Ch. 7 Wrapping Up

Colton spends the next week relaxing. He's already gotten a backpack set aside with all the things he would need. It's right next to his armor and something to cover him and his armor from the weather. Basically everything was from the bunker and it's secret hidden room.

He had [Purifier] next to his equipment, and Colton had slightly modified it. He was able to swap some heavy parts out with some lighter and just as durable parts decreasing the weight by -5 lbs and he changed the color of the camo on the body of the rifle. If you looked close enough you could still see the camo, but it was a little hard to distinguish even in the daylight.

He also had 2 pistols with holsters. Colton would have one either side of his hip. On his right is a .357 magnum revolver, and a 12.7mm pistol. Both pack a great punch. He had a silenced .22 pistol packed away with his supplies for when he gets to civilization. He hopes he won't need it, but knows he will.

He had ammunition, lots of ammunition. He still hadn't been able to get the caps to appear from the Pipboy's stash so he wasn't sure how he would get some caps. His pack was full of food, water, ammunition, and various other thing he would need like a sleeping bag that can be strapped to the bottom of the pack so it doesn't take up room inside.

Samantha had checked his things multiple times. They wanted to have him take other things he may need, but it would just be more weight he would have to carry. Samantha wanted him to bring more medical supplies, but. Olson had already taken an overly healthy amount so he denied her request with the evidence that he was covered on that front. And Jack asked if he wanted a shotgun or something as well. But Colton had to point out that if he was in range for a shotgun to be effective he would just use his the guns on his hips. He didn't want the extra carry weight of the shotgun and it's ammo.

The parents relented after 2 days and proceeded to just enjoy the time left with their son. They didn't gorge on the food, they still rationed it. Who knows when they will ever have this much food again so why eat all of it as fast as possible. Jack and Colton had also hunted the creatures in the area over the years for meat. They had to be very thorough when preparing and cooking it to get the rads out of it.

Colton had a flask and various sturdy water containers filled with the purified and filtered water.

Colton still helped make sure the area around the bunker was safe and the traps weren't triggered, or clean and rearm the traps. Noise making traps were made, even if they were down in the bunker it would either scare off most animals or make others cautious and eventually flee when they went into a more harmful trap. No humans had gotten near the area which made the Kings grateful and also worried. Because that just means that there will eventually be someone.

Jack made sure that Colton remembered the various melee combat techniques he taught him. His son's strength had stagnated but the way he used that strength had been the thing to increase. Colton had also taken to his fighting styles like a fish to water. Not the general fighting styles, but the specific moves. Like a variation of the Ranger Takedown. And they of course had some guy talk. Jack was complaining that he wouldn't get any more guy time or father-son time so he should come back sooner rather than later. Or find a way to make his Pipboy communicate with the radio in the bunker. It could now, however, it had a limited range.

Samantha and Colton were doing various things while they talked. They cooked together, cleaned together, counted their supplies and compared to what they have used over the years. And various other things. She had already taught him 'house-wife things' that he needed to know. And she would joke with him and say "You would make a terrific stay at home husband. Make sure to bring your wife back home" and then she would add "or husband, we don't particularly mind but would prefer if we can get some grandkids…."

And Colton would just sigh, Samantha had also heard him talk with the girl via the radio a few times and joked with him about if he was leaving to go see her. But that was a year ago or so, she just left that where it is. She knew he was straight, but he was fun to make fun of playfully. They both knew she meant nothing by it. It was also a way for her to mask her sadness for her little birdy leaving the nest. But Colton was able to see right through her halfhearted attempts with his 45 Speech.

Colton had already done his best to help ease the process of him leaving. But he knew that nothing could really truly help his parents. He is their only kid…. as far as he knew, they hadn't really talked about another kid, and it's not like he asked. He just left it as is.

Not like he would find another King in the Mojave. That would be trippy.

At the end of the week Colton was getting ready. It was early morning, not even the sun was up yet as he got dressed. He put on the light armor that was actually pretty good. It's much better than what he would expect from light armor and gave him a +5 to Guns, Melee, and Survival. He checked his Pipboy for what it's name was and laughed.

[X-Force Light MK 1] was its name and it provided 16 DT and it only weighed 5 lbs.

He hadn't looked at it previously, it just looked cool and like it would defend him. It also was found in a safe he cracked inside a long while back, it was when they first opened the secret room. There were safes that couldn't be locked but one could. And Colton had unlocked it all on his own, surprising his dad yet again. It's a wonder how his dad hadn't gotten used to how extraordinary and weird Colton was and is. He would keep an eye out for any special keys or passwords that relate with anything like X-Force.

Colton put on the X-Force armor, it was in various pieces. The pants, long sleeve shirt/jacket thing, elbow, shoulder, and knee guards that were small yet durable, belt that stayed inside the pants and couldn't be taken out, forearm guards, thigh guards, boots that seemed to decrease sound, 2 pairs of gloves with one being fingerless, and a vest that would go over the shirt like jacket. The would go over his head and would be tightened on his sides and shoulder to properly fit him. And what's great is that it fit him near perfectly. It was an olive and brown color with the accessories being black, including the armor vest

After that was his poncho. Although he preferred to call his Apocalypse Cloak or something, anything besides poncho. It didn't sound cool enough to him.

Colton, after securing his holsters and other weapons like the knife on his thigh, put the apocalypse cloak on. It had a hood and a face covering integrated into it flawlessly. It made him feel like a ninja or a covert ops guy. It was black covered his top half while not restricting his movement at all. It went down to just above or below his thighs. It was decently heavy as well weighing about 7 lbs and gave a +5 to Lockpick, Sneak, and Survival. No DT but it was a poncho so he didn't expect it to. but what did surprise him is that once he put it on he felt his temperature go down to a comfortable level. He checked it on his Pipboy and found some goodies.

[X-Force T.T. Poncho] | 0 DT | 8 lbs | +5 Lockpick, Sneak, Survival |

-Keeps temperature cool when hot and keeps temperature warm when cool.

The T.T was for Tactical Temperature. And it did exactly what it said it does along with looking good. And it was heavy enough to not be blown away in a sand storm if he had to pass through one. It would only sway in the wind compared to whipping to and fro like a normal light poncho.

The sand storms is also why he had goggles as well. But they weren't fancy. It was black with a dark blood red lens. It didn't change how he viewed his surrounding, it only made them slightly darker which was barely even noticeable. But there was a mob on the side that would make them act as sunglasses also. Pretty cool.

[X-Force T.G. MK 1] | 0 DT | +1 Perception |

- Switch shields eyes from light waves between a certain range which has been deemed harmful. And protects against weather conditions and debris.

T.G. meaning Tactical Goggles. He hadn't checked them on the Pipboy previously but now that he has he was feeling like face palming. He had looked at the sun briefly with them on to test them and was happy that he didn't get blinded. But he wondered if that meant certain things would be invisible or not.

He just put the goggles around his neck for now. It was time to get his backpack on, he couldn't carry it up the ladder with only one hand.

Well, he could. But his dad would make a few dad jokes as he left.

Once the pack was on he was basically ready to go. There was a small mirror he found and could check himself out with. He found it a year or two ago and had claimed it, he would have given it to his mom if she asked but she let him keep it. It was a little techs and was a palm sized hand mirror. He could adjust how big the mirror itself could get. From palm size to about 12in x 18in. Pretty big considering it condenses down to a hand mirror. He thinks that a few women might pay a handsome amount of caps for something like this. And not even just women. Some scientists or tech geeks as well.

Anyway, he narcissistically looks at himself. His jet black hair is straight and slicked back with a few strands staying over his forehead. His hair went down near the back of his shoulders and he could nearly tie it together to keep it from moving around and getting messed up. But his hair still did what he wanted it to. Just running his fingers through his hair in the morning was all that's needed for the day. His vivacious turquoise eyes were as bright as ever. His pearly whites would glisten if he smiled with a higher Charisma stat. Colton stood at ~6'3" and had some decent muscle on him. It wasn't noticeable while he was wearing clothes but if he took his shirt off it would reveal his over-defined muscles. He had noticed it through the years. But it was truly noticeable at 17 and his abs turned to a 6-pack, and then into an 8-pack that only rarely gets seen but is commonly used in anime and cgi. But his is just super realistic. Good ol' min-maxing coming through.

Colton nodded to himself and grabbed Purifier as he exited the secret room which had basically become his room.

He exits the only door and looks around the bunker for the last time.

Jack and Samantha were sitting by the ladder but stand up when they see Colton walking over and taking his last look around what was his home for the past 4 years and entire life in the Wasteland so far.

Jack was holding something wrapped in recycled paper. And so was Samantha. They didn't throw things out unless absolutely necessary.

"Is it my birthday or something?" Colton says in a comical manner.

"Or something" Jack says.

"My baby's grown up so fast" Samantha tries to fight back the tears as she looks up at her son. It was like yesterday she was holding him in her arms and he was so frail. But now her baby is big, strong, smart, and clever. He has the best moral compass she has seen in a long time. She knows that Colton will do great good in the Mojave and do what needs to be done. Even if it means cracking a few eggs. The eggs being the skulls of the legion and other monsters.

"Thanks" Colton says as he rubs the back of his head with his left hand. He slings Purifier over his shoulder so it's barrel is pointing up vertically. He could also put it horizontally on the top of his pack. But anywhere else would take to long to draw it in an emergency.

"Don't go dying right away alright? And remember what we talked about?" Jack questions.

"I won't. And I will deny being related to you two if anyone asks. Easy peasy Lemmon squeezy" Colton nods and smiles.

"I have no idea where you learned those phrases. And I know it's not the radio" Samantha shakes her head. Colton would say things that rhymed but they hadn't heard them said together like that. And this was one of them. But she looks back at her son who is now a man. "Just be careful"

"Always" Colton smiles gently at his mom. She then gives him a big hug and he returns it.

"We not have something for you, before you go" Jack says.

Samantha let's Colton go and stands next to her husband again.

"Mine first" She hands Colton a rectangular shaped object wrapped in paper that had some doodles he drew back when he was 14. He was getting used to ambidextrousness. "We weren't really able to get you anything before because there wasn't really a chance to gift you anything…." Colton takes the present and begins unwrapping it. "But we decided back then to make your 18th…." Samantha pauses as Colton opens the cardboard box. "….Special"

Colton looks inside and sees a few books. He only recognizes 2 Salk children's books that had "You're S.P.E.CI.A.L." that we're in Fallout 4. He was so shocked and happy as he saw them and some other books. There were a bunch of other books. The small box had been quite heavy and Colton had not predicted it to be full of books. He had no idea what the other 20 books. Granted they were thin, but he would later find out they were full of so many words his brain will lag.

Colton's smile continues to grow.

"This is so you don't get bored when you travel. But make sure you're safe before reading these ok?" Samantha warns him. Even if the Wasteland has so much to see and do, it's good to take a break every now and then to read. "These books were pretty rare, but they were just tucked away in a box down here. I found it while you two were fixing the water pump and decided to read them. They were pretty boring, but since you like studying so much I think they'll be better with you. And your father tossed in the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. books. Because you're our special boy"

"Thank you. I'll be sure to let you know how good they are after I read them" Colton puts his rifle and the box down and wraps his mom in a hug. Then he picks her up and moves her side to side. "You would be the one to give me books as a goodbye present. And I love it"

Samantha didn't like being picked up like this. But it was the last time she would be able to hug her son so she wasn't going to complain. Some silent tears were falling from her eyes.

After a minute Colton put his mom back on the floor and he let go of her. Jack stepped forward and handed his gift to his son. "I've also held onto this for quite some time. It was hard to keep it from your curious eyes but I think I've done quite well" Jack had proud facial expression.

Colton raised a brow at this. He wondered what his father had kept physically hidden. He unwrapped it and saw something that resembled leather. He recognized it from somewhere. He let the paper fall to the ground and allowed the leather to not be rolled up. It was a black satchel, and the inside was more of a darker beige color. And it seemed to be the hide of a…..

Colton's eyes widen as his knowledge in survival allowed him to recognize what this was after a few seconds. His head flicks over to his father who still stands a few inches taller than him. Jack had a huge grin on his face. He was bursting with pride.

"Is this-" Colton was cut off.

"That's the hide of the Young Deathclaw that got you back then. And the Deathclaw Mother. It was just the two of them so I killed them and skinned them for nearly taking my son from me. I could take more from them but I got enough for that and this" Jack turns around and grabs something from behind him.

When Jack turns back around he's holding a hat that was black like the Deathclaw Mother's hide. There wasn't any hide of any other Deathclaw with it so it was one color. And it was nicely made.

"This wasn't made by me. I just helped your mother. Kinda hard to do things with one arm" Jack holds out the hat for Colton to take. It has 'C.L.K' on the front that can be taken off if he wants. But the inside has 'M&D Love you'

"We decided not to put our initials in the hat. Just to be safe, never know if somebody can add 2 and 2 together out there" Jack says after seeing his son run his fingers over the inner stitching. It was a bitch to pierce the hide and that's why it took years to complete. At one point he thought it would be a welcome back gift instead.

Colton looked at the hat from his Pipboy.

[Deathclaw 'King' Hat] | 15 DT | 2 lbs. | +1 Per. & Cha., +5 Melee, Survival, and Unarmed |

- Made from the absolute love of two parents and their blood sweat and tears. Their desire for their kid to be safe and happy is clear. Love can be felt from the hat. This truly is a hat made by Kings for a King.

Colton took his pack off and set it down. Then he took his cloak off and put the satchel on. It was a decent size and could hold many things. What's great as well is that the inner layer of young Deathclaw hide acted as a divider. On the sides. So he had 3 places to store things. He puts his cloak and pack back on. Colton places his new books inside the bag and ignores the notifications that pop up in his vision. It was already slightly blurry from his tears. He stood up tall after he was done and left the box on the floor with the paper in it. He faced his parents but was looking at the hat in his right hand.

"I needed a hat" Colton said as he lowers his head slightly and places the hat on it. He never knew the difference between the types of hats but this one was definitely his favorite now. (Hint Hint. Please comment a hat made of leather that looks cool. I'm thinking of something like a cowboy hat or something that looks good with his current outfit)

"I'm glad it fits you. It would have been a pain to get somebody to fix that problem. Probably would have to find someone out in the Mojave for that" Jack says.

"I don't even know what to say" Colton says as he looks at his parents.

"We will probably be here for a long while. But that's not an excuse to find a way to radio us. And we will be listening to the Mojave stations every now and then just to see if we hear news about you making waves out there" Samantha says. "We won't keep you any longer Colton. Just one last family hug and you're free"

Samantha wraps her right arm around Jack and holds her left arm open as Jack holds his right arm open.

This sight before Colton is probably the best he's seen and will see for a while if not ever in the Fallout world. He steps forward into the embrace of his parents and hugs them.

"I love you. Mom. Dad" Colton says. The height difference between Jack and Colton compared to Samantha made the hug a little difficult. But Colton and Jack leaned down and crouched for her. Colton can feel his mom slightly tremble every now and then as she tried to hold her tears in. Jack had his hand on the back of Colton's neck since he couldn't put it on Colton's back.

""We will always love you""

""You're our Lucky charm after all""

[ [Mama's Boy] leveled up ]

[ [Family Love] gained ]

The tears threatened to fall. They burned the sides of Colton's eyes but he held them in. He didn't want the last thing his parents saw of him to be him crying. He would smile as much as he could.

They stay hugging for a couple minutes. They lose track of time and just hug quietly.

"Ok, if you don't leave now I don't think you'll ever get the chance again" Samantha says quietly.

Jack and Samantha let Colton go. And Colton is the last to let go after a few seconds longer. He had really gotten attached to them. They were amazing. He's definitely get a new arm for his dad, and find out what happened with his mom's illness.

Colton grabs Purifier from the ground and double checks that he has everything. He mechanically walks over to the ladder. This part was even harder. And he hasn't said good bye.

He puts his first foot on a bar and grabs the highest one he can. He looks back to his parents who were holding eachother. He gives his brightest smile and tips his hat at them so it covers his eyes.

"I'm so lucky to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard…. This bunker wasn't my home…." Colton raises his hat back up revealing his crying face. "You two are my home. And I'll always return home no matter how much time passes! You're stuck with me whether you like it or not!" Colton says as he climbs a few steps. He turns back to his parents before he leaves their line of sight.

"This is not a good bye, it is a see you later" Colton says and climbs up the rest of the latter. He can't help the tears that are falling. And he hears his mom crying in his fathers arms. Colton can hear his father whisper because of his Perception.

"We have what almost nobody else has had in this Wasteland Samantha. We have a family, and a son that we raised together. Even if it was rocky and bumpy at the beginning. We made it. We reached the finish line….." Jack says. "….everything from here on is just a bonus for our hard work…."

Colton can hear the big guy choking on his words. He rarely saw his dad cry. And he himself had rarely cried. But today they both got a clear view of each other.

As Colton climbed, the harder it got.

Did he forget something?

Should he get some more ammo?

Another hug would be great….

Colton was trying to think of a reason to go back. But he knew he had to leave. It was the apocalypse and he needed to make a safe place for his family to survive. He's conquer the whole Mojave if he had to. No matter how much he didn't want to. But if it was that or his family the choice was clear.

Colton pushes the bunker door hatch thingy open and sees the interior of

[Lonely Road]

Colton looks at the quest as he climbs out of the literal hole in the ground.

[ [Lonely Road]

- •Get to the Mojave without dying•

- •(Optional) Find other people to travel with•

0/1 Objectives Complete ]

Colton wipes his eyes with the back of his hand as he closes the bunker and walks out the small shack. He looks at the rising sun in the distance.

On his Pipboy is a dotted line going to the East. He can't see the Mojave yet on the map so it's a good thing it didn't give him a time limit.

"Can't cry forever. I've gotta go get that new arm for dad anyway. Maybe I'll have it be a cannon arm. He always refers to them as guns and cannons, he'd love that…."

Colton wipes his eyes again and puts on a serious face. He puts his goggles on and turns his Pipboy's radio and ventures East.