It has been just over a month since I was thawed out and walked into a world that, as it so happens, was made for me. The time I had with Nora was a precious gift that can never be re-lived or replaced. If my son is still alive, which I am doubting more and more each day, I will find him. If he is not, then my plans remain the same - I will lay waste to the Institute and kill every last person in it. This is the world that deserves me. I am here to stay...
The voice started talking to me after we did the second job for the Cabot clan.
It was a simple enough job, find Emogene, Jack's little sister, and bring her home. Well, we found her after asking around in Goodneighbor. She had taken up with a "new age" preacher type and had gone with him to where his church hung out. That turned out to be the Charles View Amphitheater on the river that Nora and I had seen a few jazz concerts at. I think it took us all of about 20 minutes to get there once we knew where she was.
Before I get into to any details about what went down, I need to explain something. The British employed a group of soldiers called Gurkhas. These soldiers had a knife called a Kuhkri that was s significant part of who and what they represented. The belief was that if the Kuhkri was unsheathed that it needed blood before it could be re-sheathed, else the spirits of war would be displeased. Legend has it that the Gurkhas were knkown to have multiple scars across their hands and arms because they would appease those spirits even if the knife was pulled to sharpen. Why bother with that? The message is that a weapon of death is just that. It is not to be used to intimidate - words and presence should be able to accomplish that. It is not brought out in conversation to be used as a factor in negotiations. If you enter a negotiation with a weapon drawn, it is different than drawing one while in negotiations.
Ignorance of this simple rule cost the lives of close to 20 people.
We found Brother Thomas and his flock congregated at the amphitheater just milling about a bonfire and talking about their feel-good bullshit. Brother Thomas was obvious - he was the only guy in a suit. When we approached, it was clear that we were armed to the teeth - we made no effort to hide our firepower. It was not a move to intimidate - this is just how we travel because we have a problem with shit trying to kill us on a regular basis. I approached Brother Thomas, explained who I was and what it was we were there for. He got heated and started to yell. When it was obvious that I wasn't threatened by him, he reached into his jacket, and started to pull out a gun, while saying "Look I am serious..." or something like that, but didn't finish because his head exploded when I shot him in the face. Maybe he was starting to say "I am certain"? Not sure. Unimportant.
The real bitch of it was that his followers were just as stupid as he was. These dumb-shits came at us with knives and pipe pistols. It took us longer to reload than it did to kill them all.
We searched the area and found an office with a locked door. Inside we found a graying woman who looked to be in her late 40's to early 50's. This was Emogene, Jack's younger sister. Problem was, she looked at least 10 years older than he did. Not really being one for tact or diplomacy, I pointed this out to her. This is when we learned the OTHER effect of the mystery goo we found at the Parson's Creamery. That shit apparently locks your genetic code at the moment you first take it and will repair and replace shit (or whatever it does) to bring you back to that point in time. We didn't let her know a thing about any exposure that we had had to it because we needed more answers before we did that.
Apart from giving up that info, Emogene was a pain in the ass. She refused to walk the 9 or 10 blocks home with us, so I had Xao knock her the fuck out and we carried her til we found a shopping cart, threw her in, and pushed her the rest of the way. We encountered a group of raiders on the way back and for the first time, we weren't attacked. They were laughing too hard.
"Hey man, we don't want to know! You go be you!" They were laughing so hard I think they just appreciated it and let us pass by without forcing us to kill them.
We were about a block from the Cabot House when I first heard it.
"Your the one."
I looked around, trying to find its source.
"Stop. You can't see me. I am miles away... but I know your heart. I can help you find Shaun."
I stopped dead in My tracks. What the fuck was this?
"You okay, big guy?" Heather asked, going into a crouch, weapon at the ready.
"I am good - I just thought I heard something..." We started to move forward again.
"You are not losing your mind."
This time I kept walking.
"Do not believe all that you hear. I am not a monster. I am a prisoner being held captive by parasites."
Then it was gone. The voice, the presence. Gone.
When we arrived at the Cabot House, there seemed to be some kind of crisis. I had Xao move Emogene to a couch as I listened to what Jack was saying to Edward over the radio. It was obvious that more raiders showed up and had attacked the Asylum. Deegan sounded like he was in deep shit. Jack's mother was pacing about yammering on about how she knew "this" was going to happen - whatever the hell "this" was. Jack reminded her that it was her idea... I was done.
"Ok - Emogene is on the couch. What is going on? I want payment and then answers, or I am walking, right-the-fuck now."
They both seemed surprised by my presence. Jack fumbled through a cabinet and handed me four bags of caps. Interesting - Deegan said 500 caps and jack had just handed me two thousand.
"We need your help. What do you want to know?"
"How about, everything. What is the serum, where do you get it, how long have you been using it, what are you hiding at Parson's that requires a company of mercenaries to watch over? How is that for starters?"
For about 20 minutes, Jack rapid fired through a brief history. To sum up a whole lot of crap - his father found a city buried in the sand of the middle east that predated history. In that city he found an object that gave him a fuckton or power. He misused that power, got into trouble, and was subsequently captured and imprisoned by Jack. It was discovered early on while working with blood tests that his father's blood had interesting properties and could be made into a serum to alter the aging process, as well as repair a load of damage, increase strength, and protect against radiation damage. Jack had been searching for a cure for his father for over 350 years.
Oh, and the raiders were at Parson's trying to break his father out to get access to the source of the serum...
After securing an agreement for a load of caps, we agreed to go with him and assist in clearing out the trash.
It was on the way to Parson's that the voice came back.
"I am in your blood. You used the serum. I have been watching you. Waiting... The raiders are far too stupid and taking far too long. I need you."
I tried to ignore it. I fought listening to it.
"You have no choice. I offer you assistance in finding your son and the gift of near immortality as well... That serum is taken from my blood. Release me and they are yours."
"Why me?" I thought at the voice.
"Because you are capable and competent. Because I know that you will stop my raiders and I have no other choice. I have been imprisoned here for well over 300 years and I want out."
"How do I know that you will not go back on your bargain?"
"Because as surely as I know that you are going to kill my raiders, I know that you are one of the few people alive who can kill me, and dying is something I take very seriously. It is ultimately your decision. Either you want help finding your son, or you don't."
Then there was silence.
Upon arrival, I counted 11 dead mercs and about 15 dead raiders. They may have lost, but they put up a hell of a fight. Habitually I started to look over gear and ascertained that there was a small fortune to be made by the people who got to pick over all of the bodies..
Clearing the facility was like fighting your way through a haunted house. Creaking doors, cobwebs, dust, dirt, groaning floorboards... The only thing it needed was a ghost in a corner rattling chains. We added another two dozen bodies to loot by the time we found ourselves in the lab where Lorenzo was held.
"Now, I need you to go in there and stop those raiders before they release Lorenzo! I need to flood his chamber with zeta radiation in order to stop him!""
It was when Jack barked out that order, that I made my decision.
As we made out way down the hall, I told both Heather and Xao to follow My lead. Almost as soon as I said that, it was Xao who vocalized what I had been thinking.
"Why didn't he say "father"?"
With that question, it nailed everything home. I killed my father - but I still call him father.
When we made it into the holding chamber, we made very quick work of the raiders who were there. One of them was hopped up on the serum, but it only made him tougher, not smarter. Once they were neutralized, I approached Lorenzo's door.
"What are you doing?! You can't let Lorenzo out of that chamber! You don't know what he is capable of!" Jack was screaming into the microphone.
Still no "father".
I saw a tall, slender man with grayed hair on the other side of the glass wearing an outdated suit and a ridiculous hat.
"Have you made you decision?" His voice asked my as he stared at me.
"Whatever deal we have, extends to my friends here, understood?" He looked at Heather and Xao.
"Agreed."
I stepped forward and slapped the release on the door.
"What have you done!?" Jack screamed into the microphone the moment before he evacuated the control room.
"What, no family reunion, Jack?" He yelled at the glass that stood between them.
"Cain Lovescraft, Heather Casdin, Xao Li." I recited the introduction as he looked at the three of us up and down.
"Thank you. You have my eternal gratitude and I am forever in your debt." Lorenzo bowed as he shook each of our hands.
"You don't seem like a monster to me." Heather offered up.
"Oh, I am responsible for monstrous acts, but they occurred at a time when I was not accustomed to, nor in control of all the power contained in this artifact... That was what I was trying to explain to Jack for the last 250 years..." Lorenzo looked at the ground. "..but he wouldn't listen. At some point his heart hardened and all he sought to do was "cure" me at first... but after he realized that I didn't need to be cured, all he worked on was refining the serum. Now, will you help me in the final thing I must do?"
"That being?"
"I must repay them the debt of 400 years of imprisonment, while they lived like parasites off of my blood... How would you go about that sort of a family reunion, Cain?"
"I dare say, it would not end well for them..."
"Nor shall it... I have one final job for you."
I will have to finish this tomorrow... It is late and I am a bit, well, drunk...
