Fallout 3, the race for Eden

[Keanumoreira]

(DIRECT STORY IN COMMENTS, JUST UNDER KATASHY'S COMMENT. Suggestions to improve are welcome, I'm always trying to improve as a writer.)

 

Introduction

 

The year is 2502, almost three hundred years after the story of the lone wanderer has passed. A brilliant scientist, by the name of Roscoe Vitoli, lives in a vault tec facility, not knowing the circle of hell being played above him. But Roscoe soon knows the meaning of struggle when he is thrown out of the life hes known since birth, by raiders who have been trying to get in for years. The heart broken scientist is then shortly thrown in a game of life and death when he dedicates himself to finding a G.E.C.K, the garden of eden creation kit, to help finally rebuild the world from rock bottom. But as he will learn, traveling across the country during a nuclear holocaust, where so many before him have failed the tasks ahead, he will suffer for the greater good. With his life in danger, Roscoe battles against the clock, in a world of three centural fallout, in a race for Eden.

 

(THE REST IS BELOW)

[katashy]

Wow. This is really good.

 

The only tip I could give, even though I'm not much of a writer, is to take a new line every time someone new speaks. It makes it easier to read and to understand.

 

Anyway, it is very good. I'm looking forward to the rest.

[Keanumoreira]

FALLOUT 3

The race for Eden

 

Chapter one: The invasion

 

Struggle. You know not what that word means; I know what that word means. I was there when the world was only rock and stone, I was there when the deathclaws raided, I was there when radiation tainted the cesspool that was society, and I was there when it all ended. You look into my eyes confused, your head tilted to one side, you say what you always say when I tell my stories of horror.

 

"Ah that’s just grandpa Roscoe, he thinks the world was once a wasteland, that the water was undrinkable, that it used to never rain." You whisper.

 

"He's delusional, you know, senile." Senile? Humph, the only one senile here is the people who refuse to tell this nations history of when it was dead for nearly half a millennia. You think I am fibbing, I'm no liar, or a crazy coot who sits in his rocky chair all day staring at the grass. I'm a witness to a planet gone to hell, where raiders raped the innocent, and cut off body parts to sell to cannibals for profit. A place that scraps of food become a warzone, and if you so as much look at a man the wrong way, he had the right to blow your head off and feed your remains to his pack of bloodthirsty, unforgiving, hunt you down in the dead of night canines. But no one wants to believe the old grandmaster of the house, but I know the truth.

 

It all began in 2502, the beginnings of a new century, and unbeknownst to the world, a revolution of change. I worked in a vault facility, huge, underground facilities of steel, with the armor of an armadillo to keep out radiation and the raiders just an arm’s length from our door. Everyday those savages pounded on the walls, demanding to get in. But the idiots were always wasting their time; we always managed to keep the tide back. But today, today they were prepared.

 

BOOM! Huge chunks of rock went soaring through the room; the science team took cover, completely dazed on the sudden attack of their artificial home. The vault alarm screeched throughout the perimeter.

 

"Warning, vault emergency 233 Alpha, please evacuate the facility. Warning, vault emergency 233 Alpha, please evacuate the facility."

 

One of the men yells, "What the hell just happened?"

 

Another replies."Never mind that, Susan is injured, call for medical help."

 

"Are you insane," He responds, "We have to get out of here."

 

The scientist grabs him by the collar as they remain hidden, "Listen to me you SOB, I've had enough of your piece of crap orders. You may be my superior, but I WILL NOT, leave my wife behind to die, do you hear me, I WILL NOT!"

 

"ENOUGH!" I yelled as I came to their side, swiftly maneuvering through the bullets of hell fire. "We don't have time to argue. Don’t you see that death is just on the other side of the room? I don't know how they breached the vault, be we have to get to the door before its too late."

 

BOOM! The room shook, the tables tipped, the lights ceased.

 

"Dammit!" I cried, “They destroyed the reactor."

 

"How the hell are we going to get out of here if we can't see?", one of the scientists cried.

 

"Calm down", I replied, “We can't panic, we need to stay focused. Now everyone hold each others shoulders, yours on mine, good, now let’s go.

 

"Wait" one of them shouted, "What now?" I complained. I felt the breath of someone on my face, the feeling of closeness not far behind.

 

"Look." He said, “What about Susan, she's unconscious and injured, we can't..."His sentence was interrupted by screaming.

 

"Don HELP, my god NO Don, don't let them get me, DON!" It was Susan; she was being dragged off by the raiders. Don leaped into action

 

"Susan, I'm coming." I grabbed his leg,

 

"You moron, you’re wearing a lab coat with no protection, they'll shoot you to shreds." Don spat at my words.

 

"No, no they've got Susan, I won't let them succeed. I'm coming baby!"

 

Don tore through my grip, and dashed into the darkness, his screams of agony immediately filled the void other than the bullets and the deceased. I turned to what I thought was my co workers face.

 

"Its just you and me now. Ok now hang on tight and move to my beat, we'll be out before we know it."

 

The two of us rushed to the door, scraping our arms on the sharp edge. The emergency lights flickered on just as we departed from the anarchy behind us.

 

"Ok", I said, “Based on the damage done to the vault, I'd say we have a good fifteen minutes before they shut off permanently, now the raiders are right behind us so we need to hurry. Don't stop for anything, you hear me?"

 

"Yes", he replied.

 

I replied back."Good, now get in gear."

 

Suddenly a raider emerged from the room, and it didn't take him long to recognize our white coats.

 

"There!" He called. I pulled the scientists arm.

 

"RUN!"

 

We both got out just as the bullet was fired, luckily missing its target. As we sought out the door from the mazes of rooms and walls, my co worker began to tremble. I felt as his arm kept hitting mine in an uncontrollable twitching.

 

"Huh, huh, are, huh, are you ok?" I asked as I gasped for air."

 

"I'm fine" He responded, “I’m just a little shaken."

 

We continued on as hoards of people came from every direction, pushing, shrieking. Some were trampled to death as they tripped under the masses of terrified souls. My co worker and I were lost in the crowd; I called for him but got no reply. I had no choice but to leave him behind, the clock to light shutdown was winding to the end. I looked at my watch.

 

"Yes!" I exclamied,"Five minutes to go, and nearly there."

 

But as I approached the exit, my worst fear was confirmed. In front of me were three raiders guarding the door, and one of them was attempting to seal it.

 

"Crap." I whispered, "What now?"

 

Then a moment of opportunity presented itself, a gun, carelessly abandoned, lyed there on the floor, begging to be used.

[Keanumoreira]

"No Roscoe, no" I told myself."You’re not a killer; you’re a vault scientist for Christ sake."

 

"What was that?” one of the raiders asked.

 

"What?"

 

"I thought I heard something, I'm going to take a look."

 

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, my heart beat increased, my stomach churned. I looked back at the gun, aware that one false move and its game over.

 

"You can do it, you can do it." I assured myself, "Survival to the fittest."

 

Before I knew it I grabbed that gun and shot the raider clean between the eyes, blood gushed down his face like a pump. His eyes rolled back, and slowly fell to the floor below, a cracking sound, most likley from his head meeting the ground, came forth. His partners rushed to the scene, they met the same fate.

 

I fell to my knees, demoralized, lost in grief. The gun raced across the bloodstained floor, coming to a short halt after reaching the door. I watched as vomit left my mouth, the taste of murder couldn't be more bitter. But before I could collect my thoughts, gunfire from behind once again penetrated the silence, silence caused by the life’s of brilliant men and women, helping to change the world for good, only to ironically have their lives cut short by the very people they were trying to save.

 

I lifted my head as another bullet was fired, this time it was close, very close. I went head on to the door that thank god was still open, and wasted no time to close it.

 

"Come on close, CLOSE!" I yelled hopelessly as I frantically typed the code in, but it refused to comply. I pounded the keyboard.

 

"Why the hell won't it work?".

 

As I stood there frustrated, the monitor popped up a message.

 

"Opening sequence activated." It said as it compiled the codes.

 

"Yes, finally!", I exclaimed.

 

But my heart dropped as the computer requested for a reboot before sealing.

 

"WHAT? One minute until activation, I'm getting shot at you worthless A.I. unit!"

 

The clock counted down, forty five seconds, thirty seconds, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

 

"Thank you for visiting vault-Tec facilities, we hope you enjoyed your stay, and please return soon."

 

The door finally began to close, but not before a raider caught sight of what I was doing.

 

"Hey, HEY!" He screamed as rapid metal left the bowels of his weapon. They collided with the steel beast closing before me, ricocheting off its impenetrable surface. The man proved faster than the door as he was beating it to closing, but before he could dart through and tear me limb from limb, superheated steam blasted his face.

 

"My face, damit my face!" He expressed in unbearable pain.

 

But if he thinks that the worst is over, then he was in for a world of hurt. As the steam melted his face, he collapsed to the floor clutching it, in the very spot where the door would close. The door rolled over his back, bones exploded from beneath his skin, pushed by others and forced up. The door then stopped, and pushed itself forward, continuing to spread his remains across the sealing area. By the time the door had come to a gentle stop, it had obliterated the creature that once existed in front of me. His flesh and bones and been pounded to a pulp, completely crushed into a creamy paste.

 

"Serves you right." I scolded as I left the presence of the vault entrance.

 

As I neared the end of the tunnel, light was poking through the deteriorated, wooden door. I reached for the handle and slowly pulled it back, my face experiencing the full explosion of photon particles that was sunlight licking my face. I covered my eyes before they could sizzle, and walked out into the wasteland.

 

I walked up to the edge of a cliff, still partially shielding my most important receptors. I looked out into the horizon, unprepared for what I saw,

 

"Oh my god.” I uttered as I viewed the nuclear torn landscape.

 

Everything was just rock, stone, sand. Nothing else but deceased buildings joined them, no water, no trees, not even a fly. The heat was so painful, already did I grow uncomfortable. I was at serious risk of dying out here almost instantly from anything. I had only one choice, and one choice only, I had to reach D.C., the nearest city from here, twenty five miles from my position. I had no idea if I would survive, if I would be attacked, if I would even see another face. I knew at that very moment that the journey ahead was going to be long, treacherous, and possibly the end of my life.

 

I took a deep breath as I headed for the capital, leaving behind a sign to my side that read, "Scenic view." I descended from the tower of rock, and was on my way. My name is Roscoe Vitoli, and this is my story.

[Maharg67]

Wow. This is really good.

 

The only tip I could give, even though I'm not much of a writer, is to take a new line every time someone new speaks. It makes it easier to read and to understand.

 

Anyway, it is very good. I'm looking forward to the rest.

 

 

 

I suggest strongly that you do as Katashy has suggested but make it a new paragraph as a new person speaks or you start with a new subject. That is what I do. I suggest you write as you do now, in a block, flowing with your creativity, wait and then edit in the way suggested just to see the difference. I suspect you will be very surprised by the results, hopefully in a good way.

 

Good writing.

[Keanumoreira]

Chapter 2: Greener pastures

 

It would be awhile before I reached D.C., and I knew it. My survival skills kicked in, I became increasingly aware of my surroundings, and adrenaline, as I prophesied, had entered my bloodstream. This was all new to me, I had never been exposed to the outside world, never experiencing the harsh and rampant foulness that was already putting burden on my shoulders.

 

My entire, brief, twenty year old life had always lived secluded and isolated from the existence of torture just above our heads. I wasn't, however, completely unaware of what this planet could do. We had books dating back to the old world, that explained alot of fascinating things before vault life, such as ancient history and old government ideas. We learned of the old fruits of the Earth that once inhabited its vast planes, such as exotic Mangos, Guavas, and bananas sweeter than the ones you would find at your local supermarket. We even had samples frozen in specialized freezers to study back at the vault labs with the science teams. We even performed cloning tests so that if the original specimen was destroyed during genetic engineering to force the plant to grow in brutal conditions, another would always be available.

 

We would have succeeded by now, but the hard headed science team always stood in the way, Every time would they critize my work.

 

"Oh no, the experiment is to rash."

 

"No, no, no, you don't add the acid here, you apply it there."

 

I knew how to run my tests, and do my work properly, I didn't need amateur scientists to tell me how to do my job, I was far more overly qualified than they were. Yep, don't miss the bastards at all, they deserved their fates.

 

But as I walked those dusty and grimy miles of pathway, I couldn't help but notice that I was alone underground, I never had someone I could truly call a friend. Never did I get along with the children I grew up with, they would repeatedly mock my genius, and deprive me of all happiness, but they could never take away my dedication to improve the environment around me. I proved them a waste of life’s creativity by rising above them into the highest position of the vault other than the overseer, the commander of our metal bunker. It didn't take long for their jealousy to grow and spread like an epidemic throughout the community, and everyone else soon joined in. But as their hatred grew, my satisfaction had as well; it felt great for me to have something they didn't. But if I could go back and change it all, to change it to a future where I was vastly popular, I would any day. But the past can't be changed; only what lies ahead can be changed, and I promised myself I would make it through this, as the only survivor of a horrible misconception.

 

But as memory lane strolled through the recesses of the realm that was my mind, someone else was strolling the wasteland. The person looked to be a female, and among closer inspection, she was seriously in need of medical attention. Her left arm had been severed in half, and on her right, fingers were missing, with deep gashes circling her palm. Her right breast was torn, and blood had stained her blonde hair follicles as a deep head wound oozed the precious red liquid. She stumbled over to me, as if intoxicated, and fell to my legs. While still on the baked soil, she grabbed with her only remaining arm, my chest. Her green eyes told the story of abuse, but what, wasn't apparent at the moment. All the feeble, dying women could say was,

 

"Run...run before, before..."

 

"Before what?" I asked.

 

The women repeated, "Before..."

 

She stopped, inert, devoid of life. Her arm released its grip as she cuddled the sand. Without warning, a blood curdling howl filled the emptiness, but it wasn't empty for much to long. Out of nowhere, a Death Claw emerged from over the distance. The devilish monstrosity caught sight of me beside its dinner, and chose to add more to the plate. The predator raced across the stone hardened dirt, throwing up a cloud of dust behind it.

 

"Holy s**t"!, I yelled, "What the hell is that thing?"

 

But I had no time to stop and think, this animal was about to maul my entire body like an enraged grizzly bear on steroids. I pulled out the gun that I had used back at the vault, and aimed it at the Death Claw. I fired the first shot that missed and continued on into a perpetual flight. I shot the second fire, grazing him in the shoulder. He was only five seconds away before I fired the final round. The beast went crashing into me and sent myself tumbling below. We remained there for a moment before I noticed that it was dead. I pushed him over to the right on his back, and examined his face. The bullet had slashed through the upper part of his nose, fatal for his kind. It wasn't until later that I learned that I had a one and one hundred chance of making that shot while the creature was moving, I was extremely lucky, but at the time, the feeling was no different. I looked over to the girl who had died, and decided to give her a brief blessing.

 

"La sua vita era molto troppo breve, lei non ha meritato il dolore dato a lei. Potere quest'aiuto di benedizione lei nella vita dell'aldilà. Riposarsi nella pace."

 

With much reluctantly, I left the corpse in peace, and proceeded with my journey. Five days later, after traveling for nearly a week, I had reached D.C. The path it took to get here was most unpleasant. The incident with the dead women wasn't the first I encountered that week. I witnessed as more raiders went on feverishly working to pillage the innocent, observing from behind boulders as they diced people into pieces and then bathing in their blood to satisfy their blood god, Gaquine, in order to provide a better hunt. Their insanity was growing unchecked, and the possibilities of more people like them had just dawned on me. I escaped before they could figure out that I was spying on them. At nights, the tempeture couldn't have been one more degree lower than below zero. I had absolutely nothing to cover myself with to stay warm, uncontrollable shivers crawled all over my skin. I missed the deep blanket of heat that covered me during daylight. But even after dawn had arrived, and I was up and about, I was out in the open, my white coat serving as the worst camaflouge in nature amongst the brown sea. But if the mutated wildlife, and mind ravaged civilians of the wastes didn't kill me, the undrinkable water certainly would. Every time I found the rare substance, it was usually in the form of a muddy puddle that was sure to be shared with radiation, but I had no choice unless I wanted to die from something as pathetic as dehydration. As I sipped the rotten water, I could feel the surge of dangerous particles pulsating through my veins, and I had no way of getting rid of it. Food itself was easier to come by, all I had to do was beat, or if necessary, shoot my prey. It soothed the hunger picking at my bowels, but only added to the radiation increase.

 

But despite the trials I was given, I endured, and I had reached the Capital Wasteland, but I had no time to take a tour. A few years back, I had heard from a passing traveler who was given access to the vault, about a safe haven in D.C. called Megaton, which is how I found my way to my destination.

 

"It was a town built to save the wandering." He mentioned, but explained no more about it, but did give directions to its whereabouts.

 

For another thirteen hours, I trudged through the waves of hell, before I finally reached the outpost of life. As I reached the door, a man on guard duty, watching from the walls, called out to me.

 

"You here for Megaton?" He asked. I nodded my head and he released the barrier blocking the entrance. I opened the huge steel gates to a town of wood and metal, soon to be greeted by an African American women, wearing a brown overcoat and hat.

 

"Names Terry Sims." she told me, "Welcome to Megaton, and as long as you don't cause trouble, the sheriff you are conversing with won't trade it over to my here shotgun, got it?"

 

"Message received." I replied. Terry turned around and went back on patrol, leaving me in a nervous condition.

 

I pushed myself to explore the town, entering its very center were an atom bomb rested in water. A mysterious cultist clan gathered around the thing, chanting, worshiping. But as much as I was concerned with a bomb being prayed at, I was much more inclined to tend to my inner wounds.

 

To the left of me was a fairly large clinic, to which I headed inside. There a friendly doctor searched me for impurities.

 

"No cuts, no gashes, no obvious cry for help, son what seems to be the problem?" But before I could open my mouth, he had found the problem.

 

"Oh, oh, oh. Its radiation I see. Can't be physical, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here." The doctor injected me with the strange, orange goo that was radaway.

 

"What is this stuff?"

 

"Radaway." He answered, “It breaks down the radiation particles in your bloodstream into useful nutrients your body needs, curing you of your dilemma, here take five. Oh and don't worry no charge, we can afford free Medicare if you’re wondering.

 

"Thanks."

 

"No problem." He responded back.

 

As I searched further throughout Megaton, I found a nice bar entitled "Liquor by the megaton" an indication of a bar no less. I proceeded into the heavy atmosphere of cigarette smoke, and drunken laughter. The place, of course, was run down, with beer bottles strewn across the floor, the ceiling in shambles, and the walls unrecognizable without any paint to smother it. From across the room, a drunk employee discovered my presence.

 

"Hey, he..., hey Hilda look, it’s a newcomer, he looks like he’s here to repossess my beer.(Hic), you, you won't steal my offspring!"

 

Hilda nagged at him. "Skity shut the f**k up, and stop drinking all our money, we need those to sell for caps! I'm sorry honey, can I get you something?"

 

I walked up to the counter and took a seat on the rusted barstool as I asked,

 

"What’s with him?"

 

"Oh he’s just an alcohol filled idiot. He can't stand the pressure."

 

"What pressure?"

 

"Well." She replied, “It’s a tough job, we have to put up with alot of crap that our boss gives us."

 

"Why don't the both of you just quit?"

 

"Well Skity can, but I can't, I'm forced to work here."

 

"Why?" I asked.

 

Hilda sighed, "Because my dumbass great grandfather, Gob, who decided to owe a huge debt to the original owner of this place. He and his descendents never payed it off, and now I'm stuck with the charges from the family. At least I didn't inherit his goul genes. Yeah did I mention that, he was a goul. And guess what; his wife was a nonstop sex addict, some tramp called Nova. But hey, that’s life for ya."

 

I decided to change this most disturbing topic.

 

"So" I said, "Any idea why an atom bomb sits at the center of your town?"

 

Hilda specified, “It was left there after the Great War between America and China, and the original founders of Megaton built the city around it. But don't worry, a newcomer, such as yourself, passed by about three hundred years ago and disabled it, it won't be going off anytime soon."

 

"Thank you for your time Hilda." I responded.

 

"No problem, and hey for not acting like a drunken ass, you can have free beers here anytime, just don't mention it to my boss. Take care."

 

I left the bar and sought out more locations of interest. It was there when I had found it, a gigantic building that I had somehow missed. It was called G.E.C.K.R.F, the G.E.C.K. research facility, a facility that would forever change not just my life, but the life of the entire planet.

[Maharg67]

Excellent! Editing has made it easier to read and the story now flows better to the eye.

 

Again, great!

[Fifoo]

Amazing! Good story... Well descriptive, very much alive and flooding. I love it :thumbsup:

[Keanumoreira]

"It can't be."I told myself, "G.E.C.K research?"

 

I departed from the bar and decided to take a look at this most peculiar discovery. Inside, a science team was busy at work, darting from room to room, left and right. They carried with them, flasks of an unfamiliar substance, tons of scrap metal, and miles upon miles of cables winding, and grinding across the unusual, clean, tiled place beneath my shoes. The team scurried about, often bumping and dropping materials amongst themselves while rambling in an unrecognizable, fast paced conversation.

 

The clerk, sitting at a wooden desk, reading a clip board, didn't seem to care that I had intruded, or the constant ruckus of the men around her for that matter. Her hair, chosen to be brunette, was a mess, a sign of someone who took an interest of becoming ignorant to their own appearance. Her face had resembled that of a circus clown, that is to say that her makeup was in such vast quantities that attracting her a mate is in the realm of certain uncertainty. Now where she even got a hold of the stuff is beyond my understanding, but why she didn't sell it for profit is a mistake on her part. As if she wasn't trashy enough, her lab coat she was wearing that was undoubtfully part of her dress code, only worsened the awkwardness. On her desk was the inappropriate placement of a random collection of "It’s all about me" dolls, great another stuck up figure.

 

The room itself was also out of place, sharing with the clerk an odd position for foliage, plastic of course, that added a feeling of tackiness. The lights, unlike the rest of the well managed, yet strangely decorated room, were in unremitting motion of disruption that hardly took a break.

 

Yearning for some answers, I aimed to obtain their focus.

 

"Hey, uh, um excuse me." But nobody even turned to my direction. I decided to try again.

 

"Sir could you..., ah sir don't..." Again was I overlooked. Drenched in aggravation, I released the fury brewing within me.

 

"HEY!" The word thundered in a shockwave across the packed area, every living being refrained from their duties, repositioning their line of sight on mine.

 

Everything grew still and quiet, until a displeased human, female in gender, barged in. She looked professional, in charge, as revealed by her up kept body and visage. Her voice echoed into the air, her servants capturing their superior’s hostility.

 

"What is going on in here, why the hell are we stopping, has everyone forgot about the tight leash time has wrapped around our necks? And who are you; surely I didn't invite a peasant into my domain."

 

"I'm not a peasant." I insisted, “I’m a vault scientist, clearly my coat tells it all." The women barked at me.

 

"And I should care why? This is a private sector and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, otherwise you'll be forcibly escorted out the building via the sewage flap." I denied her request.

 

"I'm tempted to tell you that you can't afford such an action."

 

"Oh yeah , and why not?"

 

"Because, I'm a G.E.C.K expert." The women’s face stirred, the crowd of men burst into an uproar.

 

"Settle down at once!" She demanded, as she responded to my most bold choice of words.

 

“Very well, if you’re a G.E.C.K expert like you say you are then prove it. What is the G.E.C.K and what does it stand for?" I proudly announced my knowledge.

 

“The G.E.C.K stands for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit, intended to create life out of complete lifelessness. It was originally planned to be used after the nuclear war, but none were ever used because of the overestimation of their handlers." The team applauded as they sent out random calls of satisfaction.

 

"He knows about it, he knows of the kit."

 

"Superb."

 

"Excellence." The Science leader lifted her hand in a request to break the conversing between her people. After they adjourned, she went on.

 

"Impressive, but not entirely accurate. Your words they are correct, except for the uses of the G.E.C.K's. You obviously aren't aware that one G.E.C.K in existence has already been activated." I opposed her answer.

 

"That’s preposterous, they've never been used, and if so, where’s the evidence?" She laughed at my conclusion.

 

"Ha, ha, ha. My boy you know nothing of the lone wanderer do you? Familiar name? I saw you and Hilda discussing the traveler. The person you two were referring to not only disabled the atom bomb just outside our door, but they also activated a purifier outside Rivet city by using a G.E.C.K a while back. As we recall, D.C.'s Potomac river, is the only source of fresh water in the world, that is until we find another kit."

 

"Another?" I questioned.

 

"Yes. Although the chances of finding one in our modern age are next to nothing, if we can achieve this, then we can save Earth and its people." I further objected to her answer.

 

"And how do you propose we can terraform the entire planet with a single G.E.C.K?"

 

"Easy" She said confidently. "We simply send it into orbit." I began to lose grip on my understanding of this situation.

 

"How?" I blurted in disbelief.

 

"By using a very complicated satellite. Seeing you are clueless to old technology, I'll evaluate. In 2030, a very high Tec array of satellite technology, well ahead of its time, was put into place for construction. By 2033, they had perfected the Rs22br62, a satellite that could be used to deliver multiple blasts of super charged lasers that had a devastating impact on thousands of square miles of land. If we can send a G.E.C.K into orbit, transfer it to this laser setup, and then fire it, it can harmlessly rebuild the entire world without claiming a single life on land, instead drawing life to power itself from the billions of harmless bacteria being exposed to the advanced satellite that we are modifying at this very moment. And I believe we can use you in our mission to rebuild what once was."

 

"Alright then." I agreed. "I'll join the cause. So when do I start?"

 

"Immediately, and your first task is to retrieve a Garden of Eden Creation Kit from the Brotherhood of Steel HQ in California." I was shocked.

 

"California, but that’s on the other side of the country, how the hell am I suppose to get there and why?"

 

"Well," She answered. "You are a G.E.C.K expert are you not? If anyone can find one it’s you. Don't worry we got transportation, such as an abandoned aircraft fixed up, to take you there. But do mind that the brotherhood is soon to use the kit in their area, so go with haste. We have no other leads, and if you screw this up, the world has you to blame. We depart in an hour, say your goodbyes to whomever and be prepared, you'll find your ride outside of Megaton."

 

As I turned to open the door, she called to me.

 

"Oh, and Roscoe." I looked over my shoulder. "The race for Eden.... has begun."

[Keanumoreira]

Chapter 3: An unexpected detour

 

As I left the facility overwhelmed by the past events, I began to wonder how the hell it came to this. At first I'm living in luxury beneath the surface, abandoned by my vault mates, but was still enjoying my life of solitude. The next thing I know, I'm forced out by a group of complete strangers, and then thrusted into a sequence of brief events that end up sending me to California in a hazardous race against time that all begins in one hour. I knew then and there that I should of never have accepted that request fearing that it would be the last thing I would ever do.I blamed my obsession with wanting to make a difference, and now it had me traveling across the nation for the most dangerous device ever created by humanity other than the nuclear bomb that had gotten me in this situation to begin with. But as I would soon learn, it turned out to be a once in a lifetime choice, a choice to bring life back, perhaps that’s why I accepted as quickly as I did.

 

As I waited for the fateful minute to arrive, I couldn't resist leaning over my Pipboy 3000 to check the time. The Pipboy 3000 was a very advanced, marvel of the past, capable of storing information, acting as an immediate geological map of an area it enters, contains a built in voice recorder, a recording diary, a holographic projection of anything desired, a storage device, and recently, an A.I unit. However, mine was severely outdated, only functioning to tell the time, and if I was going to make it in California, then I needed an upgraded version. I noticed though, that on my way to the bar, I did happen across a convenient repair shop, perhaps they held the very parts I needed.

 

When I arrived, I noticed the place to be fairly basic, only owning one counter with a heavy aged man waiting behind it to earn his days pay. A terminal rested just to his right, hanging there on the rusted wall. The place was atrocious, filthy, a junk junkies paradise. The air reeked with fumes similar to that of the common aerosol, not a total surprise since it was a repair business where smoke, ash, and other rivals of the lung lingered. There was also a thick, green haze chocking the air out of the shop, twisting and spiraling in ballets of feather mimicking grace, lighter than air, a silent assassin. My Pipboy began to give off dangerous levels of noxious gases, fifteen lethal to the human nervous system where the delicate brain existed. The machine flashed without fear of grating anyone in its viewable radius, only focusing on its handlers best interests at heart, or its processing core to say the least.

 

The man became irritable, his wrinkling skin folding in tight bonds, his grey hair contracting, as if alive again when they still had their pigment. His white eyes proved him to be blind, but the fierce soul sensed movement about, and his firm attitude warned a promise of hurt to those who laid a hand on him. He snatched his cane from behind the counter, and walked over to where I was standing, intent on scanning his costumer. He attacked my leg with his metal aid; a yelp of pain met his frail, yet functioning ear drums.

 

“What do you want?” He said angrily in a scratchy, low voice.

 

“I have things to repair, and my disability fused with your peoples insipid requests of nonsense have sent me in a frenzy.” I remained there motionless, my eyes wandering. He struck me again.

 

“What you don’t comprehend the ability to speak?” He asked sarcastically.

 

I opened my mouth to fulfill his desire, but once again felt the sharp blow of his cane.

 

“Don’t interrupt.” He demanded,

 

“I haven’t finished my sentence.”

 

“Look.” I blurted out, “I’ve come for a Pipboy modification, can you please just bring it to date?” The Gezer chuckled.

 

“Heh, heh, heh. Why didn’t you say so? I swear you youngsters are so slow to speak!”

 

I crouched on the floor, tending my leg after the cane came for another round. He took the device off my arm, persuading me to limp after him. He settled the invention down on the counter, and disappeared into the back room, fetching the supplies essential to fixing the Pipboy. He returned shortly, and began to disassemble it.

 

As he worked away, pulling wires and rerouting them, turning off useless system protocols, and cutting off access to certain pathways to prevent interference, I began to ponder what he had mentioned about himself that had crippled him from average life.

 

“So.” I said casually, but he prevented me from going on any further. Instead, he finished it for me.

 

“I lost my eyesight when I was a mere tike, at a time where I was barely able to calculate 2+2. My eyes had been damaged when I entered a Brahmin processing plant, lacking the knowledge to understand that this was no place for a child. I witnessed as an emotional scare hung over me, watching as helpless Brahmin were converted into hamburger meat, waiting to be fed to a dying populace. I fled from the area, but was too sluggish to avoid a spinning blade unit to chop up the cattle. Its intention to serve its creators, and my stupidity, had cost me a vital part of life in the story of survival. I was now forever blind, but fortunately, not completely. Medics were able to save my ability to detect motion, and after decades of grueling training in motion detection, and reliability on my sense of touch, time had healed old wounds. Today it’s as if my sight had never vanished, living a happy, if not stressful lifestyle.” I smiled, but the wise man took care of that as that devilish cane reintroduced itself.

 

“Stop that smiling, we don’t smile, read the rules.”

 

I turned over to where his aged finger was directing, at a cardboard sign tied to the door, with red letters writing out a set of store laws. I read them out loud, worried if I didn’t, the cane would return.

 

“Rule one: No stealing or your head gets blown off. Rule two: No chewing handy dandy candy Mandy gum in my store because I hate the stupid name. Disobey and you get your head blown off. Rule three: No urinating in my store or your penis gets blown off, for females I’ll just strangle you. Rule four: No smiling in my store or you’ll get your head blown off. Rule five: Read this sign or get your head blown off. That’s uh, uh, a very interesting rule policy you got there, but I broke two rules, why haven't my brains been splattered on the floor by now?”

 

“Because,” He replied. “I like ya, you’ve got a personality that others lack, that and my shotgun is out of bullets. Besides, why would I murder the man with enough passion to search for a long lost relic?” I released my eyes from the Pipboy, turning over to him stunned.

 

He went on, expecting me to make such a move.

 

“Don’t be surprised, I know all that happens here in Megaton. I’ve heard of your contributation to society, to cleanse the world from the mistake of World War three, a war where it’s after effects can still be felt to this very day.” He patted me on the back.

 

“Good job son, make us proud.”

 

There was a sudden, green flash illuminating from the Pipboy, a blinking message scrolled across the screen, with a flashing, amusing, digital boy, giving a thumbs up, confirming completion. The man scooped it from the table, and positioned it around my wrist. Instantly, an A.I unit came online.

 

“My name is Alas Inklet, acronyms for A.I, to replace all traces of the dull, and common names of all A.I’s, dubbed Artificial intelligence, the previous A.I. Welcome sir, your memories indicate that you go by the name of Roscoe Vitoli, a past vault scientist. Records from structure scan describe you as of Italian decent, male, and currently at a lack of virginity as of March 6th, 2499. Sexual apparatus, in this case the male sexual organ, has come into contact with female, Natalie Mires, D.O.D, May 2cd, 2500, causes unknown. Your sexual appearance refers to...” I halted this embarrassing conversation.

 

“Ok, OK, Alas, that’s quite enough, you don’t need to specify on this manner in front of company.” Alas apologized.

 

“Forgive me M.R. Vitoli, I failed to recognize human privacy of personal genital discussions, storing information for possible future references. Initializing sleep mode.”

 

“That was humiliating.” I responded away from the store owner.

 

“I can tell she’s going to be a riot.” He responded back.

 

“Listen.” He requested.

 

“I hope you make it back alive in one piece with the G.E.C.K, to rescue all those battling both internal and external wars, just to prevent the painful end. You see, my daughter lives in poverty, and filth, taken away long ago by her own stubborn traits, choosing to live day after day on that damn floating settlement they call Rivet city. Please, please bring that beacon of hope back to D.C., and rewrite the future of all.”

 

I broke rule number four there on the spot, but he didn’t mind, he knew it was because I gave a damn, rarely seen these days. I pushed down the handle leading to the exit, and looked back as he called to me.

 

“Roscoe.”

 

“Yes.” I responded.

 

“Names Riley.”

 

I held on to that handle for a few moments before leaving it, leaving Riley alone in his shop of isolation, something I could easily relate to.

 

Glancing over to my new Pipboy 3000, now newly named the Pipboy 3.0, the time I had been dreading had at last arrived. I carried on to the dark, glimmering gates of the atom bomb city, pushing them open to expose the science team gathered around the steel bird, the Virti 5460 they called it, that would carry me to certain annihilation. No pressure right? As I pushed on through the crowd, every flesh and bone separated from my path, paying close attention to my every move, to my every breath, to my every heartbeat. The door of the Virti opened, and the same women I met in the G.E.C.K research facility, greeted me as we came face to face.

 

“Well.” She said, adding to the drama unfolding between us at this point of time,

 

“This is the big moment, the moment when you make history. It’s waiting for you, calling for you, and so is the entire globe. Every one of us here, whether visible or otherwise, is counting on your every choice, counting on you to reshape all before us. The path ahead, I will warn, will not be so simple, as you already know. We, as of you, are well aware that you are no soldier, no cadet trained in the arts of surviving. But what you were taught was the brilliance you would need to attempt the most daring mission mankind has seen in a very long time. Roscoe Vitoli, you, and you alone have volunteered to retrieve Eden, a decision you chose without question, with haste, showing the passion anchored within you to change, despite the risks. We now say goodbye to the brave, courageous spirit willing to accomplish the deed. Good luck M.R Vitoli, give them hell.”

 

As I boarded the Virti, and awaited the flight to go underway, the team egged me on, influencing me to give it my all. Within seconds, we were off, rapidly ascending into the clouds. Minutes later I watched as D.C. disappeared from over the horizon, listening to the constant movement of the blades above.

 

I sat alone by myself as the men talked amongst each other, leaving me to attend my attention to the sunset, the perfect ending to a day doused in melancholy thoughts and feelings. As the day waned, the recording of the vault incident had played itself over and over again. I slipped into a state of dread and depression, wishing to prevent the weeks passed events.

 

I drifted off into the dream world, seeing odd images of guilt and regret of my childhood, somehow, in fiction, leading up to what had occurred. My mind was in turmoil, placing the tragedy on me, as my fault, although I knew to stray from such brash thinking.

 

I awoke to my familiar companion poking up from the distance, my favorite ball of light, easing my condition. Hours later, the pilot informed us that we were directly over old Nebraska, and that we would reach California before three P.M, but it wouldn’t end that way. Alas came online with some disturbing news.

 

“It has come to my attention that we are not alone. Warning, on coming missiles approaching from due west.”

 

“That’s impossible.” The pilot yelled out over the droning noise of the aircraft,

 

“We are hidden from radar at the exception of the one in Megaton, there’s no way that….“BOOM! The Virti was struck by the very threat Alas had foreseen.

 

“Brace for impact!” The pilot screamed as we fell from the air. Another missile smashed into the east section of the aircraft, causing the Virti to twirl at unsafe velocities. A warning siren screeched into our ears, as we advanced towards death.