Had this idea for a while playing through Fallout New Vegas. Game's awesome, aged well over the years, but I gotta admit it was released before its time. Not saying Fallout 4 was bad, it just sorta felt lacking even with all the DLC's and mods. There's so many possibilities I cannot make up my mind. So, thinking on that, I decided to put this particular idea into writing to satisfy my need to actually make a difference in the Wasteland.
And that all starts with a certain Vault in the middle of nowhere, of course. Gonna follow a bit of the canon timeline, then it's off to AU from there.
As always, Rated M for Mature Themes. Disclaimer: Don't own Bethesda's Fallout except for my OC's.
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October 1, 2077 | 22 days before the Great War and subsequent Bombing of the Commonwealth
"It's done."
Erik wiped the heavy beads of sweat running down his brow with the back of his sleeve and sat back to let the burning ache of his shoulders fade. With a deep exhalation, the young engineer picked up the sleek silver gauntlet and donned it over his left arm. "Bramstokes, say hello to the Pipboy-3000 2.0."
"Made in the USA!" A gruff artificial voice barked, vaguely resembling a drilling instructor's grating voice.
The Pipboy was a portable computer capable of keeping track of one's inventory, the overall physical state of the person carrying it, and was all the rage for city folk and military officials alike. The 2.0 model was a variant Erik had constructed out of a whim, and turned out to be quite the venture. After speaking with his superiors in the Bramstoke's Mountainview University, the grant was given and his project was provided with the funds. To top it all off, Vault-Tec took notice of his activities and offered to cover the cost of the resources in exchange for an exclusive claim on the prototype before it would be mass-produced. Being the University's biggest sponsors, Erik had little choice but to obey.
Nevertheless, he felt proud about his work.
A whole 24 hours dedicated to one of his greatest creations had not gone to waste, and now he had something to contribute to the University's growing stockpile of various inventions. He knew what these contributions would be used for, but unlike most civilians of his time he saw the bigger picture. It did no good keeping to the American dream, an idealistic thinking that blinded so many to the true state of things. America was going to war, and ignorance to the obvious is a fast route to the grave.
The Commonwealth must be strengthened, and through the contributions of Bramstokes and other research facilities could America remain as the greatest nation on Earth- if all else turns to dust and radiation clouds.
"Let's see here..." Erik muttered, standing upright to give his tool a test-run. The camera was on, and he situated himself where the lens could take in every detail. "This is Dr. Erik Weiss presiding. Pipboy-3000 2.0 Auto-inject Stimpak response to physical trauma, Test 01." The engineer braced himself as he held the scalpel over his open palm and after a two quick breaths, he stabbed the meaty prominence below his thumb.
"Agh!" Erik stifled a curse, knowing he was on camera. He had no desire to repeat the test due to a messed up performance, he only hoped inwardly that his creation would follow through.
"Pansy!" The AI snarled, "Some battle-juice will do you good! Now suck it up, soldier!"
The stinging pain evaporated as soon as the Stimpak was injected into his system, and Erik let out a sigh as the wound sealed shut. "Test results: Adequate. Note to self, might need to adjust AI vocal responses to a more favorable version- for user convenience of course."
"Make it Vera Keyes' voice, that should bolster morale." A voice at the door remarked.
"Do you mind?" Erik replied disapprovingly as he shut the camera off, "I'm running some tests over here. No unnecessary interruptions."
Wilhelm Weiss smirked mischievously at his cousin, "Relax, it's not like they're gonna watch the holotape when the prototype's in their hands. Vault-Tec wants the hardware and only needs the paperwork stating it works." The older man walked into the lab and set the tray of cookies and milk on the table beside Erik, "Here, I brought you something to snack on. You look like you need it after what you've just been through."
The migraines came back, and Erik pinched the bridge of his nose as his labors took their toll on him. "I gotta ration the Mentats, always giving me a damn headache."
"A headache? That just won't do! Give it a dose of Vitamin-M and keep fighting!" The rush of Med-X into his system drove the ache out of his temples, and Erik smiled at the efficiency of his invention.
"Crap, what time is it?" The engineer asked, fumbling around his pockets for his watch.
"0600 sharp! Get in gear and get out there, you lazy sack of shit!"
"Okay, that's enough out of you." Erik said with a frown, turning the Pipboy off as he removed the prototype so he could box it up for the boys in Vault-Tec.
"That thing's gonna be very useful. You're gonna make the useless pricks in Big Mountain blush." Wilhelm complimented.
"Not if Vault-Tec's gonna hog it all to itself, which is most likely what's gonna happen." Erik replied, popping a few cookies in his mouth before resuming his conversation. "How about you, how's your project going?"
"It's not my project, per se." Wilhelm explained, "At least, that's what they'd like to tell you. I'm more of a consultant on the matters of cryogenics, not one of my best fields but it I am the senior researcher available at the moment. Vault-Tec's having thoughts on making stasis chambers a reality, probably to save the hide of the country's top dogs in the event of a national crisis. We're close, as far as I can tell, but I've no idea when it's going to be considered a success. You're getting off easy, they give you all the time you need. Got them all breathing down my neck in anticipation."
"The threat of nuclear war sets the bar pretty high, speeds things up a lot more than usual." Erik agreed, "Let's just hope it doesn't happen till another decade or so."
"What, you planning on starting a family or something?"
Erik shook his head, "In my line of work, romantic involvement ends up just the same as your regular army joe- badly. Besides, the broads they have around here are too absorbed in their duties as much as I am. I'm content where I am, and I've got my VR gals to keep me company at night."
"Those holograms creep the fuck out of me, they still do." Wilhelm commented, "How you manage to stay sane around them, I'll never know. It's not the same as flesh and blood."
"In the future, we might not even need to be flesh and blood." Erik declared, "If that AI project upstate goes online, everybody's practically immortal. Think of these holograms of mine as a precursor to the things to come."
"May those things be good things."
Erik nodded, then took the boxed prototype with him as he headed for the door. "Gotta run, cuz. Thanks for the cookies."
The engineer took the long way down the stairs, opting to get his blood running with the brief exercise so his mind could function better. The compound he worked in was carved into the mountain face, sixteen stories up. The route taken did not bother him all that much, just the change of scenery he had noticed on his way down. The construction drones had been assembled at the University square and were digging up the statue of Rommel Bramstoke, founder of the University, seemingly setting down the foundation of a new building.
"The hell's all that about?" Erik muttered as he neared his destination. His hand brought up his ID card and he swiped it across the scanner, giving him instant access to Professor Stern's office. "Hey doc, I've got something for you!"
Professor Isaac Stern had always been a bit of a father-figure to the two Weiss lads, a man in his late fifties who had taken them under his wing after promise had been shown in their early years at the University. That was a happier time, when the future looked so bright. Now, the Weiss boys were being used by Vault-Tec and indirectly the government to further their plans for mass mobilization and production of their weapons of mass destruction. He hated the fact that their gifts were being used in this way, but he answered to the Commonwealth as much as anyone.
Stern had his back turned to the lad, his eyes were fixated on the machines working outside the compound. When he didn't answer, Erik took one look at the shot glass and bottle of scotch on the desk, then knew in an instant that something was wrong.
"Doc?"
Stern's lips twisted into a grimace, "Good morning, my boy. I'm glad to hear it's a success."
"It's a prototype that needs a few more kinks in order to be called a success." Erik replied as he set the box down, "What are you talking about?"
"Lad, I've known you for 10 years. Not a single project was wasted or ended in failure, this one is no different." Stern swiveled about and cast his tired gaze upon the young man. "But I won't keep you in suspense any longer. You want to know what's going on, I assume?"
"For starters, why're you drinking?"
"It's happening, Erik." Stern sighed, collapsing onto his chair.
"What's happening?" The engineer asked in concern as he drew closer.
"The reports have been confirmed, the peace-talks are useless, China and Russia are mobilizing." Stern's face fell upon his wrinkled and scarred hand, "War is coming to the United States. The threat of nuclear aggression, it's all true! Those robots out there are building a Vault, just for us- courtesy of Vault-Tec for our extensive support to the cause."
"And why do you sound so worried if that's good news?"
Stern's eyes shot up, "It's not what you think it is, Erik. The Vault isn't a bunker or a shelter, it's a testing site! Vault-Tec commissioned the cryostasis tubes from your cousin's unfinished project just last night. They're going to build the Vault in the next 4-5 days, they're going to set up the chambers and they're going to use us as the guinea pigs!" The professor sighed wearily, "I wasn't even supposed to tell you that. They had me swear to secrecy, and in turn I will be put in charge of the Vault itself."
Erik took a minute to digest this information, then shrugged- much to the surprise of the professor. "Ah, then we're in good hands."
"How can you take all of this in stride? This is serious! We're talking about putting you to sleep, perhaps for good if the worst should occur!"
"I don't think that's going to be an issue." Erik reassured the worried old man, "Think about it, has my cousin failed in any event?"
"Not to my knowledge, no." Stern replied.
"And this isn't the first time Vault-Tec's been messing around, but it'll be on your watch and that's what counts."
"I know, and that's what worries me." Stern insisted, "I've always hated letting those bastards take away your gifts and use it for their nefarious schemes. This wasn't what I brought you through Bramstokes for! You boys were the future, you were going to change the world!"
"World changes itself without our help, doc." Erik shook his head, "What I'm worried about is America. If we get this done right, we can save a helluva lot of lives. Even if Vault-Tec's gonna use it only on those they deem worthy, people find a way to use it where it's needed. Now, enough of this. If war's coming to the States, our day's are numbered. Whatever we gotta do in the next month is crucial to the preservation of our people, and I aim to contribute."
"Fine." The professor relented, "What do you need?"
"Just access to the Requisitions Dock, I need a few parts to improve upon the 2.0. Also, got some colleagues of mine to help on their Tiger Tank Project."
"Give me a minute." Stern flipped up his monitor, typed in a few commands into the computer and relayed the codes to Erik's card. "There you go. Watch yourself on the way down."
War. War never changes.
"A little higher!" Someone yelled for the crane operator to move the arm over the turret. "That's it! Hold it there!"
While many would call it strange for a University to encourage the production of military vehicles, Bramstokes Mountainview University was never one for the ordinary institution. Rather, the enigmatic founder was quite fond of history, particularly one involving the mechanical marvels of German engineering during the Second World War. Aside from the small museum erected at the foot of the mountain, housing Bramstoke's extensive collection of WWII trinkets and baubles, the man kept a large motorpool filled with pre-21st Century war machines that would make the average enthusiast drool with desire.
The threat of a nuclear apocalypse served to fuel the Commonwealth's desire for more efficient models of tanks, weapons and other war machinery, Bramstokes just provided a means by looking to the past.
"It's looking good!" Erik shouted above the loud screams of the soldering rod, "Makes you really feel like one of those scientists watching their tanks come together for the first time!"
"These bad boys got Hitler to conquer half of Europe!" Dalton Brookes shouted back, "In the right hands, namely the Commonwealth, we'd be put back on top. Get this out on the front, powered by fusion cores, the Reds'll regret ever launching those nukes upon US soil!"
"I'm glad I'm not the only one enthusiastic about it."
"So does this make us Nazis now?" A more ignorant student blurted out of the blue.
Having to go through all the trouble explaining it to the lad was unappealing, and Erik didn't even try. "How you've gotten into this place with that kind of thinking blows my mind." The Third Reich did an awfully lot of bad, when one thinks about it too much, but there was also an awful lot of good stuff there too. German scientists, the most brilliant minds of the 20th Century, catapulted the industrial and technological age on a scale hitherto undreamed of. Had they stuck to strengthening their country instead of focusing on genocide and propelling the fascist doctrine, Germanywould've made one hell of a superpower in the modern era.
Too bad, their leader was crazy.
"Hey you, shut up." Brookes shot at the kid, "You know better than that."
"Got a load of saturnite alloys coming in for you." Erik announced, "Put it to good use, Vault-Tec's paying for it all. We don't all get that much freebies around here."
"Aye, gonna get this armor buffed up, yet still leave it light as a feather." Brookes tapped at the engine compartment he was working on, "Weighs a quarter of a ton, yet punches like a beast." He was proud of his work, that much was obvious. The Tiger Tank model was not mass produced via factories back in the day, which was probably why it took so long to make. Engineers had to hand-weld the whole thing together piece by piece, and in Brooke's case it was no exception.
"Have fun, then."
It's been roughly 22 days since Erik and Professor Stern had that talk in the office about the state of things between the US and the world, but the sense of urgency never waned in spite of the long wait. The construction of the Vault beneath the University square had been completed on Oct. 7, and all the supplies necessary for the long years to be spent in its confines had been locked up tighter than a miser's purse within the facility. Also, a great number of operational cryogenics chambers had been set up after Vault-Tec gave its approval for Wilhelm Weiss' project to be commissioned.
The workhouse was situated close to the mountain's outer edge, and it had a great view of the Three Mari's- a local nickname to the three cities at Mountainview's foot.
Maritowne to the West, Mariford to the East, and Mariposa to the South.
That view saved many lives on Bramstokes Mountainview University, or at least those who were quick enough to react.
Several black dots appeared in the wide blue sky, and even smaller dots appeared beneath them. Erik squinted in curiosity and waved at Brookes to stop soldering, "Hey, quiet down!"
His friend turned the flame down, "What?"
As the noise died, the shrill sound of air-raid sirens reached Erik's ears. Then, a blinding flash assaulted everyone's eyes, prompting all who looked upon the explosions to shrink back instinctively! A minute later, the awful sound of thunder could be heard above the clouds. Dalton Brookes looked on through spotted, teary eyes as his hometown Mariford was destroyed in a second.
"No!" His parents, his whole family, gone in an instant.
"To the Vault! Go! Go! Go!" Erik screamed.
When Dalton didn't move, Erik leaped up the tank and slapped the hell out of him. "Brookes! Snap out of it! Move!"
He grabbed his friend by the arm and raced across the University grounds, bumping against other students who were scrambling for the shelter. Along the way, he encountered both Professor Stern and his cousin Wilhelm. They awaited the others at the door, beckoning all to come. The representatives of Vault-Tec were there as well, ready to begin the tests on the large number of guinea pigs at their disposal.
It was then that Erik started to regret ever letting himself into Vault-Tec's clutches, but then again he really had no choice to begin with. None of them did.
With a loud groan, the door behind them was shut, sealing everyone within Vault 42.
There were about 104 people in that Vault; including students, staff and security.
Here, in this prison of their own making, the Vault-Tec officials revealed their intentions for the lads and ladies of Bramstoke's University. Since they were valued assets to the continued survival of the Commonwealth, they were deemed worthy of the knowledge of Vault-Tec's plans for the future. The whole Vault shelter was an experiment, to push mankind to its limits to see how it would survive in the worst conditions. Vault 42 differed only in the slightest, because Vault-Tec chose to focus its resources to preserve the brilliant minds of the young men and women present so that the cycle of technological evolution would continue.
The cryogenics chambers were to be used for the best of them, and those left behind would continue in their work to win the war.
The dropping of the bombs was not the end, they said. There was still the aftermath, and they were driven to have America win it. Dazed and reeling from the reality of their situation, most of the lads could not handle it all and simply snapped. When they refused to cooperate, they were separated from the others and were never seen from again.
With little else left to do, cooperation was begrudgingly shown, and soon the Vault turned into a sprawling base of operations dedicated to the same goal that had always pushed mankind to evolve- survival.
"Is our number up yet?" Erik asked the professor after a month had passed. There were all in all 25 stasis pods in the Vault, and only 3 remained empty. None of those would be opened until at least a quarter of a century had passed, and by then the resulting fallout wouldn't have gone out yet. The Vault would flourish, as far as assurances would go.
There was a Hydroponics Bay the size of a football field, capable of sustaining a viable population of roughly what they have just now. They'd grow, all those students and teachers, forced to breed like cattle. Preservation of the human race was critical, and so all forms of reproduction was encouraged. There were also plenty of experimental drugs that would enhance longevity being boiled up in the laboratories, and then there was the brain-scanners like the one Robert House was parading around back in the day.
"It's time." Isaac Stern answered his former students. He saved the 3 pods for himself and the best of the lot. Giving the Vault over to his command was like adding insult to injury, for Vault-Tec was forcing him to choose who to save and not to save. Here too, they were forcing him to place his protege's in harm's way in an experiment.
But in the end, he saw the bigger picture. While Vault-Tec was not all that benevolent, the future of the human race rested on these hard decisions. There will be more to come, and he had no idea how it will work itself out.
One can only hope, and hope is a dangerous thing.
Erik and Wilhelm stood at the foot of the machines they had created and took a moment to consider all they had done. The War changed everything, even them. They felt hollow, like puppets whose strings were being pulled by a sadistic master. Fully digesting the reality of their decisions had placed a gnawing uncertainty at the back of their heads, but they inevitably complied.
Nestling deep into the soft leather beds of the iron cocoons, the Weiss lads closed their eyes as the lids were shut over them, almost signifying as their final entombment.
"I wanted to be buried in Paris." Erik joked his last.
His cousin heard him, "Not much left of that place, last I heard."
"Shame." Erik sighed, feeling very drowsy. "See you when I see you, cuz."
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