A/N: Good news bad news. Good News, my other story 2278 A space odyssey's update is coming soon, the bad news is that Settlement of Ants is shelved for the time being.
The why? Time mostly, because of work I am finding it harder and harder to get time to write. That, and I am currently holding a contest for 2278 A space Odyssey that has me reading a lot as well and trying to come up with different variations of dialogue for characters. Anyways, thanks for understanding and I will be returning with more updates soon. Enjoy this update, and remember to R&R.
Sunny watched as her husband limped into the kitchen, on his way to get them both a cold drink. He had quite drinking some years ago, but didn't mind her still having a few beers around the place. But she still worried about him, no matter how strong he acted. It was admirable, but very foolish of him.
Approaching him from behind, he turned to her holding two bottles in his hand: A Nuka cola and a Bottle of beer.
"One beer for my beautiful wife, and one cola for the man who tricked her into marriage."
"Thank you." Sunny smiled, as she took the beer from his hand.
"For the beer or tricking you into marriage?" John asked, a smile as he sat down beside his wife and opened their drinks.
"Where's the kids?" Sunny asked, leaning against the wall, trying to avoid the anymore arguments.
"Out back…playing with Ed-E." John answered, sighing at the thought of the aging eyebot.
"You have to do something about them…" Sunny said, talking the floating eyebot who had become a kind of pet to the kids.
"But…" John interrupted, trying to avoid this repeated conversation.
"But nothing, he has to go!" Sunny barked, as a realisation came to her mind that caused a smile.
"You're talking about the kids aren't you? So I won't be mad at you for not getting rid of your dog and leaving to get yourself killed?" Sunny asked, a strict tone failing to mask her amusement.
"Damn…I've become transparent." John chuckled, as Sunny began to slap him.
"Asshole" She shouted as she continued to slap his body, like they were young again.
"Hey-Hey!" John barked, as he took sunny in his arm and hugged her chuckling to himself.
The tears began again. Sunny cried into her husband's chest, hugging him tightly in a sad attempt to stop him from leaving. John hugged her tightly, as he realised how much he was going to miss her.
"Are you going to tell them?" Sunny sobbed, as she continued holding her husband.
"The kids? I have to." John confessed, sorrow in his tone.
"I'll call them in…" Sunny volunteered, as John limped towards the backdoor.
"No…I'll go out to them." John stated, limping towards the backdoor.
"Are you sure?" Sunny asked, sadness gripping her voice.
"They should hear it from me." John admitted, realising how hard it was to do this.
"You get to cooking dinner." John softly ordered, grinning to his wife and getting a chuckle from her.
"You're a terrible father…." Sunny smiled, thankful for the husband who could always make her laugh. Even if they weren't always good jokes.
"But I am a good man." John smiled, exiting through the back door limping slowly.
"Harrison, Craig, Wendy, Arcade, Pedro, Samantha!" John barked, calling his family towards him.
His three kids and his four grandkids all turned to face their summoner. Ed-e zoomed over to his old friend with great enthusiasm. John smiled with great happiness and a sense of accomplishment at this sight.
"Yeah Dad?" His eldest daughter Samantha asked, a look of worry on her face.
"What?" his grandson Pedro questioned, raising his cap to meet his grandfather's gaze.
"It was Wendy!" His youngest grandson stated, accusing his twin sister of something john had not yet discovered.
"Was not!" Wendy cried out, punching her brother in the arm.
"I have something to….Wait…Harrison what was Wendy!?" John asked, anger in his tone.
"Harrison, what have you and your sister done!?" their father Craig asked, looking at the two trouble makers.
"I swear to…..never mind…Look kids, I have some news." John started, his attention turning to the floating eyebot.
Ed-E had not aged well, and John blamed some of his issues on the followers of the Apocalypse and their tinkering. John had allowed them to analyse Ed-E some years ago, and his current condition was a result of their half assed reconstruction and upgrades. These days, he seemed to struggle to stay afloat, which worried John greatly. Craig constantly told his father to get a new eyebot or scrap Ed-E, much to his father's displeasure. They didn't know just how special Ed-E meant to John.
"Hey buddy. How ya holding up?" he asked rubbing Ed-e's cold shell with care.
"Beep boop" Ed-e responded, a cheerful tone to his usual robotic voice.
"Yeah dad? What is it?" Craig asked, confusion in his tone.
"You're going to fight that thing…aren't you?" Wendy asked, sadness in her voice.
"Yes…that's right Wendy." John admitted, realising that this was not going over well.
"Dad No. You are not facing that thing alone. Not without help." Samantha stated, pointing her finger at her father.
"Look, I need to do this." John explained, frowning at his kids and grandchildren.
"I'll get my rifle." Arcade stated, ready to help his father.
"No…No no, Arcade. I am doing this alone." John confessed, leaning on his cane.
"You're not standing up to a securitron all alone!" Samantha stated, trying to talk her father out of his crusade.
"Sammy, honey, your mother couldn't convince me. Now she has won every argument we have ever had, and you think you can change my mind?" John asked, a smile crossing his face in an attempt to calm down his family.
"Dad, this is suicide!" Arcade barked, stating what was on everybody's mind.
"No…its protecting those I love." John explained, a poor smile on his face full with misfortune.
"And you won't let those who love you, protect you?" Craig asked, anger in his tone.
"No, not this time." John stated, remembering the people who died trying to protect him.
Besides… I won't be alone… Will I boy?" John continued, nodding towards the eyebot.
"Beep Beep Beep" Ed-E responded, his determination clear in his sounds.
"Ed-E's lasers are shot, he can't help you." Craig responded, his reasoning sound but rather insulting to the eyebot.
"Beeep" Ed-E responded angrily, shaking in mid-air.
"He's not deaf you know, Craig?" John pointed out, smiling to himself at the old Eyebots frustration.
"Dad…Please. Let us help you." Samantha pleaded, catching her father's attention.
"Let me ask you all something. How many lives are you willing to end, to save an old man?" John asked, smiling at his family.
"I don't know." Craig answered, feeling like he was being asked this question.
"One Hundred and twenty." John stated, as his frown increased.
"That's how many people live in this town. And whether they want to help me or not, they will die if I don't do something. I won't let that happen." John explained, as he remembered some of his fallen friends.
"You can barely walk!" Arcade continued, catching his father's attention.
"I know that! I am reminded of that every day I wake up, and can't stand on my own two feet." John explained, raising his stick in anger and frustration.
"And you expect to be able to take on a securitron?" Samantha asked, expressing the deep concern she had for her father in her tone.
"No…but I am going to try." John admitted, facing the probable fact that this could be his last showdown.
"Dad…" Samantha started, tears welling up her brown eyes.
"Honey…You are my treasure's. Hell you mean more to me than all of the Sierra Madre ever did! So Drop it….You can't change my mind." John explained, as he turned towards the door.
"Now let's go inside…Dinners almost ready." John smiled, as his limped back into his house.
That night, John sat on a familiar gravesite in goodsprings cemetery to watch the sunrise. The cemetery had remained the same, even after all the years that passed since that night. Sure graves had been added over the years, but the cemetery always had the same open grave. An empty grave, left untouched for years and used only once. Ed-E floated up to his friend, and began hovering around him.
"Hey Ed-E… wanna join me in watching a sunrise?" John asked, as he sat in his own grave.
"Bee-Beep" Ed-E responded, dropping to the ground no longer sustain his hovering.
"Oh carful there pal…" John cautioned, running his hand along the cold metallic shell of his friend.
"Beep-Bop." Ed-E beeped, as John positioned him in what he believed to be a more comfortable position.
"There we go…better?" John asked, as he turned towards the brightening sky.
"Beep –Beop" Ed-E responded, a reluctance and tired tone in his beeps.
"Why now? Why did this shit have to happen now?" John asked, watching the sky and waiting for the sun.
"Life has a way of punishing you for the mistakes you make." Ed-E played the familiar voice over his recording, reminding John of his former Allies.
"He was right…" John smiled, reminiscing on the man who spoke those words.
"Beeep..." Ed-E's voice began crackling and became weak.
"What's wrong Ed-E?" John asked, as he looked over towards Ed-E.
"Looks like it's time to cash in…" Ed-E's playback stated, as John became horrified at what this meant.
"No…No come on pal. Make it through one more sunrise…Please!" John begged, as he began shaking the eyebots head in his hands.
"Beeeee…"Ed-E responded, his voice now silent as the life drained from his circuits.
Tears profusely ran from Johns eyes, as he cradled the dead eyebot in his arms. Ed-E and John had been through so much together, but John never wanted to outlive the kind hearted EyeBot. Ed-E deserved better, and John was going to give it to him.
That day, at sunrise, the empty grave at Goodsprings, which had remained untouched for years, had finally been filled.
That ending was pretty hard to write because Ed-E was one of my most loved companions.