"This place is a ruin," Nora observed as we stood in the wreckage of CIT. The building itself was shaped like a bracket with what had once been a green park running up the center to a dome. Behind us was the brackish brown river that was filled with radiation and not much else.
The dome had collapsed, as had the long arms. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but some of the damage looked like it was caused by explosions.
Her tone was unsteady. Not quite happy, not quite excited. Nor was she nervous or afraid. She was dialing the emotions back, and I really wondered who she was before this mess.
I knew that Nora was from before the bombs fell -- and I had already made a note to myself about sending someone to grab that cryogenic tech in Vault 111. She had the body of a pornstar, in the same league as Robin. Which was saying something. Robin was one of the most gorgeous women I had ever seen before.
However, Nora carried herself with an air of experience. It was the little tells that gave away that her 'General' title wasn't an empty one.
How she marched, how she carried her gun -- an assault rifle. And how she watched us warily, offering nothing but small talk that didn't go into any details about anything.
Not her past, not her abilities, or what she was packing.
I was vaguely interested in her, but that wasn't entirely why I brought her along.
I was having… a crisis, I think.
Nora and her Minutemen were gunning for Nuka-World, and there was no small part of me that itched to have an adversary.
An enemy. Exploring the wasteland was fun, but I knew I was at my best when I was pulling the rug underneath someone.
Someone to strive for. Someone like Homelander. Nora was a far cry from him, but she was at least something.
Another part of me knew I should kill her or bring her onto my side. Her Minutemen were a threat.
I circumvented some of it by getting my hands on the counter agent to the gas, but I knew the smart thing was to take them out here and now before they ever reached the stage where they could attack Nuka-World.
We had brought over a chunk of the population, but facts were that most of humanity was still in the Old World. We had a fragile ecosystem and no support.
An attack, especially a coordinated one, could make the whole damn thing collapse like a house of cards.
"That's just on the surface," I replied, feeling the vast underground complex beneath my feet. I was curious about what I would have done if she hadn't mentioned that she was looking for the Institute.
Would I have let her go, or killed her? Even now, was it the right call to see if I could put the best foot forward for the inevitable reveal?
"What does that even mean? The Institute is operating out of a basement?" Rumi asked, her bunny ears free as she cocked her head.
"I don't hear anything."
"Upper most layer was connected to the basement, but they dug down and they dug deep." I wasn't surprised she couldn't hear anything -- I couldn't get soundwaves to my ears either.
"They sealed it off and put some space between the basement and the real thing. I'm not seeing a way for them to get in or out, though." That was interesting because I didn't feel any secret tunnels or doors that could explain how they were sending out synths to infiltrate the wasteland.
Meaning that they either did have a way in and out, or they created the synths outside of the Institute. Either way, it was interesting.
"Still not sure how you manage to do that," Preston remarked underneath his breath and I wiggled my fingers at him.
"Superpowers," I answered simply. My gaze then flickered to Yoruichi, Taylor, and Curie.
Taylor, I knew was subtly checking the perimeter. She was a lot more open with her powers after I fed her that fib about the limitations of mine.
She was deliberately hiding her insects from us- from me, but when she thought I couldn't see them, Taylor revealed what she could do. Her range, her fine control, and so on.
Then my gaze landed on Curie. "Given that they seem to be in possession of some pretty advanced tech, I'm thinking it should be me, Curie, Nora… Rumi?" I ventured, looking at her. Her blood red eyes met mine, her nose crinkling for a moment, before she shrugged. About as much as I could expect from her, to be fair. I think she was warming up to me.
"Curie is medic, I'm our way in and out, Nora has personal business, and Rumi can punch something so she doesn't punch me."
That got a mildly amused exhale from Rumi. I kinda wanted to take Taylor, but her powers would be of limited use. Too much overlap. Yoruichi was in case Taylor got attacked. And Preston, I suppose. I wasn't so sure about Preston yet -- he struck me as a mild mannered guy, but I hadn't seen him in action.
Nora considered the team for a moment before nodding. Preston too, offering a half smile, "We'll hold down the fort, I guess. I hope you find your son, General." He inclined his head to Nora, who betrayed no emotion for a moment. Then she nodded back.
"I hope so too."
Taking that as my cue, I swallowed my giddy excitement and focused on the task at hand before bringing us down into the Institute. I swapped us with some office supplies, a chair, and a houseplant -- and I had to admit, it was really leaning all the way into that sci-fi vibe.
At the heart of the underground compound was a central elevator made out of glass.
Everything was very white. There were a dozen floors, each one seemingly regulated for a specific task -- housing, science, food production, utilities, etc. The architecture was distinct in comparison to everything else I had seen from this world- actually, no, it wasn't. It was cleaner, but it too looked like the covers of old science fiction books where everything was gentle curves and unique structures. And, while the area was overwhelmingly white and gray, there were splashes of green.
A central yard that was complete with a zen garden with some trees. It felt a bit like stepping into a whole new world, I decided. It was a very different environment than what was about thirty feet above.
I did see people milling about, and based on a quick count, I saw that there weren't that many of them. Two hundred people in total, and I got a feeling that was a deliberate choice.
"Oh, how wonderful!" Curie cried, sounding delighted as she floated to a balcony just off from the elevator. "I was afraid of what these people might call science, but this is a proper laboratory!"
Nora glanced around, "It feels sterile."
That was the impression I got as well. Everyone down below was wearing immaculate scrub-like clothing. I didn't even see any dust. The lawn was perfectly cut, the trees trimmed… It almost seemed artificial.
Like it was a diorama rather than a place where people lived.
"Let's go say hi to the locals," I said, heading to the elevator, already getting ideas.
"Do you-" Nora started before cutting herself off with a grimace and shaking her head.
"No. Forget it. I'll find out soon enough," she muttered as we all stepped onto the elevator. Pressing the down button, I understood what she wanted to ask. And I was glad that she didn't because I would have had to tell her the truth.
There were no babies in the Institute.
The elevator made its way down and there was some pleasant elevator music going on. Classical. But, when we reached the bottom floor and the doors slid open, I saw a man approaching us.
There was a notepad in one hand, a coffee in the other, and he was barely aware of his surroundings until the very last second. His gaze flickered up from the notepad that I saw was covered in molecular structures, even if I had no idea what they meant.
My gaze met his, "Sup?" I greeted him, watching as he blinked in confusion, his eyes narrowing and I could practically see the hamster in its wheel spinning behind his forehead. Then there was a sudden flash of realization, he flinched back, fear etching itself into his expression.
He dropped his coffee. A real waste that was, I thought as he stumbled back.
"S-security!" He yelled, turning on his heels and fleeing for his life. "Intruders! There are intruders in the Institute!" He yelled, the commotion bringing attention to us as we stepped out. And, based on the reaction that we got, you'd think we were the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
The oddly quiet and tranquil area vanished in the wake of pure panic as people screamed as they fled for their lives. An alarm went off, dying the area in a red hue. I looked around, focusing on my surroundings, looking for-
"There a point to this?" Rumi asked, her gaze lingering on my back.
"I'm figuring out who is in charge here," I replied and she seemed vaguely annoyed that I had a good reason for the loud and proud approach.
Whispers carried themselves to my ears, and it was as I was sorting through them and zeroing in on the shot caller, I felt… something. And it was weird.
I wasn't that good at feeling radio waves inside my Room. It was only with their absence in the world that I managed to detect them at all.
I had played around with bending them in one way or another to a radio, but my success was limited and I focused my training on more beneficial facets of my power.
However, I still felt the radio waves inside the Institute and I felt something traveling through them. And it was weird. I didn't know radio waves could feel… fat.
It was with a flash of light that whatever they were delivering had arrived -- a half dozen men in matching leather outfits. I noticed that before the guns, if I were being perfectly honest.
The guards didn't hesitate to open fire and I didn't hesitate to swap our places. Four of the six guards found themselves ripped to pieces by their own bullets and friendly fire. Nora went right while Rumi went left for the remaining two. It was then that I noticed they weren't normal guards.
Too fast, I thought, seeing one strike out at Nora, who was also too fast. And too durable, with a lack of pain reaction, I thought when the other guard ate a shattered collarbone and still attacked Rumi.
A glance at the pile of scrapes that were left of the four told me that they weren't normal guards.
"Cyborgs… cool," I remarked, seeing sparks of circuitry throughout the meat, blood, and bone.
I was pretty sure that they were synths, but unlike the infiltration models, these were for combat.
Which made it a surprise when Nora out paced the synth, popping him in the knees before burying a knife underneath his chin. Rumi defeated hers with ease, breaking the synth. And, even with busted arms, legs, and collarbones -- the synth kept coming for her.
Chuckling, I turned my attention to the leader. I could practically feel his sudden surge in panic, along with everyone in the room with him.
Their best had just been chewed up and spat out. I was a little tempted to drag this out, just to see what else he had to throw at us, but now wasn't the time or the place.
Instead, I grabbed four people that were in the room with him and swapped places with them.
The leader of the Institute was an old man. Sixty or seventy years old with white hair and a white beard, but he aged like a gray fox.
Even with wrinkles, the guy was undeniably handsome. He wore a white lab coat over a dress shirt and a tie as he sat at a desk, his office in the middle of the compound. There were flickers of alarm across his face, and cries of it from the others, but he forestalled any reaction by holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"We surrender," he rolled over, his voice tight and controlled. He barely even flinched when Nora stormed forward, all but shoving a gun up his nose with a snarl.
"Where. Is. My. Son," Nora bit the words out, and I saw the tempest that she kept under a tight lid. There was a faint tremble to the gun and the leader of the Institute looked up at her with a surprisingly gentle expression given the circumstance.
"He's right in front of you… mother," The leader replied and I felt my eyebrows shoot up at that. I glanced between the two of them, and-
Nora saw it too. "Shaun… You… you look like Nate," she breathed and I could hear the gut punch in her voice.
"You look like your grandfather. I- I don't-" she uttered taking a step back before looking at the gun she had aimed at her kid. She dropped it like it was hot and it clattered to the floor loudly. I could see the shock setting in and Shaun could too.
"The gap between my… abduction and your awakening was longer than you thought. It's been sixty years. The Institute raised me -- first, I was an uncorrupted source of pre-war DNA, but I eventually joined in earnest by the time I was sixteen. By thirty, I was leading a division and for the past ten years, I have been leading the Institute." he said, giving a cliff notes version of his life and I could see the blink panic settling in.
Nora looked at Shaun like she had no idea who he was. And since he was around thirty-five years older than her…
"The Institute. They murdered your father. They ripped you from his arms after they shot him in the fucking head." The panic was starting to turn into directionless anger. Fury.
Shaun twitched, "That was… regrettable. Kellogg has long served the Institute as a hammer. I have entertained thoughts of revenge… but the needs of the Institute outweigh my wants."
A bitter laugh escaped Nora, "You're cold."
"I'm a scientist, mother," Shaun offered and Nora shook her head. First to herself, then at him. When she turned to look at me, her eyes were bloodshot with tears in her eyes but she was refusing to let them fall.
"Get me out of here. I need-" she cut herself off, a sob lodged in her throat. I nodded, granting the request and bringing Nora topside.
There was a heavy silence in the room and Shaun seemed to be recovering from a serious emotional blow. He didn't seem sad, per se.
Just unhappy, with a dash of disappointment and resignation.
It was then that I decided to take a seat across from him, kicking my feet up on his desk. His blue eyes flickered to me, and he seemed to remember he was currently neck deep in shit. He straightened himself, clasping his hands before him on the desk.
"What are your intentions?"
I was getting Stan vibes from the guy. Probably not as fun, but in the sense he was trying to maintain a grip on the steering wheel of the conversation.
I was keenly aware of Rumi's gaze on the back of my head, waiting and listening. So, I decided to be honest.
"I'm not entirely sure at the moment. I was thinking I'd steal your hearts and force you to work for me, but I like your mum and I think she'd be mad if I turned her kid into a slave."
Shaun struggled to not give a reaction, waiting for me to continue.
"So, convince me. Should I just destroy you? Let you go? Drag you all back to Nuka-World? I mean, your mom's hot, but she's not that hot." I said, not entirely sure if I was lying or not.
"How?" Shaun asked directly and I cracked a smile.
"The synths. Tell me about them. What's their deal?" I asked, curious. Because, as I saw it, they were doing a pretty shit job with them if they were trying to take over the wasteland with infiltration and stealth. They'd be better off unleashing those guards on the wasteland and carving out chunks of it.
Shaun pursed his lips, his gaze flickering to Curie and Rumi, before settling back on me.
"Immortality," he decided to answer and I tilted my head.
"That is the ultimate goal of the synth project. It wasn't when the project was started -- the construction of the Institute required hard labor that our predecessors were ill equipped to perform."
I didn't give much of a reaction, simply gesturing for him to continue.
"The second stage was to create mechanical soldiers to secure resources from the wasteland. It was upon the completion of the second stage that my predecessor decided to take the synths a step further -- development of linguistics and personality programs. The creation of AI…" Then Shaun grimaced.
"Ten years ago, when I became the leader, I shifted our aims for the project. A synth body is virtually indistinguishable from that of a regular human." Shaun began, and I took my feet off his desk, betraying my interest.
It was Curie that spoke, "A marvelous idea!! You wished to transmit your mind into that of a new body!!" She said, twitching with excitement.
Shaun looked at her and nodded slowly. "First, we attempted to surgically remove the brain and put it into the body of a synth with matching biological data to prevent rejection. However, while we observed promising results there, the brain is an organ that too will eventually decay unless actively preserved. Our aims then shifted to mimicking the consciousness of an individual… but testing indicated that it was only a copy of the individual. An AI with their memories pretending to be them."
"What we sought was true immortality."
I could see where the tech tree was spitting out some branches. The infiltration synths were a by-product of Shaun and the Institute trying to copy themselves into synth bodies.
"Any luck?" I prompted, earning a small grimace from Shaun. Suppose that answered that.
"We will achieve our goals eventually, but I fear it will not be in my lifetime," Shaun admitted. "I am… dying," he admitted, and that explained switching tracks to achieve immortality.
"An aggressive form of cancer in my brain stem. Inoperable," he added, his hands tightening. He didn't want to die. And I couldn't blame him. I'd be pissed off too if I died just before people figured out the cure for death.
I gave a noncommittal hum to that, my finger tapping on the arm of my chair.
The technology sounded nice. Very nice.
Especially when I detected a super mutant suspended in fluid down below. I knew what their ultimate goal was with the technology.
Immortality wasn't enough. They wanted to crack the code to create the perfect bodies. Bodies that were perfectly adapted to living in the wasteland. And when that body wore itself down, or they needed another for a certain task, they'd just make a new one.
Their goal was to change bodies like one might change their clothes.
"Curie?" I asked, not looking at her. "Can the drug you made cure cancer?"
"Of course it can!! It was one of the most important afflictions that we wished to cure!" Curie chirped happily before pausing.
"Oh my!!"
I cracked a smile at her realizing what we had as much as I did at the sudden hunger in Shaun's eyes. He had his doubts, I'm sure. He would want to review the data first. But, when he saw what we had, that I could save his life…
The Institute was mine. They just didn't realize it yet.