Note from the author:
This story takes place sometime between the escape from the vault and Tranquility Lane. It follows a man named Ivy Mike in a world he doesn't know, but really really likes. It may be a one-shot but if people like it I may do more.
This story is rated M due to sexual themes later in the story. Nothing is explicit, and I wasn't sure if that warrants it be rated T, but better safe than sorry.
-the author
Chapter 1
The gates to Paradise Falls opened to him, as a renowned slaver waltzed through the former strip mall. Ivy Mike, that crazy kid from Vault 101, entered the slaver compound with his pet Dogmeat and his slave Charon, the sun setting behind him. He was well known for his unique abilities. He managed to enslave the residents of Big Town, the Republic of Dave, and Little Lamplight. He was the crazy bastard who blew Megaton sky high. He lived at the hosh-posh Tenpenny Tower, where he often played chess with the mysterious Mr. Burke. He recovered a group of Lincoln-worshiping escaped slaves. People were right to fear him. The slavers and raiders and other ne'er-do-wells kept a respectful distance from the man. He rarely entered the mall itself, just left the slaves with the front guards. If he was coming in, that meant he was here for Eulogy.
"Eulogy," Ivy Mike called out as he entered the pad. The man he was looking for was Eulogy Jones, the leader of the Paradise Falls slavers.
"Ivy, my friend, what brings you back to my pad? It's been a while," Eulogy greeted, his red suit contrasting with Ivy's armored vault jumpsuit. The two slave women, Crimson and Clover, were lounging on the bed.
"A proposition," Ivy offered.
"And what would be the nature of this proposition?"
"As you know, I come from a Vault. Vault 101. While I was with one of your hunting parties looking for refugees from the ruins of Megaton, I got a transmission from the Vault. I have the password."
"Where are you going with this?" a contemplative Eulogy asked.
"I need twenty of your slavers to accompany me. We'll make a fortune in slaves we find there, not to mention the technology and supplies they have stored there. And, we can use the Vault as an easily defensible forward base. That way slavers don't have to trek all the way back to Paradise Falls."
"And how do you propose we find customers next to a crater? How will we keep in contact with the base?"
"Caravan trade routes still exist from the Megaton ruins to here. We can travel those roads. And the customers will come to us. We might be able to sell a few to raiders nearby. And maybe we could set up a deal with Tenpenny, I'm sure they could use some 'workers', if you know what I'm saying. And of course we can still send them to the Pitt."
"Very true, but as you can see, I simply cannot fortify Paradise Falls and your Vault at the same time," the suited slaver explained, motioning to the guards.
"What about those you have stationed at the Lincoln Memorial? There's no reason for them to still be there. And I'm there are enough men there to make this look more profitable."
"Very well, I will see what I can do. How many slaves can you bring back?"
"At least fifteen, more if they don't put up a fight," Ivy promised. "Some very attractive young women, maybe a few kids. One old man. The rest should be adults or teenagers."
"And how well armed are they?"
"They don't have anything bigger than a pistol."
"I'll get you your army," Eulogy assured with a chuckle. "And I'll ensure that they're well armed to amp up the intimidation factor."
"Thank you," the wanderer replied.
"In the meantime, I'd prefer if you spent the night in Paradise Falls."
"Why's that?"
"Lots of people want you dead. I happen to want you alive," Eulogy said with a smile.
"As you wish," Ivy conceded. "Charon, back to Tenpenny Tower and feed the slaves, I don't want them starving."
"Yes, sir," the ghoul emotionlessly obliged.
The raiding party consisted of twenty of Eulogy's most vicious slavers, armed to the teeth with assault rifles and flamers. They were the best Paradise Falls had to offer. Another twenty five stayed back at Paradise Falls to keep it protected.
"Gentlemen," Ivy Mike began. "Today we embark on what may be our most difficult assault yet. We will trek south to Vault 101, past the ruins of Megaton. We will kill or enslave any waster who gets in our way. We will enslave the residents of Vault 101. And we will turn that Vault into a secondary base. This will drastically increase our ability to capture slaves. Soon, the entire wasteland will belong to us."
His words earned a cheerful uproar from the slaver party. And so they began the quest southward. The large caravan of slavers and Brahmin enslaved what few wastelanders they could find along the way. By the time they reached Vault 101, they had captured twelve people, whether they be wasters or raiders or refugees from Megaton. They set up camp for the night in the ruins of Springvale, next to the radioactive crater that was once Megaton, content that the mission was already profitable.
The slavers awoke to the sound of gunfire. Apparently some raiders hiding out in the school thought it would be a good idea to attack the caravan. They were wrong. Ivy Mike led the slavers through the halls of the Springvale School, guns blazing. The raiders smart enough to surrender were now property of Eulogy Jones.
The slaves were left with only a handful of guards. All their collars were linked to one detonator, so none would disobey. The rest of the party went up the hill into Vault 101. Ivy Mike entered the password "Amata" into the entrance panel, causing the massive gear shaped door to slowly roll open. Led by Ivy, the group entered the Vault. The formerly pristine walls were covered with obscene graffiti and hazard signs blocked off previously accessible doors. One door open to reveal officer Gomez holding a pistol. "You're lucky I found you and not one of the other guards. Who are all these people?" the officer asked.
"Just a few friends," Ivy replied with a cruel smile as he twisted Gomez's wrist, causing the gun to fall. A slaver locked a bomb collar around Gomez's neck. "You're a slave now, and soon the rest of this miserable Vault will be. If you disobey, the collar around your neck blows. If I were you, I'd be a good slave."
"You bastard," the officer spat back as slavers removed his armor and gun.
The party of slavers entered the atrium to see an old man holding up two children at gun point, evidently keeping them from leaving the Vault. "Officer, lay down your arms. Nobody move," Ivy ordered as the slavers began placing bomb collars on the Vault Dwellers.
"What is the meaning of this?" the Overseer demanded as he rushed down the stairs. "What have you done?"
"Well, slave," the wanderer replied as the Overseer was collared. "You wouldn't let people go to the wasteland. So I'm bringing the wasteland to them."
"You're sick."
"I've been told," Ivy curtly replied as he and his slavers followed the hallway down to the lower levels. There they met officers and rebels, centered around Amata. They were all collared immediately. All of them were too afraid to try to fight back. "Amata, it's been so long."
"What is wrong with you?" she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Turning a profit, and getting a little revenge. You are all now the property of Eulogy Jones. You will be sold to the highest bidder at Mr. Jones' discretion. This Vault now belongs to Mr. Jones as well. If anyone has a problem with that, you're going to get your head blown off. Except you, Overseer," Ivy said as he drew his sawed off shotgun. "Your getting your head blown off now," the wanderer pulled the trigger, splattering the walls and his face with the blood of the Overseer.
"No!" Amata shouted, tears streaming down her face. "You bastard!"
"Get these slavers corralled. Except this one," Ivy pointed to Freddie Gomez. "I'll take him," he took the dejected Tunnel Snake to what used to be his room. The mission had been a success. Now was time to celebrate.
After his brief "celebration," Ivy Mike left a slaver named Sister in charge of organizing the base. The main base was to be the Vault itself with a checkpoint at the bottom of the hill. The small town if Springvale was to be rebuilt by the new slaves as homes for when the base expands into a town. Slavery was becoming a popular business, and many ex-raiders would be seeking employment with Eulogy Jones. Eventually the Vault would be full and the slavers would occupy Springvale.
Ivy made his way back to Tenpenny Tower, bringing with him Freddie and one of the raiders they'd captured in Springvale. On his way there he made it a point to pass through Andale, a town of cannibals. He negotiated with one of the families for the sale of the captures raider, making a thousand caps.
When Ivy, Freddie, and Dogmeat made it to the tower, Ivy relaxed while Charon made the new slave at home. "This is your cage," the ghoul explained. "You'll be sharing it with Flash."
Flash was a citizen of Big Town before the town was enslaved. Now he was owned by Ivy Mike, the scourge of the wastes. "And... um... who's this?" Freddie asked, motioning to the distraught child in the smaller cage.
"That's Eclair, he cooks for the master and cleans up the places the robot butler can't reach."
"Does Ivy... do stuff with the kid?" Freddie asked, eyeing the sleeping slaver.
"Your owner is many things, but a pedophile is not one of them. Now get in the cage," Charon ordered.
Freddie got in, finding plenty of room next to Flash. The cage door slammed shut, sealing Freddie's fate. Charon sat down, waiting for Ivy to wake up and give him an order.
Two prosperous months passed after Vault 101 was enslaved. The Vault was an efficient base under Sister, and Springvale became a haven for slave owners looking to settle down without being judged. The area became a major trade stop, and the center of slavery in the Capital Wasteland. Capture parties had easy access to the DC ruins and could easily hunt wastelanders.
Andale was a major trade partner, buying slaves once in awhile to fatten up then eat. The residents of Tenpenny Tower began purchasing slaves to use as servants. The tower finally had a servant class to match its bourgeoise. Even Mr. Burke bought a woman, though few know where she is now... Many slaves went north to the Pitt, a major trading partner. But the best slaves were sent to Paradise Falls, where auctions were held daily. Eulogy Jones had made Ivy Mike an official partner. Every cap Eulogy made, Ivy made too.
It wasn't until Ivy found a strange distress signal on his PIP-boy that he decided to head back into the field. The signal was from a slave called Wernher who had escaped the Pitt. "Charon, we've got some work to do. Flash you're in charge, but remember that if you leave the room, your head comes off. There's enough food here to last you all a few days," the wanderer said. He and Charon left Tenpenny Tower and trekked north to find the source of this signal.
They journeyed across an ocean of sand. Every time they encountered random wastelanders or raiders, they took great pains to enslave as many as possible. Sometimes it meant stun grenades and quick work with bomb collars. Other times it meant sneaking around while they were asleep. It slowed progress substantially, but made the quest more enjoyable. Ivy got a sickening smile across his face every time he watched the new slaves running toward Paradise Falls.
Eventually, the duo came upon Wernher. Ivy had opted to leave Dogmeat at home as she was pregnant and he didn't want to risk the puppies. "Are you Wernher?"
"Why yes, I am," the rugged man replied, extending a bloody hand.
"I take it these corpses belong to slavers?" Ivy asked.
"Why yes, they-" his words were cut off by Ivy's shotgun blast to his hand. "Ahhhh! Fuck, what the fuck?"
"Shut the fuck up you piece of trash," Ivy ordered as he put a bomb collar around the amputees neck. "You're going back to your owners. They'll decide how you're punished."
"Go fuck yourself," Wernher managed between breaths.
"Start walking," Ivy ordered as he pushed his shotgun against the slave's back. "Charon, take his gun." Charon removed the .44 from its holster obediently.
"Why are you doing this?" Wernher asked.
"I sell slaves for a living. I own four. I would be very pissed if mine ran away."
"You think they aren't pissed that they're enslaved?"
"To enslave the weak is to give them virtue. Obedience, honesty, industry, prudence. We give them these virtues. We make them free in ways they don't understand."
"You ruin their lives?"
"What lives?" Ivy chuckled. "We're in a wasteland. At least slavery offers some kind of structure."
"Your structures are my shackles."
"Well I don't disagree with you there," the wanderer replied as they approached a train tunnel. "I take it this is how we get to the Pitt."
"Yea..." Wernher began to get dizzy and was unable to stand straight. Who would've thought that blood loss could be a serious issue.
"Alright let's fix up his hand. I want him back alive so he can be punished."
"Yes, sir," Charon said as several men with guns arrived in the distance.
"Who the fuck are you?" one of then gruffly demanded. "And who the fuck is that?"
"My name is Ivy Mike. Maybe you've heard of me. And this is an escaped slave from the Pitt," Ivy explained as he trussed up Wernher's wound, not looking at the men. When he finished with the wound, he stood up and looked the men in the eye. "Now who are you?"
"Aw shit, I've heard of you. I'm Ramsey, I work for Eulogy. We sell slaves to the Pitt. This that Wernher asshole?"
"Yes, he is."
"Why not just kill him?" one of the slavers asked.
"Killing him would be too easy. I'm going to make an example of him. For that, he needs to be alive. Now if we're done, how do I get to the Pitt?"
"The train tunnel there has a handcar you and your buddy can use. Take some supplies though, the trip will take a few days."
"Alright. Guess I'll see you in a few days."
Three days later, Ivy and his companions emerged from a train tunnel in what was once downtown Pittsburg. "Well, well, what have we here? 'The one that got away?'" a woman sarcastically asked as she walked along the train tracks. "Ashur is dying to see you. And you must by Ivy Mike."
"I guess I'm pretty damn famous," Ivy replied.
"We'll take Wernher from here," the woman assured as other armed men began appearing.
"If it's all the same, I'll take him myself," Ivy replied.
"If you insist," the slaver woman replied, allowing Ivy to pass.
Ivy and his slaves transversed a downtown area littered with laboring slaves. They cut through an indoor area baking with heat until they reached the heavily guarded entrance to Haven, the home of the Pitt's resident raiders. The trio entered Ashur's home, and were greeted by the power armor clad warlord. "You must be the legendary Ivy Mike."
"I am," he replied.
"And it seems that Wernher has returned to us," Ashur observed. "Fittingly, in the collar he deserves."
"I hope you can find a fitting punishment for him," Ivy said. "If that's all you need, I should be getting home."
"Ah yes, thank you. Apparently there's a conspiracy afoot, and his interrogation will reveal his co-conspirators. They'll be punished accordingly," Ashur explained. "If there's any way I can repay you, let me know."
"Thank you," Ivy Mike said, taking his leave.
Upon his return, Ivy found that Eulogy had sent for him. Assuming it was important, Ivy made his way to Paradise Falls, leaving Charon to care for the slaves.
"I'm glad you could make it," Eulogy said. "I have an important task for you."
"And that is?" Ivy asked.
"I need you to kill Sonora Cruz."
"Who the hell is that?"
"She's in charge of the Regulators," Eulogy explained. "Since our little expansion, they've been more than mildly irritating. If you kill her then they'll fall apart."
"Consider it done," Ivy replied.
Not a week later, the Regulators found themselves without a leader. Unable to continue battling the slavers of Paradise Falls in any organized way, they fell to the horrors of the waste.
Ivy Mike settled down for many months, having given up the search for his father long ago. Children would stay up at night, exchanging scary stories of the mobster named Ivy Mike. Eventually, the slave empire of Paradise Falls blossomed. The entire western half of the wasteland was under the thumb of Eulogy Jones. The now deserted Big Town and Little Lamplight became slaver communities as well. Daniel Littlehorn and Associates came under Eulogy's employ whenever someone in the DC area needed to be assassinated. The Talon Company cut a deal with Jones to keep any righteous Brotherhood of Steel members, or any hungry super mutants, far from his cities. In exchange, the men of the Talon Company get slave women in bulk.
The future of the capital wasteland was secure, for now, as a stalemate between the slavers, Brotherhood, and mutants was established. None could permanently defeat the others, and none could tolerate the existence of the others.
And so Ivy Mike, the lone wanderer, abandoned the Vault and traveled into the annals of legend. In his Capital Wasteland, many would live and die, just as they had in the Old World. Because war... war never changes.