After several minutes of navigating the extensive vault hallways, we arrived at the entrance of the pool. Heading on i ged into swimsuits that were provided on-site to any vault resident that wished to use them and grabbed ourselves a couple of towels. Once we had our towels in hand, the two of us proceeded to the pool and found that it was nearly empty with only a few older residents rexing or doing ps bad forth to keep themselves in shape.

  Looking at the rge pool of water feet away from us, I asked. "You ready to jump in, Amata?"

  "Of course. It's just too bad we won't have the ability to go for a swim out in the wastend."

  "I mean, we could build a pool, so it's not like we won't be able to forever."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, I just o prepare a few more things before we're in the position to do so."

  Ready to hop in, Amata and I made our way over to one of the many benches around the pool area, set our towels down, and walked over to the pool to get our swimming in. As soon as we reached an area of the pool that had no vault residents in the way, we dht in and began perf ps bad forth.

  Some time into our swim, I noticed Amata was beginning to tire out, so I got her attention and stopped her. We then transferred from that activity to enjoying ourselves rexing in the pool, talking to one ahis went on for a little more than an hour and as we came up on the one hour mark, we started to get hungry, thus we decided that was enough swimming for today and removed ourselves from the fortable water.

  Upoing out of the pool, we headed over to the bench that had our towels and dried ourselves off. Once we were suffitly dried off, we left the poolside for the locker rooms separated for the different genders and got ba the clothes we were wearing prior to swimming. After spending a few minutes getting ged in the locker room, Amata and I met back up outside and headed to my home to have an early dinner between just the two of us.

  Following another walk through the gray vault hallways ter, we arrived at my dwelling where we entered and sat down on the couch by the old-styled tube television for a bit, chatting away about this and that. Doing so for a det length of time, I eventually got up to go whip up some dinner, but before I could venture off to go do that, Amata offered her help. Unwilling to shut dowtempt at trying to spend time together, I took her up on her offer, and thus we went to the kit.

  Whe there, I asked her if she wao have anything in particur. "So you care what we have for dinner, or do you have no preference?"

  "I don't really have anything in mind. We just have whatever you feel like eating. You were eating quite ferociously at the wele-back party as if you were a starving animal. So I think you are due for some of the dishes you haven't been able to eat out there." She shrugged, happy to just be spending time together.

  "Well, you would probably react the same if the only thing you've beeing for a while now is the same bnd, high protein MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) every day. But that won't be an issue for much longer since I'm w oing food produ up and running back at the RobCo Facility."

  "Unfortunately, it won't solve the meat issue. Therefore, something is going to have to be done about it since I 't see us subsisting off of MREs for very long."

  "Very true." She nodded, agreeing.

  "I guess I should probably make a refrigerated truck or a specialized robot for refrigeration so we have meat while we're living at the RobCo Facility. Which will be our new home for the foreseeable future, other than Vault 101, of course." I said, notig her eyes gain a bit of sparkle to them when I referehe words 'our new home'.

  Waited a couple of seds for her to e back to reality, her mind seemed to be focused elsewhere so I tried gettitentioh to Amata, you there?" I called out to her.

  "Ahh-uh, yeah, that would probably work, and when we're set up enough, we think about pursuing animal husbandry on our own out there. That would eliminate our o get our meat from here, thereby making us entirely self-suffit."

  "Mm, we could do that. Good thinking, Amata."

  "Hehehe." She smiled happily at getting praised.

  "As for what I think we should have for dinner, what about some pork chops and several sides?" I asked her

  "I have no pints about pork chops. They sound great, in fact. Also sorry about spag out there."

  "It's no problem. Now let's get the ingredients we're gonna need for the pork chops and the sides." I said stly as I went to the refrigerator and started pulling out all the needed ingredients we were going to require for dinner. As I was doing that, Amata was off to the side, taking the different seasonings out we normally used for the pork chops.

  ...

  Almost half an hour ter, we had everything made, so we began bringing the food to the table and the moment everything was set, we sat down and started w away at the meal repared together. As we ate, we versed about several different topics, ranging from subjects such as what I'd been up to in the wastend to what sort of things we'll be doing out in the capital wastend. And before either of us k, we had pletely devoured our early dinner and been chatting for nearly an hour and 30 minutes.

  Time sure flies by when you have good pany.

  We would've kept it going for longer, but my dear ole dad got off of work and came walking through the entrance, so we cut it at that. Thankfully, it wasn't much of an issue since Amata ractically smiling from ear to ear just about and was radiating such positive energy, that I may just have to start calling her sunshi this rate.

  Whilst my old maered the home, Amata got up and greeted him and when she was done, I asked him how'd things had gooday. "Hoork, dad?"

  "Not too bad, son. There were no big injuries or any other emergeoday. Although it would've been nice if I had my boy there to give me a helping hand, like old times." He answered while taking off his outer work attire before handing it to Amata, who had partially gotten up to help my father.

  "Well, you know how it is. Gotta keep my promises and all that. That said, I'll give you a hand the ime I stop by the vault."

  "Phew, I was hoping you would say that and don't worry, son. I'll make sure you keep your word." My old man said while patting my shoulder and grinning at the fact that he roped me into his work once again.

  With my dad arriving home, the three of us moved to the living room and talked for a while before my dad started to get hungry. So I got up to make him a hot meal, which was something he really appreciated. When the food was done, I brought it over to him and ha to him and as he ate, Amata and I versed about what she could help me with whe to the RobCo Facility.

  "For starters, things aren't really going to be all that different from when you were assisting me in the b. That said, I suppose you help with anizing the facility aing it into tip-top shape, and if you want, you help design the different rooms for the facility such as the bedrooms, eai area, gym, etc." I told her after expining several other things iail.

  "Really, that's all?" Amata asked, surprised with a glimmer in her eyes at the mention of designing the rooms.

  Looks like she has that homemaking streak that most women have.

  Happy to offload the job of making the facility feel homely on to her, I responded. "Yup, there's not a whole lot we o do since I have over 200 worker bots running around now. They handle a majority of the menial tasks and don't really require my help at all other than me giving them dire and assigniasks for them to plete."

  Hearing my reply, my dad paused his chowing when I mentiohe number of worker bots I now had in my possession.

  "Wait, wait, wait, hold up a sed there, son. How many robots did you just say you had now?" He asked in disbelief.

  "Over 200 worker bots, dad. And that number is currently increasing as we speak."

  A few seds passed by while my dad was in a bit of a stupor, so my girl and I talked for a short time before my dad came bad joihe rest of us iy.

  "Is what you said really true?" My father asked, trying to firm the validity of my statement.

  "It's 100% true, dad. Why do you ask?"

  "Well, son, you're produg robots at su absurd rate that you could probably take over the capital wastend in its ey within a few years' time, if not even soohan that. I just find it to be a bit unbelievable that you have aplished so mu such a limited timeframe."

  "Ahh, I guess it is a slight bit unbelievable, given the current state of the world. Regardless, that's the reality of my current situation. I had the materials and the know-how to get the RobCo Facility back up and running and that's the number of robots I've been able to produce thus far."

  A few moments of silence passed before dad ented in a sad voice. "If what you said is the truth, Harold, I guess you'll be able to aplish your mother's and I's dream within a very short period of time."

  *Sigh*

  "I only wish she would be here to see what you'll aplish in the near future." Dad tinued, somewhat depressed that his wife, my mother, wasn't here to see what I will aplish iime.

  If only you knew, dad that she'll be able to see it as well iure, but I 't really tell you that since you'll think I'm nuts if I was to e out and say that I could revive the dead.

  "I'm sure mom is watg us from wherever she is now, dad. So she'll be able to watch us turn the world into a better p the not-so-distant future." I told him, trying to fort him, which did noticeably improve his mood.

  Following that, the three of us discussed several of the other things regarding what I've aplished iime I had been gone and after a while, dad finished his meal aired to his room for the night, leaving just Amata and me. And si was getting around time to head to bed, I got up and walked Amata back to her home, even though she was very relut to leave my side.

  Upon reag her home, we found her father sitting in the living room, likely waiting for his not so little girl's return. So I talked to him and inquired about how the three ghoul brothers were doing. He told me that they were doing just fine and were with the houls the vault had among their popution. The ohat came from the wastend just like my dad and me all those years ago. Though there weren't all that many ghouls, only a few handfuls of them actually, sihey were rarely seeo them usually being busy with elder cil work.

  After dropping off Amata, I checked up ohree ghoul brothers myself and once I was sure they had aodations for the night; I headed back through gray vault hallways, passing by signifitly fewer vault residents due to it gettihe sed I reached home, I hopped in my bed that I hadn't slept in for a minute and fell asleep right away.

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