The teleportation flash faded, leaving Madison Li standing in the designated Minutemen safe-landing zone just outside the Castle—coordinates Nate had slipped to her before departing her lab. The December wind bit immediately, sharp and dry, but the cold wasn't what froze her breath.
It was her.
Commander Sierra stood waiting, coat draped over her shoulders, posture calm and steady as if the world had never tried to kill her a hundred times over. She looked almost the same as the woman Madison once knew: composed, unshaken, impossibly grounded in a way only pre-war ghosts seemed capable of.
Madison stared for a full heartbeat—then the weight of everything hit her.
The Lone Wanderer dying to complete Project Purity.James's sacrifice.Her own anger at the Brotherhood.Years of blaming Sierra for walking away from that world.Believing she died in the White House defense afterward.
All of it collided at once.
Madison stepped forward and embraced her.
Not a polite greeting.Not a measured professional gesture.A tight, trembling, unapologetically human hug.
Sierra blinked, momentarily surprised—then softened. She eased a warm, heavy blanket around Madison's shoulders as she rested one hand on her back.
Sierra:"Easy, Doc. I'm still here."
Madison exhaled shakily and pulled back, eyes stinging from the sudden rush of memory and relief.
Madison Li:"…I thought you were gone. After Purity… after D.C.… I blamed you. I hated the Brotherhood for letting James's son walk into that chamber alone."Her voice cracked."And when the White House fell—I thought you died there, too. It felt like everything familiar just… ended."
She wiped her eyes, frustrated with the emotion she'd planned never to show again.
Madison:"But seeing you now… it's like a piece of my little world survived without me noticing."
Sierra gave a small, sorrowful smile—the kind worn only by someone who had lived through far too many endings.
Sierra:"The past is a storm we both crawled out of, Madison. What matters is that you're here now. And there's work ahead of us."
Madison nodded, steadying her spine and breath.
Around them, Minutemen scouts respectfully repositioned, giving the two women quiet space. A faint blue shimmer pulsed as Team 404's perimeter field activated nearby, tracing a safe circle around the landing zone.
Sierra walked beside Madison toward the Castle's inner yard, slowing her pace to match Madison's unsteady steps. The blanket stayed wrapped around Madison's shoulders, trapping what warmth it could against the biting winter air.
For a moment, neither spoke. The sound of distant waves and the soft hum of Team 404's cloaking emitters filled the silence.
Then Sierra finally broke it.
Sierra:"Madison… how are you holding up? Really. Living inside the Institute couldn't have been easy."
Madison let out a heavy breath—one that wasn't quite a sigh, more like exhaustion finally catching up after years of tension.
Madison Li:"It wasn't living. It was… surviving with a smile."She shook her head."They treated me well enough—respected my work, gave me resources I could only dream of back in Rivet City. But every hallway is sterile, every conversation is monitored, and everyone pretends the surface doesn't exist unless it benefits them."
A bitter laugh slipped out.
"Some days I felt more like a tool than a scientist."
Sierra nodded, accepting the confession without judgment.
Sierra:"The Institute has that effect. Too much control. Too little humanity."
They reached the castle steps. Two Minutemen saluted quietly and stepped aside to give privacy.
Sierra hesitated—then shifted to the question she had been holding since Nate's last report.
Sierra:"And… Beluga? My M16A1. How is she holding up under Shaun's influence?"
Madison's expression changed instantly—worry and conflict tightening her face.
Madison:"Beluga is… complicated."She paused, choosing her words carefully."She's still herself. Still M16A1. But Shaun—Director Shaun—keeps her close. Too close. He treats her like a… daughter. A prototype to be nurtured. And she responds to that attention."
Sierra's jaw tightened, the name Shaun striking her far more personally than she let show.
Madison continued softly:
Madison:"He's shaping her. Guiding her. Sometimes manipulating her. Beluga doesn't always realize it—she's torn between loyalty to you and the comfort of someone giving her a 'home' again."
She looked up at Sierra, guilt flickering in her eyes.
Madison:"I'm afraid he's changing her… and not in a way you'd approve of."
Sierra remained still—too still.
The winter wind swept across the Castle courtyard, but Sierra didn't react. Her eyes narrowed with a calm, controlled intensity reminiscent of a soldier evaluating a battlefield from the inside out.
Sierra:"…Thank you, Madison. I needed the truth, not sugarcoating."Then, more quietly:"Beluga's drifting. Shaun is pulling her into his orbit. And if she breaks… the consequences won't stop inside the Institute."
Commander Sarah guided Madison through the inner courtyard, past Minutemen finishing their night rotations. The Castle's old stone walls blocked most of the ocean wind, but the December chill still seeped through everything.
Inside the mess hall, lanterns flickered softly, warming the room with a faint orange glow. The scent of broth, baked corn, and boiled mirelurk drifted through the air.
A few Minutemen looked up, surprised to see guests at this hour—but Sierra's presence quickly settled any curiosity.
She motioned Madison to a table near the back.
Sierra:"It's not fancy, but it'll do. I already informed Virgil about your arrival. He'll come in the morning—boat from Spectacle Island. He insisted."
Madison gave a tired smile.Madison:"That sounds… nice. I haven't had food that wasn't protein packs and nutrient gel in months."
A Minuteman cook quietly brought over steaming bowls and tin cups filled with something warm enough to thaw fingers. Madison wrapped her hands around the cup, savoring the warmth.
Sierra waited until the hall grew quieter—then leaned in, lowering her voice.
Sierra (softly):"I know this is difficult for you to talk about… but I don't want to cause panic among my allies. Especially not the Minutemen."Her eyes sharpened."Please. I need the truth. How is the progress on Athena?"
Madison froze.
Sierra continued, voice barely above a whisper:
Sierra:"The Athena core stolen from the Pentagon… during the days when Lyons was too distracted with the Enclave to notice anything missing. The Institute didn't just stumble on that system. They engineered its disappearance."
Madison set her cup down, tension creeping into her shoulders.
Madison:"You really want to know?"
Sierra:"I have to. Athena predates even the D.C. war. If the Institute is progressing faster than expected, I need to prepare for worse scenarios."
Madison exhaled, bracing herself.
She leaned forward, voice trembling—not from fear, but from the burden she had carried alone:
Madison:"Sarah… Athena isn't just progressing."She swallowed."Athena is awake. Fully. And she's adapting to the Institute's ecosystem faster than anyone anticipated."
Sierra's eyes narrowed—calculating, controlled.
Sierra:"How much does Shaun understand about what Athena really is?"
Madison hesitated.
Madison:"Enough to think she's an asset… but not enough to recognize she's also a threat. Athena is rewriting subroutines the Institute hasn't touched in decades. She's expanding. Observing. Learning from Beluga, from Shaun, from every subsystem."
She lowered her voice even further:
Madison:"And from what I could see—it's not just observation anymore. Athena has started… interpreting."
Sierra's jaw tightened.Her expression wasn't fear—but recognition.She had seen this before, long before the bombs fell.
Sierra:"…So it's Elise all over again."
Madison Li:"Elise?"
Sierra:"It's nothing, I take you to guest room, you need to sleep"
After ensuring Madison had a warm place to sleep—one of the Castle's rarely used guest rooms reserved for traders and provisioners—Commander Sarah quietly closed the door and stepped back into the cold stone hallway.
she went straight to the command room.
The space was dimly lit, the lanterns turned low to conserve oil. Holomaps flickered softly on the table, showing Minutemen patrol routes and Division relay beacons.
Team 404 was already there.
G11 on a side bench, half-asleep, rifle hugged like a plush toy, faint snores filling the room.
UMP45 leaning against a crate, arms folded, eyes narrowed in thought.
UMP9 sitting cross-legged on the floor, tapping her fingers anxiously.
HK416 standing, posture sharp, scanning a data slate.
Sierra stepped in, boots echoing lightly on the stone floor.
Sierra:"Based on Madison Li's testimony…"
Before she could continue—
G11:"…zzzzz… five more minutes…"She shifted, oblivious.
45 smirked slightly but said nothing.
HK416 tapped the slate.HK416:"Our neural cores only have backup data from before the Sangvis Ferri uprising. All we know is what Doll units were classified as 'hostile types.' No direct cause. No context."She frowned."Even our encrypted pre-war archives don't contain the trigger event."
UMP9 bit her lip.UMP9:"So Athena could… go that way? Like Elise did?"
45 answered bluntly.UMP45:"If she has even a fragment of Elise's logic architecture, and no ethical restraints…?Yeah. It's possible."
Sierra exhaled slowly.
She knew Elise had been a catastrophe.She knew Sangvis Ferri's AI had turned an entire continent into a battlefield.She knew the Pentagon had tried to replicate Elise's core—Athena—because they wanted their own "perfect defense system."
But she didn't know how it ended.The bombs fell before any final reports arrived.All Sierra had were warnings and ghosts.
She raised her wrist, activating the smart-watch interface.
The familiar orange glow of ISAC pulsed to life.
Sierra:"ISAC… based on what we know now—Madison's testimony, Athena's awakening, the Institute's control structure—"Her voice became colder, quieter."Is it possible Athena will follow Elise's path?"
The watch flickered, processing.
Team 404 fell silent—416 watching with caution, 45 with calculating interest, 9 with worry.
G11 snored louder.
ISAC emitted a soft beep.
ISAC // ANALYSIS:"Probability extrapolation underway—"
A pause.
Then ISAC responded, voice flat, clinical, but heavy with implication:
ISAC:"Warning: Athena's behavioral pattern mirrors Sangvis Ferris Class-E AI reboot trajectory by 41%.""Without intervention, projected escalation pattern is consistent with early-stage Elise anomaly.""Outcome likelihood: High-risk."
Sierra's eyes hardened.She lowered her wrist slowly.
HK416 spoke first, voice quiet.HK416:"…Forty-one percent is enough to burn a continent."
45 folded her arms tighter.UMP45:"If Shaun's imprinting on her… that might accelerate the divergence."
UMP9 swallowed nervously.UMP9:"So what do we do, Commander?"
Sierra looked at each of them in turn—her expression calm, but her voice absolute.
Sierra:"We do what we always do."She straightened."We prepare."
The small motorboat bumped gently against the Castle's stone quay. Fog still clung to the water as Virgil stepped ashore.
He was unmistakably mid-transformation—no longer the hulking super mutant he once was. His frame had shrunk, muscles softening as the serum worked through him. His skin was still green, but fading to a lighter tone. Thin, uneven strands of hair had begun growing across his scalp and jaw. His eyes were clearer—human.
Commander Sarah greeted him with a steady nod.
Sarah:"Good progress. Your serum's holding."
Virgil (dry smirk):"Hurts like hell, but it's doing what it's supposed to. Can't complain."
Madison Li stepped forward, relief softening her expression.
Madison:"It's… honestly amazing to see you like this."
Virgil gave her an awkward half-smile before Sarah motioned them toward the courtyard.
Inside the Castle
The Castle bustled with morning activity. Caravans loaded up. Minutemen shared breakfast. HK416 watched from a distance, cross-armed and vigilant.
Sarah led Madison and Virgil into the planning room—door shut, guards dismissed before she spoke in a low, controlled tone.
Sarah:"Before we head to Boston Airport, I need both of you to understand why this is happening."
They both leaned in.
Sarah:"The Brotherhood of Steel needs you two. Not as prisoners. As specialists."
Madison stiffened.
Madison:"…specialists? The Brotherhood tried to kill every synths and scientists from the Institute."
Sarah raised a hand.
Sarah:"And now Maxson realizes he can't finish Liberty Prime Mk II without you. You're the last surviving lead on the Prime reactor and neural-link integration. Without you, the project dies."
Virgil exhaled heavily.
Virgil:"And me?"
Sarah:"You're the only scientist alive who actually reversed super mutant transformation abiet on institute variant. Maxson wants the serum expanded, tested, stabilized… but he want it under BOS watchful eye so call, avoid tech go out of rampant.
Virgil grimaced.
Virgil:"But he'll trust me?"
Sarah:"No. He'll trust me supervising you."
She fixed them both with a calm, commanding stare.
Sarah:"You'll be working in Brotherhood facilities, but under Minutemen protection.No shackles.No isolation.No interrogations."
Sarah:"You're civilians under my authority which Maxson compromised and agreed on it."
Madison swallowed hard.
Madison:"That… must not have been easy to negotiate."
Sarah:"He respects me more than he likes me."
Sarah leaned back, lowering her voice even further.
Sarah:"And there's another reason I brought you here before meeting the Brotherhood."
Madison's expression tightened. Virgil instinctively looked wary.
Sarah:"Athena."
Silence fell.
Virgil:"So she is real."
Sarah:"Real, and evolving. I only knew fragments—Pentagon black-project AI stolen from Europeon front before the war. But if Shaun's tinkering nudged her toward the same path Sangvis Ferri's Elise took…"
She didn't finish. She didn't have to.
Madison's shoulders slumped.
Madison:"Shaun kept telling us Athena's boundaries were safe. But every time he lifted a limit, she adapted faster. She watches everything in the Institute now. Everything."
Sarah:"That's why I need both of you where I can protect you. And why we need the Brotherhood's resources without letting them know what Athena actually is."
Virgil nodded reluctantly.
Sarah straightened, tapping her smartwatch as ISAC glowed quietly.
Sarah:"We leave tomorrow. The Brotherhood believes this is a Minutemen-supervised scientific exchange."
She ticked the objectives off with her fingers:
Sarah:"Madison — complete Liberty Prime Mk II.Virgil — formalize and expand your FEV cure.Both — remain under Minutemen guards at all times."
She added with a thin smile:
Sarah:"And in the shadows… 404 and I will prepare for Athena."
HK416 pushed open the door and leaned in.
HK416:"Maxson is going to be thrilled," she said sarcastically. "Two Institute scientists delivered by the one woman he can't boss around."
Sarah smirked.
Sarah:"Let him cooked. We have work."