Wastelands Chance of Revival

[Maharg67]

THIRTY-ONE

 

Bobby-Bill, the Brotherhood of Steel scouts, the puppy and the elementals made their way to the very outer outskirts of the target house. To look at it was a fair conditioned large expensive house partly overgrown with mutated tangler-vine. A large once ornate garden was a semiwilderness of trees, bushes, grass and crumbled pieces of marble and smart-concrete. The wreckage of a atomic motorised limo stood with its doors, once, open, fallen and vanished under greenery.

 

The skeletal remains of a raider group was scattered across the semiwilderness with dropped weapons and remains of armour and other gear. They must have gone straight in with out much or any real care. They had paid for it.

 

The flame elemental was in truth the old ghoul lady who had been killed by the ghoul vampire. She could see in the infrared spectrum in an amazingly subtle fashion and was soon picking out clever and nasty hitech traps such as pop-up turrets and tracking mole-mines.

 

She also detected the manhole hatch, an armoured entrance hidden beneath fragmented smart-concrete false flagstones of what had once been an ornate garden path. Then she was leading the others to the hatch in a way, long ago planned it by the owners of the mansion, to the hatch. The five humans went down a safety-ladder, Bobby-Bill carrying the solid puppy who licked his face a few times, and the elementals floated down. The elemental puppies rode inside the elemental mother dog all huddled up together and partly inside each other.

 

They carefully closed the hatch behind themselves and moved along an armoured metallic hallway. When a sentrybot emerged they had a surprise for a metallic voice spoke.

Greetings, you have been expected. Please continue onwards following the yellow arrows. They will lead you to the reception chamber where Elder Seymour of the Finders of Steel will meet you.”

 

Lieutenant Dolan snorted. “So Tricky Seymour wasn’t killed after all. The Finders of Steel are specialist infiltrators and scouts, explorers if you wish, who seek out indications of hidden Prewar and Wartime tech or even Postwar secret developments. Tricky Seymour and the F/of/S Team-92 vanished some five months ago but they supposedly did so somewhere in Virginia, not here on Columbia Island.”

 

Then they came into a big multiple purpose chamber dotted with areas designed for different functions but mostly it was for people to meet. The tall, elegant, almost angular woman stood in Orders of Steel scribe armour. She had a laser-pistol holstered at her side. She was of dusky eurowhite skin and dark greying brown hair. Her eyes were dark brown.

 

She spoke. “It is good to see that the Orders of Steel have come as far as the island itself. There is much for us to utilise here in the Wastelands of DC.” She turned and studied the spot where the elementals stood. “I have heard of elementals but have never met any personally. A mother dog with puppies and you, you must be a fire elemental. What creates you elementals? Why have you come to our world?”

 

The fire elemental spoke. “Because of an imbalance of natural and other forces on this world and other, linked worlds to this one, we have begun to emerge through various means. Bobby-Bill here has the way of the focus to be a medium of the Light.”

 

The lieutenant removed his helmet but his skin and hair appeared normal human now. “You vanished in Virginia close to the city of Richmond. Why did you make no further effort to communicate with us?”

 

The tall woman frowned. “Because the Orders of Steel national communications networks, overt and covert, have been compromised. There is a good chance that the O/of/S have been infiltrated by enemies and that some of our own people have become treasonous. We found a small but important VaultTek designed and built RDVault outside of Richmond hidden under the ruins of a corporate farming complex. Of the eighteen of us, two were killed by a traitor and we killed the traitor. The remaining fifteen of us found an experimental teleport booth, a telebooth. It brought us all to here. Two months ago I sent out three people to report back to the Orders of Steel High Elder Council. I have no idea what happened to them.”

 

Dolan did not seem surprised by Seymour’s words. “A month ago a big internal purge began. Fifty-two traitors and forty-five infiltrators were found, questioned and most have been executed or chain-ganged. Others vanished but it is unknown whether it was because they were enemies or they were killed by enemies. The push to the DC Wastelands continues. So twelve of you remain.”

 

The woman nodded. “Yes but the others are all busy or are sleeping except for two recreating in virtual reality. This place is not only well secured but it is amazingly well stocked with not only high quality survival equipment and supplies but also a fair few luxuries. But when we got here we found others.”

 

Into the chamber came a young woman and man, in their early to mid twenties. The woman was quite attractive and the man fairly handsome. They wore jeans and Tshirts with pouchbelts and boots. Each also had a holstered 10mm semiautopistol, a combat knife and a stunclub.

 

Seymour did the introductions. “Lieutenant Dolan of the B/of/S, this is Agents Scully and Mulder of the X-Files Investigations Agency that we found frozen in status-capsules here in this bunker. That is along with twenty-five other XFA people and a further twelve others being members of General Johnson Hamersley along with some lucky neighbours who had gotten saved. I am afraid that many of them are not very happy with this new world of ours and who can blame them? They grew up in a world at war but in a country safer, greener and less scary than this one.”

 

Scully smiled. “You will find that we of the XFIA, an agency that still exists as far as we are concerned, dealt with our share of horrors before we went into the status-capsules. It’s the civilians who have had more trouble dealing with the changes and even they are managing to adapt. We have some problems such as crowding but we are working towards solutions. Before you ask, we have found no top secret data here, military or otherwise. General Hamersley and his people did an amazingly good job of erasing any data from the bunker, hard copied or recorded in any format, from the bunker before they departed. It was the general who gave us XFIA people permission to shelter here during the closing years of the war, who allowed us to use it as a base of operations when we were forced to leave the UN Enclave in a hurry. We have gone through the bunker. We did make some important discoveries though in the form of a large storage chamber of prototypes and such as the telebooth that the F/of/S people came through.”

 

Others started coming into the big chamber. They were mostly adults being the XFIA people, the F/of/S people and the civilians. Amongst these were teen-adults and children including two newly born babies. All of the adults and older teen-adults bore guns. The newcomers were all keen to speak with the strangers and to learn more about what was going on.

 

Mulder then spoke. “You are welcome to study the X-Files. We have them in data forms and some of them in print-outs. Who is this young man?”

 

“The young man smiled. “Bobby-Bill of the Wastelands. Just a wanderer. I have family in the settlement of Megaton. Kylie-Jo Harrington is the Mayor. Perhaps you could make a trade agreement with them. Holotapes of old movies, 3DTV series, musical concerts, documentaries and other stuff is worth a big deal.”

 

Scully nodded. “Perhaps some here would like to go and live in Megaton. We have heard of it and that is has over a hundred thousand people.”

 

Bobby-Bill nodded. “Easily that now since the new big bunker was found filled with people. Cyber-infiltrators, yes, but ones that have been very helpful so far.”

 

Mulder shook his head in wonder. “We heard of the cyberhuman project but got nothing solid on it. Even when the Cyberforce was fighting in Alaska, before it vanished, it was hard to gain any information on it.” He gave Bobby-Bill a keen look. “Something tells me you are not the simple wanderer you say you are.”

 

Bobby-Bill looked around and down, realising that elemental pups were playing around his feet along with the physical puppy. The closeness of the elemental puppies was causing energy patterns to emit lightly from his body and the puppies, including the solid one, were playing with these rainbow patterns.

 

He looked up and grinned. “Okay then, a human-alien hybrid with thirteen species genetic inheritances. But, apart from that, just a simple wanderer.”

 

Scully arched her eyebrows. “And?”

 

He snorted. “One of many of One as you and Mulder are. How did you get changed?”

 

Scully shrugged. “Rainbow energies engulfment. A kind of friendly abduction for us and others we know. Many are One is Many. Omnifolk we call ourselves. Semiautonomous to a secondary mentality. Sometimes I miss the old me but not often and not with much real depth of feeling.”

 

Walter Skinner, a youthful man, came forward. “I used to have a not much hair and wear thick glasses. Now my health and fitness are much better. Perhaps we could find a way to visit this Megaton that you speak of. You could take us there.”

 

But Bobby-Bill shook his head. “I can not go there and you can not speak of my existence there. Most people there do not know I exist, not even my mother. Now, how about something to eat and drink?”

 

He got some funny looks at that.

 

The others agreed and soon folding modular-tables were being set up and other preparations were being made. The newcomers sat it out because for the first meal, at least, they were considered to be guests.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

[Herculine]

I can't get over the strange feeling that I know Mulder and Scully from somewhere, but I just don't know where...

[species5478]

Keep up the good work Marhog...

[dezdimona]

anxiously awaiting next part

[Maharg67]

Herculine, the term 'X-Files' might be a clue as in X-Files Investigation Agency but then again it just might be a coincidence.

 

Species5478, could we be forum friends. I am not very good at working the forum friendship system but it would be good.

 

Dezdimona, good to know you are still visiting the forum.

 

To all of you, thanks for your support and LOL.

[Maharg67]

THIRTY-TWO

 

Bobby-Bob darted across the chamber past large metal barrels of water and dropped down behind a big sealed supply canister full of Prepacked Long Life Preserved Mealpacks, or PLLPMs. Bullets flew through the air and exploded off the thick metal water barrels. His forces of androids, robots and elementals were being attacked by dozens of zipuppetzi enslaved humans and distorted zizombies, zibiomechanical human hybrid monstrosities.

 

For some reason the Light would not return to transform these creatures; it seemed that such miracles were limited. He fired his 12.7mm autorifle and blew apart two zizombies, swung his gun and exploded the head of a enslaved human with a brain long too damaged to salvage.

 

Bad news was that there seemed to be far too many of the monsters down there in the depths hungering for human flesh or just to destroy intruders. Good news was that the elementals were transforming many of them and driving back others. The androids and robots were, like him, killing while trying not to kill too many. This was difficult because the elementals were easily outnumbered even counting the ones newly transformed. Transforming took energy and both the old and new elemental had to rest briefly after each transformation.

 

Bobby-Bob hated killing but what could he do?

 

Then he felt it inside him, a change, a reaction to his wishes! After all he was thirteen different species in one crazy hybrid. A shiver both physical and of energy, a sparkle, flowed through him. Bobby-Bob lowered his weapon and all the androids and robots ceased firing.

 

Almost as one all of the zibiomechanical attackers collapsed, stunned, to the floor.

 

Bobby-Bob slowly stood up and stretched. Then the stealth power armoured figure strode across the chamber, examining the fallen creatures as he did so and the poor brain damaged humans. He felt tired, sad and a bit sickened by recent experiences.

 

But now there was more work to do if he was to see the transforming and saving of all of these creatures and perhaps even the recently dead if the Light allowed him that favour.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

[Maharg67]

THIRTY-THREE

 

Bobby-Anne and Bobby-Sue were in the big command chamber at the Mountain Bunker. They were seated into command chairs. Bobby-Anne was cyberlinking deep into the computer network-systems. Bobby-Sue was examining a fair sized bit of experimental prototype equipment on a bench. Around them androids and robots were busy at various tasks. Some were on sentry duty.

 

Through their deep link with Bobby-Boo they had gained information from their mother of a disturbing nature. Megaton was experiencing sporadic bouts of violence. The Megaton Secret Council had been forced out into the open at last. Mayor Kylie-Jo and some others had known about it for some years but only in a general manner. Details had been scant and sometimes contradictory.

 

McDoogle and others had been ejected from the Town Council when it was realised they belonged to the Megaton Secret Council. The other two had been arrested but McDoogle had escaped after killing a volunteer deputy with a 10mm submachinegun he had produced from a hiding place. Andy Stahl had tried to escape and had been shot dead or so was the story; the mayor suspected that the family of the dead volunteer deputy had taken revenge.

 

Sheriff Simms had recently gained an increase of his force to one Deputy Sheriff, one Assistant Sheriff, five deputies, four dogs, two jailers and four support staff who were also back-up deputies. There were also thirty-four volunteer deputies counting the now dead man. Yet even so he was having difficulty keep a cap on slowly but steadily increasing violence.

 

As for the Townguard, nobody knew what they were truly up to though the commander kept professing total loyalty to Megaton and the Megaton Town Council; the problem was he kept finding reasons not to send Townguards out to deal with internal troubles. When some Townguards did go to help Sheriff Simms, Marshal Joseph Fab tried to stop them and warning shots were fired; the Townguards left anyway, fully armed and armed with extra supplies but with out the robots they had planned to take with them.

 

Cyber-infiltrator soldiers intervened to save the Deputy Sheriff and two deputies, along with a dog, moving against a group of armed thugs with amazing deadliness and quickness. The thugs were slaughtered quietly and their bodies soon lay scattered on the platform outside of the shop Craterside Supplies.

 

Bobby-Sue was inspecting what looked to be a robotic dog of some kind, armoured and armed with metallic fangs and various other weapons including a pop-up turret on the back. Yet the dog was more designed to blend in as a normal dog, as an infiltrator, than as an attacker.

 

Bobby-Sue summoned her sister out of cyberlinking. Curious, Bobby-Anne opened her eyes and looked around. “What did you bring me out for. You know we have to find more decisive data.”

 

I found it but it is here in Professor Agakar’s own pet robotic doggy. It was in his private quarters acting as a bodyguard but now it seems it also had another purpose.”

 

Bobby-Anne responded with a triumphant smile. “I found hidden datafiles.”

They brought the data up onto a big 3Dwallscreen and noted that it was a series of briefings and journal entries on a series of ‘special’ projects run by Professor Agakar. Clearly these projects were not ones that the 9/of/9, or especially the Prime Nine, knew about or would have given permission for. Agakar even gloated in his journal entries that he was doing experiments forbidden by his ‘so called superiors’.

 

Project Puppet had created the zipuppetzi that Agakar had hoped to use to control people because he feared everybody that he was not totally in control of.

 

Project Mixed Perfection had created the monstrous zizombies, the distorted human zibiomechanical monstrosities.

 

There were other projects mentioned fully or just in passing. These datafiles were not complete.

 

Project Zihuman was a project beyond Project Mixed Perfection that would supposedly create mind linked and unified super humans, a kind of zibiomechanical cyborg. According to this all one million of those in the subvaults were of these new zihumans. They are highly resistant to various conventional biological weapons…They were not the distorted monsters that our triplet-brother thought they were.”

 

She turned abruptly to her triplet-sister. Then the two were checking the subvaults or at least trying to do so. The internal cameras were not functional and neither were the robots, not even the security robots, yet no security alarms had been triggered.

 

They began to go through the big bunker they were in but there were no apparent intrusions, no security breaks. Androids and robots were sent out into the deeper areas in greater numbers to make sure that the security network-systems there had not been infiltrated or even taken over. Reports came back negative.

 

The subvaults were empty of bodies and both equipment and supplies taken from rows of lockers, from small storerooms. Empty capsules were still in their cradles and security robots were deactivated or destroyed. Clearly the globebots had been taken by surprise somehow. The outer subvault doors were closed but not locked. According to datafiles they should have opened into a series of half built up cavern chambers.

 

Clearly the zihumans had been immune to the nerve-gas and other biological attempts to kill them.

 

Instead the outer vault doors led to one great metallic chamber of vast proportions and great metallic support columns, raised walkways, platforms, rampways and balconies. Amongst them were modular buildings of many kinds on the platforms as the great chamber floor was left empty for the movement of vehicles, robots and zihumans on foot or on bicycle. The zihumans looked like normal humans in jumpsuits except that each had a kind of light framework of boneskinned rods and joints encasing their bodies. There were zihuman and robotic guards but most of the security were zihumans in adjusted power armour that was otherwise old style US Army power armour with some upgrades.

 

But when Bobby-Anne attempted to communicate with them they rebuked her as one of those who had tried to kill them inside their capsules. She tried to explain that even Brainiac-5/9/9 had been mistaken and had shown the bodies as terrible twisted and about to suffer terribly if they would be awaken but they would not listen.

 

The Bobby Triplets began to become suspicious and Bobby-Anne went down to the Brainiac-5/9/9 chamber where the big AI-supercomputer central body was housed. Getting through the heavily secured vault door was a little tricky and then she was staring at an empty room with only one feature. A small plastic jack-in-the-box was sitting closed up on the floor. Then it sprang open and out popped a colourful but nasty headed ‘jack’ with a mouth gaping open with fangs.

 

Memories returned of three baby triplets sitting up in nappies and being frightened by an exact copy of the same ‘toy’. Back then they had cried out and the nasty trick had vapourised as it was destroyed. Now she focused on this one and it blew apart.

 

The dark one, their other biological father, had played that nasty trick so many years ago and this could well be a reminder of that.

 

The real AI-supercomputer, Brainiac-5/9/9, was in an almost identical chamber but had been deactivated for decades. They reactivated it and set it at once to doing an intense self diagnostics run. They were seeking contradictions and other clues to indicate if the real Brainiac-5/9/9 had been

 

The other biological father was named Dexter Devillon. That was not the first husband, who had been Johnnie-Jim Harrington, who had supposedly run away but now it seemed that Devillon had done something to him.

 

It seemed that the force that had trapped the Bobby Triplets on Harem Island could well be Dexter Devillon. It was a strong possibility but they made no assumptions and began to question assumptions already made.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

[species5478]

Species5478, could we be forum friends. I am not very good at working the forum friendship system but it would be good.

 

 

To all of you, thanks for your support and LOL.

 

Nice transition from one chapter to the next. The story flows like water. And I'd value our friendship. (we have a common interest in writing, so that's a good starting point)

[Maharg67]

Thank you, Species5478!!

THIRTY-FOUR

 

Sheriff Simms aimed and fired his Magnum revolver pistol with a boom. The first of the thugs was dropped and as he did his combat-shotgun fell to the floor. But even as the thug fell he was, impossibly, reaching for his gun. Like many of the new thugs, this one was a fake, was an android of some kind. The new thugs were all almost identical of shapeform with non descript thuggy faces and metal or leather armour with the real armour being their bodies. They were a little slower than typical trained fighters but tougher to kill than average Wastelanders.

 

The Sheriff of Megaton blew a hole in the android’s head and it fell to the metal decking of the walkway.

 

Outer Megaton had become a scattered battleground with most folks sensibly hidden in fortified panic rooms or in basements or small bunkers. The majority of Townguards had not only refused to assist the new form of enemy but were on their side. It seemed at least fifty-five percent of them, the best equipped and trained of the force, had always served the Megaton Secret Council. Only the wisdom of hindsight showed how these men and relatively few women had always kept to themselves unless forced to do otherwise by duty or to keep up appearances.

 

Curious allies emerged to assist the minority of Townguard Reservists, less well trained and equipped generally but with a few exceptions, the Sheriff and his people and a new volunteer militia. Cyber-infiltrator platoons moved with precision and coordination as they swept through the northern area of Outer Megaton picking off groups of traitor Townguards and the new android thugs. They were checking on trapped folks as they went through, making sure they were safe, taking away the serious wounded and bringing supplies.

 

Sisters of Protection helped defend the southern area where the main gate was and various outposts and other buildings. Convoy guards, mercenaries, Regulators and others assisted in the fighting.

 

Simms was isolated and pinned down behind a defensive barrier of metal, a basic set of battlements. A deputy lay dying near him, a tough young woman who had taken a bullet for him. Beyond that were town traitors who now wore black robes and body-armour but they were dead. It was both shocking and strange to know that the Megaton Secret Council was linked to some kind of weird cult.

 

The Sheriff could not figure out what the rebels were up to. Surely they would have been better off taking over Inner Megaton except that Inner Megaton had a large force of cyber-infiltrators guarding it along with a whole lot of new militia troops. As for Middle Megaton, it was nervous but peaceful.

 

Holy Megaton had promised to send Guards of Atom to help protect Inner Megaton if there was need. So far no G/of/A had emerged from the walled off Holy Megaton that was north of Inner Megaton.

 

The law officer feared for his wounded deputy who he had done his best for.

 

That was when another deputy came crawling up behind him with a friendly smile. Simms nodded and turned away. He did not quite like the other guy but the man was a good deputy.

 

But then Deputy Harold Stringer aimed his rifle at the Sheriff’s back and he shrugged. “The offer was just too good to refuse. Enough money for me to get all the way to Crosswayne with my family and to buy a good sized farm there. No bad feelings I hope.” The oriental man grinned. “Too bad we couldn’t have had a proper gunfight. Now that would suit you better as a death, Sheriff, wouldn’t it?”

 

Arnold shuddered suddenly, a look of surprise came over his face, and he collapsed forward. His tall gangly teenage son, Arnold Stringer, looked badly shaken but he was holding the .32 revolver pistol that he had used to kill his father. Cross wise over his body was hung a basic brown military style medic carrybag. He came forward and opened up the bag and Lucas nodded thanks, carefully took the pistol out of a shaky hand, and then relaxed more.

 

Arnold looked like he wanted to throw up but he shrugged dramatically. “I never did like my father and there is no way I am going all the way to Crosswayne before I lose my virginity.”

 

Lucas Simms smiled. “You just earned yourself a night with Nova. Now we have to move out back the way you came from. Between us we will carry…”

 

Which was when Arnold Stringer hit him with amazing speed and strength so that he flew through the air and landed heavily, painfully and dropped his gun. It vanished with a shimmer as did the sheriff’s other holstered pistol, and both appeared in Arnold Stringer’s hands. But Arnold Stringer gave an evil grin and shimmered to become former Town Councillor McDoogle. “I killed the real Arnold Stringer, snapped his scrawny neck with one twist, just like that. I made myself look like a very flirty Lucy West. Arnold dribbled, actually dribbled, as Lucy undid her top and revealed one… then she, me, snapped his neck.”

 

Lucas Simms grimaced in pain. “You were the one who seduced those young women!”

 

McDoogle shimmered and became a young woman in a rather exotic, skimpy set of armour that accentuated rather than hid her partial nudity. She smiled richly at him but the smile did not reach her eyes except in a cruel fashion. “It’s me, Sonya Trickle, who disappeared many, many years ago. I serve him and he has granted me some of his power. He is Lord Dark. He is the real ruler of Megaton. Except he has been away for a long time now. His Wives, Concubines, Children of many generations dwell secretly in one place or openly in Lagoon Village on Harem Island. The simple powerless ones are at the village. Oh they have limited powers, some training, some equipment and what ever but really they are just nothing. I am his Fifth Wife.”

 

The sheriff cursed softly. “Look, I am just the Sheriff of Megaton. All of this crazy stuff you are going on about makes no damned sense to me. I suppose that you are going to shoot me now.”

 

“No!” She shook her head. “I am going to make a deal with you. I am going to heal the deputy there and then seduce you. You are going to make me pregnant. It will be very nice for both of us. Oh, Lord Dark wants this to happen. You will be but one of the biological fathers of my children to come. You will come to no harm as Lord Dark wishes for you to live and help bring up your wife’s children, the triplets that you and Lord Dark are both biological fathers of. Lord Dark is still influencing Kate Simms’ mind. If you want her to be back to her normal self again, then that will be part of the payment.”

 

The sheriff frowned and then he nodded.

 

There was a sparkling shimmer and the three of them vanished but the dead body of Harold Stringer remained sprawled on the walkway.

 

A small bird landed on a rampway rail and perched there for a moment. Bobby-Wiz was her name and she was now a crow but she could become other types of smaller shapeforms. She was a new addition to the Bobby Triplets entity of one is many are one. She had witnessed everything but Bobby-Wiz did not have the power to take on the entity that had vanished with the sheriff and the deputy and so had not tried.

 

She flew off again to do some further scouting around, further spying.

TO BE CONTINUED

[Herculine]

As always I am impressed and of course entertained by your wonderful and witty work.

 

Please don't stop.

 

X-What?