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Chapter 10: I AM Alive

>It hurts, everything hurts.

>Pain? Guess you aren't dead after all.

>You sit up quickly, breathing hard...

>Where's your gun?! They're coming for you!

>What happened? The last thing you remember was Gracie trying to pull you...

>Shuffling noises cause you to look around quickly, although you can't see out of your left eye.

>Where are you? Panic sets in as you observe your surroundings...

>You're in a bed in a jail cell with the bars open.

>What happened? How did you get here?

>So many questions in your mind...

>"Gracie?", you call out as you sit up

>Your throat feels dusty when you talk.

>Hurried footsteps towards you and Gracie appears, peering into the cell

>"ANON! YOU'RE AWAKE!"

>She rushes in and pounces on you in a hug.

>"Oh god, oh god, you had me so worried! I thought you were dead, I'm sorry, we didn't know the cloud was poison!"

>She's talking a mile a minute, hugging you tight.

>It hurts, it really, really hurts as she squeezes you.

>"What happened, Gracie? Where are we? Also, you're hurting me."

>She lets go quickly. "Sorry, Anon."

>You reach and pet her head gently.

>"It's OK, what happened?"

>She sits on the bed next to you.

>"Uhm, after you got hit by that bomb and passed out, I bit you and used my venom to slow down your heart."

>She points to your right forearm, where what looks like a bright green 11 marks where she bit you.

>"After that I dragged you to here, a police station."

>You blink hard, processing...

>"You stopped my heart? How am I alive if you poisoned me?"

>She scrunches her face up and looks away...

>"Don't freak out but I, uh, made you drink my blood, my bodily fluids are an antivenom."

>She shows her arm, which is bandaged up...

>You sit and stare at her for a moment, digesting everything she told you.

>"And then Pip, Amber, and I scrounged up chips to get stimpaks to help you heal, but..."

>She trails off, looking at you.

>"But what?"

>"We couldn't save your eye Anon, your left eye is gone."

>You reach up to your face and feel around where your eye should be...

>What feels like a bunch of raised lines are across your face and eye socket.

>You sigh.

>You should be upset, but honestly you're just happy to be alive.

>Gracie scoots closer to you when you look at her.

>"Thank you Gracie, you saved my life and took care of me; you didn't have to do that."

>She beams at you and nuzzles against you.

>"Of course I did, Anon, I had to, you're my mate! You're the only person I want to be my mate! I love you!"

>You stare for a moment.

>"I- you what?", you stammer out.

>She wraps her arms around you and looks into your eye.

>"I love you Anon, I tried to tell you before you passed out."

>What do you feel now? A warmth in your chest, a flurry in your stomach...

>She wants you to be her mate, and she loves you...

>...And you feel the same.

>You've felt you wanted her as yours for a while.

>"I love you too, Gracie.", you say as you wrap your arms around her.

>It hurts to move, but you want to hold her.

>As she nuzzles into your chest, you realize you aren't wearing your normal clothes.

>A holey t-shirt and torn pants are all you're wearing.

>You break from the hug and smile.

>"Where's my gear? Let's get what we came here to find and get out of this place."

>She frowns.

>"Your gun got destroyed and your armor torn apart, the only thing that survived was your jacket, and just barely."

>Your turn to frown, your main weapon- destroyed? You could use your shotgun or scout rifle, but those wouldn't work well outside their specific range.

>But wait, this is a police station, they had to have had an armory.

>You stand up shakily.

>They used stimpaks on you, but you were still sore.

>"Is there an armory, Gracie? We might be able to find something I can use."

>She takes your hand, and leads you through the police station.

>"I found this when we were looking for chips, you might be able to use it!"

>On a table is an odd looking rifle, which you pick up and look at.

>Takes microfusion cells, but it's almost like it was thrown together out of spare parts, but it doesn't look like it's working quite well.

>"The armory is over there Anon, I haven't been able to get in it though, the door is locked."

>She points at a door with the word "armory" on it.

>You walk over and look at the lock.

>"Just shoot the lock, Gracie.", you say, stepping away from it.

>She looks at the lock, then her gun, and facepalms.(Facepaws?)

>"Why didn't I think of that..?", she mutters as she draws her gun and shoots the lock.

>You smile and look over the lock again.

>"Yeah, that did it."

>Giving the door a sharp (and painful) kick opens the door.

>You walk inside the armory and look around cautiously...

>A long rifle catches your eye, so you grab it and inspect it.

>Fires .308 rounds and is full auto? God, this thing is amazing.

>But it looks like it's in pretty bad condition.

>You shoulder it and look around more.

>Neatly folded in a corner is what looks like security guard armor and a helmet with an opaque visor.

>You grab that up too and carry it all out to the table where the other gun is laying.

>"Where are Amber and Pip? I haven't seen them."

>Gracie pulls out a chair and sits.

>"They are exploring, said they needed to find the vehicles, they may not be back for a while."

>You nod and sit next to her, then get to work restoring the automatic rifle.

>But, wait...you had wanted to combine a energy weapon and a regular gun...

>The gun Gracie found is easy enough to take apart.

>You smile as you get to work.

>Gracie watches intently as you work.

>"What are you doing, Anon?", she asks, cocking her head to the side adorably.

>"Making a dual fire weapon, Gracie."

>Your time with the Brotherhood of Steel had helped you understand energy weapons.

>As you work, clicking parts together, Gracie yawns and stretches.

>"Want some food, Anon? After we got you healed we still had a bunch of chips."

>You nod as you work, Gracie gets up and heads to a vending machine.

>After a few moments she comes back carrying a few cans of cram and some water.

>She sits next to you and nuzzles against you while you work.

>You smile as she does and stop tinkering with the guns to eat with her.

>How long had it been since you had eaten? You're pretty sure Gracie fed you while you were out of action.

>She opens the cans and hands you one.

>"Here Anon, sorry we don't have forks or anything."

>You smile as you take the can and use your fingers to eat.

>What do you care about silverware?

>She leans against you as she eats.

>Cram might not be your favorite food, but it'll do.

>You finish eating and get back to working on the guns.

>"Gracie, are there any weapon repair kits in the armory?"

>"I have a better idea! You can get all sorts of stuff from these machines! Plus, you can take other stuff and turn it into chips!"

>She bounces to her feet and bounds over to the machine, then taps away at the touch screen.

>After a moment, she walks back over with 3 weapon repair kits and some snacks.

>"Looky, looky! So much good stuff!"

>You look at the vending machine.

>That thing is useful...Maybe you can get one to the Brotherhood?

>A thought for another time.

>You sit and tinker for a few hours, talking with Gracie and getting parts to work together.

>Amber and Pip enter the police station.

>"Oh, hey Boomer, you're awake! Gracie was so worried about you!", Amber says, shaking dust off her body and clothes.

>You nod as you work.

>"She did a great job taking care of me- she saved me, that's for sure."

>"Well, most of you, anyway...", Amber says, looking at your left eye.

>Or rather, where your left eye should be.

>You frown, and cover it with your hand.

>"Sorry...", she says as her ears droop a bit.

>You sigh and uncover your face.

>"It's fine, I gotta get used to it I guess."

>Pip looks over the weapon you're creating.

>"What this? Looks like you found a nice gun here."

>You show him a few of the parts as you explain.

>"Gracie found an energy weapon, and I found an automatic rifle that shoots .308 rounds, I'm trying to combine them for extra weapon penetration."

>He nods and inspects one of the components of the energy weapon.

>"Nice, I think this is a holorifle, this place has been good for us."

>You look at him with a frown.

>"Well, mostly good...", he adds.

>You get back to work and Pip sits down with you, occasionally giving you tips and helping you put it together.

>Amber is telling Gracie about things out around the villa.

>In a lot of places, the dust has settled and the ghost people went berserk, eating the dust; Further driving them insane.

>She tells Gracie about how some have their weapons fused to their bodies.

>Jesus, looks like you dealt with the easiest ones...

>"We found our way into the maintenance area and turned on these giant fans to get most of the dust out of the air.", Amber says with a smile.

>That's good, you won't have to breathe anymore of it, or at least not as much.

>You watch as Amber pulls out a hatchet from her belt.

>"Plus, I found this down there, it's made of some super sharp metal."

>Gracie takes it into her paws and looks it over...

>You know Gracie isn't too good with melee weapons like you.

>"Did you find a way into the casino?" you ask as you run a few wires from the fusion cell port to the trigger.

>"We did, it's pretty deep in there, we're going to go together to get in there, and there might be other things in there."

>You nod and look over your new rifle.

>With Pip's help you got it put together quickly.

>Well, not quickly, but quicker than if you did it by yourself.

>It looks like the basic automatic rifle, but the barrel of the "holorifle" is around the barrel of the auto rifle.

>You had stripped the bipod to get it to fit, but it works.

>A port for the fusion cells is under the ejection port, and wires run from it to the trigger and to the receiver.

>To reload it you have to put in a new magazine AND a fusion cell, though.

>But it will do a LOT of damage.

>It's not pretty, that's for sure- but it'll do.

>"Alright then, let's get to that casino.", you say, standing up and grabbing your new gear.

>Pip puts a hand on you shoulder to stop you.

>"It's too late to go out there, last thing we want is to get caught out there at night, we can sleep here safely and then go in the morning."

>You frown, but nod.

>As much as you wanted to get out there and get revenge, you also didn't want to nearly die again.

>You put your holorifle into your inventory and look to Gracie.

>"Lets get some sleep, then."

>She takes your hand and leads you back to the cell you woke up in.

>There wasn't much privacy here, Amber and Pip must be sleeping in one of the other cells.

>You get out the pillows and Gracie changes into her pajamas.

>After the bed is set up you sit back against the wall and pat your lap softly, inviting Gracie over.

>She lays down and places her head in your lap.

>"Goodnight, Gracie.", you whisper.

>She sits up and kisses you quickly.

>"Goodnight Anon, you're the best mate ever."

>You smile and pet her head, lulling her to sleep.

>Before long, she's snoring softly.

>You drift off to sleep yourself soon after...

>You awake slowly and peacefully, a stark contrast to yesterday's panic stricken wake up.

>There are no windows, so there's no way to know if it's morning or not.

>But your Pip-Boy can tell you.

>You check it, making sure not to wake Gracie just yet.

>7AM

>That's a good time to start the day.

>You shake Gracie gently to wake her up.

>"Gracie, time to get up...", you say softly.

>After a moment, she stirs...

>You lean forward and kiss her softly.

>"Come on Gracie, we gotta get going."

>She sits up and yawns, her jaws opening wider than you would think.

>"Mornin' Nonnnnnn..."

>You smile and stretch, then stand up.

>She sits on the bed and watches you, still in her pajamas.

>"You OK to go out there, Anon? You were nearly dead earlier..."

>You start putting on your new armor.

>Security armor? It'll do the job.

>You pull your Boomer jacket over it, then pick up the helmet.

>It has an opaque visor, which is good for hiding your missing eye.

>You put in on and look at Gracie.

>"I'll be fine."

>She smiles at you.

>"Lookin' good Anon, let me change now!"

>You watch as she changes, enjoying the view.

>God, her body is amazing.

>A thought hits you as you watch her pull on her recon armor.

>"Gracie, when is your next heat cycle?"

>She smiles at you and presses against you.

>"Ohhhhh, why do you ask, Anon?", She says in a teasing voice, her long tongue flicking your visor.

>You pull off your helmet and kiss her.

>"No reason.", you say with a smirk.

>You hear a noise outside the cell and see Amber peeking in at you both.

>"Not mates, huh?", she says smugly.

>Gracie nuzzles into your neck softly.

>"Things changed, sister."

>Amber smiles at that.

>You slip your helmet back on and look up...

>Pip appears alongside Amber, ready to go.

>"Yesterday we heard something big out there, we should all cloak to not cause anymore trouble."

>You had never let Gracie cloak you, you never were a sneaky guy but something stomping around might be dangerous.

>She scoots close to you and leans against you as you walk to the door outside.

>"Ready?", Gracie asks.

>You draw out your rifle and nod.

>"Ready."

>Your body feels weird, like there is a small yet ever present charge of static that won't discharge.

>You feel Gracie holding your arm softly when you look down.

>Everything is see through, a slight shimmer shows where you are.

>"Let's go."

>You push the door open into the dust filled streets.

>Pip and Amber really did kick whatever fans there were on.

>The clouds around this area are basically gone.

>A few wisps of it float lazily.

>You step out and begin walking around.

>It's weird to see footsteps forming.

>"We'll lead the way to the casino, we can get a vantage point to find the vertibirds.", You hear Pip say.

>You look around...

>Huh, you can see the Shimmer of Amber and Pip easier than you would Gracie's.

>"Follow our footsteps."

>You watch as footprints appear in front of you.

>Nice.

>They lead the way and you follow silently, passing the occasional ghost.

>Some stand twitching in the remaining clouds.

>A few are kneeling, shoving the dust into a hole where they ripped the gas mask section off their suit.

>How bizarre, how did these things function?

>You aren't sure you want to know.

>You feel Gracie's grip tighten around your arm as you keep your rifle ready.

>Would they notice the footprints in the dust? You hope not.

>The dust in the air is not affecting you like it did before.

>Did Gracie's blood work to stop you being affected?

>You can see the casino doors as your group gets nearer and nearer.

>The ground rumbles softly and you all get closer.

>Slow, rhythmic rumbling.

>Footsteps?

>You had thought they meant something like a deathclaw or something...

>...This sounded like something bigger than a behemoth.

>"Jesus fuck, what is that stomping around out there?", you say, imagining the worst.

>The door to the casino opens from someone opening it.

>You can't tell who opened it, and you suppose it doesn't matter as you shuffle in and get inside.

>The difference between inside the casino and outside is like night and day.

>Everything in here is preserved and in great condition, but still worn from time.

>The handrails are crumbled a bit, the doors you can see are still broken.

>The floor is covered in reddish carpet and dual stairwells wrap around the walls to an upper level.

>Between the stairwells you see the casino floor, dozens of tables and roulette wheels.

>Gracie lets go of your arm and you feel the static feeling disappear.

>Freaky.

>"WOW, Look at this place! It's so cool!" Gracie says walking forwards and looking around.

>It was cool, but it was eerily quiet.

>No ghost people, no ragged breathing...

>Just silence.

>It's unsettling that's for sure.

>"Where's this thing you need, Boomer?", Pip says, walking forward through the lobby.

>You look at your Pip-Boy and scan the notes section...

>All those notes on what's his face...Elijah had on the vault in here.

>"The vault, doesn't say how to get there but it says there is a vault."

>You look around calmly, where would a vault be?

>Probably below ground.

>Gracie and the rest of the group have started walking through the lobby.

>Maybe you could head to the elevators? Those would probably get you there.

>You can see some elevators up the stairs.

>"Think we could use the elevators to get to the vault?", you ask more to yourself than anyone else, motioning to the elevators.

>Pip nods.

>"We might as well try it."

>"Should we split up? Gracie and I head down and you two find your vertibirds?"

>Pip nods his head in agreement, but Amber looks skeptical and concerned.

>"Will you both be OK? Last time you wandered off, you nearly died..."

>"I'll have Gracie with me this time, I'll be fine."

>Gracie hugs your arm happily.

>"Don't worry, sister! I'll keep him safe!"

>Amber looks even more concerned now.

>"That doesn't make me feel any better."

>Gracie lets out a short "Hmph", and Pip puts an arm around Amber's waist.

>"They'll be fine Amber, I'll give Boom my Pip-Boy's contact info so they can call us if there's an emergency."

>He lets go of Amber's waist and gives you a piece of blue paper.

>You nod and input the info into your Pip-Boy, then give him a holotape of your info.

>He pops it into his Pip-Boy and looks it over.

>"Got it, call if you find what you're looking for or if you run into trouble."

>"Got it."

>You and Gracie head for the elevators, leaving Pip and Amber to find their vertibirds.

>The fact that the elevators still work doesn't surprise you, this place might not be in the same condition as the Lucky 38, but it's better preserved than most of the wasteland.

>Gracie hits the "B" button in the elevator.

>You give a final nod to Pip while Gracie waves frantically to Amber as the doors close...

>Finally, it's time to find what you need and get out of here.