Briar Rose and Nick Valentine walked into Diamond City slightly battered; they received some curious looks since Nick carried a wounded Dogmeat, had fresh burns on his coat, and she had her upper arm wrapped in bloody cloth. Her form was also slumped from weariness and hunger—they had walked the entire way back from Fort Hagen without stopping; Nick had offered, but she wanted to get back.

They passed by Publick Occurrences—Piper's office—and went straight to Valentine Detective Agency. Ellie sat at the desk furthest from the door; she looked up as the door swung open, then jumped to her feet in alarm.

"Nick, what happened to Dogmeat? And Briar Rose? Your arm?" She hurriedly motioned Briar Rose to sit. "You look about ready to fall. Let me get some food and water." She rushed to the back room to find what she needed and returned; Nick put Dogmeat down and Ellie placed a plate of dog food before him so he could eat without trouble. She handed Briar Rose a glass of water and some kind of soup with pieces of meat in it. "Now, what happened?"

Nick sat down in the chair behind his desk—he didn't look tired at all. "We found Kellogg at Fort Hagen; killed him and his brainless synths. The maniac shot Dogmeat and this one almost got burned to a crisp."

She scowled at him. "It's just my arm."

"A crunchy wing."

She would've thrown her spoon at him if she wasn't eating with it; she settled for an eye roll.

"What about Shaun?" Ellie asked.

"Shaun wasn't there; he's in the Institute."

She gasped. "The Institute? But how—" she cut herself off with a glance at Briar Rose.

"That's why we're here," Nick began, "we're going to talk with Piper and hope she's got answers for us." He looked directly at Briar Rose. "But tomorrow; you need to rest."

She agreed, being too tired to argue; she finished eating, told them all goodnight, then collapsed on the couch.

***

They left Dogmeat under the care of Ellie; he whined as they left him, but Nick knew he would get over it because of Ellie's doting and more-than-likely become spoiled—she was too soft, and he had trouble remembering that she was still a girl. Not at all like the fiercely determined woman walking beside him; Briar Rose probably had her soft spots, like any woman, but she was strong and serious. Kellogg had been surprised she was surviving, but Nick saw no reason to doubt.

And she was so beautiful; he wasn't picking when he compared her to a rose, but far more radiant, especially when she smiled. He couldn't believe anyone could be prettier than Jen— He shook that thought away; if only he could get her out of memory and mind—she wasn't his.

Publick Occurrences was the first building on the left when one entered Diamond City; Piper's little sister, Nat, stood out front, hawking the newest newspaper. Nick held the door open for Briar Rose to go in to Piper's office/home.

The black-headed woman, wearing her usual red trench coat and newsboy cap, was seated on a couch and proofreading her newest article. Her eyes lifted to see her visitors, then her eyebrows rose in surprise at who had come through her door.

She tossed the paper on the coffee table before her and stood. "Nick Valentine; how odd it is to see you come into my office."

Nick politely inclined his head. "Piper; we've come to ask for your help."

Her eyebrows really rose then. "Really? Well, go on then: tell me what you and Briar Rose have been up to. Everyone saw you two come in with her and her dog wounded. Rumors have been flying." She looked like she enjoyed spreading the gossip, but then her smug expression faltered when she remembered something; she looked at Briar Rose. "Wait, is this about your missing son?"

It was no surprise that Piper knew about the kidnapping—she heard about everything. Briar Rose nodded. "Nick's helping me."

Nick took over. "We found one of the kidnappers yesterday and you've heard of the outcome of that meeting. He's dead, but we discovered that Shaun has been taken into the Institute."

Piper filled in the rest. "And you're here in hopes I can tell you the way in since I've done research..."

"That's our hope."

"Sorry to disappoint but I don't know; I've been investigating these creeps for over a year now. The Commonwealth's boogeyman; feared and hated by everyone."

"True enough," Nick said.

Piper turned to Briar Rose. "Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave synths behind to remind us that they're out there. But to this day, there's one thing nobody really knows..."

Nick finished. "Where the Institute actually is, or how to get in."

"Exactly. But there's one person who must know, right? The guy who just handed them Shaun. Well... knew," she corrected herself. "So, a murderer and a kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent." Piper sighed. "It'd be a great ending if we didn't still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve."

Briar Rose looked at the floor. "He wasn't going to talk."

"'Gets his brains blown out'..." Nick repeated; her words triggered an idea. "Huh... His brains. You know, we may not need the man at all."

Piper looked at him. "You're talking crazy here, Nick. Got a fault in the ole' subroutines?"

He ignored her prod and turned to Briar Rose instead. "Look, there's a place in Goodneighbor called the Memory Den. Relive the past moments in your head as clear as the day they happened. If anyone could get a dead brain to sing, it'll be Doctor Amari—the mind behind the memories. Hmm, I guess we're going to need a piece of Kellogg's brain. Enough gray matter to bring to Amari and find out if this is going to work."

"Jesus, Nick... Gross! Seriously?" Piper looked disgusted.

He shrugged. "We don't have any other choice, do we? We got no leads. Nothing. That old merc's brain just might have all the secrets we need to know. If you're too squeamish, you can't participate."

It looked like some realization dawned on Briar Rose; she fidgeted with something in her pocket. "I found something in Kellogg's brain—it looks like a chip. Do you think Doctor Amari can get memories off it?"

"Cybernetics, huh? We may have just won the lottery. It's worth a try; this whole idea's a 50/50 chance."

"I bet the percentage is lower than that, Nick," Piper said.

He ignored her and turned toward Briar Rose. "Goodneighbor is to the northeast of here. It's less than half a day's walk, so let's get going."

They both thanked Piper for her help as they left.

***

Nick led the way to Goodneighbor, but he told her not to let the name mislead her: the town had been established by ghouls not allowed in Diamond City and there were chem heads and people with questionable motives everywhere. The mayor, Hancock, was a decent guy as long as you didn't cross him. She shouldn't trust anyone.

They passed through a gate fence, strengthened by sheets of metal and wooden boards, and a neon sign advertising the town. But when they entered Goodneighbor, she expected different on seeing the outside: it wasn't like Diamond City, built as a large shantytown, but everything was original—the buildings that were in working order were used as is. Sheets of metal were here and there, but mostly wood or brick. This almost resembled her old world.

As she looked around in the courtyard, a man in a black leather jacket approached her.

"Hold up there. First time in Goodneighbor? Can't go walking around without insurance."

With the way he stressed 'insurance', Briar Rose knew it wasn't something to buy. Nick got closer.

"She has enough 'insurance'; she doesn't need yours," he said.

The man looked at Nick. "What is that doing here?"

"Is that what your parents said about you?" Nick retorted.

He grew angry. "So, you're part of the Institute, then? Coming into Goodneighbor to turn us all into synths, are you? Well, you're not going to fool anybody looking like that, synth!"

"Hey!" Everyone turned to where the new voice came from. A man walked up to them, or at least Briar Rose thought so—he was a Ghoul. His skin was just as withered and stretched over bones as the Feral Ghouls, but he still had humanity. Like Preston, he also dressed like he had come out of the Revolutionary War: he wore high knee boots, pants tucked in to them, a red double-button coat, an American flag scarf sticking out of his belt, and a tricorn leather hat. A woman with her head shaved on one side and red hair on the other watched from afar, propped against a building. She looked dangerous. "What's going on here?"

The man in the leather jacket turned on the Ghoul. "Just offering protection; wouldn't want someone to take advantage of this sweet face."

"Someone steps through the gate, they're a guest; lay off the extortion crap."

"Why do you care? They ain't one of us."

"No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let them go."

Finn scoffed. "You're soft, Hancock. You keep lettin' outsiders walk all over us; one day there'll be a new mayor."

Hancock smiled and opened his arms as he shrugged off the threat. "Come on, man; this is me we're talking about." He waved Finn closer as he reached into a pocket. "Let me show you something..."

He moved into Hancock's opened arm, intrigued by whatever he held in his pocket. Faster than the blink of an eye, Hancock pulled out a knife and stabbed Finn in the gut; he pulled out the blade and drove it back into him, again and again. The man lifelessly dropped to the cobblestone street.

Hancock just stared at the dead man without remorse. "Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh? Breaking my heart over here." He looked at her. "Are you alright, doll?"

Him so boldly stabbing the man in public was shocking. "Yes; thank you."

"My pleasure; Goodneighbor is of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome." He noticed Nick by her side. "Valentine; what brings you here?"

"Hancock; we've come for the Memory Den."

Hancock chuckled. "Irma's missed you; I think she'll be jealous at seeing that pretty doll with you, though." He stepped to the side and waved them on.

Nick stayed at her shoulder as he directed her to the Memory Den; his form stayed tense and his eyes jumped from person to person. He didn't like being there from how protective of her he acted. She doubted he was this suspicious when he visited by himself.

The people they passed ranged from normal-looking people to Ghouls or some in the process of transitioning because of their use of chems. Even though the residents looked scary, they weren't standoffish and rude; they all greeted them with either a nod or a word. If she became used to seeing friendly Ghouls, Briar Rose would probably like Goodneighbor.

Nick led her across the street dividing the town to a large red building with a sign saying 'The Memory Den' built beside an old hotel with neon signs of 'Hotel Rexford'. They went inside and Briar Rose saw posters advertising 'Girls' and candles lighting the way. From the velvet to the red silky curtains, this place had to have been a Gentlemen's Club pre-war.

After going down some steps, they entered the main room: it was decorated with candles, red silky curtains, red sofas, and pre-war paintings still colorful. A blonde woman dressed in a low-cut dress lounged in a red chaise on a raised platform in the middle of the room. There were four pods across from each other—one occupied by a man watching a screen inside of the glass closed around him.

Briar Rose eyed them warily as Nick headed toward the woman and she followed him—they reminded her too much of the cryogenic pod she had been put in by Vault-Tec.

She saw them approaching and smiled. "Well, well, Mister Valentine; I thought you had forgotten about little ole me." Her voice was smooth as silk.

"May have walked out of the Den, Irma, but I'd never walk out on you."

"You big flirt." She nodded over to a doorway. "Amari's downstairs."

Nick thanked her and looked back at her as he headed toward the doorway Irma gestured to; Briar Rose felt Irma's eyes sizing her up as she walked behind him—Hancock wasn't joking when he said she would be jealous.

Did she think she was after Nick? How could she fall in love with a robot? Briar Rose felt guilty at the thought; Nick may be a synth, but he had a heart and a personality that made him human. She didn't really see him as a robot anymore; Nick was a man with witty humor and charm and—

Where her train of thought headed gave her pause. She didn't need to be considering this—only getting Shaun back mattered. After she did, maybe, maybe, she could think about finding love again. Nate wouldn't want her to be alone out here, right?

They descended into what Briar Rose would consider a basement: the single room they entered wasn't decorated to please the eye like above—all it had were machines, terminals, and two open pods. A dark-headed woman in a white lab coat had her back to them and typing on a terminal.

"Amari," Nick said.

She stopped typing and turned; the wrinkles around her eyes made her an older woman. "Mr. Valentine; it's nice to see you again. What can I do for you?"

"It's quite complicated." He looked at her to see if he should start or her.

She quickly shook her head. "This is all you, Nick."

He turned back with a heavy breath to explain. "Briar Rose had her son kidnapped; we found the kidnapper but learned that her son is now in the Institute. Bad news is, the perp is already cold on the floor—Briar Rose found a chip in his head and we're hoping some of his memories are in it, specifically one about how to get into the Institute."

Dr. Amari looked at Briar Rose. "Can I see this chip?"

She took it out of her pocket and handed it to her—some of the blood had dried and there were still pieces of flesh on it. Even with the gross quality about it, the chip was in great shape, with wires and circuitry able to attach to something. Dr. Amari took it without cringing and looked it over.

"What you have here is a hippocampus and a... neural interface. We may be able to retrieve some memories, but it has to be attached to a living brain to work."

Nick moved closer to get a better look. "The circuitry looks awfully familiar..."

The doctor looked at Nick, then to Briar Rose. "This is Institute technology; Mr. Valentine is an older generation synth so the brain implant could fit him. But he'd be taking on a tremendous amount of risk; we're talking about wiring something to his brain."

"Don't worry about me, Amari; I'm well past the warranty date," Nick said.

Briar Rose looked at Nick to see if he was truly willing.

He spoke before she could ask. "There's a missing kid, so I'll do whatever needed to get him back to you."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely; now, we're wasting time being timid." He looked at the doctor. "Hook me up, Amari."

She gestured for him to take a seat and got behind him; he leaned his head to give her better access to the back of his head. Briar Rose drifted closer, not liking the idea of Kellogg being in Nick's head—or was it the other way around? Regardless, she hoped Kellogg didn't change Nick's personality.

As Dr. Amari tinkered with the back of Nick's head, an arm would suddenly twitch or jerk—she must've hit some nerves to make his arms move uncontrollably.

"There," she announced as she leaned back. "Tell us what you see, Nick."

His eyes narrowed as he focused on something only he could see. "It's... it's all fuzzy; I can't make sense of any of it."

Dr. Amari moved back in. "As I feared, the mnemonic impressions are encoded. It appears the Institute has one last failsafe: there's a lock on the memories in the implant, preventing hacking into memories like this."

"Is there something else we can try?" Briar Rose asked.

"The encryption is too strong for a single mind." She thought about it for a while. "But what about two? I can hook you and Nick into the memory loungers here and you can travel into Nick's head to relive Kellogg's memories. Run your cognitive functions in parallel. He'll act as a host while your consciousness dives through whatever memories we can find. That way, we can bypass the lock keeping Nick from seeing the memories."

Briar Rose looked at Nick again, but he raised a hand to stop her. "Don't ask if I want to do this; you already know the answer." He got up to head over to a pod. "See you on the other side."

She hesitated before getting into her memory lounger; Nick had willingly entered his, but she was having flashbacks.

"Briar Rose, is everything alright?" Dr. Amari asked.

She snapped out of the past. "Yes; everything's fine." She got into her pod and lay down on the comfortable seat; the pod closed around her but she didn't panic because she could still see all around her through the glass.

The screen before her blinked on; it was gray and white with the words 'Please Stand By' across gears.

"Initiating brainwave migration between the transplant and the host," Dr. Amari said. "Mnemonic activity coming from the transplant! It's degenerated, but it's there. I'm going to load you into the strongest memory I can find. They might not be stable... Just hold on!"

The gears began to rotate, and the words faded; Briar Rose had this odd sensation of her being sucked into the gradually fading screen...