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Chapter 12: Phoenix

>Piloting a Vertibird was MUCH easier in the simulations, the problems happened one by one and only one at a time.

>Right now you were piloting with one engine, a pneumatic overheat and half the circuit breakers were popped, freezing various systems.

>Pip was running various checklists to fix the issues, shouting instructions to Amber and Gracie, who were both pushing buttons and shoving circuit breakers back in place as you pilot.

>"100 meters' you call out over the din.

>The lucky 38's helipad was in view and you would be damned if you crashed this close to the goal.

>"Just fuckin' put us there!" you hear Amber cry out to you as the remaining engine sputters in dismay.

>You arch the vertibird up and climb about 100 feet above the helipad.

>"What are you doi-"

>The engine dies, cutting Amber's question short with a sputtering cough.

>Right as it dies, you push the button, allowing the vertibird propellers to auto rotate.

>Auto rotation allows gravity to push air up into the propellers, making them spin and slow down a fall.

>The vertibird fell, slower than gravity would permit but faster than you wanted.

>"HOLD ON" you cry out, glad the seatbelts still worked.

>The vertibird smashes into the landing pad with a sickening crunch, then skidded along it until coming to a stop on the very edge of the pad.

>It takes a moment for you to realize you aren't about to tumble off the top of the tower, then you give a slight sigh of relief.

>"We made it guys" you say with a grin, looking around.

>Pip looks like he might throw up, Amber has her face buried in her paws and Gracie is playing dead in the seat she is strapped to, her tongue lolling out dramatically.

>"I thought you were a pilot Boomer" Pip says weakly, looking from his pip-boy to you.

>"I am! You try piloting a vertibird that has had no maintenance for 200 years while buried in a corrosive cloud, then get back to me!" you say defensively.

>Pip grimaces as Amber pukes out of the opemnside while you motion to the vertibird, half eaten by rust.

>"Ok, fair enough" he concedes, unbuckling himself and getting out of the half crashed aircraft.

>You unbuckle yourself and then rouse Gracie.

>"Aye, Gracie! You're alive, quit playing dead" you say as you unbuckle her and shake her softly.

>Her eyes open and focus on you, then she wraps herself around you, arms legs and tail binding you.

>"Aye aye! I'm gonna-' is all you can say as you fall over painfully, Gracie landing on top of you, but not without your body squishing her tail painfully.

>She gives out a pained hiss, then uncoils from around you, allowing you to roll onto your back and give a sigh of relief.

>You did it.

>You survived the Sierra Madre.

>No one in your group was dead or maimed; well no one besides you.

>That was a trade you were willing to make.

>Sure you didn't really know Pip or Amber that well, but they seemed like good people, and good people on your side was a thing that was rare in the wasteland.

>So a scar and the loss of your non-dominant eye was worth it, after all Gracie got her sister back.

>The image of Gracie doubled over, crying still plagued your brain, and it never lessened with the passage of time.

>It was a scar in your memory now, something that would always remain sharp and clear regardless of the passage of time.

>Your precious Snekdog, crying because she wanted to find her family, only to fail.

>You knew the feeling.

>How many times had you stood at the edge of Nellis, just outside the range of the howitzers, staring at a home you could never return to?

>"What a surprise! Everyone came back alive" came a familiar voice that you recognized as Raul's.

>The semi-human looking ghoul walks over to the tangled mess of you and Gracie, then offers you a hand up.

>You take it and are yanked to your feet by his inhuman strength, despite the Snekdog wrapped around you.

>"Someone here to see you Boomer, although I told him you might not survive" Raul says, motioning over his shoulder to the walkway.

>Another ghoul stands in the doorway to the lucky 38, leaning casually and without malice, but rather with cold interest.

>You fish your helmet out of the half crashed vertibird as Raul goes to talk to Pip and Amber, then tuck it under your arm.

>Walking towards the ghoul, you don't get a feeling of threat from him; years in the wasteland had taught you when someone was going to attack, and this ghoul just didn't have that body language.

>He wore a type of clothing you don't recognize, but looks similar to a Mexican cattle driver, with two 10 MM revolvers attached to a belt of leather that looked like it survived the last Great War, only to be treated with leather fixer.

>Whoever this guy is, he is old, probably from before the war, and old means dangerous from experience.

>He looks at you with a calm smile.

>"Jesus kid, I thought my face looked bad, compared yours I consider myself lucky" he says with calm non-threatening tones.

>You frown and shove your helmet on in response.

>"A Knight in shining armor is someone who has never had his mettle truly tested" you respond, adjusting the helmet to you can look at him unobscured.

>He gives a soft chuckle, then extends a gloved hand to you in a pacifying gesture.

>"My Name is Paris, Raul tells me you have connections to the brotherhood chapter here" he says with a smile; it looks odd without a nose and cheek muscles.

>You take his hand, his gloves acting as a barrier to his semi decayed skin, and shake it warmly.

>His hands feel...Squishy. Like the flesh isn't quite solid, yet not a liquid.

>You have enough allies around you to know if this guy wants to be a threat, they would drop him.

>Hell, Gracie's venom, the Z-12 class venom; whatever that meant, killed a monster with less than a cup of it.

>If she wanted she could bite this guy and he would be dead, ghoul or otherwise; fuck, from what her venom did to the monster, it could kill everyone standing on this helipad.

>"I know the brotherhood, we have a mutual interest and work together" you say with a smile.

>You recall the opaque visor and realize he can't see your face but he nods knowingly regardless of that fact.

>"Don't get too comfortable with them, but do you know Sato?" He asks, his eyes focused on you, as if looking for a lie on your shielded face.

>You nod slowly.

>"Sato gave me access to their new stronghold, I trust him with my life, the others maybe as far as I can throw them" you say calmly.

>Paris smiles sadly, then digs into his bag.

>"Trust him, but maybe not with your life, give him these for me please though" The ghoul says calmly, passing you a few items.

>Two bottles of something called "Bawls", a holotape, and a necklace with a white fang.

>"Gracie, can you carry this stuff for me?" you call to the half invisible Snekdog, who was trying to hide behind you.

>She jumps suddenly as you call her name, like she didn't think you knew she was there.

>"Oh uh! Yes!" she pulls open her gecko skin bag and makes room for it all, but as she reaches for the fang you gently grab her paw.

>"Don't touch that" you say as you take it; you wrap it in leather, then stuff it into a pocket of your pants.

>You don't know why, but that fang gives you a bad feeling, one you would expose to yourself rather than Gracie.

>You look at Paris and nod.

>"We will gift your items to Sato, I swear it" you say calmly, earning an appreciative nod from Paris.

>"Thank you. Tell him it's from "Ol' Paris from Lone Star" he says with a grin, "Good vibes to you and yours, farewell"

>The ghoul walks away without another word, his handguns clinking against his hips as he walks, but otherwise no other sound betrays his presence.

>"Raul, I have overstayed my welcome, I will see you downstairs" he says before disappearing into an elevator.

>You frown after him.

>Who was he? What is this fang you have and why does it fill you with dread?

>You mentally shrug it off and focus instead on Pip and Amber.

>Your friends need you, everything else was moot.

>"Everyone ok?" you say, walking across the helipad to the small group.

>Pip gives you a small smile and Amber looks like she might throw up again soon.

>"Good news is the majority of the vertibird parts are good to go, bad news is you made Amber airsick" Pip says, motioning to the vertibird and the still throwing up Amber.

>You recall her making fun of your lost eye and focus on the feeling you had at that point in time.

>"Oh no. Amber is air sick? I wonder what the pilot could have done what I did with 2 good eyes instead of one" you say dryly

>Gracie swats you across your helmet and you grimace, even though it couldn't hurt you.

>"What? She can dish it out but can't take it?" you say defensively, dodging away from Gracie's swipes.

>Normally, you wouldn't care about Gracie's little smacks of protest, but...things have changed.

>You dodge away out of fear, fear she might bite down and kill you with her venom.

>Venom strong enough to kill a giant mutant. What would it do to your body?

>Amber sighs and regains her footpaws then grabs Gracie about the waist.

>"Calm down little sister, your mate is scared" She gently cooes, holding a struggling Gracie.

>Upon hearing the words from Amber, Gracie freezes.

>Gracie looks back at the much larger Snekdog, questioning her sister.

>"Scared? What-?"

>"Look at him! Your venom just killed a behemoth! And now you're swiping out at him..." Amber says coolly, holding the smaller and younger Snekdog.

>Gracie looks at you with her mismatched eyes for a moment and you look back at her, almost instinctively in a defensive crouch.

>"Are you really scared?" she murmurs, still looking at you.

>How do you answer your mate? No matter the answer it was bad news

>How do you say "Yes I'm terrified, your venom could kill me in a second", or "no, I'm fine that you can kill me without a second thought"

>Wait! Compromise!

>"uh...I'm scared that your venom will kill me...But I still want to be your mate" you say carefully, picking each word.

>Gracie gives an impatient huff, then squirms out of Amber's hold.

>She grabs your right arm and shows you the Green "11" from her previous bite.

>"You're immune to me dummy" she says, smacking your head

>Hm, weeks ago she wouldn't be willing to do such a thing.

>You feel the embarrassment in your face as Gracie hugs you close.

>You hug her back and regard Amber as Pip talks to her in a hushed whisper.

>Only a boomer with your training could have gotten this vertibird back to the lucky 38, well maybe the enclave, but they were gone.

>If pip had tried, you're almost sure it would have crashed on the trip.

>That wasn't an insult to Pip; not by a long shot!

>He was capable of reading off the issues while you piloted and fixing the problems as they occurred with help from Amber and Gracie

>That meant if he piloted, no one would have been flying the aircraft and it would have crashed long ago.

>Yet, you were not delusional to think that you could have flown this vertibird alone, or even just you and Gracie.

>Too many problems, too many things to fix alone.

>Fuck, the 4 of you barely got the vertibird here.

>You sigh and run your fingers through your hair.

>Except they run across the smooth surface of your helmet.

>Breathe.

>You made it

>Gracie made it.

>You do what comes best, be an honorable person.

>"We did it, we got what we needed and survived the sierra Madre" you say extending a hand to Pip.

>He takes it up right away, a fire in his eyes that only humanity could have and shake it heartily.

>"We did it!" he repeats.

>You then extend a hand to Amber.

>"I did my best to protect your sister, and I did my best to protect you" you say, weariness running through you.

>Instead of a handshake , you get a hug from the large Snekdog.

>"I'm glad my sister found a mate like you! You nearly died to protect her!" She says happily, nearly crushing you with her unchecked strength.

>You try to return the hug, although you're quite out of breath, but you have a question before they go.

>"Hey, how do you deal with the Heat cycles? It looks like you've been with Amber for a long time, how do you avoid having uh.... pups?" you ask calmly, thinking about Gracie's heat.

>As Amber breaks the hug, Pip Looks at you somberly, his expression cold and concerned.

>"Why?" he asks, ice in his voice.

>you blink and look at them.

>"You've been with Amber for a long time, I just wanna know how to avoid unwanted babies" you say, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion.

>"Boomer.... Amber is impotent... Gracie is too probably" He says matter of factly.

>You blink and look at the Snekdog and Pip; neither meet your gaze.

>"If you ever want to have offspring with your mate, we need to go to the Big Empty" Pip says calmly.

>There it was again. The Big Empty, what was it?

>"What?" you ask, your voice full of confusion.

>"The big empty, be ready to go there; we have to go" Pip says with a calm smile.

>They walk off despite your confused sputtering.

>"Big empty? Offspring? What?"

>No answers; the two of them disappear into the elevator leading out of the lucky 38, holding hands.

>"We'll call you, be ready" Pip says as the door closes.

>Well FUCK.

>You stand, both annoyed and confused, then reach a hand to out Gracie, who takes it in her paws happily.

>"We going home Anon?" she asks happily as if she didn't just see Amber and Pip say she was barren.

>You sigh and decide to focus on her instead.

>"Yea, we're going home" you sigh thinking about the walk back. It wouldn't be hard, but all you wanted was to snuggle with Gracie and to fall asleep.

>Again, you try to run your fingers through your hair, only to have them slide over your helmet.

>You grasp Gracie's Paw and lead her to the elevator.

>A quick push of a button and you're on your way home.

>The walk back to the hidden valley takes a few hours, You and Gracie make a few stops in the NCR controlled territory to eat and get strength back.

>The sun is nearly setting by the time you reach the hidden valley of the Brotherhood.

>You don't want to give Nickson and Rusty the parts right away, but you would rather do it now and relax a few days before setting out again.

>Besides if you were right in your time keeping, Gracie's heat would hit soon.

>All the more reason to stay inside.

>You reach the bunker and input the code you were given to open up the bunker of the brotherhood of steel.

>The only issue is you're met with a laser rifle to your face.

>AGAIN

>"Who are you? And why are you using Boomer's Code, did the fucker finally betray us?" Paladin Ramos demands, shoving his laser rifle against your helmet.

>You can't see Gracie as you stand, hands raised in surrender to Ramos.

>She hisses angrily, going semitransparent and slinking around, drawing her submachine gun.

>Atta girl.

>As soon as his eyes dart away from you, you push his rifle aside with your left arm.

>He reacts too late, firing the rifle into the wall behind you as you swing your right fist into his face.

>While you aren't very skilled with hand-to-hand combat, you have strength enough to at least hit hard.

>Your armored fist makes contact with his nose, and you feel it crack beneath your fury.

>Ramos never did wear a helmet, power armor covered every other inch of his body.

>Pride goeth before the fall.

>Your first drives him back and downwards, slamming his head into the floor.

>He was out cold before that part, but you don't care.

>He was more likely to shoot you in the face because you now had scars over letting you in.

>You stalk into the bunker, heeding Paris's words.

>"Don't get too comfortable with them".

>Most of the brotherhood avoid you like you had the plague just because you were from the "outside"

>Whatever.

>You and Gracie stride through the bunker and you feel her stealth field engulfing you periodically as she eyes the Paladins and knights.

>Most steer clear of you as you make your way to the one place you knew Sato would be.

>The cafeteria.

>You find him at a table, eating the ration loafs like they are gourmet food.

>"Paladin Sato, it's good to see you again, didja miss us", you say as you sit down at the table across from him.

>The paladin looks up from his meal to look at you and then to Gracie.

>"Boomer? I thought you were went to the sierra mad-" he stops when he sees the badge of your armor that says "Sierra Madre Security"

>"Y-you actually went to the Madre? And are still alive" He asks, looking as though he dreaded the answer.

>You nod and pull your helmet off, he flinches back upon seeing your remaining eye and the scars on your face.

>"Only mostly alive" you answer calmly.

>As you set the helmet down on the table, you become dimly aware that a lot of eyes are on you and Gracie.

>"We went to the Madre, survived it and got what we needed" you say as you fish out the force field generator.

>Sato's eyes go wide at the sight of the blue cube and he looks from it to you.

>"You actually did it... We all thought you would die there..." he murmurs, the light from the cube shining in his eyes.

>"We also have some other things for you,"Ol' Paris from Lone Star" gave them to us to deliver to you" you say and you stash the cube away.

>Gracie fishes in her bag for a moment then pulls out the holotape and one of the bottles.

>Sato stands quickly

>"Not here, follow me" he says and stomps off, his power armor clanging hard against the floor.

>You shoot a look at Gracie, who shrugs, grab your helmet and start off after the paladin with Gracie not far behind you

>As you catch up to Sato, you hear him muttering to himself and he enters a room where they teach initiates about whatever, however the room is empty now.

>"Ok, give it to me" he says to Gracie, turning around and looking shaken.

>"A-are you ok?" Gracie asks as she hands him the holotape and one of the bottles.

>He pops open the bottle with a thumb and chugs the whole thing, then sighs.

>"I'm...Alright...Just amazed that someone came for Me." he says finally.

>You carefully dig into your pocket and produce the fang given to you by Paris, still wrapped in a bit of leather.

>"He also gave us this" you say, extending the bundle to him.

>He takes it gingerly, then opens the bundle and picks up the fang.

>"Chupacabra..." he mutters and then promptly puts the Holotape into his power armor and plays it

>The message is short and in Paris's voice.

>"The creature this belongs to tried to follow me to Nevada. You're lucky I stopped it. I'll be at the Lucky 38 for a week. Let's talk partner."

>Sato's eyes go wide and he looks like he's done just about every drug out there.

>Then, like a madman, the throws the fang to the floor and stomps it into dust, denting the floor beneath his foot.

>He looks up and the grabs you about the shoulders, shaking you

>"DID YOU TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS?" he yells at you, looking crazier by the second.

>You push him away with a sharp shove.

>"Back off Sato, we didn't tell anyone" you growl.

>He wheels about to Gracie, who has the other bottle in her paw, terror painted across her muzzle

>He grabs her in turn, shaking her slightly and she instantly collapses, her tongue lolling out of her mouth and dropping the bottle, which bursts on the floor.

>The sound seems to snap Sato out of whatever trance he was in, you rush to support Gracie as he lets her go.

>"I-I'm sorry, I need to take some time off, I'll be seeing you." he says, then promptly leaves the room.

>You stare after him, then stir Gracie gently.

>"Come on Gracie, he's gone" you whisper to her, rubbing one of her ears.

>Her eyes open and she hugs you, then looks around.

>"What was that about?" she asks as she gets her feet under her.

>"No clue, let's just go drop off the Force field generator and get home." you say with a sigh.

>Gracie nods and takes your hand; together the two of you walk through the bunker, earning more stares then before because of your removed helmet.

>When you finally reach the bunkers now Garage; Knight Nickson and Rusty the coyote are working on wiring for some lights.

>Rusty jumps slightly at your approach and nearly drops the voltmeter he has in his paws.

>Knight Nickson whirls around at Rusty's jump then sees you and Gracie.

>"Jesus Kid, what the fuck" He says with annoyance and confusion.

>"Sorry to sneak up on you guys, but I have something for you" you say with a smile.

>You pull the Generator out of your stash and extend it to Nickson, who stares at it for a moment, his eyes wide.

>"Is...Is that the force field Generator?" he asks as he takes it into his hands, his fingers shaking slightly.

>You nod and watch as he holds it like it was the Holy Grail, inspecting the device with a furtive Gaze.

>"R-Rusty, Fuck the lights, we got work to do" he says finally, then he nods to you.

>"We'll get it done!" he says before basically running off, holding the generator with great care.

>Well then, that's that you guess.

>"Let's go home Gracie" you say calmly, smiling at the Snekdog.

>She nods once and smiles.

>"Can we get a bark scorpion and grill it? I've craved it since we left"

>You nod once and head home.

>You're finally home again with your mate, and things couldn't be better.

>Through the Bunker you and Gracie go, back to the surface.

>As you leave, you see Ramos still laying on the ground where you had laid him out and he groans unhappily as you step over his form.

>Once you're outside, you breathe in deep, smelling the cool Desert air and listening to the sounds of the desert.

>Gusting wind, Coyotes howling in the distance, the scuttling of bark scorpions

>"Oh Oh! I smell some barks! Lemme get them!" Gracie says excitedly, bouncing in joy then disappearing.

>You wait for a moment then hear the silenced SMG Gracie carries go off a few times, no louder than a whisper above the wind.

>After a moment she reappears next to you with 2 bark scorpions, both very dead and being held by their tails.

>"I got 2! Let go home and then can you cook them up for us?" She says happily, as you begin walking to your own bunker.

>"Sure thing Gracie, I miss having a nice good meal" you say as Gracie starts skipping besides you.

>After a minute of walking, you reach the door to your bunker, unlock it, and head inside.

>Its the same as when you left it, although a little bit dustier.

>Gracie goes to the kitchen while you get out of your armor, folding it neatly.

>"Get outta the Kitchen and take off your armor, we need to wash it all to get the cloud residue off our gear" You call out, into the kitchen.

>"OK one sec!" came Gracie's voice, then the sound of rustling.

>Gracie emerges one second later, totally nude and carrying her clothing.

>"I needa shower! I smell like those ghosts! You cook!" She demands, tossing the armor next to yours then walking right up to you.

>She wraps her arms around your neck and looks up at you, then gives you a kiss, her long tongue sneaking its way into your mouth.

>You feel her stealth field begin surrounding you and her, then it oscillating and wavering, like an odd sort of trembling.

>You break from the kiss to see parts of you and her shimmering and disappearing as you hold her.

>She smiles and then pushes away.

>"Shower and dinner first!" she chides, walking away with an exaggerated sway of her hips.

>She looks back at you, and begins to slowly raise her tail, then right as you're about to see her nethers, she disappears into a shimmer.

>"You should have seen your face!" comes Gracie's teasing voice.

>You frown as Gracie laughs and hear the shower turn on.

>Sure, you've seen her naked, but its different now that you're her mate.

>You sigh, and walk through your bunker with a only a t-shirt and your undergarments then prepare the bark scorpions for dinner.

>You can hear Gracie singing badly as you begin seasoning and grilling.

>"BIGGG IROOONNN BIG IROOONNNN!" she sings happily.

>She is very off key and her voice is silly as its distorted by the shower.

>After a about 10 minutes the scorpions are ready

>As if on cue, Gracie appears next to you wrapped in a towel and gives you a gentle lick on the cheek.

>"Your turn~, I promise I won't peek this time!" she hisses softly.

>You smirk and head to the shower, then get in and clean yourself thoroughly.

>No need to get the cloud residue in your bed.

>As you shower you think about what Pip said.

>"We need to go to the Big MT, be ready"

>The Big MT....from what you've heard about it, its dangerous.

>Of course you were never one to shy away from danger and a possible horrible death.

>You turn off the water right as it starts to get cold and leave the shower, drying off quickly.

>You leave the bathroom, and find Gracie, still damp from her shower, sitting at the small table and happily eating a claw from one of the scorpions.

>Her long tongue darts into the crack chitin and scoop out a bit of the cooked meat.

>With a content sigh, you sit next to her, and begin eating yourself.

>She leans against you, and you both eat in silence, savoring both the food and the company.

>You both finish eating and then you take Gracie's paw and lead her to the bed.

>Shes already yawning and rubbing her eyes.

>Its been a long day.

>Got a pre-war Artifact, killed a giant mutant, flew and crashed a vertibird.

>One of your more busy days, that's for sure.

>You get into the bed, still naked, and Gracie slides in next you you, placing her back to your chest and making you the big spoon.

>"Goodnight Anon, I Love you" she murmurs, half asleep and woozy.

>You kiss the top of her head and pull her close.

>"Love you too"

>Together, you drift off to sleep in your own bed, with your perfect mate.