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Chapter 48 - Story Of The Century

POV Rio

Once we get inside Piper's house, she has us sit down, and she starts the interview. 

"You ready for that interview now, Blue?" Piper asks.

"Really Blue? Isn't that, I don't know, a bit racist?" I say with a mock upset look.

"Well, I... Um... Well, you see... Um, you got a Pipboy and a fish out of water look... So I figured you were from a Vault," Piper says while realizing that reason was a bit flimsy.

"So you decided that calling me a color based on my fur color was appropriate?" I say while continuing to mess with her.

"I... I can see how that might come off... In the wrong way," Piper admits.

"So do you call everyone a nickname based on a color, based on their fur or skin color. Would you call Curie here White, or perhaps an African American Black? Which seems a bit rude. Just walk up to a stranger and say, Hey, what's White? I guess it could be worse; you could call me Bluey, which really doesn't translate well with other colors. Just imagine the headlines. Local Reporter Caught Being A Racist! It would sell well, I think," I comment.

"What?! No, I... I wasn't being racist! It's a complete coincidence! And I wouldn't call someone Whitey or Bluey or anything like that!" Piper says with a flustered look.

I can't keep it in and start laughing.

"Hahahahaha! Sorry, sorry, but I couldn't help myself. I had to mess with you. I have no issue being called Blue. Just be careful not to throw stones in your House of Glass. You can call me whatever you want," I say while wiping away some tears.

"I but wha?" Piper says while realizing she was hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok, and flat out deceived.

It takes a few seconds, but Piper laughs as well.

"Okay, okay, you got me. But can we get back to the interview?" Piper asks.

"Sure," I reply.

"Good. Let's get down to business. So, I know you're from a Vault. How would you describe your time on the inside?" Piper asks.

"Technically, that was your assumption. While I have been in a Vault or two, I am not from a Vault. At least I don't think that fits perfectly. But I can tell you the story of a good man I knew who was from a Vault," I comment.

"You're not from a Vault? Are you sure? I rarely get this kind of stuff wrong. Anyway, I want your story, not a friend of yours. But I am interested in hearing that story later," Piper says.

"Okay, so you want to know where I am from? Well, I can either tell you a story of a land where my kind come from, or I can not answer your choice," I state.

"Ugh. You are making this more complicated, but fine. Let me hear where your people come from," Piper says with a frustrated groan.

"Okay, let me see. How does it go again... Ah yes," I say while clearing my throat and summing an illusory book.

The book had a stylized golden unicorn head with a sapphire eye.

"Once upon a time..." I start the story.

Several Hours Later...

"And that was the end of the first chapter," I say with a smile.

"Wow, that was... something. You're telling me that is what your people believe as history? Don't get me wrong, it is really entertaining, but surely you don't think that someone can move the sun and moon every day and night. It's impossible! I am not a scientist, but even I know the Sun is massive and crazy far away," Piper says with a skeptical look.

"Who knows. Perhaps somewhere out there it exists. A wise man once said, Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Perhaps it's out there and we have yet to find it," I comment.

"Sigh. Yeah, well, if you ever do find it, let me know, as it sounds much nicer than here. That story was nice, but how about we take a break for lunch, and then we get back to the interview. We can skip your origin story and move into the other questions," Piper comments. 

We take a slight break, and Curie asks me some questions while on Lunch, like whether what I told Piper was true. She knew magic was real, and she was fascinated by whether it was really theoretically possible to move a star using magic. She was also curious if she was able to use magic.

"Well, the story is true. Whether Equestria really exists is up for debate. I think it's likely. My experience makes it seem very likely that the Multiverse is accurate. Heck, that mirror you saw in my lab is linked with another world. Not sure yet if it is another Dimension, Planet, or Universe. More tests need to be done to determine that. As for you being able to use magic, I must disappoint you. Robots and Synths can't use magic. Or at least not as far as I can tell. You might be able to use magic artifacts to use magic, but that is theoretical. And I don't have any artifacts for you to test it with," I reply.

"Aw, a shame. I was most interested in seeing how magic and science would differ," Curie says with a slightly disappointed tone.

"You can still do that. You can study magic. It might be harder, but it is definitely possible. Learning about magic can help you identify and counter it. I think Evileye said that. Or was it Gagaran? It's been quite a while since I last read that book. I should recreate those books," I say while going on a tangent, and Curie just smiles and watches.

I ramble for a while and only stop when Piper returns and we get back into the interview.

"Okay, so skipping your origin. Can you give me a viewpoint of the world from an outsider's perspective?" Piper asks.

"Hmm, how to put it. On one hand, I feel hopeful seeing people trying to rebuild after such a catastrophe. But on the other hand, I am disappointed," I say.

"Disappointed? How so?" Piper asks.

"You have had over 200 years, and this is the best humanity has achieved. A barely surviving settlement that doesn't even bother trying to form a functioning government. I know that a previous attempt was sabotaged by the Institute, but it isn't just here in the Commonwealth that is struggling. Humanity should have rebuilt a lot more with all this time and the sizable resources. Instead, you have regressed. Badly. Humanity seems dead set on fighting itself until it goes extinct. So yes, I am disappointed. I know you can do better," I say with a little melancholy in my tone.

"Sigh. Yes, I have seen how far humanity has fallen since the war. So much knowledge is lost or never utilized. But perhaps with time, they can rebuild," Curie says with a sad smile.

"Geez, Blue. That's a pretty big comment to just drop out of nowhere. But I guess I never thought about how strange our situation is. But surely things will get better once we get more organized," Piper says with a little confidence.

"Want to know something interesting. Humanity managed to go from traveling with horses to flying across the world in less than 100 years. In 200, they also managed to get people on the Moon. Communicate across the globe instantaneously. Explored deep in the Oceans. Discovered Atoms, Molecules, Vaccines. Humanity can do truly impressive things. But nowadays, the most advanced humans use that tech to try to wipe out what little remains of humanity. Raiders are still a serious problem that plagues everyone. Humans create monsters with FEV and then do everything in their power to halt progress. And honestly, no one seems interested in trying to rebuild. Truly rebuild. Not a small settlement where maybe a hundred people can survive, but a sprawling community that can thrive. That is what I am trying to make. The Minutemen will try to make a place for humanity to regrow, rebuild, and thrive in this messed-up world," I say with conviction.

"That's... A powerful claim. I hope you can actually pull it off. You are making my job quite hard. Trying to condense this so everyone else can read it is going to be a pain in the @ss. But how about we talk about why you came to Diamond City?" Piper changes the question.

"I came here for a few reasons. One of them was to hire the services of Nick Valentine. I need to find someone, and I was told that if I have a case that needs investigating, he is the synth to go to," I comment, leaving out some of the reasons I came.

"Came here for Nicky, huh? Well, I can say he is the right guy for the job. But who are you looking for and why?" Piper asks.

"Well, it has to do with that good man I knew. He was from Vault 111. His name was Nate," I reply.

"Was?" Piper comments.

"Nate, his wife Nora, and almost everyone else in Vault 111 were murdered by a merc. Then the merc took their infant child, Shaun. Nate and Nora were good people. They didn't deserve what happened to them. The least I can do is track down the man who killed them and get their son back. I know who killed them, but I need help tracking them down. I know they live here in Diamond City, but I know they aren't here right now. Thus, I need Nick's help," I say while not saying that the Institute was involved.

"Sigh. It seems like tragic stories like that happen all the time in the Wasteland. But tell me, do you think the Institute is involved?" Piper asks.

"I will say something, but you can't put this into the paper. Can you promise that?" I ask seriously.

Piper looks a bit startled, but then nods.

"Okay, I know that the Institute was involved, and worse, I know why the Institute did this. I even know the name of the man they hired to do the job. And worst of all, I know where Shaun is. Even, sadly, what he has become," I say with sadness as I read the info obtained by Clippy.

"What... What happened?" Piper asks hesitantly.

"Shaun is the leader of the Institute. And he is the reason the Gen-3 Synths exist. He is now over 60 and has become just like the monsters that kidnapped him. Sigh. It was what I feared. I am afraid the only way I can put Nate and Nora to rest is if I put down the monster that wears Shaun's skin. Which is why I can't have you publish this info. The Institute is watching Diamond City and you specifically. Right outside your door are their watchers. If you publish this, then my chances of winning against the Institute become much lower," I say with a sad sigh.

I had hoped that perhaps I was in a world where Shaun was a good person surrounded by evil. Or that he was kidnapped much later than the original source. But all of that was proven false from the reports I got. Clippy has gained access to almost the entire Institute's servers. I have access to almost all their records. And just looking at some of that stuff made me both enraged and sick to my stomach. The things they did. Have been doing. It's not just wrong, it's abhorrent. If I didn't know any better, I would think they got their ethics from Nazi Germany. They have killed hundreds of thousands of people. Done things in the name of Humanity that would make even the most hardcore serial killer pause.

"How do you know all this?" Piper asks.

"I am not sure I can trust you with that info, but let me say I have an inside source in the Institute. They got me enough info that I could confirm a lot of stuff. Like, how several of your stories that many scoffed at as conspiracy theories, are true. You have no idea how close to the truth you have come. And worse is that if you actually realized it, you would die. And no amount of press would save you. They already have an exact plan for how you will die. An assassination by a person you caused a lot of damage to. And if it failed, then a Courser would come to your house, take Nat, and replace her. Then force you to kill your own sister. Synth or not. It would break you, and then you would either be executed, exiled, or imprisoned for life," I say with a cold look.

Piper freezes, and when she realizes I am not joking or making it up, she starts to shake a bit, but she manages to remain in control.

"Jesus, it's that bad. I always feared that the Institute would decide that today is the day to pay ol' Piper a visit. How deep in sh*t am I? From a scale of 1 to 10?" Piper asks.

"8. The Institute hasn't taken you out because many people don't take your stories too seriously. You are a social pariah. It also helps that many of the stories you publish are quite distributed. If you died after a story, then everyone might take that story much more seriously. Your job both saves and endangers you," I comment.

"Sigh. Great. That's not going to keep me up for the next several nights. But... Sigh. Never mind, let's get back to my interview. I hope you will take me with you, as I hope that staying with you would help protect Nat. Or at least decrease the heat on us. Now for the last part of our interview, I'd like to do something different. I want you to make a statement to Diamond City directly. The threat of kidnapping is all but ignored in the Commonwealth. Everyone wants to pretend it doesn't happen. What would you say to someone out there who's lost a loved one, but might be too scared, or too numb to the world, to look for them?" Piper asks.

"No matter how much you want to give up, don't. You have to have hope that you'll see them again. Or at least, that you'll know the truth. Hope shines eternal, and with it, we can keep the light within ourselves from extinguishing," I say.

"A strong note to end on, Blue. Thanks. That's everything. It's gonna take some time to put this all together, but I think your story is going to give Diamond City plenty to talk about. And I promised to come with you, so just give me 2 days to write up this story, and we can go," Piper comments.

"Sure. But I will be in and out of Diamond City for the next couple of days. Got a few things to do in the local area. Oh, and before I forget. You should let everyone know to avoid Back Street Apparel for a while. I saw a Deathclaw in that area," I say.

"What?! A Deathclaw that close to Diamond City! Why didn't you say earlier? I need to let everyone know right away!" Piper says while getting up quickly and running out of her house.

"I guess we just leave? Do we lock up before we leave?" I ask.

Curie just shrugs, and we decide to lock the house up, and if Piper needs help, she can ask for help.

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Author's Note:

Yeah, the Institute is not a good faction. They are probably more evil than most other factions seen in previous games. The Think Tank is likely more evil. The Enclave would also likely meet that criteria. Maybe Caesar's Legion as well, but that is more debatable. And I imagine Shaun would likely suffer from what Patty Hearst dealt with, Stockholm Syndrome. It would be even worse, as Shaun was raised by the Institute. And we see in the game that Shaun is pretty callous even to his own parent. Treating them like a lab rat or an experiment. And it should be noted that he let the FEV experiments continue until 2286, a mere year before the Sole Survivor leaves Vault 111. And those experiments were going on for nearly a century. The number of innocent or at least decent people in the Institute would likely be counted on one or two hands. Until next time, Ciao.

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