Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Robotics was actually fun, at least with the convenience of the console. Plus everyone didn’t mind having some helpers with the chores.

I had a bunch of Mr Handies and Ms Nannies up and ready to care for New World 81’s maintenance above ground, while packs of sentry bots and assaultrons constantly patrolled the surrounding areas of both the outpost and Vault 81. They were set to defensive protocols, where they’d ignore anything as long as it didn’t attack them or residents from my outpost. Only certain individuals from Vault 81, like the overseer and the various vault heads, had that same level of protection. Other than that, they needed to send me a request.

Eyebot swarms also roamed our airspace, relaying potential threats to nearby patrols, as well as myself or Vault 81’s security, depending on who’s nearer. That they accidentally flew into crows was a bug, not a feature, I swear.

As for the basement levels that were off limits to everyone except for me, the Wright girls, Curie and Cait? I let loose my experiments there.

Taking eyebots and giving them several actual optics instead of their radio-grilled face, I then attached a bunch of Mr Handy claw and buzzsaw arms at the back of their chassis.

And voila, Matrix Sentinels bots, Fallout style, patrolling the basement in swarms.

I also had a crew of specialised Mr Handies, meant for carrying out research and building prototypes for whatever idea I had. They were efficient and had limited creativity, kinda like the bots in Greygarden.

At the moment, I had teams working on a tank redesign. I already knew what I wanted, so it was just for them to figure out how to make it work. Other teams were working on realising the various robot upgrades that I wanted, like rotary cannons for sentry bots instead of clunky and frankly overrated missile launchers.

I found it a novelty coming down to the basement to a bustling hive of robotic activity. Curie didn’t seem to mind the research bots, though I think she got on better with the Handies and Nannies upstairs. The girls didn’t care much about the small army of robots around them, though Nat did ask to bring a Sentinel out for show and tell in the vault’s school.

Had to reject that for obvious reasons. I’ll wait until we get a proper looking Sentinel.

After a quick check on research progress and being happily surprised to find some of the upgrades were past the prototyping stage (shoulder mounted weapons for assaultrons? Fucking yes please), I went back up to the surface for a meeting with Overseer McNamara.

*****

“...and I can assure you it is not an opinion shared by a vast majority of us in the vault.”

She wanted to be pissed, but if Sev was calm and only slightly smirking at the overseer and her people, Piper would hold her tongue for now. She could see Cait not at all hiding her displeasure. Supposedly some idiot had called Sev a rapist and child abuser. Not only that, they somehow thought he was out gathering children as slaves?

Piper wanted to find that piece of trash and run them over with the tank. Then maybe let Cait have a few tries too. How in the hell did Sev looking after everyone make him a fucking slaver? And just because she and Cait willingly gave themselves to him, he’s now a rapist?

Maybe the tank’s not enough, maybe she should drag them up the Tupile and toss them in the incinerator.

Sev though, didn’t care. “No worries, you said you’ve taken care of it after all.” He gave a casual shrug, which somehow pissed Piper off even more. “Besides, it’s just an opinion, right?”

The vaulters were cautiously bobbing their heads, and the overseer still sat pensively with a brittle smile on her face. “Thank you for your consideration, Sev.”

He waved it off with a light sigh. “I know for some people I’ve crossed a line, but I’m not...forcing myself on anyone, or pressuring them into it.”

Piper found herself and Cait nodding, finding...pride?...in the other girl’s eyes.

“Anyway, as long as nobody from Vault 81 does anything malicious to anyone from my side, I promise I’ll stay out of your vault’s affairs. Hell, if you all decide you want to break off ties, just let me know and we can arrange for a drama-free shutdown like civilized adults.”

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At Sev’s last sentence, the looks on the vault dwellers’ faces were almost comical. Piper wondered if he did that on purpose or if he was being dense like he usually is with these things. Probably the latter.

Gwen coughed in an awkward attempt at redirecting the conversation. “In regards to your medical offer, we gratefully accept your offer of providing last-resort surgery, as you call it.”

It was basically allowing the vaulters access to the healing arches that Sev installed under New World 81. It was nice of him, though Piper was sure everyone else was wondering what kind of hidden price it came with (there wasn’t any, Sev being Sev). He even offered to provide more broad spectrum cures if they needed it.

With nothing else to talk about, the meeting drew to a close. Or at least Piper thought so.

“Could I have a moment of your discretion, Sev?” she asked, exchanging looks with the doctor as he walked out.

Sev was caught off guard, but he just shrugged it off. “Sure, I guess. You girls can go back to New World if you want.”

“We’ll wait outside,” Cait declared with unbudging resolve, not that he’d tell her otherwise. As they left the two in the office for whatever secretive talks, Piper wondered who she would need to prod to get some clues, and how to prod them for it.

*****

“I’m sorry, run that by me again?” I asked, really hoping I didn’t just hear what I thought she said.

The overseer sighed. “I know it might be an unusual request, but Dr Forscythe and Dr Penske both agreed that introducing genetic diversity from the outside would prevent our vault from suffering inbreeding in the future.”

She gave a shrug as she explained further. ”Besides, currently it would be more likely that our people would want to emigrate to your side instead of the other way around.”

“I...see,” I said, not too sure about how to react to having greener grass.

McNamara raised her hands in a warding fashion. “You don’t have to. It’s just an offer for a night with a...candidate of your choice. She will be fully taken care of by us, and you do not need to be involved in the raising of the child, though if you do want to remain involved, we only ask that you allow the child to grow up as a member of Vault 81.”

They want to stud me. Is that a good or bad thing? … Goddammit dick, I’m not looking for your input!

“Um, who are the candidates?”

Why am I wondering if she’s on the list? Do I want her to be on the list? I mean, she’s not bad, considering she’s what? Mid to late 30s or something?

Waitwaitwait. Stop imagining banging the overseer for fu- for not-fuck’s sake!

McNamara fished something from a pile of papers and handed me a file. Even before I looked through its pages, my dick suddenly took command of my voice.

“Can I pick more than one?” I blurted out before reigning in my impulse. I looked up to see her blush just a bit despite trying to maintain composure from the stupidity of my words.

Ah fuck that, she’s in the file, isn’t she?

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