Hancock refused to stay behind with the others, but I didn't complain. I was without armor now and may have needed the backup.
Sturges got the elevator working again. We got in and went down one floor. I knew where Shaun's office was. We rushed down the hallway, into another elevator, up three floors, and down a long hallway. We barged into Shaun's quarters, past the small glass cell where he kept the Synth child, only the child was gone now. Further inside the room was a living area, complete with a small kitchen, bookshelf, couch, and a bed.
And there in the bed was Shaun. He looked weak and pale. When we slowly opened his eyes, he looked at me with disdain, hatred, disgust.
I faltered. What was happening here? He didn't even look like he was capable of putting up a fight.
Hancock's warm hand touched my shoulder.
I nodded and took the first step into the room.
"I didn't expect to see you again." Shaun spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper. "I don't suppose you're here because you've changed your mind."
His words clutched my heart. "No..."
He looked so tired. His eyes were glassy but dim, like life was leaving him.
"What's happened to you? Are you sick?" I asked without thinking.
"Don't pretend to care now. You had your chance to help me, and you cast me aside instead. It's not enough that I lay here dying, and now you plan on what? Destroying everything? Tell me, then. Under what righteous pretense have you justified this atrocity?"
"Seriously? All the enemies you've created, and you can't imagine why I'd be standing here?"
"Perhaps I didn't think to count you among them... Well, none of it matters now, I suppose. You'll accomplish your task and ruin humanity's best hope for the future. The only question left, then, is why you're standing here. Is it regret, or did you just come to gloat?"
His words stung. Why was I standing there? Why was I so concerned? Maybe I had a small hope that he would be the one to change his mind, or, at the very least, let me take him with me.
"Shaun, I — I had hoped there was something more I could do. I wanted to save you. There's still time to change your —"
"This isn't some fairy tale, Mother."
My heart lurched.
"There's no saving me. I'm dying. Cancer. And you're going to destroy everything I've ever loved. You're going to have to live with that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to be alone for my last few moments. Go, do what you must. But I hope someday you realize what will be lost here."
"Son..."
"Just... get out. There's nothing more to say." He turned his head on his pillow, away from me.
"Shaun, I'm just so sorry it had to come to this."
"It's too late to be sorry. Just leave me."
Hancock touched my elbow gently.
I turned to him.
When he saw my face, he winced. "Gwen. I'm sorry, but... we've gotta move."
"I know."
Then, I took a breath and moved away from Shaun to find his terminal. It was by the wall behind him on a desk. It wouldn't let me in, though. A security screen popped up with a box to type the password.
"I need the password," I said.
"Lemme look around," answered Hancock. He started rummaging through drawers.
I tried to hack into it, but it was too complicated for me to understand. "I can't crack this terminal without a password. It's impossible. Ugh! Damn Institute tech..."
Shaun's voice, ever so feeble, spoke up. "Second drawer... by the desk..."
Hancock quickly searched the second drawer of a small filing cabinet by the desk. "Got it."
I struggled to hold my tears in. "Thank you, son."
I entered the password quickly and clicked "Engage Evacuation Protocol BD-2" in the options. A robotic voice overhead told all Institute scientists to evacuate the premises immediately. Then, I clicked on Master Security Lockdown Override," so that all the doors would unlock again.
I took one last look at Shaun before I left. His eyes were closed like he was sleeping. He didn't even look angry anymore. He looked peaceful. I wanted to say something, but I was afraid he wouldn't answer. I was afraid he had already passed...
Hancock pulled on my hand. "Gwen."
"Right. Right." I turned away from Shaun for the last time and left him alone. Whether he was dead now or not, I knew what his fate was.
As we rushed down the stairs, Sturges came back overhead.
"Alright, good job! Looks like that opened things up enough for you to reach the reactor. Soem other good news: I've almost got the teleporter working. Should be ready to pull you out whenever you need. Scientists are already showing up to evacuate."
"Sturges, you amazing son of a bitch," Hancock muttered on our way down a set of spiral stairs.
As soon as we got to the bottom floor, a Synth was already on the offensive. We wound up fighting our way through Advanced Systems. Preston and MacCready met us at the door with what men we had left.
"Gad to see you're both in one piece," said MacCready.
We walked into the far room of Advanced Systems, but Preston stopped the group.
"That must be the reactor through the next room. We'll cover the General while she plants the charge. Remember, we only get one shot at this, everyone."
I nodded.
We opened the door and entered a long hallway. Laser turrets popped out of the ceiling immediately. Hancock sustained a wound on his shoulder and Preston on his forearm, but we were mostly alright.
We reached the main reactor room. It was a large room, darker than the rest of the Institute; it didn't have pretty white plastic walls but gray metal walls and grating with stairs leading up to the large reactor in the center. There were dim security lights on the walls and ceiling, not bright illuminating fluorescents.
Two more special unit Synths were stationed inside the room, and about ten other Gen-2 synths. More of our Minutemen were dying by the moment, and we were down to three volunteers left. MacCready took a bullet to the ribs, and Preston had to fight a Gen-2 Synth off of him.
It wasn't looking good, but I knew that we had come too far to lose now. Almost out of bullets, I continued to fight on through the robots and push myself to the limit. I was nicked on the face by a laser, barely moving out of the way in time before it burned a stripe onto my cheek.
I had to get up the stairs on the grating to get to the reactor. I made a run for it but was shot down. A laser pierced me right through my side, front to back. I fell to my knees and held onto the bloodied fabric of my General's uniform.
"Damn it!" I breathed, trying not to heave.
"Gwen!" Hancock rushed the Synth and blasted its head with his sawed-off. I saw him turned dot defend himself from an oncoming Synth who swung a metal baton at his head, but his gun clicked pathetically — out of ammo. The baton smacked Hancock across the head, knocking his hat to the floor and causing him to stumble backwards.
I looked around the room, unable to help him or anyone else. The best thing I could do for them now was to get to that reactor.
I crawled up the stairs and across the grating until I could grab the handrail and steady myself to my feet. I started at a slow pace, then picked up the speed, attempting to job across the grating and up the next set of stairs.
I felt a heavy set of footsteps following close behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see a Courser pursuing me. He shot his laser pistol, and I purposely fell against the railing in an attempt to dodge the impact, but it managed to shoot right though my left shoulder.
"Nngh!" I almost fell over the railing, but I threw my weight against the grating instead. I turned around and desperately emptied my clip into the Courser's face. he didn't last long when MacCready caught sight of our struggle and placed two more bullets into the Courser's temple with his sniper rifle.
Everything was starting to calm down below as I picked myself back up onto my feet again. Hancock was stumbling slowly up the stairs and across the grating by the time I had almost reached the reactor.
I pressed the button on the terminal by the reactor door and opened it up. The immediate heat that I felt coming off the bright blue reactor core was immense. I started pouring sweat.
I took the fusion charge out of my bag and attempted to place it on the reacotr core, but my Geiger counter was ticking loudly. The radiation was enough to knock me off my feet, but I persisted.
The skin on my fingers, hands, and forearms were beginning to burn away as I struggled to get the fusion charge to stay on the reactor's core. The pain was so great, I started to scream.
"Gwen, stop!" hancock yanked me away from the core, but the charge was already planted. I had gotten the job done. "Why the hell didn't you wait for me?!"
Past my sobs of pain, I uttered, "I thought you were hurt, I saw you get hit."
"Preston, the shit's done! Hancock called down to the floor below as he wrapped his arm around me. "Jesus Christ, your arms."
"I feel like I'm going to..." I couldn't finish. I leaned over the grating and dry-heaved. I had been exposed to too much radiation and probably had a large degree of poisoning.
Preston called from the center of the room. "Sturges, are you hearing me? We're done down here. Zap us back to the Relay room."
A zap of light took us all back. Everything went bright, then dark, then settled into the Relay room. Hancock helped me sit down at the side of the room on a metal box.
"Damn it, Gwen," said MacCready. "The hell did you do?"
"She got the job done," said an admiring Preston. "We'll get her taken care of as soon as we can. Sturges, get us out of here."
"I would, man, but... this kid showed up. Says he's Gwen's son."
I was too weak to form any expressions, let alone shock. "What?"
Hancock side-stepped out of my line of sight so I could see the kid Sturges was talking about. It was the Synth child from the glass cell. He was wearing a plain pair of pants, lace-up shoes, and a striped white and blue t-shirt. He looked no worse for wear, save for the scratches on his face.
"Please, Mom! Don't leave me here! I wanna go with you!"
"Why did you call me 'Mom' just now?"
"What? You're my mother! Why else would I call you that?"
"Who told you I was your mother?"
"What do you mean? Nobody told me, you just are."
I looked back and forth between everyone's expectant faces and this little boy's horrified expression. I couldn't condemn him to death, especially at such a young age. Everyone was standing around me, waiting for me to answer. I took so long, they all probably thought I was going to leave him there.
"I'm not a baby! I'm old enough to take care of myself," he insisted. "The only help I need is to get out of here. Now, can we please go?"
"All right... y-you can come with me."
"Really? Do you mean it?"
"You don't believe me?"
"No, no, I totally do! What I mean is, thanks. Now let's get out of here!"
"Fire it up, Sturges," I requested, still feeling the searing pain in my arms and laser wounds.
"Didn't leave anything behind, did you? All set to get out of here?"
"Hancock, check my bag to make sure the serum's still there," I said.
He checked the bag and gave me a nod.
"Let's get the hell out of here."
"You got it! I'm sending the Minutemen back to the Castle and the kid to Sanctuary. Don't worry, I'm gonna send myself to Sanctuary last so I can keep an eye on him."
"Thank you, Sturges."
The remaining three Minutemen stepped into the Relay first and teleported to the Castle.
The boy, "Shaun," stepped into the platform next and disappeared to Sanctuary.
"All right, everyone else in."
I adjusted myself on Hancock's shoulder and stood up. He supported my weight as the four of us got into the Relay.
"You press that button extra hard when you get there," said Sturges. "See y'all soon."
We were teleported out of the Institute and to a rooftop of a tall building in the middle of the city. I tooked like it was early morning; the sun had just started to show its light over the Wasteland and was hidden by thick, gray clouds. I could faintly see the CIT ruins from here.
Hancock helped me sit down on a rickety metal chair. I saw an alarmingly large clump of hair hit the ground, and my heart leaped into my throat.
"Hancock, am I —?"
"No, Gwen. You're not turning into a Ghoul. We need to get you some Radaway, pronto, or else you might be growin' an extra limb here soon."
I felt like I was going to be sick again.
MacCready took his bag off his back and looked through it for some Radaway and some water. "Here, I've got some supplies on me. Can't believe you two went in there so unprepared."
"It was underwater," I clarified weakly.
"Alright, alright, who's ready to blow this thing up?" asked Hancock.
"Sturges thought this would be far away enough from the blast radius," said Preston. "Whenever you wanna see 'humanity's best hope for the future' go up in smoke, you just hit that button." He laid the remote on my thigh.
"Me?" I asked.
"You."
"Why me?"
"Closure. And without you, none of this would have been possible. It's your right."
I stared at the remote on my leg for a while. It had only one button; a red one. For a moment, I thought about Shaun. It was a fleeting moment, a final goodbye. I was still unable to move my fingers without white hot pain traveling up my arms, so I put the side of my hand against the red button and pressed it down carefully.
A second or two went by in total silence. Then there was a rumble beneath our feet. Out int he distance where the CIT ruins were, a huge blue light formed from the building and grew as big as a blimp. Then, after a flash of white light, it exploded into a cloud of fire. It leveled the buildings around it, and the CIT ruins didn't even exist anymore. Smoke rose up from the entire city below us as the shock waves rushed through the air and the ground like a miniature earthquake.
"Holy shit," Preston muttered as the smoke and dust settled on the city below. "That was a hell of a bang. So, that's it. The Institute is destroyed. It's finally over. You did issue the evacuation order, right? I didn't notice in all the chaos."
I nodded weakly.
"Good. I thought you would. I was just... watching that explosion... I just hope as many people got out as possible. I hate that we had to do that, but they left us no choice. It was war. And now, the war against the Institute is over. The way's now clear for the Commonwealth to finally come together and build something good for the future. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows from here on out."
I finished drinking down the disgusting Radaway. "Of course. The Institute wasn't the Commonwealth's only problem. We've still got plenty to do."
"Couldn't have said it better myself, General. We need to head back home and get you fixed up." Preston took a Stimpak out of his pocket and pushed the needle into my shoulder. "This should help."
"There's always someone out to make life harder for folks who are just tryin' to survive," said Hancock. "I'm not willin' to stand for that kind of shit."
"The Institute was the most insidious threat we've ever faced," Preston went on. "They kept the Commonwealth divided for centuries. But there are plenty of other problems left to deal with. I don't think the Minutemen are gonna be out of the job for a long time yet, as much as I might wish it. We deserve to enjoy our victory, but soon enough it's gonna be time to get back to work."
MacCready scoffed. "Preston, lighten the hell up. We're going to go back to Gwen's and party."
"Drinks, chems, girls, good music, and good firneds. What more could a hero ask for?" Hancock chuckled.
"Maybe fewer girls and a lot more booze?" I added.
"Oh, right, that's fair."
My vision started to fade. I lost control of my body, my limbs, everything. My head hit the hard concrete of the building's rooftop. The last thing I heard was the seemingly faraway echoes of concerned voices shouting my name.
____________________
I moved around comfortably in what felt like a bed with warm blankets. For a moment, I thought that the last few months were just a horrible nightmare, and I'd find myself back in my prewar home with COdsworth making breakfast and Shaun cooing in his crib across the hall. Nate would be asleep beside me. But no. I wasn't that stupid or that naive.
I didn't want to open my eyes. I had rested so well. Where was I? When I finally got the courage to open my eyes, I could see that I was in my own bed in my own room. Sunshine was pouring through the windows, and a warm breeze entered the room.
I tried to sit up, but my leg was stuck under something heavy and warm. I looked down and it was Dogmeat and Isabella lying on the bed, fast asleep. When I moved, Dogmeat barked happily at my consciousness. I reached down slowly to pet him, but my hands were bandaged up to my elbows. My shoulder and my side were very sore and also bandaged. I was wearing something different. My Minutemen General uniform was laying in a chair across from my bed. Dogmeat continued to bark, and I heard footsteps coming into the house.
"Shh!" I hissed at Dogmeat, and he instantly laid his head down and whined. I laid back down, too, and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I wanted to see exactly what was going on here.
The bedroom door opened. "What's goin' on, boy?" said the familiar gruff voice of Hancock. I heard him walk toward the bed. There was movement where Dogmeat was laying, Hancock petting his head.
I peeked through my eyelashes. He had walked into the room with yellow flowers — wild carrot flowers, I thought — in his hands. He exchanged them with the wilted ones in the vase. He sighed and tossed the dead flowers into the little trash can there. They landed with a dry-sounding shift on the floor.
"I wish you'd wake up. I'm beginnin' to wonder if you ever will." I heard him take a seat in the chair by the bed and breathe in a deep breath through the hole where his nose would be, and exhale heavily out his mouth. "I miss you."
Oh, my heart. I tried not to grin at Hancock's thoughtfulness. It got deathly quiet in the room as the corners of my mouth started rising on their own.
"... Gwen? Are you awake?"
"No."
Hancock stood up so fast, he knocked the chair back and Dogmeat barked. "Gwen! You asshole! How long have you been awake?"
I laughed weakly. "Just a few minutes."
He wrapped his arms around me. "Don't ever do that again! That's not funny!"
I hugged him back, but my arm stung as I pulled his shoulder into mine. "Ow."
"Oh, damn, I forgot. You ain't even completely healed yet."
"I feel like shit."
"You sure don't look it, though," he said softly, brushing my long, tangled hair aside.
I blushed at his touch. Then my eyes went wide as I remembered my hair. "Oh, my God, Hancock, my hair fell out."
He chuckled. "Yeah, some of your hair fell out. It'll grow back. It's just a little patchy."
I groaned. "I'm just going to shave my head and start all over again. I can only imagine what I look like."
He shrugged. "You don't look any different to me, but do whatever you wanna do."
"What time is it?" I searched for my Pip-Boy and found it on the nightstand by the bed. The clock said it was almost one in the afternoon.
"Don't you mean, 'what day is it?' You've been in a coma."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, about a week now."
I checked my Pip-Boy again, and there it was. It was the end of March. "Wow..."
"You had me worried there. You had us all worried."
"I'll try not to go into a coma again anytime soon."
"You'd better. On a serious note, the doc said it was from a combination of blood loss, exhaustion, radiation poisoning, emotional trauma, not enough to eat... You had a lot going on. Besides that, you hit your head pretty hard when you passed out."
I absently rubbed the sore spot of my head. There wasn't a bump, so I guessed the swelling went down while I was in a coma.
"Wait, 'doctor?' What doctor?" I asked.
"Turns out, you got one right here in Sanctuary now. She seems pretty talented. Name's Doc Anderson. Just settled here before the Institute thing."
"makes me feel better to have one around." I shifted and tried to get out of bed.
"Just try to rest more."
"No, I need to get up and see what's going on, or I'm going to go insane."
"Fine. It'll give you a chance to properly greet your son."
"Oh." I had forgotten about the little Synth boy that we rescued from the Institute. The one who called me his mother.
Hancock helped me up. I found that I was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of military pants and off-white socks with a hole in the bottom. I knew that these came from my dresser drawer; these were Nate's old clothes. Hancock helped me shrug on my plaid overshirt and lace on my boots and walked with me outside. I had to walk slowly; my legs were weak.
The sun stung my eyes, so I went back inside for my sunglasses.
"Someone needs to turn that thing down," I muttered on my way back out.
Hancock smiled. "Heh, my thoughts exactly."
There was a little boy with dark brown hair around ten or eleven years old playing with some toosl at Sturges's workshop. Sturges seemed to be enjoying his company, showing him what each tool was for. When he caught sight of me, he jumped up and abandoned his items.
"Mom! Mom! You're awake!"
"Y-Yeah, I'm awake."
"Oh, my gosh, I was so worried." He threw his arms around my waist, nearly knocking me down. Hancock steadied me. "You look sad," he noted, looking up at me.
"What? Why do you say that?"
"You just do. I... didn't disappoint you, did I?"
"Why would you think that? You haven't done anything wrong."
"I just wanted to come with you. I didn't want to stay at the Institute without you. I don't want you to think I'm being a burden or anything. I can take care of myself. I'll stay out of your way."
I leaned down and wrapped my hands around his shoulders. "Listen. Everything is fine. We're going to be fine. Don't you worry. You don't disappoint me." I gave him a tight hug.
"I love you, Mom. I'm so glad you're feeling better."
A lump caught in my throat. I was so confused. I didn't know how to feel. But my heart was swelling for this child.
When I woke up, I was still mourning the loss of my old life. I wanted my husband to keep me company, my son to be sleeping in his crib, and Codsworth to make a classic prewar breakfast. But what I got was second best. I awoke to a handsome Ghoul that cared about me and two happy dogs on the bed. I awoke to a child playing outside who says he loves me. I awoke to Codsworth tidying up the garden behind the workshop. It was time to stop looking at the past and start looking toward the future.
"I'm gonna steal your mom for a few minutes, kiddo," said hancock.
"Okay. Bring her home by seven."
"Oh, good one," he chuckled. Hancock steered me in the direction of the gate. "No more Institute. Never thought I'd see the day. You did damn good."
"Me? You all helped. I'd never have been able to do it if it wasn't for you and Sturges and everyone else. We lost a lot of good Commonwealth people..."
"The Minutemen did take another big hit that day. Lots o' lives lost. But that just goes to prove that our cause was just. Our homes are worth fightin' for. And I'm proud of you for leadin' everyone to victory."
I gave him a faint smile.
"Speakin' of lives lost. I've gotta tell you somethin'. And you have to hear it from me before you hear it from anybody else." His face turned serious. "It's Mama Murphy."
"What?"
"She asked for some Psycho a few days ago... I gave it to her. She said she wanted to give you 'one last vision.' In her vision, she saw you standing with the People, working together. United. She saw a land filled with hope again. She saw the brave stepping forward and the People losing their fear. She called you a hero. A symbol for a better world. Then... she looked me in the eye and said, 'I saw this coming.' She laughed. Then, she just... grabbed her chest and..."
"She... She had a heart attack?"
"Yeah. I'm so sorry, Gwen. It's all my fault."
"No, it's not. I mean, it was her choice to keep taking chems. She always asked me for them, and I gave her a few in the past. She always found a way to get her hands on the chems even when I didn't give her any. I'm just sad that I couldn't give her a proper goodbye..."
He sighed. "You missed out on a lot the last week. We had a burial for her and marked her grave. Shaun has settled in pretty nicely, though. So has Isabella. You kind of missed out on the celebration after we beat the Institute, though."
"Seriously?"
He laughed softly. "Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. We only had a few beers. Didn't wanna properly celebrate without ya."
I shoved his arm with my elbow.
"I did learn one thing from Mama Murphy's vision, though."
"What's that?"
We stopped in the road a few feet away from the gate. "That you're the best thing that ever happened to me. You're a woman of the People, for the People. A woman that I can get behind. In more ways than one, heh heh."
I gave him a little smirk as my cheeks got hot. "Might even give you a run for your money as mayor of Goodneighbor one day."
"I don't doubt it."
"When are you going back?"
He looked ominously at the gate by the bridge. "Now, actually."
"What? Why?"
"Yeah, Preston says I gotta leave since I 'killed Mama Murphy.' He only let me stay this long 'cause you were in a coma. Said as soon as you woke up, I could talk to you, then I had to hit the road. Pushy goody-two-shoes..."
"Why do you have to leave just because he says so?"
"Eh, this ain't my town. Ain't my rules. You guys play a whole other ballgame here."
I grumbled.
"Come see me there soon, and we'll talk more about... us."
I was still a little annoyed with Preston, but the more Hancock looked at me, the less foul my mood became. The way he looked at me put my nerves at ease.
"I would like that," I answered.
I took a chance and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, but the corners of our mouths brushed together briefly. He turned his head a little to meet my lips, then pulled away.
"I don't wanna make you uncomfortable or anything."
"Oh, shut up, Hancock."
I pulled him to me by his frilly collar and planted a kiss on his lips.He deepened the kiss by pulling me closer to him, arching my back.
"Ow." His hand met my wounded side.
"Sorry, sorry. You're gettin' me all hot and bothered, heh heh."
"Well, cool off because you have to go to Goodneighbor, apparently. And I have to... I guess spend some time with my son."
He nodded and kissed me one last time on the cheek. He tipped his hat to me and opened the gate. I stood on the lookout post for a bit and watched him walk away. He pulled a cigarette out of the pack from his pocket and lit it. Once he crossed the bridge, he turned to me, cigarette perched between his lips, and waved with a grin.
I bit my lip and waved back at him, the corners of my mouth turning up in a smile.
I made my way back to the center of town where my home was. The Synth was still learning all about tools with Sturges. I reminded myself that I was going to have to get used to calling him Shaun, because that was his name, after all.
My Shaun.
He stood up and walked over to me as I got closer to him and Sturges. "Mom, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Is it true that you blew up the Institute? I was wondering why you'd do that."
I didn't really think about how he would be taking all of this. I wasn't sure if he thought of the Institute as his family. I was suddenly afraid of what he'd think of me for it.
"They... were hurting people above ground. I know it's hard to understand. Are you okay, Shaun?"
"I mean, I miss them, but if ti means everyone else will be safe... As long as you don't leave me, it'll be okay. You... You're not gonna leave me, right?"
I smiled and mussed his hair. "Don't worry, kiddo. I'm here for you. I'll never leave you behind."
"Good! Oh, and before I forget." He reached into his back pocket for something and handed it to me. "Father, uhh, he told me to give this to you. I didn't listen to it, so I dunno what it says, but I think it's important."
"Okay. Thanks, Shaun. I'll listen to it when I get time."
"MUM!"
I whirled around to see Codsworth rushing down the sidewalk to meet me.
"When I had heard that you had awoken, I was absolutely ecstatic! You had me so worried, Miss Nora! You have no idea!"
"It's good to see you, too, Codsworth. I'm sorry I haven't been very social with you lately."
"It's quite understandable, Mum. And congratulations on your victory against the Institute! I am quite proud of you! And it's good to have young Shaun here. It's like we're a family again! I couldn't be happier, Mum!"
"Good. I'm going to need some time to adjust, but... I think I can get used to it."
"Absolutely, Mum. No doubt about it. Let me know if you need anything. Anything at all!"
"I will."
"And Mum, if I may say so... I do hope that after all this, you will go back to the way you used to be. I miss the old Gwenora Rose Isham. You were more yourself back then, and ever since you left the Vault, you've been so quiet. Reserved, even. I understand that you are trying your best, Mum, but I hope that you will put your happiness first now that things have settled down."
I patted Codsworth's frame. "Thanks for the concern, Codsworth. I'll definitely try."
I walked back to my front porch, leaving the three of them on the carport of the workshop. I sat down on the front stoop and watched them interact with each other for a while. Then I walked into the house and put the holotape into my Pip-Boy on the bedside table.
"If you are hearing this, then whatever conflicts you and I have endured are over. I am dying of cancer and won't be able to care for Shaun much longer. I have no reason to believe that you will honor this request I'm about to make, but I feel compelled to try anyway. This Synth, this... boy. He deserves more. He has been reprogrammed to believe that he is your son. It is my hope that you will take him with you. I would only ask that you give him a chance. A chance to be a part of whatever future awaits the Commonwealth.
"And I believe I owe you an explanation. The Institute kept you alive in the Vault for sixty years because if anything were to happen to me, they'd need someone with non-corrupted DNA to make Synths, as I had told you. I'm the one that let you out of the Vault. And I'll admit, when I had you released, I had no expectation that you'd survive out there. To not only do so but to manage to find me... to infiltrate the Institute itself... extraordinary. I suppose I wanted to see what would happen. An experiment, of sorts. I had no idea what kind of person you were. Would the Commonwealth corrupt you as it has everything else? Would you even survive? Perhaps most curious to me would you after all this time attempt to find me? Now I know the answer. To see that you still cared about me... it's remarkable. I can accept that you may be offended. You must understand, though, that I have had no love to feel. We have been strangers until now, you and I.
"I hope it was not too presumptuous of me to believe that both you and young Shaun need to feel the love that I never had."
Click.
I sat in the chair by the bed and went into deep thought. Father, and the entire Institute, thought of all Synths from Gen-1 to Gen-3 as machines, no matter if they developed feelings or opinions. What changed Father's mind? Why did he believe that this Synth deserved my love? Maybe it was his last gift to me. Perhaps he was just trying to give back what the Institute took away from me.
There was a knock on the front door, and I told Preston he could come in. He wandered through the house until he found me in the bedroom. "It's good to finally see you awake."
"I didn't mean to worry everybody."
"It's not your fault. Besides, you needed the rest. And I'm sorry about Hancock, but... I had to make the decision."
I sighed. "I understand that you did what you felt was best for the community in my absence."
"He doesn't exactly have a good reputation, with chems or with people. Especially with women. And the way Mama Murphy died —"
"'Especially with women?' What are you saying?" I glared at him.
"I'm just saying it would probably be best for all of us if he just stayed in Goodneighbor with his people. He has a duty to uphold there, anyway. Like we have ours."
"Cut the shit, Preston. I know you're basically saying that you tink it'd be better if he was away from me."
"I... didn't say that."
"But you're thinking it."
He laced his fingers together in front of him. "Okay, yes. I believe that it'd be... healthier for you if he wasn't around. But that's not the only reason. Mama Murphy died because of him."
"Because of her chem addiction. She was still finding ways to get drugs without me or Hancock giving them to her. Trashcan Carla shows up here about twice, sometimes three times a month. She'd have just got some from her."
"You?" He blinked. "You were giving Mama Murphy drugs?"
"Only at first... Preston, Hancock and I are close. And nothing is going to change the fact that Mama Murphy has passed away. And nothing was ever going to change the fact that she was an addict. You should be thanking Hancock for all the help he gave us; he's just as responsible for destroying the Institute as we are."
He took a long sigh and leaned against the door frame.
"What do you have against Hancock, anyway?"
"We have a bit of history. Not much, but what we do have, I'm not fond of. I was born in Diamond City way before the Ghouls were kicked out. My parents told me that Hancock — back when he was John McDonough — worked with my grandfather. They went outside the gates to deliver a package, but only Hancock returned. Said my grandfather was a synth and someone put him down, someone he had never met before. The only reason it was swept under the rug was that Nick vouched for him. He has always been an addict and a bad influence. He slept around a lot, and the neighbors complained about all the... screaming women and other noises coming from his house in the residential district... John Hancock is an extremely uncomfortable person to be around, and the way my parents talked about him, I would do well to stay away from him. So I have."
I blinked. "Damn, Preston, I... don't know what to say.
"You don't have to say anything. You asked for an explanation and I gave you one. In any case, we defeated the Institute. That's what matters. That's something to be proud of. Take all the time you need to rest up, General. Doc Anderson should be around town; let her know that your wounds need to be looked at. I'm heading back to the Castle first thing in the morning to broadcast a new recruitment speech."
"Well... I'll see you there eventually. Be safe."
He gave me a somewhat curt nod. "General."
When he left, I heard him tell someone else where I was.
"Knock, knock," said MacCready from the living room.
I stood up and walked down the hall to meet him. "Hey, you," I said.
"Hey, you." He took a seat don't he couch and handed me a bottle of whiskey.
"We've really gotta stop making this our signature drink," I jested, but I took a sip anyway.
"Why change what's good?" he said, taking the bottle back and drinking some.
"Damn. Has a kick."
"Oh, yeah, it's the good stuff. Just don't drink it all."
He put a cigar in his mouth and puffed on it. I took one from him carefully in my bandaged hands and had him light it for me. I held it in place between my teeth. I've seen people, including Nate, smoke cigars and knew not to traditionally inhale. I sucked the smoke into my mouth and breathed it out my nose, savoring the smoky cherry flavor. But the smoke from the cigar still managed to make me cough a little.
"So, that fight with the Institute?" he asked around his cigar. "Best damn thing I've ever done. How was it for you?"
"Well... it was something."
"Something good? Something bad? Or something in between?"
"I'm proud of myself for getting through it, but it was all bad, no matter how you look at it. Because it's war. And war never changes."