Chapter 30, What Comes Next

I started my trek along the desert, thinking about what just happened. I guess I was wrong again. I thought this whole time Amata and everyone in Vault 101 would still hold a grudge on what happened and the commotion I caused when I left. But for the most part, most of them have let it go and are going in a positive direction. Even Butch and his gang the Tunnel Snakes are doing well for themselves. Maybe it's time for an evaluation on things.

Before I could continue further, I felt the ground rumble underneath my boots and darted my eyes over the horizon. I immediately saw a horde of Rad Scorpions going to my left towards a makeshift settlement. Some were medium sized, but most of them were the size of cars.

"I thought they would have gotten rid of most of these by now," I exclaimed.

I wasted no time in making my way down there and saw the residents were already ready to fight with most of their guns at the ready. I took a quick glance and saw that for the most part, their weapons were more military grade than just makeshift weapons. Regardless, I pitched in and pulled out my Carbine, ready to fight. I shot a few rounds into the nearest big one that was reaching one of the settlers. He took notice of my appearance and pivoted towards me, ready to take me out. I lined up my crosshair, firing as many shots consistently into his head until it exploded. I then took notice of one of the female settlers being struck by the stinger, falling down in pain as the rad scorpion tried to strike again. I sprinted as hard as I could, but saw a burly sized man intervenue and took the rad scorpion out with a large hammer, modified with electrical parts most likely from the wasteland. He dropped his hammer to help the woman up while I turned to the right to see two more medium sized radscorpions coming our way. I wasted no time in unloading the rest of my clip into the scorpions before I saw the rest of them being wiped out by the settlers. I then reloaded my weapon, holstered it, and approached one of the settlers. His skin was darker, like he had gotten a tan with salt and pepper black hair and a scruffy beard. He was wearing blue overalls supported with brown pants and a green shirt that looked somewhat well kept.

"Thanks for your help. Always welcome for it," he stated.

"No problem. I thought these things would have been run out or exterminated by now," I questioned.

"Funny enough, we haven't had an attack like this in a few weeks. I think with the Brotherhood going underground last year, the noise is pushing them out and were just being left to clean up the mess."

I folded my arms, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yup. I've been in the Capital Wasteland for decades and this is the first time I've truly felt safe. Gettin used to calling it the Capital Paradise, but I think we are still a long away from that."

I nodded in agreement before looking to my left.

I saw the burly man from earlier, carrying the woman in a bridal position. I quickly saw two boys quickly running towards them, crying out for them as they ran to help the man. No doubt these are his kids and his wife. I couldn't make out all the words, but I could tell the man was assuring his kids that she was fine. Still it's still a surprising feat to me that both parents were in the picture as the sizes of the kids indicate they're at least over five years old. I've seen more families missing one or both parents out in the wasteland than I have seeing both parents together. It's a sad reality, but it does surprise me nonetheless.

I pointed to them, "Is she going to be alright?"

The man looked where I pointed and observed for a few seconds before responding, "Yeah. She'll be bedridden for maybe a day or two while we get the poison out, but we got the medicine that will help. It's nice to see families not being torn apart as much these days from parents dying. Seen too much of that in my lifetime."

I couldn't agree more. I've seen it too much myself and I'm not as old as he is.

"Anyway, I need to get back to helping, thank you again for your help," he finishes, extending his hand to me.

I shake it and walk away, making my way back.

I continued my journey down the desert, noticing the sun setting as it was engulfed by the clouds as I made my way back to the Citadel. All that would be left of the sun would be tucked behind the mountains as I entered the front gates of the Citadel. I could see the courtyard was starting to empty out as people packed things up for the night and made their way inside the facility. I quickly joined them as I went down the steps and made my way into my room. As I opened the door I took notice of Elizabeth on the bed, rummaging through some papers, studying them down as if she was looking at a scroll that was hidden away by a civilization from long ago. I wanted to knock on the door frame, to let her know I was there, but my hand froze as I watched her. I felt myself mesmerized by how she was conducting herself and putting things together, rummaging through the papers to sort things together. Beyond that, I don't know why I find staring at her doing all that so fascinating.

Eventually, she would look up and see me and also froze, with that curious look on her face, "How long have you been staring there?"

I shrugged, "Not too long. I was just… fascinated by what you were doing for some reason."

She shrugged, "Well, it isn't the most fascinating stuff. I'm just trying to figure out locations for parts."

I took my helmet off, resting it on the desk, "For the Lutece Device?"

She nodded, "Yes. Your Father gave me some documents that might help pinpoint the location for parts. Nothing completely concrete, but it's something to go off on. It's still going to take time."

I sat down on the bed next to her, "Well, at least you'll have something to do for a while."

She tucked some hair behind her ear, "Yeah. I'll take this home and take a more indepth look. But this will be a gamechanger once we get this up and running. For everyone."

I nodded, "It definitely will. Imagine being able to travel too and from locations miles apart from each other.

"Well, remember it requires a huge energy source for one, and two it's going to take a long time to find these parts. And without the actual one that we used, it's only going to be harder to replicate."

"You don't think we could get another submarine and go salvage the parts do you," I jokingly asked.

She smiled, "No that's lost to time i'm afraid. Besides, I'd rather not go back. So, how did things go over at the vault? Did you start a turf war there?"

I cracked a smile, "No, actually quite the opposite. Everyone seemed to be … settled?"

Her puzzled look returned, "Really? You don't sound so sure."

I scratched the back of my head,"Well, there were some people still upset about the past. But most of them seemed like they've moved on. Even my childhood bully, Butch, seems to be doing well for himself. He's got his own group called the Tunnel Snakes. He always talked about setting one up once he got outside, didn't think he would actually succeed."

"Really? How about the rest of the residents? What about Amata," she inquired.

"She's overseer of the Vault and she was the one who championed it to be opened. And they've been really doing well for themselves even moving into the whole town that was next to the vault, Springvale. I even saw kids playing around, enjoying life being kids and not having to worry about their next meal."

"Hard to imagine life used to be like that, huh," she asked.

I nodded, "Yeah. It's something I never thought I would ever see. Let alone kids having both parents nearby. Most kids I've run into in the wasteland either have one parent or no parents at all. If this keeps up, maybe…maybe we'll see more kids with both parents in the wasteland."

She tucked some hair behind her ear, looking down, "Maybe."

We both were silent for a few minutes, before I heard Elizabeth clear her throat, "Well I'm tired of looking at all this paperwork and I'm still waiting on more from you father. Let's kill some time."

"What did you have in mind," I asked.

She shifted her body towards me, resting her legs on my lap, "Well I say lets get a little more… in depth with research."

"What kind of research, "I coyly replied.

She leaned in, her nose touching mine, "The more… intimate kind."

I smiled as I leaned in, feeling my arms wrapping around her with hers soon following. Even though it had only been half a day, I felt myself missing her lips and feeling her in my arms.

In an instant, I heard a knock.

We both separated and looked to see my Dad with more papers in his arms.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, here's some more documents before I head to dinner," he states as he sets the documents down on the desk.

Elizabeth tucked some of her hair behind her ear, "No. I'll take a look at them real quick. Thank you."

He nodded as he turned his attention to me, "How did things go with Amata?"

"Good. I still can't believe Butch actually started up his own gang. Always seemed he was more talk than action," I acknowledged.

"Yeah. I've seen him a few times. He's even helped around here a few times with some of our members. It's been a sight to say the least."

I nodded,"Yep, Amata is doing well. She's really stepped up her role as the Overseer. The fact that Springvale looks like a flourishing town from the old days is quite the accomplishment."

"It truly is. Maybe I'll build a house there if I retire one day. I think by then people will have calmed down."

" I thought you weren't allowed there anymore," I questioned.

Dad shrugged,"Technically they said inside the vault. I'd just be…outside it."

I smiled. Leave it to him to find a technicality like that.

"Anyway, I'm off to the cafeteria for dinner."

"I'll be right behind you," I replied, standing up.

"Are you coming," I asked Elizabeth.

"I'll be right behind you. I'm going to look at these documents real quick," she replied.

I nodded as I followed Dad.

We walked down the stairs, with the smell of mac and cheese and ham filling the air and into my lungs. We both grabbed plates and dished up food before sitting down to eat.

"So, what do you think of D.C. now," he asks, taking a bite.

"It's unreal to see it look like this. It feels like I'm in a dream. I mean I'm still trying to get over the fact that you're still alive and now I'm seeing this. It's… overwhelming," I finished, taking a bite.

"I can only imagine. Life seems to have progressed very quickly for you in the last month and a half," he acknowledged.

"Yeah it has. I mean two months ago, I was just delivering packages and living alone in the camper I brought. "

He pointed his fork at me,"Speaking of that, where is it?"

I froze for a second. I completely forgot about the camper. After getting shot in the head and everything else that's happened, I forgot all about it.

"It's still near Red Rock Canyon, with a broken front axle. With everything going on, it's still there locked up. Not like it's going anywhere anyway," I answered.

"How did that happen?"

I shrugged, "I ran over a rock and the axle must have been brittle for so long that it just snapped. I'll have to grab it at some point when we get back."

He nodded before resuming eating as did I. After we finished eating, I noticed Elizabeth hadn't come for dinner yet.

"Elizabeth has come eaten yet," Dad stated, taking the words out of my mouth.

"Yeah. I think her research is blinding her. I'll bring her some dinner before heading out," I replied, standing up.

We both stood up and I went to the line to grab more food. There wasn't much left and they were packing things up. Still, there was some left to dish up a plate and bring to her. I then grabbed a fork and brought it up with me to our room. I walked in and saw that she was on the bed just like last time, rummaging through the papers. Once again, I found myself observing her actions as she studied the papers. However, it took much less time before she looked up and took notice of me.

"Oh did I miss dinner," she exclaimed.

"Afraid so, but I brought you some leftovers," I replied.

Elizabeth let out a grunt, "Ugh. I got carried away looking at these new documents."

I handed her plate to her, "Well, let me know what you found."

She took the plate and started eating, "I pieced together that some of the repconn sites back home could have a good chunk of the parts needed to build the frame at least. The energy to complete it as well as the computations to make it work are another story. That's about it."

"Really? Nothing more," I questioned.

She nodded, taking a bite, "Yeah. That's the easy part at least. Like I said earlier, this isn't an easy project."

"I don't doubt that. Just don't let it keep you from going to bed."

She kissed my cheek, "I won't. Are you getting ready for bed?"

"I think so. It's been a long day and I think tomorrow is our last day here."

"It is," she questioned.

I nodded, "I think so."

She pointed her fork at me, "We still need to get that constitution."

"Right. Let's add it to the to-do list for tomorrow."

She nodded, taking another bite, "Let's do that."

I got up off the bed and went into the bathroom and got myself ready for bed. Once I came back out, I saw that Elizabeth had moved all the papers off the bed, but was sitting on the floor still going through them. At least she finished her food.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed," I remarked.

"I'll join you as soon as I wrap this up. I won't be long," she promised.

I nodded, hoping she would keep to her word as I got myself under the covers and started to drift off to sleep with the sound of her rustling papers.

When I woke up, I noticed immediately that I didn't feel Elizabeth next to me. I stood up and saw she was asleep on the floor with all the papers around her, her hair completely covering her face. She must have fallen asleep as she was doing her research, clearly breaking her promise.

I got myself up out of the bed and walked towards her, pushing her shoulder to wake up.

I heard her groan as she slowly opened her eyes, looking at me with hair covering her eyes.

"What time is it," I hear her ask, groaning and letting out a yawn.

"Time to get up. You never came to bed last night."

She rubbed her eyes, "Uhh I'm sorry Evan. I… I don't know what came over me."

I patted her shoulder, "You're fine. Just don't do it all the time."

She got up trying to fix herself, but her hair still slumped over like a bed ridden mess, making me laugh and creating a glare from her.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing," I remarked, trying to hold my laughter in.

Her dagger glare was still there as she pinched my shoulder and headed into the bathroom .I patiently waited with the occasional smirk on my face from her look. Considering how much she was into the research, I think it's a fitting look for her.

She exited the bathroom with her hair in a much better state this time in a ponytail instead of it to her shoulders. I then entered and got myself ready for the day putting my armor and helmet on before meeting her outside.

"Did you end up finding a lead where we can get a decent copy of it," I asked.

"I believe your Dad mentioned the Arlington Library and that Scribe Yearling would know about a replica," Elizabeth replied.

"I know where that is. Let's get some breakfast, then head on over there and ask," I reply, leading the way out the door.

We made our way to the cafeteria where the smell of eggs, pancakes, and sausages filled the air as we got our plates to dish up our food. We then sat down at the nearest table while I pressed Elizabeth on what her progress was over night.

"So, did you find anything new last night since you left me high and dry, " I sarcastically remarked.

She shot me a daggered look then very quickly cracked a smile, "Well unfortunately, not much as I was hoping. One of the documents talked about factories near Chatillon-la-Borde and Limoges that worked on computers, cars, and other sorts of electronics so maybe that could be where potential replacement parts could be."

"They sound like French locations," I remarked, taking a bite.

"Yeah, they are," she replied, her voice becoming softer.

"What's wrong with them being in France? Didn't you always want to go to Paris," I replied.

She froze for a moment, looking at her food with her mind drifting off for a few seconds before answering, "I always have, but these papers aren't a guarantee that these factories are even still standing. There was war well before the bombs dropped there so I'm still doubtful that there is anything left in France."

"That is true. But maybe there's other locations and you can bring the parts there."

She shrugged, "Maybe. I'll just have to keep looking," she says as she finishes another bite.

We ate in silence before we wrapped up our food and threw our trash away. We then headed outside and I took quick notice of Fawkes playing with Dogmeat with a simple tennis ball. It's nice to see them getting along, playing with each other and enjoying their company. Fawkes makes a much better owner than I did. They both saw me immediately with Dogmeat being the more eager to greet me.

"HELLO EVAN. HOW DID YOU SLEEP," Fawkes asked as I pet Dogmeat.

"Good. Were just on our way to the library to pick up a copy of the constitution. How about you," I replied.

"JUST PLAYING WITH DOGMEAT. I HEAR TODAY IS YOUR LAST DAY HERE."

I nodded, "It is. We gotta get back to New Vegas."

Fawkes lowered his head, "I SEE. CAN DOGMEAT AND I ACCOMPANY YOU FOR THE REST OF THE DAY?"

"Sure. We wouldn't mind," Elizabeth chimes in.

"AWESOME. COME ALONG DOGMEAT," Fawkes finishes, guiding him to us.

Dogmeat wasted no time in joining us as we made our way to the Arlington Library. The road to the library was the same as the other roads in the wasteland with the cool of the coast air accompanying us and the smell of dew and construction filled the air. Under construction and with people traveling on them by various means in a number of groups. However, I bet none of us were expecting to see a mutant, a dog, and two humans walking side by side on the road today. Wasn't common back when I was here and it sure hasn't changed now.

Once we arrived, I could see construction scaffoldings on the side of the building with people working on them and a banner of the Brotherhood of Steel attached to the front of the building. As we entered, the interior looked much better than the last time I was there. Gone were the random books scattered everywhere, the flipped over books cases, and turned over filing cabinets. Instead, everything was far more organized and there were much more Scribes roaming around either carrying clipboards or books in their hands. However the energy of the room clearly radiated a sense of urgency and a little bit of chaos given the amount of people shuffling around. There was even the strong aroma of peppermint in the air that wasted no time in filling our lungs with its strength.

I approached the front of the counter, "Excuse me, where can I find Scribe Yearling?"

A woman with black hair and hazel eyes greeted me with a frown smile, "You'll find her in the back archives."

We made our way to the archives with the same energy from the front of the library being no different here. Scribes reshuffling books to transport books around even bumping into us to get around and move books to another location. I think it's pretty clear that there's some sort of reorganization going on today.

As we shuffled through the crowd, I then caught the familiar look of Scribe Yearling with her blonde parted hair and green eyes pointing at where things go. I guided myself through the sea of people to reach her and she took notice of me quickly once I was through the sea of people.

"I heard you returned after all these years, but I never thought I would get the chance to see you again," she remarked, handing a book to a fellow scribe.

"Neither did I. I see that the library has quite the operation going on right now," I replied.

"Yes. Two days ago we found multiple shipments of books in multiple bunkers across the state and are trying to get them reorganized. It's been a process and it's most likely going to take another week until they are organized."

I don't doubt that in the slightest.

"Anyway, there must be a reason you reached out to me," she stated.

"Yes there is. Do you happen to have any books or documents that have the U.S. Constitution in its original form or at the very least a version from before 2000?"

"Let me look on in the database," she replied, beckoning us to follow her.

We followed her to her terminal where she spent the next few minutes searching around until she cleared her throat and faced us.

"Well I got one copy that is a pocket version of the constitution here that was published on October 10, 1997. However, it's gonna be a while until I find it. Going to have to radio it in to find out exactly where it is so sit tight, " she replied.

"Ok, we'll be here," I replied.

Elizabeth and I sat down on some chairs behind us while Fawkes and Dogmeat sat on the floor. While we sat down, the traffic of Scribe and Brotherhood members still kept going on, like rush hour traffic from those movies I'd seen. After a few minutes, I hear Elizabeth clear her throat to get my attention.

"You know I can stay here if you want to spend the rest of the day with Dogmeat and Fawkes," she stated.

"Are you sure? I hate to leave you here in this sea of people alone," I remarked.

She grabbed my hand, "I'll be fine. Besides, I think you should spend time with them while we still have time here today."

The way she finished her sentence and had herself positioned made me think there was more than meets the eye. After a few seconds, it clicked in me what that was.

"You want to keep reading the documents my Dad gave you huh," I claimed.

Her face flushed for a moment before she answered, "What? No...No…I."

"Yes I can tell it's still on your mind and you want to get on it as soon as possible."

She let go of my hand and folded her arms, "Ok fine. Yes I brought some of the papers here and I want to keep reading. But my point still stands that you should spend time with Fawkes and Dogmeat while you still can."

I cracked a smile, "Ok I will. Radio me when you are done."

I gave her a kiss as I stood up and approached Fawkes,"Elizabeth is going to hold the fort here and with today being our last day, I feel we should spend some time together while we still can."

He stood up, "THAT WOULD BE GREAT. I FEEL THE BROTHERHOOD SCRIBES HERE ARE A BIT UNEASY WITH US."

The three of us all guided ourselves out of the sea of people here and made our way to the exit and back out into the Capital Waste…I mean Paradise. Still going to have to get used to that name. As for Elizabeth, I really hope this doesn't become an obsession for her. Honestly I don't think it's a big deal, but It's something to keep note of just in case.

Fawkes took the lead to guide Dogmeat and I to down the channel of D.C. right near Anchorage Memorial if I remembered correctly.

Once we arrived, Fawkes took a seat in an old reclining chair that barely fit him. The way he sat down and Dogmeat immediately wasting no time in jumping in the channel, leads me to believe this is a regular spot for the two of them.

"SORRY. I DON'T HAVE ANOTHER CHAIR. DOGMEAT AND I USUALLY COME HERE A FEW TIMES A WEEK AND HE'S ALWAYS HAPPY TO BE HERE," Fawkes states.

I looked off and saw Dogmeat stop for a moment, looking at the water before jumping back up in the air down like he's hunting a fish.

"Does he ever catch anything," I asked.

"SOMETIMES YES. MOST OF THE TIME NO, BUT WHEN HE DOES WE COOK IT AS A MEAL AT NIGHT. "

"Nice. It's nice to see you both have a routine of doing things."

"YOUR VOICE SOUNDS LIKE YOU DIDN'T DO ENOUGH."

"There's a part of me that still feels…guilty for just yelling and leaving you both here like I did."

"IT WAS MEAN WHAT YOU DID. BUT I UNDERSTOOD AFTER A DAY. DOGMEAT IT TOOK MUCH LONGER. AND WE'RE BOTH HAPPY NOW AND WE GOT TO SEE YOU. SO IT WORKED OUT."

Another example of things just working out. And better than most mutants in the wasteland. The Brotherhood never took kindly to them and to see Fawkes not only still standing but even helping them is another achievement in itself. And to top it off he built a friendship with Dogmeat where most mutants would eat an animal the second chance they got. Not saying Fawkes is a savage like that at all, but it's one of those nice things to witness in the grand scheme of things.

"Well, I'm glad you and Dogmeat have bonded really well while I've been gone. I may not be staying here, but it's good to know that you both are going to keep doing what you're doing when I leave tomorrow."

Tears started to subtly fall from Fawkes face, "THANK YOU EVAN."

I was not expecting him to give me a hug that almost felt like him crushing my spine and him lifting me off my feet. By the time he released me, I started coughing.

"I'M SORRY. I DON'T USUALLY GIVE HUGS OFTEN," he commented.

"Clearly," I remarked, coughing again.

I looked to my left and saw Dogmeat sitting with a curious look on his face, and his tailing wagging. I think he wants one of us to play with him and with how he's sitting, it's clear he wants to be chased. I wasted no time in walking towards him, with him starting to run. Guess it's time for a chase like how we used to.

I ended up chasing Dogmeat up and down the shallow side of the channel, helping not only pass the time, but also spend some time with Dogmeat. He clearly hadn't lost his energy and willfulness as we went at it for so long I lost track of time. The noise of Fawkes' voice let me know that it was time to go.

As we left the channel, I heard my Pimpboy vibrate, indicating a communication coming through.

"Hey I'm on my way back and you won't believe what else I found, " I hear Elizabeth say.

"What," I questioned.

"You'll have to wait to get back here and I'll show you," she remarks before hanging up.

Great, she's leaving me high and dry, trying to figure it out. Guess I know what that is like now since I'm doing the same thing to her with her gift of a puppy.

We continued our way back to the Citadel and I took notice of Three Dog there talking with Elizabeth. This is going to go one of two ways and I'm hoping it's going to be the more civil option.

As I got closer, I saw them both shake hands and Three Dog left Elizabeth to return to GNR.

"What was that about, " I asked.

"He was just here delivering some work and he happened to catch my attention. We spoke for a bit but he apologized in his own way for saying what he said on his radio," she stated.

I'm glad that it went to the civil option. Not that I never thought of Three Dog being another way, but he always gave off the feeling that he could go down a route depending on the situation. Guess age is changing Three Dog in more ways than I originally thought.

"Great. So what did you find," I said, changing the subject.

Elizabeth dug into her bag and handed me a DVD with the clear name of "Batman Returns" on it.

"You found a copy," I remarked.

She nodded, "Yes. I saw a crate full of DVDs, took a quick look, and saw the DVD there. I asked Yearling if I could borrow it and she didn't mind. Just wanted us to return it one day."

"Neat. When we get a chance back in New Vegas, we should watch it."

"Yes we should. How did your time with Fawkes and Dogmeat go?"

"It went well. It was nice to catch up on lost time. The thing I have noticed is that Fawkes is far better owner for Dogmeat than I was. Not that I was terrible, but it's clear the two have bonded more for each other over the years and I'm glad they were able to reconcile while I was gone."

Elizabeth nodded, "That's good to hear. Well, shall we get back inside and get ready to pack up for tomorrow?"

I nodded back as we both entered the Citadel to not only pack up our stuff, but to help pack up everything else. By the time we were done, nightfall had arrived and it was time for dinner. The two of us as well as my Dad and Doctor Li met up and had a great dinner of Green Bean Casserole, Lasagna, and Turkey all together in the cafeteria sharing what our day had in store for us. Ours was much more exciting than my Dad and Doctor Li's day with it just being paperwork and meetings. Once we finished, we went back to our rooms where we got ready for bed to get ready for what tomorrow would bring only this time, I would fall asleep with Elizabeth in my arms instead of her on the floor with her hair becoming a mess.

We woke up the same as usual with us packing up our suitcases and getting ready to leave to head back to New Vegas. I could see the reminder of the Brotherhood packing their things up to bring to New Vegas to help the chapter there further. I'm sure everyone there, especially Veronica, are going to be very pleased with the amount of equipment they are bringing there. I just hope it will help keep that chapter alive and help keep Veronica optimistic for what the future would bring. As I grabbed my suitcase and made my way to the Vertibird, I could hear my Dad shouting my name in the distance, catching my attention.

"I wanted to catch your attention before you left," he stated.

"Are you staying here, " I asked him.

He nodded, "Yes. As much as I would like to be closer to you, my place is here, helping Lyons and keeping things together as best I can. That and I am not much of a fan of the heat. I like to have much cooler weather," he retorted.

"Hopefully Elizabeth and I can convince Mr. House to run things a bit differently when we get back there. After that, I'm not sure where life will take us next," I replied.

"Wherever you go and end up, you'll always have a place here. And we'll continue to work with the Brotherhood Chapter in New Vegas, and god willing help most of them see eye to eye with expanding and sharing technology with the people there. We did that here for the most part and you've seen the result."

That I have. Seeing the Capital Wasteland go from a desolate hellish place to now a Capital Paradise with society starting to return to a form of normal is something I thought I would never see. Maybe that is what New Vegas has in store for the future. However, there's a small part of me that wants to make New Vegas work in any way we possibly can. We just go the area under Mr. Houses control and if we can convince him to take a version of the U.S. before it became as corrupt as it did, then I don't think I can think of anywhere else safer and prosperous than there. We might as well make it work if we can.

I nodded, "Guess we have to wait and see. You take care of yourself Dad."

"You as well. If you ever need to reach me, we'll have a long distance receiver setup at the Brotherhood Bunker in New Vegas for you."

He walked up to me and gave me a big hug, almost reminiscent of the one he gave me back when he saw me for the first time after all these years, only not nearly as strong.

"And please don't disappear again for four years. Visit when you can," he said as he let go.

I cracked a smile, "I won't. I promise."

He also gave Elizabeth a much lighter version of that hug before turning around and making his way back to the Citadel. While Elizabeth and I made our way onto the Vertibird, with the sounds of the rotor engines winding up as it left us up in the sky and got ready to head back to New Vegas with a two day journey ahead of us. As we took off into the sky, I took notice of the birds flying near us, trying to keep up with us as they were inevitably swallowed back in the clouds behind us, back in the Capital Paradise.

First off, I want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. These last five months have been something. I won't get into much details but it's been a combination of life, family, job, and lack of time. During this time however, I have laid the groundwork to how the story will end. There will be 5-6 more chapters left and I have each chapter storyboarded on how it will play out. It may be exactly five or it could be six depending on how it plays out. I hope to have this done by March, the two year anniversary of this book. To give a sneak peak, here are the pending title names for the potentially final next five chapters.

Chapter 31, Apathy is Death

Chapter 32, Existential Crisis

Chapter 33, Time Goes On

Chapter 34, New Life in the New World

Chapter 35, You Belong to Me