Fallout Game Merchant 2.0-Chapter 80: The truth will set you free

He groaned, clutching his head again.

'Why didn't I stop after the first shot? Or better yet, why didn't I leave before Cécile pulled out the tequila?'

Suddenly, Cécile stirred beside him, her dark eyes fluttering open. She gave him a sly, knowing smile.

"Morning, Lloyd~."

She stretched lazily, completely unbothered by the situation.

Lloyd's soul nearly left his body.

"Oh god."

He whimpered.

"You two didn't..."

"Oh, we absolutely did."

Cécile replied with a smirk.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

Before Lloyd could protest, Nina stirred, her wild green hair disheveled, and gave him a sleepy grin that sent shivers down his spine. "

I-I never thought this would happen... but it was kind of... amazing."

Lloyd looked between the two women in pure, unfiltered panic.

'This is a disaster!'

He knew that if anyone found out about this—not to mention if these events made it to a Black Box courtroom—his reputation was as good as dead.

Lloyd scrambled out of bed, almost tripping over his discarded clothes in his haste to get dressed. He needed to think—and fast.

There was no way in hell he was letting these lie detectors uncover this. The machines were going to tear through secrets like butter. And if this particular secret ever got dragged into a courtroom—hell, if it even reached Goodsprings gossip—his career, sanity, and everything else would go up in flames.

He could already imagine the trial:

Judge: "Mr. Asplund, did you or did you not engage in... relations with both Cécile Croomy and Nina Einstein on the night in question?"

Click. Black Box Detector hums to life, locking onto the truth.

Lloyd: "N-No!"

BUZZ!

He shuddered violently.

'No way am I going through that.'

"I need to get those damn things out of town... No, wait—contain them!"

Lloyd muttered aloud, pacing the room. If he couldn't remove them outright, he could at least restrict where they were used.

That's it. The territory gates and courtrooms. That way, the lie detectors would only target the truly guilty—or at least the people dumb enough to get caught.

"Yeah... yeah, that's what I'll do."

Lloyd whispered, pulling his shirt over his head with newfound determination. He had to stay ahead of the chaos before more innocent—relatively innocent—people like him got caught in the web of inconvenient truths.

As he struggled to button his shirt with trembling hands, Cécile sat up in bed, watching him with amused curiosity.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry, Lloyd? We could always go for a few more rounds, like last night..."

"Don't tempt me, Woman! I know you both are after my intellectual genes."

Lloyd yelped, fumbling with his pants.

"I've got... things to do! Important things! Lie detector things!"

Nina giggled, wrapping a blanket around herself.

"Is it really that bad, Lloyd? I mean, it's not like anyone has to know..."

He shot her a look filled with pure disbelief.

"You think secrets survive with those machines around? It's only a matter of time before one of you gets drunk and blurts it out, and then we're all doomed!"

Cécile gave him a wicked grin.

"Well, at least it'll be a memorable trial."

Lloyd groaned.

"I need new assistants..."

Fully dressed, Lloyd threw open the door, muttering under his breath as he stomped out. His new mission was clear: the Black Box Lie Detectors would stay—but only at the territory gates and courtrooms. Any wider use, and the whole Mojave would collapse into chaos under a tidal wave of truth nobody was ready for.

He stormed down the hallway, swearing to himself.

"First the Legion, now tequila-fueled threesomes. I swear, Six has no idea what he's unleashed on this wasteland..."

As Lloyd disappeared down the corridor, Cécile leaned back with a satisfied smile, nudging Nina.

"Told you it'd be worth it."

Nina gave a soft giggle, her cheeks flushed.

"Yeah... definitely worth it."

They both shared a conspiratorial glance.

Whatever fallout Lloyd was running to fix now? That was his problem.

Lloyd marched through the Megabuilding corridors, his shoes clicking angrily against the metal floor as he muttered curses under his breath. He didn't just need new assistants—he needed a whole new life plan. The day had barely started, and somehow, it was already spiraling out of control.

'The worst part? This was just the beginning.'

With the Black Box Lie Detectors in play, it was only a matter of time before things got even messier. Six's grand vision of a wasteland built on absolute truth was going to turn into an absolute nightmare. People lie for good reasons: to avoid fights, protect loved ones, or cover up their most embarrassing mistakes.

'Like tequila-induced mistakes with two unpredictable scientists.'

For example.

He knew better than anyone that this truth crusade wouldn't stop at criminals and spies. It would devour everyone—guards, settlers, travelers, even him.

Especially him.

"Goddammit."

He whispered.

"I'm going to end up a case study for bad decisions..."

By the time Lloyd reached the main atrium, traders, scavengers, and settlers were already buzzing around. Conversations echoed through the hall—conversations that soon wouldn't be safe. He could already feel it coming: whispered secrets, half-truths, cover-ups... all shattered by the machines lurking at the checkpoints.

He waved absentmindedly to a passing NCR patrolman, then froze mid-step as a horrifying thought hit him.

'What if the NCR commandeers the Black Boxes?'

His stomach twisted.

'Oh, no...'

If the NCR or any other faction got control of the tech, they'd use it to pry open everything. Lloyd could practically see the interrogations now:

NCR Officer: "Tell us, citizen: how much Jet do you use?"

Poor Trader: "...It was just once! Just once!"

BUZZ!

Yeah. No. This had disaster written all over it.

Lloyd picked up his pace, heading straight for the gate terminal. If he didn't lock down the detectors soon, every embarrassing secret in the Mojave would come bubbling to the surface.

Territory gates. Courtrooms. Nothing else. That was the only way to keep things contained. And even that was going to be tricky.

Meanwhile, back in the room, Cécile stretched luxuriously and reached for her clothes, putting them on with a lazy smirk.

"You think he'll actually do it?"

Nina giggled, pulling the sheet tighter around herself.

"Oh, absolutely. Poor Lloyd—he always acts like things are out of his control, but somehow, everything always ends up going exactly the way we planned."

Cécile laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You think he realizes this was your idea all along?"

Nina's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Nope. And that's the fun part."

They both shared a quiet chuckle, savoring the fallout to come. Whatever chaos Lloyd was desperately trying to prevent out there...

It was already too late.

After two rigorous hours, Lloyd was able to uninstall all the Black Box Lie Detectors throughout Goodsprings and sent orders to limit them to checkpoints and courtrooms. He was glad he fixed the problem before it became an issue. That is until...

Lloyd froze in place, his heart dropping into his stomach.

'Oh no... not her. Anyone but her.'

Tanya VI, Rebecca's and Six's eldest daughter, stood in the middle of the bustling Goodsprings courtyard, barking orders with the precision of a seasoned general. Despite her young age, she commanded the Brotherhood of Steel forces with chilling authority, her sharp blue eyes glinting with cold calculation. And clutched in her tiny but iron-gripped hands? One of the Black Box Lie Detectors.

Lloyd's heart raced as he watched her casually swing the device around, inspecting her troops—and whoever else was unfortunate enough to cross her path.

"Check that merchant for inconsistencies."

Tanya ordered, her voice clipped.

"If anyone has undeclared weapons or tries to lie, flag them. I want the truth now—no exceptions."

A Brotherhood Paladin gave a crisp nod, immediately dragging a nervous-looking trader toward Tanya. The man stammered, trying to explain that his Jet stash was only.

"For medical reasons."

Tanya didn't even blink as she thrust the detector in front of his face.

BUZZ!

"Caught."

Tanya's lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"Confiscate everything."

The trader whimpered as two armored knights seized his belongings. Tanya barely paid him any attention, turning toward another soldier.

"Sweep every corner of this settlement. We're going to find every dirty secret this town is hiding."

Lloyd ran a hand down his face, groaning.

"What the hell have I done?"

He knew Tanya's reputation. This wasn't just a child with authority; this was the reincarnation of Tanya Degurechaff, a ruthless strategist with the heart of a battlefield demon. Giving her access to Black Box Lie Detectors was like handing a Deathclaw a minigun—bad things were going to happen, fast.

He needed to act.

Lloyd stormed over, his nerves rattling but determination fueling each step.

"Tanya! What do you think you're doing with that detector?"

Tanya glanced over her shoulder, her icy expression unwavering.

"Managing security, obviously."

Lloyd waved his hands in frustration.

"These detectors are supposed to be for checkpoints and courtrooms only! Not... not... daily operations!"

Tanya raised a perfectly arched brow, as if Lloyd had just asked her the most idiotic question in the world.

"Rules are for people without vision, Mr. Asplund."

She gave a smug little shrug.

"Father always says, 'Use every tool you've got.'"

Lloyd clenched his jaw.

"I don't think he meant using them like this."

Tanya's smirk deepened.

"He'll understand. And if he doesn't..."

She trailed off, her gaze turning cold.

"Well, you can try stopping me. If you dare."

Lloyd hesitated for half a second. Just half a second too long.

"MEN!"

Tanya barked, and a group of armored knights snapped to attention, hands already resting on their weapons.

"Escort Mr. Asplund to his lab. Make sure he stays out of trouble."

Lloyd gawked, horrified.

"You can't be serious!"

Tanya gave him a sweet, unsettling smile.

"Oh, but I am."

She leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"This wasteland doesn't need half-measures, Mr. Asplund. Only the truth. And I intend to find it—everywhere."

Lloyd cursed under his breath as two towering Brotherhood knights flanked him, guiding him back toward his lab.

As Tanya turned back to her troops, she held the Black Box Lie Detector up like a badge of honor, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Alright, soldiers! No one escapes the truth!"

She shouted.

And just like that, the chaos Lloyd had feared was set loose—this time, with a pint-sized, blonde tyrant leading the charge.

Level: 19

NAME: Six VI

GENDER: MALE

STRENGTH: 25

PERCEPTION: 16

ENDURANCE: 35

CHARISMA: 17

INTELLIGENCE: 16

AGILITY: 20

LUCK: 18

-----------

BARTER: 100

ENERGY WEAPONS: 36

EXPLOSIVES: 36

GUNS: 100

LOCKPICK: 39

MEDICINE: 100

MELEE WEAPONS: 39

REPAIR: 100

SCIENCE: 100

SNEAK: 39

SPEECH: 85

SURVIVAL: 39

UNARMED: 39