Chapter Text
It was time for her vacation. Lupe was still getting over the fact that her friends forgave her and happily accepted her pet chameleon deathclaw hatchling. They even wanted her to take some time off so she could take him to a wildlife sanctuary in a nearby settlement. And sure, that's technically "getting rid of him" but in the best way she could imagine.
It wasn't very far from HQ, and she would spend two whole weeks overseeing the construction of the sanctuary. What's also exciting was the fact that she wasn't the only one in need of it, other people with unusual pets would move in and help out. Like a former raider with a Mirelurk, and someone with a toothless mutant hound. It would not be like Abernathy Farm with their cats, dogs, and other more tame pets, that's for sure. But it felt great to know the chief supported the right to have unusual pets. It was a great way to learn something new about these mutated creatures.
With her two bags all packed and ready, she looked over at Pickle, who peacefully slept on her bed. He tended to change colors during his naps, so there were times when she had to look a bit closer to see if he was still there. She carefully woke him up a little to not startle him when she picked him up.
"Hey there, Pickle," she greeted with a whisper, "Come on, we got one more thing to do before we leave."
Holding him close, she was a little surprised when he crawled under her arm and to her back, resting his head on her shoulder as soon as he found a good grip.
"Oh, okay," she giggled and adjusted her posture to accommodate, no need to even hold him. For a small and sleepy hatchling, he sure knew how to hang on.
Making her way over to the old newsroom, she met Jake by the door.
"Hey there, Lupe- oh," he lowered his voice when he noticed the sleepy deathclaw hatchling on her back, "Hey there, Pickle."
"Hi, Jacob," she greeted, "You got a lot to do today?"
"Yeah, gotta help Mansfield prepare for the renovations, map out the wiring, assess the damage, stuff like that. Also, got a project coming in from the chief," he shared, "she didn't have the time or equipment to take a look at it, so she sent it our way."
"Ooh, what is it?"
"A robot with some special ability. She couldn't quite figure out what it was but it seemed to occasionally read her mind, so it'll be interesting to see what it's about."
"Well, I think it sounds rather obvious," Mansfield jumped in from where he stood by Lupe's desk, "The pre-war government and its people were quite paranoid about enemy spies and turncoats, much like most people are today about synths. Scanning minds is an excellent method of detecting… undesirables.”
"Huh, good point. It could be useful in case we were ever infiltrated," Jake pointed out, "Anyway, it's probably here now. See ya."
As Jake left the room, Lupe walked over to Mansfield, "So, eh... thanks again for jumping in. You really think it won't be too much for you?"
"It will be a challenge, no doubt, but I'm sure it can't be too difficult... My team is currently estimating the building materials we'll need for the project. ...so, I'll just need to call the settlements on this list, correct?"
"Yeah, while I worked on the shipments for the sanctuary, I took the chance to ask them about the materials you might need. Look, Tenpines and Somerville have plenty of building materials, Graygarden and Oberland have some rare materials, and Finch Farm has plenty of machine parts," she pointed out on the list, "Just give them a call and they'll help you through this. And after that, it's the usual resources for HQ, to keep track of when the caravans arrive and report it to their settlements."
"Right... I... I can handle that," he nervously replied, looking up at the map of all the supply chains.
"You okay? ...look, it usually doesn't get too busy, but if it does, you can always tell me and I'll jump back in."
"Thank you, but that's not why I'm nervous," he assured and glanced back at her, "It's just... the deathclaw on your back."
"Oh, right," she chuckled and petted the little head on her shoulder. Pickle had been so still, that she had almost forgotten he was there.
After wrapping things up with Mansfield and fetching her bags, Lupe made her way over to the entrance, where Ellis and Philip waited for her. Since they wanted to spend some more time together, Ellis figured they could deliver a new vaccine and other medicinal items to Egret Tours, and inspect the hospital there.
“Are you ready to head out?” Ellis asked.
“Yeah. You?” she responded with cheer.
“Yup, we double-checked our lists, we got everything we need,” Ellis assured.
Philip adjusted his shoulder strap, “And the road seems clear, but I got my guns ready just in case.”
Looking at the deathclaw hatchling on her back, Ellis got a little concerned, “You sure you won’t need a leash for him? You know, in case he panics again?”
Lupe nodded and petted Pickle again, “He’s been very clingy lately and rushes to me whenever he gets scared. Besides, I had him run up and down the stairs a lot today, I’m sure he’ll sleep for at least another hour. It’ll be fine.”
“Alright. Let’s go,” Philip went over to the door.
Turning back to the group of people at the other side of the entrance, Lupe saw Jake talking to someone. Luckily, he was turned towards her, so he noticed when she waved goodbye, and he waved back.
Mansfield had just gotten his report of materials needed for the renovation when he got a call on the radio.
“Mansfield here,” he answered.
“Hey, Cedric! Ilene here,” the chief replied, “Is Lupe still there?”
“Sorry, no, she left about a half-hour ago. Did you need her help with logistics?”
“Yes, I… got this deal with the Brotherhood,” she explained, “The coolant they use for their airship’s reactor requires some rare materials, including Anti-Freeze. And with our network, we’re their best chance to get it.”
“Oh, alright. …if I may ask, what is it we will get in return?” he asked, a bit curious. The Brotherhood of Steel is a rather impressive faction, surely they would offer something interesting for something so vital.
“They will help train our settlers, show them how to use power armor and give advise on how to best defend their home,” she informed with a rather amused tone, “That, and they are now required to respect all sentient ghouls and synths in our settlements.”
The former was quite impressive, he’ll admit. The latter… well, he was a bit unsure. While his opinion on ghouls and synths had improved quite a bit since he started working there, he knew the Brotherhood must’ve been quite desperate to agree to those terms. Last he heard, those soldiers spoke so lowly of the arguably unnatural humanoids, they might as well have spoken about bloatflies.
“Aha, I see… that’s quite the deal! So! I guess this means I’ll get to assist you in arranging our part of the agreement?”
“If you feel like you’re ready for it,” she replied, sounding a little unsure. She knew it could be a little difficult for someone so new to the job. “We still have a couple of days and I’m close to a settlement with a decent stash of rare materials…”
“I’ll admit, it will make my day a little busier. But we can’t waste time. I’m here to work, and work I shall! …just tell me what to do, chief!”
Ilene chuckled a bit, “Alright then, get ready to write this down…”
The next day, things were rather busy in HQ as Mansfield got his projects going, workers getting ready to prepare walls and use the materials they already had on hand. And since it was the main ongoing project that needed to be done as soon as possible, other departments helped out where they could. The scientists helped with contaminated areas, engineers helped repair wiring and plumbing, and the administration workers helped put up wallpapers and do a bit of interior design.
But much to Aiden’s relief, the security team got to continue with their normal schedule. The chief had sent in a new potential recruit, and he sat by a desk and looked at her report.
“Chief said you were accused of being a synth. We know you aren’t one, your medical tests confirmed it. But what’s your take on that?”
“It was a tricky situation,” the recruit started, “I mostly kept to myself, worked hard, and trained hard. Didn’t talk to anyone unless it was important. It was odd behavior and they were skittish, can’t blame them for not wanting to take the risk.”
“Mhm… if you were in their shoes, what signs would you have looked for?”
Giving it a thought, she responded, “Based on my limited experience, I’d say a collection of inconsistencies. Everyone behaves differently but there are important details in body language, and how we work toward our goals. A good infiltrator would try not to stand out or draw too much attention to themselves. They would also build trust with important people and ask questions surrounding their target, nothing direct.”
He nodded and kept eye contact, studying her, “You’re well-spoken compared to other recruits. Determined. Focused. Explain that.”
“Practically born and raised by the New Haven militia,” she started. “I learned the value of hard work and discipline through them and my parents. Our training proved to be what kept us sane throughout our dark years when we wouldn’t go a day without an attack on the fort. A few years ago, things calmed down and we had gotten a lot of new recruits, and some of us were given the option to leave.”
“Why did you choose to leave?”
“PTSD. I needed to start over - have a change of scenery and some time alone, then find a new cause to join and new people to work with.”
He nodded again, processing her story. This new girl was calm and collected, she got to the point and didn’t try to make jokes. She didn’t brag about body count either, because she had seen war. She took this seriously and showed promise, her stats and reputation were good, and she seemed ready to follow orders and work efficiently. Probably the best recruit yet.
“Alright, Brook,” he placed down the papers and smiled, “Welcome aboard.”
She gave a small sigh in relief, the slight tensity melting away, “Thank you, sir.”
“Alright, everyone. This will be interesting,” Jake started, “Today, we're trying out a new robot, and it just so happens that our robotics expert, Andrew Docker, is still at the Mechanist’s Lair. So, Alan, would you like to give it a try?”
“Gladly!” Alan went over to the deactivated robot and connected it to the nearby terminal. “Let’s see… Designation: 8-BA11. Programmed with Mindful Alleviation through Thought Transference with an Educated Library. MATTEL. …sounds familiar... Anyway,” he continued searching through the programming, “...okay, I can’t find anything suspicious. No suspicious protocols, just algorithms for… advice and decision making. I think it’s safe to activate it.”
“Wait, doesn’t “thought transference” mean… it’ll read our minds?” an engineer asked, a little concerned.
“Yeah, but it will only address questions. And only if the brainwaves are strong enough, so… don’t think too hard on it,” Alan advised. “It looks like it’s just programmed to be an advisor, hence the “mindful alleviation” part.
“If you’re too uncomfortable with the idea of it reading your mind, you’re free to leave,” Jake assured. While he believed it to be a good chance for them to learn something new and maybe get interested in robotics, he could understand their concern and saw no point in forcing them to stay. After a moment, only three people left and headed back to the elevator. “Alright, Alan. Wake it up.”
A few seconds later, the Mr. Handy robot perked up and its thruster had it elevate a few feet off the ground.
“Good day! I am 8-BA11!” the robot introduced itself. “Equipped with a prototype mind-reader, I can answer your unspoken questions! Be aware: tests have shown the prototype is currently working at 78% accuracy. For best results, stand within a five feet radius of the unit and focus on your question. Warning: Not all answers should be taken seriously.”
Before anyone could say anything, it already had answers for them.
“Yes, my library includes plenty of engineering knowledge, all from the Boston Public Library and CIT. I can be of service in your projects.”
“Huh… that was quick,” Jake chuckled and turned to his team, “So, what do you say, everyone? Give the reactor upgrade another go with this guy?”
They all agreed that it was worth a try, so they moved over to their stations and prepared to tackle a project they had gotten a bit stuck on for a while. Already, the robot helped them find things they looked for and remind them what certain parts were called. While it was a little annoying at first to have it answer several questions every minute, they eventually got focused and only had a few questions.
What really helped was when someone was about to do something they were uncertain about, and the robot could either assure them or warn them of the result. And eventually, some ideas sparked and they were given some feedback.
They were done with the upgrade by the end of the session and felt pretty good about it. It was a strange session and they definitely would’ve liked the robot to ignore a few questions, but it seemed like they found a way to use the robot productively. With the guidance, they were able to get the upgrade done faster than the previous upgrades.
But just as Jake was about to wrap things up, 8-BA11 detected more questions.
“Today’s lunch will be stir-fried vegetables with Brahmin beef strips.”
“Oooh, yummy!” one engineer commented.
“Yes, a shower after this much work is a good idea," it continued." … I am answering questions, it is part of my programming. … Yes, it seems Mr. Evans will be busy after this.”
Catching on, Jake quickly wrapped up. “Eh, I have time for a few questions, but it looks like I’ll have to deal with this robot before he spouts out private information.”
While everyone headed over to the elevator, he directed the robot back to its station. As he tried hooking it up to the terminal, Alan walked up to him.
“Need any help, Jake?” he asked.
“Given his lack of skill with robotics, I’d say he does,” 8-BA11 responded.
“He didn’t ask you, robobrain,” Jake sighed and got up, “I remembered how you hooked it up, so I think I got it right. Was it you who wanted to see me?”
“Yes, I was just a bit curious about the origin of this robot,” Alan explained.
“The chief found it wandering the grounds of CIT,” Jake explained, “Seems like someone managed to get in and activate it before Mutants and synths got to them. Sadly, she couldn’t find its station anywhere. So no terminal or notes. She did mention that CIT did brainwave scans before the war, so it’s not too surprising someone branched off of that technology.”
“Interesting… 8-BA11, what was your intended use?” he asked the robot.
“My designer, …-database error-, developed the MATTEL program with the hopes of becoming sponsored by both Vault-Tec and the Military, both desiring technology that can read minds and discreetly detect spies or undesirables. During my development, however, I was also serving as my designer’s advisor, gathering data to help them improve the program (and pass exams) without the use of mentats.”
“Yeah… I can see why Vault-Tec and the Military would want it. Glad they didn’t,” Jake commented. “Eh… what would we need to adjust some things in your programming?”
“Depends on what you’d like to adjust. You seem to desire a simple calibration on my reply protocol. For that, I require a robotics expert of the third rank, as per RobCo’s perk chart. … No, Alan does not meet the requirement.”
“Aw… worth a shot,” Alan sighed.
“Heh, guess we’ll have to call the talent scout,” Jake patted Alan’s back. “Thanks for the help, Alan. Now go get yourself some lunch.”
Preparing his Pip-Boy for the call, Jake soon had Ilene on the line.
“General Ward here, state your business.”
“Permission to drop the formalities, ma’am?”
“Oh, hey, Jake!” she chuckled. “I just had a little argument with Paladin Danse, my military mannerism was in full swing.”
“Heh, yeah, that explains it. Everything alright?”
“Yeah, …it’s a long story, I can share it later. What’s up?”
“That robot you sent here, we tried it out. It read our minds as we worked on a new upgrade for the reactor, and it was quite useful… but it got a little redundant and intrusive,” Jake explained, “Would you know of someone with a “robotics expert of the third rank, as per RobCo’s perk chart” who has the time to help me put some restrictions and filters on this thing?”
“Oh, yeah, I was afraid something like that would happen. Eh… shoot, I probably should’ve sent it to Isabel and the others. …but wait, RobCo’s chart? That’s the one in the Pip-Boy. …it says I meet the requirements, so I can give it a try! I’m feeling a little homesick anyway… and I might be able to catch a ride with a Vertibird, get there in less than an hour.”
“That’s great! So… I’ll see you soon, then.”
“Yeah, see you soon, partner.”
It was always great to see her again. They were able to monitor the movement of the Gunner army and it seemed they took their sweet time gathering forces, which allowed Ilene to prepare the Minutemen and their allies. She was so often out in the Commonwealth, setting up outposts and training facilities for all the guards and soldiers, she’d only spend one full day at HQ each week. And he always looked forward to that day.