[b][i]Sky Citadel[/i][/b]

The two former Enclave Vertibirds, as well as the Brotherhood APC, returned to an estatic Sky Citadel; whoops of victory greeting them, as the normally dour and stern Brotherhood blared the sounds of drums and trumpets through sophisticated sound systems. Only just yesterday, the  enemy was about to surround them in a ring of iron and steel from which there can be no escape, but now, now, the Brotherhood was victorious.

And it was an outsider who was responsible for it.

Paradise 'Par' Rapids was the hero of the hour, having suborned one of the Enclave's officials into letting him free and revealing the existence of the secret tunnel, a secret tunnel that allowed the mission originally sent to rescue him to deal a deathblow to the Enclave's ranks by compromising their main base. Having proven his capacity for self-sacrifice by handing himself over to the Enclave's leader, he had turned humiliation and imprisonment to his own advantage, emerging unscathed.

Gabriel, too, would have received a hero's welcome, as he and Dogmeat had rendered Alan handless, but Par can detect something in their eyes, a discontent with the current situation. And so, as the Brotherhood began their victory feast, Par briefly conversed with him, saying:

"You're leaving, right?"

Gabe nodded, and said:

"Par, I'm glad you're safe as much as the next person, but I don't want war, I don't want to spend my life fighting. I want to be a healer, damnit, I want to help people."

"Besides, you can handle this on your own, can't you?"

"That I can..." Par's eyes, now able to see on their own without the help of shades, teared up. "I'll still be sad, though. Because I like you, I like you a lot."

"I thought you had a stick up your ass at first," was all the blond can answer, "but, well, you gave yourself up for us; I won't forget it."

"You're the most handsome person I met," Par told him upfront. "That's why I acted so badly when we first met; because I was jealous that you seemed to have a girlfriend."

"You mean Jenni?!" shouted a surprised Gabe, "you should know by now that we're just friends!"

"Yeah, realized that later on," Par said. "Anyway, goodbye?"

"Goodbye," Gabe said, as he made to slink away from Sky Citadel, Dogmeat in tow.

------

On Old Man's Corner, chaos reigned as the slaves and former slavers warred with one another once again to bring Enclave Salvage to Vor Shinse, although they were careful not to bring any bloodshed close to her face. In the meantime, Vor herself would notice Katherine nearby; perhaps she should greet her, if only to ask if she were ally or enemy?

David, meanwhile, might find himself wondering; what to do with this fertile land, for despite the blood and human misery, former Central Park was still fertile.

Then he (as well as the people of Sky Citadel), would then receive two new messages:

- One, that Liberty Island had been abandoned by the Enclave, who were so hasty, they didn't have time to blow up the slave collars of the people there, and instead fled so fast and so completely, the civilians had been able to destroy the radio transmitter controlling their collars. 

- Two, that most of the remaining Enclave forces were gathering for a final stand at Vault 81, in Brooklyn. Elder Mavarek had already decided that they have to be purged as soon as possible; all available forces, including the Construction Droid, was to be deployed to a final offensive.

Quinn, as the messages reached him along with the noise of partying, would have to get back to work soon; the lasers and mortar had to be calibrated for battle, and the crane itself, it might (or might not) occur to him, might be of use grasping power armored opponents...

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