Nick explained exactly what he was as they walked back to Diamond City: a prototype synth made by the Institute that had been discarded due to his inability to reach whatever standards they wanted. He could only guess that a cop personality wasn't as beneficial as an engineer or a scientist. A synth is a robot installed with a human personality and they had become so advanced that they could look like humans—a friend you knew for years could be swapped for a synth and you would never know. And that swapping happened almost every day; those kinds of kidnappings were the majority of his missing persons cases.

Briar Rose listened but had trouble wrapping her head around what he told her. Synths? The Institute? The world had changed even more than she thought; not being able to trust anyone in thinking they could be a synth was worse than the continuous fighting consuming the Commonwealth. What Vault-Tec did to her doesn't compare to the suspicion—she wished she would've died with the others instead of dealing with this distrust.

Because of the puzzled looks on her face, she had to explain her reason for why she didn't understand. Nick pointed out that he had noticed the Vault suit but she corrected his assumption that she had been a Vault dweller—a Vault dweller, yes, but a 210 year one. He stared at her, stunned.

"So, every Vault probably was a fake front of safety?"

She shrugged. "I don't know; I couldn't find any evidence of what experiments would go on in the Vault we just left."

"Because it never opened," Nick answered. "That room Skinny had me locked in was the Overseer's office; the terminal still worked, and I found that construction had been completed, but the bombs fell before they could get anyone in. It was only going to be the wealthy, though—mayors, high society, billionaires, stuck-up bitches... Those sorts of people."

"Maybe that was their experiment: see how well the wealthy get along."

"We already know the answer to that: they don't."

They made it back to Diamond City at nightfall; the scent of cooking food made her mouth water, and she wanted to go get whatever the robot chef cooked but Nick appeared unaffected, turning straight for his office. She wasn't going to slow him down by going to eat—she wanted to get started on getting Shaun back as soon as possible.

They walked into Valentine Detective Agency; Ellie wasn't in sight.

Nick took a quick one-over of the room, then turned to the back room. "Ellie?"

Briar Rose heard a flurry of movement. "Nick?" There was the creaking of wooden steps, then a feminine gasp. "Nick!" Ellie came barreling out of the back room and threw her arms around Nick's neck; she was a good head shorter than him.

He chuckled and patted her on the back.

"It's really you."

"It's hard to mistake this mug for anyone else," he said.

She lifted her head off his chest. "You keep laughing at death, one day death's going to laugh back." She looked over at her. "Thank you so much for bringing him back."

"And still in one falling-apart piece," Nick added in.

Ellie shook her head at him with a rueful grin as she stepped back—used to his sarcasm. She reached into a pocket as she faced Briar Rose again. "I know money wasn't on the table, but here's my thanks." She handed her a jingling bag of caps.

After she took it with a thanks, Ellie turned back to Nick. "So, how did the case with Darla go? Find her?"

"Yes; her 'kidnapping' was a ruse to trap me— Yes, I know you were suspicious, but I'm here now, so no harm done," he quickly added in to Ellie's smug expression. "Our friend here persuaded Darla to leave Skinny and go home; we don't have to worry about this happening again too: Skinny's dead. He might be lighter with the hole in his head; then again, my bullet probably added an ounce..."

She looked over at Briar Rose in amazement. "Really? Well, I hope that girl can fall back into good graces." She faced Nick again. "Ready for your next case?"

"They'll have to wait; Briar Rose needs help, and I want to repay her kindness."

Ellie faced her. "Oh, that's right! You came in looking for Nick; you need to find someone?"

She nodded.

"How about we hold off until the morning? You look really tired," Ellie suggested. Her eyes must have looked sleepy or her body showed it.

Nick agreed. "That might be best; you've had quite an adventure so far and I have a feeling it's only going to grow. You can stay here for the night, there's room; well, in the back. Better than spending caps on a room at the Dugout Inn—that place reeks."

"I also have dinner cooking; come on." She waved Briar Rose to follow her; the women and Dogmeat went to the back; Nick stayed in the front to look for some file. Ellie shared the noodle soup she had cooked and even found some canned meat for Dogmeat. Briar Rose sat on the couch in the small room to eat; after a while, Nick joined them and sat with Ellie at the little table.

Briar Rose noticed that he didn't get himself a serving. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"The only joys of being a synth is that I don't have to worry about food, drink, or sleep. Radiation doesn't affect me and I don't wear out," Nick said. "That's what makes me perfect for this job; I don't stop."

She held out on eating for a man that doesn't eat. It was funny how quickly she had forgotten Nick was a robot. "Oh."

They chatted while they ate, avoiding discussing why Briar Rose was there—even though Shaun's kidnapping always replayed in her head, talking about it would re-stoke her emotions, and she didn't need it keeping her awake.

When they were done, Briar Rose took the couch to sleep and Ellie went back upstairs for her bed; Nick bade them both goodnight and went back to the front to sort through files. Just like in Sanctuary Hills, Dogmeat lay down beside her couch to sleep; she had no trouble falling asleep here too.

***

The smell of roasting coffee woke Briar Rose; she and Dogmeat walked into the front to find Nick seated at the main desk, flipping through a file. He had a lit cigarette between his lips—Briar Rose wondered if he could actually feel the nicotine or he just smoked because it fit the part. A hot plate kept the coffee warm on his desk.

"Morning," he greeted. "Coffee?"

"Morning, and yes, please."

He poured her a cup and, even though stronger than she liked, it woke her up. She took the seat across from Nick. "Where's Ellie?"

"She's—" The sound of the door clicking open stopped him. "Speak of the devil and she appears."

As she closed the door behind her, Ellie frowned at him—she had heard. A small metal shopping basket hung on an arm; in it were a few cans and items wrapped in brown paper—it smelled like she had been in a bakery. "I got breakfast, in case coffee's not enough; I got something for Dogmeat too."

Her normal breakfast consisted of coffee, but Briar Rose ate a pastry to be polite; Ellie found a plate to pour the canned dog food on for Dogmeat.

"Shall we get started?" Nick asked.

Ellie found a clipboard and pen to write down notes before standing behind her boss.

"Who do I need to find?"

Briar Rose gulped down the rest of her coffee, then set the cup on his desk. "My baby boy; his name is Shaun. He's less than a month old."

Ellie looked at her in shock; Nick's eyebrows lifted. "An infant? How interesting... Most of the kidnappings I deal with are adults. Did this happen while you were asleep?"

She nodded and told them the whole story since she left it out when she spoke about her time in the Vault. Her mood and voice dropped as she reviewed what she went through; Dogmeat noticed and put his head on her knee for comfort. She gave him a small smile and scratched him behind the ears.

"This world must be so odd for you..." Ellie said.

"It's something I still have to get used to."

Nick got them back on track. "But you saw the kidnappers; can you describe them?"

"One was a woman; I never saw her face, but she wore a white hazmat suit."

"Normal kidnappers don't have the funds for a hazmat suit," Nick mused. "What about the other one?"

"He wore a metal arm piece, had a rough voice—like sandpaper across your skin—and was bald, but I'll never forget his face; after he shot Nate, he looked right at me: he had a scar going down his left eye."

Nick's eyes widened. "Wait. It couldn't be." He turned to his assistant. "Ellie, what do we have on that Kellogg case?"

She moved off to rummage through a filing cabinet; she came back with an opened folder and scanning through it. "The description matches: bald head, scar, reputation for dangerous mercenary work, but no one knows who his employer is."

"You know him?" Briar Rose asked; her voice rose in excitement.

"He has a house here in Diamond City; it's been abandoned for a few months now. If I remember correctly, he had a kid with him," Nick said. He got up. "We'll swing by and see if we can find anything."

She jumped to her feet; Ellie wished them luck as they went out. She followed Nick through the back alley; with some distance between them and Valentine Detective Agency, he looked over at her.

"I didn't want Ellie to hear this, but you should know: everything I know about Kellogg is bad news. He's more than just a mercenary—he's a professional. Quick, clean, thorough; has no enemies because they're all dead... except you. But nine-to-one odds say he's our man. It's more than just you identifying his features: the MO is all him as well. Leading a small team to kidnap a baby, and leaving one of the parents alive for later? Not many mercs in the Commonwealth can pull that off."

He led them away from the market and up a metal catwalk to some shacks. He walked to a single door apart from the others and, after a quick look around, Nick kneeled at the door. "Keep an eye out for guards," he ordered as he slid in a bobby pin and screwdriver to pick the lock.

She did as he asked as he broke into Kellogg's house; it didn't take him long to pick his way in. He held the door open for her and she, Dogmeat, then he slipped in.

The room they entered was very small and bare: only a television, radio, desk, chair, and wooden stairs took up room. She went up it to find a single mattress and dresser.

"This wasn't what I expected," Nick said below her. "Look for anything that seems out of place, like maybe a switch or button."

She searched the living area but ended up with nothing. She headed down the steps to check the walls when a red glow under the desk caught her eye; she looked to find it a button, and she pressed it. A part of the wall Nick was checking slid back to reveal a hidden room.

"That's one way to hide a room," Nick commented as he stepped in; Briar Rose joined him. It held an armchair, an end table holding empty beer bottles, bullets, and a cigar in an ashtray, shelves lining the walls with ammo boxes and survivalist items, and a workbench to repair guns. The room reeked of the burned smell of smoking. "All a merc's favorite things."

He went to the short table beside the armchair and picked up the bottles to admire the labels. "Gwinnett Stout Beer." He exchanged them for the cigar and turned it to read its label. "San Francisco Sunlights. Quite the specific brands, aren't they?"

An idea hit her. "Do you think Dogmeat could track him by the smell?"

He turned to face her. "That's not a bad idea; a Wasteland mutt like him should be able to pick up the scent." He handed her the used cigar.

"But before you go, I want to ask you something," he began. "I know this is personal, but I would like to come along to help; watch your back. If you want to go it alone, though, just say so."

She was touched that he wanted to watch over her; even though a synth, he had a heart. "I would like you to come with me, Nick."

His face brightened. "Alright; let's get going, then."

Briar Rose walked back into the main room to where Dogmeat waited. She showed him the cigar. "Think you can track this?"

He sniffed it and looked up at her expectantly. "Got it?" Dogmeat huffed as if in answer. "Take us to Kellogg."

Dogmeat turned and after Nick opened the door, he took off; Briar Rose and Nick chased him. Hope rose while vengeance burned in her heart.