Chapter 8- Past, Present, and Hoping for a Future

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment


"We will stop here for the night." Constantine turned to face the group. They had been traveling along the river just like Three Dog had said. The wanderers had then come upon a metro station. According to Constantine, the underground route would lead them safely to Rivet City.

"Rivet City isn't much farther according to my Pip-boy; why not just get this little adventure over with?" Gary inquired.

"Well ya see Rivet City has a giant movin' bridge in front of the city. At night they tend not to move the bridge for new visitors on account for the safety of the entire boat." Billy Creel answered the Lone Wanderer's question. He smiled and raised his hands. "Look on the bright side; we have a camp already made for us by these nice raiders!"

The group had just killed a squad of raiders inside the metro tunnel they were in. A small camp was set up, several mattresses were scattered around a lit fire.

"Well I guess there's no sense in camping outside when we have this kind of luxury." Gary replied.

"We will have to have a constant watch set up; I will take the first position." Constantine offered.

"Oh no," Carlos, the caravan guard, raised a hand in protest, "I'm not going to have you watching over us while we're asleep; waiting to slit our throats or somethin."

"For the love of everything holy in this world, Carlos just take it easy." Gary said. "I'll be up anyway; I haven't been sleeping well lately so you don't have to worry your pretty little head about Constantine being the only one awake."

Gary turned to the ex-mercenary. "Constantine, thank you for offering to take the first position."

"Of course, Mr. North." Constantine walked away from the others as they got comfortable at the camp. On their way to the metro station, the group was attacked by what appeared to be some kind of mutated bear that was apparently dubbed a 'Yao Guai." Each of the men had removed a large chunk of meat from the animal after it was killed. Gary removed the meat from his backpack along with a bottle of water. He withdrew his combat knife and stuck it into the meat. Dogmeat laid down next to him, resting his head on his master's leg.

As Gary was holding the Yao Guai meat over the fire, Billy sat down next to him. "You haven't been sleepin' well, kid?"

"Nah, I'm a light sleeper, not an insomniac. I just said that hoping Carlos would drop the topic." Gary rotated the knife and kept his gaze on the fire.

"Ah I see." Billy took out a Nuka Cola and opened it up, pocketing the cap in the process.

After Billy took a deep chug, Gary asked him a question. "Do you know what's up with Carlos and the whole, Talon Company thing?"

"Well in case you didn't already know, Talon Company isn't exactly seen in a positive manner. The mercs in Talon Company are practically raiders with better weapons and training."

"Like raiders...?" Gary looked up from the fire and towards Constantine. The merc was gentle, he was a proficient killer but he was nothing like a raider.

"And if I remember correctly, Carlos' family was killed by Talon Company or something like that. I could be wrong though." Billy added in.

"Well that would definitely cause bitterness towards someone..." Carlos sat across from the two, causing an odd silence. Billy down the Nuka Cola and stood up.

"I gotta take a leak, I'll be back." Billy walked off in the distance towards Constantine.

The meat that Gary was cooking appeared to be finished. He took out a fork and cut up the meat, placing several small chunks on the floor for Dogmeat. "So Carlos, you gotta wife? Family?"

The caravan guard looked up from his food. "Nope only family I ever had got killed."

"Oh jeez I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"I appreciate it Gary, but you don't really wanna hear about it."

"I mean if you don't want to talk about it that's fine. But if you'd like to talk about it I sincerely would care to hear about it." Gary stabbed his food with his fork and took a bite.

Carlos took a deep breath and let it out. "I was born Carlos Lopez. I had a father and mother, and we had all lived in Old Olney, a town North of DC. Now I know what you're thinking, 'isn't Old Olney full of deathclaws?'"

"The hell is a deathclaw?" Gary asked, looking up from the cooked meat.

"Oh that's right, you're from the Vault. You know how to handle yourself out here so I forgot you just got out in the wastes. Ok well a deathclaw is... Well the only time I saw one was when I was a kid so I don't really remember. After hearing the stories I've heard, well I don't wanna see one again. They are monstrous creatures, standing well over eight feet with two claws that could chop you clean in half."

"I look forward to finding one seeing as I have crappy luck. Now you were saying about..."

"I know what I was saying! I just figured you'd like to know what a deathclaw is. Ok well I'm from Old Olney. It was used as a base for mercenaries that would be rented as caravan guards. Truthfully I don't really know what my parents did, I don't know if my dad was a merc or a caravan owner or what. I do remember that I learned to use a gun when I was a child at Old Olney. That is all I remember of my first home..." Carlos trailed off and gazed at the floor.

"Then the raiders came. I was only around 12 or so, maybe a bit younger or older. Most of the mercs were gone that day, leaving the town with little to no protection. Raiders were never seen that far north because they thrive where the population is largest. They attacked in broad daylight, they weren't heavily armed but they outnumbered us. My mom managed to hide me in the sewers knowing that raiders weren't smart enough to actually search. I heard her screams as the bastards raped and eventually killed her. I kept thinking my dad would save her, but I figured he got killed soon enough by the raiders. My family and any inhabitants of Old Olney were slaughtered, I was the only survivor besides the men who were out at the time."

"Christ, I'm sorry to hear that Carlos. How did you get out of there?"

"Well I lived in those sewers for a bit more then a week; the town had stored food down there just in case the situation arose."

"Is that sanitary?" Gary questioned.

Carlos smiled. "It kept me alive didn't it? Well one night I heard gunfire and screaming up above. I managed to sneak out of the sewer, hoping that the remaining mercs had come back to save me I ran out like an idiot. The raiders were being butchered by God only knows what. It was really dark out that night; I remember the moon being blocked out by the clouds. I saw a hulking figure in the distance, there was a lot of screaming coming from that direction. I also saw bright green lights, kind of like lasers. When the green lights hit the raiders they turned to goo. The people firing the weapons were big. Now I assume it's the Brotherhood but at the same time I have to remember they don't use green weapons."

"Anyway, I ran like hell. I never left Old Olney but at that point I didn't give a fuck cuz if I stayed I would surely have been killed. I got lucky real quick, a merc was on the outskirts of town, the only friendly face I've seen in a while. It was my uncle Rob, I really don't think he was my uncle but I always called him that. I remember throwing my arms around him and crying my eyes out, telling him everything that had happened. After that he took me under his wing."

Gary had finished his food and water and just stared at Carlos, he really didn't know what to say. Carlos looked up and smiled. "I'm sure the only reason you wanted to hear about this was to find out why I hate Talon Company. Well I could get to that."

Gary raised his hands and shook his head. "No no no, i didn't have that on my agenda." Gary innocently lied in response.

Carlos couldn't help but laugh. "I bet you suck at poker, man."

"I actually got a decent amount of caps from Brotherhood guys by playing cards." Gary stated. "But carry on."

"Well I was eventually taken in by a family run caravan that my uncle introduced me to. The caravan was run by the Vega's, hence the second last name. I was just going to get rid of the whole 'Lopez' thing but they said it was important to remember my real family. The caravan was made up of a mom, dad, and their two children who were a good ten years older then me. The siblings were extremely kind to me, teaching me how to be a proper caravan guard and what not. I spent a little less then twenty years with that caravan, maybe around fifteen but that doesn't matter. Point is that you get what they all meant to me."

"One day we received a tip from a fellow caravan group to visit Takoma Park. We had never visited the area but the group told us that the citizens there had no way of gaining supplies other then caravans so it was a great way to earn some caps. We went to the site right away, trusting in the other group's tip seeing as we were good friends with them and all."

"Upon arrival we realized that something was definitely wrong. There were corpses in the streets and the buildings were on fire. We had planned to get out as soon as possible but a mine went off, injuring one of my family members and scaring the pack Brahmin off. The Brahmin ran deeper into Takoma Park and one of us had to go get it. I ran out to turn the dumb animal and when I had finally caught up with it I heard bullets in the direction I had just came from."

"The Vega's were overwhelmed by attackers. It was Talon Company. God dammit, we didn't stand a chance. They came out of the fuckin' woodwork. Everyone was mowed down in front of my eyes. I took a couple bullets and then dropped. I'm not proud of it but I had a bit of a Med-X problem at that time so I didn't feel really any of it. If it wasn't for the morphine I wouldn't have been able to use a couple stimpacks before I eventually passed out."

"So you could say that I hold a grudge, yea. Cuz the people I knew longer then my real family was killed in front of me."

"I don't know if it helps but I'm really sorry, Carlos."

"Well you wanted the story and there it is, no need to show sympathy when it was the past."

"Excuse me." Constantine walked over to Gary and Carlos. "Takoma Park is in the general vicinity of DC, is it not?"

Carlos practically jumped from the ground and rushed towards Constantine. "Are you implying that we're stupid, like we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, you sick fuck?" Carlos grabbed Constantine by the shoulder and pulled back his fist. Billy came running around the corner and took hold of Carlos. Gary got in-between the merc and guard.

"If you attack me I will not be responsible for the outcome." Constantine replied smoothly.

"Oh I'm sure that you'd like that, huh? You'd get to finish the job you sonova bitch?" Carlos shouted back. Gary placed a hand on Carlos' chest and put a finger in his face.

"Carlos, take a walk! Get some air and take a damned breath or something. And Constantine, I know you mean no harm but don't patronize him!" Carlos slapped Gary's finger which caused Dogmeat to growl. He shrugged Billy off of him and walked off into the depths of the station. As the guard walked away Gary couldn't help but shake his head and scratch it.

"Damn I don't know what to do..."

"You couldn't have handled that any better, kid." Billy said. "I'm going to make sure he doesn't do anythin' stupid, I'll be back."

Constantine looked to Gary. "Not that I am doubting Mr. Vega-Lopez's story but..."

"It doesn't seem to add up?" Constantine nodded in response to Gary's notion. "Yea I hear ya, Constantine. I wanna believe him... But something doesn't sit right. He conveniently saved himself before passing out? I know a thing or two about the medical world and the way he described it didn't make sense... And Talon Company didn't check to see if he was dead? Not to compliment the scumbags you used to work with but they don't seem to make a mistake like that."

"Don't worry about it Mr. North, we'll cross that bridge when the time comes. I will take the watch, you need rest for tomorrow."

Gary rubbed his eyes. "Yea you're probably right, g'night Constantine."

"Good night Mr. North." Gary walked to one of the mattresses on the ground and sat down on it. He waited for Dogmeat to get comfortable before laying down his head and closing his eyes.


The group prepared to leave as the first signs of the sun began to seep through the cracks in the ceiling. The men gathered their belongings in silence, the events of the previous night still hanging over them.

Gary was the first to speak up. "First thing that we do when we get to Rivet City is stock up, that means ammo, food, meds, and in my case armor."

"Who died and made you leader." Carlos muttered. He had dark circles under his eyes; he appeared to have not gotten any sleep.

Gary ignored the comment. "Once we are all set I say we go find this Doc Li that Three Dog mentioned."

"Sounds like a plan." Billy replied. The men were all ready; Constantine took the lead as usual. Dogmeat trotted alongside Gary who walked alongside Constantine. Billy was behind Gary. Carlos was lagging behind, kicking small rubble as he walked.

After walking for a bit Gary extended a finger. "Ah, the exit!" A metal gate was directly ahead of the group. Light poured in, making a pattern on the ground.

"Rivet City will be right in front of us as we exit the subway and walk up the stairs." Constantine announced.

"You ever been to Rivet City before, Constantine?" Gary questioned.

"Multiple times. However Talon Company is not allowed in the city, so I had to go undercover."

"Man I haven't seen Rivet City in years! I wonder if it's the same ol' place." Billy announced. "How bout you, Carlos? You ever been?"

"No, the caravan would just stop outside of the ship, never go in."

Gary pushed the gate to the side, holding it open for everyone. Once everyone was through Gary walked through and closed the gate behind him. The light from the sun reflected off of Gary's goggles. As the group proceeded up the stairs, Dogmeat started to growl.

"What's the matter, boy?" Gary asked. Still in front, Constantine stopped in his tracks as he reached the top of the staircase. Gary nearly ran into the merc. He looked at where Constantine was staring.

"Crap..." Gary muttered.

It was a group of three Talon Company mercs. Two were armed with assault rifles and the one who appeared to be leading had a sniper rifle." The fuck is this Constantine? You traitorous rat!"

Gary spoke before Constantine could respond. "This ain't about him, it's about me."

"Very noble of ya, so you must be the goody two shoes from the Vault. You got any last words?"

"Yea," Gary's grip on his shotgun tighten. "Bring it on, bitch."

The merc sneered. "I love when they go down fighti..." Gary stopped the merc with a single shotgun shell to the face. The man's head exploded, tearing the top half of his head away from the jaw.

"Shit!" yelled one of the mercenary's behind their fallen leader. Constantine dropped to one knee and withdrew his magnum. He fired several rounds into one of the men, causing the Talon merc to fall over backwards. Gary fired off another shell, clipping the last remaining merc in the knee. Before the last man standing could fight back, Billy held out his magnum and shot one bullet, catching the man in the neck.

"That's how we do things boys." Gary exclaimed as he put his shotgun on his back. He let out a series of small chuckles. "They didn't even know what happened to them."

Carlos pushed past Gary and Constantine and proceeded towards the group of Talon Company mercs. The mercenary that Billy had shot was twitching on the ground, hands clenched on his neck as blood seeped through it.

The dying merc tried to gurgle out some words, yet to no avail. Carlos withdrew his assault rifle and riddled the man with bullets. "Now we're done." Carlos stated.

"That we are, shall we proceed?" Constantine asked as he ejected the spent rounds out of his magnum and replaced them.

"Sounds like a plan, but first," Gary walked over to the corpses and looted them for weapons and ammo. "we enjoy the spoils of victory."

"Mind if I take the assault rifle?" Billy asked, pointing to the assault rifle Gary had in hand.

"Happy birthday." Gary tossed the weapon to Billy. He now stared at the sniper rifle. "I guess I could try it out, unless you want it, Carlos?" the guard simply shook his head. "Alright then I guess I'll screw around with the weapon for a bit." He strapped the sniper to his back.

"Take the assault rifle and sell it when you get the chance." Constantine spoke up.

Gary examined the assault rifle and held it in his hands. He looked up to his group. "Armor costs a pretty penny doesn't it?" He questioned.

"Depends on the type." Billy stated.

"Well I guess I'll let these nice Talon company boys treat me to some new armor." Gary replied. He slid the armor off of a dead merc and looked at it, it appeared to fit.

Gary removed the leather protection from his Vault jumpsuit and placed his weapons and bandolier on the ground. Gary slipped the pants and upper torso of the armor on over his jumpsuit. He put the bandolier back over his head and put the leather in his bag.

Gary looked towards the massive aircraft carrier that was Rivet City and whistled. The ship was probably the largest object Gary had ever seen. In front of it was a metal structure that had stairs leading up. The group proceeded up the stairs. Once on the top level the men (and dog) were left with a giant gap between them and the ship. One a metal beam was an intercom.

"You could do the honor and press the button and ask to bring the bridge over." Billy said to Gary. The Lone Wanderer walked to the intercom and pressed the button. The device crackled to life.

"State your business in Rivet City."

"Umm... I need to see Dr. Li. And we would like to trade if that's alright."

"Wait while I bring the bridge over." the voice replied. The whole ship seemed to awaken as a loud screech floated in the air as a bridge rotated towards the group.

"I just thought of somethin', is that sanitary?" Billy asked, pointing to Gary's new armor.

"Shut it." Gary joked. The bridge stopped at their feet. The group walked across the bridge towards Rivet City. As soon as they stepped foot on the ship they were stopped by a guard wielding an assault rifle.

"Talon Company isn't accepted around here, I'm going to have to ask you to leave before anything starts."

"Well Mr..."

"Harkness, I'm the head of security in Rivet City."

"Well you see sir; we are not mercenaries or scum bags of any sort. We just happened to kill a group of Talon Company mercs outside of your lovely city. My friend and I were in dire need of armor so we took it from their corpses for ourselves." Gary stated.

Harkness raised an eyebrow. "Is that sanitary?" Gary heard Billy chuckle behind him.

"Sir I'm from a Vault, I know all about sanitation. This is not a prime example of it."

Harkness placed his rifle on his back and crossed his arms. "So I heard you had business with Dr. Madison Li?"

"Yessir."

"Let me guess—no, she's not expecting you, but it's really important and you need to see her right away."

"Wow you're good." Gary replied.

"There's been a lot of that going around lately, and I've had just about enough of it. So you're going to have to do better then that."

Gary stopped and scratched his chin. He wasn't sure if telling Harkness about his dad would allow him to get in. A little lie appeared to be in order. "I have some questions about her recent work in hydroponics."

Harkness raised an eyebrow. "Err, what? Listen, I don't know much about her work so you're going to have to ask her about that yourself. She's probably in the Science Lab. Just keep out of trouble on my boat."

The group said their thanks to the chief and walked to the marketplace. The room was large to say the least and buzzing with people. There were several stores set up, all with people browsing. Tents covered each store, making 'rooms'.

Billy leaned over to Gary. "What was that science lingo you dropped on the guard?"

"I know a bit about science from my dad. Hydroponics is essentially a different method of growing plants. But anywho, here we are, go forth, divide and conquer."

"We gonna meet up here in a few hours?" Carlos asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Stock up on whatever you need." Carlos and Billy walked off into the crowd.

"I wish to stay with you if you are content with that." Constantine stated.

"I appreciate the company Constantine, but you're allowed to have some fun too. Go find a bar and get a drink or somethin'."

"I don't partake in alcohol or chems, they dull the senses. In a fight they could very well mean your death."

Gary shrugged his shoulder. "Point taken. Alright you could come with me and Dogmeat." The three bumped past the citizens of Rivet City on their way to the closest shop. Under the tent was a large table with many guns ranging from rifle to pistols. A man with a handlebar moustache was standing next to a cash register.

The man raised his hands. "Welcome to Flak and Shrapnel's, we sell the best Goddamned guns around! I'm Flak."

Gary saw Constantine shutter out of the corner of his eye. "Can I see what kinds of guns you have for sale?"

Flak crossed his arms and laughed. "Ya need some killin' done? Everything on the table is what I have for sale."

Gary meandered over to the table and examined Flak's wares. He picked up some rounds for his rifles and pistol and walked over to Flak to pay for it. After handing over the caps he plopped the assault rifle he found on the table. "How much is this assault rifle worth?"

Flak picked up the weapon and ejected the clip. He pulled back the hammer to make sure there wasn't a round in the chamber. He sighted the rifle and tossed it around in his hands a bit. "A Chinese assault rifle. It is in fairly good condition. You sure you wanna get rid of it?"

"I'm more of a precision man, personally. So what are ya thinkin?"

"I'll give ya 250 caps for it?"

Constantine walked over to Flak and crossed his arms. "That is half the going price for an assault rifle of that caliber. How about we make a trade?"

"I'm listening."

"I would like a scoped .44 magnum, near perfect condition and ammo to go along with it."

Flak laughed at Constantine's wager. "Who do you think I am bud? Why would I have a scoped magnum? Those things are rare."

"You have ammo for a .44 magnum on your table. It would be rare for a supplier to not have the weapon to match the ammo."

Flak stared blankly at the merc for a moment. A smile slowly went across his face and then he laughed once again. "Ya know, I like you two. Yea I have one for special cases in the cabinet. I'll give ya several cylinder's worth of .44 ammo and the scoped .44. That sound good?"

"Perfect." Flak walked off to gather the items for the trade. Gary turned to Constantine.

"You already have a magnum, why the need for another one?"

"It is for you."

"Listen, Constantine, I don't have money to be throwing around and you certainly don't need to be paying for this. I already have a pistol."

"You wished to learn how to shoot like me, correct? I will teach you proper sniping with both a sniper and a magnum. They have proven to be great weapons for any moment." Gary simply stared at Constantine. He didn't understand him. He never really showed emotion, he only had just met him yet he was willing to help him so much.

After making the trade, Flak repaired Gary and Constantine's armor. He also painted over the Talon Company logo on both the sets of armor. Constantine, Gary, and Dogmeat grabbed some food before heading over to Dr. Li's lab.

Constantine stayed with Dogmeat outside of the lab; a dog probably wasn't a good idea inside. As soon as Gary entered the room he heard arguing. He slowly walked down the staircase. A woman in a lab coat was arguing with a man in a suit. Gary overheard some things about 'advanced technology', but he was on a mission.

He turned to two women facing away from the argument. They were standing in front of table littered with vials and chemicals. Fresh vegetables were laid out across a table to Gary's right. "Excuse me; I'm looking for a Doctor Madison Li."

An Asian woman in a lab coat quickly turned around, obviously angered. "Look, this is a restricted area. I'm tired of telling you people…" The woman's eyes widened, she put a hand up to her mouth. "I… it's you. My heavens, you look so much like him… but where's…?"

"You're James' son, aren't you? What are you doing here? And where is your brother?"

Gary scratched the back of his head. "Uh…wait I'm sorry. How do you know who I am? Have we met?"

The woman sighed. "Typical, he wouldn't have said anything about me. Yes we have met, well you were an infant. I'm Doctor Li. But that doesn't explain what you are doing here. James said you and your brother were still in the Vault."

Dr. Li threw her hands in the air. "This is all positively ridiculous! Your father just shows up here as if nothing happened… He walked out on us. I know he had his reasons, I know it was to protect you, but still. Project Purity was our life. It was the only thing that mattered, and then he just gave up. He abandoned us, and we were forced to move on. I've already told him that it's over. There's no going back. Project Purity was a failure, and he needs to move on."

"Listen, ma'am, I apologize for interrupting your rant but I really need to find my father. Have you seen him?"

Doc Li narrowed her eyes. "Wait, you mean you haven't? I assumed he sent you here. For that matter, aren't you supposed to be in a Vault? James said he left you there."

"Ma'am this isn't about me. This is about my father. Now where the hell is he?"

"Your father is no longer here, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that tone with me."

"Listen, I'm sorry. I've just gone through a whole lotta shit recently. Could you please tell me where he's gone?"

"Your father insisted that we return to work on Project Purity. I tried telling him too much time has passed; there's no way it would work. And predictably, he refused to listen to me. He says he can prove it will work, and headed off to the old lab. I'm sorry but I don't know what else to tell you. You could check the old Jefferson Memorial building, it's just northwest of here."

"Then that looks like my next destination." Gary replied.

"No, please don't go after him. It was foolish of him to even think about going there alone."

"Don't you see? That gives me all the more reason to go, something could have happened to him."

Dr. Li sighed and gave a small smile. "Well I see that you're just as determined as James is. Alright, go ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Alright, well thank you." Gary turned around and was prepared to head back up the stairs but then he stopped. He contemplated asking her about his mother and father, but he decided that he would need to talk to James about that. Instead he found another question.

"Sorry to interrupt you ma'am, but what exactly is Project Purity?"

Dr. Li looked up from her work and back to Gary. "Our goal was to get clean, purified water to the Capital Wasteland. So many people suffer from the effects of drinking dirty water. A surplus of purified water could extend the life spans of people in the wastes!"

"Very noble, you don't find people like that anymore." Gary's curiosity suddenly got the better of him, and he spit out, "What could you tell me about my mother?"

"Catherine? She… she was an excellent scientist. Your father and she were very much in love. She was very excited to meet you, see you grow up."

Gary crossed his arms. "What exactly happened to her, how did she die?"

"During childbirth…she suffered from cardiac arrest. We tried to do our best to save her with the equipment that we had. We weren't prepared for anything of the sort."

Gary's face started twitching, his fists clenched. "Oh isn't that just fuckin' great? A group of scientists…doctors weren't prepared for childbirth, you people are hacks!" Gary threw up his arms and marched up the stairs. He usually didn't lose his temper, but his whole life was affected by their 'lack of preparation'.

Before Gary opened up the door to leave the lab, he heard footsteps on the metal stairs behind him. "You there!" Gary turned to face the voice. It was the old man in the suit who was arguing with the scientist before. "I'm Dr. Zimmer, are you some kind of lab assistant? No, you appear to be a bit more… weathered."

"Nice to meet you two…" Gary muttered.

"Are you by any chance… for hire?"

"For hire? Like a mercenary? It depends on what kind of work you have for me?" Gary though through it, caps would keep him and the group going.

"Ah to the point. I like that. Well, as it turns out, I've misplaced some very sensitive… 'property'."

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific then that, bud."

"Hm… how do I put this in a way you'll understand. Well all you know of robots are those buckets of bolts—those Mr. Handshakers and whatnot. Well… that's not all a robot can be. You see, in the Commonwealth, we've made artificial persons. Synthetic humanoids! Programmed to think and feel and do whatever we need."

"Don't insult my intelligence Zimmer. What's wrong with your perfect synthetic people?"

"Well you see… they occasionally get confused and wander off."

Gary let out a gruff chuckle. "This sounds like slavery to me, Zimmer. So what do you want me to do exactly? Retrieve the artificial person? This 'android'?"

"Exactly! I've tracked him this far. He's out there, somewhere. In the Capital Wasteland. I believe he has done something drastic, like facial surgery and a mind wipe! I would have found him by now if he hadn't taken such measures!"

"This will be no easy task. He may not even realize he's an android. Don't upset him talking with him. Just come get him immediately. I'll handle it."

Gary crossed his arms. "I don't know what you do in the Commonwealth, but out here we get paid for our work. Especially when bending my morals."

"I apologize, it slipped my mind. I have at my disposal advanced technology from the Commonwealth. I'd be willing to share some of it with you. Just think, you'd be the envy of all your friends!"

"Well when I have the time, I will look for this android of yours." Gary extended his hand and shook Zimmer's.

"Ah! Before you leave! Listen to this message he sent me. He's mocking me!" Gary accepted the holotape and left the lab. He listened to the android's speech; he promised that he would never be found. The voice was bland and emotionless. Reminded Gary of someone else…

"Was your talk successful?" Constantine asked Gary as he walked out of the lab.

"You know where the Jefferson Memorial is, Constantine?"

"Yes it is not far from out current location." Gary started walking down the metal hall of the aircraft carrier. "Shall we wait for the others?"

Gary thought for a second then shook his head. "No, I don't imagine we'll be in the memorial for long. We just need to do a quick sweep, find my dad, or find out where he went."

"As you wish."


"What the hell do you mean you're not open? I've got caps!"

"Listen bud, the bar ain't open 'till later. Come back later."

Carlos was in the bar located on the lower deck of Rivet City. "Just get me a damned shot of whiskey or something!"

The bouncer shoved a finger in Carlos' face. "Get outta here before I throw you outta here!"

"Get that finger out of my face or I'll break it." Carlos sneered back. Fast paced footsteps were heard on the floor overlooking the bar. Down the stairs came Billy.

"Sorry about my pal, friend. I'll get him out of your hair." Billy put a hand on Carlos' shoulder and started walking him away.

"Good idea." The bouncer turned his back on the two and started to walk away.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Carlos shouted.

"I could ask you the same thing. Settle down, ace. Let's go for a walk or something. This is your first time here so make it a good time." Billy continued to escort Carlos out, hoping to run into Gary or even Constantine.


"Sniping is not as difficult as one makes it out to be. It takes practice just like any other task, but you are already experienced in shooting."

Gary chuckled. "Practiced shooting my BB gun a whole lot as a kid." The three had made it to the outskirts of the Jefferson Memorial. Dogmeat was lying silently on the ground while Gary and Constantine crouched, snipers withdrawn.

Constantine pointed towards a figure in the distance. "A Super-Mutant." He stated. "A perfect target. They are large and lack the intelligence to realize they are being shot at until they are hit."

Gary held the sniper scope up to his right eye. The mutant's ugly face was clearly visible. "Now when sniping you must take in account your surroundings. Distance, weather, wind, angle, and noise all play a role in sniping. We could address those factors later though. Breathing is also key when…"

Gary took the shot, the mutant's head exploded.

Constantine slowly turned towards the Lone Wanderer. "Well I believe we are done here." Constantine started walking closer towards the memorial.

Gary laughed. "I think it was just beginner's luck." Gary got up from his crouched position and jogged to catch up to Constantine.

"I doubt you were even listening to me." Constantine raised his sniper and fired a single round, hitting a Super Mutant square between the eyes. They were now at the door to the memorial. The three entered.

"You're a good teacher, Constantine. And I thank you for working with me but I still have no idea why you do this."

"If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well."

"And there we are with your religious side. Would you care to explain to me," As they rounded a corner, two turrets started firing at them. Gary withdrew his shotgun and fired several shells into each, destroying them immediately. "why you're so religious? And why you are following me?"

"I said in time I would tell you. However you appear to be genuinely intrigued so I will enlighten you." Constantine took a deep breath before continuing. "I have been in the mercenary business my entire life. I was trained from a young age. I used God and the bible to get through the conflicts in my head. I never agreed with killing for a profit."

"Before I received the contract to kill you, I had a vision. You may call it a dream yet I believe that it was a vision directly from God. The Lord wanted me to show how devoted I was to Him. The Lord was vague, yet He stated that a noble soul was released into the Capital Wasteland. I was to align myself with this heroin of the Wastes. I was told to protect this person and guide them."

Gary quickly had a though appear in his head, "And he said he didn't take chems? Nah maybe this is just his way of saying he wanted to get out of his mercenary life."

Constantine turned to Gary. "I first heard of you when Mr. Burke arrived to Talon Company's base of operations. Your brother was with him. Mr. Burke is… for lack of a better word, scum."

Gary looked at Constantine with a surprised grin on his face. "I think that's the first time you've shown an opinion!"

Constantine ignored Gary's comment and carried on. "You had angered a very evil and very powerful man; I believed that you were the person the Lord spoke of. After my companions attacked you and the caravan I followed at a distance. When I heard that you were going into the heart of Washington DC to help someone... There was not a doubt in my mind that you were the one."

Gary opened up a door that had a sign reading 'Rotunda'. He was about to reply but was quickly stopped by the sounds of Super Mutants. "Two of 'em! I got left, you get right!" Gary opened fired with his shotgun upon the closest mutant. The first shell caused the monstrosity to drop his weapon. The buckshot from the second and third shell tore apart what little armor the mutant had on. One final blow to the chest caused the mutant's chest to gave in, a tortured moan escaped the mouth of the beast.

Constantine had seen the enemy before Gary had made note of them. The one on the right had statistically been the more dangerous to situation. It was alert, armored, and wielding an assault rifle. Constantine fired two rounds into the head of the mutant just to make sure that the bullets pierced both the metal helmet the mutant was wearing and its thick skull. The mutant's body went rigid and dropped forward, lifeless.

Constantine turned to Gary who had given a brief sigh if relief. The mercenary nodded and he watched the Lone Wanderer head up a set of stairs leading to the inside of a dome shaped room. The room was similar to a bubble; a thick glass separated the chamber from the rest of the larger room. Constantine examined the various hi tech devices assorted in different locations within the lab. He couldn't make anything of the devices; he was never one for technology.

Gary was rummaging through papers and clipboards, trying desperately to find something that could link to his dad. "All this tech, so much work. Everything was ended because of me and Oliver. I owe it to my mom… she died before He then saw three holotapes, all labeled with numbers. His heart started racing, this may be all the info he needed.

Constantine looked over Gary's shoulder. "Five, eight, and ten... Do you believe that there are more of these?"

"I hope so. You alright with sticking around and searching this place?" Gary inquired.

"If that is what you wish to do, then I am content with your decision. Do you wish to listen to them?"

"When I get the rest, yea I'll listen to them." The group left the rotunda and returned to the room the originally entered. Dogmeat proceeded to bark as soon as they closed the door behind them. The dog ran off and Gary made sure to stay close to his companion.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph what is that thing?" Gary exclaimed. The creature approaching the group was a monstrosity in every definition of the term. It was a huddled mass of different organic parts. Its head appeared to be a stretched human face and that was as far as the resemblance went. It was like a slug with around human arms for legs. The creature's three giant tongue sliced through the air like fan blades. It stood taller then Dogmeat, measuring near Gary's shoulder.

"I suppose there are worst things that you could have said..." Constantine started.

"Please don't start with that, Constantine." Gary replied. He fired off a shell from his shotgun making contact with the creature's abdomen. Gary went to fire again but his weapon only responded with an empty 'click'.

As Gary ejected the barrel drum from his combat shotgun, Dogmeat had lashed out at the wounded beast. The creature fought back with its tongues, catching Dogmeat on the side. As Dogmeat backed up to gather its bearings from the hit, Constantine fired a single shot at the creature.

As the beast fell over, Constantine answered Gary's previous question. "That was a Centaur. They are companions to Super-Mutants, serving as their 'dogs'."

"Ugly-ass dog is you ask me." Gary bent down to Dogmeat and petted him behind the ears. "They don't have anything on you, bud."

The two men and dog eventually made it to the lower level of the Jefferson Memorial, only to be ambushed by more Super-Mutants. When they were are disposed of, Gary and Constantine cleared every room just to make sure nothing else would get the jump on them. The last room to clear was what looked like a bedroom of some sort.

A single mattress was in the corner of the room. Several empty scotch bottles were strewn on the floor. "Yep, my dad was here." Gary said aloud.

"What brings you to believe that?"

"He was always a fan of scotch." Gary walked towards the bed; four holotapes were on a bedside desk. "Numbers one, two, three, and… this one isn't numbered…"

"There is another holotape over here." Constantine stated. Gary turned around to face his companion, who was holding the tape in his hand. The merc tossed it over to Gary, who caught it and examined it.

"It reads 'Better Days'…" Gary placed the tape into his Pip-boy to listen to it.

"I could leave if you wish to be alone."

Gary waved off Constantine. "Nah, you could stay."

"That batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the second filtration system." Gary's eyes went wide, he felt sweat run down his neck. This wasn't his father's voice. It was a female's. Could it be…?

"We're going to recalibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow so that... James, please, I'm trying to work. Now's not the time! ...So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to… James!" The woman let out a giggle. "Stop, I need to finish these notes!" She laughed once again and appeared to try and regain her composure. "We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners, that should... Owww! James! Now? We really shouldn't…" The voice let out a small giggle once more and then slowly trialed off and the tape clicked to an end.

Gary was standing and staring at his Pip-boy, as if expecting it to give him more answers. "Was that… that was… my mother?" Gary removed his goggles from his face and let them hang around his neck. He let out a nervous laugh and ran his hand through his hair as he leaned up against a wall.

"Are you well?"

"Yea I am, I just… wow." Gary slumped to floor and look to the ceiling. "I just can't believe it… I never knew my mom, but just to hear her voice it got me all worked up… it's probably stupid of me."

"No it is not. It is completely understandable." Constantine's emotionless actually sounded soothing for once, regardless if it was intended to be or not. "Tell me, Mr. North, are you a religious man?"

Gary turned to Constantine. "Not to your extent by any means. I've skimmed the Bible once or twice. According to my dad, my mom always had a favorite bible verse."

"And what was that?"

"Revelation 21:6"

Constantine gave a knowing nod; Gary could swear that he saw him smile too. "It makes sense. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Constantine sat down next to Gary and placed his sniper up against the wall. "Your mother was a good person, Mr. North. I know this by the quote. Her dream to purify water for the people of the Wastes made her a noble woman indeed, one I would have wished to meet. She is looking down on you, proud of you and your accomplishments."

Gary could hear the sincerity behind every word. He would never understand this mercenary. "Thanks, Constantine. I would have liked to meet her too. With any luck though, maybe you'll meet my dear ol' dad."

"I look forward to it Mr. North. You are very much described in that quote as Alpha. You are the beginning to a new wasteland, my friend." Constantine stood back up and dusted off his pants. Gary allowed Constantine's words to sink in.

A smile went across Gary's face. "And what, my brother is the very end of the wasteland? He's Omega?"

Constantine shrugged. "If he gets what he desires, he very well could be." Gary nodded and popped in a new holotape, this one wasn't marked.

"Well, here we are again. Project Purity and me." It was his father's voice now. "It's been close to twenty years since my last entry. Since I left all of this behind to make a life for my son. We've spent that time in Vault 101, tucked away from the rest of the world. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe, and that's all I could have hoped for. Now, my son is a grown man. Handsome, intelligent, confident. Just like his old man. Hmph." Gary couldn't help but smile as his dad said this. "And as hard as it was to admit it, he doesn't need his daddy anymore." The smile slowly faded away.

"I'll always need ya, dad." Gary whispered to himself. Gary listened to every single holotape while sitting on the floor. Constantine leaned on the doorframe patiently. Gary was barely even listening to the words; he just soaked in his father's voice. After the last tape, Gary let out a deep sigh and stood up.

"So we are to go to Vault 112, then?" Constantine asked.

"Wait what? Oh yea right… Vault 112." Gary started walking down the hall, Constantine and Dogmeat following behind him. "Ya know, we don't even know if he is there. This could be a wild goose chase."

"Don't give up hope yet, Mr. North. You must carry on."

"I'm not giving up hope! I'm just thinking… what if we could be some help around Rivet City? I rushed all the way to Rivet City thinking I'd catch up with my dad and I was completely wrong. So why rush again? People may need help."

Constantine shook his head. "They simply do not make them like you anymore, Mr. North."

"Well we could all be thankful for that." Gary jokingly replied. The group proceeded to exit the Rotunda and head to Rivet City, holding onto hopes of improving the lives of the citizens.


"Well fuck this shit; we've been following the river for days, days I tell you!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Will you shut the fuck up, we're almost there." Jericho shot back. The retired raider threw a spent cigarette to the ground and lit up another in one fluid motion. Oliver fished out a half-empty whiskey bottle from his back pack and downed it. The liquor went smoothly down his throat.

"So what is your almighty plan, boss?" Jericho held a sarcastic tone when using the term. Oliver wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tossed the bottle at Jericho, hoping it would break.

"Don't use that tone with me. We're going to find my brother and kill him, or maybe enslave him. I don't really know what I feel like doin' to 'im yet."

"You're a born raider, kid. Ya know that that fuck-nut DJ on Galaxy News Radio got a wiff of what you're doin? He called you a jack ass for killin' those ghouls botherin' Tenpenny."

"Well good for him. But how the hell did he get that info?"

"Beats me." Jericho shrugged and took a drag from his cigarette. "He also got some info from your dear ol' brother. Three Dog has called you a Reaver and a Pirate of the Wastes."

Oliver let out a triumphant laugh. "I like it! What's he callin' my brother?"

"The Protector of the Wastes." The two men got a kick out of the term and started laughing. Oliver scanned the horizon, hoping for a sign of Rivet City. A large domed building was in the distance.

"Yo what did you say Rivet City looked like?"

"It's a huge ass ship. That up ahead is the Jefferson Memorial. I told you we were close."

Oliver squinted his eyes; he saw three figures exiting the memorial area. As Jericho and Oliver got closer to the memorial, a large grin stretched across his face. He reached for his laser rifle.

"Well it looks like there is a God, cuz Christmas came early this year." Oliver rushed past Jericho towards the group.