@shadowsaint007Greg was in the back of his shop getting some supplies together when he heard someone calling from the front of his store. He was going to try and finish building a few laser rifles using robot parts, so he grabbed the box of parts and walked to the front of the store. "Sorry about that" he said, setting the box down on his workbench. "I was just in the back. Can I help you?"

"Oh, no, it's fine," Sparks waved aside his concern. "Just looking for some good electronic stuff. Sensors, analysers, etc... Got any new Pip-Boy stuff? Pip-Boy 3000 compatible, if possible, but I can work with anything, I guess."

She looks around and whistles, trying to hide being impressed but not quite succeeding. "Say, you must be pretty good with this stuff."

<Snipped quote by TheUnknowable>
"Oh, no, it's fine," Sparks waved aside his concern. "Just looking for some good electronic stuff. Sensors, analysers, etc... Got any new Pip-Boy stuff? Pip-Boy 3000 compatible, if possible, but I can work with anything, I guess."

She looks around and whistles, trying to hide being impressed but not quite succeeding. "Say, you must be pretty good with this stuff."

"I've got plenty of sensors, analyzers, and the like, if parts salvaged from robots are good enough. As for pipboy compatibles, all I've got is a few holo-books over at the library I just set up. If you're having problems with it, though, I might be able to find something to replace damaged parts or upgrade the software."

"Yeah, I am pretty good with it," he said after her last comment. "You had to be when your AI overseer got rid of those that weren't."

Albert lied in the bed, grinning. Maybe he was grinning about the woman he 'did the do' with last night. Maybe he was grinning about how he and another woman were going to 'do the do' later. Well, it doesn't really matter; the woman was satisfied and as was Albert. He put on his Vault 121 jumpsuit, armored with patches of leather and scrap metal to produce some low-quality protection; it'd be useful against blunt hits, but a bullet? No chance.

As Albert walked to the door, the woman asked him: "Where're you goin', Al?"
'Looks like she's one of those I want to know where you're going types...' Thought Albert, before replying: "Oh, I was just gonna go and find Tim... I'll be right back!" That was a lie. It should have been obvious that Albert wasn't coming back, but the woman believed him.
"Make sure not to be gone too long!" She said. And with that, Albert left the motel room.

He found Tim in the lobby, playing with a paddle ball. The thing was crushed in his hand, and Tim shouted "Damn paddle ball! Why won't it stay together!"
"Uh, Tim? You're a bit too strong for that thing..." Said Albert.
"But if I can't use it as a weapon, why can't I play with it?"
"C'mon, Tim." With that, the duo left the motel and walked around Liberty Island.

Liberty Island was clearly in a state of alert, with the two being accosted by guardsmen, who, after being talked out of seeing them as a danger, would then reveal that 80 raiders, a force that outnumbered the garrison, was occupying the ruins of Fort Hamilton just across the east side of Liberty Island. This meant that the people were on high alert, especially as a band of slavers had taken advantage of the distraction in order to kidnap a large number of people and take them to Old Man's Corner.

Upon realizing that Albert knew music, he would then be asked, and paid with 25 caps, to 'raise morale' among the guardsmen and other troops...

@Simple Unicycle

Albert thought to himself about the offer. 'Hmm... 25 caps isn't that bad, and I need to repair my jumpsuit...' He looked at Tim, "Hey, Tim!" He said. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Pizza?" Tim asked, which caused Albert to facepalm.
"No, I was thinking that we should accept the offer."
"Oh... Well alright." So, with Tim's reply, Albert looked back at the guards and said: "We'll take the deal."

They would be guided to the barracks, where several reserves, as well as members not yet in their shift, were waiting.

"So," asked a Black woman, "what can this dork do that just drinking moonshine cannot?"

"Besides the obvious, you mean?" said a slightly older Asian girl.

"Come on, sing!" shouted one of the men. It was clear that the people were either really bored, really worried about the Raider threat, or both.

Nevertheless, if Albert began to sing, he would mesmerize the audience right away, the soothing tones of Louis' Armstrong's music taking their cares and worries away -

Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out, as shouting and sounds of gunfire echoed from the lines to the east; the Raiders were finally launching their massive attack/migration! Nevertheless, the revitalized troops in the barracks rushed out to join the defense, fully confident again; Albert had done good work.

A man gave him his 25 caps, then spoke:

"If you can devise a way to keep up the troops' morale during battle, we'll pay you 200 Caps!"

@Simple Unicycle

@Letter Bee

"200 caps? Well holy shit, I'll do anything for that money!" And, with that, Albert breathed in as much as he could and then continued to sing. Meanwhile, Tim stood by a wall; it appeared that he was trying to lean against it, but with his bulky body it wouldn't be possible. He looked to any other person in the room and said "That's my friend!"

The whole time John was quiet, resting in the front of the group and always keeping an eye on his rifle when they rested. Every time they would stop he would groan. Wasting our god damn time.. He hissed to himself. After a few hours the stopped, Par explained the outline for the slave camps to Gabe quickly and quietly. John looked over and brushed the dirt off his shoes "They have dogs too, and fences are nearly impossible to get over or under." He said, slightly interrupting Par's last words. "Only way in if we don't want to get caught is the only way out of that shit hole." He looked off to the hill as the sun slowly set on it. "Trash toss" He said with a glare and a smirk, was a disgusting place. He paused as they looked at him. He rolled his eyes "..Where they throw the dead ones. The 'Trash'" He said caustically. "It's a direct link to the hill on the other side of the camps" he looked over at Par and Gabe and sighed and looked down "It is guarded at night, we will need to take out the guards quickly" He paused again expecting the 'How do you know this?' questions. He stood up and rubbed his hands together, pushing the dirt off his palms. "Spent some time here after my Mom died" He uttered.
"Anyway.. What's your plan for this?" he asked directing at Par. "You are a smart kid, I know you have something" He picked up his rifle ready to move after given a plan.

@Letter Bee@shadowsaint007

Paradise 'Par' Rapids - Old Man's Corner

"The 'Trash Toss' would work well, being a hole that leads both inside and outside the walls. However," Par turned to Gabe, "you'll have to swim through rotting naked bodies; are you sure you can do that?" Yes, Par was showing his 'too-quick-to-criticize' flaw again. Then, an idea would come upon Par.

"I've got it!" he whispered. "The Trash toss is an attraction to scavengers, like Feral Ghouls, stray dogs, and, of course, wandering Yao Guai, either from the countryside or escaped from the Zoos of New York." He would presumably see incredulous looks. "No, I've heard about it from the Slavers'; Yao Guai do come to Central Park at times, and would logically search out local food sources.

Par then smirked, then spoke:

"You guys heard of the Capital Wasteland, right? About the Brotherhood and Enclave? Well, the news was brought to us by a Scavenger from that place down south...who had a Yao Guai companion* and was willing to teach a paying customer some tricks, espeically on said customer's 18th Birthday." Expecting incredulous looks, Par continued:

"Yes, I'm saying a Scavenger from the Wasteland taught me how to tame a Yao Guai. How do you think I survived all those truck trips through and from Upstate New York alone? It's easy; Yao Guai are occassionally friendly with Bloatflies...you still don't believe me, don't you? Fine, I'll show you!" And with that, he went off the woods quicker than anyone can catch him.

Nightfall; Three Hours Later

A snarling, clawing Yao Guai, aka a mutated black bear, would burst out of the woods...Par on his back and tugging at the beast's ears.

"Steady! Steady!" he shouted, before clamping down his hand, which smelled of Bloatfly, at the beast's nose, causing it to cry out in distress, before quieting down.

"Okay, did not think this through." Presumably seeing more incredulous looks, Par said:

"We've lost enough time already; I'd teach Gabe because he's the more outdoorsy type, but right now, the slaves are cleaning up before they are taken to bed - in more than one sense." That last part was unwelcome.

"I'm going to go to the watchtower on the top of the hill, and then go on a rampage across the fields; the slaves have been withdrawn from them as its nighttime and farming is less productive at that time. You guys go to the 'Trash Toss' and go rescue the slaves."

Some Hours Later

The Watchtower had been cleared, and Par and his mount had broken through to Old Man's Corner, surprising a patrol of guards. Par, as his mount bit off the head of one of Forty's men - not that he knew that person served Forty - fired blindly at a couple of approaching thugs with his submachine, missing, but forcing them to take cover anyway.

He was having the time of his life.

((*Taken from here: fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Yao_guai_(Fallo.. ))

@Madly33 @shadowsaint007 @Kenyeismylife

Several day ago
The slavers had gone back to Old Mans Corner, and I knew I needed to warn the mayor when they came out in greater force, fully armed and ready for an attack. I ran back to Liberty City. I was about half way there when I fell into a hole. Someone dropped down and hit me with some kind of blunt weapon.

An hour ago
I had been imprisoned to these raiders for a quite a few days now, chained to a wall in their base. They were separate from any other gangs, but I didn't have any idea of how to escape. There was always one watching me, and occasionally coming over to give me food and water. I knew I was too late to warn Liberty City, but I still needed to escape. Deciding to risk it all, next time he came over to give me food and water, I headbutted him as hard as I could. It stunned me a bit, but it did the job, knocking him out. Taking his knife, I cut through my bonds. Taking my stuff along with their supplies and a rifle.

Present
Back at Liberty City, I found that the slaver attack had passed, but the east was being assaulted by raiders. I picked a spot and started firing at some of the raiders. The rifle wasn't the best, so I only hit several people. I didn't see the raiders who had branched off to attack me, unfortunately, until they were right on me. Firing two shots at them, before taking out my knife, slashing at them. I took them down, barely, but not before my chest was slashed several times, along with my left arm and leg. I needed to get to a medic, but for now I 'bandaged' it with some scrap cloth from the raiders. I started towards a gate, firing as I went, slowly getting closer. I tightened the 'bandages', but couldn't get inside. I stopped, resting before trying to stand up again. My legs gave out before I could. Now it was just waiting for the attack to be repulsed, or a raider to find and kill me.

As Jinx lay down, bleeding his life out and waiting for a medic (coughDannycough), Albert was managing to keep up the defenders' morale with his singing, his voice wafting through the din of battle - an old microphone given by a helpful officer helped - and helping the brave men and women of Liberty Island hold the line, stalemating wave after wave of raiders.

However, no matter how much Albert's voice strained, it was clear that numbers, along with the Raiders' own use of cover and grenades, were beginning to tell; without a miracle, the enemy would soon break through.

@Simple Unicycle, @jordy0403, @EvilEdd1984

@letter bee
It was in that moment that Tim left the room and strolled out to the battle field. He had taken Albert's pistol, and with him he had the fury of seven hundred thousand suns! Tim strode into battle, and began shouting "Dun dah dun dah dun dun, dun dah dun dah dun dun, dun dah dun dah dun dun, dun dun da dah dah!" He would later tell the story to his grandchildren's grandchildren, and would recall it as being the 'coolest f**king thing ever...' And then he realized he was being shot at.

@Simple Unicycle@jordy0403

(Sorry for the wait)

Danny was running towards Jinx and the others avoiding gun fire,The ghoul fired back at the raiders not wanting to be shot by some smoothskin fuckhead."Im here...dont worry i'm gonna patch ya up.." The ghoul finally made his way to the group pulling out his doctor's bag getting to work on Jinx.

"Smoothskin you better not get shot again it's was pain to get here,And another pain the ass to not get shot" Danny said in his deep sickly sounding voice seeing that she was shot in a few places and would have to do some makeshift surgery noting new to him of course.

@Eviledd1984
I saw a ghoul in a lab coat running towards me. A medic. After he patched me up I could speak. "Hey thanks, try not to get hit on the way back, I'm sure more people will need you inside." I found some cover in the form of a rock, and started firing at the raiders again, constantly checking to make sure that more raiders didn't sneak up on me. We weren't winning, and if we didn't push them back soon somehow, they would break through our defenses. We needed some kind of help, and I couldn't help. Well, it didn't change the fact that I was going to defend this place to the last breathe, it was, after all, the closest thing I had to a home now. I wasn't going to let it fall just like that.

Thanks to the bravery of Tim (okay, he wasn't really brave), Jinx, and Danny, the Raiders began to slow down, although Tim did take a few gunshots to his chassis. Enlivened by Albert's singing and Tim's antics, the defenders found new heart, especially as Liberty Island finally sent the majority of its reserves as reinforcements.

The Raiders were losing momentum, and many of them began to run. One last push and they'll be routed!

@jordy0403@Eviledd1984@Simple Unicycle

@jordy0403@Simple Unicycle

"Whatever you say Smoothskin but i think im gonna be here for a bit...While im here i can help i guess...but not for you guys for myself" Danny said shaking his head pulling out his combat shotgun firing at one of the raiders that were still attacking them."God damn smoothskins raiders,Wouldn't you fuckers just die.." He commented under his breath firing back at the raiders.

@Eviledd1984 @jordy0403
Tim continued strolling into battle, occasionally firing off Albert's pistol. He shouts "GET TO DA VERTIBIRD!" while firing at a group of retreating raiders.
He was missing by several feet.
He didn't care.

Meanwhile, Albert continued singing, his face turning blue from not taking a breath for a while. He paused, inhaled deeply enough to restore the pink to his face, then continued singing.

The seats were packed and not a single man was going without a drink, this for Robs was a slow day. At a capacity of about thirty, they saw men from all corners and ways of life. However, traditional policy meant they could not refuse them service. For a few caps, Robs would probably sellout everyone in the bar, man, woman, or child, he didn’t care. Business was business in his mind.

Oaf silently stood off in the corner doing what he did best, absolutely nothing. His mind was about as empty the wasteland, Robs sometimes wondered if it was emptier. Suddenly two men walked up to the counter, looked to be raiders, but it didn’t really matter. With a somewhat disinterested look Robs asked “What would you two…” he paused for a second “gentleman like from our fine establishment.”

“We hear you have the best damned bear around, something we would like to test ourselves.” The man gave a somewhat sinister smile. “Don’t disappoint.” Lucky for him he wouldn’t. Before his father had died he left his secret brew, a special mixture from a prewar cookbook. Along with it came a series of instructions to make other alcoholic beverages from martinis to bloody marrys. However the lacked ingredients to most.

“We will be right with you.” He went into the back and grabbed a bottle of old Sunset Sarsaparilla bottles filled with Ivan’s Brew. The labels had been crossed out and replaced with the words “Ivan’s Special Brew” written with a crude black sharpie. When he returned Robs simply remarked “Trust me, this is the best you will get in miles. Other places scavenge their whiskey, we take the time to make it.” The men left pleased, and he continued on his day.

The whole time John was quiet, resting in the front of the group and always keeping an eye on his rifle when they rested. Every time they would stop he would groan. Wasting our god damn time.. He hissed to himself. After a few hours the stopped, Par explained the outline for the slave camps to Gabe quickly and quietly. John looked over and brushed the dirt off his shoes "They have dogs too, and fences are nearly impossible to get over or under." He said, slightly interrupting Par's last words. "Only way in if we don't want to get caught is the only way out of that shit hole." He looked off to the hill as the sun slowly set on it. "Trash toss" He said with a glare and a smirk, was a disgusting place. He paused as they looked at him. He rolled his eyes "..Where they throw the dead ones. The 'Trash'" He said caustically. "It's a direct link to the hill on the other side of the camps" he looked over at Par and Gabe and sighed and looked down "It is guarded at night, we will need to take out the guards quickly" He paused again expecting the 'How do you know this?' questions. He stood up and rubbed his hands together, pushing the dirt off his palms. "Spent some time here after my Mom died" He uttered.
"Anyway.. What's your plan for this?" he asked directing at Par. "You are a smart kid, I know you have something" He picked up his rifle ready to move after given a plan.

Gabriel paused, not saying a thing. But at least it explained why the old man was chomping at the bit to hurry up and reach the slavers' camp. He became more respectful of the old timer.

Paradise 'Par' Rapids - Old Man's Corner

"The 'Trash Toss' would work well, being a hole that leads both inside and outside the walls. However," Par turned to Gabe, "you'll have to swim through rotting naked bodies; are you sure you can do that?" Yes, Par was showing his 'too-quick-to-criticize' flaw again. Then, an idea would come upon Par.

"I've got it!" he whispered. "The Trash toss is an attraction to scavengers, like Feral Ghouls, stray dogs, and, of course, wandering Yao Guai, either from the countryside or escaped from the Zoos of New York." He would presumably see incredulous looks. "No, I've heard about it from the Slavers'; Yao Guai do come to Central Park at times, and would logically search out local food sources.

Par then smirked, then spoke:

"You guys heard of the Capital Wasteland, right? About the Brotherhood and Enclave? Well, the news was brought to us by a Scavenger from that place down south...who had a Yao Guai companion* and was willing to teach a paying customer some tricks, especially on said customer's 18th Birthday." Expecting incredulous looks, Par continued:

"Yes, I'm saying a Scavenger from the Wasteland taught me how to tame a Yao Guai. How do you think I survived all those truck trips through and from Upstate New York alone? It's easy; Yao Guai are occasionally friendly with Bloatflies...you still don't believe me, don't you? Fine, I'll show you!" And with that, he went off the woods quicker than anyone can catch him.

"Wait, where're you-" Gabriel tried to stop Par, but the kid was already gone. And Gabriel didn't have a damn clue what he was babbling about.

And no, Gabriel wasn't going to try and swim through a river of rotting corpses.

It was quite a while before the other boy came back at last....

Nightfall; Three Hours Later

A snarling, clawing Yao Guai, aka a mutated black bear, would burst out of the woods...Par on his back and tugging at the beast's ears.

"Steady! Steady!" he shouted, before clamping down his hand, which smelled of Bloatfly, at the beast's nose, causing it to cry out in distress, before quieting down.

"Okay, did not think this through."

Gabriel looked at the big beast in annoyance, unsure of why the bear was brought in, what it had to do with anything, and why he had to waste three hours getting the thing instead of trying to rescue the slaves as quickly as possible. It was cold, it was getting dark, and God knows what was happening to the slaves.

Presumably seeing more incredulous looks, Par said:

"We've lost enough time already; I'd teach Gabe because he's the more outdoorsy type, but right now, the slaves are cleaning up before they are taken to bed - in more than one sense." That last part was unwelcome.

"I'm going to go to the watchtower on the top of the hill, and then go on a rampage across the fields; the slaves have been withdrawn from them as its nighttime and farming is less productive at that time. You guys go to the 'Trash Toss' and go rescue the slaves."

Some Hours Later

The Watchtower had been cleared, and Par and his mount had broken through to Old Man's Corner, surprising a patrol of guards. Par, as his mount bit off the head of one of Forty's men - not that he knew that person served Forty - fired blindly at a couple of approaching thugs with his submachine, missing, but forcing them to take cover anyway.

He was having the time of his life.

((*Taken from here: fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Yao_guai_(Fallo.. ))

@Madly33 @shadowsaint007 @Kenyeismylife

((Going to have Gabriel be the one to start off the attack)
Gabriel, meanwhile, had hung back, staying silent. Staring down iron sights, he tracked his targets by the glint of firelights or even the flash of lighters. Huddling close to cover, he breathed quietly, picking out his targets even as his ears strained for anyone who might get close.

Then he got his chance. His first round shot through the darkness, starting the attack with a well-aimed shot right into a spotlight. He waited a few seconds, spotting his next target by their own flashlight as they tried to investigate what happened. They received a high caliber round right in the right eye goggle for their effort.

With the second shot, Gabriel got out of cover and began a hurried pace to another planned sniping spot. One thing he had learned about sniping in the Wasteland; fighting people wasn't the same as fighting wolves. Wolves took a round or two, started falling like flies, and then the rest of the pack runs off to safety rather than risk sudden death. Humans were often smart enough to make out where the bullet had come from, and often had the means to retaliate. Fire a couple shots, stay low, be a moving target in the darkness, and you'll avoid the worst of enemy retaliation. It helped that he generally got the first hits in accurately, reducing enemies efficiently before moving on.

<Snipped quote by shadowsaint007>

"I've got plenty of sensors, analyzers, and the like, if parts salvaged from robots are good enough. As for pipboy compatibles, all I've got is a few holo-books over at the library I just set up. If you're having problems with it, though, I might be able to find something to replace damaged parts or upgrade the software."

"Yeah, I am pretty good with it," he said after her last comment. "You had to be when your AI overseer got rid of those that weren't."

"Nah, my Pip-Boy's working fine," she said, doing a quick diagnostic. "The RAM could be expanded a bit, though. So what's on the holobooks?"

However, the words about an AI overseer gave Sparks pause. That was an unusual phrase.

"AI Overseer?" Sparks inquired. "You mean like a Vault overseer? And weren't those all human as a rule?"

<Snipped quote by TheUnknowable>
"Nah, my Pip-Boy's working fine," she said, doing a quick diagnostic. "The RAM could be expanded a bit, though. So what's on the holobooks?"

However, the words about an AI overseer gave Sparks pause. That was an unusual phrase.

"AI Overseer?" Sparks inquired. "You mean like a Vault overseer? And weren't those all human as a rule?"

"Well, I've got an Enclave eyebot with compatible memory if you want me to swap the chips. They always have more than they need because the Enclave wants to keep parts consistent across all of their robots and power armor. Let me pull up the list of books." He typed a few things into his computer and a list of books started scrolling up the screen. "Here you are.", he said, turning the computer around so that the customer could see it. Then the customer mentioned the Overseer. "Well, yeah, we started off with a human Overseer, a Computer expert if I remember my history lessons, but we kept advancing our computer and robot technology. After fifty years the vault's main computer got a mind of its own, then decided to take over. It used our robots against us and, after slaughtering most of us, offered to spare our lives if we agreed to keep the robots working."