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Vault 111 still had the sterile smell of preservation despite the abundance of death within. It was this smell that hit Nate first. He hadn't noticed it the first time he left, perhaps he was still too much in shock. But the screech of the lift finally came to an end and he took point ahead of the rest of his crew. Preston and Deacon had both come to the conclusion that Vault 111 held the last few untouched components necessary for the teleporter.
The notion was bizarre to Nate still, they were building a teleporter, a work of science fiction in his time, in the wasteland of his home. Danse had recommended the Brotherhood but Nate wasn't certain that Maxson would have his best intentions in mind. Still he was grateful to Danse that he didn't report it back to his superiors. The soldier in him wanted to critique this break down in the chain of command but he'd long since stopped listening to that part of his brain, not since Alaska.
Danse held up a scanner to track the conduits to a central node that contained the resistors that would survive the energy surge to power the teleporter. Cait took up the rear, shotgun in hand. Not that either would have much to shoot. The radroaches were surprisingly easier to kill than regular roaches of his time. Nick was keeping an eye out for any raider that decided to make a base out Nates former prison, Codsworth was running over the remaining radroach corpses with a flame thrower. Honestly, the whole mission was a walk in the park, no raiders would dare set up so close to Sanctuary and he hadn't seen any Deathclaws roam this far out.
'God, what a life I'm living when I can say something like deathclaw and not roll my eyes at the absurdity. Heck, nobody said a thing when I put on the Silver Shroud outfit. Maybe it was bad taste to wear it here, considering...' his train of thought ended there when the group came upon the central freezing bay. At the back wall, where a scientist once stood idly by while Kellogg held a gun to a barely cognisant woman holding a baby, while all around them his frozen neighbours pounded on the glass panel, screaming in protest to be let out, to leave Nora alone. To exist in a world where all his neighbours survived the process or where they stormed out o their pods and dogpiled the mercenary.
But all that was was a fantasy. A terrible dream of what could have been.
Nick and Danse pulled out some crowbars from their packs and went to town on the back panels, using their advanced strength to crack open the metal as gently as possible. Cait stood guard in case any Institute drones came by. Codsworth seemed to almost overload with his sensors going haywire at the abundance of bacteria present. Honestly, Nate wanted nothing to do with this Vault ever again. If he could, he would've sent the quartet on alone and sat back home with Dogmeat and Curie. But something in him compelled him back here. A sense of... respect, he guessed, like he was the only way anyone would ever step foot in here. Vault 111 stopped being a vault or a prison the moment he stepped out of it. This was officially his towns tomb.
A hiss of gas triggered as one of the doors peeled open. Nate slowly turned to look as everything unveiled in slow motion like a car crash. He noticed Cait turn to look, Danse and Nick pause their labour and Codsworth retreat from the panel he accidentally activated. There, still partially frozen, her skin suffering freezer burn and frostbite, but her face mercifully untouched, reclined Nora. The speckle of blood where the bullet had exited the back of her head remained, though her hair brushed forward to cover the wound.
"Codsworth, ya eejit, would ya watch where yer dustin', you'll make a bigger mess for the lot of us to clean."
"Begging your pardon ma'am, I merely intended to avoid any contaminants afflicting us as we venture forth on our mission and-" Codsworth paused. His eyepiece scanned the occupant and widened in recognition, "Oh dear, is that...Mum? Sir, I'm so... I'm so sorry." Codsworth sounded almost inconsolable, almost on the verge of tears, if he had tears to shed. His pincer reached out to graze the frozen hand of Nora but retreated out of reverence, his eyepieces lowering in a mournful gaze as he pulled away from the icy coffin.
The rest could see her now. The rest could see Nate. He didn't know when it happened but he had collapsed to his knees and was staring blankly at Nora.
Nick went in for a closer look, "Now that's not...oh." he realised just then who he was really looking at, "Oh, I'm so sorry." Nate had never heard such softness in Nick's voice in all the time he knew him. Not even when DiMa told him of their history or when they had gathered everything about Eddie Winter. Something about his and Codsworths tones made it all to real to Nate.
Nora was gone. She was right in front of him but she was gone.
He felt tears trickle from his eyes, his breaths come in short gasps as he stifled a sob and his nose congest with unreleased mucus. he felt blocked up and needed to let it out. Nick stood by him and held out a hand. Bidden in, Nate clutched to Nick's tattered coat and released a deep grief stricken cry as it all became too much for him. Nick couldn't tear his eyes from Nora's peaceful face or the way her fingers curled in on something she once held close to her breast.
Cait seemed uncertain of what to do, too used to playing the hard ass, even after the detoxing, but perhaps it was that process that finally let her lower her walls a little. She holstered the shotgun over he shoulders and took a step towards Nate. She paused, unsure if she should say or do anything. Instead, she looked to Codsworth, making synthetic sniffles of sadness as it processed the loss of his mistress, and reached out a hand to pet the metal dome casing. Codsworth's eyes perked up and then nodded in thanks at her kind gesture.
"I know this must be difficult for you..." she considered what she should say, "I... I'm here if you need to talk." She nodded her head at Danse and Nick, urging them to follow her to the exit.
They took the hint and silently followed her, leaving Nate to process. Danse seemed especially lost on what to say, his armour made him a strong bulwark against vicious attacks but he never had to console one of his brothers, not since Brandis. He retracted the metal gauntlet and let his hand rest on Nate's shoulder. Nate didn't take his eyes off Nora but took a deep breath and got control of himself.
"Take as long as you need soldier."
When he left, Nate was alone in the pod room. He stood and went up the body of Nora. He reached out and cupped her face, unmarred by time. If he could, he would close up the cryopod and let her remain like this for the rest of his life. But the vault had already taken her life, it would not take her death. He reached down to the wedding band on her finger and slipped it off. He placed it onto his ring finger and clenched it tight, holding it close to his chest. "I'll find Shaun and get him back, I promise."
Back in Sanctuary, Preston was helping Sturges install the finishing touches to the teleporter with Strong doing most of the heavy lifting and Curie doing some diagnostics with the control panel. Piper was distributing water to the rest direct from the pump. Mama Murphy accepted the bottle with reverence and held the cool container to her head. They heard the sound of the elevator for Vault 111 finish its ascent and waited for Nate to return with the final piece and the rest of his crew. When Nate was finally visible, the mood of the group was noticeably dour. Preston stepped up to ask about their mission but stopped short when Nate stepped forward with a body swaddled in the left over comforters from the Vault beds.
The rest looked towards the group with looks of shock and curiosity. Piper stepped up to get a closer look but was held back by Cait, who silently shook her head at Piper. Piper got the message and stepped back. In front of Nate's old house, he laid Nora on the dry ground.
Codsworth set his sawblade to work and began cutting out an outline for the grave. Nate returned a moment later with a shovel in hand. He stepped down and began the work. As the rest digested this image, some looked away out of respect or a genuine sense of confusion. Some wanted to step up and offer their aid but stopped at the silent urging of the group.
Only one ignored them. Strong walked up with his own custom shovel, large and wide, able to lift several pounds of earth in a single heft. He shoved his way past the rest of the companions and stood over Nate. Nate paused and looked up, surprised to see Strong do anything other than complain about wasting time with pointless work. Strong went to the other end of the grave and began his side of the work.
As they digged, Curie urged Danse to carry Nora to a table inside the house, Piper followed them. As Curie cut away the vault suit and peeled the offending garment off her body, Piper found a mostly intact dress in one of the containers and took it over to dress up the corpse. She withheld any remarks about the smell emanating from the slowly defrosting body and ensured the body was properly clothed. Danse finally carried Nora to the quickly finished grave and laid her down next to the hole. Assembled around were Nate and his new found friends: Codsworth, Danse, Cait, Piper, Nick, Preston, Deacon, Strong, Hancock, Longfellow and ADA. Dogmeat crawled forward and sniffed at Nora's body, sat on its haunches and let out a small whimper. Nick grabbed Nora's shoulders, cradling her head to keep it upright. Preston held her under her lower back, Longfellow held her legs. Together they lowered her into the grave and stood over it.
Hancock, lucid and aware, his high having depleted on seeing Nate carry a body to final resting, took position at the foot of the grave. He wasn't one for eulogising, not in this world that long since forgotten its decency. But he recalled some spoken words from a travelling Mormon that once gave him comfort before he founded Goodneighbour. He couldn't recall if he had named the settlement for what the traveller said or if the sentiment carried regardless but perhaps it mattered to say it here and now.
"There is much to be skeptical of in this world," he began, all eyes on him except for Nate, "so it no longer surprises me to learn how many people don't believe in anything. What's the point? For many of us, the road is a difficult one, but the path is always there for us to follow, no matter how many times we may fall. The good news is that we can help you find your way back. Naturally, some days are...harder than others, but we must try. We all have doubts. The light of the mind alone cannot burn away all darkness. When the walls come tumbling down, when you lose everything you have, you always have family. In a world filled with misery and uncertainty, it is a great comfort to know that, in the end, there is light in the darkness. In such times we can turn to the Lord, but it's good to have friends. You're a good neighbor to us, Nate. Thank you. Until then, God be with you."
The rest said nothing and parted ways to their homes and cots. Piper stood by with Nate, staring down at the woman who held Nate's heart so dearly. She waited until he made the decision. When he picked up his shovel and began to process. She picked up another and helped him finish. When they finished, the mound of dirt was obvious but in time would fade away like the rest of the remnants of the past.
Until then, they would take all the time they needed.