The Danse Dilemma

10. My Valentine

We left in the early hours of the morning, before anyone else in Sanctuary had gotten up. We got to The Great Green Jewel around mid-day, my legs tired from the long trek and the occasional enemy or creature we had to put down.

We passed the Hardware Town shop. I remember when some girl was running past me crying for help, saying someone had kidnapped and dragged into that place. I was stupid, then I fell right into a Raider trap, nearly died, had Dogmeat not being there to help rip them apart. I called in, watching the giant door open. I walked past the guard and the walkway into the giant baseball stadium now turned into the biggest settlement around. It's crazy to think of this thing that used to be just for baseball, is now housing about a hundred people in what's called Diamond City.

There was the Japanese robot who made noodles... Wata... I dunno, some name. I never ask for it because I'm worried I'd mispronounce it, so whenever he speaks to me I just give him caps for noodles. Walking further and passed the first set of shops, there's an alleyway where Nick's agency is, he even had his own neon light sign that lit the alley up. 'Ah shit, I forgot to tell Danse that Valentine's a synth! Maybe it'll be easier to break the news later...' "Danse, why don't you go rent us a room and I'll meet you at the bar in an hour. I'll be quick." I say reassuringly.

"Roger that." Danse hesitates at first, but turns back and goes back down the alley. I sighed and walk inside.

"Come on, Nicky. I'm just asking for your opinion. It would be a great quote" Piper whines.

"She's my client, Piper, why don't you learn not to snoop on a woman's private affairs?" The synth defends.

Piper looks past Nick "Well, well. Speak of the devil..." They both turn to me.

"You're back. And... not with your son. What happened?" Nick asked slightly disappointed.

"You were right, Nick. Kellogg took my baby, but that wasn't all. He was working with the Institute. He... he gave them Shaun..." I barely was able to get out without choking up.

"The Institute. Oh boy..." Piper said. If Piper was worried then I was having a full on panic attack. For a second I forgot how to breath, worry creeping in...

"I'm sorry, friend. Truly. That makes things... considerably more complicated." Nick nods.

"He ain't kidding. Heck, Nick's a synth, and even he doesn't know how to get in."

"No synth does." Nick says while shaking his head. "Security protocols strip those memories out."

"I need to find a way." I say worriedly, hoping I didn't hit a dead end.

"I've been investigating these creeps for over a year now. Commonwealth's boogie man. Feared and hated by everyone." Piper says, holding a small notebook in her hand. I kept dead still, reminding myself to take breaths.

"True enough." Nick adds in.

"Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave old synths behind to remind us that they're out there. But to this day, there's one thing nobody really knows..."

Piper trails off but Nick picks it up for her. "Where the Institute actually is. Or how to get in." I grimaced, I knew this already. Running with the Brotherhood and all, the only thing people talk about is the Institute. And the occasional super mutant and/or feral ghoul.

"Exactly. But there's one person who has to know, right? The guy who just handed them Shaun." Piper says, asking Nick.

"Kellogg. Huh..." Nick hummed as I traded a quick glance with Piper.

"A man like that would've had access. In and out." I hiss, knowing where this was going.

"Yeah, but I'm guessing he wasn't the "surrender and talk" type, was he?" Nick asks with a raised eyebrow.