It took the combined effort of the entire group to move the Sentry bot into the back of the APC. If it was a Mark II he could have unlocked its wheels and rolled it easily into the troop transport but with legs it meant it needed to be carried. While everyone contributed it was an effort mostly done by Pearl and Eve who were the strongest in the group by far.
Adam was worried that with all the other things he was shoving into the back if this would even fit, especially since the Mark 1 was not designed around the same time as the APC variant he was using, however as luck would have it by pushing it in sideways it fit with a little room to spare. Pearl would certainly be a bit cramped on the ride back but it was worth it to bring this guy home.
Adam considered testing it here and seeing if he could turn it on so it could move under its own power, but he opted against it, if he turned it on and it was stuck in combat mode they would be forced to destroy it, he wanted to bring the sentry bot home and deactivate its weapons and then begin work. Though, of course, that's assuming it worked at all. But he could worry about that later.
Finally, with the Sentry bot loaded back up into the APC and almost everything needed to repair the generator found sans a few things he would have to look for at a later date, they all loaded back into the APC and headed back home.
Home. How strange it was that he was already calling that metal box in the ground a home. It's not as if he had anything against Vault living, but he remembered when he was afraid to even return to vault 42. It was a Vault that scared him, appearing even in his nightmares. But here he was, living in that same vault, helping to grow an impromptu community underground to rebuild a life for himself after he woke up.
In fact a lot has changed since he woke up. Not just being a clone, but he had already built a web of relationships with a huge number of people, seen that the survivors of his time's folly were able to still thrive, and done what he could to help pick up the pieces of his broken city. It was not done, not by a longshot. But he was actually finding a life here in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The ride back was almost as uneventful as the ride to the scrapyard, which was good because his punctured tire was on its last legs, luckily he had the tools to replace the tire back at the Vault with his new spare. However what was strange was he encountered more than one patrol of cultists roaming around the area.
Now, since Famine's horde had mostly been dealt with there was no major threat in the East anymore. There were still some roaming packs of ferals they could see but most were spread out and no longer a threat. However it was strange to see cultists moving into the area now. And it was not one or two, while simply leaving the East Adam saw at least 3 moderately sized groups of cultists. Food for thought at least.
However it did not especially matter as they offered not a single problem to the group as the APC zipped through the streets. They were definitely noticed but entirely left alone.
Eventually they made it back to the Vault and began to unload everything, starting with the new robot acquisition. Rae, Pearl, and the construction protectron he called over all worked together to bring the Sentry bot inside the workshop meanwhile everyone else brought everything inside.
Salvatore was in charge of bringing the items that Remington requested to him and Adam brought both the Nuka Cola vending machine and the Jukebox to the common room. Adam was pretty tired, he was content to let the rest of the day simply slip past him without doing any more work, however Eric seemed to be full of energy and wanting to continue his studies. In fact he had already digested most of the information in the books he was given by Adam.
Adam was too tired to play teacher but if Eric was confident he could give him some jobs to work on if he was comfortable. Ultimately it was decided that Eric would, solo, swap out the tire at the front of the APC and then test every single computer that Adam brought back to see if they still worked or could be brought to work. Eric was not yet skilled enough to do anything more than that, however teaching a determined Eric was already paying dividends as he was already taking work off Adam's hands.
While Eric worked on his tasks, Remington was hard at work at the reactor, and Eve approached Adam.
"Adam." She called out to him as he was just finishing moving the last of the gathered items from the APC into the Vault.
"What is it Eve?" Adam said as he turned to look at her.
"I am going to return to Midway."
"Oh?" He said confused. "Are you not staying?" He said with a soft tilt of his head.
"Well I do plan to return." She said with a soft raise of her arms. "But I received a bit of damage in the last battle and all of my workshop tools are back home at Midway plus the rest of my things. I also have a shift at The Oasis I'm scheduled for. I will be back soon, so don't miss me too much~" She said as she gently dragged a claw down Adam's cheek. Adam chuckled softly.
"Okay, take all the time you need. You will always have a home here." He smiled.
"I know~ Because your heart is too big, even for a woman like me." She then leaned in and, in a gesture that can only be considered a kiss, planted her metallic face up against Adam's for a moment while she wrapped one slender robotic arm around Adam's body.
Adam was caught off guard but did not resist the gesture. The kiss was lacking as she herself did not have a mouth, or lips for that matter, but it was clear beyond all doubt this was a kiss.
As she pulled back from the kiss she ran on claw along her chassis for a moment.
"That's to keep the memory of me lingering~" She said with a soft sultry tone. "It's a gift from me. Keep it close~" She said before she then sauntered off, touching the Pip-Boy on her wrist Adam had gifted her before they left gently as she headed to the Vault Exit.