Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, and all intellectual properties belong to their respective owners.

Any and all original characters (OC) belong to their respective owners and will be credited.

I only own the original characters that I make.

The author's notes will be at the bottom in bold text.

"normal Speech"

Inner thoughts

"telepathic speech"

(foreign languages translated)

Speeches may be combined if necessary.

Thank you, and please enjoy the fanfic.

[3rd POV]

In the Tenleytown metro station, a pair of Super Mutants stand guard looking for trespassers. The Super Mutant on the right is wearing light body armor, a waistcloth, wrist wraps, and an aviators cap. The mutant was equipped with a bumper sword in one hand and a laser pistol with a beam splitter attachment in the other. The Super Mutant on the left is wearing cowl armor, arm guards, leg guards, and a fire hydrant lid used as a helmet. This mutant was armed with an MG42 LMG.

The Super Mutant on the right turned to the other Super Mutant and asks, "Hey Dave?"

Dave turned the mutant at his side and replied, "Yeah?"

The mutant then asks, "You ever wonder why we're here?"

Confused about the nature of the question, Dave asks, "You mean like why we're stationed here? That's because the Warlord told us to, so nobody tries flanking our forces."

The other mutant shakes their head and says, "No, that's not what I mean. What I mean is, is there a god out there? Are we just some cosmic coincidence, or is there some kind of god out there in the great beyond, with some kind of plan for us? Honestly, that sort of thing been freaking me out for the past year."

Dave looks incredulously at the thoughtful mutant before him, pinches the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes, and says, "Are you on this shit again?!"

The mutant puts a hand to their chest and asks, "Why are you being so difficult about this?!"

Putting his hands on his hips, Dave says, "Because you ALWAYS ask those stupid questions. You asked those questions last year, you asked them last month, and you asked them again last week. You're always asking those damned questions, and everyone is just sick of it li-" before being interrupted by a cough behind the two mutants.

The Super Mutants turn around and see a group of heavily armed and armored wastelanders holding the pair at gunpoint. The leader of the group pipes in and says, "What's up?"

The first mutant then looks up at the ceiling and says, "Lightbulbs?"

Dave facepalmed himself and said, "God damnit Li-" before being interrupted again. The leader of the group then asked the mutants, "Have any of you seen a man with this description? He's white with salt and pepper hair, slightly graying. He's roughly 52 years old and has a pair of angel wings tattooed on his back."

Dave shook his head and said, "No, we were only stationed here this morning."

The leader was a little put-off but said, "Well, thanks for telling us anyway." Then he looked at the mutants and said, "Now you two are going to lay down your weapons and walk away. Otherwise we'll have a problem, and I don't like problems."

Reluctantly the Super Mutants laid down their arms and kicked them to the side, at the mercy of this mysterious group of wastelanders. The group then lowered their weapons, and their leader asked the mutants, "So what the hell are you guys?"

Dave opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the other mutant, "Guys?! I'm a woman!" spoke the female mutant, on the verge of tears.

The leader looked at the female mutant, looked at Dave, looked back at the first mutant, and said, "What?" confused at the revelation, seeing as both mutants looked the same aside from their armor.

Dave looked at the confused human sympathetically and said, "FEV tends to warp people's bodies when exposed. It also makes mutant sterile too."

The female mutant fell to her knees and pounded the floor, crying as she yelled, "I never asked to be like this! Is it so wrong to find a little happiness in this crazy world!"

Dave looked back at the confused group apologetically and said, "Sorry about Linda here; it's a bit of a sore subject to her."

The leader of the group looks back and forth between Dave and Linda, and coming to a decision, says, "How about we just let you two go and be on our way." He then motions his group onwards to the station's exit. However, before he leaves the strange pair of mutants, Dave stops the leader and asks, "What's your name?"

The leader looks back at Dave and says, "The names Matthew Howard." And continues on his way outside.

After the wastelanders leave, Linda stands up, drying her tears, and says, "What a nice kid."

Dave nods his head in agreement and says, "Yeah, he is." Then furrows his brow and continues, "But I could have sworn I seen that kid before."

After a moment's pause, Linda then says, "I want one."

Dave then turns back at Linda and shouts, "I told you I'm not ready for kids yet!"

Linda shouts back at Dave, "Well when will you be ready?!"

Dave throws his hands up into the air and says, "I don't know!"

The group exits the station, and Matthew rejoins the group at the plaza on Chevy Chase North, then continued onwards further into D.C., when the group entered a ditch, gunfire and laser blasts erupted overhead, with them underneath the crossfire. When the shooting stopped, a voice from a floor above the group called out to them and asked, "Hey, you civies okay down there?"

Matthew spoke up and said, "Yeah, we're alright, scared the scut outa us though."

The person came into view with a relieved look on their face. The individual was a woman, looked to be around her mid 20's, with blond hair and green eyes. Towering at around 7 feet, she wore a set of t-45 power armor and held a laser rifle in her hands. Her look of relief, however, quickly turned annoyed and snapped at the group, saying, "What the hell were you idiots doing in the middle of our ambush! I can't even describe how lucky you morons are. Now you lot can either help us out or get the hell out of our way. Our brothers are being attacked at the Galaxy News Radio building, and we're heading there to back them up. You all can tag along if you want, but don't try to do anything… stupid. Got it?"

The group was intimidated by the Women's stern glare and nodded their heads, not wanting to risk the annoyed women's wrath. Matthew shakenly spoke to the women and said, "W-w-who are you guys?"

The women looked at the frazzled young doctor and said, "I'm Sarah Lyons of the Brotherhood of Steel. Now hurry along; we'll play twenty questions when we retake the station." She then turned around and headed back to her squad, Matthews group following her shortly after.

They met up with another group of Brotherhood soldiers, two in T-45 power armor and two in steel grey light combat armor, all of them were armed with laser rifles. One of the soldiers was lying on a mattress, unusually still with clouded, lifeless eyes indicating that the unfortunate soul was dead. One of the soldiers in power armor was peeking out a corner, shooting at Super Mutants with his laser rifle.

Sarah walked up to the soldier and asked, "What's the situation Colvin?" After firing another shot, Colvin turns toward Sarah and says, "Five muties released from their torment ma'am. The rest are keeping their heads down." He then took a look at Matthew and his group and asks, "Recruits?"

Sarah shakes her head and replies, "No, just a pack of wandering strays that blundered into our ambush over on 42nd." Colvin then turns to the newcomers and says joyfully, "Welcome!" Sarah then turns back to the group and tells them, "Alright, here's the game plan. Colvin, you go high and clear out any muties you find. Vargas, you're with me. We'll take the lower section of the building. Reddin, hang back, do whatever Vargas says, and keep that damn mouth shut." She then turns to Matthew and asks, "Anything you want to add?"

Matthew nods and says, "Riddick will take point. Dan, Jericho, and Mike will assist Colvin. Shephard and I will go with you and Vargas. Carver, Clover, and Dogmeat will flank around and catch any mutants by surprise." When he finished, Sarah looked surprised at the doctor's strategy, then smiled at him, impressed at the boy's plan. Vargas turned to the women in the combat armor and said, "Reddin, go with them; you'll be more helpful to them.", gesturing to the flanking group.

Sarah then retook charge and said, "Alright, we have a plan now and a damn good one at that. We need to move fast and hit'em hard, got it?" She waited for a moment to take in everyone's responses and continues, "Let's move it people!" And then everyone went on the offensive against the super mutants.

"Incoming!"

"Open fire!"

"Hold your ground!"

The super mutants attacked with everything they had but didn't have the firepower to take on 3 super soldiers. Three mutants tried to rush Riddick, but he chopped off the first attacker's arms, beheaded the second's head, and punched the last between the legs, causing it to keel over in pain. Riddick grabbed the first and third mutant's heads and smashed them together, causing their heads to explode in an explosion of blood and gore.

Dan laid down suppressive fire with his imperial plasma gun, melting the flesh off any unfortunate mutant within his sights. He then saw a group of four mutants try and sneak up on the group on the left, so he took out a Nuka-grenade from one of his satchels and tosses it at the would-be interlopers. Their started yells of surprise were swiftly cut short with a fiery explosion.

Once the street was clear, they went inside the Early Dawn Elementary building and split up to cover more ground and clear out the super mutants faster. Colvin and his group went up the stairs, Sarah's went downstairs, and Carvers went around the building to get behind them. Unfortunately, no matter how hard the mutants fought back, they were too disorganized to put up a real fight and were swiftly put down.

Sarah's group made it to the GNR plaza and attacked the super mutants fighting the radio station's defenders, Carver's group attacking from the right. At the same time, Colvin's team took position on the second-floor building and rain down suppressive fire from above. Caught in the pincer attack and completely surrounded, the mutants fought like desperate animals. However, it wasn't enough, and Matthew fired a barrage of lasers at the last mutant, felling the giant with a great thud.

All was silent within the plaza as the three teams regrouped at the water fountain at the plaza's center.

Reddin said in excitement, "Aw hell yeah! This way better than that guard routine bullshit at the Citadel." The then turned to Vargas and said, "Come on, Lyons Pride needs me and you know it." Vargas shooked his head lazily and says, "Yeah kid, whatever floats your boat. Now head inside and get ready to receive your new assignment here. Your training ain't done yet Initiate."

"What?! Aw, come on, we just kick these freaks asses!" Reddin complained. "What, you think you just took down all the muties in D.C.? There's still plenty more where they came from. Now get your ass inside and await further instruction." Vargas ordered, not putting up with Reddin's attitude.

Meanwhile, another group of power armor-wearing BOS soldiers came out from the GNR building and met up with Sarah and Matthews group. The group's leader said, "Thanks for the assist ma'am, we needed the help." He then turned to face Matthew and ask, "So what are you doing here, civilian?"

Matthew responded to the Knight and said, "I'm looking for my dad, he's around 52 years old, has greying salt and pepper hair, might be wearing a vault 101 jumpsuit. Have you seen him?"

The Knight nodded his head and replied, "Yeah, I did. He left about roughly a week ago, took Star Paladin Cross with too. It's actually one of the reasons why we're having trouble holding the station." He then turned back to Sarah and continued, "She said that helping the man was important to something called Project Purity, but I don't know what she meant by that. She told me that Elder Lyons knows what it is and would understand its importance. Think you can get your old man on the horn and ask him about it ma'am?"

Sarah nodded her head; the Knight turned back to Matthew as he asked, "Did you know where my dad was heading?" the Knight shooked his head and said, "No, I don't unfortunately, but I did see him talk to Three Dog inside, he's the guy who runs the radio here, he might know where your pops ran off to. Come on; I'll let you inside."

However, halfway up the stairs, a massive explosion erupts, tearing apart a bus on the left side of the plaza, super mutants storming through the gap in the plaza's defenses, with more coming out of the recently cleared out school building. Unexpectedly humans armed with scoped bolt-action rifles and sniper rifles take the second-story building and fire down on the defenders of the GNR station. The mutants were armed with M199 assault rifles, automatic laser rifles, and space marine storm shields to protect them from any retaliating fire. In addition, the mutants were wearing armor that protected them and used tactics such as suppressing fire, taking cover, and generally keeping the defender's heads down as they advance on the besieged troops.

This group was well equipped, well trained, and better prepared than any other super mutant band the group has come across.

A loud roar echoed across the plaza as a Badger the size of a truck came in and snatched on one of the last surviving Super Mutant playing dead and bit down on his midsection, crushing the unfortunate soul to a bloody paste. However, all hope seems lost for the defenders of the radio station when a loud whistle echoed above the gunfire and roar. The mutants and their human allies immediately ceased fire and stood at attention at the newcomer.

Out through the smoke of the destroyed bus, walked a 10 ft tall super mutant, clad in black primaris space marine power armor. On his back was a massive black sword and an automatic plasma rifle with a reflex sight, a recoil compensating stock, and a boosted gamma wave emitter held loosely in his right hand. In the mutant's right hand was a comically small whistle in his huge hand. His very presence commanded authority and respect.

As he passed by his subordinates, they placed their left fist on the chest and shouted, "All hail Warlord Alex!" When he stopped by the giant badger at the plaza's center, he put his hand on its head and rubbed it gently, calming the great beast. He then turned to the defenders of the GNR station and spoke; he asked, "Which one of you is the one known as Matthew Howard?"

Starring at the giant armored mutant with pale skin and wide eyes, Matthew turns to dan and fearfully whispers to Dan, "I thought only space marines wear that kind of armor?"

Dumbstruck at the sight before him, Dan simply says, "We don't know. Why is he wearing power armor? How is he wearing it? What the fuck is going on?!" he whispers.

Carver then pipes in and says, "I am more concerned with how he knows the boy's name."

Matthew realizing that fact, panics and says, "Flark, your right! What the flark do we do?!"

Shephard being quiet throughout the experience, says, "You need to go out there and see what he wants."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Matthew.

"THE HELL?!" shouted Dan.

"HAVE YOU LOST IT?!" yelled Clover.

Mike then got in front of Shephard's face, a few inches separating the two, and coldly demands, "Explain yourself. Now."

Shephard calmly takes it all in and coolly says, "If he wanted us dead, he'd have already done it by now. He wants us alive for something and wants to talk to Matthew for it. Our only option is for him to go out there and see what that Warlord wants. If things go south, we can provide cover fire while Matthew gets the hell out of here."

Without any better options, the group decides to follow Shephard's plan and hope for the best. Matthew stuck his head out and shouted, "Alright, I'm coming out! just don't shoot!" and walked down the stairs to the Super Mutant Warlord.

When Matthew was a few feet away from the Warlord, Matthew nervously asks, "Sooo… what can I do you for?" wringing his hands together, sweat dripping down his head.

The Warlord got down to one knee, looked Matthew right in the eye, and said, "Your parents, what are their names?"

Caught off guard by the question, Matthew answers, "James and Catherine Howard s-sir."

Nodding his head, the Warlord says, "I see. And where is your mother?"

Matthew told the Warlord, "She died when I was born. Why do you want to know sir?"

Standing back up, the Warlord answered, "Because young Howard, you mother… was my daughter."

Matthew looked up dumbly at the Warlord, wide-eyed and slacked jawed in disbelief, says, "… Huh?"

Chuckling with barely contained mirth, the Warlord clarified, "I am your grandfather, little Howard."

Matthew stared at the Warlord slack-jawed, not being able to believe at the unexpected turn of events.

Laughing, the Warlord motioned to the GNR building and said, "Why don't we take this inside and talk after you finish your business here, hrm?"

The Brotherhood, with much reluctance, allowed the mutants inside and everyone else followed soon after them.

Matthew went ahead of everyone to talk to Three Dog, the Galaxy News Radio host, while everyone else stayed downstairs. The Warlord and his army stood on the left side of the room, looking dispassionately at the Brotherhood soldiers on the right side of the room, glaring at them with hateful eyes, with the exception of Colvin, who was reading a book with a cross on it, relaxed despite the tense atmosphere. The Warlord and Sarah Lyons stood in the center of the room, the knight glaring at the Warlord, her eyes not leaving the mutant leader.

Also at the center of the room stood Matthews group, forming a barrier to keep the two groups from coming to blows. Shephard was the first to speak up, trying to break the tension, "So I heard your soldiers call you Alex, that your name?"

The Warlord took his eyes off the glaring women before him, addressed the Soldier beside him, and calmly replied, "Yes, it is my name. It's short for Alexander."

Shephard further asked, "What, like Alexander the Great?"

Chuckling, Alex responded, "Yes, it would seem that history has a funny way of repeating itself."

Shephard then looked back at Sarah Lyons, who crossed her arms and continued to glare at Alex, grinding her teeth in anger, turned back to Alex and asked, "So what's up with her?" motioning with his head at the furious knight.

Alex waved his hand away at Sarah and answered, "Oh, she's just upset that she can't kill me at the moment. Her family has been trying to kill me for the past four or five generations. They have yet to succeed at the endeavor though."

Confused, Shephard asked, "Why do they want to kill you?"

Alex replied, "Oh our respective factions once fought a war against each other at the time. During a battle, I killed a knight who had a son, and he swore vengeance against me, and when I killed him, his son sore vengeance as well. And it went on for a few more generations."

Carver then asks Alex, "Is that war still going on today?"

Shaking his head, Alex replied, "No, the war ended over a century ago. The Lyon family just holds a grudge against me specifically."

Shephard replied, "Huh, sounds like Moby Dick, you're the white whale and the Lyons the Captain Ahab."

Crossing his arms and smiling, Alex says, "Oh you have no idea how true that statement is. Her father has done more harm to the Brotherhood here than I ever could, and I have done a LOT of damage to them ever since they been fighting me. It got so bad that over half his chapter left him because he was ignoring his true mission here in favor of trying to kill me."

Sarah finally snapped and yelled, "OH SHUT UP!"

Alex taunted her and coyly said, "Ooooh, did I touch a nerve? " he then turned to Matthews group and continued, "Did I mention that I'm not the only group fighting the Brotherhood? Their also fighting other Super Mutant tribes, Raider gangs, slavers, and various mercenary groups. I will admit their Elder is a charming man, but he can't strategize to save his own life, let alone his chapter. The only smart thing he did was seeking a truce with me, which I accepted."

Riddick piped in and asked, "Then what was with your men storming the plaza earlier?"

Alex said, "That was a demonstration of force, meant for the Brotherhood. Your group was simply caught in the middle of it; I'm sorry for startling you with the gesture. It's what everyone out in the wastes call a regular 'wasteland hello'." And bowed his head to Matthews group.

Dan suddenly went up to Alex and almost shouted, "I can't wait anymore. Where did you get that armor?!"

Not even phased by the irate Space Marine, Alex calmly explained, "a little over a month ago, my men and I acquire this armor when a group of roughly 20 or so men calling themselves the Black Templars who attempted to assault my forward operating base, with the assistance of a squad of Brotherhood soldiers. Unfortunately, there was one glaring flaw in their otherwise 'brilliant' plan of theirs. They ran headfirst into a pulse minefield, causing their armor to freeze up. After we drove off the Brotherhood soldiers, we went to the immobilized soldiers; they made their intentions clear that they would be more trouble alive. So, we simply killed them where they stood and took their weapons and armor. Then, with their gear in our possession, my army made a series of devastating attacks against the Brotherhood, forcing them to accept the truce we have now."

Dan was silent at the news, distraught at the thought of a force of Black Templars being so easily bested, while Carver cut in and asked, "Did they happen to have a radio or communication device on them?"

Alex nodded his head and said, "Yes, they did. We used it to monitor their communications to see what they were up to. From what we were able to understand, they sent a large force of Space Marines and divided them into two groups, one for North America and another in Europe, though they seem to have taken heavy losses."

Shephard piped in and stated, "You seem pretty calm at the knowledge of armored spacemen wanting nothing more than to take your head."

Alex wryly smiled and said, "When you live as long as I have and seen what I've seen, you be inclined to be open-minded to the strange and the bizarre. Plus, they're not the first group who wanted to kill me, and I doubt they will be the last."

Carver then asked the Warlord, "Then would you mind telling us 'spacemen' what this planet is called?"

Alex nodded and said, "This world you and your friends are stuck on is called Vita, Latin for life."

Riddick snorted and sarcastically said, "Life eh? The planet seems more of a death trap."

Alex rolled his head back and laughed boisterously, then replied, "Yes, it would certainly seem that way now, doesn't it?" he then turned to Shephard and asked, "By the way, Mr. Shephard, I noticed that my grandson seem to be well-armed, but not as trained or experienced as the rest of your merry little band of adventurers."

Shephard shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Yeah, he isn't, don't get me wrong, he can come up with some great plans on short notice, but whenever he's cornered, he just starts freaking out. Unfortunately, I haven't really had the chance to really train him how to handle situations independently. So the best we could manage currently is to have someone stick by his side and hope for the best."

Alex nodded his head and said, "it seemed to have work for the boy for now, but not forever. Luckily, my spies manage to dig up some interesting information that might help with the problem. It would seem a group of Brotherhood Outcasts has managed to access an old-world military supply bunker with a couple of military training virtual reality pods. However, they seem to be having trouble, enough to publicly broadcast on radio for hired help. Seems worth looking into?"

Shephard nodded his head and answered, "Yeah, it might just be what we need. Thanks for the tip."

Alex smiled and said, "It was nothing. I just want my grandson to be safe, and that VR training pod will certainly help with that. I'll mark it on your pip-boy."

A few minutes later, everyone heard the sound of footsteps from upstairs and turned to face the newcomer. Matthew saw everyone looking at him as he went down the stairs to meet up with his group. Finally, Mike asked, "Well?"

Matthew sighed and said, "Well, it looks like Three Dog did talk to my dad, and he even knows where he went to as well."

Jericho then states, "I'm sensing a 'but' coming up."

Nodding his head, Matthew continues, "He wants us to do something for him first. Apparently, some scutholes took potshots at his relay dish and wants us to replace it. He was even kind enough to tell me where it is."

Alex then asks his grandson, "And where would this replacement be at?"

Matthew then turned to his grandfather and said, "The Museum of Technology."

Alex nodded his head and said, "I know where the museum is. It's near my F.O.B. I can take you there partway, and then we'll go our separate ways."

Matthew looked confused and turned to Shephard for an explanation. Figuring out what the boy was confused about, Shephard said, "Forward operating base." Matthew said, "Ah." Then he turned back to Alex and said, "Sounds like a plan; you guys head outside. I need to talk to Knight Sarah here for a spell."

Nodding their heads, Alex's army and Matthews group headed outside to prepare for the journey ahead. Matthew turned towards Sarah and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Sorry for all of this ma'am. I didn't expect to find any other family aside from my dad out here. I hope I didn't upset you that the guy you've been fighting to be my grandfather."

Sarah looked at Matthew for a few seconds, lowered her head and sighed, pulled it back up, smiled at the boy, and said, "Hey, it's not your fault being related to the guy. You helped my brothers and I when we needed it, and I can't thank you enough for that." She then wryly smirked, put a hand on Matthew's shoulder, and continued, "Besides, it would actually be beneficial for you. Your gramps can help you find your dad with his extensive spy network; you'll be reunited with your pop before you know it."

Perking up from Sarah's pep talk, Matthew smiles and says, "Thanks, hey maybe we'll meet again under better circumstances next time we meet, huh?" and stuck out his hand to the Knight. Sarah grasps his hand and answers, "Maybe we will, travel well Matt." The two shortly broke apart, and Matthew walked to the door outside, the knights thanking him and wishing him well on his journey.

Down in the underground Metro Junction, Alex's army and Matthews companions traveled side by side towards Alex's FOB, where the two plan to split up with Matthew's group going to the Museum of Technology to retrieve a satellite dish for the radio host Three Dog and place it on to of the Washington Monument.

After quietly walking beside the warlord, Matthew asks Alex, "So what can we expect at the museum Gramps?"

Thinking for a few moments, Alex replies, "I received reports stating that a group of Super Mutants has been using the place as a hideout, their actually the damn idiots who been taking potshots at Three Dogs old radio dish."

Perking up at the news, Matthew happily said, "Oh, so all you have to do is tell them to stand down and we'll go about our business, right?"

Shaking his head at his grandson's response, Alex corrected, "Sorry, but no, those aren't mine. They are part of a different group of Super Mutants. If they were mine, I would either exile or kill them for half the shit they pull."

Confused, Matthew asks, "Wait, I thought that all Super Mutants are on the same side?"

Alex replied, "You could say the same about regular humans, but we both know that's just not true. The local Super Mutants here all came from Vault 87, another one of Vault-Tecs twisted experiments. I came from out west in California, and I lived there until the Chosen One destroyed an offshore Oil Rig. Afterward, I felt it was time I travel eastward to find a new home for my men and I, basically trying to build a nation of our own to settle down."

Dan, who has been silent since his conversation with the warlord back at the GNR building, suddenly spoke up and asks, "How were the first Super Mutants created?"

Breathing deeply, Alex answers, "That is a good question. Basically, every Super Mutant you see was once a normal human, who had the terrible misfortune to be exposed to the Force Evolutionary Virus, or FEV for short. Out in California, the first generation of Super Mutants were created around somewhere in 2103 or so; I don't really know. I was once a resident of Vault 17 when the Master, the creator and leader of the super mutant army, which was called Unity, raided the vault back in 2154 and took the residents prisoner, and we were dipped into a vat of FEV. The was only a 15% or 20% chance of actually working, so I guess you can consider me one of the 'lucky' ones to keep his sanity."

Intrigued at the history of the mutants, Carver asked, "And what was the purpose to all of it, world conquest?"

Shaking his head, Alex continued, "Not really; the Master did all of it so he could save humanity by forcing them to evolve through the virus. He believed that so long that humanity had any differences whatsoever, that they would tear each other apart and doom the species." Alex then grimly chuckled and said, "I guess that that Super Mutants and Space Marines have more in common with one another than one thinks."

Riddick nodded his head and said, "I guess so, but whatever happened to the master?"

Alex replied, "Oh, that? He activated a nuclear bomb at his main base. He did so because he discovered a critical flaw in his grand plan. Though Super Mutants could definitely survive in the wasteland, we were all sterile and couldn't produce children. He realized that if his plan were to succeed, he would inadvertently destroy humanity instead. So, he did it to try and save humanity from his doomed plan. Guess for all his faults; he had his heart in the right place."

Shephard piped in and asked, "Is the mutation curable?"

Alex nodded his head and answered, "Theoretically, yes, if you can inject the subject with a copy of their DNA before they were mutated, they would return to normal. But nobody had the means of doing so, so that means it's currently impossible for us to turn back into regular humans again. It took me a long time to accept what happened to me, and sometimes I'm still processing the whole thing, but it's getting better with time."

Matthew then asked, "So what about here? You said these local mutants came from Vault 87?"

Alex grounded his teeth in ager and said, "Yeah, they did, another one of Vault-Tecs wretched experiments. I don't know the specifics, but what I do know is that the unfortunate Basterds who thought the vault would keep them safe from harm instead found a fate worse than death. So don't feel bad for putting the poor Basterds down; you'll be doing them a favor."

Clover chimed in and asked the warlord, "So what's with the giant badger?" pointing at it with her thumb.

Alex reached out and rubbed the head of the giant badger and said, "Oh, you referring to Shadow here? She's a Mega Badger that I tamed on my journey to the Capital Wasteland. She currently just gave birth to a litter of cubs actually. You want to see them after you come back?"

Jericho then got everyone's attention and said, "As much as I love the fucking history lessons here, what are we going to do when we get to the museum?"

Matthew responded, "Well I want to get this over with quickly, so me, Shephard, Dan, Carver, and Riddick will head to the museum while the rest of you guys head to the Washington Monument and get things ready over there. Mike will help you guys figure out how the tech works. We should be back relatively quickly by the time you guys have the whole thing set up."

Mike piped in and worriedly asked Matthew, "Are you sure splitting up is a good idea?"

Matthew simply smiled at Mike and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm going with some of the biggest badasses on the east coast. We'll be fine, trust me."

Mike lowered his eyes and said, "If you're sure, I'll trust you. Just come back and be safe, okay?"

Nodding, Matthew says, "I will, I can promise you that for sure." The rest of the journey continued in silence.

Matthew and his team enter through the front door of the Museum of Technology, their weapons out and ready, but all they met was complete silence. Around the room, piles of green goo, ash piles, and 5.56 casings lie around the floor, an eerie silence unnerving the group as they took in their surroundings. In the center of the room lies a broken replica of the Wright Flyer lying on the floor, surrounded by broken debris. There were two staircases leading up to a 2nd-floor balcony.

As the group slowly moved up, Carver noticed something on his right and turned to face it, only to lower his weapons, almost letting them fall out of his hands as he stares at the object before him in mute horror. Noticing his battle brother standing still, Dan approach Carver and asked, "What are you loo-" before he stopped and saw the object and start shaking uncontrollably in fear. Riddick took notice of his battle brothers and walked over to them and look at the object that is terrifying them, only to freeze himself, his eyebrows rising and his lower jaw going slack, gaping at the monstrosity before the frighted Space Marines.

Finally, Shephard and Matthew noticed the Space Marines staring at something and went over to them to look at whatever is terrifying the super soldiers. What they saw was a 7ft metallic Skeleton standing with its back straight, clad in a purple and blue plaid Scottish cap, sash, and kilt. The display plaque says, "Ailbert Alastair, the father of energy weapons and Necron Overlord of the Saorsa Dynasty. Credited to developing all of America's modern-day technology, including energy weapons, robotics, and revolutionizing science as we know it. Unfortunately, he was attacked by a Chinese spy armed with the first known E.M.P. weapon and has been frozen ever since."

Matthew smiled and cheerfully said, "Oh sweet! I read about this guy back in class back in my vault. This guy is awesome! He made so much cool, kickass stuff. Hey, did you guys know that almost all robots today were made by this guy and told everyone that aliens exist? I honestly always thought the last bit to be complete bullshit, but given recent events, I guess that isn't the case anymore."

Finally broken out from their stupor, Carver quickly turned towards the boy and yells, "Wait, your people knew about the Necrons and WORKED with them?! Why didn't you mention this before?!"

Matthew shrugged his shoulders and simply replied, "Cause you guys didn't ask." This statement caused the three Space Marines to facepalm themselves and simultaneously say in annoyance, "Of fucking course."

Suddenly a pulse grenade was thrown in the center of the group and went off, causing the Space Marines' power armor to freeze up and to topple over onto their backs with three resounding thuds. The sound of stealth boys wearing off echoes throughout the room as 25 Talon Company mercenaries armed with a mix of R91 American assault rifles and Type 93 Chinese assault rifles. They were led by an unidentifiable individual wearing a dark brown heavy duster and rodeo jeans, an onyx black metal chest plate, an onyx black gas mask with red lenses, covered with a black military helmet. He was armed with a Vitan standard-issue plasma rifle and an extended ripper blade on his hip.

Beside the left side of the leader is a military green Assaultron with a large saw blade in one arm and a claw arcing electricity in the other. On its chest plate has the name 'KAR3N'. On the right side is an older man wearing the same gear as the mercenaries minus the helmet, holding an automatic Vitan laser pistol and a heavily burnt katana with a schoelt canister and extra flame jets.

Shephard quickly turned to Matthew and shouted, "UP THE STAIRS! NOW!" Matthew immediately ran up the stairs in a blind panic. The leader turned to the old man and coldly orders, their voice muffled by static, "Take your team and eliminate the kid and bring the head. He has a bounty on him as well." The older man nodded and took ten of the mercenaries up the stairs on their side of the room.

Shephard immediately brought up his M199 assault rifle, only for the mercs to raise up their weapons. Then, grinding his teeth in frustration, Shephard sternly demanded, "Why are you here?" the mysterious hitman calmly replied, "To claim the bounties on one Pvt. Carver and one Matthew Howard."

Shephard then asked the hitman, "Why do they have bounties on their heads?" the Hitman replied with cold indifference, "Pvt. Carver became a mild nuisance to my employers when he destroyed Paradise Fall and let their property loose. As for the boy, a recently exiled saloon owner didn't appreciate being run out of town due to the boy's action. Several other individuals have an issue with the boys' father trying to 'better' the wasteland. Admittingly, the boy has a higher bounty than the Space Marine."

A little curious, Shephard asked, "How much exactly?" The hitman replied with a small hint of pride in their voice, "5,000 caps for the Space Marine, 100,000 for the boy." Shephard shouted in complete shock, "HOLY SHIT THAT A LOT OF CAPS!"

The hitman then coldly stated, "Unfortunately for you and your compatriots, our employers specified no witnesses." Shephard determinedly said, "You'll find that I won't be an easy mark." Carver then used his psychic power to shroud his downed brothers and Shephard, much to the surprise of the mercs. The leader then ordered the mercs, "Spread out and search the area."

The hitman turns to the robot and heartlessly commanded, "KAR3N, find the Space Marines and eliminate them." KAR3N snappily replied in an ear-grating valley girl accent, "Ugh, you can't tell me what to do. I'm doing it because I WANT to." The sassy robot approached the last known location of Carver when Isaac suddenly appeared and went into KAR3N, it spasming wildly before stilling, the robot inspecting itself. The robot then turned towards the mercenaries and attacked them with the Assaultron's laser face, blasting a 3-inch hole into the nearest mercenary's chest.

Before the hitman could attack the rampaging robot, their Vitan plasma rifle was slapped out of their hands by a reappearing Shephard, it clattering by the Necron's metallic feet. The hitman swiftly pulled out their ripper and a hidden ranger sequoia from behind their back inside their duster, with Shephard pulling out his wrench and modified desert eagle in response. The two deadly warriors slowly circled each other, Shephard shouting out to Isaac, "Isaac, you take care of the mercs, I'll take on this asshole here."

Shephard then turned back to the hitman and said, "Your no regular assassin, your trained, professional, and efficient. Your ex-military, special forces?" Not taking their eyes of the Marine, the hitman coldly replied, "In a sense, was part of the Desert Rangers before our base got destroyed in Arizona, so a small group of up left the remaining ranger and became an organized group of hitmen, calling ourselves the Dark Rangers."

The Dark Ranger suddenly fired a shot at the Marine, who deftly dodge and fired three rounds of his own at the ex-ranger, the bullets hitting the duster, but failing to pierce through. Noticing this, Shephard then said, "I see your armor has been modified with ballistic weave." The Dark Ranger only nodding their head in response, then suddenly lunging at Shephard, slashing at the Marine who dodged each strike before slamming his wrench into the hand holding the ripper, causing the hitman to drop it to the floor, inspecting the broken hand, holding it close to their chest.

Shephard then holstered his handgun, knowing that it wouldn't pierce through the armor, and instead brought out his knife. As the two experienced warriors were about to clash once again, the doors on the 2nd story balcony burst open with the older man stumbling out, bleeding profusely from the neck.

(Ten minutes earlier.)

Matthew franticly ran throughout the museum's hallways, breathing heavily as sweat pouring out of his body as tears streamed out of his eyes, terrified at the mercenaries chasing him. Occasionally stopping to fire a long burst of laser fire down the hall behind him with shaking hands, trying to delay the mercs after him. The deeper inside the museum he went, the more the mercenaries maliciously taunted him more and more.

"You're not leaving here alive brat!"

"Should've stayed in your vault you little shit!"

"Your heads going to set us for life punk."

"We'll gonna get ya HAHAHA!"

"Your dead fucker! DEAD!"

As Matthew turned around a corner, he set off a rigged shotgun trap and took the blast in the gut, throwing him through a set of doors into the room with the Lunar Lander Valiant 11, the relay dish within reach a few yards away. Matthew tried to crawl over to the spacecraft, leaving a thick trail of blood before passing out from blood loss shortly after, the world turning black around him as he closes his eyes.

When Matthew opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in an endless black void surrounding him. As he looked around him, he noticed that he wasn't alone. Turning towards the stranger, he took a moment to look the being over.

The being before him looked human, with ethereal green glowing eyes, pale white skin, and oily black hair. He wore a WW1 U.S. uniform with a military trench coat over it. A strange black gauntlet on his left hand, with three small holes above the knuckles, a hollow tube under the forearm, and a pentagram within the palm in the gauntlet. He had a metal chest plate resembling the mercenary leader and two sets of reinforced shoulder pads and kneepads.

Feeling a surreal sense of calm, Matthew asked the stranger, "Who are you? Where are we?"

The being before replied in a southern accent, "I am Simon Bukner, the eternal necromancer, and guide to the dead, and we are in the realm between life and death."

Frowning, Matthew crossed his arms then said, "So I'm dead? Aw man."

Simon lightly chuckled and shook his head and corrected the boy saying, "No, you still cling to life, but you are on the knifes edge between life and death. I am merely here to present you with a choice that will determine your fate."

Furrowing his brows, Matthew asked, "Like what?"

The gauntlets palm glowed, and Simon thrust his armored hand out, changing the scenery to a golden gate in front of the two, standing on top of a large cloud that stretches on as far as the eye can see. Simon told Matthew, "If you wise to perish, you will find yourself welcomed into the kingdom of heaven. You will find everlasting peace, but your mission will forever be incomplete."

The Necromancer then thrust his armored hand again, the scenery going back to the museum, with Matthews bloodied body lying on his back, the Mysterious Stranger standing over the unconscious boy. Simon then told Matthew, "But if you choose to complete your journey, you will be given both a great boon and a terrible burden, granting you with incredible strength, but an unending thirst for blood." Simon then turned to Matthew and asks, "What is your choice, young Howard?"

Matthew thought about his choices for a good long time, weighing his choices. If he chose death, he would find everlasting peace, but he would never find his dad, while on the other hand, if he chose to keep living, he would be given great power at the price of a thirst for blood. In the end, Matthew made his choice and said, "I choose to live; I have too much to do before my time comes."

Simon asks Matthew again, "Are you sure young man, that you choose to live with this terrible burden place upon you?" Matthew nodded his head and replied, "Having to struggle is a part of life." He then smiles and continues, "Besides, I have my friends to lend me strength to help me out, so I can take it."

Nodding his head, Simon says, "Then embrace the curse of you father."

The Mysterious Stranger then crouches down over Matthews's body, reaching inside his trench coat, searching for something.

"Embrace the curse of your brothers." Continued Simon.

The Mysterious Stranger pulls out a vial of blood and uncaps the lid.

"Embrace… the Red Thirst!" Simon finishes.

The Mysterious Stranger then pours the blood into the unconscious Matthew. Once more, Matthew sees black again before his body violently shudders. When he opens his eyes, they are no longer a friendly green, but instead bright blood red slitted eyes, sharp, shark-shaped teeth replace his old set, his nail becoming claws. The boy slow sits up, taking deep, shuddering breaths, the buckshot popping out of his body as it rapidly heals itself.

Matthew pays no attention to any of these changes; however, all he can think is all overwhelming sense of thirst. A mercenary burst through the doors, a cruel, cocky smirk covering his face. Matthew suddenly locks eyes with the merc, stilling immediately. What he sees before him is not a man though, but rather a source of substance to be consumed.

The boy lunges at the merc faster than the eye can blink, sinking his sharp teeth into the man's neck, drinking every ounce of blood from the unfortunate soul. In the end, Matthew drops the withered, empty husk of what was once a man. Matthew takes deep, shuddering breaths once more before they slowly turn into cruel, malicious cackles, "heh…heh heh… hahaha…HaHaHa… HAHAHA…HAHAHA!"

A mercenary down the hall yells out, "Hey Bill, ya find that little shit yet?!"

Matthew cruelly smiles and leaves the room, the merc spotting the boy, his mouth covered with blood, and raises his weapon. Matthew rushes the unfortunate merc and slashes his throat, blood spewing out like a geyser, covering the boy head to toe in blood. After that, he simply stands there, then starts rubbing his face, smearing his face with the mercs precious lifeblood, muttering to himself, "Bloood… must have more, gotta have more."

He then hears the voices of the other mercenaries down the hall, cruelly smiles and menacingly says, "And I know where to find for." and proceeds down the hall. The halls then quickly echo with the sound of gunfire, terrified screams, and mad laughter.

The old mercenary taking heaving breaths as he presses his hand over his wound, tells the Dark Ranger, "T-t-that thing i-i-is a damn m-m-monster!" before a bloodied hand bursts through the old mercs chest, killing him instantly. As the dead merc collapses to the floor, Matthew is standing behind, a wide cruel smile on his face, brings his hand up to his face and licks the blood off it, shuddering in pleasure with half-lidded eyes.

The Dark Ranger quickly takes stock of the situation, determines that it's simply an unwinnable fight, and decides to make a tactical withdrawal. He kicks Shephard down to the ground and runs through the museum's front entrance.

Matthew then jumps down from the balcony, landing without any issue, in front of the Isaac possessed robot. Isaac nervously asks the blood-soaked boy, "H-hey Matt, how are yo-" before Matthew immediately swipes his hand, severing the neck cables of the KAR3N, its head landing near an immobilized Dan.

Shephard stood back up and looked over Matthew, tiredly nodding his head, and asks Carver, "Carver, think you can shroud me a few more times? I'll handle the kid." Carver then asks, "Have you done this before?" Again, Shephard nodded his head and tiredly said, "You mean knocking my teammates out when they lose it? Yeah, a couple of times."

Caver then called upon the powers of the warp and shrouded Shephard, and he sneaks up on Matthew, who is fruitlessly swiping at Isaac. Shephard quickly grabs the boy's arms, pins them behind his back, and sweeps Matthew's feet out from under him, causing the boy to fall to the ground. As Matthew tries to get back up, he receives a right hook from Shephard, who quickly follows it up with a left hook and an uppercut before Carver shrouds Shephard again.

Shephard does this again a few more times, deftly dodging the frenzied swipes from Matthew, slowly becoming more and more tired from each knockdown. Finally, Shephard pins the boy to the ground with his knee digging into Matthew's back, hog tying the dazed boy, then stood up as Matthew turned his head to the side to tiredly looking up to Shephard, who simply says, "Sorry kid, but this is for your own good." And slams his boot into the boy's face, knocking the kid out.

As Shephard looks down on the knocked-out kid, he hears a gun cocking behind him, turning around to see the last remaining merc holding an R91 American assault rifle, his hands shaking with fear. The terrified merc then says, "Y-y-your fucking d-d-dead, you hear me. FUCKING DEAD! A-and I'm gonna kill the fr-freak and your damn friends, a-a-and I'm gonna be f-f-fucking set for life!"

Before the merc could pull the trigger, however, a green plasma shot was fired and hit the mercenary, slamming into his chest as he screams in agonized pain, as green arcs of electricity rolling across his body as he quickly turns into a green goo. Everyone slowly turns their heads to who fired the shot, see the now activated Necron Overlord holding a Vitan plasma rifle, smoke coming out of the barrel. The Necron slowly looked around the room, taking in its surroundings, before asking in a thick Scottish accent, "Where the fook am I?"

In a large shed with the name Littlehorn & Associates, Daniel Littlehorn is sitting behind his desk, doing paperwork; when his dial phone rings and picks it up, he calmly asks, "Littlehorn here, what can I do for you?"

On the other end of the line, the Dark Ranger coldly replies, "The op was a bust. We went in unprepared for them."

Daniel lightly nods his head and says, "I see, well, you know our policy, the contract remains open for anyone to claim it should they eliminate the target. Oh, I should also mention that more investors have contributed to the bounty of Matthew Howard, raising the price on his head to 500,000 caps. Good hunting sir." And put down the phone. Daniel then turned back to his work, a black and white skull icon displayed behind him with one word above it.

Malice.

This took a lot longer than I expected, but it's finally here.

So, time to address a few things that happened in this chapter.

First up, the new characters. Let's start with Warlord Alex; the idea was that I wanted to create a sympathetic Super Mutant leader who wants to build a future for him and his kind. I also didn't mention this in the chapter, but he is married to Lily from Fallout: New Vegas, but I could find a way to include it. The reason why she is not in the capital wasteland is because he thinks she's dead.

Next is the Necron Overlord, I wanted to make a friendly Necron faction to explain how fallout's plasma weapons work because they shared their technology with the planet. I also made him Scottish because why the hell not. Despite being a Necron Overlord, he actually looks like a normal Necron Warrior with their back straight. The normal Necron is typically 12ft or 15ft, but I deliberately made this Necron faction unusually small for a reason that I'll get further into in the next chapter. Also, his name and Dynasty names do have significance, see if you guys can figure it out before I reveal it in the next chapter.

Lastly is the Dark Ranger, they were inspired by the Wolves from Ghost Recon Breakpoint. I just found the idea really cool.

Next up is the Planet's name, I did this so the world has a name, but to also make it easy to tell apart Fallout's weapons from Warhammers weapons, specifically the plasma guns.

I also want to mention what games I want to consider canon for the purpose of this world that will be fleshed out as more stories are released in the future.

Fallout 1-4, 76, New Vegas, and Tactics. I'm considering adding in Brotherhood of Steel, but I'm not so sure.

Metro 2033, Last Light, and Exodus.

The STALKER series.

Wasteland series.

Maybe Emmy the Robot, I'll know for sure after I become more familiar with the lore.

I also added a side plot involving the Black Templars chapter which will be more relevant to when I get to Fallout: New Vegas

The armor pieces I added to Simon Bukner are from the elite riot gear in Fallout New Vegas.

On a completely unrelated note, my dog, Taco, got into a fight with a possum as I wrote this chapter. After taking him to the vet, I got an idea, a small side story featuring your true as a Brotherhood knight who has a dog attacked by a possum and goes around the wasteland hunting down possums with a vengeance. Let me know what you guys think of it and I might do it on the side.

Also, check my friend's channel, Trypal. He makes great and entertaining content that I'm sure you'll be able to enjoy, please support his channel.

In the meantime, please Follow, Favorite, and Review.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Edit: I made a few minor changes.