[b][color=00aeef][i]Publick Occurrences[/i] Diamond City - The Commonwealth[/color][/b] “Citizens of Diamond City, for your protection and safety, a curfew is now in effect. Please remain in your homes from the hours of 8:00pm to 7:00am. A single warning will be issued to any who break curfew. Repeat violators of this curfew will be prosecuted. Thank you for your cooperation. [This message repeats] Citizens of Diamond City….” Piper switched the radio dial off. Diamond City radio was far less interesting nowadays. Piper had always tuned into it when she was up late working on an article. Even with Travis’ neurotic ramblings it was comforting to listen to. It had always represented home for her. Even when she was out in the wastes, chasing a story or investigating a lead, she could count on the radio signal to follow her wherever she went: a little piece of Diamond City to remind her that home was still out there waiting. Now The Institute had taken that away too. What more could they do to her? Piper poured herself another shot of whiskey, noting through the haze of drunken stupor that the bottle was empty. She threw the empty bottle in the wastebasket, and it nearly shattered when it clattered against the numerous other bottles there. Nat was upstairs sleeping, but her medicine always knocked her out cold. There was no fear of waking her now, and she would need her rest. Piper took another look at the lengthy paper she’d just finished, still fresh on the typewriter and ready for the press. A small smile spread across her face. It would be her magnum opus: her last great work. It was a scathing critique of The Institute, and of Thomas especially. She’d held nothing back. His betrayal...his lies and his manipulation of her and everyone in The Commonwealth. Everything she’d had to hold back would be laid bare for everyone to see. Hundreds of copies would be printed, and she would use was little contacts she had left to distribute them across The Commonwealth. She had no illusions it would stop The Institute, but it might just hinder them enough to make a difference. Her life would be forfeit...but if they killed her then all the better. People would know it was the truth and start fighting back, she’d be a martyr for free press and would have the last laugh on Thomas. But when she heard the sound of an electric jolt and felt a bright light emanating from behind her, she couldn’t even say she was surprised. She’d been expecting this. They were always one step ahead. She figured she would have more time...oh well. It was worth a shot. Perhaps a copy or two would still get out. Maybe it wouldn’t be a total loss. Her only thought was for Nat now...she hoped she’d be okay without her. “Alright, go ahead and do it,” Piper said with a heavy sigh as she started to turn around, “I figured Thomas would send one of his Courser goons to off me eventually. Just make it…..” To her surprise, it wasn’t a heavily armed Couser that had just manifested in her home, it was Thomas. “Hello Piper,” He said simply. Piper stood there and stared at him in disbelief. For the briefest of moments she felt relieved, almost happy to see him in a twist of emotion that she couldn’t explain. But that faded as quickly as it had come, and was replaced with blind rage that bubbled up with a vengeance as the weight of his sins began to fall on her. She clenched her fists and spoke to him through gritted teeth. “Get out. Now.” “Not until I’ve had a chance to speak with you.” “There’s nothing to talk about. We’ve gone waaaay past anything you can say that will make anything you did okay. You aren’t going to charm me. You’re a monster.” “I understand that, yet I’d like to talk with you nonetheless. I know you feel betrayed...angry..” “Feel? There is no ‘feel’. You did betray everyone. EVERYONE when you became one of them. What happened to Valentine? He helped you and you let them take him away like he was garbage. What happened to Preston? To The Minutemen? Virgil? To Dr. Amari and Goodneighbor? Why is it that everyone who helped you along to The Institute suddenly vanished or disappeared? Do you think I’m stupid Tom? I had a small hope that when I learned you were leading them, that perhaps things would be different. But everything just stayed the same, no, it became worse. The Institute would never had done something so bold as to wipe out Goodneighbor. Not unless they had you to lead them...” Thomas stayed silent for a few moments, allowing the weight of Piper’s words to carry. She wasn’t wrong, he knew that, but he couldn’t help but feel deadend to her insults and pleas for answers, “Everything I did, I did for the sake of safeguarding The Institute and humanity's future. Everyone I interacted with had dangerous knowledge that might have led them back here. Back to us. I had to remove any knowledge of the teleporter and The Institute’s secrets...loose ends had to be tied up...threats had to be removed.” “LOOSE ENDS? You sick psychotic son-of-a---” Piper picked up a cigarette tray and threw it at him as hard as she could. To her surprise it passed right through him and clattered against the wall on the opposing side. Her confusion was quickly replaced by seething anger. Did his deception never end? “I should have known.” She said through gritted teeth. “I’m sorry,” Thomas acknowledged, “I wanted to come in person. I was persuaded to do otherwise.” “Cait?” He nodded in reply. “She’s a heartless mercenary. A cruel evil bitch you know that? You too make a perfect match in that respect,” Piper shook her head, “I believe she loves you though...but do you love her?” Thomas stared blankly at Piper, a seconds pause and hesitation before he said what was in his mind, “She reminds me of Nora. Headstrong and independent...stubborn and cynical. Always pushing me to do what I never would have the courage to do alone.” “That doesn’t answer my question Tom.” “For a brief time, I believed I did. In Vegas…. I thought perhaps that I could finally move on from Nora’s memory. But those feelings faded as soon as I returned. I realize now that I never truly can. I’ve made it my mantra to move forward, to forget the past. Spade under the old so that the new can grow. I’ve forgotten Shaun as he was and accepted who he became...and I plan to do the same with The Commonwealth...with the world. But no matter how hard I try, I cannot do the same with Nora. She’s locked somewhere deep within me, and will not let go.” “One more betrayal to add on to the pile I suppose,” Piper quipped, “I mean why not? What’s a broken heart compared to the hundreds you’ve trampled under?” “It’ll be for the better in any case. I’ll never be able to give Cait what she truly wants. Not after Phase 4 is enacted. However, I will not be cruel. She has been through enough.” “Phase 4? I supposed that’s your fancy name for what you’re doing here? Taking over Diamond City, putting The Commonwealth under your thumb?” Piper’s eyes narrowed, and she leaned against the wall looking at him intently. “Yes. Its a small part. The rest will be revealed in time. Needless to say, there will be changes. Things will start to take a turn for the better here in Diamond City, and beyond. As you know I’ve already made my promise to those living here.” Piper scoffed dismissively, shaking her head with disdain, “You realize they weren’t actually applauding you? Don’t you? You understand that none of them truly think The Institute is in their best interests. They all still hate you. They’re just doing whatever they need to do or say to survive. If that means kow-towing to The Institute’s commander-in-chief-for-life. They’ll do it.They’re scared out of their wits Tom.” “I know,” Thomas replied with a nod, “I’m under no illusions that a single speech and a show of force will change their minds about us. But it's of no concern. Right now they will hate me, hate The Institute. They’ll fear us, but perhaps a small part of them will grudgingly accept the current situation, perhaps even hope for a better tomorrow. I will nurture that part, and in a generation or two when The Commonwealth is free of disease, hunger, mutation, and death. We will see how their grandchildren feel about our legacy.” “Let's pretend I believe you,” Piper said as she stood up and began walking towards the hologram, “And let's assume you are somehow able to change things for the better. Make the world a better place….rewind the clock or whatever the hell you think you can accomplish. What exactly makes you think that the next jackboot thug wearing that labcoat and calling himself ‘The Director’ is going to continue to follow your hair-brained scheme? What’s to stop them from completely reversing everything you’ve done and going back to treating us like a giant petri dish?” “There will not be another Director.” Thomas’s replied stoically. . “Oh I get it, you intend to destroy the system? Implement democracy?” Piper let out a mocking peel of laughter, “Don’t kid yourself Tom. You know that’ll never fly down there.” “You misunderstand me. There will BE a Director. But there will not be another Director after me.” Piper stopped in her tracks confused, “What are you trying to say Tom?” “I’m saying that I intend to ensure my plans are carried out to the end. Personally.” A small grin escaped Tom’s lips, the light on the hologram flickered briefly which cast a menacing visage as it caused his face to twist and contort in the transparent blue glow. “You’re insane.” Piper stepped back in shock. “No I’m thinking quite clearly. I assure you. It's what has to be done. As you astutely pointed out, without a guiding hand to lead it long-term, The Institute will merely fall back into its old ways of isolation and xenophobia. And nothing will change. It must be guided with a firm hand, as must the rest of The Commonwealth, for as long as needs be.” “You really have lost it Blue,” She shook her head in disbelief, using the old nickname she’d had for Thomas with little thought, “You’ve let that ‘Father’ thing go to your head.” “No. I’ve come to realize this necessity after observing the other nations of the wasteland and their actions thus far. Those that led with a strong hand, one which conveys strength and permanence, have flourished here. Those without...have begun to fall back into the old ways that led us to this sad pass in the first place. If things continue that way, it seems inevitable that history will repeat itself. That cannot happen. It WILL not happen.” Piper witnessed nothing less than utter conviction on Thomas’s face, for whatever his faults, whatever his mad schemes, he seemed to truly believe that what he was about to do would lead to a better world, perhaps even prevent the ills of his generation from coming to pass again. A small part of her wanted to believe that he was right, that he could do what he claimed. Yet she knew she could never stand by and allow such a maniacal scheme come to fruition. It was too much. “I won’t let you Tom. I’ll do whatever I can to stop you. You can’t keep me silent about this.” “I know Piper. I know. It's why I came to talk to you ...we had a mutual understanding for a good long time. For awhile I thought perhaps it could last indefinitely ...but I know that was impossible. It was against every principle you stood for, and it was only for your sister’s sake that you kept your end of the bargain. I admire that. But it has to end I’m afraid.” “Go on then. Kill me.” “I can’t. Oddly enough I have no desire to, although I can say firmly and without any doubt that you would kill me if given the chance. But no Piper, I won’t kill you.” The door to Publick Occurrence opened, and Piper stared in horror as her exact double stared her right in the face, down to the very last scrap of clothing. She could even see the cut she’d gotten only hours before still healing on the left hand of the thing. How had they even known about that? “No,” She took a step back, her eyes wide in terror. The Synth double mimicked her muscle by muscle, their voices synced down to the most minute intonation. Her worst nightmare had come to pass. “You can’t...” Thomas remained silent, but simply nodded to the double who walked up to Piper’s typewriter and took her seat, tearing out the paper in it and starting a new one. “Blue please….” “Perhaps in time, you can return to Diamond City Piper. But for now, you’re going to see the one place you always hoped to discover.” “NO! NAT!” Piper knew it was no use, her sister would not wake for anything with her medicine in her. “Your sister will be well taken care of. I promise you.” In the next moment, Piper was engulfed in a flash of blue light, and she disappeared. Yet the clicking of the typewriter went on without her.