Jacob Burns and the Order of the Algorithm #Wattys2017

Chapter 17: A Eulogy for Jacob Burns

"That was, until he managed to crawl his way onto my doorstep..."

"Now, some of you might say, and rightly so, that I have always held a bit of a soft spot for the outcast, the underdog, the vagrant and the vagabond... Perhaps, it would seem, to a fault, for as I watched the world turn its back on this man without so much as a trial, do you know what I saw? Why, I saw a neighbor... A neighbor in need, like so many of us had once been. I daresay, there wouldn't be a single man among us today if not for second chances... And so, against all advice and counsel, I let this man in. I let him into my home, to my people, and to my family..." Hancock's voice drifted off for a moment as he gazed up fondly at the crowd, before his brow hardened once more.

"And how do you suppose I was repaid for my kindness? For this mercy towards a man that had shown me and mine none? Why... wouldn't you know it, but I woke up the next morning with a knife sticking out the middle of my back!"

The room suddenly exploded into chaos. Everywhere I looked, men were calling for my head and worse as broken bottles and heavy debris began raining down on top of me. This whole scene was taking an ugly turn for the worse, and fast. If I didn't come up with something quick, I was going to be a goner for sure. I rallied all my courage as I swallowed the ever-growing lump in my throat and began to speak.

"Listen, Hancock!" I blurted out, my voice cracking as the sweat began to pour down the back of my neck, "You've got to believe me, I had no way of knowing there would be synths down in that mine! Hell, I was just as surprised as you were and barely escaped with my life! But the vault, the treasure... I saw it, Hancock, it's real, I swear! It's just that... this thing... It's all so much bigger than I could have ever imagined. If you just let me go, then I swear on my life, I'll be able to pay you back and then some! C'mon man, just give me a chance!" I barely got the last words out before I was on my knees, a swift punch to the gut stealing the air from my lungs. I gasped for breath as the man's goons laughed insidiously, closing in on me with their weapons drawn, but with a quick wave of Hancock's hand, they stopped dead in their tracks. Everything seemed still for a moment as they awaited their orders...

"You know, this reminds me of a story," Hancock said almost casually as if the thought had nearly slipped his mind, "A sort of cautionary tale if you will... and a lasting reminder to all the Commonwealth on exactly what happens to those who place their trust where it doesn't belong. And to think, it all happened right here... in this very room. Of course, you do know where we are... don't you Burnsie?" He continued with that wicked smile.

Of course, I thought spitefully to myself. Everybody knew about Old North Church... Why, up until the Prydwen's fall it was all anyone could talk about. In reality, it had been the canary in the coal mine, the first time the Institute had really shown what they were capable of. Back then, no one had even heard of the Railroad before, let alone considered the idea of actually helping the synths. It was just so unthinkable, it hadn't even crossed their minds. The Brotherhood had known of course, but whoever the leader of the Railroad was, had been a master of diversion and espionage, so much so, that even our best intelligence could barely bring back more than mere whispers and rumors, let alone any hard data. It wasn't until here, at the church, that we'd seen how deep the rabbit hole went, or how merciless the Institute could be.

The whole thing was over before it had even begun. The synths had come from everywhere, and nowhere, all at once, descending upon the church like demons reclaiming the gates of hell. They overwhelmed the Railroad's forces with sheer numbers and firepower, and within a matter of minutes, their screams could be heard echoing throughout the streets of Old Boston. Then... just as quickly, they were silenced. Never to be heard from again. To this day, no one really knows how the Institute had found them, hidden so deeply within the ancient catacombs of the crumbling cathedral, but one thing was for sure, by the end of that night, everyone knew the Railroad's name, and precisely what would happen to them if they ever ran afoul of the Institute's good graces.