"Blood, Sweat and Tears"

[AliasTheory]

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/imageshare/images/2144141-1285697011.png

 

This is narrative that goes alongside some images, and is a warped version of Fallout 3's storyline. There is an image every chapter (until 23) for your enjoyment and as an aid in understanding. Story sections are relatively short at first, fast-paced and divided; this can help those who like to read in multiple sittings keep track of things.

 

This story contains some consistencies from Fallout 3 in some cases and others not. You'll see when you start reading immediately. As a reader and post-apocalyptic role-playing gamer, you can being to theorize what I've left intact, what I've changed and what I've added. My goal is keep you, the reader, guessing on what will happen based on what you already know.

 

A prologue to the story here can be found on the images I-IV as labelled on my Fallout 3 Nexus imageshare. The bits are "entries" in the descriptions.

 

NOTE: THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM FALLOUT 3'S MAIN QUEST (NO BROKEN STEEL SPOILERS.)

 

If I decide to include content from Broken Steel, I'll be sure to make it clear. Thanks to UltraJet for asking and giving me the heads up.

 

------------------------------

PROLOGUE

------------------------------

 

This is all you need to really understand the story, but I recommend going back to visit the other three shots and their descriptions:

 

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/imageshare/image.php?id=17916

 

------------------------------

INDEX

------------------------------

 

Chapter 1: A Misunderstanding

Chapter 2: Blood, Sweat and Tears

Chapter 3: Enclave Escape!

Chapter 4: Reunion

Chapter 5: Fireside Chat

Chapter 6: Shock and Awe

Chapter 7: Rebirth

Chapter 8: On the Road Again

Chapter 9: Company with a "T"

Chapter 10: Home Away From Home

Chapter 11: Loss and Discovery

Chapter 12: And with Purpose

Chapter 13: No More Souls

Chapter 14: Crude Samaritan

Chapter 15: Thoughts Aloft

Chapter 16: A Two is Blue

Chapter 17: To Take Down a Sky

Chapter 18: A Blind Step Left

Chapter 19: Teatime

Chapter 20: Broadcast 31

Chapter 21: A Girl's Business

Chapter 22: Worlds on a Side

Chapter 23: Scout

Chapter 24: Uphill, Both Ways

Chapter 25: Ephemeral Memories

Chapter 26: Roll Call

Chapter 27: Bittersweet

Chapter 28: Keep the Promise

Chapter 29: Post Hoc

Chapter 30: Ergo Propter Hoc

 

-- Chapters 31 - 36 + Epilogue Synopses --

 

You may be asking, "Why the synopses?" Simply put, I'm planning to move on and not writing the rest. Am I lazy? Probably. I'm dissatisfied with what I have so far, hence my proposition. I need refinement.

 

============================

Chapter 1: A Misunderstanding

============================

 

Where am I?

 

Fighting through the pain and darkness, I steadily rise to my feet. My hands are tied together and my legs feel almost unbearable to move…yet getting up was a bit easier than I thought. Why? I blindly feel around my waist and inside my pockets, and I realize that my combat knife and my backpack are missing. And so is my gun.

 

I have nothing.

 

Groaning in frustration, I fall back on onto my knees in pain. A powerful sting shoots up through my legs, and I can only come to the conclusion that I had been shot…but not fatally, of course.

 

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” echoes a familiar voice. I hear a chair squeak and a chime of a mug as it hits a solid surface. “Hmm? That’s alright soldier, I won’t be needing any more coffee…”

 

As my vision begins to return, a tall man with a dark trench coat fades into view. I begin to see his extremely fine, brown hair and his broad nose, almost appearing to be shimmering with warmness. The calm face is almost soothing to behold, but it isn’t before long when such clarity conjures waves of memories that would have best been forgotten. I subconsciously make a fist. The pain in my legs evaporates and disappears.

 

“Autumn…AUTUMN…how...how! But you’re dead! Raven Rock…it can’t be still…” I struggle to find the words. I instinctively try to charge him, but a powerful, azure energy barrier puts my attempt to a complete halt; the barrier is as hard as a Mirelurk’s shell. He smirks as I try to cope with my pain.

 

“Yes, I know. You and your friends here destroyed Raven Rock. Blew it into a million little pieces. Were you so naïve to think that by destroying it, the Enclave would simply…disappear?”

 

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/imageshare/images/2144141-1284192500.png

 

I quickly glance around beyond the cell. This area looks exactly like Raven Rock; one couldn’t tell it apart simply from the inside. The architecture is identical; everything is dark, warm and metallic. Neon blue lights illuminate the serpentine halls outside, which are endlessly echoing with radio chatter. This is undoubtedly Enclave territory.

 

Resuming control over myself, I deeply exhale as I turn my attention back to the Colonel. “Look, I’m not going to even ask how you knew where we were going, how you survived, or how you ambushed us. Or even where the h*** we are. But the FEV virus cannot exist! The entire wasteland will perish if it were unleashed! I thought a man of your stature would at least understand that.”

 

“Oh no. I’m not here to talk about the virus,” he says lightheartedly. But if you need some assurance, it’s right here, in this room.” Reaching into his coat, Autumn pulls out a vial and swivels the appalling green concoction inside. “See, right here. No worries, boy,” he says, tucking it back inside. An inhuman rage flares up inside me. I want to explode. He’s taunting me. Teasing me.

 

“There will be no talk of the FEV strain today. I’m here to talk about Project Purity. I know you have the code. Tell me now.”

 

I glare at him quizzically. “I have not a f***ing clue what you are talking about.”

 

Defying his own faction’s technology, Colonel Autumn hits me clean across the face straight through the energy barrier.

 

“You LIAR!” he roars. His voice is so loud, it continues to resonate throughout the halls.

 

To be honest, I have not a clue what Project Purity is.

 

“I knew you would not comply,” he continues, dusting off his hands. “But I’m an impatient man. Why don’t you check under those shriveled prunes you call your feet while I get some company?” Autumn tranquilly walks out of the room, briefly stopping to pat the shoulder of the armed Enclave soldier at the door. The soldier nods in response and clicks a switch.

 

The area suddenly becomes a tad warmer. Looking down, I can see flames beginning to lick at me beneath the rusty, grated floor. They are becoming more intense by the second. I need to escape now! An adrenaline rush jogs my memory as I cleverly recall the small knife hidden in my left boot. I can feel it. At least they didn’t take that away from me. I promptly remove my footwear and carefully cut the bands binding my hands together, being sure not to drop the blade into the hellfire below. The soldier at the door (who had been watching me the entire time) simply scoffs at me through his demonic helmet. It was really a futile attempt to escape; the devil-man doesn’t care at all.

 

As I slip my boots back on, Colonel Autumn walks back in with a black-haired girl in a Vault 101 suit. He is pulling her by the earlobe, now bright with red. Turning to face me, he grunts as he quickly makes the girl follow his lead by jerking at her long ponytail. She collapses to her knees, but makes not even a whimper of pain. With a violent snapback of his hand, her graceful hair drifts away into the dark corner of the room.

 

“A little personal motivation…the youngest of the group,” he says with a wry smile. With my eyes wide open, overflowing with a fusion of shock and anger, I pound away at the wall of energy.

 

“Get away from her!”

 

Autumn only laughs. He looks back at me and notices my untied hands, but it is only enough to make him raise an eyebrow. “Ah. I see Daddy did teach you something back in the Vault after all.”

 

I never had a father.

 

Hands behind her back, the Vault girl struggles to remain upright and is likely drugged. Her eyes are filled with sorrow and seem to say, “I’m sorry.” I cannot believe she’s too weak to even cry out in pain…more proof that the Enclave is without a soul or conscience. But that’s not important; what is important is that she is part of my four-man squad; all of us are from the Vault. Upon hearing my own thoughts, I swiftly turn to see that it is true: I am only accompanied by two of my fellow Vault members. Both of their mouths are taped shut in addition to having tied hands and legs. I had been so preoccupied that I failed to realize their presence…and I suppose the Colonel only has interest in what I have to say anyway.

 

“Let’s take a walk, shall we…!” I swiftly look back outside in response.

 

Autumn walks to the other end of the room, ear in firm grip, where the remaining three of us can be seen clearly. Still, no cries of pain are heard, and my mouth resumes being wide open in astonishment. The colonel places his dark, muddy boot on her back and whips out a rather large pistol.

 

“Now,” he begins, “your little cell will begin to heat up to roughly 316 Kelvin in the next seven minutes. Tell me the code, and I’ll let all four of you free. Just like that. Try anything funny, and your friend dies. It’s that simple.” He smiles as ever calmly as before. “Your time starts now.”

 

“I DON’T KNOW YOUR STUPID CODE!” I yell. Even my squad mates stare at me and tremble in the presence of my fury.

 

“Wrong answer.”

FORWARD ---->

Edited January 22, 2012 by AliasTheory

[frobac]

An interesting story! I like the writing style and how the narrative has branched away slightly from the main quest. I'll be reading the next part in a moment, and I can honestly say I'm looking forward to it.

[AliasTheory]

You get kudos for being the only person to comment here. And a cookie. Thanks for appreciating what I write. :)

 

As mentioned...this is a slightly twisted version of Fallout 3's actual storyline. There are some consistencies such as Autumns "you liar" quote but a lot of the information one might already know is mixed around. FEV comes before Purity in this case, and the protagonist doesn't know what Project Purity is.

[AliasTheory]

<----- BACKWARD

 

============================

Chapter 2: Blood, Sweat and Tears

============================

 

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/imageshare/images/2144141-1284192778.png

 

Five minutes have passed. The cell is becoming already unbearably hot; two more minutes until the cell hits lethal temperatures. Even in my intense rage I’m not strong enough; the strength is being drained out of my body and I’m reduced back down to the hot, metal floor. With my hands on my knees, I gaze down at my feet.

 

My leather boots are slowly peeling away and dissipating into the blaze.

 

Glancing over to my teammates, I see something I have never seen through all my travels with them: tears. Tears of sadness begin to flow from their eyes, the water vaporizing on contact below. Overflowing with emotion, I touch my cheek and try to feel for my own tears.

 

…but where are they?

 

Can it be? Had I really wasted so much of my breath on Autumn that I can’t even have a decent cry with my family? We’ve gotten out of some sticky situations out in the Capital Wasteland, but it seems we are utterly trapped once and for all.

 

"Time's almost up, boy. You have a mere two minutes left. I suggest you hurry,” the Colonel reminds me.

 

“Shut up.”

 

Colonel Autumn only laughs again. Heat waves begin to distort my vision, and even Colonel Autumn’s evil face is only a blur. Or is it just the heat? Everything is beginning to fade away.

 

Looking around the room a last time, it’s true: there doesn’t seem like there is any easy way out of this. The only things within my reach are the hard, metal wall plates behind me and the grated floor. And I can’t possibly try to lie about the code; I don’t even know how many letters or numbers it could be. One simple act of dishonesty would be punished with a longer and more painful death.

 

All hope seems to be lost. There’s nothing I can do. But then I hear something ringing down those long and winding halls: voices.

 

Voices of death.

 

Deus Ex Machina…could it be?

 

Everyone in the room turns towards the door. An Enclave helmet rolls by, and both the door guard and Autumn redirect their attention to it. Seeing such an oddity obviously intrigues me as well; I squint and get my face as close as possible to the energy barrier for a better view. Suddenly, the guard at the door violently explodes into a bloody eyeball-strewn paste, guts and all, right in front of me. The wall of energy has been splattered with red, and I jerk back in surprise. As it begins to clear, it reveals someone who I hadn’t seen in a long time; someone who I had not seen in almost a year.

 

“What the hell? JERICHO? Why are YOU here!?” I just couldn’t believe it.

 

But Jericho doesn’t respond. He’s looking straight at Autumn through a weapon I had never even seen before. For the first time, I see fear in Autumn's eyes; his finger is frozen solid on the trigger. And Jericho doesn’t even give the Colonel another blink of an eye.

 

“F*** you!”

 

I cover my eyes. In a blinding flash, Colonel Autumn’s life comes to an end. When the light clears, his remains are nowhere to be seen.

 

“Jericho!”

 

“Hey kid! How the h*** do I get you out!?”

 

“Check the guard at the door!”

 

“Yeah, what guar- oh god damn it…!”

 

Jericho fumbles with the bloody remains of the devil-man to find a small, cylindrical switch on the floor. With a click of the red button, the fire below us immediately stops and the cell wall powers down. Relief at last.

 

There is not time to waste. Pulling out my hidden knife again, I begin to cut away at the ropes that bind my teammates. But we’re a bit too tired to smile, unfortunately.

 

“Jericho…how did you know? About all of us?”

 

“It’s a long story. But we’ve got to make like a tree and get the f*** out of here! This place is going to h*** in a few minutes!”

 

“That’s just great…” I utter sarcastically.

 

“Well, you better hurry the f*** up kid, ‘cause I ain’t got all day. And all of your guys’ crap is in the room right across from this s***hole.”

 

“Got it, got it.”

 

It isn’t before long when we find our stuff locked up in another room. Everything, including our guns, are intact; perhaps the Enclave was planning to do a little research on our weaponary. With a shot of morphine, everyone is up and running again.

 

We’re getting out of here.

FORWARD ---->

Edited December 23, 2010 by AliasTheory

[BlueDanube]

nice you got talent for something like this,but why jericho ? his an ex raider right ? and we need bad karma to recruit him.well we have to wait for the answer in the next chapter.

[AliasTheory]

Whew, wrote that baby up in 2 in the morning. And did a quick edit at the Jericho introduction, 'cause something bugged me about it. ;)

 

And Deus Ex Machina. I want to play with Jericho's character a bit but I have a back story on why I chose him. Also thought it would be interesting to see him in a Raven Rock type setting. And for the first time, I tried a bit of humor.

 

Oh, and wewt for rushed ending. >_< \/

[BlueDanube]

it's okay,i enjoyed reading it

[frobac]

Definitely a fast moving episode! A few unanswered questions remain - as before, I'm looking forward to the next part.

[species5478]

You have a dynamic writing style. I like it. There should be more Fallout fanfic on here that matches this caliber of storytelling.

[AliasTheory]

<----- BACKWARD

 

============================

Chapter 3: Enclave Escape!

============================

 

“There’s the damn exit. Haul some a**!”

 

With assault rifle in tight grip and a holstered but loaded pistol, it is a mad dash for the door. Jericho leads the way with the rest of us in tow. The entire base is flashing bright orange, not too unlike a large fire would give off, and the cavernous, rocky ceiling is beginning to crumble under its own might. The world is now beginning to turn on its side and collapses around us; even the resilient floor is slowly deforming into its own twisted shapes. Dust, coffee mugs, boxes of ammo and months of research papers fly wildly around the hallway; hailstorms of rocky shards begin to rain from above and shatter at our aching feet. In midst of the chaos however, is a metal, glowing, neon-blue door: the light at the end of the tunnel. And there’s nobody to stop us in here either; the Enclave has vanished into thin air thanks to someone’s new toy.

 

“Hurry up! Go, go, go!” That was Jericho again.

 

Suddenly, the blue light fades from the door and it locks shut, but Jericho quickly changes that by firing the mysterious rifle once again. What was once a thick, alloy entrance is obliterated in a blinding flash, and freedom finally feels near.

 

Freedom…never did I think of the Capital Wasteland as freedom.

 

Absorbed in my thoughts, my legs suddenly start to shut down as I fall behind my friends. Such irony gives me a strange sensation of bliss, but it quickly wanes as I stumble over my own feet. My face meets the cold, hard floor, and the creaking footsteps of 8 other feet continue onward.

 

“Hey kid! What the h*** are you doing! Get up!”

 

Snapping out of my daydream, I begin to rise to my feet. But something catches my eye in the giant mass of falling objects in front of me; it is so shiny and peculiar I instinctively lash out and snatch it.

 

“What the…hey you f***ing idiot! I didn’t save your sorry a** for nothing! Drop that piece of s***! We needa go!” Jericho’s really mad now.

 

“No! Just hold up for a sec!”

 

That “it” is a small glowing metal box that is etched with a familiar set of words spoken by someone now in the past. “Project Purity,” it reads. The strange cube fits neatly in my side pocket. Could this be fate?

 

Putting that aside, I pick up my gun and dash towards the doorway, where everyone is waiting up for me. I get a lot of strange looks from my four friends, but I assure them I'm okay. We aren’t out of this yet.

 

Running for our lives, we sprint across the open field under bright moonlight, surrounded by armed Enclave troops. The overgrown grass scratches at my toes and gravel pinches at my bare skin. Shots of plasma whiz past us, but we remain unflinched by the Enclave’s attempts as everyone sprays bullets at the devils on the move. A symphony of shouts and screams fill the cool, night air. Suffering. Death. And then…the heavens begin their reign of terror.

 

Glancing behind me, I see a large, cylindrical object descending from the dark clouds. An orbital strike.

 

“Where did that come from!?” I think aloud. “No wa-”

 

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/imageshare/images/2144141-1284410897.png

 

In mere seconds follows an earth-shattering explosion that is enough to rattle the stars, knocking the Enclave soldiers we had just passed right off their feet. I can feel the warmth even from dozens of yards away, and the deafening roar of the blast drains out all sound from the world. I turn back out to the open Wasteland. Departing Enclave Vertibirds spontaneously catch fire and begin to spin out of control, like a bird’s first flight. That is when I notice the propellers begin to detach themselves from their rightful owners. A whirlwind of death is heading right towards me…no, not me but…!

 

“Jericho!” I scream. “Look out!” I can barely hear myself.

 

The spinning blade of death shrieks past him and barely misses his shoulder as he dives forward, smashing into the rock behind me in a shower of sparks. It splits into two, and flies off into the darkness of the night.

 

The world begins to stop pulsing and slows back down. The havoc of the Vertibird crashes come into focus. Everyone’s tired voices are audible again.

 

With a sigh of relief, I dare to turn my head around once again. The chaos is over; the reign of terror has ended. There is only death and destruction behind us, but we have been spared. Everyone stops to take a quick breather.

 

“Let’s just get the f*** out of here,” Jericho says, fighting for air.

 

I wipe the sweat from my brow. “Yeah…and you still have to tell me everything.”

 

“I’ll tell you in a bit, kid. Let the old man catch his breath.”

 

FORWARD ---->

Edited December 23, 2010 by AliasTheory