9 Vault-Tec

I was surprised they had clean towels when I asked about it, but Vadim was able to give me two for Piper and myself, though he said the water wasn't hot, but wasn't cold either. It was lukewarm but rad-free. Good enough for me.

What I did receive in the shower was my first blowjob since waking up, Piper quite happily getting down on her knees and pleasuring me in return. She was… pretty damned good as well. Very enthusiastic and talented to get me off rather quickly. When she took my load in her mouth, I definitely looked down at her in surprise as she looked up with a grin, a little bit of my cum dribbling out of her mouth. I didn't say anything as she did spit it down the drain. Nora occasionally blew me to completion and swallowed, sometimes she'd keep a bin nearby to spit it.

"I might swallow it next time, Blue, but I don't want cum on my breath all day."

I'll admit, I burst into laughter as I lifted her up and cuddled her. I didn't return the favour with my mouth but backed her against the wall and kissed her, my fingers finding what I wanted. She made a lot of noise, enough that when we finally finished and wandered out, we almost received a round of applause from Vadim and his brother. "You enjoy your shower, yes?"

"Best one since I woke up, Vadim," I replied, which simply made the Russian burst into laughter.

We dressed, ate a meagre breakfast, before heading outside, meeting Nick by the chapel. I told him that Piper was going to join us, as she disappeared into her home to grab a weapon. Nick wasn't surprised from two angles. One, he knew it would make a good story. And, two, we were sleeping together and no doubt wanted to adventure together as well.

Piper returned with a 10mm pistol, which I thought was a good weapon to have, while Nick had a simple looking pipe weapon. Since I wasn't in my armour, he could see my face and he grinned. "It's not the usual pieces of shit, Nate. It's takes .45 caliber and packs quite a punch. Trust me, we run into anything, with the weapons we have, we should be okay."

I had a shotgun and submachine gun, the pistol at my side as always. I had magazines stored around my body in various pockets, otherwise I'd left everything else in my room. Vadim had given me a key to lock it too, so that rested in my pocket as well.

Heading out of Diamond City, a couple of the guards did a double-take at my appearance, as I'd come and gone in my power armour. They figured out who I was as we turned right, heading towards the river. Stopping and gazing over it as we turned to follow it, it was hard not to slump slightly. Most of it had likely barely changed since the bombs dropped. If anything, buildings would have just crumbled from neglect. I was surprised any of the bridges were still standing that crossed the river.

"What was it like before the war?" Piper asked as we resumed walking.

"A couple of million people lived here at one time. Like most cities, it was incredibly advanced. Human society at 2077 was at its technological peak. It was also incredibly busy. Thriving with life, the sights and sounds of humans moving about. Boston was unique, had its own culture, different to most cities in the region. Certainly a distinctive accent though that's disappeared, it seems. No real surprise, I guess. But it was a great place to meet people from all walks of life, wandering around the old town, its narrows streets and alleys. Granted, things did change in those final few months before the bombs. Law and order grew stricter. A few of the things we took for granted disappeared. But I still remember growing up here before I joined the army. It was always home."

"And now it's… this…" she muttered.

"Blame those who made the decision to bomb us. No idea who struck first, but both sides are at fault. But war was always coming, I guess. Once the resources we needed started to run dry, humanity was always going to prove that, at heart, it can also be incredibly selfish and narrow-minded. I do keep thinking, if we'd just pushed the Chinese out of Alaska and left it there, not gone on the front foot and invaded them in return, would it have ended in a nuclear attack?"

"So you think they struck first?" Nick wondered.

"I have a feeling they would have at least given the order first, simply as a final throw of the dice. Though the invasion bogged down, we were still making inroads. The thing is, if they chose to bomb us and we retaliated, we would have wiped out all our own units who were in China. Add to that, who else was bombed. Did we bomb the Soviet Union at the same time? What about Europe and the Middle East? Did they just think 'fuck it' and launch missiles as well? I guess we'll never know."

"So the world wasn't the idyll we might think it was?" Piper asked, "Though considering the bombs fell, I guess that ended anyway."

"The Great War wasn't the first time bombs were used. But after '45, that's 1945, it took over one hundred years for them to be used again. December 2053, terrorists nuked Tel Aviv. It was a dirty bomb, but still caused untold damage and devastation. There was a response within a month, and the world held its breath as nukes were exchanged. Somehow, the world simply watched and held back. I'm surprised we didn't just launch when China invaded Alaska, but that would have just led to the exchange of nukes occurring ten years earlier than it eventually did." I paused. "No, Piper, the world was not the paradise people might have thought it was. For many people, life was comfortable, even easy. But if you looked outside your bubble, I guess it was no surprise the house of cards eventually collapsed on itself."

We'd been walking for quite a while, Nick leading the way, gesturing every so often. We eventually ended up in the shadow of numerous buildings, and he pointed towards one in particular. Walking up a few steps, the outside was a ruin like everywhere else, but above the door was a sign I was looking for.

Vault-Tec.

And it had likely been abandoned the days the bombs dropped. Walking into the reception area, it was a mess likely everywhere else, but the lights were still on, the terminal at reception shining, so there was likely a generator somewhere, likely in the basement. That meant an F.C that I would grab before leaving.

Noting that I didn't exactly know what we would be searching for, just anything to do with the vaults built either in Boston alone, the entire Commonwealth, or even the nation. Having been abandoned for so long, most of the terminals had been destroyed, while it was obvious the place had been ransacked by looters over the years, and was slowly but surely collapsing in on itself. I was amazed any buildings remained standing considering they'd had two centuries with no maintenance whatsoever.

Nick hit the jackpot rather quickly, typing away at a terminal, yelling out for Piper and I to join him. "Fella's name was Doctor Reid. Kept a daily log, it seems. Many of them are corrupted but this one, 7th October, 2077, contains something that might interest you, Nate."

I leaned down and read what Reid had discovered.

'Walter in the warehouse just told me we received a massive shipment marked "Vault 111 - DO NOT OPEN". So, he opened it...and it was hundreds of gallons of liquid nitrogen! What could they possibly need that for?'

Piper immediately rested a hand on my shoulder. "Anything else, Nick?" I asked.

"Yes, one more. Day before the bombs fell."

'That's it! I can't work under a manager who's so oblivious to what's going on around him. These vaults are supposed to be a safe haven for these people, not a lab to run experiments on them. Davidson still doesn't see it...or he's just ignoring it. Either way, I'm putting in my two weeks in the morning.'

"Hmmm. Seems to think Vault 111 might not have been the only one. 'These vaults' would suggest he know others were being used for experiments. But there isn't much else on this terminal."

"Let's keep looking, Nick."

Heading upstairs, we ended up in what could only be a director's office, maybe even the CEO. But it was the terminal of the Davidson who Reid had mentioned in one of his entries. Nick managed to hack the password to gain access, but there was little evidence he could find, simple denials that anything untoward was going on. Nick suggested Davidson was either blind to what Vault-Tec was up to, burying his head in the sand, or was complicit and therefore didn't want to have it down in writing.

We kept searching, and I figured this floor would have answers I wanted. We searched everywhere and I finally found something in a wardrobe. It was a binder full of paper, and to my relief, it was still in rather good condition. Plonking it down on the desk, Nick and Piper hovered over either shoulder as I sat down, took a deep breath, and opened it.

It was the usual spiel about what Vault-Tec was, their standards, hopes, etc etc. The usual corporation newspeak. So I moved on from that, and eventually found a list of vaults, running my finger down them. First, I checked those in Boston.

"Okay, so in Boston alone we have vaults 10, 75, 81, 88, 95, 111 and 114. In Washington, there are vaults 87, 92, 100, 101, 106, 108, 112. In Maine, there's vault 118, not far from Bar Harbor." I paused and whistled. "Shit, there are vaults to the far west as well. The 'Los Angeles Vault' and vaults 12, 13, 15 were in California. Las Vegas and Nevada had vaults 3, 8, 11, 19, 21, 22, 34." I sat back and whistled again. "Well, looks like they built a fair few of these. There was a hell of a lot more too. At least five in and around the Chicago area. At least ten in Texas alone."

"Does it say anything about experiments?" Nick wondered.

I flicked through the pages of each vault but it was all corporate speak. I guess Vault-Tec were smart in not putting down what they were truly doing in writing. "Nothing noteworthy, though I think we take this back to Diamond City and have a real look at it. We can keep looking around here, though."

We spent at least a couple of hours almost tearing the place apart ourselves, but we found nothing concrete about what Vault-Tec was up to. I had no doubt that most of the vaults were used for their experiments, but it was just a feeling, I couldn't find any real proof except what I'd found when leaving my own vault. I eventually suggested there was little point just picking over rubble. The simple fact was that Vault-Tec no longer existed, that anyone responsible had died long ago, and while I still had questions, I wasn't going to find answers in a building slowly crumbling to dust.

Heading back outside, I couldn't help the sigh though. Piper gave me a hug, which made me feel a little better about things, at least. She smelled nice too.

"I bet wherever their head office is, it might have the answers you seek," Nick stated, "No idea where it was though. Think was just a regional headquarters. Whether they knew what the head honchos were up to or not, I couldn't say."

I closed my eyes and thought about it. "Los Angeles. Their headquarters was in the west. I remember seeing it on the news, about the test vault they build in the late 2050s, I think it was. That's when they started to build vaults across the country." I sighed. "Well, guess that puts a cork in this bottle. The answers are on the other side of the country, and I'm not travelling overland to get them. It's important but that's a journey too far."

"Sorry, Nate," Piper said kindly.

"Thanks, but it's okay. I came here not expecting to get all the answers I wanted. But I know for a fact that the vaults were not built to be the safe and secure buildings they were meant to be. Maybe some were, I don't know. But I have a gut feeling there were many more meant to be like mine."

It was disappointing but that was life. Tucking the folder under my arm, I took Piper's left hand with my right, earning a surprised look before she smiled, and the three of us walked back in the direction of Diamond City. "Anyone scavenge these ruins?" I wondered.

"The brave and the foolish, Nate," Nick replied, "I'm sure, even two hundred years later, there are plenty of pickings, but most of the roads within are controlled by one group or another. You ran into any super mutants yet?"

"Fortunately not."

"Be careful when you do. They might be thick as two short planks, but they're tough bastards. You put one or two bullets into a Raider, ghoul or Gunner, they'll generally go down. Mutants are made of stronger stuff. As I said, dumb as rocks but they make up for it in size and strength."

"I'll make sure I don't find myself cornered by one."

"What will you do now?" Piper wondered. It was a good question.

"Vault 81 is nearby. That correct?" Both nodded. "Then I think that will be my next avenue of investigation. Have they been a two hundred experiment or have they managed to live their lives freely? I can only guess they didn't spend two hundred years as an iceblock."

Piper leaned into my arm. "You do make subtle jokes about that, Blue," she said softly.

"I have to, because underneath, I am raging about it, Piper. If any of the bastards responsible was still alive, I wouldn't hold myself accountable for my actions, at least to begin with…" I sighed to myself. "I'll head there tomorrow. Do you know where it is?"

"Your Pip-Boy has a map, right?" Nick asked. I nodded it did. "I can give you the co-ordinates plus general directions to get there. You might want to suit up in your armour, but you seem to have your wits about you, so you should get there relatively unscathed."

"Guess I'd freak them out showing up in power armour too."

"True, might not take kindly to that."

The walk back to Diamond City was peaceful enough. Every so often, we'd hear a burst of gunfire, Nick suggesting Raiders, Gunners and super mutants fought each other often over scraps of land. There were no defined regions of control, they'd literally just pick fights with each other, take over a street corner, the ruins of a building, or they'd simply want to kill each other.

Once we were back in the relative safety of Diamond City, the three of us headed to Nick's office. I suggested he keep hold of the folder though I figured the main focus of my investigation was already at an end, which although disappointing, was slightly expected. "I'll do some digging of my own, Nate, but most records would have disappeared with the bombs."

"I know, but thanks, Nick. Don't make it a priority though."

"So what will you do, Blue?"

"Head to Vault 81 tomorrow and see what they can tell me. If they've called in home for two hundred years, I can only imagine that they live in a proper vault without some sort of experiment going on. Hopefully, once I tell them I'm a vault dweller myself, they'll let me in without requesting too much from me."

"From what I've heard, they simply ask for things they run short of. Like everywhere else, supplies are scarce simply because nothing is being built anymore."

"Stay in contact, Nate. Always nice to have a new face around and I certainly owe you back for getting me out of what was a tricky situation."

"I will."

We shook hands before Piper and I wandered back out into Diamond City. It was still only early afternoon, and having spent nearly every day since I woke up busy doing something, finding myself without anything to do was weird. We'd walked around the 'city' twice before I finally asked, "So what do people actually do for fun?"

She gave me a look. "There isn't a lot of fun to be had, Blue." My face probably fell as I muttered an apology. She hugged into my side. "Sorry, Blue. It's just… every day is a struggle. At least those of us who live here has it at a little easier than those who live in the various small settlements elsewhere." She paused before asking, "What did you do with your wife?"

"All sorts, to be honest. Sometimes we'd just go out for lunch or dinner, followed by a stroll down the river. At night time, it could be rather romantic. Maybe go to a park, have a picnic. There was a lake we used to love going to, eat a little food, drink a little wine, make a little love…" That made her giggle. "We used to love going to see a movie for a couple of hours to escape the world. Sometimes she'd like to go shopping and drag me around with the promise of going to a pub or bar afterwards. Sometimes we'd just wander around town, perhaps walking down a street rarely travelled, finding something not seen before." I couldn't help sigh. "I guess none of that is possible now."

"There are few pleasures in life, Blue. Food. Drink. Smoking. Sex." She glanced at me with a smirk. "Maybe not in that order for some."

I offered her a smoke from the packet I had, lighting it for her as well, as I lit up one myself. We ended up outside her joint home and office, following her inside. It was as basic as I expected. Most dwelling appeared small from the outside, but at least they had privacy, it was dry and warm enough, and it seemed she'd managed to scavenge one or two things to provide a modicum of comfort. The radio was playing the local station and there was a couch we could sit on, a half-drunk bottle of bourbon sitting on the table.

I lit another cigarette for her, her eyes staying on mine as she leaned forward to catch the flame, leaning back as she titled her head to exhale the smoke. "So, we've got smoking and drinking, Blue. Any other pleasures you would like to enjoy?"

"When does your sister get home?"

"I'm not sure. If she hears us, she'll probably stay outside." She smiled and leaned forward, laying a soft kiss on my lips before she leaned back. "I don't… surprise you…"

"One of the reason why I loved Nora is that she was not ashamed of the fact she loved sex. We were physical on our very first date and it simply got better rom there."

"Sounds familiar," Piper whispered.

"Exactly. I like women who know what they want, and if they enjoy sex as much as I do, then that's only a good thing. Nora and I rarely went a day without intimacy. Sometimes we'd make love all night. Sometimes, all she'd want was for me to bend her over and fuck her. I loved it most when she took the initiative, either taking my hand and leading me to our bedroom, or she'd get down on the floor between my legs and start to undo my trousers. So the fact you enjoy sex as well? One of the reasons why I already like you already, Piper. Add to that you're clearly gorgeous, intelligent…"

Didn't get another word out as she leaned forward and kissed me hard, which I didn't mind. I obviously liked her and those feelings were returned. We didn't even make it upstairs to her bed, eager as she was. All she did was help lower my trousers as she did the same, feeling my cock slide into her hot, tight, wet pussy, both of us groaning as I found myself buried inside her once again.

Then we just fucked. She rode herself hard and fast as we finished undressing, my mouth finding one of her nipples once I'd taken her bra off. She must have been rather turned on, considering we leapt right into fucking, as she came hard after only ten minutes, though she started hard and fast and didn't relent. And she kept going through her orgasm, barely slowly down though making enough noise, they probably heard us across Diamond City.

Rolling forward, I took her with me, her head resting on the side of the couch, legs spread wide, and I returned the favour. Our mouths locked together or faces barely apart, eyes only for the other, as I put everything into it. We'd barely said a word, only noises being made, moans and grunts, deep breathing and the sounds of sex. I already knew I'd want to keep this side of our new relationship going. Hot, wet and tight, just want a man wanted, and she seemed like my cock in return.

The first words I said were that I was getting close. Her arms were now looped around the back of my neck, legs still spread wide, and she didn't say a word otherwise. She did whimper every so often, which made me smile. It wasn't a whimper of pain, it was that of enjoyment, passion, desire… it was nice to be wanted.

When I finally came, I groaned loudly, swearing more than once before I finally stilled. Only then did I moved my arms and her legs wrapped around me, soft kisses on my cheek as I rested above her, one of her hands running up and down my back.

"Holy shit," I muttered.

When I finally lifted my head, the look she returned made me smile. She'd enjoyed herself thoroughly, at least. "Blue, I won't get sick of that at all. I haven't been fucked like that… ever…"

"Glad you liked it."

We lay joined together, making out, before I did finally pull back, Piper grabbing my cigarettes, lighter, then my hand, and led me up to the second floor, laying back on her bed to enjoy a post-coitus cigarette. There was enough light to really show off her body. I couldn't help look as it was something worth looking at.

"Most men don't look at me like that, Blue."

"Well, then they're blind, Piper. I'm glad you were so ready to leap into bed with me."

"As I said, you stepped out of that power armour, I was like 'Wow…' Did you…"

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Not to sound corny, but I thought you were pretty. And the way you handled the guard and mayor, I thought 'She's got gumption at least."

Finishing our cigarettes, she rolled into her side and cuddled into me, wrapping an arm around her, kissing her forehead. "Before we move on, Blue, I thought I should mention something. I know you're going to be out and about, that this probably won't be your home. So… I'm not expecting commitment. We can have fun… but…"

"Piper, I do like you already."

"I know, but I have a feeling I won't be the only woman because, well, considering what I already know you're like, I think you won't be short of offers. I noticed Miss Perkins give you the eye when you returned with Nick."

"Ah…"

"Plus, things are different now. The world is different, as are relationships. While many will settle down, the simple fact is that death is always around the corner, so most will enjoy what lives they can. Some find pleasure in the flesh and wish to experience many kinds. It's up to you, of course, but we will lead different lives regardless."

"Rather liberal attitudes. Unexpected too."

She looked up and met my eyes. "Long as you visit me as often as you can, Blue."

"Piper, I think you might get tired of me in the end."

She snorted at that, which made us both laugh. "That's hardly likely."

I was surprised when she started to kiss down my body before she was leaning between my legs, looking up at me with a cheeky grin before running her tongue along my shaft, no surprise I was already hard again, as just being around her naked body was arousing. She didn't tease me that long, quickly swallowing most of my length, her head soon bobbing up and down, proving her talents once again.

But it was a short blowjob as we both knew what we wanted, moving back so I was sitting back against the wall as Piper rested on my crotch for a moment, making out again before she lifted herself up, gasping as I slid inside her again. "Fuck, Blue," she whispered.

"I'm going to put this bluntly, Piper. I fucking love your pussy. Or I love fucking your pussy."

That made her giggle. I mean a proper womanly giggle, which made the grin already on my face broaden, enough my cheeks actually started to hurt. "Well, I love your cock already, Blue," she whispered back before kissing me hard.

She started ever so slowly, lifting herself up before slowly lowering herself down. God, it was good. No, not just good. Great. Even perfect. Running my fingers up and down her back, enjoying her smooth skin, I just watched her slowly but surely establish a rhythm we both enjoyed. I was in no hurry to cum. Nor was she, from how she was moving.

"Getting to enjoy this as much as I can before you go," she muttered before kissing me.

"I won't be a stranger, Piper. Trust me." I ran my hands down to her firm arse, giving that a gentle squeeze. "I enjoy this far too much."

"You really like me?"

"Yeah, I really do."

She laid a soft kiss on my lips. "Well, I really like you too."

We must have made love for… ages. Long enough that her sister actually came home, heard us above her, yelling out she would head to a friend's house. Neither of us replied, I think Piper barely heard her, enjoying me far too much, enjoying all the noises she made. Music to my ears.

She certainly enjoyed another couple of orgasms before I felt the urge again, Piper hopping off and get on her knees again, this time resting her head down on the bed, looking back. "I want you to fuck me, Blue. Give me everything."

Though I could have done that, I much preferred it when she was leaning back against me. And, she was honest, she loved it too, particularly when I snuck a hand between her legs at the same time. I came hard again and that was me done for at least a couple of hours, Piper resting back against me as my hands continued to run over her body.

We eventually lay back again, enjoying another cigarette each, Piper laughing away as she understood what I meant by a post-sex cigarette. Heading back downstairs, we sat down on the couch and enjoyed a drink as well, and I couldn't help but look her up and down constantly. She was a beautiful young woman. When I thought about it, I still didn't know her age. I simply hadn't asked.

"How old are you, Piper?"

"You first."

"I was thirty-four when the bombs fell. So, technically, since I was frozen, I'm still that old."

"Twenty-six, Blue. So you're not a cradle snatcher, at least."

"Your sister seems to be a lot younger?"

"Ah… Well, she is my sister. Let's just say she was a surprise, but mother had me when she was very young too. It explains the larger gap than normal." Piper paused a moment. "After my father was murdered, I basically had to raise her alone."

"Your mother?"

"Died before she reached two. Cancer."

"Sorry."

She looked at me and smiled. "Blue, there are no happy stories in the Commonwealth." Then she grabbed my hand. "Well, not many happy stories anyway." Leaning into my side, I wrapped my free arm around her as she asked, "Will you stay with me here tonight?"

"Absolutely."

We did eventually get dressed as we were hungry, heading to the noodle stand, taking a stool each, enjoying an ice cold beer and a couple of bowls of noodles, replacing energy lost after a long afternoon of lovemaking. Heading to the Dugout Inn afterwards, I grabbed my things and took them back to her place, her sister having arrived home by then. She groaned upon seeing me, though I assured her I was simply sleeping that night. Nat glared at Piper, who did blush slightly as she wrapped an arm around my waist. "You'll understand when you're older, Nat."

She scoffed. "I know people have sex, Piper. Just… try and keep it down tonight."

"We're just going to sleep, Nat," Piper insisted.

She smirked. "Yeah, right. At least I didn't see anything when I came home earlier."

I glanced at Piper, who simply smirked. "Well, we had at least moved from the couch by then."

Nat leapt up from the couch she was sitting on. "Ugh, you fucked on this?"

"Don't worry, he came inside me rather than on me."

I couldn't help chuckle as Nat just made another noise of disapproval. "Jesus, Piper, I don't need details."

"Why don't we sit down and just talk for a while?" I suggested, "You might see me around every so often, Nat, so you might as well get to know me a little bit. And I can get to know Piper's younger sister."

I think that suggestion surprised her. Enough that she actually blushed slightly. So we sat on the couch, Piper next to me, Nat next to her sister. There were obviously no liquor laws, so Piper happily poured us all a glass of bourbon, though she did warn Nat to drink it slowly. And then I found myself quizzed again but Nat was young and inquisitive, and certainly didn't know all the history of what happened, so I was able to fill in a few gaps in her knowledge.

We ended up finishing the bottle, Nat heading off to bed before us, Piper and I listening to the radio until we were both yawning enough that we needed sleep as well. She only undressed to her underwear as I did the same thing, though she made sure I was on my side so she could lay facing me, making sure I held her tight as we drifted off to sleep.

I was woken a particular way the next morning, looking down to see her head bobbing between my legs. I could only lie back and enjoy it this time, trying not to make too much noise as Nat was downstairs still asleep, or so I thought. Maybe it was late enough she'd already left. I didn't really care as Piper just kept looking up as she swallowed my cock.

Damn, she was good, and it wasn't long until I whispered I was close. When I finally needed to finish, this time she swallowed what I gave her, looking up at me with a grin as she wiped what had dripped down her chin with a finger, sucking on that too. "Damn," I muttered.

Then I gestured for her to move and I had the joy of her almost sitting on my face as I returned the favour. She… wasn't as quiet, particularly once I did make her cum as well, hard enough that she basically collapsed onto the bed beside me, giggling away. "Shit, Blue…"

"Well, I am heading off today so that's something to remember me by."

"Hope you'll be back sooner rather than later."

"I do intend on returning to Sanctuary, but I will certainly stop here before then."

She cuddled into my side, I could almost say as usual. "Well, I might just have to keep you around for a few days before you do finally head back north."

"I won't say no."

Eventually rising out of bed, throwing on the same clothes as before as always, we made our way downstairs to find the room wasn't empty, Nat looking our way and immediately blushing. She didn't say anything though as I offered to buy them breakfast, which put a smile on her face. There were few options available, of course, eventually heading to the Dugout Inn where we were given some sort of warm stew that had meat and vegetables in a source. "Don't worry, vault dweller. It's brahmin," Vadim stated when I sniffed a chuck of the meat.

"At least it used to be cow!"

Once breakfast was complete, I figured I should leave, otherwise I would find one excuse or another to never get on with it. Though I wouldn't enter the vault itself with power armour, I didn't want to leave it behind, so I headed to where I'd stored it, inserting an F.C to fire it up before I turned to Piper. That least kiss we shared was something else. I already liked her immensely, and I think the feelings were turned.

"Stay safe, Blue," she said softly.

"I will. Got my power armour and I'm not going to go looking for trouble. I just want some information. Once I'm done at Vault 81, I'll head back here and see what happens next."

After a last cuddle, Piper not particularly wanting to let me go, I opened up the armour, stepped inside, and heard it shut me in as normal. Piper walked with me to the gate as I clipped my weapons into place, duffel bag across my back as well. She walked with me all the way to the gate, though didn't dare cross the threshold, probably thinking the mayor would immediately ask it to be closed if he saw her leave.

"I'll see you soon, Piper."

"Bye, Blue."

With weapon in hand, I took a deep breath and began the journey towards the next vault.