[Last Hope] 21 – The Abandoned Section of the Institute

[1400 Words]

Come the following morning, I groaned and stretched in bed before making my way to my Terminal, switching it on to inspect the changes. As I expected, Dr. Zimmer went and tattled on the Group Chat to Shaun, something I had fully expected and prepared for, as I sent a message to Shaun while opening another Tab and issuing orders to various departments, including the SRB, to equip one Courser with a complete combat kit.

[The Specter: Good morning, Shaun. I see Dr. Zimmer has told you about the chat I had with your Department Heads last night. As of this moment, I’ve locked you and all of the other Heads from the Terminal Network and have issued a network-wide command override to all Synths currently within and out of the Institute until my demands are met and a new Director is put in place. If my demands are not met within a timely manner, let’s say, three days, I will have to get directly involved. You do not want me to get directly involved. With great disrespect, The Specter.] 

As that message was sent, I initiated a few orders across the Terminal Network, including a command override, placing all Synths and Coursers within the Institute and outside of it, under my and only my direct command, then sent a message to all of the other heads, including Zimmer. 

[The Specter: Due to one of your members having leaked the Group Chat last night to Shaun, I have seen fit to push forward the deadline I have given you all. You have three days to elect a new competent Director of the institute. Do not test my patience again, Zimmer, and be warned that until a new Director is put into place, all Synths and Coursers are under my command.]

Once that was done, I sent a few orders to various Synths and one Courser, before stepping away from my Terminal and hopping in the shower.

After that, I got dressed and headed out of my small room, heading towards the out-of-the-way corridor that led to the abandoned wing of the Institute, where a Courser in black full-body Synth Armor awaited me.

“Ma’am,” X6-88 greeted me.

“Good morning, 88. Did you have any issues getting your requisite gear and weapons?” I greeted the same Courser who would have served as the Player's bodyguard in Fallout 4. 

“No, ma’am. Everything was gathered as ordered,” 88 answered with his monotone voice.

“Good, let’s double-check your gear before we move on,” I told 88 before stepping forward.

I requisitioned quite a bit for the Courser before me. A full suit of advanced Synth Armor that was made of a composite material that could resist medium and small arms fire, an advanced Institute-grade Laser Rifle with a plasma pistol side arm, and a combat knife backup. Strapped to his side, we’re a set of Plasma and Pulse grenades for any potential heavy armor we encountered, and as a last-resort measure, he had a Relay Beacon to evacuate both me and it from any fatal harm. 

“Everything checks out, 88. Are you ready for your next set of orders?” I asked the Courser, who nodded in return. 

“Good. For the next eight to twelve hours, we will be clearing out the abandoned wing of the Institute, sweeping every room and every closet for potential threats or leftovers abandoned by past Institute Scientists. You are to deactivate any encountered resistance and protect me in case of danger. Your priorities are to keep me alive at all costs. Is that understood?” I asked the Courser, getting a “Yes, Ma’am.” In return.

“Potential Hostiles?” He questioned, causing me to lash out for a few moments. 

“We will encounter ceiling and wall-mounted laser turrets, potential robotic threats vary from Mr. Handies, Assaultrons, Protectrons, and if the worst comes to worst, even Sentry Bots,” I informed 88 as I patted his armor and prodded at his helmet. 

“Understood, Ma’am, please stay behind me,” 88 requested, taking the lead and raising his rifle. 

As he stepped forward, I couldn’t help but think of just how menacing 88 was with how fast he moved and how quiet, despite the heavy equipment on his person. 

…

It took only a few moments for 88 to encounter resistance, as just past the sliding door of the corridor, we were beset by two Laser Turrets mounted to the walls of the corridor further down. Yet, all it took were two precise and quick shots with his Laser Rifle to destroy them. 

“I apologize, ma’am, I was not able to deactivate them without ensuring their destruction or use of my limited pulse grenades,” 88 robotically apologized.

“Do not worry about that, 88. You are free to destroy any Turrets we come across,” I assured him, getting a nod as we proceeded further in. 

At first, we walked through branching corridors and empty rooms. Still, eventually we reached what appeared to be the more populated part of the CCT's once-basement, finding workshops, janitorial closets, empty stock rooms, and makeshift bedrooms at one point. 

We encountered turrets at nearly every choke point, but 88 was quick to take them down, and we had found a few deactivated Protectrons that had likely run out of power long ago. What drew my interest, however, was just how…spotless everything was. It was dirty, dusty, and covered in cobwebs, but everything of value had been stripped away and moved long ago, leaving nothing but scrap metal and the empty husks of once-advanced machines. 

I expected to find junk and scrap-filled storage rooms and labs, as the Player would have seen if they went against the Institute, but I found none of that here. 

“88, do you hear that?” I suddenly asked, hearing what sounded awfully like stomping rapidly echoing down the hall. 

“Please take cover, hostiles approaching,” 88 warned, pushing me behind a pillar as the threat revealed itself, two Assaultrons, claws and blades whirring as they charged towards 88. 

In that exact moment, they revealed themselves, and 88 let loose multiple beams of blue lasers from his rifle that impacted the Assaultrons, dealing minor damage to their heavily armored frames.

One of the Assaultrons was immediately upon 88, swinging forward their clawed hand, smacking away his rifle and lunging forward with the tip of their sword arm towards 88’s midsection, but with a timely shift of his torso, the blade slid across the side of his armor as he stepped into the Assaultron, his knife unsheathed and stabbing forward. 

With a single accurate stab of his knife, the blade plunged into the metal between the head and shoulders of the humanoid machine, before he, with tremendous strength, tore its head off. A moment later, he sacrificed his blade to deflect a thrusting blade arm of the second Assaultron before lunging at the Robot and performing a grapple technique that restricted the robot before he tore its head off too.

"Hostiles have been deactivated, you may come out now, Ma'am," 88 informed me with his ever monotone voice.

Looking at the result of the Courser's over-engineered and expertly programmed skills, I couldn't help but compliment him, "Good work, 88."

"I have only done what I was programmed to do, Ma'am," 88 tried to brush aside the compliment, making me frown.

"You may be artificial in nature, 88, but you are so much more. I hope you will come to see it," I told 88, though he said nothing in response.

Stepping forward, I knelt to grab one of the Assaultron heads to examine the damage, finding myself pleasantly surprised that the damage was superficial at the worst. I'd have to reconnect the head, but overall, I could reprogram the two Assaultrons and use them in the future. While the two robots did little to impede the 88, against regular human foes, they'd dominate without question. Just one of the machines would be capable of eliminating entire squads with minimal damage, with its head laser, upon full charge, able to tear even heavy armor and vehicles asunder.

It was unfortunate that I would have to leave the two Assaultrons be for now, but I would certainly retrieve them later and get them back up and working.

Carefully placing the head back down on the ground, I gestured towards 88, "Let's continue."

"Yes, Ma'am," 88 affirmed before taking the lead.