I had awoken before anyone else. Due to the dilapidated building we were in, we had simply slept on the floor. Not the most comfortable way to rest, but we didn't want to risk trying to find another shelter in the middle of the night just to be comfortable. Nate was sleeping beside me, his tail loosely draped over me. I gently moved it so that I could get up. He stirred a bit, but didn't wake up.

Mark and Holly were cuddled together not too far from where we were, but there was no sign of Drake or Blanche. It was still pretty early, the morning sun barely breaking over the horizon. It was a shame that there were so many buildings between me and the sunrise. I had been out here for… honestly I can't even remember how long it's been since I left the Burrow. I was in a coma for nearly a week, spent at least a few days before that happened, plus maybe another week… I don't think I've even been on the surface for a month! It feels… it feels so much longer. I have been through so much in such little time. I just want this to be over. I want to find the fucker who wants me so badly and just… gah! I don't even know what I will do when I find them!

"Miss? Everything alright?"

"Oh, hey Onion. Yeah, things are okay. I think. Do you know how long it's been since we left Seventy-Six?"

"By my records, it's been around eighteen days Miss, but unfortunately there are some empty data points in my system. I think there's a slight corruption in my data banks."

"I'll need to take a look at that. Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Well Miss, with everything that has happened, and with you spending time with your new, friends, I didn't want to intrude in your affairs."

"Am I detecting a hint of… jealousy, Onion?"

"No Miss, it's just that…"

I grabbed Onion and hugged him. "Oh my little ball of metal, I will always love you, but to be honest," I took at look at Mark, Holly, and Nate, "despite everything I've been through, everything I've put all of you through, it… well it feels nice to have living, breathing friends. You understand, don't you?"

"I do actually Miss. Ever since you built me I have noticed a disdain for others in you. I know you didn't really hate anyone, but you would rather sit home and 'make' friends than going out and trying to make friends. I know you built me after your mother's passing, but I've learned enough to know that she would have been proud of the accomplishments you've made, the friends you have made." Onion didn't seem like himself, he seemed more, real at this moment the way he was speaking. "Although, I doubt she would have liked how event's unfurled." And, there he is again.

"I would be lying if I said that was behind us, but I have the feeling that as long as we stick together, we'll all be fine. Where's Drake and Blanche? I haven't seen them much since last night."

"This place was too small for Drake to rest Miss, so he went to find somewhere else. Blanche joined him saying, and I quote: 'there's too much lovey-dovey stuff going on with these ass-twats, it's making me wanna puke'."

"That sounds like her. I'm gonna go and find them. If the others wake up let them know where I went. I'll be back shortly."

"Miss?"

"I'll be fine Onion."

"No Miss, shouldn't you wait until you are properly dressed?"

"What are you…" I looked down and saw that I was wearing my shirt and my panties and… nothing else. "That fox if he…" I was angry for only a second before I smiled as I looked at him. While I don't remember taking my pants off, I knew that he wouldn't have tried anything, even if he wanted to. That fox had too big a heart to do that. Hell, I wasn't sure if he could, even if I asked him to.

I went over and grabbed my pants and threw them on. I had been primarily wearing my button up shirt and jeans. I had my Hope jumpsuit, but until I was able to return there without putting any of them in danger, I didn't feel comfortable wearing it. They wanted me to fix the town, but it feels like all I've done was break it more by putting everyone in danger. As far as I know no one was hurt, and when I last left trade was reestablished, but in that time Mayor Swift was kidnapped because of me, and if I don't do something soon, others may face circumstances far worse.

I grabbed my jacket and my gun, just in case, and left. I doubt that Drake would have gone too far, he seemed just as willing to protect me as the others were. If the room we were sleeping in was larger, he probably would have not left at all. Deathwings tend to sleep hanging upside down, so I kept my eyes to the sky, looking for anything that would look like a good place for him to roost. While this was a rather busy part of the city in terms of buildings, there weren't too many places large enough for a deathwing to hang from. Most of the overpasses had collapsed, and what was left looked as if they could shatter at any moment.

There were three spots nearby that looked stable enough for Drake to roost from, but none of them seemed to be occupied. I was just about to call for Drake when I saw a small white object moving swiftly among the ruined buildings. In a matter of moments Blanche was on my shoulder.

"'Bout time you woke up."

"Where's Drake?"

"He went off to get something to eat."

"What about you Blanche, are you hungry?"

She was moving too fast to have seen it before but now that she was still, I saw a very familiar object in her paw. "This is all the nourishment I need."

"T-the sun isn't even out yet and you're already drinking?!"

"Who said I ever stopped?"

"You… never mind. Let's just, change the subject. When you and Drake first met you were downright terrified of him, what changed?"

"Dunno. Sure I was… I don't get 'scared', you got that ass-twat? But yeah, deathwings, and any predator with a mouth big enough to swallow me hole have always given me the… well, made me nervous to be around. Not to say that I haven't made friends with big lugs like him before, but, well, I was caught off guard."

"You don't have to beat around the bush Blanche, I get it, and your secret is safe with me. I just wanted to know."

"I think we're just kindred spirits."

"How so?"

"You've seen me fight. When I'm in the 'zone', the only thing I can think about is, well, killing in the most efficient way possible. I may seem savage when I'm fighting, but, you know why I always go for the throat?"

"Because you like a challenge?"

"No. Well, yes, I do, but the real reason is because it's quick, clean, and most importantly, painless. I don't just slice their throat open. I use the sword in my tail to sever the nerves in their neck. I've learned to do it so far, so fluidly, that their brain doesn't even have time to register the pain. I… I don't like pain. I've had too much of it in my life, and while I enjoy killing, I don't enjoy inflicting pain. At least not physical. That's why…" I saw her slowly move away from the spot on my shoulder where she had dug her claws into me before.

"It's ok Blanche. You didn't cause any real damage. But still, I'm glad you told me. To be honest, there were times that you had me second guessing taking you along, and part of me wanted to just let you loose once we were done. I… we all thought you were just a loose cannon, one that didn't care about who you hurt. But now? I won't tell any of them what you told me, but you've convinced me that you're not a danger, at least not to us."

"Thanks, because if you did, I'd have to slice your throat."

"Well at least it'd be painless." I winked at Blanche and we both burst out laughing.

That would have explained the drinking too I think. I've been told that many alcoholics drank to drown their sorrows, to help them forget. I had a feeling that whatever she was trying to forget was painful, something that has defined who she is now. I wanted to know, just as I wanted to know more about Nate, and his fears. I already learned enough about him to weigh down my own heart with his burdens, I don't think I could take anymore right now. I'm not going to pry, but maybe someday, she'll be just as open to me about it as Holly and Mark were about Nate.

"So… that brings me back to the question at paw, how did you and Drake…"

"I told you, we're kindred spirits. We both kill to survive, and neither of us enjoy it."

"What do you mean? I had to get him to promise me to stop eating other mammals."

"When we were at the Guardians base, all of you were getting, well, disgustingly emotional, I had gone to check up on Jezzie. We talked for a bit, shared some stories, but she was… it's a long story, suffice it to say she didn't want to talk too much about it, and since I was starting to sober up, I decided to go find some booze. Those Guardians may be all 'proper' and all, but they sure know how to drink. I managed to snag this delicious fifteen year old whiskey…"

"You're getting a bit off track Blanche."

"Yeah, booze will do that. Anyways, I had 'procured' it and started to get a bit more tipsy than usual. I was wondering the halls, not really paying much attention to where I was going, when I ended up in the hangar. Let me tell you, that place might be locked down tighter than a virgin's anus, but with my size I can get nearly anyplace. That's when I ran into Drake pacing the hangar."

"Wait, you said he was pacing? He told me that he didn't like walking on his feet, that it hurt."

"He kept saying he was hungry. I didn't know if he was a friend, or a pet to you guys, but I felt bad seeing him starving away, plus I didn't want to give him any ideas. I tried to get someone to get him some food, but all those Guardian ass-twats were too scared of him. Sure, I was too, but I figured if he hadn't killed anyone yet, he wasn't going to. So I took it upon myself to find him some food."

"That was actually nice of you."

"Like I said, I didn't wanna get eaten myself. Those Guardians really need to learn what real food is. All I found were military rations, but figured something was better than nothing. I raided a few that looked like they were meant for preds, put them on this metal cart thing and pushed it all the way back to the hangar."

I started to laugh. Blanche looked at me weird when I did. "So that's what all that was about."

"What the fuck is so funny about that, ass-twat?"

"I overheard some Guardians saying they thought that place was haunted. Said they saw transfer carts just moving on their own."

Blanche snickered a little. "Guess that is a bit funny. Hell, isn't the first time someone called me a ghost. Once I got the food back to the hangar Drake seemed very appreciative. I don't think he liked the taste, but like I said, it was better than nothing. We got to talking, at least he tried. Was a bit hard to understand how he spoke for a bit. You guys really need to teach him how to form real sentences. Anyways, after a bit I started to get the gist of what he was saying. He said that his brood mother was killed by some Baird guy…"

"And don't tell me, you two connected because your mother died when you were young."

"Fuck no! That bitch abandoned me when I was born! Apparently she said I was a cursed child or something. Had no idea who my father was, that ass-twat left the moment he found out she was pregnant with me. If it wasn't for my uncle, I would have died just a babe."

"I… I'm sorry."

"Don't be. From what I heard, that bitch would have given me nothing but hell if she stuck around. Hearing about his mother didn't really phase me much anyways. I had enough 'mommy issues' of my own to not surprise me any. It was how that Baird treated him that got my attention. From what I could make out, Baird starved his brood, performed… experiments on them. It left him, and his brood in constant pain, and they were unable to do anything about it! To be forced to endure such… torment for his whole life, it made me want to…" I saw a small tear form at her eye. The second she noticed it however, she wiped it away and gave me a 'tell anyone and I'll cut your throat' look.

"I heard about some of the stuff that fucking boar did to him, but he never really talked about it. I guess I had too much on my mind to sit and talk to him about it."

"He says you rescued him, and that he feels, well, bound to you. He doesn't think he can ever repay you, so wants to protect you from being hurt like he was. It was after that I stopped seeing him as a giant winged mouth, and as a… well, he cares. More than I think even a typical mammal would."

I never knew that was how he felt. I had a feeling he felt slightly indebted to me for rescuing him, but nothing like that. He didn't feel as if he wanted to protect me, to him he needed to protect me. He said that he was the only one Baird 'taught' to talk, but it makes me wonder how the rest of his brood feel.

"That was… thank you for telling me that."

Before Blanche could respond, I felt a gust above me as Drake landed right beside me. "Olivia. Good?"

I went over and scratched the bottom of his jaw as he started to purr a little. "Yeah, I'm good. You get something to eat?"

"Drake. Good. Drake. Full."

"Good, now that you've eaten, I think it's time to wake up everyone else."

"Drake. Saw. Foxes."

"You… you didn't see…" I leaned closer to Drake, "did Nate…"

"No. New. Foxes. Two. With. Cart."

"Two with cart? Wait, you mean you saw traders?"

"Yes."

"Traders? In this part of the city? Seems a bit fishy to me Olivia. Trader's don't usually cut through this part, too dangerous for the wagons."

"Hmm. Let's go wake the others and see what they think. Drake, you mind wearing that coat Nate made for you? Just in case."

"Drake. Do."

The three of us went back to where the other's were, but Drake had to stay outside. I didn't want him to hurt his back trying to slouch in here, especially if these 'traders' meant any harm to us. He was the ace up our sleeves. No one expects a deathwing to attack at this time of day.

"Holly, Mark, get up." I started with Holly and Mark first. Thankfully I found them a bit more… dressed than I was. If things were going to get bad, I needed Holly's guns. I really shouldn't be thinking everyone was out to hurt us, but after what we've been though so far, I was starting to get skeptical about most mammal's motives. Of course, they may be simple traders and we could use some supplies.

"Wha… what time is it 'livi?"

"It's morning. Sorry for waking you, but we have pressing matters."

"Holly… what are… what time is it?"

"I already asked that brushbutt. What's the matter 'livi?"

"Drake saw two traders coming our way. It might not be anything, but I want us all to be prepared in any event."

"Yeah, good idea. Marki, get your fluffy butt up and get ready."

I went over to Nate while they were prepping themselves. He was still laying in the same position as when I got up. I didn't want to wake him, after everything we went through emotionally yesterday, he needed the rest, unfortunately this world doesn't seem to like it when you rest.

"Nate, hey Nate, time to wake up." I spoke softly, gently shaking his body, but he only readjusted himself, never actually woke up.

"You sure did tire him out last night 'livi."

"Wha… no I didn't! I swear, nothing happened!"

"I was talking about our conversations, why, did something else happen?"

"I… just help me get him up!" I have to admit, I put myself out there for that. With all the teasing she does, it's hard to tell when she's serious or not. I'll get her back one of these days.

"Nate, you need to get up." I tried a little louder when I realized that Holly was having too much fun watching me rather than trying to help. I didn't want to scare the poor thing awake, but he needed to get up. I put my face right in front of his. I remember my mom doing this when I was younger, and is usually worked. I took a deep breath and blew a stream of air onto his nose. I saw it twitch a few times before his eyes slowly opened. "Good morning sleepy head."

"Uh… morning? What t-time is it?"

"What's with all of you wanting to know what time it is? It's morning, isn't that enough?"

"I do recall you saying that most mornings yourself Miss."

"You're not helping Onion."

"What's with all the… is e-everything okay?"

"We have traders coming this way Nate. It may be nothing, but I don't want to be caught off guard. Get your stuff together."

We all started to get ready. I was mostly prepared, just needed my tool belt and backpack. We all had, mostly, slept in our clothing, so it was just a matter of getting some food in our stomachs and gathering everything. It took us about fifteen minutes to get all situated. I had asked Drake how far they were and if they were heading towards where we were exactly, but all he said was 'Close' and 'Soon', so it wasn't very helpful.

"Okay, we all ready? Mark, you seem to know your way around traders, mind taking the lead?"

"Sure. Although traders being out here seems a bit, odd."

"That's what Blanche was saying, that's why I wanna be extra careful out there. Drake? You stay out of sight, but keep an eye on us. If anything bad happens, you're our backup."

"Drake. Protect."

We all left with Mark leading the way. We kept our weapons at paw, but hidden. Mark told us that if these were legit traders, having a fully armed group approaching them would send a bad signal. Holly took the lead with Mark while Nate and I stayed in the middle. Onion trailed us, keeping his sensors open. Mark had told me once that some traders found robots very valuable, and wouldn't hesitate to try to buy, or steal, one if they had the chance. Blanche was the one acting the most suspicious about them. She hid in one of my jacket pockets mumbling something about they weren't getting her caps. Did she even carry money? I think a bottle cap was large enough for her to wear as a hat! Then again, maybe they made rodent size ones. We never had Rad! Cola, or any other bottled drinks like that in the Burrow, so I honestly had no idea. I still can't believe that caps were the official form of currency.

It only took about ten minutes of traveling before we picked them up on my scanners. After the ambush from yesterday, we were all on our toes, taking careful glances at any buildings near us for signs of snipers. I've already been fooled by a couple of traders once, I'm not about to let it happen again.

The road here was a bit clearer than the rest of the area, but there was still enough rubble to make for good hiding areas so I told Drake and Onion to keep out of sight as the five of us approached the traders. Like Drake said, it was a pair of foxes. Unlike Nate and Mark who had russet colored fur, these two had white fur, although still not as white as Blanche. They were both dressed in black robes with some kind of multi-pocketed bandoleer across each of their shoulders. They looked and dressed identical, save for the fact that one of them had a slightly narrower face.

"Greetings traders! We mean no harm, and would like know if we can peruse your wares!" Mark's voice was loud but not intimidating. He probably wanted to make sure that we didn't startle them by appearing out of nowhere.

The two traders stopped but didn't reply, instead gesturing for us to come forward. We all slowly walked, our paws at our sides to show we were not armed. So far, so good, but anything can happen at the drop of a coin. The traders made no sudden movement as they waited for us to get closer. Once we were about a hundred feet or so from them, one of the traders held of their paw in a motion for us to stop.

"Good morning travelers…" his voice seemed very calm, yet there was something… off about it.

"… we're but humble traders seeking our way." The other one, a female, finished his sentence. She had the same calm, yet off voice as well.

"Hello, my name's Mark, and this is Holly, Nate, and Olivia. We'd like to trade, but we're also wondering why you two are in an area that usually doesn't cater to traders?"

"We have been traveling,…"

"… seeking high and low for…"

"… something very specific."

The way they finished each other's sentences, so fluidly, as if they were connected through some kind of psychic link, was very… disturbing. I didn't like these two. Then again, as long as they meant no harm, it doesn't matter how I felt about them.

"Something, specific? Maybe we have what you're seeking."

"What we seek…"

"… is not easy to find."

I hope they weren't talking about my coins. I know that not many were made, and that they were very valuable, but after just recently getting them back, I couldn't bear to give them up. Maybe they were simply scavenging these ruins.

"Well, we have the knack of finding things not easy to find it seems. If you have food and ammo, maybe we can see about trading something?" Mark didn't seem very phased by their odd manner of talking. Either he has been around Drake enough, or he was very good at hiding it.

"We have…"

"… food and ammo."

"We also have…"

"… supplies and medicine."

"Do you have…"

"… what we seek?"

They were really creeping me out.

"What is it you seek?" Mark attempted a step forward, but it didn't seem to faze the traders. I let him do what he had to, knowing that right about now I wanted to just shoot something to make the creepiness end.

"We seek…"

"… what we seek."

They seemed very hesitant to respond to Mark's inquiry. That made me even more suspicious of them. Still, I hadn't sensed any aggression from them.

"Well, is there anything else you need that we might have to trade? We have ammo, and we have some caps."

"What do you…"

"… seek to trade?"

"Food, preferably something that isn't two hundred year old rations, and medical supplies are what we really need."

"Wait here, we will…"

"… gather what we can…"

"… to part with for caps."

Mark looked back towards us as they moved behind the large wagon that they were driving. I had only now just noticed that there were two bicycles attached to it side by side. "I don't think they're willing to do a normal trade. We have maybe three hundred caps between us, what do you have Olivia?"

"Not much, twenty, thirty at the most."

"I'll try to haggle them down as much as possible."

"Make it quick. Those two are creepy as hell." I just wanted to get this over with and on our way.

We waited for a few minutes, but there was no sign of the two foxes. The wagon was so large that I couldn't even see their feet or other movement. The fur on the back of my neck was starting to stand. I was getting a very bad feeling about this, but even if they did mean us harm, the two of them against the seven of us? There's no way they're that stupid.

I asked Mark to politely ask them what was taking so long but before he could utter the words, I heard a loud roar behind us. It was Drake! Before I could even respond to the noise, Blanche was out of my pocket heading in the direction of where we left him, and the rest of us had our weapons in paw.

"Mark, Holly, go check on the traders, Nate I need you to…"

"What the fuck is that?"

It was Holly who noticed it first, but then I started to feel it as well. The ground started to rumble. "Is it a quake?"

"No, i-it feels like it's moving."

Nate was right. Earthquakes seem to stay in a single place, but these seemed to move, and they were getting closer. It was then that I realized that Holly wasn't referring to the shaking ground, but rather the large object that was now moving towards us. It was a giant fucking robot! This wasn't like that one that had attacked Hope, but rather a large six legged robot with two giant claws that currently had Drake secured among them.

"Drake! What the FUCK is going on?" It had to be the traders. It had to. It was too much of a coincidence. Holly, you and I will go and help Drake. Nate, I need you and Mark to go check on the traders. If they're responsible, I'll need your tech savvy to override whatever controls they have, and if they're not behind this, which I highly doubt it, Mark, you'll need to assure them everything is fine."

"B-but I d-don't…"

"Trust me Nate, I'll be fine."

"Ain't no one hurting 'livi while I'm around! Now, you two go do what she said. We got this."

"Thanks."

"No problem 'livi. I don't think Nate wants to leave your side after everything that's happened, you just need to be a bit more… forceful with him is all."

We ran towards the robot. It was big, menacing, but it didn't appear to have any weapons on it, besides the giant claws and feet that could squash us in an instant. Drake was fighting to get free, slashing his clawed feet around, but the robot's grip on him was so tight that it didn't look like Drake was able to move an inch.

"We need to find some way to disab…"

The sounds of gun fire interrupted me as I turned back towards the trader's wagon. On top of it a turret had appeared out of nowhere and was now firing upon Mark and Nate who were attempting to find shelter. Fuck! I knew it, I KNEW there was something off about those fuckers, and now we're in danger, again because of me!

I was torn. I needed to help Drake, but Mark and Nate needed my help too. Shooting the robot wasn't going to help, my luck it would ricochet off and hit Drake, and despite the fact he can regenerate, I didn't want to hurt him.

"We need to help the others Olivia!"

"But Drake…"

"Is fine! Look, that robot isn't hurting him, it's just… holding him. Our boys need help!"

Fuck, she was right. "Drake! Hang in there, we'll find a way to free you!"

I didn't know where Blanche was, though I'm sure she was trying her best to help Drake since that's the direction she ran off in. We turned and headed back towards the brothers. They had found shelter but every time they tried to take a shot, the turret responded faster, pinning them in their position. It wasn't long until the gun was trained on us.

We had to find shelter before the guns tore us apart. We were still a few hundred feet from where they were and the sound of the gun was making it hard to shout over to them. That robot wasn't acting like an autonomous one, so I figured it was being directly controlled from that wagon.

"Holly! You think we can just toss a grenade to disable the turret?"

"Are you kidding? It's too far, and we might hit the boys."

Fuck. There had to be something we can do. Even if I had a remote on me, I couldn't throw it that far. If only I had some kind of gun that… I'll have to save that for another time, I don't even have the parts to make one on me. Remote hacking was out, blowing it up was out, what else could… what the fuck was that fox doing?

"What the hell is that fox doing. Nate!"

Holly tried to yell at Nate, but the sound of the gun fire drowned her out. Nate kept trying to poke his head around the side of the barrier they were behind, only to withdraw it before getting shot at. Why the hell was he doing that? Then I noticed something glowing in his paw. I dug out my scope and took a better look. It looked like… one of the plasma rifles fuel cells? Where did he get that?

He poked his head out two more times before pressing his back against the shelter. He held up the cell and it started to glow brighter as he chucked it over his shoulder. Did he… he did! Both him and Mark were now popping their heads out, drawing the attention away from the flying green object. It finally landed right next to the wagon and rolled under it seconds before engulfing the entire thing in a glow of green fire.

Once the turret stopped firing, Holly and I ran towards the brothers.

"What the fuck was that!" I grabbed Nate and hugged him.

"I… I had to break your p-present. I'm sorry."

"Present? What present?"

"That doof was gonna try to reduce the size of that plasma rifle for you without bothering with a work bench." Mark was pointing at the plasma rifle on the ground which was now in pieces.

"I made a… plasma grenade out of it."

"You're a genius!" I kissed him before suddenly pushing him away. "We need to go check on Drake!"

The wagon was a flaming pile of plasma and debris, so I doubt either of them made it out alive, we needed to make sure that Drake was alright. As we got in range of the robot, my hunch was proven to be correct. It had stopped moving, but the claws were still gripping onto Drake.

"Drake! Can you get yourself free? We stopped the robot!"

"Drake. Try. Claw. Strong."

"He can't get out of it. Quick! We need to find way to open those claws!"

I couldn't tell if they were pneumatic, hydraulic or some other type of unit. I searched around the robot for anything that could release the claws but it was no use. This thing was massive compared to me, even compared to Drake it was a bit on the larger size.

"It's a p-pre-war construction bot."

"You know this thing Nate? Any way to loosen the claws?"

"It was designed to keep its grip on material in case of a power failure. It was a f-fail safe to prevent injury."

"Fucking thing! There has to be a way."

No sooner than the words came out of my mouth did the robot suddenly release its grip enough for Drake to wiggle free of it. As he fell he stretched his wings out and lifted back up, taking his large foot claws and slicing clean through the metal claws, sundering them in pieces. The way the robot held Drake, it was as if they knew he could slice his way through it.

"That's what they were 'seeking'."

"What's that 'livi?"

"You know how they seemed very hesitant to tell us what they were looking for? I think Drake was it! Look at the size of the robot, how it was able to hold him in such a way as to prevent his claws from damaging it. They must have planted that robot and kept us busy while those fuckers captured him.

"But why, why go through all that trouble?" Mark was just as concerned about it as I was.

"That's easy." Blanche was resting on the top of Drake's head. "A walking, talking, deathwing? You know how many people would pay to have one?"

"Blanche! Where did you go?"

"I had to get this big lug free, and the one thing the ass-twats who built this didn't consider is a tiny mammal like myself being able to crawl through the tubes that protect the wiring. All I had to do was slice my way through until I found whatever was keeping the claws closed."

"That's brilliant! Who said being small wasn't advantageous." I was really impressed with Blanche. I remembered the hippo in the armor as well, and how after he died, Blanche crawled out of his armor.

"Let's go see if anything…"

There was a massive explosion that came from behind us. We turned and ran until we saw that the wagon was completely gone, a giant crater now covered where it was. There wasn't anything larger than a few inches left of it.

"The plasma fire must have ignited some explosives."

"Well fuck. I was hoping we could salvage something from that. Other than that… experience, everyone alright?"

"Drake and I are good, although he says his arms are a bit sore from being held. He's gonna walk a bit." Blanche was sill perched on top of Drake's head. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was smiling. They both were.

"As long as you're good with that Drake, I know you don't like walking on your feet."

"Drake. Good."

"Mark, Nate, how are you two?"

"A bit shaken by this, I think we both are, but hey this doof saved us, so it's all good."

"I… I'm sorry I had to ruin your gift."

"Aww, it's ok Nate, it's the thought that counts. Plus…" I walked over to Nate and placed a finger on his nose, "I think I might have something even better in mind, and I'm sure you can help me with it." I gave him a big smile. That was a mistake.

"Ohh, you better watch out Nate! Olivia is sounding a bit frisky!"

"Holly!"

Nate looked worried, and I wasn't sure if it was from what I said or Holly said, but after her and Mark started laughing it caught on. I broke out laughing to and even Nate started in, although with a more nervous laughter.

"Enough with the emotions you ass-twats!"

It wasn't the best start for a day, but we were all alive, and happy. That's all that matters. Even Blanche seemed to be a bit happy as I heard her and Drake talking to each other. I tuned it out, not wanting to invade in their privacy. I hope Holly was doing the same, I didn't think teasing someone like Blanche would be a very good idea. Then again, I wasn't sure if Holly even had limits.

"Oh, by the way, I heard from a little robot that 'livi woke up with no pants on, got anything to say about that Nate?"

Nope, she had no limits, but still, she was family now. If I have to put up with that to be happy, then that's not a bad price to pay. Not a bad one at all.

—

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning coming at you live from, hmm, I actually have no idea where we are. Never the less, we're here with the brothers Valiant for today's episode. Good morning Markus and Nathan. How are you this fine day?"

[Mark]

"Um, hello. Who are you?"

[Stripes]

"What? You don't recognize the wasteland's favorite zebra?"

[Mark]

"Oh, yeah. You. What do you want?"

[Stripes]

"Just a simple interview with you and your brother. Much has happened since we last met up. So, tell me. Now that you two have spent some quality time with Olivia, how has your opinion changed on her?"

[Mark]

"She's really the best thing to have happened to us, especially for my brother. Unfortunately, there really aren't too many good mammals out here these days."

[Stripes]

"That is the sad fact of the matter. It takes forever to build a world up to be good, but it can be corrupted way too easily. Are you ever afraid that such a corruption could take hold?"

[Mark]

"No. I think even she's too good for that. Sure, there are moments, but in the end her will to help seems to be greater than any corruption."

[Stripes]

"You've been awfully quiet Nathan, what are your opinions on the matter?"

[Nate]

"W-well… S-she's… Different. She cares a lot… A-About us a-and anyone who needs help. Sh-sh-she's r-really nice too a-and I don't th-think she'd be e-easy to c-corrupt. I-I-I don't th-think that'd be possible."

[Stripes]

"So Nate, it seems you've taken a bit of a liking to the giant deathwing among the group. Why is it that while most would cower in fear at one of him, you of all mammals seem to show to fear over him?"

[Nate]

"O-Olivia trusts him… so, I do too. He's… he hasn't s-shown any ill will towards us. Even he is nicer to us than other m-mammals we've met."

[Stripes]

"I see. Well you know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Let's see, I had a few more questions, now where did I put my notes… Max, you got anything to add while I gather my thoughts?

[Max]

"Well… I'm not really sure what to ask you two. Honestly I would've tried to set this up before-paw but SOMEONE here had to go ahead and rush us into it… I'm glaring at you Stripes. I do have one question for you both though. Why after all of this time and all the dangers you've already faced. Why are you willing to follow this crazy rabbit all throughout the wasteland?"

[Mark]

"Call us crazy if you want, but Olivia? She's something special. Really special. She was brought out here to do something big for this wasteland and well, I guess you could say we wanna be there when that happens. She's important to us too. With what she's done for us three, what she's done for Nate? There's no way, NO WAY we're gonna leave her alone out here. She needs that kind of support and friendship. It's too rare out there otherwise. Nate though, I think he has other reasons for following… Don't ya buddy?"

[Nate]

"W-well… I-I-I… Th-that is… um… "

[Stripes]

"Okay, I think I got everything in order. So, this question is for both of you. We recently found out about Olivia having fox DNA in her genetic structure due to, well a fox and a rabbit procreating in the past. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

[Mark]

"To tell you the truth, I was pretty shocked at it. I like to read and have read nearly every scientific and medical journal I've come across and never once did I see anything about it. Foxes aren't the most well liked mammals, and I know that even in the past that's been the case. But to hear that even back then there were mammals of opposing species that cared for each other enough to undergo genetic manipulation to allow them to have children? It gives me hope that there may still be others besides Olivia and Holly who don't see us foxes for what everyone else does."

[Stripes]

"That was rather touching. How about you Nathan?"

[Nate]

"I-I don't really… she likes me… us for w-who we are, not what we are… that's all that matters to me…"

[Stripes]

"Speaking of which, you recently proclaimed your love for Olivia, but she has yet to do the same? How does that make you feel?"

[Nate]

"Sh-sh-she d-doesn't… I… I d-don't n-ne..N-need."

[Max]

"God damn it Stripes! I told you to get rid of that question! The hell are you thinking?! Y-You don't just go up to a fox and ask that kinda thing! Aargh! This is why I tell those idiots in production to let me screen your questions before you ever get them! Ooh I am so making changes when we get back to the station. SO. MANY. CHANGES! You hear me Stripes?!"

[Stripes]

"Well then, on that note I think we should wrap up today's After Show. Thank you once again for joining us, and tune in next time when we catch up with Olivia Springs again. Hopefully this time when she is in a better mood. So until next time, take care everyone as I continue to bring you all the truth, no matter how hard it hurts!"

[Max]

"Oh don't you pretend I'm not here you overgrown pony! We're gonna settle this right now! Gary grab my shotgun! HEY! Get back here you over gro-"

-Station has cut broadcast, we apologize for any listener interruption.-