The two did not talk about anything nearly as heavy for the rest of their trek. However they still had a lot of ground to cover. In fact they had so much ground to cover that they would likely not even arrive at the APC before nightfall. However after some discussion the two of them decided that pressing on in the dark again, for a few extra hours, was worth the effort when they could gain the safety of the APC and Rae's protection.
Adam noted the various buildings they were passing, many of which looked ripe for looting. However, lacking his backpack and still needing to blend in as a cultist, he couldn't spend the time or effort to stop to scavenge. Least of all because any time spent looting was more time spent traveling in the dark. He was positive he was leaving a lot of great things behind that he would have happily taken in any other scenario, but he just had to be content that they were making great time instead.
Eventually, after traveling well into the darkness of the night, they finally arrive back at the parking garage where they hid the APC. Once inside they saw a pile of corpses lined up at the entrance. Ghouls. Or more specifically feral ghouls, in all likelihood, judging by the decayed clothing, all with distinct laser burn marks that left no doubt about who caused them.
"Sergant you are back!" Rae chimed happily as they rolled over to him waving their arms at their side.
"Yes I am, we have successfully completed our mission." Adam said with a tired smile, exhausted from the long trek.
"Wonderful! Rae is so happy to see you made it back alive!" Rae said with a chipper tone as always. "We had some uninvited guests show up here and try to take the APC but I dealt with them appropriately!" Rae gestured to the nearby pile of dead feral ghouls.
Adam glanced over at the pile of bodies and simply nodded. Clearly Rae misunderstood something again, either about the ferals themselves or about their mission but in either case it was handled, he was tired, and it was not worth spending time on.
"Thank you Rae, your efforts are greatly appreciated." He nodded. "Me and Mira are going to get some sleep, then, when we are up, we will all head back home, are you good to continue protecting the APC and us until it is time to move?"
"Sir yes sir!" Rae said with a salute. "I will return to my patrol route!" And with that Rae rolled off, leaving a tired Adam and Mira behind while they handled security, for which Adam was immensely grateful.
Adam let off an exhausted sigh and then walked over to the APC, Mira at his side, and opened the back. Inside, just as they left it, there was all their respective gear. From Adam and Mira's pip-boys to Mira's recharger rifle. However there was no sleeping bag, or any sort of cushioning to sleep on. This was an oversight. He did stuff the space under the seats with MREs in case it was necessary, but perhaps having some essentials on hand like a sleeping bag, a spare gun and ammo, maps and flashlights might be a good idea to stow in here too? After all this is the second time he had to sleep in the APC, the first being back in the fight with the feral ghouls. Food for thought for later. Now he was tired.
Adam curled up on the floor of the APC and a moment later Mira did the same, the two of them sleeping back to back. Adam wanted to get out of the cultist robes but he decided that could wait until tomorrow.
He had considered finishing the rest of the journey home now, after all it was only a few hours away in the APC, but it was dark out, Adam was having trouble keeping his eyes open, and there was no telling if he would crash due to his exhaustion. Besides they were safe here, they could head home tomorrow, sleep was the right choice for the moment. And, even if it wasn't, Adam was not going to hear any arguments on that point.
As Adam laid down and felt Mira's back against his on the floor of the APC he closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. However he was awoken a moment later by the soft sound of Mira's voice.
"Thanks Adam. For saying I was needed. I… never realized how much I needed to hear those words again. I… felt like damaged goods…" She paused and then sighed quietly. "Goodnight Adam." Adam considered responding but felt that she was saying this not to get a response but precisely because she thought he was asleep. Besides, he was already falling back to sleep again, so, without any further issues, he fell asleep.
The next day he arose about the same time as Mira. Perhaps Mira waking up woke him up too, he could not say, but when he opened his eyes, she was already sitting up, running her hands through her hair to straighten it, just a bit.
"Ready to move?" She said as she turned to Adam, seeing as he was awake now.
"Yes, let's get back home. I'm itching to sleep on a soft bed again. Metal and stone suck." Adam joked lightly. Mira chuckled a bit and then lightly hit Adam's arm before she stood up and stepped outside to stretch a bit.
Adam called Rae back over and loaded them back into the transport of the APC and then hopped in the front with Mira, heading back home, without wasting any more time.
"I was curious…" Mira began, as the two of them settled into the cockpit of the APC and shared an MRE that Mira had opened and was portioning out for Adam while he drove. "Why does the robobrain call you sergeant?" She asked curiously before she bit into a lemon poppyseed cake from the MRE after handing a chunk over to Adam to eat.
"You mean Rae? Because I am one." Adam said back nonchalantly.
"You mean that's what you needed to do to convince it to follow you?" She asked further.
"No I mean Rae was guarding a military installation and thanks to it having the database uploaded I told it my rank and name, it looked me up and stopped acting as a foe the moment it realized I once was a member of the armed forces." Mira stared at him for a moment.
"You mean you fought in the Great War?!" She said with some shock.
"I fought in the Resource Wars, if that's what you mean. I don't know what this Great War is. But I was out of the service by the time the bombs fell."
"The Great War is what we called the war that ended the old world, the dropping of the bombs. It more or less encompasses the Resource Wars too."
"Well I guess in that case, yes, I did."
"You didn't mention it before, when you were telling me about the past." Adam just shrugged.
"It wasn't especially important. I mean first off I figured you already knew based on your questions and what you dug up about me in the Vault, and second, does it really matter?" Mira went silent for a moment and then slowly shook her head.
"No, I suppose not. But the Brotherhood of Steel was formed from remnants of the old US Army, in a way that makes us… what… service member cousins?" She grinned lightly. Adam chuckled.
"I mean I don't know. Does my rank and past even have any bearing on the world we live in today? I mean if anything you should be blaming me for creating this world we live in. I lived it, I am at least somewhat to blame." Mira shook her head again.
"No, you should never apologize for your service. Even when the goals are wrong it is not the fault of the soldiers for doing their best, it is the fault of the commanders for leading them incorrectly."
"Is that the chain that binds?"
"Yes." She nodded. "It is the Paladin's responsibility when a knight fails, a head paladin's responsibility when those under him fail, and an Elder's responsibility when the chapter fails. The commander is at fault. Always. It is the burden of leadership."
"That sounds a lot like US Military Doctrine. Not that I got high enough to deal with the big wigs, I was just an enlisted man, NCO and all that."
"Still, you served, you fought for your country and your beliefs, that counts for a lot more than you might realize." Mira said with a soft smile. Adam let off a soft sigh and turned his attention to the road ahead, letting her words sink in now.