The sun gleamed through the cracks on the roof, hitting my face. I groaned in pain as I raised my hand to block the light. I slowly threw my blankets off and rolled off the bed. My bare feet hit the cold floor…the freezing floor.

Thank God it's Sunday, the only free day of the week. After the Fair Worker Act of 2285, we were forced (excuse me, expected) to work long hours for god-awful pay. I stood up and stretched my muscles…ugh, that feels good.

As I walked to the corner of my room, I removed my only article of clothing, my briefs. Crouching down, I pushed a large tub to the tap and turned the knob.

Clean water was ever so precious here in California. Each household was allotted a very strict water ration. Any overages were punished with a $100 fine from the government.

I watched the meter closely to make sure it didn't go over the daily limit and that I could have more water to drink for the rest of the day. After shutting off the flow, I dipped my hands in the tub and took a drink…lukewarm, no surprise, it was the norm. If I was lucky, it might be a little cold, but that was unlikely.

I grabbed my washrag and dipped it in the water. Before I began washing, however, I really needed to take a piss. I (sleepily) made my way to the toilet…which was a hole in the ground which was connected to a pipe.

I released myself and allowed my bladder to empty. I groaned in relief…I must have drank a lot last night. I must have been reliving myself for (what felt like) hours. When I was finally done, I went back to my bath.

I pulled out the rag and wrung it, the water streaming back into the tub. I raised my arms and cleaned both of my armpits, then my face, my neck, my legs, my ass; making do with what little Abraxo Cleaner was leftover from a week ago.

I hung my rag up to dry as I walked away from the corner. I grabbed my sodden briefs off the floor and threw them back on. Necessity dictated it, as I had no other pair.

I turned the dial on the broken radio. It came in, but was often interrupted by static. I wonder what was going to be on.

"—our republic must remain free for all. As America was before the war-"

I laughed, of course. Who else would it be? President Salazar.

"-our acts may be questionable. But I ask you…what government hasn't made ques-"

I walked to my broken down shelf and picked a pair of torn jeans then a T-shirt off the ground. I brought it up to my nose and smelled it "Smells clean." I said and threw it on.

"-for it is for the good of the NCR and her citizens. We will continue to stand for the Old World values of peace and democracy."

I slid on my pants, one leg at a time and zipped up.

"God bless our New California Republic. Thank you."

The national anthem blasted through the radio. I twisted the knob, turning off the radio. I made my way to the door. I felt refreshed from my wash. I pushed open the door and a wave of light greeted me. Closing the door behind me, I stepped out onto the street and looked around the community.

The streets were quiet…everyone must still be sleeping. I walked down the street to the bar for a heavy drink. I took a deep breath, taking in the fresh crisp air. Walking down the street, I looked up at a sign that cluttered up the billboard…

"REBUILD OUR REPUBLIC, NOW!" It stated in big bold letters

I chuckled to myself as I continued walking down. That was Salazar, alright. He had destroyed Kimball when he was trying to run for a reelection a few years ago, and his sign was still waving.

It wasn't hard defeating Kimball; the idiot had bankrupted us and left no money in our treasury. Off of the heels of the landslide, Salazar stepped in, fixed our economy and strengthened our military and began investing in a navy. But it soon became apparent that he had ulterior motives.

I stepped in the bar. Instantly the smell of cigarettes, booze, and vomit met my nose. I walked up, sat on the bench and ordered a shot of whiskey. I threw the money on the counter

He filled up the shot glass and placed it in front of me. "Anything going on lately?" I asked the bartender

"Ya' know the Andersons?" he asked. "They were arrested."

"Really? What for?"

"When the peacekeepers came for their kid, they put up a fight. Rick Anderson stabbed one of the peacekeepers in the neck with a screwdriver. They arrested them and no one's seen them since."

I shook my head, "Can you blame them? Since they put up that damn law, everyone's hiding their kids. If you put up a fight, they'll send you to the concentration camps."

"Yeah. I would prefer Kimball rather than Salazar…I just realized how sad that sounded when I said it out loud."

I took the shot and left the bar. Walking back out into the street, I took a deep breath. Two peacekeeper trucks drove by, full of supplies. I heard that there were protests going on in Vault City. They had to increase the number of peacekeepers in the area.

"Hey, Will. What's going on?" I heard a voice behind me

"Oh hey, David. Nothing." I responded

"Man, peacekeepers have been driving up and down the street all day. I heard they're supplying the peacekeepers in Vault City to stop the riots. You know, after Salazar declared martial law in Vault City and San Francisco."

When the NCR lost Hoover Dam, we were pushed back to California. Because we couldn't expand to the east, Kimball let us stay put and dry ourselves of resources. When Salazar took over, he expanded to the north and to the west coast.

Salazar had declared martial law in areas that were prone to rioting at the slightest provocation. Places such as Vault City and San Francisco (after the NCR expanded north) to name a couple. I couldn't blame them for rising up, however...I mean with the Fair Worker Act and other stuff…I mean…they were horrible.

"How's your kid, Matthew?" I asked, turning to him

"Good…well…good as it can get. He writes me every week and I pray for him every day."

"Good. What are you doing out so early? Didn't you work enough in the coal mines?"

David laughed, "Better than working at the oil plants!" He said, referencing my work, "No, seriously, I have to run some errands. The missus isn't doing so well, so I'm doing them for her. Wanna come with me?"

"Yeah, sure. I have nothing else to do."

We walked down the sidewalk, walking to David's destination. "You hear that they're going to lower the water allowance, again?"

"Again? Damn, it's already low. What's his excuse this time?"

"'We must preserve our natural resources that we take for granted'." David said, mocking the president

"Then why is Salazar letting the military using those pre-war gas-guzzling vehicles?"

"I don't think it matters. Only the military can use them, and you guys at the oil drills are the ones letting them use 'em."

"Well it's either work at the factories or mines or heavy labor at those damn camps. And we don't even work at the oil drills! You know that! We work where they get the oil and turn it into gas, the trucks bring the oil from Alaska!"

"Seriously! Think about it! The government must spend about thousands of dollars paying those guards, paying for the gas the trucks use to transport the prisoners, and pay for the electricity to supply those electric gates. But somehow they can't afford to give funding to schools or hospitals. I mean, damn, those camps are as big as entire cities! And no one does anything!"

"Well do you want to end up like Congress? Or Oliver and Kimball? Hell no!"

We both laughed. What happened to Kimball and Oliver had become a dark joke between citizens of the NCR. It was Salazar's first act when he became dictator…he had both Kimball and Oliver executed by firing squad. Chief Hanlon of the NCR Rangers, was promoted to general.

"Well Salazar at least managed to make our money worth something. Remember when bread used to cost hundreds of dollars at the end of Kimball's administration? And now…I don't think Salazar's administration will never end! How long has he been president? Fourteen, fifteen years?" I said

"That's because Salazar 'has a job' and that he 'needs to complete it so that our republic can become prosperous and fruitful again'!"

"Man, I still can't believe I voted for him."

"We all did, no one wanted Kimball again. Because 'no one wants to rebuild' and 'we know what it takes to make the NCR whole, again'."

"You know, I have to say. You do a pretty good impression of him."

David laughed, "Thanks. You kind of have to have it come from the lower part of your throat and you need to sound patriotic all the time."

We both laughed again. Salazar always had to make these hammy speeches and talk about the NCR as if it were a religion. It had become humorously bad when he had to make his speech about the Military Strengthening Act of 2288, where Salazar had to make an 'inspirational' speech in front of a crowd of booing and cursing NCR citizens.

"God bless our New California Republic!" He had said, as he always said at the end of his speeches

The Military Strengthening Act was to…well…strengthen the military. It gave the army outrageous funding and began drafting. It also began to invest in a navy. A part of this act was to scour Brotherhood of Steel bunkers and take any technology and use them in the army.

Well…that was half of it. The drafting part was…disgusting…

When kids received a basic education (and I'm using the word "basic" loosely) and they turn fourteen they're forced into the military. Stealing them from their families and sending them to training to the east…it was monstrous.

Salazar states that it's all to "strengthen our republic"…bullshit.

That's where David's son is now, Matthew, he was sixteen and just finished training. He was now going to be sent to the east border of the NCR. "I mean, hell, how much money did we waste in the Mojave!? At least Salazar wants to take things slowly." David expressed

"Well, wasn't Salazar an NCR Ranger? He was at the first battle for Hoover Dam, right? I would think he would want to take Hoover Dam back. Especially after New Vegas became independent and kicked our ass and the Legion's?"

"Salazar put a significant bounty on the courier that made New Vegas independent! Maybe we should go to New Vegas, huh?"

"I don't see how. The Long 15 was blown sky high, how would we get there?"

"I'm pretty sure there's some trade route they use that they're not telling us. We could just hide in some oil barrels and get on one of the caravans!"

We both laughed again, that idea was so stupidly hilarious. "Yeah, I'm sure that would work well!"

"Oh, alright, here we are. Come on."

We both entered the small convenience store. Its shelves were stocked with Nuka Cola, Sunset Sarsaparilla from the Mojave, Fancy Lad Snack Cakes, cans of Pork N' Beans, and many other goodies. David grabbed a basket and began walking up and down the halls, collecting his groceries.

"You know Beckham, vice president? Heard he attacked at Redding. Peacekeepers shot into the crowd instantly."

"Where do you find out all these things?"

"I know people. Want a Nuka?" He offered

"Sure."

David grabbed two Nuka Colas and placed them in the basket. Checking the list, David shopped with ruthless efficiency and after five minutes, he had everything on his list in his basket. After checking it out and paying the amount, we both stepped outside. "I gotta dump this stuff at home. Come with me and we'll do whatever when I'm done."

He handed me one of the two bags, "Help me out, will you?"

I grabbed the bag he extended to me and we walked back to his house, down the street a ways. We walked down the sidewalk, then David whispered, "Peacekeeper alert."

The peacekeeper walked down the sidewalk, towards them. He was wearing the typical NCR army combat armor; only difference was that the main armor piece was pitch black with large white bolded words on the back, "PEACEKEEPER"

Their typical equipment was a Cattle Prod, which they held in their hand, and a Service Rifle on their backs, which they used for heavy firing, and they also had a 10 millimeter pistol on their belts. "You two! Show me your NCR Citizen IDs!"

We both reached for our wallets simultaneously and showed our IDs. The peacekeeper looked at them each for a few seconds. "Continue." He finally said, "You shouldn't be out this early."

We both placed our wallets back in our pockets and continued on down the street. More peacekeeper trucks drove down the street. "Damn, these trucks are just going up and down! How many reinforcements do they need?"

We walked by my house…or shack, whatever. I noticed the small pile of letters on the doorstep. "Wait a second, man. Lemme check my mail really fast."

We both placed our bags down and ran to my letters. I picked it up and began to sift through them, reading them one by one.

Bill, junk mail, junk mail, bill, bill, junk mail…letter from the NCR government.