FO4 | Book 0: The Diaries of Anarchy ✔️

June 24, 2255

"Let me get this straight," said Nick from behind his desk, a cigarette between his lips. "You want me to go out to the ruins somewhere between Diamond City and Hangman's Alley and perform an autopsy on a day-old corpse to clear your boss's suspicion that you killed his best delivery guy?"

His old secretary, Mary, eyed me over her thin glasses and an old magazine.

"Yeah, I do."

"And this will get you, what, rehired?"

"No, I don't wanna get rehired. I just want my name cleared."

"Uh-huh. And who killed this synth if it wasn't you?"

"Guy by the name of Dominic. He lives in Diamond City. Says he usually sells chems in the alley behind your agency."

He and Mary exchanged glances. "Well I guess that's the first person we'll talk to." He shrugged on his trench coat over his white button-up and suspenders. Then he put on his hat, adjusted his tie, and headed for the door.

I followed behind him and didn't realize I was keeping my distance from him. Nick was a good sort. He was the detective of Diamond City, but he was a little off-putting. He was an old synth that didn't look very human. His skin was a synthetic white and chipped around the edges of his joints. The skin had completely chipped away over one of his hands, exposing a metal skeleton. His eyes were black except for the bright, yellow irises that glowed unnaturally.

The trail of his cigarette smoke wafted through the air and beneath my nose. I wondered if there was any benefit to smoking since he was a machine.

We made it around to the back of Nick's agency and there was no one in the alley.

"Said his name was Dominic, did ya?" asked Nick. He looked around the alley.

"Yeah, but I don't know where he could have gone. He said he was usually right here."

"I believe ya, kid." He bent down and picked up a cigarette. "Someone has been here recently, and from the looks of how many cigarettes are lying around, I'd say they do come here often. What does this guy look like?"

"He has shaggy black hair. And really light facial hair, like he keeps it trimmed. And he has a leather jacket."

"I've seen a guy like that around here before, but he never stays in Diamond City for too long. What else can you tell me about him?"

"Well... he said he had friends in low places, and those friends conduct research. That's how he knew where the component was in the synth."

"Hard to find, hangs around alleyways, not many people know him, and — most importantly — knew something that isn't well-known to the public about synths. Sounds like your friend is a member of the Railroad."

"What?"

"The Railroad is a new underground organization made specifically to free synths that escape the Institute and want to get out of Institute control. Synths that want to live a normal life."

"Is that how you got here?"

"Not exactly, kid. I'm a discarded prototype. I've not been in the Institute for a long, long time now. I woke up to the real world the hard way." He puffed at his cigarette. "There are synths out there who, like me, want to live normal lives, and they don't mean us any harm. The ones you gotta watch out for are the ones still under Institute control."

"Why did they replace Alex? He was a good guy..."

"It's the best people that get replaced sometimes." He frowned. "The Institute will sometimes replace those that are in high places so they can get their hands on the goings on of the Commonwealth. Other times, they'll replace people that stick to the shadows or fit in with the background — nobodies, in other words. People you wouldn't suspect."

"But why? I don't understand..."

"No one knows, kid. But even though I believe you, we should probably go and investigate this body just to have proof."

____________________

When Nick and I arrived at the scene, there were Institute synths already there. They looked almost just like Nick, but they were in pristine condition and unclothed.

"Get down," Nick whispered, and we took cover behind an old car. "If they see us, we're toast."

We peeked through the broken windows of the car. It looked like the synths were cleaning up the scene.

"They're taking the body! There goes my proof."

"I dunno about you, kid, but that's all the proof I need. Let's get outta here before those brainless goons see us."

____________________

Nick knocked on the door of a Diamond City shack in the far side of the field and rested his hands in his pockets. I was nervous; this was the Garvey residence.

He looked down at me and saw my stiffness, my hands wadded into fists at my sides, eyes fixated on the door. He patted my shoulder.

"It's okay, kid. I've had to do this plenty of times. I'll take it from here."

The door clicked and opened. There stood a young couple, one a man and one a woman.

"Evening, lovebirds," said Nick with the tip of his hat.

"Hello, Nick." The man's face dropped. "I take it you're not here for a personal visit."

"'Fraid not, son. I got some bad news about your pop."

"Jack stopped by this morning and already told us what happened. He said he suspects his former delivery boy killed him."

"That's not what happened!" I yelled.

Nick put a hand up toward me to hush me up. "I'm afraid my friend here is right. Jack was probably talking about him. His name is John, and he showed me what really happened. The Institute replaced your pop, and a scavver that hangs around these parts noticed and took him out. John here was just witness to the whole thing. Jack had no right telling you that without calling for an investigation first."

"How do you know it was the Institute at work?" he asked roughly.

"Do you not believe in the Institute, James? Take a good look at me and tell me that. As for proof, I saw the Institute robots cleaning up the scene. They're efficient when they want be."

James's face contorted. I couldn't tell what he was thinkin'. I didn't know if he believed Nick or not.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," I said. "I only knew Alex a month, and he seemed like a really good man. He taught me a lot. I was devastated when it happened, and... I know what it's like to lose a father..."

James turned away from me and didn't answer. "Thank you, Nick, for coming to talk to us. I'm... going to need some time."

"Of course. Take care, son." He tipped his hat. "You, too, Rita."

I followed Nick away from the house. "He didn't act like he believed us."

"He's in a lot of pain. If he chooses not to believe it, there's no evidence against you that would get you landed in jail. Then again, we couldn't produce any evidence that would say you weren't Alex's killer. We're lucky my word carries some weight around Diamond City."

"What do I do now, Nick?"

"My advice? Just keep on like you've been. Don't dwell on this. There's nothing left for us to do. Find yourself another job, and keep saving up your money." He turned to me. "You're a good kid, John. Your heart's in the right place."