How long had it been? How many years, had passed me by?

The answer was, unknown to me.

Yous see I was just a wanderer, going from place to place, I went wherever the radioactive winds took me. I had come from vault 101, however it was an escape, instead a fond farewell. It was on charges of treason, as both my sister and I had left the vault, clueless as newborns.

Our grandfather, had shown the Overseer results that proved the wastes were tough but survivable. With a chuckle I couldn't help but think of little Amata and her friend Markus, trying to sneak into the air ducts. The little trouble makers.

Soon after leaving the vault, my sister and I were separated, when a group of raiders attacked the house we had taken shelter in. As I wandered the waste I heard a girl from vault 101 had popped up around a settlement called megaton.

So I traveled there all the way from the ruins of DC, to this megaton.

Only to find out from, a nice girl named Moria, that my sister had payed to have her vault suit improved, about six months before I had even gotten word of her arrival.

She had disappeared with nothing but jumpsuit as proof, of her existence.

I stayed in megaton for a while, mourning my loss. I found comfort in a bottle, but I realized my fault when a young girl named lucy, stopped me from committing suicide by, alcohol.

I found it kinda funny that a ten year old, was smarter than me, Lucy had wandered here from a place called arefu, cause in her words "I wanted to make my own goddamn choices." of course she still sent and received letter from her family.

On the way to megaton she had somehow ended up in the depth of washington DC, finding another young girl named Sarah Lyons another overly tomboyish girl, but don't let her tough demeanor fool you, she was just as cute as Lucy when I wouldn't let her have any cookies.

I should probably mention throughout these events I was only sixteen.

Something they reminded me of at every, opportunity. The settlers of megaton gained no end of amusement, from our childish arguments. Soon after I received a radio transmission on my Pip-boy, It was from the brotherhood of steel, however that wasn't important.

No what was important is it was a message to Sarah, it was of her father, practically begging her to respond, or just prove she was alive at all. The man was horribly distraught, I was frozen still with the magnitude of sadness the man was portraying.

Rushing through the town I eventually found Sarah.

As she listened I could tell she was trying to act tough, however through the radio we heard a door opening.

'Elder lyons'

I gasped when I heard that, I met Elder Lyons, a few times when I turned over some of the dangerous tech I found on a few of my travels. Mainly it was just this weird gun I found called a fire lance, from what my Pip-boy could translate, from the wierd language written on the side, and a few other dealing when I sold them a plasma rifle or two.

It was actually kinda funny, I had in my short time wandering the wastes, run into twice the amount of plasma artillery than the brotherhood had in their armory. which wasn't very much considering they only had about four, plasma rifles, and pistols in their armory.

However I was having trouble associating this broken man, with the commanding man that I knew.

'I'm sorry are last sweep has shown no, sign Sarah… and as protocol states after the sixth sweep…" The man paused sounding hesitant 'all searching is to be stopped so that we may mourn uninterrupted.'

I half expected Lyons to snap the man's neck and be done with it however Elder Lyons had another idea.

"I'm sorry, Paladin I've been caught up in my own sadness, I didn't think how hard this would be on the rest of the rest of the brotherhood… sorry for my folly.'

I'm sorry but I couldn't help stop myself from putting in, as I turned on the microphone on, took a deep breath, and said in the most flippant, and casual voice I could.

"Owyn could you stop with the whole depressing thing?" Across the wasteland, Members of the Brotherhood of steel froze with anger. They had been listening for the past four months, as any sign of Sarah lyons would be reported.

Even the initiates who had barely known the girl, as she was gone for most of, their membership, roared with barely restrained anger. after all who had the gall to say that over a radio dedicated, to finding the brotherhood's lost family?

I did!

Elder Owyn Lyons, steps were audible through the radio, slow, methodical, steps that sounded like the announcement of the apocalypse. I could practically hear him reach for the, button that would allow, his rage to flow throughout the wasteland. When I finished my sentence.

"After all you're making Sarah cry." I said in a scolding manner. But sure enough Sarah had two hot trails of tears flowing from her eyes…

Elder Lyons voice cracked, across the radio, 'Sarah… a-are you there?" before she could even ask my Pip-boy was in her hands and I was out the door, giving her privacy.

A week later I was standing on top of the Arlington memorial bridge, Sarah right beside me as we looked the remains of the pentagon, now known as the Citadel. The brotherhood had arranged, for me to get her here, on this exact date.

They were either really happy to see Sarah, or really angry at me. They probably had the entire, chapter right out front. So I sent Sarah off, not wanting to risk punishment for the sarcasm I had reported finding her with. I did however give her my ten millimeter pistol.

I had at some point during, my travels around the wastes inscribed, "Your Heart is a Weapon the Size of your Fist" while in a drunken haze. as I did she gave a questioning look to which I replied "Think of as an excuse for me to come back and visit." She gave me a hug before turning the gun over, and the name "Gary" scratched on in messy handwriting.

What can I say? I picked it up in vault 108.

Though Sarah didn't, seem to mind as she was still excited about having a new, way to mutilate who ever crossed her. Needless to say I was very proud of the young blonde.

I watched her approach the citadel, and upon seeing her, Initiates, paladins, and scribes alike rushed to greet her. However, they then rushed inside acting erratic and suspicious. Like they were searching for something, took me a minute to realize they were looking for, me.

Yeah I high tailed it out there like, road runner.

I would only later, find out through radio, that they thought I had kidnapped her. apparently when talking to her father over the radio, she accidentally used a code found in a pre-war military manuel.

The sheepish chuckle was implied.

I returned to my previous lifestyle of wandering the wastes, soon after. Naturally I visited megaton the most, I only was allowed to visit the Citadel a few times though. the gate guard seemed to notice me forgetting my pistol, one too many times.

I made a name out in the wastes wondering, helping people, and just making the place safer in general. The wolf symbol on my duster eventually became, a way for people to tell me apart from others.

But as people say good things always have to come to an end, as I eventually wandered, into vault 87.

However as I float through the prison of my own making, I watch in amusement as someone wipes away the grime, from the window that saw into my hell.

As I see a hint of blond hair, and a surprisingly familiar face.

I can't help but wonder if more time has passed than I thought.

My name is Etherious, Maximum, Bell… and I can't help but wonder if my story has only started…*Chuckles* what am I thinking?

This isn't even the Prologue

And so was the beginnings of a new tale, and a new protagonist for the wastes. But no matter where you go or what path you take, there's something behind, you draining your veins of anything worthy of redemption, a parasite latched onto your soul, don't think you're free!

You're never free! WAR! wouldn't let you go that easy… and I/we know war… after all…

War never Changes