The morning air was crisp, the scent of damp earth and fresh-cut wood filling the clearing as Dr. Dew and Leonardo da Vinci stood before the half-built framework of their new laboratory. The sun had barely risen, but the two of them had already begun work, their collaboration blending science and artistry in a way neither had expected.
It had been days since they had met, and in that time, they had repaired the cavern, gathered resources, and drafted plans to turn this wilderness into something sustainable. The lab was coming together—stone walls reinforced with wooden supports, workbenches arranged for maximum efficiency, and a storage area for the materials they had gathered. Yet there was still much to do.
"Ah, there's nothing quite like the joy of creation," Leonardo mused as she adjusted a wooden beam, securing it into place. "A proper workspace, a proper home—it all begins with a single step!"
Dr. Dew nodded, setting down a heavy stone slab. "Structure is important. The lab comes first. Then living quarters."
She raised an eyebrow. "Even though you don't need to sleep, you still want a bedroom?"
"It's not about need," he replied. "It's about having a space that feels human."
Leonardo smiled at that. "A noble sentiment. I approve."
With that, they continued working. The living quarters were built adjacent to the lab—two separate rooms, one for each of them. The walls were sturdy, the doors reinforced. Dr. Dew didn't require sleep, but he understood the importance of privacy, of having a space that was his own. Leonardo, meanwhile, reveled in the thought of finally having a proper place to rest after long hours of invention and research.
By midday, the framework of their kitchen had been set up. It was simple—an area with a cooking fire, a worktable, and storage for gathered ingredients. While neither of them needed to eat, the joy of preparing and tasting food was something neither wanted to give up.
"A kitchen!" Leonardo beamed as she examined the space. "A place to create wonders of taste!"
Dr. Dew smirked. "You act as if this is as important as the lab."
"It is, dear master!" She laughed. "Science and food are both arts of refinement and discovery! And besides, what kind of world would it be if we only ate for sustenance and not for pleasure?"
She had a point. While he no longer needed food to survive, he still found the act of eating enjoyable—something that reminded him he was, at his core, still human.
As the day stretched on, their discussions turned to knowledge. Leonardo taught him about magecraft, explaining the mechanics of summoning, heroic spirits, and the intricacies of the Holy Grail War. Dr. Dew listened carefully, questioning every detail, analyzing the logic—or lack thereof—behind it.
"So, let me get this straight," he said, rubbing his chin. "Summoning works based on contracts, mana flow, and a connection to an artifact or legend?"
"Exactly!" Leonardo clapped her hands together. "It is a beautiful fusion of history and mysticism. A heroic spirit, drawn from legend, given form through the will of a master."
Dr. Dew frowned. "Then how did you end up here? I don't remember summoning anyone."
She tapped her chin in thought. "A good question. But that is a mystery for another day! For now, we have much to do."
In turn, he told her about his world—about the ruins of civilization, the radioactive wasteland that stretched across America, the mutated horrors that roamed the land.
"The Scorchbeast," he explained, "was a massive, mutated bat that could spread radiation through its sonic attacks. It wiped out entire settlements before people found ways to fight back."
Leonardo's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "A creature adapted to radiation exposure? Fascinating! Such biology must be studied!"
"You wouldn't want to get near one," Dr. Dew muttered. "They weren't natural. They were created—engineered as weapons."
He told her about Deathclaws—genetically enhanced predators, created before the war as bio-weapons.
"They're intelligent," he said, "some even learned to talk. But they were hunted down by raiders and slavers before they had a chance to truly thrive."
Leonardo sighed. "A tragedy. Intelligence squandered due to fear."
Then they spoke of AI—artificial intelligence that had survived long after humanity had crumbled. Some were allies, others were threats. He told her about an AI that had transferred itself into a synth body, effectively becoming human.
Leonardo's fascination only grew. "That is remarkable! It reminds me of homunculi—artificial beings given life, yet treated as lesser. The line between creation and creator is always thin."
Dr. Dew then mentioned something even more bizarre—a machine in Nuka-World, a long-forgotten amusement park turned death trap, capable of splicing genes together to create new creatures.
"It was designed to merge animal DNA," he explained, "and it worked—sort of. It ended up mass-producing Gatorclaws, a hybrid of alligator and Deathclaw, except the machine was malfunctioning. It kept making them infinitely. Someone eventually shut it down."
Leonardo leaned forward. "A device capable of combining the genetics of multiple species? That could change everything!"
"It's dangerous," he warned. "If someone figured out how to fix it, they could create things far worse."
Then there were Vault 22's plants—bioengineered flora meant to restore the world, but instead, they became something far deadlier.
"The scientists who worked there weren't as smart as they thought," he muttered. "They created a fungus that infected animals and turned them into plant-like monsters, but they didn't think to make sure they couldn't get infected themselves."
Leonardo winced. "That… does sound like a rather large oversight."
"And then there's the G.E.C.K.," he continued, "the Garden of Eden Creation Kit. It was meant to create life—terraforming technology from before the war. It could rebuild an ecosystem from scratch. But like everything else, it ended up in the wrong hands more often than not."
Leonardo whistled. "The ability to recreate an entire world from nothing? Your lost civilization had ambition, I'll give them that."
As night fell, they sat near the fire, watching the stars. Their work for the day was done, but their journey was far from over.
"Tell me, master," Leonardo said, leaning back with a thoughtful expression. "Now that we have a home, a lab, and knowledge to share… what comes next?"
Dr. Dew exhaled, staring up at the unfamiliar constellations. "We prepare, learn, and continue to grow."
She grinned. "A wonderful answer. This world is full of mysteries, and I intend to uncover them all."
The lab was built. Their foundation was set. But the real work was only beginning.
End of Chapter Fifteen