The Minutemen: United We Stand

Chapter 37

A blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Nora sat on a couch in a plush apartment in the Institute, a cup of earl grey tea in her trembling hands. She hadn't taken a single sip yet as she stared at the man's feet, her mind flat-lining as she struggled to exist.

Father... Shaun sat across from her, his hands folded on his knees as he stared at her. "Are you feeling a bit calmer now?"

His sudden question jolted Nora out of her stupor, and she jerked, spilling tea on herself. Her breath shuddered as she swiped at the droplets on her clothing and armour. "I... I just... I'm sorry, I just don't know..."

"Are there any questions I can answer? I'll do anything to help ease your mind," Shaun said as he dabbed up the mess with a napkin and took her cup. He set it down on the table next to the couch and retook his seat.

Nora looked up at him, her eyes studying every aspect of this older gentleman. Her son. So much of Nate was in him, Nora imagined that if he had grown old, they would be identical. Other than those blue eyes. Those were Nora's. "So... you're leading the Institute?"

"I am the acting Director, yes," Shaun said, shifting in his seat and taking his own cup of tea from the nearby table. "I spent decades working to reach this point. It's a responsibility I take very seriously. The Institute..." He paused, his hand stroking his beard as he reclined in his seat, "It's important. It really is humanity's best hope for the future, no matter what those above ground might think of us."

With a shake of her head, Nora looked at her hands. "We think you're monsters... you pillage and plunder, taking men, women... infants. You replace people with synths whose sole purpose is to spy and sabotage. Why should we think any different?"

"Yes... our responsibilities have left us with some... distasteful duties-"

"Distasteful?" Nora gasped, glaring at Father in horror. "Everything the Institute has ever done to the Commonwealth has been nothing short of evil!"

"I'm sure you may see it as such now," he said... condescension clear on his face. "Ultimately the Commonwealth has nothing to fear from us. But in time, I'm sure I can convince you we're doing the right thing."

"Why can't you explain it to me now?"

He sighed as he took a sip of his tea. "It's... complicated. There are nuances that would be lost on you."

With a shake of her head, Nora snatched her cup from the side table and swirled the liquid inside, just for something to occupy her hands. "Why you? Why are you the leader - why not some Institute original and not a kidnapped vault-dweller?"

"I was the most qualified for the position, obviously," Father said as he set his tea on the table. "I've lived my life within these walls, dedicated to science like every other member of the Institute. My hard work has paid off."

Nora's mind flashed to the first Institute representative she had seen, a mercenary, and her heart ached. "So you're the guy at the top... everyone here works for you?"

"More or less. I essentially organize the effort here."

"Kellogg... He worked for you."

Shaun froze, his face hardening. "Kellogg... he was an Institute asset long before I arrived here. It wasn't until I became Director that I learned of all the things he'd done... what kind of man he was." With a shake of his head, he crossed his arms.

"He was a cruel, broken man... After what I've seen... I pity him. He's a victim as much as anyone else is..." Nora said, her voice cracking as memories of everything the man had been through, done, and did to her... "It doesn't excuse his actions, but... I don't think he was some irredeemable monster like I once did."