Fallout 3, the race for Eden

[Keanumoreira]

Pure Awesome man, It's really Legendary, thanks for sharing.

 

Wow, I completley missed your post Corlan, somehow. Anyway, thanks for the post, even if my reply is a little late. :ermm:

[Keanumoreira]

We watched from behind the rocks as the Enclave soldiers collected the bodies of dead scientists, burning them in a huge bonfire of corpses, but not before robbing them of their possessions. While the dead were being cremated, their valuable technologies, some I’ve never even seen, were being placed into a separate pile, ready to be loaded onto Vertibirds, big, round aircraft with a musty green; by their own researchers, and escorted to wherever.

 

Among that pile was a Garden Of Eden Creation Kit, but even more stunning was the tape wrapped around it which clearly read in big bold letters: “PROPERTY OF THE BROTHER HOOD OF STEEL HQ; STORE UNTIL USE ON MAY 11TH 2502.” That G.E.C.K was the very machine we were after, and it was in the hands of the most ruthless, irresponsible, most chaotic organization in the entire remnants of the U.S., if not the planet.

 

I’ve heard old tales about these men, how they claim that they want to restore balance to the world’s most powerful symbol of hope, the U.S., but we all knew that was a lie. The Enclave simply wanted territory, they wanted power, and nothing would get in their way, not even the preservation of the very species they stood for, if not the dark side of it anyway. While back in D.C., when Darleen mentioned to me that the Potomac River had been purified by using a G.E.C.K, a memory, unimportant at the time, was recalled. Our vault, vault 140, was intended to be the informant center of North America, providing outsiders with knowledge from our extensive archives. Almost every single bit of knowledge, whether in the age it was built, to the historic past, was recorded in those archives, meant to be preserved for the day when mankind would use it to rebuild, but of course, that backfired. As a vault 140 scientist, I had unrestricted permission to scan the history banks, and one day I learned about an entry that was inputted on April 6th, 2278 by a passing traveler, about a river that had been rid of radiation by using the creation kit, but someone wanted to use it for another purpose, and that someone was the Enclave, and while encountering them for the first time, that’s when it hit me. That river was the Potomac, and that obstacle was them. The input stated that the goal of their purpose was very sinister, but unfortunately, the rest is lost to history because it simply ends there, but I was smart enough to comprehend their deeds, along with the sudden release of past events, to realize that it wasn’t in humanities best interest. Now the Enclave got a hold of another, and it was then when I noticed how they had acquired it; they had shot down a Brother Hood of Steel air transportation unit, blowing it out of the sky and attempting to cover up the evidence. But some good did surface from this unfortunate turn of events, the timing. The G.E.C.K wasn’t scheduled to be activated until May 11TH, and that day was today; we still had a chance. That, however, didn’t spark my attention then and there; I was attuned to something far more pressing. This band of Mark IV power armored soldiers, the black death of both East and West, had a very dangerous machine within their grasp, and they couldn’t be allowed to use it.

 

After five minutes of spying, I slumped to the ground.

 

“Oh my God.” I whispered to Eve.

 

“What is it?”

 

“They have it.”

 

“Have what?”

 

“They have it, IT!” I reiterated.

 

“You mean the G.E.C.K?”

 

I nodded my head; Eve lifted her eyes over the rocks, but when she came back down, she had a puzzling, yet concerned look.

 

“Roscoe, their gone.”

 

“What?” I looked over again, only to find the Vertibirds to be the only things left in plain sight other than the ashes of the once here.

 

“Impossible.” I concluded, “Why would they leave without their transportation; they couldn’t have gone back to the wreckage, its already picked clean.”

 

But our questions turned into answers when Molly screamed at the top of her little lungs.

 

“MOMMY, MOMMY!!!!”

 

It all happened in an instant; the Enclave had ambushed us, seizing Molly and taking her towards the Vertibirds.

 

“MOLLY!” Shouted Eve, immediately running after the kidnappers, spurred by her motherly instincts.

 

The Enclave resorted to deadly force, and began shooting lasers from high tech weapons. The streaks of reds and greens threatened to convert Eve’s molecular structure into a mishmash of concentrated goo, barley missing her at every turn. I collided into her from behind, just missing the super heated blaze of gun fire that sliced off part of Eve’s brown, fragile hair. She struggled and squirmed from beneath my weight, watching helplessly as her little girl was taken away. The blades of the Veribirds switched on, conjuring up blankets of dust before evacuating the scene.

 

“MOLLY! NO! NO! MOLLY COME BACK, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!”Eve screamed as she lifted her hand into the air towards her vanishing daughter.

 

A sharp blow to the stomach threw me to the ground, followed by continuous beating and shouts of fury.

 

“YOU IDIOT! YOU STUPID, DUMBASS IDIOT, WHY DID YOU LET THEM TAKE HER, AND AFTER I TRUSTED YOU WITH OUR LIVES, WITH HER LIFE! YOU BETRAYED US!” Her voice grew quiet.

 

”You betrayed us...”

 

I got up from the ground, reaching for her hand, but as soon as she felt it, she pushed it away, turning away sobbing.

 

“Eve.” I said, “It wasn’t my fault.”

 

“It wasn’t? Then why did they take her, when I could have saved her.”

 

“Eve there was nothing we could do for Molly, we were clearly outnumbered, out fortified, and outmatched, there was no way we could have survived.”

 

“What about Alas, why didn’t we use her?”

 

“You heard what she said Eve, she ran low on power, we can’t sacrifice our only defense.”

 

“And so we just abandon her, letting those men, those, those Enclave soldiers take her? What is going to happen to her Roscoe, what is going to happen when she doesn’t have her mother?” I placed my hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to reject it, but she didn’t.

 

“Eve I promise you that I will find Molly and bring her back.” She turned to face me.

 

“Oh yeah, and how?

 

“Because Eve, they have the G.E.C.K, and if we can find the G.E.C.K, then we can find Molly too. But for now, as hard as it may seem, we’ll have to continue without her, but when we reach our destination, we’ll ask the men at the transportation site in Wyoming if they’ve noticed any suspicious activity.”

 

“But we have no weapons, like you said, we didn’t stand a chance. How do we fight bullets with fists?“

 

“We’ll find a way.”

 

“But...”

 

“I PROMISE.” Eve knew I was serious, burying her face in my chest, welcoming the comfort of the soft strokes of her hair, from a friend she loved.

 

At nightfall, our journey came to another bump in the road when we failed to find any wood to burn to avoid hypothermia, and so our only choice was a damp, cold cave, and the already upset mother, didn’t take my decision so lightly. At the entrance, she gave me the “You’ve got to be kidding me” glare, but when I cleared the way for us to crawl in, it didn’t exactly satisfy her.

 

Alas lit the way as we cautiously trekked through the pools of freezing water, and mutated mushrooms being smeared over our clothing, every so often pulling our hands away from the jabbing stones. The cave reeked with all sorts of odors, and moans from deep within, barely heard but fully understood, further made the place less appealing. We came to a large opening, claiming a lonely corner that gave us a good overlook of our surroundings, just in case something hungry was to linger inside. We settled down in the strange muck touching our faces and even some entering our mouths, spitting in disgust. It wasn’t long before I shivered uncontrollably, seeking the body warmth of my companion, but she refused to be huddled with.

 

“Eve what’s the matter?”

 

“You know what.” She growled back.

 

“Honey I promised to bring Molly back, and if we’re going to do that then we need to survive, and right now the stakes are not looking good.”

 

“Fine.” She agreed reluctantly, “But don’t expect any hospitality, not from this enclosed tundra, or from myself.”

 

She scooted closer to me, allowing us to huddle, but even this wouldn’t send me to sleep, feeling the urge to raise Eve’s spirit invariably.

 

“Honey, do you want to talk about it?“

 

“No, I don’t.” There was a silence.

 

“Do you want to talk about Molly instead, explain some more of her personality?” A sigh came as a response, but not one of annoyance, it was one of cooperation.

 

“Where do I even begin; there’s so much to talk about.”

 

“Tell me what best describes her.”

 

“Well, she’s active, playful, energetic, loving, compassionate, but most of all…most of all she was supportive, sort of like you.”

 

“Oh yeah, how so?” She went on, but still in a barren manner.

 

“Sometimes she would play doctor with me, but never out of fun, only if I hurt myself, and she was very good at it too.” Eve laughed.

 

“I...heh...I remember one day when she tried to figure out where tears came from, said that it must of came from the ocean because they tasted salty. That was something else about her, she had a very active imagination, always turning the worst situation into one that she favored, but she was also a bright girl, solving and building things I would never think of in a million years. I just hope your right and that she’s unharmed; I don’t know what I would do if I lost her Roscoe, I just don’t. (Sigh.)” There was a long pause.

 

“If there be sorrow, let it be, for things undone…undreamed; unrealized, unattained, to these add one...Love withheld...restrained.” The words entangled my focus, their transcendent beauty teasing my mind.

 

“What did you say?”

 

“It’s a poem.” Eve answered, “Molly taught me it not too long before I met you.”

 

“Did she write it?”

 

“No. She told me she found it somewhere, but never told me what that place was. That wasn’t the first time that young explorer brought odd materials back to me, she would do this fairly often, even after I scolded her on countless occasions, and they usually got us into hazardous dilemmas, but that poem turned out to be the right step in the right direction, because it’s the very reason why I’m speaking to you.”

 

“How did you and Molly end up in that research center?”

 

“Like I said, it’s all centered around that poem, and yet, it seemed so irrelevant. It was two months ago, almost a year since we lost Jacob. Me and Molly were still living in D.C., in a new house that I managed to bring together. One afternoon, Molly had wandered off for several hours, the longest she has ever been absent, forcing me to believe she had perished somewhere out in the wastes. Around nightfall, she returned with a single piece of tattered paper, with the words she would teach me, but what she failed to tell me was that she stole it from the Kilterant organization, the place that got us involved with this whole G.E.C.K fiasco. What we didn’t know was that they trailed her all the way back to our home, and in less than an hour, stormed in and imprisoned us in what I imagine brought you to their main base. They told us that what my daughter had her hands on would transform the world, but after going into detail, it was soon apparent to me that it was nonsense, some sort of ritual speech.”

 

By this time, I believe Eve wasn’t mad at me anymore, as she felt it appropriate to converse while facing me. Our eyes acknowledged each other as before, listening to each other even if our ears were not. The vive the two of us were receiving seemed pleasant, and I defiantly wanted that to expand.

 

“What can you tell me of the Kilterant organization?” She was glad to comply.

 

“After being there for two months, I’ve learned much. Kilterant is a schizophrenic company, that is to say, they’ve lost all mental civility, a commodity as you know. Within that first week of my captivity, I managed to kill a cell guard, and steal his access key as well as restricted computer files in certain sectors. At night, I would frequently sneak out of my cell and slickly pass other guards as well as cameras, entering those off limit zones, and reading the valuable information they kept, hoping to find something that could aid in my wishes for freedom, but instead I got something else. On file was how the organization got a foothold in this world; as hard as it is to believe, they started out as a cult. With nobody to challenge their beliefs, and with more and more people welcoming their religion, it was no wonder why they we’re such a formidable force in the U.S. arriving in the 24th century. Kilterant’s plans were to replace the Brotherhood of Steel as the “army” of this continent, ever since they learned of their overwhelming success against the Enclave, which, until now, I now know their names. Kilterant and the Enclave have clashed heads before, often calling them the black dust of the West, the dark storm of the seas, as they would periodically attack Kilterant, their fairly recent, and to date, only enemy. After snooping around for about twelve days, I was caught, and put into heavy confinement to dissuade future escapes attempts. On the night that you saved us, there was a flashing red light, followed by a deafening warning siren. The doors to my prison slid open, devoid of the men that once guarded them; it’s as if they just faded away. I searched around frantically for Molly, until I found her being afflicted by the hands of the unforgiving staff, striking me with their fists after I intervened. With a flash I saw the most captivating man in the entirety of my life, and although I was in a position where I couldn’t confess that I was attracted to him, he knows all too well how I now feel, and I’m proud to be with that man who is devoted to save my daughter and improve her life too. And, well, you know the rest.”

 

We kissed again, but this was a kiss unlike our first, this one, I could tell, had a lot of feeling behind it. That bizarre feeling returned, and this funny thought entered my mind. For some time, I allowed it to build as it slowly devoured my will to fend it off, forcing me to let it out.

 

“Eve, are you admitting that you love me?” This unexpected question caught her completely off guard, and this look of red handedness came over her. Without saying a word for a good three seconds, she quickly opposed.

 

“What, love? That’s funny, where would you get such a outrageous thought, I mean just because you show up like some Knight in shining armor, just because you’re like some kind of super hero, and you think I love you? Why that’s...that’s...that’s...ridiculous.” Her face turned a bright, scarlet red.

 

“Ahem, well, goodnight.” She flipped herself over, too demeaned to explain herself, leaving me to celebrate my unanticipated victory.

 

As that night dragged on, our luck, thought to have turned because of our bonding, only progressed further into the pits of hell, as I was awakened by a frightful screech, similar to the howls of a mythological, enraged banshee. Eve was already reacting to the source of such an unholy sound; it was a Mirelurk, gigantic, bipedal, and not to mention like the cave mushrooms, mutated; descendents of prewar crabs. Its abnormal, yet baleful claws were pointed directly at Eve, yet the creature didn’t attack, standing there, sniffing her. I panicked.

 

“Eve what is that?” The Mirelurk moaned in aggravation.

 

“Shhhhh, don’t make a sound.” She warned.”Just back away towards the entrance but steadily, do not make any sudden movements.”

 

I did as she instructed, but as Eve tried to do the same, she found herself losing her balance, ruining the element of surprise. The bellow of the Mirelurk roared out again, but with such tremendous force that it began to interfere with Alas’s programming, causing the Pipboy to become crippled for a brief moment in time. The monster rose one of its massive pinchers, ready to snap Eve’s neck, but I was faster.

 

“Alas!” I cried, “Blast it.” A laser beam was launched from off my arm, cutting with such precision, that it declawed the savage crab, further exasperating it.

 

As Eve and I fled, it charged at us, ramming into the tight crawling space that led to the wasteland, snatching one of Eve’s legs as it attempted to pull her into its mouth.

 

“Roscoe!” She called, “Quick, grab my arm but don’t pull.” Hand in hand, Eve managed to slow the Mirelurk’s pulling, allowing her to kick it in the face, and setting her free.

 

The both of us scrambled for the exit, running as fast as we could, as far away as we could, until we were sure that danger was far behind, we were lucky for once, but it was mince meat to what was to come. We went to sleep on the spot, but this time we took precautions, and Alas was strong enough to cover us with that shield that we were starting to get accustomed to.

 

The next day was the mundane routine as usual, just your average walking, and paranoia filled morning, afternoon, and evening, and by Saturday of that week, I was getting damn sick of it. Those entire five days since we left the outpost, we ran into baby Radscorpions, miserable dust storms that could peel your skin off, the occasional “Annoy the f**k out of me” attitude, and even acid rain, and that’s not an exaggeration, or those light ones before the Great War, these literally ate into you, and Alas almost had to rest and leave us to bear against the rare phenomena. But it was worth it, because on that day we had at last crossed the border in Wyoming, and reached our first objective, and just in time to, since our supplies we’re extremely low, but these outposts gave weary wastelanders free food, water, and shelter, and we at least deserved a slice of that pie.

 

But as we came closer, it was obvious this wasn’t the shelter we had been awaiting. The place, for reasons unknown, had been left to degrade in the never ending summer, its exterior rusted beyond repair, its entrance made inaccessible from invading sand, and its helicopter landing zone left empty with the long gone logo that was the H.

 

“What the hell happened?” Eve wondered as we came within 200 yards of the decaying ruins.

 

“I don’t know, but it appears as if Alas didn’t expect the place to be abandoned.”

 

We came closer to the building, unaware that death was lurking below. Eve’s face turned a ghostly white.

 

“Roscoe, what is that sound?” I froze in place, listening to the faint sounds of a trap.

 

Beep…Beep,Beep,Beep,Beeeeeppppp! BOOM! Rock scattered in all directions as we were flung across the mine field, landing around dozens of the hot potatoes. Thinking fast, I threw Eve over my shoulder, dashing for the blockade ahead as hell erupted from topsoil. With explosions all around, and a dead end ahead, I looked to a nearly activated mine, scooping it up and throwing it like a boomerang, clearing the rubble to the entrance, allowing us to charge in.

 

We fell to the floor, waiting for chaos to play itself out, covering our heads all the while as the building shook with uneasiness. When the shaking ceased, and we stood on two legs again, we decided to explore the old outpost, looking for clues as to what happened to this place. It wasn’t very large, the remains we’re only the size of your average living room, therefore, it wasn’t that hard to gather evidence. The only objects still intact were an old, grey desk, a lone portrait next to a broken window covered up by rubble, a worn out chair, and a damaged holotape on the cold to the touch, cracked, tiled floor. With a press of a button, our problems were solved as we touched our ears to the recorded message.

 

“Tshhhhhh….Fraaaannnnk Sanders speakING, this place, this place doesn’t feeeeeelllll right. It’s cold, its dark, no signs of life to be seen, or to be heard. This outpost was once heavily forrrrrTIFIED, and ONCE had men patrolling its perimeterrrrrrrr. I can still hear them talking, I can still see where they once sAT, and whereeeeeeee, they would converrrrrrrrse. I still remember when it was at its peak, when we would work here, those where the good old days, if only we could see it breathe again. But as of October 8th, 2478, when the last of the aircraft and its men le, le, leffffttttt, it died. It’s so different to come back twenty years after leaving, and watching as the old girl falls apart before my eyes, my only regret is….( Me and Eve listened as the sound of aircraft rumbled in the background, as Frank stops talking, and an explosion, very close, is heard.) What was that? (Sounds of pounding come from the door.) Damn it, they’ve found me, I have to get to the escape tunnel before...(BANG!) No, no stay away from me, no tshhhhh, don’t, stop tshhhhh,STOP!!!!Tshhhhhhh.”

 

The holotape clicked off as I collected my thoughts.

 

“They killed him, but who?”

 

“The Enclave?” Eve proposed.

 

“Likely so, and he mentioned an escape tunnel, I wonder where that leads.”

 

We began to investigate every inch of the room, scanning the floors, and the walls with our hands, but found nothing, except for a noticeable bump on the wall next to the portrait. When Eve applied pressure to it, the section of wall turned to another side, revealing a hidden control module.

 

“Roscoe come take a look at this.”

 

I immediately walked over, trying to access the computers files, but a password was required, fortunately, however, I did have experience in hacking, something I learned along the way in my life as my attention turned to the Overseer’s personal computer diaries. Entering the hack command 2433OverideHacko9, which was the hacking command for every prewar computer, I sought out the password amongst the ten words available, having only three tries to get it right.

 

“Deemed.”

 

“Beep, beep”.

 

“Damn!”

 

“Seemed”

 

”Beep, beep.“

 

“Common!”

 

“Careened”

 

“Access granted.” I blew a sigh of relief as we we’re given permission to browse the files.

 

“Hmmm. Extensive, descriptive, this Frank guy kept a lot of records.” Eve grew impatient.

 

“Enough of this, can we find this tunnel and leave, this place is giving me the creeps.”

 

“Alright, alright.” I responded defensively,

 

“There’s no need to through a fit, just give me a sec. Ok, past building records, no. Civilian list, no. Wait; take a look at this, Enclave specifics.” I clicked on the file.

 

“According to this record Eve, the Enclave has an air base thirty minutes from here, and that tunnel leads directly to it, just outside the gates. It was built for sneak attacks, but shortly after its construction was completed, this outpost became vacant because of the constant air raids. Do you know what this means Eve, we can find Molly, take the G.E.C.K, and fly out of there all the way back to D.C., we’ll be weeks ahead of schedule.”

 

I rose from the chair, selected the open hidden tunnel command, and watched as part of the floor opened up.

 

"Common Eve, let’s go save your daughter."

 

We penetrated the dark void of the tunnel, passing by skeletons on our way.

 

"What do you think happened to them Roscoe?" Eve questioned as her head was fixed on the aged remains.

 

"Judging by their position, they were most likely killed in the heat of battle; seems like this was to be their final departure from the outpost, a mass exodus it seems." We continued on, past invading water and all, until we came across a light peering into the tunnels from the outside.

 

Pushing open the giant steel grate, we climbed out into the sunlight, greeted by an enormous structure, the Enclave airbase the record spoke of. Just to our left was the gate, guarded by two soldiers and nothing else, a weak spot within the fortress. I instructed Eve to stay put with a lift of my hand, carefully sneaking up to one of the guards. With a blink of an eye I snapped his neck, swiftly eliminating his partner before he could even notice. I gave Eve the signal as I started to remove the soldiers Mark IV power armor, making sure to snatch their weapons and dispose of their bodies near the tunnel where they were out of sight.

 

"Fits like a charm." Eve commented as the armor slid onto her with ease. "Ready to get Molly back?"

 

"You bet." I said with enthusiasm.

 

And so we infiltrated the Enclave compound, trying not to arouse suspicion, aiming for a low profile. To our complete astonishment, the base wasn't that big at all, only three times the size of the puny Brotherhood of Steel outpost, but this was an assassin in disguise. Although it was small, the airbase threat definitely was not, as dozens of Vertibirds were parked all around, ready to be put to use if they needed to. Deathclaws in cages, scientists scurrying from left to right, and the usual Enclave soldiers were at every turn, inspecting each other precisely to detect any intruders, and somehow, we pulled through, quickly locating the research wing.

 

"There it is." I informed Eve, "That must be where the G.E.C.K is. Wait a minute, what’s that their carrying inside?"

 

To our horror, we watched as Enclave scientists escorted Molly into the research sector, chaining her arms and legs together to retard her running.

 

"Dear god! They’re going to cut her open like a Christmas ham!"

 

"Eve settle down. What Molly doesn't know is that we're nearby, all we have to do is storm, shoot first and ask questions later, and retrieve the kit and your daughter, then we get the hell out of here. Now let’s move before we lose our opportunity."

 

Just as we had planned we kicked open the doors and began blasting away, gunning down anyone that didn't resemble an innocent girl. Screams of excruciating pain, cursing, the shattering of glass, the splatter of blood, the debris of ripping wall components and torn up appliances engulfed the room, scattered bits of fire marked the end of the brutal invasion. Every being in the building suddenly stampeded towards the shooting, fighting in vain as we got closer and closer to where Molly was being held. After the last of them were finished off, we found Molly locked into an experimenting area, where one, lone scientist was preparing to open her up.

 

"Molly!" I exclaimed, applying the observation glass with my fist, but it didn't even crack.

 

Eve joined in, yielding no results, but as Molly shrieked in pain, our anger was starting to brew.

 

"Eve we have to do something quick! Alas, can you assist?"

 

"Yes Mr. Vitoli, but not directly. I'm afraid that the glass is harder than titanium, there’s no breaking it, the door, however, can be melted open. I am detecting an extremely aggressive substance nearby, holding a nine on the acidic scale. Throwing it on the door will no doubt destroy it."

 

“There in that room, get it!” Eve proclaimed, as she spotted beakers of chemicals lying on a table in a chemistry lab.

 

She hastily sweeped them into her arms, bombarding the door with them without even taking them out of their viles, causing a pool of grey matter to spill out over the floor.

 

Eve viciously attacked the scientist, lashing out at him with her nails, and biting him with ferociousness. I hurried over to Molly, checking her over with urgency, but found only a mild cut, couldn't say the same for her experimenter,however.

 

"Eve I got her, let’s get the G.E.C.K!"

 

That part itself wasn't hard, it was one of the first things we saw when we entered, stored at the very heart of the wing. But as soon as we came to the storage room, we we're locked out by a computer terminal keeping the doors closed.

 

"It’s locked."

 

"Oh no its not." Eve disagreed, "You two wait here." She returned moments later with the same scientist she battered, choking him in an interrogational fashion.

 

"What's the password?" She demanded; the scientist spat in her face.

 

"Go to hell." Eve slammed his face in the wall.

 

"TALK!"

 

"Is that all you got princess?" He taunted.

 

She threw him to the ground, shooting him in the balls with her laser rifle.

 

"AHHHHHH! You B***H!"

 

"You want to know how much of a b***h I am, try me, tell me the code or this time their coming off!"

 

"OK, ok, I'll tell you. The password is President, there, you've got what you wanted, can I please go?"

 

"Oh I'm afraid that isn't feasible, we just can't take that risk, but thank you for cooperating and have a pleasant afterlife."

 

"Wait!" BANG!

 

"Fool shouldn't of called me a b***h."

 

"Mommy what's a bi....."

 

Eve interrupted.

 

"I'll tell you when you’re older, now Roscoe are you going to stand there like some kind of tag along, or are you going to input the password?"

 

"Why can't you do it?" I pointed out.

 

"I'm with child." I rolled my eyes at such a pathetic excuse, and opened the way for us to proceed.

 

The kit was there before our eyes, sitting on an unnecessary pedestal. The kit itself was a heavenly white, and was already open as if it were about to be used, but we had no time to marvel at its existence, we had to flee before it was too late. I snagged the G.E.C.K, and we bolted from the building, searching for a Vertibird.

 

"They got the girl, and the G.E.C.K., shoot them, kill them!" Yelled one of the soldiers, calling to his Enclave friends.

 

We boarded a Veribird on a neighboring structure, slipping into the saftey of the sky as we flew towards D.C., but someone wanted their G.E.C.K back, and it wasn't the Enclave.

 

The Brother Hood of Steel came out of thin air, propelling missiles our way, and when one of them almost met its target, it was time to take action. Activating the radio, I attempted to contact our pursuers.

 

"This is Roscoe Vitoli, Vault scientist, please cease your attacks, we are not the Enclave, we want to use this kit to restabilize the world." There was no answer.

 

Without warning, the Vertibird hit turbulence, causing it to shake with colossal force, pushing me towards the door.

 

"NO! The G.E.C.K!" I voiced in terror as it slid out the aircraft, plummeting to the Earth.

 

"Roscoe!" Eve grabbed my arm as I watched the G.E.C.K fall into the hands of the Brotherhood as they caught it with expertise, retreating into the distance.

 

Reaching for the controls, I turned the Verti around, chasing after them, but within minutes they outmaneuvered us, fading into the horizen.

 

“F**K! I can’t believe this, we were so close, why did they take it from us?”

 

“We got Molly, that’s what counts right?”

 

“Yes Eve it does, but we still need to turn that device on, if not, thousands of people are going to continue to die, and I can’t allow that to transpire anymore.” Eve looked at me with doubt.

 

“What now Roscoe?”

 

“Now?” I reloaded my gun. “Now we take it back. Looks like Oregon is still open and we better not keep it waiting, but with this thing, I’m confident it won’t take long.”

 

And I was right, in only four and a half hours we crossed into Oregon, and with lethal toys on our side, there would be hell to pay.

[Fifoo]

Well done and creative work. Brilliant!

 

“If there be sorrow, let it be, for things undone…undreamed; unrealized, unattained, to these add one…Love withheld…restrained.” The words entangled my focus, their transcendent beauty teasing my mind.

I lap siding your great story, really. :thumbsup:

[Keanumoreira]

Thanks Fifoo, i just hope I can keep it up, I'm only half way through the story. God help me!

[Keanumoreira]

Chapter 5: Well begun is half done.

 

Oregon...The so called land of opportunity, but opportunity is just one word, a word to me that has no meaning. Why it that over seven hundred years ago, pioneers chased the trails over the entire surface of the American map to reach this one formal state, when today such a land provides nothing but deaths embrace.

 

It’s just like every other place I’ve been to; D.C., Nebraska, Wyoming, all the same, all unsustainable for the complex goals of life. I will never understand their motives, their drives, their determination to risk their entire families for a rumor, until my mission is complete, and perhaps that’s something we had in common, but the G.E.C.K was no rumor. It was real, it was functional, and still dormant, but in the hands of a powerful enemy, but we we’re getting closer, and they knew it.

 

Our tour into this new frontier was on a self basis, our minds did the speaking. I asked myself for the first time why I was involved in this suicide quest in the first place; I already knew why, but the real question was why I was so foolish to let enthusiasm take control for me.

 

The books, the ones on what nuclear life would be predicted to be, were nothing compared to how I actually lived it, not even remotely. Huddling next to a fire that could die and bring you with it at any moment, mutated animals and brain rotten humans on the prowl, and unstable, hostile, malfunctioning technology blowing off the legs of innocent children, all just the tip of the radioactive iceberg.

 

This search for one device had cost me so much, and opened my eyes for the first time on how ruthless this planet had become, how desperate its inhabitants had become, and that’s why we couldn’t give up, it’s why we had to keep pushing until the end.

 

Within two hours of crossing the border, we at last came to our second destination, the place that would take us to the Pacific Ocean. I nervously landed the Vertibird on the primitive, stone etched H that was the landing zone. The Verti touched down with a thud, shaking the entire aircraft.

 

Moments later, soldiers, most likely mercenaries hired to protect us, welcomed us to the outpost. They escorted us inside, showing how they managed to survive in the middle of nowhere. They were a very organized group, separating the inhabitants from the life support, that being the Brahmin, two headed cows with no skin, that provided milk and meat regularly. The latrines of course were in an area all their own to prevent widespread disease and the usage of precious drinking water for bathing purposes. The last stop on our brief tour was the office of the man who ran this little fort, the one responsible for getting us where we needed to go. Inside that office sat a single man at a desk, browsing his computer.

 

“Mr. Anderson they’re here.” Informed one of the men.

“Ah yes, we’ve been expecting you. Come in, come in! Now what exactly can I help you with today?”

 

Alas came online.

 

“I’m the one who forwarded the message to your terminal Mr. Anderson. My owner, Mr. Vitoli, needs some assistance traveling to a ferry in Oregon. We need an escort so we can pick up a valuable package.”

 

“I see.” He said formally, stroking his chin.

 

He glanced over to me from head to toe, examining my traits.

 

“This is him?” He rose from his chair, looking out the window with his arms behind his back. “You didn’t tell me his was part of the Enclave.”

 

I looked at my armor.

 

“No, no. I’m not part of the Enclave.” I assured.”We snuck into one of their facilities in disguise to obtain something taken from our possession.”

 

“Well then, if what you say is true, I can’t help you anyway. Oregon is swarming with Surface to Air Missiles from this point on, it’s unlikely you’ll make even over the border. ”

 

“SAMS? That can’t be right.” He turned over to me.

 

“But it is. They’ll shoot down anything that fly’s. You wouldn’t last one second out there. My sources tell me this state was so paranoid about the Great War, that they poured billions of dollars to place these SAMS on every inch of their land. No one knows why the SAMS are still here, probably slept while the War took place, but now they’ve reawakened, and no aircraft is safe. And don’t even think about flying instead to California, the same state laws were passed.”

 

“There is one solution.” Alas stated. “We can drive in. We can disassemble the Vertibird and convert it into a moving vehicle, but there is one con to this, we need a power source. The Vertibird relies on solar power to get it in the air, however, once airborne this source shuts down, and wind power does the rest. The Solar engine isn’t big enough to drive a car to our destination, we need to find either a solar engine or a nuclear powered one, both need to be bigger than a common refrigerator.” Eve shook her head.

 

“We might as well give up now, there’s no way we’ll find one of either.”

 

“Wait a minute, can’t we walk?” I proposed.

 

“I’m afraid not Mr. Vitoli. According to Pipboy readings, Oregon and California were among the hottest places in America before the war, today nuclear influence has more than tripled the heat. You’d die of dehydration in less than five hours. Besides, we’d never make in time to..pick it up...our “suppliers” would have already canceled it. Wait a moment. Irregular frequencies are being detected. It appears to be solar activity, located to the North of this facility emitting from a power source. It seems to be a functioning engine just above the required size, unfortunately, I’m also detecting SAMS in the region, walking is also not an option.”

 

“We can’t do it, we can’t go.” I said disappointed.

 

“Yes we can.” Concluded Mr. Anderson,” Fortunately for you, there’s a weak spot in the area of that power source judging from what I can see from your Pipboy. All we have to do is make some smart maneuvers and we’ll get in there before you know it.”

 

“Great then let’s do it.” I agreed.

 

“Fantastic, I’ll send one of my men to the Vertibird, someone who can easily avoid oncoming projectiles. While doing so I recommend you customize your armors color, you don’t want people to mistake you for the Enclave. Earl can help you if you’re interested; you’ll find him in the landing zone.”

 

Mr. Anderson informed one of his pilots while I spoke to Eve.

 

“Sweetie, I need you and Molly to stay here while I’m gone.”

 

“What? Why!” She exclaimed.

 

“Eve you know why, you heard what he said, we’ll have to dodge SAMS, and I’m not risking the two of you.” Eve held my hands.

 

“Roscoe, baby, we’re a team now, we work together. Have you already forgotten how I helped you save Molly?”

 

“No, but I don’t want to lose you, I care about you a lot.”

 

“So do I.” She kissed me. “And that’s why I want to go with you, to help you fight towards your dream. But your right about Molly, she can’t come, she has to stay.”

 

“I can create a protective field around Molly while she stays here.” Alas offered, “If anyone here places a hand on her, I can lethally shock them while away on our quest.”

 

“Perfect. You see Roscoe, all is taken care of.”

 

“I guess your right after all Eve. Common, let’s go customize this armor.”

 

We headed out to the landing zone, finding Earl smoking a cigarette over the railing in a brown jumpsuit with a rainbow of paint smeared all over it.

 

“You Earl?”

 

"Who wants to know?” He snapped back.

 

“Mr. Anderson said you can help me with my armor.”

 

“Ah, you’re the newcomer everyone’s talking about; must have missed the landing. Yeah I can help, your suppose to be some Paragon sent to cleanse the world huh? Well I don’t know if I can put my faith into you, but since you’re such an angelic figure, we’ll paint your armor white like some kind of lighter of the way. Sure you’ll stick out like a sore thumb, but most of us don’t have camouflage anyway. I’ll need the two of you to remove your armor, then I can get started.”

 

We removed it as asked, and handed it over.

 

“Alright, just give me a minute.”

 

We watched as he coated the armor with the white residue, taking about forty five minutes before he completed the job.

 

“There you are, nice and dry. Doesn’t look to bad right?”

 

“Thank you for your services.” I thanked.

 

“No problem, and look, here comes your pilot.” Earl opened the doors of the Vertibird as a figure in orange walked out of the building, taking off their helmet.

 

Underneath was a very alluring woman, waving her black hair in a convenient, passing wind, displaying Eve’s jealousy.

 

“She’s fat.” Eve insulted.

 

“What?”

 

“She’s fat Roscoe. I mean she looks like a skilled pilot, but she’s fat.”

 

“Eve.” I whispered, “How could you say that?”

 

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, as long as that stomach doesn’t jam the controls.” The pilot noticed us standing near the aircraft, making her way to greet her passengers.

 

“Shhhh. She’s coming.”

 

“Really? I didn’t hear any rumbles under her feet.”

 

“You must be Roscoe.” The pilot assumed as she placed her hand out.

 

“I’m Sandra.”

 

“Nice to meet you Sandra.” I said, shaking her hand.

 

“Who’s this?”Sandra asked as she looked over to an upset Eve, displaying a fake smile.”

 

“This is my friend...” Eve elbowed me in the side. “I...I mean my girlfriend uh...um...”

 

“Eve!” She reminded in disbelief.

 

“Right! Eve. This is my girlfriend Eve.”

 

“Right. Well then, if you two would please board then we can get started. I just need to see if everything is in order.” I took my seat on the Vertibird as Eve spoke to Molly.

 

“Molly, mommy will be away for awhile, until then you’ll be staying here with these men.”

 

“By myself?”

 

“Not entirely. Alas has asked me to put this sensor on your overalls. There, now if someone hurts you, all you have to do is click this, but only if you absolutely need to, understand?”

 

“Yes mommy.”

 

“That’s my girl.”

 

“All set.” Sandra called.

 

“That’s my cue. Stay safe.” She rubbed Molly’s hair as she sat beside me, watching as the doors sealed shut.

 

Before we could even hold hands, we we’re off, lifted into the clouds and towards certain annihilation. Eve and I touched heads together as we enjoyed the sleepy ride, quickly forgetting the lurking danger. Our heads rose as a beeping sound came from the Verti’s radar, flinching as a WHOOSH passed from our left. The SAMS were on their way.

 

The Vertibird tilted in a sudden series of uncomfortable angles, throwing us into every direction possible.

 

“Hold on tight!” Sandra cautioned. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride!”

 

We gripped the seats with titan force, listening to the explosions of colliding missiles, praying that we weren’t next.

The sky was lit with fiery death with the crackle of the bursts of metal, resembling that of the old fireworks, ironic it wasn’t in celebration.

 

With the Verti diving, rising, flipping, and turning, it felt as if we weren’t going to make it, but somehow, through all that carnage, we had successfully bested the minefield of the heavens. We hit the ground with such force that we thought we had been struck, but when Sandra coaxed us out hastily, we knew we we’re on land.

 

“Hurry up; you have to get out quick!”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Roscoe the SAMS are turning around for another assault, if you two don’t leave soon then you can kiss California, and the G.E.C.K goodbye.”

 

“Wait, how did you...”

 

“There’s no time to explain! Just shut up and go, I’ll circle around to herd the missiles away from you, I guess Anderson didn’t explain that they go after people too once leaving said aircraft. I’ll meet you back here in an hour, now go!”

We rushed out and tripped below as the Vertibird took off, attracting the heat seeking explosives from west to east.

 

I grabbed Eve and threw her unto me as a missile nearly killed her, making an obtuse angle towards Sandra, taking an aged fence with it.

 

“Oh my god that was close.” I expressed in fear as I helped Eve off the ground. “Stay close Eve, something tells me this isn’t over.”

 

And I was right.

 

As Sandra distracted the missiles, they we’re whizzing past us, one nearly hitting the roof of the building where the power source rested, throwing to the ground in front of us, a segment of the second story. Bits of fragile wood, smashed concrete, tipped over walls, and a legion of glass, bombarded the ground around us as the close encounters of these prewar, rejecting aircraft murderers, came ever closer. It was only a matter of time before one would make an unscheduled impact, and when it would, the consequences could be profound.

 

Worried that our lives were in peril, we dodged every obstacle flung our way, crashing behind us in a frenzy of destruction. Using our bodies as a flesh battering ram, we breached the entrance of building, sprinting through its halls in search of the engine. Plaster, both in chunks and in sprinkles, divorced the ceiling above us, irritating our eyes and coating our lips.

 

As we came to turn down a right hallway, voices began to echo through the collapsing building.

 

“Who’s there?” The Irish voice whispered in torment.

 

“Roscoe did you hear that?”

 

“Whoooooo’s there! HE, HE, HE...!” Then without warning, a deranged man carrying a metal pipe darted from the darkness in front of us, nearly striking me in the head.

 

We fell to the floor, caught off guard by the prowling man. He inched closer, breathing heavily, his mouth open, dripping with red saliva.

 

“HE, HE, HE! What do we have here?” He cocked his head like a confused and interested animal.

 

“Vis-a-tors? Here to steal my treasure? TO DESTROY MY HOME!”

 

He swung the pipe at my head, attempting to break my legs as we backed away frantically, placing massive dents into the floor. We managed to get on our feet, scampering away from a mind ravaged local.

 

“Roscoe, who the hell was that?”

 

“I don’t know, but whoever it is, they want us dead.” Eve kept turning back to see if he was following us, only to find a gaping blackness.

 

“Roscoe!” She cried in paranoia, “He’s gone, he’s gone! He’s going to get us!” Eve’s shriek was followed by a scratch on the floor nearby, the dragging of the man’s steel pipe, taunting us, getting us warmed up for his game of torture.

 

CLANK, CLANK, the walls rang.

 

“I’m going to find you...” The man teased. “I’ve got a pipe.” He jumped in front of Eve, “Want to meet her!”

 

“Eve!” I pushed her out of the way just as it met my shoulder, throwing me across the hall.

 

“Roscoe!” Eve came to my side, using her body as a human shield. “Oh my god! Are you alright?”

 

The man lowered his posture in a hunting stance, carefully “stalking” his way towards us.

 

“Get away you lunatic!”

 

“What’s the matter lass? Did I hurt the boyyo? I’m awfully sorry, but me and Janet are very lonely, sometimes we can make a little scare.”

 

“A little scare?” I criticized, “What would be a major scare?”

 

“Ohhhh. Don’t pout, Janet just wants to be acquainted with your head, don’t worry, it’ll be over soon!” Eve knocked the pipe from his hand, causing it to spin in the opposite direction.

 

“Well tell Janet that she can f**k off! We don’t want to meet!”

 

“Oh now that wasn’t very nice.” He picked up the pipe and tapped it against his hand repeatedly, “I guess we’ll have to start over. I’m Niles, and this…THIS IS JANET!”

 

The pipe flung down towards us again, but Eve refused to let him have it his way. She grasped it before it could land, pushing up and struggling against Niles brute strength.

 

“Tough little lass of the Loch aren’t ya? Urghhh! Let go! Just...one...blow...to...the...HEAD!!!!” Eve kicked him to the ground with a foot to the gut, guiding me away by pulling my good arm.

 

“This little lass needs a beating, guess we’ll have to arrange that!”

From behind us we could hear Niles pounding the pipe against a metal surface before a sharp, screeching BANG had resulted.

 

Above us there was movement, along with that familiar clanking we heard before. Eve tugged at my arm.

 

“Dear god he’s in the air ducts. Faster Roscoe, we have to move faster!” But the faster we ran the quicker Niles was proceeding.

 

“Dammit how large is this place?”

 

“Wait!” I said excitedly, “Go back, I saw it!” But as we turned to go back, the ducts gave way to what we had anticipated.

 

“Here’s Niles!” He aimed for Eve once more, missing but landing on his feet with prowess.

 

Again he charged at us with his beloved weapon, cracking the frame of the door of the room we entered as he missed.

 

“Roscoe I’ll hold him off while you figure out how to get the engine out of here.” Eve volunteered as she slammed the door and held it shut with her back.

 

Niles attacked the door three times before breaking its glass with his Janet, clearing away the remains despite their jagged teeth cutting away at his skin. Eve took cover to the wall to her left after blocking the door with a desk, ducking as Niles gave it another try. SMACK, SMACK, SMACK, the pipe conjured as its owner focused at its prey, victimizing the wall instead. Frustrated, Niles threw a chair into the room, fracturing into dozens of pieces as hit the wall above me. Next came a lamp, then a coffee cup, before he snatched Eve’s hair and strived to pull her out of the room, but she had a trick up her Enclave metal sleeve. Taking both of her hands, she flipped Niles through the glass panel and onto the desk, pushing it over onto him, pinning him with no hope of escape.

 

With his alleged death, Eve came to give her assistance.

 

“So...” She panted, “Huh. Is this it?”

 

“Yep, this is our engine, solar powered just as Alas hypothesized.”

 

“There’s no hypothesis when I’m behind it.” Alas countered cockily.

 

“Yeah, yeah Alas don’t get a big head about it. So how do we get this thing out of here?”

 

“Already solved MR. Vitoli. Sandra should be here in three...two...one...” The roof and walls suddenly ripped from their foundations as bullets began to pierce through them, sending us on the defensive.

 

Sandra began to laugh as the Verti came in sight, hovering just a few inches in the air to allow a slick departure.

 

“Are you coming are not?”

 

Eve rolled her eyes, “Oh great, she’s back.”

 

Together we hulled the engine on the Verti’s platform; Sandra pulled up.

But as we began to board, the desk was hurdled towards us, hammering the Vertibirds side, causing me to fall out.

 

“I’m tired of playing games.” Niles said in a hostile, almost demonic tone, rising from the dust and stone.

 

“You see, when people visit me and my committed wife, we play hide and go die. Yet you didn’t die. You love to break the rules, but we don’t like it when trespassers waltz in and try to steal our hard earned things. And do you know what we do to trespassers around here? We exterminate them, like the insects they are, but one can only take so much. Janet is getting drowsy.”

 

He propelled the pipe like a boomerang into the Vertibirds exterior, held in place.

 

“So sometimes, we have to do things that are a little extraordinary. Sometimes, we have to improvise, and then there’s this.” From under a pile of debris next to him, Niles pulled out a rocket launcher.

 

My eyes widened, my heart thrashed.

 

“Where did you get that?”

 

“Oh boyyo, you worry too much. But if you must know, as your last dying wish, your flying friend over there demolished the second story of my home, which just so happened to be storing this, in the room up there. While you three we’re busy stealing my treasure, I hid it for this very encounter, and now it’s time you met the whole family.”

 

He placed it over his shoulder, with his hands on the trigger.

 

“I’m Niles...”

 

“Sandra! Go!” I screamed.”

 

“And this is Peaches!” We flew out just as the projectile was released, scraping the belly of the Vertibird.

 

He continued to fire more missiles like the Fourth of July, sweeping us back into a déjà vu moment, but we stayed clear of his plan for murder. The infuriated, explosive expert trying to pull the Verti down decided to turn to a much more effective approach.

 

“Fine, have it your way!” Niles yelled into the sky, “But let’s see how you handle this.”

 

Click.

 

“How about heat seeking!” Whoosh!

 

The missile raced from its chamber, trailing our every turn.

 

“Sandra do something!” I begged as I saw death before me.

 

“Oh I’ll do something, the very something that defeated those other flying demons.” Sandra made a sharp turn back towards the building, flying head on at its center.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Relax Mr. Vitoli.” Sandra calmed, “We’re going to make it out alive!” At the last second she pulled up, diverting the missile into the building and desolating the entire structure.

 

“Bulls-eye!” Sandra cheered, “What did I tell ya? Alright everyone strap on in, and enjoy the flight. We’ve reached cruising altitude so it should be a peaceful ride.”

 

“Not so fast Sandra. How do you know of our mission?” I reminded as I poked my head over her seat.

 

There was a short pause before she came out with it.

 

“Because, I’ve been tracking you, watching your every move since you left Megaton over two months back.”

 

“Now wait a minute, if you think...”

 

“Settle down Roscoe, there’s a reason why I did it, but I’m not after the G.E.C.K, I’m after an alien.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something?”

 

“Roscoe please, allow me to explain. I’m not authorized to be telling you this, but it may jeopardize what you’re fighting to achieve. I was in Megaton doing some business for Anderson. The day I saw you there, I thought you were an average Joe, just another civilian, but then I noticed someone had their eye on you, following you secretly. I just so happened to be carrying this.” She handed me what looked to be a mini computer.

 

“What is it?” I asked as I scoped its every edge.

 

“It’s called a G.S.P, a Genetic Scanning Processor. It does as its name implies, it scans the genetic code of every species it comes into contact with. We found it amongst some ruins in a D.C. science lab, using it to record the genes of creatures we found. In Megaton that day, the G.S.P picked up an unrecorded, genetic signature nearby. It was from the person that was following you. Now take a look at the readings. Strange isn’t it?”

 

“So.” I said without giving it much thought.

 

“Look closer.”

 

“Wait what is this? There are four Nucleotides that are present here that aren’t found in the DNA replication sequence. There’s Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine the regular Nucleotides, but what are these?”

 

“That’s not all Roscoe.” Sandra pointed out, “Notice the DNA’s shape. It’s not a double helix, it’s a triple one.”

 

“What? Is that even possible? No, no it can’t be aliens there has to be a reasonable explanation. Are you sure it wasn’t from over five hundred years of fallout?”

 

“Certain, because when compared to the human genome, we received a 91.99 percent match, even in the presence of a triple helix. Roscoe the proof is there for you to see, we are not alone. But that’s not what troubles me, it’s the fact that they, whoever “they” are, are trying to capture you.”

 

“But why, why me?”

 

“Who knows, it could be any number of reasons; research, curiosity, but...This may all be linked to the G.E.C.K. I’m not positive but if it is then your work has taken a rather disturbing turn, and your life as well as Eve’s and Molly’s, could be in grave danger.”

 

“I’m sorry to interrupt this most fascinating discovery.” Alas claimed, “But my field sensors have been activated, Molly is being attacked.”

 

“Flore it Sandra!” Eve exclaimed,

 

“Well technically this isn’t a car...”

 

“Just go!”

 

Within minutes we returned to the outpost, finding a bloody body belonging to Earl, hanging over the rail.

 

“That is not a good sign.” Sandra said as she noticed a blood trail leading inside.

 

“This way!” she called.

 

The doors to the entrance had been removed, one of them outside, and one in the building that had revealed a path of destruction in its wake as it was assumed to be thrown inside. More corpses were waiting for us, some drilled into the walls, others drooping from the ceiling. The blood trail continued past electrical sparks, strewn debris of all kinds, and the frightened Brahmin mooing in vain, until we reached Anderson’s office. Two voices came from within, tempting us to ease drop. One of the voices was that of Anderson’s, and we could tell he was frightened.

 

“It wasn’t my fault, how was I supposed to know?” A deep, clear voice answered him.

 

“Isn’t your job to know? You never told them about it.”

 

“Why are you are, why are you tormenting me, I’ve done nothing wrong.”

 

“Really? You betrayed them, attempting to interfere with their work, you are an infidel.”Anderson’s shadow then turned towards the doorway, realizing we had returned.

 

“Help! Help me! It’s her! Don’t let...” The being snapped Anderson’s neck, disappearing into the vents with a blink of an eye.

 

We rushed in to find nothing there but Anderson’s remains and a savagely misplaced office. There was bump in the vents before Molly appeared, falling below and unto me. Eve pushed me aside as she plucked her daughter from debris burying her.

 

“Molly, baby! Oh my god, baby are you alright, can you hear me?”

 

“Mommy...” Molly uttered weakly, barely conscious.

 

Her face was carved with scratches, and scraps inhabited her knees and arms. She was bleeding from her lip, and her eyes practically rolled back into their sockets. Eve turned to Alas as the source of blame.

 

“I thought you said you would protect her, that you would keep her safe.”

 

“I did.” Alas concluded.

 

“Does it look like she was safe?”

 

“Mrs. Kalaborn, I assure you that the field was active, I am in no way responsible for Molly’s sudden, deteriorating condition. Perhaps she was crawling away in the Vents like Niles and that mysterious figure, and then fell. The field doesn’t cover falls.”

 

“Molly.” Eve said sweetly, “Did that man harm you?”

 

“Yes. He did.”

 

“See!”

 

“Mrs. Kalaborn...”

 

“Enough.” I demanded, “He’s gone and there’s nothing we can do about it, but we’re not going to point fingers here, there are more things that deserve our attention.”

 

“And my daughter isn’t important to you?”

 

“I didn’t say that Eve. Look, this place obviously isn’t safe. Sandra, can you find a good location where we can build the car?”

 

“There’s a spot in the desert where no SAMS are present. It’s just rock and sand, but no one will bother us there.”

 

“Good, good. Take anything here that you know of that is of importance, we don’t want to further risk the mission.” As Sandra scoured through the ruins, I and Eve carried Molly back to the Vertibird; Sandra returned shortly thereafter.

 

“That’s everything. All I could find was three grenades, two laser pistols, and a few stimpacks. I guess you guys will be taking those.”

 

After loading the Vertibird, and choosing a seat, we left the outpost for the final time, landing in the middle of nowhere with no buildings in sight.

 

For the next six days, we tore the Vertibird limb from limb, converting its outer shell into the cars figure. We reused the lights, the landing gear, and the exhaust pipe to form the cars needs for travel and mobility through the night, storing the leftover remains later for weapon and armor repairs when the need came. Finally, somewhere in the morning on day six, we installed the solar engine, completing the transportation we would need.

 

“There she is.” I presented proudly, “The VCar5000.”

 

Eve didn’t approve.“Yeah, that’s a little fancy don’t you think? Why not call it the Desert Skimmer?”

 

“Well you call it what you will, but to me it’s the VCar5000.”

 

“I’m sure it’ll catch on.” She replied sarcastically.

 

“Ha, ha. Just climb in.”

 

“Let me go get Molly, she’s still sleeping.” With the four of us seated, everyone locked their eyes on the ignition, anxious to see what would happen.

 

Pulling down the lever which was the car’s designed way to activate, we heard as the engine was struggling to turn on, yielding no results. But eventually, after another four tries, the engine started, and with the stomp of a pedal, cars had returned to the world.

 

“It works, IT WORKS!!!! I’M A GENIUS!” I celebrated with pride.

 

“Uh, hey genius, you weren’t the only one who worked on it.” Eve retorted.

 

“Oh...right. So Alas, which way to the ferry?”

 

“Why do you guys need to take a ferry?” Sandra questioned. “Why not just drive there instead?”

 

Alas answered for me. “It’s quicker if we take the ferry instead, and then continue from that point. That way, we’ll cut four days off our journey. Head due West Mr. Vitoli.”

 

As I turned the wheel in that direction, I looked over the seat to Sandra.“We can talk about the mission, and this alien thing later when we get to the Pacific, for now let’s just take a break and take in the scenery.”

 

“Just keep your eyes on the road Roscoe.”

 

“Ah, the world’s first returning driver instructor, we are indeed making history.” Sandra eyed me.

 

It wasn’t a long drive to the Pacific, it took only about a day and a half, but it was long enough for us to witness the beauty of Oregon, even if it was a shadow of its mere self. The sunsets were much more vibrant and eventful than the East; it probably had something to do with radiation or something. The sands we drove past put on a show of theatric proportions, skating by and doing back flips on the whistling wind.

 

Other sights sprung up as well such as the still standing, Mount Hood, the highest point in the state according to Alas, that stands 11,240 feet, but it most likely grew since that last recording. We also came across the Columbia River, one of the borders of Washington State that had somehow survived these brutal conditions, but irradiated nonetheless. So many sights, so many surviving wonders, so little time to see them. Perhaps I never knew it was there, but I discovered a new way to laugh about the grim scheme of things in our modern day, and look at the bright side of the situation that we all found ourselves in.

 

But as much as I wanted to see the rest, Oregon was rapidly waning by, and the ferry was soon in sight.

 

“All aboard!!!” The ferryman yelped as we parked by his side. “Ah more passengers, and at the last second. Fashionably late I assume?”

 

Eve came forth. “Uh yes, four tickets please.” I took Eve by the hand, finding it hard to break the truth to her.

 

“Not quite.”

 

“What do you mean?“

 

“I’m the only one going, I forwarded only one ticket.”

 

“Ha, ha. Very funny.” But I didn’t smile or say a word; I just kept staring into her eyes with guilt.

 

She stepped back, gazing down at Molly’s dumbfounded reaction to peer up at her mother for an answer.

 

“But I don’t understand, I thought we were a team, I thought we were committed to this through and through.”

 

“Eve...”

 

“No, no you lied to me, you said we were in this together from the start, but you were leading me on.”

 

“Listen.”

 

“No I don’t want to hear it; I don’t want to hear the lies anymore.”

 

“Please just hear me out. I wanted to take you with me, to fight by your side, but my affection for you, as it continues to grow; I worry more and more about your safety, yours and Molly’s. You were nearly killed last week twice while we searched for that engine, both in the air and on the ground, and the outpost had been destroyed and your daughter severely injured by a man who could still be combing the area for her. As reluctant as I am to say this, I’m afraid I must reject your wish to accompany me to California, me and Sandra have been talking about it almost every night without your knowledge while you two slept. She has agreed to escort you back to D.C., while I find the G.E.C.K and radio Darleen to pick me up. Now go, I don’t have much time.” As Molly and Sandra piled up in the Desert Skimmer, Eve began to cry.

 

“But I don’t want to say goodbye.”

 

“Hey, hey now, don’t cry.” I eased softly, “I’m not leaving forever, you know I’ll be back. Common, dry up those tears, close the doors to the water works.” She laughed.

 

“That’s my Eve. Listen, there’s something I want to tell you, something I want to get off my chest just in case this is our last face to face.”

 

I bit my lip, unable to lift my eyes to her from the ground.

 

“This is a big step I’m about to take...and it’s not easy to admit.” Eve was confused, aware that it had to be important.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I...I...” I scratched my neck in embarrassment, trying to spit it out in an unrecognizable murmur.

 

“I...ov ou.”

 

“What?”

 

“I ov ou.”

 

“You Dove me?”

 

“No. I..I love you.” At first she didn’t believe me, completely taking the confession as another intended joke.

 

“No seriously, what is it? Wait, you’re...you’re serious? You really love me, me? But I’m just a peasant.”

 

“No, no you’re not a peasant. You’re the most beautiful, supportive, caring women I’ve ever met, and I’m not ashamed to say that.”

 

“I love you too Roscoe, and now I understand. I really, really hate the fact that you don’t want me to come, but I guess now I see the worry in your voice. I’ll go, but promise me, please promise me, you’ll come back home.”

 

“Yes, I promise, and I’m bringing that G.E.C.K with me. And, maybe, we can celebrate if you know what I mean!”

 

“Oh I know what you mean, and I happily oblige!”

And as a final act of goodbye, we made out then and there in front of everyone, oblivious, however, since we were caught up in the moment.

 

“Roscoe! Roscoe stop! You dog!”

 

“What’s mommy doing?” Molly wondered to Sandra as they watched us.

 

“Them? Oh they’re...they’re fighting over some gum you see. Yeah that’s right Eve show him, oh, oh, good one Roscoe, good one! Heh, heh oh boy.” The ferry man, spying on the show, grew impatient.

 

“Hey! Romeo and Juliet, I’ve got a schedule to maintain, so if you two would stop saying goodbye and board already, then I can move on with my pathetic life.”

 

“Sorry my good man, I was just finishing up.”

 

“Sure, whatever. Americans...” As we pulled away, Eve frowned.

 

“Well, this is it. Good luck, stay safe.”

 

“Always.” She walked up to the Desert Skimmer, sat down, and smiled at me.

 

“I love you.” She called out.

 

“I love you too.” I responded back, waving to her as she vanished behind the dunes and into the sunrise of the newborn morning, giving the man the caps, thanks to Sandra, and taking my place on the ferry and awaiting my arrival in California.

 

This was first time I laid my gentle eyes on the Pacific Ocean, any ocean to be exact, and as anticipated, it was nothing like the old tales.

 

The old tales spoke of giant bodies of water that were blue, and salty, and that was true, but it had no real description behind it. The Pacific was much more than a hydrated, moving behemoth; it was also a gentle giant. Sure I was aware of the dangers, but that clear afternoon presented such a touch of serenity, that one just couldn’t wrap their mind around such worries. The cool sensation received as I stroked my hand against its watery surface, the salty tang reminding you of a better time, and the calm back and forth movements and their play fighting of splashes, all a new and enjoyable experience, even if irradiated.

 

My time at sea was short, but in that brief time all to myself, something surfaced that I hadn’t really thought of. What would be next?

Even if this mission was successful, even if I rebuilt the world from its knees, where would I go from there? Where would I take Eve and Molly in the new world ahead? I couldn’t return to the vault, to the old life I once thrived on while others were dying, that life was long behind me. The only real concept I didn’t learn, the same lack of knowledge me and everyone else all had in common, was that after our garden world had been revived, how would we adapt? All the people that lived before the war, other than ghouls(People horribly irradiated which have caused them to live for centuries.), the people who remember the grass, and the trees that lived alongside them; have long died, the world has mostly forgotten these memories. How would we build our new shelters, how would we evolve mentally to find food in places that haven’t been available to search for before, how would we change? These were difficult questions to answer, but that same light guided the way, and for humanity to unite as one, we had to find it.

 

And as the ferry slowly approached the mucky shores of California, the centuries old and dead state of the west, I was finally at the doorstep of Brotherhood territory, the place where the organization got its foothold only days after the Great War first began. It was time to get the G.E.C.K once and for all, and I wouldn’t let the world down.

 

Gathering my things, and taking a deep, emotional breath, I stepped off the ramp of the tiny, rotten vessel, and into the place of soon to be history.

 

A thick fog greeted me in those first hours, as I followed my digital map to the stronghold. It was very hot in these parts when daylight lingered around, so I was forced to travel by night, a very risky and cold decision. Travel at night, alone with only a laser rifle and my allied A.I buried deep in the wires and gears of the Pipboy, wasn’t really helping, but that thought in the back of my mind, the one where I could start a family of my own with Eve and Molly in a better life, kept me going in the frozen dunes.

 

California was nothing like I expected; it was truly a dull and dead land. For most of that three day walk, I saw little signs of a past civilization, only a half buried lighthouse, and a weathered toy factory hinted at this notion.

 

The creatures here too, were unforgiving. Giant geckos, buff moths, and deadly beetles, hid beneath the sands, hunting at night in ferocious packs at the most unexpected times, in ambushes too many times to count. But at least they made hunger an impossibility.

 

But perhaps the most notable discoveries made in California, was the still present evidence of a war centered society. Not only did I see the SAMS that were promised to be here, but also tank and airplane factories, and even an out of service, atomic facility. These were dark buildings, with sinister purposes, proof that desperate times were part of these people before their untimely demise.

 

Although the buildings and their contents were in no shape to be used, even after 500 years of preservation, the SAMS were still scanning the sky for any metallic composition that flew. Each one had eight, double chambers, able to release a deadly cloud of 16 missiles at a time. Only an expertise in the ways of flight, such as Sandra, could make it through here safely, but the stakes were too high to consider such an action.

 

On that third day, at around 6:15 A.M, we arrived in the sights of the Stronghold, overlooking it from a series of hills and overgrown dunes. But as we began to climb down, the Earth shook. California was known for its constant earthquakes as it was positioned near the Ring Of Fire were such natural devastation was as frequent as the rising sun. But this wasn’t the cause of an Earthquake, something else was generating this. As I struggled to hold my balance, Alas picked up abnormal readings emitting from the area.

 

“MR. Vitoli, I am detecting a series of radioactive waves coming from within the Stronghold unlike any my detectors were designed to pick up. Whatever they are doing in there, it is causing a massive energy consumption wave that is affecting matter all around it.”

 

I immediately faced the source, alarmed at what I was witnessing.

 

“No.” I whispered under my breath, “It can’t be.”

Suddenly, an enormous, rapidly approaching wall of blue, exploded from the stronghold in all directions.

 

“MR. Vitoli, we need to find cover at once.” Alas advised, “That blast will kill any living creature within its radius.”

Instinctively, I dashed from atop the hill for anyplace that could shield us from the field only seconds away, tripping and tumbling into the sands below.

 

“To your left MR. Vitoli is a cave.” Alas claimed, “It is deep enough to protect you while the blast passes over. Quickly, you don’t have much time.”

Racing against the clock, and the dark enveloping my sights, I burrowed myself into the mentioned cave, crawling furiously throughout its dirt walls.

 

Rocks and dirt derailed from the ceiling, burying me as the cave shook. When Alas approved that conditions were safe enough to once again go outside, my worst fear, which was a result of this chaotic encounter, had been realized.

 

The last known G.E.C.K in existence...had been activated.

 

I looked around demoralized at the green planes, and baby blue Pacific, weeping in defeat as the first, clean rain in five hundred years, ripped out my heart with the pitter patter of its fall. We were too late.

 

“MR. Vitoli?” Alas called as she noticed the release of my brown tears. “Are you alright?”

 

“No Alas.” I responded heavily, “I am not. It’s over...we failed. Now...now the Earth is forever doomed, all because of my blunder. I was foolish, I let love get in the way of the only thing that mattered. If I could have let go, if I would have just listened...everything would be different.”

 

“It’s not your fault...”

 

“YES IT IS! I DIDN’T THINK THIS THROUGH, I DIDN”T TAKE FULL EFFECT OF THE CONSEQUENCES. AND NOW LOOK...look what the outcome was. Let’s just go back to D.C., there’s no point in being here.”

 

“The Brotherhood of Steel has air transportation that could do just that. If that’s what you really want.”

I started off towards the Stronghold as I answered her.

 

“Yes, that’s what I want...to go home.”

Heeding the unbearable thought of guilt ransacking my mind, I walked up to the gates of the men responsible for a dead race, for a dead world.

 

At instant sight, they seized me by the arms, removed my possessions other than my armor, and chained me, taking me away within their home. But I didn’t care, imprisonment was just what I deserved, and a life spent locked away was just the dept I owed to this apocalypse, but an eternity in hell was my preferment.

 

But they didn’t take me to be imprisoned; they took me to who was in charge of them all. The white “Shining knights in armor” as most people referred to them as (not so much of their deeds, it was because of their white armor.) brought me to a room in view of the reborn state below. Viewing this was the commander of the entire Brotherhood.

 

“Hello...Mr. Vitoli.” He greeted in suspense as he turned away from the light of morning, “It is so good to see that disgusting face of yours.”

 

“How do you know my name?” I demanded as I resisted the pull of his men.”

 

“You don’t recognize me do you? It’s me...Richard.”The name was a complete twist; irony in its glory.

 

“Richard Nelen? My coworker?”

 

“Oh Roscoe, don’t call me Nelen, call me Richard...Richard the Lion Heart. Soon that name will be shouted in the streets to come.”

 

“You!” I accused, “You’re the one that did all this, you activated it didn’t you!”

 

“Oh Roscoe, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” He lied as he lit his cigarette, pacing around the room.

 

“Dammit Richard, you know what I’m talking about!”

 

“What? You mean that insignificant, heap of trash you call cutting edge technology?”

 

“If the G.E.C.K was so insignificant then why did you steal it from me and take away the world’s only chance for survival?”

 

“Survival? That’s funny coming from your mouth.” He said angrily, “Considering how you left me to perish in that F*****g vault alone!”

 

“I didn’t leave you to die Richard! I had no idea you were still alive.”

 

“Oh yeah, but the Brotherhood did. They gave me a home, took me under their wing, and when that dumb ass Elder trusted me as his champion, I stole the life from his body. You see, he told me that he found the G.E.C.K you were so caught up on taking with your grubby fingers, and planned to give the world life. But when I arrived hours after the raid, after the Enclave took it for themselves, that little Darleen of yours was fooled into thinking the Brotherhood would use it for their purposes. So, using this as an excuse, I stabbed the man in the back, and did what D.C. feared, and now, Civilization will have its first, returning dictator.”

 

“Richard you don’t understand, the G.E.C.K is unstable even after it’s been used. If the entire surface of the planet isn’t affected by its life giving power, then the area that has been terraformed will eventually die.”

 

“Oh Roscoe, always the one to doubt. Take him away.”

As they pulled me through the door, I lashed out at him in vain.

 

“It’s your fault Richard; Satin will welcome you to the gates of hell. He will! I swear it!”

 

“Tah, tah Roscoe.” He said, puffing the smoke from his mouth into my face, “I’ve got a world to recruit.”

 

Dragging me against my will down prison cells full of excited, screaming victims, I finally accepted the idea that it was over, that all I had worked so hard to accomplish, was just a fantasy.

 

They say that even in the darkest of situations, a light always surfaces, but this didn’t seem to be one of those situations. After all, I was in the most tightly guarded complex in the remnants of America, miles away from help and under the iron fist of a man gone mad. But even in this time where hope for the future had been lost, I was again given another chance as I fell to the floor, freed from my capture as one of the men was shot in the head by his companion.

 

I looked up at the face of my captor, only to bring a smile to my face as she removed her helmet.

 

“Darleen.” I said surprised, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Saving your ass.” She replied wittingly. “I don’t have time to go into detail. Just follow me before you blow my cover.”

Placing her helmet back on, and taking me by the hand, she led me to the science section of the facility, sneaking past security at every turn.

 

Soon, we came to a single room where a black watch rested in observation, opening as Darleen slid the lock with a pass card. Immediately after entering, three scientists attempted to contain us, only to be gunned down by my ruthless guide.

 

Acting fast, she placed it around my free arm.

 

“Listen carefully. This watch will help you find another G.E.C.K.” She explained.

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’s a time travel watch. It can bring you to any point in history you choose. Just simply insert the time period and press this button here.”

 

“Will it work?”She turned at me hesitantly.

 

“There’s no guarantee, it’s never been tested by the Brotherhood. The risks are tremendous. Dimension and time maroonment, split atoms...”

 

“Wait, dimensions?”

 

“Yes, it can transport you to any dimension beyond the fifth, allowing you to use it as a sling shot to take you back or take you too another time. Yet lived or not. But this is your last chance, you can do this, and that is why you must go.”

She inserted an unknown period, and pressed the button.

 

The clock began to release a sound of high pitched noise, followed by a green light.

 

“Good luck Roscoe.”

 

“Wait, wait! What time am I visiting?”But she just stood there as every particle in my body dissolved; shot at super speeds in a random direction.

 

The visuals where blurry, but I could make out a tunnel that my body was traveling in, like a wormhole in time. The clock began to flash red, beeping continuously before the tunnel opened, landing me in a time long forgotten.

 

Rome. The last days of the empire: It was night when I arrived. Two armies fighting, killing. Blasts of fire, boulders flying through the air...a flash.

 

America, the revolution: Guns are fired, blood is being spilled. It is daylight, bodies line the forest floor, battle cries are heard...a flash.

 

Unknown time period: Daylight, an aggressive ringing in my ear...stability.

 

I at last came to the age Darleen sent me, but I was still not aware where I was. And then I saw myself in a large city, wandering about people in well dressed clothing.

 

They were Americans.

 

And then came the news from a nearby T.V. in a restaurant to my left.

 

“Hello America and good morning. I'm Judy Reeth and today is October 23rd...2077.”

[Keanumoreira]

(Short I know. Just bear with me, I’m having a hard time with this chapter and I wanted to give something after all this time.)

 

Chapter 6: The day the bombs fell

 

I bolted inside the cafe, running up to the T.V in complete disbelief.

 

“WHAT! TODAY IS WHAT?” I screamed, pounding the machine like a blood lust savage.

 

The owner of the shop took me by the arm, holding me back before I could do significant damage.

 

“What the hell is the matter with you kid?”He scolded as I attempted to push back his muscular arms.

 

“Get off of me!” I demanded, “I’m not a kid, I’m a full grown adult!”

 

“So saids the pipsqueak who decided to barge in and dismantle my establishment!”He threw me into the street, yelling,

“Why don’t you gaze into that puddle next to you and tell me that’s not a boy!” He slammed the café door shut, putting up a sign to discourage further distractions.

 

NO KIDS ALLOWED

 

“What an ass…”

 

And by complete mistake, I saw my reflection in that noted puddle, and he was right. I didn’t resemble the man I left from the future as; I resembled a ten year old boy that I’ve never even seen before.

 

My brown hair was now the new black, my eyes a different shade of color, and my armor replaced with a simple T shirt and blue jeans. These civilized clothes hadn’t been worn since this day ended, and I was very well going to join the Trillions in their unmarked graves.

 

The pipboy, still locked firmly around my wrist, radiated the voice of the futuristic Darleen.

 

“Roscoe can you hear me?”

 

“Yes, loud and clear.” I responded, putting my face to the Pipboy.

 

“Good, good. Are you alright, is everything ok?”

 

“No!” I made clear, “Everything is not ok. First of all, I’m not even myself; I’m the figure of a ten year old boy! Second, you sent me back the day the Great War began. What were you thinking? You couldn’t have sent me back further?”

 

“Roscoe, I told you the moment before you departed that this was the only option of obtaining the kit, there is no other time period I can send you to that you acquire another one without disrupting the timeline.”

 

“I think it’s a little too late for that.”

 

“WHY! WHAT DID YOU DO?” The thunder of her vocalization caused me to fly into a crowd of people, knocking over a news stand onto my little body.

 

Everyone went about their business, brushing themselves off, and mumbling in annoyance.

 

“Damn Darleen! Warn me the next time you feel the urge to yell directly into my ear.”

 

“Roscoe this isn’t a joke. What did you do?”

 

“Well, upon arriving, I came into contact with a restaurant owner, and caught the attention of a few people.”

 

She breathed a sigh of relief, “Nothing to be concerned about. But we don’t have time to mingle in the past; it won’t be too long before the first bomb is dropped in D.C. It’s already too late for the west.”

 

“Already? Dear god, it's started. Where do I go, where is the G.E.C.K”

 

“Simple. Up the road is where all G.E.C.Ks were manufactured and distributed throughout the nation. Vault-Tec Head quarters. According to the time period charts, the last G.E.C.K is nearly completion now due to a delay in the creation process. This last kit was meant to be sent to Vault 101 just outside Megaton, but never left the building until somewhere in the 2400’s. That must have been the series of events that would eventually lead it into Brotherhood occupation. There’s no telling what in time we may alter, but it’s the only way we’ll live normal lives."

As Darleen was finishing, the lights from inside every building around me began to dim, and that same T.V. from within the café reached a channel of static.

 

“Hey what happened to the power?”One of the residents shouted, as dozens of people came out from these complexes. My chest quivered as even the Pipboy was having a hard time staying active.

 

“Darleen what’s happening?”

 

“You have to hurry Roscoe, the entire nation is already receiving rolling blackouts as god knows how many cities are falling.”

 

“How much time until nuclear fall?” I asked, as I started down the road.

 

“Calculated time…Less than one hour.”And with that, I sprinted to Vault-Tec facilities, watching as a teasing storm approached from the North, foreshadowing what was to come.

[Herculine]

This is excellent! It's in the wee hours of the morning where I am now, so descriptive words are escaping me, but this really is an amazingly well-written work! I look forward to seeing the rest of it!

[Keanumoreira]

This is excellent! It's in the wee hours of the morning where I am now, so descriptive words are escaping me, but this really is an amazingly well-written work! I look forward to seeing the rest of it!

 

I appreciate your compliments, thank you. If I may ask little fairy, how far in the story are you?

[Keanumoreira]

The rising skyscrapers, the well paved roads; black gold in their right, the thriving grass, the well dressed people and the upper class; the collage of a utopia, of the perfect society. It was here in D.C., centuries from home, multiple time ripples from Eve and Molly, that I discovered the world I always wanted, and if I really wanted to, and I REALLY wanted to, then I could forget my past, forget my relationships…and stay. Luckily I wasn’t naïve, like that fool Richard who became indulged in his own selfish desires.

 

But in this age of speed and corruption, how could you focus on such unpleasant people, and on crucial tasks, when there’s a place, another dimension that you never thought of visiting, but knew it was there, that you could stroll through, that you could touch, that you could feel, that you could taste, smell, and hear…and that you could overcome with the two most deadly combinations around your wrist. How? Simply how? How could you not bask in the presence of such divine and narcotic presences of the modern computer, of the sleek automobile, of the non infested, clear of radiation, pampered animals that tickle your feet as they smell them, and grace your face as they kiss them. Who wouldn’t enjoy the milky cream of coffee to your left as its smell welcomes you, or the crusty tang of an apple pie, as American as America and its people, tugging at your hand, or the ripe calling of a fruit stand that begs for a taste...just a simple, innocent...taste…

 

Who wouldn’t?

 

That answer is obvious...

 

Me.

 

It’s always me.

 

The me inside who is struggling to break free and just taste, for once, what life was once like. How civilization, before it declined from its peak, treated those who built it from the ground up. Like always I couldn’t enjoy it, not even for a brief second. That art show I pass, that pizzeria I leave in dust, even a simple newspaper hugging the street. All I must never meet.

 

It wasn’t just a disappointment to rush through the past to which I could allow it to swallow me whole like krill against the whale; it was also a soul twister. How a person as passionate as me about this age can’t be cut from his chain to even taste artificially, colored water as beholding as the sun, or pick the sweet daisy off of one’s yard that shouts I’m beautiful, or to peek into the shops for one second and to browse their extensive stock, or to risk the entanglement of the precious timeline, and risk the future of all.

 

And as my steps neared Vault Tec, as history was being made, I looked back at that peaceful setting, knowing that in only a couple of minutes, it would forever be lost.

 

Pushing aside this mirage of that claimed personal freedom, I made my way to the entrance of the G.E.C.K’s abode, only to be halted by a fat security guard.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think you’re going sport? This is an adult only facility.” He tantalized as he pushed me back via my stomach, chuckling as crumbs from his jelly filled doughnut, trickled to my feet.

 

“Move it bozo!” I insulted, using his sick addiction against him, “I have to get inside!”

 

“Look, kid. Why don’t you go crawl on a jungle gym like a monkey and scram. Unless you’re on the fieldtrip, I can’t grant you access.” That’s when the light bulb moment flickered in my mind.

 

“Uhhh, yes, yeah I’m on the field trip.” He crossed his arms suspiciously.

 

“Oh yeah, then where’s the buses, and the teachers, and the other annoying brats who got me to work on my free day?”

 

“They should be here any moment. I arrived early because of how enthusiastic I was on taking a tour of this dump...I...I mean this respectable establishment.” The guard lifted his head, still not sure whether to believe the seemingly truthful child wanting to open the doors behind him.

 

“Hmmmm. Alright, fine, you can go in. But if I hear a peep out of you, I’m kicking you out capishe?

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Good. Now beat it shrimp.”

 

I happily marched into Vault Tech, smiling in triumph knowing that I outwitted security, and the charming, devilish incarnate of a ten year old boy didn’t hurt either.

 

Upon entry, it was easy to see why one could get easily overwhelmed in Vault-Tech HQ considering how busy the lobby was. There were people, both scientists and those who were not, probably other employees, all over the place. Some were delivering supplies such as wires and chemicals for the complex technologies, down to the little things like coffee to be brought to the lazy managers who didn’t have the common sense to get it themselves. The amount of chattering was staggering, blocking even the normal speech tone of one’s voice, the only way to counter this was to screech like a banshee or perhaps to use a safety siren. But all this commotion was a fortunate advantage to the current state to which my body was fixed, meaning that I could slip pass all these people, and locate the kit before even a whiff of my appearance could be made. But which direction was the right one?

 

“Alas can you hear me?” I called over the vocalization of the pressing crowd.

 

“Hardly.” She responded, “Make your way to the nearest bathroom. Here, I will pinpoint it on the Pipboy.” Pushing myself through the thick mass of moving flesh, I secretly positioned myself in a bathroom stall, making sure no one else was sharing the room with me.

 

With the coast clear, I allowed Alas to continue.

 

“Alright Alas, can you find the kit?”

 

“Yes, but it is currently under heavy surveillance. In order to complete the objective, you will need to undergo three separate tasks. First and foremost, you need to deactivate the security cameras and sensors. Second, all remaining electrical activity needs to be cut to avoid detection. And last, you’ll have to find an alternative route into where the kit is being held. Because of electrical failure, the entrance to the room will no longer function, but I am sure I will find a way for you to bypass this issue. We must act immediately, D.C. has already been targeted for communist assault, our window of opportunity is swiftly closing.”

 

“Then where to first?”

 

“The first target is on the second floor two doors down to the right via the guide I will present you. Reach this destination and I will further instruct you.” Carefully preventing the attraction of the staff, I snuck up the stairs to the second story, entering the second door down. Inside was Vault Tech’s surveillance center, with a napping guard “Overseeing” the building.

 

Creeping my way in, I had a look at all these monitors displaying each room, including the one where the G.E.C.K was stored.

 

“There it is.” I noted.

 

“Mr. Vitoli, please reframe from the computers and place your attention on my instructions.” Alas asked, “Now, place your hands on the keyboard and type in Vault Tec Camera system shut down sequence initiation.”

 

POWERING DOWN

 

The words skimmed across the screen as the code was entered, causing every sensor and detector to become inactive, further advancing our progress.

 

With that out of the way, Alas led me to Vault Tec’s third story to complete the next goal without an eye on every wall to threaten us. Coming to the fourth hallway, and the first door down, we discovered the hub of all electrical support on every floor in the building, screwed onto the bottom of one of the walls. But this task was a little tricky. Although we thought every sensor had been decommissioned, we didn’t anticipate one to be built into the mainframe, which Alas notified once I removed the panel and was required to cut two of the three wires and switch their input. If the wrong one was cut, all of Vault Tech would know. With sweaty fingers, I used the Pipboys laser system to cut the Blue and the Red wire without tripping the alarm, and switched them, watching as every light and the drone of computers and other electrical equipment, ceased in their tracks.

 

“Lead me to the G.E.C.K.” I whispered to Alas in the dark, worried that our chance could be compromised.

 

“Of course, but...”

 

“But what?” I discontinued, not allowing her to explain. “We’ve done everything, let’s just go already.”

 

“Mr. Vitoli, I understand your emotions are getting the best of you, but I really must tell you...” I interrupted again without the slightest ounce of patience.

 

“Enough Alas! We don’t have time for this! Just tell me where the kit is.”

 

“Very well Mr. Vitoli, if you insist.” The green light of the Pipboy illuminated the aphotic area, allowing my eyes to adjust.“Follow this purple trail I have lined on the ground.” The quoted trail graced from around my wrist, resting royally before me as if it contained a civil personality. Alas went on,

 

“This trail will lead you right to the desired room, without the worry of followers as long as you hurry.” Chasing after the trail away from the mainframe, we played follow the leader as I ran after it into the halls, nearly losing my balance on the stairs, and running into a janitors cart which rolled down the hall and exploded in a hail of cleaning supplies and a foul gas.

 

Other obstructions included an actual person who didn’t have the interest to pursue, an abandoned computer in the middle of the hall which met the tip of my shoe and went soaring adjacent to me and fell three story’s from a railing and crashed into the secretaries desk, followed by screams, a box of light bulbs that I also met which created a glass minefield, a soda can that lost a few pounds after direct contact, and a mop that gripped my foot and forced me to the ground. A busy day no doubt. But after the Vault Tec test that had me tumbling, paranoid, and stressed with the combination of limited view, at long last we found that final door as indicated by my disintegrating guide. But as Alas had warned, it was sealed shut without the aid of the modern touch.

 

“Alas it’s locked.” I complained as I tried to force the knob.

 

“I’m aware of that Mr. Vitoli, I am attempting to find another way in as I said before...”

 

“Well?”

 

“Give me second, it takes time to reboot the schematics and to scan them...Ah, it seems that I’ve found one entrance. The only way in is to crawl through a vent on the other side of this hallway. It is located in room 302, and the vent itself is located near the floor. It is a prime design flaw that appears to have never been suspected to be used for a room breach down to tight security. I would have thought Vault Tech, knowing their history with the Vaults, would be much more vigilant and wise with their planning.”

 

As Alas was concluding her opinions, I made my way into room 302, prying apart the hinges with my bare hands, and kicking a hole in the door in this very spot, expanding the wooden wound until I could unlock it from the other side. Wiping away the wood in my path, I smashed the vent open and threw it aside, getting on my knees and dragging myself towards the light flowing in from in front of me, revealing a well lit environment due to the numerous windows sharing the same space. And there we met again, through a fantastic series of events and a plunge in time; the Garden Of Eden Creation Kit welcoming my visit as it sat proud and firm in a display case.

 

But something distracted me out of the corner of my eye, compelling me to face the windows. Through their transparent faces, I could see the crowded streets below, and that time of rush hour, when every car on the road came to a sudden stop, with their masters freeing their hands from the steering wheel, exiting their vehicles, and pointing to the sky as a fleet of intimidating planes approached from the distance.

 

That’s when I remembered what date it was.

 

“Oh my god.” I said in a daunting manner, “Alas! Alas! It isn’t what I think it is...is it?”

 

“I’m afraid so Mr. Vitoli, time is up.” These words hammered their way into my head, as the threat of nuclear infringement was on its way.“I tried to warn you.” She reminded as I was trapped in my own fear, “But you just wouldn’t listen.”

 

“F**K! Oh god, oh god! Alas quick, activate the watch while I obtain the kit!"

 

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”I clutched my nails around the Pipboys screen in aggravation.

 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S NOT POSSIBLE?” The next sentence she said chilled my heart,

 

“The watch needs one more hour to recharge.”

 

“WHAT! Why didn’t anyone tell me about this earlier?”

 

“Mr. Vitoli this is no time to panic.” She calmed, “What’s important is that you don’t become a bundle of charred remains.” BOOM!

 

The building began to shake and sway as the brightest light I have ever laid my eyes on, thousands of times more powerful than the sun, was unleashed from downtown as an enormous mushroom cloud blanketed the impact zone. The windows shattered, and its supporting wall burst forth from its position in a traumatic clash from the resulting sound wave, blasting my ear drums and crippling me in a harrowing, nerve wrenching shock. Vault Tec HQ continued to shake, until the G.E.C.K room tipped towards where the windows once hanged. I hung on to the display case shielding the kit, tumbling backwards as the glass gave way and down into the war torn streets. But before this hell would see my demise, I reached out for the peg of a desk protruding from the second story which became locked on a window panel, saving me from a nasty fall. Sliding down from my safety “rope”, the G.E.C.K. fell to a violent flight below, but at the last second I caught it before time could best me again.

 

“Dammit! I came too far and have done too much to go out like this! I will not die!” But my words became challenged as a fighter jet fell from the sky, destroyed by the enemy and took a dive directly towards me.

 

And there I watched, barely clinging to life as a war broke out around me, helpless as the most unforgiving stroke of bad luck hurdled towards the second floor.

[Keanumoreira]

They say that when death is truly imminent, when that one person believes with all their flesh and blood, and with every fiber coursing through them, that their life flashes before their eyes. But on that hellish day, when fire rained from the sky, my life stood where it always did, to itself, unwilling to present itself. So as I hung in place with my eyes squinted shut, awaiting instant ascension into the afterlife, I thought not of my past, not of my family, but of where this universe would take me next. Yet as I was expecting a fatal impact, nothing happened.

 

My eyes opened to the heated sky unburdened by that fighter jet, finding that in a miracle of a tremendous feat, the jet crashed into a different building, just a few blocks North East of my position. To this day I still haven’t figured out what caused my survival. Maybe it was God, or these aliens Sandra speaks of, or maybe it just my damn day. But whatever saved me from yet another delay of Oblivions grasp, it guaranteed my escape from the ruined Vault-Tec Facilities.

 

Throwing the G.E.C.K over my shoulder and onto the face of the desk, I inched my way towards the exposed window, but fate had other plans.

 

It began to rain.

 

The heavy invasion of turbulent water seemed almost like an ambush, smearing the tar of leftover ash in my every waking direction. The river of black heaved at my hands, causing me to slip back towards the inner pits below. Frantically, I attempted to fight against this simplest of enemies, but the force of nature won that day, and banished me and the kit to the center of the D.C siege.

 

Thrust down two stories freely, and landing in the trash of a forgotten trash truck, I brushed myself of the grim and muck sticking to my clothes, to learn that the kit had eluded my possession yet again, falling into the hands of the U.S Army. The angle of the fall had caused it to be flung into the back of an army truck, rapidly vanishing down the road.

 

Using my wit, and the dominance of technology, I blasted my way to the same breed of vehicle my precious machine was taken by, forcing the pedal and announcing my speed in a fury to all as I chased after the accelerating U.S. troops.

 

The only understanding I had of driving was like comparing it to a new born trying to make his first steps, and a crash course with the makeshift Desert Skimmer some five hundred years yet to be lived didn’t prepare for a concentrated, missile launching, bullet hulling, explosion filled nightmare while searching for a needle in a haystack. And yet the only things I was hitting were trashcans, numerous debris, and some Chinese communists. Not bad for a first timer who can hardly see over the driving wheel wouldn’t you agree?

 

After fifteen minutes of dodging destruction, and a heart attack, the U.S truck came into my sights once again, and this time these receptors were locked firmly on nothing else. But with no guns, little armor, a time watch, and a time ridden Pipboy, how does a ten year old figure take down specially trained men and women, the best in the world trained on Spartan war tactics? Easy, you ram them. But the only problem with that is that they open fire, a lot. But with the road nearly out of my sights, they wouldn’t be making a headshot anytime soon. And with a little patience, and determination, my reward was a tipped over U.S truck that unexpectedly backfired on me and took me with it. As my targets soared to the right from the cracked highway of 106, the front bumper of my truck was caught in the back of theirs, sending the both of us spiraling down a hill, though a thick overgrowth of foliage that perhaps slowed our advance down, and into a hardy, violent stop into the side of a silo. But cushioned by the airbags, the advantage of a minuscule body, and without a scratch to be seen or felt, I emerged from the wreckage ready to claim my prize. Assuming the troops had perished; I took the G.E.C.K, their guns and bullet proof armor, and started up the hill in search of shelter. And that’s when I realized that this was only the beginning.

 

As I checked the time watch for full charge, more bombs began dropping all over the remains of D.C.

 

“Mr. Vitoli.” Alas said in a troubling tone, “It isn’t over. According to statistics, the war is in its second stage. This is where most of the bombs, most of them the deadliest in the most notorious arsenals known to mankind, will begin falling in a radius from here to New York City. Absolutely nothing will be left alive other than Vault residents and lucky humans.” I looked up from afar as more planes began to arrive from the West, blasting the ground with heavy explosives.

 

“What do we do? We have another thirty minutes before we can jump back to the present.”

 

“There’s only one thing we can do Mr. Vitoli. Until the watch is ready, we have to run. We can’t stop for anything; our best chance for survival is to keep running and to not look back.” Picking up the kit from the iron rich mud, and hotwiring a nearby vehicle with Alas’s help, we headed off in a random direction, following the birds into the unknown.

 

“What’s the best way to go?” I asked, constantly poking my out of the car and scanning the sky’s for Chinese planes.

 

“Your best bet is to head West Mr. Vitoli. Although planes are flying in from this direction, it is likely they will not see us, and because the land there is already barren, we don’t need to worry about getting hit by the fray.”Turning around, and heading west, it was ironic that even in the past, we still found it the beacon of life for all.

 

Alas was right about going towards the Pacific. Countless planes flew overhead in their destination to finish off the East, but no spotted the tiny red car zooming into the wilderness of a no man’s land. It wasn’t until our ordeal was nearly over that we discovered we were wrong.

 

“Five minutes until power up, and no sign of aggression. We might just make it out of here after all Alas.” But she found my excitement to be disturbing.

 

“Don’t be so cocky Mr. Vitoli.” She nagged, “Remember that we are still in mortal danger until we return to 2502.”

 

“Alas you’ve got to relax.” I offered, “The sky is clear, and all is quiet. What could possibly go wrong?”

 

BOOM!

 

The car threatened to flip as pockets of missiles exploded off the side of the road, accompanied by the just as terrifying, legion of machine gun bullets firing faster the speed of sound.

 

“That.” Alas gloated.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t rub it in.” I jerked the steering wheel to lead the car in the opposite lane from where the ammunition was landing, but as the road in front of us was being bombed off, another alternative needed to be explored.

 

“Hang on Alas!” I said as I drove the car off the highway, “We’re taking a detour.”

 

“Another one? Well you don’t have to worry about me, I’m firmly built into four sections, screwed together by…”

 

“This is no time to be acting like a smart ass!” I complained, as I struggled to maintain the balance of the metal death trap we found ourselves in.

 

The Communists relentlessly bombarded everything in their path towards us, conjuring up a storm of sand and grain that concealed the windshield.

 

“I can’t see, I can’t see!”The car began to shake as we drove over bumpy terrain, blowing out one of the front tires located near the driver’s side.

 

As our path became ever so treacherous, large groups of rocks began to impale our moving bunker, and it was only a matter of time before the back window gave way, letting in the swarm of metal chasing after us. To make matters worse, the engine itself blew out, and it was virtually pointless to even try to drive anymore.

 

“Who designed this piece of crap?” I cried in vain, as all but one tire blew out. “This is crazy, we’ll never make it!”The car’s speed gradually ceased until we came to a gentle stop, officially declaring us as sitting ducks.

 

I huddled beneath the seat as it was shredded to bits, protecting my head from any falling projectiles. And then finally, I heard the words I’ve been waiting for.

 

POWERUP COMPLETED!

 

And not a minute too soon.

 

As the watch was accepting my input codes and searching for the time of choice, my eyes widened as if they were going to jump out of their sockets and into my lap as I watched an atom bomb drop from the belly of one of the planes.I scrambled for the button, wasting no time to press it.

 

“These guys will stop at nothing to execute their victims!”

 

CLICK!

 

A flash, the echo of the detonation traveling with us, the screams of history enveloping us, a humid breeze, a tropical forest.

Earth, 65 million years in the past: Dinosaurs roaring at every turn, the screeches of agonizing death, a rock streaks across the sky, impact, fire, death, a flash.

 

The sounds of seagulls, the smell of the sea, the light of the sun, the wet of the water.

The Atlantic Ocean, 1492: The endless water, the salty waves, a passing ship, sailors, land, America, a flash.

 

Endless black, weightlessness, trouble breathing

Space, July 20th, 1969: a lone rocket ship, the moon, a human, the American flag, a flash.

 

Air, sand, blazing heat, familiar surroundings, a flash…

 

Home.

 

Still in the dead, red vehicle, we fell from the opening in time, landing in the cooked dirt of our time period.Kicking the door open and steeping out with the G.E.C.K in hand, I cheered like trumpets of joy.

 

“We did it…Heh…we did it. Ha, ha, WE DID IT! YES!”Coming to join the celebration was that very phantom that still managed to keep her butt intact, marching in with a proud smile on her face.

 

“Roscoe! Roscoe!” Darleen called, locking me in her arms with as much happiness as a pumped up five year old. “You did it; I can’t believe that actually worked! Just imagine the world we will resurrect!”

 

“I can hardly believe it myself!” I agreed, “But what about you, how did you escape?”

 

“Me? It was nothing. What? You thought I was an ordinary scientist? Yep, just fought my way out, unfortunately that rat Richard fled into the wastes before I could get to him. Keep an out because I fear we haven’t seen the last of him.”

 

“We’ll get him, don’t you worry. Speaking of which I can see that California dried up. Looks like we did change something after all.”

 

“Not only that.” Darleen added, “But because of your actions back in 2077, one major city in Nevada has seen a rapid change as well.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, it used to be a run down, post metropolis, like D.C of today. But whatever you did back then must have given the city a warning and managed to steer the Chinese invaders away from it. Good thing too because it could have the supplies we need to finish the kit.”

 

“Finish?”

 

“Yes Roscoe, finish. I told you that there was a delay in its construction, so it’s up to us to complete it. I’ll explain in detail once we reach Nevada. Common, I’ve got a Vertibird I stole from the Brotherhood all fired up and ready for transportation. We can stop in Nevada to finish the G.E.C.K and then head off to D.C. for activation.”

 

“Sounds like a plan.” I said as I boarded the Verti, heading off to this revived city in the desert.

 

In a little over an hour, we neared the city that would be responsible for putting the kit together in full functionality.

 

“Here it is Roscoe. Take a look down there.”

 

“Oh my God. I did this?”

 

“Yep, your actions are what made it thrive. They call it New Vegas, the city of sin, the land of devils, not much different from the past.”I stared at the cities majesty, at its skyline which was bathed in artificial light, such a rarity that two eyes today would have such an honor of seeing.

 

And there it was, waiting for me, to thank me for turning it around.

 

The city they called New Vegas.