If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
And the Republic was about to show the wasteland something it had not seen since before the bombs fell, which is an organized nation that marching forward.
The moment came quietly.
Not with shouting.
Not with a trumpet or a speech.
Just the low rumble of engines finally shifting from idle to motion.
For a few seconds the entire courtyard of the Freemasons headquarters seemed to hold its breath.
Then the convoy began to move.
The lead Humvee pulled forward first.
Its engine growled as the driver eased the vehicle away from the formation line, tires crunching softly over the worn pavement of the courtyard. The mounted machine gun above the roof swayed slightly as the vehicle turned toward the main gate.
Sergeant Caldwell sat in the turret ring, both hands resting calmly on the weapon grips while he scanned the street beyond the compound walls.
Behind the Humvee, the second and third escort vehicles rolled forward in sequence.
Their engines formed a steady rhythm.
Low.
Controlled.
Purposeful.
Then the Sentinel tanks moved.
Even at low speed they carried an undeniable presence.
The first tank's heavy tracks clanked against the pavement as the massive machine turned toward the exit. The turret rotated slowly, the cannon barrel adjusting position like a cautious animal testing the air.
A thin column of exhaust drifted upward as the reactor inside the tank hummed steadily.
The second Sentinel followed close behind.
People standing along the courtyard edge instinctively stepped back as the armored giants rolled past.
The ground vibrated faintly beneath their weight.
After the tanks came the troop transports.
Four trucks.
Each one filled with soldiers sitting shoulder to shoulder along the reinforced bench seats.
Rifles rested across laps.
Some men spoke quietly.
Others simply watched the headquarters building disappear behind them as the trucks moved forward.
Then came the supply column.
Ten fuel trucks.
Each one carrying the lifeblood of the new airbase.
Magnolia stood beside the final vehicle with her clipboard tucked under her arm as the engines started one by one.
She checked the last driver's manifest.
"Remember," she said firmly, tapping the side of the truck. "No sudden stops, no racing the convoy, and if you smell fuel—"
"I stop immediately," the driver finished.
"Good."
He nodded and climbed into the cab.
Magnolia stepped back just as the engine roared to life.
One by one the fuel trucks began to roll forward.
When the last vehicle passed the courtyard gate, Magnolia folded her arms and watched the convoy snake onto the main road.
Preston stood beside her.
"That's a lot of firepower," he said quietly.
Magnolia nodded.
"And a lot of responsibility."
Above the courtyard, the air suddenly exploded with thunder.
Rotor blades sliced through the morning air as the first vertibird lifted off from the airstrip beyond the compound.
Dust scattered across the pavement as the aircraft rose steadily into the sky.
Then the second vertibird lifted.
Then the third.
Within seconds all ten machines were airborne.
The sound was overwhelming.
A deep, pulsing roar that echoed across the Republic district and bounced off the ruined skyscrapers of the distant city.
Settlers shielding their eyes looked upward as the aircraft formed a tight escort formation above the convoy.
Callahan's voice crackled over the pilot comms.
"Squadron form diamond escort."
The vertibirds shifted positions smoothly.
Two moved ahead of the convoy.
Four flanked the column.
Three stayed above.
And one remained slightly behind to watch the rear.
Below them, the convoy reached the outer gates of the Republic district.
The massive metal barriers slowly rolled open.
For a brief moment the entire column paused.
Engines rumbling.
Dust drifting across the road.
Then the lead Humvee rolled forward.
Out of the Republic.
And into the Nuka World.
People gathered along the streets as the convoy passed.
Some waved.
Others simply watched silently.
For many of them, this was the first time they had ever seen something like it.
Tanks.
Armored escorts.
Air support overhead.
Not a scattered militia.
Not a group of scavengers.
A military column.
Disciplined.
Organized.
Professional.
The convoy stretched nearly half a mile as it rolled through the outer settlements of the Republic.
Children ran alongside the road cheering as the vertibirds thundered overhead.
Farmers paused their Brahmin carts to watch.
Old settlers stood outside their homes with expressions that were difficult to describe.
Pride.
Hope.
Maybe even disbelief.
One elderly man leaned on his cane as the tanks rolled past.
"Never thought I'd see this again," he muttered to himself.
Beside him his granddaughter asked, "See what?"
He watched the convoy disappear down the road.
"A country."
Within an hour the convoy had cleared the outer settlements and entered the open wasteland.
The road stretched west toward the distant ruins of Nuka World.
Dust clouds trailed behind the trucks as the column moved steadily forward.
Inside the lead Humvee, Caldwell spoke into the radio.
"Lead vehicle to convoy. Road ahead clear."
The driver's voice answered from one of the troop transports.
"Maintain current speed."
Above them the vertibirds continued their steady escort pattern.
Their shadows occasionally passed over the convoy as the morning sun climbed higher into the sky.
From the cockpit of the lead aircraft, Lieutenant Brooks looked down at the long column below.
He whistled softly.
"That's quite a sight."
Callahan's voice came through the headset.
"You're escorting history, lieutenant."
Brooks smiled.
"Yes sir."
The convoy continued west.
Toward Nuka World.
Toward the future airbase.
Toward whatever the wasteland might throw at them next.
Back at Freemasons Headquarters, the courtyard felt strangely quiet.
The engines were gone.
The soldiers were gone.
Even the dust had begun to settle.
Only a handful of guards remained at their posts.
Sico stood for a moment longer on the steps watching the empty road where the convoy had disappeared.
Then he turned and walked back inside the building.
The war effort would continue without him today.
There were other matters that needed his attention.
One in particular.
Curie's research.
The hospital building stood on the eastern side of the Republic district.
Doctors moved through the corridors treating patients from nearby settlements.
Nurses pushed carts filled with medical supplies.
The scent of antiseptic drifted through the halls.
As Sico entered the building several staff members nodded respectfully.
"President."
"Morning, sir."
Sico returned the greetings with a quiet nod as he moved deeper into the hospital wing.
At the far end of the corridor was a secured laboratory.
Two Republic soldiers stood guard outside the reinforced door.
Both straightened immediately when they saw him approach.
"Morning, sir."
"Morning," Sico replied.
One of the guards stepped aside slightly.
"Doctor Curie's inside."
Sico nodded.
He stepped toward the door and placed his hand on the fingerprint scanner mounted beside the frame.
A soft electronic beep followed.
Then a mechanical click.
The reinforced door slid open with a low hydraulic hiss.
The lab inside was brightly lit.
Clean.
Organized.
Equipment lined the walls.
Microscopes.
Chemical analyzers.
Medical scanners salvaged from pre-war hospitals.
Several computer terminals hummed quietly as they processed data.
At the center of the room, Curie sat at her desk.
She was completely focused on the glowing screen in front of her, typing rapidly while several medical vials rested nearby.
Her hair was tied loosely behind her head, and a pair of reading glasses sat low on her nose.
She hadn't noticed the door open.
Sico stepped inside and the door sealed quietly behind him.
For a moment he simply watched her work.
Curie had been many things since joining the Republic.
Scientist.
Doctor.
Researcher.
And one of the most brilliant minds the Commonwealth had ever seen.
She muttered softly to herself as she studied the data on the screen.
"No, no… the compound ratio is still unstable…"
She typed a few more commands.
Then shook her head.
"Perhaps if the catalytic agent is adjusted…"
Sico smiled faintly.
Then he spoke.
"Morning, Curie."
Curie jumped slightly in her chair and spun around.
"Oh!"
She blinked when she saw him.
"Monsieur Sico!"
A warm smile quickly replaced her surprise.
"I did not hear you come in."
"I noticed," Sico said.
Curie pushed her chair back and stood.
"What brings you to the lab today?"
Sico gestured toward the desk and the collection of chemical vials.
"I wanted to check on your research."
Curie's expression immediately brightened with enthusiasm.
"Ah, the stimpak project."
"Yes," Sico said. "How's it going?"
Curie walked back to the desk and picked up one of the small injector devices resting beside her computer.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"It is… very promising."
She placed the device carefully back on the table.
"But also very complicated."
Sico leaned lightly against one of the nearby counters.
"Complicated how?"
Curie gestured toward the computer screen where several biological diagrams rotated slowly.
"The original stimpak formula from pre-war medical technology is extremely effective but also inefficient."
She tapped the screen.
"Most of the chemical components degrade quickly when exposed to radiation or prolonged storage."
Sico nodded slightly.
"That's a problem in the wasteland."
"Exactly!" Curie said, clearly pleased.
She picked up a small vial filled with faintly glowing liquid.
"My research attempts to stabilize the formula while increasing its regenerative capability."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"Increasing?"
Curie nodded enthusiastically.
"If successful, the improved stimpak could accelerate tissue regeneration significantly faster than the original design."
She paused briefly.
Then sighed.
"But…"
"But?" Sico asked.
Curie placed the vial back on the table.
"I am very close to a breakthrough."
She tapped the computer screen again where complex molecular models rotated slowly.
"The chemical balance is almost correct."
Sico folded his arms slightly.
"Almost."
Curie gave a sheepish smile.
"Yes."
She rubbed the back of her neck.
"The final catalyst reaction remains unstable. When the compounds combine, they produce excellent regenerative results for a few seconds… and then the formula collapses."
Sico looked at the screen thoughtfully.
"So it works."
"For a moment," Curie said.
"Then fails."
"Yes."
She sighed again.
"I believe I am on the verge of solving the problem."
Sico studied her expression for a moment.
Curie wasn't discouraged.
If anything, she looked energized.
The way scientists often do when they're close to discovering something important.
"How much time do you need?" Sico asked.
Curie thought for a moment.
"Perhaps a few more days."
Then she corrected herself.
"Or a week. Science does not always follow a predictable schedule."
Sico nodded.
"That's fine."
Curie tilted her head slightly.
"You are not concerned?"
Sico smiled faintly.
"Curie… you rebuilt half the Republic's medical infrastructure in a year."
She laughed softly.
"When you say it like that it sounds impressive."
"It is impressive."
Curie looked at the injector device on the desk.
"When the new stimpak formula is complete… it could save many lives."
Sico nodded slowly.
"That's why you're working on it."
Curie smiled warmly.
"Yes."
Then she looked back at the molecular diagrams rotating on her screen.
"And I promise you, Sico…"
Her eyes gleamed with determination.
"I am very close."
The words weren't dramatic.
She didn't say them like someone announcing a discovery.
She said them like a scientist who had been staring at the same puzzle for days, maybe weeks, and could finally see the edges of the solution forming somewhere just beyond the fog.
Sico believed her.
Not because she sounded confident.
But because he had seen that look in her eyes before.
The same look she had when she rebuilt the Republic's medical supply system from scrap.
The same look she had when she helped synthesize antibiotics using half-ruined pre-war equipment.
Curie had a strange kind of optimism when she worked.
Not loud.
Not arrogant.
Just steady.
The kind that came from understanding the problem deeply enough to know it could be solved.
Sico pushed himself away from the counter and walked slowly around the lab.
The place was spotless.
Curie ran her laboratory the same way she approached science which is carefully, precisely, and with a kind of almost obsessive respect for order.
Glass vials were arranged neatly inside steel racks.
Each labeled in small, elegant handwriting.
Chemical reagents sat in temperature-controlled containers along the far wall.
Several microscopes were positioned beside stacks of research notes that had clearly been written late into the night.
A kettle sat quietly on a small burner in the corner.
Tea.
Curie's one constant comfort while she worked.
Sico picked up one of the research pads on the nearby table and flipped through it.
Page after page of diagrams.
Molecular chains.
Chemical equations.
Annotations written partly in English and partly in French.
Curie noticed.
"Oh! Those are only preliminary notes."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"Preliminary?"
She laughed softly.
"Yes. I often write down ideas before I fully test them."
He turned another page.
"Looks pretty serious to me."
Curie stepped beside him and glanced at the notes.
"Oh, that section was from two days ago."
She pointed to one of the diagrams.
"That catalyst chain does not work at all. Completely unstable."
"You figured that out the hard way?"
She made a small embarrassed sound.
"Yes…"
Then she gestured toward a sealed containment box on the far counter.
"One minor explosion."
Sico looked up.
"Minor?"
Curie quickly added, "Everything was safely contained."
He shook his head slightly with an amused smile.
"Good to know."
Curie walked back to her desk and sat down again.
"Would you like some tea?"
Sico nodded.
"Sure."
She stood again and moved to the kettle, pouring steaming water into two ceramic cups.
The scent of herbs filled the air.
A quiet moment settled over the lab.
Outside the sealed door, the hospital corridor hummed faintly with distant footsteps and muffled voices.
But inside Curie's lab, everything felt insulated.
Peaceful.
Focused.
Curie handed Sico a cup.
"Thank you for checking on the research."
He took a sip.
"You're working on something that could save thousands of lives."
Curie returned to her chair.
"It is worth the effort."
Sico leaned against the edge of the desk while she reopened the molecular simulation on her screen.
"Walk me through it," he said.
Curie's eyes brightened immediately.
"Ah! Of course."
She turned the monitor slightly so he could see it more clearly.
A three-dimensional molecular structure rotated slowly in the center of the screen.
"Here we have the primary regenerative compound," Curie explained.
"This chemical stimulates accelerated cell reproduction when injected into damaged tissue."
Sico nodded.
"That's what makes a stimpak work."
"Exactly."
Curie tapped the screen.
"But the problem lies here."
A secondary chemical chain appeared.
"This compound stabilizes the regeneration process so that the body does not reject the rapid cell growth."
She switched to another diagram.
"The difficulty is maintaining stability long enough for the regenerative effect to complete."
Sico folded his arms.
"So the formula works… but not long enough."
"Yes."
Curie leaned forward, studying the simulation carefully.
"The cells begin repairing tissue, but then the catalyst collapses and the reaction stops."
"And that's what you're trying to fix."
"Precisely."
She began adjusting variables on the simulation.
Numbers changed.
Chemical bonds shifted.
Molecular chains rearranged themselves in response to the calculations.
Sico watched quietly.
Curie had a habit when she worked.
She leaned closer and closer to the screen until her face was only inches away from it.
Her fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.
Every now and then she muttered something under her breath.
"Perhaps if we reduce the enzyme concentration…"
Click.
"No… that destabilizes the binding agent…"
Click.
"Hm."
Sico smiled slightly.
"You've been at this all night, haven't you?"
Curie didn't look away from the screen.
"Yes."
"You should sleep occasionally."
She waved a hand dismissively.
"Later."
He chuckled.
"I figured you'd say that."
For the next hour they worked together quietly.
Not as leader and scientist.
Just two people trying to solve a difficult problem.
Sico asked questions.
Curie explained each part of the formula.
Sometimes she pulled out handwritten notes.
Other times she ran quick simulations on the computer.
The lab slowly filled with the soft sounds of typing, clicking instruments, and the faint bubbling of chemical reactions running in sealed glass chambers.
At one point Sico examined a row of prototype injector devices.
Each one slightly different.
Curie noticed.
"Those are experimental delivery systems."
"Different doses?"
"Yes."
She pointed to the first injector.
"That one releases the entire compound instantly."
Then the second.
"That one disperses it gradually over fifteen seconds."
Sico picked up the third.
"And this?"
Curie smiled proudly.
"That one is my favorite design."
"Why?"
"It adjusts the chemical flow automatically based on the patient's vital signs."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"That's… advanced."
Curie shrugged lightly.
"Medical technology should adapt to the patient."
He turned the injector in his hand.
"You really are trying to improve everything."
Curie's answer was simple.
"Of course."
She returned to her screen again.
The simulation continued running.
Time passed quietly.
Then Curie frowned.
"Hmm…"
Sico looked over.
"What is it?"
She leaned closer to the monitor.
"Something interesting."
The simulation had produced an unusual result.
A small section of the molecular chain had rearranged itself unexpectedly.
Curie tapped a few keys.
"Run that reaction again."
The computer recalculated.
The molecules shifted.
Then the reaction collapsed again.
Curie frowned deeper.
"No… that is not correct."
She adjusted another variable.
"Perhaps if the catalyst forms a temporary bond…"
Another simulation began.
Numbers scrolled rapidly down the side of the screen.
Sico watched her expression carefully.
Curie had become very still.
Her eyes darted back and forth across the data.
The simulation finished.
Failure.
The molecular chain broke again.
Curie leaned back slightly.
"Hm."
Sico waited.
Curie stared at the screen.
Then she leaned forward again.
"What if…"
She began typing quickly.
Faster now.
Her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Several new variables appeared on the screen.
A different enzyme.
A modified catalyst structure.
Sico noticed her breathing had changed.
Shorter.
More focused.
Curie whispered to herself.
"No… no… that might actually…"
She stopped typing.
The simulation started.
Both of them watched the molecular diagram rotate slowly.
The chemical reaction began.
Cells began regenerating in the model.
Five seconds passed.
The catalyst chain began to weaken.
Curie leaned forward even closer.
"Come on…"
Ten seconds.
Still stable.
Fifteen seconds.
The molecular bonds held.
Curie blinked.
Twenty seconds.
Still intact.
Her eyes widened.
Thirty seconds.
The reaction continued.
Curie froze.
Then suddenly.
"OH!"
She jumped up from her chair so suddenly it nearly fell over behind her.
"I see it!"
Sico blinked.
"What?"
Curie spun toward him, practically vibrating with excitement.
"The catalytic loop!"
She rushed back to the screen and pointed at a section of the molecular structure.
"This part right here!"
Sico looked closer.
"What about it?"
Curie was grinning now.
A wide, unstoppable grin.
"The reaction was collapsing because the catalyst was consuming itself during the regeneration process."
Sico nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Curie tapped the screen again.
"But if we create a feedback loop…"
She typed rapidly.
"…the catalyst regenerates itself during the reaction!"
The simulation updated again.
Now the molecular chain remained stable.
The regeneration effect continued.
Thirty seconds.
Forty seconds.
A full minute.
Curie covered her mouth with both hands.
Her eyes were shining.
"Oh my goodness…"
Sico looked at the screen.
"You fixed it?"
Curie turned toward him and suddenly laughed with a bright, joyful sound that filled the entire lab.
"I fixed it!"
She actually jumped once in place like a child who had just solved the most exciting puzzle in the world.
"The formula stabilizes itself!"
She pointed at the screen again.
"The catalyst no longer collapses!"
The simulation continued running.
Two minutes.
Still stable.
Curie spun around the lab in excitement.
"This is it!"
She rushed to her notebook and began writing furiously.
"The regenerative cycle maintains balance! The enzyme chain repairs the catalyst structure as it degrades!"
Sico crossed his arms, smiling.
"So that's the breakthrough."
Curie looked up at him, glowing with excitement.
"Yes!"
Then she laughed again.
"I cannot believe it was something so simple!"
"You say that now."
Curie shook her head.
"I must test the real compound immediately."
She began gathering vials from the table.
Carefully.
Precisely.
But with visible excitement in every movement.
Sico watched as she prepared the equipment.
"You're sure about this?"
Curie nodded without hesitation.
"The theory is sound."
She held up the vial of glowing liquid.
"And now we test it."
Her voice was full of pride.
Full of relief.
And full of the quiet satisfaction that only comes when a scientist finally solves the problem that has been sitting in front of them all along.
Curie smiled at Sico.
"We have our breakthrough."
Curie's smile still lingered on her face when she turned back toward the workbench.
For a few seconds she simply stood there, the vial of faintly glowing liquid held carefully between her fingers, as if the fragile glass contained something far more precious than chemicals.
Because in many ways, it did.
Hope.
Not the loud, triumphant kind people shouted about in speeches.
But the quiet kind that worked its way slowly through broken systems and wounded bodies.
The kind that rebuilt lives one patient at a time.
Sico watched her for a moment before speaking.
"So," he said softly, "what's the next step?"
Curie inhaled slowly.
Her excitement was still visible, but now it was tempered by something else.
Responsibility.
"The next step," she said carefully, "is verification."
She placed the vial gently inside a metal stabilizing clamp on the worktable.
"We must synthesize the compound physically using the adjusted catalyst loop. Then we observe whether the reaction behaves the same way outside the simulation."
Sico nodded.
"And if it does?"
Curie turned slightly toward him.
"Then we will have successfully stabilized regenerative cellular repair."
He smiled faintly.
"A better stimpak."
"Yes."
She paused.
"Potentially much better."
Curie began moving around the lab with renewed energy.
Glass containers were pulled from temperature storage.
Micropipettes were aligned in their holders.
The sterile preparation chamber hummed softly as she activated it.
Sico stepped aside so he wouldn't interfere.
Watching Curie work was almost like watching a musician performing a familiar piece.
Everything had rhythm.
Everything had intention.
She sterilized the work surface first.
Then she carefully removed the original regenerative compound from a locked refrigeration unit.
The liquid glowed faintly inside the vial, an almost electric blue.
Curie held it up to the light briefly.
"This is the base compound used in most pre-war stimpaks."
Sico leaned closer.
"And the unstable catalyst is what makes it fail early."
"Yes."
She set the vial down and reached for a separate container filled with a darker amber solution.
"This," she continued, "is the catalytic enzyme chain."
The pipette clicked softly as she measured the exact amount.
"But now we modify it."
She retrieved a third vial.
Inside it, a pale green chemical floated almost lazily.
"This is the key," Curie said quietly.
"The feedback enzyme."
Sico tilted his head slightly.
"The one that rebuilds the catalyst?"
Curie nodded.
"Precisely."
She began mixing the compounds together inside a sterile reaction chamber.
Drop by drop.
Measured perfectly.
The machine monitored the mixture as she worked.
Temperature.
pH.
Chemical stability.
All displayed across the small screen mounted beside the chamber.
Sico watched the numbers shift slowly.
"You look calm for someone testing a brand-new medical compound."
Curie smiled faintly without looking up.
"That is because I am not calm."
"You hide it well."
She laughed softly.
"That is what years of laboratory work does."
The mixture slowly began to change color.
Blue.
Then violet.
Then a steady glowing cyan.
Curie's eyes sharpened.
"Yes… the reaction has begun."
She adjusted the heat level slightly.
The machine beeped once.
"Catalyst forming," the display read.
Curie leaned closer.
"Now we see if the loop sustains itself."
Seconds passed.
The glow stabilized.
No collapse.
No chemical breakdown.
Curie exhaled slowly.
"Good…"
Sico crossed his arms.
"So far so good."
Curie nodded.
"Yes."
She let the reaction continue for another minute.
Then two.
Then three.
Still stable.
Finally she reached forward and shut the chamber down.
"The compound has stabilized."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"That fast?"
Curie carefully transferred the glowing solution into a clean injector cartridge.
"Chemically speaking, yes."
Then she looked at him.
"But now comes the difficult part."
Sico didn't need to ask.
Testing.
Curie sealed the cartridge and inserted it into one of the prototype injector devices Sico had examined earlier.
The device hummed quietly as it calibrated itself.
A small green indicator light appeared.
Ready.
Curie stared at the injector for a long moment.
Then she spoke quietly.
"We will need a biological subject."
Sico didn't hesitate.
"I'll do it."
Curie blinked.
Then immediately shook her head.
"No."
Sico smiled faintly.
"You didn't even think about it."
"I do not need to."
She folded her arms firmly.
"You are the leader of the Freemasons."
"That's not why I volunteered."
"It is precisely why you cannot."
She stepped closer to him now, her expression serious.
"If something goes wrong, the consequences would affect the entire Republic."
Sico leaned casually against the counter.
"If something goes wrong, you stop the experiment."
"It is not always that simple."
Curie gestured toward the injector.
"This compound alters cellular regeneration rates. If the reaction becomes unstable it could cause uncontrolled tissue growth, internal damage, or—"
"Curie."
She stopped.
Sico's voice had softened.
"You trust your science, don't you?"
Curie hesitated.
"Yes."
"You said the theory was sound."
"It is."
"Then test it."
She shook her head again.
"We can find a safer subject."
"Like who?"
Curie didn't answer.
Sico gestured around the lab.
"Every person in this hospital is already injured or recovering."
He straightened slightly.
"You're not experimenting on them."
"No."
"Then it's me."
Curie frowned deeply.
"This is reckless."
Sico shrugged.
"Or efficient."
She stared at him.
"You are far too calm about potentially injecting yourself with an untested medical compound."
He smiled slightly.
"I've survived worse."
Curie sighed.
"Yes… you probably have."
A quiet tension settled between them.
Curie looked back at the injector.
Then at Sico.
Then back again.
Her mind was clearly racing through possibilities.
Risk calculations.
Medical contingencies.
Finally she spoke again.
"If we do this," she said slowly, "the injury must be controlled."
Sico nodded.
"Fair."
"It cannot be severe."
"Obviously."
"And we monitor your vitals constantly."
"Of course."
Curie looked at him one last time.
"You understand that if there is any abnormal reaction, I will immediately administer counteragents."
Sico smiled.
"Doctor's orders."
She exhaled.
"Very well."
Curie moved quickly now.
Medical monitors were activated.
A small portable scanner was wheeled beside the worktable.
She wrapped a diagnostic cuff around Sico's arm to track blood pressure and pulse.
"Baseline vitals first."
Sico sat on the edge of the lab table.
"Feels like a routine checkup."
Curie glanced at the monitor.
"Pulse slightly elevated."
He smirked.
"Maybe because you're about to watch me stab myself."
She gave him a look.
"That is not amusing."
"Little bit."
Curie finished calibrating the injector.
Then she placed a sterile medical tray beside Sico.
On it rested a small surgical knife.
The blade gleamed under the lab lights.
Sico picked it up casually.
Curie immediately raised a hand.
"Wait."
He paused.
She stepped closer and carefully cleaned a section of his forearm with antiseptic.
"If we are doing this," she said firmly, "we do it properly."
Sico nodded.
"Fair enough."
She finished sterilizing the area and stepped back slightly.
"You may proceed."
Sico examined the knife briefly.
Then without hesitation he drew the blade across his forearm.
Not deeply.
But enough.
The skin split cleanly.
A thin line of red appeared almost immediately.
Blood welled slowly from the wound.
Curie's focus snapped instantly to the injury.
"Good. Controlled incision."
Sico glanced at it.
"Feels like a paper cut."
"Do not move."
Curie picked up the injector.
Her movements were precise again.
Calm.
Professional.
But Sico could still see the excitement behind her eyes.
She positioned the injector against the skin just beside the wound.
"Ready?"
Sico nodded.
"Let's see if your miracle works."
Curie pressed the trigger.
A soft mechanical click echoed through the quiet lab.
The injector hissed quietly as the compound entered Sico's bloodstream.
Then the device beeped once.
Injection complete.
Curie immediately leaned closer to observe the wound.
The cut still bled slowly for a moment.
Then something changed.
Sico felt it first.
A strange warmth spreading through his arm.
Not painful.
Just… active.
Like tiny sparks moving beneath the skin.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Okay… that's new."
Curie leaned closer.
"What do you feel?"
"Warm."
"How warm?"
"Like… circulation ramping up."
Her eyes moved to the wound again.
Then she froze.
"Oh…"
Sico looked down.
The blood flow had slowed.
Already.
More than it should have.
Curie whispered softly.
"It's working…"
The edges of the cut began pulling inward.
Not instantly.
But steadily.
Cellular regeneration had begun.
Curie grabbed the portable scanner and swept it slowly over his arm.
The screen filled with biological data.
Cell division rates.
Tissue reconstruction.
Protein synthesis.
All accelerating.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"The catalyst loop is maintaining stability…"
Sico watched the wound.
The bleeding had completely stopped now.
A thin layer of fresh tissue was already forming.
"That's… fast."
Curie laughed quietly in disbelief.
"Yes."
She scanned again.
"No cellular rejection…"
Another scan.
"Regeneration cycle stable…"
Sico flexed his fingers.
"Feels like pins and needles."
"That is nerve repair."
She looked at the monitor again.
Her smile was slowly returning.
Minute by minute the wound continued closing.
Five minutes later the cut had shrunk to half its original size.
Ten minutes.
Only a faint red line remained.
Sico stared at it.
"Well I'll be damned."
Curie covered her mouth again.
Tears had appeared in the corners of her eyes.
"It worked."
Sico flexed his arm again.
No pain.
No bleeding.
Just smooth skin where the injury had been.
Curie looked like someone who had just watched the impossible happen.
"We stabilized regenerative medicine…"
Her voice cracked slightly.
"For the first time since the war."
Sico slid off the lab table.
He looked down at his arm one more time.
Then at Curie.
"Looks like you just changed the future."
Curie laughed through her tears.
"No."
She shook her head softly.
"We changed it."
Sico smiled.
But Curie had already turned back to the lab bench.
Her mind racing again.
Notes.
Tests.
Production.
Distribution.
Because the moment a scientist solves one problem, a hundred more possibilities appear. And Curie intended to explore every single one.
______________________________________________
• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.
• Active Quest:-