"You would think at least one donut would survive." Tom whined in front of the empty display case. The hulking young man sat on the stool of the Slocum Joe's diner and laid his body on the counter. In truth, he never had a donut before, but he'd seen so many depictions of them that he began to dream of them. Some of them were covered in frosting, others filled with Jelly, and some even had things like bacon sprinkled on them! Why was the universe so cruel as to not let him eat one donut?

"Tom it's been years since this place has been open. Would you really want to eat a donut that survived armageddon?" Came Aaron from the kitchen towards the back of the building. Tom merely shrugged in response, why did his friends always seem to spoil his fun? Tom began to think he had more questions about his life than he would normally allow himself to.

The two had decided that morning to go out and search the surrounding area for anything of use. There was some argument, as no one wanted to stay cooped up in their makeshift base. However, the argument fell flat, as both Tom and Aaron had already prepared themselves to go searching. So far it had been an hour since they had started their search, with very little issue thus far, but also very little reward. They were now scavenging the area just north of the Super Duper Mart, careful not to stray too far from the base.

"The place is clear, I only found a box of snack cakes. Here, if that's what will calm your sweet tooth." His friend suddenly tossed him a small red box. Quickly Tom caught it and inspected it while trying not to squish it. It was the same Fancy Lad's snack cakes he use to eat back in the early days of their adventure. They had actually managed to find a Fancy Lad Factory in Georgia, too which Tom had packed the trailer with pastries. He had stored enough to eat for a solid week, though he couldn't look at anything Fancy Lad related for a while afterward.

Now, they look like just the kind of thing that would fill a hole that a donut has yet to. Before he could tear open the packaged cakes, a thought occurred to him. Aaron lifted his eyebrow as he watched Tom put the cakes in a small traveling bag they found in the Super Duper Mart. "Have you not gotten over Fancy Lads?"

"Nat hasn't eaten breakfast, I think she needs them more than me." Tom gruffed as he stood up and grabbed his shotgun off the counter. None of them had eaten breakfast, but it seemed more appropriate to save them for the one with the smaller stomach. "Little girl needs to grow big and strong somehow."

Aaron chuckled and patted him on the back. "Alright, you big ol' softy. Let's check out that gas station before we head back."

They both walked outside the diner and began walking across the road to a small red building. It was a Red Rocket, a commercial chain of gas stations all over the country. It had a gas pump from a robotic arm popping out of the side next to two gas pumps. Tom could only assume the arm was to pump the gas while the customer waited in their car. Next to that arm was a large opening that could have been where a window once was. The building seemed to have faired better than the rest of the town, as most of it seemed to be intact.

Aaron whistled and walked to one of the pumps. An old, rusty motorcycle leaned against it, with no evidence of its owner to be found. "One day, I will have one of these." The vehicle itself, while rusty, seemed to be in decent condition. Minus the fuel core depleted, it didn't seem to be missing any parts.

"Too small for my taste. Plus I'd rather not get shot or knocked off while driving." Tom looked up from the vehicle as Aaron continued to gawk at it. They had to kill a few ghouls since they went scouting this morning, but it seemed the feral corpses had tuckered back into the depths for the day. He wasn't one to think too much about things, but he found it odd that feral ghouls were the only thing they had found thus far. So close to a big city like Boston had to have some people still alive, even if only on the outskirts. It was hard to believe that the city they were traveling to would only be filled with raiders and monsters of the wastes. Every city they visited has had at least two or three settlements that try to rebuild rather than just survive.

He entered the gas station, with Aaron soon in tow. The inside was thrown about, with even the counter ripped out of the wall. Since it was a small building, there was hardly anywhere else to look other than the cash register and underneath the counter. Tom walked out of the gas station, leaving the scavenging to Aaron while he kept a lookout. It wasn't a moment later that Aaron started jumping with excitement. "I think I found our map!"

He showed Tom a folded blue brochure that displayed "Boston: The Cradle of Liberty!" on the front. When Aaron opened it fully, it showed a map of attractions along with the roads that passed through the city. Tom thought the map was a little childish, as it had a lot of cartoon characters around the map. Most of them looked to be holding some sort of food, which made his stomach growl. He had almost forgotten he had not had anything to eat yet.

"Do you suppose we can look around to find some more important things now? Like food?" Tom said flatly.

His compatriot sighed, probably disappointed that Tom wasn't as excited as he was. "Ya, I suppose." While he was putting the brochure away in his pocket, he suddenly stopped moving. His expression changed, and Aaron was alerted by something. He looked around, and Tom followed suit. There was nothing around them that moved or presented any threat.

"Did you hear that?" Aaron spoke in a soft voice.

"No. What did you hear?"

"I thought I heard someone talking." He perked his head up again, then slowly crept to the back door. Tom followed him, and he too heard someone talking loudly. They made their way toward a red-bricked building and followed along it under an elevated walkway. As they proceeded, the talking grew louder. Tom could make out parts of it, the closer they grew. Whoever it was, didn't much care for any possibility of ambush. They continued to hug the red building until Aaron darted to the other end, next to a blue complex long fallen apart. So much so you could see into the other side if you looked carefully. Aaron urged Tom to follow behind him and peered around the corner.

Tom made his way and peered around behind Aaron. In front of them were three people at the base of what looked like a three-way ramp, jutting out to the left and right from the road. They were wearing an odd assortment of leather clothes and armor made from scraps of wood, metal, and barbed wire. Their weapons didn't look impressive either. If they didn't have your apocalypse standard barbed wire bat, it seemed they made some sort of scrap rifle put together from a metal pipe and other components too small to make out.

Tom smiled, these chumps looked too simple to be any real challenge. Yet just as he was about to move forward, Aaron stuck a hand out and stopped him. His friend shook his head, and Tom rolled his eyes. "Come on these guys hardly look like they can clothe themselves, we can take them. I mean what screams raider like barbed wire?"

Aaron had his rifle out and was looking through his scope, focusing above the three people in front of them. Tom followed his gaze and noticed a huge factory that seemed to stretch over 500 feet wide. He couldn't see exactly how tall it was, as there was a beaten-up highway bridge just above them blocking the view. There was large blue pipe routed from all over the roof, along with red ball-like containers raised above like towers. That's when he noticed figures moving around the catwalks. There had to be at least ten that he could see, all in the same attire that the three below them were wearing. When he looked back to his original targets, he noticed they were talking now to someone just above them.

Tom let out a low whistle. "That is a lot of raiders."

Aaron stepped back a bit and lowered his gun. "The fact that they haven't spotted us yet is a miracle. Those three seem like a patrol, so we better head back to the others. We need to get out of here before they start walking through the town."

"Get out? What about finding food?" Tom's stomach grumbled again to join his protest.

"It will have to wait. We can't take on a whole factory full of raiders regardless if this map helps us find Diamond City or not."

Tom sighed but reluctantly followed Aaron toward their base. He hoped along the way they would find one of those vendor bots full of something delectable.

They were now leaving the Super Duper Mart. Jerry had finished reattaching the trailer and entered the passenger seat. Tom was driving, as usual, and Nat was in the middle with them. He quickly looked over the brochure to see what alternate route he had discussed with Aaron so they could avoid the raider-infested Corvega Assembly Plant. The route took them back the way they came but headed directly South parallel to the railroad that ran towards the North. As they drove, Jerry could see just how massive the plant was as his friends had told them. He couldn't help but be nervous by how close it seemed they were driving, as anyone on top of those roofs would no doubt see a truck drive past.

"It won't be long now til word gets out someone is driving a truck around here." Jerry spoke up uneasily.

"Come on Jerry, most of these burnt-out sods hardly know how to open a door. I doubt any of them are going to know how to even shift this thing out of park." Tom said as Nat handed him one of the cakes he gave her when they first returned with the news. He continued talking as he munched down on the pastry. "I say let them come! That way word can get around what will happen if anyone tries to touch Wendy!"

Jerry just shook his head. He didn't want to attract any kind of attention until they finally found Diamond City. The trip had been frustrating enough without the worry of raiders also interfering. While the map helped him get an idea of the area of Boston, it didn't tell him where their destination was. That wasn't surprising, as everywhere with a building was considered on city back when the map was made. A city to them now is just a settlement of maybe twenty people at best. His only guess was to go further into Boston and see if there is anybody around still living there. It was a very risky move that could potentially get them all killed, as who knows what else lay in the ruins of skyscrapers. However, he didn't know what else to do.

Just as if his prayers had been answered, he spotted something moving in the distance on the right side of the road. It was something with a round body and seemed to have numerous arms and eyes protruding from its center. It also seemed to be floating. "Is that a Mr. Handy?" Jerry pondered aloud.

That got both Tom's and Nat's attention. "What's a Mr. Handy?" Nat asked curiously.

"It's a robot that most people used as servants before the war." Jerry was more sure that what he was looking at was the robot in question as they drew closer. "Tom stop the truck, but please don't stomp on the breaks."

The truck came to a slow halt, but the robot had flown away from the road. It was floating toward a rusty greenhouse, where there seemed to be more of them working on something. Jerry suddenly got out of the truck, hoping to get a closer look. Yet he couldn't see much more from where he was. "Aaron, can you zoom in on what's going on?"

Aaron did so from his usual spot at the bed of the truck, Piper standing next to him. "They seem to be... working on crops?" The scout said surprised.

"This calls for further investigation!" Piper blurted out, jumping out of the bed. "Maybe they are working for a colony we can barter some food from."

Jerry nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." He turned back to their driver. "Tom back this thing up to the greenhouse so we don't get any unwanted attention. Piper and I will go see if these robots belong to anyone."

"Hold on there slick." Stammered Tom hurriedly. "I don't exactly like being the voice of reason, but we don't know if these things are even friendly. Those floating squids can be very territorial."

"They would have fired at us already if they were. Plus I don't know about you, but I would rather die from a laser blast rather than starve any longer."

The two curious travelers walked down the dirt path toward the greenhouse. The closer they got, the more they saw of both the structure itself and the workers inside it. It was a big building with rusty steel framing, but it seemed like a lot of maintenance had been done throughout the years. Some of the glass panels had been broken or chipped away, yet some of them seemed to have been replaced recently. Piper and Jerry entered the building to see six robots working on an assortment of crops. They had mutfruit, tato, gourds, you name it they had it. Three of Mr. Handy robots were a different color than the other three. There was a white one, a green one, and a brown one. Yet among all of these robots, there was not a single human.

"Um excuse me!" Piper chimed, trying to get the attention of the robots. "Is there someone we can talk to? We are looking for some information and possibly to barter goods?"

One of the three eyeballs on top of the white Mr. Handyman rotated, staring right at Piper. It stopped what it was doing and floated to them, which Jerry would be lying if he said it didn't unsettle him.

"Welcome to Graygarden, darling!" The robot spoke in a feminine, alluring voice. "The Commonwealth's first and only hydroponics facility run entirely by robots."

"Entirely?" Jerry inquired, more uneasy. "So there are no humans here?"

"That's right darling. We are entirely self-sufficient, with no need for human guidance. I am Supervisor White, as named by my creator Dr. Edward Gray."

"Um, if you don't mind me asking. What happened to this, Dr. Gray?"

"Unfortunately, our creator met his tragic end soon after the bombs fell. However, let us not sadden the mood with such tales. How may I be of assistance?"

Jerry looked at Piper, who in turn was looking at him. Neither felt comfortable, though Jerry could tell that Piper was far more curious about their operation than he was. For she would look at, and over Supervisor White to watch the other robots at work. Eventually, it was her that spoke for the both of them. "Well, we were looking to purchase some food and ask for directions to Diamond City."

"Oh, of course, we get traders from there all the time. Why just the other day a handsome fellow in a suite..." Supervisor White trailed on, but Jerry could not keep any interest in the conversation. Why did he think it was a good idea for him to come here? Sure the robots were interesting, maybe it was because White's voice made him feel intimidated. Was he so socially awkward that even a robot's preprogrammed charm was enough to set him over the edge?

So rather than engage in more conversation, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the brochure. Opening it to reveal the map to her for when Supervisor White was finished. When she was, he displayed it to the white robot. "If you could just point us to the right place that would be fantastic."

If she was insulted by the action, she did not show it. "Yes sir, why it's right here if I am not mistaken." She pointed to the center of the map, where a large round structure was enlarged cartoonishly. Below it, in bubbled red letters, it said "Fenway Park."

Jerry looked at the picture, and he silently cursed himself. The round structure also had a white diamond triangle in the center of it, which would explain the name. Why didn't he see that sooner? Not to mention, if the structure was intact, it would be a great place to keep out all the dangers that the Wasteland could offer. Perhaps the five of them could find a home here and live in some relative safety for the rest of their lives. That would be a nice change of pace for him.

"Thank you for that." Piper said graciously, once again for the both of them.

"Not at all my dear. Now I believe you also said you wanted to purchase some of our food?"

"Yes, we haven't eaten all day so anything at this point sounds fine."

Supervisor White spun her arms around 360 degrees. Jerry could only guess that meant she was happy. "Wonderful! Now how much are you thinking about purchasing?"

It was at that moment the truck could be heard slowly backing up to the greenhouse. While it wasn't so loud it would encompass all the noise around it, its mere existence was the one thing that made the robots stop working. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea for something that normally polluted the environment to be so close to a greenhouse.

Piper smiled as embarrassed as Jerry was. "Um... a lot."

They did not get half as many as Piper originally thought. The overwhelming surprise of a robot-only hydroponics seems to frazzle her. If she had anything to record, she would write down all she could learn about Graygarden. Piper would probably be kicked out for pestering Supervisor White with a barrage of questions. If Aaron hadn't stepped in then she also probably would have filled the trailer with corn just to be able to get to what she really wanted to do. She had never been so excited in her life. In the end, they bought two crates worth of food and probably ate another crate. Although Piper wanted to stay, the rest of the gang wanted to leave as soon as possible. Especially now that they never where Diamond City was. They were on the road after they put the food in the trailer.

The gang continued down the road that followed along a river, winding from the south and pointing east. The road itself was rougher than it had been thus far. At one point there was a billboard that fell and blocked half of the curve. Piper thought they were going to have to stop, which was the last thing she wanted, but Tom managed to slip around it and continue on. Things like that were good spots to be ambushed, whether by raiders or super mutants. While their luck had been great, Piper was counting the minutes until things were going to go horribly wrong. It didn't help that the bridge they were initially supposed to turn down had a boat jammed in the middle of it. One side was stuck higher than the other, leaving it propped up on top of the roof of the ship. Jerry cursed in frustration, which was odd since he had been skittish about doing so around Nat. It just goes to show how anxious all of them had become now that they knew where they had to go. Except for Tom, who was more concerned with not banging up Wendy on any rubble.

Suddenly a finger poked her sharply on the side and she jumped. She turned to see Aaron with that smug smile he'd given Piper too many times. "Could you not do that right now?" She snapped at him.

His smile didn't waver, not until he looked off to the right. Piper followed his gaze to a huge white building that may as well have been a castle compared to the current world's state. The buildings closer to the road were more torn up, similar to the others around it. However, the main building seemed to be perfectly fine. They were separated by a long courtyard with a symmetrical concrete square pattern. A dome came off the main building, making it seem grander than what Piper thought was necessary. The pillars supporting most of the building seemed to make it luxurious enough.

"That building." Aaron began, almost too quiet for Piper to hear. "Something about it doesn't feel right."

"I mean, it is pretty intimidating. Did you see something?" Aaron didn't answer her, which only made her more anxious.

"That's the C.I.T. building." Jerry said from the cab. "The Commonwealth Institute of Technology. The Brochure doesn't say much, but before the war, it seemed to be some sort of college."

"What the hell is a college?" Tom said as he was manuevering around an old car.

"It was like a place of higher education to get a career like a doctor or a scientist. I think you had to pay in order to attend."

"Ah, so a scam. I guess the bombs did something good after all."

They continued past the second bridge, which was also broken. The side that connected theirs was torn from the road and jutting out of the water. Another bust, so Tom drove the truck further down. Piper noticed how the water seemed to be getting higher, or they were getting lower. Some of the water had washed over the opposite road and was almost touching their side. She tried not to think about the way ahead possibly being flooded, resulting in them having to turn around. That's when she noticed the light gleam out the corner of her eye, and a moment later she was on the bed of the truck with Aaron on top of her. Piper was so focused on the sudden drop that she almost didn't notice the sound of a gun being fired.

"Tom gun it! It's an ambush!" Aaron yelled as he got off of Piper and started returning fire with his rifle. The truck roared to life as Tom punched the gas pedal to the floor. Piper hadn't heard it roar like that since she had met the boys. When she tried to get up, the sudden shift forward almost made her fall again. Piper was able to get to her pistol and looked around for their attackers. She found them on the rooftops, raiders in scrap armor. Some of them jumped down to the ground to try to get in the way of the truck. She fired at the one closest, as that was the best range her pistol could shoot. She managed to catch them in the knee, making them fall and causing another to trip over them.

Piper looked into the cabin to check on Nat, Jerry had her under the dashboard while he propped his feet up. "There's a turn on to the next bridge coming up!" He screamed frantically looking over the brochure and trying to keep his head down.

She looked to see where Jerry was talking about, losing her cover to see if any more raiders were waiting. Instead, she saw the turn barricaded with walls of iron, propped up by wooden reinforcements. It would be impossible to get through that even if the truck were to try to barrel straight through it. She dropped back down and shouted into the cab. "It's no good! There's a barrier blocking the turn!"

Both boys in the cabin cursed simultaneously. "You know Jerry, I'm really starting to question your skills as a navigator!" Tom screamed, just barely missing a parked truck.

"You want to try reading the fucking map be my guest! There's should be another bridge in five minutes!" A bullet whizzed past him and landed on the cushion of his seat. He almost lost his grip on the brochure.

The gunfire seemed to be coming only from behind them now, but that didn't stop Aaron and Piper from shooting back at the raiders. Tom also was not slowing down and came up to the next bridge. "No good!" Piper shouted as she had already noticed that much like the first bridge, it too had a boat stuck in the middle of it.

"Wendy girl, the next upgrade I give you is the ability to fly!" Tom screamed though Piper wasn't sure if it was out of anger or excitement. She then decided it was the latter when the truck suddenly rose up and caught air for a solid five minutes before landing back down. It had turned out there was a pile of rubble in the middle of the road that Tom had decided was not worth slowing down for. Who knows how much air they may have gotten had the truck not had a trailer attached to it? She could hardly blame him for the circumstance, but her butt would not. When the truck landed, so did she, with a loud thud. To this day she still thinks she fractured her tailbone from that fall.

"Slow down dammit, they're in the dust!" Aaron yelled out. He had landed on his side and was clutching at his shoulder. Tom finally began to slow down, but not enough to make a gentle turn when they finally found a bridge to cross. The truck lurched to the right but caused both Aaron and Piper to be shoved against its frame. The back of the truck groaned as the trailer turned more, and Piper thought the trailer hitch was going to snap. Yet the truck proceeded on, with the trailer, and without any other complication.

Tom stopped the truck once they reached the other end, as two cars were blocking the road. Everyone was breathing heavily and couldn't find any words to calm themselves down from what had just happened. Nat bravingly poked her head out from under the dashboard and looked at everyone. She did not have an ounce of fear from the shooting but looked confused at them instead. "Did we win?"

That seemed to calm people down enough to snap them out of their trance. It was also enough for Piper to realize she was still squished to the side of the truck with Aaron. She push away from him quickly and scowled. Before he could say something incredibly stupid, she snarled. "Do not. Not one word." However, his stupid smile did not fade.

Hello everyone. Sorry for the long hiatus, as life had gotten in the way of me writing anything. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

~ Revelations