(While everything at nuka world is going down, Nathan is in diamond city's home plate house teaching Shaun how to use a pistol)
Nathan: You pull the slide back, then hold the magazine release. You should be able to slide the cartridge right out
(Shaun slides the cartridge out of his 10mm pistol)
Shaun: Like this?
Nathan: Exactly. Now to load it, just slide your cartridge back in and pull the slide back again
(Shaun loads his pistol)
Nathan: You're a natural. Now, one hand to shoot, other hand supports the shot. Make sure to hold on tight, because it's got a kick to it
(Shaun aims at a bottle, fires, and shatters it)
Shaun: It's so loud
Nathan: It is. But you get used to it after a while. Not exactly the best thing for a kid's ears though. So you might want to wear earplugs if you go out to the range. Remember the rules of the gun, and you can keep it
(While Nathan's giving Shaun some lessons, Nick Valentine walks in the door)
Nick: Hey, uh, mind if we talk for a second?
Nathan: Sure. What's up?
Nick: It's just, everything that's happened with you and your family. It's a whole hell of a lot to process. I wanted to make sure you're holding up alright
Nathan: It's a lot to think about, but there's nothing I can do about it now. And we're here now, safe. That's what matters
Nick: That's a good attitude to have. Not the way I felt though
Nathan: How do you mean?
Nick: It took me a long damn time to get a feel for this place. Thank goodness I found diamond city. It's got it's flaws, sure, but it beats the hell out of most places in the commonwealth. Of course, when I took up there way back when, people were driven insane by fear of the institute. The massacre of CPG was still pretty fresh in people's minds at that point. And folks were still losing sleep over the broken mask. Plenty of people assumed I was just a saboteur, moving to melt down the reactor or poison the water supply. But at the time, they couldn't exactly turn me away
Nathan: Diamond city's full of bigots. You probably know that better than anyone
Nick: I couldn't really blame them, given the circumstances. But folks sure started turning the other cheek when I showed up with the mayor's daughter
Nathan: Ooh. What's the story?
Nick: Gal of about 15, pride and joy of the mayor back then. A man by the name of Henry Roberts. The young miss Roberts decided she'd run off with some caravan hand she'd known for an evening. Turns out the guy was part of a gang of kidnappers. I didn't even know who I was rescuing. I just stumbled upon a crying girl and four toughs. I took her home, and the mayor dubbed me a hero. Offered me a place in town. Lot of folks protested, said I was a spy, but he wouldn't have it. It was tricky at first, but I never tried to hide what I was, and people seemed to warm up to that
Nathan: You took down four guys by yourself?
Nick: Didn't have to. Back then synths were even more of an unknown quantity than they are today. I told them I was rigged to explode and started going "beep, beep, beep". Hardest part of that rescue was keeping from laughing as they climbed over each other to get away
(Nathan and Nick Valentine both laugh)
Nathan: How did you actually become a detective?
Nick: I had a knack for solving mysteries. I never stopped being Nick the synth, but it was Nick the detective people came to see. After I started the agency, it just seemed like the sorta thing a detective would wear. I got some old faded pre war memories of guys dressed like this doing what I do. I put on this hat and trench coat, I figured it would let folks know I was serious about the whole thing. "Clothes make the man"
Nathan: So.. who are you, Nick?
Nick: That's a question I've been trying to figure out for a long damn time. I know I'm a synth. Authentic institute handiwork. But I'm still mechanical, not bio-engineered like Curie or Xavier. I get tune-ups instead of check-ups. I used Dima's device to access my memories, and it turns out they're lifted from some cop who volunteered for an experiment back before the war
Nathan: For real?
Nick: Yeah. They scanned his brain and copied it onto the hardware that runs between my ears. Kinda like what they did with Nora and Avery. Don't know why the institute decided to make a robot based on some old pre-war cop instead of a math genius or a bio-engineer. But maybe that's why they tossed me in the garbage instead of turning me into one of their people snatchers
Nathan: Wait, you're a robot? This whole time? What else have you been keeping from me?
Nick: Ha. Well, I don't know if anyone told you, but there's been a war. Eh, I think we'll bounce back just fine
(Nathan and Nick Valentine both laugh again)
Nick: Can I tell you something, personal?
Nathan: Shoot
Nick: I wouldn't normally both you with this sort of thing, but I know I can trust you at this point. There's this chunk of Nick Valentine history I've been hoping to put a bow on for a while now. I could use a hand if you're willing to take a crack at it
Nathan: Sure. What kind of history we talking about?
Nick: Straight outta the archives. Once upon a time in the land of boston, there lived a king of organized crime. Eddie Winter. He was a bad man who did a lot of bad things. Hurt a lot of innocent people. But he knew the end was coming. So he sealed himself inside a personal shelter located underneath the sub shop he uses as a headquarters
Nathan: I remember him. Eddie Winter was from Nick and I's time. He was a real scumbag
Nick: The story gets even more twisted. The arrogant bastard wanted to cheat death. To live forever. So he could come out of that shelter someday into this brave new world. Sound familiar?
Nathan: Remind you of anyone you know?
Nick: Well, the only thing is, Eddie didn't want to be a frozen banana. No cryo sleep for him. He invested his money in some kind of sick crazy radiation experiment
Nathan: Nick. You can't be saying what I think you're saying
Nick: Oh, I'm saying it alright. Eddie Winter went and turned himself into a ghoul. 200 years before it was fashionable. Hell, he was probably the first one. And I'm convinced that he's still locked inside that shelter. Safe and sound. Ready to come out and begin his evil reign all over again. I'm going to find him and kill him before that happens. You in?
Nathan: Look Nick. I know I don't have the cleanest hands. But I don't get it. Sure, Eddie Winter is a grade a asshole, but why go through so much trouble to kill him even if he is still alive? It sounds like some kind of vendetta
Nick: I've got memories of a girl. My girl. Well, not really my memories, I know. They're Nick's. But the girl, she was real, and innocent. And Winter killed her! Now he's got to pay the price. So, knowing that, are you in?
Nathan: Hell yeah, I'm in
(Nathan and Nick Valentine shake hands)
Nathan: Ellie. Would you mind watching Shaun for a couple hours?
Ellie: Not at all
Nathan: I'll be back soon, kiddo
Shaun: Bye dad! I'll see you soon
(Nathan and Nick Valentine start walking down the street)
Nick: I know where Winter's vault is, but the door is sealed with a complex numerical code. Lucky for us, Winter's arrogance knows no bounds. Back in the day he recorder 10 holotapes, incriminating different criminal associates. Each one had a different number. We find those holotapes, we can get the numbers. We get the numbers, we get the code. And Winter
Nathan: Lets go get em
YOU ARE READING
Just a Fallout 4 fanfic
FanfictionWar. War never changes. In the year 1945, my great-great grandfather, serving in the army, wondered when he'd get to go home to his wife and the son he'd never seen. He got his wish when the US ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshim...
