For the first time in a while, I had pleasant dreams. Usually when I got to get some sleep, I was either too tired to remember any of my dreams, or had reoccurring nightmares from some traumatic event. Lately it's been more of the latter than the former, but thankfully I had a certain fox here to comfort me during those horrific dreams.

The dream I had was of Nate and myself living together in a small home looking over a lush field of colorful flowers and green grass. It was a very simple dream, but one that brought a smile to my face just thinking about it. Since leaving the Burrow I haven't seen any plants that weren't withered or petrified. It made me wonder if a place like my dream even still existed. Glancing at my Pip-Boar near the bed got me to also wondering why I was awake in the middle of the night.

A very loud and guttural noise answered that question a few seconds later.

"Nate! Hey Nate you sleepy head, wake up!"

"Murble?" Nate muttered something incomprehensible before rolling over and falling back asleep.

That fox was harder to wake than opening a can of Hungry Maw without a tool. I shook him a few more times to no avail and decided to just check out this noise on my own. I threw some clothes on and was startled by the noise again as I left the room. I looked around and saw that the door to the other sleeping area was slightly ajar. That's when I realized that the noise was coming from in there. I pushed open the door and nearly startled Mark and Holly, both looking very groggy and annoyed.

"What the hell is that noise?"

"It's her 'livi." Holly pointed at the sleeping giraffe.

"Jasmine? What do you…" I was interrupted by the loudest, most earth-shattering snore I had ever heard. If we had pictures hanging on the wall, I'm sure they'd be visibly moving.

"It started half an hour ago. She'd been quite enamored with Marki's book collection before she fell asleep. That noise is driving me up the wall!"

"Have you tried waking her?"

"She's as sound a sleeper as Nate is. Holly and I tried everything short of firing off my cannon next to her."

"Please don't do that. We wanna wake her, not scare the crap out of her. And before you say anything, no, I will not have Onion shock her either."

I moved over to her head and was nearly deafened by another snore. That girl sure has some lungs on her. I tried calling her name, gently poking her face, and otherwise trying to be as annoying as I could in order to wake her. At least the smile on her face showed that it wasn't an unpleasant slumber, at least for her.

"So, should I get my gun?"

"No. How about you stay in the other room? When she gets up we can explain her… predicament and find a better solution."

"Well there is room for us all in there, but… well…"

"But what? What are you trying to say Holly?"

"Well, Mark and I are rather awake now, and after last night, well…" Holly was rather good at irritating me by beating around the bush.

"Last night? What the hell are you… oh. Oh! You mean… yeah that ain't happening with us in the same room."

Holly was giving me a sly smile while Mark just seemed embarrassed to be seen with her.

"With Jasmine in the room, we weren't ready for an audience just yet…"

"Holly! Just… Mark, help me wake Nate, he's your brother after all. I can barely get a word out of him before he falls right back asleep."

"Well I do happen to have a fool proof way of waking the doof up. Let me go work my magic."

I followed Mark into the other room. I still can't help feeling that Holly was basically alluding to the fact that her and Mark wanted to have sex, but what's worse is the fact that Nate and I were what triggered it. It was bad enough that my mind was still wrapping itself over the whole thing between Nate and I, but to include the image of Mark and Holly doing the same thing? I think my headache was coming back.

When we got into the room Mark went up to the side of the bed Nate was facing and looked back at me and winked. He then proceeded to pinch and flick both of Nate's ears before pinching his nose. Within a few seconds Nate snapped awake and jutted into a sitting position while letting out a rather cute sounding sneeze. His eyes were wide open as he looked at us confused.

"Did I miss something?"

"Oh, you mean you didn't hear the unnatural moaning of a giant ogre laying waste to the bunker?"

"Ogre? What are you talking about Holly?" Jasmine's snore, while much more subdued over here, still caught Nate's attention as his ears twitched. "What is that?"

"That would be Jasmine sweetie. Apparently she snores. Loudly." I think loud was an understatement at the moment.

"That's coming from her? But her voice sounds too sweet and calm to…" Her snore cut him off as I saw his ears twitch again.

"Yeah. From a medical standpoint, I think it has something to do with whatever they did to her jaw. It's probably causing her snores to be amplified by the metal. She sleeps so soundly that she probably doesn't even know she does it." It almost sounded like Mark was trying to defend her. Hopefully this means that they've accepted my decision to keep her with us.

"Is there anything we can do about it Mark? It's not like we can tell her she's not allowed to sleep." I had just started to sleep decently, I didn't want to give it up.

"Well, I remember reading something about a snore-aid, I might be able to put something together with Nate's help, but we'd need her awake to test fit it, so it'll have to wait until morning."

"Well since you two are planning to…" I trailed off and saw Nate was looking at me a bit confused. I turned to him and shook my head, "you don't wanna know. Maybe Nate and I can move into the garage or something?"

"What about the workshop?" Nate still sounded sleepy, but much more coherent than before.

"Workshop? That… I like that actually. To be honest I was kinda missing sleeping in the same room I worked. You don't know how many times I woke up dreaming of some new gizmo and want to start building while it's fresh in my head."

"I know that feeling all too well actually. That's why before you moved in I often fell asleep in there."

The way Nate said 'moved in' made it sound like we had just gotten married. Although, in a way it was kinda true. How the marking was explained sounded an awful lot like marriage, at least from what little I knew about it. From the small reddening of his ears I wondered if he caught on to it as well? Not that it would be a bad thing.

"Well, sounds like a plan then. Wait, the workshop is where Onion charges. There probably won't be room for him, will there?"

"No, his charging pad is right where the bed would go."

"Hmm…" I didn't wanna just kick Onion out of there, nor do I wanna throw him into the garage like some piece of machinery. The only reason Drake lived there was due to his size…

"You okay Buns?"

"Oh, sorry Nate. Just thinking."

"About… Blanche?"

"No actually. About, Drake."

"He's been on my mind too. I never thought I'd hear anyone say this, especially myself, but I miss that deathwing."

"Me too sweetie. Me too."

"I tried to contact him, but I think his transponder might be damaged, but I'm sure he's okay. He's a deathwing, they're not that easy to kill."

"Yeah, but I can't help but worry."

I felt Nate's tail wrap around me as his arms followed, giving me a gentle hug. I felt more pressure added as Mark and Holly joined in. I know emotions were all over as to what happened to Blanche, and I'm glad they were giving me time. I still couldn't help but to blame myself for what happened to her, but Holly was right. I had to stop throwing my life away to help others, otherwise, who will be there to protect everyone else?

There was one thing we all shared our thoughts on though. We all missed Drake.

"Miss?"

"Oh, Onion. We wake you?"

"You know robots don't need sleep Miss. I had just finished my charging when my sensors picked up a rather loud and disturbing noise."

"Oh, yeah. That's just Jasmine. She snores apparently."

"Snores? I thought we were under attack! I had wondered if my sensors were on the fritz when I didn't see any signs of intruders."

"We have a plan, sort of, but that involved a little rearranging of the place. Hey Onion, Nate and I thought about moving a bed into the workshop so we can give Jasmine her own room, but then I remembered that's where your charging station was."

"Well you needn't worry about that Miss. I can charge anyplace. The garage will suffice."

"You sure Onion? I mean, we can put your charger wherever."

"It's the most logical place. I was going to suggest that to Mister Valiant here when we first arrived, but when Mister Drake was placed in there, I was… well I was afraid he'd eat me."

"They don't eat robots Onion, at least, I don't think they do."

"Well suffice it to say, that rather unconventional fear is gone from my processors, so even after his return, I shall be quite happy to be there."

I think even Onion missed Drake, even if he didn't outright say it.

"Well then, if that's settled, Mark, Holly? Mind moving the charging pad while Nate and I start to move the bed?"

"Sure thing 'livi. C'mon Foxy, let's get this thing to the garage."

It took about half an hour to get everything, and everyone situated for the rest of the night, but when we were done, we all went our separate ways. It was nearly four in the morning, and I was still very tired. While we could still hear Jasmine's snore, it was quiet enough that I think it'd be fine, but after three snores, I realized that It was still rather hard to sleep. I tried to grab a pillow from under Nate, but I think I shocked him when I grabbed his tail instead. I was about to let it go but it's fluffy fur felt nice as I gently wrapped it around my ears. It didn't help with the noise, but it did help with making me more comfortable.

I felt him turn slightly as his arms wrapped around me, drawing me closer to him. I think he liked the fact that I told him how I felt laying against his bare chest, because he no longer seemed hesitant or bashful undressing around me anymore. At least while we were alone. Nate pulled the covers over us as I pressed one ear against his chest. The rhythmic beats, along with his own warmth, helped me forget all about the snoring coming from a few rooms over as I finally fell asleep.

"Olivia! Wake up!"

"Huh?" It took me a moment to realize that Mark had just burst into the room frantically.

"Mark! Don't go barging in like that, what if she's not dressed!"

"What if Nate isn't dressed?!"

"Not like I haven't seen it before…"

"Now's not the time for teasing Holly! Olivia, you gotta get up, we just received an emergency message from Hope!"

The moment my brain registered what Mark said, I jumped out of bed in a panic. "Hope?! What's going on?"

Mark and Holly stood there for a moment, jaws held open as if they were both in the middle of saying something. "What? What's going on?"

Holly flung her paw over Mark's eyes. "'Livi? You, uh, might wanna get something on…"

I was about to question her when I suddenly found myself wrapped in the blanket I was just buried under, Nate hurriedly moving in front of me, his arms outstretched.

"So… thing… happening? Y-you were saying… something Mark?"

"What's going on? And why the sudden… I'm naked, aren't I?" Fuck. I'm gonna hear about this later from Holly, I just know it.

With Holly's paw still on his face, Mark blurted out, "Hope is under attack!"

"WHAT?!" Holly's teasing, me being naked in front of them, all of it melted away the moment I heard those words. "Is it the Legionaries?"

"Worse. Red-Necks."

"Red-Necks! What the fuck do they want?!"

"Calm down Olivia! You're gonna give yourself a heart attack at this rate. They… they want… Jasmine…"

Jasmine had said that they would be coming after her, but I didn't know it would be this quick! "If they're after her, why attack Hope? That's the last place we'd take her!"

"The details are unclear, but their demands are crystal. They want Jasmine in exchange for Hope's safety."

"Well they certain as hell aren't getting her! I'd rather turn myself over than let that happen!" I felt Nate's paws tighten on my arms as I realized what I had just said. "I-I… I'm sorry." I put my paw on one of his, "I don't… I don't mean it like that. I'm trying, but it's hard to break you know?"

"I do." Nate's voice sounded both reassuring and worried. I don't think he liked my outburst, but I am trying, I really am.

"What's…" Jasmine was outside the door, her words broken up by a massive yawn, "going on?"

"The Town of Hope is under attack… by Red-Necks."

Jasmine shrunk back at my words. "T-t-they… I-I c-c-can't…"

With the blanket still wrapped around me, I pushed past Mark and Holly and stood next to Jasmine. Any other mammal I would have hugged her to comfort her, but that was difficult with her size. I waved to her and she either understood, or it was simply a reaction, but she bent her neck down, placing her head at level with myself. I wrapped my arms around her neck.

"I already promised you that we will not let them hurt you. As long as I have an inch of life in my body, I will keep that promise, but we need you."

"W-why… m-me…"

"You know the Red-Necks. You know their strengths… and weaknesses. We need that knowledge right now. I won't ask you to fight, I actually don't want you to. It'll be too risky, but we can't leave you here either. If they found you through me, then there's no telling how else they can find you, and I wanna make sure that I'm there to protect you if that's needed."

"Y-y-you… y-you mean t-that?"

"Yes, I do. Ask any of them, a promise like that is one I'm willing to die for. Actually it's something that's proving very difficult to deal with."

"I-I… I w-will try… to h-help. Please, d-don't let t-them k-know I'm…"

"The way 'livi acts, they'll probably be dead long before they can even bother to ask."

"Hey! I haven't killed everyone I ran across." Although I hate the fact that it was close.

"She's right though Jasmine. I haven't seen a rabbit as crazy, or as loyal, as she is. If she promises your safety, it's almost guaranteed."

"A-almost?" Jasmine seemed to be taking it better… mostly.

"Well, no one lives forever…"

"Way to give such a reassuring speech Holly."

"Someone's gotta be optimistic."

"Anyways, Nate threw together something for you Jasmine, it's in the room near your bed. While I'm not expecting you to fight, that dress really isn't fit for the battlefield."

I think Jasmine blushed a little. It was hard to tell from this angle, but she stood up, tried to brush away the creases in the dress and turned back towards the room. I did feel bad for dragging her with us, but I didn't wanna waste time having her tell me what I needed to know before leaving. She would have to fill us in on the way there.

"I'm gonna go get Onion and you guys gather your stuff. We head out in five."

Jasmine was feeling much calmer than she was earlier, but then again she was also very uncomfortable being squeezed in a vehicle two times too small for her. She managed to get into a position where she was facing all of us, but she took up the entire side of the APC, while we all squeezed into the other side.

She started off with their gear. Despite these Reclaimers being an elite force, they still used the same gear as all the Red-Necks. Apparently it was easier to find parts and repair them if everyone used the same thing. She told us that the tanks and the hoses were lined with a bulletproof material, that anything short of a high caliber round wouldn't be able to penetrate. I suggested using the guns attached to the APC, while Holly developed a large grin at the mention of using those guns, Mark had to butt in and inform us that blowing the tanks, especially if they were within Hope, would potentially start a fire. Jasmine confirmed this saying that the fuel was designed specifically to make it spread fast and burn hard. I couldn't risk that, so the guns were out of the question. For now.

I asked Jasmine what they did for those who were out of range of their flame weapons, and she informed me that while the flamers were their primary weapon, they were free to use anything else as long as they were trained in it. That got me thinking and asked her what she was trained in, and told us that she didn't really like using anything close range, and played around with a sniper rifle, thinking it was an excuse to stay as far away as possible from any fire attacks, but she never got very good at it.

The last thing she informed us about was that the Reclaimers typically had one or two slaves with them. I had forgotten about them buying slaves. "I thought giraffes weren't considered slaves once they joined?"

"They don't just buy giraffe slaves. They buy… any mammal smaller than a wolf."

"What do they use them for? I thought Red-Neck forces were made up of only giraffes?"

"T-they… t-they…" she started to whisper, as if ashamed of what she had to say, "u-use them as… b-bombs…"

"Bombs! What the fuck does that mean?!"

"'Livi! Your scaring her!"

I looked at Jasmine and saw that my sudden outburst had put put fear into her face. She still wasn't used to me, and I was still not used to controlling this sudden anger.

"I'm… sorry. I wasn't aiming that at you, it's just… what do you mean, bombs?"

"T-they strap a t-thermobaric explosive t-to them…"

"Fucking hell!" Holly's sudden outburst made us all face her. "Sorry, it's just… those are nasty. They use the oxygen rich air to create a very intense, and long burning fire. If even one of them went off…"

"That's how they attacked Beaverton, isn't it?"

"Y-yes…" I knew it wasn't her fault, but she still sounded ashamed at herself.

"Why do the slaves even let them? Don't they try to fight it?"

"S-some try, but they are… t-tortured. So much t-that when they are u-used… they would r-rather die than face more t-torture."

"That's horrible. That's more than horrible, that's downright disgusting! We need to…" I felt my paws clenching so much that I felt my nails starting to dig into my palm. It was Nate's touch that calmed me down. "First things first. We need to save Hope. Then, maybe the Guardians can help wipe those Red-Necks off the face of the planet, then maybe you can finally start to live a normal life Jasmine."

We arrived at the outskirts of Hope. Nate parked the APC behind a small building as all of us except Jasmine piled out. Normally I would leave Onion behind, but after talking with Jasmine about any of their potential weaknesses, I had an idea that might make use for him. Nate informed me that there was a communicator in the APC tied to his Pip-Boar, so after showing her where it was, we were off towards the town.

Right away I saw two Red-Necks at the entrance. Jasmine said that a Reclaimer squad typically had four or five, so I figured the others were inside. We could easily take them out from here, but that could potentially alert the others. I had wanted to use my remote gun, but Jasmine informed me that it was all mechanical controlled, so there was no computer to hack. Still can't believe I built that and have yet to find a reason to use it. However…

"'Livi? What are you doing?"

I had pulled out the remote gun and started to program a bullet for it. "We need to draw them out. Jasmine said there was usually four to five, so we need to get them all in the open if possible. Don't want to risk them setting fire inside the town. Plan B shouldn't fail."

"Plan B? What was Plan A?"

"Walk out there and use myself as a distraction."

"Plan B is perfect. Your getting better 'livi. So, what exactly is Plan B?"

"See those towers next to the water?" I pointed towards two tall towers with a small round object on each, "They're speakers that the Mayor has tied to a personal radio. They're all over the place. I plan to hack one of those and draw them out."

"That's my girl."

I smiled at Nate. At first he seemed shocked at what he had just let slip out, but then after seeing my smile, he started to look proud. I took aim at the speaker nearest to the water. If my plan didn't work, maybe we could push them in and poison them. That'd teach them. I only had a couple of bullets with me, and no time to make more, so I activated B.A.T.S. in order to make sure I hit my target. I heard Holly mutter something about me needing to rely less on this for shooting, but I couldn't help it. I had so much more on my mind than finding time to practice my aim.

My first shot hit it's mark and as soon as the chemicals wore off, I tapped into it with my Pip-Boar and opened a communication channel.

"Greetings Red-Neck fuckers." My voice echoed from the speaker loud and clear. "My name is Olivia Springs and I hear you're looking for a friend of mine. Tell you what. Why don't you join me out back for a nice talk, maybe throw back a few drinks, and work something out."

That definitely got the attention of the two outside as they turned towards where the speakers were broadcasting. Just as I planned, they both started to move, their heads held high as they scanned their surroundings. A third Red-Neck came out of the town's front entrance and joined them. I didn't see any more.

"Shit. I was hoping that would be all of them."

"What now?"

"We continue with the plan. Onion, come here."

"Yes Miss?"

"I need to access your upgrade port."

"What for Miss?"

I popped my Stealth-Boar out of the Pip-Boar. "I need to make a small upgrade."

It took me a few minutes, but I managed to install the Stealth-Boar into Onion. Nate had warned me that those things were finicky, and that if the system was too incompatible, it might fry Onion's processors. I assured him that I knew Onion inside and out and knew how to 'tweak' his systems. He was built from scrap after all.

I uploaded a small file to Onion that I had been working on while talking to Jasmine about how the Red-Neck's weapons worked. If this worked, those three will never be able to use their weapons. If it doesn't, I'll be needing to get Onion a shiny new casing.

"Okay Onion, get to it."

"You sure this will work Miss?"

"No, but its either this or me going down there to do it myself."

"I can't be having you do that Miss." He seemed rather accepting of his role in this plan as he initiated the Stealth-Boar and vanished from sight.

"What exactly is the plan 'livi?"

"Just wait and see."

It only took a few minutes before we saw my plan in action. At first, it was hard to see from here, but after I handed them my scope they saw exactly what Onion had done. All three of the Red-Necks had their hoses detached from the tanks. Sure there was probably residual fuel in them, but it wouldn't be enough for a steady flame before they realized what happened.

"Okay Onion, find a place to hide until the Stealth-Boar cycles over. If any others show up, be prepared to do the same to them."

"Affirmative Miss."

"That was rather slick Olivia."

"Thanks Mark. Figured I could solve a situation without going in guns blazing for once."

"Who are you and what did you do to our rabbit?" Holly was teasing me, but also seemed a bit surprised.

"Now, grab your weapons, time to go in guns blazing."

"…aaand there she is."

We didn't simply rush them, but rather circled around to get into a better position. Onion kept me informed as to any movements. I had Nate do a quick check in on Jasmine for me, and then we started the attack. When we got into range of the Red-Necks, they did what I expected them to, they lit their flamers.

A small spew of flame came out but it wasn't even enough for me to feel the heat. Once all three of their fires sputtered out, they looked around rather confused until one of them pointed out the hose. They tried to fix it but it was too late, we were closing in on them. I shot one of them in the leg, causing them to clumsily fall down.

"Don't kill them yet! We may need them alive."

Mark and Holly took that to heart as they both aimed for the legs. Nate stuck near me, keeping an eye on his own Pip-Boar for trouble. I knew he wasn't too keen on killing if it was avoidable, but it was nice to have my own shield for once. There was still no sign of any other Red-Necks as we had finished crippling them. One had gotten a few rounds of his machine gun off, but Holly was able to shoot the gun out of his hoof with ease. Maybe I should take her up on that offer to teach me a few things. I can barely do that with B.A.T.S..

"Mark, Holly, disarm them. Nate keep an eye out for trouble. I wanna have a word with them."

I moved towards the nearest giraffe. I expected to see him terrified, or at least worried, but he was calm. Eerily calm. I leaned down next to his head and pressed my gun into his temple.

"You will answer me correctly. You don't have any extra chances, so answer me correctly. How many more of you are there?"

He moved his head slowly at me and smiled. "Plenty."

"MISS! I have movement!"

"Four, five… there are at least seven converging on our location!" Nate had barked out the numbers, almost mechanically. He was getting scared.

"Fuck!" I put a bullet through the giraffes head, killing him instantly and held the gun towards the others. "Tell them to back off, now!"

They just laughed. I was not in the mood for this. Their laughs cost them their lives.

"Olivia!"

"They would have done the same to us given the chance. I showed them the only mercy I could, a quick, clean death."

"I… we'll deal with this later 'livi. Okay boys. Show time."

We all have to die someday. Those words ring true no matter who you are. I had promised her not to go berserk, and right now I was as calm as ever. I steadied my gun as a I looked around for the potential aggressors. I won't make any rash decisions before I know what's happening, but if anything happened to Nate…

"Where the hell are they?" Mark kept looking around but I think he was getting both annoyed and worried at the lack of visual aid.

"My scanners show they should be in visual range!"

"You sure that thing ain't busted Nate?"

"Did you really ask me that Holly?"

"Fuck! It's like we're being surrounded by ghosts… Holly! Stun grenade!"

"'Livi? What are you?"

"NOW!"

She hesitated before tossing me one. I primed it and threw it towards where three of the dots were. It went off and just as I thought, the Red-Neck's Stealth-Boars shorted out, revealing them. However, unlike before, they weren't convulsing on the ground, but rather continuing their advance.

"Shit, they got shock resistant gear on!"

"Least we know they ain't ghosts! Holly, two more there and there!"

Just as I blurted it out, she tossed two more grenades where I pointed. Sure enough, the other four Red-Necks were now visible. Now that we could see our targets, I also took note of their weapons. All but two of them had assault rifles like the Red-Necks we took down, but the other two had something very familiar. Grenade launchers.

"We're surrounded! If they get any closer were toast, literally!" Mark was sounding rather unsure about my plan's outcome now.

If I popped into B.A.T.S. I could take down at least half of them, but this is already more than Jasmine said there should be. For all I knew there were more still inside. I had to take that chance.

"Pip-Boar, kill."

I couldn't risk them using their flamers, so I aimed for the heads. That's when I made the realization that they were all wearing helmets. How the fuck didn't I see that before? The others didn't wear any! Not wanting to waste my heightened senses, I took aim anyways, just to have my bullets get deflected off of the metal helmets.

"Fuck! Those bastards learn quick. We need to think of another plan. Holly, you and Mark concentrate on the grenadiers. We need to…"

I heard someone suddenly start to yell as I realized it was Jasmine. She was charging the two with the grenade launchers. I think her presence caught them off guard as she shoved one down and butted her own head against the others, causing him to collapse. I could see a mixture of pride and fear coming from her face, fear that started to take over as one of the giraffes started to light up his flamer.

"Jasmine! Down!" I ran up to the one of the large pillars near the water and jumped onto it, rebounding with such force that it brought me to head level with the giraffe. I may not be able to shoot through the helmet, but at this range, a quick shot through the eye caused him to drop.

Two more started their flamers as the flame died down in seconds, their tubes dangling in the air. That left two more. I went to charge them but was stopped when I heard the familiar sound of a grenade launcher. A second later the other two had been blown to bloody bits. I turned around and half expected to see the Mayor running to our aid, but instead I heard two more pops as more grenades blew up. It was Jasmine. I saw tears falling from her eyes as she kept pulling the trigger on the now empty weapon.

I jumped and rebounded off another structure and kicked the gun out of her hooves, as she collapsed on her knees. I moved up to her and put my paw on her thigh. "It's okay. They won't hurt you."

"I-I… I j-just couldn't…"

"Holly, disarm and take care of the rest. Kill them, lock them up, I don't care, just make sure they can't hurt anyone else. Mark, tend to Jasmine. Nate, Onion, come with me."

We weren't out of the fire yet. We still had no idea if there were any more left inside, so we snuck around the best we could. I no longer had a Stealth-Boar, so Onion said he would go check the inside. Our scanners were useless since the dots could be citizens or enemies, and there was no way to tell.

"Miss? We may have a problem."

"What is it Onion?"

"Well… the stealth unit… fried."

"Fried? What do you… fuck."

They know we're here, don't they? Fuck.

"Miss? He wants to… talk to you."

Of course he does. I looked at Nate and he had a look that said he didn't want me to go, but I think he also knew that he couldn't stop me. He was right. The lives of everyone here depended on my actions now, and I had a feeling inaction was not going to solve this. I just hoped there was something I could say, or do, to prevent anyone from getting hurt.

I slowly moved to the entrance, and Nate was right beside me, his gun held at the ready.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little bunny in the flesh."

The voice came from a single giraffe standing in the middle of what was typically the main trade center. To his left was a pig, a large backpack strapped to his front with wires sticking out of it, and Onion, who was generating smoke from where I installed the Stealth-Boar. To his right, was Mayor Swift, he arms and legs bound, with something in her mouth preventing her from speaking.

"Let them go, and I promise you a quick death." I had to show him that I wouldn't take his threats too kindly.

"Hah! You're as brave as you are dumb. This little piggy has a bomb big enough to make Beaverton look like a campfire. One small mistake, and we all go up in flames."

"You'd kill yourself?"

"If that's what it'll take to eliminate a traitor and one of the biggest annoyances the wasteland has seen? Then yes, yes I would."

"You're fucking insane!"

"From what I hear, so are you."

"Tell you what, give me the traitor, and I'll let all of you live. That's all we're here for."

I wanted to tell him to fuck off, I wanted to just pull my gun and end his life right here, right now. Then I saw the faces. The whole town was crowded around, fear and panic filled them. Why were they not hiding? Why didn't they try to escape? I think he noticed my concerns.

"I told them that if anyone tried to leave, I'd blow this place up. They try to find shelter? I blow it up. Basically I wanted them to see how much of a 'hero' you really were. This land is corrupt, it doesn't need a hero, it needs a…"

He didn't get a chance to finish. A loud crack from a distance stopped his talking and a second later his head exploded. I looked at Nate.

"That was the .50 cal… it wasn't me!"

"Then who the fuck was it?"

"I have the only remote control, and no one is even in it!"

I couldn't worry about that. I had to make sure that the pig didn't panic and blow us all up. I moved closer to him, very slowly. "It's okay. I'm here to help. Let me just get that off…"

"N-n-no! I-if I-I don't…" He held up his paw, and that's when I saw the trigger, his hoof poised over the button.

"NO!"

Another shot rang out just moments before the pig's head blew up, his limp body collapsing. I didn't even stop to think about who was doing that as I ran over to the lifeless corpse and with Nate's help, disarmed the bomb. I told Onion to take it and drop it in the radioactive waters, just in case.

"Everyone alright?" I pulled the gag out of the Mayor's mouth. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now. Thanks to you." Even in such a dire situation, The mayor remained calm. No wonder everyone respects her.

"Holly and Mark are taking care of the others, they should be…" I stopped as I noticed a familiar face. "North?"

"You don't sound too happy to see me Carrots."

"No, it's not that at all. I just didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Well, after I delivered that letter to the Mayor like you asked, I stuck around trying to help some of the traders. It's not too often I find a place that doesn't kick me out just for being a ghoul. Most of the people here even tolerate me. Mostly."

I did something that I never imagined I would. I ran up to North and hugged him.

"Easy now sweetheart. This tie is an antique."

"Just like you. So you were helping the traders? That doesn't sound like you to willingly help someone."

"Guess you rubbed off on me. Apparently it's easier to do business when I'm not constantly trying to hustle someone. Plus, I figured if a bunny such as yourself can do so much good, maybe my rotting fur can help out too. I might even open up a trade booth of my own here. Imagine it. North's Western Emporium! Has a bit of a ring to it, doesn't it?"

"It does actually."

"So Olivia, where's Blanche? Haven't heard from her since the whole Darkwater incident."

The mayor's words uncovered the sorrow that was still buried within me. I forgot that Blanche and the Mayor knew each other. I think the mayor picked up on it just as fast.

"Something happened, didn't it?"

Once everything had settled, all of us, including North, the Mayor, and Petey, Blanches uncle, all met in Mayor Swift's office. It was hard, but I told them everything that happened. From the rescue of Jasmine (the mayor actually seemed a bit uneasy having a former Red-Neck in her town) to Blanche's fate and the disappearance of Drake. I'm glad I had Nate there with me, because it was hard for me to force myself to remember everything.

"So, she's gone? I honestly never thought anyone could kill her." She chuckled a bit nervously. "Not surprised it took a nuke to do it. Still, I am sad to hear she is gone. Despite her attitude, she was a good friend."

"Yeah, she was. We all may not have seen eye to eye on matters, but she'll be missed, although it hit her the hardest."

I was surprised to hear Nate say that so calmly, but I think he knew that one of us had to have been the strong one. He held me close the entire time, as if making sure I didn't just fade away into my own grief and guilt.

"I didn't like who she became, but Jezzie is right. She was a good mammal, even if she hid it all these years." Her uncle, Petey, sounded mournful, but at the same time, I think he knew this was coming. Her line of work probably hardened him to the eventual news.

We all had a moment of silence for the fallen and the missing. After a few minutes it was Nate who broke the quiet.

"I wanted to tell you this, but I could never find the right time. I think now would be it."

"What is it Nate?"

"When we brought you back after… your Pip-Boar received a message. You were already in bad shape, I didn't think your mind could take it. It was a message… from Blanche."

My eyes went wide as I turned to my Pip-Boar. Sure enough there was a single unread audio message. How did I not notice this before? "Did you…"

"No, I never opened it past seeing who sent it. Go ahead and play it."

I looked towards the mayor and Petey, they both nodded. I opened the file and pushed play.

"I want to apologize to you Olivia. I was a small furry bundle of hate, and I took it out on you and your friends one time too many. I never wanted to, but my anger, it just takes hold of me sometimes, although I think you know too well that horrible feeling. I should be fighting this, I should be angry, but I think it's just my time. Julio let me do this last request. I couldn't die with this weighing on my conscious. Especially if his 'Atom' turns out to be real. Heh. Figures it would take my imminent death to start to think something as foolish as a god even existed in this living hell we call the wasteland.

"I know you'll try to come after me, I know you'll put your life in danger to do it. I don't know why you do it. I don't think I ever could. I'd probably just cower away before I let myself be the better mammal. You are the better mammal. Better than I ever have been, and better than I ever could be. It's only taken me now to realize how much good you are to this fucked up place. You need to live Olivia Springs. As for you Nate. I am sorry. I'm sorry I called you a cowardly cur. Those last words you said to me showed me how strong you really are, and how much you care for her, for all of them. So you keep her close to you, and you keep her safe or else I will come back from the dead to haunt the both of you.

"Julio says it's time, and I can see you now, still fighting against your friends, still trying to put yourself before others. Just be safe Olivia, don't try to help me. I'm already… the rads here are too strong. Don't be a stupid bunny. Just… leave me to die with a clear conscious. One last thing. Attached are some coordinates. There you will find my life savings. Whiskey to repay Nate, and nearly six hundred thousand caps. I've taken a lot of contracts, but only ever bought booze and food with it. Been saving up to leave this hell hole, but never found myself willing to part. Take it and give it to Jezzie, tell her to get that crap of a town fixed up, and maybe spend a little extra on Petunia's place, then maybe Uncle Petey can finally have that vacation he keeps moaning on about. Take care Olivia Springs, and don't remember me as the bitch of a killer that everyone else will. Remember me… as your friend."

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! I'm coming to you live from, well, Hope still. While the Mayor keeps insisting that I move on, despite her constantly saying everyone is welcome here, although that little Red-Neck incursion was a bit of an incentive to stick around… I also can't get enough of Petunia's cooking over at Olive's Garden! A little fact about this lovely establishment, located just behind Hope's central trade district, open from dawn to dusk… yes, I'm plugging an advertisement for this place, but it was the only thing I could do with the tab I racked up…"

[Max]

"… A tab you racked up on MY CREDIT! You are SO lucky Celeste had me bunked away and relaxing for the last few episodes or would've already shot you… I hope you know your salary for the next three months has been docked as recompense."

[Stripes]

"You're my assistant, you can't dock my pay! Anywho, it got me thinking. Food this good is very hard to come by. There are a few other places out there that can provide fresh food, but most of it either has such a short shelf life, or it comes with the added benefit of radiation poisoning, that many have resorted to scavenging many pre-war food items that have a surprisingly long shelf life. Sure most of them can't avoid the radiation, but it's better than starving. Or going cannibal. That's a horror story just waiting to happen…"

"So, I decided that I'll take this time to tell you all about the wonders of Wasteland food and which ones are… Good Eatings! Sorry, I tried my best impersonation of Alton Bear. Great show if you ever can get your paws on some pre-war recordings of it. Anywho, let's get down to one of the most popular of pre-war foods, Rad! Cola!"

[Max]

"Oh god, that sugar bomb of radiation and bad decisions… Why would you even bring that up?"

[Stripes]

"It is one of the most popular drinks in the wasteland. Now, Rad! Cola has a bit of a history in itself. First crafted by Paw-Cola, one of the largest pre-war carbonated drink manufacturers, Rad! Cola was designed to stand out from their other brands. While nowadays many associate the term Rad! In the name to mean radioactive, due to the fact that nearly all bottles contain minute traces of radiation, this was not the case back then. Rad actually stands for Refreshing Activity Drink. You see, in the year before its production, there had been a major increase in fitness activities. Bigger bike sales, more runners and joggers hitting every borough, and the gyms were packed. Due to this sudden increase of activity, many drink manufacturers started to produce electrolyte infused sport drinks to capitalize on this new trend. Fast food joints, specifically those who sold greasy and fattening food items, were also seeing a decline, and this included, you guessed it, soda and other not so healthy drinks. Sure Paw-Cola and other competing companies had their diet drinks, and low calorie ones, but I've tried some, and maybe it was the fact they were hundreds of years old, but they're just downright nasty, and I think the folks over at Paw-Cola knew this.

"So, what was a company who only made soda to do in this newly fit-conscious society? Adapt! They set out to make a soda that tasted good, BUT also had the right balance of chemicals to make it comparable to a sports drink. It took them two years of developing and taste testing it, but then they finally had their first production batch of Rad! Cola. Marketed as the 'Sports Cola', it was a huge hit. It had the refreshing taste of a soda, but the energy boosting, and revitalizing powers of a sports drink. It became so popular that they had a major decline in their other products, so focused their attention on not only heightening the Rad! Cola brand, but also making new ones. Sure, they had Diet Rad! Cola, and Rad! Cola Zero, but they also branched out. Slothsparilla, the caffeine free soda to calm you and help you unwind after a stressful day. Lucky-Star Cola, the only soda to not only feature a star shaped cap (these are worth ten times the amount of normal caps, if you weren't aware, but they are rare), but also was said to contain pure star essence, which is why it had a glow to it. In reality it was a small bit of a harmless isotope added to it to give it a 'healthy' glow.

"While the other drinks did well, nothing sold as well as Rad! Cola. Even after this huge fitness kick started to die down, Rad! Cola still topped sales. Vending machines were installed in most public areas, including many schools after they started donating a percentage of the profits back to the schools, and was so well installed that you can still find Rad! Cola all over, and it's just as popular of a drink today as it was back then.

"Now, you might be asking, what about the radiation? Well, it seems that whatever chemical cocktail they added to their soda to allow for the bursts of energy and to help boost electrolyte replenishment, was also a radiation magnet. Sure, you would have to drink a hundred bottles of it to get even minor radiation poisoning, but it didn't stop it from absorbing it. To be honest, I think it adds a bit of a kick to it."

[Max]

"I swear, you're the only one I know that would think that. Radiation is bad for a REASON. Just look at the ever growing feral ghoul population."

[Stripes]

"Radiation once was used to cure cancer. Sure, now it just causes mutations, but a little bit can be helpful. Plus, it give you a nice healthy glow. Though, if glow it starts to keep you up at night, you may want to get that checked out. Now to move on to the second most popular food brand in the wasteland, Hungry Maw! The Hungry Maw Meal Corporation as they were called, was once the most popular producer of both predator and prey frozen meals. Now that's great back where everyone had refrigerators and electricity to power them, but when the dangers of war started to loom, they took notice of the ever increased interest in the safety of Burrows. Burrow-Tec was advertising them as thirty year shelters, and that is a long time to go without eating, so the Hungry Maw Meal Corporation decided that this would be a perfect place to expand. They started to produce canned meats, canned vegetables, basically anything canned. Sure they made that stuff in the past, so it wasn't anything new, but they marketed this new line specifically to those doomsday prepers and future Burrow residents.

"Just like Paw-Cola did with their drink, Hungry Maw created a chemical cocktail that promised not just thirty years, but a massively increased freshness guarantee. Normal canned goods might have a shelf life of five to ten years, but that was nowhere near the operating time-frame of Burrows, and even afterward, many showed concerned about how possible it would be to start growing crops right out of the Burrow. With a new fresh sealed design, and this new 'safe' preservation process, they guaranteed the shelf life to be nearly a hundred years.

"That was quite a statement to be made, and while the mammals who control all food and drugs within Zootopia were already launching investigations on their claims, that didn't stop millions of mammals from stocking up on all the food they could handle. Even Burrow-Tec bought food from them to stock the Burrows with. They made billions overnight. Now while Hungry Maw foods are still consumed today, I for one have a personal love of the pickled asparagus, due to the concoction they used for preservation, food poisoning is very commonly associated with overconsumption of their products. Oddly enough, that's only with the non tainted food. Those that have been irradiated tend to be much safer to eat for some reason."

"So we have beverages and entrees, so what about desserts and snacks? Well I got you covered there! One popular snack are Pawpsicles. Now, you may be asking, 'Stripes, this is the wasteland, where did they find a way to freeze them?'. Well, they didn't. You see, pawpsicles have been a frozen treat for a long time, popularized by a certain fox, but frozen goods, just as Hungry Maw knew, are not very viable for day-to-day operations, especially in the higher heat areas, like Sahara Square. So, that's when some companies got the brilliant idea to turn them from a frozen treat, to a sugar filled lollipop. While they maintained their iconic paw shape, they came in a much larger assortment. For the predators, there were insect pawpsicles, with things like ants, spiders, and even scorpions that were cooked, candied, and then covered in a sugary shell. For the prey, there were the traditional ones, but there were also ones that had edible flowers and plants inside. You can still find these assorted candies in the wasteland, but finding a specific flavor might be another issue. I myself like the lavender infused ones. It's rather… calming after a stressful day. Although don't mix that and a Slothsparilla. I fell asleep so fast that I woke up with my mic lodged in my mouth. Not my best day.

"Next, we have those lovely golden yellow and cream filled Fluffies. An angel food cake filled with a decadent vanilla cream? Yes please! Just like many of the other foods, so many preservatives were placed in these snacks that as long as you find one that is wrapped, they taste just as fresh as the day they were made. You want a real treat? Try finding one of the limited edition chocolate filled ones. They didn't make as many, but they are just as amazing. You could buy a Nuke Tube with a dozen mini-nukes for an unopened box of them. They are that rare."

"Now there are plenty other of treats out in the wasteland, but it would take too long to list them out. I would love to hear what your favorites are, especially if they're not one of the ones I listed. I think Buga Burger made some preserved stuff, but I'm not a meat eater so I haven't tried any of it. Max, do you have a favorite?"

[Max]

"I have plenty of favorite foods, none of them preserved and all of them fresh. The crap you just mentioned? That'll all kill ya."

[Stripes]

"Of course fresh food is a bit harder to come by these days, so most of the wasteland have to rely on what ever they can scrounge up. Only a few places, such as Petunia's, manage to procure fresher ingredients, though they come at a price. That's all we have for today folks! It's time for me to keep filling my gullet, all this food talk is making me hungry again. Well folks, until next time, stay safe!"

[Petunia]

"Oh no, sorry Mister but you ain't cut off till ya pay off your tab."

[Stripes]

"But I thought your little advertisement would be good enough as payment!"

[Petunia]

"Didn't I tell you that I would think about it? Not only did you forget to even mention what kind of food I serve here, but you also forgot to consider the fact that during that entire show of yours, you kept on eating!"

[Stripes]

"I can't help it! All that talk of food was making me hungry. Hey Max, mind spotting me on this one?"

[Max]

"You still owe me how many back paychecks? No, you're on your own this time you striped bastard. Have fun trying to pay it all off without any wages for the next three months too… Now I need to go put that application in with ZNN so ta! Oh and Miss Petunia? Celeste asked me to let you know your latest requests have made it in thanks to her parents, they're ready whenever you are."

[Stripes]

"But! But! Oh blast, this thing is still on." static