Xavier sat with a piping hot cup of fresh brewed coffee in his hands whilst he read through the data files plastered on the screen before him. The blue hued glow of his terminal was now the lone source of light within his dimly lit quarters. Quiet hours had fallen over The Institute, and although most of its residents lay asleep, Xavier had business to attend to which required solitude.
The data that the Courser unit had managed to abscond with from the lab was a treasure trove of pre-war knowledge. Information about the facility's purpose, its funding sources, the scientists stationed there, along with detailed notes and reports about the research they’d all been pursuing: all of it was now his to study at his leisure. The terminal he was currently using was secure and isolated from The Institute’s network, an act which was in and of itself a clear violation of internal security protocols. However that particular misdemeanor paled in comparison to the far greater crime that Xavier was committing with the data he had in hand: nothing less than an act of treason against The Director herself.
“The CODE Program,” Xavier said softly in between sips of his drink. The bold headline of the dossier he’d just opened was underscored by subtext which read ‘CLASSIFIED’ along with the official seal of the pre-war Defense Intelligence Agency.
Xaviers eyes grew wide as he delved deeper into the report, the vast potential of the pre-war findings that the scientists at the RobCo Facility discovered grew more and more apparent with each passing paragraph.
He sat his coffee down and leaned back in his chair, a plan and a potential use for the research already forming, especially in light of the errant scrapping of the Gen-3 program. First thing was first however, as with all pre-war knowledge they discovered, he needed to replicate and verify results using The Institute’s own strict experiment standards. Innovative and daring they may have been in many cases, but the minds of the pre-war world were often tainted by the influence of corrupt politicians and meddling corporate concerns: exaggerations and outright falsifications were not uncommon. He needed hard data and proof that what he was seeing was not mere conjecture or outright fantasy. And he needed to do this all without any arousing any suspicion whatsoever from Dr. Li.
The Laboratory in Vault 88 would be invaluable of course, but he also did not want to simply entirely entrust the research to Dr. Zimmer and Dr. Holdren. Holdren he trusted, for the most part, but Dr. Zimmer was another matter entirely, he had no intention of allowing his erstwhile rival to have sole control over this research material and be able to do whatever he wished with it while Xavier was tending to duties in The Institute. For the moment, both of them wished to see Dr. Li removed from power, but afterwards once the Directorship was up for grabs: things would get much more complicated.
He would need some time to think on this and come up with a good solution. For the moment however, he’d have to share his investigation with Zimmer and Holdren first, and then figure out where to go from there. He couldn’t risk giving Zimmer any further reason to distrust him this early on.
Xavier looked at the time on his terminal, it was nearly 6:00am in the morning. He’d spent all night reviewing the material, and he’d have to report for work at the SSIB at 6:30. He quickly shut off the terminal, and left his quarters hurriedly.
Xavier strode into the SSIB facility at 6:20, cradling his umpteenth cup of coffee for that morning. He’d stopped on his way to grab it and a few nutritional supplements from the Commissary, so at least he’d be functional during his shift.
“Director,” a young woman in the black and white of the SSIB approached him, clipboard in hand, “Good morning sir. I think you’ll want to take a look at this right away.”
Xavier immediately took the clipboard and after a brief examination he set his coffee down at a nearby table and began to scrutinize it intently, a surprised look on his face. The clipboard contained a brief report and several surveillance images taken from Quincy by a Watcher pod.
“Just came in this morning sir, shortly before you arrived,” The woman stated, “Watcher pods were performing routine imaging of the area surrounding Quincy, and happened to capture it. It appears to be…”
“A VTOL aircraft, yes I’m fully aware, “ Xavier replied curtly, with a bit more of a bite to his tone than he really intended. He immediately regretted it, “Sorry Clara. I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’m a bit on edge this morning.”
“Think nothing of it sir,” Clara replied with a nod.
“Any other information?”
“None at the moment. I’m not even sure where or if it landed in The Commonwealth. All I can give is a general location of where it might have gone based on its apparent flight path.”
“That’s good enough for the moment, well done Clara.”
“Sir...do you think it's The Brotherhood? Are they back?” Clara asked, a hint of anxiety detectable in her voice.
“It's impossible to tell any insignia from the details here...but it's a possibility. However, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. But I’ll need to report it to the Director right away. She’ll want to be informed.”
Nick Valentine - Diamond City Mayor’s Office, The Commonwealth
Nick waited patiently, sitting inside the Mayor’s office alongside Wiseman and Becky Fallon. Down the hall, in a separate room where a lone Security Officer stood watch outside, was where Kessler was currently interviewing, or rather interrogating, The Mechanist herself: Isabel Cruz. She’d been at it for nearly five hours straight now and Nick was beginning to feel as though Kessler was going overboard.
“Think we should go in and stop it?” Wiseman said, echoing Nick’s own thoughts, “Mechanist or not...what could Kessler possibly be asking her about that she needs this long?”
Becky started shaking her head before Wiseman had even finished, “No. She gets as long as she needs. That was the agreement. We don’t get to dictate how long it takes her to judge Isabel’s sincerity. She’s stuck to her end of the bargain...so we stick to ours.”
Nick reluctantly nodded, “I just hope she doesn’t need all night.”
Mercifully, as if in answer to his statement, the sounds of footsteps could be heard echoing down the office halfway. The three of them immediately perked up and looked expectantly towards the door. Kessler opened it and stepped through, it was immediately apparent that she was exhausted. Her expression had softened and the look of righteous fury that she’d gone into the interview with had long since disappeared and been replaced with a subdued sense of satisfaction.
“I believe her,” Kessler said after a moment’s pause, “I was so sure that it was all an act. That she was putting on a show just to escape punishment...but I think...I think she’s truly remorseful about what she did. That’s enough for me I guess.”
“So you’ll drop the call for execution then?” Becky asked, hopefully.
“Yes. She doesn’t deserve that. That still doesn't mean that I think she should be set free.”
“Of course,” Nick agreed, “I think we all still agree that she needs to make amends the rest of her life for what happened. It was a mistake...a costly one, but she deserves a chance at least to try.”
“So what’s next?” Wiseman asked.
“Well since Kessler is satisfied with Isabel’s sincerity, we move forward with the council’s vote to keep her under some form of house arrest and of course give her the choice of helping us by utilizing whatever expertise she has in service of The Commonwealth. Only time will tell if that ends up being worthwhile,” Becky replied.
“Sounds fair,” Wiseman nodded.
“Nick...I think it's best that you keep an eye on her when you can spare it, ” Becky continued, “I don’t want to put you on the spot to be her sole minder...but I feel you might be able to help her more than anyone here.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Nick replied with a nod.
“And what of Dr. Li’s request?” Wiseman asked, “Regarding that...proposal she put forward on Isabel.”
“Like hell we’ll accept that,” Kessler replied, “Sincere or not...she doesn’t get a free pass to The Institute. Li can blather all she likes about how much good Isabel would do with access to Institute technology...she can forget it.”
“I tend to agree...although not with those exact words.” Becky grinned, “I think what Isabel needs most now is to work directly with the people of The Commonwealth. Not with Institute scientists of whom I’m sure I don’t need to mention….”
Becky looked to Nick before continuing, who gave a quick nod of assent. He’d thoroughly checked the office for Institute Watchers when he’d arrived. It was safe to continue,
“.....that we all still have our own suspicions of. Chief among them now is the attack that occurred while Nick and the team were within Isabel’s facility.”
“I don’t understand, it was a super-mutant attack was it not?” Wiseman asked, confused.
Becky shook her head, “Think about it Wiseman. How often have super-mutants shown that level of coordination? What they just so happened to stumble upon a secret back-entrance to this pre-war facility just at the very moment that we were attempting to apprehend Isabel? It doesn’t add up. Not to mention the inexplicable loss of power the moment the mutants attacked.”
“Coincidences like that are never just coincidences,” Nick said, “I’m not necessarily sure that The Institute was somehow behind the attack, but it's a logical conclusion. No-one else but the Council knew about the facility. Isabel confirmed that the place had been abandoned since the war when she arrived...and she never gave out its location to anyone but us. While I’m not sure Dr. Li herself is directly involved...others inside The Institute might be.”
“To what end though?” Kessler asked.
“That’s the question that still bugs me,” Nick said, “But I have a feeling if we dig more into the facility...we just might find an answer.”
Nick Valentine had taken the lead of the small team that the Commonwealth Provisional Government had decided they’d send to the Service Center to determine exactly who The Mechanist was and how she should be appropriately brought to justice. A one Captain Joseph Martin, appointed directly by General Shaw, had led a group of seven armed minutemen from The Castle. As had been agreed upon by the Council, their squad had met up with a woman by the name of Wilma Bardin at Bunker Hill who was to be the representative for The Bunker Hill Caravaners, the group perhaps most affected by The Mechanist’s transgressions. Nick had then met them all outside of the ruins of the Old North Church, and from there they’d taken a ferry boat across the channel to East Boston where the Mechanist’s lair was supposedly located.
On the boat ride over, Nick couldn’t help but think of the old pre-war theatrical dramas that had so often played over the radio in Goodneighbor: that of the stalwart Silver Shroud, the daring Mistress of Mystery, and the evil Mechanist. They’d always brought an amused grin to his synthetic face as he contemplated the irony of a robotic Detective listening to a pre-war play about how a vigilante crime fighter would stop a mad-man who wished to replace humans with robots. Now that same Detective was off to stop the Mechanist himself, so did that make him a twisted version of the Silver Shroud in this little farcical play? Perhaps...or perhaps the real tale was far more complicated than those pre-war stories could have ever hoped to portray. After all, was this Mechanist really evil? Or was she simply a girl who’d hoped to change the world for the better and failed? That’s what Nick wanted to find out most of all here.
Outside of the Robo Sales and Service Center the group had met up with the final member to take part in their expedition. Robert MacCready stood leaning up against the brick wall of the building when they approached and he was certainly outfitted for just about any situation. He was armored head to toe in a full suit of heavy combat armor and he wore a belt across his chest and waist with grenades of various types strapped to it. A heavily modified plasma rifle unlike any Nick had seen before was propped up against a railing nearby. It was clear The Institute kept their newest above-ground operative well supplied with both caps and armaments. MacCready regarded the group with a casual glance as they approached and he stood up to grab his rifle before making his way towards them,
“New toy you got there?” Nick quipped, pointing at the rifle.
“Yeah, you could say that. Something the egg-heads gave me to test. A little something they’ve been working on. Ooh boy...do I love it. I figured we’d sure as hell need some real firepower here if it comes to a fight. Other than those cute little glowsticks you’ve got there.”
“Watch it,” Captain Martin replied, “Our laser muskets can still blow a hole through that pretty armor of yours with no problems...egg-heads give you that too?”
“Matter of fact they did,” MacCready smiled, “And really...I doubt it would.”
“Cut it out with the dick-measuring contest,” Wilma interrupted, “Let’s talk shop. Where’s The Mechanist?”
“I did a little recon before you all came,” MacCready began, “Took a look around inside the shop and around the perimeter. There’s some sort of massive pre-war security door in there, which must have been hidden behind the wall before the war. Damn near closest thing I’ve ever seen to it is one of those Vault doors. If we would have had to actually break through that...I’d say we’d have been here until the next Judgement Day...but looks like The Mechanist is welcoming us. It's wide open, just like she said it would be.”
“Welcoming us, or it's a trap...” Captain Martin replied.
“Doubt it,” Nick shook his head, “If what you said about that door is true then this is the real deal. The pre-war facility that The Institute was able to identify must actually be in there, and if that’s The Mechanist’s lair, it makes no sense for her to lead us here if she just intended to kill us.”
“The Mechanist’s Lair?” MacCready chuckled, “You’ve been listening to one too many of ol’ Kent’s broadcasts there Valentine.”
Nick gave a shrug, “The Mechanist obviously thought that old character was important somehow. Important for her to build an army and kill over it: intentional or not. The way I see it, we should take that characterization seriously.”
“And they’ll answer for their crimes accordingly” Wilma said definiantly, ‘Lets go.”
“After you,” MacCready said with a grin as Wilma pushed aside and entered the building.
--------------------------------------
A short time later and the group had reached the elevator that the Mechanist had identified to them in her message. It sat behind the main security check-in for the facility and, just as she’d said, the elevator was unlocked and operational. Without much ado, the group piled into the elevator, only 5 of them were able to fit at one time and so Captain Martin gave the order for most of his Minutemen to stay behind and follow once the elevator returned. It was yet another risk they were taking, and if this did turn out to be some sort of trap, they’d be split up for a brief window of time.
Luckily however, when the elevators opened at the bottom there appeared to be no such welcome waiting for them. They were greeted by a dimly lit hallway instead. Cautiously, and with weapons drawn, they made their way down the hallway, passing a room which looked to be some sort of living quarters for whoever was down here. Finally, they came to a door, MacCready gave a nod to Nick, and the detective opened it, revealing a large control room with consoles and robobrain automatons clicking away at inputs.
Suddenly a figure appeared from out behind one of the consoles, a young woman with dark hair in a green jumpsuit now stood before them. Her posture easily denoted nervousness, perhaps even fear, as she clutched her arms together. The woman raised a single hand to brush away strands of hair that had fallen across her face,
“H-h-hello.”
“Isabel?” Nick said, as he began to walk towards her, “Are you Isabel Cruz?”
“Y-yeah, one and the same. Just me down here...well aside from the robots but...I..um….”
“So are you The Mechanist then? Wilma stepped forward aggressively, gun raised “Do you have ANY idea what you’ve done?”
Isabel put her hands up reflexively, “Y-y-yes I am, but I didn’t do it! I mean….I didn’t mean to. I thought I had everything figured out...but I made a horrible mistake. Please don’t shoot!”
“Wilma! Put the damn gun down!” Nick yelled, and with a huff the Caravener agreed, lowering her weapon. Satisfied, Nick turned his attention back to Isabel, who had begun to cry, “We aren’t here to kill you Isabel, but we are here to take you into custody. Do you understand?”
“Yes….I understand,” Isabel sobbed, “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to kill anyone. I was just trying to help.”
“Yeah...help...about that….define ‘help’” MacCready replied with no small hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Nick shot him a glare, and MacCready rolled his eyes in response.
“I believe you,” Nick offered his hand, “What’s done is done. Now you need to focus on making amends. I’ll do what I can to help you.”
“Thanks,” Isabel nodded, wiping her tears and nose with the sleeve of her jumpsuit, “I-I really want to try and make things right. I just don’t know how I can do that.”
“Well you can start by….”
A loud alarm suddenly sounded all around them, red lights lit up and klaxons blared through the room,
“Oh no, what?” Isabel suddenly stood up and ran to one of the panels.
“What the fuck is happening?” Captain Martin yelled, trying to be heard over the alarms.
“It's an intruder alert. Someone is inside the facility. Did you bring anyone else with you?” Isabel asked.
“No,” Nick shook his head, “It was just us.”
Isabel quickly clicked a button and a video feed was brought up on the monitor,
“Mutants!” She shouted, shocked at the sight, “They’re coming down the service elevator.” She pointed through the glass windows towards a large open door on the other side of what looked to be a large open area, “I don’t know how they found it! It's okay though I can just shut down…”
The power suddenly cut out, leaving the room in total darkness,
“Uh oh,” Isabel said simply. A few seconds later and the lights returned, but it appeared only the control room they were in was lit up. The rest of the facility appeared to still be in total darkness.
“What the hell was that?” MacCready asked.
“Something’s wrong,” Isabel clutched her head frantically, “The power just got cut and we’re on auxiliary power only now. I don’t understand…” She looked desperately towards Nick. Just as she did so, they all heard a loud screech of metal on metal as something came to a stop.
The elevator…
The sounds of large heavy footsteps followed by the yells and jeers of brainless mutants could be heard streaming towards them,
“Minutemen on me!” Captain Martin yelled, and raced down the hallway to a doorway that led to the area the mutants were coming from, followed swiftly by his men. They each took up posts on either side of the door and behind it, trying to get as many muskets down range as they could. They cranked their Laser Muskets and waited.
MacCready stepped forward to the glass windows as the sounds of the mutants had seemingly died down,
“Fuck,” He muttered, just as the hulking green shapes began to emerge from the darkness beyond what little light the control room was giving off. All of the sudden the shouts began in earnest and a mutant wielding little more than a large board ran towards the open doorway, followed swiftly by three more mutants similarly armed with rusted pipes, sledgehammers, and other random implements-turned-war-clubs.
“OPEN FIRE!” The Captain yelled, and The Minutemen opened up with their muskets, the powerful laser blasts ripping into the mutated abominations and downing three of them. As they fell, muscled mutant hounds raced out from behind and made a beeline for the doorway.
“Fall back!” The Captain yelled, just as the first hound burst through the doorway and tore into one of the Minutemen, before swiftly turning on another. The others began falling back, firing their laser muskets as quickly as they could and finding that the thick hide of the creatures made it difficult to kill them outright.
“Get behind me,” Nick told Isabel as he held up his pipe revolver. Isabel however ignored him, and was furiously typing away at a nearby console, “Come on...come on…” she muttered. Wilma had drawn her own gun and taken up a position behind one of the consoles, beads of sweat poured from her face.
“God-fucking-damnit!” MacCready shouted as he stepped forward and readied his plasma rifle. The sound of the weapon charging up briefly could be heard as static filled the air before he loosed three shots in rapid succession. Blue plasma bolts ripped through the still-living hounds and melted gaping holes in each of them. The remaining Minutemen formed a line beside MaCready and continued firing, killing two more super-mutants as they raced down the hallway with weapons raised.
Things grew quiet as the last of the mutants fell.
“Was that all of them?” Captain Martin asked, looking to no-one in particular to respond.
The sounds of the elevator making its way down again answered his question. Now even more abominable shouts and the howls of mutant hounds could be heard coming from the direction the first wave had just come.
“Got it!” Isabel yelled out excitedly. Just then the lights in the entire area came back on, and the facility road to life as the power was fully restored. The second group of mutants was already halfway to the doorway when suddenly a set of metal security doors to the left of the loading dock opened up, and out strode a massive Sentry Bot that seemed to have been heavily modified,
The robot opened up with two gatling lasers attached to its arms, felling the mutants and their hounds in rapid succession as one after the other fell to its substantial firepower.
When the last mutant had fallen, Isabel turned to the group with a faint smile,
“Uhh...got security back online,” She said quickly, indicating the Tankbot.
“And just in time too,” Nick said with a thankful nod.
Right as the fighting commenced S3-47 pulled out the holotape from the security terminal at the front desk of the facility. The network scan was complete, and he’d gathered what data he’d been able to from it. The program had worked just as Dr. Morales had intended it to. It shut down the facilities defenses and allowed a brief window of time to access its valuable data repositories while the mutants provided a sufficient distraction for his operation.
S3 placed the holotape in a briefcase, reactivated his stealth field, and proceeded out the main entrance.
Once outside the Robco Sales Building and safely hidden in the ruined alleys of East Boston, he sent an encrypted message to Dr. Zimmer,
“Data retrieval complete. ”
Enclave Operative Issac Jabsco - Poseidon Energy Plant
Following the sending of his message, Issac had commenced reading through the mission debriefing documents that had been loaded on his pipboy: a little *light* reading before bed. It’d been some time since he’d reviewed them last, and he wanted to make sure he had a firm understanding of their contents.
He skimmed the first section,
Establish intelligence overview of the political situation of the COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. Known entities include: the INSTITUTE, the MINUTEMEN, the COMMONWEALTH PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT, and THE GUNNERS. The INSTITUTE is considered a MAJOR security threat to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. They have the capacity to produce energy weapons, combat robots, and other unknown high-tech capabilities. Additionally, there is unconfirmed intelligence regarding production infiltration robots.
Issac thought back to the Synths he’d encountered down on the lower level, the ones that had killed whatever raider gang had been held up here. They certainly couldn’t pass for humans, but if the stories were to be believed, and he’d heard a number of them on his way to The Commonwealth from passing traders, there were Synths that looked just like humans: down to being able to bleed the same as any man.
He continued, skipping down some paragraphs,
Confirm location and status of VAULT 81. Determine if VAULT has been compromised by external personnel and extent there-of.
He’d heard little to nothing of Vault 81, but the information provided for the Enclave gave its location data. It was a secondary objective, but nonetheless an important one. The Enclave’s interest in acquiring still intact Vaults was one that had been known by nearly everyone in the Capital Wasteland after they’d taken over 101.
Issac continued on down to the final section of the debriefing, skimming down to the phrase that always caught his eye:
It is imperative that OPERATIVE does not permit their capture by the INSTITUTE. In the event of probable capture, place muzzle of side-arm under jaw to ensure the maximum destruction of brain tissue. If unable to access firearms, OPERATIVE has been provided with suicide pill in glass ampule.
He fumbled at the dog-tags around his neck, feeling the tiny glass vial that had been attached to them: a lone pill inside. Enclave High Command was taking no chances when it came to The Institute. Of course, they had no assurance that Issac would actually commit to such a self-sacrificing act should the need require, but Issac thought of it less as a way to keep Enclave secrets secure, he knew little of them anyway, and more as a final insurance for himself. There were many, many fates that could befall him in the wasteland where death was infinitely preferable to the alternative. He’d seen that far too often already in his life.
His review was suddenly interrupted by an incoming reply on his pipboy. Direct from EnclaveNet,
Issac was stunned as hadn’t expected that Sutler, and this could only be an order from him, would send reinforcements so early on into his mission. He’d only just arrived in The Commonwealth, and it was Issac’s expectation that he’d only receive support if and when his objective was complete. That Sutler had given the order for support to be sent now could only mean one thing: he was taking this mission far more seriously than Issac had even previously thought. There was no doubt about it now, Sutler was going to be monitoring this operation closely,
“Just 48 hours…” Issac muttered, “That doesn’t leave much time.”
He immediately activated the nearby Gutsys standing guard with a simple voice command,
“Begin maintenance protocol immediately, get this place cleaned up.”
As the Gusty bots sprung into action, Issac laid back down on his bedroll, he’d grab a few hours of much needed sleep and then would be ready to start his own preparations.
-----------
As the 48 hours came to an end, Issac waited atop the roof of the building expectantly, watching the skies for any sign or sound of the promised support. As he did so, he took stock of what he’d done to prepare for their arrival.
The Gutsy bots had managed to clear away most of the offending debris from the majority of the plant’s office and plant floor spaces. While they lacked the tailored programming of a Misty Handy, the Gutsy units were still efficient enough at completing such tasks and continuously rotated among themselves between performing guard duties and cleaning the plant. Issac, meanwhile, had completed his own personal preparations. He’d been monitoring the local radio chatter as requested, and most of what he’d heard concerned ‘The Minutemen’ who appeared to have an encampment of some sort in the nearby town of Quincy, a short distance north from the energy plant. All his notes on what he’d heard had been compiled and would be given to whoever the CO of the support contingent was. Along with that, he’d placed the remains of the destroyed Synths inside one of the office rooms in the plant for potential observation. Finally Issac had also managed to repair the plant’s auxiliary power generator, the completion of which he was quite proud of himself for. The building now had limited power, and thus some essential operational systems were restored.
That all done there was little enough time left to do anything but wait. Wait until he could hear the sounds of rotary blades ripping through the air which, before long, he did. Issac rushed down to the plant’s parking lot as the vertibird drew closer and closer, and before long finally extended it’s landing gear and touched down in the center of the vacant lot. Issac stood sharply at attention near the entrance.
The commanding officer that exited the bird was none other than Colonel Granite. It was all Issac could do to contain his surprise, the Colonel was one of the highest ranking members of The Enclave currently and a close friend of the Supreme Commander: that much at least Issac knew. He’d no inkling whatsoever that the Colonel would be the one to arrive here however.
As Granite approached, Issac remained firmly at attention, and raised his hand in the usual salute style of the Americorps, with his palm facing forward,
“Colonel, sir, welcome to The Commonwealth.”
OOC: Report that will be provided to Granite:
Radio Transmissions Report Field Operative ORION Enclave Americorp
Field Report:
...Numerous mentions of 'Commonwealth Provisional Government’ made in multiple transmissions, along with ‘Minutemen’, no mentions made yet of ‘Institute’ or associated personnel. Radio transmission for presumed military operations follow a standard broadcast protocol, and appear to be encoded. A separate radio frequency seems to regularly broadcast with information pertinent to the safety of Commonwealth residents, including what appears to be calls for assistance and aid from ‘Minutemen’ forces (see Addendum A.)
Other noteworthy radio broadcasts in the area include a station out of ‘Diamond City’ run by a mentioned Travis Miles. Broadcast format appears to be standard news reports and local happenings, accompanied by music….,
Addendum A.
(Broadcast Begins at Approximately 0600 hours)
[Voice of woman heard over radio, along with sounds of gunfire]
“Hello! Hello? Are there any Minutemen listening to this!? Our Caravan has been ambushed! [Inaudible] attack! We need help! Please!”
[Voice of a man responds after a short pause]
“Caravan, this is the Castle. Where are you? Over.”
“[Inaudible]...hold up in a house. Don’t think we can keep them off much longer. Please hurry!”
“Roger. I’m contacting Colonel Garvey, his detachment is closest to your position..[inaudible]..if you can and...[inaudible].”
[No further transmission from either source recorded. Approximately one minute after transmission ends, a red flare incendiary was visible in the sky five miles due north west of Poseidon Energy. Within several minutes a second flare is seen coming from the location of Quincy. No further activity observed.]
Dr. Xavier Morales - Vault 88 Underground Laboratory
A bright flash of blue brought Xavier squarely inside of the Vault 88 caverns as he re-materialized from the molecular relay. His eyes adjusted to the relatively dim light of the makeshift laboratory carved out within. The caverns he now stood in were a result of tireless months of work and unceasing labor provided by absounded Institute Synths. Shielded from the surface’s background radiation and well hidden from prying eyes, it made for a perfect location from which they could continue to conduct research, and remain completely undetected by the CPG. A lone ghoul claiming to be Vault’s overseer had been the only impediment standing in the way when they’d first occupied it, but that had been swiftly dealt with.
“Hey welcome back Xavier,” the cheerful voice of Dr. Holdren greeted him from behind a large console amidst a plethora of electronic equipment and large tanks of bio-med gel which gave off a sickly green luminescent glow that bounced off the cave's ceiling and rock walls.
“Clayton...yes...good to be back indeed...” Xavier replied, looking around, “Where’s Zimmer?”
“He’s topside at the moment. He took S3-47 and Z4-22 with him. I’m expecting him back any moment now.”
Xavier nodded, “I see…I’m afraid I don’t have all that long. So I’ll ask straight-away: anything you have to report?”
“Ah! Yes, there’s been a number of updates since you last visited here. I know it's been some time so I’ll bring you up to speed briefly.”
“Yes it was impractical to slip away. The ….Director...kept me busy with some unforeseen work. A matter on which I’d like to speak to Zimmer when he arrives in fact.”
“Say no more,” Dr. Holdren said with a wave of his hand, “But yes come over here and have a look.”
The former Bioscience Division Head ushered Xavier over to one of the bio-med tanks, allowing him to closely inspect the contents within. It appeared to be a grossly mutated animal of some kind, a mole rat perhaps at one time, although there was no doubt a mixture of different animal species within. Great numbers of legs protruded from its abdomen and enlarged incisors stuck out violently from the abominations mouth. The effects of the Forced Evolutionary Virus were incredibly pronounced and always manifested rapidly. Whatever horrors the creature(s) experienced in its last moments would have been utterly unbearable,
“A failure, to be sure, but I’m close to replicating my previous results. As you can see, the cellular structure of the creature bonded quite….aggressively with that of the other two subjects: a canine and a roach respectively. It's proving quite difficult to create a stable chimera formula, but I’ve no doubt it's possible. Some time and more specimens is all it requires.” Dr. Holdren beamed with pride, “I should think I’ll have something workable soon.”
“And you’re confident you can create a...living creature in this manner?”
“Oh absolutely. Based on information from the data Dr. Zimmer provided on The Capital Wasteland and my own understanding of numerous pre-war experiments with FEV genetic engineering, it's very much a real possibility. Although the creatures created post-war in such a manner...Centaurs I believe they’re called….are at best pitiable abominations. They’re little more than the results of Super-mutants playing around with FEV and throwing anything and everything they can find into their vats. I fully intend to perfect such a creation and ensure its stability as a living creature, the uses for such an organism are virtually endless.” Dr. Holdren’s smile widened, and he looked to Xavier to be positively enraptured with his work and the creativity of it all. Xavier had to admit it was more than a little unnerving, but certainly praiseworthy.
“Imagine being able to essentially cross-breed species with ease: eliminating negative traits in both and enhancing positive ones, and what's more doing this in such an impossibly short amount of time. Spitting in the face of evolution itself...it's fascinating frankly. To think that pre-war science was already dipping their toes into this line of work with remarkable results. I intend to build upon the foundation they left and perfect it.”
“Fascinating...truly,” Xavier replied, “Although I’ll be honest Clayton I’m less interested in the science of it all and more concerned with practical applications to solve our current predicament.”
“Oh of course, I’m still considering that a top priority. The current line of research I’m pursuing is weaponizing an organism in such a manner that would suit our needs. I expect promising results in that area, and if you like to delve further on that topic, we can discuss the other branch of FEV research related to it.”
Dr. Holdren led Xavier round a bend and towards a large dip in the cavern, below them lay a natural pit on top of which an energy barrier had been erected around the rim. Inside this pit, a number of super-mutants could be seen meandering about, all seemingly lost in a daze brought on by numerous sedatives. Gen-2 Synths patrolled the rim of the pit, closely monitoring the mutants below with their energy weapons ready to vaporize any that might become unruly,
“Human trials are on-going, but I’m afraid it's more of the same. I never expected to make much progress with this line of research considering how much effort was poured into it by the FEV Lab back at The Institute. Irradiated wastelander subjects continue to produce the same strain of unintelligent mutant organisms, as always. However, with Dr. Zimmer’s assistance we’ve made progress on the control chip,” Dr. Holdren held up a small vial containing a tiny electronic device, “The programming was relatively trivial as you know, but it's been difficult to figure out how to produce it in sufficient quantities without access to our manufacturing facilities. Help from some pre-war equipment has done the trick however, and Zimmer is actually out looking for a final component we can use to begin actively developing them. I’ve taken to calling this little endeavor the ENFORCER protocol.”
“And you’re confident that you can give them complex commands with it enabled?”
“Of course! I can understand the hesitancy, let me demonstrate,” Dr. Holdren snapped his finger and reached for a nearby device, “Lets just do something simple first…”
Holdren pressed a button on the control device and the super-mutants immediately snapped out of their previously dazed state and moved swiftly into an ad-hoc square formation. They stood silently with eyes forward, not moving a muscle,
“Pacification protocols are enabled by default, and the voice command module is active...step forward two steps!” The mutants complied, each striding forward twice.
“Turn around!’ Again the mutants complied.
“Now for something a bit more complicated…” Dr. Holdren grinned ear to ear, “Pacification mode off...there we go….now...kill the third member of the front row!”
There was a short pause, as the mutant’s implant seemed to register the command, and the mutants quickly began to lunge at the singled-out mutant. The mutant in question had no sense of self-preservation, and simple stood silent as its brothers tore it limb from limb.
“Thank you,” Holdren replied with an exaggerated bow, “Frankly I’m just glad that I was finally able to get something useful out of the FEV trials, other than synthetic organics of course. To think that years of human experimentation went by and no-one thought to pursue this line of research...boggles my mind frankly. I think Father made a grave mistake when he decided against allowing further cybernetics projects. The melding of biological life and artificial constructs is a fascinating area I’d like to continue to explore.”
“Rest assured that won’t be the case anymore….once we’ve reclaimed The Institute from Li and her ilk….we can freely pursue projects like these. You’d have my full support in such endeavors.”
“Spoken like a politician,” the voice of Dr. Zimmer came from behind. He wore a cleanly pressed pre-war suit, in lieu of an Institute lab coat, and beside him stood two Coursers, the last of their kind, in leather armor looking much the part of hired mercenary protection for the old man, “You act like you’re already The Director, or that you are guaranteed to get the position when the dust settles on this.”
Xavier chaffed under the rebuke but smiled nevertheless, “You misunderstand me Doctor. I’m merely suggesting that once The Institute is back into our hands, we’ll be the ones setting policy and approving research projects. Not short-sighted individuals like Li and the rest.”
“Indeed and we’ve a long way to go to achieve those ends…no need to get ahead of ourselves...Dr. Holdren, I acquired the component you were looking for. And I’ve identified a few more locations we might use for sweep and retrieval to acquire more materials.”
“Excellent,” Dr. Holdren clasped his hands together, “Thank you Dr. Zimmer.”
“Vic--Dr. Zimmer,” Xavier corrected himself, knowing how much Zimmer hated the use of his first name, “There’s another more important matter that needs to be looked into. The Commonwealth Provisional Government is meeting on the surface today with regards to a particularly sensitive topic of discussion.”
“You’re referring to The Mechanist?”
“Indeed,” Xavier nodded, “I believe they intend to send an expedition to the facility we identified in scouting. I’ve no doubt they intend to meet with this Mechanist and potentially secure some manner of cooperation with them.”
“Hmmph. No doubt they’re seeking to make use of the facility too,” Dr. Zimmer furrowed his brow.
“Naturally I provided Li what details on it I needed to deflect suspicion, but there was one element I left out: it was a laboratory specifically dedicated to the creation of Robobrains, making use of some rather cutting edge pre-war technology to achieve the goal of the proper use of wetware to drive inorganic processing. Additionally, one phrase kept appearing in memoranda over and over: CODE. It was related in some way to brain reconditioning. I’m sure you can agree that sort of research could be of great interest to us.”
“Agreed, let's not simply allow the CPG to walk right in and help themselves to whatever is down there. I assume you have some sort of plan then?”
“I believe I do,” Xavier grinned, “Thanks to you both. Clayton, how would you like to get more substantial test data on your Enforcers?”
Issac Jabsco - Talon Company, Enclave Operative Designation “ORION” The Commonwealth
Issac’s long journey north was finally coming to an end. The broken highway beneath him had given way to wet marshlands some time ago, and it had been an increasingly difficult slog to make his way through the terrain of the southern Commonwealth. Wading through the disease-ridden quagmire had been bad enough, but evading the numerous mutated abominations that called it home had made it nigh intolerable. He’d seen more than enough Bloodbugs to last him a lifetime. If it wasn’t for the accompaniment of his Mr. Gusty escorts and a hazmat suit he doubted that he’d have made it.
Certainly marking that down as a potential obstacle for any military operations or trade missions here. Enclave ecological data needs a major update. He thought.
Issac had taken a rest tucked inside of a rocky outcropping, where at least he’d have solid ground to lay on while he waited for the scout he’d sent out to return. The three Mr. Gusty units that carried his supplies and now helped guard his position were spread out in the corners of the outcropping’s perimeter. The military robots, supplied by The Enclave, hovered motionless above the bog, silently scanning the area for signs of hostile life. Issac had come to rely heavily on the bots throughout the trek since they provided him much needed additional security and, at the same time, served as adequate pack mules.
Before long a soft electronic hum could be heard, and a floating eyebot meandered back to the makeshift shelter looking no worse for wear. Issac quickly pulled forth a pip-boy from a waterproof bag strapped to one of the Gutsy units and plugged it into the floating scout.
“Poseidon Energy...excellent,” Issac mumbled as he shifted through the data, “It’s perfect….just what I was looking for.”
----------------------
En route to the Poseidon Energy plant that the eyebot had identified, Issac took stock of his situation. In his time in Talon Company, he’d performed all manner and stripe of jobs: hits on well protected warlords and kingpins, sabotage, and espionage...he’d made himself a name in certain circles for being able to pull things off that most mercenaries would balk at. Yet despite this, it was his older brother, Joseph Jabsco, that had taken the reigns of power in the organization, eventually becoming Talon Company’s Commanding Officer. When that had happened, Issac had redoubled his efforts, performing nigh suicidal actions that made him the most sought after mercenary in the Capital Wastes. While he’d made quite a name for himself all on his own, he never quite managed to bring himself out from behind his brother’s shadow. And when Joseph was killed in action, Issac was passed up for the Commanding role.
It was shortly after that when The Enclave had rolled their gargantuan mobile base crawler to Megaton. In spite of the collective hopes of the region’s populace, The Brotherhood had finally been defeated at whatever climatic battle had heralded the end of the war. The Enclave had emerged triumphant, and The Capital Wasteland swiftly fell under their thumb.
Issac knew when he saw the base crawler which horse he intended to back. The Enclave had shown their technological and military might to any potential challenger and it was clear they were dominant over all. Through this Issac also saw a potential ticket to power of his own. He knew that despite their victory, The Enclave had been weakened by The Brotherhood and they’d no doubt have need of men such as himself: guns for hire willing to ply their skills to the highest bidder. He was right, they paid him well for his skill set and he’d netted himself a substantial sum of caps, weapons, chems, and ammo. His ill-gotten gains hardly appeased his appetite however, and he craved more. He wished for the one thing he yet been able to attain: citizenship.
Above all else, Issac wanted to join The Enclave as a full member and be given an officer’s commission. It was a lofty goal, to be sure. Issac was no fool, he understood that The Enclave looked down on wastelanders and very rarely hid that disdain. That feeling seemed particularly true for Supreme Commander Sutler. Yet he was certain if he proved his worth an exception might be made. Such a reward would indeed give him the prestige and power he craved so deeply. Visions swirled in his head of him being placed in command of Talon Company, lording over even The Commander and able to do as he saw fit with them. Perhaps, in time, he’d earn even greater accolades.
Yet there was much to do before he could hope to achieve such a prize. First thing first was to complete this current objective. He knew the lengths to which Supreme Commander Sutler would go for vengeance, and it seemed the best way to ingratiate himself with the Enclave leader. Bringing him the heads, or better yet still living bodies, of those who had wronged the Supreme Commander so deeply might just be enough to win Sutler’s gratitude, and in turn, perhaps his favor. That was the very reason he’d journeyed this far north to The Commonwealth. For one of the most sought after targets of Sutler’s was here.
The looming concrete facade of the Poseidon Energy plant finally came into view as Issac crested a small hillock. As the data had suggested, it was an excellent location from which he might start a forward operating base. Practical, defensible, well-intact with a large parking lot out front to provide a serviceable area for a potential vertibird landing, which if he succeeded in his mission would no doubt be required. It was also, surprisingly, uninhabited which Issac thought noteworthy given his own appraisal of the plant’s usefulness. It had to have been occupied at some point in the recent past.
His suspicions were confirmed when he stepped inside the plant’s doors and found evidence of human remains scattered about and clear signs of a struggle.
“Burnt clothing and bones,” He said, picking through the remnants, “Scorch marks on the walls….likely killed with laser weaponry.” His eyes then caught sight of something else on the ground, a metallic skeletal frame unlike anything he’d seen before.
“Synths,” He said, and drew his 10mm from its holster.
“Voice command module active, confirm,” Issac turned to the Gutsy bots behind him.
“Confirmed,” One of the Gutsy’s replied, “Ready for orders sir.”
“Sweep the building. Fall back if hostiles are encountered. Do NOT engage.”
“Well I guess it's the commies lucky day then! We’ll hold off on sending them to meet their maker for now!” With that the Gutsy units enthusiastically began clearing the plant room by room.
He doubted there were any Synths still lingering around, but if there was, he did not intend to commit to combat with them. He’d retreat if it came to that. From what he understood, The Institute wasn’t likely to just overlook an attack on their property without investigation.
“Don’t need to draw attention to myself this soon,” Issac muttered, and he followed the Gutsy bots deeper in to the building.
A couple hours later and the sweep was complete, there wasn’t much left in the plant but at least it was fully secure. Issac setup a temporary camp inside one of the pre-war offices and set his robots to guard the immediate area. He’d barricaded the front doors as well, and was confident that if anyone came sniffing around, he’d have adequate warning. For good measure, he’d set the eyebot to patrol the facility while he slept.
Before he laid down for the night however, Issac pulled a cylindrical object out of his backpack and set it down. He extended the object’s folded up tripod legs and then pulled the cylinder outwards to form a long antenna. With the press of a button on the base, a small dish expanded around the tip. That done, Issac plugged his pip-boy into the now fully extended portable deep range transmitter. The transmitter was an invaluable tool that he’d been given from his Enclave contact and apparently Sutler himself had approved its use in the field for the operation. It enabled a direct encrypted connection to EnclaveNet even from a great distance.
Issac logged his progress,
“<ESTABLISHED FOB IN COMMONWEALTH. TRANSMITTING COORDINATES AND SURVEILLANCE DATA. MISSION PROCEEDING AS PLANNED SUPREME COMMANDER.>”
Dr. Xavier Morales eyed The Director of The Institute carefully as she strode down from the Advanced Systems lab towards him. Every step she took seemed to his mind to be laced with arrogance and pride. She felt superior to her colleagues in every manner not the least of which was intellect. She’d made little effort to hide these feelings even before she’d ascended to the Directorship, but now it was plain enough that even a child could see it on her face. Xavier despised her every move, her every word, but there was nothing he could do about that self-satisfied smug smile. Not yet anyway.
Walking alongside Director Madison Li were her ‘bodyguards’ which consisted of a trio of heavily armed and armored Gen-2 Synths that escorted her nearly everywhere she went within The Institute and beyond. They were clad head to toe in heavy Synth armor that had been painted a dark shade of blue for recognition and armed with modified Institute rifles. The armor itself was some advanced composite alloy that had just come out of Advanced Systems research that hadn’t yet made its way into full production. What little documentation Xavier had come across coupled with hearsay from a source he had within the lab indicated the armor was significantly stronger than the current model and was highly resistant to laser and ballistic weaponry. Madison hadn’t yet approved it for full use and it seemed unlikely that she would in the near future. She no doubt wanted to keep that sort of research strictly controlled or worse yet….only send it to the surface.
Xavier scoffed at the notion of some rag-tag farmer from The Commonwealth, a Minuteman, being clad in Institute military gear. On the face of it it’d be an amusing sight and would likely provide some valuable test data in live fire activities if nothing else. But the thought of what might come next was more harrowing, how long before Madison wanted every technology The Institute developed to be shared with those above ground? How long until The Institute was merely the research wing of a nation that strictly controlled and regulated them? How long before they were forced out of their home and up top to live amongst the monstrosities and misery of the wasteland?
He shuddered. No, that would not happen.
Madison approached him, no hint of a smile anywhere on her sullen face,
“Dr. Morales, I received your intel report. Overall it was satisfactory. A little less speculation on your part would be appreciated. When I ask for what the SSIB has on a particular location, I’m not looking for your personal thoughts.”
“Apologies Director,” Xavier replied, mustering up as much contrition as he could, “I’m afraid our pre-war archives are incomplete in this regard. I was able to turn up a number of references to the facility in military correspondence but unable to determine specifics as to the research and project goals.”
“Then that’s all you need to say. I don’t care to read three pages of fluff on things you have no hard data for.”
“Again, my apologies. I simply wanted to give you as wide a range of information as possible.”
“Hmmph. Indeed.” Madison stepped into the spiral elevator along with the three Synths.
“Anything I can assist with while you are on the surface Director?” Xavier asked, forcing a cheerful smile.
“Continue all current monitoring operations and give me a summary of it when I return. In other words, do your job...and that’ll be enough.”
“Of course Director, have a safe trip to the surface.”
With that one of the synths pressed a button and the door to the elevator closed, and it swiftly began ascending up through The Institute and towards the molecular relay control room. Once Madison and her synths passed through the upper ceiling layer, Xavier’s face dropped to a snarl.
“Speculation? If she had half the brain she thinks she does it’d be clear that my ‘speculation’ was based on reasonable inference and deduction. Hardly irrelevant.” He muttered, “Watch yourself you ungrateful…”
Xavier stopped himself and looked around. There was no-one in sight in the Concourse thankfully, owing to the early hour no doubt, but he chastised himself none-the-less for allowing his emotions to get the better of him. He knew better than most that it was best never to assume that there was no-one watching. All it took was a single slip-up and he could wind up exiled. What use would he be then?
Always polite, always dutiful. Always supportive of The Director. That’s who I am here. Remember. He thought, and walked away.
Diamond City - Council Chamber (Diamond City Mayor’s Office)
Mayor Becky Fallon rode the lift up to her office within Diamond City. Although nowadays with the formation of the CPG, it was hardly just ‘her’ office anymore. The Commonwealth Provisional Government Council met inside what used to be the Mayor’s personal office, while she herself had moved the Diamond City Mayoral office to one of the back rooms that McDonough had outfitted for his living space. Seeing as how she wasn’t going to be living here at all but instead would remain at her old house inside her ‘Fallon’s Basement’ shop, that new arrangement suited her just fine.
Becky stepped off the platform and strode up to the double doors leading to the Council chamber, she paused only a moment to adjust her dress suit and then opened them. As she’d expected, Madison Li was already seated with her Synth security detail fanned out around behind her.
“Director Li..” Becky said simply as she took her seat.
“Mayor Fallon..” Madison replied.
The pair sat in silence for a few moments, with Becky desperately wishing she was somewhere else. Her and Li always had a tough time conversing when it was only the two of them, and neither was particularly interested in much other than the business at hand. Fortunately Becky didn’t have to wait long before the rest of the Council began to trickle in.
The next to arrive was Kessler, leader of the Bunker Hill Caravaners,
“Glad I’m not late, I should hope we can wrap this up before too long. I need to get back to the Hill.”
“I’m not expecting a long meeting,” Li said, “Provided of course we don’t have unnecessary debate.”
“I shouldn’t think so,” Becky added, eyeing Kessler. She knew full well it was Kessler who would likely be the primary opposition to what she assumed would be the wider Council opinion. The Caraveners had been some of the worst affected by The Mechanist’s rampage after all. Nothing less than the Mechanist’s head on a spike would probably convince them.
Kesller ignored the comments directed towards her and took her seat. Within a few minutes both Wiseman and General Ronnie Shaw of The Minutemen arrived at the council room. Ronnie sat down in her usual gruff manner without a word while Wiseman gave up his usual niceties,
“How’s everyone doing today?” Wiseman smiled broadly, “I think The Slog is going to have its largest crop of tarberries yet this….”
“Gunners on the move again. Lost an entire patrol squad last night to an ambush. Found their heads lined up nice and neat on a fence post outside Quincy,” Ronnie interrupted as she lit up a cigarette, “So my morning hasn’t exactly been peachy Wiseman.”
Wiseman’s smile immediately evaporated, “I’m...sorry to hear that.”
“General Shaw, could you refrain from smoking in the Council chambers?” Dr. Li asked.
“I could,” Ronnie replied.
“Ronnie…” Becky chastised as she glared at The Minutemen General.
“Fine,” Ronnie let the cigarette slip from her fingers and fall to the ground, where she promptly stomped it out, “Can we get started talking about this Mechanist then?”
“Yes...I received an intel report on the location mentioned in the holotape…” Li began.
“Director Li, not all members are present currently.” Becky interjected.
Li furrowed her brow, “Oh yes of course...my mistake. We’ll have to wait until Val...Mr. Valentine arrives I suppose.”
“No need,” Came a voice from the doorway, the Synth Detective entered the council chambers and removed his hat, placing it on the table in front of an empty seat, “Sorry for being tardy. I needed to stop by the office after I arrived back from Sanctuary this morning. It's doing well by the way.”
“Good. Then we can officially begin,” Li continued, “As I was saying, I received an intel report on the location specified by the holotape: The Robco Sales and Service Center. Information on the facility is scant at best but aside from the obvious front of being a robotics shop, we’ve found references in pre-war military correspondence pointing to the location as holding some sort of Department of the Army research lab: likely a black site of some sort given the senior level of the communique we uncovered.”
“So what were they doing down there, just creating killer bots?” Ronnie asked.
“That’s unknown at the moment but...yes some variation of that.” Li replied.
“I don’t suppose CIT was involved at all in this project was it?” Nick asked with an eye towards Dr. Li, “Natural to guess they might have been given the robotics angle.”
“No,” Li said firmly, “We extensively searched The Institute’s pre-war databanks for any connection to the Commonwealth Institute of Technology: student and graduate files, faculty and staff correspondence etc. We even searched through old career center postings at the University. Nothing. It's not impossible of course that some CIT students or graduates were working within the lab, I’d even go so far as to say it's likely, but if that’s the case there was no direct partnership with the University itself. Our pre-war records for CIT are virtually complete so I have no reason to suspect that we may have missing or corrupted data on this: it simply doesn’t exist.”
Nick sat back in his seat and folded his arms, “So, a hidden lab capable of building a literal army of murder-bots underneath a RobCo shop in Boston eh? Sounds like quite the mystery.”
“So what are we going to do about it then? We’re not seriously considering allowing this Mechanist to go free are we?” Kessler interrupted.
“Not free, no,” Becky said sternly, “Never free. I believe what this ‘Isabel’ girl says in that what she did was an accident, I truly do. She sounded genuine and indeed heartbroken that her actions caused so much death, and the robot attacks have ceased…” Becky paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, “But her actions are still inexcusable. Accident or not. She needs to face judgement in some manner.”
“Agreed,” Wiseman nodded, “She needs to answer for her crimes. I lost a good friend to one of those attacks.”
“I lost a lot more than that,” Kessler snapped, “I want her hanged.”
“We’re not going to execute her,” Dr. Li said firmly, “Get over it. If her holotape is correct, then she’s too valuable to simply be made an example of. Let her serve her sentence in other ways.”
“Like what exactly?” Ronnie raised an eyebrow.
“She has access to a massive trove of data and information within that facility. And she is likely very intelligent, a veritable genius in fact, if she was able to repair and restart production within the facility on her own. If she truly is genuine in her confession of guilt and remorse….then let's put her to work. Let her help to repair the damage she’s done by giving back to The Commonwealth.”
“I agree,” Nick said with a nod, “No need to kill her. She made a mistake, a massive one no doubt, but she had good intentions. We don’t need to string her up like a common criminal.”
“Let's make sure that’s the case then,” Kessler said, “I want to speak with her myself and see if I believe her. Send someone to the Sales Center and put her under arrest.”
“Fine. I’m not opposed to ensuring that she’s not going to cause further problems,” Li replied, “I propose we send a team to venture down into the lab and meet The Mechanist.”
“No Synths,” Ronnie grumbled, “None of your scientists either.”
“I wasn’t going to suggest it,” Li replied, “Instead my suggestion is that we send MacCready, a few Minutemen, and perhaps one of your people Kessler.”
“I’d like to go as well,” Nick said piping up, “Or would I be excluded under that ‘no-synth’ rule of yours?” He looked to Ronnie with a sly grin.
“Nah….guess I’ll make an exception in your case Detective.”
“Agreed.” Li said, “Any objections?”
The room was silent and Wiseman and Becky shook their heads in response,
“One condition,” Kessler said, “I want to interview her, alone, when she’s brought back. If I’m granted that, I’ll agree.”
Li nodded, “If that’s what it’ll take, I have no objections to that Kessler. Very well then, we’ve reached an accord. Let’s begin moving on this quickly, I want the team ready to go by tomorrow.”
A cool breeze blew through the air, shifting the leaves ever so slightly in the tree above. Nick Valentine placed his hands in his trench coat pockets, as if bracing against the chill. Being a Synth he had no need to do so, but the mnemonic impressions of his human life, or rather a human life, still remained. He did things like that out of habit, he supposed, or maybe just because it allowed him a connection to a humanity he’d never truly have. All he did have were memories implanted from the real Detective Valentine and a personality that had been programmed into him.
Nick looked down at the pair of graves before him, nestled beneath a lonesome tree in the backyard of a house in Sanctuary Hills: their house. It’d been awhile since he’d last paid his respects here. In fact he hadn't come back since the burial. He'd thought to stay away because he had wondered if perhaps it wasn’t better to just let memories fade and wounds heal, but part of him knew that would probably never happen. The day he’d met Nathaniel, the sole survivor of Vault 111, was the day that things had changed forever: for him and for The Commonwealth. Nobody had really expected Nathaniel to actually reach The Institute or find his son. Yet despite all odds that's exactly what had happened. As a result of the tenacity of a father, The Commonwealth became an entirely different place. Nick knew he'd had to come back one more time, to say goodbye properly. He hadn't known what to think or say back then. Hell even standing here now he hadn't completely made up his mind how he should remember the man, but at least he could form the words.
“Wasn’t sure what would happen when we learned you’d joined with them,” Nick muttered to the grave before him, “I suppose you tried to do the right thing at least. I don't think I can ever forgive what you did to the synths, but I guess you were just trying to set things right in your own way. Keep The Commonwealth safe. But goddamn did you make it hard to trust you after that.”
Nick felt around in his pocket for a cigarette and his lighter. He pulled them out and with a flick of his wrist he lit up the cigarette before taking a drag,
“Look at me rambling again like an old bucket of bolts. What’s done is done. You set things in motion and brought The Institute to heel. That’s worth something. Just wish you’d stuck around a bit longer to keep it all together. We’re going to try our damnedest, but it's a tangle you've left us in.”
Valentine looked back up and stared out towards the rest of Sanctuary Hills. What used to be nothing more than the crumbling ruins of houses was now a thriving town. Caravans and traders flowed in and out of town under the watchful protection of Minutemen guards. The crops here grew tall fed by good soil and plenty of water purified directly from the stream nearby. Scavengers had begun to pick apart Vault 111 after the bodies within had been respectfully removed and re-interred elsewhere, and now the old Vault provided a unique source of trade goods and resources for the fledgling town. Nick felt a sense of pride in seeing that flag waving above it all. The flag of a nation just now beginning to form. The dream of a united Commonwealth made real.
“Well...maybe we’re on the right track at least,” Nick smiled, “Long road ahead though. Guess what I’m trying to say, badly, is...thanks for getting us on it.”
“Ayy Nicky!” The hoarse yell of the caravan guard brought Nick’s attention back to the town, “Tommy says we’re almost all loaded up. Just gotta figure out where to pack a couple more crates of those tatos. Anyways he told me to let you know we’ll be heading back to Diamond City soon. You finished with your business?”
“I am,” Nick replied as he took another puff of the cigarette, “I’ll meet you all at the gate.”
“Ok sounds good Nicky!”
Nick stared down at the grave one last time,
“I think this will be the last time I stop by here. Hope you finally found some measure of peace in the end. You deserve that if nothing else.” Nick dropped his cigarette and stamped it out in the yard. He gave one last look as he turned away,
(Top: Unofficial flag of The CPG designed in Diamond City by Becky Fallon circa 2289. Combining elements of pre-war symbolism with that of The Minutemen.)
Territory (picture or description) and Geography: The CPG is nominally in control of most of the region known as “The Commonwealth”. Including the Boston area. However, the level of control it is able to actually enforce varies from settlement to settlement. Some of the more rural settlements outside of the immediate area of Boston simply refuse to recognize the CPG at all. Closer to Boston and “The Great Green Jewel” the CPG is more universally recognized as the legitimate authority, and its primary seat of power is located in Diamond City itself, the unofficial capital of the fledgling government. The notable exceptions to this are Goodneighbor, which refuses to recognize the CPG in any form and Vault 81 which despite overtures has so far refused outright annexation and instead maintains its own independence.
The Castle is also maintained as the headquarters of The Minutemen and is nominally under CPG control as a result.
History (if using a pre-existing faction, recent history will due. The RP start date is 2290):
After the man once named ‘Nathaniel’ known only now as the ‘Sole Survivor’ emerged from Vault 111 in search of his son, he found the world he had once known was gone forever. Using his military experience and with the help of those he met along the way, the Sole Survivor managed to infiltrate The Institute and finally found his son. What followed between them is known only to a select few within The Institute...
What is known to the wider Commonwealth however, is that The Institute made its presence known to Diamond City in early 2288 when Gen-1 Synths began to appear one day to distribute medical supplies and rations. Soon enough Institute Synths began to train their weapons on raiders and mutants infesting The Commonwealth with extreme prejudice. Despite their enormous distrust of the ‘boogeymen’ who’d haunted them for so long, the people of Diamond City and The Commonwealth at large could not deny the much needed help they received, or turn it away so readily. A positive article written by Piper Wright where she famously wrote ‘...perhaps now The Institute can be a part of our future.’ Was distributed widely in Diamond City and beyond. Many would still never fully trust The Institute or its secretive cadre of scientists, but at a minimum they would accept their help and resources.
That same year, Madison Li stepped forward as the new leader of The Institute, the fate of The Sole Survivor unknown, and extended an offer of cooperation to the people of The Commonwealth via The Diamond City radio broadcast. She hearkened back to earlier days when The Commonwealth had tried to band together for the greater protection and unity of all. The Commonwealth Provisional Government was soon formed with the cooperation of Diamond City’s newly elected Mayor, Becky Fallon. Some still remembered Madison Li from when she had first arrived in The Commonwealth many years ago from The Capital Wasteland and this won her enough trust to have a leading role in the formation of the new government. Those of a more cynical mind however, might simply say that no one dared to oppose her, knowing full well she represented The Institute itself and thus the terrifying power it wielded over them.
Support for the CPG greatly increased when it was learned that the recently reformed Commonwealth Minutemen were throwing in their lot behind this new state. The new General, Ronnie Shaw, had personally traveled to Diamond City and given her word to back the CPG with whatever meager forces she had currently available to her. Recruits to The Minutemen flooded in shortly afterwards. Around this same time an agreement was also finally reached with settlement of Bunker Hill and, more importantly, the caravans. It became clear to all then that The CPG was going to be more than just a failed attempt this time around.
Since that time the numbers of CPG citizens has been steadily growing, with new settlers flooding into Diamond City and many other settlements in The Commonwealth beyond. Sanctuary Hills has become a thriving town, and Diamond City has started to become overcrowded and overflow its previously well-kept boundary. With new prospective residents coming in everyday, they are being forced to settle just beyond the hallowed boundary of ‘The Wall’ into the ruins of Boston that surround The Great Green Jewel. Even with this being the case though, Diamond City remains one of the safest cities in the region.
The future of the CPG is yet unclear and there are many, many threats to its continued existence, both within and abroad. Madison Li finds herself in a tenuous position, and while she is herself no true politician, she’s kept The Institute contained and The CPG from collapsing into itself thus far. Perhaps there is a chance that the CPG will form into a strong unified nation wirh Boston at its center, or perhaps it is doomed to eventual failure. Only time will tell.
Population: Approximately 10,000 within the immediate area of Boston itself. With an unknown number in smaller outlying settlements. The ‘actual’ number of CPG citizens is essentially unknown however since no census has yet been taken and loyalties vary from person to person and even day to day.
Government/Domestic Politics: The Commonwealth Provisional Government is, as the name implies, a Provisional Government: meant to serve as a transitional authority while The Commonwealth unifies and begins to form a proper nation. The CPG Council (made up of representatives from various major settlements or groups) serves as the executive and legislative body, enacting laws, establishing law and order, and organizing The Commonwealth Government as best as they are able.
Notable People: The Council for the CPG Includes:
Dr. Madison Li - current Director of The Institute, and for all intents and purposes acting President of the CPG. Although she does not officially hold that title nor would she outwardly claim to. Madison is a cold leader but one who has both sympathy and compassion for the plight of the wasteland. Li was left embittered and cynical following her experiences in The Capital Wasteland, she sees The Commonwealth and The CPG as her chance to do things the right way this time - her way.
(Director Madison Li - CPG Propaganda Photo taken in Diamond City)
Becky Fallon - newly elected Mayor of Diamond City. Becky is a no-nonsense leader, and not one to shirk either responsibility or confrontation.
Ronnie Shaw - General of The Minutemen. Gruff and grizzled, Ronnie is a veteran Minutemen officer who's seen more than her fair share of battle. She’s more than a little distrustful of The Institute and isn’t afraid to voice her opinion on the matter.
Kessler - Mayor of Bunker Hill/Representative of the Bunker Hill Caravans. Kessler is both a shrewd politician and a sound businesswoman. She’s looking out primarily for her stakeholders in Bunker Hill and their bottom line.
Wiseman - Leader of The Slog and a representative for the more rural settlements outside of Diamond City. Kind and forgiving, but most of all an incredibly skilled farmer. Wiseman was a natural choice to elect to The CPG Council both as a sign of solidarity with the disenfranchised ghoul population and the farming settlements of The Commonwealth.
Nick Valentine - No official position, but nominally an advisor. A condition for the people of Diamond City agreeing to work with The Institute was that he be given a position on the CPG Council.
Military: While not ‘officially’ designated as such, The Minutemen are effectively the de facto military wing of the CPG. CPG leadership can reliably expect to receive support when they call on them and the General of The Minutemen sits regularly on the CPG council in Diamond City to discuss affairs in The Commonwealth.
However as a standing army they lack proper organization and discipline, as The Minutemen by design are a militia force: citizen soldiers who take up the call to arms when needed. A force of 200 minutemen are permanently located at The Castle, but the rest (some 300-400 approximately) are split between various settlements in The Commonwealth. Many of whom are not considered active until the call goes out for help. They are armed and armored with a wide range of equipment ranging from virtually nothing but pipe rifles, to a standard uniform and laser musket. They also have access to large mortar artillery pieces but these are limited to The Castle and Quincy Outpost.
Commanders: General Ronnie Shaw commands The Minutemen from The Castle, their headquarters and primary base of operation. Shaw is generally well respected and well liked amongst her soldiers for her fearlessness and grit, and her appointment to become the next General was widely supported. Colonel Preston Garvey commands the second largest organized group of Minutemen located at Quincy (approx. 70+), where after retaking the town from The Gunners, they set up a permanent defensive outpost to keep an eye on Gunner movements and other threats from the south.
Other forces: Aside from The Minutemen, the officers of Diamond City Security protect the immediate area in and surrounding Diamond City, and if needed, have been known to work with The Minutemen in operations beyond their normal jurisdiction. They are moderately equipped, but their limited experience fighting outside of the limits of Diamond City itself means they are obviously better suited to police and security work than military operations. However, they are still tenacious fighters and have gained significant combat experience defending against the various threats to their beloved Great Green Jewel, mutants and raiders included.
A final, and perhaps a bit unusual, potential source of military support comes in the form of ‘The Mechanist’. Initially, the rogue robots of The Mechanist were seen as a menace, attacking caravans and settlers alike when they first appeared not long after the CPG formed. However shortly after appearing the robots quite suddenly ceased their attacks. Little thought was given to it by the wider Commonwealth, but in secret a holotape appeared at the Diamond City Mayor's Office some time afterwards. Recorded on it was a profuse apology and explanation for the robot’s actions laid forth by a woman named Isabel Cruz, who claimed to be The Mechanist. She asked that her identity be kept secret, but she offered to help The CPG in any way she could as recompense for her unintended slaughter of the people of The Commonwealth, claiming that a programming error had been responsible and that she had never intended the deaths to occur. She closed with an offer for The CPG Council to meet her in person. The CPG Council has yet to respond...
With Madison Li in control of The Institute, The CPG can also count on some support from the more than formidable forces at its disposal. However, many Minutemen, Diamond City Security, and others refuse to cooperate directly with The Institute’s Gen-2 Synthetic Soldiers. This combined with pushback from within The Institute about deploying Synth assets above ground in such capacity has led Madison Li attempting to dial back the usage of Institute forces and instead rely on human CPG soldiers wherever possible. This has, frustratingly, also led to further accusations that The Institute is “holding out” and that it has some ulterior motive to keeping its military in hiding.
Economy: The economy of the CPG is, much like the government itself, only now starting to form. Rural CPG settlements tend to be agrarian and mostly trade food crops, medicinal plants, and scavenged items from the waste both to each other and to the various caravaneers which connect the settlements. Diamond City itself is a hub of trade and a constant stream of potential business flows into its market from travelers, citizens, merchants, and others from even outside The Commonwealth.
Aside from agriculture, the city of Boston is a lucrative source of scavenged items and scrap as are a number of other locations in The Commonwealth such as the various Old World factories. Many scavengers brave these ruins to bring back some choice items for use in trade for things they need or for use as raw materials to create something else.
The single most important aspect to the CPG’s growing economy however, is the Caravaneers of Bunker Hill. Represented by Kessler on The CPG Council, the caravaneers keep the various settlements in The Commonwealth connected, and also help to facilitate trade to areas outside of its borders. Knowing how vital these routes are in expanding The CPG’s influence and power, the council has invested a lot of money and manpower in keeping these caravans safe and secured, and has worked closely with Bunker Hill to expand already existing routes as well.
Culture and Technology (include any views towards slavery and mutants etc.): Technology in the CPG varies significantly. Most of the CPG, and The Commonwealth at large, is just now beginning to implement some manufacturing and standardized production. In particular The Minutemen have begun experimenting with producing their own weapons, uniforms, and equipment at The Castle. While settlements across The Commonwealth are starting to utilize larger scale food production and machinery to aid in their agriculture. However while these are promising starts, the overall current technology level is quite low compared to other more established nations. With scavenging and only rudimentary food and material production being by and large the norm.
The obvious exception to this overall rule is The Institute itself, which in contrast has access to some of the most advanced technology in the world. Dr. Madison Li has done her best to introduce some of The Institute’s science to the wasteland, but faces many challenges in doing so. The first and perhaps most pressing is pushback from within The Institute itself as scientists and personnel within the underground haven do not wish to see their technology “wasted” on the surface or stolen by those whom they see as little better than savages. Likewise, many CPG citizens are skeptical and distrustful of utilizing Institute resources or supplies. Madison knows that The Institute’s technology is the key to The Commonwealth’s long-term advancement, but faced with these issues she has been forced to settle for very gradual incorporation, lest she face outright rebellion from both sides.
As a result the only significant Institute technology Li has managed to apply to above ground uses so far is The Institute’s genetically engineered crops, created as a result of Bioscience's experiments at Warwick Homestead. CPG farmers are largely unaware that the seeds they were provided were given by The Institute, instead being told they were created in Diamond City’s own Science Center. The introduction of the GMO crops however has been a huge success, with crop yields across the CPG being more than tripled since their introduction.
In terms of culture, The Commonwealth Provisional Government models itself on some semblance of pre-war values. The rule of law and representative government being amongst these. Human slavery has been unequivacolly outlawed in The CPG. Knowing (mostly) no other super-mutant other than the violent type, mutants are afforded no rights and the majority of CPG citizens will shoot mutants on sight. Ghouls however, have gained some guaranteed protections, although given the wide-spread prejudice against them, they mostly keep to themselves in settlements such as The Slog. Wiseman was brought on to the CPG Council partly to represent rural settlements, and partly to also help heal the wounds that places like Diamond City have caused with non-feral ghouls in recent years.
Religion: The religion of the CPG varies widely from person to person, and no official state religion has been established. For example The All Faiths Chapel in Diamond City is still maintained as a place of spirituality for anyone to attend. Aside from that, provided your religion does not involve actions which violate CPG laws you are welcome to practice it. The notable exception is the Children of Atom, who are usually considered unwelcome in most CPG settlements. Not only because many of their members are zealous and hostile, but because the nature of their religious practice tends to lead to any area they occupy becoming contaminated with radiation. Missionaries from The Glowing Sea continue to request to meet with the CPG Council in Diamond City, but thus far they have been denied.
Other Important Info:
Nuka World - The raiders located here have been eyeing the situation in The Commonwealth closely. While not overly fearful of the infant CPG Government, The Institute's apparent involvement means they are keeping their distance. Disagreement flares between the gangs as to what their next steps should be, and for the time being they are biding their time: raiding the outskirts of CPG controlled territory and only picking apart the odd caravan when they get the chance. They do not wish to invite unwanted attention….
The Railroad - The Railroad has all but dispersed in The Commonwealth. After fighting nearly to the last to protect what Gen-3 Synths remained in The Commonwealth, remaining members of The Railroad realized their fight was futile and given The Institute’s current reversal on the Gen-3 program...also by and large made moot. The rest of The Railroad’s operatives either faded back into the general populace, or trekked north to chase rumours of a hidden Synth sanctuary somewhere. Hoping they might be of some use there...
Vault 81 - Vault 81 has been approached by the newly formed CPG many times in the last couple years to try and warm them up to joining the CPG as a very valuable settlement. However, despite an offer of their Overseer gaining a position on the council and other prestigious benefits, the Vault has stubbornly refused to be annexed. Relations between the CPG and the Vault are cordial enough to warrant regular trade between the two, but it is by no means a firm alliance. The citizens of Vault 81 are so far content to remain secluded in their Vault and distrustful of the wider world.
Covenant - The small town of Covenant is another holdout against The CPG, largely because they suspect The Institute is and will remain the “true power” behind it and no amount of platitudes or assurances will convince them otherwise (although they do not directly state this to any visitors). The town deals only with the caravaneers of Bunker Hill and even that is quite limited. Secretly The Compound, the true reason for Covenant’s existence, remains dedicated to fighting against the Synth menace. Down in their secret lair, members of The Compound entertain conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory about how The Institute now rules The Commonwealth as a shadow government. They see the Gen-3 program recall as only another trick that The Institute has played and are now more than ever committed to rooting out the Synths from amongst the population...regardless of whether or not they actually exist...
Goodneighbor - Goodneighbor, as expected, has not joined The CPG. And only one attempt was ever made to extend an offer: Mayor Hancock stripped the diplomat naked and forced them to walk back to Diamond City with nothing but a sign around their neck reading “By the people...for the people. ALWAYS.” Since then, relations have been cold at best and outright hostile at worst. Some particularly rowdy members of The Triggermen have been known to take potshots at Diamond City guards and even Minutemen on occasion, resulting in small skirmishes. The CPG Council in Diamond City recognizes that Goodneighbor is a problem that will have to be dealt with eventually if their nation is to be more than just a dream, but it's one that they’ve yet to think of a good solution to. For now they are content to ban any trade with Goodneighbor (which tends to be illicit chems anyway) and stop all traffic to the town. This has left the merchants in Goodneighbor in a bind, and Mayor Hancock is starting to feel the pressure of staying outside of The CPG. Neither he nor anyone else in his town of outcasts is as yet willing to come crawling to Diamond City (and even worse, The Institute) though.
Sanctuary Hills - Sanctuary Hills has become a thriving settlement in the North, following its resettlement by the survivors from Quincy and The Minutemen’s stalwart protection. A makeshift wall surrounds the town with the only access being across the wooden bridge from the south. Trashcan Carla and other caravaneers regularly stop in at Sanctuary to rest and resupply for their northern routes and of course trade goods with the locals. The town thrives on selling purified water, locally grown food, and trading valuable scrap and technology salvaged from the nearby empty Vault 111. It proudly displays the CPG flag and a small garrison of Minutemen are stationed here (30+) so as to quickly respond to threats in the north. The route between Sanctuary Hills and Diamond City is considered key and The Minutemen regularly patrol it to safeguard travellers.
Diamond City: Since the formation of the CPG the population has exploded and the city has become overcrowded. The buildings in the lower districts have built upwards to compensate with ramshackle apartment buildings and miniature junk 'skyscrapers'. The 'upper stands' now surrounds the wall with scaffolding connecting houses and individual buildings all around. Outside of The Wall settlers are starting to squat in nearby ruined pre war buildings and structures. Diamond City security does its best to protect these new areas, but beyond the safety of The Wall nothing is certain. Because of the massive population increase, the parts of Diamond City that had once been able to grow crops within The Wall itself are now long gone, and the city is almost entirely dependent on shipments from The Commonwealth’s farmers.
(Diamond City, 2290)
(Seal of The Institute)
Territory and Geography:
The Institute itself. A hermetically sealed, underground facility complete with research labs, manufacturing capabilities, spacious living quarters, and a pleasing aesthetic environment for its denizens to enjoy which includes a simulated night and day environment. The Institute is located directly under the old ruins of The Commonwealth Institute of Technology in Boston.
History:
After the “Sole Survivor of Vault 111” emerged in later 2287, no-one expected him to survive, let alone thrive, in the hellish wasteland that was once his former home. Least of all his own son.
When Shaun, who had become known as “Father” to the scientists in The Institute, released Nathaniel from cryostasis, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He was surprised, and intrigued, when it became clear that not only was Nathaniel going to live, but he seemed hell-bent on finding his son and avenging his wife. Eventually with the help of some resourceful friends in The Commonwealth, he did both.
Nathaniel killed the mercenary Kellog and after utilizing the dead cyborg’s memories, he infiltrated The Institute and discovered that not only was his son still alive, but he had become The Institute’s leader. Now an old man, Shaun greeted his father warmly and offered Nathaniel a place with him at The Institute. Nathaniel was reluctant, but not wishing to lose his son for a second time, stood with him. He even aided his son in completing a personal dream: the completion of the Phase 3 Project which would enable The Institute to have sustainable power for generations to come. But secretly Nathaniel also began to work for his own interests. He framed Dr. Justin Ayo, head of the SRB, for facilitating Synth escapes and got him banished to the surface: a veritable death sentence. Some thought it improbable that Dr. Ayo could have had anything to do with the escapes, but as he was an unpopular man, those that questioned the investigation simply shrugged and believed it to be for the best...
It was then in a shocking move, that Shaun announced that Nathaniel would take his place as Director of The Institute when he passed, which given the advanced stage of cancer which was ravaging his body, would likely be soon. Despite their reservations, the scientists of The Institute trusted Father, and believed his choice of heir to be a sound one and that the legacy of the son would be continued by his own parent.
They were wrong.
When his son died, Nathaniel began a personal campaign to ensure The Institute would never again inflict the damage it had done to his own family. He forced it to open itself to the surface by sending synths to Diamond City laden with food, water rations, and with medical supplies. He also ordered an immediate halt to further operations on the surface including any and all kidnapping, experimentation, or replacement by Gen-3 operatives.
These actions, while divisive, were largely borne by the scientists in The Institute with only minor grumblings. Many of them did feel some sort of guilt for the things they’d done, or at least some notion that it might be adversely affecting those above. Others however, lamented the restrictions to their scientific efforts and resources. This calm response would not last with Nathaniel’s next act however.
Nathaniel then ordered an immediate halt to the Gen-3 program and charged Robotics with destroying its Gen-3 production facility and immolating any notes related to the project. He then tasked The Institute’s Coursers with rounding up any and all remaining synths to bring them to The Institute for decommissioning: wipe their minds, and disintegrate their bodies. The Courser’s complied with usual absolute obedience. Several scientists in The Institute believed this had now gone too far. Whatever faith Father had in this outsider was obviously widely misplaced, and his appointment was a sham. The scientists, led by doctors Max Loken and Lawrence Higgs, stormed the Bioscience labs. Lawrence, as a leading member in Facilities charged with security, had access to the security systems in the area and quickly took control of both the Synths tasked to guard the location as well as the doors and automated turrets. They declared their intent to hold out here until The Director resigned and left his position, leaving The Institute to return to the surface. With them in control of The Institute’s food supply, it was not an idle threat.
What they did not count on was how Nathaniel had been waiting for just such an opportunity to present itself. Utilizing a secret Director’s override to the Bioscience labs, Nathaniel could have simply shut down the security and apprehended the group. Instead, he utilized the override to power down the Synth gorilla habitat in Bioscience. Dr. Holdren’s aggressive personal “pets” were unleashed on the protesting scientists, tearing many limb from limb in a horrific display of brutality. Courser squads then burst into the Bioscience and rounded up any who survived. Nathaniel, a pre-war soldier who’d seen the worst that the Alaskan Front had to offer, wanted to make it clear that there was going to be no debate: no questions or doubts. He was in charge now. The surviving ‘rebels’ were teleported to the surface, lined up against a wall in Cambridge, and executed by firing squad. Nathaniel made sure that anyone in The Institute who might need to personally see this act: did. There was no resistance within The Institute after that, and Nathaniel finished the work of recalling The Gen-3 program. The Railroad did attempt to stop the recall of those Gen-3’s already in The Commonwealth and still under Institute control, but despite a heroic guerrilla action they were ultimately unable to prevent it.
Nathaniel looked to utilize The Institute’s remaining military forces to restore order to The Commonwealth. Coursers and Gen-2 units were deployed to eliminate the many raider and super-mutant bands still operating in the wastes with brutal efficiency. Despite their incredible combat skill, many Coursers were lost in battle after battle across The Commonwealth and it soon became clear what The Director’s eventual goal was. Once enough of their number had been cut down, Nathaniel ordered the remaining Courser units to also be ‘decommissioned.’ In his mind, he had just killed two birds with one stone.
His work was far from done though and with so much yet left to do, Nathaniel, the ‘sole survivor’ found that the memories of his family and the world he’d left behind weighed on him heavily. He’d survived the Sino-American War and The Great War that it led to, but the horrors of everything he’d seen and experienced along with the loss of his wife and only child was a burden he could no longer bear. He stopped eating, slept little, and slowly began to recede into seclusion. The Director’s Quarters in The Institute became a secretive hermit’s holdout. The windows and doors sealed shut while Gen-2 Synths stood guard outside. Soon, no one saw or spoke to The Director at all. Finally, a gunshot rang out in The Institute’s concourse one day. Synth security forced their way into the quarters to find a tragic scene: Nathaniel was dead. Lying next to him in a pool of his own blood was a damaged pre-war photo of his wife and son, and a .44 magnum revolver.
Nathaniel was buried with little fanfare at his home in Sanctuary Hills, and following his death Madison Li assumed the directorship. She’d worked closely with Nathaniel ever since he’d taken The Directorship and she’d tried her best to reign in his most hot-headed impulses. She had disagreed with the execution of the rebellious Institute scientists, but could do little to stop it. She had however counseled him closely when relations with the surface were initiated. When she took the position of Director, a collective sigh of relief was felt across The Institute and there was hope that things might become business as usual again. Much to the chagrin of some who simply wanted things to return to that status quo, Madison continued the policies that Nathaniel had implemented: restoring relations with the surface and reigning in The Institute’s lines of experimentation.
Madison also proceeded to banish those scientists she felt had personally wronged her. Dr. Holdren, spared from the sole survivor's wrath by virtue of his work and vehement protestations of innocence, was banished as Madison knew he’d played some part in both the FEV program and her friend, Dr. Brian Virgil’s, disappearance. So too was the recently returned Dr. Zimmer, who’d come across Madison Li ten years ago when she was still in The Capital Wasteland working as a scientist at Rivet City. Li banished him simply for the insults he levied against her all those years ago. A scientist named Dr. Xavier Morales watched these banishments with interest...knowing that more were likely to follow.
For these three, enough was enough. It was clear that anyone from the surface was incapable of leading The Institute, and so the exiled Dr. Holdren and Dr. Zimmer established a secret laboratory in the abandoned Vault 88. From here they continue the work that Dr. Li has stifled. This includes research into the Gen-3 and FEV programs by utilizing documentation, materials, and research samples that the scientists managed to save before they could be destroyed. All while Xavier continues to feed them information from inside as he plays the obedient member of a nigh defunct and disempowered Directorate. The three of them plot to get rid of Li and return The Institute back to its former ways of isolation and ‘peaceful’ experimentation.
Madison meanwhile, is making her own maneuvers in The Commonwealth. With the establishment of the Commonwealth Provisional Government and herself as its de facto leader, Li is now the most one of the most powerful individuals in the region. She knows and understands that if The Commonwealth Provisional Government is to transform into the great nation she and others want it to be: The Institute is going to be an integral part of that. Now all she has to do is get its scientists to come along one way or the other….
Population: Approx. 1,000 scientists and their families. Along with an unknown number of Gen 1 and Gen 2 Synths.
Government/Domestic Politics:
The Institute is divided administratively into five separate research divisions and each of its scientists fall into one of these divisions. They are:
Robotics - Synth research and production. Since the Gen-3 recall, it is limited to Gen-1, Gen-2 production and tasked with limited enhancements to both of these.
Facilities - Engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, public health and safety, and internal security systems.
Advanced Systems - Energy research, weapons development, and ‘cutting edge’ projects.
Bioscience - Biological and chemical research, medicine, and food production.
The Surface Security and Intelligence Bureau (or SSIB) - With the end of the Gen-3 program and the need to retain errant Gen-3’s no longer an issue, the former Synth Retention Bureau was retooled for surface security and intelligence operations. Director Li, despite her overtures to the surface, is not entirely trusting of those above-ground either and she recognizes the importance of the SSIB.
Notable People:
Current Members of The Directorate: Dr. Madison Li - Director of The Institute. Madison Li stepped up when Nathaniel, the ‘Sole Survivor’ tragically committed suicide. She’d been essentially hand-picked by Nathaniel as a natural next-in-line choice since he viewed her as an ‘outsider’ who had not fully become complicit with The Institute’s more egregious actions. She views her ascension to the Directorship as long-due. As far as she is concerned, The Institute’s work can begin in earnest now that a competent and capable leader is guiding policies.
Dr. Alan Binet - Division Head Head of Robotics, replaced Shaun/Father as Division Head. Binet was a steadfast proponent that the Gen-3 Synths were verging on becoming fully sentient constructs. He did not oppose the elimination of the Gen-3 program, as he thought it best that their production be stopped. Despite his reservations, Binet also did not oppose the decommissioning of existing Gen-3’s. His complacency was secured by granting an exemption for his Synth-wife, Eve, and appointing him to lead Robotics (a position he’d yearned after for years). This act of going along with the destruction of the Gen-3’s however, earned him more than a little resentment from his son.
Dr. Rosalind Orman - Division Head of Advanced Systems, appointed by Dr. Li to replace her so she might have more time to focus on surface affairs. Rosalind is both an energetic and incredibly intelligent woman. She’s less concerned about Institute politics and issues on the surface and more wrapped up in the science of it all.
Dr. Issac Karlin - Division Head of Bioscience, replaced Dr. Holdren following his exile. Dr. Karlin grew fond of The Warwick Family following his work on the Warwick Initiative. Not wishing to see the family without a father figure, Karlin lobbied to have the Gen-3 on assignment at Warwick Homestead wiped of Institute-related memories and allowed to remain. Thus, while he is not aware of it, Mr. Warwick is one of the few Gen-3’s allowed to remain on the surface. Since then Karlin has been an advocate for direct intervention on the surface, and regrets past Institute actions.
Dr. Allie Filmore - Division Head of Facilities - Allie has gone along with the recent shake ups in power and politics in The Institute with little fuss. Naturally as Head of Facilities, she is concerned with the day-to-day maintenance of The Institute and its people and she leaves long-term thinking to others. She continues to serve as a valuable source of advice and information to Madison Li.
Dr. Xavier Morales - Division Head of SSIB, replaced exiled member Justin Ayo and former head Alana Secord. Xavier began his career in the facilities division working with The Institute’s internal security systems. After moving to the SRB, he distinguished himself in the division and became notable for working late in the night. When the sole survivor arrived, Xavier found himself in an uncomfortable position as Justin Ayo was soon accused of aiding and abetting Synth escapes (a crime Xavier knew Ayo did not commit). When Ayo was banished and Alana Secord appointed as Division Head, Xavier saw the way things were heading and towed the line of the new regime. Once Madison Li took charge, and Alana shortly thereafter stepped down voluntarily from the role, Madison appointed Xavier to take Alana’s place as the head of the newly formed SSIB (Surface Security and Intelligence Bureau). Xavier has had to act the part of the dutiful watch-dog to Director Li, in secret however, he wants nothing more than to be rid of her and is in league with the exiled members to see that done. .
Exiled Members: Dr. Clayton Holdren- Former Division Head of Bioscience, exiled for his participation in the FEV Program. Clayton is an odd fellow, a man who is seemingly always friendly (to an uncomfortable degree) and who delights in his work. Those that truly know him however, understand that beneath this friendly facade is a scientist hell-bent on results and pushing the boundaries of biology. Holdren was an integral part of the FEV Program under former Director Shaun, and Dr. Brian Virgil reported directly to him on project progress. Because of his role in FEV at The Institute, as well as his potential involvement in Virgil’s death, Madison banished him permanently to the surface.
Dr. Victor Zimmer - Former Division Head of the now defunct SRB. Exiled member of The Institute. Dr. Zimmer had been away from The Institute for some time, pursuing his own agenda on the surface. When he returned to find it in chaos and none other than Madison Li in charge, he needed little other reason to agree to his own banishment.
Others:
Robert Joseph "RJ" MacCready - MacCready serves as The Institute’s essential replacement for the mercenary Kellogg. Having grown up in Little Lamplight and The Capital Wasteland, MacCready had heard of Madison Li and her work on Project Purity. MacCready was desperately seeking a cure for his son, Duncan, who had fallen mysteriously ill with an unknown malady. When Madison made her appearance as the new Director, MacCready managed to contact her and forged a deal. Intrigued by the mercenary’s apparent skill and reputation in The Commonwealth, and perhaps feeling a bit nostalgic in recognizing his connection to her old home, Madison drew up a contract. MacCready was furnished with treatment for his son, a home in Diamond City, and a comfortable pile of caps in exchange for his services above ground. MacCready reports directly to Director Li, and takes orders from no-one in The Institute but her.
Dr. Brian Virgil - Virgil, despite helping the Sole Survivor reach The Institute, Virgil was an unfortunate victim of The Institute’s current byzantine politics. Virgil stayed hidden for some time in the Glowing Sea after having made Nathaniel swear to not reveal his location or even that he was still alive to anyone. He was unable to recreate his mutant cure and continued to slowly deteriorate. Then when Madison Li took charge of The Institute he’d intended to reach out to her for help as soon as he was able. Before that could happen however, Virgil was killed under unknown circumstances. Madison eventually discovered where he’d gone, but by then it was too late. Madison, with good reason, suspects the killing of Virgil was done under orders from someone in The Institute itself.
Military: The Institute’s military is primarily composed of its Gen-1 and Gen-2 Synths. These older model units are still reliable and still highly advanced combat effective troops, serving as effective light to medium infantry in most situations. They are typically armed with a manufactured Institute energy weapon (pistol or rifle in most cases) and Gen-2 units are equipped with variants of a hardened plastic armor - with armor tending to protect vital points only on the synths body. All in all a fully equipped Gen-2 Synth is a decent match for a human combatant in strength and resilience, if not as intelligent as one.
The numbers of Synths the Institute has at its disposal is considerable, outnumbering its human population considerably as they are able to produce them relatively cheaply, and quickly.
Economy: The Institute’s economy is almost entirely self-sufficient as they are able to produce and manufacture nearly everything needed from within. Bioscience produces The Institute’s food while the Facilities division ensures nearly everything else from clothes to purified water to furniture is available to its residents via advanced manufacturing processes. About the only thing needed from outside is raw material, which the surface has in abundance. Previously The Institute would simply collect whatever it needed from The Commonwealth with little consideration given to who it affected or how. With Madison Li currently in charge that has obviously changed. Now The Institute has been forced both to scavenge sparing from the surface, and to focus more on raw material mining below ground. Acquiring raw materials has thus become a more tedious process, but less impactful on the surface dwellers overall.
Culture and Technology: Essentially a post-scarcity society compared to the rest of the post-apocalyptic world, the people of The Institute want for little and have access to a standard of living that exceeds that of even the pre-war world. Synths perform the day to day menial tasks which frees up the scientists to pursue both their work and other leisurely pursuits as they wish. The scientists are often extremely devoted to their chosen field of work and more often than not spend off-hours studying or pursuing minor projects associated with their research. As a result the work-culture of The Institute is extremely competitive and has evolved into a kind of strict meritocracy, where skill and experience is valued for advancement above all else. This of course is one of the reasons why Father’s (Shaun’s) appointment of Nathaniel to The Directorship was so controversial: they viewed the appointment as sheer nepotism given there were so many other qualified candidates for the role.
In terms of technology, The Institute is one of if not the most advanced groups in the world. With their technology spanning all known sciences from their research into Synths to even teleportation.
For those in the know, super-mutants are considered to be little more than failed experiments: with the Gen-3 Synth the perfected form of the FEV and the apex of research into the Forced Evolutionary Virus. They also condemn human slavery as a barbaric practice which only illustrates how far the surface has fallen (Gen-3’s are not considered human of course). But are highly unlikely to directly chastise anyone on the surface for practicing it.
Religion: There is no official religion in The Institute and by and large the scientists there are mostly atheist, agnostic, or some variant thereof. There are also no places of worship inside its walls. However a religious scientist would also not be unheard of, and there are some members who have at least some sense of spirituality (Alan Binet for example). Those that do largely keep these views to themselves as in The Institute if something cannot be backed up by the burden of scientific proof, it is meaningless to consider as anything more than speculative philosophy: something fun to chat about while enjoying coffee and nutritional supplements in the cafeteria, but irrelevant anywhere else.
Name: Issac Jabsco
Operative Codename: ‘ORION’
Age: 28
Bio: Younger brother to the former Commander of Talon Company, Issac is a skilled mercenary who rose through Talon’s ranks by performing tasks and missions considered near suicidal. Driven by a need to prove himself when compared against his older brother, Issac routinely defied death by performing skillful stealth operations and acts of sabotage with cunning and precision. Some of these acts included assassinations of high ranking raider bosses, slaver kingpins, and even a member of The Brotherhood of Steel at one point. When The Enclave began its takeover of the Capital Wasteland following the defeat of The Brotherhood at Adams Air Force Base, Issac saw the way the winds were blowing and began offering his services to Enclave High Command in a variety of roles. He’s displayed remarkable loyalty to The Enclave as an employer and seems content to curry favor with the new power in the region to his benefit. It is for this reason, and under recommendation from some of his junior officers, that Supreme Commander Alan Sutler has commissioned his services for a particularly sensitive mission to The Commonwealth…
Equipment and supplies:
1 Talon Company Combat Armor (insignias removed) 1 Combat Helmet 1 N99 10mm pistol + ammunition 1 M79 Grenade Launcher 30 40mm grenades 1 Scope Combat Rifle + ammunition 1 Combat Knife 1 portable deep range transmitter 1 Hazmat suit 1 Gas mask 1 backpack containing a medical kit, a portable tent, and various miscellaneous supplies Several bags containing 2,000 caps Various wasteland disguises 1 Vault 101 pipboy loaded with maps of the region and scouting data (when plugged in to the deep range transmitter, it provides a direct encrypted connection to EnclaveNet) 4 Paradise Falls Slave Collars Robots Including: 1 Eyebot scout 3 Mr. Gutsy units provided by The Enclave to assist in carrying supplies and guarding camp.
Ekreture
Scrawl Banditta
Cerera
Sep
Joshua Tamashii
