Work Text:
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A common subject of conversation in Diamond City was that small island off the coast. Not many people had seen anyone enter or leave, and the lack of a bridge made it seemingly impossible for those curious people to investigate for themselves. People weren't even fully certain of what its only building was. Though, many correctly suspected it was a laboratory. Everything else, however, remained a mystery for years.
The island itself became a popular subject of tales and stories. Around campfires, at sleepovers, and on your average "dark, stormy nights".
Who was the villain of these stories?
The most prominent mystery of all: the person living there.
"I heard it's an evil scientist. The reason why we've never seen him is because he's busy building an army of killer robots that'll come and murder us all!"
"They say anyone who manages to venture into that lab... never returns. I bet he's harvesting human organs to build some kind of creature right from scratch!"
"What if he's figured out the secret to teleportation? He could show up anywhere in an instant... including right behind you!"
And on nights like this one, those stories were abundant. After all, who knew what such a sick, twisted, evil genius got up to in the dead of night...?
~
"This ought to do the trick..." mused a low, rasping voice.
The words left almost silently, before disappearing into shadows. Flasks, beakers, and test tubes were illuminated only by one lamp. All else was bathed in darkness.
The voice spoke again as a gloved hand reached into the lamplight, "This is all I need..." it claimed, seizing one of the beakers.
The figure turned away from their work, piercing the shadows with red light.
...A laser? Perhaps?
"This is it. This'll fix everything."
...But why? Perhaps this concoction would transform him into perfection incarnate? Infinite strength? Infinite intelligence?
"With this, I'll finally-"
Click.
"Mike?!" yelped a... short, pudgy, old man? He was now fully visible in the light, and he quickly recoiled, fumbling his beaker in the process. It fell to the tiled floor with a shatter.
"No! My- I was so close! I was on the very edge of-" he gasped, before dropping to his knees in defeat, almost mourning.
"Oh dear!"
Sure, half of his head was made of metal and, admittedly, he did have one big mechanical eye as opposed to two normal ones, but... was this really the guy everyone was telling stories about?
...Well, he certainly seemed "mad" enough so far.
And, wait... who was Mike? His... henchman, perhaps?
"Gosh. Crygor. Get ahold of yourself. And why the heck were you standing and monologuing in the dark?" asked a monotonous voice. The voice came from a tall, blue robotic individual stood in the doorway next to the light switch. Strangely, his torso resembled a speaker. He certainly didn't look like a killer robot, or anything of the sort.
"What are you doing in here? It's past your bedtime!" scolded the scientist, scrambling to his feet.
"I don't have a bedtime."
"I mean- just-... you really startled me there!" he stammered, scurrying over to his companion.
"Completely intentional. What are you even doing, anyway?"
"I- I was-"
"Wait. Don't tell me. This is the hair thing again, isn't it?"
"And what makes you say that?" he blurted, turning slightly red.
"You talk about it. All. The. Time. Accept it. You're bald, buddy."
"I know I'm bald, that's exactly what I'm trying to fix! I've been relentlessly trying for years to get this just right!"
"Why is it such a big deal anyway?"
"Well, you see-... can you hear that?" he noticed.
"Hear what?"
Noise had snuck up on them. It sounded like wailing. Screaming! Surely, there was danger afoot! Perhaps an escaped creature gone feral was attacking an innocent visitor! Or-...
...No, it was just an infant crying, it seemed.
"My little baby!" he gasped, quickly exiting the room and discarding his gloves, revealing a metallic hand.
"Mike, I thought you got her to sleep!"
"I did. Five minutes ago. Sounds like she woke up," he clarified, following behind him.
"Already?!"
"I did my best."
As it turned out, the inside of the place was neat and tidy, yet another contrast to how many would assume it to be. No blood on the floors at all!
The two hurried up the stairs and into the bedroom of a baby girl. Unlike the blindingly white hallway just outside, this room consisted of hues dimly lit by stars slowly gliding around, thanks to a small projector which sat on a dresser beside a crib housing an extremely unhappy baby.
Though, once they both peered down at her and she saw their faces, her cries came to a halt.
"I don't get it," Mike voiced as Crygor took the child into his arms, wrapping her up in her blankets.
"I. Literally. Had it covered. She was fed, changed, et cetera. I sang her a lullaby and everything."
"Oh, did you?" asked Crygor, a clear sense of endearment in his voice.
"...No," he insisted, turning to stare blankly at the curtains covering the window.
"Definitely not," he lied.
"She probably woke up and saw that you were gone," he assumed.
"Penny, did you miss Mike?" he muttered to her, "Did you miss him? Did you? How could anyone leave a sweet little face like yours all alone?"
"Listen, I wasn't built for childcare," he stated, turning to face him as he crossed his arms.
"And yet look at how well you've done," he congratulated, making his way to a rocking chair and taking a seat.
"You said it yourself: you had it covered. And she's clearly attached to you. It's plainly evident!"
"...Whatever."
Just then, the room lit up for just a moment, followed by a low rumble. As it turned out, just like in every tale, legend, and rumour, it was a dark and stormy night.
Such an occurrence seemed to startle the little one, as she let out a whine and clung to her grandfather's coat.
"Oh, darling, there's no need to be afraid," Crygor comforted. He then proceeded to continue in the softest baby-talk imaginable:
"You see, thunderstorms are a magnificent wonder of weather, yes they are! See, when warm air exists beneath much colder air, water droplets within the clouds freeze and form very cold ice crystals, don't they? And these become hail, which move all around the cloud and picks up a negative charge from rubbing against all the positively charged crystals! And the negative charge forms at the bottom of the cloud, but the positive charge forms at the very top. The negative charge is attracted to the Earth's surface, but then the attraction becomes too strong and the positive charges join in to help balance the difference. That's what makes the big lightning bolt! And-"
"Gee, with all that rambling, you'll do a great job at putting her to sleep," Mike interrupted, now stood next to him and the little one.
"I can't help it. I'm a genius, after all!" he boasted, as lightning struck outside once more.
"A baby-talking, peek-a-boo-ing genius."
"Well... I suppose this little one has turned me into quite the fool..." he smiled, looking down to see her eyes drooping shut again.
"Fool? And that's a good thing how?"
"Well, it has been a while since I've truly been... like this, so to speak. I could never have predicted I'd feel this way, but... I find it... pleasant, I suppose. Pleasant to step away from my work for just a little while and for once, focus on the heart rather than the brain," he explained, hardly believing the words coming out of his own mouth.
"Who would've thought a genius like myself to be such a... a..."
"Softie. A sap, even."
"Yes, I... I suppose," he playfully scoffed. Usually, he'd be bothered by Mike's jabs.
But not right now, it seemed.
It seemed like he even enjoyed them, even just a little bit.
And with the storm outside still continuing, he decided to tell him a little more.
"You see, when I was a young man, I was quite the charmer, you know?" he mentioned.
"I was used to being renowned for my intellect, and I took great enjoyment and pride in it! As I made discovery after discovery, people's respect for me only grew. And eventually, I... managed to change nature, so to speak," - he motioned to the metal half of his head - "I did what was for so long thought to be impossible. I'd extended my lifespan incredibly. And to say it got to my head would be a drastic understatement!"
"Expected."
"What happened was... I ended up only repelling those closest to me. They got the idea that I only cared for my work, and I only continued to prove their point. In believing that I'd finally found myself, I ended up losing everybody else. And... that was something I failed to account for when I did all this to myself. Losing people. I..."
As the thunder growled, he took a breath.
"...I had a wife, you know? But she was one of the people who decided to leave me to my own devices."
There was a pause.
"It's likely that she's... gone, by now."
It was unlike Crygor to speak this way. To beat around the bush. In any other context, he would simply say it as it was.
Mike knew this.
So, he remained quiet.
"And Penny... I... I know her life has only just begun, but... Mike, I spent so many years believing that I needed nobody but myself. I spent so many years in this laboratory alone. When it was just that: a laboratory. But now, unexpectedly, it's become a home. A home that I'm fond of. And that's why I feel it's only right for me to make the most of every moment I spend in this home. Every moment I spend with her, and with you," he admitted, turning to look at him.
And as Mike stared back, he saw his creator in a new light. What was once someone strange and ridiculous was now someone trying his best. Still strange and ridiculous, but trying his best.
Then, he glanced down at Penny, almost fast asleep.
"Here, would you like to hold her?" offered Crygor, standing up.
"I shouldn't. I've never-..."
And he looked at her one more time.
"I suppose I could try."
And the two had switched places. It was now Mike slowly drifting back and forth in that rocking chair with the child in his mechanical arms, and Crygor stood proudly next to them.
"...Cute," Mike admitted.
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
The doctor laughed softly.
"I really do love you both, you know?"
"I will admit that despite the fact that you are kind of weird, I am rather attached to you. And... Penny is cute. Fine. I said it."
~
So... so was that it? All this time, living in the mysterious lab on the island was not an evil scientist with killer robots but a sad, lonely scientist with a sassy robot and a baby granddaughter?
What if more people found out the truth?
The legends would read... very differently.
"Apparently, the robot was at Club Sugar last night!"
"Apparently, the doctor was at the library yesterday renewing a romcom!"
...Not quite as interesting as the ones from earlier.
Still... who knew?
That scientist? He really didn't seem half as bad as what people said, did he?
~