I have to admit, the thought of working alongside a rodent was slightly unnerving. Now I know that not all rodents are like the ones in the Burrow. There was Mr. Big who sacrificed himself to save Onion and I, and there was that treasurer back in Hope who genuinely wished me the best. Although come to think of it, I haven't seen too many rodents in the wasteland. It was probably too dangerous for someone their size. Either that or most of them didn't want to be found. If cannibalism really is a thing out here, then rodents would probably have it the hardest. To some, they were probably just a snack.

Blanche was different somehow. Sure, I'd just met her, but already I knew she wasn't the same as those in seventy-six. The rodent residents often looked quite solemn, they never opened up to anyone, at least not a rabbit, and they always seemed to look down on the rabbits. As if they were some kind of lower class. Blanche however, despite my initial impression, was very outgoing, talkative, and, most importantly, she looked happy.

"…and then I tell them: 'No, I will NOT leave well enough alone. I rushed in there, tore at all their jugulars, and dropped them before they even knew what happened. What? Those ass-twats had it coming."

She was also very open.

"You took down four Quills just like that? But you're so… tiny."

Apparently she was also quick to anger. Not two seconds after Mark called her 'tiny' she was at his throat holding two swords at his neck, and using her tail to hover the third right below his jaw. She was fast. Very fast. I knew she wouldn't hurt Mark. It wasn't because we would gang up on her if she did, or the fact that I bet B.A.T.S. could help negate her speed. No, I knew she wouldn't hurt Mark because the second she jumped up with her swords, two of the mounted guns were trained right on her.

Despite the fact that Mark was Holly's boyfriend, it wasn't her that reacted to the sudden aggression first, but Nate. He was rather quiet, and I admit he also seemed a little nervous while Blanche was telling her stories, but when she suddenly jumped at his brother? He looked almost… terrified. It wasn't like when we were in that Burrow, no, he wasn't paralyzed but I could tell that his fear was building. I needed to stop this before things got out of paw.

"Put the swords away Blanche, he didn't mean it. Did you Mark?"

"N… no."

Blanche relaxed a bit and jumped back down to the table as if nothing had ever happened. Rather than trying to comfort her fox, Holly instead placed a paw on Nate's shoulders, as if trying to calm him down. I still didn't know if he wasn't very good around strangers, especially overly violent ones, but Holly seemed to help him. I really need to talk with them about that. The last thing we need is Nate freezing up when we need him the most.

Blanche grabbed her mug and started to drink some more, all the while constantly moving around.

"Should you really be drinking all that alcohol?" I wasn't used to drinking and I still didn't know much about it, but that had to be an unhealthy amount.

"I'm happy. I drink when I'm happy."

"But you didn't seem very happy earlier and you were drinking."

"I was sad. I drink when I'm sad."

"You just said you drink when you're happy!"

"Sad, happy, angry. I just like to drink." She threw back another of whatever she was drinking. "Another, barkeep!" despite her size, she had a very loud, yet squeaky, voice.

"You're cut off Blanche!"

"But that was only seven this time!"

"Yeah, seven large mugs! You should be dead!"

"Wait, seven of these?!" Nate held up his bourbon glass which was a decent size compared to a fox.

"No, seven of those." She pointed over towards the pool table and that's when I noticed them. Underneath were seven mugs, large enough for an elephant!

"You drank all THAT? Even I couldn't!" I wasn't sure if Nate was shocked, or horrified. Thankfully he seemed to not be as terrified as earlier, though he still seemed a bit nervous.

"I may be small, but I have a liver the size of the moon. Heck, I ain't even buzzed yet."

"'Livi, what've you gotten us into?"

"Lots of trouble I hope! Been a while since I killed anyone."

The worst part of it all? I think Blanche was serious about the killing. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, she's an ex-mercenary after all. I doubt they would let anyone in if they weren't at least slightly murderous. I really hope I didn't just make a big, horrible, mistake. I really, REALLY hope.

"Let's get back to why we're even here. Blanche, you said you can help find the Legionaries? Do you know where they are now?"

"Afraid not. You see, they're not like raiders who wander place to place looking for trouble. They only ever get paid doing a job, so when there are no jobs, they're either hanging at their headquarters, or hitting up some 'entertainment'."

"Well what about their headquarters? Couldn't we just sneak in and find their contract or something?"

"You like living Olivia?"

"Yeah."

"Then DON'T go visiting them. I'd rather look down the mouth of a deathwing than try to 'sneak' into Legionary HQ."

I forgot she hasn't met our whole team. That will be… interesting. She must have noticed the looks on everyone's faces, because hers just became a visage of confusion.

"Did I miss something here?"

Holly tried her best to retain a chuckle as she spoke. "Nope. Go on."

"…anyways, that place is crawling with defenses. It used to be some kinda prison before the war, so it was already hard to enter in the first place. Then the Legionaries moved in and fortified the whole thing. Plasma turrets, mounted grenade launchers armed with both shock and incendiary grenades. Hell, even the fence is electrified. Don't even get me started on the anti-everything weapons. Wanna go by boat? The water is mined. Wanna go by land? Minefield all over. Wanna go in by air? Guardians tried once, but failed when the anti-aircraft guns took them down within seconds. I don't even wanna begin with what's under the place."

"Hey fluff, quit the drooling over there."

"I can't help it Mark! All those toys… and I can't even play with them."

Did Holly just pout? She did! Blanche is talking about the million and one ways we can die trying to get inside, and all Holly can think about are 'toys'? I really know how to pick them. Still, if it wasn't for them I doubt I would be sitting here.

"So, any suggestions Blanche?"

"Only one. We wait."

"We don't have the time to wait! The longer these fuckers are after me, the more danger I put others in!"

"I promised I'd help, I didn't say you'd like it. Still…"

This is not what I was expecting. I was hoping that Blanche would say 'I know where it is, it'll be easy'. Then again, when has anything ever been easy for me? It didn't sound like she was out of options however. "Still?"

"There is one way that we can get in. You're not gonna like it. Hell, I already don't like it and I'm the one who came up with it!"

"There's nothing that you say, short of blowing up the whole world, that will stop me from completing my mission. What is it?"

"You'll need a Corpse Engine."

Wait… what? She doesn't mean. She can't mean! "Why the hell do we need one of them?"

"You see, besides their HQ, every outpost, and they have a few of them, is armed to the teeth in defenses. Not even the smallest bunker can get infiltrated, even by someone of my stature. However, there is one flaw that they probably didn't think of. In order to prevent their own soldiers from getting blown up, shot, or turned extra crispy, a rather unique entry key is used. The way I was told, they have special sensors that can detect a registered 'bio-imprint' that allows safe passage. Even if they stepped on a mine, as long as they were registered, it would be no better than a dud. Anyone unregistered however…" she put her fists together and then separated them while opening her paws and shouting: "Boom!" as loud as possible.

"Let me guess, you can't just use any body for this, can you?" Mark's words sounded discouraging.

"Nope. What we need is the means to make a Corpse Engine, and a newly deadened Legionary."

This plan is turning out to be much more complicated than I intended. Still, it was a plan and more than we had coming into this place. The other's seemed just as convinced as I was. From the moment she mentioned 'Corpse Engine', their reactions changed between shock, trepidation, horror, and just plain confusion.

"Well that doesn't make a lick of sense. You're saying in order to get into a Legionary base to find the Legionaries, we need to find a Legionary to get into a Legionaries' base?" Holly's logic might have seemed sound, but her words just bounced in my head without meaning.

"Now that you say it that way, horrible plan. Sorry I ever mentioned it."

"Hold up. Despite how convoluted this plan sounds, it's the only one we have. And unless we can think of another one, it's our best option."

"Well, before we cement this idea, let's get out of here. Some fresh air might help to better think before we act irrationally."

"Good idea Mark. Let's get going."

We all got up and grabbed our stuff. Blanche jumped onto my shoulder, probably in an attempt not to get stepped on, and we were on our way. That is, before we got stopped by the shotgun wielding rhino at the door. I heard a voice boom from behind us.

"Hey! You ain't going anywhere 'til you pay up!"

What was he talking about? "I thought the drinks were on the house?"

"Not you! That runt of a rat with you!"

I swear it felt like she just lit on fire right on my shoulder. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?"

"What? Runt… or rat?"

"THAT'S IT!"

She jumped off my shoulder like it was some kind of trampoline and flew through the air towards the bartender, all three swords facing forward. Damn was she fast! The turrets instantly locked onto her, but she must not have noticed. I tried to react, to grab her or get her attention, but her reaction time was so much faster than that of my own. One of the turrets fired, but either it was a warning shot, or she was faster than the bullet because it simply hit the counter. If I didn't do something soon, she was going to get us all killed.

I started to lunge forward when a flash of metal passed near me. A bullet? But why was it…

"Ok, time out!"

Where did he come from? In between Blanche and the bartender was a… mink, I think, dressed head to tail in some kind of metal armor. Not like the Guardians wear, or even some of the raiders. This was clean, shiny, and made up of small layered plates that moved with his long body. It flowed so well, you would have thought it was a second skin.

"You," he pointed a claw at Blanche, "no fighting. You," he pointed at the bartender, "stop mocking our customers. But he has a point. You gotta pay Blanche." He pulled out a small pad of paper from… he had no pockets, where the fuck did he get it from? "Let's see, combining the past three day's tab, plus the fact that you slept here two of those, despite the fact I have repeatedly told you that we are not a booze and breakfast, the total comes up to… four hundred-eighty-five caps."

"Four-eighty-five! Each glass only costs fifteen caps!"

"Yeah, seven today, eight yesterday, and ten the other day, that is three hundred and seventy five caps. Plus the fee for cleaning up after your drunken self, plus 'renters' fee for not wanting to leave. I did however deduct a few caps for finally leaving, but still that comes to four hundred and eighty five caps. Pay up."

"And what if I don't, huh? You gonna break your own 'no fighting' rule?"

"No. That's what I pay Simon for."

The sound of a shotgun cycling a round made us all turn and see that the bartender had a shotgun pointed right at Blanche. From that distance she would have been turned to paste. I had to do something. I was saving this for an emergency, and right now, that is exactly what this is.

"I thought he was the barkeep?"

"Yeah, he keeps the bar free from miscreants like her."

Before anyone else could say anything, I pushed my way into the fray and slapped a large bag on the table. "Five hundred caps."

"Olivia! That's nearly all your money!" Mark seemed more shocked at the fact that I was giving my earnings away than of what was actually happening.

"It's my money, and if it will prevent anyone from getting hurt, well then it will be worth it."

The mink walked over to the bag, opened it and started to rummage around. "Yeah, that will do. Simon."

Simon put away his gun and went back to whatever it was he was doing before. Everyone, save for Mark, was looking relived. I told him that friends are more important than money, but he made some quip under his breath about how money makes the world go around or something. I stopped paying attention to him when Blanche jumped back onto my shoulder.

"You didn't have to do that. I had him right where I wanted him."

"I guess we weren't watching the same fight then. Anyways, it's just money."

I felt the eyes of everyone on me. A quick glance around the room confirmed that they had all stopped what they were doing and were just staring at me like I just told them the world was about to end any second now. Was everyone really that greedy?

"Ok, getting a little freaked out now. Come on everyone, let's go."

The rhino moved out of the way as he opened the door to the outside. We were able to leave without any more incidents, but I could still feel their eyes on me. It was good to finally leave that place. All those, raiders in one place? The fur on the back of my neck was still standing. It was time to continue our journey, and from here out, it seems things were going to get a lot more interesting.

As we left the bar, I noticed out of the corner of my eye the rhino just staring at us. I didn't know if it was just precautionary, or if he had heard all the commotion from inside. I hope that I never need to visit that… place again. Sure, no one tried to lay a paw on me or my friends, but being surrounded by all those… raiders? If I was in one of my 'moods', I may have not taken their attitude when first arriving very well. Still, no one tried anything, and we made it out alive. No thanks to Blanche. I really hope that her sudden attitude changes will no affect us in anyway.

Nate had seemed to slip into one of his 'moods' again after the most recent incident with Blanche. He was keeping his eyes everywhere except where Blanche was sitting on my shoulder. I moved a little closer to him, to show that it was okay. I casually placed my paw on his arm, and he looked at me and started to smile. That was until Blanche had to give her two caps.

"You better not be getting all gushy around me. Holding paws, nuzzling, kissing. Makes me wanna puke."

Nate slowly moved away from me as I looked at Blanche and just stared at her.

"What?"

"Hey Onion, where's Drake at?" Onion and Drake had remained behind for backup, but I had a feeling if Drake had joined us inside, things might have done a little… differently. I would certainly wouldn't be five hundred caps lighter. I had seen Onion pacing back and forth at the tunnel entrance so I decided to change the mood around here. Plus, there didn't seem to be any sign of Drake.

"You're back Miss! I heard some commotion inside and feared the worst. Mister Drake said he wanted to 'hang', and I was just about to go get him when I finally saw you leave that place. Did you get what you needed Miss?"

"Yup. Blanche, this is Onion, my robotic companion."

"Greetings Miss Blanche."

"I don't like robots." Blanche said that in a very callous way. Was there anything she liked? Oh yeah. Alcohol and killing.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him, even if he is sometimes annoying."

"Miss! I object! I simply watch out for you and state the obvious when you are in one of your all too frequent 'states'."

"I still don't like 'em. I don't like anything without a jugular. How can I slit throats without one?"

"'Livi, you sure about this? I don't wanna not wake up one day regretting this."

"Don't worry Holly, she will behave, isn't that right Blanche?"

"As long as you give me something to drink and something to kill, I will be happy."

"Let's just say that's a start. Now, we have one more somewhere…" we stepped out of the tunnel and I glanced around trying to find Drake, but I couldn't see him. Now where did he wonder off too… "Drake! Where you at?"

He must have been resting somewhere out of sight because seconds later I heard the familiar flapping of his wings as he set down a few feet in front of us. I had a feeling she would be caught off guard, but I didn't expect to suddenly feel her tiny nails digging into my shoulder, through my clothing.

"It's… it's… a DEATHWING!"

I was afraid that she would jump at Drake with her swords just as she did moments earlier, but was actually rather surprised when she didn't. I felt her entire body shaking as she dug her nails deeper into my shoulder. The warmth I started to feel indicated that she finally broke skin.

"He's a friend Blanche, he's not here to eat us."

"F… friend? What kind of ass-twats makes friends with a deathwing?!"

"Our 'livi, that's who. Trust me, I had the same reaction when I first saw him. Mind you that I had just been taken hostage by a bunch earlier before that."

"Deathwings DON'T take hostages! They kill! They maim! They EAT!"

"Calm down Blanche, it's a long story that, one that ended with us meeting Drake here. He wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless it's a giant mutated one that is trying to kill us, then he would kill that. Speaking of which, you hungry?"

"Drake. Hungry."

"IT CAN TALK!"

"Yup. Hey Mark, toss me some of that scarab meat."

Mark tossed me a chunk of one of the insects that he had encountered on our way here. It was a good think Nate decided that they should keep some. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of my own hunger, yet alone another's. I casually walked over to Drake, knowing full well that Blanche was still on my shoulder, quivering with fear, and handed him the meat. He skewered it with his long wing talon and ate it with one bite. Just to show Blanche how much of a danger he was to us, I reached up to scratch him under the chin. I was beginning to think he liked it because now he lowers his head a bit into it. At the sound of his purring I felt Blanche's death grip on my shoulder diminish.

"See? He's just a big old softy."

"I… I. I have no words."

"Just say hi. Drake, this is Blanche, she's with us now."

"Mouse. Tiny."

The last time someone called her tiny, it caused her to become enraged, this time?

"H… hi?"

"What, not gonna go all berserk because he called you tiny?" I think Holly was getting a kick out of this. It might just be the fact that now that she knows Drake more, her own reactions to first meeting him was just as unnecessary as Blanche's.

"No fucking way you ass-twat! He'd swallow me whole!"

"Hey, no name calling. We're all friends here. Oh and Blanche? Mind removing your claws from my shoulder? It's starting to hurt."

She looked down and saw the red that had been bleeding into my clothing. "Sorry. It will clean out." She moved closer to my ear and whispered, "Do not tell anyone of this, or I will slice your throat in your sleep, got it? I have a reputation to maintain."

"So don't tell anyone that you probably just pissed your pants in utter panic? Got it."

I purposely said it just loud enough for the other's to hear, and that caused everyone to chuckle. I think I even heard a snicker from Drake, but that could have been a burp. Either way it got Blanche's attention.

"And you, if you eat me I swear, I will give you the worst case of indigestion you have ever felt."

"Mouse. Funny. Like. Mouse."

Blanche jumped to the ground and paced around muttering something about needing a drink while Mark tended to the bleeding that Blanche caused. It wasn't bad, but it sure did sting when he applied some sort of cream to it. Him massaging it into my muscles started to feel good. I have not had too many times to relax that didn't involve someone being injured, so I am sure the stress was building in them.

I had been watching Nate on and off this whole time, trying to see if his mood had improved. For a while it seemed to be very melancholy, but after Blanche's reaction to Drake, he seemed to lighten up a bit more. He still seemed a bit nervous when ever Blanche got closer to him, but that look of fear he had earlier was gone. Guess knowing someone isn't a complete psychopath helps. I wonder if he ever thought that way about me sometimes?

"Looks like 'livi is enjoying my boyfriends paws a little too much. I bet Nate is just wishing that was him in Marki's place, aren't you?"

My mind started to drift, imagining these paws were…

"Eep!" I had started to dart forward, as if trying to get away from these thoughts, and the paws causing them, when I felt a sharp pain on my shoulder. I looked at it and noticed a bit of fur missing. I glanced at Mark and saw that he must have been trying to wrap it in a bandage, but when I moved forward, it stayed behind, along with a chunk of my fur attached to the adhesive part. I saw that Nate was acting his bashful self while Holly was laughing.

"Is it always like that with her?" Blanche had moved next to Holly, but still on the ground.

"Yep. I think it's adorable."

"I am NOT adorable. Tell her Drake!"

"Olivia. Cub. Cute."

"Not you too! Gah!"

I felt my face burning, and taking a shy glance at Nate, I could tell his bashfulness had turned into downright embarrassment. Why did Holly have to say those things, why? I need to focus. I pulled my shirt over my shoulder, which thankfully had already stopped bleeding, and threw my jacket on. Trying my best to wipe whatever look on my face was off, I addressed my friends.

"Right, now back to business. We have a semblance of a plan in place, but we need to find somewhere to start. Any ideas?"

Blanche moved and jumped onto my good shoulder. "Well, you need a body, while hunting down and killing a Legionary will be difficult, I think the harder part is trying to make it into a Corpse Engine. I've only heard about them, never actually seen one."

"Well, I have, and minus a few details, they are certainly hard to differentiate from a living mammal."

"Wait, you've actually met one, and lived? Why am I suddenly regretting saying I'd help you."

"Why are people always surprised? Sure he looked dangerous, and yeah, he did somehow get a swarm of ghouls to attack a bunch of guys trying to kill us, but he seemed nice enough once I got to know him."

"Okay, you didn't tell us that part 'livi! How the hell did he managed to get a swarm of ghouls to obey him? Wait… no, it couldn't… was he, glowing?"

"Yeah, he had this greed glow to him. Met another one who was not as nice early. Managed to get a slave collar on his neck and blew his head off, but this Mr. Big fellow? He was nice."

"A glowing ghoul, inside a Corpse Engine? That's all kinds of fucked up."

"You make it seem like it's not a common occurrence Holly."

"It ISN'T!"

"Maybe not for you. I did happen to find the only talking deathwing in the world, so anything is possible around me."

"You know what? I'll take my chances back in the bar. At least they have booze."

"Nope. Your coming with us Blanche. You already promised."

"Fucking sense of moral code. Maybe that's why I could never fit in with the mercs. Those ass-twats at least had the common sense to not take on a contract from someone insane as you. Ah, fuck it, been awhile since I seen any good action. I have the feeling that if I stick with you enough, I will have my fill and then some."

"Well everything aside, is it possible that we could return to that place and at least get a sense of how these things are made before we start bringing corpses home?" Mark chimed in as a distraction and it helped to bring things back to the matter at paw.

"We could, but…"

"Don't tell me you blew that place up or something!"

"No, it's just that… Mr. Big, the one who I said saved me? He… sacrificed himself to do so, and I don't know how I would react if I saw his corpse just, laying there."

"Don't worry 'livi. As long as the place is secure, we can make sure to give him a proper burial. If he saved your life, then he deserves at least that."

"Thanks. It's a long trip, and I wouldn't want to have Drake carry us one by one, so we should start right away. I'd also like to check up on Hope to make sure they are okay, at least in passing."

"We can swing by the bunker and resupply as well. Maybe even rest depending on how late it is."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Mind if we listen to some music on the way? I have been missing it, and fluff here is the only source of it." Mark punched Nate's arm as he referred to him.

"You mean my Pip-Boar is the source."

"If Olivia asked…"

"I was gonna do it anyways." I could hear Nate mumbling as he activated something on his Pip-Boar. There was a short burst of static before the sound of music started to play. It was a rather slow song, but had a rather uplifting beat. I honestly was not one for music, not that I didn't hate it, it just tended to distract me from my work. It's hard to think when a stupid song gets stuck in your head.

"You have music on your Pip-Boar? Where did you get it?"

"Oh, this is just the Savanna Caller."

"Uhh, the what?"

"Forgot you didn't even know about the radio on your Pip-Boar. It's a… well the only radio station around here. They say it reaches throughout all the major districts. No one knows who started the Caller, or who even the hosts are, but they are constantly looking for new music and even pay good caps for something they don't have. There is also the occasional news here and there. Most just tune in for the music."

"We really need to sit down and have you show me everything."

"Ohh, you hear that Nate? She wants to see everything."

"Buh… That's not what I meant! What I meant was…"

My thought got interrupted when the music suddenly turned to static before being replaced with something that must not be normal, because everyone's attention was now on Nate's Pip-Boar.

"em/…I repeat, we need back-up on Darkwater. The Tide Breakers have been located, and we have confirmed that they have the hostage with them. We are broadcasting on all channels. Hostage has been confirmed to be…"

The message cut off as the music came back on. Who were the Tide Breakers, and what was that about a hostage?

"That's Stalker Logan's voice!" Mark's reaction was unexpected.

"Who? You know that person?"

"Yeah, he's a Stalker in Lazlo's Guardians. Sounds like they need help."

"Wait, Lazlo, as in Chief Lazlo of the Steel Guardians? How do you know them?"

"Long story, but it sounds like they need help."

Normally it was me dragging everyone to help another, and while I did want to do whatever I could to help who ever I could, this was the first time since Holly was taken that they seemed willing to jump into the fray. I wonder if I was rubbing off on them.

"The message said Darkwater, that's… up there, ain't it?"

"Yeah, it's not easy to get there unless you are near a proper access, and the nearest one is at least a few hours walk from here. Nate, can you get in touch with Lazlo?"

"On it."

Mark and Nate had a very serious tone in their voices, and Holly was starting to look ready to attack at any given moment. They must have some kind of connection with the Guardians for them to be acting like this. Even if I didn't want to help, which I could never do, they were all eager to lend their aid.

"Nothing. I think something is blocking the signal. That could explain why the message cut off."

"Looks like Plan A is on hold. Drake, can you give me a lift to the top?"

"Drake. Fly."

I had forgotten that Blanche was still on my shoulder when Drake jumped into the air and grabbed me. A small 'eek' from her reminded me.

"You will be fine Blanche. He hasn't dropped us. Yet."

"If he does, I will slice your throat before we even make it to the ground."

I wasn't sure if she was joking or if she really meant it, but I didn't think she would. Despite her gruff demeanor, I think she was more talk than bite. I just hope all of her 'stories' were at least partially true. If she buckled under pressure like when meeting Drake, we may have problems. Then again, it was a deathwing, and even partially hidden under his jacket, he is still rather intimidating. I believed Blanche had some fight in her, especially after seeing her move at The Dam. I just hope it doesn't always involve alcohol and anger issues.

We finally reached the top of the wall. It was thick enough to land on and get a good look. I took out my scope and checked out the area. Like the others said, it was a vast lake of water. It seemed to go on forever, but the water was broken up by what looked like the tops of buildings that were too tall to get completely flooded. I saw floating shacks here and there, along with other debris. That's when I saw them.

In the distance, there was one of the Guardians' aircraft hovering, occasionally strafing to dodge weapon fire. I traced the weapons and saw their attackers. It was a massive ship with large black sails on it like the boats used before the invention of motorized vessels. Two smaller ones suddenly appeared from behind a structure as I saw a tail of smoke leave them, going straight towards the Guardians aircraft. It was a missile. The impact did not destroy it but it caused it to make a rather forced landing on the roof of a building close to it. They were in big trouble.

"Drake, go get the others."

"Drake. Fly."

As he left I started to formulate a plan. The water was dark and murky, and from what little I know of it, highly radioactive. We had to find some way to close the distance between us without soaking up too much radiation. Drake had it easy, he could fly. We needed a solution, and fast. The Guardians were in danger and there was a hostage. The hostage alone made me want to help, but the Guardians, they saved me from near death.

It's time to return the favor.

—

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with another installment of Stripes in the Morning! Today's special guest is none other than the Mayor of Hope, Jessabell Swift! Now, before we start today's interview, I need to have a little public service announcement about today's chapter and moving forward. Switching up editors so you may find the grammatical flow slightly different, so if anyone notices that, you now know why. The past chapters will be revised a bit with the new flow if needed, but fear not, this has absolutely zero, and I mean ZERO impact on the story as a whole! Now that I have that out of the way. Mayor Swift, how are you doing this fine day?"

[Mayor Swift]

"It's raining, and there is an annoying zebra in my town, how does it look to you?"

[Stripes]

"Rain? Didn't notice. Now Mayor Swift, due to the unforeseen events with Olivia Spring's sudden need to leave the town, how have things been fairing?"

[Mayor Swift]

"Trade is at an all time new high thanks to her actions, but as you can see, the town has seen better days. One of our regulars has a son that has been helping here and there, but unfortunately I think the only reason he offered was so that he can insist on getting discounts from us, and raising the prices for him. Guess you aren't the most annoying mammal in town at this moment."

[Stripes]

"A mammal taking advantage of others for their own gain? What has this world come to? Sadly, that is not uncommon in these parts. I wonder if this world needs more heroes like Olivia Springs? Maybe some tiny horned magical equine with a Pip-Boar plastered to her flank who has a knack for getting in trouble? Naw, sounds a bit too far-fetched. Anywho, getting a bit off track. So Mayor Swift, I'm sure that some of our readers have been wanting to know how things are going concerning the town's opinion on the Valiant brothers, may I inquire as to the status on that?"

[Mayor Swift]

"How did you… I'm not even gonna ask, but since you mentioned it, things have been a bit… difficult. The town is divided. They all want Olivia back, but some of them think that she might be 'corrupted' by the foxes. I keep telling them that the whole thing with the Berserk-kings and the robot incident was all pure coincidence, and that they are not bad luck, but some mammals are so bound to their past that they are unwillingly blind to the truth. Every few days I manage to win over a new citizen, but it's going to take a miracle to convince everyone that none of them are any danger to this town."

[Stripes]

"Fortunately for you, miracles are plentiful in this world, but they have the tendency to occur when you least suspect it. And no folks, that isn't any foreshadowing to future events… or is it?"

[Mayor Swift]

"You are one odd zebra."

[Stripes]

"I'll take that as a compliment. I think that wraps up today's show. Tune in next time for our very first interview with the tiniest, most foul mouth rodent that I have ever meet, Blanche Tailoway! Until then folks, I will be doing what I do best and seeking out the truth, no matter where it takes us, and no matter how hard it hurts. Good bye everyone!"

[Max]

"Ho… HOLD on… Hold… Oh I just barely made it… Wait. Awwww! Damn it Stripes I told you not to start without me! C'mon! How am I supposed to keep you on the straight and narrow and add the proper amount of snark in reply to your incessant invasions of other mammal's privacy if you keep dodging me?! HEY! Get back here you slippery striped bastard!"