Jacob Burns and the Order of the Algorithm #Wattys2017

Chapter 10: Out of the Park and Under the Wire

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We were immersed in complete darkness, the cold, stone walls slick with moisture and mold. Two hundred years had done nothing to dampen the smell of the sewers, only now there was a fishier twinge to the air thanks to the occasional mirelurk finding their way in from the river, which is exactly where we were headed. The bank would be dry this time of year, making for an easy escape back over to Cambridge.

But, that didn't make the trip any less unpleasant.

Nobody ever came down here, and for good reason too. Most of the locals called it haunted, bunch of primitive superstition if you asked me, though it wasn't without some merit. This wasn't just any sewer after all, it was the Fens Street sewer, site of some pretty vicious murders back in the day. Of course, they were nothing compared to what a raider or Super Mutant would do if given half the chance, but still, it had been enough to scare off any Outfielders from holing up down here. 

Ilya turned on the flashlight function of her Pip-Boy, casting an eerie glow all around us as we walked slowly forward, our dampened footsteps the only sound to permeate the quiet stillness. We carefully maneuvered around a trickling stream, Ilya's Geiger counter warning us that it was surprisingly irradiated. I handed Ilya a rad-x just to be safe as I took one my self.

"Never thought I'd have to use one of these," she said, finally breaking the silence. "Bad enough this place gives me the creeps, it feels like a tomb down here."

Not anymore, I thought to myself. Not since I cleared out the corpses anyway, but I figured I'd leave out the mutilated skeletons and bizarre messages I'd found when I'd first started using the tunnel. She had enough to worry about, after all.

We walked in silence for several minutes, my heart slowing down for the first time since I had heard the Director's horrible voice. I had to keep an eye out for the exit, a small hole in the wall that was just big enough to squeeze through, but it was easy to miss. If I wasn't careful we'd end up going in circles for hours.

"So, are you going to explain what happened or are you going to keep me in the dark?" She said after a while.

"Oh, that" I laughed nervously, "that was just your average android death squad masquerading as the local police force, ya know?" I said with a large smile, but Ilya wasn't buying it.

"Jacob, this is serious," she said, a frown firmly on her face, "I need to know what's going on, and now." I sighed as I dropped the act.

"It's the Institute, Ilya. The ones who created the synths. They're coming for you."

"What?! But I don't even know what this "Institute" is!"

"Yeah, well, they know about you and your old man well enough..."

"But who are they? I've never heard of anyone able to do what they do. How can they create something so advanced when they're living in a place like this?"

It was a good question, but the truth is no one knew. The Institute was shrouded in secrecy, the only clue anyone had to go on was the old CIT building. The Commonwealth Institute of Technology had been one of the most prestigious scientific schools in the country before the bombs fell, but the ruins had sat completely empty for centuries, with no trace of human life left behind.

"No idea," I said as we carefully stepped over a small clutch of mirelurk eggs, "I just know that they kidnap people and turn them into synths. But it would seem the Director thinks you can lead him to the Conduit."

She was silent for a long time before she spoke again.

"I wish my father were here. He'd know what to do."

I sighed again, I very much doubted that. He might've known where to go, but he'd probably have been just as helpless as Ilya was, if not more so. We walked for several more minutes until at last, I spotted the opening. It was a tight fit for the both of us, but once we were through we found ourselves standing in a large drainage pipe, a pinprick of light shining in the distance.

"This must be the work of the Order," She said, chastising herself. "I should have known better. My father warned me about them, but I didn't listen..."

"But what I really don't understand is how we got out of there in the first place," she added.

She was right. There I was, seconds from death when a miracle falls out of the sky, or rather, slammed open the gates... It was like something was jamming the system from the inside, so either someone up there liked me (fat chance on that), or it was sabotage. But who? Who inside Diamond City would do that to themselves? Who would even have that kind of access to the gates to begin with?

"We may never know," I said as we climbed out of the pipe and into the afternoon sun. "Chalk that one up as another mystery, I guess."

"Mystery? Oh you know how I hate to leave one unsolved," a voice said suddenly and we both looked up.

Sitting on top of an old restored motorcycle with her hair whipping in the wind, was none other then Piper Wright, a pack slung over her shoulder and a smile on her face as she let out a delighted laugh.

"It's funny," she said looking at me, "I remember you taking me on the exact same date..."

"Piper! I... you did this? But, how?"

"Let's just say I know a guy in the security office who got a different kind of surprise than he was looking for," she said with a wink.

"You... sabotaged the gate for me? Why?" I couldn't help myself. The way we'd left it, you'd have thought she'd sooner feed me to ravenous nightstalkers than save my sorry ass, and yet there she was, right when I really needed her. She smirked at my bewildered expression.

"Oh, call it nostalgia, call it guilt, but I couldn't sit back and watch you get sent off to die. You're an asshole Jacob, but you're not a monster. And everybody deserves a second chance, even you. Besides, I never liked that mayor in the first place. Doesn't surprise me in the least that he's a synth."

"You knew?! But how?"

"I... might have bugged the mayor's office the last time I was in there," she said a tad sheepishly. "Not the most ethical thing I've ever done, but it did the job."

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked.

"I'm going after Natalie, anyway I can. Even if that means shaking down the mayor himself, or personally knocking down each door in the CIT, I'm going to find her and bring her home."

I smiled, looks like we both had our own paths to follow. She revved up her motorcycle.

"Good luck, Jacob. I hope you find what you're looking for." And with that, she drove off into the ruins of Boston, straight back to Diamond City I presumed. She was fearless, I'd always give her that, if maybe a little bit crazy.

Ilya stood speechless beside me, apparently just as stunned as I was, but with one look at the sinking sun, I knew our time was running short.

"Well, we better get going too," I said as I started moving towards the bridge.

"What?"

"You heard me. We better get going if we're going to make it to your father's house before sundown."

"Wait... are you saying what I think you're saying?" She said with a sparkle of hope in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, you win. I'll take you to find the vault. Just don't get all sappy on me. Once we find this thing, I'm taking what I can and getting out of here, got that?" But before I knew it, the girl had me wrapped in a warm hug as she whispered a gentle "thank you" in my ear.

I sighed again and hugged her back.