Part two of this series is entitled The Dark I Know So Well and things are going to take a bit of a darker turn. Keep an eye out! It should be up in the next few days.

Also, at nearly 10k words, this is the longest chapter of the bunch. Keep in mind, I'm not a medical-minded person, nor am I an engineer, so some suspension of disbelief will be needed in this chapter. Google and Wikipedia were invaluable to me during the writing process.

Thank you to everyone who took time to comment, favorite, and/or simply read a few chapters. I appreciate the support.

Chapter 20 - Institutionalized.

Nora awoke to feather-light touches brushing across her skin. She opened her eyes and saw that the same white-haired man who injected her with the syringe was now undoing the leather straps on her wrist and ankles. She was no longer on an examination table, but instead, she was in a hospital bed and pillows propped her up into a sitting position.

She flinched at the man's touch and looked around the room in a panic. Nora tried to find anything that she could use as a weapon, but was dismayed to find that the room was spartan and bare. Aside for a plastic nightstand and a sterling metal chair over by the door, the bed was the only piece of furniture in the room.

"I'm sorry about all of the trauma you experienced getting here." The man said. His voice was calm and confident. "I did not plan for you to arrive here in such a barbaric fashion. Z2-47 will be disciplined for his rash, emotional reaction."

Nora's hand brushed the lump at the back of her head and winced. She wanted to tell the man that getting pistol whipped with a laser rifle was a little more than a 'rash action.'

"What did you do to me?" Nora croaked out. Her throat was painfully dry.

"Nothing harmful, believe me." The man replied. His brows furrowed as though the thought of harming Nora was abhorrent and painful to think about. "I had to sedate you upon arrival. I didn't want you to accidentally hurt yourself or the other doctors when you were in such a heightened state of distress."

"But why?" Nora coughed out? "Why bring me here? I'm nobody. I-I was just trying to look for my son."

Hot tears spilled over Nora's eyes. She was going to die here, she thought. She'd never see Nick or Hancock again. Hell, she even missed Deacon's insufferable grin. But the worst part of it was that she was going to die without ever knowing what happened to Shuan.

"Mother, please don't cry." The man replied. He frowned at her and gently patted her arm consolingly.

Nora blinked in confusion at the old man through bleary, tear-filled eyes. There was that term again: Mother. The courser called her that too. The term wasn't just a label or a term of endearment, it was a title. Something didn't sit right with her, and she scrutinized the old man.

Now that he had his doctor's mask off, Nora couldn't help but notice how his jawline curved down prominently like Nate's did. His blue eyes - the same color as Nate's - were protected by thick, full eyebrows; his mouth was turned up into a wry, boyish grin as he watched Nora put together the evidence laid out in front of her.

He looked just like Nate, albeit some four decades older.

"Shaun?" Nora breathed out in fear. Fear of her crazy suspicions but also fear that she was actually right. This old man standing in front of her couldn't be her son. He couldn't. He was suppose to be a child. But something inside Nora told her that all of the evidence pointed to the contrary.

A small, regretful smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "Yes, Mother. I am Shaun. I am your son."

"No." She replied in a low voice. "No. It can't be. How is this possible?"

All of the evidence that Nick had found, all of the hard facts that they dug out of Kellogg's memories, all of it pointed to her son being around ten years old. Nothing made sense.

"You can't be Shaun. You're much too ..."

"Much too old?" He finished for her with a sad grin. "Is it really that hard to believe that sixty years has passed when I was pulled from the Vault and brought here?"

Sixty years? Nora gaped at the thought. She looked at the man again. Nora knew it as sure as she knew her own name. There was no mistake. Call it a mother's intuition or instinct, but Nora knew he was telling the truth. The man before her was indeed her son. He was alive, and she had found him at last.

Nora jolted up to her knees, overturning the covers and knocking the pillows askew, and pulled the man into a life-squeezing hug. Despite his age, his body was solid and healthy. Shaun staggered from the unexpected contact and gently patted Nora's arm. He didn't hug her back, but Nora didn't care about that.

Gently, he pushed Nora from him and settled her back down in the hospital bed.

"It's so good to see you after all of these years." He replied. His smile - Nate's smile - reached his eyes. "Please don't be offended about my hesitation. I'm not accustom to physical affection. My upbringing was rather ... unconventional. But we'll get to that later. You need to rest a little more first."

"No. No, it's fine." Nora said in a rush. "I just..."

She took a closer look at her son and the weight of his age hit her in the chest. She had missed so much.

"God, Shaun. I'm so sorry. I -"

The man cut her off with a brisk wave of his hand. "Don't worry about that right now. Let's start anew. You can call me Shaun, but to everyone else I am called Father. Welcome to the Institute. I would like to show you around, but you're a bit frail at the moment. You suffered some injuries that need to be mended. I'm also concerned about that shoddily-mended wound on your side. It was poisoned, was it not?"

Nora ignored his questions. She couldn't bare to think about the wasteland, about Pickman, or about the bumps, bruises, and scars that she had accumulated during her journey. None of that mattered to Nora now.

"How did you survive, Shaun?" Nora asked. "As soon as I emerged from the Vault, I assumed the worst. I assumed that you were long dead. I traveled halfway across Boston looking for you, and you've been here this entire time. Why didn't you try to contact me?"

Father looked perplexed. It was as though the idea had never occurred to him to make his presence known to Nora.

"Nora, to you, my kidnapping was a heinous crime. A crime which you actively sought revenge for, but to me, my kidnapping was a salvation. I was saved from the wasteland and all of its horrors and brought here. I was raised here. I quickly rose through the ranks and became its youngest director in the Institute's history. Thanks to my leadership, we've made great strides in scientific progress and we continue to do so. Surely you can be happy about that."

"Of course I can!" Nora urged and sat up higher in the bed. "I just - I - I just wish I could've gotten to you sooner. I never got a chance to raise you, and your father ..."

Nora stopped. She couldn't think about Nate right now.

"Yes, your husband's death was an unfortunate instance of collateral damage." Shaun replied bitterly.

"My husband and your father." Nora pointed out frowning at Shaun's detached, cold tone.

"Yes." He replied carefully. "And I'll never forgive Kellogg for what he did. He was the most ruthless agent that the Institute ever had the displeasure of employing, but he was effective and did his job well. Believe me, I do not mourn his death."

"Director" A cool voice interrupted from an intercom "You are wanted in the SRB immediately."

"Thank you Allie, I'll be there right away." He replied aloud to the room. Father adjusted the IV bag next to her bed and checked the heart rate monitor.

"Get some rest Nora. Tomorrow I'll show you around and introduce you to some of the department heads. You'll find that you're going to be quite a spectacle for a while. Aside for Dr. Li, you're the first wastelander we've had join us in the past twenty years."

Nora watched as Shaun walked to the door. He paused to dim the lights in the room and then left Nora with her thoughts.

The machines nearby beeped quietly and Nora's whole body ached. Her last thought before slipping into a light, fitful sleep was of Nick's face as the blue relay field crackled around her. The rage, confusion, and fear was all too evident and raw. She couldn't shake the uncanny similarity of his expression as Nora was taken by the courser. It was the exact same expression she had when she watched Shaun's kidnapping sixty years earlier.

"HANCOCK!" Nick roared as he stormed across the central square in Goodneighbor. The synth looked like he had been chased there by the hounds of Hell. He was limping badly and had dark coolant staining his coat and shirt. His gun was unholstered and the barrel was still smoking.

Two crows sat on Daisy's stand and watched the spectacle with keen interest. Their red eyes stared unyieldingly at the injured synth detective. One bird, almost disgruntled, let out a sharp caw and swooped down and landed on a wooden table where Trashcan Carla had her choice weapons and armor on display.

She looked at the bird with a smirk. The cigarette between her fingers smoldered and she observed the spectacle with mild interest.

The Mayor heard the commotion and went out onto his balcony but only saw the wisps of Nick's coattails as he raced into the Old State House. Everyone in the square stopped to watch, and a few looked questioningly up at Hancock, but he brushed off their silent questions with a good-natured smile and a dismissive wave of his hand.

Nick's footsteps quickened as he ran up the stairs, and Hancock heard Fahrenheit's heavy weight shift towards the front of his office door as she prepared to stop the synth from entering.

"I need to see Hancock" Nick panted.

"He's bus-"

"Let him in." Hancock commanded. While he instructed Fahrenheit to keep out anyone until he had gotten good and high, he figured this intrusion was an appropriate exception.

The synth limped into the room and nearly collapsed into the ghoul. Hancock caught him and lowered him gently to the floor.

Hancock's dark eyes widened as he saw the seriousness of the situation. Nick wasn't merely injured, he was nearly on death's door.

Fahrenheit looked on in shock and confusion. Coolant was leaking onto the wood floor as the synth panted laboriously.

"Go get Amari." Hancock barked to Fahrenheit and gently untangled his legs from the synth's heavy body. He pulled Nick into an upright position and leaned him against the couch.

"What the fuck happened Nicky? Where's Nora."

The synth shuddered and a few trills and stutters emanated from his throat before he could finally speak.

"Close the windows and doors!" He barked. "They've been following me!"

"What the fuck are ya talking about?"

"Just do it!"

The synth writhed on the floor. His dress slacks stuck to the back of his legs. Coolant smeared the wood like inky paint.

Hancock quickly complied to Nick's orders and drew the curtains closed. When he went to close the large double doors that let out to the balcony, he saw a crow sitting on the whitewashed railing. It cocked its head expectantly and looked the ghoul right in the eyes.

The ghoul had never seen a bird that bold. Nor had he remembered seeing one with bright red eyes. Granted, he never paid attention to the birds in the Commonwealth. They were just there. Like the rusted cars, ruined buildings, and Pre-War junk that littered the landscape; he figured the birds were the extraordinarily fortunate product of a bygone era.

An uneasy feeling sat in the pit of his stomach. Once Fahrenheit got back with Amari, he'd send her out to round up the Neighborhood Watch. Something fishy was going on in town and he didn't like it one bit.

Hancock closed the whitewashed doors and flipped the lock for good measure. Without the natural light from outside, the room was dark and Hancock lit a kerosene lamp that sat on the desk.

"Good. Good." Nick panted out like a phantom in the darkness. "You gotta listen to me, John. I dunno how much time I have."

Nick grabbed for Hancock's ruined arm and pulled him back to the floor. His grip was unyielding, but his eyes were dim and unfocused.

"Nora's been kidnapped by the Institute." He failed to keep his voice neutral and the announcement came out as a dry sob. "A courser grabbed her when we were over at Greentech Genetics doing some work for the Railroad. They were waiting for us - it was a fucking trap!"

"Woah, woah. Slowdown. Courser? Trap? I don't understand."

The synth shook his head frantically. "There's not enough time to explain! This place isn't - ARGH -" a small but bright spark arched from his midsection and skipped across the floor. Nick panted and clawed at the couch cushion in pain. "This place isn't safe! The Railraod's been compromised. Deacon ... FUCK ... He didn't m-m-"

The man before him writhed in pain. He clenched his teeth and his skeletal metal hand was squeezed into a tight fist. If he was a flesh and blood human, Hancock would've doped the poor bastard up to get him through the pain, but chems didn't have an effect on older model synths.

"Hey, hey." He said in a low, soothing voice. The ghoul felt more useless as the seconds ticked by and fear began to creep into the his psyche. Yet, he pushed all that aside and grabbed Nick's hand as he bled out onto his office floor.

"Hang in there Nicky." His voice was rough and low. "Amari's on her way to fix you up."

Nick didn't seem hear him. "You g-gotta get some people together. Trustworthy people. Be discrete and do it in secret. Someone will get in contact with you soon. W-we have to save Nora. Des and Carrington are t-trying to salvage what they can. Tom sh-should be on his w-way here with PAM."

He closed his eyes and tried to remember the past six hours. When Deacon was shot, he managed to activate the distress beacon before he lost consciousness. The machine's cool voice said, "Record your message now" and Nick sent out a call for help. He had no idea how long it would take Desdemona to come to their rescue. In fact, he slipped into an auxiliary power mode as his system struggled to run with the lack of coolant.

When he came to, he saw that Deacon's body was gone. Carrington did what he could to restore most of Nick's faculties, but he was a doctor not a mechanic, and only managed to get Nick's core systems restored. The gunshot wound still sparked painfully but the tourniquet he applied was strong enough to staunch the worst of the bleeding. The patch job was enough for Nick to hobble to Goodneighbor, or so he thought.

The journey to Goodneighbor was a risk, but he refused to die in some rundown skyscraper amid the litter of dead Gunners and Pre-War artifacts. Gen-1 synths dogged his every movement. He fought most of them off, but then a patroller caught him down a dead end alleyway. Nick scaled a fire escape but also ripped Carrington's tourniquet open in the process.

The synths had chased him all the way to Goodneighbor's door. Ever since Gen-1 and Gen-2 synths started appearing topside, he had always seen them clustered in groups collecting valuable salvage. He had never heard of synths teleporting one-by-one into a person's path. He thought the first two encounters were flukes, but then he saw that each synth encounter coincided with a flock of crows watching him from afar.

"Nicholas?" Amari's voice called. His eyes snapped open and her face swam into view. He must've passed out again because he was no longer in Hancock's office. Instead, he was laying on an examination table and was bare from the waist up.

"Nicholas, stay with me."

He blinked several times and tried to lift his head up to look at Amari but his head swam and throbbed.

"Hang in there, Nicky." Hancock's rough voice urged.

"They're watching me." He whispered. His mind swam in pain. The room was falling out of focus again and Nick fought to keep his head above water.

"Who's watching you?" Amari replied. She worked frantically to staunch the bleeding. Her hands were stained up to her arms with viscous black coolant. The laser had severed and cauterized bundles of thin tubing that acted as veins and arteries. She deftly worked to reconnect them with a soldering iron.

"AAAAH," Nick cried out. His body seized but Hancock's arms kept him still.

"Nicky, who's watching you?" Hancock urged.

"They're in the air." he groaned, "Those dammed birds."

"Grab him tightly, John." Amari ordered. "He's going into a seizure."

The ghoul forced Nick's shoulders down as Amari held onto his legs and his waist. Nick's body jostled and trembled fiercely. His vision went dark and then his hearing went soon afterwards. An infernal ringing filled his ears as he felt his systems seize up.

"John, give me that repair kit on the surgical tray." Amari barked. Once she reconnected the severed arteries and veins, the increase in blood flow created a thermal runaway in his system which was crashing his processors.

The ghoul obeyed and Amari unrolled a Pre-War syringe from the thick leather. She needed to counteract the chemical reaction that was causing his body to generate heat at an exponential rate.

"Stand back!" She commanded to Hancock and then plunged the syringe into Nick's exposed neck and dispensed the plunger.

Nick's body jostled and seized and a faint clicking could be heard as his body tried to restart itself. A rush of steam escaped from his open wound; Hancock looked on in horror but Amari seemed satisfied with the outcome.

"Drag that terminal cart over here, John." Amari barked. "He's gonna need the extra power and memory as his systems fight to get back online.

Hancock rolled the terminal over while minding the chords that now spread across the floor like thick snakes. He handed her two small copper cables that had lead nodes attached to the ends. She attached one to each temple and fiddled with the dials and knobs before flipping a large breaker. The lights inside the small doctor's room dimmed briefly before the auxiliary generator kicked on.

Nick was uncomfortably still; Amari and Hancock watched and waited with baited breath to see if the terminal's power would help facilitate his processors and get them back online.

C'mon Nicky. You can beat this. You can't leave Nora. She fuckin' needs you. Hancock thought and ground his teeth hard against his lip.

A full minute passed but it felt like an eternity, then Nick's chest let out a rattling wheeze and his breathing started back up again.

"Oh thank God." Amari breathed out. She began checking the readings on the terminal and made several adjustments with deft keystrokes. "Yes! His circulatory system has balanced out and his body is slowly adjusting to the influx of new coolant. He's not out of the woods yet, but it's looking a lot more hopeful. God damn..."

Hancock chuckled weakly and sank into the chair next to the synth. He had never heard Amari curse before, but he thought that 'damn' was much too mild. Nick's jaw was slack and his mouth was partially opened. His head was tilted away from the ghoul, but he looked almost peaceful. His mottled hand held on to Nick's smooth synthetic arm.

"Atta boy, Nicky." He whispered. "We'll get those Institute bastards. Don't you worry. Nora will be back here before long. The Institute has fucked with the wrong ghoul."

His dark eyes stared but he wasn't looking at anything in particular. His mind was much too troubled. He took a deep hit of Jet and let his forehead rest into his palms. Something that Nick had said didn't sit right with him. At first he chalked it up to the synth's failing faculties as his body nearly self-destructed, but then the unyielding red eyes of that crow perched upon the whitewashed railing swam into his mind on a Jet-induced haze. Dread and horror shocked the ghoul right out of the chair.

He left Nick's side and stormed up the stairs. His untied red jacket wiped around him like a cape. As he barged into the street, Hancock pulled out a small throwing knife that he kept in his boot and found his target a mere ten yards away.

A black crow sat picking worms out of the ground near the backside of the Old State House. He grabbed his knife by the hilt and threw it at the bird with a deft, practiced flick of his wrist. The knife hit true and stuck the bird into the ground.

The animal let out a small squeak and Hancock walked over to inspect his kill. He pulled the knife out of the bird with one hand and picked up the dead animal with the other. It's body leaked a black substance onto his mottled hand. It was the same black substance that Amari was currently washing off of her arms and hands after operating on Nick.

"No." He growled in disbelief and then tore the bird in two.

Instead of bird bones and gore, more coolant and impossibly small wires and metal bones spilled out into his hands. The bird's red eyes had gone dim - like someone had switched off it's power - and Hancock knew the horrible truth.

Other crows nearby took flight as Hancock threw the broken synthetic bird's body into the gutter. He stormed into the Old State House and then went into the Third Rail through a back door.

The place was deserted with the exception of a drunk ghoul who was passed out in an old, blue loveseat. Hancock made his way to the VIP room and roused the young mercenary from his sleep.

"Mac, get up." he growled.

The kid stirred and groaned. "Shit Hancock, it's not even the afternoon yet. What the fuck?"

"Yer sabbatical ends now MacCready." He said. "I got a job for you. And I pay well."

With MacCready's help, the ghoul was going to exterminate every last synth bird that he could find.

Although Nora's first impression of the Institute was less than ideal, her second impression was that the place was a hidden wonder of the world.

Shaun explained that the CIT was given advanced warning about the likelihood of a nuclear detonation and thus a lot of time and effort was spent creating a safe haven for the faculty, scientists, and their families.

Purified water cascaded down the walls and then ran towards the center of the atrium where it then trickled down into unseen culverts and pipes. It was then recycled, filtered again, and pumped over to the hydroponics lab and into the living quarters to be used to shower with and flush the toilets. Additionally, the water fed the blossoming trees and the real grass that lined the clean white sidewalks thus creating a small microenvironment and the first green grass that Nora had seen in over 200 years.

A couple of bald Gen-2 synths pruned bushes and branches off a thick maple tree. Other synths milled around doing odd jobs. One was repairing a sensor that controlled a nondescript grey sliding door while another was pushing a large laundry cart full of uniforms, linens, and sheets.

Father guided her around the atrium explained what each division did. Their first stop was outside an archway that had a large glowing green sign that read: Bioscience Division.

"The Bioscience Division is the oldest division in the Institute." Father lectured. "After the CIT went underground, they spent the first few decades researching different ways to work with the hydroponic labs and how to grow food while underground. All of our food has been genetically modified to use less water, be more resilient in harsh environments, and to produce a higher yield. And the entire process is sustainable. We compost any excess waste and we preserve foods in case of famine or other unforeseen incidences. But now that the Institute is more stable, the Bioscience Division has been able to branch out in other unique and creative avenues."

The white laboratory held a variety of plant species in self-contained greenhouse pods. Attendants and scientists occasionally checked the nearby terminals and took notes on a clipboard. Father guided Nora to the far side of the room where two large silverback gorillas sat eating bananas behind a class enclosure.

"Are those real?" Nora asked quietly. She had never seen a gorilla outside of a zoo before and the ones that she did see were often lethargic and sick from being improperly taken care of, but these animals looked healthy and strong.

"No." Father replied with a small smile. "These gorillas are synthetic and the bananas were grown in our hydroponic labs. After the Institute felt satisfied that they could feed and care for all of their scientists, the desire to test the limits of science and technology became insatiable. The android project - which we now call synths - started shortly after. This is Dr. Holden's pet project. I encourage our scientists to pursue scientific hobbies and interests that may benefit the Institute in some way. These gorillas could be the next step in redefining humanity's future."

Nora heard the pride in Father's voice and took a look at the gorillas again. The one on the left grabbed onto a vine that was hanging from the ceiling of their enclosure and pulled it down with a sharp tug and then threw one end of it over the branch of a tree. Within minutes, the large animal had created a rudimentary swing and hooted as he swung back and forth on the vines.

Father gently guided her by the shoulder towards a small, lit hallway lined with microscopes, handsaws, and other medical equipment. "In here, please."

"We are going through a restricted area." Father said. "Do not try to go through here unless accompanied by myself or another Institute staff member."

Nora was led into a large room that was about twice as large as the Bioscience laboratory. This room had a high dome ceiling and four large pools of gelatinous flesh-colored liquid. Near each pool, workers monitored computers while large mechanized robotic arms assembled human skeletons within seconds.

Father gestured grandly at the automations. "This is the Robotics division, and this is Dr. Binet, he is the head of the division."

A man in an orange lab suit stepped forward and grasped her hand tightly. His auburn hair was thinning on the top, but his hazel eyes held a stern, serious constitution.

"Greetings, Mother. I am honored to finally meet you. Without you, none of this would be possible."

Nora looked around confused. "Sorry, but what is … this" She gestured at everything.

Dr. Binet looked at Father in shock, "I — I'm sorry." He replied. "I thought you'd be more up to date on how synths were created."

"I have yet to get into the specifics, I'm afraid." Father replied. "Although, Nora was studying to be a lawyer so I think we can stick to layman's terms for now."

"Oh," Dr. Binet replied. "Well, in that case, I think showing you a demonstration is simpler than explaining it. Are we ready for the demonstration?"

Nora noticed the emphasis that he put on "demonstration" and suddenly felt nervous.

"Yes, I believe we are." Father replied. "Nora, if you'll accompany me upstairs in the viewing area, we can get started."

Nora followed Father up a spiral staircase and through an automatic door which led to a small room that overlooked the laboratory. There were two plush, white armchairs and Father sat in one. "Please, have a seat."

Nora obeyed but felt on edge. From her new perspective, she noticed that the flesh colored gel in each of the four pools weren't one homogenous flesh tone, but a gradient of four: fleshy pink, pale yellow, tan, and deep chocolate brown.

"Dr. Binet is one of the finest minds working here with us." Father commented. "His son, Liam, is his apprentice. I have high hopes for him. I hope he'll take his father's place some day."

"Proceed with the demonstration." Father announced into the microphone.

"Wonderful!" Dr. Binet exclaimed brightly. His voice came through a PA box that was attached above the glass window. "Forgive my exuberance. It's been a while since I've been able to demonstrate this to anyone besides my colleagues."

He cleared his throat, "Billions of years ago, our early ancestors crawled out of the jungles of a place called Africa and slowly evolved into the dominant species on the planet. What you will see before you is the next step in human evolution. Allow me to present the synthetic humanoid."

Dr. Binet pressed typed in a series of commands into a nearby terminal and the giant robotic arms swung around on command.

He continued his lecture in a proud, confident voice. "The first step in this great leap in evolution starts at the molecular level. Thanks to Father … and also to you, Nora, we managed to use Father's uncorrupted, pure DNA to act as a blueprint for the rest of our synths. With this blueprint, we can replicate any existing genome and create a synthetic human from the ground up."

Dr. Binet typed in more commands into his terminal and then walked over to the upright glass frame. "First, we start at the foundation. Our robots assemble the human skeletal structure and then another injects the various neurons, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and veins."

The robotic arm was moving like a jackhammer as it assembled a human skeleton in under ten seconds. Then another arm swung over and began injecting a dull grey matter onto the skeleton. The process reminded Nora of a tattoo gun etching designs into a person's skin. However, instead of a design, this gun was etching a person into existence.

Soon, Nora was looking at a musculature structure of a human male. "Then we inject the body with a cocktail of enzymes and hormones that act as a catalyst to jumpstart the endocrine system, and then we jumpstart the heart with a controlled shock."

The needle on the robotic arm began to pulse slowly, and the grey tinge of the dead muscles suddenly turned a vivid pink, and the veins that wrapped around the muscles like rope turned a dark blue.

"Finally, our human prototype is placed in our pool of synthetic keratinocytes and receive one more controlled electric shock to stabilize the human body. It is at this point that our prototype is indistinguishable from a normal human. They are our exact match, right now to the genetic level."

Nora's mouth fell open as the synth rose up out of the pool and was stark naked. Unlike the neutered Gen-2 synths, he was anatomically male in every way. He had a sun-kissed complexion, and had a shaved head with black stubble poking out from the scalp. When the synth opened his eyes, Nora saw that he had deep brown eyes. He looked around curiously but didn't seem frightened. The synthetic man before her looked completely human. Dr. Binet escorted him over to a door that was marked with red letters which said "Processing."

"Simply put, our synths are meant to redefine what it means to be human." Dr. Binet said. "They are mankind redefined."

"Where do they go when they are processed?" Nora asked.

"Thank you for the demonstration Dr. Binet." Father announced into the intercom and then addressed Nora.

"They are brought to the SRB, or Synth Retention Bureau, which is where they are programmed with memories, experiences, and personality traits. All of them have their physical abilities and mental prowess tested before they are given their assignments. Some of the elite are chosen to work as coursers while most of the others are retained by the Institute to work as laborers, janitors, and assistants."

Nora watched as another synth — this time a female — rose up out of the pink colored pool. She also had a shaved head. "Why are they all hairless?"

"Their hair follicles will begin growing as soon as they are created." Father replied, "However, their hair growth is limited to that of a normal person's and so it will take a couple of weeks for many of them to achieve a fully naturalized human look."

Father guided Nora out of the small demonstration room and through another hallway. Another automatic door sat at the end, but this door was marked in bold, black lettering that read: SRB - ACCESS PROHIBITED.

Father flashed a small name badge in front of a scanner and led Nora through the open door. This room was divided into two separate areas that was connected by a wall of reinforced plexiglass.

The first room was filled with computer terminals. On the far wall, twenty five small computer monitors were hooked up into a grid and each one had a different image displayed. Nora scanned the monitors and saw that each image was a recording of somewhere out in the Commonwealth. One showed a Raider lounging against a wooden barricade, another showed Piper and Nat playing cards outside of Publik Occurrences, and a third showed an arial view of Vault 111.

Nora broke away from Father to get a closer look at the bottom left television monitor. An intern with black cropped hair looked at Nora warily.

"How are you recording all of this?" Nora asked. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice, but she failed. She didn't know what to expect. If Shaun had been recording Vault 111 this entire time, then he knew the exact date and time that she emerged, yet he did nothing to contact her. It didn't make sense. The apathy towards her well-being felt like a slap in the face.

Father, oblivious to Nora's concerns, introduced a short man with a shaved head. "Nora, I'd like to introduce you to our interim head of the SRB, Justin Ayo. He has stepped up while our current head, Dr. Zimmer, is out on field work in the Capital Wasteland. He's also responsible for our newest invention. Dr. Ayo, if you'd please explain."

"Certainly, Father." He replied. His voice was cold and the smile that he gave looked more like a sneer. His face held a permanently dissatisfied expression and he looked at Nora with thinly veiled disgust.

"What you see here is my pet project that I refined and then perfected while under Dr. Zimmer's tutelage." Dr. Ayo pressed a button on a console and then typed in a few commands to the terminal nearby. The twenty-five screens melded into one huge image of an ariel view of Lexington and Concord.

"The wasteland is a dangerous place." Dr. Ayo continued, "But, it is of vial importance that the Institute not bury its head in the sand with respect to what's been going on with people's affairs topside. So I created a way to survey and record the wasteland, but from a bird's eye perspective."

Nora realized that Dr. Ayo's bird's eye perspective was literal when out of the large console a large sleek crow arose enclosed in a metal cage. The bird's eyes were a startling red and it was looking right at Nora. Dr. Ayo typed one more command in the terminal and the arial shot of Lexington was then replaced with up close footage of Nora's face. The camera moved every time the bird moved its head, and Nora's stomach dropped to the floor.

The Institute had been spying on the Commonwealth long before Nora ever stepped foot into the world. Suddenly all of the effort that Deacon and Desdemona put forth in their secrets, mystique, and guile seemed pathetic and laughable. They had been caught before they had even begun.

"So you've created crows that record everything they see." Nora stated. She tried to keep her voice even and detached, but it came out trembling instead. The image in front of her was delayed by three seconds, but she could read her statement on her own lips. The only saving grace about this scary and intrusive invention was that it didn't playback sound.

"I call them Watchers." Dr. Ayo replied proudly. "And it's not just crows but all flying animals: seagulls, sparrows, crows, and bats. I also just piloted my first synthetic watcher brahmin, and I'm happy to say that the results have been favorable."

Dr. Ayo looked at Nora smugly but the venom in his voice was unmistakeable. "What do you think, Mother. As a spy for the Railroad, I wonder if you could appreciate the amount of subterfuge this took on my part. I find it interesting that The Railroad was so sloppy in how they operated. All it took was for my crows to follow you and that synth reject to the front doors of that old, derelict church. I waited no more than two days, and out you popped with a confirmed Railroad agent at your side. I'm sure you'll be disappointed to hear that Institute synths sacked that place and burned everything and anything they could."

"Now, now. Don't gloat." Father chided. "Besides, this isn't the right time to discuss Nora's affairs topside."

Nora wanted to punch the smug Dr. Ayo right in his weasel-like face, but Father ushered her away and down another well lit hallway and through a door. Nora brushed a tear away. She felt miserable, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly why. She felt embarrassed and violated that Ayo had been spying on her this entire time, but she felt even worse that her son allowed it.

"So. About The Railroad..." Nora began quietly. She felt as though she was fessing up to stealing the family car or being late for curfew.

Father sighed heavily and pulled Nora off to the side. "Nora, I don't fault you for your involvement with those idealistic quacks. You had no context. You were thrown into this world and had to survive. I cannot deny that your affiliation with them will mean that some of our scientists will be slow to trust you, but I am just happy that we could recover you before you did irreparable harm."

Irreparable harm. His tone made it sound like she was a being a careless child who was playing near a hot stove top or was acting reckless while playing outside, and thanks to Father, she was saved from her own ignorance.

"I don't think you understand, Shaun." Nora replied. "They are not evil. They want to help synths -"

"Synths do not need help." He cut in sharply. "They do not have wants or desires. They are tools that the Institute created and they are the Institute's property. Not everything in the world is so black and white, Nora. Although they haven't attacked us outright, the Railroad is still our enemy."

Father cleared his throat and sighed. A wrinkled hand ruffled through his hair as he regained his composure. Again, an echo of Nate came to the surface as she remembered how he tried to recite his speech for the Veteran's Hall. His hand ruffled through his dark hair in irritation as he tripped up over some of his words in anxiety. Nora had to look away before the pain became too great to bare.

"Now what's wrong?" Father asked. Irritation edged his voice slightly. He wasn't use to people being so emotional in front of him.

"It's nothing." Nora turned away to wipe both of her eyes. "You just look so much like your father right now."

"I - uh." More sighing, this time his voice was edged in regret. "I can understand the trauma you're experiencing. You've had a challenging day. We just have one more person to meet, and then we'll talk about more pleasant things."

Nora turned back to her son and nodded. The idea that she had no say in this matter bothered her. She was beginning to feel like a prisoner in a gilded, scientifically-advanced cage.

"Lastly, this is our Advanced Systems Division." Father continued, but Nora wasn't listening.

She thought about Nick and wondered whether he was tearing the Commonwealth apart to find her. The Railroad - if they still existed, that is - still have the instructions on how to built the relay. But she didn't know if they had the manpower or the capacity to take down another courser. Nora also thought about Hancock and wondered if he and Nick would put aside their differences and work together for once. She also thought of Hancock's passionate speech to the Goodneighbor towsfolk and heard his voice echo in her head: The Institute can't control us if we're not afraid.

Yet, the main thing that Nora feared was that rescuing her would prove fatal to far too many. She was in a Vault all over again, albeit a better decorated and warmer one, but Nora would not let another person throw themselves into danger because of her. Nate's had already paid that price for her and she be dammed if she'd let Nick or Hancock do the same.

Their visit to the Advanced Systems Division was brief. The scientists here were a lot less open to interruption and most preferred to tinker with laser weapons and other gadgets than actually engage Nora in conversation. The main thing she noticed was that their head scientist, an older woman named Dr. Li, wasn't afraid to talk back to Father. Whereas the other scientists seemed to fall upon the ground whenever Father passed by, Dr. Li barely looked up from the large plasma rifle that she was putting together.

"Dr. Madison Li is from the Capital Wasteland and we're very fortunate to have such a prolific scientist among our ranks." Father replied. "She's a good person to ask if you're having trouble adapting to living in the Institute. It can be quite an adjustment at first."

"I came to the Institute to do my research outside of the Brotherhood's oppressive steel fist." She replied dryly. "I did not sign up to be anyone's welcome crew."

"The Brotherhood?" Nora heard that term before. "D'you mean the Brotherhood of Steel?"

Li's piercing, hawk-like gaze left her gun for a moment. She gave Nora a pointed, infuriated look as though Nora had just insulted her.

"Yes." She replied tersely.

"Yes." Father repeated. His voice lost its warmth and he scowled. "Dr. Li has renounced all affiliations with those zealots, and we are very fortunate to have her here with us. Thanks to her work, we've made great strides in improving our laser and plasma weapon capabilities, and we've refined the cybernetics program."

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Li." Father replied. "We'll let you get back to work."

Father guided Nora out of the Advanced Systems laboratory and back into the atrium, but Nora couldn't shake the feeling that Dr. Li's brash and abrupt behavior was more of a defense mechanism than a outright dislike of people.

"There's no need to introduce you to the head of Facilities." Father remarked and led Nora into a small elevator. "You'll meet Allie soon enough. She's in charge of all of the housekeeping, repairs, cleaning, and meal service here. She's our chief engineer, and I value her opinion on many things. She, Dr. Li, Dr. Ayo, Dr. Binet, and Dr. Holren all make up the Board of Directors with me as their head. I would like you to attend our Directorate meeting tomorrow night. But before you do, we still have much to discuss."

Father stepped out of the elevator and led her through several common areas that were decorated in plush white couches and armchairs, fake flowers sat in a ceramic vase on a coffee table, and various scientific instruments sat neatly organized and ready to be used.

"I have already asked Allie to prepare you some living quarters. It is modest, as you're a single woman who doesn't require much space, but it is clean and comfortable."

Father pressed a sensor on the wall and the automatic door slid open. Nora's living quarters were indeed modest. The place was about half the size of her house in Sanctuary Hills. As she walked in into the living room, she saw a bed and a dresser through one doorway and a small, but clean bathroom through the other.

"There's no kitchen." She remarked.

"No." Father agreed. "If you feel ill, you may accept meals in your room, but we encourage our residents to eat their meals in our common dining area. It encourages camaraderie and prevents some of our more reclusive residents from simply holing up in their rooms all day."

"So it's kind of like college all over again." Nora quipped. Father looked at her strangely and then chuckled at the joke. His laugh was too late to be appropriate and it sounded hollow and forced.

"Ah, levity. That means you handle challenges well. I'm glad you're starting to see the silver lining in all of this. Please make yourself comfortable. I will be back in just a moment with our meals."

When Father left, the door closed behind him with a mechanical whooshing sound and Nora was alone.

In the living room, Nora's fingers glossed over the smooth plastic tables. The hardened plastic was cool to the touch; the white table was nearly blinding as no dirt, dust, or grime dared to touch it.

Tucked into the corner was a small desk and a terminal set to an open command screen. The standard ROBCO copyright sat at the top with a subheading that read: INSTITUTE PRIVATE SERVER. A blinking block curser waited for a user to issue a command or to begin typing.

Just as she was about to get up from the chair and explore more of her small room, Nora heard the terminal beep and a line of text popped up.

I know who you really are.

Nora blinked at the computer terminal and looked around the room. She wondered if this was some sort of practical joke, and then another line of text followed.

You disgust me.

Nora scowled at the two lines and then typed back. Although she had a feeling that she already knew who this was.

Who is this?

Smile. You are on camera!

Nora looked over the door and saw a small black camera with a red blinking light. The lens zoomed in and the image was sent over the computer much like Ayo had done back in the SRB.

You're spying on my room? Does it get so lonely down there that you have to peep on other women?

His reaction was immediate. Nora could nearly feel the vitriol behind the words that sparked the next message.

You're not my type. But I thought you'd like to see this.

An image loaded up on the screen. It was a grainy black and white image of Nick being carried through Goodneighbor by Hancock and Doctor Amari. His eyes were closed, not closed in a grimace of pain, but closed as though he was dead.

Nora felt her fingers typing faster than her mind could process. She knew that Nick had taken a laser bullet from the courser, but she didn't think that he had been so badly wounded. Nora's fingers trembled and she had to delete the message several times to rid it of typos. She couldn't let Ayo think that he had crawled under her skin.

How did you get this? When did this happen?

Father doesn't know that you've been fucking the failed prototype. Nor does he know about your fraternizing with a disgusting ghoul.

Another image popped up. This time it was a black and white image of Nora kissing Hancock outside of the Starlight Drive In cinema. Her face was flushed from the look of unbridled passion and satisfaction on Hancock's face. She simultaneously regretted and thankful that she stopped him before their lust swept them both away.

Nothing to say? Do you want Father to know that his mother is just as ruined by the wasteland as the rest of those surface dwellers?

A third was a brief five second recording, but this one was tinted green. This footage was taken with a night vision enhanced lens and it was of Nora and Nick's activities in the Old North Church's catacombs. Nora watched as her head snapped and a silent moan spilled from her lips when Nick's hand snuck between her parted, bare thighs.

Why are you doing this?

I need someone to act as my eyes and ears while topside. You are the only candidate thus far who is capable of fighting and is malleable when given the right incentives.

You're talking about blackmail

No. I'm talking about cooperation. Father knows nothing about you aside for your involvement with the Railroad. If you do as I say, he wont know of anything else.

Nora's jaw clenched. She wanted to punch that smug, conniving bastard clean in the face. Then the terminal beeped as he continued.

If you refuse, I will e-mail these last two pictures of your ... compromising situations to everyone in the Institute. Those two abominations will be hunted down by my coursers on Father's orders.

Nora felt paralyzed with shock and fear. She knew Ayo would make good on his threat. He was a bully, but he also had a lot to prove to the other Institute members. If Ayo wanted to embarrass her or humiliate her, Nora could withstand the disgusting looks and scathing remarks. But Nora couldn't be responsible for Nick's or Hancock's death.

Tick tock. Father is on his way.

Fine. What do you want?

Meet me in my office tomorrow morning at 7am. We will negotiate and solidify the terms to this arrangement

The terminal beeped once more and the entire conversation disappeared just as Father came into the room carrying two cafeteria trays.

"How do you like your room?" He asked and set the trays on the nearby desk. "I hope that everything is to your liking. If you need anything at all, there is a panel on the wall here to contact Dr. Newton Oberly who runs the housing department. You can also ask any of our Gen-3 synths if Dr. Oberly isn't available or if it is after common working hours. As they do not sleep, the Gen-3 synths are the night staff."

"Everything is great, Shaun." Nora replied.

Her comment didn't feel like a total lie. After all, she could appreciate a place that was clean, free from attacks by Raiders or Super Mutants, and she was looking forward to taking a very long, hot shower. But she knew this place could never really be her home. Everything was too sterile - too much like Vault-Tec.

"But you're not happy here." He replied astutely. "I understand that this is a transition, Mother. I only hope that you'll give this place a chance. I hope that you can give me a chance."

The guilt trip had worked on Nora. She bowed her head and couldn't meet her son's eyes. She had put forth so much effort looking for Shaun; hell, she even fantasized about what their reunion would be like, but Nora now wanted nothing more than to leave this place and to never look back.

"Shaun, I have people up there - friends - who think I'm dead or worse. I can't just sit down here without them knowing that I'm alive. Without their help, I would've never found you."

"Those Railroad people are not your friends, Nora." He cut in. "Can't you see they are using you? You are expendable to them. They let you go after a courser with a team of three people and two synths - one who's barely holding together as it is. It was a suicide mission."

"Then why did you let me go after him?" She asked. Her temper added an edge to that comment that she didn't mean. "Jesus, Shaun. You've been watching me since I crawled out of that Vault. What was stopping you from sending a courser to me then? You could've saved me from the wasteland. You could've brought me to your little sparkling ant farm and all of this would've ended a lot differently."

Her son frowned, but he didn't look guilty only confused. "Mother, it seems with old age comes regret. As I grew up here, I never questioned my heritage. I never had an inkling to find out about you. I never knew how much my distance would affect you."

"Of course it affects me, Shaun!" Nora exclaimed. "I'm your mother. The Institute robbed me of your childhood. They stopped us both of being a family."

"No Mother." Father replied gently. His wrinkled, dry hand grazed Nora's and he looked her in her eyes, "The Institute robbed you of a family, yes. But the Gen-3 synth program, they are my family through science. They look at me as their father thanks to science. They also look at you as the mother of them all. You gave birth to me, and I created them. You can still have that family here. I think it will make your life here more fulfilling and seem less like a punishment."

"So you're keeping me your prisoner?" Nora asked dryly. She removed her hand from her son's and crossed her arms.

Father sat back in his chair and mirrored her posture. His eyebrow cocked at Nora's sudden defiance.

"I prefer to look at it as protective custody. If we let you go, we cannot guarantee that you wont spill sensitive information to the undesirables above. I am asking you to try and find the good in this situation. Otherwise, your existence here will be incredibly dull and unfulfilling."

Father rose from his seat and took his tray with untouched food. "Please think about it, Mother. Don't make a decision out of fear. Try to have an open mind. The Institute can be your home in the same way that it has been mine. At least sleep on the decision."

Nora watched her son leave and let hot tears spill down her cheeks. She pushed the cafeteria tray across the table with force. The food on it was an unopened bag that had a label typed across it in bold typeface: FOOD PRODUCT #11.

Her stomach rumbled. Aside for the rations that Glory brought with to Greentech, Nora hadn't ate anything in over twenty-four hours. She knew she should eat. She knew that wasting away in a clean, gilded prison cell wasn't how she wanted to go. But Nora couldn't find it in her heart to cave into Shaun ... no, Father's wishes.

Nora brought her knees to her chest and sobbed into her arms. She would never see Hancock or Nick again. She'd never see Arturo's kind smile, hear Nat's exuberant laughter as Piper told her an off-colored joke. She'd never taste Vadim's terrible moonshine and Codsworth would forever be trimming the dead hedges at Sanctuary as Preston and his gang eeked out a meager life in her ruined past.

Just then the computer terminal chimed and Nora read the one line through bleary, tear-filled eyes.

Don't forget. 7AM tomorrow. I can get you topside ... For a price.