The Bear sat in the virtibird in silence, looking quite different that when he had arrived not long ago. The previously proud warrior, who had sat with his back straight and clad in weapons was now slumped over, weaponless, dented armor clinging to his frame for dear life. The helmet laid uselessly by his side, a wide crack over the left side of his visor. His gray eyes stared down at the floor, his expression one of melancholy rather than of triumph. Even Wraith's playful comments and jibes the entire ride back couldn't cause the still face to crack even the smallest of smiles. Thoughts ran through his mind, mostly of the raider girl that had met an untimely fate in the Vault. The man didn't even budge as the virtibird landed to grab the dog tags of Phoenix.

At the return, Bear shoved his helmet on and followed the others out. They were back at the base, none of the lessers were allowed to see him mope about. Neither were his superiors, for that matter. The battered state of the man worried the pair of guards that began to escort them, but he ignored anything they said about it. Nothing would be able to pry him out of this armor until they were alone. Until he was alone. But, it seemed that it would be a while until then, as they had just arrived at the command center. And, within, there were two things that surprised him.

First and foremost, the deathclaw in the ridiculous vest. For one, it was a [i]fucking deathclaw.[/i] Secondly... What the hell was with the vest? The initial shock of the deathclaw being there was replaced by the curiosity of that damn vest. It was just so... well, silly, in his opinion. But, the fact that it was even here was a testament to it being tame. The other thing that surprised him was the name of the cyborg in the room. Dimitri Romanov... A name he hadn't expected to hear again, let alone someone he'd see in person. Though, he would have never been able to tell it was him if he hadn't been introduced. The robotic tone, the deepened voice, most of his face replaced by metal. It would be interesting, once they were alone. And, considering the lack in response, either Dimitri didn't know it was him, or he was much better at keeping himself quiet.

Once again, silence encompassed him as he retreated into himself during the entire meeting. The only thing that broke his concentration was Dimitri coming to shake their hands. When he came to Bear, the scientist paused for a moment, just longer than he had with the others, and then moved on. Once they were dismissed, the Bear - no, Alexander, made a beeline to the barracks. Once there, he stripped out of his armor and pulled on his normal clothes, feeling far too exposed. The long scars on his arms were blotched with new bruises from his fight with the Overlord. Shoving the armor onto a spare cart he found sitting in the hallway, he made his way towards Dimitri's lab. As he turned the corner, he could hear someone ask aloud where his cart had gone. Alexander chuckled as he continued on his way.

It took him far too long to get to the lab. He didn't even bother to knock, using the cart to force the door open. Within, sparks flew around, the cyborg working on something important, no doubt. They stopped a moment after the door was flung open, Dimitri turning to face the intruder. It was impossible to read his face anymore, that metal mask that replaced it blank and unchanging. However, the lack of harsh response meant that he was accepting of Alexander's intrusion. On a long table laid what looked like a man, his torso ripped open to reveal a mass of metal and wires. Alexander raised an eyebrow, and Dimitri shrugged. [b]"Android, likely escaped north from the Commonwealth, as I am told. Shot down about a mile away, decided it would be good to figure out how the Institute has created artificial intelligence. Or a working, humanoid robot, for that matter,"[/b] he explained, then slowly made his way over to Alexander, as the large man made his way over to him.

They were only a few inches away from each other, the pair staring at each other, Alexander making use of his height to look down on him. After a few moments, they embraced, the two nearly crushing each other. Then they shoved off, the pair going over to stand over the ripped open android. [b]"No explanations, no excuses,"[/b] Alexander said to Dimitri, shutting down the chance for the latter to explain what had happened all those years ago. [b]"But, how about something new. What do you think of a new project for you to work on?"[/b] Dimitri remained silent, but stared intently at Alexander. [b]"Thought that might interest you. And no, it doesn't have to do with the armor. Ever since that last fight, I've been having some pains in my left arm. Bullet lodged in. Got close to a sniper responsible for far to many of our deaths. Never managed to kill him, but I wounded him good. As he did me. I want an arm like yours."[/b]

The professor grunted, then crossed his arms, the one protruding from his back clenching into a fist. [b]"One like mine? Or one [i]better?[/i]"[/b] he asked. Alexander merely smiled, and held out his hand. The pair shook, and then Alexander turned to go.

[b]"We'll have to catch up later. You can tell me all about that deathclaw over drinks, eh?" The two chuckled as Alexander left to go fix his armor.