Mr. Smarty sat beside the workbench in the Marketplace, with some junk dealer tinkering on him.  A power surge went down the wrong circuit and, while it didn't cause permanent damage, it did turn off one of his eyes.  "I believe that is enough, sir." said Mr. Smarty.  "You just cross-circuited one of my eyes."

"Sorry," said the man in the motorcycle helmet.  "I think I know what I did wrong."

"Please just close me up, sir.  I am concerned that the repairs I now require are beyond your skills."

"Ok, then," the man said, closing Mr. Smarty up while Mr. Smarty counted out the caps.  "Come again if you need any more repairs."

Mr. Smarty left the caps on the table and floated away, not bothering to respond to the man.  One of the visitors to the city had just left the market place and he was determined to catch her.  He managed to do so just off of the platform outside of Rivet City.  "Excuse me, ma'am.  I was wondering if I could travel with you for an indefinite period of time.  Between Rivet city's use of EMP weapons and the inept mechanical skills of its residents, I doubt I can survive there for long, and you seem to have the necessary mechanical skills to keep me in good repair.  I could be useful to you as well, as my laser emitter can be recharged off of a fission battery, one of which I carry, allowing you to save on ammunition use, especially against weak enemies such as molerats. I also have skills in science, repair, and bartering, in case you need to make use of those."

Hopefully she would allow him to follow her.  Otherwise he would have to try and make his way to Megaton or discover where the Brotherhood currently had a base.  He might even be forced to join a group of Outcasts or the Institute.