Hey reader once again, another chapter here, this time I'll be focusing on the relationship between Sarah and Amata, over the man they both love, leading to some very icy and awkward conversations. I'm writing this, again only a few hours after I finished chapter 2, so if you've reviewed, I promise I will answer or acknowledge it next chapter.
Cheers.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own fallout or any of the characters so far apart from Nathan, they all belong to Bethesda or Obsidian or something.
Where we left off…
She sat up, was it the vault? Or just one of her mind's tricks? But no, the giant cog rolled aside with a painful screech, leaving the entrance clear apart from one woman with dark hair stood at the threshold.
"Nathan…" she whispered.
The dark haired girl could only stare at the motionless figure on the dusty rock floor of the cave, clad in green armour and a tattered duster, his ruffled brown hair splayed out beneath his dirt-caked head.
"Nathan." She whispered again, scarcely believing that her former childhood friend, lover, and now legend of the wasteland was helpless and dying at her feet. The regret she felt for exiling him matched only by the sudden wave of jealously posed by the new blonde. How dare she hold him, her love, and the one that she was meant to be with.
The blonde stared in shock, it wasn't a dream after all, help was here, yet that help didn't move, didn't rush to his, just stood, alternating her gaze between him and her, flashes of hurt and regret in equal measures.
"Are you going to help or just stand there?" Sarah almost screamed at her, the stress of the situation turning the usually stoic warrior to hysterics, all reasoning abandoning her, the only thing that she knew was that he had to live.
"What… Oh, erm…- yes of course" the woman managed to stutter out, now flanked by some sort of security officers. Sarah hadn't noticed them enter through the door, all attention fixed on the woman's gaze, was that, love? Did she love him, there was only one person that she had heard ever actually love Nathan before her, but they had exiled him after begging for his help. Was this that person? She didn't know the pain she caused him, hell, no-one did, only that he disappeared for months, only to return colder, more ruthless and utterly remorseless, and with a circular scar on his temple. That was the Lone Wanderer that people feared, on both sides of the law. This woman was the one who caused that, caused him to push away all previous friendships, love and happiness, for that, Sarah could never forgive her.
She followed the trio numbly, staring blankly at the floor as they carried his body towards the medical centre, towards the technology that could save him. A sudden course change forced her to raise her view, catching a glimpse of a growing throng of people, all either muttering under their breath, or glowering with mal intent at the Wanderer's immobile form.
A hiss and a blast of cool air from ahead brought her back to her senses, the gleaming chrome covering every surface and the distant hum of electronics revealed their location. The medical bay, finally…
"Gomez, prep the autodoc for scanning and surgery." The woman ordered, versed in the ways of the wastelands she was not, but for administration, seemingly so Sarah mused.
"Already on it Overseer." The man called Gomez replied, "Done, its ready."
"Start the scan."
Sarah could do nothing but sit idle as the team, now consisting of several assistants in white coats moved Nathan's body onto a table, lining up a series of lasers on his chest and limbs, cutting away the armour, exposing the skin beneath.
Sarah noted the reaction of the Overseer with surprise, the shock and near breakdown as the powerful lights reached the scars covering almost every inch of his body. Ranging from the long thin lines by knives, the circles left by bullets, to the burns left by lasers, or the nicks and streaks from shrapnel. the Overseer turned away, her eyes red and her features distressed. Too late now Sarah thought, should've thought what would happen before you kicked him out back into a living hell.
A voice drew Sarah away from her thoughts, "Scan complete, analysis: large malignant tumours surrounding lungs and heart, noticeable signs of former addiction to several drugs, remains of an apparent self-inflicted head wound most likely a medium-calibre pistol, and, hmm… This is strange. What appears to be a thin coating of a hardened metal coating many large bone structures. How could anyone survive all of that?" one of the assistants rattled off from a monitor.
The Overseer was flat out crying now Sarah noted, however, she too was struggling to comprehend what the Wanderer had wrong with him, drugs, cancer, metal bones,? She had no more tears left, so she just sat there, filled with internal sorrow.
"What did you do to him?"
Sarah turned to see the Overseer looking at her with hatred, "I asked what you did to him? I demand to know!"
"What's your name?" was Sarah's reply, trying hard to retain some semblance of sanity in the face of this accusation.
"What? It's Amata."
"I'll tell you what I did to him, I took him in as one of our own, joked with him, fell in love with him."
Amata's eyes hardened at this revelation, yet she carried on, "But he came back here, to sort out your problems, then he disappeared, all of us thought he stayed here, then the reports started to come in of his home being boarded up, closed off. Of entire settlements of raiders and slavers being wiped out. Yet he came back, only different, caring for very little, pushing away old friends, venturing off further and further." Amata visibly paled, and left hurriedly, to go regret what she'd done to him Sarah hoped as she too left the room to find somewhere to wait, being avoided by the vaulties, intimidated by her power armour.
"Starting Surgery." She heard a synthesized voice say, and the autodoc began its work, cutting precise pieces of bloody flesh from Nathan's chest cavity, removing almost all of his upper organs, replacing them with robotic variants, his only chance of survival.
Several hours later
A hand woke Sarah up, shaking her shoulder, "It's done." She heard a voice say. Shaking off the last remnants of sleep, a skill useful as a full time soldier, she rose afresh, eager to see Nathan recovering, maybe he was already awake and talking, her pace quickening as she imagined the possibility of hearing his voice once again. As she rushed into the room, her hoped were dashed as she saw him covered in tubes, and surrounded by machinery, still dead to the world. Although seemingly comfortable, resting on a large raised bed, with plenty of space possibly for another?
Amata watched the monitor showing the room where Nathan resided, wishing more than anything to go in and hold him, fully preparing to do that, until that blonde walked in, even Amata could see her gaze lovingly at Nathan's prone figure, slowing walking over, dissembling her armour and storing it to the side. Amata carried on watching as the climbed under covers with Nathan, cuddling up to him, resting her head on his shoulder and allowing her hair to fall around his arm, soon becoming motionless, still in his embrace. Where she began to sob silently, thinking of what could've been.
Nathan returned to consciousness slowly, this isn't what death was supposed to be like, however this train of thought was interrupted by a sharp pain in his chest, trying to look down, his eyes were assaulted by painfully bright lights, forcing him to shut them immediately. He tried again, more apprehensive this time, and curious by an unfamiliar weight on his left shoulder. His gaze move to resolve this new mystery, pleasantly surprised by the long blonde hair draped across him.
"Hey, Sarah?" He muttered quietly. No response, she must be sleeping he concluded, allowing himself to once again begin drifting off into darkness, curled up with the perfect woman.
It felt like barely two minutes since he had lapsed back into a slumber when he felt a gentle kiss brush his lips and the warm breath fan over his face. Turning his head to that direction, he saw Sarah simply watching him awake; a small smile playing across her lips and desire filling her eyes. Along with solitary tear, winding its way down her cheek, reaching her chin and dropping onto his chest. What worried him though, was the hints of anger he noticed as well, however, he could probably deduce what that was about.
"Well, death is certainly better than I expected it to be." A small smirk gracing his lips as well. Sarah couldn't help but be overjoyed and saddened by that simple sentence. Loving that he survived, yet resenting his readiness to die.
"Why?"
That question shocked him, even she could see it under his normally motionless expressions. She deserved an answer though, to demonstrate his love for in such a powerful way back at the Citadel, to then drop near death days later, ready to die. He had no right to do that, no right at all. Yet even as she said it, her anger began to fade, becoming lost in his eyes.
He nodded, accepting her need to know. "I expected you to stay, hoping in fact, that you would." the hurt in eye eyes became stronger, but he continued, "you could do good for the Brotherhood, and I was ready to die alone, ever since I left the vault, I expected that's how I would go. Either a lucky bullet or an unfortunate infection. The cancer though, I knew I couldn't fight it, I thought I couldn't return here, so I accepted it, knowing my time was limited, but I hit me faster than expected, I thought maybe another few months, maybe weeks, not days." He admitted.
"What about when I came with you, when we were travelling, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" Sarah demanded once again, the sudden onset of fury dissipating into crying again.
"Because you would've wanted to stop, to wait, and worry. Having to watch my body fail me time and time again, knowing that you couldn't do anything to help. I didn't tell you to save you the pain. I made sure to at least get to civilisation before I succumbed, I couldn't leave you alone in the ruins."
This heartfelt confession tipped Sarah over the edge of her emotions, not in control of them anymore, "I could help you, I can take care of myself, I had to watch you almost die. WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DROP THE MASK AND ACT LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN FOR ONCE!" Sarah wept once again, the gut wrenching sobs like daggers to Nathan's ears. She clung tightly to him, soaking his shoulder with her tears. And he just held her, hearing and feeling the shaking slow and eventually stop.
Soon after
The door to his temporary room opened, and in walked the Overseer behind her, a group of what looked like scientists followed. Nathan taking a hint of pleasure at both Sarah's tightening of her grip on him at the Overseer's entrance, and the flash of jealously on the Overseer's face which was quickly brought under control.
"I see you're awake then Nathan, how are you-" Amata began to ask.
"Wanderer." Nathan interrupted.
"Pardon?" A confused Amata asked.
"Call me Wanderer." His reply void of any emotion.
It was now that the Overseer started to see the damage and pain she'd caused him, no remains of her first lover or friend could be found in his gaze. Yet despite his steely eyes, something he usually reserved for slavers and raiders, he hid how delightful Sarah's response was, snuggling closer to him, planting a tender, loving kiss on his chest. A move which he could tell annoyed the Overseer to no end.
"Very well." she could see that he help no feeling other that thinly veiled hatred for her now, yet she still loved him, which both reassured her and frightened her for the control he had over her. "How are you Wanderer?"
"What did you do to me?" He demanded.
It was one of the assistants that answer this time, "Well the tumour had all be destroyed your heart and lungs, so we replaced them-"
"You 'replaced' them?" Scepticism heavy in his voice.
"Yes, with new robotic variants, both more efficient and powerful than your original set." the sight of the Wanderer nodding in acceptance bolstered the assistant's confidence, enough for him to ask "Why do you have a bullet scar in your temple, and how did u survive?"
Even Sarah looked up to see his response, wanting to know the story behind the mystery.
Nathan's eyes darkened and the Wanderer's persona took over, "it was after my second exile from here, I still hadn't found my father…
2 years prior
How dare they, the two-faced bastards, begging for help, only to cast to him out like unwanted trash. He needed a drink, the only place was Moriarty's , that sleazebag, never mind. A few hits of jet later he entered he saloon and threw himself down onto a stool.
"GOB!, something strong, NOW!"
Gob and Nova both knew something was wrong, neither ever seeing the Wanderer even touch alcohol, yet here he was high off his face and seemingly wanting to drown his sorrows, or anger, or both. They didn't say anything though, they both knew how the Wanderer got when he was angry.
He was a good kid, never laying a hand on them, but everyone heard his exploits with raiders, their crucifixions with his homemade rail gun. Nathan saw a glass placed in front of him, and a foul-smelling concoction poured into it. It didn't matter what it was to him, he downed it in one, signalling for another. Gob dutifully, albeit reluctantly complied, the Wanderer necking it once again. This was repeated time and time again.
"Want to talk about it?" Nova asked the now heavily intoxicated Nathan, only to be interrupted by the man himself, Moriarty, shouting at Nova from his office door.
"What the fuck do ya think ya doin', I pay ya to fuck, not chat. Get back to work."
Oh how Nathan hated him, his hand drew his gun before he knew he was doing it. The aim steady despite his state, the reticule centred on Moriarty's eye. And he pulled the trigger, watching almost in slow motion as the pistol bucked up, the projectile barrelling towards the target. Entering the soft eye tissue a split second later, the look of shock on his face as the bullet carved a deadly path through his brain. Finally shattering the back of the skull and covering the wall in bone and grey matter.
Gob and Nova stared in shock at what he's done. Catching a glimpse of metal in the corner of his eye, Gob turned to see the Wanderer now pointing the heavy barrel up into his temple.
"NOOO-!" was all Gob managed to shout before he too was covered in gore…
Present day
Nathan felt his chest get soaked, moving his yes to see the cause of this, he saw Sarah once again sobbing into him, holding her tight. He looked over to Amata, a lone tear sliding down her cheek, he expected more, an apology maybe, it was her fault after all.
"I awoke a few days later with an unimaginable headache. Turns out whilst I can shoot others while drunk, I can't off myself. The bullet was fired at and upwards angle, ricocheting up off my skull, grazing the side of my brain and leaving via the top." he finished "Satisfied by that explanation? Yes? Good, now get these bloody wires off me."
At once, several of the astonished assistants, started to detach wires, remove needles and wheel-out machinery. Eventually leaving just him, Sarah and Amata.
"So… you going to kick me out now?"
"I at least thought you know me better than that." she replied with grief in her eyes.
"I had the same thought last time, look where that got me, high, drunk and suicidal. Come to think of it, it doesn't sound too bad." he joked half-heartedly, covering his true emotions with dark humour.
"We'll talk when you're feeling better." and started to walk out, but not before hearing his final response.
He scoffed, "By 'talk' you do mean kick me out don't you, jut want to make sure we're on the same page."
This hurt her more than she cared to admit, yet carried on walking away, knowing he was right…
That's it folks, the third chapter finished. I'll be trying to write longer chapter's in the future and the story becomes more canon based. Its difficult to get good long chapters on non-source material without making it cheesy or un-real. Another thing is, the LW has not yet found his father, imagine he got to project purity, but didn't find the tapes. So his father's introduction will be later than usual in the plot. Sarah's actions in the chapter is showing her attachment and reliance on the LW as he's the only one she has at the moment, and almost losing him almost broker her
Cheers.