The door to the Washington D.C National Bank flew open. The massive wooden doors flying off their hinges. The Wanderer stepped inside, clutching his side. A gash that stretched from his left pectoral down to his hip.

Butch stepped inside quickly, his fear shone clear on his features. His hands shook, he took a breath and spoke. "They, they dead? Right? How's them look like corpses but still come after us?"

Sarah protecting their rear, let out chuckle. "Ferals, but I never seen so many of them. Not after we got Project Purity anyways. It's just odd, the Muties and Ferals working together to overwhelm us? If I had my Laser Rifle instead of this HK-MP5 they'd all be dead."

Butch sighed, and stuck his head out of the doors. He looked both ways, eyes gazing over the damage done in two hours. "Nobody on us, but there's a couple of them fucks still wandering the streets. We should just camp here for the night, it's what, nine?"

Sarah glanced over at her Second-in-Command, "What are you looking at? Found some candy?" Her stomach let out a groan of pain at that comment.

The Sentinel let out a grunt, he was hunched over a security camera. He stood up, the camera covered in grime and partially shattered. "You ever wonder what happened before the bombs dropped? The memory card in this thing is still intact. We've got hours before dusk hits, whatcha say? Movie Night?"

Now it was Butch's turn to laugh, "Sure, let me pull out that buttered popcorn out of my ass."

Sarah grumbled, "Better show us the vault codes, cause staying out here with two clips of 10MM is keeping me on edge."

The Wanderer smirked and took the lead.

He popped opened the panel on his forearm. His Power Armor had a power cord which he could hook up to his helmet at using the headbeam he could project it onto the white wall. Well, it hadn't been white in over two hundred years, but the cracked beige worked well enough.

"Hand me the card, Butch. I wonder what recording we've got on here."

Butch groaned and leaned over from his comfortable recliner and tossed him the SD Card from the coffee table. "God at this point I could watch paint dry. Anything to get the picture of those creeps pulling me into their horde."

Sarah sighed and dropped her guard. She tossed the compact SMG onto the coffee table and opened her magnetic pack clipped onto her T45-D armor. She pulled out five bottles of Aqua Pura, a handful of flavour packets and four cans of Cram. "These are the only thing I got on me, anyone else got some snacks? I might end up eating all the Cram."

Butch sighed and stood up. He walked over to his backpack he kept on him and pulled it open. "God, look at these boys." He pulled out two cans of Potato Crisps. "Yeah, I know. Deloria comes in the clutch. Again."

Alex turned around and tapped his duffle bag with his left leg. "Open that." He plopped onto the floor and slipped the card into his helmet.

Sarah zipped open the bag. "Christ. You've got actual chocolate-" Butch cut her off. "You've got to be kidding me. You do not have these." He pulled out a bag of Beef Jerky. "This is delicious. I haven't eaten some of this since the Vault days."

Alex turned around, smirk prominent. "Yeah, I may have stashed some goods with me. This was at our last Safehouse. I've got some M1911s and a couple of mags in here too. But those Nuclear Gum? Mine."

The projection hit the wall and they could hear a faint song in the background.

Connor looked at his watch. He was supposed to get home by now. He had to swing by the bank to deposit his Mother's watch. It was his most prized possession now that she had passed. But with his two year old, he felt better knowing it was locked between several layers of steel and concrete.

He was exhausted, being a accountant was not a very rewarding job. Crunching numbers and typing things down. With Colin close to being booted off the company due to some insider trading. Maybe he'd have a chance at snagging that spot.

Three more people were in front of him. The tall man who'd had a suit on in front of him pointed at one of the televisions. "Every second of the day feels like a ticking time bomb. My boy is one of those soldiers there."

One of the frames showed, indeed, a younger man with some visible resemblance to the man was shown. He held a rifle he'd seen on the news. What was it called? An… AER9 Laser Rifle. Yeah, that was it. He was clad in military fatigues and had a Plate Carrier and shoulder pads.

"I thought about joining, I got a kid. But, what if I'm the soldier… The one extra body, the extra boot on the ground that causes the scale to tip into M.A.D? I can't take the chance." Connor didn't even mean to gush out the thoughts pooled in his mind, but talks of loss made him vulnerable.

Before the man could respond, a sonic boom was heard. The windows shattered and the world itself seemed to shake with a violent rumble, as if Lucifer was trying to rip open the surface of the earth and open the gates of Hell.

Connor stumbled backwards, his ears ringing. He fell back, and caught himself on a pillar. He looked at the recently shined marble floor, his face looking back him, fear shone clear in his brown eyes. Those pools of happiness melted down to pits of knowing. Acceptance of death.

He glanced up to the chaos. A couple to his right were clutching each other to his right. The woman was screaming something. He was just so dazed. What were they saying? He steadied himself and felt the nightmare fuel hit his ears.

"My baby!" The words made him grab his stomac-

Alex turned around to face his companions. "I don't want to watch this anymore. This is… disturbing."

Both of them shook their heads. He sighed and let the projection continue. The camera scanned over the man they watch slowly get closer to inevitable doom. He let out a groan. "That kid's life ended before it even started. I'm getting sick just thinking about it."

Sarah, grabbed his shoulder. "We've got to see how this ends. Tie up the loose ends and see the aftermath before we mourn the loss of these innocent lives. We aren't monsters, simply curious."

His fingers tapped the tac-pad imbedded in his left forearm.

Connor looked at the security camera. It was recording. He didn't want to be forgotten. He wanted the memory of him and his family to live. So somebody could find it and remember him. He took off to the camera and screeched out his name. "Connor and my wife Gina and ou-"

The hellfire finally reached the building. Connor knew his time left on this earth were seconds. He pulled out the watch, showed it to the camera and dove to the floor.

The flames tore at him a second later. The couple's screams could be heard for a handful of seconds before the melting flesh filled anyone still kicking senses'.

Connor hugged the watch close. He closed his eyes and let go of any struggling he had to stay on this side of the abyss.

He uttered his last sentence, before the flicker of life in him became extinguished.

"Maybe you'll remember me when I fade to black."

Alex took off down the steps, with the Sentinel and the Tunnel Snake hot on his heels. "Where is it?" He looked at where the camera once was and tried to picture himself in frame. His eyes gazed over where the body should be.

Butch let out a gasp and Sarah let out a scream. Butch pulled the pile of bones from near the desk. He let out a strangled noise in his throat, "Oh my god, He got incinerated and then his body got moved from the explosion and imbedded into this desk."

Sarah looked around, dazed. "Where's the watch?" Her lightning blue eyes dimmed when she saw the carcass of the once beautiful watch. The Rose Gold plating was seared to a more coppery orange. The bezel looked damaged and the glass was melted.

She lifted it up. Etched onto the band was, "Fade to Black."

I had this idea that I first got inspiration from Halo: ODST. The Rook (PC) has to find these items that would show him where his squadmates last were. So whether that meant looking for a gun that someone on the team had used before he found it, and it would send you into a flashback in which you'd play like 20 hours before he found it or whatever. You got to experience that memory.

That's just something I wanted to do, but with my own spin and showing some light on what I think could have possibly happened in the Universe.

I did modify a Jay-Z line in there. The 'Fade to Black' part. That came from his song, "December 4th" from his third album, "The Black Album."

OG line was, "Maybe you'll love me when I fade to black."

I just thought that was cool, and I know this doesn't completely follow the lore either. I don't remember where the bombs dropped in D.C but I gave Connor a bit too much time before his time was cut.

Hope you enjoyed R&R, I may continue, using an actual location this time with my take on what happened. ~Pepo Clap