Vault 180

The large vault door opened for Vault 180 and for the first time in his life Max had felt the cold nights air on his face. The two vault-tec security officers escorting him with full riot gear on then positioned their 10MM pistols at him and said "This is where we leave you Max." One of the officers then said with some remorse "I'm sorry it had to be this way Max but you know we cannot just let this one slide. You have some clothes, food for one day and this knife. It should be more than enough for someone with your level of training." Max stared at the officer who just spoke and looked down at the items being handed to him. Max nodded and started walking out the vault. As he got closer to the wasteland he felt the cold. He was the very first person from Vault 180 to ever leave it in all it's history. He was stripped and banished to the wasteland. The moment he walked out the large vault doors he proceeded to put the clothes he was given on. They were not Vault-tec jumpsuits but some most likely pre-war clothing, Max assumed it was so he would blend in better. Before he even finished getting dressed the vault door had closed with a big thud. For the first time in Max's entire 30 years of existence he felt free. The only problem is Max didn't know anything about the wasteland or even what he should do with his new life in the wasteland.

For the first few hours Max just walked aimlessly into the darkness and came across an old building. Not an overly large building it must have been a book store before the war as when he walked inside it was covered in old burnt books. Max knew he needed to sleep as it would be morning soon and this was the first bit of shelter he had found. He had no plan and no idea who or what else was out her in the wasteland. In the vault there is no preparation or knowledge of what is out beyond the vaults walls. However Max knew he could handle almost anything that was thrown at him. He may not know what would be thrown his way but he knew he had the skills to survive anything. Max found a guarded area of the book store where he could move some book shelves around and secure himself even further. Max fell asleep instantly but was still somehow alert of all the noises and movement around him. In the morning his adventure would begin.

Chapter One: Not A Bad First Day.

The morning came and Max heard some movement outside the front of the bookstore. Max slowly and silently moved to the window and looked through the broken glass to see two men walking down the street. They were dressed oddly in leather and had spiked up hair. Max watched them as they raided the nearby buildings. Max observed as he was not sure what he should do, whether he should sneak away and avoid them entirely or attack them for the weapons they have. Max decided to observe for a bit longer before making a decision. Then Max heard a horrible scream. The raiders had found a young woman in one of the buildings a bit beyond the book store. Max moved to the other window to see what was happening. The bigger raider was pulling the young woman by the hair and onto the street whilst the scrawny one cheered on. The bigger raider had thrown the young woman to the ground and started to undo his pants. Max had made his decision. Max quickly moved down the street and took cover behind a rundown car. Max grabbed the knife he was given as he was leaving the vault and squeezed it tightly. He was familiar with the type of blade in his hand. It was a combat knife with a sharp blade and serrated back. Max crept up to the raider who was cheering the bigger one on and covered his mouth and inserted the blade quickly and with precision into the side of his neck behind the wind pipe and the proceeded to push the blade out of the front of his neck causing the raider to die

Semi quickly, silently and most importantly painfully. Then Max grabbed the bigger raider who was about the penetrate the young woman by his hair lifting him to his knees and stabbed him in the stomach. Then Max proceeded to pull the raider by his hair to the nearest house and stuck the blade through the raiders wrist against the wall pinning him there. Max then barked at the raider "Stay there for a second won't you." The raider nodded but couldn't help but wince in pain. Max then walked to the woman and helped her up and once she was on her feet he walked towards the old gun the scrawny raider had and checked it for bullets. Max released the magazine to find a full magazine and placed the magazine back into the gun in a quick motion. Max then put the gun inside the back of his pants and picked up the bigger raiders gun and did the same thing again. Max then walked back to the big raider who was still stuck to the wall and looked at his leg which had the a knife strapped to it. Max then pulled the raiders knife out of its holster and looked at it for a while. The big raider just started at Max in confusion and asked "Why man. Why? You are so fucked man. You don't even know what you have done." Max then looked back at the big raider and said "I prefer my knife. Do you mind if we trade?" Max then pulled his combat knife out of the raiders wrist and the wall and almost in the same motion put the raiders blade into the same wound and in the same spot in the wall pinning him against the wall again. Max then put his combat knife back into his holster and then looked at the raider and said "Okay you have a stab wound in your stomach and in your wrist. You have about a 45 minute window to get medical attention before you bleed out and die. However even if you manage to find someone with the necessary skills to help you there is about a 35 percent chance you will actually survive anyway. Or I can kill you now. Its your decision." The raider looked into Max's stone cold serious blue eyes and then started to cry. The raider in between sobs cried out "Let me go. I will take my chances." Max nodded, stood up and started to walk off. The raider screamed out "Hey what about the knife. Come on man. I can't take it out myself." Max stood still and shouted back "40 minutes."

Max saw the lady leaning up against a wall as he was walking past. She had a look of gratitude and fear on her face. Max looked at her and said "Are you going to be okay?" The woman quickly nodded. Max then asked her "Do you know where I am right now? Is there any settlements or cities nearby?"

The woman wiped away a tear and then replied "If you continue down this road you will start to see large buildings. Just keep following that and you will find a few different settlements. Oh and thank you for helping me. Nobody really helps anyone anymore." Max smiled and walked over to her and grabbed one of the raider's guns and gave it to her and said "Next time use this. Aim for the center of mass. Don't try and be all flashy and aim for a head shot. Chances are you will miss and they will kill you. Good luck." The young woman smiled back and accepted the gun and then watched Max walk down the road towards the only city really left standing in the commonwealth.

Max followed the young lady's instructions and walked down the long and winding road. His clothes were already starting to irritate him. Max realized he had not consumed anything in a while however he knew his body and knew that he could go a few more days without any food or water before feeling fatigued however in this heat he felt like a drink wouldn't hurt. Max had then started to see a few large buildings and believed he had reached the city. Max however didn't feel as if it was safe to just wander down the main road. Max could feel something was nearby. Max then saw a lady who was just standing in the middle of the road. Max stared for a while as he couldn't explain why she was standing there motionless. He could not quite make out what was wrong with this woman but he knew something was suspicious. Max proceeded with caution and approached with his body tilted to one side as he had one hand on his deliverer pistol just in case. He got within a few feet from the woman and saw her torn dress and weird skin. Max then silently called out to her "Excuse me madam. Are you okay?" The woman then turned around and faced Max and instantly he realized he had made a mistake. He had no idea what she was but he knew she was not human or at least anymore. As she began to charge towards him she opened her mouth and jumped towards Max. Max moved back and quickly pulled the pistol out and shot he in the head and the ghoul dropped to the ground instantly.

The gun shot echoed loudly throughout the surrounding streets. Max was dead silent and began to hear a faint collective groan or a growl. Max was not sure what these things were but he knew he had a small window to get the hell off the street and into a building to hide. Just as Max was going to get off the street he saw about twenty others just like the deformed woman approaching him quickly. Max then started to run and found a small and unassuming building in between what would have been large sky scrappers back before the war. Max ran into the door and quickly slammed the door shut. Max was holding the door shut with his shoulder and could feel these creatures clawing at the door. Max scanned the room for anything that could help and an exit. Max could see a window and a gas tank near the door. Max had an idea but knew it did not have a high chance of success. "Fuck it." Max said as he let go of the door and picked up the gas tank and dropped it in the middle of the room. Max then ran towards the window and turned around to see the ghouls come through the door. Max then stood right in front of the window and waited till the room filled a bit more and quickly aimed his gun at the gas tank and fired at it. For a brief second nothing happened then it exploded killing most of the ghouls in the room and the force of the explosion pushed Max off his feet, through the window and onto the ground outside the window. Max had landed on something sharp and it pierced through his shoulder. From what Max could see he saw it was some kind of railroad spike. Max then sat up. Reached over his shoulder and pulled it out letting out a quiet grunt as he did not want to alert any more of those creatures. Max then remembered what the young woman he helped earlier said "Nobody really helps anyone anymore." Max now understood why. Max then carefully stood up and held his shoulder. As he looked at his surroundings he saw a sign that said 'This way to Diamond City'. Max followed the signs towards Diamond City reaching it just before sunset. It had been an eventful first day in the Wasteland.

Chapter Two: Who Are You?

Max stared at the large baseball stadium that was Diamond City. He had never seen something quite like this before and wasn't sure exactly how to get in. Max saw some large metal roller doors. Max felt the worn out metal and proceeded to knock on it and yelled "Hello? Anyone there?" Max was almost convinced no one was there and was going to be on his way when he heard the roller door motor kick in and the doors opening. He wasn't sure what to expect. Then three Diamond City security officers stood waiting to greet Max. Two of the Diamond City officers had pipe pistols and the other a baseball bat in hand. Max stood there confused and just raised his hands. "I'm armed but I mean you no harm. I am just here to get supplies and find a place to sleep." Max quickly stated to avoid any messy situations. The Diamond City security officers seemed satisfied with that answer and lowered their weapons. The officer with the baseball bat said "Welcome to Diamond City. If this is your first time here please keep out of trouble or we will either detain you or kill you. Enjoy your time here." Max was kind of taken by surprise by the officers honesty. Max nodded and walked past the three officers as slowly and calmly as humanly possible. Max then heard the officers close the doors behind him and continue on with their normal duties. Diamond City was an odd kind of settlement. It was far better than the other buildings he had seen so far, seemed secure and filled with more people than he had seen since he left the vault. However Max had to try and blend in and not draw attention to himself. Max heard a lot of hustle and bustle, more so than he has probably ever heard in his life. Max walked passed some news outlet and what seemed to be a chapel of some kind. Then Max found himself in the cities center and was asked if he would like to buy some food or a Nuka Cola. Max loved Nuka Cola and was quite fond of it in the vault as well. Yes please but I don't have any money or anything to give you. The man behind the counter then shouted "No Caps, No Food." Max was about to walk away when he heard a young ladies voice it sounded brash and direct but in someway sweet at the same time. "Hold on there Todd. Give my friend here some food and a Nuka Cola." The young woman with black hair and a ragged red trench coat said whilst handing the man over the counter some bottle caps. Max was quite taken by her beauty. She was probably the sweetest thing he had seen in his entire life. "Thank you so much. That is extremely kind of you. What can I do to repay you?" Max said in a soft voice. "You can start by telling me your name?" The young woman replied. "Max is my name. What is yours?" Max asked not knowing if she would tell him her name. "Piper. So how about you repay me by giving me an exclusive interview for my paper?" Piper asked with a cheeky grin. Max was taken in by her and at this point would have agreed to anything she asked. Max quickly scoffed the food that the man from over the counter had given him and max sculled the Nuka Cola as if it was the last drink he was ever going to have. Piper then touched Max on shoulder and said "Now that you are done lets head over to my office." As Piper had finished speaking she noticed that the shoulder she was touching was soaked in fresh blood. "Woah Max your shoulder. That blood is fresh. Let me take a look at that. Please come to my office. We will have the interview after I stitch you up." Piper suggested. Max quickly shrugged it off and said "Honestly it's fine lets just do the interview. Thank you Piper for the food. Should we go now?" Piper acknowledge what Max said with a suspicious look and lead Max to her office.

Once they entered the office Max was impressed by the little printing press Piper had in her office. "Please take a seat." Piper said whilst pointing to the couch. Max obliged and sat down. Piper then walked over with a first aid kit. "Please take off your jacket and shirt Max. Let me take a look at that wound." Max agreed and followed the instructions. He took off his jacket and shirt. Piper made an involuntary noise when Max revealed his chest. "Umm. Okay. Lets take a look at that wound." Piper said sitting next to Max on the couch. Piper started wiping away the blood. "Max. There is no wound here. That's rather odd. With that much fresh blood I expected a cut or something." Piper said starting to get even more suspicious. "Excuse me a moment." Piper said whilst standing up and walking towards her desk. Piper then opened up the first draw and pulled out a gun and pointed it at Max. "Okay. Who are you? Explain to me how there is that much blood on your clothes and no wound." Piper said in an angry tone. Max then stood up slowly and replied "I can explain. I will not hurt you. You have my word. Just put down the gun." Max could see the look on Piper's face and he could see her considering it however instead Piper raised the gun closer to her eye line to aim for a better shot. Max then quickly threw his combat knife up at the only light providing any source of visibility in the room and when the bulb shattered Piper then fired off a single shot. Max moved out of the way faster than anything Piper had ever seen and then the room was completely pitch black. Piper couldn't see anything. Max however could see perfectly fine. Max then silently crept up to Piper and disarmed her and held her in a way that rendered her unable to attack. "Please Piper relax. I mean it when I say I don't mean to harm you. I will explain everything just take it easy." Max said whilst holding Piper. Piper then barked back "Fine. Just let me go." Max obliged and removed the magazine from Piper's 10mm Pistol and then placed the gun minus the magazine back into her hand. The room was still completely dark and Piper then said "There is a lamp on my desk please turn it on." Before Piper could finish Max had already turned it on and was sitting at her desk with the Piper's gun magazine on the table. "So are we all calm again?" Max asked in a self assured way. "Well you can never be too careful." Piper replied as she bent over to pick up the combat knife off the ground and give it back to Max. "Oh and you owe me a new light bulb." Piper said almost slamming the combat knife onto the desk. "Agreed." Max said smiling. Piper then sat on the couch staring at Max and said "So you should probably start explaining how you can do all that." Max ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and said "I don't really know where to begin. I am from Vault 180. I was recently banished for killing the overseer." Piper interrupted to say "You killed the overseer? I thought there would have been a worse punishment for that then banishment. Maybe like death?" Max agreed but continued to say "Well normally in other vaults I assume that would be the case however it would have been a waste of time on me. The reason being is because I can't die. Most of the residents of vault 180 can't die." Piper laughed and said "Can't die? Are you serious?" Max replied "Yes. I can't die. I can demonstrate by blowing my brains out in your office but would rather not. I am sure you would agree. So to explain it vault 180 is a secret and the largest vault in the world. It was commissioned by the US government to continue out the super soldier program. However all their attempts had failed and just created super mutants. It was only when the bombs fell and the scientists associated with the program took refuge in the largest vault with over 300 residents or test subjects. It was pretty early on that scientists learned that the super soldier serum cannot be given to someone who is already born. That is why each time the serum was given to adults it resulted in them turning into a super mutant. They then started applying it babies before they were born. This resulted in genetically modified humans. We were made stronger, faster, more intelligent, improved senses with excessive regenerative abilities. Hence why my shoulder healed instantly. We also undergo advanced weapons, survival and combat training. We were created for the sole purpose to be a weapon. We don't even fully age. We reach a maximum age of thirty five and then we just stop aging. This however is not told to us at vault 180. We were told that after the nuclear fallout that we just naturally evolved into this. I started to get suspicious and decided to break into the overseer's office and hack his terminal. That is when I discovered the real truth behind vault 180. I flew into a rage and killed the overseer. That is why I was banished and now I am here." Piper just sat there stunned. "Wow. I don't know what to say. I used to date a vault dweller from 111 even his story wasn't this interesting. So what is your plan Max? What are you going to do now?" Max sat there for a long while, motionless and silent. "I don't know yet." Max said whilst smiling at Piper.

To Be Continued.