It was strange how beautiful the wilderness could still look, even after a nuclear apocalypse. There were few places where the wilderness still flourished and while the flora and fauna no longer looked as they did in the old holovids, it still held its own beauty.

Drew’s eyes fell on Jack, Amy, Sekka, and Glower as they walked across the parking lot towards the exit with a Gutsy and an Assaultron trailing behind them.

“I can’t believe they talked me into it,” he muttered as he turned away from the window and sat down in the large chair behind the desk.

They were heading into town and the reason was to hire Jarik to scout out the old military base to the south. Their goal was to gauge the strength of the Brotherhood troops. It had been Amy’s idea and with a lot of convincing Drew had gone along with it, though he had some serious doubts. For one thing, Amy and Jack were gonna stay in town until Jarik got back so as to not give him any reason to make his way to the Robco plant. If he arrived here then it would be a short order before he discovered the Greenclaw house guests and Drew had absolutely no clue as to how he would react. Badly he suspected.

As to why Sekka and Glower wanted to go? He suspected Glower’s reason was that she had become almost inseparable from Amy. It was cute in its own way, and Drew was starting to suspect that Glower might be Angela. There was no proof other than Glower’s overly protective nature of Amy, but to Drew, it was enough to raise his suspicion.

Drew shivered as he felt the irritating sensation of static dance across his skin. He still wasn’t sure what was causing it, other than his FEV bath, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as it had been and he was definitely thankful for that. He also hadn’t been getting cold sweats or any pain. He figured whatever was affecting him, was now on the mend. Or at the very least he hoped so.

He stood back up and stared out of the window down towards the armored tank. He wondered if he should take a look at it to see if he could repair it. He supposed he should at least take a look at the main gun. It could prove useful, even if it wasn’t attached. Hell, Kiki could probably wield it like a shotgun, except instead of firing slugs or buckshot, it would fire tank rounds.

Drew smiled at the thought, though it was interrupted by a sharp pain that ran up his back.

So much for getting better.

He turned away from the window and stared at the door as he considered going to see Sarah. He had already put it off for far too long and he knew he shouldn’t ignore it. Not when there might be something seriously wrong with him.

“Hell to it. Might as well find out if I’m gonna die now rather than later,” he muttered as he moved around the desk and headed out of the office.

While he doubted what he had was terminal, he did fear that there was nothing Sarah could do about it. That was the news he was most afraid of hearing.

Drew arrived at the nurse’s office to find, much to his surprise, Veronica was in there talking with Sarah and Suzy. He lost his nerve and decided that his diagnosis could wait.

“How are you doing?” he asked as he closed the door behind him.

“Good,” Sarah answered. “Veronica has some interesting stories.”

“Is that so?” Drew said. “I’d like to hear some.”

“I’d love to tell you,” Veronica said. “Though I heard that Gemma wanted to talk to you about the other warehouse. The one that had all the parts in it.”

“What about it?” he asked with a shrug. “It’s half empty now, with us manufacturing all those robots.”

“Over half, now,” Veronica corrected. “Most of the crates were moved out onto the production floor.”

“So what does she want with it?”

“I’m not sure. She didn’t tell me. From the sound of it, it sounds like she wanted to stay in there with Kiki.”

“I don’t see why they can’t,” he said. “The door is smaller than the one in the main warehouse, so Kiki might struggle to get in.”

“I think she’s used to that,” Veronica said.

“I’ll go and check the door. I think it was sticking a little.”

Leaving the nurse’s office, he made his way across the factory floor and into the stock warehouse where he headed straight for the door terminal. He input the password he had set for the whole facility and the thick reinforced shutter began to open in a shower of sparks before it ground to a halt. It then slid closed again with a loud thunk.

“Shit,” he muttered. He hoped it was just because the rollers were sticking and just needed lubrication. If not, then it was likely that Kiki would be staying in the dispatch warehouse with all the others.

Taking a glance around, he saw some extendable ladders propped up against the back wall. He made his way over and grabbed them, taking them over to the roller door and propping them up on the wall beside them. He then headed out of the stock warehouse to the janitor’s closet where he had stored some lubricant from the Mega Stop.

With lubricant in hand, he made his way back to the warehouse and climbed the ladders, lubricating the runners along the door.

Done, he moved the ladders clear of the door before trying the shutter again. It started to slide up like before, though this time there were far fewer sparks. As it reached the point where it had stuck before, it slowed down causing Drew to hold his breath. Luckily it didn’t grind to a halt or close but instead sped up, opening all the way. It was clear that it had misaligned over the centuries and he would have to take a look at it eventually. For now, he was just glad that it opened.

With the press of a button, the door closed again, grinding all the way down, once more slowing at the problem spot.

Satisfied that it would be okay, at least for the time being, he put the ladders back in the far corner and returned the lubricant to the store cupboard before he made his way to the dispatch warehouse. There, he found most of the Greenclaws dozing, which thankfully included Charlotte. Kiki and Gemma, on the other hand, were sitting talking in the corner.

Quietly, he made his way over so as to not wake any of the dozing claws and waved as Gemma noticed him.

“Afternoon,” he said.

“We heard that you sent Amy and some others to Colville?” Gemma said keeping her voice down.

“Was that a good idea?” Kiki asked.

“Was actually Amy’s idea,” he said.

“And they’re off to see Jarik?” Gemma asked in a whisper.

“He’s a good scout,” Drew said. “Amy believed he’d be a good asset in finding out what we are up against. Sekka and Jack agreed.”

“And you? Do you think it’s wise?”

“I think it’s a good idea in principle, but I think there are too many ways it can go wrong. It’s why I told them to stay in town until Jarik got back. I don’t want him coming here.”

“That’s a good precaution,” Kiki agreed.

“Anyway, I didn’t come here to talk about that.”

“No?” Gemma asked.

“I heard you wanted to stay in the other warehouse. I’ve checked the door and it works. To a degree at least. If you want to stay in there you can.”

“Great,” Kiki said grinning, showing off her sharp teeth.

“Come on, let’s head around.” Drew made his way over to the large shutter door and opened it. The three of them headed outside and he closed it behind them before he led the way around to the other side of the building. After keying in the password into the terminal, the door slid open, sticking slightly in the usual spot. They stepped inside and he promptly shut the door behind them.

“Here we are,” he said. “Not much to look at but it’s away from the others.” He looked at the terminal which controlled the door. “I’ll have to add a big button eventually to make it easier for you to get in and out.”

Kiki sat down. “Not as big as the other warehouse.”

“No, but I think it’s big enough, right?”

“Yeah,” Kiki said nodding. “It’s big enough.”

“You okay sitting on the hard cold floor?” Drew asked her.

“I’m fine.”

“I wish there was something soft you could sit on.”

“I think I’d crush anything you put under me,” Kiki said. “Besides, my ass is soft enough. It’s like a cushion.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said.

Kiki stood back up. “You can see for yourself if you want.”

She then turned around with her tail in the air before she bent forward, giving a full view of her humongous ass.

Gemma giggled. “Stop messing with him.”

“Who says I’m messing?” Kiki asked. “I want him to feel how soft my ass is.”

Gemma looked at Drew. “It is pretty soft,” she confirmed

Drew hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t sure if the giant Kiki was being serious or not, but he had a feeling that she wanted him to touch her up.

“Come on,” Kiki urged. “I think you’d be surprised. Each cheek is like a massive cushion.”

“Fine,” he uttered.

Slowly, he made his way over feeling more and more intimidated by her size the closer he got until it loomed over him, just out of reach.

“You gonna touch?” Kiki asked.

“I would, but your ass is a little too high.”

The next thing he knew, the ginormous backside was descending toward him. He jumped back, fearful of being squashed beneath the behemoth posterior.

“Careful,” Gemma warned. “Don’t want his head going up your ass.”

“Whoops, sorry,” Kiki said, lifting herself back up.

“It’s okay, I’m clear,” Drew assured her.

She lowered her ass down again and he took a tentative step forward. The whole situation felt surreal and the sexual tension was making him both uncomfortable and aroused simultaneously.

“Go on,” Gemma said as he started to reach out only to hesitate. “She has really soft buns.”

“This seems inappropriate,” he said, pulling his arm back.

“Just feel her ass, Drew,” Gemma said with a roll of her eyes.

He reached back out and touched her ass. First with his fingertips and then with his palms. They were right, her ass was surprisingly soft. That wasn’t to say her cheeks weren’t firm, they were, but they also felt like giant pillows ready for him to rest his weary head.

Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself massaging her massive butt cheek. The moment he realized, he snatched his hands away and took a few steps back.

“Uh, yeah,” he stammered. “Uh, your ass is very soft.”

“Wow,” Gemma said, grinning. “I can’t believe you did that. I thought you’d have a quick feel, but you were going at it.”

“I can’t believe it, either,” he muttered.

“You’re definitely good with your hands,” Kiki said as she stood up and slowly turned around to face them. “Felt kinda nice. I just wish your hands were bigger.”

“Your ass felt nice, too,” he said, feeling awkward.

“You wanna feel the softness of my breasts next?”

Drew started to cough as he felt his face grow hot. “I should probably get back to the Gutsy line. There are more bots to build.”

“That can wait,” Gemma said. “We have plenty of robots and you need a day off.”

“Yeah,” Kiki agreed. “You’ve been working really hard. Let us take care of you.”

“I think I’ll be fine,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think I should delay things any longer.”

“I think taking one day off will do you good,” Kiki said. “As I said, we can take care of you.”

“Yeah,” Gemma agreed. “We’ll take care of you.”

It was an enticing offer, he certainly had to admit that, but it didn’t feel right and it wasn’t because they weren’t human. With all the other Greenclaws in the place and with the warehouse being so big, it didn’t feel as intimate as he would have liked.

“I’ll tell you what,” he began, “I’ll return tonight and we can sit down, and spend some time together.”

“Sounds good,” Gemma said. “Or, we could do that now.”

“We could, but I want to make sure we are absolutely prepared.”

“You’re a workaholic, that’s your problem,” Kiki mused.

“I just want us to be safe,” he said, despite not wanting to build robots today. “What happened at Paulson, I won’t allow it to happen again. If that means I have to work hard, then I’m gonna work hard.”

“You’re working too hard,” Gemma said. “But promise that tonight you’ll come back and at least talk for a bit?”

He nodded. “I can promise that much.”

“Good,” Gemma said.

There was a loud rumble and Drew shot his gaze towards Kiki where the sound emanated. “What was that?” he asked.

“My stomach,” she answered.

“Have you eaten today?”

“A little earlier,” Kiki answered. “There’s some radstag left in the other warehouse. Maybe you could go fetch it for me.”

Drew rubbed his stubbly chin as a thought crossed his mind. They were right, he did need a day off from the factory floor. His motivation was rock bottom and he felt like he needed to clear his head. It was why he hadn’t already started despite it being just after lunch.

“I’ll tell you what,” Drew began. “Why don’t we get some fresh?”

“Fresh?” Gemma asked with a frown.

“You’re right, I do need a rest from everything and maybe heading out to grab some extra food would do me good. Fresh air and all that.”

“Sounds like fun,” Kiki agreed.

“We can’t be away for too long, though,” Drew said. “Who knows what might happen.”

“Always the worrier,” Gemma said with a smirk. “Still, just the three of us…”

“Plus two Gutsy's,” Drew added.

“Plus two of your robots sounds like a fun day out.”

“Afternoon,” Drew corrected.

“Whatever,” Gemma said.

Drew headed for the shutter terminal and opened it, the door predictably catching on the sticking point halfway up.

“We heading out now?” Gemma asked. “Without telling anyone?”

Drew realized she was right. He also hadn’t got the two Gutsy’s he’d just said would be accompanying them.

He closed the shutter again. “Come on, Gem. Let’s find Veronica or someone and tell them we’re heading out.”

As the two made their way out of the warehouse and across the factory floor, Drew felt a sense of excitement. Even though he’d only been out a few days ago, it felt like forever and he desperately needed to get out and take his mind off building robots for a few hours.

With luck, it would do him some good. If not, then at least he was spending time with Gemma and Kiki.