18+ Secrets of the commonwealth

[Wolfbane]

The year is 2083 and there have been reports of mass kidnappings by the shadowy group called The Institute. This organization is akin to the boogieman to the people of the Commonwealth. Fear of themselves or a loved one being replaced by a robot called a synth is all too real and possible. On top of that the Brotherhood of Steel is amassing a huge amount of fighters as well as technology to stop and "Liberate" the people of the commonwealth. Groups like the Minutemen are stuck in between as well. All of this is a culmination of trouble for the people. This can potentially make a bad situation worse. One party wishes to eradicate the Commonwealth of it's "filth" and the others true intentions are vague. It's the people caught in the middle who will suffer the most. Where do you stand? Will you try to stop both sides of destroying the Commonwealth once again or will you stand with one side and help them achieve their victory? Or will you stand by the side and watch the world burn?

Wolfbane as Vex Teller, Kenzi Dennis and Riley Lolita
Simus as Courtney Fallon
Daryl Dixon as Jack and Brutus
Pufftuff as Jordy AKA Slinger
Fellowknight as Orson Whitlock
T.Rakinson as Rufus Heitz and Jackal​

Rules:

• No godmodding and using an overpowered character. That means no fatman wielding indestructible power armor wearing soldier. No taking control of other people's characters. End of story.
  
• Allocate your S.P.E.C.A.L points accordingly. There will be no 21 point limit but do try to limit yourself. In other words no 10s across the sheet. Try to have three or four key skills (think of them as your Tag! skills)
  
• This is a Fallout RP so be familiar with the universe. The wiki is a great source and I have compiled a timeline of key events down below.
• Please make your posts 1 to 2 paragraphs long and let me or Simus know if you can not post. We're not assholes so I'm sure we'll understand. We want dedicated writers who can post often ^__^
  
• IF YOU EVER LEAVE THIS RP. I WILL FIND YOU, DRIP DRY YOU AND BATHE IN YOUR BLOOD. In all seriousness if you have more important things, you grow bored or you can't post let us know and we will place your character somewhere safe if and when you decide to rejoin us.
  
• Please be respectful to the other writers and keep insults to yourself. If we see you insulting the other writers, not following these guidelines, posting spoilers (OF ANY KIND) or just generally being a overall dick, you will be asked to leave. Of course, like in prison, we have a three strike rule.
• You can double up but pay attention to who does. Granted I'm tripling up but I'm managing it differently. If there are 15 members for a 4-6 member cast that is a problem. NPCs can be controlled as long the group knows and agrees.
  
• This is a bit odd but we expect to see your own characters. No using someone elses work. We want to see your own creativity.
• This is 18+ so there will be intense violence, sex and swearing but please don't be Lars Von Trier and make three volumes of sheer sex. Be tasteful about it in other words.
• Lastly have fun and get creative!

TIMELINE: ​

The U.S entered World War II with allied Europe to stop the Nazi regime and axis forces from conquering the world. On August 9th, 1945 two atomic bombs named Fatman and Little boy were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagaski, effectively ending World War II along with a tragic amount of life. After Little boy and Fatman were dropped, the U.S military as well as the nation saw the power of nuclear fission. The production of nuclear powered cars started as well as the military industrial complex starting development of the smaller and smaller nuclear generators. The nation began to use atomic energy not as a weapon but as a nearly limitless source of power. People enjoyed luxuries thought to be unobtainable in the real world. America turned to fossil and natural fuels to continue with demands of living as well as some consumer products.

By 1969 the nation split into 13 commonwealths and for a while the nation was safer in the broad sense of the word. The people were now experiencing the "American dream" that they all heard about. The years until 2050 were peaceful and most objects that were invented were for good purposes or consumer productions (Wonderglue in 2016 and Nuka-cola in 2044)

IN 2002 West Tek Research Facility was founded for "Advanced Weapons" and "Biomedical Sciences Research"

In 2037 General Atomic international unveiled the Mr. Handy series of robots used for general construction, maintenance and personal house care. They were not faultless, however. In 2039 they suffered a bug that caused interference in the operation of the multiple arms, but was fixed with a hardware update, with no major problems since.

In 2051 Seeking to protect business interests and their oil supply, the United States begins to exert increasing pressure on Mexico, citing the political instability and pollution stemming from Mexico as a threat to the United States. Various economic sanctions serve to destabilize Mexico, and the United States military enters Mexico to keep the oil refineries running and making sure oil and fuel continue to make their way north across the border at Mexico's expense. The N99 10mm pistol becomes standard issue military sidearm following the phase out of the N80

In 2052 A television documentary revealing the withered husk of the Texas oil fields brings the oil shortage into American households and reveals how deep the energy crisis runs. On march 5 the socially transmitted "New Plague" arises, killing tens of thousands. The United States closes its borders and the first-ever national quarantine is declared. The source of the plague is unknown, but rumors persist that it is a genetically engineered weapon. In April the Resource Wars begin. Many smaller nations go bankrupt, and Europe, dependent on oil imports from the Middle East, responds to the Middle East's rising oil prices with military action. The long drawn-out war between the European commonwealth and the Middle East begins. Of May and July The United Nations, already suffering, begins to collapse. In a series of heated debates, many nations withdraw from the organization as the U.N. tries to keep the peace. On July 26th The United Nations disbanded forever due to multiple nations withdrawing.

In 2053 ZAX 1.0 goes online, developed by Vault-Tec.Initially a prototype of some of the systems designed to govern the vaults, it is given to the government to help the Department of Energy collect resource data. Within a year, it is taken by the military for plague and tactical research; one version, ZAX 1.2, would later be constructed for West-Tek. A nuclear weapon used for terror destroys Tel-Aviv.

ZAX 1.2 is brought in to regulate conditions in West Tek. It is not part of the Vault-Tec preservation software, so it does not have any orders to protect humanity after the bombs fall.


In 2055 West Tek starts working on a new virus to kill the New Plague. Their viral research and close ties to the federal government eventually lead to them being chosen for the Pan-Immunity Viron project twenty years later as well as power infantry and laser research.

In 2057 the Grand Canyon's 'protected' status is removed and Uranium mining begins, closing it indefinitely shortly after.

In 2059 the Anchorage Front Line is established, as the United States increases its military presence in Alaska to protect its oil interests. The Anchorage Front Line causes tensions between the United States and Canada, as the United States attempts to pressure Canada into allowing American military units to guard the Alaskan pipeline. The first artificial intelligence is born. Limited by memory constraints, its expansion is rapidly halted. The discovery paves the way for future A.I. research in laboratories throughout the United States.


By 2060 traffic on the streets of the world stops moving. Fuel becomes too precious to waste on automobiles, so alternatives are explored - electric and fusion cars begin to be manufactured, but factories can only make limited amounts while conserving fuel. The U.S. economy teeters on bankruptcy. Pressure on fusion research increases. The European-Middle Eastern War ends as the oil fields in the Middle East run dry. There is no longer a goal in the conflict, and both sides are reduced almost to ruin.The European Commonwealth dissolves into quarreling nation states, fighting over the remaining resources.

In the winter of 2066, China invades Alaska. The Anchorage Front Line becomes a true battleground.As a sign of increasing tension between the two countries, Canada proves reluctant to allow American troops on Canadian soil or allow American planes to fly over Canadian airspace. American and Canadian tensions rise, but Canada eventually backs down, and U.S. troops pass through Canada. This sets the stage for the Canadian annexation in 2076

Around 2067 the first suit of T-45b power armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this power armor is incredibly effective against Chinese tanks and infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordnance becomes key in various localized conflicts, and it has the power to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. China rushes to create its own versions, but they are many years behind the United States. By this year, a Nuka-Cola machine can be found on almost every street in America.

2067 the United States' increasing demand for Canadian resources causes protests and riots in several Canadian cities. An attempted sabotage of the Alaskan pipeline is all the military needs as an excuse to finalize its annexation of Canada, which had already begun in 2067

June 3, 2072: Canada begins to be fully annexed by U.S.A. It is fully integrated by January of 2076.


In September 15, 2073 China becomes increasingly aggressive with their use of biological weapons, the United States government felt that a countermeasure was needed. The Pan-Immunity Virion Project is officially formed and plans are made to begin experiments at the West-Tek Research facility in Southern California.


2074 Contrary to their claims of seeking only to retake Alaska from the Reds, American power armor units, infantry, and mechanized divisions are deployed to China, but they become bogged down on the mainland, putting a further drain on American resources and supply lines.

June 24,2074: Negotiations between the U.S. and other world powers come to a dramatic end, with the president walking out of oil talks with the other world powers. After a much heated debate, the president stormed out of the meeting and declared that the last known supply of petroleum will be used exclusively by the U.S. and the U.S. will not sell or trade any oil to outside parties.

June 2076: Power armor prototype completed, resulting in the T-51b power armor. This is the pinnacle of power armor technology before the Great War. Many of these units are sent to China, and they begin to carve a swath through the Chinese forces. The Chinese resources are strained to the breaking point, and the supply lines from the nations China has annexed begin to break down.

2077

Gas prices sky rocket with the regular gas price being $7450.99 per gallon and $8500.99 per gallon for premium.

A Chinese sabotage attempt takes place at Hoover Dam

New Plague hits Denver. Rioters burn down large parts of the city in their fear of contamination and anger at their treatment. Many panic and flee the city by car, clogging the freeways when they run out of gas and trapping everyone behind them.

January 10: Alaska is reclaimed and the Anchorage Front Line is again held by the Americans.

January 22nd: The first domestic use of power armor within the United States for crowd and quarantine control. Units originally serving in China and the Anchorage Front Line find themselves fighting Americans at home. Food riots increase, and many civilians are killed. Several soldiers defect from the military both in Canada and the United States. They are captured and sent to military prisons.

October 23: The great war

The Great Blackout: EMP produced by the bombing kills unshielded electronic devices such as vehicles and other machinery. It lasts for an unknown period of time.

 

[Wolfbane]

"She's been here. Recently too," Kenzi said while examining the area. The blonde Ranger stood up and took a cig out of the current pack she was on. The building in question was a pre-war general goods store. It had from groceries to work tools and all in between. The cigarette began to burn shorter and hotter with each moment all the while ash climbed up against it.

Her fingers snaked through the burnt ash of the fire before her then found their way around a can of dog food. Funny what a person would do to make it day by day in the wastes and how low you'd sink to get there. Not much is left of the old world; buildings are destroyed, most food is gone, purified water is hard to come by and the people are almost non existent. The people left either try to kill you or like sticking to themselves. Now more than ever are people truly animals and vile creatures. On a long enough timeline the survival rate of everyone drops to zero. Maybe the atomic end was the best thing; the world can start anew and humanity will once gain what was lost so long ago.

The store was a withered away pile of bones of its former self. Picked clean like a carcass from vultures and scavengers. The walls were blackened and smeared with layers upon layers of permanent soot. The counters are still littered with pre-war money and the register still open waiting for the taste of green that will never come. Shelves were either taken for reinforcement purposes, broken from the damage, or left with no other reason to exist but to just stay there. Much like the people of the wastes.

"She's moved on a while ago and did her best to cover her tracks. No casings and not to mention she didn't have to kill her way in here. Most places like this you have to evict the current tenant with a face full of lead. Looks like that tracking training of ours paid off. She knew not to leave signs and to work alone," Kenzi slowly stood up and took a another drag of her smoke and kicked the can of dog food across the litters floor.

In the back of the store her partner, Vex, was checking for any clues they have missed. It's better to take the time to be thorough than to miss critical clues especially when you're tracking someone who doesn't want to be caught.

"Hey Kenz! I don't think she was alone."

"Yeah? What makes you say that?"

"These guys are a little shy. You might want to coax them," Vex smirked to himself as Kenzi walks in and rolled her eyes when she saw one guy's grey mattered spattered across the wall like bad abstract art and the other was stiff in a chair covered in knife wounds and burn marks.

"Whoo he's been dead for a few days too. If the smell didn't tip you off his skin is as cold and stiff to the touch. Note the maggots coming from his gut. That's one of the key places where everything starts. The gut and the brain," Vex pointed his rifle at the aforementioned areas for effect

Kenzi withdrew her knife from her back sheath and used it as a pointer, "Well, this other guy was definitely shot by the blood pattern and the entry wound on the back of his head All she had to do was catch the casing when it was discharged from her side arm. Speaking of arms, this man's arm is broken along with a few well placed knife wounds."

"What if he was shot after? She wouldn't shoot him dead then stab him."

"Hmmm, looks like there's someone else. A civilian most likely due to the lack of a gun, attire and ligature marks on his wrists and ankles. What do you think happened?"

THREE NIGHT AGO

"Oh man, that had to hurt. Too you have to be alive. They didn't say we couldn't have some fun first! Hold his hand down!" The man's hand was held down by another while a tall man drab in fatigues pulled a knife out and began to dance in between the man's fingers. The fatigued man began to laugh as he got faster and faster with the knife while the hostage began to sob.

"Don't distract me with that pitiful sobbing pr else I might-- whoops!" The knife went through the man's hand. The knife then came out and slashed the man's chest.

"What did I tell you?!?! No fl*ffing crying!"
"Lay off him before she comes back! She should be done checking the parameter along with the rooms!"

"I'm not going to be controlled by some mick bitch!"

"Please, I beg you! I have a daughter!" The tears began to flow profusely.

"Yeah, yeah you've told us!" The tall man sunk the blade into the father's shoulders with joy and laughter.

"Damn it Steve cut it out! We are Gunners not fl*ffing raiders!"

One of the worried men turned their ear to the sound of singing that got increasingly closer. Their breathing quickened and they began to sweat. Steve, the man who was taking joy in pain snarled at his squad before twisting the blade for effect before going back to his fun.

"Don't ever laugh as a hearse goes by. For you may be the next to die"

"I know! Let's play a game! Would you like that?" The insubordinate pulled out his .44 and placed a single round and spun the barrel before pointing it at the man and pulling the trigger with a click.

"They wrap you up in a big white sheet. From your head down to your feet. They put you in a big black box. They cover you with dirt and rocks. It all goes well for about a week. Then your coffin starts to leak," the outside door that connects to the warehouse office shut and footsteps were slowly getting closer.

The trigger was pulled once again and produced another click and more laughter and even more tears. "Luck be a lady tonight! Four more tries now," The now infuriated gunner snarled and snapped the man's fingers, "That god damn singing! Time for some more prize money!" He sickly grinned and ripped the knife out only to drag it deeper across his the inside of his arm, the sound of steel getting caught on tendon and bone.

"The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out. They play pinochle on your snout. They eat your eyes , they eat your nose. They eat the jelly between your toes."

"God damn shamrock bitch. She wants to piss me off? Okay. Lets play," he walked over to the fire pit and moved the pot to heat the blade up and walked back over to the father and began to cauterize the wounds over and over.

"A big green worm with rolling eyes crawls into your stomach and out your eyes. Your stomach turns slimey green and pus pours out like whipping cream. Spread it on a slice of bread and thats what you eat when your dead," as the music hits a crescendo the footsteps get ever so nearer and the torture gets more severe. Now the father's neck and face were covered in fresh burn marks and the smell of burnt flesh lingered in the air. They say we often smell like cooked pork when burned and taste like it too. Cannibals of the waste call normal people 'long pig'.

"And the worms crawl out and the worms crawl in. The worms that crawl in are lean and tean. The worms that crawl out are fat and stout. Your eyes fall in and your hair falls out. Your brain comes tumbling down your snout," At this point a darkened silhouette stands in the door frame while the gunner pulls the trigger again and again with more tension before the final pull.

"And the worms crawl in and the worms crawl out. They crawl all over your dirty snout. Your chest caves in, your eyes out. And your brain turns into sauerkraut. They invite their friends and their friends too. They all come down to chew on you," The .44 went off with a loud bang, and before the three knew it she was behind the manic gunner and drove her knife in his arm and snapped it whilst singing and withdrew her .45 and put a round that hollowed out a hole before letting him drop and catching the casing and taking her knife out of him.

"And this is what it is to die I hope you had a nice goodbye did you ever think as a hearse goes by that you may be the next to die? Your eyes fall out and your teeth decay and that is the end of a perfect day," the room remained silent as two souls have departed before she spoke up, "Now then. Let this be an example to all you. If they have a child they will be released. You don't want me to go all irish all you do you?" Her accent cut through the tension like her knife through the man's arm. She rarely goes full irishmen but when she does its not good.

"No ma'am. We need to find someone else for the drop off."

"Quite. Alright boys let's move out. I already made a mess for the people looking."

"Looking for what ma'am?"

"Looking for something that don't concern you. Get a move on."

 

[Simus]

Warning. Warning. Malfunction detected in Cryo Pod 38. Revival sequence engaged. Auto-shutdown unresponsive. Please manually shutdown revival process for Cryo Pod 38.

The computer's voice reverberated through the frozen tomb that was Vault 111. No one was there to hear it. No one had been there to hear it in over 200 years. They had all left long ago. They were starving, without purpose and desperate to hear some news of the outside world after the bombs fell and they rebelled against the Overseer who would not let them leave. When they broke out they sealed the vault behind them. No one had found this place since and the only people who were still here were its first and last residents. Scared, desperate and confused people who were lowered hundreds of feet below ground and greeted into their new home mere minutes after the bombs fell. None of them questioned their surroundings. They were still coming to grips with what happened, barely registering that they were still alive while everyone else could be dead. And the staff was so professional. In less than ten minutes everyone was lined up, checked off a list and changed into a brand new vault suit. They had all read the orientation packets. Everyone wore vault suits in a vault. They didn't need their personal belongings. None of them questioned it. Then they were all herded into "decontamination" pods before they could enter the vault proper. They didn't care. The just knew they were safe. None of them questioned it. They didn't even care about why it was getting so cold in those pods or why the suddenly felt so drowsy. The vault suits were warm, they were protected from the outside and honestly, after all that had just happened, they could all use a nap.

None of them questioned it.

Cryo Pod 38 hummed with electricity. Its interior was slowly heating up. The ice that had covered it for two centuries was melting, turning to frost, then water, dripping down its surface and onto the floor, exposing its long-sleeping occupant. Inside she was gradually waking up. Her brain was becoming active again. It could sense the rising temperature and its body, cold and stiff, drank in the warmth and moisture. Slowly it regained its functions. The lungs started to breath again and the heart beat at a strong rate. The muscles, though stiff and weak, were still there. Atrophy had been minimal. The bones and tendons were still strong. The black hair was still vibrant. The nose started to smell again. The eyes opened.

Courtney took her first breath of air in what felt like an eternity. She had no idea how long she had been asleep but she knew she was finally awake. This wasn't like the same dreams endlessly looping through her head. Dreams of her running in an adrenaline-fueled panic towards the vault, Nathan right behind her with Peter in his arms. Their neighbor Nora and her Nate and their baby Shaun, about Peter's age, right beside them. All she could remember were air-raid sirens filling her skull with announcements and people from as far as Concord running in her direction, Vault-Tec personnel and power armored infantry keeping order as best they could. Vertibirds flying towards Boston as if their life depended on it. An annoying Vault-Tec representative begging with a guard to let him in with the others. The same representative Courtney had told to go away just that morning and who had only signed them up at Nathen's badgering. The poor guy was just doing his job and Courtney had been a bitch to him. He was probably dead now.

All of this had spun around in her head over and over while she slept and she was reviewing it as she woke up but all of it stopped when her vision cleared and her pod opened.

The pristine vault had become a frozen tomb of ice, frost and condensation. The air was absolutely freezing and everything was covered in frost. The floor looked damp and water was dripping from several places from the ceiling. There were five pods across from her so she must be in the middle of her row. That was when she remembered Nathan and Peter. They had climbed into the pod next to her! She had to get them out!

She pushed herself out of her pod and stumbled out. After only a few steps she lost her footing and fell onto her hands and knees, down onto the cold wet floor. She felt so weak, like she had been drained of all of her nutrients. She was also hungry, emphasized by her growling stomach, and for some reason tired. It was like she was brought back from the dead and it was all a lot to take in at once, but that had to wait for now. She had to get her family out. She coughed up a large string of phlegm and then forced herself to get back up. Her legs felt so weak they could barely hold her up but she had to keep moving. She took another stop, then another, then another. Each one got a little easier. She was almost to Nathan's pod. She touched it with her outstretched hand, then banged on it with her fist.

"Nathan!" She yelled. "Nathan! It's Courtney! I'm awake and I'm gonna get you out! Hold on Peter! Mommy's coming!"

She wiped the age-old fog from the glass window on the pod's door. Nathan was still inside and it looked like he was still holding Peter. They were frozen. Why were they frozen? Courtney wasn't frozen. Cold but not frozen.

"What? What the hell happened!?" She screamed. "Nathan!? Nathan! Hold on! I'm gonna get you out of here! I'm gonna warm you both up! Just hold on!" Something was wrong. He looked like a side of beef you'd find in a freezer. She wiped fog from the keypad to try to figure out a way to open the pod. There was a small terminal screen by the keypad. It was still on! There was a list of options about the pod and the occupant. Courtney feverishly started putting buttons on the keypad and the small controller on the terminal, desperate to find a way to find out Nathan's condition or get him out. She finally found a file labeled "Occupant Status Logs" but when she opened it all of her hope was taken away.

Current date: 15/01/2283
13/01/2233: Subject and newborn deceased (Temperature malfunction.)

"No..." Courtney whispered, her hope dissipating as quickly as her breath. "No. No, that can't be right! They couldn't have been dead for fifty years!"

Warm tears ran down her cold cheeks as she scrambled for another way to open the pod. She found a manual override lever and with all her strength she pulled. The door forced open just so and she struggled with everything she had to get it open. After almost a minute she got the pod open but there was no comfort inside. Nathan was frozen sold and Peter was a human ice cube in his arms. They were both dead.

"No...No, Nathan." She cried. She pried Peter from his dead arms, holding her now-dead baby close, knowing there was nothing she could do. "Peter...no, Peter. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Then Courtney just fell to her knees and sat there, mourning the loss of her family and everything else she had ever know. All of it she was far too late to save. All of it she had failed. After fifteen minutes she simply couldn't cry anymore. There was no point. Nothing could bring her baby back. There was no point in living anymore and since her world was gone no one would miss her.

"So this is it then." She said aloud, to no one but herself. "This is how it ends."

She curled up on the floor with Peter's corpse in her arms. Then she just closed her eyes and laid there, resting her head on Nathan's chest after she had moved him. Then she closed her eyes and relaxed as best she could. If she was going to die then it might as well be with her family. She would welcome it, whenever it was ready.

 

[Pufftuff]

He had heard the stories. Hell they were part of the reason he was here. As he crouched to take a look through his unattached rifle scope he saw him. A 'man' who looked as though he'd been stitched back together a hundred times by a broken down med mech. Spinning his revolver checking it was loaded, he began walking down the hill.

As he approached the gate two guards stood on either side both drew their weapons. "Easy now boys, easy..." The man said in a calm raspy voice, "I need to see the big man...tell him th-" abruptly one of the guards interrupted "We ain't gon' tell him plops. He will see you but you ain't gon' see him" Jordy could hear the hammer falling towards the bullet in the guards gun. He dropped to a knee bullet wizzing over his head and with his two .45's pulls each trigger once. The two guards drop dead. He then proceeds to put his two weapons on the ground and remove his jacket.

Within second there were a dozen men aiming weapons at him. The ugly man he saw earlier stepped through the crowd. With a broken voice that sounded like a painful stutter he spoke. "W-what brings a fool. L-like Y-ou to my ca-ca-ca, Establishment? K-K-Killing my boys." Jordy looked up and said "I'm here on behalf of the settlement from the old scrap yard. Here to deliver their payment to a man called Franklin? I'll assume that's you." Grunting,"HA! Right Y-ou are. Unfortunately for Y-ou. They die regardless, quick-er than Y-ou of course." waving his men to grab Jordy. He spoke up "Ah but you assume I only brought what you asked. Sit and chat with me may be worth your time." Franklin grinned "Fair, enough I appreciate a g-g-g-ood beggin'."

As Franklins men pick up his things to lead him into the camp, one reach for the Colt in his belt. Jordy quickly grabbed and broke the wrist of the man. "I'm gonna have to insist on keeping this, sentimental value and all." Franklin grunted and waved his men off. "There are a lot more than six of us anyway." They walked into Franklin's home. An old concrete bunker of some kind. accompanied by a small group of men one of whom was holding his jacket and shoulder harnessed pistols. It was cold, dim, and reeked of sweat. In the main room sat a table and some chairs. They sat the table looked as though a plate would fall through the rotted out wood. "Had something T-T-T-To say fool?" Franklin snarled. "I want to play a game, for my life." Jordy began to explain as he strolled around the room which bolted from the inside. "I'm not interested in what happens to those people afterwards. I get hired, I do the job, I get paid, I leave." One of Franklin's men spoke up. "Looks like they sent you to die." Without missing a step Jordy slid the door bolt shut, un-holstered his weapon and fired three quick shots. Two of the men fell with bullets to the brain, the third the one who mouthed of was shot in the gut. Franklin stood up and drew, was quickly shot in the hand. There was russelling outside and pounding on the door. Wincing in pain Jordy guided Franklin back to his seat with a barrel to the head.

"So about my game!" Jordy said excitedly, "Now we are both playing for equal stakes. Our lives. The rules are simple" a gurgling sound came out of the man shot in the gut. "THAT'S WHY YOU SHOULDN'T BE RUDE, NOW YOU HAVE TO DIE SLOWLY AND IN PAIN." Jordy shouted. "The rules Mr. Franklin are simple. I'm going to set my gun on the table," pulling an old pre-war coin out of his pocket, "I will spin this coin when the coin stops we both go for the gun. Sound good?" Smug Franklin spoke "Y-ou die regardless worm, I ha-ha-have more than twenty men out there." pointing to the door. "Do you see me sweating?" Asked Jordy. Getting only a grunt in response.

The colt gets put on the table shaking as the guns weight touches the table. It's gorgeous shines brighter than the whole room, the wooden handle intricately carved with ancient Gaelic designs and a scythe. Jordy slides the gun closer the the hideous man across from him, pointed at his bloody hand. "Since your at a disadvantage." he said with a smirk. Then he took off his hat and set it on the ground, and spun the coin. The men stared at each other listening to the coin scratch against the table as it spun. Franklin, moved forward for the gun. Jordy kicks the table leg, as the table slides towards him Jordy grabs the gun and fires two shots. It's quite other than the sound of someone drowning in blood, the room reeks with the smell of gun powder and metal now. The banging on the door has stopped. Gathering his things, he slides his shoulder holsters on and puts his jacket over it. Walking to pick up his hat. He looks at the 'thing' he just killed. Blood bubbling out of his neck as he tries to speak. "You had a better chance not cheating." he winked. Then walking toward the door put his hat on pulls out his twin pistols, cocks them back, and kicks the door open....

 

[Daryl Dixon]

"Make a move and I'll end you, super mutant."

"Easy. He doesn't like being threatened." Jack said.

"Brutus not like scavver. Brutus smash!"

"Calm down big guy. Scavver, back off. We were here first."

"But there's six of us and two of you. Move on and there won't be any trouble. We're being reasonable here."

They stood in the abandoned ruins of a house in Concord. They had cleared out some radroaches but other than that the place was uninhabited, until six scavengers swooped in weapons loaded and trained on Jack and his pal. Jack was in the middle of some curved stairs that went to the second floor and Brutus was at the bottom of them with the scavvers.

"You've got about 4 seconds before my friend here makes a meal out of you." Jack said as he began counting down, pulling the pin to a grenade behind his back. When 2 seconds had passed Brutus whacked one of the scavvers, sending them smashing against a wall. He then ran at the furthest enemy as they began opening fire. Then Jack tossed the grenade down the stairs instantly killing 3 of them and leaving blood and guts everywhere. He then opened fire and within seconds all of them were dead. "Good fight Boss. Enemy not stand chance." Brutus growled. "Best leave before building falls down." Jack did a sweep of the top floor retrieving some ammo, caps and a small amount of mutfruit.

As they walked the streets they could hear gunfire in the distance. "Brutus not understand why Jack walks in shadow. Why hide? Makes you look weak to other humans."

"Try not to think about it too hard, buddy."

They avoided a fight with some raiders, much to the super mutant's despair. Jack had hoped the mutant would eventually be smarter and not so bloodthirsty but had low expectations. They passed a gas station and eventually came across a small worn down bridge. Upon crossing it the town they were walking into revealed itself. It was just as dilapidated as everywhere else, but it was clear of hostiles for the most part. He stood at the base of the sign and removed some shrub that was blocking it. "Sanctuary Hills huh?" He said. Brutus walked aside him. "Brutus going hunting. Be back later."
"Take it easy, pal."
"Boss not worry about Brutus. Be back soon."
He walked off, leaving Jack in Sanctuary seemingly alone. He walked further up the street, rifle in hand. He spotted a Mr Handy cutting the shrubs outside a particular house. Curious, he approached. The robot noticed him and hovered over. "Greetings sir! What brings you to Sanctuary Hills this fine afternoon?"

Upon there being no threat, he holstered his weapon. "Just looking for food, mostly."
"Ah perhaps I could whip you up a snack then? I'm sure the sir and mum won't mind. They've got plenty of food safe and sound in that vault anyway. Come with me."
"Uh, I think I'm gonna make my own if you don't mind."
"Alls well sir! If you change your mind you know where to find me."

Jack crossed the road to a house with a workshop, power armour station and a weapons bench. More his kind of person. The Mr Handy was clearly malfunctioning and he didn't want to be around when it went hostile. Upon entering he noticed the place was an absolute mess and didn't even have a door. Upon walking in he noticed a broken photo frame on the ground, he picked it up and took the photo out. It was of a young, pre war family. They had a baby boy. Finding remnants of the past always hit close to home, the family looked so happy. He folded and pocketed it. Preparing to eat, he picked up one of the metal kitchen chairs and sat it at the dinner table. Then he went over to one of the wooden ones in the back of the house. He ripped off the cushioning and broke off the legs, taking them outside on the driveway. He then placed them together and got out his flint and steel, lighting a fire. He quickly ran inside, grabbing an old pot and wooden spoon he placed the pot on the sturdy fire and threw in some mutfruit, carrot and tato. Then he emptied his second last bottle of purified water into the mix. He gently stirred it with the spoon. He observed the silent neighbourhood. The robot had disappeared inside for the moment. Crazy thing. When his soup was done he brought it inside and sat at the dining table, taking small spoonfuls as it was rather hot. He began to swing on his chair out of boredom, waiting for his companion to return.

 

[T. Rakinson]

"Is the coast clear?" came a croaky and slightly anxious voice from inside the Red Rocket buildings Garage. Two bangs rattled from the outside, giving its occupant the all-clear.
Rufus pressed a button on the nearby wall to open the shutters, which slowly rose up, allowing him to step back outside. Jackal was waiting in a hunched position a few meters away with his back turned.

The feral was looking in the direction where the Super Mutant had come from. The duo had stopped at the Red Rocket Garage to loot any scrap lying around, only for them to rush inside when a large green figure had appeared on the west horizon. Now the danger had passed, Rufus re-holstered his Hunting Rifle. Why the hell are there Greenskins this far North? the regular Ghoul pondered in his head. In the duo's journey to the northern regions of the Commonwealth, the threat level posed by their surroundings had gradually declined. Aside from a few Raiders near Lexington, Rufus had been able to keep his gun holstered since leaving the central Boston area.

Jackal had begun to make his way down the road already, curious about where the Mutant had come from. The creature briefly remembered running into a group of similar-looking entities before, and recalled the sacks of meat they sometimes left around. It was enough to entice him to head in that direction, and he snapped loudly when Rufus called him back, banging his machete on the gravel beneath him as though having a tantrum.
Rufus watched the spectacle for a few moments, before rolling his eyes beneath his gas mask. "Fine, we can investigate. But I'm not getting a limb torn off just because you wanted something to eat." His companion nodded, before galavanting off down the road at a pace Rufus would be able to keep up with. They soon reached a decrepit wooden bridge arching over a river. The Ghoul could see some abandoned houses on the other side; nothing to indicate a Mutant occupation. In spite of the lack of evidence, he and Jackal proceeded over the bridge with caution (or in the latters case, barely contained anticipation), rifle and machete respectively in hand.

Despite their slow progression, the duo made it across the bridge without spotting any immediate signs of life. Rufus was just about to lower his weapon again when something appeared in the doorway of a nearby house. Both Ghoul and Feral immediately raised their weapon on sighting the new arrival, only to be surprised as they spoke.
"Hello there!" said the Mr Handy in a unquestionably friendly tone. Despite this Jackal immediately broke into a sprint in the robots direction, so quickly that Rufus was barely be able to call him off. "Jackal, stop!" The Feral tripped over in its attempt to grind to a halt, ending up collapsed directly in front of his target. The robot recoiled at the close shave, but fortunately did not attack. "Sir, I must insist that you keep your... pet, on a leash!" it said in a panicked tone. Rufus ran over to his companion, noticing now that the Mr Handy was wielding a lethal-looking buzzsaw on one of its arms.

"I'm terribly sorry, he's never seen a robot before. At least, not for a very long time." Rufus said, his head now less than a meter away from the machine's buzzsaw arm. "And he isn't a pet, he's my friend." The Ghoul added reproachfully afterwards, with a brief quiver in his voice.
The Mr Handy made a gesture that seemed to connote water under the bridge. "Not to worry. Looking at him now, your companion is quite smart, in comparison to some of his cousins that I've had the displeasure of meeting".
Jackal had regained his footing now and was eyeing the Mr Handy once more, but there was no menace to the glare. The shape of the robot felt familiar...

In light of the sudden development Rufus had temporarily forgotten why they'd entered the ghost town in the first place. there were clearly no Mutants around. He turned to look at the robot. "I don't suppose you have anything to sell?" he rasped. the Mr Handy shook his three eye stalks, which the Ghoul decided to consider a shaking of the head. When it spoke again there a mournful tone to its voice. "Sadly not. There is little left of value here in Sanctuary Hills. If only you could have seen her beauty before those wretched bombs were dropped..." the machine trailed off, before speaking up again in a more positive tone. "But another man arrived here recently, who seemed friendly enough. Shall I take you to him?" Rufus looked at Jackal, who was still staring at the robot. He decided to humour it, feeling a bit sorry for the machine. "Sure." he said in a friendly ghoulish tone, and the duo began to follow it further into Sanctuary.

Jackal eventually broke off from the small group to chase down a Bloatfly in one of the houses, but Rufus followed the Mr Handy until he saw a figure ahead walking away from a campfire. The two had introduced themselves by now, the robot claiming to be a butler named Codsworth. Before they could go off to announce his arrival though, Rufus spoke up. "Actually Codsworth, I'll go say hello myself. How about you go and see what Jackal's getting up to." The machine complied and headed back down the road, whilst the Ghoul went over to the occupied house and knocked on the door frame. "Who's here then?" he asked, feeling glad that his apparel concealed his identity in case he was dealing with a racist.

 

[Simus]

After about ten minutes Courtney was able to fall asleep, partly hoping she'd never wake up. As she slept however she began to dream of her life before the war. It started as the safe and comfortable life she and Nathan had before the war.

It was a year before the bombs fell. They had been living in Sanctuary Hills for just over a year and Courtney was eight months pregnant. It was a warm, sunny May afternoon and she was laid out on a fold out lawn chair sharing a Nuka-Cola with her friend and across-the-street neighbor Nora. Both women were expecting a baby in the next month and the whole neighborhood had thrown a baby shower for both of them. It was a perfect cloudless day with just the right temperature for jeans and a t-shirt. Or in Courtney's case, a tank top and pregnancy pants. Nathan was over by the grill near the garage, working on dinner with Nora's husband Nate. He was also named Nathan but went by Nate for the sake of clarity. The smell of burgers, hot dogs and bratwurst was making everyone hungry but there was plenty for everyone and a big buffet table of chips, pretzels, raw vegetables, fresh deviled eggs (Not those disgusting store bought Yum-Yums!) kept everyone satisfied until they were ready. Three big bowels were covered with tight-fitting lids, ready to be opened when the food was served. One was filled with cole slaw, the other with potato salad and a third with Pork&Beans. Three favorites at any American picnic. Two big coolers, one with Nuka-cola and the other with Gwinett Stout, were open and filled with ice, ready to stave off thirst. The children of the neighborhood were busy with an impromptu baseball game in the street with some of their dads acting as referees and scorekeepers. Everyone else was talking, laughing or just enjoying the day. Everyone was having a good time, and after dinner came cake, ice cream, baby supplies and present for the up-and-coming mothers and a big display of fireworks. The night ended with a grand finale of six "Nuka grenades". Home-made explosives made by Nathan and Courtney that were strapped to the biggest fireworks they could find and exploded in a spectacular blue fireball. It was the biggest party of the neighborhood until the fourth of July that year and Courtney would never forget it.

Then her dreams shifted to something much more dire. It was 2072 and she was in the Alaskan wilderness four miles outside Anchorage. At this time she was in the army and a volunteer for the 1st Power Armor Division, America's first unit of power armored soldiers and their greatest edge against the Chinese. In the last six months the T-45d power armor had proven a huge success. It was impervious to most small-caliber bullets and let the user carry heavy weapons normally requiring two-man teams. Courtney had used everything from miniguns to fat mans and out of her original company of a hundred men and women eighty six were still alive. That was more than three times the survival rate of any other infantry unit and twice as much as most tank crews. Their unit was to spearhead an assault on Anchorage to try to take it back from the Chinese and end the three-year war. Everything still operating in Alaska, along with fresh reinforcements from Canada, was being thrown at this. But the brass had grown overconfident and Courtney, now a Second Lieutenant with her own squad, was worried about her men. It turned out those worries were not baseless. The Chinese still didn't have their own power armor but they had developed ways to counter it. When Courtney's company moved in to start the assault they were bombarded by Chinese artillery firing EMP shells. These shells saturated the American route of advance and blew out every piece of electronics in their armor systems. Courtney and her men were sitting ducks when Chinese Chimera tanks rolled in to sweep them up, machine guns and laser cannons gunning down or crushing the American troops now trapped inside their own power armor. It was only by sheer luck that an exploding shell broke the seal on Courtney's armor and she was able to escape.

The Chinese Crimson Dragoons knew about the American attack and had sabotaged all of their communication lines. None of the artillery or regular infantry were in position to support the advancing power armor troops and their air support didn't know when or where they needed help. It was minutes before the first few american tanks and APC's arrived and by then they were getting torn apart by the ready Chinese forces. Courtney ran in the resulting chaos and hid in the wilderness. Now it was nightfall and she was cold, scared and completely alone, surrounded on all sides by the Chinese that occupied the area. She was wearing a black insulated leather jumpsuit covered in ports and plugs to interface with her armor, along with a pair of Kevlar gloves and a hood to protect her head and hair from the armor helmet. It was supposed to keep her warm and comfortable enough to operate her armor in sub-zero temperatures but now she was out of and freezing. The temperature was in the single digits and falling and she couldn't risk building a fire. She was curled up in a ditch, staying as warm and quiet as possible just so she could stay alive. Everything had gone wrong today. The intel was bad, command's plans had shat themselves and all of her friends were dead or captured by those red bastards. On top of all that she ha ran away. She had ran like a coward after breaking out of her own power armor and abandoning it to the enemy. So not only was she a coward she was a traitor who had given up military secrets.

But then again, she had survived. She had survived when no one else had and she was still free. That meant she was still a soldier. She could, she would get out of here and get back to base and she would take as many of these Changs down as she could before leaving. She was no traitor, she was an American soldier. And a true American would never be defeated. She was not going to die here.

Courtney opened her eyes, now back in the real world. Nothing had changed while she was asleep but this was just like that day outside Anchorage. She knew what she had to do.

"I'm not gonna die here." She said. She pushed herself off of Nathan's chest, put down Peter's corpse and stood up, her legs now as strong as her resolve. She would find a way out of this vault even if she had to rip the door open. Her first order of business was to establish exactly what kind of shape this vault was in and after about half an hour she had determined that it was a fluffing mess. Trash and parts were everywhere, along with the skeletons of their former owners. Many still wearing their clothes of life. Guns and shell casings were in several placings, the indications of a long-done shootout. Several empty storage rooms overflowing with empty Vault-Tec boxes meant most of the supplies were gone. The lights and powered systems still worked but the heat was off so everywhere was cold. There were even corpses of what looked like giant cockroaches but Courtney had no idea where they had come from. But after sifting through all of the plops she was able to find some good.

Several military grade pistols and rifles, about eleven in total were still intact and with enough ammo to last a long time. An entire crate of Vault 111 suits, over 30 total, was untouched by time and with the more worn ones Courtney found she had plenty to wear, even if it all looked the same. She even found a pair of tall black riding boots that fit cleanly over her suit. They were both more comfortable and better looking than the ankle-high combat boots Courtney had been given during intake. The air, water and plumbing systems were still good and there was a box of untouched rations in a storage room no one seemed to touch for some reason. The sleeping and rec rooms were in a dry, if still cold, part of the vault and everything still worked along with the beds still being soft and warm. Courtney also had plenty of blankets since she was the only one here. But by far the best piece of tech she had found was a Pip-boy. A wrist mounted computer that monitored Courtney's vital signs, showed her a map of the world around her and most importantly had an uplink cord to access computer terminals. Or vault control doors.

After an hour Courtney had gotten herself settled. She had arranged what looked like a scientists' quarters for herself into a place where she could be comfortable. The bed had plenty of pillows and blankets, the nightstand beside it had a bright light, the ceiling light was off but working, the door was closed and sealed and the dresser contained all the clothing she'd need for a while. Two extra vault suits, two pairs of socks, a pair of white long johns and, of all the things in the world to find, a pair of blue red rocket patterned footy pajamas that Courtney fit right into. She couldn't help but wonder which of the long-dead scientists the one-piece pajamas belonged to. They were extremely childish, even for a woman, and never anything she had seen in her adult life. But, considering she was living in a refrigerator and most likely left for dead by the rest of the world, she welcomed them. After she was changed she plugged her pip-boy into the computer terminal at her new desk and activated the audio recording system. A record of what she did here in case she didn't make it out. The first few seconds of recording time were filled with dead air as she prepared herself but soon she started to talk.

"Well, here it goes I guess: Hi there. Today is...January 15th 2283 according to this computer what I am using and my name is...Courtney Fallon. I am a...resident of Vault 111 and I have been for the last two hundred or some odd years. Yes, that makes me a "pre-war" human. If you're watching this and you're human then that's probably a pretty big deal for you. If you're something other than human then...well...hi. Please give this recording to an actual human. Now, as for who I am, I'm 27, I used to live in Sanctuary Hills Massachusetts just outside of Concord, I had a husband named Nathan and a baby boy Peter who are now dead and all of us were stupid enough to accept Vault-Tec's invitation to go into this giant cooler as a "Reward for service to our country above and beyond the call of duty." Well that was a load of bullplops. After they herded all of us down here Vault-Tec had us climb into what we thought were decontamination pods. Turns out they were cryo pods, made to keep us on ice for who knows how long. From what I've read on the vault's computers we were supposed to be test subjects for some kind of experiment on long term cryo sleep and the staff here was supposed to monitor and experiment on us. Though from the looks of things they weren't supposed to be here for very long. Their supplies were supposed to last up until about eighteen months and then receive some kind of all-clear code from Vault-Tec HQ. I'm guessing that never happened because there are a lot of skeletons in this place. Many of them with bullet-sized holes between their eyes. Kinda makes me wonder who was really being experimented on here. Maybe the real objective was to see how these people behaved in a sealed environment with limited resources, a pretty vague job to do and the hope of some magic signal that never came. All while making them believe they were in control. So if anyone at Vault-Tec is watching this, if Vault-Tec is even a thing anymore that is, I could really use some answers here. Also, fluff you and your whole sick corporation. If you people all died in the bombs then you got exactly what you deserved. If you're hiding in some posh super vault thing and are watching me on some secret camera then...well...see above."

"Okay. Now that I've gotten that out of my system, here's my situation. I'm completely alone down here. Everyone in my bank of pods is dead. There was some sort of temperature malfunction about fifty years ago that caused a lot of the pods to crash. That's what...that's what killed my Nathan and my baby. My Peter." Her voice cracked as she fought back tears. "Sorry about that. It's just...fresh right now. Crying about it won't help, I've tried that." She took a deep breath and continued. "There's another bank of pods separated in another room and I was able to get in there and take a look at those. Some of the people, somehow, are still alive including my friend Nora and her family. Her husband Nate and their baby Shaun. I couldn't tell which of them has Shaun but I know he's in there. I've thought about it and I've decided not to wake them up. I have no idea how this system works or what will happen if I try and experiment and if I make a mistake I'll kill them. I couldn't live with that. Not after what's already happened. Nora? If you're awake and watching this please don't be mad at me okay? I didn't want you to die and I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep you and Nate's pods up and running and the very fact that you're watching this means I did a good job so yahoo for you I guess."

"Anyway, I'm not exactly sure why I'm not dead with the others. Maybe my pod had some kind of redundancy system or maybe I'm just lucky. I'm not sure. Either way, here I am. Trapped in a vault with no clear way of getting out and no idea of what the world above looks like. From what I can see there's another level of this vault where the door outside is but the door leading to that level is sealed shut. I can't get it open and the button's been melted by someone. That's what I mean by 'trapped in here'. Literally trapped with no way out. So I've got to figure out a way to force that door open. And there's a lot working against me here. If something is this vault breaks and crushes me I'll die, if the water system breaks down I'll die of thirst, if the HEPA filters break down I'll suffocate, if one of those...roach things is still alive around here and bites me I'll die of infection and if none of THAT kills me I'm eventually gonna run out of food. It looks like I've got about two weeks worth. Three if I ration. A few days more if I can find a way to...eat some of those roach things that might still be around, might bite me and are definitely the scariest thing I've ever seen. And I've seen people enjoying Yum-Yum Deviled Eggs. So that's where we are. I have two to three weeks to find a way to get this door open, escape this vault and try to get a clue of what the world's like these days. But, right now my gut's full of pork&beans and Fancy Lad Snack Cakes. I tell you, when the boxes on those things say 'guaranteed fresh forever' they weren't kidding. There's a bottle of bourbon that somehow exists unopened and I'm gonna dump some ice into that bad boy and drink till I can't drink no more. Then when I've had enough I'm gonna stumble over to my bed and go to sleep. Then finish the rest of the bourbon when I get up. Then I'll figure out a way out of here. So I'm off to Knob Creek and I'll see you later, Person What is Listening to this Recording. See ya."

Courtney ended and saved the recording onto the terminal and then proceeded with her drinking. Given the circumstances it was an excellent idea.

 

[fellowknight]

Sixty-seven yards above Vault 111, a horrified scream pierced the morning air, a body flopping onto the rusted hatch. "Hugh.." the man gurgled, choking on his own blood as the blast of a Colt Python put him down for good. Orson Whitlock stood over the boy, barrel hissing smoke as it was lowered to his side, hand shaking. Carefully, he lowered to a kneel and flipped the man onto his stomach with his free hand. Just as he thought.

A white skull was plastered on the uniform, rough as if hand-painted. An 'x' marked the forehead and tally marks shaped the mouth, the nose resembling an inverted 'v'. Gunners. But that still didn't explain why they were here.

The vault was dry of supplies, likely riddled with rad-roaches by now. Most of the systems running through the place had either failed or stopped up, and the air conditioning had likely made inhabiting the place very uncomfortable. Not to mention the door had sealed itself up, no doubt blanketed with rubble, permanently trapping any life inside.

But that was it. The pods. People were still in those. He never woke them up, and led them out. They were still there, still frozen solid. And if the Gunners were in there..

Orson didn't give it a second thought. He didn't have that kind of time.

He quickly stuffed his revolver in its sheathe at his thigh, sliding the high-powered sniper rifle from his back and headed for the lever. Yanking it, the platform clanked exhaustively, and began to sink down into the earth, Orson landing square near the center, moments later. He didn't care if anyone had heard his confrontation with the guards. He gave them a chance just like he gave everyone else a chance. They chose to fight. Besides that, the people in those cryo-pods were in danger, and he couldn't waste a minute getting to them.

He should've released them when he had the chance. He knew he'd have to come back for them some day. But then again, it might've been too late. Maybe they were already dead, crushed under rubble or driven insane and starved in the tomb.

That was on him.

......
​

An explosion rocked the chamber of the Vault 111 entrance, followed by another and another, equal in magnitude and force. On inside of the vault, the right side wall sprayed outwards, the next few spots next to it doing the same, showering the entrance in large chunks of stone. Moments later shouting and wooping could be heard, as if in some joyous celebration, as six figures stepped through the opening. They dropped to the antechamber floor below and immediately spread out, climbing the stairs.

In the elevator room behind them, Johns and Saldin had been posted by the lowering power-lift, rifles held briskly. They'd expected their back-up team, maybe one of them, coming to inform them of a compromise. Johns had personally thought they might've been cowering from a pack of ghouls or something. That lot was always chicken-pl*ps when it came to actually fighting. So he expected a whimpering boy clutching his rifle, begging to stay down there with them.

But not a pair of empty black boots.

He raised his rifle, leveling it slightly. "The hell?.." he glanced at up along the shaft of the lift.

Certainly not the cold muzzle of a revolver on the back of his neck.

"Don't move." growled an earnest voice.

 

[Wolfbane]

The two Rangers both took a deep breath as they planned their next move, which so far wasn't a big one. All they had to show for it were two dead bodies and empty cans of food. An elongated sigh was let out collectively as Vex scratched the back of his head, "Well, looks like we're going to have to go in the local settlement, Diamond City. Maybe we'll find a lead there," he almost gave a half cynical laugh as he is known to do. Vex was never known to be a 'bright side' kind of guy. He often says being dry and cynical is what gets him through the day and better yet through life with as little scars as possible. The original plan was to hopefully find their target without going to any major settlements as to not draw attention themselves, however it would appear that would not be possible. Two fully geared NCR Rangers being in the Commonwealth? That would need a damn good story. The helmets at this point were on their rucksack for the sack of simplicity if they did have to go into a settlement. That's to say they are not useful seeing as how they are protect your head and are equipped with night vision. The two simply got tired of wearing them.

"You know what that means..." A long pause was thrown in the air and fell on the two like invisible rain, "The staring, looks, questions or the usual 'can I touch it?'"

"No...." Kenzi put her gun down and put both hands on the table for effect before looking up at him, "Noodles!" she slid across the table and into his arms, causing him to drop his rifle and almost fall back but managed to maintain his footing, "How could I forget about the noodles! Let's get to it then!" Kenzi slid off of his chest and both collected their rifles before stepping out and made their way through the detritus filled corpse of Boston. Ruined and jagged outlines of once buildings provided shade on a thankfully cool day while smaller buildings were often used as campsites for raiders and fiends back home. The weather alone was a welcomed change; The Mojave was a very dry, hot, and dangerous place with big empties and small settlements scattered around save for Freeside and the New Vegas strip. Dust storms were frequent as were bark scorpions and giant fire geckos. If those won't kill you then the fiends or Cazadors will. Cazadors are only native to the Mojave, much to the joy of the two Rangers.

As they got closer to the city the guards began to turn their helmeted heads towards them, most likely noticing that they were well equipped. Shortly after all the turning heads they were at the front of the great green jewel of the Commonwealth as well as the great green gate of the so called jewel. Diamond City is actually, or rather was a world famous ballpark stadium. That age however, is long gone and forgotten. As the two passed through, Kenzi looked up at the massive retracted gate almost in awe due to the fact of how protected this settlement really is. The entrance was a standard stair climb at the very peak they were able to take in the glistening jewel; voices bargaining prices and goods, kids running to and fro various places and the local town 'crier' selling the latest copy of the local paper. On top of that there was a barber and electricity. It was truly a jewel among the rocks and stones of the commonwealth. Before the two could even get on the main ground a man with a grey mustache and a tan patch suit approached them, "Welcomed to the great green jewel of the Commonwealth! I'm major Mcdonough. What can I do you for? You two look like you aren't from around here," his hands were out and opened, as if he was the city itself welcoming them in.

"Your deductive skills are impressive. Tell me, was it the NCR on the breast plate or was it the coat? Oh! Or is it the fact that there is two of us with fl*ffing Ranger helmets?" Kenzi raised a thin eyebrow as she pointed to the details that were just mentioned and simply waited for Vex to show the man the picture.

"We're looking for a woman who most likely came through here. She was probably wearing the same breastplate as ours. She has three scars on her face and red hair that is shaved on the side."

"Hmmm, haven't seen her before. Maybe some of our other businesses can help you. We do have our very own detective! You'd have to pay for his services of course!," he rubbed his hand together as if looking a fresh meal. This both made Vex and Kenzi mad and they walked passed the major in disgust, "Typical. It's just like back home. Looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. For now, let's get some noodles," the smiled as they made their way to the noodle stand to sit and order the noodles. They tiredly sat down as the protectron approached them with pot in hand, "nani ni shimasu ka?"

"Just say yes. It's the only thing he understands," a woman in a yellow fisherman's jacket turned her chair and pointed to the robot. Before they could order, Vex bit his lip and did the exact opposite of what the woman said,

"Tell me a joke."

"nani ni shimasu ka?"

"Oh! Tell us a story!"

"nani ni shimasu ka?"

"That was good. Yes," the cyber chef waddled off to prepare two noodle bowls while the yellow jacket woman rolled her eyes and sighed, "I hate foreigners," before walking off, making the two rangers giggle like school children before a small girl approached them, "Hey mister.I think my older sister wants to talk to you. Oh, and here is a free issue of Publick Occurrence. Only the in people read this!" the girl scampered off towards the news shop and finally allowing them both to enjoy the noodles. Each person that passed by stared just a little harder. Most of them haven't even heard of the NCR Rangers, let alone seen one. Sure the Rangers are known for their skill and valor but that changes the farther you get from the Mojave. This is no different. These people are used to seeing the typical Scavenger with leather and scrap metal for plating, or a put together armor that looks the part of a nightmare. They have never seen something as glorious or as scary as a Ranger.

The raiders in the Mojave are dressed for the climate and sand and there is also not just them. The Vipers, Fiends, the Great Khans and the vile Caesar's legion inhabit the sand riddled wasteland. These people at least have more buildings and homes to live and set shop in. Back in the Mojave the only places to go through or trade if you were a merchant was Goodsprings, Primm, Novac, I-88 trading post, Crimson Caravan, Camp McCarran and finally New Vegas itself. The boomers at Nellis air force base are more inclined to blow you up, so they are out of the question.

"So what do you think of the girl's older sister knowing something? Do you think it's a dead end?"

"Well, it's better than what we have now. It couldn't hurt to at least talk to her. Let's at least find her. Let's just enjoy the noodles and the scenery, yeah?"


The two had finished their noodles and finally made their way to the news shop where the little girl was plying her trade. Kenzi knocked on the door and was greeted by a brunette in a red leather coat and a driver's cap with a card with the word press written on it. She extended fingerless gloved hand out and shook both their hands, "Name's Piper Wright. That over there is my little sister Nat. We run the local newspaper here. It's not like most here don't read it but hey, better to expose the truth and get it out there. What can I do for you? Where are my manners! Come in please," Piper lead them into the house and ushered them to sit. Vex slid the picture of the target while Piper took a seat across from them.

"Have you seen this woman around here? She has three scars on her face, red hair flipped to the side and shaved on the other, and might be wearing a breastplate like ours. If she is not then she has a tattoo of an owl on the back of her neck, no future behind her right ear and maybe more. We're not sure at this point," he tapped his finger on the photo as Piper took a long look at it. Piper sighed as she leaned back and stared at the two Rangers.

"Well, I saw someone like her. She picked up a few supplies at crazy Myrna's place. I was eating a bowl of noodles and I overheard her talking to herself about Goodneighbor. It was almost as if she's been there herself. Not really sure. Now, you have to answer my questions. Your gear; it's very out of place. You aren't from around here are you?"

"We're from the Mojave. The NCR sent us to track our target. We're a part of a special task force. Any more information and we'd be breaking our mission parameters. I will say more once we find Paz. Do you know where Goodneighbor is?"

"Uh, yeah. It's just up a ways. You might want to say for the night though. You two look like pl*ps. Here come with me and I'll show you where," Piper waved to the front door with a smile and she showed them where to stay for the night.



By the time her squad had reached a safehouse it was night and colder than the day. Riley pushed the door open with her free hand while the others did a perimeter check to see if their location was compromised. After they were sure it was still safe, they set up a fire and put the cans of pork&beans on as well as well as heating the collected water and cut up vegetables for the stew that Riley herself was known to make. Was what she did wrong? Maybe but not to her. A man who harms a parent needs to be put down. The job they are on requires people, but they only take stragglers or loners. As sad as it is its what she must do and it pays to keep her going. She's not asking for sympathy, she is simply stating why. She hasn't always been like this; when she was a Ranger she was happier, often making jokes and pulling pranks, and she also truly fit in somewhere. After what happened, however, she changed, she had to change. She left her friends and her past life. Now there is only questions and greed to fill the emptiness.

"Hey Paz. The water is boiled a safe for the vegetables. They cans should be done too."

"Thanks, Deke. I'll bring the vegetables in," she turned with the piece of a broken table used for a cutting board and dumped the onions,carrots and potatoes into the creamy yellow stew. Deke, who has served in her squad the longest, pulled up three chairs right by the fire, causing wooden four legged shadows cast upon the dirtied floor. The kitchen was stripped bare of it's original parts much like an car, weapon, or a human being of their belongings and organs. You'd be surprised at how much organs go for when you find the right buyer. Riley herself knows that and in fact has done it. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done. Most of the time either she makes it quick or she is contacted after the fact seeing as how no one in the company wants to do it. They say it's bad karma where as she has already suffered from fate. Somethings she has done willingly and would do them again for the payout. Out in the wastes you have to make caps however you can to survive. Buy better equipment, food, and when you don't have friends you buy them and make sure they are loyal through whatever means.

"So Deke, you have a woman? What about another man, huh?" the gunner by the name of Evans kicked Deke's leg as both laughed and toyed with their stew as Riley was simply eating staring out of a nearby window.

"fl*ff you man. I have a woman. One of the most beautiful and sweet things on this god forsaken wasteland. I mainly took to the Gunners to build up a nice pile of caps for us to find a decent shack or house out in the waste and start a family," the group of seasoned men began to erupt in laughter at Deke, who was 30, and his naive goals.

"Family is important. Especially when it's your parents. You all laugh but why are you doing this? Why are you taking on these jobs? Let's hear it Evans. Let's stoke the flame of the hot seat!"

Deke nodded his head as a thank you and began to clap to egg Evans on to answer the question. Riley suspects that the topic of her putting Stevens down will be brought up quite soon and to be fair she'll need to answer them, albeit partially. Riley slid her right hand down to the leggings of her harness and build out a cigarette and lit a splinter of the chair on fire to use as a makeshift match then fanned the flame out. A slender leg crossed over the other as her two team mates talked amongst themselves.

"I simply joined as a way to earn caps and make it in the wastes. It's as plain and simple as that. How about you Paz? Why did you join?" The two men both looked to their leader with curious eyes and eager ears. Riley took a long drag and blew smoke up in the air just to build the tension right before she spoke, "Why did I join? A few reasons; some apparent and some that will stay hidden. The caps and jobs are nice sure. So are these safehouses. But the real reason I joined was to forget. To have my back against something," she withdrew her knife and began to play with it, as if it was a dull butter knife, "And to drown myself in the sea of blood until I find the treasure beneath it."

 

[Simus]

"Okay. I think I've figured out a way out of here."

Courtney was at a table in the main "cryo room" of the vault, just outside of her new quarters. A large bowel, several rinsed tin cans and several boxes and bottles of chemicals were on the table. The holotape she had used to record her message twelve hours ago was in her new pipboy and currently recording.

"I did some more looking around when I got up today and I checked that door again. Yes the lock is still melted and there's some rubble blocking the way out even if I did get that door open. So, yes I'm still trapped down here. But what I didn't notice was that there's a big sheet of glass lining the wall and it extends past that rubble. Which means if I can break that glass I can bypass the door and be out of here. Now it's too big and too thick to smash through or even shoot through, but it's not too big to blast through. To get out of here I'm gonna need a bomb. Fortunately, I am a former power armor operator for the the United States Army. And my primary specialization while operating that power armor was demolitions. That means I know how to make bombs. Vault 111 will fear my bomb-making power."

The bowl in front of her had a mixture of abraxo cleaner, turpentine and and lighter fluid. The resulting slurry was powerful enough to create a sizable explosion when ignited but there were two secret ingredients Courtney was about to add to really give it a bang. One was a fusion core she had grabbed from a long-dead generator and the other was a bucket of her own feces.

"What I've got here is a few household chemicals properly proportioned to make an explosive. This stuff, once poured into some aluminum cans left by my loving caretakers will be enough to breach and detonate the fusion core I have here. Also left to me by my loving caretakers. But just in case it's not enough I have a bit of extra oomph specially provided by yours truly. I'd rather not go into detain about what this extra oomph is but let's just say it does not smell good." Holding her breath and putting on two pairs of latex medical gloves she prepared herself. "Okay. (Oh god I can't believe I'm doing this.) Here we go."

She poured her mixture into her poo bucket and started mixing everything together with a broomstick. The mixture smelled so bad it wanted to make her vomit, especially with her hangover, but she held fast. She had to get this done intact or she'd die down here.

Soon enough her work was done. The mixture was sealed into several lunch boxes, duct taped to the fusion core and lugged over to the class, sitting right against it on a table Courtney moved there. She doused the entire thing in lighter fluid and poured a trail fifteen feet away. With a simple matchbox she would light the gas and set off the inferno to freedom.

"Okay. Looks like everything's ready. Let's...let's do this. God I hope this works." She took a match out of the box and, holding her breath, lit it. Watching the burning stick of wood she counted down in her head before letting it fall to the floor. It hit the floor and lit the lighter fluid. She watched, and counted, as the burning gas made its way to the window.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One...

She ran for cover and clasped her ears just in time but it was still a deafening explosion. The whole room shook and she could hear glass, concrete and ceramic tiles fly all over the room. It was so loud her ears were ringing. All she could hear was ringing but after just a few seconds it started to clear up. She looked over to gaze at her handywork and gasped in amazement. The glass was a broken husk of its former self. The way out of the room and toward the next level of the vault was clear. She was really free to leave.

 

[Daryl Dixon]

Jack had nearly finished his soup when he heard a knock on the doorframe. He thought for a moment and planted the chair legs firmly on the floor. "Come in." He said, feeling odd as the words escaped his mouth. He didn't live here. The mysterious figure stood in the doorway for a second before in walked a masked man. "As long as you keep your steel by your hip, we'll have no problems." Jack said. The man grabbed a nearby fallen over chair from the lounge room connected to the dining area and sat at the other end of the table. "So who are you, and what's got you staying here in a ghost town?" The man had a rough voice, but through the mask Jack didn't think much of it. He decided to pry in and retrieve some information. "Names Jack. I'm here with my partner, Brutus. He's a supermutant, dumb as bricks, probably best if when he comes back you're with me so I can tell him you're friendly. Stopped in here looking for a decent place to stay along with some food. What about you? You can't be out here alone. Too dangerous."

Rufus listened and nodded. "Well I won't judge you for the company you keep, I travel with an oddball myself. If you see a Feral Ghoul with a machete, he's with me". He laughs briefly, Jack laughs also."A feral with a machete? The Commonwealth never fails to surprise."

"I wouldn't worry. You don't look much like a Raider." Then he became serious again. "As for why I'm here... same as you I guess. This place wouldn't be a bad place to settle down, but I'd rather give Codsworth his space. The robot."

"Yeah, he's certainly an odd one. Seems like he's waiting on his masters who he served prewar, apparently they're in a nearby vault. It's probably just up the hill, didn't see it on my way. Would explain the lack of skeletons in town." Jack went to have another spoonful of his soup before stopping. "Did you want some soup?" He said, pushing the bowl slightly forward as an offer.

Rufus begins to reach out for the soup, then freezes, realizing that to eat it would require him to remove his helmet. He withdraws his hand whilst saying "I'll pass, thanks".

"You don't trust me huh?" Jack asked. "Listen pal, you should eat up. It's not poisonous, I was eating it right in front of you." Jack pushed it forward as Rufus got up and walked over to the window. "And I've dealt with enough ferals to know they attack on site. Unless you're a ghoul." He stared down the eyes he couldn't see behind the mask. "I was raised in Goodneighbor, met enough ghouls in my time to know they're no different to me." After a brief pause, he continued. "Aside from the immortality and skin condition."

Rufus turns from staring out the window to look at Jack. "Goodneighbour, huh?". He thinks to remark on the concept of somebody growing up there, but decides there's enough tension as it is. "Fine, you got me. I'm a Ghoul. I just really ain't hungry at the moment. Honest".

"Alright. You plan on staying in town?"

Rufus is fairly fast in this response. "Y'know, this place ain't bad. River nearby, lots of half-intact houses, a robot butler; I might hang around for a while, maybe draw in some labourers..." he trails off wistfully, whilst pacing back and forth. "But I don't have the caps to get something like that started. You'd need a mountain full of..." He stops pacing and looks at Jack. "The Vault!" He gets giddy, rubbing his hands in anticipation. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'!

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Hope you've got a lot of ammo, vaults usually have some kind of pre war security guarding their treasures. Or in some cases, a whole lot of nothing." Jack finished up his soup and stood up. "At the very least, the vault will have some good salvage. Untouched." Jack walked over to the Ghoul and held out his hand. "50/50?"

Rufus just nods at this, then goes outside to call his companion. He raises an old pair of car keys up into the air and clicks a button, causing a high-pitched chirp to reverberate through the neighbourhood. A mournful wail sounds from inside one of the distant houses. "We'll wait for your partner and then head over?" He asks once standing near to Jack again. He raises his hand now, offering to shake.

Jack closed his hand into a fist and lowered it by his side as Rufus nodded at the proposal. Not as trustworthy as he preferred, but adequate. Rufus raised an old pair of car keys and clicked a button and produced a god awful chirp to reverberate through the neighbourhood. The mournful wail of a feral sounded from inside one of the distant houses. "We'll wait for your partner and then head over?" The ghoul asked once standing near to Jack again. He raised his hand, offering a shake.

He smirked and took the ghouls hand, offering a strong shake. As they exited the building and headed down the street the silhouette of a supermutant could be seen entering sanctuary. Jack called out and they approached each other. "Brutus, these two ghouls, they're friends. Don't hurt them."

"Ok." He said. Brutus leaned in close to Rufus. "If ghoul hurt boss, Brutus smash."

"Alright pal ease up. Jackal will lose his pl*ps." He said, putting his hand on the mutants chest and pushing him away. He filled Brutus in on their plans while Rufus went and got his own partner, or pet. Then the four headed up to the vault entrance. An odd thought came to Jack. They were all once human, yet looked so different.

When they arrived they noticed a giant pit leading into the ground surrounded by solid steel all around. "I think somebody got here before us, but I didn't see anybody come through town. Must've gone around or been before me." Jack pulled out his rifle. "I'm going to go find a way to bring it back up so we can head down. Door must act like an elevator. Haven't seen that before." He began to look around for some kind of lever or button, while his supermutant friend did the same. Brutus found it and was about to press the button when the door started coming up by itself. He warned Jack and they all trained their guns on whatever was coming up out of that pit. "Don't fire unless I give you the signal."

 

[Pufftuff]

Dusty, blood soaked, and hungry, Jordy really didn't have a choice. He thought to himself, "Well guess it's back to Diamond city, the Jewel of the Commonwealth. 'HA' Unless you know the way it works underneath." So he began the trek, mostly uneventful. He had to accept that he had to go back to Diamond City. A place where it's hard to go unnoticed but easy to get swept under the rug.

As he walked into town it was quite except for the occasional glass cracking and empty doors opening and closing in the wind. A few scavengers rummaging around noticed him, most kept their heads down. One Jetted out scavenger ran up to him. "SLINGER!!! HEY SLINGER!!!!" Jordy turned around grabbed the man by the neck, "Ned if you don't shut the f*%k up. I'll break your windpipe." Ned nodded in understanding. "So, is he in town?" the junkie replied, "Nope, ain't nobody seen him since you put one in his older brother's teeth." tossing him a bag full of jet Slinger continued toward town. "You'll be the first to know buddy."

Letting out a huge sigh Slinger walked through the gate. Just at the base of the stairs two guards stepped in front of him. He dropped a bag of caps into each of their hands bumping shoulders as he walked past. It was starting to get dark. "Slingman!" "Nat my girl whats the news" She went to hand him a news paper, with a scolding look from Slinger she put the paper down. "Couple of funny dressed folks came by and talked with Piper." He gave her a sideways smile. She showed him where Piper took them.

 

[fellowknight]

......​

"Easy.. Easy there.. Let's ju- Oof!"

He was abruptly cut off as Orson slammed the butt of his revolver against his skull, knocking him unconscious. His friend reared back and raised his rifle, but Orson was quicker, the shot resonating off the walls of the boxed room. Orson then proceeded to holster his sidearm and kneel at the other man's side, fishing in his back-pocket for a thick band of plastic. He clasped both of the Gunner's hands and zip-tied them together, probably tighter than he should've. But he'd rather the man be extremely uncomfortable but immobile, than nastily bruised and free.

That would only bite him in the ass later. Maybe literally.

Rising to his feet, he looked between the two and drew his revolver once more, distant shouting catching his attention. His head snapped to that direction, as two figures appeared in the man-made hole beside the vault door, taking aim on him. He threw himself onto the staircase, their shots pinging off the metal around him. He could hear their footfalls, scuffling closer. He checked the chamber. Two shots.

Time to move.

......
​

"Down there's the only place left.." whispered one man, the others gathering in a small huddle. Some checked their mags, a few couldn't help but stare down the flight of stairs that seemed like a descent straight into hell. Not that they all hadn't seen some pl*ps out there. From rad-roaches feeding on a human body, to naked super mutants, their eyes were pretty much blinded already. But that worked for them too. They could see danger from a mile away.

And they knew a trapped animal when they saw one.

"Alright fellas.. You know the drill." Austin, the chapter's leader, stepped forward, clicking his automatic carbine off safe. He cast a stern glances from each face as he spoke, occasionally gazing down into the lower level. He usually did something like this for the others, before they attacked a big catch. It'd become so often they considered it a tradition. Austin didn't mind that. What ever got the bastards to focus.

"We all read her file. She served. She'll know how to kill. That means she's gonna be quick and she won't regret you being slow. She won't hesitate to kill any of you. Follow what i say, and we could eat good tonight. Jam crud in your ears and bicker over who deserves a bigger share, well that's just more for me. Now then.." he began to point to each of the members, assigning them into pairs of two.

"Hanso, Smith, stay on the middle platform of the stairs. Anything gets hot in there, we'll lead her back up towards you. Jack, Jesse, you'll post up at the threshold, just outside of the door. If anything comes out of there, swinging or not, you hit it hard. Rest of you with me. Let's make this quick and painless."

And with that the group advanced further down, all eyes seemingly entranced on the door that lay ahead of them.

......
​

"We're set!"

"Get down!"

A millisecond of silence passed before it was filled with the roar of another explosion, the door jolting back in shock, though still bolted shut. But the rubble was clear for them to have access to the door and that was enough. Silence settled again. Hushed breathing. She knew they were there. May as well make it official.

"Alright, Miss Fallon! You should know how this works! Come out in next five seconds or we will cut this door in half! Your time starts now!"

Five seconds lapsed. She didn't come out, didn't even peep. She was armed, had to be. And that could only mean more trouble for them.

Well, the boss said dead or alive.

Suddenly the popping of gunfire lit up the hallway, the pinging of bullets against metal constantly drowning out any other sound. But there was a pause, broken by the shot of what sounded like a pistol. Then it came again, and again came the roaring gunfire.

"Behind u- umph!"

"pl*ps!"

"Top of the stairs! He's in cov- agh!"

A scuffling of feet were heard, then a solid thud, like a flat landing.

"Uhmp!"

......​

Flesh met flesh, as Orson Whitlock and Austin Ganer slammed into one another. Orson locked his arms around the man's torso and rammed him backwards, the metal of the door shuddering in response. He grunted and slammed his elbow into Orson's temple, releasing his vice-grip and sending him to the side. Austin snatched his hand and yanked him back, punting his cheek, grounding him. As he fumbled to the ground, he produced a near by rifle and swung it up, but Austin was much faster, backhanding the weapon from his hand. With every ounce of force left in him, Orson threw himself up ran the man through an opening made by whoever was in the room those men had surrounded.

Their landing was rough, and all the air was knocked out of Austin's lungs, as Orson ringed his hands around the Gunner's neck. His legs collided with Austin's, a knee coming up into his crotch, invoking a sharp pain in his groin. But he didn't let go. Austin reached his hands up, slapping and scratching, vainly attempting to free himself. But Orson's grip only tightened. He was running out of air. Every breath was pained. His vision shook, blurred.

He..couldn't..

Then, blackness.

......
​

Chest heaving, Orson released the Gunner and crumpled at his side, most of his energy depleted. His head pulsated with pain, and his face was burning from the scratch marks but he was alive. And that was more than could be said for those outside the room. Why were they here anyways? From the shouting, Orson got they were after someone, but who? More so, why?

He pushed himself to his feet, wiping the blood from his face. He needed to move. If this was job, others were bound to be here. Not to mention the firefight from earlier would no doubt attract attention. Coming here was a bad idea entirely. This part of The Commonwealth was unpredictable, what he just went through being example A.
He didn't want to be here in the first place. What happened here.. He didn't want to remember that. He couldn't. At most, a few days were left to him before headquarters would file him as dead and flag the case for review. But honestly, who was left to review it?

He shook his head.

It didn't matter. They needed to hear back from him soon.. Where was that person those guys were after, anyway?

He froze, the muzzle of a 10mm pistol inches from his chest.

Instinctively, he raised his hands shoulder-height, locking eyes with a musky black-haired woman.

"Ah.." was all he managed to get out.

(OOC: Sorry for the long wait folks! As i've said and i'm sure to say again and again, i need practice in this particular subject of writing. But, on my behalf, i believe i've communicated my point clearly and most of the heavy-lifting is done. Take it from here, Simus, and let me know what needs editing!)

 

[Simus]

Courtney didn't admire her handiwork for long. As soon as her ears cleared she heard several pairs of footsteps coming from the left of her new hole. Heavy footsteps with slight squeaks on the wet floor. The sound of heavy combat boots. They were accompanied by unintelligible but very real voices and for a split second Courtney panicked. She had felt like the only person in the world and had completely forgotten the possibility that other people could have survived. This vault was hundreds of feet below ground, separated not only by an elevator that doubled as a ground seal and must have weighed at least twenty tons but also a massive signature Vault-Tec gear door which must have weighed at least thirteen tons. Whoever had gotten in here were either Vault-Tec's people coming to check up on their "experiments" or a group with terrifying firepower. Neither one made Courtney comfortable and with one pistol she was in no shape for a fight. So she did what the army had trained her to do: When faced with overwhelming odds and no way out, hide.

She had pushed several large crates and boxes in front of her kerosene fuse in order to make a barricade. One of them, a large cardboard box, was big enough for her to hide in. She ripped open the box with a kitchen knife, dumped out the neatly packed Abraxo boxes in it and lifted it over her head bottom up, lowering it down with her and curling up under it like a turtle. The footsteps were close now, close enough to where they were right outside the now-shattered glass window. Much of the window remained in place in the form of jagged shards and the door beside it was partially blown open. Its left side had been blasted through its frame and it now jutted open like an interrupted ring-pull lid on a can of soup. The new arrivals would either have to risk the glass or pry the door open and both would delay them. A few seconds passed as they got themselves set up. Courtney knew she was running out of time and she had to move but before she could even lift her box one of the arrivals, a large man from the sound of his voice, shouted from the window.

"Alright, Miss Fallon! You should know how this works! Come out in next five seconds or we will cut this door in half! Your time starts now!"

Courtney's stomach and throat turned to fire when he shouted her name. How the hell did this guy know who she was? Why were they here for her? How did they even know there were people to take down here? A second passed. Then two. Then three. Then the full five and nothing happened. She was too scared to move. But there was no sound of screeching metal or burning arc welder. They weren't cutting the door down but were instead fighting someone else.

Gunfire erupted from the direction the men came from. Large caliber rfles on full auto interrupted by two large caliber pistol shots followed by the sound of bodies hitting the floor. The men were yelling about someone being in cover before more pistol shots silenced them. Two men were grappling with each other and it sounded like one was choking the other. One of them was having a hard time breathing and soon have a weak gasp before hitting the floor, likely passing out. Courtney scooted her box towards the window, as slowly as possible and when she was against the wall she risked poking out a peep hole with her kitchen knife. She saw a rough bearded man standing alone. No one else was around. Courtney decided to take a chance. She used her box as a shield to beat off the bottom shards of window and pushed it towards the opposite wall as hard as possible. While the man was distracted with that she vaulted over the window and pulled her pistol on him, pointing it squarely at his chest.

"Ah..." He started before she interrupted him.

"Don't. Say. A word." She threatened with her best voice of steel. "You will answer my questions or I will kill you. Who are you and who are these men? This is a sealed vault. How did you get down here and how did one of them know my name?"

 

[Andre Marek]

Inky blackness permeated the enormous room, perforated only by thin motes of blinding light stretching down from crevices in the dilapidated ceiling, miniscule dust particles being briefly illuminated before disappearing back into the void.

BANG!

A loud crash reverberated through the cavernous space as a brilliant torrent of sunshine extended down in the wake of a rectangular slab of rotting wood cut from the decaying roof which found its way to the debris littered floor, sending up a cloud of dust which masked its final resting place. All stayed silent for a moment until a coil of rope fell inaudibly through the newly opened aperture, uncoiling as it went. Before it had even gone slack a shadowy figure was descending along its length, stopping halfway to hang motionless in the air as his eyes adjusted to the dim space. Reaching into a dark colored satchel hanging from his shoulder, the figure extracted a small flashlight and panned it over the floor and walls of the long since forsaken medical center.

The stark blue-white beam illuminated several reception terminals along with a small security desk opposite a boarded up entrance. Hallways dotted with doorways leading to vacant rooms extended off into the darkness to either side of the desk. Besides the shadowy figure swinging gently from side to side on the rope, everything was totally motionless. The figure descended the rest of the distance to the floor.

Malcolm Davis landed heavily on the heavy wooden slab he'd hacked out of the roof, sending what dust was left under it billowing out and surrounding him. He coughed once, waving his hand to clear the air as he pulled his 12 gauge from his back and clicked on the weapons attached flashlight, stowing the hand held back in his bag. Holding the weapon at his hip so that the flashlight cut through the darkness in front of him but he could still fire at a moments notice, Malcolm walked slowly through the deserted building, spot checking each room that he passed. He only paused once to check the buildings layout map at the beginning of the hallway. After about fifteen minutes walking the halls, Malcolm found the door he was looking for.

Slowly opening the heavy steel door, Malcolm took out his gas mask and pulled it on, ever wary of radiation poisoning. And the backup generator of a massive medical center was guaranteed to have some amount of discharge after years of neglect. And where there were large amounts of radiation, there were bound to ghouls. True to his prediction, no sooner did he turn his gun to the bottom of the stairwell, illuminating the landing... along with two feral ghouls. The 12 gauge roared.

With a final grunt of effort Malcolm chinned himself out of the opening he'd left in the ceiling. Sighing, he stood up and stretched, shaking his arms out after the climb. Flipping open the satchel, Malcolm pulled out his prize to examine it in the sunlight, smiling as the rays of light glinted off the pristine fusion core. The little gem of golden age technology would run his home for another three months. He put the fusion core safely back in his satchel and coiled up the rope, sliding it into the bag too, before setting off to the North west.

The sun was low on the horizon when he reached the chainlink gate that marked the perimeter to his home. An abandoned drive in movie theater, derelict cars strewn about the cracked concrete parking lot. At one end, a massive steel construct resembling a giant television stood in a state of disrepair. Standing opposite it was the projection tower. It was three stories tall with great wing shaped projections extending from the first floor roof on either side of a canteen that stuck out like a prominent chin. The tower itself leaned forward slightly and had an antennae that made it look nearly twice as tall. Malcolm opened the door with a key produced from his pocket and stepped into the canteen area, locking the door behind him. Taking a right, he ducked under the stairs that led up to the loft and knelt down next to the generator built into the back wall. Taking the fusion core he'd recovered from the hospital generator, Malcolm replaced the one in his generator with it, placing the old one on a shelf beside him.

Malcolm ambled over to the fridge near the counter and took out a package of jerky before trudging up the stairs to the projection loft and shrugged off his satchel, tossing it onto a chair in the corner near the window; his jacket followed a moment later. Malcolm leaned on the window frame and ripped open the jerky package, munching away as he pondered the days events.

 

[fellowknight]

"Don't. Say. A word." The lady cut him off, adding a very assuring threat. "You will answer my questions or I will kill you."

Orson didn't risk compromising eye contact. Not at this range. The woman was well armed and likely bewildered, no doubt, and Orson had no plans to upset her. If she was here before the Gunners, that meant she was on of the 'sleepers'. Which also meant she'd have several follow-up, about the outside world, how things had changed.

He was hesitant to tell her that. The world had changed dramatically, and if this lady was one of the first in the pods, she might not have liked the answers she'd hear. Especially that he'd worked in the vault during and after the bombing.

"Who are you and who are these men? This is a sealed vault. How did you get down here and how did one of them know my name?"

Here goes nothing.

"Alright, alright. Take it easy." his tone was hardened, reasonably stern but not by much. He'd like to keep his head today. "My name is Orson Whitlock. It's..not gonna sound right, but i'm a police officer. Official as one can be these days. I served on the Boston P.D. before the bombs fell, my family and I were moved here. Nowadays i report to an H.Q. out of Concord. I still have my badge in my back right pocket if you want to see it."

She seemed to nod so he did so, slowly, and tossed the wallet in a clean arc. He gave her a moment to look it over before he continued.

"Those men i killed," they locked eyes. "They were mercenaries. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the term but, basically, they murder or capture people for a quick buck. They call themselves 'Gunners'. And i'm sure they would've had no problems taking you as well as killing me." he paused, took a breath and continued. "How they know you exist, i've no clue. I'm sure one of them has some sort of information regarding you; a paper, maybe. The buyer of their service could be anyone, unless they decided to print their name nice and pretty on the bottom."

"They used military explosives to break into the vault. Usually, they pack that type of hardware; my guess is they stole it or looted someone for it. I just stepped through the hole they made."

He let her take that in, keeping his hands visible. It wouldn't sit well with her. He just knew it wouldn't. Not after having goonies breaking in, tainting her trust of outsiders. Not after seeing him throttle a man to death.

"It's Fallon, right?" his voice had softened now, reassurance fresh on his lips. It was the same way he used to talk to Hailey before he left for work. The woman, having looked away, met his eyes again. "I don't know how long you've been down here. But the world's changed. And that means the cost of living is a lot more expensive.. Survival entails a nasty business. Murderers, Raiders, and Scoundrels are all the norm of today's world. And we get through that by pulling together, not apart. Some people had to learn that the hard way. And that's become normal too, losing things. We just have to careful not to lose ourselves.." he trailed off, nodding to the woman after a moment.

"Now I've answered your questions. I'd say courtesy demands the same from you. Mind starting with who you are, and why you're down here?"

 

[Simus]

Courtney listened intently as Orson talked. She had no reason not to believe his story and the badge he had tossed her was the real thing. She had been around enough police officers as a teenager to know what a police badge was supposed to look like and this one checked out. Old but well kept. Even so she never lowered her gun. Anyone who could take down at least four men was very dangerous and his motives were completely unknown. Yes he had saved her from those goons but who was to say he wasn't here to pick this places' bones himself? Or that she wasn't a nice body bonus for him. For all she knew women were used as currency in the world.

The fact that he was pre-war like her didn't give her the comfort or kindred feeling she thought it would. She didn't know anything else about the other vaults so who's to say hers wasn't the norm? He could of course be another test subject like her. A lot of time has passed according to her computer. She needed to find out more about this man and answering his questions might get her that.

"We've already established who I am but I'll reiterate for the sake of clarity. My name's Courtney Fallon and I'm down here because I'm trapped down here. At least I was until my bomb went off. I suppose that means I can leave but honestly I don't see much point." She watched for any reaction from the man. There was very little and he was still keeping his hands up. He wasn't armed and he hadn't gone for that little line of weakness he'd thrown. Courtney felt safe enough to put her gun down but still left it out in case he pulled on her. She leaned against a cold wall and let herself calm down and process her situation. She was safe for the moment, everything was quiet and there was a real, unfrozen person in front of her that she could talk to. And more importantly talk to her. She sighed and holstered her pistol after talking a deep breath.

"This vault is full of stasis pods filled with people from before the bombs fell. People that were frightened and desperate and had no idea what they were getting into. And it's with no small amount of shame that I was one of those people. Along with my family and my entire neighborhood, plus some people from Concord that I recognize. Something...something went wrong. All of the pods in my area malfunctioned. All of their life support systems failed for some reason except for mine. There's another group of pods in a sealed off chamber but I'm not sure about them. All I know is my pod still works. It woke me up yesterday and I saw that everybody around me was dead." Tears started to swell in her eyes as she thought about Nathan and Peter. She blinked them away furiously but they kept coming. "They were all dead. My neighbors...my husband...my son...!" She sobbed. "He was only five months old. He wasn't even old enough to stand yet and he died that way! My baby! This place killed my baby!"

She took a few deep breaths and the tears stopped. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and looked back up to Orson. She hadn't even realized she was sitting down against the wall. She stood back up. "Sorry...I'm...sorry. It's just...It's still fresh. And until now I thought I was all alone and now that I have someone to talk too...How long have I been down here? How long has it been since the bombs dropped? The computers in here say it's the year 2283 but that means I was sealed in here over two hundred years ago! That CAN'T be correct! Please! Please tell me that's a mistake! Don't tell me that everything I remember is gone! Tell me there's a reason for me to not sit down here and die!"

She was screaming at him now, desperate for answers she already had but didn't want to believe.

 

[fellowknight]

"We've already established who I am but I'll reiterate for the sake of clarity. My name's Courtney Fallon and I'm down here because I'm trapped down here. At least I was until my bomb went off. I suppose that means I can leave but honestly I don't see much point."

Orson held onto that last bit. He couldn't deciphers what the woman had been through, aside from the recent confrontation, to make her say that. He had a rough time too, especially after his pod malfunctioned and ripped him from stasis. But he simply couldn't tell the woman, Courtney. Certainly not with her gun at her hip. Now wasn't the time. Not until he knew more.

Then she went on, about how she and the others had fearfully threw themselves in the pods, unaware of the consequences. Orson knew those quite well. But Courtney went on to describe how the pods had malfunctioned, shut down and killed their inhabitants. Orson couldn't help but look away as she spoke. Some of those weren't accidents. The Vault-Tec staff had cowered to the cryo bays and deliberately poisoned some of the pods, others loosening the equipment to kill those inside, and save themselves. His wife, and Hailey..

He looked back at Courtney. Around now, Orson caught a twinkle in Courtney's eyes. He realized those were tears.

"They were all dead. My neighbors...my husband...my son...!" She sobbed. "He was only five months old. He wasn't even old enough to stand yet and he died that way! My baby! This place killed my baby!"

She'd slid down the wall as she blabbered, her eyes red and swollen with tears. After a few moments, she picked herself up and wiped away the tears. But that didn't help Orson's heart from sinking. It reminded him of what he just tried to forget. He'd had years to move past it and better himself because of it, but the truth was he'd failed his family. His wife, his daughter, and his father were all dead. All because he couldn't keep the peace. Because of the cowardice of Vault-Tec. He couldn't have even done the job he was trained to do.

Awakened anger and grief coiled up in his chest. He was shaking slightly. Instinctively, he wanted to step up and comfort her, but she was still on edge, and the comfort of a stranger could set her off. Maybe even worse. But she'd opened up. And now Orson knew.

Now he knew why.

"Sorry...I'm...sorry. It's just...It's still fresh. And until now I thought I was all alone and now that I have someone to talk too...How long have I been down here? How long has it been since the bombs dropped? The computers in here say it's the year 2283 but that means I was sealed in here over two hundred years ago! That CAN'T be correct! Please! Please tell me that's a mistake! Don't tell me that everything I remember is gone! Tell me there's a reason for me to not sit down here and die!"

That was the last straw. He had to tell her now. It was the only way she and him could move on. It was the only way this building energy in him could dissipate. And he'd rather tell Courtney the truth, than sugar coat a world that simply didn't deserve that.

His head hung, one of his hands finding a way to his hair as he spoke, mumbling at first.

"I just.." He looked at her, and again, their eyes locked. His eyes were growing hot with tears but he didn't cry. Not now. "When the bombs fell, my family and i were brought here. We'd gotten here earlier than the others, and having two parents who 'helped the war effort', we had no problem settling in. But the Captain of the Security staff was killed weeks prior.. And being a former Boston P.D. officer, i took the position. It wasn't as official, but the men folded in and followed me, but i knew they didn't like me. It was supposed to be temporary.. That's why i didn't worry so much.."

He shifted in his stance, having realized how tense he was. He shook his head slightly, looking away from the woman, in recollection. His anger flared inside him, but he kept control.

"We were supposed to get a message, one hundred-eighty days in, so we could move to a more private facility; larger rooms, more people, greater service.. But that just.. It never came. And i did my best to keep the peace. But they lost patience. No one knew when help was coming and.." He wasn't sure he could say the next part, but he couldn't stop now. "..Rations ran low, we were starved. And those people. They lost it. Tore each other apart. The overseer, Samson, just...hid in his office, when the chaos broke loose. Some broke into the cryo bays, and..tried to save themselves by sabotaging the pods.."

He held a hand out to her, his wrinkled expression apologetic, his creased, bearded lips frowning. He was inches from crying and he hated that. But he wouldn't do it. He couldn't.

"I was there.. I fought and killed some people i'd known for years.. But there were too many, i just.. My own staff turned on me.. I couldn't stop them all. They killed my father..my wife, my little girl, Hailey.." he couldn't resist anymore. All he could image was Hailey's gentle sleeping face and caramel hair, always ruffled. He could hear his father's laugh at the dinner table, and see his wife's warm smile. But Hailey wasn't sleeping. She was dead. His girl and his wife and his father were all buried and they were gone. And he could never erase that.

"So I killed them.." his breath had grown shaky but he continued on. "And when the dust settled, i cleaned out some long storage boxes and buried my family. I lingered for..so long.. Before I could put myself in a pod.."

Orson had taken a few steps since he'd spoken, and gently placed a hand on Courtney's shoulder. Maybe she'd break his arm. Or jab his throat. But right now, she needed comfort. And odds were she hadn't seen a human in so long, she forgot what that felt like.

"I won't say i know how you feel.." he sniffled. Damn it. "No one can say that. The world out there is a wasteland of crooks and mutants. It's not the same.. I lost everything i knew, and so have you.. But i'm still alive. I still climbed out of that pod and walked out of this vault.. I still know how to defend others, and i've done so for years now. That's gotta mean something. You're still alive. And you can live. You're not too far gone. Concord has a community. We help each other. Suffer, eat, and live together. That's the cost of living.."

"You're going to have to do things you won't want to.. Bad people still exist.. They always will. But i have a community, a family to care for now. And anyone who tries to destroy that is gonna lose. And that's the reason you shouldn't die on this filthy floor. The pain is the price of survival.. We're the reason we should go on. Because without us, without people to carry on, this is the end. For everyone.."

He gave her space and time to think. She'd been through alot, and she need those two things most. Especially comfort. He made a point to meet her eyes again.

"Hey. You can come with me. It's not all we have but it's where the HQ is now, and i wouldn't risk going on your own. Not until you're more equipped. Until you know more about what's changed. And if you stay, you'll be family. If not," he nodded to her. "we'll give you what we can and send you on your way. But that choice is yours."

 

[Wolfbane]

The metal door of Piper's confessional home opened with an almost lackadaisical feeling to reveal what it was hiding behind it's red steel veil; a slim man covered in a rough beard wearing a dusty road gray. His hair locked and nappy pulled back in a ponytail. He was of average height and had one a green long sleeved shirt and dark pants. The appearance of this new stranger alarmed vex and slid his hand to his six shooter which was held in place by a feminine hand, "Woah there cowboy. What did we learn in Ranger school? I think it was always be sure that your shot was justified. After all, I don't think Ms. Wright wants to be cleaning blood stains off her floor."

"Headline! Shootout breaks out in town's scapegoat! Let's all just sit down. I know this man, and while he does enables Nat's devilish ways just as I have it doesn't mean he should be shot....yet," Piper took off her jacket and straightened her cap as she welcomed the new guest to an open chair, "Maybe he can help find the person you're looking for. It-"

"May or may not work. Our target has been here for a year or two but she is cautious. Comes with the territory of our job. This is Vex and for now you can call me Harvey. Vex is more of the cautious type. I'm our voice when it comes to it and he's the mind and the muscle. Tall, dark and broody. That whole shabang," she released the pressure on his shooting arm and sat back reaching into her pocket to get another cigarette and lighting it. The puff of smoke twisted and swirled in place as Vex himself adjusted his Ranger coat. He readjusted himself in his seat while Kenzi talked away. He figured that Paz is now getting tired of running. She was always the aggressive chess player. Witty and very head on about certain situations. When a mission went wrong she dealt with each blow with just as much glee as infiltrating a location unnoticed.

The lack of reason why she left was still what bothered him. They were a great team and they all knew it. What happened that made her turn her back on them? Furthermore, the Mojave is a long ways away from the Commonwealth. What was so bad that she had to come this far? In a way it was a jab to the memory of the team. The way Kenzi put it was that it was like she left them behind to hide from the scars of her own skull encased memories and tragedies. To almost shed her old skin and be reborn as anew. So many questions and it seems like it will come to a head.

"Answer me this; Why do you want to find her so much?" Piper began to gnaw on one of her wrist pencils. Kenzi's head perked up as if offended, "Answers to what she's done and what she is doing," she adopted a slight snarl, bearing her eye tooth for all to see. Piper scribbled more into her notepad as she turned to Vex, who spinning the cylinder of his six shooter.

"What about you Vex? Why do you want to find her?" There was a long pause before Vex looked up and passed another picture. The photo was dog eared to all hell and slight tears along the corners. It showed the three smiling in front of a guard tower and a lake. Kenzi was holding up her sniper rifle as Vex and Paz had one hand wrapped around Kenzi's waist. A picture from a happier time.

"Why do I want to find her?"

--------
​

"Memories," a roughened hand turned the picture around and ran over the writing, 'It's what happens in the dark that makes you burn the brightest' "Or what makes you a monster," The picture was once again flipped over to the bright side, three friends serving their country without a care in the world. The window of a life always sought after was put in a pocket while a simple piece of paper was stuck in the statue outside Diamond City which held a note,

Hugs you not in sympathy?
Whose smile you'd rather not see?
Who is it that brave men run away from?
Whose fingers are clawed?
Whose sleep lasts for months?
And whose company we shunt?

She subtly placed it sticking out of the baseball statue so no one without a trained eye would spot it. You learn to develop a eye for detail when you become a Ranger and her old friends would be no different. Before she went on her way she scribbled 'Bunker Hill' on top of the note along with the words 'open and answer' and then she made her way to the trading hub known as Bunker Hill. It was once a sight of a famous battle of a time long since forgotten. Most don't know of it's significance unless graced by a book and the ability to read. This was one of the only days to herself and she decided to play a little game while also tiring from running. The boys just got done rounding up people to send off to their employer and now she assumed are heading back to HQ. Maybe now that the job is done she can get some answers as well as easier jobs. Maybe more raider exterminations. Nice and simple, unlike these awful kidnapping jobs. She'll have a lot to answer for, that she already knows as fact. The people she helped kidnapped all for the sake of her own revenge. She brushed her green shirt off while staring down at her brown pants and unlaced combat boots with sadness.

"How long has it been since anyone used by my name? To them I'm Paz the former Ranger, like they actually know what that means aside from an elite trained spook. I wonder what our commander would think about one of his best turning into a Gunner, a mercenary, a gun for hire. I would what they think of me. I had to be relentless in this line of work. I needed to be to forget the pain. Drown myself in a sea of blood until I find the treasure beneath it. My treasure is the answers I seek and the real gold mine is the day I will exact my revenge. When on a quest for revenge, make sure you dig two graves. One for you and one for the enemy. Hell, I need to make my way to Bunker Hill to make my next move," she slid her hand down to her beaten leather holster and took out her .45 and cocked the black steel back with a melancholy smile. This gun held the memories of love, compassion, pain and the horrors of war. It held questions that needed answers and she would do whatever it took to find the truth and the reason why. Most would not understand the conundrum of this thought process and she prays that no one will for it is a dark path that will tear at you and throw parts of you away like trash on a street.

She had eventually found herself at the entrance of Bunker Hill after about an hour and a half of walking. She was greeted by the white hulking monolith that was placed to commemorate the battle of Bunker Hill. Even through the years and the bombs it endures as a vigil of what this world and the Commonwealth was and what will never be again. Flanked by plank walls she continued up the steps and into the ever noisy and always bustling market. Due to Super mutants around Trinity plaza and Raiders there isn't a lot of other stops for caravans or scavengers to get their business done. Those sole two facts made Bunker Hill pivotal for trading as well as a safe haven. Her shamrock green eyes peeled and scanned through the market until she heard a familiar nonsensical babbling way before she saw, or rather smelled the person attached, "Cricket! I hope you aren't too far down the rabbit hole! I got a job for you. You see this note? I want you to hide it somewhere safe but to where someone who is very good at finding out of place things. If you see two people with a breastplate like mine, the one I wear on a job then answer them only when they approach you. All you have to do is hand them the note I'm also about to give you. Got it?" She passed the newly written notes to the junkie caravan leader as well as a goody bag of drugs. With a smile and a gleeful shake Cricket did as asked while Riley simply watched before going about her day.

 

[Pufftuff]

Two NCR ranger's come in....a considerable rarity in the Commonwealth. 'They are a long way from home' Jordy thought to himself. He noticed the man reach down his side, with swiftness and almost without taking his eyes off of the young Nat, He pulled the hammer back on his colt ready to draw. Then a lovely girl short light hair, touched her cohorts arm and he seemed to relax. Piper broke the tension "Headline! Shootout breaks out in town's scapegoat! Let's all just sit down. Maybe he can help find the person you're looking for. It-"

She was cut off by the young ranger who explained the situation. "May or may not work. Our target has been here for a year or two but she is cautious. Comes with the territory of our job. This is Vex and for now you can call me Harvey. Vex is more of the cautious type. I'm our voice when it comes to it and he's the mind and the muscle. Tall, dark and broody. That whole shabang," Keeping an eye on the man he now knew as Vex, Jordy saw him spinning the cylinder of a six shooter very similar to his own.

As he continued to listen he un-cocked the hammer on his own colt, took his coat and hat off and sat down. Keeping his shoulder holsters on and removing his colt setting it in his hat. Not being much of a talker, Jordy put in his two cents. "So you came all the way out here from your hell in the desert to our little piece of hell up here?" Shaking his head with a smirk, "To find someone who has been here for a couple years? Any chance your 'target" he said with a smug almost taunting tone. "may have just dug in an hole up somewhere?"

"Names around here just get people like me shot at. Call me Slinger" He nods to the pair. "Funny enough I've heard some stories of another NCR ranger. A woman running with a pretty serious crew of gunners." Taking his thing into his hands, beginning to walk out the door. "Come see me if you wanna stare angrily at someone. Or if you wanna talk more my dear" He said winking at Vex while slyly nodding at Harvey.

"I'll be at the Dugout Inn bring caps! Pipes will tell you if I'm worth it." Nat ran to the door. "Can I come with!?" As the door shuts laughter can be heard. "You get me in too much trouble."

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

Some time had passed, Jordy was drinking and sitting alone. When out of nowhere a well known junkie, by the name of Ned busted through the door and grabbed Jordy by the shoulder. He spun around so quick the wind from his coat blew everything around on the table, hammer cocked back barrel to the underside of Ned's chin. Giving him a glare from death itself Slinger was about to ask when he was interrupted...."Slinger, they are here, damn man 'HE' is here." Before he could respond two very large well dressed men pulled Ned back and threw him down the hallway.

Drug out into the courtyard in front of the Inn with people scattering Slinger was thrown to the ground. He stood up cracking his neck. "Now is that a way to treat an old business partner?" Walking out of the shadows a man leaning heavy on his left side with a makeshift leg brace and cane walked into the light. "Business partner....you shot me in my god damn leg!" One of the thugs punched Slinger in the face hard knocking him to the ground. "Now you know I could have killed you and with a double cross like th-" he was kicked hard in the ribs. Rolling back to his knees. Slinger spit blood and dirt out of his mouth onto one of the thugs shoes. Preparing for the next hit. "STOP yells the cripple, don't let him get to you. We will deal with this....maggot. Grab him we will take him somewhere outside the city."

"What now? You gonna shoot me in the head while thing one and two hold me down? Did I cripple your pride you son of a-" Slinger takes a cane to the stomach. Starts coughing on blood and starts to think. 'It's getting late if those two are planing on staying I hope Piper doesn't put them up for the night. I just need these Idiots to look up for a few seconds.'

The two big guys pull Slinger to his feet. The cripple looks him right in the eyes. "No I'm gonna give you a chance to live same as you did me. I'm gonna shoot you in each leg," Hitting him hard in the knee, "one shot in each knee then one to the stomach.....that gives you a chance to crawl back to town." They start dragging him towards the entrance to the city.