves in her entire body responded at the same time, and all the information flooded into her brain.

Her lower back hurt from sleeping on the concrete floor of the Diamond City Holding Cell. Her lungs were still holding onto bits of black tar that accumulated from years of smoking cigarettes.

As the messages were being communicated to Piper's brain, her head was the last to finally process all the information. Her lips felt tight from where she'd bit them, or the inside of her cheeks from when she was nervous and needed something to chew on. She felt extremely high.

Her tongue was raw and scratchy, and teeth all rooting themselves deeper and tighter into the gums. Her ears were warm and perked up high like a fox's.

Her nose felt stuffed, but she could smell the scent of her hair and the smell of Power Noodles Ramen coming from in off the street. She heard the crows gathered on the electrical wires running over Diamond City, she could feel the generators humming, vibrating through the ground. There were people in the marketplace, walking everywhere, she could see their faces and feel the warm breath exhaled as their chest rose up and down.

Her eyes were watering, but she couldn't feel the tears running down her face. Her forehead was tight, then smooth.

The kicker was a fully body popping of joints as she felt thirty of her joints settle back into place all at the same time. It made her snap her head back, like on the verge of an orgasm.

All this, she felt in the matter of two seconds.

It was a lot for anyone to process.

She laid on the floor and moaned softly "Ahhhhhhhg...you..." Her head fell back and she was unconscious for three seconds and righted her head up. Successfully rebooted.

"What the fuck did you do to me, Nate? I can't walk." She could walk, her legs were moving, it was her brain now realizing there was a nerve connection in her brain recently reawakened and formed. Now her brain could send signals even faster. Rerouting the relays for how information traveled through Piper's brain, it was acting more efficient.

"<You had a blockage of blood, that's called chi, or energy in your third Chakra, the heart. Ram, or Rham. There was a virus in your brain too. I let your brain know that it wasn't getting any wasn't getting much of a response from that part of your body, and your body healed itself. You also had some toxicity built up in your lungs from the cigarettes, but that's expected when you smoke. There was also a virus in your stomach, holding too much stagnant energy. Your body should be clearing it out now.>"

Piper couldn't stop herself from readjusting her legs and rolled to her left side. Slowly propped one arm under her, then the next. She laid on her side like Cleopatra, staring up at Meathead, catching her breath.

"<Just go ahead and lay back. We'll finish. Almost done. How do you feel? What do you feel?>"

Her entire spine twitched, trying to drag her back down to lay on the floor. She tried to resist for a moment, but she dropped back down and stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily.

"I feel like I took a big hit of Jet and weed, and then a handful of pain pills, then topped it off with three stimpaks."

"<It's different for everybody, the first time someone did this to me, my ankles popped and my back realigned itself. The practitioner told me to go walk around for a bit afterwards. I'll have you do the same so you can and integrate all the changes you're feeling in your body.>"

"I have questions for you." 'Why do I feel so good?' She didn't want to feel this good, she told herself. She didn't deserve it.

"<And I have answers, you deserve to feel amazing. Don't shun yourself. If you feel like smiling, then smile. Many times, people always tell themselves they don't deserve to feel happy. As human beings, we deserve to be happy all the time, every day. It's only once in a lifetime should the stress, anxiousness, anger be so much that we might tell ourselves to not be happy at that time. This is not one of those times. If you feel happy, then you are happy and no one can tell you otherwise.>"

'Can you read my mind?'

"<No, I'm not a mind reader, Piper. I read body language. Not everyone always thinks about the next words coming out of their mouth, and you can always tell when someone has something on their mind. Arm up.>"

Her toes straightened up towards the ceiling, and Meathead began to sing as she lifted her arm up.

"There is there something on your mind,
By the way you look at me?
Is there something on your mind, honey,
By the way you look at me?
Can what you're thinking bring happiness?
Or will it bring mis-er-y?

Bum bah-dah de da daht de da. Bumb dah-dat de dah dat de dah."

As he sung, Meathead checked the sides of her head, behind both ears, and asking Piper to place her hand on her pubic bone at various times, or even stick her finger in her ear canal.

"That's Big Jay McNeely." She said.

"<Yep.>" He replied, cradling the backside of her skull and touching the top of the spinal column where it connects to the brain stem. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the protocol. "<Right, right, right.>" He repeated to himself, now sure of what to do.

"No! No, don't try to tell me!
I think I understand.
If you ever think about me,
If I ever cross your mind.
No! Noh! You don't have to tell me, pretty lady.
I think I understand.
You want me to forget you!
But I'll do the best I can."

He ran his ring finger down the center of Piper's nose, from the bridge to the tip and pressed down on her arm, and she waved a bit. Repeating it again, her arm was stiff and solid.

"<Alright, that's it. Go ahead and get up slowly, and then go walk around for a bit.>" She was compelled to roll over, hands out in front of her as she rose to her hands and knees, crawling up the side of the couch and desk for support.

Piper turned her head and met Meathead's eyes, "Where' your dog?" She finally realized Meathead was absent from Nate's side.

Meathead smiled, "<He's outside, I'll see you in a few. After you get up, press your pinkies, middle, and thumbs together, it'll keep yourself contained.>"

\111/

Piper stood up and exhaled heavily. "Feeeeeewh." A couple deep breaths, she saw her pack of cigarettes and lighter on the table, along with the laser pistol still on the ground. She stuffed the packet and lighter in her pocket and snagged the laser pistol off the ground and walked slowly out the door. The muscles in her legs felt like she just finished running a marathon. Stepping outside, she walked out from under the eve and into the sunlight and then it hit her.

She stood, almost in a daze for a moment when she stood up straighter. Chest out, shoulders back, chin down, back straight, a few more joints in her neck and spine popped and she stared at the seats in the outfield, then to the Power Noodle stand. Blinking twice, things were coming in and out of her depth perception and everything came into focus.

"Holy Shit!" She said too loudly, drawing the attention of her sister, Nat, and a handful of other people in hearing distance from Piper for a short two-second glance, along with Pastor Clements from the All Faiths church right across the street from her. He was sitting on the bench , reading, aware that Piper was outside of her business, staring up off into the distance when she said that.

His lips were pulled off to the side and the expression on his face said, 'Really? I'm right here.'

It took her a moment to realize exactly how loud she said the words, and stepped backwards. Looking at the Pastor, she apologized sheepishly. "Sorry, Pastor. I just..ah...realized something."

"The grace of God?" He inquired, cracking a smile.

"No...well. Yes, but I was looking at the seats in the outfield, and for a moment...I swore I could make out the numbers etched into the metal tags in the seat."

The Pastor nodded, hand stuck in between the pages of the Quran, next to him were a short of books. He looked to the stands in outer west field. He sat with the Bible on top of the stack, filled with his handwritten notes and annotations of his interpretation of the text. He nodded again and returned to his reading.

"Good eyes." He said.

"Yeah." She replied, wandering towards the Marketplace. She looked around at everything and it felt like her eyes were really open wide. Remembering to press her pinkie, middle, and thumb together as she walked around, she searched for Nate or his dog. Scanning everywhere, a she met a few people directly in the eye and they cocked their head's back, instantly realizing there was a change in her that they couldn't place. Not a negative one, but the way her smile creeped up her face, she couldn't stop from smiling. It was a little off-putting to a few people, but they couldn't help but wonder what story or rumor she just heard to be put in such a good mood.

The thought of 'she's a synth' seemed like a possibility, but the way her lips came together, trying not to show her teeth and the way her dimples showed, and cheeks rose up like she'd just heard something amazing quelled those thoughts, and made others think that there must be something else aside from such a simple answer as, 'she's a synth'.

Even the Diamond City security was quick to notice the change in how Piper walked, almost like person who was high. And when they saw her face, she looked at them differently than how she did before.

It was only an hour ago, the last time they really took notice of Piper, she used to wear critical, narrowed eyes, looking at their whole body for some sort of tell. Any sort of sign making it look like they had something to say. Now she was looking at them as if she was seeing them for the first time in a long time. Like old friends that were away from each other for years, and were now meeting again.

She was walking differently too, head up high and confident. They tried to pin down what could make a person act marginally different, was it a good shot of rum? A little snort of nose candy? A hit off the one-hitter? A good story for her newspaper? A fresh-lay? Was she replaced by a synth when they weren't looking? Or was it a combination of little bits of everything? It made the Diamond City security guards swallow nervously and smile unsure back at her when she looked them in the eye.

\111/

"I never got my interview questions, and now that I did your healing session, I think it's high time I get some answers." Piper followed Nate to Diamond City Surplus where he was buying tools and scrap metal.

"Can you describe your time inside the Vault?" She asked, she heard herself and realized she slurred the words. Licking her gums and teeth, she smiled and stretched her jaw out.

"My time in the vault wasn't a typical time in the vault like you might expect...How many Vaults actually have people around Boston? How many are functional?"

"The only one that's still True Blue is Vault 81. They're a stones throw away from the Fens. There's Vault 114, but that's been said and done with over in North Boston. I did some digging a while ago, there's one up in Malden, Vault 75, but that was taken over by the Gunners Gang. I think there's a Vault 88 somewhere near Quincy , but I don't know of anyone who's ever even seen the front door. But, back to my question, can you describe your time inside the vault?

"In one word, short. For me, time means nothing to me. For others, it's everything. My time in the Vault was short because on the morning of October 23rd. 2077, I was standing in my newborn son Shaun's bedroom in Sanctuary Hills with my wife Nora, when our Mr. Handy, Codsworth, called out to us from the living room. We both ran from my son's room to him, and watched the broadcast from our Radiation King television come in. I can't remember the exact words he said, but the news reporter listed off the cities that were confirmed nuclear strikes. Philladelphia, Washington D.C., and then the look on his face when he looked at the teleprompter, and then off screen for a moment and said the words, "All of them?" They'd just lost communication with all other stations across the country."

"Wait, they boxed you up in a fridge? The whole time? Are you saying you were alive before the Great War? You breezed past this the first time you mentioned it to me, and I want to be clear on this."

Nate nodded, continuing on with his story, "We were next. The sound of the siren alarms flipped on and shook us to our core. WE were next. They were coming for us. The bombs of the Great War were coming for us. We didn't know how long we had to get to a Vault, but we knew it would only be minutes." Nate finished his transaction and bought the tools, gears, bolts, screws, and scrap metal.

"Nora grabbed Shaun, I clipped a leash onto Meathead and then we bolted for Vault 111." Nate swallowed and cleared his throat and eyes, looking again at Piper.

"I remember standing on top of the elevator platform that would carry us down to the inside of the cavern Vault-Tec. dug out for the vault. It started to move, when we all saw the atomic bomb detonate south of Boston. That was West Roxbury, and I know why they tried to hit there too, there's...there was an army base...A nuclear deterrent system."

"A what?" She asked.

"It was something you could see from the highway. A big black pyramid. It was filled with surface-to-air missiles, so that is my best guess as to why the Chinese struck south of Boston, and not the heart."

"I'll tell you right now, Piper. There's a legend about a Hindu god, Kali. Destroyer of Worlds. She wears a belt of human skulls, drinks from a human skull cup, and wields a weapon called the sword of truth, for when she comes, she will cut off your head and shows it to you. She shows you everything you've become and who you are. It's all a metaphor, but you'll look into her eyes and see your reflection in them. She can't be stopped, and she was coming for us right then and there in the form of a massive nuclear blast."

"I was holding onto my wife, one arm around her while she held onto Shaun, another around my dog as I closed my eyes and held her there. I knew we were going to be alright."

"How?"

"Because...we weren't lucky, we were blessed. We descended into the Vault, and under the pretense of decontamination..." Nate looked down at Meathead, remembering the intense fear he felt coming from his dog. The memory didn't resurface until now, but he realized that Meathead must've known something was inherently wrong. That they were being lied to.

"They lied to us. They were cryogenic pods. We were frozen. We were frozen and they lied to us. I don't know how much time passed, but at the time, we were woken up by people who weren't Vault -Tec."

"They came in, opened my wife's pod right across from me, took Shaun. And then the bald bastard shot her with a .44 bull barreled magnum right in the chest." Nate pressed his fingertips together, his anger was overflowing at the memory.

"Cold blooded murder." Piper said, she wanted to say it with an inflection at the end that would've turned it into a question, but let it go after she realized the play on words was too on-the-nose.

"He came right up to me, and I was looking the motherfucking bastard right in the eyes, trying to bash my way out through hard steel and said the words 'At least we've got a backup.'"

"Backup? For what?" Nate shook his head.

"If you can tell me why a strike team wearing full body biohazard suits would invade Vault 111, and kidnap only an infant, then you will have your answer."

"We were frozen again." Nate recalled the haze he felt after falling out of the pod onto the cold cement floor, "...and time passed." Nate realized. "When we were finally set free, all the pods were covered in dust, the cobwebs hung from the ceiling to the floor, and there was no one else left alive in the entire vault. The pods malfunctioned. One by one. The only ones that still had power were mine and Nora's. Everyone else was dead. Her body was still frozen. She was frozen right after she was shot." Nate bit his lip a few times during his retelling, and tried moving past the difficult moment.

"Meathead, was the only other living thing besides myself. We wandered through the vault and left. So yes, Piper. If you want to know my perspective, you must realize two hundred and ten years passed in what felt like the span of an hour to me."

She'd stopped writing and was engrossed in the story. She put the point of her pen to the paper and was scratching short hand as fast as she could, it looked like she was writing scribbles and swirled loops that didn't make any discernible words, but she was hooked.

"You've seen the Commonwealth. Diamond City. How does it compare to your old life?"

"Diamond City is like a shanty town. It might be extremely presumptuous for me to say that, but you would need to know about my past to know why I say this."

"What about your past makes you say Diamond City is a shanty town? I live in it after all." Piper said, trying to defend her home.

"I was a soldier with the United States Army. Second Battalion, 108th regiment. I fought in Alaska before the Great War, and was stationed on Unimak Island, the first island in the Aleutian chain of islands. Three thousand feet of water that separated 5,000 American troops from 500,000 Chinese troops at the closest point. The farthest point from False Pass to the mainland was a little over a mile. They were on the mainland, trying to set up a supply chain so they could ferry troops out of Alaska because they were on the retreat. Chinese Communist forces were being routed out of Anchorage, and the fighting was still going on, but Piper, I've fought in battles and wars with more men and women than you've ever imagined. I've personally fired enough rounds to where the ground was two inches deep with spent bullet casings. We won False Pass because it was winter, and there wasn't enough food. The ponies were the first to go. That Institute pony that Hancock has? There were more in Alaska, caught up in the fight on the wrong side, and when the food ran out, we couldn't go over and save just them, we could only not shoot at them if they tried to swim across. I don't talk about my past, because what I saw I don't know for certain myself, but there were probably hundreds on the mainland side. All in all, maybe three got away. The rest, the Chinese just butchered and ate." Nate swallowed, trying to get the terrible taste of war from his mouth.

"Just three ponies? So you've had experience with them before?"

"If you mean by seeing them breifly for all of two seconds back then before they were taken away, and taking an unconscious one from the toy factory to the USS Constitution, then yes. I've had experience."

"We let every single one of them starve to death, and then executed the cannibals that were still left or didn't freeze to the spot...They were wendigos, Piper. Native American folklore says they come around in times of famine, cold, starvation, and that they're greedy hungry spirits that are never full..." Meathead barked loudly three times, and Nate looked down at Meathead, his tail was wrapped around his feet.

"There's more to say about False Pass than one back-and-forth interview will take. About the Institute pony we handed over to Hancock, that is how I know they can talk. And the thing we heard when we were in Fort Hagen? That is the sound of a Windigo."

Piper's legs shook, "That's...insane. What brought it there?"

Nate sighed. "That was probably my own fault...I got a little pissed at Kellogg."

"<BARK-Bullshit!-BARK.>" Piper jerked her head to Meathead, swearing she heard the dog say something.

"Shush. Yeah. The Windigos are drawn to negative emotion, but killing Kellogg put me in a good mood afterwards, so it went away."

"Do you know where they come from? These Windigos?"

"Well, humanity at war is a perfect breeding ground for them, but I can only guess they followed the ponies from their planet. There's more ponies too, that pony we rescued from Atomatoys? She's a pegasus, and is resting in the U.S.S. Constitution. Whenever we get back, she should still be there," Nate and Meathead knew Thunderstruck wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

"Or she might of flown off. But, the pegasus are damn pretty to see flying around, I thought to myself that they could do a lot for the Commonwealth."

"Like what?" Piper asked.

"Let's save that for when I introduce you to her, but back to your question, sorry, my view of the Commonwealth is that it too is like an island in the middle of the sea. Everyone living on the island know's the mainland is closeby, but no one wants to build the bridges to get across the water. No one wants to build the boats to sail across, for fear of the unknown. The Commonwealth is at war. The world is not meant to be like this. It's too chaotic. If a nuclear bomb were to drop right now, would anyone notice? Would anyone care? Same for the exact opposite. If everything...and I mean everything that's keeping civilization from climbing up out of the essential shit hole that it's blown itself into, would people notice? If all the radiation were to vanish overnight, and the bullets ran out, and the raiders all started shaking hands and singing kum-bay-ha, and the deathclaws and the other creatures...and the mutants and the synths, if they all decided to stop fighting today...It wouldn't even be a pale comparison as to the life of relative ease I lived out during my time before and after the War for Alaska. Life treated me good. Life was fantastic. Life was easy, it was boring, but that only gave us the inspiration to go do something that was fun. Things we took for granted back then, are luxuries today. I apologize, but it's true. Fishing, hiking, going to the market, drinking fresh clean tap water, coming here to Fenway Park and watching baseball games, going to Nuka-world when we were teenagers. Everything we did because our ancestors fought in wars that we only got glimpses of. We stopped doing things for ourselves and wanted to do these for others because it created great memories. The only thing I'm actually sad about is the fact that I wont be able to share that feeling with others. At least, not until society pulls itself out of this radioactive pit it dug for itself."

"That's really touching. Was the past really that care-free?"

"We created our own stresses and worries. Like taxes, but everything else was worth it. I could go from my house, to the Boston airport, and within 24 hours maximum, I could have circumnavigated the entire world Piper. The entire world. I could have breakfast in my home, lunch over the Atlantic ocean, dinner in France, libations in Prauge, and a midnight snack in Thailand, and then be back home to watch the sun set for the second time that same day. I never did it, but the opportunity was always there. Now, it feels like an opportunity missed, like I could've done something great with the time I had, with other people, but now it's gone."

"What do you think of the Commonwealth in general?"

"When you say view of the commonwealth, I think of a tiny, corner of the world where I grew up in, because there is so much out there Piper, you'd be offended if I went on to tell you that I could walk from Fenway Park, that's what it was called before the war, and I'm calling it that now. I could walk from Fenway park and not immediately worry about getting shot at by super mutants the moment I'm outside the gate. I NEVER had to worry about raiders coming for me in the night, because in the time and space I lived in, there were no raiders." Nate bellowed and laughed at the absurdity. "We didn't even have a word for them because they never existed, at least not here! A time where Deathclaws didn't exist, and the Institute was an actual institution where thousands of leading scientists and students of the day flocked to, and Super Mutants were only things of fantasy and science-fiction. The palest comparison to raiders in our time only existed in lawless lands so far away we never had to worry or care about them in two hundred years. Neighbors held backyard barbeques, block parties, and the entirety of my life of it is a fucking joke compared to the harsh reality you've had to live through. I've been outside the Vault for...seven days. You've been living in this world for over twenty fucking years!"

"You want perspective, Piper, there ye go! I tell myself I'm prepared and that I've seen worse, but war is war...and war never changes. No matter how you look at it, someone always get's the upper hand in the end. I'm just lying to myself to keep the encroaching thoughts of darkness and my own mortality at bay!" Nate rolled his head back, trying to force a laugh up from his stomach.

"Only...it seems like it's taken humanity a lot longer this time around to build itself back up. But it will. Humanity will eventually do something worthwhile. Someone will build something, or create something, or the hand of God will come down and give people the power to clean this place up, and then people will realize there's something of value to be had in the ground we're standing on. It'll take a while...I'd do it myself but we're at war, Piper. Until people realize that, and take a step back, and look at the whole big picture from a different perspective, not just my own, there will never be a moment of peace in Fenway Park."

"And what makes you say that? What is Diamond City to you?"

"A refugee camp. Barely contained and highly targeted by the surrounding factions. Only they're too close to the battle. Their too close to the front lines, they're so far deep in the valley, that they can't see the top of the mountain...I could...After taking one lap around the inside of the baseball park, and outside, I can tell you from a military background, the Wall that people rely so heavily on, is only a challenge for people who look at it from the outside. Trust me, however tall you build a wall, there's always someone who will come along with a ladder that is one foot taller."

"That's a lot to consider, Blue. Why do you think it's only a matter of time before someone like that comes along?"

"I have a new understanding of time and how it works. I can condense years into minutes. Hours into seconds, and then flip it on its head and extrapolate the whole thing out. I can make a minute last a lifetimes." Nate's chest was shaking. "I have all the time in the world, Piper. Believe it. When I say it's only a matter of time, imagine me frozen inside of a pod, waiting to be thawed out. Only it wasn't Vault-Tec thawing me out, it was the Institute."

"You were pretty focused on hanging Kellogg for the kidnapping of your son, and shooting of your wife, why is that?"

"Kidnapping could happen to anyone, it's not just limited to the Institute. Just ask Old Man Stockton next time you're in Bunker Hill, his daughter was kidnapped right outside the town of Covenant and then found being held hostage by the locals who were torturing her to the point of near death, all because they thought she was a synth. There's a lack of moral laws in the Commonwealth, Piper, it's lacking so much, that sometimes, all I feel is pity because people don't know that things could be ten thousand times better than the way things are right now. "

"As for you, Piper, You need to be especially careful when you mention the Institute, Piper. Just the other day, the first time I'm walking through Diamond City Market, I overhear two people saying how one of the residents in Diamond City must absolutely be a synth because they look too perfect. That the person absolutely must be a synth. She asked me, do I think the person is a synth, and I asked her back, where's your evidence? She said she didn't have any proof, but 'deep down in her heart' she knew. So, I told her her heart was full of shit, called her a synth, and everyone around her a synth, and let her chew on the fact that unless you don't have definitive proof, everyone is going on a witch hunt. With all the paranoia going around, people will need to be content with their suspicions and opinions until they actually have any sort of proof."

Piper silently mouthed the word 'okay' and looked away from Nate for a moment, digesting all of Nate's defense.

"And people wonder why I can't look the other way." Piper said, looking down at her notepad. "Not even an infant is safe. For the last part of the interview, I'd like to do something different. I want you to make a statement to Diamond City directly. The threat of kidnapping is all but ignored in the Commonwealth. Everyone wants to pretend it doesn't happen. What would you say to someone who's lost a loved one, but might be too scared or too numb to the world, to look for them?"

Nate sighed, looking down at the ground. Shaking his head he said, "No matter how much you want to give up, don't. You'll always have hope, don't let anyone tell you otherwise and try to take that away. Endure. That's what the human race has done for the last twelve thousand years and continues to do so every single second of everyone's lives. Have hope that you'll see them again, or at the very least, that you'll know the truth."

"That's a strong note to end on, Blue. Thanks."

"You know, there was an article from a magazine talking about fossils, and in it, they discovered the oldest neanderthal in the world. All they found of this neanderthal was the toe bone of an infant inside the stomach of a predatory bird from the year 100,000 B.C. That was 102,277 years ago. Humanity has been trying to figure out the world for a long time."

"Wow, that's...amazing humans have been around that long, it makes you wonder what they were like?"

"They might've traveled more, but interacted with less people, with no unified language, or possibly even an understanding of linguistics. But, that does make me think about who is in charge of the Institute."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"Who ever is in control of the Institute must be extremely controlling. What is the profile of the leaders or leader of the Institute? Who would think and act in such a way that would allow them to operate in such a way? They can send Synths up onto the surface, and never need to leave their bunker, unless it's to take people or property. From everything I've ever learned about the Institute in six days is that -" Nate cut himself off. Blinking twice, his neck twitched and Piper was waiting on baited breath.

"I nearly forgot I wasn't at war. Piper. Loose lips sink ships, and all that. I'll tell you when I know the Institute can't listen. Isn't that why you ran the article about the Mayor? Something to whip up the populace? I know you weren't able to learn about Journalism like the people of the past, but let me teach you something about the word Prose."

"I know the definition of prose, what's it mean to you?"

"You walked out of here like you just made a million caps earlier today. You were the happiest you'd ever been in one of the most miserably depressing holes in all of Boston, and let me tell you one more thing. A stranger came to town today, he's never been in Diamond City before, ever. He went in to see Piper, a woman who'se been hounding other residents for questions about their lives for weeks, months, and her attitude's been progressively changed to reflect a dejected person who can't get the time of day from most people."

"Then in the matter of ten minutes, the stranger leaves, and Piper walks out, happy as a clam!"

"You son of a BITCH!" Piper shouted, instantly catching on.

"BINGO!" Nate said, standing up and applauding. Pointing directly at her, "Like I said, I even prefaced you! I told you what I had to say would probably make you angry. Sucks doesn't it? How does it feel standing in Mayor McDonnough's shoes now."

She squinted her eyes, "What?"

"Piper, I read your article about the Broken Mask Massacre, twice. Front to back, back to front. I want to know one thing. Do you realize, what you did!?" Nate shouted.

"I had my reasons!"

"No! You didn't realize anything! I'll tell you why! There's not a single damning shred of proof against McDonnough fucking anywhere in the entire article, but if you put two radically different concepts side by side, people make the connection regardless."

"So what! So now people are going to think I'm a synth now too?"

"I never said that. I only implied it by putting two different ideas side by side, and let you make the connection yourself. See how prose works now?"

She was baring her teeth at the pre-war soldier. "There were better ways to get your message across. Nate. Now I have to deal with the entire city thinking I'm a synth."

"You do realize the hypocrisy, Piper? I'm not trying to defend the mayor, because he's without a doubt, a synth."

"If you believe me and you say that he's a synth, then why did you do what you did!? What's your reason for thinking he's a synth?"

"Now you have to prove with hard evidence, a way to discern Human from Synth! If you can't within twenty four hours then the rumors will get out of control. If you can't, you need to go up to the Mayor and apologize. "

"What! WHY? WHY THE HELL would I ever apologize? I didn't do anything wrong!"

Nate smiled, "It's better to keep your friends close, and enemies closer. Go apologize to him and the rumors will stop before they even begin."

Piper bit the inside of her cheek and considered what to say, how was it that one person could make her feel educated and livid at the same time?

"Now what are you going to say to the mayor?"

"Mayor Mc-"

\111/

"-Donough isn't accepting any appointments from you, Piper. Get lost." Geneva said to Piper, Nate leaned against the girder post, one arm above his head resting against the pole. Smiling wide, he made sure the secretary saw his shining white teeth.

Piper's fingers were trying to clench themselves into a fist, she felt like she was biting into a hard rubber sole of a shoe and eating her own words.

"Then tell him, that I apologize for depicting him as a synth!" She said forcefully, trying to keep her breath under control.

The twisting emotions on Piper's face went from overbearing, to angry, to remorseful, to antipathetic with every next word.

To Geneva, it was almost humorous to watch Piper apologize. She looked past her to Nate and saw his wide open mouth and how he was stifling laughter. It spread to the assistant and she bore a sly grin on her face.

"And...?" Geneva asked.

"AND? McDonnough locks me out of Diamond City constantly! He kicked out all the ghouls! He's... He's!" Piper raised her hands and clenched her fists, then brought them down to her side, realizing her apology was about to turn into a bitch-out of Mayor McDonnough.

Remember why you're here, Piper. She told herself.

"He's a what?" Geneva inquired, leaning in with both hands on her desk.

"He's not a synth." Piper said through grit teeth, her mouth pulled in so that the red of her lips weren't showing. Her entire body was shaking, absolutely livid for putting herself through that experience.

Spinning on her heel she walked out and saw Nate's stoic calm face, completely serene, and not laughing at Piper behind her back.

His face was quite red though, but Piper didn't notice. Her own face was bright red too, from containing the more choice words and saying something she knew she would later regret.

Piper lead the way to the lift, Nate saluted Geneva with two fingers and followed behind her. The assistant was smiling and shaking her head.

Piper smashed the red lift button, then gripped the rails and shook it.

"Giiiiiirrrr!" She growled, looking Nate in the eye for any sign of fowl play.

"So how do you feel?" Nate asked, the edges of his smile slipping.

"That is a good question! I don't know! I wish I knew or I wish I knew someone or something that could tell me what I was feeling, because I sure don't! Do you know anything like that? Anything in the past that could do something like that?"

Nate inhaled and raised a finger to make a point, "Well..." Looking to Meathead.

"I feel insane!" Piper ranted, stepping onto the lift, Nate walked on behind her.

"Good. You're learning to identify your feelings."

"You're not helping!" Piper said, thumbing the down button on the lift repeatedly and causing the lift to jerk into motion. They descended back down to Diamond City Market and kept walking and talking.

"You never said you wanted my help, you said you wanted my perspective."

"Stop nitpicking!"

"Piper, I was born in a time where contract wording was so important, it costed corporations billions of dollars daily." He waved his hand flat. "There was more money being thrown around...if all the buildings in Fenway Park were gone, and it was a big empty bowl, the amount of money being moved in a single day would overflow out the top stands and spill out over the walls onto the streets. Can you imagine that?"

Piper shook her head. "So you've seen the Commonwealth, Diamond City, the up and down...how does it compare to your old life?"

"After I left the vault, it took me...fifteen minutes for me to realize that all of my old life was completely gone. Utterly destroyed. There was nothing. I'd lost everything. It takes the end of the world for me to realize what's worthless, and what's valuable. It is a lesson I will never forget, and I will not die without passing that lesson on."

"Is there any reason you were trying to pass it off onto me, Blue?"

"You asked to come along, my price is learning a few lessons." Nate replied.

"I...suppose...I did. Do you have any destination in mind? Where exactly is Vault 111?" She said exasperated, rolling her eyes and placing a hand to her face.

"What about your sister?" Nate ignored the question.

"She's been on her own before, and I haven't been outside of uptown and downtown Boston in weeks. It's been running at or from raiders, and trying to get them to talk to me."

"Really? Me too. How's that working out?"

"Not well. I got shot."

"Did you learn anything?"

"Getting shot hurts and sucks?"

"Exactly, but still, Nat's okay on her own?" Nate reaffirmed.

"Yes. She'll be alright. Safe in Diamond City."

"Back to where we're going, you said Vault 81 is up and running?"

Piper brightened up, standing taller, "Ye-Yes! Vault 81, I've been there twice and if there's ever a place you want to call a vacation, and lay your head down, that is the place. It's got good people and I've never been to a more safer place excluding Diamond City. Diamond City is alright, it's got everything you need, but Vault 81...it's...weird. Seeing all these people who don't fear the Institute the same way everyone above ground does."

"Then that's where we're going first?"

"First?"

"I need to go home." Nate said. His head fell and the last seven days weighed down on him in those words. He felt like he aged two hundred ten years and a day after saying that.

"Oy...geeze...I've seen milk curdle with more grace. You feeling okay, Blue?"

"I've seen the future...and as much as I want to say everything's terrible, life's been pretty good to me so far."

"How can you say that?"

Nate looked down, and then gave Piper a smile that screamed 'Why?'

She recoiled, horrified by Nate's positive smile and eyes shining bright. She thought she saw blood pouring out of his mouth through his teeth, him dressed in Army fatigues, eyes looking at the five hundred thousand Chinese soldiers all shouting 'We're coming for you!' and Nate saying 'Bring it on'. Punch Drunk. Like a boxer who was barely holding on, ready to go ten more rounds in the ring. In the depth of Nate's eyes was the skyline of Boston being illuminated by the atomic blast and unrelenting hope that he would survive was shining into Piper's eyes.

But it went deeper, his expression was blissful, even through all the pain and horror being projected, it was a person who accepted death and wanted others to prepare for the eventual end because he knew sooner or later, the end of Nate's life would catch up.

He wanted to help the people of the Commonwealth, he understood that people wanted change, but didn't want to do anything about it, so he wasn't asking for their permission.

Piper needed to break away, she turned away and felt words rattling around her noggin.

"What was that?"

"But it's still not as bad as this...is it?" Nate said with a smile, one that didn't terrify Piper. It was genuine. "Everything I've had to deal with, is nothing compared to a person being drawn and quartered by super mutants, or making too much noise and attracting a horde of feral ghouls, or taking an unsuspecting bullet to the chest from raiders...My life is fantastic compared to the suffering of everyone around me today." Nate's chest was shaking, whether he knew it or not. Piper swore she could hear his heart beating in her ears.

It sounded like a Dynamo engine running at full speed.

"How could you say that?" Piper asked. Her cheeks felt pinched and she narrowed her eyes at Nate. "Do you really mean that?"

Nate swallowed, "All I need to do is look around to know I'm blessed." Gesturing to the Diamond City Market inside the baseball diamond of Fenway Park. "This is all everyone has ever known, and I've experienced more than most people will ever in their entire life. It would probably take another thirty years for this little part of the world to be set on the right path towards stability, and another hundred after that before we're close to the era of luxury I lived in...But I don't want to create an era of luxury. It comes at too great of a cost."

Piper slowly clapped her hands three times, "You sir, are truly something else. Do you really think it would take that long?"

Nate shook his head, "I could do it in five. A few years to get mills up and running, quarries dredged and dug out for stone and ore, get modes of transportation up and running, clear the trade routes, defend them, demolish old rotting and collapsed houses, scrap and recycle, farms expanded, and put a universal calendar system into place. That's after Boston is rallied together under one banner and not petty raiding tribes. I could do it with an army of devoted people who shared my vision, but that would require every man, woman, and child working. I don't see rich or poor people, I just see people. Every person living in the upper stands thinks they're wealthy, or rich..." Nate shook his head.

"They don't know the meaning of the word. They're poor sons of bitches...they're the ones who face this depression without starving in their beds at night. They're the ones who have never gone months away from home, sending back bits of money to the homestead to a spouse and praying that when they got home, the kids were alive and house still standing and not repossessed by the bank. First thing I'd do is get a postal system back into place...because rain or shine or wind or snow or radioactive wasteland or monster or synth, the mail must get through. As much as I want to go right into Capitalism...I think America needs to go through the age of Imperialism or...whatever the hell it's called... Feudalism, then a New Industrial Age, before it's ready for the new-new age of Capitalism."

Piper raised her hands and needed to turn away for a moment. "That's it. I'm done. You are like a dog that just keeps on wagging his tail and smiling...I don't think I can take it. That's just...too happy."

"What, and miss out on all the fun?" Piper's toes curled inwards. "Come with me, and there will be plenty of work and fun, and I'll even let you play with my dog, Meathead. Let me ask you a question, Piper. If you think the boogeyman of the Commonwealth is the Institute, what is the boogeyman most afraid of? Do you know how to beat a boogeyman? Piper? I do. I know how to kill the boogeyman hiding in your closet."

Sighing through her nose she turned around, "How?"

"You turn on your flashlight, and charge right into the den. You might scream, you might be terrified, but once you look right into where the boogeyman hides, you'll see that they don't exist. That is what a boogeyman fears most, Piper, being found out. So long as you fear the boogeyman, he's always going to be around. The moment you face your fear and realize what you've been scared of the entire time is just shadows, you start to realize what you really need to be afraid of Piper."

"Alright. So what are you afraid of then?"

"I was terrified of losing everything I've worked to achieve in this life, Piper, but that already happened when the bombs fell. So I've got nothing left to be afraid of. You'll look around, and realize I can't believe I wasted so much time afraid of that one thing in your life...and then it will feel like your soul is trying to pop out of the soft spot on the top of your skull and you won't believe how much better you feel." Nate grit his teeth, yawing his jaw back and forth and biting the inside of his cheek. "The old you will die, and the new you will be present in your body like never before." Nate said. His mind settled on the moment he was laying facedown on the carpet of his house after coming back to Sanctuary Hills, arms wrapped around Meathead, and feeling like he was hovering above his body, looking down and out at the rest of the world.

"Well, that's about everything I can think of. It'll take a while to put this all together, but your story is going to give the people of Diamond City plenty to talk about. Anyway, I want to know where this story goes next. To Vault 81, Blue?"

"Vault 81. Lead the way."

\111/