This was the last damn time he did legwork for the Railroad; they hardly paid any caps and sent him to the ends of the Earth: ‘stairs aren’t a problem for you, right?’ Bullshit they were. His knees felt like they were going to collapse at any moment. He’d been heading down through one of the many derelict apartment towers in West Boston, this one blocked off at the entry, so he had to go up an adjacent tower and take his chances jumping.
No severe damage, but he’d need a Nuka-Cola scrub for how creaky his joints were getting. But there was allegedly a supply cache here-- some sort of parts to help repair their synth reprogramming tools. Nobody else was helping them, and Nick Valentine would always be a bleeding heart for those in need.
He’d just have to remind them of that next time he called in a favor.
The old synth had a flashlight up as he descended into the basement of the derelict tower, past a few locked doors, then to a fuse box-- some fiddling eventually got the lights to flicker on, and the hum of electricity to promise some doors open. Maybe he wouldn’t have to come out the way he came in.
But... there was something else. Nick squinted in the dim light as he stepped into the next room-- he could swear he heard breathing.
“Anyone down there,” the detective called in, his tone maybe a bit hesitant. He wasn’t easily spooked, but this place was... maybe a bit sketchy. “...Come out with your hands up.”