NOVEL WEB Chapter 21
While I walked around the prototypes Isabel assembled, I couldn't but compliment how impressive these things were.
"Holy shit Isabel, these things are freaking amazing. You are incredible!"
Isabel grinned from ear to ear once she heard me complimenting her creations.
"Thanks! I think these will be some of the best robots I have made yet! Come on! I'll show you the details."
She grabbed my hand and dragged me around her robots like an excited child. She would point to various items on the robots, explaining what they are and how they can help us. While she worked, Isabel was very serious and borderline mute. Sometimes I had to repeat myself to get her attention. But now that she gets to show them off, she can't stop moving and talking. It was cute, like a strange kind of gap-moe.
The three examples Isabel managed to smash together are pretty basic and aren't armed or armored. The Tankbots used the lower chassis and head of Sentrybots, but a Robobrain torso replaced the original midsection. The finishing touches were a left arm from a Sentrybot and a right arm from a Protectron.
The Sentrybot and Robobrain's armor was in pretty good condition, so Isabel cleaned the rust, gave it a new coat of brown paint she found, and slapped it back onto the torso and legs. The right arm was protected with scraps from a protectron, and the left from welded plates Isabel hammered into shape. Finally, the Tankbots head was clad with a cage of reinforced steel.
This thing was an absolute hulk, roughly seven and a half feet tall. The Sentrybot arm had a three-barrel minigun, while the protectron arm had a hydraulic claw to help pick up heavy items or rip open doors. While the Gatling gun looked incredibly intimidating, Isabel told me we only had 600 rounds to feed them.
"How many Tankbots do we have the parts for?"
Isabel scratched the underside of her chin and thought about my question.
"Two, if we're lucky."
Two Tankbots with 300 rounds each. It could be better, but it's better than nothing. Even without ammo, it was still essentially a Sentrybot, which was leagues ahead of what most people had protecting them. I motioned to Isabel to continue the presentation, and she moved on to the next robot. The Scrapbot prototype used Robobrain tracks and a Protectron's torso and head. The arms currently on there were recycled from Robobrains.
The Scrapbot used more improvised armor. A bucket-like helmet was made from metal scavenged from cars to protect the large communication array in the Protectron head. The tracks were similarly covered with salvaged armor formed in a triangle to be able to push items out of the way. The torso had the original bulky protectron shielding and was painted brown like the rest of the robot.
The armament was less impressive than the Tankbot, but it could still defend itself. The left hand's Robobrain arm had a laser rifle, while the right kept the original claw. The onboard generator can supply the energy for infinite ammo, but the range and firing rate suffer significantly as a result.
The Scrapbots will be our generalist robots that can effectively fight and provide labor. They will be small enough to go places the Tankbots can't but big enough to provide much-needed firepower indoors. Out of combat, the Robobrain claw will have the dexterity needed to help with whatever needs maintaining.
The last model was the smaller of them all and was called the Outrider. The thing had a Mr.Handy body and stripped down and heavily modified Protectron arms. Unlike a Mr. Handy, the appendages were mounted to the side, where the side eye stalks were, not the bottom. One arm had a flamer, while the other had a small claw.
Atop the Outrider was a radio with an antenna sticking out, extending the range of the Outriders. The front eye stock had a robobrain optical sensor instead of the usual Mr.Handy eyeball. The finishing touch was a new blue paint job replacing the original mirror-like chrome, presumably to blend in better with the sky.
Isabel claims that using Sentrybot military communication hardware will allow the Outriders to communicate directly with the robots and my Pip-Boy, as long as it's within 1000 feet. Advanced visual sensors from the Robobrains will also enable the Outriders to notice potential threats up to a mile away. These features crammed into a flying package will make the Outriders a tremendous early warning and scouting tool.
Isabel was high energy the entire time she showed me her contraptions, answering my questions with vigor bordering on fanatical.
"This is all super impressive, but how long will it take for you to finish the rest of the robots?"
It took most of the day for Isabel to create these three robots, which makes me wonder how long it will take to finish a small army. Isabel tilted her head and started crunching the numbers.
"I have enough parts for another Tankbot, three more Scrapbots, and six more Outriders. Breaking down all the parts will probably take two or three days, then another three or four days to assemble the pieces. I can probably armor and put the weapons on in a day or two. Give me a week and a half, and I can get everything done and finish fixing any bugs that pop up."
"That's faster than I thought. How much food do you have? I have enough for a few days for the two of us."
"I think my supplies can last us three days. Four, if we eat less."
We have enough water since I still have dozens of bottles from the vault. Isabel didn't know about my stash of purified water since I didn't tell her about my abilities yet. I could leave a few bottles with her every morning and go out to scavenge for food. Doing this would keep my inventory a secret and give me the time to gather supplies and level up more.
"The food and water we have won't be enough. The best course of action is for me to head out every day to look for anything we need while you stay here to build the robots. What do you think?"
A moment of hesitation flashed across Isabel's eyes, but an understanding nod soon followed. Isabel will keep her robots as lookouts while she works for her safety. She also gave me a frequency to tune in with my Pip-Boy, so she had a way of contacting me.
I did a sweep of the premises before the sky turned dark. I saw nothing of note besides a Radstag in the distance, which ran away after spotting me. After confirming the area was safe, we started another fire and ate a simple dinner of Iguana Bits and Insta-mash. After filling our bellies, we tidied up our campfire and headed indoors for the night.
My game plan for tomorrow is to head to USAF Sattelite Olivia and take what I can from the military facility. In the game, the Air Force site was inhabited by a raider gang led by "Ack-Ack". This raider gang killed one of the daughters of a nearby farmer. While I'm in no hurry to meet more raiders, the current time was years ahead of the in-game start, so I think there is a good chance the wasteland scum haven't moved in yet.
I'll still have to be careful, but the allure of military loot was too great to pass up. I knew of some power armor parts, two fusion cores, and another Mini-Nuke. Since this world was so much larger, there could be even more than that. I could even find more weapons to install on the robots.
Looking out a window, I stared at the night sky and bright stars and enjoyed the cool night air. This was the first time in a long time I didn't have to worry about going to work or whatever other mundane chore I had. Focusing on survival doesn't leave much time or brain power to be dissatisfied, I guess.
Eventually, the peace overcame me, and my eyelids became heavier and heavier. Deciding it was futile to fight against my drowsiness, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
