Fallout 4: AR

56. Going Dark

Desdemona and Deacon joined us when we met with Tinker Tom the next day. MacCready had taken his usual protective stance behind my chair, and grumbled in disgust when the irrepressible spy took the seat next to mine. Desdemona leaned against Tom's workstation with her arms crossed, announcing, "All right, Tom. We're all here. Tell us what you've found."

"Hoo-boy!" chortled Tinker Tom, rubbing his hands together in glee. "The Institute is scurrying like a radroach nest on fire! Crippling their matter transport system was a brilliant move by our rogue allies on the inside! Thanks to this little baby," and he held up the plastic oblong that Z1-87 had given me, "we were able to secure a line of communication to the rebels. They're keeping us informed of doings in the Institute. Our Synth friends down there are also working on digging a physical escape tunnel, something not dependent on the Institute's transmitters."

"That's wonderful news!" Desdemona exclaimed, echoed by myself and Deacon. MacCready, possibly due to being in "bodyguard" mode, was keeping neutral. "Knowing what's going on in there, and what they might be planning is going to make the Railroad much more efficient. Good work."

"Oh, there's more!" Tom showed us some of the information my Pip-Boy had stolen from the Institute's computer systems, confirming one of his own long-held suspicions. "They're researching terraforming," he explained, "trying to develop crops and other flora that could flourish in, and even possibly mitigate, the radiation up here."

"That's a good thing though, isn't it?" I asked in confusion. "I know I'm having trouble finding food I can eat safely, but then again I'm not from here. Crops that resist radiation can only be a benefit to everyone."

"That's true, as far as it goes," Tom admitted. "But there are no plans whatsoever to share these crops with local farmers. In fact," he scrolled down to a highlighted section, "some of the later stages of their project specifically mention the lack of human, errr... 'surface-dweller' presence."

"That sounds... ominous." Deacon intoned, peering intently at the screen. "Synth farmers, hmm? Wonder where us humans are supposed to go? Maybe they've got a great community settlement planned for us in the Bahamas! No?" He slumped, feigning disappointment.

I sighed, a little sadly. "I got the distinct impression that the Institute, or at least their leader, doesn't consider anyone on the surface 'human' anymore." All four of my compatriots grumbled ominously in response.

"You mentioned that yesterday. We're a hell of a lot more human, more humane, than they are!" Desdemona stormed. "We're not the ones letting loose a horde of failed experiments to run amok, kidnapping people, or enslaving sentient beings!"

"How dare they call us less than human!" snapped MacCready, to my surprise. I peeked back to see his fists clenched, an angry scowl on his face. Even Deacon lowered his shades to regard my partner with widened eyes. "They have no idea what it's like to survive out here! Hiding in their safe, undetectable stronghold, making stupid judgment calls... it makes me sick to my stomach!" With that final impassioned outburst, he got a hold of his temper and resumed his guard stance, arms folded, quietly fuming. I gave him what I hoped was a sympathetic look and a quick nod of my head in recognition of his feelings.

"Whatever they are planning, we need to make sure we keep abreast of it." Desdemona had given MacCready a raised eyebrow and a long measuring stare at his outburst before returning to the discussion at hand. "This 'terraforming' program isn't the only thing they've been working on, I can guarantee it. That's where Tom's programs come in. I wish the Institute hadn't learned of your existence in the Commonwealth, Anne, and I had hoped we could have installed our surveillance software under more controlled conditions, but you did remarkably well under the circumstances." She paused, as if choosing her next words carefully.