Jacob Burns and the Order of the Algorithm #Wattys2017

Chapter 12: A Very Unexpected Guest

I stared the machine down as I weighed his words. The truth was I had heard about him, and if any of it was true, then he was a damn good detective and had managed to build himself a strong reputation in a city that feared and hated synths. I lowered my gun and looked him straight in those hideous eyes.

"So what are you doing here, then?"

"Like I said, that's a long story... About two hundred years long, speaking of, how about that drink?" And without another word, he took a seat in one of the velvet armchairs strewn about the room. I eyed the synth carefully, not quite sure what angle he was playing at, but it was clear we weren't about to get ambushed at the very least.

"Can a synth even drink?" I asked as I found a chair for myself, never once taking my eyes off the machine.

"Old habits die hard, I guess... Besides, everybody enjoys a good drink," he replied as he took a swig, the amber liquid running down his mechanical inner workings. "So, as I said, I knew Dr. Astor from working with him in the past, never expected to get that call, that's for sure. Dr. Astor was never on our list of potential victims, all the previous ones had been CEOs of major corporations. Dr. Astor was the one scientist among them."

"Wait a minute, you mean you were here? Before the bombs dropped?" I asked in disbelief.

"That's right, kid. It was my last case, and it wasn't the kind you'd soon forget. I was a detective on the force at the time, had come up from Chicago to take down the local mob boss. Almost had him too, but then the killings started. I was pulled from the case and the whole operation was shut down, all to catch this one guy."

"Now I had a doctor's appointment that morning, but that don't stop the job, and when I'd heard who'd been hit, well I dropped everything and came as fast as I could. I knew what this madman was capable of and I had promised to take care of Miss Astor should anything happen, but she was nowhere to be found. No signs of a break-in, no signs of a struggle. She was just gone without a trace. I feared the worst of course, and would've gone after her myself, but my superior ordered me off the case when he realized I had a connection to her old man. I was sent off for an immediate evaluation, some kind of newfangled therapy meant to help with mental trauma. Just my luck that I walked into the building right before the bombs hit. Care to take a guess where I went?"

"The Institute," Ilya and I said in unison.

"The one and only," he continued.

"The next thing I remember is waking up in the middle of nowhere, covered in trash and looking like... this. It was quite a shock, let me tell you. I wandered the Wasteland for awhile until I finally got my bearings, and as soon as I could, I came back here, to the crime scene. I had hoped for some kind of clue or indication of what had happened to Ilya, but the trail was long cold. I eventually settled down in Diamond City after gaining the people's trust, but I never forgot about Miss Astor."

"It wasn't until yesterday that I realized you might be alive," he said as he turned to Ilya. "The commotion in Diamond City, it was you. Once I heard the description, I knew it had to be you. You always knew how to get into trouble everywhere you went. After that, I made for this house as fast as I could, knowing this would be the first place you'd go. I only just stepped out to pick up this," the synth said as he reached into his coat and pulled out a file folder, a police report by the looks of it.

"This was everything we had on your father's murder before the bombs went off. I may not have been able to protect you, but I thought this might give you some kind of closure at the very least."

We looked at each other, then at the file, then at the synth called Valentine. Neither of us knew what to say, was this for real or just some kind of ploy? I made the first move and grabbed the file in between us.