After saying goodbye to Jackie, I made my way back to the garage. I had withstood the allure of my latest build long enough, it was time to get back to work. The goal was to unlock the highest level of the vending machine technology early enough in the day that I could spend the rest of the day planning how to kill the Wraith reinforcements. Then Samwise could be in charge of producing whatever we developed, and the others could go and deploy it. With any luck, it would be ready by tomorrow morning, giving them plenty of time to intercept the caravan, even if the bastards started heading directly here today.

  But first, I needed to complete the matter manipulation tech, or I would never be able to focus on anything else.

  With two prototype devices under my belt, I was able to see a considerable amount up the branch, allowing me to skip three whole iterations before the branch went dark. This was a much smaller machine, small enough that it could, with a little finagling, maybe fit in a large version of the vending machine, which was encouraging, getting my hopes up that I was getting closer to the final version.

  I set to work, and within three hours, I was putting the final touches on another prototype. As we put it through its paces, it was clear that this was an improvement in all aspects. The power consumption was down to the point that a single medium-sized fusion reactor could keep up with it, the process of turning matter into proto-matter was faster and more stable, and finally, the fidelity of matter reintegration, specifically in predetermined patterns, had increased significantly. Nothing that we programmed into it was usable, but slow progress was being made in cutting down the issues.

  As usual, I had Samwise and his MRVNs drag the prototype out to the scrap yard to be disassembled and recycled.

  With the completion of another prototype, the final section of this branch was finally illuminated. At the end was the expected vending machine, looking as strange and art deco sci-fi as ever. On top of that, there was also a much larger version. From what I could see, where the Sierra Madre version was meant to be public-facing and as much of an art piece as it was a machine, the larger version was clearly intended to be a factory item, working with high input and output and made with function over form in mind.

  Considering what I knew about the lore, my guess was that, in the Fallout universe my tech was pulling from, the industrial version was created first but failed to secure funding. Then came along and funded the creation of the vending machine model for his, leaving the industrial model in the dust.

  Since I was looking to use this for industrial purposes, I obviously went with that model since, as far as I could tell, it was the superior device.

  The process of designing and fabricating the final mode took about as long as the previous iteration, and the results were mixed. Again, this model was superior in every way to the previous one, from power usage to fabrication accuracy. But unfortunately, there was a problem. While the fabrication aspect was… vaguely serviceable, it still lacked fidelity. Pitting, alloy composition, and several other issues still occurred. While they had been mitigated significantly from previous versions, it was very clear that this was a limitation of the science, not the engineering or understanding. Proto-matter was just too unstable, and the ability to direct it into specific elements and alloys was just not fine enough. Sure, you could make things like clothes, hand tools, and simple foods, but none of it was as good as their factory equivalents.

  It was clear that while the tech was impressive, it was not the miracle creation and production machine shown off in the games. It could make a pistol or even ammo for it, but I wouldn't trust it either without a thorough inspection first, and there was no fucking way that it could make a stimpak or most other drugs.

  The idea of it making any of the incredibly fine-tuned and intricate tech I was working on was even more laughable. It couldn't even print out alloys accurately. Instead, it formed mixtures that were a few hundredths of a percentage point off. That might not sound like much, but when working with such precise tech, it was a nightmare.

  Still, even with that limitation, the machine was an incredible advancement. Actual real technological transmutation. It alone solved nearly any supply problem we could ever have. Combined with the molly makers, which were designed to take single elements and quickly turn them into advanced tech, our production was about to skyrocket.

  "Sam, I want you to take the designs and strip out any extras attached to the production aspect. Then, see what you can do about applying Titanfall tech to it. When you're done, make several of them and send them to the vault," I said, gesturing to the industrial-sized machine. "Dump any gravel we make that isn't being used into it, so we can start to supplement our material intake. Use them to experiment with workflow and get a feel for the input and output limitations. The vault should now draw a significant portion of its materials from its own waste. Any production on this side of the teleport pad will have to rely on purchased or salvaged materials. I don't want to risk this development getting out."

  "And if we start to create a surplus?" He asked, hands already running over the large machine.

  "Store it as something dense but stable and easy to transport, maybe gold or something else… You know, I bet there is a way to transport materials by turning them into a liquid and pumping them around…" I trailed off, envisioning a system of dense storage blocks, that were then converted to water, or something more dense, then pumped wherever it's needed. I shook my head to focus on the moment. "Just use gold for now, and we can experiment once the Vault is up and running. How is that going, by the way?"

  "We are making significant progress, Jackson," Samwise confirmed, a thumbs-up appearing on his chest screen. "The initial staging area is complete, and we are beginning to expand downward. We have two floors dug out, but we need to complete a third before we can start clearing out the space for the first living section. That should take another day. After that, we can begin construction."

  "Exciting news, Samwise, I'm looking forward to the next tour," I said, slapping his side. "Okay, while you guys tear this apart and redesign it a bit, I'm going to grab some lunch and have a long think about how I kill forty to eighty Raffen Shiv in a way that will scare the shit out of the rest of them."

  "Very well, Jackson," The AI responded with a nod. "Enjoy your meal."

  I waved as I left, a little bit of pep in my step. It was hard not to feel invigorated after working out such an incredible leap in tech. I had just created the potential for a post-scarcity humanity. Sue me for wearing a big grin and whistling as I walked.

  I made my way to the Shack, waving to Kaytlyn and Riggs as they walked around the town, both of them armored and armed. As I entered the building, I spotted Jackie, who was standing behind his small kitchen space. I froze in the doorway, watching as he furiously mixed a large bowl, wearing thick oven mitts. The bowl itself was overflowing with billows of smoke, or, more specifically, off gas. Beside him was a large vessel marked with various warning labels as liquid nitrogen.

  "Jackie… what are you making?" I asked, letting the door close slowly behind me.

  "What's it look like I'm making, gonk?" he asked, giving me an incredulous look. "I'm making ice cream!"

  My eyes widened as I stepped closer, looking into the slowly clearing bowl. Sure enough, clumped together at the end of his whisk was a wad of ice cream.

  "Ice cream? How?"

  "Frank worked out a first attempt at synthetic liquid dairy," He explained. "According to him, it's a bit thinner than it would be from a cow, but I'm testing to see how it behaves. First up is frozen, and in the morning, I'm making waffles! And probably pancakes too."

  I was a bit stunned by the progress Frank and Jackie were making with food, so much so that I wordlessly accepted a bowl of ice cream from the large man, sitting down at the table silently. That didn't last, though, as the second I put a spoonful of the sweet sugary dessert into my mouth I made several inappropriate noises that had Jackie laughing. While I finished my bowl, he radioed Kayt he had something for her, making another batch as I watched.

  The liquid nitrogen, each time Jackie poured it into his large bowl, billowed out clouds of water vapor and off-gassing nitrogen, as it froze the water in the air around it and rapidly cooled below the temperature that nitrogen was a liquid. It poured down to the ground, landing by Jackie's feet and spreading out around him before dissipating. The nitrogen was likely pooling around the floor though, since it was slightly heavier than the atmosphere, despite it being the most plentiful ingredient in it. If someone were to lay their head on the ground, they would likely suffocate and pass out very quickly as…

  "Huh… Well, I know how we can kill all those Raffen Shiv."

  Jackie stopped what he was doing mid-stir, looking up at me with a raised eyebrow. After a second of staring, he shook his head.

  "What about a bowl of delicious ice cream gave you an idea about how to kill fifty people?" He asked, looking baffled...and a little worried.

  "Not the ice cream, the nitrogen," I responded, going up for a second serving. When Jackie reluctantly slapped in another hefty spoonful, I gave him a little salute, before turning and heading out of the eating area, not to the garage, but up to the Bio-lab.

  I quickly said hello to Frank, who was working beside one of the modified food-grade molly makers. The machine was silent as he picked at its internals. He paused what he was doing and turned to me, tools still in his hand.

  "Greetings, Jackson. What can I do for you?"

  "I figured out how I plan on killing the Raffen Shiv," I explained, working my way over to my desk and grabbing a tablet that I could draw on. "Just need to design it."

  "And it requires the Bio lab facilities?" He asked, sounding surprised.

  "It will when I try to make it," I explained, turning the tablet on with a few taps. "Don't worry. I don't need your help with this quite yet, so go ahead and keep working on your own tasks."

  "Very well…"

  The AI paused for a moment, as if waiting for me to take what I said back before shrugging and turning back to the open molly maker. I turned around back to the desk and got to work. Kayt would need results ASAP, so I needed to get this done.

  The process was actually not as difficult as I had feared. The Fallout universe was no stranger to the methods I planned on employing, and while I didn't pick from anything that they would have to offer, since those wouldn't even come close to being as clean and precise as I was looking for, the inspiration seemed to follow through them.

  In the end, I spent about two hours working on the general formula and creation process before finally getting to work. The entire process was done under descended power fume hoods over the table, power at full, pulling a steady airflow up and through a powerful filter system. This was no joke, and I was treating it with the respect it deserved.

  When I finished testing the proof of concept batch and proved that it worked, I pulled Frank away from his work to input the formula into the Auto-Pharma. Kaytlyn's team would need a significant amount of it, and this was quicker and safer than making it by hand. Plus, Frank would remove the recipe from the device when we no longer needed it.

  Of course, I wasn't done there. If I was going to be pushing the envelope, I needed to ensure my people would be safe and that I wasn't going to cause some sort of disaster. So, that meant backup protections in case my design was flawed. I didn't think it was, especially after testing it, but back protections were rarely a bad idea.

  It was two hours later that I presented my idea to Kaytlyn, Riggs, and Jackie. While Kaytlyn had some issues with it, she couldn't deny that it was something that would leave a significant impact. It would be a statement unlike anything we had done before.

  After they agreed, the town turned into a flurry of activity. Supplies for the plan were loaded up into a few different vehicles, some of them being produced just before being loaded up. A squad of ten shades, all the spares we had on hand, were loaded up into different vehicles and secured. The final addition was a trio of Nomads, sent directly by Dakota to join my friends on the journey. Their role was more as guides than combatants, but they were all augmented and armed, so I assumed they could probably multitask.

  When everything was finally ready and the sun starting to set, the four-vehicle caravan left, pulling out of the Ridge and heading out into the badlands, the Nomad vehicle leading the way.

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  I hated watching them leave, to the very depths of my soul. My friends were capable fighters, smart, skilled, and armed with the best I could give them. I had packed them with everything they needed and several things they would only need if things went wrong. Despite that, watching them leave while I stayed behind was just about the hardest thing I had ever done in either life. I cursed loudly to the empty road, before making my way back to the garage.

  The bay was empty, the proto-matter machine deconstructed and taken away, most likely to the vault. Samwise had already worked out the new version, stripped of the ability to fabricate items, retaining just the ability to create single-element ingots.

  I had several hours before it was time for me to sleep, and rather than pacing around in frustration at my choice to stay behind, I was going to make use of every spare second to make the best of it.

  I continued to work through the Fallout universe branches, starting with a set of before moving on to the. Neither of them were anything life-changing, though there were some interesting composite ceramic and metal polymers involved with the armor plating. What they did do was download a whole lot of information about constructing armor, expanding my average skills by a noticeable amount. I now realize that I made several mistakes in building our armor, though thankfully, they were more about comfort than durability or protection, and even then, they were minor.

  Still, between this and the stealth tech I had completed, I would have to drastically remake my crew's armor. Just another project to complete when I lost this tree.

  Over the next three hours, I made my way down my list of wants and needs, snagging everything useful I could find. The list was pretty long, including bits and pieces from Big MT and various bits of Institute and Enclave tech. My final project for the night was a version of the Stealth Boy made by the Institute, which I unlocked at some point after completing the Chinese stealth suit. The Stealth Boy was unique in that it solved the issue the US military was having, namely that they couldn't keep their field going for very long. Oddly enough, they did so using a different method than the Chinese did, so I built it out for completeness' sake, and to get a slightly different version of stealth tech.

  When I was done, I had a dinner of leftover ice cream, which I mixed with some blended peanuts. It wasn't precisely Reeses Cup, but it was still damn good.

  After that, I headed to bed after a brief conversation with Frank, asking for another sleep aid. I had to be careful that I didn't make it a habit, but there was no way I would be able to fall asleep with my friends gone, even if they wouldn't arrive at the caravan location for another few days.

  I took the aid when I was back in my trailer, Duke curled up at the base of my bed.

  The small group of cars drove for some time, even as the sun dropped below the horizon. They would need to make camp eventually, as there was no real reason to drive through the night, but for now, they followed behind the Nomads. As the night got darker, they slowed down, progress stymied by the limited light and rough terrain.

  When the group did finally stop, the deployed simple tents and covering, before starting a campfire with the bramble and branches around them. Two groups were formed, with the Nomads setting up a single large tent and heading to bed early, while Riggs, Jackie, and Kaytlyn stayed up for just a bit longer.

  "So… how do you feel about him staying behind?" Jackie asked, looking up at Kaytlyn, who was leaning on Riggs. "I told him I was fine with it, priorities and all that. Kinda still wish he came, though. Kinda feels like… like he picked his tech over us…"

  "Seriously?" Kaytlyn responded, catching Jackie off guard and giving him an incredulous look. " I think it's about damn time he stayed behind."

  "What do you mean?" He asked, surprise clear. "I thought you'd be pissed he sent us off on our own."

  "On our own? Jackie, he sent ten war bots and a package that would make the Geneva Convention weep, if it still existed," She responded, shaking her head. "He gave us everything we need. Besides, he doesn't belong fighting with us, he only does it 'cause he hates the idea of us going off without him."

  "I know that, I said the same thing to him. But chooms gotta stick together," Jackie pointed out. "Plenty of netrunners I know run missions with their teams."

  "Maybe quickhackers," She responded, shaking her head. "Do I wish the whole team could come out and wipe these fuckers out? Yeah, of course. But Jackson's got a higher calling than flatlining gonks and wiping out wastelanders. The shit he is doing… man, you know what he is making, do you really think the mind capable of doing that should be out running and gunning? Losing him would be like losing a national treasure, but a hundred times worse."

  Jackie frowned and stayed silent for a long moment, considering her words. The point she was making stood counter to a truth that he held at the center of his being. That dying with a bang, showing the world what he was capable of, and making a statement that stood etched in the streets of Night City was more important than anything else in the world. It was why he got up in the morning, why he fought and loved and worked and struggled. How could anything be above that? Wasn't that what made Night City beautiful? Wasn't that the ultimate dream?

  "Jackie, look at it this way," Kaytlyn continued, looking up at the sky and staring at the surprisingly brilliant array of stars above their heads. "You are willing to trade your life to get a drink named after you at a bar run by some has been runner turned fixer, so a few people say your name after you're gone. If we can keep Jackson alive long enough, everyone is going to know his name."

  Jackie was silent after that, contemplating her words. It wasn't like he was upset with Jackson, he was being honest when he said that all members of a team couldn't be expected to go on every mission. He just hadn't expected Kaytlyn to react so strongly, or for her words to ring true.

  He could feel an instinct to defend himself rising, that being an edgerunner, a legend was more than just a drink at the Afterlife, but he stamped it down. She was being dismissive of his dream, but she wasn't the first or the last.

  He also knew what she had said about Jackson was right, too. That, if he stayed alive long enough, his legend would change the world. That made another emotion rise, one that was uglier and darker. That was pushed aside just as quick, and with significantly more ease. Jackson didn't have an evil bone in his body, being jealous would be pointless. It wasn't like he could compete with what he did anyway.

  Jackson was a force of nature, one he had hooked himself to almost by accident. To think such an off-handed choice to stop for some noodles one day had led to everything that had happened.

  He let out a long breath, shaking his head and looking up at the stars, leaning back against the rock directly behind him. Things had been a lot simpler before he met Jackson, but he couldn't even come close to saying that he preferred simple to what he had now. Between his friendships and the rising fame they had gotten for the gigs and missions they had taken, Jackie wouldn't give it up for anything.

  Eventually, the group went to sleep, crawling into simple tents with foam mattresses. The following morning. They hopped back into their vehicles and continued to drive, still following the Nomads. They continued to drive for the whole day, all the way until night began to fall, even past when they had stopped previously.

  About halfway through the day, they received news that the caravan was finally on the move. At the speed they were both going, they would be within range soon, as long as they drove for a few hours longer that night.

  Considering the plan was designed to be implemented just an hour or so before sunrise, that was perfect.

  They drove until the Nomads stopped, climbing out of their vehicle to explain that they were getting too close to drive and remain unheard. They would have to continue on foot, which was fine since the shades were helping with the heavy lifting. They loaded the armored and armed combat robots with four tanks and six crates, with Riggs carrying two more, while Jackie and Kaytlyn only carried one each.

  It was just about an hour later when they crested a ridge to find the large caravan. There were nearly a dozen fires spread around the camp, with nearly thirty cars and considerably more people. Jackie struggled to count them all, but with plenty of tents set up, it was impossible to tell just how many there were in total.

  Together, they took cover behind the ridge, listening to the shouts, cheers, and jeers of the RaffenSshiv, watching them drink and glut on any drugs they could get. As time passed, more and more of them disappeared into their tents or just passed out on the ground. They didn't even set up a watch. After all, who would dare attack such a large group of clearly armed and eager bastards? They felt invincible, and were already celebrating their victory.

  Eventually, when the camp was quiet and the fires started to burn low, the shades began to walk over the ridge, silently moving across the terrain. They moved slowly so that their processors could scan every step, analyzing every movement for sound and stability, meaning they moved silently, like their namesake. Each one of them was carrying a crate, and as they encircled the camp, they slowly deployed their payload. In a wide ring around the camp, carefully deployed in a near-perfect circle, the shades deployed ten, which rose slowly into the air, a telescopic pole that ended up extending by ten feet.

  While most of the shades remained by their pylons, four of them returned, carefully taking the pressurized tanks. For these, the shades moved even slower, the dangerous gasses inside meant that a puncture could be lethal to those waiting on the ridge. The shades carefully placed the tanks along all four cardinal directions, just inside the ring of pylons, before moving out of the circle and finding cover around the camp, the rest of the shades following. Should something go wrong, it was up to them to stop anyone from escaping, or at least slow them down enough to let Jackie, Kayt, Riggs, and the Nomads escape.

  Once everything was set up, the group once again settled in to wait until sunrise was only an hour away. When it was, Kayt passed Riggs a detonator-esque control device. After giving him a nod, he activated it.

  Down by the camp, each of the pylons activated, humming softly as the thinnest of stasis barriers appeared around the entire perimeter. It was only ten feet high, but that was plenty. After confirming the almost invisible field was activated, each of the four tanks opened, releasing a custom gas into the air, one heavier than the atmosphere, so it sank to the ground, filling the bottom four feet of the massive bowl the shades had just created with the stasis barrier.

  This gas was specially made to slowly and quietly kill an individual with only a dozen breaths or so. Thankfully, cyberware that filtered out gasses like that were almost nonexistent due to one, simple fact. Cyberpunk was obsessed with administering medicine, painkillers, and recreational drugs through inhalers. If a set of Cyberlungs filtered anything dangerous out, then half the drugs on the market, and most of the drugs that weren't, wouldn't work with them. This included drugs that doctors prescribed, as well as life-saving emergency treatments that EMTs and Trauma Teams used.

  In other words, having lungs like that would be a good way to end up dead.

  So, when Jackson made a specific gaseous drug that filled the air, paralyzed, anesthetized, and then killed anyone who breathed in, even those with entirely artificial lungs still slowly succumbed to it.

  The group watched the slowly dying camp for an hour until the sun started to rise. Eventually, the sun shined on the entire camp, and the second part of the gaseous drug came into play. As the sun shone through the barely visible clouds, the gas slowly began to decay, the chemical chain falling apart as sunlight-sensitive parts eroded away, turning the gas into several harmless chemicals.

  After an hour of direct sun, while it was still very early in the morning, the shades went out and collected the pylons and the now empty tanks. Once they had returned, the group hiked back, returning to their vehicles and driving off.

  Hours later, a single member of the caravan stepped out of his vehicle, which he had slept in, to find that he was the only survivor, his vehicle having the only one with a passable air filtration system.