Sole Survivor

5- Getting Inside the Institute

I awoke to a dressed MacCready, I quickly got up, got a wet towel and washed up. Today was the day. Today I was going inside the institute. I put on my usual clothes, I washed them the night before so they should be dry, I wore my road leathers, nothing different. I grabbed my bookbag, and my rifle.

"Hey, Mac? Im about to head to the airport." I told him, we were alone in a room. The prydwen was directly above the airport.

"Wait up." He yelled back, I gave him some clothes. Some road leathers, but for men. "Ava be careful." He told me.

"Dude, I will." I said back.

"Oh, and have fun being teleported into the big bad, institute." he teased.

"Yeah, I'm going to have fun while this man made machine take apart my molecules and puts them back together in another place, hopefully nothing goes wrong." I sarcastically said back.

"You're crazy." he said while walking with me to the veritbird.

I guess I can't argue with that.

Inside the institute.

As I entered inside the seemed to be empty institute, I heard a voice. "Hello."
Who was this? I didnt talk, move, I listened.
"I wondered if you might make it here. You're quite resourceful. I'm known as father; the institute is under my guidance. I know why you're here. I'd like to discuss things face to face. Please step into the elevator."

I stepped into the now functioning elevator. It went down. I walked out of that elevator and into another that went up. Dang, the institute is nothing what I expected, the stuck up scientists yeah, but the institute was so beautiful. I'm finally going to meet my all grown up son. It has to have been a couple of decades since they took him. I walked into a room which had a boy in it locked in a little room.

"Sh-Shaun? Is that really you? I thought you would have been all grown up." I said, tears started to fill my eyes.

"What? Who are you? Father! Grandpa!" He yelled.

"Shaun, it's me, your mother. I'm here Shaun." I said trying to convince him. That's when this man came into the room. He said something and the boy who appeared to be my son shut down?

What the fuck?

"Hello, mother. It is me, Shaun." He said, "I am known to the institute as Father."

"Shaun? Is that you? really?" I said tears falling down my cheek, "You actually run the institute.?"

"Yes mother, I have a promotion, please, meet all of our leaders in the divisions and consider staying." He said putting his hands together.

"Shaun, my god, its really you. your father, he never got to see you grow up, I never got to see you grow up." I said sobbing.

"Thats where you're wrong, mother. Come, let me show you something." He said holding out his hand. I grabbed his hand and walked up what seemed to be 1 million steps, the synths all greeted me when I walked by. Shaun took me to what would be my headquarters if I stayed. I saw this man sitting on a couch, he looked nervous. He stood up, wait, what? Am I hallucinating?

"N-Nate?" I asked looking lost.

"Yes, Ava, it's me, it's really me." He answered stepping towards me.

"Boy, no. I saw you get shot. I saw your body in the cryo, your ring." I pulled his ring off my finger and showed it to him.

"Son, leave now, your mother and I have some things to talk about." Nate told shaun.

"Well, mother just consider staying, I'll be in my room if you need me." Shaun told me.

"Wait shaun," I said, he stopped. I hugged him for a long time, he hugged back. "Now go on." I told him. I closed my door and sat on my bed, Nate sat next to me. "So how is it that you're alive, Nate?" I put my stuff to the side and took my jacket off.

"Well, that wasnt me who you saw get shot, that was a synth--"

"I'm hallucinating." I said to myself.

"You're not. I'm here, Ava" He said scooting closer to me. "Look at me!"

I looked up. Nate was leaning in but quickly pulled away as some lady, who looked a couple years younger than I, stepped in.

She was tall, taller than me, green hair.. the color of an avocado... ew. Small eyes, small nose, small lips, she was small in general... But tall.

"Hey Danielle..." Nate said.

I smiled and waved at her still not knowing who she is.

"Hey babe. Who's this?" She answered walking to Nate grabbing his face and kissing him.

Trying to make me jealous? I think not. I smiled wider trying to hold back my laughter.

Little did they know...

"You know... my... ex wife, Ava.." Nate said awkwardly.

Ex-wife????????

Once she left I burst out in laughter, my face turning red. After about 5 minutes of Nate watching me laugh I finally stopped trying to catch my breath. After 2 minutes of trying to get serious I finally did.

"Look, Ava, I know how you feel, but she's been my rock ever since I got here." He said looking me in my eyes, "I really missed you, but she's been there for me."

"Oh I understand! We both found someone to make up happy..." I trailed off.

Nate tensed and I stepped back awkwardly.

"I've... I've got to head out. See you tomorrow? Yeah." I didn't wait for a reply, just walked out the room leaving Nate and passing his girlfriend.