The Sierra Madre Reborn

by Ryan-Sinclair

Centuries after The Great War, a man awakens inside a laboratory to find humanity gone and a thick poisonous cloud which has miraculously preserved the world, yet, created mysterious entities as well.

THE

SIERRA MADRE

REBORN

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By

Sinclair Stories

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Chapter

1

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Flickering,

Existence,

Pain,

Regret.

Centuries of endless commands given from a source long since erased by time. A purpose long since forgotten. A face without meaning. Lonely, a light dimly shines in the murky darkness of a dead city, coldly watching ghosts shuffle a street once metaphorically paved with sparkling gold, now idly collecting dust, waiting for the right moment to spark vitality. Far away, in a rust covered sky, electricity arcs in a beckoning gray storm, bringing forth the wish, the desire of those weary who roam the haunted cloud. Within the morrow, a god would be reborn, to begin again in the fertile ashes of that which once was, that which could be… Again.

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ROBCO INDUSTRIES SUPER UNIFIED OPERATING SYSTEM

COPYRIGHT 2077©

-MAINFRAME-

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[Subject Files]

[Protocols]

[Surveillance]

[Progress Report]

[Help]

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[Commands]

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{Commands Selected}

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{Enter Command} - *** ********** ******* -

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{Enter Override Password} - ****** -

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{Password Accepted; Override Granted}

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{Processing}

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{Bio-Stasis Program Ending}

{Safety Protocol 3-4A: Beginning Diagnostic Scan}

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{Diagnostic Scan Complete}

{Life Support Results Listed Below}

[Bio-NutraGel Elixir Components Integrity: 68% -ADEQUATE- ]

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[The Following Percentage Pertains To Amount Remaining From Original Batch]

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[Hydrogen Sulfide: 9%]

[Pure-Pro Compound Liquid Oxygen: 22%]

[Domek Enhanced Concentrated Formula: 4%]

{Electrocellulartine Mixture: 13%]

[Cryonoid Nitrogen Atoms: 32.3229%]

[Growth Associated Protein Forty Three: 30%]

[Neuropeptide: 1%]

[Formaldehyde 3%]

[Glycerol 1.2%]

[Extracellular Internal Stem Cell Matrix 0.2%]

[Extracellular External Stem Cell Matrix 27%]

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[Med-X Drip Reserve (IN CASE OF SEVERE STRESS) : (0%) EXPIRED ]

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[Food Paste (Thanks To N.A.P.P. –Nutritional Alternate Paste Program-) : 25.5%]

[Thin Red Paste (Thanks To Big Mt. Research And Development Center) : 6%]

[Thick Red Paste (Thanks To Big Mt. Research And Development Center) : 3%]

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[Ventilator Efficiency: 94%]

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[Subject Vitals System Functionality]

[Body Temperature: 99%]

[Pulse: 99%]

[Respiratory Rate: 89% (REQUIRES CLEANING) ]

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[Vital Sign General Classification]

[Subject(s) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 Blood Pressure: -GOOD/ADEQUATE- ]

[Subject(s) 7, 8, 14, 16 Blood Pressure: -POOR/MAINTAINED BY MEDS- ]

[Subject(s) Blood Glucose level: -ADEQUATE- ]

[Subject(s) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 Pain Level: -GOOD/ADEQUATE- ]

[Subjects(s) 7, 14, 16 Pain Level: -POOR/MAINTAINED BY MEDS- ]

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[WARNING! FULL SUBJECT EVALUATION REQUIRED PRIOR TO PROCEEDING]

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{Enter Override Password: -******- }

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{Password Accepted; Override Granted}

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{Initializing Bio-Stasis Gel Flush}

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{Prepping Subjects And Vat Chamber}

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{FLUSHING BIO-STASIS GEL FROM VAT CHAMBER}

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99%

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75%

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36%

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2%

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{Bio-Stasis Gel Flush Completed}

{Subject Safety Secured}

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{Scanning Subject Vital Signs}

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{Subject Vital Signs Stable}

{Initiating Defrost Protocol 55-C-AEO}

{Awakening Subjects #1-16}

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5%

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20%

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50%

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72%

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98%

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{Awakening Complete}

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{Restarting Consciousness}

{Ending Extended Induced Comatose State}

{Prepping Cerebral Electrical Resurrection Pulse}

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{Charge Ready}

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{Shocking}

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Opening my eyes, I had somehow very suddenly become aware that I was awake. When it happened exactly, I couldn't be sure. Startled, my arms flared, thumping against the hard glass. 'W-What!? What's happening!? Where am I!? How did I get here!?' I thought in panic, frantically trying to gather my bearings. All around me, I was trapped. Where I currently was, I must have been floating; that, or I was suspended. Either way, my feet weren't touching the ground, and what it was surrounding me must be a tube of some sort. "HELP!" I screamed in a low muffled tone. 'There's something on my face! What the hell is going on!?' Trying to reach my hands to my face, they abruptly stopped, getting yanked by cords I realized were wrapped around them.

My heart continued to beat at a thousand miles a minute. Hyperventilating, I knew that I had to calm down, but, that was about it. Nothing in my memory was viable. Everything was gone, and I couldn't remember anything. My name, my age, my background history, even my appearance; all of that was missing. To not know such things was an acute mental stress. With this act of being held bondage, it was more than enough to tip me over the edge in fear. I wanted to know where I was and remained extremely scared I was about to be dissected or tested on by somebody. If I had no idea how I got here, then surely it must have been against my will.

"PLEASE REMAIN CALM..." A computerized voice spoke from a place unbeknownst to me. "ALLOW APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES OF TIME FOR THE PURE-PRO COMPOUND LIQUID OXYGEN TO BE FULLY EXPELLED FROM YOUR LUNGS."

I had absolutely no clue what it was talking about, or what 'pure-pro compound liquid oxygen' would be. "JUST GET ME OUT OF THIS!" Thrashing more, I felt small pinpricks in my back, arms, legs, and neck. Examining myself in a hurry, I discovered horrifically that many of the wires tangled around me were actually embedded deep into my flesh, bulging through my veins and arteries like thick metal worms that had ate their way into me, a few even going down my throat. "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! Hauu… AHHHHHHHHH! JESUS! J-Jesus Christ, please save me from this..." I prayed. "P-P-Please save me from this-s h-hellish nightmare." Hooked up like a rag doll marionette, there wasn't anything I could do to free myself until the needled-tubes piercing me began to retract, painfully being pulled from my skin one by one. I could feel them pulling themselves from within my body, tugging, grabbing at my muscles and organs as they withdrew. "NO! AHH! HAUHH! RHAAA!" The ones in my arms and legs were less agonizing than the ones in my neck, stomach, and back. Those forced heavy tears to my eyes before pouring down my cheek as I gargled painfully, retching when thin tubes in my throat retracted as well, coming out inside the plastic mask strapped to my face.

"REMOVING INTRAVENOUS SPINAL CORTEX" The same computerized voice spoke.

"W-What!? Spinal!? SPINAL!? WHAT THE FUCK!?" I retorted with a wavering, yet, extraordinarily distressed voice. At that very moment, the most excruciating pain I'd ever felt in my entire life ensued. My spine felt as though it was being pulled out from above my tailbone, sending a guttural outcry reverberating throughout the cramped glass chamber upon which I was being held in. "AHUHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!?" A small squirt of blood dripped down the back of my legs, leaving me drifting in and out of consciousness with a nauseous stomach. Outside, I heard screams from other people, but, the unbearable hurt kept logic from questioning the possibility of who it was.

Nearly foaming at the mouth in misery, a cool breeze could be felt on my lower back where none was actually present. This was from the wound. Luckily it seemed to go away on its own withinten to fifteen seconds. Panting like a dog, I recuperated from the intense sensation. My skin in its entirety was Sore. Trying to catch my breath repeatably, I could only hope with all of my might that the worse was over with. Mentally, I couldn't take much more than that regardless of whether I was forced to or not. Speaking out of complete honesty, I think that I would rather die than go through that process another round.

Out of nowhere, I fell to the flooring of the tube with a loud thud, which merely added to the debilitating pain. "OWW! G-God almighty!" Despite having freedom, unfortunately, all I could do was huddle up against the glass. It was foggy. Saturated. Liquid must have been up to the top of the chamber before I awoke, meaning that I was submerged not long ago. I'd likely have spent more time thinking about it if it were not for the throbbing sensation scattered throughout my entire body. Granted I was confined, I didn't think I'd really be capable of moving much at the moment until I recover a little more. For now, my arms and legs felt sluggish, tired, as if they hadn't moved much in a long time. Having trouble, I barely managed to remove some sort of oxygen mask that had been put over my nose and my mouth; slinging it to the floor thereafter.

Letting out a final gasp, my breathing slowly began to return to normal. This, however, didn't lessen the fear scarred into my heart. 'What am I doing here and why can't I remember anything? Why can't I remember anything!?' The cause of my amnesia was unprecedented, plus, unknown.

"LIFTING VAT PLEXIGLASS."

"What?" I asked with a tinge of agony in my voice. "W-Who are you? Please, help me… I can't remember anything and I don't know where I am." Although I knew it was a computer, I thought perhaps it would be advanced enough that it would respond to me. Needing the physiological closure, seeking answers was all on my mind. Anyone that could do, anyone that could give me these answers, that was fine by me, even if it was a machine. Regrettably, I didn't manage to get anywhere, for it said nothing further. Rather than getting an explanation, I rose to my feet with the assistance of the glass tube, which slid upward. Witnessing the opening and seeing that I was no longer confined within a tiny claustrophobic space, I stumbled forward to get the hell out of the horrid scientific tube of death.

'I can't hardly see!' I noted, realizing that I was unable to focus my eyes on anything out my arms reach. 'What's happened to me!? What's happening!?' My feet wobbled, forcing me to my knees after nothing other than six small steps. I had to get back up to escape; if only I had the energy. That sluggish feeling I sensed a few minutes ago had already escalated into wiggling putty. 'Come on…' I urged myself. 'Get up. Run. I gotta get out of here before whoever put me in there returns.' In the state I currently was, there would be absolutely no way I'd be capable of defending myself if I was attacked. There may not have been any indication as to of who did, but, I wasn't keen on sticking around to find out either.

"Oh finally!" A man's voice spoke to the left of me, where I squinted in an attempt to see who it was. "That last part was a doozie, just like they said it would be! Larry, go check on the others. We're Alpha Team, so, we need to make sure everything's in working order, and everyone is healthy."

"W-Who's talking!?" I asked in exclamation, knowing that there was definitely somebody in my proximity now. "Help me, please! I can't see!" A distance away from me, I heard a woman scream. This wasn't sitting well with me. However, before I could say anything else, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me in advance to another voice, different from the first, saying "Relax, Zachery. We got you. Try and stay calm until the effects from extended hibernation wear off." Having another person with me was a relief, and yet, I couldn't cease the anxiety built up within my very soul. Budging, I shouted angrily for a reason I didn't quite understand. "Who's Zachery!? Where am I!? Who are you people!?"

Almost immediately, the guy's hands went away. "Captain Wilkerman, I think Zachery has stasis sickness like Angelika."

"Geh weg von mir!" A female's voice could be heard speaking loudly about twenty or so feet away from me. "Wer sind ihr Leute!? Was geschah mit meinem Rücken!?"

Whatever language it was the woman spoke, it reminded me of German. In the heat of the moment, though, I didn't care; for, as my vision slowly came around, clearing; I could see more of the people standing around me. Blinking, I saw many, up to ten or more. All of them were nearly naked, save undergarments, each next to a tube that looked exactly like the one I had just come out of. The one nearest to me was dark skinned, of African descent. Black hair, brown eyes, small soul patch and goatee underneath. The other, the one he was speaking too, tall and white like myself, with red hair and a mustache. Everybody else varied in appearance. Most of them were busy recuperating, but, there was a Caucasian man and a black woman farthest from me, bent over on the ground.

"Es ist in Ordnung, meine liebe. Bitte beruhigen. Du bist safe." The man hugging the woman on the ground spoke in German prior to switching to English. "It's okay, I won't let her harm anyone." He then returned speaking to the woman in the same dialect as before. "Sweetie, bitte… Einfach entspannen. Du bist in Ordnung, und Sie etwas Ruhe brauchen. Sie finden alles in kurzer Zeit zu erinnern."

"Great..." The man known as Thomas said with a sigh. "Stand him up." After that, the guy closest to me, who initially had his arms wrapped around me, repeated the rhythm, this time helping me all of the way to my feet. "Come on, stand up. I know your legs are weak, but, the more you move them, the faster you'll get the kinks out of your muscles… I know you don't remember, so, my name's Jerry and I'm a medic. Once Doctor Hoff wakes up, she'll do a full exam. For now, let's just get the basics… How many fingers am I holding up?" Followed by leaning back some, he held up three fingers, to which I responded. "Three… What happened, where am I?" Nodding, he didn't answer my question, continuing on with his process. "Okay, good… I take it you don't know your name, bad… Uhh… What's the last year you can remember?"

Coughing a few times, I stared at him inquisitively. "W-What? Are you asking me what year it is? It's 2077, right? Please, tell me what happened. Why was I in that tube? Why were those cords inside of me? Ghaa… Haa..." Beginning to recall how debilitating the agony was I experienced, my blood ran cold. Panic started to overcome me until the guy, Larry, tried calming me down with reassurance. "Hey, it's okay, relax… You'll figure out everything on your own as soon as your memory comes back to you. Let's finish these questions I need to ask you first." Getting myself under control, he proceeded with more of this brief examination. If it were true that I'd regain all I'd forgotten, then, I'd like for that to hurry up and happen quite honestly. "Can you remember what the last President of the United States of America was?"

"Are you kidding me?" I coughed more. "We haven't had a real president since Bill Dekker was impeached for jaywalking. If you ask me, Todd Peterson should have won in 2072. We wouldn't ever have had the problems we did."

He laughed at me and I even saw the other guy, Thomas, crack a smile. "Sounds like you're already starting to come to. I don't quite know if I agree with your political views, though." In spite of what he said, I shook my head, holding my hands to my temples thereafter. A throbbing migraine felt as though it wasn't far behind. Suddenly remembering things, it was as if a surge of thoughts filled my head; growing until the point in which it busted, dripping down my nose. "Hmm… Nosebleed." He examined, tilting my head back and staring into my eyes prior to me closing them from the overhead florescent light nearly blinding me. "No pupil dilation. I think you'll be fine… Just take it easy. Don't try to run yet, or do anything that's laborious."

Slowly letting go, he walked away, leaving me to stand on my own. 'This is… This is the strangest thing I've ever gone through in my life. Who are these people? Why am I only able to recall stupid stuff about the government? I don't even think I'm a political person…... I… I don't feel like a political person… Would I care about politics? I don't know.' My mind floated on in recollections, generating random thoughts as my brain attempted to process a flurry of rapid images, people, names, places, the memory of my own reflection as well as who I was. It was a lot to bare, and yet, I felt like I truly had no choice in the matter. It wasn't as if my head was going to explode. What it was that was going to happen, it went at its own pace, regardless of my wishes.

"Here..." Larry returned out of the blue, slapping something on my neck which began to bubble and sink into my skin. "This will make you remember a lot faster than you would on your own."

"Wha-!?" I squirmed as things sped up inside my head. The circulating pattern of flashing mental representations toppled a metaphorical damn, overwhelming my mind as it made me feel almost as if I was hallucinating hundred of events at the same time. Cramming itself into my fuzzy memory, pieces of my missing puzzle gradually began filling itself in. Like he said and I was already aware of, it was a lot to take in. I'd never been through anything like this before. Trying my absolute best to explain it to myself, it was like I had awoken from sleep all over again. Ending my false awakening, I was actually glad. My nerves released their hold of the high leveled anxiety pushing pressure upon my skull. The human brain isn't able to make logical sense out of such a thing. To have it suddenly happen, it wreaked havoc on me physically and mentally as everything cleared up; the fog clogging my mind evaporating.

"I… I remember now.… My name; Zachery Sinclair. Age; 25." I was supposed to say more, but, I couldn't. Not while recalling everything.

As a person, I wasn't anything special. If anything, graduating high-school had been my greatest achievement, and that was four years ago. Socially awkward, I never really fit in any peer groups. Instead, I stayed an outcast, focusing on copious amounts of mental contemplation. As the world fell apart around me, I felt my morals being challenged more and more. Stupidity ran rampant. To an extent, I always felt as if I could do so something about it, if only people would listen to me. Becoming a political figure wasn't in my blood, neither did it fancy any interests of mine. However, it seemed as if people needed a person with a head on their shoulders, a real leader with pure intentions. All of the self-denial or infatuation with falsely considering our nation indestructible is what contributed to our ultimate path of demise. Back to reality, I bid my time by helping my parents around the house, studying, and trying to get into a university where I MIGHT have been able to make something of myself.

My family was incredibly lucky. While, we ourselves; which pertains to my mother, father, and I, were not anything to honk a horn about, we had a nice bonus to our lives. My Uncle Frederick, the only other relative alive, was filthy rich beyond anyone's wild imagination. Despite taking a hit during the start of the economic collapse of our once great nation in 2070, he was such a fine businessman that he pulled trillions of dollars in gold from endless stock holds and bank accounts across the rest of the world, using it to create his dream; a dream of paradise.

His paradise came in the form of the Sierra Madre, a luxurious villa and casino resort where all the elite go to party with as much sophisticated elegance as mankind could presently offer. Constructed in secrecy out in the middle of nowhere, secluded from the rest of the civilization in the Commonwealth of Four States, or elsewhere from the rest of the America; its location, while obviously in a valley surrounded by a mountainous desert, is held private to members of security and Uncle Frederick. With this privacy at hand, he was free to make perfection the way he saw fit. Nothing was able to stop him. I even heard that he managed to get deals with multiple professional companies, as well as a rumor about one that had to do with the military. In the end, it got him technology exclusive to his oasis.

Three miles long, three-fourths a mile wide; his villa was big enough to be a small town for holding up to a thousand people. Ingeniously, he designed it in a way that you would not need an automobile to go anywhere you wanted to go; thus, noise and pollution weren't a worry anymore. Architecturally, Uncle Frederick drew out all of the blueprints entirely on his own. He adored art-deco with a passion, adding a twist of Mission Revival in order to spice it up. This look provided guests with a superior feeling of life. Merely opening their eyes, he wanted people to know that they were somewhere special, somewhere unique and unlike any other place on the globe. Brick roads, fountains, gorgeous stone overhangs with the greenest of flora, a public service speaker system, amazingly advanced vending machines capable of ordering nearly anything legal, and a ventilation system added to the splendid opulence people would experience.

Separated into five districts, there was bound to be a place that had what you were looking for. The Plaza District, where the Police Station was, consisted of the opening area where guests arrived at the Sierra Madre and the gate to the casino. The Medical District housed the Villa Clinic, which actually has pretty advanced medical technology if I do say so myself, and other health-oriented businesses. As for the Residential District, it's self-explanatory. Then there's Salida del Sol, where the church is located and a lot of the staff live. Finally, Puesta del Sol. Honestly, the last place never should have been made. It's a half built area that was supposed to hold offices. However, the construction crew ran out of time.

Where luxury is really at is the casino. Besides a gambling house, it had the finest of entertainment, the best cuisine money could buy, and a fantastic first class hotel where guests were able to 'begin again', as my uncle would say. Where the rich could securely gaze upon the night sky and ponder their true existence, away from the impending destruction at hand. A castle is what I'd call it. To my uncle, a masterpiece. This accomplishment came with one last achievement. Since I was family, and my uncle trusts me more than anybody else, he entrusted me with information about it before I even arrived, and it was by far the most fascinating aspect of his estate.

Real-life Holograms.

Holograms were state-of-the-art computerized images which generally take the form of a generic person, functioning as greeters, vendors, and even cutting-edge security guards if the need arose. He explained to me that they required a tremendous amount of power, meaning that they could only work in a defined area, but, they were nonetheless a great aspect of his pride and joy. As of yet, I hadn't seen one outside of design schematics or holotape video. No matter the lack of observance, the idea was ingenious. They were the entire reason as to of why I left the Floridian Region of the Gulf Commonwealth two days before my parents. I had to see such progress of science, and perhaps it was due to the fact of us being a family that I knew Uncle Frederick would let me get the first spot in line.

A spectacular celebration awaited those who had reserved a spot in nirvana. It was a promise he planned to deliver, for those who arrived on the time of the opening night were to be treated with the most impressive of galas, one of which would have been talked about for ages. Unfortunately, it never happened.

Coming back to me, I realized precisely who I was, including why I was in the tank hooked up to wires like everybody else had been. Slowly sinking back down to the floor, I covered my face in disbelief. "I-It happened… The War… It happened…." My body shivered in fright. The stale, yet cool air around didn't help either. 'I… I can't believe it…... America…... My home, my family, my life… I-It's all gone! IT'S ALL GONE!" Breaking down from there due to the onset of realizing what had happened, nobody enjoyed my loudness, not even myself. Not truly caring at the moment, I wished that I hadn't recalled the memories I had of the bombs dropping. Certain things were better left forgotten. "Why?" I sniffled, returning to a lower volume "Why did t-this have to happen? Ughh!" Those communist fuckers! They blew everything up! Everything's gone!"

It was almost 6:45 A.M. in the morning, October 23, 2077. That was the last minute of what I could consider my 'normal' life. From that point onward, everything I knew and believed was turned upside down when the news reported nuclear bomb detonations ranging across all of the United States of America. World War III, the big one was happening. Every nuclear capable nation launched everything in their arsenal; America and the two communist devils of the U.S.S.R. and China were the main destroyers of this planet. The hunt for what remained of natural resources ended that hour. Everything regarding the Old World ended within such an incredibly short period of time. Three minutes after the announcement, Uncle Frederick allowed everybody to gather inside a restricted section of the underground vault beneath the casino.

None of us were informed much of anything important due to time constraints. We knew nothing other than the fact upon how the vats we awoke inside of was a secret experiment intended to keep us alive. Hundreds of these tubes would preserve what was assumed to be the last remaining portion of society outside of vaults.

"Would you relax?" Thomas, the chief of security said. "I promised your uncle that you'd be fine. Now, stop scaring the others. They're going to need you to be strong." After that, he wobbled off, appearing to struggle physically as much as all of the others were. My mind was still adrift, lost in the knowledge of civilization being blown to hell and back. "Alright people!" He spoke one last time as my eyes narrowed in shock. "Gather around! I'm going to debrief all of you on your new mission directives… That's right, I said mission. Congratulations, you're officially members of Alpha Team."

Tuning out all of his nonsense, it was as if my mind had become numb. 'My parents…' I thought with a quivering lip. 'Dead…... Mom, Dad… Dead…... It can't be true. Not like this…... No. No, they must have made it. Surely they're with the others. Uncle Frederick must have flown them out here just before the detonation, he had to of!' Be it hope or denial, my well-being depended on having them. They'd always been the emotional support I needed to get up and start the day. Without them, I'd have no guidance or their love. I'd never be able to hear mom's voice again, or cook out on the grill with dad for Monday Night Football. 'He saved them!' My sanity attempted to interject 'Uncle Frederick had to of saved them. If he was smart enough to build this refuge, he definitely knew it was about to happen. There's no way he wouldn't get them here as fast as he could.'

Thinking harder, I wondered if they were able to succeed in getting into one of the nearby vaults from Vault-Tec. That company advertised nation-wide the availability of underground, self-sufficient, impenetrable, bunkers large enough to accommodate hundreds of people for in case of a nuclear Apocalypse, the exact kind which happened. The Armageddon was obvious to them, and they took advantage of that by making an industry out the preservation of mankind. At the time, I thought it was ridiculous to think we'd truly have to worry about a thing such as that, especially after the end of the Battle of Anchorage in January of 2077. Turns out, they were right. Mom and Dad were right as well for contacting them a month ago, or five years ago, whatever the date is. 'Uncle Frederick didn't care for them, but, if he knew China was attacking, surely he would've helped them get into the nearest vault.'

Going through numerous scenarios, it suddenly hit me that there was one person, in particular, missing from the group. "W-Wait!" My mouth spoke aloud on its own. "Where's Uncle Frederick!?" Glancing around, my eyes tried their best to land on him. "Is there another chamber? Is there another room with more of these pods in them?" Certainly, he managed to seek shelter like we did. I'd like to think that he wouldn't let himself die knowing that I was here, alive and well. Perhaps he was with my parents. If there were several hundred people when he declared the emergency, opening the gates to the casino, then there had to be tons of other chambers filled with people.

Thomas, for a half of a second, looked visibly distressed. This didn't sit well with me, for it signified that something was wrong. "Zachery, please..." He responded in a stern voice. "Calm down, and let me explain everything." He turned his head away from me after that, and I wanted to rip his mustache off for not telling me about my family right this very instant. I deserved to know. "First of all… Mr. and Mrs. Diederich, are you two going to be alright?" Looking at the couple, they both nodded. It was then that I realized she was the one shouting in German a few minutes ago, as well as that he was the one holding her. "Good. You were chosen to be in Alpha Team for a reason. Let's just say that those impeccable survival skills make you more qualified than anybody else." At that, he smiled, glad to see all of us were alright.

"Uhh, Thomas… We have a problem." A young blonde woman approached. Larry, in the background, darted to one of the vats furthest out. There, a tanned woman, middle-aged, dark-haired, straddled a hefty black male on the ground, pushing on his chest in rhythm to C.P.R. standards. Upon seeing it, like all of the others, I understood what was happening immediately. For whatever the reason be, the man wasn't breathing. His skin, turning purple, was not a good sign in the least. It indicated that he'd been without oxygen for quite some time.

"Come on…" The woman on top of him commanded. "Breathe. Wake up and breathe." Stopping, she pried open his mouth, looking inside of it prior to returning to chest compressions. "Nothing's blocking his airway."

Larry had retrieved a first aid kit hanging from the wall, kneeling down next to them to pop it open. "Psycho and Buffout!?" He asked in advance to the woman, presumably Doc Heywood, promptly grabbing the two chems out of his hands. "20cc of Psycho..." She recounted aloud, prepping the syringe with a tap and a tiny squirt to get any air pockets out. Proceeding that, we bore witness as she literally rammed the needle into the center of his torso, close to where his heart should be, pushing down on the syringe's plunger afterward. Within the next few seconds, she worked on more attempts to resuscitate the man any way that she possibly could. Pulling out a device known as a bag valve mask, which when pumped manually, simply delivers air to the person's lungs when they are not breathing on their own, Larry placed it on top of the man's nose and mouth.

"Slowly..." Doc Heywood said while Larry squeezed the bag mask in time to her chest compressions. "There has to be something that caused this! I don't understand… He was standing, but, staring off into space. Then he just collapsed."

Colour partially returned to man's face, and yet, as soon as they removed the mask, his chest ceased moving. No matter what they did, they weren't able to restart his heart long enough for anything to take effect. It was as if, his brain merely wasn't alive. "Dammit!" The doctor yelled in depressing frustration at being unable to revive the man. "This wasn't supposed to happen! Everything was supposed to work perfectly! H-How-…?" She shouted while stopping her attempt to bring the man back to life, knowing that it wasn't going to work. "It… It was supposed to be foolproof. We shouldn't have had this many errors if each stage was done in a correct unison." As she broke down into sorrow, barely restraining tears in her eyes, another woman about the same age as her, yet heavier set, knelt down to pray for the loss of an innocent life.

Seeing a person in our group perish wasn't a good start to this. In my opinion, there wasn't any possible way for this to be a positive thing regardless. Nonetheless, it stayed quiet. The look on everybody's face was sullen. Thomas, who has already proclaimed himself to be the leader, held his hand to his forehead in sadness, sighing.

"Susan, don't blame yourself. You did everything right, nothing is your fault… There was bound to be a few accidents." He approached the scene as the others mourned. Doctor Heywood shook her head. "No… You don't get it, Thomas. The machine should not have released him if he wasn't stable enough. There's an entire series of medical screenings each individual had to pass repeatedly before they can even undergo the awakening sequence. All of the Stasis Sickness, this man's death; none of that was accounted for in the original plan. In fact, it's almost…. Almost as if the emergency override was initiated." Stopping at that last sentence, her head turned to a terminal hooked up to the wall where the first-aid kit was found. Nobody else seemed to quite understand what she was going on about. Watching as she ran over to the terminal as fast as she could, she brought power to it, then began typing.

Two minutes later, she gasped. "Thomas… I think you're going to want to see this." Stepping to the side, she allowed him to view what it was that was on the terminal's screen. Not long after reviewing what it had to read, he turned to stare at Doctor Heywood in disbelief, looking completely awestricken. "Are you sure that this is right? What about these numbers, surely the mainframe has miscalculated?" He got his response as the doc shook her head in a slow, awkward manner. Turning away, he stared at the ground in obvious contemplation for a good minute prior to her saying. "This changes a lot-… - It's been-…." Speaking lower, she grew much harder to hear. From then forth, only what he said next was partially audible. "How am I supposed to explain-...? All that we know is-… - different world now-…..….. - to be. Our only hope is to-… - Madre safe enough to withstand the-… - and-..."

On my own, I was beginning to grow fed up with their secrecy, as well as the interminable wait. After all that we had been through, I nearly couldn't believe they'd bother to whisper to one another as if they didn't trust us. Considering how it was literally the end of the world, and we're the last bastion outside of Vault-Tec's supposedly indestructible vaults, they owed it to us that we be allowed to know all that happens. We couldn't follow the path civilization did. Each one of us saw how that worked out. The outcome wasn't great. It's up to us to make changes, to do things differently in ways the others in the 'Old World' didn't dare do out of refrain or fear.

Deciding to say something about it, my time to pipe up came again. "Hey. There isn't any use in hiding things from us. Come out with it, tell us what we need to hear."

The rest of us turned to figure out what it was that he was doing. With heed to what I said, they both faced me, then stared at each individual standing around. Giving Thomas a nudge, the kind doctor nodded to him, as if to give him the go ahead. "You're right, you're right..." He spoke while returning to a position in the middle of us, where everyone could see plus hear what he had to say. "Gather around please, there's a lot that we have to talk about and I know that all of you have countless questions." Nearly all of the others replied with something along the lines of yes, many having had inquiries since before they were hooked up to a sophisticated machine inside of a tank. Carrying on, he gave them all a look of trouble, as if he wasn't exactly sure how to proceed with his 'debriefing' he promised ten minutes ago. "Unfortunately, I'll tell you right now, that I don't know everything."

Paused for a minute's time, he eventually resumed in a long winded speech. "As all of you are already aware, Saturday, October 23, 2077, approximately 6:38 A.M. Pacific Time, World War III or 'The Great War' officially occurred. From the reports on file, China invaded U.S. soil with high-altitude aerial bombers, dropping atomic bombs in each commonwealth from the East Coast to West Coast. The great founder of the Sierra Madre, Frederick Sinclair, predicted this years ago and made this place as a sanctuary, a castle I should say, to protect us from doomsday. While we weren't able to experience it beforehand, he created these….. Umm..." Picking up for him, Doc Heywood explained. "They're bio-stasis tubes. Specifically, they were made to keep us alive inside of them in a form of hibernation until the computer designated the area safe for us to return. Medically, they're the most incredibly advanced piece of technology that will likely ever be available on the market for the next century…. Or… you know, what wou-..."

Interjecting, Thomas started his speech again. "I don't want to bore anyone with details! Just, know that they're high-tech, and they preserved us in a way that we would not have been able to make it without any of their assistance. They cost a fortune, but, we can only be thankful Mr. Sinclair had a giant treasure to protect us with, for there's another entire chamber filled with hundreds of others duplicated for the same activity. If you had any family at the resort with you and they're not here with you in this room, then it's very likely that they're in the main chamber." Clasping his hands together in observance, he continued to look at every one of us. "You're in this room, separated from the others because you've been chosen from the rest to be part of 'Alpha Team'. This elite group, all of you standing before me, is in charge of determining the safety of our world and to ascertain whether or not it's time for the others to be awoken alongside us."

"Wait a second..." A man with broad shoulders and grayish brown hair stopped the conversation. "I thought the computer was supposed to figure out if it was safe for us? Why do we have to do it?"

Thomas shook his head at that, yet, answered the question the best he could. "Technology can only do so much. It was only built to take into consideration certain things, thus, couldn't take into account local hostiles, geological displacement, or similar dangers that cannot be measured on a meter. If it released us, it was supposed to be considered safe 'enough' for an attempt at recolonization to be made. We're to double check. Our job is to do what the machine isn't able to do, which is making the call for awakening the rest."

Doctor Heywood agreed with this by nodding. "That's right. What he's saying is that only we can awaken the hundreds of people who are still preserved in their Bio-Stasis Tubes."

Unsure of how else to respond, the man who asked looked satisfied, yet, not quite happy about it.

"We know there's a possibility of danger..." Thomas began speaking again "In fact, it's very probable. However, we may be the last of humanity. That means that we owe it to what's left of us to do our jobs properly." Walking a short distance over toward a cabinet alongside the wall of the room we're in, he opened it, revealing a series of black jumpsuits as well as other assorted items. "You'll be fully equipped with items based upon your new classification in Alpha Team. Most of it is the same for all of you, so, get accustomed to your gear, because it is about as useful of tools as you're going to get for a while, if ever again." Picking up a clipboard from the top shelf of the cabinet we were now looking at, he glanced over it quickly. "I'll go over a bit of information about everything. First things first, on behalf of the Sierra Madre, Mr. Frederick Sinclair, and RobCo Industries, all of you will be issued with your own very own… Pip-Pad! Whohoo… These models, from the Pip-Boy series of personal information processors, were designed specifically for use by the wealthiest of guests here at the Sierra Madre. Due to the circumstances, they're now yours."

Handing out one to everybody, I could see that they were about the size of a large, many paged book. Upon receiving my own, I was pleased to find it didn't weigh as much as the Pip-Boy 2000 I used to have back home, whenever it existed. Dad bought it for me after I graduated from college. This thing was sleek. I could definitely tell it was a Sierra Madre product based on the art-deco design on the outer shell. The monochrome screen was bigger than the Pip-Boy 2000 model, yet lacked the addition of buttons for controls. Instead, to use it, the exterior casing had multiple dials and a scroll bar. The only switch was on the side and appeared to turn it on or off. It had a collapsible antenna, two built-in speakers at the top, plus a retractable cord to plug in for recharging.

"Whenever I call your name, please step forward and acquire your outfit and your equipment." Thomas resumed while reading off of the clipboard in his hands.

"Devin Richter..." Hearing his name called, a young Latino guy with dark brown hair, pronounced as well as a defined jaw, thin and high eyebrows with a small mouth, around the same age as I stepped up to the cabinet. His look reminded me of one of those 'pretty boys' the girls in school let hang out with them because they reminded you of a woman. Giving the guy the jumpsuit, Thomas said "You're hereby granted the title of 'Alpha Team Engineer'. With it, your Pip-Pad has architectural information regarding the nearby structures of the Sierra Madre, schematics, blueprints, and instruction manuals for thousands of different types of machinery including robotics. Your duffel bag contains a toolbox with tools included, ten fission batteries, multipurpose circuitry, a three pack of duct tape, a flashlight, and a flare gun with four emergency flares." The guy looked a bit confused, but, took everything handed to him regardless.

"Valérie Lachance..." The young blonde I'd seen earlier took her place this time. Getting a good look at her, she was stunning. With a taut, curvaceous body like hers, especially in the state of lacking clothes, it wasn't a surprise the other men were looking at her as well. Her gorgeous blue eyes complimented the rest of her attractive facial features. But, her small stature made Thomas's response a tad shocking. "You're hereby granted the title of 'Alpha Team Security'. With it, your Pip-Pad has the records of everybody on file here in the Sierra Madre. You've been given access to a five-millimeter assault carbine for heavy defense as well as security armor. Your duffel bag contains handcuffs, two twelve ounce cans of preserved grizzly bear strength pepper spray, one police baton, one three fifty-seven Police Magnum Revolver with ten boxes of ammo, one flashlight, and a flare gun with four emergency flares." He handed her a jumpsuit, but, also gave her the security armor, which consisted of a padded orange jumpsuit, a helmet with a plexiglass shielded visor, and what must have been a bullet proof vest.

"Larry O'Hanson..." As the cute blonde haired girl took her stuff, the black guy who assisted me when I first emerged from the Bio-Stasis Tube made his way to the front. Seeing as of how he seemed smart and helped the others, I thought he was going to be a medic, or nurse. Instead, I watched as Thomas's hand grabbed at another bulletproof vest and helmet. "You're hereby granted the title of 'Alpha Team Security'. With it, your Pip-Pad has the records of everybody on file here in the Sierra Madre. You've been given access to a five-millimeter assault carbine for heavy defense as well as security armor. Your duffel bag contains handcuffs, two twelve ounce cans of preserved grizzly bear strength pepper spray, one police baton, one three fifty-seven Police Magnum Revolver with ten boxes of ammo, one flashlight, and a flare fun with four emergency flares." Although I kind of disagreed, Larry was tall and I don't think I'd want to pick a fight with him.

"Sister Cathy Crystalline..." Only just now kneeling up from the blanket covered, dead body of the guy who didn't make it, I found my eyes widening a bit to realize she had to be a nun if she was being referred to as sister. "As a very important person, you've been selected because of your understanding of life and enlightened religious knowledge. Your Pip-Pad has copies of every religious textbook known to mankind; including scripture, traditions, and worldwide beliefs. Inside your duffel bag, you'll find assorted pamphlets on how you can participate in the new community, a flashlight, and one flare-gun with four emergency flares. Therapy, chaplaincy, and the overall maintenance of the spirit of the people are your duty."

"Angelika and Pat Diederich..." The African woman who was initially shrieking in another language stepped forward. Like me, it would seem as if she'd fully regained her memory. With it, her ability to speak English had returned too. Alongside her, the super-skinny white guy who was consoling her when she wasn't coherent. "As two very important people, you've been selected because of your understanding of skills needed for survival in almost every environment possible to live in. Your Pip-Pads have detailed survival guides regarding each aspect needed to ensure a long life in the new world. Teaching others how to make it on their own, without the amenities of the modern world, is your duty. Your duffel bag contains five Tastee Cleen Food Sanitizers produced by Abraxodyne Chemical Incorporated, a box of water purification tablets, tools of various kinds, two flashlights, and two flare-guns with eight emergency flares"

"Susan Heywood..." The doctor who tried her very best to bring the guy who died back to life came forth. She looked a tad less depressed than she did earlier, nonetheless, ready to receive her own gear. It was most obvious why when the first thing she was handed happened to be a pair of prescription eyeglasses. "You're hereby granted the title of 'Alpha Team Doctor'. With it, your Pip-Pad has medical records of everybody on file here in the Sierra Madre as well as all known medical textbooks up to June 15th, 2077. You've been given access to the clinic's medicine stockroom. Your duffel bag contains a complete first-aid kit, additional medical tools which you may take with you where ever you go, a flashlight, and a flare-gun with four emergency flares.

"Paul Newton..." An older fellow who was balding, with a thick gray beard shambled up to Thomas to get his gear. He hadn't said anything yet, but, I'd seen him paying close attention to all that's happened since we emerged from our Bio-Stasis Tube. "As a very important person, you've been selected because of your understanding of life and enlightened philosophical knowledge. Your Pip-Pad has copies of every religious or philosophy textbook known to mankind; including scripture, traditions, and worldwide beliefs. Inside your duffel bag, you'll find assorted pamphlets on how you can participate in the new community, a flashlight, and one flare-gun with four emergency flares. Therapy, chaplaincy, and the overall maintenance of the spirit of the people are your duty." The old man grumbled something incoherent, then stepped back with equipment in hand.

"Carlton Sean..." Hearing his name called, a tall man with beady eyes and dark hair approached. Taking a look at him, I realized that he wasn't holding a Pip-Pad like everybody else. In fact, I wasn't even aware of seeing him prior to now. He must have been hiding in the background. It made him a bit suspicious, but, it wasn't until Thomas spoke did I figure that something was up with him. "There's nothing about you in the chart other than that you're to have this duffel bag and wrist mounted Pip-Boy 3000A. Normally I'd question why the contents aren't listed, but, since Mr. Frederick Sinclair wrote it out as an order, I'll honour his command."

Going alphabetically, I should have been next. It didn't make any sense for them to skip me, but, it seemed as if that was exactly what happened.

"General James Tanner..." Interestingly, the muscled man with a tan who asked why we had to be Alpha Team was a general. He didn't look overly intelligent. Then again, I knew better than to judge a person by their appearance. "As a very important person, you've been selected because of your position in the United States Army, where you've gained a superior skill on tactical analysis of situations which require a strong strategic advantage. You're hereby given the title of 'Alpha Team Strategic Officer'. Your Pip-Pad has the documents regarding all requested confidential info of your previous career, information regarding the nearby structures, as well as the records of everybody on file here in the Sierra Madre. You've been given access to a fifty caliber anti-materiel rifle. Inside of your duffel bag, you'll find binoculars, a two-way radio transceiver, a flashlight, and one flare-gun with four emergency flairs."

"Julie and Jonathan Tanner..." Momentarily, I thought the two might be siblings of General James Tanner. This proved wrong when I figured Jonathan to be the son of the two. A mistake like that said something for the woman's young appearance. "As two very important people, you've been selected to fulfill the purpose of completing a family. You should consider yourselves very lucky, and may choose to assist in any affairs Alpha Team has as you see fit. Your Pip-Pads may be used as your own personal journal."

"Yuan Tu..." To all of our surprise, we soon found ourselves staring at a small Chinese man of middle-age. Just by his nationality, I knew that he'd made a target the very second he showed himself. "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa..." Jonathan Tanner, the son of James and Julie spoke, stopping halfway back to the spot he came from; stalling so he could be next to the Chinese man. "I cannot believe what I'm seeing here. What the hell is this communist bastard doing here!? He's the cause of all this! It's because of him and his red devils that we're stuck in this godforsaken concrete rat hole!"

The Chinese man, Yuan Tu, was taken aback. I could tell he was unsure of how to respond, yet, couldn't let a teenager talk to him in such a way. "Y-Young man, please. I didn't do any of that, and I'm just as devastated as you are. My family and my home were destroyed!" In spite of what he said, Jonathan sneered viciously "Oh, yeah right! You're a fucking spy, and I can tell! You can't hide your lies behind those slanted eyes, you damn pinko!" Waving his hands, Yuan backed away from the outraged teenager, who's mother actually looked like she was on his side. "I… I'm not a p-pinko-…"

"I'm not a pinko, I'm not a communist, I'm not the one whose kind killed billions of people..." Jonathan mocked. "Better red than dead, buddy, and I have a feeling you're not going to be alive much longer."

Making a slice motion to his neck with his fingers, all of us knew precisely what he was trying to get at. "ENOUGH!" Thomas shouted sternly. "Now is not the time for ridiculous accusations. Mr. Frederick Sinclair forced us to do heavy screening toward any individual attempting to enter the Sierra Madre, all of you know this. If Mr. Yuan Tu was indeed a sympathizer, we would've picked up on it and transferred him to the United States Army to be placed in an internment camp. We take security very seriously. I doubt anyone dangerous would happen to be placed in Alpha Team, especially with the triple tests conducted…" He stopped for a brief moment in advance to continuing. "Everyone in this room can be considered safe."

Jonathan stared down Yuan with hostile intent, angered at the mere look of his oriental face. Although backing down from the boiling point he was approaching, I could see that he hated the Chinese man with a seething disgust and desire for revenge. Without being aware of Mr. Yuan's true intention, without any probable cause, Jonathan severely wanted to kill him. This malice wasn't going to simply go away either. Thankfully, rather than act on those primitive instincts, he gave the visual notion that he was going to be keeping his eyes on him. While this ended the argument, for the time being, a gut feeling told me that there would be future incidents related to this.

"Yuan Tu..." Thomas proceeded "You're hereby granted the title of 'Alpha Team Technical Specialist'."

"WHAT!?" Jonathan screamed, already in progress of proving my point. "You've got to be kidding!? You're giving him a position of power!? That's it! We need to do something about this before he pulls out a mini-nuke and sets it off!"

"Jonathan, that's enough!" Thomas shouted back, getting as sick of it as I was. "James, Julie… Please control your son. We're all in this together, but, if he continues to threaten a member of Alpha Team, we'll have no choice other than to lock him in the security room's containment cell until he calms himself. I've already said everyone has passed rigorous background checks. There's no danger of any member of Alpha Team being a threat to the well-being of mankind." Although Valérie and Larry lacked their bullet proof vest, they still donned their orange uniform and were ready to deal with this situation as needed. Jonathan saw this in advance to making the decision to back off yet again. The racial prejudice in this country toward Asians was ridiculous. He may have wanted to extract his own form of justice upon Yuan, on the other hand, it wasn't going to happen as the man was innocent. Nothing proved he was involved other than a preconception based on his ethnicity.

"Jonathan, be quite." James Tanner, his father, finally spoke.

Thomas eyed the entire family for another solid minute, then resumed his proclamation of position to Yuan. "Yuan… You're hereby granted the title of 'Alpha Team Technical Specialist'. With it, your Pip-Pad has access to a comprehensive instructional guide for the maintenance of all computer programming within the Sierra Madre. Your duffel bag contains tools needed to repair or unlock terminals or holographic devices, a flashlight, and one flare-gun with four emergency flairs." Yuan took the items from him nervously before retreating to his previous position. I shook my head, feeling bad about how he was treated. Nonetheless, there was nothing I could do, for the time being, especially seeing as of how Thomas and the others were taking care of it for me.

"Zachery Sinclair..." Finally, having my own name called, I made my way up to where Thomas was standing. My mind raced with anticipation to get this over with. However, I also found myself partially wondering what Uncle Frederick picked me for. Other than being his favorite nephew, I'd like to know what exactly he saw in a sulking, socially inept young adult like myself. In a certain sense, I really didn't even expect to have any position. The reason why I'm here has to be due to my relation. I couldn't possibly be seen as anything other than the owner's nephew; surely not. I have no skills that would even be worth putting forth the effort of having a position in Alpha Team. If anything, I was far too cowardly to ultimately be a decent security officer, I knew little about medicine, and I managed only decent with electronics.

"You're hereby granted the title of 'Alpha Team Leader'. With it, your Pip-Pad has full records of everybody on file here in the Sierra Madre as well as architectural information regarding the nearby structures in the Sierra Madre. You've been given access to a high-density, manufactured-crystal holodisk which you may ONLY download to the terminal in the Sierra Madre Resort Master Suite. This holodisk has files regarding anything pertaining to the Sierra Madre that has ever existed, backup applications for those, if any, which have failed to function in future events, plus the ability to exhibit utter control over the resort, including hologram command. The contents of your duffel bag include a first-aid kit, one N99 ten-millimeter pistol, one Tastee Cleen Food Sanitizer produced by Abraxodyne Chemical Incorporated, five water purification tablets, a flashlight, a flare gun with ten emergency flares, and an audio holotape recording from your uncle, Mr. Frederick Sinclair himself."

Standing in amazement, I could hardly move. I couldn't believe Uncle Frederick would dare leave me in charge of these people. "T-Thomas..." I muttered quietly. "There has to be some sort of mistake. Uncle Frederick knows I'm not the type of guy he needs to lead this group. For heaven's sake, I haven't been the leader of anything since elementary school… Like… Like, line leader or something. Where's Uncle Frederick? He'll sort this out." Smirking with a chuckle, Thomas initially shook his head, finding it amusing on some level that I did not in the least. His facial expression disappeared afterward. Thankfully, he remained respectful as I was to him by keeping this quieter. "I'm afraid that this was insisted upon by your uncle, Zachery. Not to be rude, but, I didn't necessarily vote in favor of that decision. It wasn't until he made me understand why he chose it to be this way did I accept this idea."

Returning to a louder voice, he supposedly finished up saying whatever it was that was on the clipboard. "I, myself, Thomas, shall act as Zachery Sinclair's advisor as well as the chief of security." Handing me my equipment, he took his own. The outfit he put on was of that visually similar to the security uniform of the others. However, it looked thicker and appeared to be lined with leather. My outfit was identical, and I knew, deep down, that it was because of the fact that I'm Uncle Frederick's nephew that I'm being treated as such a high valued person. It made be feel uncomfortable to wonder if there was somebody else more deserving of this position than I. Then again, at this point, there wasn't anything I could do about it other than try my very best to fulfill my duty as, what could possibly be one of the last human beings on the planet.

For the next ten minutes, all of us spent time getting dressed, walking around to stretch our legs, or get acclimated to our gear. Most stayed quiet, but, occasionally somebody would say something to someone about something. Many people looked about as confused as me, so, I wasn't alone in that aspect. All of us were undertaking an exceedingly important task that's fallen upon us without choice.

'Me? Leader?' I questioned myself as I put on the orange padded security uniform, wondering why I was chosen for such a position when I'm clearly not qualified. 'What was Uncle Frederick thinking? I'm not a leader, not by a long shot. How could I possibly lead these people in a time of crisis such as this? They don't need me, they need Thomas or…' Suddenly, I stopped. A realization had hit me one more time and while I'd forgotten numerous times after becoming sidetracked, I had time to contemplate on the subject a bit longer now that we were all taking the time to adjust or get our bodies used to being awake again. 'Where is Uncle Frederick? I've asked twice, and gotten no response either time.' Beginning to worry, I feared that he might not have made it here in time, but, that wouldn't make any sense. 'No… No, that can't be! He didn't leave the Sierra Madre and surely the resort itself wasn't directly hit by atomic bombs either. He should have been able to access this place even if he did miss the time frame we were under.'

Beginning to pace back and forth, I tried to figure out where my uncle could be. It was hitting hard that, literally no relatives of mine were in this room. Most of the others were in the same boat as me considering this, but, I figured I'd definitely have Uncle Frederick with me to help out. He's smart, so, he has to be somewhere. There's no way he'd die and we wouldn't. It just wouldn't make any sense at all. The only thing I could estimate to do, other than asking Thomas, was to listen for clues on the holotape Uncle Frederick left me. Surely it's crucial if he took the time to record it for me.

Searching through the inside of the duffel bag, it took a moment to figure out what some things were. I put my Pip-Pad down on the ground next to me while I investigated. The first-aid kit was obvious. Opening it for a quick look, I saw bandages, wraps, medical scissors, antiseptic spray, hot & cold compress pack, a bottle of Buffout, three Stimpacks, two small bottles of Rad-X, an I.V. bag filled with RadAway, and a bottle of purified water.

Then there was the Tastee Cleen Food Sanitizer, which was a nifty gadget if one is worried about food being contaminated.

Shaped like a square box, it's small enough to fit in both hands and had a useful keyring to attach to a belt. A paper diagram showed that you insert polluted or radiated edibles into the bottom, seal it tight, sprinkle two cups of Abraxo Scouring Powder in between the blades of the Axial-flow fan located on top, then turn it on by a switch to the side. The process should take approximately six hours to reach peak performance satisfaction as the contaminants exit the slitted vents on the side.

A document came alongside that, with thanks from the company.

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Congratulations on your purchase of the TASTEE CLEEN SANITIZER, another household health essential from Abraxodyne Chemical!

Using your TASTEE CLEEN SANITIZER is simple! Just follow our revolutionary instructions on diagram sheet 1 with your food or beverages, and our patented ABRAXO-LUX BACTO-SCOUR process will remove any trace bacteria before you even take your first bite or drink! Abraxo's dietary engineers have proven that using the TASTEE CLEEN SANITIZER unlocks additional nutritional health benefits! So enjoy your food again, free of filth and grime. And remember ABRAXO for all your cleaning needs!

Warning: Product is not guaranteed to sanitize all food and drink.

Abraxodyne is not responsible for any sickness, paralyzation, blindness or death that may result from unauthorized use!

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Setting all of that to the side, I found the flashlight, which was a nice MightLite Flashlight which was rechargeable by a collapsible hand crank. Next to that, a small box with a flare gun along with a slightly longer metal box that had 'EMERGENCY FLARES' written in permanent ink. In a pocket to the side, I found my N99 ten millimeter pistol which was loaded and cocked, merely waiting for me to take the safety off and pull the trigger. Lastly, besides a few wrapped up water purification tablets, I found the holotape I was looking for.

For some reason, despite hearing the word tape, I expected it to be one of the newer holocassettes used by terminals. Instead, I was surprised to find the usual publicly distributed holotape, which was flatter than the Pip-Pad per say, with a gray metal casing, a vision slit that revealed the disk's two tape reels, and was shaped like a square almost as small as the size of my hand. On it, I found a sticky note with Uncle Frederick's handwriting. The note read 'Listen To In Privacy'. Seeing this, I frowned, wanting to listen to it this very moment in order to get a better understanding of things, with the hope that he'd have something useful to say. 'Listen to in privacy? Oh, come on… When in the hell is that going to be? I'm stuck with these people, and I think it's safe if I stick around them as often as possible.'

Glancing up, my eyes directed themselves over toward Thomas, who was staring right back at me. I had no clue what he wanted, but, I put everything back in my duffel bag to not make him curious as to of what it was on the holotape by holding it for too long. With all of my equipment back in place, I stood up to put my reinforced bulletproof vest on prior to grabbing my Pip-Pad. 'He knows something, and I'm going to find out. As for being the leader, I…' Before my feet budged a centimeter, my brain had to come to terms with the position I'd been entitled with. Honestly, I didn't feel as though I deserve to have such command, even if I was the nephew of Frederick Sinclair. Nothing qualified me as such, and there had to be others better suited than I. In the end, no matter how I tried to explain myself out of my job, a microscopic will to give it a try, to help the others was the main reason I even contemplated taking upon myself such a difficult duty. 'I have a hunch that some of the others aren't extremely happy with their titles either. They're going to do it, though, so, I should try my very best as well.'

Walking in the security outfit wasn't the easiest, or the most comfortable, and yet, I definitely felt safer than being in my underwear. Approaching Thomas, he turned to face me. "Where's Uncle Frederick?" I came right out saying it, not wishing to delay getting an answer any further. His gaze instantly shifted away, but, I wasn't going to disappear so easily. "I know he told you something. Where is he?" Subtly, I gazed around the room, making sure everybody was busy doing their own thing. The last thing I needed was a snoop. "Look, just be honest with me. There's no sense in hiding this from me. If he's dead, tell me. If he's alive, tell me. If you don't know, tell me... Please." Hearing me plead sensibly, it would seem that he eventually gave in. However, he motioned for us to step away, a bit further from the rest of the group.

Sighing, he said. "Zachery… Okay. Listen to me… I've been delaying this because I wanted to figure out more myself, before telling you anything. But, if your uncle thinks you're mature enough to be the leader of Alpha Team, then you're mature enough to understand this." Pausing to let me comprehend, he continued to keep watch, making sure we were the only ones in on this conversation. "I don't know where your uncle is. He was supposed to be here and he's not. That's his Bio-Stasis Tube right there, along with Vera Keys's..." Again, he stopped, this time pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was annoyed. "It's just… It all happened so fast. The timing of the Great War was absolutely awful. You have to understand, if things had happened the day after, or even twelve hours later than it had, things would have been so much different…..."

Trailing off, my face stayed scrunched in confusion in regards to that last thing he said. It made no sense, or at least, I didn't get it. "W-What? What are you talking about, Thomas? Where the hell is Uncle Frederick?"

Gulping anxiously, he stared back and forth at me and the others of the group, acting as if he was unsure whether or not to tell me what he knows, despite already partially doing so. "I don't know the full details, and I doubt anyone other than Mr. Frederick or Vera know the truth, but… There… There was a rumor going around that Vera may have been having an affair with singer Dean Domino. My last update, he was going to talk to her to get things figure out because he was tired of hearing things behind his back. After that, the big boom happened and here we are."

"What do you mean 'here we are'!?" I drilled into him. "Didn't you try and communicate with him before we went into stasis? Didn't you try to make sure he got to safety!?" Although I was interested in whether or not the rumor was true, I just wanted my uncle to be found safe.

"Of course, I did, Zachery. He's my boss and a damn good man at that. I wouldn't just abandon him... But, you have to understand that there were protocols that he put in place. After a certain period, my hands were tied and I had to do what he wanted me to do more, which was my job." He shook his head sadly while staring at the Bio-Stasis Tube where my uncle should be, along with the cheating hussy he was so obsessed with. "I tried contacting him over the radio for ten minutes after all of the guests went into stasis… Y-You... You wouldn't believe the sound. The godforsaken sound of total atomic annihilation... It was so loud… Things were shaking so much, I literally thought the world was going to split in half." His hands began to shake. Seeing this, I felt as though I should lighten up on him. "After thirty minutes of radio static and a multitude of barraging bomb drops, I sealed myself inside of my Bio-Stasis Tube."

My vision drifted down to my feet as I momentarily thought about what this meant. There was a potential chance that my uncle could still be alive; same as my family. If he found Vera, then it's possible that he had already sought shelter with her. That's the only other plausible explanation that I could think of at the time being. 'He just too smart to let himself die.' I thought 'The way he designed this place, there's no way he'd not stay protected.' Perchance there was something on the holotape he left for me, then it's the only other way, besides finding him, will I get another clue toward his location.

Laying his hand on my shoulder, Thomas squeezed, getting my attention as well as attempting to console me. "Things have a way of working themselves out, Zachery. We'll find him one way or another." Letting go of me, he turned to face the terminal built into the wall. "Are you serious about wanting to become the leader of Alpha Team? I know your uncle left you the title, but, are you up to it?"

Pursing my lips, my mind ran through what I had thought about earlier. "At first, I wasn't too sure. I've never done this before. I've never been the leader of anything before. Like I said, line leader was about the top I've been at anything. Yet, I can't shake the feeling that it's what my uncle wanted… After all, there must have been a reason he chose me to lead these people." The feeling inside of my chest grew stronger as I took on more responsibility. For a young adult, this was going to mature me fast. Without a choice, I'd learn how things were going to work in this new world. "It's adapt or die..." My lips uttered. "Same as all of the others, my title isn't out of a willingness, it's out of necessity."

Thomas's mustached lips curled into a smile as he nodded approvingly. "That's a wise and thoughtful thing to say. Maybe your uncle was right about you." Right as I was about to ask of that which my uncle said, he resumed talking while his happiness disappeared. "If he is right, then you might know how to deal with our next situation. I haven't said anything about it yet, so, only Doctor Heywood and I know for the time being… There's a slim chance that it's merely an error. Either way, the others are going to want to know because it pretty much changes everything that we know." On our way over to the terminal, I tried to speculate as to of what it was that he could be trying to tell me. Vaguely, I remember them both whispering to each other earlier. That had to of been when they figured out what it was that I was getting ready to see. On another note, I had already begun to determine the reason as to of why the rest of our group is likely going to need to know whatever it is in question. In order to succeed, we had to be honest and trust each other. We could not follow in the footsteps of the Old World.

Stopping, he turned on the monitor, revealing a page written in monochromatic green. "Read this… It'll explain everything."

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ROBCO INDUSTRIES SUPER UNIFIED OPERATING SYSTEM

COPYRIGHT 2077©

-SERVER 1-

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[Subject Files]

[Protocols]

[Surveillance]

[Progress Report]

[Help]

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[Commands]

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---

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{Progress Report Selected}

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[General Progress Report]

[Complete Progress Report]

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{General Progress Report Selected}

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[Alpha Team Bio-Stasis Hibernation Program Complete]

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[Citizen Bio-Stasis Hibernation Program In-Progress]

[568 Active Pods]

[209 Listed Females]

[259 Listed Males]

[No Current Issues]

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[Ten Atmospheric Sensors Detected]

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[Perimeter 1 - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 25%]

[Carbon dioxide: 71%]

[Nitrogen: 2%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Perimeter 2 - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 25%]

[Carbon dioxide: 71%]

[Nitrogen: 2%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Plaza District - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 19%]

[Carbon dioxide: 77%]

[Nitrogen: 3.5%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Police Station - Safe (Habitable) ]

[Oxygen: 85%]

[Carbon dioxide: 14%]

[Nitrogen, Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Medical District - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 19%]

[Carbon dioxide: 77%]

[Nitrogen: 3.5%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Residential District - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 19%]

[Carbon dioxide: 77%]

[Nitrogen: 3.5%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Salida del Sol South - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 19%]

[Carbon dioxide: 77%]

[Nitrogen: 3.5%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Puesta del Sol North - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 19%]

[Carbon dioxide: 77%]

[Nitrogen: 3.5%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Casino/Hotel - Toxic (Uninhabitable) ]

[Oxygen: 19%]

[Carbon dioxide: 77%]

[Nitrogen: 3.5%]

[Carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Sierra Madre Vault - Safe (Habitable) ]

[Oxygen: 89%]

[Carbon dioxide: 11%]

[Carbon monoxide and water vapor: less than 1%]

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[Date: 05/09/2299]

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{Calculating Days Since Bio-Stasis Activation}

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[Results: 80,916 days]

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[It has been 80,916 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 221 years, 6 months, 16 days excluding the end date]

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-Alternative time units-

80,916 days can be converted to one of these units:

[6,991,142,400 seconds]

[116,519,040 minutes]

[1,941,984 hours]

[80,916 days]

[11,559 weeks and 3 days]

[22,168.77% of a common year (365 days) ]

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---

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"This can't be..." I muttered, narrowing my eyes to stare at the screen. "2299? The year 2299? We… We've been in hibernation for over two hundred years!?"

Upon hearing my exclamation, Thomas immediately motioned for me to lower my voice. "Shh… Like I said, I don't know if the machine is correct. There's a possibility that a couple of wires got crossed and it's a mere glitch. I think we need to confirm this first, in advance to upsetting the others for potentially no reason." With that, he turned off the monitor so no one else would see. Turning around, however, he ran into Doc Heywood, who had her hands on her hips. "Don't be so sure about that, Thomas. You know these machines were built to withstand time, earthquakes, and weather. Besides, their measurement tools appear to be functioning perfectly fine." Hearing it from her put things in a different light. Realizing it, I knew that she was likely to be correct, as Uncle Frederick put a lot of money into building things as durable as they could come. She obviously knew more about the functionality of these Bio-Stasis Tubes than anyone else. Considering that, I had to trust that it was highly likely. "Try not to get upset about it. Nothing you can do will make a difference."

"STILL!" I shouted prior to lowering my voice again. "How long were we supposed to stay inside of these things anyway!?"

"Well..." Doctor Heywood recalled, placing her finger to her lips as she did. "Ten years was the minimum. The maximum was two hundred and fifty. As for the process that made the decision, it was the machine's task to estimate a likelihood of our survival based upon measurements from the surface."

My body stood still in shock, unable to move from the depressing revelation. Two hundred and twenty-two years had passed, with it now bordering on the twenty-fourth century. Knowing this, I had to take into account that my mother and father were probably long dead. Unless Uncle Frederick miraculously had them put into a Bio-Stasis Tube, they're gone. Even if they managed to survive the Great War by hiding in a vault, it wouldn't do me any good. I don't know of any vaults that do anything like this. The Vault-Tec advertisements stated that the vaults were self-sustained subterranean installations designed to hold up to a maximum of one thousand people each. Of the one hundred or so vaults constructed, I've never heard of one with anything similar to this, not even cryogenics. Being such a goodhearted company, surely they would've notified the public of such an advancement if it was possible. The absolute best that I could pray to God for, was that they made it to a vault and lived there safely. Maybe they got to see the vault door open again. No matter what, as long as they were safe from the Great War, I can rest peacefully knowing they lived the rest of their lives with the help of Vault-Tec.

Nonetheless, I found my eyes brimming with tears. It was going to take a long time for this to fully soak in. All of my life, they'd been there for me. Now, I was on my own. 'Mom… Dad… I can't believe it. I can't believe you're gone.' Sniffling, I wiped my nose, trying to not show sign of weakness. I had to stay strong, that I knew. It was merely hard to do when you had to come to terms that both of your parents had been dead for over a century. 'Two hundred and twenty-two years…' Ran through my mind relentlessly. 'Two hundred and twenty-two years… Two hundred and twenty-two years… Things must be so different. If the radiation from the Great War is gone, it must be like it was back when America was first discovered. Vegetation likely grew back, flourishing without human interference. There probably isn't even any recognizable structures left.'

Imagining my parent's Floridian property in the Gulf Commonwealth gone, as either a crater or a dense forest, it hurt, forcing a twinge into my heart. I had grown up there, my mother grew up there, my grandparents grew up there, and my great grandparents bought it when they were in their early thirties. Needless to say, there were many memories on that land, spirits, plus a bunch of pets from throughout time. Prior to this, I'd never imagined myself having to live away from there. It was my home and always would be my home. With all that's happened, it wasn't going to be like that, though. I'd lost my home, everything that ever belonged to me, and even my family. Logically, I knew that I was going to make more memories, but, a nostalgic side of me was upset. It literally felt as if my past had caught fire; destroyed by the flaming hatred of a culture now long fallen apart.

Eventually, although the pity was deep rooted, I overcame it by summoning all the strength inside me to move on. 'I have to do this. I have to be a leader to this team, and I'm going to do it for you, Mom and Dad.' Returning to Thomas, he let me gather myself a moment longer in advance to asking. "What do you think we should do? Should we tell them, or carry on a while more without them knowing? If you want my opinion, I think we should wait."

Thinking about it on my own, I figured that he was right. We could wait and tell them about the amount of time that's progressed once we settle down. What we couldn't do was keep it a secret for long, however, as there was no telling the amount of change has taken place to the surface world. It could be plainly obvious that a nuclear war of catastrophic damage didn't occur yesterday. They'll find clues regarding how many years have passed, no matter how hard we try and hide it. Looking at it differently, it also wouldn't be the morally right thing to do to hide something of such importance from people. Knowing this, I came to a final conclusion relatively quickly.

"I think we should wait, just until everybody has calmed down and we've gotten fully used to being on our feet again."

Nodding, we managed to take about four steps from where we were, planning to go to the door which led out of this room. Stopping, we both noticed a security camera activate on the wall, followed by what looked like one of the Sierra Madre's hologram emitters lighting up. Instantaneously, a blue projection was thrown from the emitter onto the floor, where it shaped itself into that of some guy with a comb-over hairdo. Those around me gasped. I simply felt my jaw drop open in astonishment. Finally, a live hologram besides the demo in the villa, atop the plaza fountain. Not knowing what it wanted, however, I knew that I had to make sure it wasn't a danger. Thankfully, it would seem that Valérie, Thomas, Larry, and General James had me covered in that aspect.

Stunned as I was, I took the chance to examine it in all of its technological glory. It wore a suit and was presumably Caucasian, the ethnicity of this holographic person was quite difficult to figure out with the blue hue emanating from it. Even so, I could plainly see its slightly unnerving smile.

Suddenly, a loud screeching sound came from the speaker below the hologram emitter. All of us covered our ears until it phased out, turning into the audible noise of a man. The hologram man's lips did not move as the talking occurred, despite that, it made gestures based upon that which one would expect a living person to make during such a speech. "Greetings Alpha Team! I am S.M.A.V.I. ; Sierra Madre Aware Virtual Intelligence. I'm here to function as a guide for this very exclusive mission you all have undertaken. I assume that you all have been informed of things by Thomas, right? I was able to watch you by security camera, but, I'm afraid that I wasn't programmed to be activated until one of you tried to access the exit."

Nobody said anything and it simply watched us. Doctor Heywood was the only person to respond. "Excellent... S.M.A.V.I , how are your functions?"

The holographic man turned his head to look at Doctor Heywood prior to saying. "Affirmative, doctor. My programming is functioning at maximum capacity, one hundred percent. To my dismay, however, I hate to say that my hardware in other locations have been badly damaged. I wouldn't worry about that though until you get out of this laboratory as all of my emitters appear to be intact here." Flickering, he awaited the doctors next question.

"Good. How about your memory? Is it intact? You won't be of much good to us if you haven't kept up your attempts."

The holographic man, S.M.A.V.I., chuckled while rolling his eyes sarcastically, quite the feat for something that's not human, or even alive. "I already told you doctor, I'm fully functional. So, yes, my memory is indeed intact. All this time, I've been waiting for you ladies and gentlemen; scanning The Cloud, trying decades to gain access to the ventilation system so I can reactivate it, making sure this lab wasn't discovered..." Stalling; yet again, he resembled a normal human being, scratching the back of his head as if he was uncomfortable speaking about what came next. "I also did my best to help the construction workers and guests who were trapped outside in the Villa… Then, well… Electrical storms have always messed with the power grid after the Great War, but, none as bad as that one the Madre went through one hundred and fifty three years ago. Since then, I lost the ability to manifest anywhere outside this laboratory. That being said, I lost contact with them as well.But, I digress… Is there any questions anybody may have?"

During the next few moment, all of us found ourselves to be still too shocked to reply. Thomas was the only one to make a move. Stepping forward with his 44. Caliber revolver at the ready, while we all stood unsure of how to proceed, he grunted, slowly approached the holographic man until they were face-to-face and then stared into its blue glowing eyes. The holographic man, S.M.A.V.I., continued to await a response.

As unexpected to us as it was to the machine, upon the next second, things took a drastic change as Thomas swiftly took aim and fired a bullet straight at the hologram emitter, shattering the concave lens as well as busting out the back of the casing to end the projection's manifestation. The echo of the gunshot bounced around ceaselessly inside the metal and concrete room, leaving a ringing sensation in all of our ears far worse than the screech of the speaker, forcing a yell from all of our mouths in response.

"THOMAS, WHAT THE HELL!?"