Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

** BANG! **

The final bullet finds it's mark: burying itself deep into the neck of the last mongrel of the now decimated pack. A heavy rushed breath leaves Nora's lips as she spins around to check their surroundings, scanning the wiry shrubs for any more strays she may have missed in all the commotion. "...Piper? You okay?"

Some fifteen meters away sits the young reporter. Her clenched teeth make an appearance along with a grimace and hiss as her left hand massages her right forearm. "Yeah, I'm... I'm okay. Just my dignity is a little bruised." Thankfully she'd fallen to the side just in time, the mangled hounds fangs just barely nipping at the edge of her sleeve as it's jaws tried to rip her arm away.  

"Let me see." Nora says as she jogged up to her, helping her back up to her feet after re-holstering Deliverer.

"I'm fine, but I can't say the same for my coat." She hold her arm up to display the slimy spit covered tear that the hound had managed to snatch of the leather. "Ugh, I'm so ready for a shower." A snicker escapes Nora as she pulls the protective leather wrapping away from Piper's arm, revealing the bruising that's already begun. She gently kisses the younger woman's arm before leaning over and kissing her alongside her temple. "Mmmm.... you're a mighty fine substitute for a stimpack, you know that?"

"I have my moments." Her girlfriend nonchalantly shrugs with a wink before stooping to fish the faded 'Press' cap from the grass nearby, plopping it back on Piper's head where it rightfully belonged. "Come on you, the Vault should be just over the next hill to left."

The couple had been following the deteriorated railroad tracks since leaving Grey Gardens, stopping briefly to check on Oberland Station before continuing on towards Diamond City. But apparently they had stayed a little too long at the settlement. Dusk was upon them before they realized it with night quickly approaching. They had been walking all day, leaving Sanctuary at nearly daybreak with the goal of getting home a full day early to surprise Nat and Shaun. 

"Do we really have to stop? We're so close to being home. Or at the very least we could just spend the night at Oberland." Piper looks back, the soft glow of lights surrounding the protective walls of the little community glistening in the distance.

Nora raises her Pip-Boy, clicking a switch before turning the knob. "If we go straight for Diamond City, with no more lovely surprises, we'll be walking through the front gates in a little over two hours. But...."

"But what? This sounds like a no brainer, let's get going."

"But ...that means we have to walk in the dark.... and as you've just gracefully pointed out, we're out of stimpacks. My kisses can't heal everything."

Piper fights a grumble with a roll of her eyes. Over a year ago, when she and Nora first started traveling together, the pair of them never batted an eye to the time. Noon to midnight, it made no difference and that was when The Institute was still thriving. The Commonwealth was now sleeping safe in their beds at night with no threat of synths hanging over their heads. But out here? Out in the open like this? It was still very unsafe. Once the great big boogeyman industry was cut down, the Brotherhood's Prydwen headed further south with the promise to return. However, they did leave quit a few of their Knights and Paladins behind, stationed at several of the old military forts and satellite post that now acted as check points. 

While the Brotherhood of Steel mostly kept to themselves, daily actives now consisting of retrieving technical documents, salvaging and putting down the odd molerat or ghoul, most of them treated this time like a vacation! But the problem with the bulk of B.O.S. leaving the surrounding area meant there were less of them of the ground. No more patrolling, no more seizing of territories or ground in order to get the upper hand on The Institute... which also meant the nightmarish irradiated flora and fauna were beginning to expand once again. More ghouls were starting to crop up around Diamond City to the point where the DC guards and Raiders had made some sort of loose agreement to help one another in a fight if ever they crossed paths. But that meant the settlements were beginning to struggle with the same issue. 

Abernathy's Farm recently had been infested with molerats, eating and destroying a healthy amount of their crops. Sanctuary was starting to attract mongrels and bloodbugs due to the river surrounding it. The Handy robots over at Grey Garden were starting to see more and more rad scorpions while the settlers at Oberland did their best to lend a hand with patrolling the area between the two. More and more reports of threats came in every week from all areas and where Piper and Nora were was no different. Out in the open, exposed to the elements and strange creatures of the night.... no, Vault 81 was starting to sound like the better idea in the long run. Not what Piper wanted to do but by far the safest option for the pair of them.

Piper smirks as she picks her bag back up, slinging it over her shoulder. "You don't have to lie to me, Blue. I know you just want to stop for some of Maria's Mutfruit Pies."

"Well, I had planned to bring Calvin these tools I found as well as pick up some pies to bring home for Nat and Shaun. Maybe even some treats for Dogmeat if they have any."

This woman never failed, did she? Since day one, Nora had treated Nat as if she were family. Then once she and Piper got a bit more involved with one another the tone shifted... now treating the younger Wright sister as more of a daughter. And now that Shaun was with them, everything felt complete. That this was where the pair of them were meant to be. It was the first time in Piper's life she felt like she could take a full breath, that life was now a brighter. And when Blue made these little gestures to do something for either of the two kids without being prompted, it just solidified the love the reporter had for this vault dweller. That simple sentence made Piper's heart swell. Her imagination drifting off to all the ways she was going to show Blue just how much she loved her as soon as they got back home to their bed.

"Pipes?"

"Huh? What?"

"...you okay? You just sorta dazed out on me there for a second."

Thank the gods for the cover of dusk that hid the soft blush rising to Piper's cheeks as she readjusted her hat. "Pffft... me? I'm good, great, never better." She clears her throat, narrowly escaping embarrassment. "We better get a'moving. One more night out here won't kill us, I guess.."

Nora picked up her own bag now from where she had dropped it when the mongrels attacked. "Cheer up, papergirl. I think I have enough goodwill with Overseer McNamara to convince her to let use a shower... maybe even a washer and dryer, too." She wiggled her eyebrows as her words almost sung from her lips.

Piper froze, her eyes widening. That's right. Blue had mentioned to her that she'd been to this Vault multiple times. Now and again stopping to exchange fusion cores and wrenches for the luxury of safety. She even went on a few errands for Dr. Penske which was Piper's first, and so far only, visit to the Vault as quick as it was. But now all that was about to pay off. A shower. And not just any old shower... a hot shower. With tile floors and sweet smelling soap. Towels without any holes in them and the big possibility of clean clothes too. A broad smile stretched across her lips. She grabs Nora, fingers laced on the back of the woman's neck to pull her in and kissing her rather abruptly. "Why didn't you lead with that, Blue?! Come on! Let's stop wasting time and get to that Vault!" Without another second to lose, she takes off. Practically running in the direction she was shown. Taking high strides over the bushes, leaving Nora behind to catch up.

-------------------------

The loud sudden buzzing of the radiation detectors in the guarded entryway makes Piper jump. She'd forgotten about the machines since the last time she'd been there and they had caused the same reaction then too. There's a steady hum from all three as she passes, which honestly shouldn't have surprised her. Being born into this new world meant radiation exposure from the moment of conception to death with RadAway as practically a monthly vitamin; daily for some of those who weren't careful.

"Low levels of radiation detected." Dr. Jason shoves his hands into his white technician coat as he stands at the computer in the corner. "All within reasonable margins, of course."

A soft breath of relief leaves Piper's shoulders relaxed as she nods. She'd be sure to stock up on meds as soon as they got back to the city and to make sure Nat was taking hers. 

Yet as Nora passed through, a different humming buzz happened. Last time they were here the machines barely picked anything up on her, and even then it turned out it was mostly her Vault jumpsuit and leather armour that was holding the rads. But that was before she had made countless trips between The Institute and being topside. Little did any of them know, the Institute's preferred method of transportation was overflowing with radiation which is why only Synths travelled via relay... aside from Nora, that is. "What is that?" Piper said as she took a step forward, a flash of worry creasing her brow. "Blue?"

The doctor narrows his eyes as he looks at the outsiders then back at his monitor. "Uh, Ms. Nora... would you mind passing through again?" The Vault Dweller repeats her movement only to yield the same result.

Miranda, one of the engineers of the vault who had a stick up her ass, released an irritated sigh as she lowered her clipboard. "You'll want to see Dr. Forsythe about that. Preferably sooner rather than later. We have enough problems going on down here, we don't need you spreading your radiation poisoning too." 

Piper glared back over her shoulder for just a moment before approaching the man who seemed a bit kinder. "Radiation poisoning? She's making a sick joke, right?" Her hand slips into Nora's as the pair close the distance between them. 

"I'm afraid not." Dr. Jason taps a few buttons on the terminal with a shake of his head. "Your radiation levels are nearly one-hundred and thirty-seven percent higher than they were three months ago when you were last here."

"What?!" Both Piper and Nora exclaimed at the same time.

The man nods, gesturing to his computer. "It's all here if you want to see it yourself. You'll definitely want to go by the medical bay."

"Absolutely, she will!" Piper answers before Nora can even take a breath, now being scooted off towards the elevator at a quickened pace. Stocking up on meds was now top priority for the reporter; she'd make sure Blue got treated before she could buy the first Mutfruit pie. Nora tries to plead her case, wanting to stop at the depo to trade off a few things first but Piper isn't hearing any of it. It's a quick 'hi and bye' to everyone they pass, including Calvin which she promises to bring him some supplies as soon as her girlfriend stopped manhandling her. As soon as her foot crosses the threshold of the medical bay, Piper nudges her towards the closest bed. "Got one for ya, Doc." The younger woman loudly proclaimed, not realizing they weren't the only ones in the infirmary.

"...It's you... You're back." It was Overseer McNamara, her auburn hair swept up neatly into a twisted bun behind her head as always.

The outsider and her companion turn towards her as their rucksacks slide to the floor. The commotion in the corner of the room fully catching Nora's attention. "What's going on?"

Gwen McNamara approaches her, unable to hide the nervous look that pained her face. "It's one of the children. He was bitten by some creature... and we need someone with good combat training, someone who knows the creatures of the Commonwealth."

Nora raises an eyebrow. "Good combat training? Gwen, I'm a... well, I was a lawyer in my past life. Why me? You have security." The causal call of the woman's first name by Blue doesn't go unnoticed by her companion.

The Overseer's green eyes harden. "Our security know how to point and shoot, but when it comes to real combat, they have no experience."

Well, she had Nora there. When it came to bizarre mutated lifeforms that roamed topside, there wasn't much if anything Nora would hesitate to put down. She chances a glance at Piper, a worried look still ever present in her eye before heaving a heavy sigh. "What do you need me to do?"

"Come. I need you to speak with Dr. Forsythe. He can give you the details."

As the Overseer turned away, Nora felt the gentle hand on her arm tighten as Piper tried a half-hearted attempt to pull her back but yet walks with her towards the others that were huddled near the corner.  A raised voice stood out for the rest. "You have to do something, Jacob!" It was Doctor Penske how was on the verge of losing her composure. 

"I'm running the tests as fast as I can, Priscilla. I can't treat Austin until I know what he is infected with!" Doctor Forsythe slid his glasses off in a huff.

Before Nora could ask for a bit more details than what had ben given to her, Bobby DeLuca tries his hand at getting their attention.  "Uh, Doctor Forsythe...?"

"Not now, Bobby!" Dr. Penske cuts him off before making direct eye contact with Nora and Piper along with an almost accusatory pointed finger. "And you two will have to wait your turn, we have an emergency here! Austin got bitten by a mole rat. Isn't that enough, Jacob? There can't be that many mole rate diseases of toxins."

"Austin?" The name is a little more than a hushed breath on Nora's lips as she moves towards the little boy swallowed up by the bed in the corner.

Jacob Forsythe leans in towards Priscilla, placing a firm an comforting hand against her shoulder. "Rachel is examining the mole rat. Hopefully she will find something, but these aren't ordinary mole rats. Who knows what kind of diseases they are carrying... and because he's just a child, it's effecting him more severely."

"Doctor Forsythe, please!" Bobby couldn't wait, nearly dancing where he stood with how impatient he had become. "I think I found something that might help Austin!"

"Hold on, Priscilla. What is it, Bobby?"

"You know that door Austin found? He found it because... well, because of me. I keep my private things in there, he saw me get them."

Priscilla shakes her head in disgust as she gives the young man a sneering look. "You mean your chems."

Doctor Forsythe steps between the two. "Get to the point, Bobby. What did you find in that place?"

"Well, it's like a whole extra vault in there, but half ruined and caved in." His fingers twitch as his nerves start to eat away at him. "Th-there was this terminal there, so I started poking around in it. There were some notes and stuff about using mole rats to grow viruses. But they also said that they used them to make vaccines and treatments."

Forsythe's mouth drops to the ground. "A secret vault? Good lord! I've never heard of such a thing."

Doctor Penske steps around the two and grabs the young DeLuca boy by his shoulders with a shake. "Bobby you're a genius! A junkie genius! There might be a cure for whatever Austin got from that mole rat somewhere in that place." Her attention turns back to Nora, taking a step towards the Outsider and her reporter companion. "You there. How would you like to do Vault 81 a favour, and possibly save my boy's life?"

It takes two breaths and few rapid blinks before Nora realizes she's being spoke to. "O-..of course! I would be glad to help. What do you need me to do?"

"Good. I was hoping I could count on you. Bobby here will show you where he keeps his secret stash. There is a chance that somewhere in there is a cure for Austin. If you find it, bring it to Dr. Forsythe. And for Austin's sake, please hurry!"

Bobby nearly stumbles over himself as he quickly turns to doorway. "Follow me!"

"Wait, Blue." Piper's hand tightens on the Vault Dweller's bicep. "You need-..."

"I know, Pipes, I know but Austin..." Her stare glances off beyond the younger woman's faded hat to the frail child in the corner. The first time she'd met him she thought he looked close to Shaun's age and decided that when she finally found her son she'd be sure to bring him back here so the two could meet. Then Austin showed her around the place, giving her the grand tour along with some of the hottest gossip. She even spoke to rest of the children in his class, telling them stories of her days running around the Commonwealth defeating Deathclaws with the Minutemen. By the end of that day she was ready to do whatever she need to convince the Overseer to let her move in so she could finish raising her son with children his age, but fate had other plans. "...I can talk to Dr. Forsythe about my own needs when I get back, but this can't wait."

Piper wasn't stupid and as a reporter with a nose for the truth, she knew there was more going on behind those blue eyes of the woman she loved. "Fine, but you're getting a full bag of RadAway the second we get back up here. Maybe even two!" Nora immediately steps in front of her, stopping the journalist from traveling any further and it causes that sideways smirk to vanish. Somehow, in her gut, she knew the words before they could be spoken.

"I want you to stay here... keep an eye on Austin and-.."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Please." Nora gives her a sad half-smile with a shake of her head, her hand lifting to tuck some of Piper's dark hair behind her ear. "Please sit with Austin. I don't-..." Her blue eyes flashed over to where Dr. Penske and Dr. Forsyth were, catching glimpses of them through the lab window as their bickering continued in Rachel's presence. "...I don't want him to be alone."

There was something about the tone of her voice that made Piper pause. This was important to Blue and if she wasn't mistaken it almost sounded like she could have been referring to Shaun in that moment. The real Shaun. The Shaun that was gone.

Piper's eyes shift, narrowing for only a breath of a second as she debated on fighting her lover. Ohhh the lecture she could have given if time wasn't of the essence. This wasn't the Glowing Sea or even a Super Mutant stronghold, but Piper never liked letting Blue out of her sight when she knew the woman was heading into danger. She reaches up, grabbing Blue by the collar and yanking her down to eye level. "You have an hour before I come down there after you. Capiche?"

"Whatever you say, you're the boss."

"Damn right, I am." The younger woman says with a sly smirk. Tender fingers wrap around Piper's waist, pulling her closer for just a moment as she and Nora's lips briefly touch yet passionately. The only thing she wanted was to go home, back to Diamond City, back home to Nat and Shaun and Dogmeat. Back to writing her articles on the corrupt Mayor of their little city, back to her brand of normal. But she supposed she could wait just a little longer.

Nora pulls away, checking her ammo as she quickly followed after Bobby. With a soft hissing thud the double doors shut, leaving Piper alone with a room of nearly strangers.

When Bobby finally came to a stop, he and Nora were standing in front of nondescript peeling wall down in the reactor room. She watched as Bobby delivered two heavy kicks near the corner's edge along the bottom, causing the secret passage to reveal itself. The Survivor clicked her tongue with a scoff, it was like she'd just walked into one of those old crime dramas from off the radio. Her right hand slid to her side, feeling the textured grip of Deliverer as she pulled it from it's holster.

"Bobby."

"Ma'am?"

"Is it only Molerats?"

"I-... I'm not sure. I didn't go that far in."

Nora steps up beside him and as she does, the doors slide open with a slow grind. "Any idea on how many I can expect?"

The boy shakes his head. "No, but they're big. Bigger than I've seen before. I think one was even glowing."

"Glowing? Wonderful, sounds like my kind of luck." She slid the clip from Deliverer, added four bullets to complete a full twelve and then reloaded it. "Look, I need you to do me a favour." She flicks the knob of her Pip-Boy, ushering forth the bright green glow of it's flashlight. "If I'm not back up here in an hour, don't let Overseer McNamara send anyone after me. That includes Piper."

"Piper? Is that the woman that was with you?"

She nods. "I don't think you two met last time we passed through." Nora cautiously leaned through the threshold, her Pip-Boy out in front of her illuminating the way. "Once I go in, close the door. After an hour, jam it. Do whatever you need to make sure it doesn't open. Understand?"

"But-.."

"Do it, Bobby. Not for me, but for the rest of the Vault." She looked back at him over her shoulder. "If this disease is as Dr. Forsythe described, then we don't need it spreading. I'll do my best to find anything I can to help Austin but if I don't come back up, no one comes down... and if no one can get in then that means no molerats can get out."

A span of silence sits between the young man and the outsider. Nora had showed up on their underground doorstep nearly a year ago, offering trade and running errands for some of their food or medical supplies. She'd become something of a semi-regular guest in their Vault. And now here she was putting her life on the line for one of their own all because she was simply asked by their Overseer. ".....I understand, Miss Nora. No one will pass through."

"Thank you." She turns to start her descent when she stops and partially swivels back on a heel. "....and Bobby? If you need help getting clean of your addiction, there's a Vault that can help. Talk to Piper about Vault 95. If something happens to me, she can take you there."

The boy hung his head a bit sheepishly with a nod as the heavy door slowly closed behind Nora like a tomb.

Chapter Text

...Well, this is a little awkward... Piper thought as she twiddled and toyed with a loose thread from her sleeve. Aside from the muffled bickering in the lab and the ticking of the clock on the wall behind her, it was a quiet room. Finding a chair, she drags it along with their backpacks over to the corner where Austin lay in damp sheets. The poor boy was sweating profusely as the high fever was ravaging his body. If anyone could find something to help him, it was her Blue. Casting a quick look over her shoulder she checks the time; Nora had only been gone barely fifteen minutes and already she was feeling antsy and smothered. One of her hands reaches up and pulls at her cravat, loosening the pale green scarf from her neck.

If you had asked her nearly two years ago about her life, she would have said she lived a rather interesting and dangerous one. But ever since that woman out of time walked into Diamond City, her life had really hit the fast lane. The Institute had been quite literally obliterated, fragments of the Brotherhood scattered around as their mothership left on another mission, and the Railroad was thriving as were the Minutemen. Not to mention the countless settlements that had been raised up from practically nothing all by this ancient relic's hand. This woman she found herself intertwined with was well on her way to inspire the rest of what remained of the country and Piper was loving every second of it... well, most of it anyway. The stories and material the papergirl was gathering was a treasure trove she never saw coming; supplying her with enough to write articles for the rest of her life as it was. Just recently they'd heard about some sort of Raider community holed up at the old Nuka-World amusement park which Nora had planned to check out in the coming months, that is if she didn't retire first...

...A foreign hand against her shoulder yanks her back from her thoughts. Rachel stands with her hand out, offer a damp rag. "Here, it might help soothe him."

Piper nods and take the towel as she scoot forward toward the boy. It was now she was noticing the little similarities between he and Shaun. The way his nose softly curved around and the cut of his hair, even though Austin had some bright red strands that reminded Piper of Cait. 

....wonder how that ole girl is doing, anyway...

The cool rag is dabbed across the child's head but no movement comes from him but a ragged breath. She looks back at the woman still standing there in the lab coat; it's pristine white fabric now stained with rodent blood and guts. "It's Rachel, right?" She nods. "...hypothetically, what's going to happened to him if Bl-..Nora can't find anything? Do you think a heavy duty stimpack would help?"

Rachel sighs, folding her arms across her chest with a hake of her head. "Unfortunately, no. We must have given him at least four or five stimpacks just to stabilize him but... we're at a loss now."

The reporter bites her lip and look back at the boy. Drawing in a deep breath she reassures herself that if there is anything at all down below that can save him, that it would be found; that Nora was absolutely the right person for the job. "...what about a trauma kit?"

She watches as the woman's brow furrows with a tilt of her head. "The most we have here is run of the mill antibiotics, bloodpacks, and surgical utensils."

"So you don't have one?" The woman simply shakes her head. At this news, Piper eyes widen as she raises a brow. This was still a high functioning Vault... possibly the only one of it's kind. If anyone had a trauma kit, she would have thought it'd be them. "So what happens if someone gets seriously hurt?"

Rachel shrugs her shoulder. "It hasn't happened...or I guess I should say it doesn't usually. Two years ago one of the boys in maintenance broke his leg but that was a pretty straight forward fix. There hasn't been a major incident since. Our biggest threat down here is, and always will be, tetanus... and I guess now molerats." She stares at Piper, clearly taking note of the shocked look on her face that was still there. "Where would we get a trauma kit?"

"The Brotherhood of Steel always has a few at their basecamps and checkposts." If only Nora was there she could look at her Pip-Boy to get a better idea of the area. There was bound to be a BOS station somewhere nearby, but in what direction? At the very least she knew there wasn't on heading back towards Oberland. Then again.... if she went out she'd be going it alone in the dark. It'd been a long time since she'd only heard the solo footsteps of her own shoes. Nora had spoiled her. "...but I don't know how far away one is." She turns away as her mouth closes and her shoulders sag. Now she was feeling a little useless. A short span of silence passes through as she fans the cold rag out once again, laying it across Austin's forehead.

"...are you from the newpaper? Publick Occurrences?"

She turns back around and look up at Rachel. The woman motions up to the slip of paper that read 'PRESS' sticking out from her red faded cap.

...you idiot, you didn't even introduce yourself!...

Piper mentally facepalms herself as she smiles with a nod. Her hand juts out in front of her, ready to shake the woman's hand. "Piper Wright, pleased to meet you."

"You're.... you're Ms. Wright?" The reporter's hand starts to drop, unsure if she was welcomed here or not. Her mind quickly racing back to the last time they were there, wondering if just maybe she'd been a little too nosy or pushy with her questions. It wouldn't be the first time she'd rubbed people the wrong way to point where they'd ask her to leave. But boy, was she mistaken. "....I hope you know you're a bit of a celebrity down here."

The smile fades as her mouth falls open. "....I'm sorry, what?"

-------------------------

It smelled like death and decay; thick, heavy air that wasn't moving. Whatever sort of flooring that was once there had disintegrated long ago, leaving only upturned mounds of damp earth that had been shuffled around by the molerats and whatever else called this place home. Old container boxes, desks and medical equipment were scatter about, some of them half buried and broken as a dim light flickered over head. Finally, her vision was starting to catch up as she could make out tattered walkway up head with a dim flickering light in the distance. With her weapon drawn, she slowly makes her way through the area. Cautiously rounding the corners until she comes across a surprisingly well lit staircase leading up. The place looked so raw she would have sworn she was at an abandoned construction site. Carefully she climbs up to the second floor. Her footing soft and precise as she moved in a crouched but fluid motion that would have made any pre-war marine proud... would have made Nate proud. 

It grows brighter as she gets higher. No longer barely tripping over broken items of the past but rather just crumbing tile and stone from the walls that had given way with time. As she passed some rusted out oxygen tanks, she hears a voice in the distance that she would have much rather have not heard.

" `APPROACH AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF. LAW ABIDING CITIZENS WILL NOT BE HARMED.` "

It was a Protectron. Oh what wonderful luck she had indeed.

Then again, she'd prefer the place to be infested with robots rather than Molerats. Those rodent fuckers were fast and hard to hit accurately; not to mention the whole tunneling thing they did always put her on edge. Deathclaws were even better because at least you could see and hear them long before they saw you. 

Her pace slows on the second landing as she comes to mangled hole in the wall... it's an entry point that leads into an old residential chamber of whatever vault dwellers had been there long before her. She peeks around the corner and looks in and it's more of the same peeling paint from the walls and brittle floor panels. For the most part, the place still has lights which she figured had something to it being tied to Vault 81. So what was this place? Was this just part of the Vault that had collapsed and had been forgotten with time? Or did Vault-Tec somehow build two bunkers on top of one another accidently? 

As she moved about the room, she checked for anything she could use but only found a mostly empty whiskey bottle under a bed and tattered old pillow. On top of dresser sits a cracked hand-mirror and a dusty radio; out of curiosity she attempts to turn it on. With a flick of the nob it surprisingly comes to life as she adjusts the tuner. 

" `....well, nevermind... I just broke what I was going to play, so... uhh, I guess I'll play Danny Kaye instead...` "

Nora smiles to herself with a shake of her head as the nervous voice of Travis made it through the static... that boy really needed a boost in his confidence. She moves the antenna a little so the music comes in a little clearer before turning the volume up. Nodding to herself she heads for the door, prepared to pry it open but to her surprise, the hydraulics function without issue and the exit slides open. Deliverer points out in front of her, ready to kill anything on the other side but the only thing facing her is an old water fountain and containers marked `PROPERTY OF VAULT-TEC` printed along the side. Not at all what she was expecting but far better than a glowing molerat.

Her shoulders relax as she moves forward towards the water fountain in the hopes that it wasn't completely rusted out. She steps out and crosses the hall, glancing to the left she catches sight of the Protectron who's back is to her. Suddenly, two small red lights on the ceiling catches her eye down the hall but it's too late...

BRRAAAAAPP-AT-AT-AT-AT!!!!

One of the many flying bullets heading in her direction catches her in the right side just above the hip as she made an attempt to duck for cover behind a stack of containers. Molerats? ..Expected. Robots? ..Should have been a given. But double mounted machine turrets? ..What the hell was this Vault?!

She throws herself back towards the room she had just come from as a few more bullets just narrowly miss her boots. She can feel her warm, wet blood pooling into her vault suit as her right hand drops her firearm and instantly flies to cover the wound. There she lays as she listens to loud hail of gunfire echoing down the hall until it comes to a stop.  

" `A LAWFUL USE OF DEADLY FORCE IS IN PROGRESS. CITIZENS ARE ADVISED TO CLEAR THE AREA.` "

Great... just great. In roughly ninety seconds she was going to have a Protectron standing over her if she didn't start moving now. In a handful of feral grunts and mumbled curse words, she crawls back to the dresser and pulls herself up to her feet. With a few hisses, her bloodied right hand probes around the hole in her side. As best as she can tell, the bullet had gone straight through and if it had left fragments behind they were small. Wiping as much blood from off her hand against the wall, she grabs the broken hand mirror, picks Deliverer off the floor and then hobbles as quickly as she can to the edge of the doorframe. 

By now Nora's adrenaline has her panting breaths as she braces her back against the wall as slides down to the floor once again. Using the little mirror around the corner, she looks down the hall. A brief moment of relief swipes over her as she doesn't see the Protectron just yet but she can indeed see where the two turrets are mounted on the ceiling. Glancing back over to the water fountain sitting undisturbed to her left she decides rusty water or not, she was going to need something after all this was over. She steadies her left hand as she looks again at the reflection of where to aim. Drawing a slow deep breath, she holds it for a fraction of a second before releasing it in the same manner. She pauses from taking another as she painfully twists around as quick as she can with her firearm out in front. With an itching trigger finger, she pulls off two quick rounds... both missing the intended target. 

Another round of heavy bullets spray in her direction before stopping again. The recognizable thudding of the mobile robot was on the move in another room further down the hall but it was undoubtedly heading in her direction. Using the mirror again, she looks at the location of the turrets for a second time to try and figure out the exact distance. "....this should have been you, Nate..." Once more she takes another long deep breath, wishing she had grabbed Reba II from her bag and maybe some stimpacks from Dr. Forsythe before heading down here. You live and learn... she thought... wait a minute!

Now bloodied from her wound, she detaches her leather hip satchel and quickly empties the contents out into her lap. Two hubflowers, some old gauze, a torn box of gumdrops she forgotten she'd nicked from Piper and a single pump of Jet. Bingo! She grabs the drug, flicks off the cap with her thumb and holds it at her lips with a pause. She and her girlfriend had gone 'round and 'round in circles over the use of these 'aids' several months ago when they went storming The Institute. Piper understood why Nora had nearly overdosed on the shit but was sure to make Nora understand that it had been an isolated event; at no given point or time did Piper ever want to see Jet or any of those junkie drugs put into her lover's body again. 

She looks down at herself. The right side of her torso down to her almost her knee was now soaked in her own blood and it was only spreading. Her gaze shifts to the small plastic pump in her hand as she quickly weighs her options. She didn't want to do this because number one, she didn't necessarily like using any chemical enhancements. Sure the benefit could give you the upper hand in surviving lethal situations, but the fall from the high was a bitch. It was what had you reaching for another dose.... and then another... all she really had to do was look at Cait. How that fiery red-head lived from drug to drug all those years was anyone's guess and Nora wasn't one willing to test that lifestyle for herself. The second reason was she had promised Piper she wouldn't. The papergirl had made it very clear that she wasn't willing to stick around and watch Nora destroy herself with chems... and in no way was Nora aiming to, but the things that happened at the Institute shed light to what sort of road the survivor was heading down if things didn't change. 

But what was she supposed to do? There's a oozing bullet hole in her side, an armed Protectron ambling her way and who knows how many radioactive molerats waiting for her.... and she'd only been there fifteen minutes, how the hell was she suppose to make through the next forty-five?! She reasoned that if she took the Jet it would slow, or maybe stop, the bleeding as well as block the pain. It would give her a handful of minutes to not only eliminate the threats breathing down her neck but to also move forward, possibly find a stimpack or something to help address her wound once the pain set in again. If what Bobby had said was true, if they really were developing diseases down here then surely there might be something like a first aid box if she could locate the lab.

Time was running short and she needed to make a decision. ".....I'm so sorry, Pipes.. please understand..." The pump lifted once again to her lips and with a plunge of her thumb on the release valve she draws a sharp deep breath of fire. 

-------------------------

"I said, you're famous down here."

Yep, that's exactly what Piper thought she'd heard. "Wh-...what?... I don't understand, what do you mean `famous`?"

Rachel snorts with a smirk as she moves away back towards her desk in the far left corner. "Everyone fights for a copy of your articles. Whenever we can get them, of course." Opening her drawer, she pulls out the last article she had been able to obtain and holds it up...' Fall Of The House Of Cabot '. An older issue with tattered edges but a good read nonetheless. 

"You're pulling my leg."

The woman lightly chuckles with a shake of her head. "I'm not. Just wait until word gets around that you're here, then you'll see." Someone could have set fire to Piper's coat and she wouldn't have noticed due to how utterly gobsmacked she was over this information. Her? Famous? Those words didn't make sense by even a little bit. "Say... you, uh... would you mind if I got your autograph?" Rachel quickly digs around her desk for a pen which she then juts out towards the paper's author. Well, this certainly was a first. Piper opens her mouth but before she can conjure up any more questions or move from her chair they're interrupted by the Overseer and Dr. Forsythe re-entering the room from the lab. 

"...you, Dr. Penske and Rachel are to make sure every resident remains under stringent medical observation." Gwen remarks as she pulls soiled latex gloves from her hands, dropping them in the bin beside the door. 

"Understood. But Overseer..."

The red head stops him with a quick turn in his direction and raised palm. "No buts. This is for the good of the Vault. We can't risk this pathogen getting out, Dr. Forsythe."

Dr. Forsythe mimics the same movements, his lips forming a firm, thin line. "...yes, Overseer."

Nearly the same emotion is displayed on Gwen's face. This was tight spot she'd been put in as being head of this community. Actually, the last several years had been nothing but either a rock or hard place for her with the Vault needing 'round the clock maintenance, various supplies running dry and now this. Being Overseer sure wasn't what she thought it was when she was child. With a firm single nod, she turns away from the doctor and moves towards Piper and the young boy with her gaze catching Rachel's. "How's Austin doing?"

"Not good." The woman quickly lays the pen and article back on her desk before heading back over to the patient. The sudden crowding around Austin causes Piper to remove herself from the chair and step back out of the way as she watches the woman pull back the sheet. With Austin's left leg now exposed they can all see the horrendous bite mark he'd received just above the ankle. The skin around the wound has darkened, some of it dark greenish-yellow and the rest a dark purplish-red. What was more worrisome was the dark mottled discoloration that was stretching out far beyond the initial site. "It appears the infection has progressed quite rapidly. We need a way to stop it from spreading." 

Gwen draws a long deep breath in through her nose. "Then let's hope Nora pulls through and get's us a cure." Her eyes now falling onto Piper, the Vault's newest guest, and there's a look on her face that the papergirl can't quite read. 

Again, there's a familiarity in the way the Overseer says the name. It wasn't 'Ms. Nora' like the man at the entry had called her, nor was it anything along the lines of 'our fellow vault dweller' that she had heard last time they had visited. No, this was something on a more personal level and made a strange bit of nausea to pool in the pit of Piper's stomach. "She will... she always does." It was the truth, wasn't it? And she's sure this time wouldn't be any different.

Before another word can muttered, a gentle cough at the doorway grabs everyone's attention. "...uh... Miss Piper?" It was Bobby, the boy she had seen earlier leaving with Blue. "...I have some questions about Vault 85?"

The journalist's brow wrinkles for a breath of a second before she realizes what he means. "...I think you mean Vault 95. Sure, what would you like to know?" There's a smile creeping into the corner of her lips, she knew why he was asking. It was the same reason Cait had asked. 

His eyes shift around the room as he nervously tilts his head to hallway. "...can we talk in private?"

"Absolutely!" The reply comes quick as Piper removes herself; thankful for being saved from the smothering room. Without another glance at the Overseer or doctors, she excuses herself by sliding her chair back where she'd found it and then follows Bobby out into the hall along side the stairs. 

"Miss Nora told me to ask you about the Vault... that they could help me with, uh… my issue…”

"Hey, it’s okay. I get it... and I think it's very brave of you."

He mumbles lowly as one of his hands rubs the back of his neck, his eyes falling away in shame. "...I don't think it's brave.. I'm a coward. I couldn't even help Austin when that molerat showed up, I just ran." This poor kid, he was probably blaming himself more than he should. 

Cautiously, Piper puts a hand to his shoulder with a single soft squeeze. "It is brave, Bobby. And I have a friend who walked a similar path as you and she'd say the same thing."

"Did she-... is she.. ya know, dea-"

"She's alive and thriving." Her hand falls away with a chuckle. "Very alive, actually."

"...did she go to that Vault, too?"

Piper nods with a smile, tilting her cap up with a sparkle in her eye as her arms fold across her chest. "She did. Really, she's the one who told Nora an I about it. It was just rumors of the place existing but Nora found it... because she always does." 

Bobby looks around as he digs into his pocket, pulling out a small handful of caps. He could only assume the Vault functioned like theirs, a bartering system. He didn't have much he could use but there wasn't anyone who'd turn down money. "How much do I need?"

She shakes her head, shoving his hands away. "It's not like that. You don't have to pay."

His eyes widen as his eyebrows shoot up. "You mean they don't charge?!" For the last three years he'd spent most, if not all, of his money putting himself in this situation... it didn't make any sense to him that the fix to his problem would be free. 

"It won't cost you anything because nobody's home. Well, that is if the Gunner's or someone else hasn't moved in again."

"...the Gunners?"

This time it's Piper's eyebrows that hike up. "You really are still wet behind the ears when it comes to everything going on above your head, aren't ya? Though, you should be considering yourselves lucky Gunners haven't shown up here yet."

"I've never left the Vault. No one has except for Rylee. She left several years ago, no one's seen or heard from her since."

The way his voice dipped into almost a whisper on his final words peaked her interest, causing her to lean forward. If she didn't know any better this was beginning to sound like her next article in the making. "Why'd she leave?"

Again, the young man looks around as if he's checking the walls for any listening ears. "Back when Overseer McNamara took over from Baht, Rylee didn't agree with the Overseer's decision to keep the Vault closed. You know, to vendors and travellers of the like. Story goes that she tried to start a petition to have the Overseer's decision overthrown but all it did was turn the whole Vault against her, and not in the most polite way. After that..." He shrugs his shoulders. "...well, she must have packed up that night because she was gone the next day."

"Bobby."

Both he and Piper jump; startled by Overseer McNamara now standing in the door way of the Medical Bay. 

-------------------------

After she'd taken out the Protectron and two turrets, Nora made good on the promise to herself to make it to the water fountain. Much to her surprise, the water wasn't rusty and almost tasted normal... aside from the slight dirt flavour, of course. She had also used the water to clean her wound while the pain was kept at bay. It was the strangest feeling, almost as if the tear in her skin was vibrating and numb all at the same time. But now was not the time to try and figure out how the drug worked. She takes another big swig of cool water before pushing herself away. Continuing down the hall, she moves as quick and as quietly as she can. There was only about three minutes left for the Jet to be in her system so she needed to make sure she covered as much distance as she could. 

Keeping low like before, she moves down the hall towards the room the robot had come from as she keeps her eyes peeled for more turrets overhead. After a quick scan of the room she doesn't find anything useful and pushes on to the next. Only the next room she finds is in even more of disrepair than the last. Old broken florescent lights hanging from the ceiling by wires, what looks like two dressers that are completely crumpled, and two bunk beds with the mattresses missing. It was beginning to look like a war zone the further she went. Exiting through a chewed out hole in the wall led her back out in a large hallway where she could see the cafeteria area down below. 

Midway down the stairs, Nora felt the first twinges of pain beginning to resurface as her high was fading. Gripping the railing tightly with her left hand, she descends the stairs as fast as she can without tripping herself. Unfortunately, when she crosses the threshold of the tiled dining area it's obvious she wasn't going to be finding anything that could be of use to her. Black and and yellowish mold was growing on the walls and what little reddish-pink paint still clung to the cement was peeling and flaking off. And the smell.... it wasn't the tell-tale sign deterioration but rather rodent feces and it was only getting worst the deeper she went.

As she heads back out into the hall she spots a terminal and a Protectron that was still waiting to be activated. With another stronger twinge of pain causing her to wince she decides to forgo trying to activate the thing and instead hobbles down the hall. More forgotten storage and shipment containers litter almost every square inch as if Vault-Tec moved in but had never unpacked...yet all the boxes were empty. Even old compressors and various machinery sat there rusted to the spot without ever being moved. This was going to be a lot to report back to Gwen as she's sure the Overseer will want some of her security to come down here to salvage... then again, she had to make it back out alive for that to happen. At the end of the hall there's a sharp turn to the left that opened up straight into the reactor room. What surprised her was that there were two rather than just the standard one. Whatever they were originally planning to do down here was requiring a lot of power. Perhaps the downfall of this Vault had contributed to the longevity of Vault 81. 

Large mounds of dirt covered everything in the entire room; not even a half inch of the floor tiles could be seen. With Deliverer still out in front of her she climbs and maneuvers around the loose soil, doing her best to avoid twisting her ankle and slowing herself down even more. Oh how she hated this place, possibly even more than when she had found herself in the sewers surrounded by ghouls... how had so many of them found their way down there, anyway? Climbing over a partially buried desk, she pauses.... there, in the walls beside her, she could hear the bastards clawing and digging around. Gnarled claws scraping against the outside walls of the Vault as even more still seemed to be making their way in. Nora froze to the spot and focused the barrel of her gun in what she figured was the best direction. 

**BANG!**

As soon as it's snout cleared through the top layer of dirt, she fired a hot round of lead into it's face.... but Bobby had been right. These molerats were bigger than the ones she'd seen out in the Commonwealth. God, the thing was so close she could smells it's breath as it's squealed. The bullet in its cheek seemed to have only pissed it off as it turned its head in her direction with its mouth open wide.

**BANG! BANG!**

Another two rounds quickly follow the first, one embedding itself in the rodent's left eye and the other just behind into it's temple. The creature tumbled forward from it's hole in the earth, dead where it lay. She doesn't have long to breath a sigh of relief as a flash of fire strikes. Her hand falls to her wound that was beginning to seep again as she struggled to get her feet moving; the pain was coming back with a vengeance. As soon as she rounds the corner, she's faced with another staircase leading up that looked promising as there seemed to be lights on the next floor. 

With a more pronounced hobble, she quickly moves against the wall as it's the only thing that's helping her stay upright. In just those twenty feet she's already having to drag her leg with a ragged hiss between each step she took. Nora's bloody right hand moves away to grab the railing for her slow ascend when she hears the scratching again. She slows her breathing and tilts her head so she can look over her shoulder... there was another one coming... no.... there was more than one. Without wasting another second she hauls her leg up to the second stair, then third, all while clenching her teeth. Pain or not, she needed to get to higher ground and she needed to do it before her leg decided she couldn't anymore. With only four more steps to go to reach the top, she hears a pair high pitch squeals from down below. Nora throws herself forward with a grunt and turns on her left hip just as their claws begin to clatter up the metal stairs...

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Cursing under her breath, the second bullet simply grazes a shoulder of one of them but the third one lands squarely in the forehead of the molerat bringing up the rear. When the gunfire stops echoing and her ears stop ringing, she lays back against the last two dirty steps as the pain in her side fully lights up. Time was up, the Jet had run its course and now the searing agony took its place. As she stares up at the rusted ceiling she realizes it's not a ceiling at all but another landing. Tilting her head to the left and back she spots yet another flight of cold stairs leading up. Her head immediately falls back heavily against the floor. "....You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

Chapter Text

As though she were a child in trouble, Piper quietly followed Gwen up the stairs leading to the Overseer's Office... and judging on just how tight lipped the red-head had become, she was bracing herself for a rather stern lecture. The only thing she could think of was the worst possibility which was to be thrown out while her girlfriend was still God knows where beneath their feet. As they passed the security check-in desk she spies a clock on the wall behind the guard and it causes the anxiety to churn within her soul.

"Please. In here, Ms. Wright." As the office door slid open, Gwen stepped to the side and motioned for the younger woman to enter before her. "There's a few things I want to discuss with you."

Piper moves through the threshold feeling her hands becoming sticky and clammy, her nervous fingers unable to stop fidgeting. "If this is about what Bobby said, you d-...."

"That's exactly what I want to talk to you about." She hits the button on the wall and the pneumatic door seals behind her as she makes her way to her desk. "Sit."

Like a dog, the brunette sits on command. Her hands coming to together between both her knees as her stomach felt like it was eating itself. "...I'm not a rumor mill. I chase after facts, Madam Ove-"

"Do you smoke?" 

Piper watches as the woman opens the top drawer and and fishes out a crisp box of cigarettes. It was strange to see such a perfect mint condition box in use rather than behind a sealed glass display case. "..uh, yeah... I could go for one..." Gwen leans forward with the little lid open towards her which she clumsily pulls one out. "Thanks."

Silently, the Overseer smacks the bottom of the box with her hand which causes one singular cigarette to pop up at attention. It's drawn the rest of the way out by her painted lips as a matchstick from almost nowhere is struck along the bottom of the box, igniting it with a sizzle as she lights the open end of the tobacco... that was the same trick she'd seen Blue perform countless times and it stirs the worry in her chest. "What exactly did Bobby tell you about Rylee?"

Piper takes a moment to herself, digging out a semi-shinny lighter Nick had gifted her a few years back and lights her own cigarette. "Well, not much actually. Just that she's the only dweller to make it out of the Vault."

No doubt due to the word choice that had been made, Gwen turns her back to her as she gazes down through her circular window. "The people living here are not captives, they are residents just like myself. We are all free to leave whenever we'd like... and to even come back, but no ever moves an inch. Do you know why that is?" Piper just watches her. She wasn't stupid, she knew the woman wasn't looking for her to give an answer. "Because while life down here can be hard at times, it's safe." Her hand moves away as a puff of smoke leaves her. "Do you have family, Ms. Wright?"

The question is like a hurdle, one that feels a bit too high to jump over at times. "I have my little sister Natalie and step-son Shaun over in Diamond City." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself from calling the synth-boy something he wasn't. She and Nora weren't married. Hell, the woman still wore her dead husband's wedding ring on a chain around her neck, but now it was at the top of Piper's list. As soon as she saw that blue-jumpsuit-wearing-Vault Dweller again she'd pop the question, no hesitation this time.

Silence settles on Gwen's shoulders. Shaun. That name rang a painful bell. She supposed she should have seen it coming... no, actually, in all retrospect she had seen it coming. The day she let Nora walk out the Vault was proving to be one of the biggest mistakes of her life. Every nerve in her body was twitching for her to chase after the woman but her pride and sense of duty had keep her deep in this cement hole in the ground. A sharp painful inhale enters her lungs when she realizes she hadn't taken a breath. "And how long of a life do you think they'll have out there in the Wasteland? Outside your wondrous 'Great Green Jewel' if ever they dare to leave it?" Piper's jaw clenched as her eyes narrowed on the back of the Overseer's head but she held her tongue...Gwen was right and she hated it. For the last several years, even before her beloved Blue showed up, Natalie had talked on and on about tagging along her excursions and investigations, but because she was too young at the time she had to stay in Diamond City. And while the act of leaving her little sister behind gave Piper pause, the idea of bringing her outside the gate utterly froze her with fear. Nat had been so young when they made it to the city she doubted the girl even remembered how hard and dangerous their life had been before living behind those thick steel walls of safety. The problem was her little sister was only getting older and it wouldn't be long until she was beyond Piper's command. "We all know the horrors topside. We hear the stories from traders, we read them in your paper..."

"Sure it's slow, but things are changing, you'll see! People can sleep safe in their beds at night because they know The Institute is gone!"

At that, the Overseer glances over her shoulder in order to catch the journalist's eye with a look that's far softer than what would have been expected. "...and you really believe that?"

Piper's free hand clenches the top of her knee to keep herself from bolting up from the chair. "I saw the damn place explode with my own eyes. There was nothing left of it. It's gone, kaput, dead in the water.. literally."

A low and dark inappropriate chuckle escapes Gwen as she takes another drag, fully turning to face her guest. "The Institute was born the day the Old World died. They've had two centuries to perfect their work... did it never occur to any of you that Boston might not be their only place of operation?" She shakes her head as she blots out her half used cigarette into the ash tray balanced on the window ledge. Moving away from her desk, she walks along the far wall to several file cabinets. One of them relents with sharp squeak as it's third drawer opened up for her retrieve a file. "I've held the position of Overseer for the last eight years..." A thick, blue file emerges and she swiftly opens it to marked page. "...Overseer Baht first opened our door to the outside world two years before the job landed at my feet." Now standing beside the Editor, she leans over and plops the heavy file on the edge of her desk with satisfying thud. "Tell me if anything looks familiar in August of '77."

As Gwen moves away, Piper slides forward and pulls the faded blue booklet into her lap as the bummed cigarette dangles from her lips. Her face brightens over the neat penmanship.. - that was something all the Vaults and Nora shared, anything written down was incredibly clean and neat compared to her own hand writing-.. her finger slowly trails down the page when she suddenly finds what she's looking for. Clearing her throat she reads it aloud. " August 17th, 2277. A man going by the name of 'Crazy Wolfgang' was permitted entry. Cleared for trade and temporary lodging. States he's from the Capitol Wasteland, a ten day walk Southwest beyond the Glowing Sea... " She pauses as her green eyes skim over the list of items traded, including a surprising amount of non-radiated food and the introduction of crude Chems, but there's something else that catches her attention further down. " ...Dr. Priscilla Penske has inquired about the radiation-free produce with intention of replicating it here in Vault 81. Wolfgang states the food stock is grown and monitored by a Doctor Zimmer in the controlled labs of.... " Her voice catches as the back of her throat tightens. No. This couldn't be. This had to be wrong. Piper forces herself to swallow as she pulls her gaze back up to find Overseer McNamara's eyes already on her. "....labs of The Institute located in Rivet City..."

Seconds crawl by like a lifetime as the two women just stare at one another. Another freshly lit cigarette already sits perched between Gwen's fingers as she leans against the side of her desk. "Now do you understand, Ms. Wright? This peace you think Nora has created with the help of the Minute-Men and the Brotherhood of Steel isn't going to last. This isn't a new era we're entering into... an I'm afraid the only thing that has been achieved is giving the rest of The Institute a heads up." She watches as the younger woman pales with a blank and horrified expression settling in.

".....We-... no, wait-...this-..." Piper's eyes slam shut as she roughly rubs her face in confusion. She reads back through the entry again as well as several others... there were plenty of entries marked from that first year of the Vault doors being unsealed but this was a damn nuclear bomb that had been dropped into her lap and a huge piece of information they likely should have known before attacking the facility guns blazing. "Did you tell Blue about this?"

Gwen scoffs with a painful roll of her eyes; how dare this woman and her audacity. "What gives you the impression I even knew before now, let alone have any idea what you all were planning up on the surface?"

This causes Piper to pause; her back straitening up awfully tight. "She-...she didn't tell you?"

"Nora an I haven't spoken in almost a year, Ms. Wright."

"But we were here a couple months ago!... we were here before we took on The Institute!"

"Yes, and correct me if I'm wrong, but that visit was to make good on a supply errand that Dr. Penske had given you." Damn it, she was right again. "I was in a meeting with a majority of our crew trying to save this place from collapsing, so I wasn't made aware to the fact you two had even crossed our threshold until hours after you were gone." With a heavy step forward, she leans in and takes the file back with somewhat of an uncalled for yank. "And as for the decimation of The Institute, that information came courtesy of a caravan tradesman about a week after the deed was already done. Security Officer Edwards was the one who made the connection seeing as it was he who had originally documented Wolfgang's entry log. That is the only reason I decided to dig through our records." With a another louder thud, the thick file falls squarely onto the middle of the Overseer's desk as she steps behind it to take her rightful seat; crossing her legs as a rolling stream of smoke is exhaled from her nose like a dragon.

-------------------------

Nora's eyes fluttered open, taking in the sight of the filth and rubble in which she lay in. Brief panic enters her blood stream as she forgets where she is for a hot second, but she manages to get a grip on things as she pulls herself up to a sitting position. Then it all comes flooding back.... vaguely remembering the creeping goosebumps moments before she had passed out. She'd spotted a first aid kit among some bins beneath the stairs and made it her Hail Mary. Using what strength she had left, she'd dragged herself over and fumbled the case open. Instant relief overwhelmed her when she saw the bright shine of the stimpacks needle point and without another thought she jammed it into her side before dropping off into oblivion. In fact, the thing was still stuck in her just below the ribs. With a grunt, she dislodges it with a yank before letting the glass cylinder clatter to the floor. 

There before her was the next challenge... hauling her gunshot-ass up yet another set of stairs. Whoever had designed this place obviously had no intention of actually using it themselves and seemed to have made it as convoluted as possible. But she manages, although it's a snails pace. The health-boost hadn't been a full one but it'd had enough juice in it to get her moving again which was all she could ask for. One foot follows the other as she slowly makes it to the top landing, pausing and bracing herself against the railing to take long deep breaths. At her feet is a dingy orange toolbox with a couple wrenches, a hammer and a scattered handful of screws. Yet that's where the tools have to stay as she's in no condition to carry their weight nor had anything to put them.

Making the corner she finds a busted cigarette machine sitting beside a security gate door. Without much effort, she pulls back what's left of the thing and two packs of smokes fall out. Like all the others she's found in the Wasteland, she assumes they're incredibly stale but at least these were still sealed. With a slow bend she scoops them up and tucks them away, smiling to herself in anticipation to surprise Piper with them. '...I really ought to get around to marrying that woman...'   she thinks as she zips up the pouch on her thigh '...not like I'm ever gonna find anything better...'  but with that thought her heart carelessly betrays her and wanders back to Gwen McNamara. 

...Gwen. Seeing that woman as she came around the corner of the Med-Bay had been like a pump of adrenaline injected directly into her bloodstream. That smile, those eyes, that voice. It all came flooding back to her as if it were just yesterday. She'd only been out of her own Vault for close to a month. After crossing paths with the Minutemen and going back to Sanctuary with them, she stayed put on her old stomping grounds for a while as they all worked together to fortify the place up. God, those memories seemed so far away now that she thought about them in detail. That was practically two years ago and here she was... alive, against all odds. But Gwen?... the pair of them meeting was sheer fate alone and the day she'd first stepped into Vault 81 was a memory burned into her soul.

After helping Oberland and doing a little trading with them, something made her press on rather than turning back for home like she'd always done. With the river to her right she followed the railroad tracks a little further as she could make out what she thought was a concrete bridge stretching out to the other side. What she hadn't accounted for was the mongrel dogs. Until this point she'd only ever seen them out in the distance, making sure to steer clear of them but the old railway seemed to be their domain. Two of them coming towards her had stopped briefly as if they themselves couldn't believe she was casually walking towards them. That was when her eyes focused and she realized what she was looking at. In a flash she took off into the trees on her left, firing shots behind her. She must have hit one based on a sharp yelp and then there was only the sound of one panting hound biting at her heels. That's when she saw two bright lights sticking out from what looked like the top of cave. Then the little shacks and something that resembled the blue guards post outside of Vault 111 came into view. With all her strength she made a leap, grabbed the roof of it and pulled herself up. Thankfully the rusty thing held and when the hound tried to make a jump himself his snout could just barely reach. When he lunged again she took his face off with a blast of her husband's old military issued pistol.

When she crawled down she found it was indeed a guard post, one marked 'Vault 81' on the siding... which would have to mean... looking at her PipBoy she scans the area and instantly a new icon had popped up labeled Vault 81 and according to her little green map, it's front door was fifty paces ahead of her. Her breath catches at the idea of what'd been done to her family, friends and neighbors had also been done here too. But what she was met with completely blew her mind. An entire community on the verge of thriving down below the soil and they'd been doing so since the bombs had dropped. Sure it took a little bit of trading for them to let her through but once down there it was like stepping back in time. Everything looked like it did in Vault 111 only no frozen human popsicles and everything was in working order. She met Austin, Erin and her mischievous Ashes, The Summerset's, Dr. Penske and Dr. Forsythe and of course their Overseer.

Immediately she pleaded her case to the red-head and did her best to explain what had happened and that she was looking for her son. She was desperate to find out what she had to do to be able to live here with them once she did find him... but Gwen gave her a simple no. There were a few rules for outsiders that the bunker had to abide by. Bartering for food, medicine or even a hair cut from Horatio was one thing, but no one from the Wasteland was allowed to stay. Sleeping on the floor in the main hall next to the guards was allowed for one night only. Well, Nora stayed her one night and then made it a point to leave first thing in the morning before the sun was fully up. The entire way back to Sanctuary she cursed Gwen's name with half a mind to go back to let the Overseer know what she thought of their stupid rules. But by the time she passed the Abernathy's Farm her anger had faded. Down there?... that was Gwen's friends and neighbors... that was her family that she had to look out for. It was a hard position to be in, knowing that she was entirely responsible for their safety and well being. But she did go back...

....Sharp claws scratching from behind the wall interrupts Nora's trip down memory lane. Stepping beyond the cigarette machine she approaches the metal Security Gate with a bobby-pin already in hand. Taking her chances, she gives the handle a hesitant twist and to her surprise it swing open to allow her to pass through. At least something was going her way down here. As she makes her way down the hall, voices she recognizes come trickling in through the vent overhead. It was Holt and his wife Alexis.

" Well this is gonna be a joy for you.
  You get to nag me and I can't go nowhere. "

        " Oh, real nice, Holt. Make this about you.
          Don't you think about anyone other
          than yourself?Your daughter could get
          sick like Austin, and you're whining
         about spending time with your family? "

" I have things to do.
 We don't have to hide away in here. "

        " You're so busy, Holt? You have so
          much to do? Please, explain to Erin
          why your needs are more
         important than her safety. " 

Nora moves beyond the conversation as her mind flicks back to some hot gossip Austin had filled her in on; that Holt was having an affair with Tina. A shutter ran down her back with the thought that Alexis probably already knew; with the size of the Vault it'd be hard to believe that she didn't. Further down towards the end of the hall she finds a terminal sticking off the wall as a trail of new voices hovered over her through the vents.

" Rachel? How's he doing? "

         " The infection is taking its toll, Doctor.
           I'm afraid he'll be too far gone if we can't
           find a way to stop it from spreading. "

" Then let's hope our friendly outsider
  pulls through and finds us something of use. "

Nora grips her injured side upon hearing those words and mutters aloud to herself. "No pressure right? Just some kid's life you've taken into your hands." Her mind flashes back to Shaun, to both the one living in she and Piper's home as well as the one who's body would never be found... and for these several seconds her heart can't distinguish one from the other. She shakes her head, pushing these thoughts out as she carried on; there was no time to have a breakdown.

Off to the side there's a short busted up table that sat just below the terminal with several rounds of buck shot laying scattered about... low and behold, her prayers were being answered. Leaning in the dark corner and resting against the wall was an old shotgun. She grabs it and loads two rounds into it. With a bit of persuading, she gets it to chamber in....and lucky she does because in that same moment the second Security Gate behind her that she'd yet to notice went flying open.

Gnarly, yellowed teeth puncture deep into her left shoulder as the beast takes her down. The shotgun fires and both she and the molerat can feel the heat of the blast as it shoots into the concrete wall. The pair of them tumble down, crashing through the frail table as the attack spins her around. As soon as she catches a glimpse of the glowing green rodent she pulls the trigger again. This must be the one Bobby had seen because God help her, if there were more of them like this then she wasn't making it back home. The thing was huge, it's shoulders broad and the smell coming off it could peel paint from a wall.

The second shot takes it's right ear off, grazing the side of it's cheek and neck in the process. It screams as it pulls away only to rear back at her again. Using the business end of the firearm, she hits it in the face like she was wielding a sword. The rusty barrel clanks against stained teeth, knocking a splatter of spit mixed with her own blood back into her face. As she makes another wide swing with the shotgun she fumbles with getting her fingers on another round and is only able to load one in the as she get's up on her feet.

With a pump of the rifle, another blast causes an excruciating howl to ring out as it lands in the monster's ribs. Her hand makes another mad dash to locate another round as she lunges into the dark, through the Security Gate that'd been pulled from its hinges but she didn't expect there to be her biggest enemy waiting for her... another fucking set of stairs. Honestly, she ought to have known by this point. Her injured body tumbled down; rusty metal and concrete scraping at her limbs and back until she came to a sudden stop by landing in rotting mud. The world was spinning as her hand feebly felt around for the cool lead of the shotgun. Nora could hear the beast, it's snarling and clatter of claws as the thing made it's back down the stairs for revenge. If this was where she was going to die then this thing was going to die with her. Just as the foul thing launches it's final attack, Nora pulls the trigger.... and with a powerful blast, the slug slides straight through the rodent's skull like butter.

A deep guttural howl bellows out as the beast slumps to the ground in front of her, one of it's back legs twitching in the process. Nora falls back against the dirt, the smoking shotgun falling across her lap as she just stares at the corpse in front of her. This place was definitely shaping up into being a rather interesting place to die; far better than being taken out by some lowly Raider or devoured by a Yao Guai at least. Her eyes close as she allows her head to fall back against the crumbling stone wall, the gun sliding from her hands...empty. There's a nagging urge to look at her PipBoy, but the heaviness sitting in her gut tells her there wasn't any point. After the amount of staircases she'd traversed, she had no idea just how far down she truly was, let alone where, but what she did know was that she wasn't going to clear the one hour time frame she'd been given. She just knew it, she could feel it in her bones. All she could hope for would be to find a metal pipe in which to use to bang on the door and just maybe Bobby or one of the workers in maintenance would hear and dig her out.

Her useless left arm hangs at her side as she drags herself to her feet. And just to be sure, she nudges the animal one last time with the toe of her boot but thing doesn't move. It was dead....just like her.

-------------------------

Standing behind the chair she'd just been sitting in, Piper sucks the life from the cigarette between her fingers; the end of it burning like a bright cherry for the last time. She was afraid to conjure up any words let alone thoughts. Truly afraid.

If this were all true....then that would mean... well, what would that mean? Would The Institute retaliate? It'd been a little over three months since the place had been swallowed up in the Charles River but nothing had changed other than the Commonwealth living in this new sense of 'peace'. But Gwen had a point. Those white coats had been plugging along for two-hundred years and whenever they made moves they didn't do anything half-assed. And if they did decide to strike back... she shuttered at the thought, pinching the bridge of her nose with a deep sigh. "....well.......fuck..."

"My sentiments exactly."

Piper's lips press together as she leans over towards the desk to blot out the cigarette butt in an old tray sitting on the corner. Blue didn't know about any of this. If she had then she would have told her... and there's no way she would have kept something like this from the Brotherhood Of Steel seeing as their mission in life was to eradicate the world of the organization and their humanoid atrocities. "I guess we'll have to get a message to the Brotherhood to bring the Prydwen back. We're going to need them, don't you think?" She looks back up at the Overseer, waiting for some sort of remark but there's nothing aside from a raised eyebrow. "And when Blue gets back I'm sure she'll want to let the Minute-Men know... I'll have to tell McDonough too since Diamond City is right across the bridge from the ruins." Still, she get's nothing more from the other woman. "...would you like to come with us? I mean I'm sure the boys in steel would love to see all these records. They migh-.."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Why not?"

"Because my place is down here."

The suffocating tension was building again; the air growing warm, turning thick like honey. And though she didn't necessarily want Gwen to come along with them, Piper tries again. "We wouldn't be gone long... a couple days at most and then-.."

"Things will be changing around here, specifically our protocol on allowing outsiders in." She interrupts the younger woman, switching her crossed legs with a tilt in her chair and saddened frown. "When you and Nora leave, no one will be permitted past the seal of the vault. For the remaining of this year, all trading will be done in the tunnel at the entryway. And after the New Year... the Vault will be sealed once again until further notice."

"But-.."

"No 'buts'." With a quick and deliberate motion, she gestures back toward the heavy file laying dormant on her desk. "Due to this information, I feel there is no other choice I can make and it would be better to err on the side of caution when it comes to dealing with the The Institute."  

"What about Bl-.."

"There will be no exceptions made, Ms. Wright." She stops, her gaze falling away as though she's reconsidering her choice after now hearing it aloud. "...not even for Nora."

Piper's mouth drops open as she shifts her weight back towards the Overseer. She wasn't stupid or blind, she knew there must have been something that happened between the two women and perhaps there was something that even still lingered, but this? This would be a slap to the face. "I don't think she's going to be particularly happy to hear this, ya know."

Gwen bites a back corner of her tongue, hating her next words before they'd even left her mouth. "...this isn't her home. Vault 81 is my responsibility."

Piper opens her mouth to object but then promptly closes it in thought. Vault 81 shutting itself away? That didn't make sense to her. They traded well, really well. Operating as a temporary shelter for weary travelers and goodness knows they needed supplies as well. She couldn't help but believe this this would be a death trap for everyone here... yet then again, it wasn't her decision. Who was she to interject and throw her opinions around? In the end, the most she can do is heave a heavy sigh to showcase her disapproval with a shake of her head. "You're going to tell her at least, right? Before we leave?"

The red-head nods once with full sincerity. "I'll make sure she knows." The frown sitting on her lips doesn't leave and as the journalist turns for the door, she pulls herself to her feet with a burning question sitting in her chest. She calls out to her without thinking and finds her voice doesn't sound like the one she recognized. "...Piper." Upon hearing her first name roll off a foreign tongue, the younger woman turns back around with a look of surprise. "I... I hate to ask but... I was wondering if you and Nora would do me a favour." 

"S-... sure thing... I mean, we'll try." A partial smile cracks in the corner of her mouth. " Though, knowing Blue, she'll make it happen."

That was the problem. Gwen knew that if she made the request it would indeed be done, but she was afraid of the results it might yield. "...the pair of you must meet plenty of people out there on your travels. If there's any chance you ever hear what's become of Rylee, would you please let me know?"

There was a pain in her voice, one that can't be hidden from Piper as she'd been interviewing and interrogating people a little too long for it to sneak under the radar. "If I can ask..... who is she to you?"

".....she was my little sister."

Piper pauses as all the puzzle pieces finally began to fit into place. ".....is....." She says with a single nod.

"Excuse me?"

"...you said 'was'.. I think you meant 'is'..... Rylee is your little sister. Something as unimportant as time can't change the cold hard facts. I would know, I'm a reporter after all." For the first time in a long time, Gwen is disarmed. Utterly made speechless by this woman's hopeful determination and in this moment she understood just how perfect Nora was for Piper... or just maybe it was the other way around. Piper turns so that she facing the Overseer directly as her voice takes on a softer tone. "Are you sure you won't come with us?"

"I'm sure. I need to stay here."

"Fair enough." She extends her hand out in a professional manner, whole heartily ready to take on this new assignment. "I'll find her, Gwen. Consider her my next stor-..." With a swift flicker of the lights the floor beneath their feet violently shakes as sound of a piercing explosion cuts her off...

Chapter Text

Nora's hand slowly slid away from the wall.

This was it.

This was as fast as her body would allow her to move which wasn't much to write home about. If anything it was rather embarrassing. Besides, what was the point in rushing? Bobby had done exactly what he'd been instructed to do. And judging by the earth rattling tremble that had radiated within the Vault, he'd done a mighty fine job but using explosives wasn't what she had in mind when she told him to do whatever he needed to.

Her left arm was now useless so she tucked her left hand into her leather bandolier across her chest just so it wouldn't hang loose by her side. And when a wave of dizziness passed over her, her free hand grips some sort of welding machine to keep herself upright. It was now she was beginning to notice the cold sweat creeping up her back and just how tingly her lips felt as painful cramps of nausea seized her. The only thing she can think of is the disease. Whatever Austin had was now pulsing through her veins, she's sure of it, but what she wasn't sure of was how much time she had until she was rendered unconscious like him. Until then, she had to keep moving. She had to get as far as she could, there just had to be something down here. 

Pressing on further into this tomb of hers, Nora entered a large room that almost resembled the atrium of the real Vault 81, but it's not as big. And instead of people she comes across even more unopened or barely used supplies with corridors that look like individual jail cells. '..Calvin and his crew would certainly have a field day..' she thinks. Unopened boxes of every kind of tool and equipment were strung out all over the place, whatever they could possible need for repairs to keep the ole girl afloat was here. Her fingers trail along the handles of a few wrenches stacked atop one another next to a box of light-bulbs sitting on a rusted cart. She's tempted to grab a handful of something as proof if she ever did surface but she doesn't have the strength. Among the items free for the taking, she finds a box of ammo and thanks whatever gods were looking out for her. It's not full but it gives her almost two clips worth for Deliverer which she readily loads while she still can. And that's when it happens... the wave of nausea returns and it wasn't alone.

The double snarls from behind her makes her jump as she spins around, finding two fairly normal sized molerats stalking her from the corner. When they both take a lunge at her, Nora back herself into another room behind her while firing off rounds as quick as she can. The back of her legs run into a small desk, stopping her dead in her tracks. She looses another five rounds to both animals until they sag to the floor in defeat, their blood oozing into the dirt and filth. When her hand drops to her side, she hears a beep she hadn't expected and nearly fire her gun again. Looking down she finds an old terminal whose keyboard she'd just hit with her knuckles. As quick as she can manage, she lowers herself down to a knee in front of the desk and worries what the data security might be like but to her surprise there is none. Within a few clicks she's looking at files.

Judging by the stored logs, it appeared this terminal had been used for contacting the Overseer at the time... someone called Olivette. She breezed through the entries, pausing where the Overseer mentioned the place being a madhouse as the citizens arrived. Nora remembered the panic, could still feel pricking at her nerves even after all this time. But it made no difference now, this could be her ticket out of there. Opening a new TermLink log, she types in 'G.MCNAMARA' which the computer finds. She hits connect and the screen automatically gives her the prompt to type her message, causing overwhelming relief to fill her chest. 

<K.Collins> Gwen, it's Nora. Answer. 

She waits. Leaning against the desk, she lets her forehead settle into the top of her cool metal PipBoy. Another sharp wave of nausea and chills scatters up her spine causing her to lean off to the side to vomit. Bloody bile rushes from her lips as she braces herself. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

The back of her sleeve wipes her mouth but the taste of death still lingers on her teeth like sludge. The radiation poisoning was catching up to her, likely exacerbated by whatever was in that nasty bite she'd received. Pulling her self upright she finds the green computer screen in front of her hadn't changed, no reply of any kind.

Again she tries, hoping that maybe Gwen had just stepped away for just a moment... maybe for a mutfruit pie or a pack of cigarettes... or who knows, maybe she'd heard the gigantic explosion because how could anyone have not heard that?! Then a new thought creeps in; what if something had happened? What if the explosion had done more than just seal the doorway? "God Bobby, this isn't what I meant..."

<K.Collins> If this is getting through, please answer me!
<K.Collins> Somebody! Anybody! Please respond!

She waits again with her head hanging low. That's when she notices the little orange holotape marked 'Vault 81 Tech Password' sitting beside the computer with a nice thick layer of dust coating it just like everything else in this godforsaken place. Picking it up, she tries to find a slot for it on the terminal in front of her but this model didn't seem to have one. Wiping it clean on her already dirty suit, she slides it into her little pouch for safe keeping. But thing were changing...quickly. Nora could feel herself growing weak. Her entire body was burning with fatigue and she so badly wanted to close her eyes and sleep forever. So she lets her body fold, turning into a sitting position as she leans her back against the decrepit desk that somehow manages to stay standing. She just needed to rest... just a few minutes to clear the pounding in her head. But there was that voice, that hum of a certain Papergirl who kept pulling at her, one that kept insisting she keep her eyes open and put one foot in front of the other. 

-------------------------

It felt like she was trying to breathe through wet cement as Piper is told what she's looking at was all that remained of the doorway Blue had passed through just a little over an hour ago... but now it was nothing but a mess of twisted steel that was barely containing a collapsed stone wall. Her heart lurched forward as she clutched at her chest, her rib cage constricting beneath skin. Maintenance men were shouting at one another as they tried to plug a water pipe that had busted in the explosion while an angry Office Edwards pushed a pointed finger in Bobby's face. "Wha-... what do we do? How do we get it open?" No one looks her way or bats an eye at her mumbled questions amongst all the chaos and for a split second she double guesses herself as to if she'd actually said anything at all. Her thumb and pointer finger slip through her lips and a high pitched whistle rings out, stopping the reactor room in it's tracks. "Now that I got everyone's attention, fill me in on the plan. Where do we start? What do we need to do?"

A blanket of stillness covered the room, only interrupted by Calvin wiping the sweat from his brow as all eyes turn over to their leader to guide them. Off to the side near Officer Edwards stood Gwen with a pained look on her face as she struggled to get Bobby to look her in the eye. Not much was said and their voices were low, but while Piper wasn't necessarily the best at reading lips she could at least recognize the name ' Nora ' leaving the Overseer's lips and Bobby shaking his head yes. The red-head's hard stare stays on the young man a long time before turning away in defeat. "...Calvin." With a subtle jerk of her chin upwards she raises her head to the mechanic, motioning him to come to her. When he reaches her side the pair of them turn to face the mess behind them...Gwen makes a general gesture to the destroyed door and then towards the fresh crack that had formed along the wall. Calvin again adjusts his hard hat a little further back on his head as he shakes his head no, pointing towards the crack as though it was longer and wider than it really was.

Piper takes a step forward, her voice raised. "Hello? Anybody? Am I invisible now?" Gwen, still seemingly ignoring her, briefly crosses her arms as she gives a tired nod to Calvin with a whispered ' I understand ' before drawing in a heavy sigh and finally facing the journalist who'd been waiting on her. "Well? How're we gettin' through? More dynamite?"

Much like Nora's had earlier that evening, Gwen's hazel gaze drifts off into the distance. ".......it can't be done..." It's no more than a raspy whisper as she steps in closer towards the younger woman as though they were old friends.

Piper's own hazel-green eyes nervously glance away with a scoff on her lips. "Wait, what?" The words don't make sense, let alone the tone... that didn't sound like the hardened Overseer everyone knew. 

"I've asked Calvin and a few others to investigate, but that's a supporting wall." She turns back momentarily, pointing at the painful crack running practically the full length of the concrete. "We have to start construction immediately. It needs to be braced before it has a chance to give way. If this room collapses, it'll take the reactor as well as the entire Vault with it." When Gwen clears her throat her gaze falls far beyond the woman who stood waiting on a reply. She, too, was still trying to process the information for herself. "...Nora told him to do this."

"That's bullshit! She wouldn't and you know that! Never in a million years would she put any of you in harms way!"

"That's not what I meant." The Overseer refocuses, locking in on the woman in front of her. "Bobby is adamant that before she went in she told him to block the door from opening again. He said she was worried the molerats would find their way out, causing whatever disease that's inflicting Austin to spread and she was worried I'd send someone after her." She takes a pause, forcing herself to swallow. "......Specifically, you."

It's like punch to the gut, sucking the breath straight from Piper's lungs as the pain makes itself as plain as day across her face. Denied tears sitting in the corners of her eyes. "Get that door open. Now."

A slow inhale is pulled through Gwen's nose at the whispered demand. All she can manage is soft shake of her head before her words can make it through her tight throat. "We can't."

Piper just stares at her, anger and confusion relentlessly stabbing away at her heart. This wasn't happening. There's no way in hell she's about to let some pit beneath a Vault claim the most magnificent human she'd ever met. Without thinking of the consequences, her emotions take over and she pushes passed the Overseer and grabs a rusty pickaxe laying in the dirt. Though full of rage and adrenaline, the real weight of the tool catches her off guard and she finds she's unable to lift it on the first go. Instead she has to result in dragging the thing all while begging anybody to help her, but no one moves. "Blue is-...is tryin' to save one of your own and none of you are gonna help me?!" She can feel the tears building, clouding her vision as she choked on the words in the back of her throat. "...you-...you all should be ashamed of yourselves!" In a clumsy semi-fluid motion, she does her best to finally lift the solid metal pick from off the ground before ramming it into the cracked wall; sending more bits of concrete and debris crumbling down to the dirt. She tries to go for another swing but she loses the pickaxe to gravity, a hindrance that most likely saved her life.

Officer Scott Edwards hand grips the gun holstered to his hip. "Leave it there, Wastlander!" But Piper doesn't listen. Her hold only tightens around the solid wooden handle as she tries to lift it again. Scott grits his teeth and draws his 10mm pistol. As he pulls back the hammer he trains his sights on the centre of Piper's forehead. "I'm not gonna tell you again!"

With a commanding voice, McNamara puts her hand out and calls out to the guard without taking her eyes off the woman in front of her. "At ease, Edwards!"

"But Overseer! She's going to take the wall down... she's going to get us all killed!"

A few tears escape down the Journalist's cheek as she draws her own weapon, the .44 magnum once belonging to Kellogg that had been sitting just beneath her red leather coat. Blue knew just what sort of damage it could deal, nearly double what her Deliverer could produce but she was still insistent Piper be the one to wield it instead of her. "I'm not leaving her down there!" The firearm is pointed out in front of her, but not at Edwards... rather, it's aimed at Vault 81's Overseer along with her gaze. Human instinct forces Gwen to take a step back, unsure if this would be the end of the line for her too because if this woman decided to go off the rails there would be safe place for her. "....open it..." Piper grits out as her final plea. "....please."

Disobeying orders, Edwards takes one step forward with a quivering breath... adjusts his aim... and squeezes the trigger....

-------------------------

She hits send on her last and final message before signing off of the terminal. As she pulls herself to her feet, her hand maintains a death grip on the desk to keep herself upright until she can work up enough enough courage to let go and head for the door. Back out in the atrium there's only one place for her to go.... up. Yet another set of stairs are before her, taunting her aching body. She can only hope she doesn't die before overcoming what she's praying is the last set because if there was another after this, she'd surly just lay down and wait for the end.

But once she reaches the top, she'd confused. There didn't seem to be an exit, the upper space only looped around. This couldn't be it, she couldn't have just reached a dead end.... could she? These Vault-Tec constructors were insane but something was missing. Mainly the lab where these supposed disease experiments were being conducted. Nora had poked her head in nearly every door that she could get open but at no time had she found a lab or anything that looked like it had been one. Again she searches the upstairs atrium, closely examining each room in case she missed something...which she had. One of the doors were locked. 

Nora feels around on the door to see if there was a lock she could pick or maybe a gap in it's mechanics where she could jimmy it open but there was no such luck on either. Yet as she turns around she spots a terminal hanging off the wall just her left.

Bingo.

The screen beeps to life, asking for a password as a list of nonsense sits in front of her. She'd cracked these sort of codes before but now was no time to spend the next twenty minutes trying to figure it when she's pretty sure the key is sitting in her pocket. With fingers crossed, she shoves the holotape into the terminal and it immediately accepts it with a blink of the screen.

The doors slide open with a hiss and the bright light of untouched electricity comes shining through into the dim walkway where she stood. Nora slowly moves through the threshold with an unsteady gait and her head drops when she sees the single enclosed staircase. "...fucking hell..." She mumbles to herself as grabs the railing on the wall, preparing to pull herself up the rest of the way.

"One more, Nora."

Her head slowly lifts at the sound of the voice and for the first time in a long time, she's afraid of what she's met with. "......no..." Her right hand white knuckles around the railing, unable to believe what she's seeing. At top of of the stairs is her husband; the same one that was stone cold dead in another Vault over fifteen miles away. She shoves her face into her forearm with a shake of her head. She knew she was dying, but Death would have to wait a little longer for her. "...oh, god... get it together, Nora.. you can't go losing it just yet." Biting her lip, she lifts her head with the hope that whatever this apparition was had left but there he still stands at the top of the stairs with his hand stretched towards her.

"Come on. Just one more." He repeats again, urging her to come towards him.

She scoffs at the pain twisting within her heart as she dares to make conversation with the ghost. "...one more as in this is the last? ...or do you mean there's one more staircase after this?.."

His hand drops to his side as he chuckles. "I meant this is the last one."

She stands there with horror written straight across her face. This.. thing.. had answered her as if it really was the dead man himself. "No. No! I'm not crazy, I refuse to go crazy this late in the game! You're-... you're just the radiation sickness talking... you can't be real... you're not real."

"Not real?" He turns and faces her fully, his hands finding their way to either side of his hips. "Of course I'm not real, honey. I'm dead."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Nora slams her eyes shut with a shuttered breath. Her knees are trembling, threatening to give out from under her. She shakes her head forcefully as if trying to make him or even herself disappear, but when she looks again, he's still there. "Don't do this to me, Nathan. Not now... I-..I can't-... I'm not ready to go..."

"I'm not here to take you, baby. Not yet, anyway." She watches as he takes a step down towards her, that old familiar smile draining from his lips. "I'm here to help, but you don't have a lot of time." He moves another two steps down and again extends his hand to her with a pleading look on his face. "Now take my hand. You have one more to go."

Nora hesitates as she eyes his hand, wondering if she'll drop dead the moment she does. Their eyes lock and for a split second she's wisped back to the time time she'd seen them staring back at her through the Cryopod. Hot tears are building in the corners of her eyes and she does nothing to stop them. "....Shaun's dead..." The words feel like glass in her throat as this was the first time she'd allowed herself to say them aloud. His lips press together to form a thin line as he gives her an understanding nod. She wants to grab his hand; wants to fall into his arms and smells his cologne and feel his scruffy cheek on hers just like she used to. "...I-... I couldn't save our son... I couldn't save you.... and now there's a boy upstairs dying who I won't be able to save either..." Her eyes squeeze shut, sending tears sprinting down her face as she shakes her head in disappointment. "...can't even save myself..."

"Nora, you saved Preston." Her dead husband takes another step down towards her, his fingertips just two inches away. "Took on a Deathclaw for him and the others. And what about Billy finding his parents? Cait with her drug addiction? Farmer Finch and his son? That was all you, honey." His hands reaches for her, practically begging her to take hold of him. "You even overpaid to take a mangey dog off a guy just to give it a good home. And that's just naming a few. " His lips curl into that signature smirk, the one she hadn't seen in over two hundred years and it's like a knife through her chest.

"I couldn’t pass her up, you know? She reminded me of Daisy." She scoffs as she finally wipes her face semi-free from tears, a short laugh erupting from her lips but it quickly turns to a sharp sob. "...I miss you, Nate..." And just like that she grabs his hand, taking one step forward.

-------------------------

The weight of her Guardian hanging off her shoulder was something she was unaccustomed to. With one deep breath, Gwen's foot leaves the last bit of metal grating before settling into the solid dirt. This single step meant she was now the furthest she'd ever been outside of Vault 81. It's a bit of a steep climb, but she manages with the help of her bright green light shining from her PipBoy, another feature she rarely used except for as dim nightlight. Her heart rate picks up as she heads further into the darkness, her fingers following the earth wall as it bends around. She was trusting in nothing but darkness and silence.

Suddenly there's a flash of a sweeping light before it dims... a few seconds later it happens again but the light passes back the way it had come before repeating the same pattern over and over. The Overseer's shoulders relax as she realizes what she'd seen was one of the surviving security flood lights still at performing it's duty. She takes another pause, bracing herself for the unknown and as she clears the corner, she's met with a soft breeze against her cheek... it's almost like the little metal fan on her desk but it feels cooler and.... impossibly fresh.... her PipBoy makes a soft crackling noise with the detection of radiation in the air but it stops as soon as the wind dies down.

'.......so this is the Wasteland...'  she thinks as her lips slowly part in awe at the view.

Though she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to find up here, it certainly wasn't any of this. The dirt beneath her feet angled down slightly, leading to a rusty Vault Control Box that had an old Corvega Blitz crashed into it. She recognized the vehicle from one of the ancient magazines she'd flipped through countless times. But it was so strange to see the thing now in real life, it's red paint flaking off the body with the windows and doors missing... yet there it was like a vision from an old dream. That's when she noticed the Vault-Tec van that was frozen to the left of it. It's pale blue with yellow lettering just barely visible as the flood light passed over it. Her gaze follows the dirt road as it extended further down showing her all that remained of what old maps called the Fenway district and Chestnut-Hillock Reservoir. Gwen can't help but imagine how the scene of that fateful day must have played out... the citizens of old Boston arriving in droves with minutes left on the clock, knowing not everyone was going to make it in.

Still her feet carried her on, heading down the worn dirt path towards the rusted Vault Control Box. There was a lantern's dim flickering light coming from it as well as what sounded like the familiar host of Diamond City Radio. " '..."Uh...here's a real classic from good old Nat King Cole... 'Orange Colored Sky'.. it's... it's a good one!' " The words had her now thinking.. orange coloured sky?...was there truly such a thing as well? Her eyes lift to the great beyond, the stars and bright moon hanging over her was an overwhelming sight. A rare smile enters her lips as she recalls the pictures from the old science books, but these stars shining down were far more magnificent than she could have imagined. Her eyes follow down, bouncing across the faded skyline of what remained of the great city of Boston... but the outline didn't match the history books though, not anymore.

The area surrounding the Control Box was scattered with one-to-two person sized shacks. Amongst them was a makeshift stove that consisted of a pot hanging from some chains and pole over a fire pit. Gwen could only assume this is where travelers and tradesmen took refuge when they couldn't access Vault 81 and it causes a sting to her heart. On one hand, it was another vote towards her keeping their doors open to the public but then again it was also a sign for her to close up shop. Aside from their usual traders that came by, not many lonesome wanders could be trusted as they never knew who was truly aligned with Raiders or Gunners.... and now God only knows what move The Institute was going to make next.

Getting a grip on herself and gun she allows her boots to gently thud up the metal ramp towards the noise of the broadcast, finding the injured Journalist crumpled in the far corner next to a control switch while sitting atop a mattress that had seen far better days. "Hey..." Piper's head shot up, slightly startled by the sudden voice before her. Trails from tears marked her cheeks through the thin film of dirt and debris that covered her face. "....how's the wound?" She watches as the younger woman turns her head away with nothing so much as a shrug from the shoulder that hadn't had a bullet go through it. "Here, figured you might need this." The Overseer squats with her back sliding down against a busted control panel as she tosses a stimpack at Piper's feet but the girl makes no motion to retrieve it. Reaching for the borrowed holster on her hip, Gwen also retrieves Piper's magnum but this time she reaches over and places it down gently rather than carelessly tossing it. "Thought you'd like to have that back, too." Yet it also goes untouched. "No hard feelings against Officer Edwards. He did what he thought was best.... and given the alternate route things could have taken, I'm inclined to agree with him." But still she gets no reply.

A sudden rush of wind through the trees rattles their branches, a sound Gwen had never heard before in her life. She bolts upright with her shotgun facing the entry way locked and loaded, ready to defend herself as well as present company.  

For half a second, Piper goes on the alert and reaches for the returned firearm at her boot but then it hits her. This woman beside her had never been outside before, yet she'd made the dangerous decision to follow after her just to make sure she was alright. "....it's okay, it's nothing but the trees. They make that noise when they move."

The red head quickly looks back at the woman behind her with wide eyes. She understood what trees were even if she'd only ever seen them in books, but as far as she knew they were supposed to be stationary. "They move?!"

Piper snorts as a weak smirk crosses her face. With a sniffle, the back of her hand wipes her nose. "They don't move move, they're not alive... that's just the sound their branches make with the wind is strong enough. Sometimes they creak too." 

Gwen slowly lowers the barrel, choosing to believe the woman was right and a giant Oak wasn't about to step on them. This moment is what solidifies what she already knew... that there was no way she could ever follow Nora's footsteps. The things the woman had accomplished after thawing out was staggering. The Minutemen had been brought back from the brink of ruin, she'd saved the Brotherhood of Steel from their own greed, there had even been rumors of a system called the Railroad being utilized... and the biggest of them all, The Institute had been reduced to rubble... or at least a part of it had. And all by one woman looking for her son... which was something else Gwen had been told she'd succeeded in.

She slides back down, reluctant to sit on the filthy mattress but eager to level with the woman who'd had her a gunpoint half an hour ago. "What's it really like out there? Out on the road. Travelling."

Piper's eyes narrowed, confused as to why the Overseer was deciding to suddenly care in this moment. "If you read my paper, you'd know."

"I never said I didn't read it, Ms. Wright, but your paper doesn't cover what I'm asking." Gwen's hands settle atop her knees as she turns her attention back towards rattle of the trees, watching cautiously as dead leaves drift in on some swirling gust. With her back ramrod straight you'd have to be blind to not see she was on edge.

The younger of the two heaves a heavy sigh as she repositions herself. The bloody hand that had been holding her fresh wound now leaves it to remove the faded red cap from her head as she runs her fingers through her dirty hair. A hot shower would indeed be glorious right about now. "It's deadly hot in the summer, bitter cold in the winter, and just about every moving thing in the Commonwealth will try to kill 'ya."

"I could have told you that much."

Piper can't hold back the viper reaction that was waiting at the gate of her teeth, striking at the first chance she gets. "What are you really asking then? Huh?"

The Overseer snaps her attention back, ready to verbally retaliate but then stops... her mouth closing once again as she looked away. Without a word, her right hand raises to the back of her head and releases the tight hold her hair was wrapped in. Following the same motion, her fingers run through her hair and the tension headache she'd been having all day finally begins to lessen. A heavy sigh leaves her as her head rests back against the old machinery behind her. "Are orange coloured skies real?"

"..........what?"

"Like the song." Gwen gestures up at the radio sitting on a shelf above their heads with just a tilted lift of her chin. "Are they real?"

With a blank stare, Piper just look at her as the music plays on. It wasn't a rhetorical question. "Yeah, they're real. Sunsets are particularly orange... as are radiation storms." 

"Radiation storms?"

"Mmm... everything get's cloudy, almost smokey, and the sky turns orange. The air stings, burning with every breath like.... like you're standing too close to a fire... and if it's raining? ...good luck."

"Why? What happens when it rains?"

Piper grabs one of the bottom corners of her faded red leather jacket and holds it up, showing the holes that almost looked like tiny buckshot. "This. Eats through everything except metal and concrete." And there it was; the tension had been broken. Silence blankets over both of them as another breeze slides it's way through the shelter, Gwen's PipBoy crackles as a reminder of the ever constant radiation. Once again, the trees overhead sway and rattle but give no threat like she'd promised... and upon feeling the weight of defeat, Piper scoops up the stimpack and jams it into her bicep with a hiss. She hated the sting but it didn't take long for it to pay off. Her wound stops seeping almost immediately as the muscles work together to reattach themselves. "....thanks." The redhead gives her a single knowing-nod without looking at her. "..I-... I wasn't really going to shoot you, y'know?"

"Are you sure about that?" Gwen scoffs once to herself as she feels her shoulders relax, daring to cast a quick glance to make eye-contact. "Edwards seemed pretty convinced. As was I, for a moment."

"I just-...I'm sorry, I feel like I'm losing my mind." How was she suppose to go home? "I don't know what I'm suppose to do now." How was she suppose to walk back through the gates of Diamond City without Nora? "What do I tell the Minutemen? She's their General... and the Brotherhood aren't gonna accept this either. You don't know them like I do, Gwen. They'll come looking for her body and they'll take your front door down if they have to!" How was she suppose to accomplish anything without that woman? "....what am I suppose to tell her son?"

The desperate question lingers until it can't anymore and finally the Overseer looks her in the eye. "You tell him she's coming home. You tell that to anyone and everyone." Piper looks at her as if she suddenly had two extra heads on her shoulder; like the words she'd spoken were in a completely different language. But just before the young woman can protest, she gives some support to her argument. "If there's a way, she'll find it. You know she will. After all, this is your 'Blue' we're talking about right? When was the last time she disappointed you?"

She had a point. From the day Piper had met the Vault Dweller, nothing had ever been the same. She'd seen lives changed, communities built from nothing, kindness and generosities coming up from the woodwork and it was all because of Nora. Not one day had passed that the Journalist could mark as a disappointment. Not even close. "....never...."

"Exactly." Gwen whole heartily believed that Nora would find a way. This current setback was nothing more than a small obstacle compared to everything else the woman had overcome... it just had to be. There was just too much the woman had left to do, this couldn't be the end. With eyes averted, she clears her throat as she tucks a shiny auburn strand back behind an ear. "Listen to me, we have to brace the wall first. Nothing can be done if that doesn't take priority, do you understand?" She takes a quick look at Piper to make sure she was following along. "After that, and if Calvin deems it safe, I'll see what we can do about opening the door but I can't make any promises. That's all I can offer." 

Piper flings herself forward, her sticky bloody hand grabbing the woman's closest arm. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet."

The Overseer gives a brief forced smile but there's something else that's there. It's a certain type of sadness or possibly even a touch of regret and it puzzles the reporter. Here in the silence, Piper can easily see how anyone would fall for this woman. She was smart, had a iron will, was brutally honest and not to mention a rather good looking woman with curves in all the right place. The complete, full package anyone could desire... an it gave the reporter pause. She wasn't deaf, dumb or blind - and she knew Nora wasn't either - so why didn't Blue come back here? Why did she have to swing by Publik Occurrences and give her that stupid interview? Why did Blue have to ask her to travel with her? ...why did she have to kiss her that rainy night at the Red Rocket? ...none of it made sense when she could have had this woman who'd clearly been waiting for her to come back.

Her worn and semi-callused hands slide away from the blue Vault 81 jumpsuit when Piper finally puts the pieces together and recognizes the pained look. "You're in love with her." She could have sworn she'd only thought the words, but when the woman in front of her flinches she realizes she'd said them aloud.

"Who isn't, Ms. Wright?"

With a swift but gentle hand, she grabs the woman's wrist. "Gwen."

With a long deep sigh, the Overseer slides her arm away and ties her hair back to the way it was: tightly wound and flawless in every way. There appears to be an argument she's having with herself, it's proof sitting there on her face by the way her brow creases. "Regrettably so." The two words are nothing but murmurs under her breath as she pulls herself to her feet, her Guardian clanking against the metal wall as her PipBoy crackles in the breeze. "I think I've had enough radiation in one night to last me the rest of my life. Time to go back." She holds a hand out offering help to Piper if she wanted it but the younger woman doesn't move. "Nora wouldn't want me to leave you out here alone." 

But before Piper can say anything or take the hand offered to her, the sound of yelling interrupts the them. 

"Overseer! Overseer McNamara?! Are you out there?! Can you hear me?!" It was young Neil with a shaky flashlight and even shaker pistol as he stood just at the mouth of the cave. His eyes darted around like crazy as this too was his first time breathing the outside air, confused as to which way to direct himself.

Gwen shakes her head; even out here in the Wasteland she couldn't have a single minute to herself. "I'm h-.." Neil's firearm goes off in her direction, his nerves taking over in the darkness by sheer accident. The deafening clap of the bullet echoes out across the reservoir as it strikes against the metal of one of the nearby shacks. As a far too late reaction, the Overseer ducks where she stands before reaching down to grab her shotgun hanging off her shoulder. "Put down the gun, Officer Freund, or I'll put you down myself!" She calls out from the safety of the metal box.

Just great. In under an hour, she'd been part of not only one stand-off, but two. This was going to be one hell of report to write out.

"Ove-... Overseer McNamara?! Come quick! You're gonna want to see this!" Completely ignoring her command... or maybe he hadn't heard it over the rush of adrenaline in his ears... he waves her to follow him with the use of his flashlight before he ducks back into the dark hole behind him. 

The redhead's shoulders relax as Piper now stands beside her, gun in hand and ready to go. Turning to the Journalist she raises a curious eyebrow. "....ever read 'Mutiny On The Bounty' ?"

Piper chuckles as she slides her magnum back to it's holster on her hip. "Don't worry, I don't think you'll ever succumb to that fate."

"Some days I'm not so sure." Gwen gives a half-cocked smirk before lowering her own weapon just a bit and stepping out of the shelter. Her eyes go up, examining the trees hanging over their heads. Sure enough, the things hadn't moved; their branches swaying against one another. Maybe, in another life, she'd have left the Vault. If she hadn't been thrown into the role of Overseer, or if she didn't have the enormous chip of pride on her shoulder then maybe. Just maybe.

With Travis left behind on the crackling radio, the two make their way back to the mouth of the cave only to hear raised voices coming from below. Shouting and commanding, each fighting over the next to be heard when the name of ‘ Nora ‘ grabs the women's attention. Gwen doesn't dare look back at her companion but her steps quicken. The sound of packed dirt is exchanged for the metal grating as they crossed back through the Vault's circle opening.

Piper has to do a double take when she sees a robot hovering behind a few guards gathered together. The thing looks like Codsworth but something is different and she unable to concentrate long enough to figure out what it is. As she and Gwen cross the walkway, the Overseer stops dead in her tracks and Piper barely avoids colliding into her. The pair of them are forced to watch three security guards rush passed with Nora's broken body slumped between them. The blood soaked vault suit captures their full attention as there was barely a speck of blue left visible on the fabric. Piper's legs won't move... unwilling to let her follow the horror that has paraded in front of her. It's not until Overseer McNamara grabs her arm to tug her along that she snaps out of it; the two of them following the trail of smeared blood on the floor and elevator walls.

Chapter Text

A shaky unlit-cigarette wobbles back and forth between Piper's fingers as she watches through the MedBay glass window from the hall. It had been barely half an hour since Nora had been pulled from the floor of the forgotten elevator, but so far, the reporter hadn't made it more than a foot from where she stood. And it seemed neither had Vault 81's Overseer as the woman stood just inches beside her, the pair of them glued to the glass. "...is she gonna be okay?" Piper hears herself ask.

"I'm not a physician, Ms. Wright... my guess is as good as yours."

Piper turns towards her, ready for anger but the glassy look in Gwen's eyes tells her the woman was wishing she was a doctor. Then she'd be on the other side of the glass... her hands on Nora, perhaps willing the woman to come back to them. But there in the hall is where they stood, waiting to hear the verdict from Dr. Forsythe. 

-------------------------

Warm sunlight kissed her cheek as she snuggled deeper into her lush bed. A fistful of soft duvet is pressed into her face as she breaths deep the scent of their detergent. Familiar movement beside her nearly lulls her back to sleep, as does the touch to her arm, but there's something tugging at her. Something urgent scratching in the back of her mind, telling her she needed to open her eyes. And when she finally does, she's met with a familiar sight. "...morning, hon."

Nate.

A strong yet gentle arm wraps around her waist beneath the covers as he presses soft kisses into her neck. For just a breath of a second, she can feel herself tense up, hinting that something was wrong but it's quickly forgotten with the ding of the toaster from the kitchen.

They were home.

Her family was safe.

It had only been a dream.

Still, there's something that seems off, but she just couldn't put her finger on what exactly. Besides, this morning was starting off as most of their mornings often had... simply perfect. With sleepy eyes closing for another moment, she lets her hands find their way around her husband's sculpted body. "....careful or we'll find ourselves with another baby by the Fourth of July."

"Mmmm... I think I could live with that." He chuckles as he breathes one last kiss just below her left ear, ignoring her playful slap against his arm before pulling away. "I also think I smell Codsworth making coffee." Her husband grins then gives her a quick but proper kiss on the lips before rolling away to his side of the bed. "Come on, time to start another day in Paradise." Nora rolls over to watch as he slips out of his pajama pants and into some khaki slacks and plain white shirt. With a quick comb of his fingers through his hair, he leans back over across the mattress to entice her with another smooch. "Come on, babe... or I'll send the robot in after you."

She smiles into the kiss, unable to stop her giggle. "You're all bark and no bite, Corporal."

With a chuckle of his own, Nathan playfully pops her on her hip as he heads out of the bedroom. "We'll see about that come next July!" The bedroom door is left open as he rounds the corner of the bathroom; the faucet turning with a squeak as he waits for the hot water.

Nora stretches that good stretch, arms raised above her head and toes pointed out before she heaves a wide yawn. '...No more NukaCola Dark paired with the news before bed...' ...she thinks as she finally sits up on her side of the bed. How crazy her nightmare had been. Nuclear destruction? Irradiated and mutated animals? Robots that looked like people? ...it was amazing what the mind could conjure up when fearmongering and caffeinated booze were the last thing someone went to sleep on.

As she stands, she feels an unusual tiredness. Sure, she'd slept fine... actually, she'd slept through the night for the first time since Shaun had been born and was chalking that up to either her doting husband or maybe their new robot butler, but it wasn't the sleepiness she was feeling. Her body felt physically tired as if she'd finished a one-hundred-mile marathon the day before. Then again, she supposed having a baby was new territory. Everyone kept telling them just how tiring the first few months to a year would be and boy they weren't kidding. 

But when she attempts to pull her silk yellow nightgown over her head, she winces with a hiss... feeling a painfully sharp stab to her left shoulder as she did so. Her right hand grabs the joint as she sinks back down to the bed, shaking her head at herself. She'd cleared her twenty-seventh birthday and had just had a baby; couldn't her body wait until her thirties to fall apart? Nate would be thirty-one in January, and he was as fit and healthy as they came, so why the hell was her body falling apart? She lifts her arm again, this time slowly. The pain is still there and just as sharp as ever but yet she persists, telling herself she must have just slept wrong on it and by tomorrow it'd be gone.

" ..........lue..... "

"Y-..yeah?" She calls out in a huff just as she manages to get her nightgown off and over her head. "..-you call me, babe?"

The water in the bathroom stops abruptly as the foamy toothbrush shoved in the back of Nate's cheek comes to a halt. "...Whhaddya sthay?"

"Nothing! Nevermind!" Nora calls out as she's finally back up on her feet, searching through her clothes in the dresser as she stands in nothing but her bralette and underwear. She thought for sure he'd said something... after all, there wasn't anybody else in the house.

-------------------------

Gwen dropped heavily into her office chair, desperate to wipe her mind free of everything that was transpiring beneath her feet. If Nora died on her watch, Piper would be proven right... the entire Commonwealth would be at her front door in a matter of days, demanding answers.

.... and would this Brotherhood really take the door off the hinges just to retrieve a corpse?

Her hands come up, covering her face as she heaves an exhausted sigh that was keeping the tears at bay. This was not at all on her bingo card for this week. Thoughts of strong coffee swirl around her head when the terminal beside her *beeps*. She ignores it for two more rhythmic *beeps* before deciding that just because a hole the size of a train had a been blown into one of their walls it didn't mean she could slack off on all her other duties.

As her head lifts, her eyes narrow at the new messages from a Linkname she didn't recognize.

Collins.

Collins?

K?...

Katy?...that wasn't Katy's last name, it was Pinn.

Not to mention there wasn't a single 'Collins' in the Vault to begin with.

With an arched eyebrow, she tabs down to the new notification and hits enter... her eyes widening in horror at the first line calling her by name.

<K.Collins> Gwen, it's Nora. Answer. 
<K.Collins> If this is getting through, please answer me!
<K.Collins> Somebody! Anybody! Please respond!
<K.Collins> I don't know who this Collins person was but there's nobody down here except me and the rats.
<K.Collins> Sorry, I meant 'molerats'. Whatever.
<K.Collins> I hope you get this sooner rather than later. I don't know what exactly has happened on your end of that explosion, but don't reopen the door if it's sealed. I don't know how many molerats are officially down here and I've already lost count as to how many I've killed, but one of the big glowing ones got me and I think I have the same thing as Austin. We can't have it spread.
<K.Collins> At this rate I'll probably already be dead before you can get down here anyway. 
<K.Collins> I get it. You're pissed with me. Don't worry, I'm pissed with myself too.
<K.Collins> Look, I know things are still raw between us. It's part of the reason why I came to the Vault tonight. And I know there's still so much that I've left unsaid, and I don't think this terminal has enough memory space for me to make it happen now. Just know that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. If I could get another shot at us starting all over again, I would.
<K.Collins> I wish I had died when the bombs dropped. I really do because sometimes this new world is too much for me. Nathan should have been here, not me.
<K.Collins> It's becoming difficult to hold myself upright without the use of the wall or something for support.
<K.Collins> I'm getting tired. My head is pounding and I'm afraid that if I let myself sleep then I won't wake up.
<K.Collins> It's almost been half an hour and I don't know how much time I have left but I can't sit here any longer. I need to keep going, I have to keep looking. There must be something down here to help Austin and maybe even myself. But if I can't pull this off or if Austin is already gone then please tell Doctor Penske I'm sorry. 
<K.Collins> I have to go now, Gwendolyn. I'm really hoping we see each other again in the next life. In fact, I'm counting on it. 
<K.Collins> Until then, Godspeed. -Nora
 

Gwen's hand trembled over the keyboard, unable to rip her eyes away from the screen as she read line after line. Oh god, why hadn't she been at her desk?! Why hadn't she been there doing her damn job?! No, instead she'd taken it upon herself to wandered out of the only place she'd ever called Home to check on the lover of the woman she was in love with... and all that time she should have been here.

Her eyes ran across the messages, letting the words stab and wound her over and over while knowing they could very well be Nora's last. Sick with guilt and fear, she plunges her face into both palms of her hands and cries like she's never cried before.

-------------------------

Making her way down the hall, Nora could hear the toaster *ding* for a second time with the low rumble of their robot butler's engine. "Morning, Codsworth."

"Morning, Mum." The robot chipped back with a quaint English accent. "Your coffee, as you like it..." The mechanical arm swirled around, extending the mug out towards her. "...and the paper has just been delivered, albeit seven minutes late." 

"Thank you." She takes a sip from her cup and it warms her through and through. And though their new butler had only been living with them for the last four months, they couldn't imagine life without him.... or it. She wasn't quite sure which was the right term. Behind her, the news reporter on the television rattled off the local forecast for the upcoming week. For as close as they were to Halloween, the weather was surprisingly fair. A little chilly in the evenings but damn near perfect during the day. Which reminded her that she needed to go pick up a few more things before she and Nate found themselves candy-less for the big night. Setting her coffee back on the counter she calls over her shoulder. "Hey, Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to make a run to Concord, pick up a few things we need before next week. Need anything while I'm out?"

Towel drying his hair, he steps out into the hall. "I made a short list of things on the fridge but forgot to add shaving cream."

"You got it."

"Thanks, honey." He says as he stepped back into the bathroom. 

Sure enough, stuck to the front door of their fridge was a scribbled note her husband had made. 

....bread... cranberry juice... cake (2 boxes)... bleach... dish soap... with an addendum of ...get more Sugar Bombs and Nuka Cola...

"I'm not getting two boxes of Lad Cakes and Sugar Bombs, Nate. Your teeth are gonna rot out of your head!"  All she got in return was a soft muffled chuckle as she scratched out the sweets and supplemented them with Dandy Boys and Blamco, but she'd still get the Nuka Cola at least. Call it an addiction but as soon as she heard that top *pop* with a *fizz* her mouth would start watering for that ice cold soda. 

-------------------------

For the last four hours, Piper had sat like a statue in the chair beside Nora's bed in the MedBay. Her knees pulled up to her chest, biting the fingernails of one hand as the other nervously scratched at a patched seam on her pants. Blue had once threatened to put some Wonderglue on her nails to help her stop the habit, claiming that's how people got sick. Oh god almighty, aside from offering up her little sister's life as collateral, there was nothing Piper wouldn't give to hear Nora fuss at her again. But it was touch and go and Doctor Forsythe wasn't sure if their friend from the Wasteland would live to see the morning, but against all odds she was still breathing for the time being.

The serum given to them by the new French robot, was one of its kind and had been administered to Austin at Nora's request. In the rush of madness, the Sole-Survivor had found consciousness for barely longer than a minute. Forsythe asked her own name, which she knew.... but then she told him to make sure Shaun got the serum. He repeated the foreign name back which caused her to make a pained face before slipping back into oblivion where she'd been since. 

Straightening out her posture, her feet slide from the chair. Piper leans over and grabs Nora's right hand between both of her own before pressing her forehead into the woman's knuckles. "I need you to wake up, Blue." She whispered under her breath, squeezing the hand she held. She'd see how bad Austin had become, hoping that he'd keep holding on until something more could be done... and now she was doing the same for Nora, but there wasn't anyone running around in molerat infested collapsed vaults for her.

The pneumatic door to the MedBay opened with a *hiss* but she didn’t even bother to look up. "....how is she?"

"She's breathin' and that's about it." Piper turns her head far enough to spot the boots of Gwen McNamara standing beside her, but the woman hadn't come alone. There was another security guard with her who had stayed put at the doorway. The reporter winces with an internal groan as she finally lifts her head, feeling like she knew why they were there. "...are you throwing me out?"

"Hardly. I'm not about to give you any material to slander Vault 81's name in your next article." A soft and nearly hidden smirk tries to sneak its way into the corner of Gwen's lips but she manages to fight it off with scoff, yet Piper sees it as plain as day. "No, in fact I'm here for quite the opposite. Seeing as you may be staying with us for some time, I've had a room cleared for you. Officer Jones here will take you to it so you can put your things away... and I'm sure you'd like a shower and hot meal."

Like she'd been struck in the face, Piper's head drops with a nod to hide the fact that she was on the verge of grateful tears. There was Nora's kindness and goodwill paying off yet again. "...thank you." She manages with the strongest voice she could muster. She starts to move from the chair but stops and looks back at her lover.

Sensing the hesitancy, Gwen steps up beside the infirmary bed. "I'll sit with her until you get back."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite."

The reporter's heart is torn. She didn’t want to leave Nora's side but then again, she knew she was leaving her in good hands. Heaven forbid something were to happen while she was away, but Gwen would take care of her if so... whatever Nora needed, it'd be given to her... and before Piper has time to think things through, the Overseer slips into the chair she'd been occupying. With a deep breath, Piper places her gaze back on Nora's face as a deep crease furrows her brow. "I won't be long. Promise. Two-ticks and I'll be back."

"Take your time. I have no plans to be anywhere but right here."

The younger woman shifts again to move, slowly gathering up both rucksacks that sat beside the chair and quietly leaving the Overseer to take watch. But when the Med-Bay doors close behind Piper, all the oxygen in the room goes with her. The silence is louder than Gwen had expected as the buffer between she and her beloved was now gone. Her hips shift as she slides forward in the chair towards the bed, her eyes trailing down Nora's body. Without all the leather armour, the woman looked thinner than she did from the last time they were together... now she appeared sickly and almost gaunt. Skin and bones.

Gwen wasn't daft. She knew life above ground was hard long before she'd stepped foot outside but the truth of it all had shown itself to her after seeing those little shacks at the mouth of Vault 81. Was that what the settlements were? Just little shacks strung along, the people fighting to stay alive for one more day? Even more… was that how Nora had been living? Based on how she looked, Gwen had to assume so.

The red-head’s bottom lip slipped between teeth as she held her breath without meaning to. If Nora would let her, she’d save her from that life. If Nora would just stay, Gwen could make sure she was safe and never lacking anything she needed. A roof over her head, a warm bed to sleep in, non-radiated food to keep her fed... she’d give her anything and everything if only she’d stay. But that's why Nora had left... it was why they had fought the last time they'd been together.

"Austin's recovering. Walked out on his own two feet." She scoffs with a bit of a smirk. "I don't know what you found down there but you did it. You saved him.. and as you might have guessed, Dr. Penske has put him on bedrest until... well until whenever she decides he's well enough to leave his room." She pauses as if Nora had been the one who had asked about the boy in the first place and would soon follow it with another question but there's nothing but more silence. "I'm not pissed with you." She whispers as though they weren't the only two in the room. "Well, I was for a while but... not anymore."

Gwen's right-hand inches its way over until her fingers can lace their way through Nora's own. Oh, how she longed to feel the touch of this woman again. In her mind, she can see the last time they held one another. The last time she heard that voice call her name in the dark. She could damn well near taste her still. If only she had known that would be the last time of its kind. ".....you were right." It wasn't everyday Gwen could bring herself to admitting when she was wrong, and she suspected that if Nora was conscious then the words would have never been said. "You were right, I don't understand what life is like out there in the Commonwealth but I think I'm beginning to." Her lips press into Nora's knuckles for a fleeting moment before her left hand finds its way to the woman's dark hair. "This isn't the end. This isn't how you go."

With a furrowed brow, she makes a pained face as she leans forward into the mattress. "Go die at the hand of Gunners or... or melt while standing out in the rain, but not here." Her left-hand acts like a comb; her fingers trailing over and over through Nora's dirty strands. "I know you don't want to stay here with me, but I'm not going to let you leave me like this." Her hand slides down to cup her bruised cheek. Though Nora had risked her life to save a young boy, Gwen still felt this woman deserved a more honorable death. Something more than just being bitten by a molerat or shot by a turret. She had survived taking down The Institute after all, so surely she'd pull through.... right? "It's not like you could stay here with me anyway, your son is waiting for you to come home... and you can't disappoint him, it's not your style." She bites her bottom lip to stop it from trembling, but it seems like fighting it doesn't do her any good. "....can't start disappointing Piper, either."

The Overseer leans in, resting her forehead to Nora's with her eyes tightly shut. If this was the last time she got to be alone with this woman, then she was going to make the most of it. 

".....I love you, Nora."

--------------------

" ..........Nora..... "

Nora spun around to face the back door of the kitchen, fully expecting to see her neighbor Mrs. Parker at the screen ready to ask for her muffin tin back..... but there's no one. She glanced at the front door just in case but didn’t see anybody through the little window. How strange... she could have thought she heard a woman's voice. One that was eerily familiar. 

Pushing the chill from her spine, she turns to the Mr. Handy. "You say something, Codsworth?"

"No Mum. Was I meant to?"

"No no, sorry.... I just thought-... nevermind."  She silences herself by moving for her coffee and indulging in a second gulp in the hopes it would jumpstart her brain a little faster. There is was again... something was... wrong... but what? Her yellow lamp sat next to the window like it always has... the television against the far wall next to fireplace... the curtains hung open near the table so she could see the barbeque pit in the backyard.... everything was in its place, but still something was wrong. She could feel it her bones and it was starting to eat at her.

She shakes her head, pushing the nonsense from her mind as she takes her last sip of coffee before placing the mug in the sink. Grabbing her purse from the back of the chair and smoothing her hair down, she heads for the liquor cabinet. Atop it was a glass catch-all dish that usually held the car keys when they weren't in use. it was more-or-less a rule that Nora installed after finding them in the washing machine too many times. But now they weren't there. "Hey, Nate?"

"...yeah?" He called from their bedroom. 

"Did you leave the car keys in you pocket again?"

"The car keys? They aren't on the cabinet?" Nathan steps out into the hall to look at her as he threads his belt through his pant loops.... and it steals her breath away.

There he stands, wearing his khaki pants... his khaki army service pants.... "What are you doing? Why are you wearing those?"

Her husband stops and looks down at himself in confusion. "Because I have to?"

"No you don't, you're a civilian now. Take them off."

"I know that but it's a sign of the camaraderie and brotherhood. Don't worry, I have no intention of re-enlisting." He can see the confusion had now spread to his wife. "They asked me to give a speech at the Veteran’s Hall, remember? That's this evening. Thought they'd appreciate it if I showed up in uniform." 

Nora's eyes widen as her mouth drops open, feeling as though she'd been punched in the gut. This was her nightmare... this is how it all started. A little different but still following the same path. In that same moment her baby boy began to cry and it made her feel like the ceiling was about to give way above them. 

"Ah, sounds like someone made a stinky." Codsworth exclaims as he putted out and around from Nora. "Never you two mind, I shall attend to young Shaun." The robot hovered down the hall towards the nursery, leaving both its master standing in the kitchen. 

"You alright, honey?" Nate asks as he finished tightening his belt. 

Nora frantically looked around the house, this day was starting out a little too much like her nightmare to just be a coincidence. "Cancel it. Tell them you can't do it."

"What? Why?"

Oh god, if she tells him she had a vision he's going to think she's completely lost the plot. She'd read the stories about the terrible things postpartum depression could drive a new mother to do and think... was that what this was? "Please, just tell them you can't... tell them something came up." 

"I can't, you know that."

She takes the step forward, closing the gap between the pair of them as she grabs a tight fist full of his shirt. "But why?! Why can't you?!"

The voice of newscaster on the television suddenly became a little louder as the room grew a little colder. "...Vault-Tec announced a continuation of their popular "Welcome Home" promotion. They report openings are still available in area Vaults 81, 111, and 114..."

With one hand, Nathan gently holds his wife closer to him as he uses the other to brush her hair back. "Because I didn't." That soft smile that always seemed to perpetually sit in the corner of his lips was beginning to fade away as he drew a deep breath. "That's not how things went that day." The house lights flicker and dim as heavy thunder rolled overhead across the skies.

Nora's grip on him tightens. When tears rush across her vision, she slams her eyes shut... and the bright heat of the nuclear bomb exploding blinds her all over again.

Here was her answer as to why everything felt off.

This was the dream... not the other way around.