Fallout
Institutionalized
They are not our enemy. The Institute has made amazing progress in science and technology. I guess that’s why the Brotherhood wants them taken down...and Olly is starting to realize this. This is all happening so quickly, my head is starting to spin so fast, my mind is turning into a tornado. We’re shown to a large room with bunk beds, we’re told that we can stay for a few days and that’s it.
“What are you thinking, Paladin?” I ask.
“I’m thinking that the Brotherhood isn’t what it seems.”
“Wow, a Steel member doubting his own team...that’s deep.” Clayton says jokingly.
“So where’s the rest of the Commonwealth Justice?” I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable.
“They’re still securing the Agitator. They should be back soon, I’ll let you meet everyone.”
“We have to try and convince the Brotherhood that the Institute is good…” Olly says, running his fingers through his hair.
“That’s near impossible.” Clayton chuckles. “The Brotherhood only cares about one thing and that’s getting their hands on pre-war tech, they’ll stop at nothing, they’ll kill whoever gets in their way.”
“That sounds like us…” Olly says in disgust.
“We’ll try.” I interrupt. “It can’t hurt to try.”
There’s a knock at the door and then it quickly slides open. A man dressed in all white walks in, his face completely covered.
“Samantha Matthews, Olly Severide, Mother needs to speak with you.” His voice sounds robotic...it must be a synth.
“What about?” I ask.
“Mother did not say. Please follow me. Please remove power armor as well, Sir.” He points to Olly.
His suit opens up and he steps out. He’s so handsome, and tall. A man of many wonders. He looks at me and smiles. “After you.”
“Such a gentleman.” I say, following the synth.
We walk up a long spiraling flight of stairs and into a room. A woman stands on a balcony, looking over the courtyard of the Institute. She turns around at our presence. I’m taken back by her beauty, her grace, she seems so intelligent. I can’t imagine what she had to do to get here, to find her son, only to watch him die. She walks towards us, smiling.
“Hello.” She says, her voice slightly cracking. “Welcome to the Institute. I hope your stay here has been pleasant.”
“Indeed it has.” I give a reassuring smile.
“How was your awakening?”
“Dizzy, confusing...The world isn’t the same as when I went to sleep.”
“That’s exactly how I felt.” She pulls out a rolling chair and takes a seat. “You’ll come to realize that you have to make hard choices now that the world has changed. You’ll lose friends, even respect...But you’ll have to keep going.”
“Lose respect?”
“Yes.” Her smile fades. “When I joined the Institute, almost everyone lost any type of respect for me. They didn’t understand this place like I did. The Commonwealth needs the Institute.”
“What’s gonna happen to the Brotherhood?” Olly chimes in.
“We’ve been watching them close. They keep getting closer and closer to finding us. We need to take the fight to them.”
“We...we gotta try to talk to them first, we can’t just go killing everyone.”
“I’m aware.” Mother says. “I was with the Brotherhood at one point...They made me kill a group known as the Railroad...Like I said, hard choices. But I chose to come here and save these people. We’ll teleport you to the Prydwen, you can try to talk it over...but I doubt it’ll do any good.”
“It’s worth a shot.” I say.
“I’ll give you some synth teleporters, in case things take a turn for the worst.”
Stepping onto the teleporter, I don’t even know what to think. I literally just woke up and everything is happening so fast. I’m saved by the Brotherhood, then saved by the Institute, and then told that the Brotherhood wants kill anything and everyone that are affiliated with them. My mind is a train that keeps gaining speed, it’ll eventually fly off the tracks. I feel a slight tingle and then I’m hovering hundreds of feet over the Boston Airport. Down below, they still shoot their lasers at things I now know are Super Mutants. Paladin Olly grabs my hand and pulls me along. Everyone waves cheerfully as we pass by. Elder Maxson stands in his usual spot, looking out the large window, assessing every inch of the Commonwealth.
“Paladin Olly. Report.” He says in a stern tone.
“We have found the Institute.”
Maxson turns so quickly, I could barely even see him. “The Institute?”
“Yes. And we’re here to call for a ceasefire.” I can hear Olly gulp from four feet away.
“You must be crazy.” He laughs.
“The Institute isn’t what we thought.”
“The Institute is exactly what we think it is. A shit shelter for pre-war tech and robots. And we’re going in there to get that tech and destroy that place.”
“That would mean killing hundreds of people, Elder Maxson.” I say.
“That isn’t my problem. If you choose to defy the Brotherhood, it won’t end well for you.”
“I guess that’s what’s gonna happen.” Olly says, grabbing his laser pistol.
Before anyone can shoot, we’re teleported back to the Institute, our guns still aimed. I can’t believe they’re just gonna kill everyone...for what? Technology? It’s safer here, in the hands of Mother and the other scientists. I look over at Olly, he’s holstered his pistol and dropped down to his knees.
“I’ve grown up...Believing that I was doing the right thing.”
I lay my hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Paladin.”
“That’s not my title anymore...It’s just Olly now.”
“I’m sorry for pulling you out.” Mother says, entering the room. “I just couldn’t have you two in battle...not yet.”
“This is fucking crazy.” I say. “What are we gonna do?”
“First, we make a plan. Then we take down the Prydwen and rid the Commonwealth from the Brotherhood.”
“How?” Olly clenches his fist.
“With the help of our synth army and the Commonwealth Justice. Clayton is out helping the team, they ran into some trouble. When she arrives, we’ll talk over a strategy. But for now, get some rest.”
I toss and turn in bed, and I’m guessing Olly is too because his sheets ruffle every couple minutes. How am I supposed to sleep with a war on the horizon. I should’ve stayed asleep, awoke when all this shit was over. I guess it was my time...my time to be drafted. I lean up and sit on the side of the bed, sweat dripping down my forehead. What if the Brotherhood knows where we are and decides a surprise attack? They’d have to bomb their way in...that’d kill a lot of people, and with the weapons they have, they can wipe out the rest. I’m just hoping they didn’t find a way to get Liberty Prime up and running. Wait...Liberty Prime.
“What are you thinking, Paladin?” I ask.
“I’m thinking that the Brotherhood isn’t what it seems.”
“Wow, a Steel member doubting his own team...that’s deep.” Clayton says jokingly.
“So where’s the rest of the Commonwealth Justice?” I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable.
“They’re still securing the Agitator. They should be back soon, I’ll let you meet everyone.”
“We have to try and convince the Brotherhood that the Institute is good…” Olly says, running his fingers through his hair.
“That’s near impossible.” Clayton chuckles. “The Brotherhood only cares about one thing and that’s getting their hands on pre-war tech, they’ll stop at nothing, they’ll kill whoever gets in their way.”
“That sounds like us…” Olly says in disgust.
“We’ll try.” I interrupt. “It can’t hurt to try.”
There’s a knock at the door and then it quickly slides open. A man dressed in all white walks in, his face completely covered.
“Samantha Matthews, Olly Severide, Mother needs to speak with you.” His voice sounds robotic...it must be a synth.
“What about?” I ask.
“Mother did not say. Please follow me. Please remove power armor as well, Sir.” He points to Olly.
His suit opens up and he steps out. He’s so handsome, and tall. A man of many wonders. He looks at me and smiles. “After you.”
“Such a gentleman.” I say, following the synth.
We walk up a long spiraling flight of stairs and into a room. A woman stands on a balcony, looking over the courtyard of the Institute. She turns around at our presence. I’m taken back by her beauty, her grace, she seems so intelligent. I can’t imagine what she had to do to get here, to find her son, only to watch him die. She walks towards us, smiling.
“Hello.” She says, her voice slightly cracking. “Welcome to the Institute. I hope your stay here has been pleasant.”
“Indeed it has.” I give a reassuring smile.
“How was your awakening?”
“Dizzy, confusing...The world isn’t the same as when I went to sleep.”
“That’s exactly how I felt.” She pulls out a rolling chair and takes a seat. “You’ll come to realize that you have to make hard choices now that the world has changed. You’ll lose friends, even respect...But you’ll have to keep going.”
“Lose respect?”
“Yes.” Her smile fades. “When I joined the Institute, almost everyone lost any type of respect for me. They didn’t understand this place like I did. The Commonwealth needs the Institute.”
“What’s gonna happen to the Brotherhood?” Olly chimes in.
“We’ve been watching them close. They keep getting closer and closer to finding us. We need to take the fight to them.”
“We...we gotta try to talk to them first, we can’t just go killing everyone.”
“I’m aware.” Mother says. “I was with the Brotherhood at one point...They made me kill a group known as the Railroad...Like I said, hard choices. But I chose to come here and save these people. We’ll teleport you to the Prydwen, you can try to talk it over...but I doubt it’ll do any good.”
“It’s worth a shot.” I say.
“I’ll give you some synth teleporters, in case things take a turn for the worst.”
Stepping onto the teleporter, I don’t even know what to think. I literally just woke up and everything is happening so fast. I’m saved by the Brotherhood, then saved by the Institute, and then told that the Brotherhood wants kill anything and everyone that are affiliated with them. My mind is a train that keeps gaining speed, it’ll eventually fly off the tracks. I feel a slight tingle and then I’m hovering hundreds of feet over the Boston Airport. Down below, they still shoot their lasers at things I now know are Super Mutants. Paladin Olly grabs my hand and pulls me along. Everyone waves cheerfully as we pass by. Elder Maxson stands in his usual spot, looking out the large window, assessing every inch of the Commonwealth.
“Paladin Olly. Report.” He says in a stern tone.
“We have found the Institute.”
Maxson turns so quickly, I could barely even see him. “The Institute?”
“Yes. And we’re here to call for a ceasefire.” I can hear Olly gulp from four feet away.
“You must be crazy.” He laughs.
“The Institute isn’t what we thought.”
“The Institute is exactly what we think it is. A shit shelter for pre-war tech and robots. And we’re going in there to get that tech and destroy that place.”
“That would mean killing hundreds of people, Elder Maxson.” I say.
“That isn’t my problem. If you choose to defy the Brotherhood, it won’t end well for you.”
“I guess that’s what’s gonna happen.” Olly says, grabbing his laser pistol.
Before anyone can shoot, we’re teleported back to the Institute, our guns still aimed. I can’t believe they’re just gonna kill everyone...for what? Technology? It’s safer here, in the hands of Mother and the other scientists. I look over at Olly, he’s holstered his pistol and dropped down to his knees.
“I’ve grown up...Believing that I was doing the right thing.”
I lay my hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Paladin.”
“That’s not my title anymore...It’s just Olly now.”
“I’m sorry for pulling you out.” Mother says, entering the room. “I just couldn’t have you two in battle...not yet.”
“This is fucking crazy.” I say. “What are we gonna do?”
“First, we make a plan. Then we take down the Prydwen and rid the Commonwealth from the Brotherhood.”
“How?” Olly clenches his fist.
“With the help of our synth army and the Commonwealth Justice. Clayton is out helping the team, they ran into some trouble. When she arrives, we’ll talk over a strategy. But for now, get some rest.”
I toss and turn in bed, and I’m guessing Olly is too because his sheets ruffle every couple minutes. How am I supposed to sleep with a war on the horizon. I should’ve stayed asleep, awoke when all this shit was over. I guess it was my time...my time to be drafted. I lean up and sit on the side of the bed, sweat dripping down my forehead. What if the Brotherhood knows where we are and decides a surprise attack? They’d have to bomb their way in...that’d kill a lot of people, and with the weapons they have, they can wipe out the rest. I’m just hoping they didn’t find a way to get Liberty Prime up and running. Wait...Liberty Prime.