The next day Adam woke up later than normal, predictably. Salvatore was already up and doing tasks and he found the robobrain diligently disassembling the sentry bot, in a far greater and more efficient fashion than he would have assumed it was capable of. It seemed like these robobrains were more dexterous than he first thought, an interesting find.
However, after a shared meal of MREs with Salvatore, the two decided it was time to leave.
"Alright, we are heading out." Adam said to the robobrain as he got to the door.
"Yes sir, I hope your travels are safe and pleasurable!" The robobrain chimes happily. Adam is about to turn to leave but he stops himself.
"Before I go I want to ask… Do you have a name?" It was entirely possible that it didn't, most robots didn't have names, unless they were domestic Mr. Handys, which people like to name because a lot of them were treated like family. But this was a military robot, and clearly lacked the level of sentience that Eve had so at this point it was just polite to ask.
"No sir, I do not." It responded. "My unit designation is R-A156" Adam paused, there was no reason but the designation deemed so… impersonal, and if he was going to keep this thing around, if only just as a safehouse protector, then it deserved a name right? He wasn't the US Army.
"Then do you mind if i give you one?" Adam asked, curiously.
"My own name?!" The robobrain responded with a surprised and happy tune. "I can have my own name sir?!" If it could smile it certainly was right now. Adam nodded and paused for a moment to think.
"Alright, then… R-A1… Ray… Rae? Rae." Adam said, as he sounded out his reasoning settling on an answer. The robotic voice of the robobrain made it sound feminine but the name Rae was feminine leaning but gender neutral enough that it didn't matter what gender the robot identified as… if it even did.
"Rae!" It responded happily. "Thank you for the name sir! This unit, Rae, will continue to serve you to the best of my abilities!" Adam chuckled softly and smiled.
"Alright, we are leaving, you remember what to do if someone comes and gives you the password?"
"Yes sir! I am to confirm they are sent by you and then temporarily deactivate the turret systems to allow them to come safely inside where they will remain until you come to collect them!"
"Wonderful, I leave this place in your capable hands, Rae."
"Thank you sir!" Adam then turned around and started to walk out with Salvatore. Once they were outside Salvatore turned to Adam.
"Getting chummy with the robobrain? And here just yesterday you were freaked out by it." He chuckled.
"Yeah well, it grew on me, what can I say?" Adam shrugged and Salvatore grinned.
Adam walked them over to the APC and put down the chest, the whole reason he came here in the first place, while he took out the keys he took from the CO's office. "Time to see if these will work."He said as he unlocked the padlock sealing the top hatch leading into the front compartment and then went inside.
The air inside was stale, two centuries of being locked would do that to any enclosed space, but luckily the fresh air from outside was already making it easier to breathe. It was dusty, dirty, and clearly disused for the 2 centuries it had sat idle but… it looked to be in fine shape.
This was too good to be true, Adam had to look deeper, so he began to pull off panels and check the internals, nothing too invasive, just making sure the wiring was still all good. It was. Then he checked the engine… It was a battery engine! Just as he had hoped! This was… honestly… a godsend.
This isn't to say that it was in perfect working order. The batteries had been dead for so long that it's possible that no charge could even be held by them anymore, so they might need to be replaced. The gauges could all be incorrectly calibrated and no longer reading the information right, and then of course the tires which were flat beyond repair. In addition to all of this there were any number of other, unforeseen issues that could pop up that he wasn't even aware of yet. A military APC was not an uncomplicated piece of hardware but… it might just be possible…
Adam popped back out of the APC in a slight daze.
"So? How was it in there?" Salvatore asked as Adam stood atop the vehicle and relocked the Padlock, ensuring he would be the only one to be able to get inside.
"The batteries are dead, possibly beyond repair, the tires need to be swapped out, and there's no telling how many other issues there might be but…" He hopped down off the top of the APC and then turned to look. "It can work." Salvatore burst out laughing at this.
"Well hot damn, who would've thought." He grinded and gently pounded his fist against the side of the vehicle. "A monster like this? I'd say that would be worth the effort if it can be done."
"Only thing better would be a Vertibird." Adam chuckled.
"I ain't seen one of those in a long time."
"I don't even know how to fly them so it's a moot point." Adam laughed, picked up the chest again and adjusted his pack.
"I'd say this was a successful adventure, let's head back to Midway, I'm sure you want to see Claire~" Salvatore's grin was wiped off his face as he scowled at Adam.
"Don't you fucking start now." Adam shot him an impish grin and then started to lead the way back.
The trip back to Midway was uneventful, aside from a battle they encountered between the followers of War and the Cultists of Pestilence. The fight was violent but completely isolated to just those groups, even as Adam and Salvatore accidentally wandered into the area both groups did not involve either of them in their struggle, not a stray bullet or word was thrown their way, despite having been definitely spotted.
Despite the clear actions to keep them uninvolved Adam and Salvatore took a large detour to avoid getting entangled into that mess at all costs. The route change took extra time but nothing more.
Arriving back at town, after hearing the same speech from the front gate guards… again, he went into the city, heading right to Olivia's store. Upon arriving she was speechless.
"I… I had assumed that you were…" She said softly, as she very slowly approached Adam.
"Dead?" He guessed and flashed a grin. "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." He smiled. She walked over, not saying a word as she looked down at the chest Adam was carrying.
"Is this it?" She asked softly.
"Yes, ma'am. The item you requested." He handed it over to her and she took it gently into her arms. Her expression was one of shock, wonder, and grief. She took the chest over to her counter and placed it down, then she reached into her shirt and pulled out a rope necklace with a key at the end of it. The key perfectly fit into the lock from the chest.
Adam was giving her a respectful distance, understanding that, somehow, this was an emotional moment for her, but he was close enough to see a little bit of what was in the box as she opened it.
Inside, from what he could see was a letter, a dog tag, a badly faded photograph, a bible, and a chinese stealth suit. Adam's eyes widened as he noticed the suit but kept his mouth shut.
Olivia gingerly took out the dog tag and held it close to her heart, hugging it in her hand, all while not saying a word. After a few moments to stand like that she gingerly put it back into the box and relocked it. She let out a big sigh as she seemed to recollect herself before turning around to look at Adam again.
"Thank you." She said with a warm, deeply grateful smile.