Fallout 4: AR

45. Supernatural Science

"What?" MacCready demanded. "You're kidding, right?"

"Wait," I interjected, "You mean, like teleportation?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Tom nodded emphatically. "That Synth you rescued confirmed it. He even worked in that department, so was able to give some details."

"By the way," Deacon added, "Latest update is H3-27, now known as 'Eric', managed to make it out of the Commonwealth safely and is headed north to start a new life. Go ahead, Tom."

"Okay, here's the deal. Somehow, the Institute managed to develop matter transmitters, which is some serious technological miracle-working. That's what the Coursers are using to pop in and out when they kidnap people and kill rogue Synths!" He looked utterly pleased with himself. "It also explains why it's so hard to track them down. Get close, and poof! Gone!"

"Okay," I said dubiously. "That explains the Coursers, though it sounds like science fiction, this matter transmission thing."

Tom shook his head vehemently, "Believe it! It's true, we have proof! And in your case, your Pip-Boy was the beacon to guide the matter transmission. Instead of giving you the virtual reality game it promised, it 'teleported' you here in actuality. When you turned it on, it caused the Institute, and whoever they're working with, to lock on to you, using that DNA link the Brotherhood discovered." He flapped his hands expressively. "I don't know when or how, or even why they managed the initial contact to coordinate it, but you were transported between worlds- from your reality to ours!"

"Fallout 4: Actual Reality," I said sarcastically. But why?

Deacon was nonplussed, taking off his sunglasses to reveal pale blue eyes widened in disbelief. "What kind of world are you from that we're just a game?"

I answered in a sad, desperate homesickness. "A world where we have a general level of security, compassion, and humanity to be able to pretend... to be able to say 'what if?' and develop entire industries around telling stories." A world I miss with all my heart and soul. I wiped away the tear that had escaped down my cheek, digging up a faint spark of anger. "A world where I signed up to help defend that level of humanity in whatever tiny way I could." A world where the arts could flourish, not die drowning in blood. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, and knew it was RJ.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry." Deacon apologized. "I know you're not to blame. It just surprised me, and not much can do that anymore. I'm pretty un-surprisable as a rule."

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. Keep it together, girl. "All right." I nodded at Deacon, accepting his apology. "Tom, now that you know how I got here, however unbelievable it seems, is there a way I can get home?"

"Ah, that's the hard part," Tinker Tom temporized. "I was able to go into a long-term deep scan of your Pip-Boy while you've been recovering. The signal that brought you here? Well, it was only for the Institute to lock on to. It boosted the process, but the actual science comes from the Institute." He wrung his hands together nervously. "Only Coursers have the full programming for the matter transmission process in that chip of theirs. That squeal you heard was your device reacting to its activation frequency, by the way."

"Which means we still need to hunt down a Courser," I groaned. "With the added difficulty that we now know they can just bamf out whenever they want. I-" I closed my eyes for a moment, rubbing my forehead. "I need to think about this."

"Sure, sure!" Tom agreed with false enthusiasm. "In the meantime, you need your Pip-Boy back." With a show of reluctance, he held out the cleaned and re-padded device. "I, uh, added a bit more in the way of 'blocking the Institute' programming and stuff, just in case. Whatever it is they want, we can't let them get it."

"Thanks, Tom." Time for the moment of truth. I had avoided looking at my arm, closing my eyes whenever Doctor Carrington checked it, and leaving the bandages on. Just as Deacon had promised, I was able to use my arm and fingers fully, but I didn't want to be reminded of my torture, or the ruthlessness of my partner. I'm still coming to terms with that side of him. With a sigh and a quick glance at MacCready, I slowly unwrapped the bandages.

My arm was intact. That much was evident from the fact that I could use it. Carrington handed me a miracle. The faint ghost of the cathodes were visible, leading up to the line of pin receivers that paralleled my radius. Why am I not more grateful?

At a quick glance, the arm looked almost normal, but the light outlined dips in my skin where the raider boss had decimated my arm muscles, gouging out chunks of flesh. It was all overlaid with a shiny crisscross of fading scar tissue. Well, there it is, I thought grimly, snapping the Pip-Boy in place with its usual pulse of electrical activation. The Commonwealth is certainly leaving its mark on me, making me as ugly and scarred as the blasted trees dotting the landscape.

"It works," I announced to Tom, flicking quickly through the selection screens, my voice a dead echo of its normal tones. "It works." That's the best I can ask for when I get home. Never been much of a looker, anyway.

Oblivious to my inner monologue, Tom beamed happily. "I have some other goodies for you." He held out MacCready's duster. "Here, try it on."

"It's heavier." My partner shrugged into his coat with practiced ease, belting the material closed around his waist. "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously, rubbing the scarred leather between his fingers.

"Two more words for you: 'Ballistic weave'!" Handing me my own jacket, he explained. "It's a little side project I've been working on for a while. Woven fabric strong enough to stop bullets!"

MacCready turned to face the engineer, eyes wide. "No kidding?! And you put it in my duster?" He gaped for a moment before suddenly giving Tom a very unexpected hug of gratitude. "Thank you."

"Hey man, it's all good." Tom awkwardly patted the sniper on the back. "It's a little something to help you once you find that Courser for me, yeah?"