Me, Myself and I

[Maharg67]

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0010 I WAS JASMINE

I, Jasmine, was of TekVaultDC0101 that consisted of five subvaults as the main body, five offshoot semivaults and five outpost demivaults. Or at least that was the official layout of the big vault of more than 100,000 people. I dwelt in one of the demivaults that stood between the surface and the rest of the vault. My father had brought me there back when I was a baby, I having been born somewhere else in the Wastelands. Vaultfolk often acted as if vaults were not part of the Wastelands but I did not believe this and was not alone in what I thought. The vaultfolk of demivault were quarantined off from the main vault because we had, in the past, sent out people who had returned and some folks had been let in from the surface. In the demivault much work was done to work out the TekVault's situation in relationship to what was happening out in the rest of the Wastelands.

DemivaultDC101E was quite large, was in fairly good condition, was under the control of a rather paranoid Overseer who was the father of my best friend, a young woman named Amata Almodovar, who strongly believed that the vault should be sealed off, that nobody else should be either allowed in or out of it. The problem was that there were folks inside who wanted to get out and folks outside, who knew at least some information of the vault, who wanted to get in. Overseer Alphonse Almodovar did not seem capable of understanding the common sense ramifications of these truths; in other words he kept his mind closed to the truth that people were going to start getting in or out or both. It did not help that he felt abandoned by the main vault, as did the others in the demivault. No real communications had taken place for over two, and a half, years except for regular regulation messages and reports along with survey questionnaires for the demivault vaultfolk to answer.

I did not help that Overseer Alphonse Almodovar was convinced that my father was a treacherous danger to the TekVault. Father's arrogant attitude, and obvious greater intelligence, did not help matters any. My being the daughter might have caused me to be given some benefit of the doubt but my being born out in the Wastelands was held against me. Alphonse was one of those who was convinced, somehow against all solid evidence, that the TekVaults were not really part of the Wastelands.

I doubted I was the only one who suspected that something might be wrong in the rest of the TekVault but the Overseer, and his security officers (who were mostly thugs), would not allow anybody to go there either. He was backed up by a set of two big armored wheel-doors set one after the other, as with the outer pair of wheel-doors, security turrets and some protectrons. There was also a long tunnel between DemivaultDC101E and the rest of the vault, a tunnel that had probably lost power to most of its network-systems meaning no light or ventilation or other forms of assistance.

My time was spent sleeping, attending compulsory community activities, working, studying or in super virtual reality. SVR-capsulechairs were still functioning but only 16 of them so they were rationed. Wrangling over SVR session allocations was one of the big sources of growing agitation in the demivault. At other times I spent time with her friends Amata, DJ-Zoe, Zack, the Huck Twins and Opo the radroach.

Right at that moment my duty was driving a semi-enclosed golfcar through one of the bigger tunnels. Golfcars were called that because that is what they were but with some alterations such as the addition of changeable modular backs. I was tired from doing a double shift, or at least was pretending to be so. I was moving some semi-useful stuff from one storeroom to another to prove that the rather useless Overseer's Office was busy keeping the demivault running. People called it DV101E because we could not be bothered trotting out the long official designation. Often it came down to DVE or just demivault-E. Except in truth I was also busy stealing some items that were hidden amongst the semijunk.

The lights flickered but then went back on before the emergency lights could take over. It had been happening with growing frequency and I hoped that father, and his secret experiment, were not behind it. My alienation with father had been growing worse and we had not talked for many months except for brief, meaningless, exchanges. He officially worked as the only doctor in the demivault since the last one had died of drinking too much illegal alcohol. That he was a good doctor, with a lousy bedside manner, was one of the few reasons that the Overseer had made no move against him except nasty Email and verbal threats.

I became even more alert than I normally was in the more isolated parts of the demivault, as that was, and drew out by electric stunclub that was a 20cm long device that made also for a pretty good club. Only Security and VaultGuards were officially allowed to have anything but basic self defense weapons but the demivault had no VaultGuards and even Alphonse had seen the sense in allowing for semilegal weapons as long as they were used discretely. I brought out a nailgun that was one of many that had been provided to a demivault that did not really need them, that had turned out to be not very good as tools but easily altered to become quite deadly weapons. The nailgun-nails were also plentiful and could be easier made than bullets and could be regained or repaired with no real effort.

I 'sensed' the thing dropping out of a vent shaft hole, the grill having been torn through. The thing was vaguely like a radroach, had been a radroach, but was distorted into something far more horrific and dangerous. It was not natural, it was not truly alive, and it was covered with thick roach like armor and two claw like extensions as well as a kind of dangerous roach mouth. The thing sprang at me and I killed it, shooting it semiautomatic fashion with two nailgun-nails. I smacked the dead thing out of the air, dropped it into a thick plastic bag, sealed the bag up and went looking for my father. Edited March 21, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Simple Feedback: :thumbsup: = okay :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = good :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = very good :dance: = so good I want to dance

 

0011 ME, MYSELF AND I

I, Jakeman, met with the scientists of RivetCity who were all very excited, and concerned, at what I had found out in the DC Wastelands. They asked me to go to the DC-Citadel to give them an important message along with proof of my strange discovery. They also included data about Vaultburg and the TekCorps surviving there. Jarisha had suspected something 'odd' about me as a man, especially after being 'resurrected' as a auric mage. He was not to surprised at my being a woman and did not seem concerned. We worked together to prepare for the trip to the base of both the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Steel. At the same time messages were being sent to other DC Factions that could assist in researching what the new zetan type creatures were and what sort of threat they might pose along with how they might be dealt with. Our start of the expedition was postponed with the arrival of a savage rainstorm of lashing wind, pelting rain and great lightening bolts.

I, Jack, helped Moira with her project and then learned of what Jakeman had found through what I might call our secondary shared mentality. I dreamed the knowledge. So I asked people, who had been out in the Wastelands, if they had seen anything unusual.I gained plenty of stories, some disturbing but nothing about anything like the zetan creature or anything like it being inside a zhoul body. I talked with Professor Brown, up in his aircraft suspended above Inner Megaton and he was both intrigued and deeply concerned. A small force of Brothers of Steel, in light power armor, arrived at the settlement being a scout unit set to search the areas for supermutant and Marsclave activity. Knight Captain Gallows came with them, a very interesting Brother of Steel, but was not part of the unit.

I, Jasmine, found my father in his supposedly secret laboratory workshop. At first he did not wish to examine what I had to show him, wanting to focus on what he called Project Purity, but when he did he became greatly interested and also agitated. He, and his two assistants, then focused on examining the strange distorted radroach with my help. I had enough general knowledge to assist father and had done so in the past before we had become more distant from each other, which was mostly his doing. We were not gifted with a great range of equipment, especially specialized research devices, but we were able to discover something very important; a secondary creature of some kind had melded into the radroach, had taken it over, and then the combination had transformed into the dangerous monster. We had no idea where it had come from but my father picked up that the parasitic creature was most likely genetically engineered. Somebody had left some genetic markers indicating this to be so.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Simple Feedback: :thumbsup: = okay :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = good :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = very good :dance: = so good I want to dance

 

0012: I WAS JAKEMAN

The rainstorm crossed the Wastelands fairly quickly doing some destruction but Wastelanders had learned to survive such things one way or another. Settlements had battened down, caravans had gone to safe ground, others had sought shelter as best as possible. The rainstorm had also brought fresh, healthy water to the area though not as much as many would have liked.

I went to the rather odd museum, gallery, library and archives that was run by a rather plain looking, glasses wearing middle aged man named Benjamin Washington. He ran what was known as the DC Preservation Centre and also the DC Preservation Society. Though there were some others, he was the only one to gain a salary though it was a fairly small one and he relied upon donations from supporters and small fees paid by visitors.

It was an impressive set of big chambers, smaller chambers, antechambers and other spaces. A supersonic jumpjet, unworkable and largely fake, stood on a platform next to two dummy protectrons, being different RobCo models created for display purposes. There were posters, prints of paintings, display cases with important documents and much else. I liked the old fashioned type model map table of DC complete with tiny ruins and even a tiny RivetCity carrier.

I gave Benjamin Washington a hardback book on Early Mars Colonization Projects in the Northern Hemisphere. DC was in the Northern Hemisphere and the book had a few sections on the area. In truth I did not think much about the quality, or reliability, of the book's data but Benjamin was most pleased with the donation. He seemed somehow odd but Benjamin was eccentric, and hard to read, so I did not take much notice.

Benjamin gave me access to his amazing archives and soon I was looking for any mentions of zetans, zetan like creatures or anything that seemed related to such. What I found was that in the years, just prior to Mars Doomsday, a large spate of alien abductions of people took place in the DC. They only ended when, according to unofficial reports, human rocketships managed to destroy a zetan daughtership in Mars low orbit. Sometimes a zetan mothership would carry a daughtership, a big vessel about one third the size of the mothership, on top of itself. Why zetans did that, or many other things, was unknown for it was zetan logic, not human reasoning, that drove such actions.

Then I came to an odd little story that spoke of a nuclear explosion taking place about three months before Mars Doomsday. It happened at the eastern edge of the DC, about 300 kilometres east of where I sat at that very moment. Around me the chamber was cramped thanks to sets of shelves full of books, disks, holotapes and other items. The only light came from a reading lamp but this did not concern me very much at all.

There was no more information about the mysterious nuclear explosion incident but I had noted details that were there such as time, place and some data on blast damage, on numbers of casualties. The blast had destroyed a large hitech scientific research and development complex but thankfully a rather isolated one that did not welcome outsiders. So only those working in the complex, much of it being underground, had perished, which was bad enough.

I had a strong desire to go there but had to carry out my mission to go to the DC Citadel first, at least. There were other locations also to investigate.

It was then that I 'sensed' something odd about the corner of the archival chamber, something that drew me to that spot though I could only see some neatly stacked archival bins stuff full of files, booklets and other items. It was the tall, fairly narrow, corner locker that drew me. I went to it, carefully opened it, and there was the carefully tied up, semiconscious, real Benjamin Washington.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0013: I WAS JAKEMAN

 

The false Benjamin Washington had stolen nothing but clearly he had been there for some reason. The real Benjamin Washington was panicky that something of 'value' had been stolen and rushed around trying to make sure that nothing had been taken.

 

So why had the fake Benjamin Washington been there? I had 'sensed' something odd about him but had failed to act on it, which was damned annoying. On the other hand the fake had been excellent at his task of deception, that is if it actually had been a 'he' and not a she or an it.

 

With the assistance of Jarisha, I went through the DC Preservation Centre trying to discover what the intruder had been seeking and what he might have found. Then I found something that was most interesting. Behind a secret door, in a fake bulkhead, was a moderate sized secret chamber. Benjamin came into the chamber and was very surprised; I 'sensed' this was genuine. The items in the chamber were even more astonishing.

 

There was a very advanced, sophisticated CompTek AI-supercomputer network-system in the form of a smart-mainframe and five smart-terminals along with a support-mainframe. There were cyberlink helmets and two super virtual reality capsulechairs. Nobody had been there for a long time so if the fake Benjamin had been seeking that place, he had not found it.

 

The databanks of the supercomputer network-system was dedicated to the super virtual reality setup and yet I got strong hints of something called Project Potential Purpose Realized, or Project PPR. Project PPR was seeking something through virtual reality hacking of some kind, that is hacking into virtual reality internet networks or SVRnets. Indications were that the secret room, and its gear, had been set up about a century before I discovered the chamber.

 

There were typical standard SVRzones programmed into the network-system being the Multiple Purpose Centre Connections Core, the MPCC, the Paradise Islands, Haven Mars, Mars Online World and a few others. All were operational but only on a local level, being unable to connect to any SVRnets that probably no longer existed anyway. There were others not meant to be linked to any SVRnets including game worlds, utilities and even a dictionary encyclopedia realm.

 

I slipped into a capsulechair, got fully cyberlinked and began by appearing as an avatar of myself in a super virtual reality interface world known as MicroApple Virtual Windows 20A1. The environment was on the bare side in some ways but colorful as I found myself in a kind of commercial, social, office complex with huge windows filled with 3D scenery.

 

A typical AI-NPC avatar came up to me, a young woman in a stylish moderately modest skirt outfit of casual commercial style. She smiled and spoke in Esperanto, an internationalist language. “Welcome to Nexus Five-Five, Jakeman, we have been waiting for you, or others, to appear who are of you. This chamber was part of Project PPR but was reconfigured to serve yourself and others.”

 

I was surprised this time, very much so. I responded but only after some rapid rethinking of the situation I was in. “What was Project PPR about?”

 

The woman avatar responded. “To discover the truth about the Ultimate Virtual Reality Project coded named Project Paradise Progress. The truth was discovered and then the project peoples suffered a massive attack that came in multiple forms. Most were killed or vanished but a large minority escaped, scattered, to often form new factions. The struggle for the truth continues for beyond the truth of Project Paradise Progress lies yet another set of truths. The truth found was that we are all inside a great ultimate virtual reality realm; that is all of us and this whole world of Mars.”

Edited December 27, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0014: I WAS JAKEMAN

 

I frowned. “If this is all ultimate virtual reality, then it could at least have been made into a nicer place to exist in.”

 

The avatar nodded. “Yes, in theory, but Project Paradise Progress went wrong. Short cuts were taken and much of it was based on a heavily enhanced, reworked super virtual reality game program known as Mars Fallout. When Project Paradise Progress was instigated it was done too early, in a rush, just as the Solar Cataclysm began. Another important factor was that the project was also based heavily on a human alien hybrid technology based in turn on ancient alien power artifacts found inside the Martian Labyrinth. In truth there are severe limits to my knowledge.”

 

My next question seemed straight forward enough. “So we are all inside capsulechairs of some kind.”

 

The avatar shook her head. “No, we are all fully integrated fluidly, intrinsically, into the ultimate virtual reality itself. There is no need for such interfaces as capsulechairs. The irony is that super virtual reality network-systems continue to function but their relationship to the general 'reality' is now different as it was with 'real reality'. A few can take much greater advantage of this factor than can others; you, yourself and your other self, can do so.”

 

I, Jakeman, shook my head in wonder. “How?”

 

“With great care you can make Mars a better place to live.” The avatar sighed. “I can show you how.”

 

“But you will not do so!” The Mysterious Stranger stood there in his trench coat. “Jakeman, this is a very nasty trap set for you. What was told to you by this avatar is true but not the whole truth. We are on the real Mars but also in the Fringe Zone of the Ultimate Virtual Reality Paradise. Mars has become both. You were being set up to make changes that would have sealed up the UVR Paradise to make it better for those fully inside it but which would have destroyed much of Mars including all those that live on it and below the surface. Mars has fallen under the influence of the Mars Fallout Program but only one aspect of the project and not all of Mars. The task of the false Benjamin Washington was to get you to start further searching the DC Preservation Centre so that you would find the SVR setup.”

 

The Mysterious Stranger snapped his fingers and the avatar vanished with a soft shimmering effect. Then the whole chamber shimmered briefly. He smiled and nodded with some evident satisfaction. “I must go now, Jakeman, but I will be in contact with you again and probably soon though I make no promises. I wish I could tell you more but there is much that you must learn for yourself. You are in control of this place now so please have a look around. I have gotten rid of the threats and have added some nice extras that I hope please and assist you.”

 

Then he was gone with a soft shimmering.

 

There was a great deal for me to come to terms with, to learn. I looked around the centre to see that it was mostly as I had first seen it. Now, though, there was a row of doors going along one wall, each with a different appearance to it along with a rather elaborate name. The centre was friendlier appearing, more comforting and outside through the windows was an extended SVR realm, a whole city.

 

I departed to meet with Jarisha and to discuss matters with him. There was much to communicate with the auric mage who was wishing to learn more about his auric abilities. Of course I would need to speak to others including Benjamin Washington, Professor Li and others. There was much good that could come from using the SVR network-system. Yet I knew that only I would gain access to certain aspects of it, such as that virtual real place with the doors, except for a few others.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Simple Feedback: :thumbsup: = okay :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = good :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = very good :dance: = so good I want to dance

 

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0015: I WAS JACK

 

The lightly power armored Brothers of Steel, a minority of whom were women, were in a big clunky metal shack in Outer Megaton thanks to the greed and stupidity of the majority of Megaton Town Councilmen, some of whom were Councilwomen. The council had voted for the Brothers of Steel to only get more than the shack if they paid an outrageously high fee. The Brotherhood of Steel had refused, understandably enough, especially as they were in Megaton partly for the good of Megaton; the Enclavers, and supermutants, were a threat to Megaton that they would either conquer and oppress or destroy; in the case of the supermutants it would only be the latter.

 

This, added to other stupid decisions made recently by the council, was turning the greater majority of people against it and the old rules of Megaton that kept it existing in the unfair way it did. Even folks in Deep Megaton were turning against the council.

 

I stood outside of the Craterside Emporium, in front of the door, smiling at the Megaton Town Council flunky in his LifeVault jumpsuit now with a Megaton Town Council logo on it. The flunky was a middle aged woman with cold eyes. She was frowning as she spoke. “The dartgun project, and others like it, will be turned over to the jurisdiction of the Megaton Town Corporation. We have decided, in our rational wisdom and progressive appraisal of economic matters, to absorb the workings and resources of the Emporium and the CoOp for the good of all.”

 

She had two thugs with her but the broad shouldered, muscular men did not look at all happy about what was going on. In their overly tight fitting jumpsuits, and dark sunglasses, they kept looking around at the angry citizens gathered around them. The move by the majority of councilors was blatant, illegal, theft of other people's work and properties. It was also quite insane.

 

There was something odd about the cold eyed, grayish tinged flunky that was unnatural, disturbing and I knew that I had never seen her before; neither had others that I knew. The woman, calling herself Council Representative Rita Kagawata, had no apparent fear of the crowd, of its growing rage, which was not so much courage as a kind of insanity, as far as I was concerned.

 

I could almost understand the move against the CoOp, it had a large amount of valuable resources to steal, but what about Moira and her Emporium? I did not think she had very much in the way of resources and yet I may have presumed too much. It was time I checked more on the very old building, including the underground areas, of the Emporium.

 

I spoke to the woman. “Go away! You are breaking the law, as are those of the council who gave you your orders.”

 

She nodded, with a cold smile, and then attacked me with amazing speed, agility, power and ability. In seconds we were flowing with amazing speed in martial arts manner, striking, avoiding, counter striking, deflecting, shifting and then it was done as I struck her in the solar plexus, killing her at once. Her body flew backwards but then vanished, with a shimmering, so only her clothing and other gear hit the metallic walkway behind her.

 

It had all taken seconds and the others stared in shock both at the heap of items and at me. I was angry because my true fighting abilities had been exposed.

 

Sheriff Lucas Simms stood there, staring at me openly in wonder. “That would help explain why, since you reached late teens, that Megaton has become safer along with the Megaton Territories. You go out 'rabbit hunting' and bandit groups vanish. Then there was those two deathclaws back earlier this year. I suppose you killed them.”

Edited December 27, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0016: I WAS JACK

 

I frowned. “The tired old deathclaws? No, I tamed them and sent them somewhere safe. They can often be easier to deal with than wild humans. At least that is how I find them to be.”

 

Sheriff Simms shook his head just a little. “Now, why doesn't that surprise me? While most of us mere mortals fear deathclaws like crazy, you go and 'tame' them.”

 

“Not all deathclaws can be 'tamed' for, like humans, they are individualistic of nature.” I was find the subject to be uncomfortable and I focused on the heap of gear on the floor of the catwalk.

 

Around us the mighty crater extended upwards, below and across with many structures going up and down the sides. At the bottom was a small bowl shaped lake with the platform holding the fake Fbomb. There was no way I was going to tell the fanatics of the Church of Atom that their super weapon was a dud meant for museum displays, that the real one had been replaced some decades ago. The Craterside Supplies was almost opposite of the Craterside Emporium, reflecting Moira's real relationship with most of her family who considered her quite mad and unreliable. There was the Moriarty's Saloon, the GirlsNGames with its bright, cheap paintwork on what was a sturdy old shack of a two level building. There was the water pumping station. There are many buildings but most were at least partly underground and there were entrances that led to underground areas.

 

Up above where the insides of the Megaton Inner Walls, an amazingly upheld aircraft and parts of others, battlements, high catwalks and some big rainwater tanks. Like the Craterfloor Pool, they were quite full thanks to the recent rainstorm that had gone over Megaton with fair speed.

 

Lucas, and I, went carefully through what was there but it was just what one would expect there to be. That is the jumpsuit, a bra, panties, socks, badly named slipboots, a pouch dotted belt, an ID-booklet, some $EI coinage and a pair of sunglasses. The only thing of real note was a lack of bits and pieces one would normally expect to find and there was nothing personal such as photographs of loved ones or locally made wrapped sweets.

 

“She died!” I replied to Deputy Ronald McGraham yet again. The deputy had a high over estimation of his own intelligence and ability as a detective. He was also highly pig headed with any idea, that got firmly in his head, being hard to remove. “Then she vanished. She did not escape death, as you believe, in some magical manner.”

 

Sheriff Simms glared at McGraham, who had only become a Deputy because the McGraham Family was one of the Founding Families of Megaton. Except that he was not popular with his family and they had made sure he got the job so as to get him out of Deep Megaton. The McGraham Family lived in the Megaton LifeVault along with other elite families and a few others who served them.

 

Ronald frowned. “I never saw her before and I have lived amongst the Founding Families all my life until just about six months ago when I gained this new career of mine which will soon enough see me becoming Sheriff of Megaton.”

 

Sheriff Simms looked hard at Ronald. “Go away, Ronald McGraham, before I shoot you. Go and pretend that you are actually a good Sheriff's Deputy instead of the useless fool that you are.”

 

Ronald, as always, seemed surprised that people did not like him despite his mouth opening, quite frequently, to spout offensive stupidity to anybody around him at the time. He sniffed softly in disdain and, turning away, marched off. He would go off to do some work, which in his case meant he would find a private corner to laze away the hours. Most people preferred it that way.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0017: I WAS JACK

 

The voice spoke deep in my mind.

 

=-=The healing continues and you can hear me now, strongly and clearly. I am you, I am Jakeman and I am Jasmine. I am the core of you. I can assist you! The woman vanished because she did not truly exist. She was a solid illusion, a very clever projection of a kind. You need to search the Emporium, to discover its secrets and to investigate Professor Brown.

 

Projected solid illusion? Why not? In Wasteland terms it was about 'normal weirdness' what with deathclaws, rogue robots, ghostly events like interactive replays of history, giant ants and much else. Then there were the damned zetans, along with other possible 'aliens' for on Mars it could be said that humans were 'aliens'.

 

Now I knew of what Jakeman had learned, that Mars was weird for good reason. It was both 'real reality' and 'ultimate virtual reality'.

 

Sheriff Lucas Simms went away, with the stuff left behind by the 'solid illusion' of a woman, as evidence, and I went into the Emporium where Moira was working on her 'molerat stick' that would, in theory, repel giant molerats with out hurting them. I was not the only one to have grave doubts about the idea but Moira could be very persistent.

 

I made some coffee, got some biscuits out, and sat down at a table with her in her commonroom that, like all Wasteland commonrooms, served many purposes. Having only limited resources, Wastelanders tended to be able to have only a few rooms, hence commonrooms were 'common type rooms'.

 

I sipped hot tea and then spoke. “Are you sure there are not other parts of the Emporium you do not remember clearly? I mean, could you have some less clear memories?”

 

Moira gave me a mildly confused look but this was fairly normal for her and I did not jump to any false assumptions at what it might mean.

 

Then she spoke. “Uncle Professor used this place before it became the Emporium and I used to visit him here. Funny thing is I have got fuzzy memories of there being more rooms than there are now, of a staircase that went down into some other place and tunnels that went into other places. I have fuzzy memories getting clearer every day and I do not like all of them. My mother, Marsha, who vanished... I remember mum when we were visiting Uncle Professor in strange rooms that do not seem to be here any more. I caught....” She shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. “I caught my mother naked in bed with Professor Uncle doing things to each other. They were brother and sister so I was puzzled. Uncle, and mother, gave me an extra dolly so that they would not tell what I saw. Yes, a dolly, and some lollies.”

 

Incest? In the Wastelands such things were only too common, in a general way, but far from normal to the settlement of Megaton. I could understand that the siblings would very much wish to hide such activity from the community. In truth Martha had been the half-sister to Kaven, Professor Brown. Her vanishing had been given an explanation but far from all had accepted it as truth. Sheriff Lucas Simms had confided to me that he considered that the Founding Families had hid the truth of what had really taken place. He had been a Deputy when it had happened and his attempts to learn the truth had been crushed by the last Sheriff, a rather corrupt puppet of the Megaton Elites.

 

I was angry. Though I had always admired the genius of Professor Brown, had had always been wary of him, had never been able to fully trust the man and yet I was never sure why.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Simple Feedback: :thumbsup: = okay :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = good :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: = very good :dance: = so good I want to dance

 

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0018: I WAS JASMINE

 

The Overseer was not very happy as he looked around the secret laboratory-workshop but Alphonse clearly could see that he had no choice except to leave the Professor alone. The demivault needed both the Professor and his laboratory-workshop to deal with the new threat. As Jasmine, I stood to one side and observed quietly what went on. The tension was high but the real focus was on the monster.

 

The Overseer frowned hard. "Where could it have come from?"

 

James shrugged. "There is no way of really telling except that the genetic engineering appears to reflect work done, in the past, by various TekCorporations. Still, other factions did the same sort of experimentation. One clue is the location of where my daughter confronted the creature; it came out of a vent network that is linked to the long vent tubes going between us and the main TekVaultDC101. The creature could have come from there and that might explain why we have had no telecommunications with them except for automated ones for many months. Perhaps it is time to send an expedition to the main vault. I could go with it."

 

Overseer Alphonse Almodovar looked as if he was going to bite off the head of this man he disliked intensely but then he instead became quiet with obvious thoughtfulness. Then he nodded. "Very well but you will not go as you are far too valuable to us as both our only doctor and the one who can investigate the threat here, in this secret illegal place. If you work hard enough to help us deal with the threat, then perhaps we will forget what you have been doing here. As it is your daughter, Jasmine, will be sent along with nine others and two robots. They will travel in three golfcars along the tunnel between us and the main TekVaultDC101. Some will be equipped with official weapons and body-armor; most will go with semilegal, and legal, self defense gear. I was getting to a point of sending an expedition and it may as well be now and we may as well send those who are more expendable, such as your daughter."

 

James scowled at the Overseer. "My daughter is not expendable and yet I agree with your choice for she is tougher, more skilled, than most vaultfolk seem to realize."

 

The Overseer scowled. "Also more dangerous and she has too much influence on my daughter, Amata. We will need to make preparations in case more of the monsters appear. We will need to create some kind of barrier to keep them out and to secure central areas, along with ways between them, more. Our lack of resources will not help us."

 

That last was a large understatement. The demivault had already been facing troubles with out this new threat. Perhaps this would shake up the rigid thinking of Alphonse, and others, who ran the demivault; I hoped but I was pessimistic about that happening.

 

Then I spoke. "Might I suggest that we focus on sending an expedition to DemivaultDC101D before we focus on getting to the main vault. That other demivault is a lot closer to us than is the main vault."

 

Alphonse frowned at me. "Next time seek permission to speak before announcing your suggestion! Still, it is a very good idea and one that I endorse. In one hour a major meeting, of selected individuals, will be held in the main community hall. Jasmine, you may come to the meeting along with your father. Amata will be there for we will need the input of young people in this."

 

Now and then Alphonse Almodovar would surprise others, and myself, with such sudden moments of wisdom in which he would break away from his normally rigid thinking. Yet I was wary for he was still the same devious man he had always been. I remained with my father, helping him do further tests on the creature though by that time we were just desperately trying almost anything to learn more of value.

 

Which was when the refugees arrived from DemivaultDC101D.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0019 ME, MYSELF AND I

 

I, Jakeman, remained in RivetCity for longer than I thought I would. The discovery of the SVR centre, hidden almost as part of the DC Preservation Centre, excited much interest. It was quickly decided that the number of SVR-capsulechairs was far too small and that, as soon as possible, a secondary chamber would be added with more of them. There was also talk of adding more basic forms of SVR interaction. Access to the primary chamber, with the actual computer network-system and original SVR-capsulechairs, would be restricted for security and safety reasons. I spoke to Jarisha of what had happened and assured him that he would have access to the special zone, including the chamber with the exotic doors. I told none others of the special zone, that was amazingly well concealed, though I found myself sharing knowledge with Jack, and Jasmine, in a hard to explain manner.

 

Professor Li Madison gained access to valuable load of scientific data, in super virtual reality form of course, as did her associates. Benjamin Washington gained access to historical records of DC and was very pleased despite that many of his pet theories were proven to be false. Others soon wanted access, demanding access in some case, but only a minority of people had any real immediate need to use the SVR technologies. RivetCity Security was one of them. Benjamin Washington gained access because of the location of the SVR centre. I gained access because I happened to know more about SVR technologies than anybody else in RivetCity did.

 

I, Jack, found no answer to the woman, who was a projected solid illusion, despite the 'Voice' that offered assistance. Professor Brown was apparently deeply puzzled, had no real answers but I had a strong, subtle, sense that he was holding something back. As it was the expected troubles began in Megaton as a mostly peaceful rebellion began of its citizens. The LifeVault was rather peacefully invaded, some people were thrown into jail, an emergency council took control of the settlement and other acts were soon taking place that would change Megaton for ever. It was soon evident that the Megaton elites had been hogging storerooms full of valuable resources along with keeping other assets to themselves that they did not really need but which the rest of Megaton had done. Moira, and I, found two other secret chambers in the Emporium area along with a big long hallway tunnel that promised other finds.

 

My family, the Harringtons, were busy with business as usual. I spent time with my family as a dutiful young son though I had no real strong feelings for most of my relatives. For some I had strong positive feelings and for others, rather negative feelings.

 

I, Jasmine, became very busy assisting the refugees, as did others in the demivault. The refugees came in a column of golfcars pulling trailers, using bicycles and other pedal-vehicles, or on foot. They brought resources, including some spare for the vaultfolk in the demivault, but also needed resources. Their demivault, DemivaultDC101D, had been attacked by swarms of mutated radroach creatures but also by other mutated creatures such as big rats and spider things. They had fought hard, had managed to keep secure most of the demivault, but soon it was decided that the more vulnerable needed to be sent to a safer place. DemivaultDC101E, my demivault, was quickly decided as the safe bet as no contact had been made with the main vault except for a hurried warning to stay away. The message had also indicated that the main vault had become firmly locked down and sealed up, that nothing could get in or out. No other information was given, not even any explanation for why the information was not given.

 

It was at this time that I, Jasmine, began to manifest some special abilities, some special 'tricks', under the pressure to help the vaultfolk with the increasing demands that the refugees had added and with other assistance to both of the demivaults. It would not be too long before we, Jakeman and Jack, also began to do the same.

Edited December 15, 2012 by Maharg67