Cases had become much easier to solve since Nate took over the Institute. People who randomly disappeared were almost always traceable now. The war in the Capital Wasteland had made it harder with so many refugees begging Nick to find this lost refugee, or that one. Nick often had troubles even confirming that most of the people he was supposed to find even made it to the Commonwealth, but Hancock was working with the different settlements to set up a system to help lost refugees find each other. Nick eagerly awaited the moment when that system was set up, the worst part of his job was always giving his clients the bad news.

Nick made some notes in his current case file when the siren went off. He and Ellie both looked up from their respective jobs waiting for instructions.

“Attention, Diamond City residents,” the mayor’s voice echoed over the speaker. “This is not a drill. Raiders are attacking our city. Please take shelter. If you do not have a home or shelter, please go to the nearest public building and wait there. Thank you. Geneva, can you put that on repeat?”

The instructions started again, Nick ignored them and turned to Ellie. “Go upstairs, make sure that door is locked.”

Ellie nodded and left the office. Nick opened the front door to check if there was anyone who needed shelter in a pinch and then shut and locked the door.

He checked his revolver and got his bullets ready to reload quickly as Ellie returned to the office. He glanced up at her and went back to work. Even if the raiders got into the city, it was unlikely they would be able to get all the way to his office without being picked off unless someone went straight for his office for some reason. Either way, Nick wasn’t going to test his luck, not when Ellie was at risk.

The speaker blared its instructions over and over, becoming more of a nuisance than a help. Nick sat next to Ellie’s desk, ready to use it as a shield if anyone unwelcomed came into the office. Ellie sat in the doorway that led to the bedrooms, ready to head further into the house if someone did enter the building unwelcomed. They waited in silence, listening to the mayor’s voice.

Finally, the speaker went silent. Ellie looked at Nick with anticipation and worry marking her face. Nick mirrored her look. He wished he could reassure her, but they both knew that the silence meant that either the city was safe, or the mayor’s office had been compromised.

“Attention, Diamond City residents,” the speaker announced. “The threat has been eliminated. Thank you for your cooperation. Please return to your normal activities.”

The radio went back to playing “Easy Living”, while Nick and Ellie stood up. It wasn’t the first time either of them had to wait out an attack like that. They both knew that not everyone was returning to their normal activities. Dr. Sun would be busy mending any surviving casualties. Piper would be heckling Danny Sullivan for a quote and information for the next installment of her paper. Even Abbot will be inspecting the exterior of the wall for any damage he may need to repair.

The Valentine Detective Agency didn’t participate in the aftermath of such attacks. So, for Nick and Ellie, they went back to their desks and continued business as usual. The unexpected break helped Nick, he didn’t realize he was stuck until he had returned to his file and several points started to fall into place. He was working with renewed vigor. He had some questions he needed to check up on, and an idea that he would go into the field to investigate.

He leaned back in his chair and grabbed the cigarette pack that sat next to his coffee cup. He took out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, and almost lit up before his eyes fell on the “no smoking” sign that he had in his office. It never bothered him before he met Marian, but ever since he decided his office was going to be smoke free it was more of a reminder to him than anything else. He could still light up, he didn’t need to consider her sensibilities any longer, but it still felt like admitting to Piper that she was right. Instead, Nick put the cigarette back in its pack.

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He could go outside and try to smoke, but he kept finding himself unable to break the silent oath he made back when Marian was injured. It all comes back to her. Nick was anticipating the moment she finally left the Commonwealth, then he could go back to living his life as if she never existed.

The detective was about to make his excuses to Ellie and leave to work on his investigation when the door opened. He turned to see if it was a customer, when he saw a member of the Diamond City Guard. The man respectfully removed his helmet to reveal that it was Lucas. Nick remembered seeing Marian spend time with Lucas, probably one of the many people who owe her favors and pay their debts to her with food.

“Nick Valentine?” Lucas asked with a quiver of uncertainty in his voice.

When someone said his name like that, they were normally surprised to see they were hiring a robot. Lucas had lived in Diamond City his whole life. There was another reason for his uncertainty.

“Good to see you Lucas,” Nick responded as he stood up. “Congratulations on a job well done with that raider attack.”

Lucas shifted uncomfortably. “About that,” he said looking down at Ellie’s desk. “It wasn’t an easy job. We almost didn’t succeed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a raider band that big before.” The guard looked back up at Nick. “Marian saved us. We didn’t realize it at first. We were practically pinned to the wall, getting picked off and picking off the raiders we could. Marian,” his eyes started tearing up for some reason, he was talking in circles. This was the behavior of a client, not a friend Nick had snuck Nuka Colas to when his parents punished him for childish infractions by withholding them from him. “She must have been nearby when the attack started. Probably in the library knowing her. She snuck into the raider army. She was in the middle of them, shooting them in the back.”

“I would rather not talk about Ms. Halcombe at this point,” Nick finally told him. “I’m much more interested in what the guards did.”

“That’s the thing, we wouldn’t have been able to defend the city if she hadn’t confused the raiders. It took them a moment to realize she wasn’t one of them. It took us a moment, too. It took us a longer moment.”

Nick didn’t like where this story was going. It sounded like the Diamond City guards had attacked Marian confusing her for a raider. Maybe even shooting her while she was being attacked by the real raiders. The number of refreshing beverages she had the other day may be enough to keep her from dying, if she could time them just right. Something that few people could do.

“Where is she?” Nick asked.

“She’s in one of our stations outside the wall. There were a lot of casualties, and Mayor McDonough wants to keep the casualties outside the city for the time being. I guess he’s afraid of what will happen if the civilians see the real number of casualties. Anyway, she asked me to give you something.”

Nick walked up to Lucas and held out his hand. The guard reached into his pocket and pulled out some holotags. The chain dangled from his hand as he moved it from his pocket to Nick’s hand. He deposited the metal disks, and then withdrew his hand.

“They must have been important to her,” he said. “She kept them in her pocket.”

“Thank you.”

“I have to head back out. Sullivan let me bring those to you as a way of thanking Marian, but we are short handed now.” Lucas then put his helmet back on and headed out of the office.

Nick didn’t know why she wanted to give him her dead brother’s holotags. Maybe a way of having the final say in their rocky relationship. He was about to put them in his pocket when Ellie’s voice changed his mind.

“Are those the same as what Piper found?” she asked.

Nick looked down to confirm it, and found they weren’t. The name on them was not Peter Monroe, but Isabel Monroe. He was frozen in thought as he stared at the name.

“I’m not afraid to die.” A phrase he heard her say so many times now made sense. He heard that said by the children on the Prydwen. Her inability to understand the value of caps, something that would never be learned if you are raised to believe that everything you need would be provided for your whole life. Even the fact that her gun’s name was Latin made sense.

Marian…Isabel was raised as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel since she was a child. She must have grown up learning how to be a good soldier. And now, she was giving him the last clue he needed to figure it out. She was telling him the big secret that she was hiding for so long.

A bolt of electricity shot up his spine. She was telling him why he should hate her, not just that he should hate her. Something that she had hid so carefully until now. She didn’t want the holotags back, she didn’t expect to see them again. She didn’t expect to see him again. She was leaving the Commonwealth in her own poetic way.

“I have to take care of something,” Nick told Ellie without looking at her.

He stuffed the Holotags into his pocket and ran out the door.