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The checkpoint stood solid behind them, which is not a challenge or a threat. But it was declaration, carved in concrete and steel that say you may pass, but you will be seen.
The next day did not begin with strategy meetings or patrol reports.
It began with something quieter.
Something far more delicate.
Sico left Freemasons HQ shortly after mid-morning, taking a route that curved away from the administrative and military districts and toward the hospital complex on the western side of Sanctuary. The walk took him past places that reminded him why every decision he made carried weight: children lining up for lessons in a repurposed classroom, an elderly man arguing cheerfully with a mechanic over the repair of a handcart, a woman tending crops in soil that had once been nothing but irradiated dust.
Sanctuary was alive.
Not surviving.
Living.
And that, more than tanks or checkpoints, was what had to be protected.
The hospital rose ahead of him, its structure a blend of old-world concrete and new-world ingenuity. Reinforced walls bore the scars of age but not neglect. Solar arrays lined the roof. A wind turbine hummed softly nearby, feeding power into the grid. Medical banners hung along the outer walls not as decoration, but as reassurance.
This place mattered.
Two soldiers stood guard at the main lab entrance, rifles slung, posture relaxed but attentive. They snapped to attention when they saw Sico approach, then eased back into a respectful stance.
"Morning," one of them said.
"Morning," Sico replied. "How's it been?"
"Quiet," the other answered. "Doctor Curie's been inside since before dawn."
Sico nodded. "That tracks."
He stepped up to the security panel beside the reinforced door. The interface glowed softly as he placed his hand against it. A faint hum followed as the scanner read his fingerprint, then another layer confirmed biometric authorization.
A soft chime sounded.
ACCESS GRANTED.
The door slid open with a muted hiss.
Sico stepped inside, the door sealing behind him with a reassuring finality.
The air inside the lab was different from the rest of the hospital.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
Filtered.
The scent of antiseptic mixed with something more clinical, faintly metallic. Lights overhead cast a steady white glow that left no shadows to hide in. Equipment lined the walls: diagnostic terminals, containment units, centrifuges humming at low speed, medical scanners quietly cycling through routines.
And at the center of it all, Curie.
She stood over a reinforced medical bed, her posture precise, movements careful and practiced. Her lab coat was immaculate despite the hours she had clearly spent working. Her hair was tied back, a few loose strands escaping near her temples, her expression one of intense concentration.
On the bed lay a man.
A prisoner.
Restrained, but not cruelly so. His arms were secured with padded restraints designed to prevent movement without causing harm. Monitors tracked his vitals in real time, numbers scrolling steadily across multiple screens.
Curie held a syringe in her hand.
Its contents shimmered faintly, a clear solution with a subtle blue tint that caught the light as she adjusted the angle.
"Remain calm," Curie said gently to the prisoner. "Your vitals are stable. This will not cause pain. If you experience discomfort, you must inform me immediately."
The man swallowed hard and nodded.
"I'm… I'm ready," he said.
Curie smiled encouragingly. "Excellent. You are contributing to scientific advancement and the protection of countless lives. That is a most admirable thing."
She positioned the syringe carefully and administered the injection with practiced ease.
The fluid disappeared into the man's bloodstream.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Curie stepped back, eyes flicking between monitors, fingers dancing over a terminal as she pulled up comparative data. Radiation absorption rates. Cellular resistance curves. Metabolic response indicators.
Seconds passed.
Then Curie's eyes suddenly widened.
Her breath caught.
"No… no, that cannot be—"
She leaned closer to the screen, tapping rapidly, pulling up additional readouts. Her lips parted slightly as the data continued to update, numbers shifting in ways that defied previous limitations.
"Oh," she whispered. "Oh my."
The prisoner frowned. "Doc?"
Curie straightened abruptly.
"It is working," she said, voice rising. "It is working exactly as hypothesized. No, better. The cellular resistance is stabilizing at a level twenty-seven percent higher than baseline Rad-X formulations."
She turned, almost bouncing on her heels.
"And the metabolic strain reduced! The side effects are negligible!"
Her composure shattered completely.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Yes, yes, yes!"
She spun around and saw Sico standing just inside the doorway.
For a heartbeat, she froze.
Then her face lit up with pure, unfiltered joy.
"SICO!"
Before he could react, Curie rushed across the lab and threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.
"It is done!" she exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement. "The latest Rad-X prototype is finally completed! It works! It truly works!"
Sico blinked once, surprised, then laughed softly as he returned the embrace.
"I see you're in a good mood," he said.
"A good mood?" Curie pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes shining. "This is a magnificent mood! This is a historical mood!"
She released him and immediately began pacing, hands moving animatedly as she spoke.
"The formulation achieves superior radiation resistance without the severe metabolic burden seen in prior versions," she said rapidly. "The stabilization compound I synthesized from pre-war medical data and post-war botanical extracts has created a synergy that is simply, oh! It is beautiful!"
Sico glanced toward the prisoner, who looked confused but still very much alive and alert.
"How's he doing?" Sico asked.
Curie followed his gaze and immediately refocused.
"Oh! Yes, of course. Apologies." She hurried back to the bedside, checking the monitors again.
"Vitals are stable," she said, voice returning to professional calm. "Heart rate elevated only slightly. No nausea. No dizziness. Radiation resistance holding steady."
She smiled at the prisoner. "You are doing exceptionally well."
The man let out a shaky laugh. "So… that's good, right?"
"It is very good," Curie assured him. "You may experience mild warmth or tingling. That is normal."
She turned back to Sico, excitement bubbling again.
"This changes everything," she said. "Our people will be able to operate in irradiated zones for longer periods with significantly reduced risk. Scavenging operations, infrastructure repair, agricultural expansion as it all becomes safer."
Sico nodded slowly.
"This could save lives," he said.
"Yes!" Curie exclaimed. "Many lives."
She hesitated, then added more softly, "And it means fewer sacrifices will be required."
That landed.
Sico stepped closer to the bed, studying the data himself. He wasn't a scientist, but he had learned enough over time to recognize when something was truly different.
"How replicable is it?" he asked.
Curie straightened. "With proper facilities and trained personnel? Highly. The most complex component is the stabilization compound, but I have documented the synthesis thoroughly."
"Production scale?" Sico asked.
Curie considered that. "Limited at first. But with support from the soon to built pharmaceutical lab, we could ramp up within weeks."
Sico nodded. "We'll make it happen."
Curie beamed.
"I knew you would," she said.
She suddenly stopped, her expression shifting slightly as another thought occurred to her.
"There is something else," she said carefully.
Sico looked at her. "What is it?"
"This formulation," Curie continued, "does more than simply block radiation uptake. It enhances cellular repair processes temporarily."
Sico frowned slightly. "Meaning?"
"Meaning," Curie said, choosing her words, "that prolonged exposure damage is not merely slowed, but partially reversed during the compound's active window."
Silence filled the lab.
"That's… significant," Sico said quietly.
"Yes," Curie agreed. "And potentially controversial."
He met her gaze. "We'll handle that carefully."
She nodded. "As we must."
Sico looked once more at the prisoner.
"Thank you," he said to him. "You've done something important."
The man swallowed, then nodded. "Just… just keep your word. About helping people."
Sico's voice was steady. "That's the point of all of this."
Curie stepped closer to Sico again, her excitement settling into something more grounded, more thoughtful.
"You came at a very appropriate time," she said. "This development could alter strategic calculations."
Sico smiled faintly. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing."
She tilted her head. "You are worried."
"Yes," he admitted. "But also hopeful."
Curie's expression softened.
"This is why I stay," she said quietly. "Because here, science is not used to dominate. It is used to protect."
Sico nodded. "That's why I trust you with this."
She straightened, determination replacing joy.
"I will finalize the documentation and begin preparations for controlled trials," she said. "No shortcuts."
"Good," Sico said. "We don't rush miracles."
Sico turned toward the door, one hand already reaching for the access panel, when he stopped.
He stood there for a moment, as if weighing something heavier than schedules or logistics. The hum of the lab filled the pause from machines cycling, monitors breathing softly with the rhythm of the man on the bed.
Curie noticed.
"You are thinking," she said.
Sico smiled faintly. "I usually am."
He turned back to her fully, posture shifting that not relaxed, but purposeful.
"While you're finalizing the documentation and setting up controlled trials," he said, "I'm going to give you the infrastructure you need."
Curie blinked. "The infrastructure?"
"Yes," Sico replied. "This can't stay a prototype locked inside one lab. Not if it works the way you're seeing."
Her eyes widened slightly, curiosity sharpening into focus.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Sico gestured subtly around them. "This hospital is excellent for research, testing, treatment. But production?" He shook his head. "We need something purpose-built."
Curie took a slow step closer. "You are suggesting a pharmaceutical facility."
"I am," Sico said simply.
For a second, she didn't speak.
Then she exhaled, long and careful.
"That is… ambitious," she said. "And complicated. Chemical synthesis at scale requires precise environmental controls, sterile production lines, waste management, trained technicians—"
"I know," Sico said. "Which is why I'm not asking you to build it alone."
Curie's gaze sharpened. "You are thinking of Sturges."
Sico nodded. "I'll ask him to begin construction immediately. A dedicated pharmaceutical lab, built beside the hospital. Close enough for collaboration, separate enough to maintain safety and production flow."
Curie looked toward the wall as if she could already see it there from steel and glass, filtration stacks, clean rooms humming with purpose.
"You would move very quickly," she said.
"We don't have the luxury of moving slowly," Sico replied. "Not anymore."
She folded her arms, processing. "If such a facility were operational, we could produce Rad-X in quantities sufficient not only for Sanctuary, but for trade."
"That's exactly the idea," Sico said. "We distribute it to allied settlements. Sell it to neutral ones. Make it clear that cooperation comes with protection and access to lifesaving medicine."
Curie studied him carefully. "And if someone attempts to steal it?"
"They'll fail," Sico said calmly. "And they'll regret trying."
There was no bravado in his voice. Just certainty.
Curie nodded once. "Then safeguards must be absolute. Access control. Ingredient compartmentalization. No single person able to replicate the full process alone."
"Already assumed," Sico said. "You design the protocols. We enforce them."
Her lips curved into a small, proud smile. "This will change the balance of the region."
"Yes," Sico agreed. "But in a way that helps people live longer, safer lives."
She looked back at the prisoner on the bed, then at the data scrolling across the screen.
"Then we must do it right," she said. "From the beginning."
"That's why I came to you first," Sico said.
Curie nodded, resolve settling into her posture.
"I will begin drafting facility requirements immediately," she said. "Clean room classifications, equipment lists, staffing needs. I will not compromise standards."
"Good," Sico replied. "Sturges doesn't cut corners, but he needs clear parameters."
She smiled. "He enjoys a challenge."
Sico let out a quiet chuckle. "That he does."
He glanced once more at the prisoner.
"I'll leave you to your work," he said. "I'll speak to Sturges today."
Curie stepped closer again, lowering her voice. "Sico."
He turned.
"You understand," she said, "that once this exists, people will come not only for the medicine, but for control over it."
"I understand," he replied. "Which is why we'll never give up control, only access."
She nodded slowly. "Then I will make sure the science is worthy of the trust you are placing in it."
Sico smiled. "I never doubted that."
He placed his hand on the access panel and stepped out into the corridor.
The air outside the lab felt heavier than when he had entered that not with dread, but with consequence.
The guards straightened again as the door sealed behind him.
"All good in there?" one of them asked.
Sico nodded. "Better than good."
He left the hospital complex and headed east, toward the industrial quarter where the sound of metalwork never truly stopped.
Sturges' domain.
The closer Sico got, the louder the world became. Hammers rang against steel. Welders hissed and flared. Generators thrummed steadily. Sanctuary's industrial heart was never quiet that not because it was chaotic, but because it was alive with purpose.
He found Sturges standing atop a scaffold, shouting instructions down to a crew aligning a heavy support beam.
"Careful with that edge!" Sturges called. "That thing slips, and I don't care how tough you are, you're gonna feel it tomorrow!"
Sico waited until the beam was set and the noise eased.
"Sturges," he called.
Sturges looked up, squinting, then grinned. "Well I'll be damned. If it isn't the man who keeps adding things to my to-do list."
Sico smiled. "Got another one for you."
Sturges laughed and climbed down, wiping his hands on a rag. "Of course you do. What is it this time? Another checkpoint? A power station? Don't tell me you want a third wall."
"No," Sico said. "I want a pharmaceutical lab."
Sturges stopped mid-wipe.
"A what?"
"A pharmaceutical lab," Sico repeated. "Purpose-built. Clean rooms. Controlled synthesis. Sterile packaging. Waste processing."
Sturges stared at him for a long moment.
Then he whistled.
"Well," he said slowly, "that's a hell of a thing to drop on a man before lunch."
Sico folded his arms. "Curie's latest Rad-X prototype works. Better than anything we've seen before. She's ready to move toward production."
Sturges' expression shifted from surprise giving way to interest, then to something like pride.
"You're serious," he said.
"I am."
Sturges scratched his chin. "Beside the hospital makes sense. Short supply lines. Shared power infrastructure. We'd need reinforced foundations, though chemical equipment isn't light."
"You'll have what you need," Sico said.
Sturges let out a breath. "This ain't just another workshop, Sico. This is delicate stuff. Filters, sterilization, pressure differentials. One mistake and you contaminate an entire batch."
"I know," Sico replied. "That's why I'm asking you."
Sturges chuckled. "You really know how to flatter a guy."
He looked off toward the hospital complex, already visualizing.
"We'd need pre-war schematics," he said. "Or close enough. I can adapt, but Curie's gonna have to tell me exactly how clean 'clean' needs to be."
"She's already working on it," Sico said. "You'll have her specs."
Sturges nodded slowly. "Then yeah. We can do it."
"How long?" Sico asked.
Sturges grimaced. "Fast? A few weeks for a functional facility. Perfect? Longer. But I know you, you'll take 'working and safe' over 'pretty.'"
"That's right," Sico said.
Sturges grinned. "Then I'll get my best people on it. And I'll need priority access to materials."
"You'll have it," Sico replied. "This is a top-tier project."
Sturges' grin faded into something more serious.
"You planning to sell this stuff?" he asked.
"Yes," Sico said. "And give it away, when it makes sense."
Sturges nodded. "That's gonna make Sanctuary's became more important real fast."
"It already is," Sico replied. "This just makes it undeniable."
Sturges clapped his hands together. "Alright then. Guess I better start drawing."
By the time the sun began to dip, word was already spreading.
Not officially. Not loudly.
But Sanctuary had a way of knowing when something significant was happening.
Curie worked late into the evening, drafting protocols, refining formulations, triple-checking data. Her excitement never fully left her, but it settled into something steadier which something that looked a lot like responsibility.
Sturges' team began clearing ground beside the hospital the very next morning, marking boundaries, testing soil integrity, laying out foundations with the same care they had given the checkpoint.
Soldiers noticed.
Civilians noticed.
Whispers followed the sound of construction.
"Something big's coming."
"They're building next to the hospital."
"Heard it's medical."
"Heard it's Rad-X."
No one knew the full truth yet.
But they felt it.
Sico watched it all from a distance, standing on a balcony overlooking Sanctuary as dusk painted the settlement in warm gold.
Sarah joined him quietly.
"You move fast," she said.
"When it matters," Sico replied.
She followed his gaze toward the hospital. "A pharmaceutical lab."
"Yes."
She nodded. "That's leverage."
"It's life," Sico said. "Leverage is just the side effect."
She smiled faintly. "You're changing how power works in the Commonwealth."
"Good," he replied. "It's been broken for a long time."
Then a week passed.
Not the kind of week that slipped by unnoticed, measured only by meals and sleep, but the kind that left marks with new foundations where there had been dirt, new routines where there had been uncertainty, new weight settling into the bones of Sanctuary as something irreversible took shape.
Sturges and his team finished the pharmaceutical lab in four days.
Four.
Even by Sanctuary standards, it was staggering.
The building rose beside the hospital like a deliberate extension of its purpose, not an afterthought. Reinforced concrete walls were sealed with layered insulation. Clean-room modules were assembled inside like organs placed carefully into a living body. Air filtration towers hummed day and night, cycling contaminants out with obsessive precision. Power lines were redundant, shielded, routed through separate grids so no single failure could darken the facility.
People watched it go up with a mixture of disbelief and pride.
"This ain't just another workshop," someone muttered at a market stall.
"No," another replied. "This is… something else."
Sturges barely slept.
Neither did Curie.
While construction crews worked in shifts outside, Curie worked inside the hospital lab, finalizing her last controlled trial. She refused shortcuts. Every data point was checked twice. Every anomaly was investigated, documented, understood. The final subject with a volunteer this time, informed, monitored that showed the same results.
Stable.
Effective.
Safe.
When Curie finally leaned back from her terminal and allowed herself a breath, her hands trembled slightly. Not from fear.
From relief.
She sent the message to Sico herself.
We are ready.
They met in the pharmaceutical lab on the morning of the announcement.
The place still smelled faintly of new materials with sealed polymer, sterilized steel, filtered air that felt almost too clean for the Commonwealth. Curie stood near the central workstation, datapad in hand, her posture straight, her expression composed but bright with something that couldn't be fully contained.
Sico arrived quietly, as he usually did, his footsteps echoing softly against the polished floor.
"You finished the last trial," he said.
"Yes," Curie replied. "It met every benchmark. Better than expected."
She didn't wait for him to ask.
"We can begin production immediately," she said. "Distribution or sale, as you deem appropriate."
Sico studied her for a moment.
"You're certain," he said.
"I would not say it if I were not," Curie replied. "This formulation is ready for the world."
He nodded once. "Then we move forward."
Curie allowed herself a small smile.
She recruited ten people.
Not randomly.
Not politically.
Carefully.
They were men and women with backgrounds that mattered: former medics, chemists, field doctors, pharmacists from settlements that had somehow preserved fragments of old-world knowledge. Some had worked with Curie before in smaller capacities. Others came on recommendation alone, their reputations preceding them quietly.
Curie interviewed each of them personally.
She asked about technique.
About ethics.
About why they wanted to do this work.
Only those who answered with humility, with care, with an understanding that medicine was responsibility before it was power, were chosen.
They trained relentlessly.
Clean-room protocol.
Sterile handling.
Redundant verification.
No single person handled the entire process from start to finish. Ingredients were compartmentalized. Steps were divided. Oversight was constant.
By the third day of production, they had done what no one in the Commonwealth would have believed possible.
Three hundred batches of Rad-X.
Not pills.
Not chalky tablets.
A liquid.
Clear, faintly blue, stable.
Curie had redesigned it deliberately.
"This formulation allows faster absorption," she explained to Sico as she held up a vial. "It can be injected for immediate effect or diluted for oral consumption. Flexible. Efficient."
She met his eyes.
"And easier to administer in the field."
Sico took the vial carefully, turning it so the light caught it.
"This will save lives," he said again, quietly.
"Yes," Curie replied. "And for once, we can say that without exaggeration."
Sico knew what came next.
And he knew it had to be done right.
He didn't call a council meeting.
He didn't send messengers.
He went to Piper.
She was already halfway to him when he entered the radio room, notebook tucked under her arm, eyes sharp as ever.
"You don't show up unless something big's happening," she said. "And judging by the way everyone's been whispering, I'm guessing this is bigger than usual."
Sico smiled faintly. "I need you to tell the Commonwealth a story."
Piper's eyebrows lifted. "My favorite kind of request."
He told her everything.
Not the formulas.
Not the safeguards.
But the truth.
Curie's breakthrough.
The pharmaceutical lab.
The fact that Rad-X or real Rad-X was now being produced in Sanctuary.
That it could be bought.
That it could be shared.
That it would not be hoarded.
Piper was quiet for a long moment when he finished.
"Do you realize what this does?" she asked.
"Yes," Sico said. "That's why I'm trusting you with it."
She smiled slowly. "Then let's do it right."
The broadcast went out that evening on Freemasons Radio.
Piper's voice carried across the Commonwealth, clear and steady.
"This is Piper Wright, broadcasting from Sanctuary…"
People stopped what they were doing.
Radios crackled to life in settlements that hadn't heard good news in years.
"…Today, for the first time since the bombs fell, the Commonwealth has a stable, renewable source of Rad-X…"
Gasps.
Laughter.
Disbelief.
"…developed by Doctor Curie and produced here in Sanctuary…"
Cheers erupted in places Piper would never see.
"…available through official distribution channels. Sales and trade will be handled by Magnolia…"
Magnolia.
The name carried weight. Trust. Discretion.
"…This isn't about control. This is about survival. The Commonwealth doesn't have to fear radiation the way it used to. Not anymore."
The broadcast ended with a simple line.
"This is what rebuilding looks like."
The reaction was immediate.
Settlements celebrated.
People laughed and cried openly.
Old scavengers drank toasts in dusty bars.
Families hugged tighter, knowing their children might walk places they never dared.
For the first time, the idea that Rad-X could run out stopped haunting people.
It wouldn't.
Not anymore.
Sanctuary didn't just feel stronger.
It felt hopeful.
The Brotherhood of Steel did not celebrate.
The news reached the Prydwen within hours.
Elder Maxson listened in silence as the report was delivered, his jaw tightening with every sentence.
"A renewable source," one of his scribes said carefully. "Distributed freely. Sold through civilian channels."
Maxson's fist clenched.
"This technology should be under Brotherhood control," he said coldly.
"It represents a strategic asset," another officer added. "Medical superiority. Influence over civilian populations."
Maxson turned sharply. "Which means Freemasons now has leverage we cannot ignore."
A pause.
Then, quieter.
"There was discussion," a paladin said, hesitant, "about… acquiring the scientist."
Maxson's eyes hardened.
"How quickly could a squad be mobilized?" he asked.
Silence fell.
Finally, one of his most trusted advisors spoke.
"Elder," he said carefully, "an action like that would provoke a response. Freemasons is no longer undefended. Their military posture—"
"I know," Maxson snapped. "Which is why this must be considered carefully."
His gaze drifted toward the viewport, toward the distant lights below.
"They are changing the rules," he said. "And the Brotherhood has never tolerated that."
The meeting continued late into the night.
Plans were discussed.
Then tabled.
For now.
But the thought lingered.
Curie had become one of the most valuable people in the Commonwealth.
And everyone knew it.
Back in Sanctuary, the pharmaceutical lab glowed softly beside the hospital, its systems humming in perfect balance.
Curie stood inside one of the clean rooms, watching her team work, pride settling into something deeper than joy. As they weren't just making medicine, but they were changing the future.
______________________________________________
• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.
• Active Quest:-