The world may have "ended" during the Great War, but it wasn't truly over for Jane until she watched her baby get stolen and her husband shot right in front of her, helpless to do anything while locked inside of a cryopod within the doomed Vault 111...
[A/N: image credits: "Fallout 4: Institute Architecture by Ilya Nazarov" - found on reddit. it's a stunning work!]
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Next on my tour was Bioscience, where I met Clayton — the head of the division. He wore the same color-coded coat as Allie's, except his was bright green. He told me all about their work in botany, genetics, medicine — but I couldn't keep my eyes off the creepy gorilla enclosure just several feet away.
"Ah, those? They're our first experiments with animal synthetic organics," Clayton explained, much to my horror. "Synth gorillas! They're really just a pet project at this point, but the potential is exciting nonetheless. Can you believe it?"
"Oh, they're, uh... fascinating," I stammered, trying to hide my fear.
Next up, Dr. Ayo in the Synth Retention Bureau — or SRB, for short — wore a black color-coded coat and was... less than pleasant. The conversation was like leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Finally, I walked up to the last head I had to meet in Advanced Systems. Opening an office door, I found who I was looking for. She was a petite Chinese woman, her thick black hair tied neatly back into a bun. The lines in her face betrayed that she was older than I thought, though she looked to be in good health. Her colored coat was a powdery blue. She exactly matched the description Ingram had showed me.
Dr. Madison Li.
The doctor glanced up at me from her desk and, with a very disinterested voice, stated: "Ah, it's you. You're here, then."
اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
I opened my mouth to reply, but she briskly cut me off.
"Yes, yes... I know who you are. We all do. While I'm sure Father is very happy that you're here, I do hope it doesn't interrupt our work." She was curt, efficient, get-to-the-point. I blinked a few times in surprise. I expected synths to have that sort of shortness, but all the other doctors (except Dr. Ayo) had at least been friendly to me.
"...Don't worry, I promise I won't get in your way," I said quickly.
"Thank you," Dr. Li replied genuinely. "I do appreciate that. Oh, and before I forget, let me see that Pip-Boy of yours." She reached out her small hand.
I hesitated but knew I should follow along. I unlatched the lock and was still taking it off when the doctor spoke again.
"I've been told to install a Courser chip in it for you," she explained, taking the Pip-Boy from my hands. "Father's orders."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"You're to be given full access, with the ability to relay in and out of the Institute at will," she continued, fiddling around with the oversized watch. With a few clicks and chirps, it was in. She really was talented at... whatever they did in that division.
