The Lone Wanderer
Caesar's Legion Outpost, Kansas City Wastes
Neal awoke completely naked. His hair and beard had both been shaved. He glanced around him to see at least ten other men beside him, they too were clean shaven. They all looked at one another both fearful and embarrassed as they were kicked by armored men and screamed at. They were being ordered to stand. Neal's instincts told him not to look anyone in the eye, especially not his captors. Another captured man made that mistake and was beaten down and ordered to stand again. Neal's mind was unsettlingly blank as he listened to the slew of demeaning words cast in his direction. He felt and thought nothing. The numerous scars along his body meant nothing to him, he couldn't recall what a single one was from. He was a blank slate.
"You are now property of the Caesar's mighty Legion! You will learn to be Legionnaires, soldiers in his army! Being a Legionnaire does not simply mean knowing how to fight. It also means conducting oneself as befits a Legionnaire! Laying your life down for the Caesar and his mighty nation is a privilege you must earn!"
"The first thing you must learn is to salute your superiors and say thusly, 'Ave, true to Caesar."
The responses were surprisingly good, though one could easily hear the fear in their voices. A particularly scrawny and meek boy on the end caught Neal's peripheral vision. The Veteran Legionnaire seemed to notice him too, but he said nothing for the moment.
"Now, you will learn to fight. We have a few…insubordinate slaves that need to be taught a lesson. Prove yourself against those whelps and you might just find yourself in Legion armor."
Amata Almodovar
Capital Wasteland
Amata and Julian continued on their way back to Fort Bannister. The Republic of Dave had been a hike, but it had likely been worth the effort. Amata was pleased with the success she'd had in at least somewhat unifying the settlements and outposts around the DC wastes. Connecting the dots hadn't been easy, but the pipeline she had set up was working quite well. While she couldn't take full credit since she piggybacked off the Aqua Pura distribution, she did succeed in bringing previously resistant settlements into the fold.
They spotted what looked like a massive boy holding an ice cream cone. There was a surprisingly well preserved section of pre-war structures that surrounded it. Amata looked down at her pip-boy and saw that the settlement was called Paradise Falls.
"Paradise Falls. Why haven' we gone there?" Amata asked Julian.
"It used to be a slaving hub." Julian explained grimly. As they got closer, they noticed some sort of writing on the settlement walls. They cautiously approached curious as to what it was. On the dirty white walls 'LW is watching' was spray painted in blue on the wall. Next to it were a series of surprisingly good paintings. Some served to enhance the crude spray painted while others depicted the Vault-Tec vault boy with 101 written on his back, holding open a gate while slaves poured out. An inscription was nearby that said 'Liberator'. Another section proclaimed 'Join the Good Fight—Temple of the Union'.
Amata wondered if Neal had actually written the warning.
"He was captured and brought here once." Julian pointed out.
"What?" Amata barked in shock.
"Yeah, Tenpenny put a bounty on him and Talon Company found him. He escaped though. How he did it is beyond me. Slave collars blow up if they're removed without the key. I'd be willing to bet a lot of caps he was injured too. They always injure new captures, especially bounties." Julian mused.
Amata was still getting used to the idea of slavers and how common it was. It was proving hard to wrap her head around.
"I can't imagine…" Amata said, almost speechless.
"But he all pretty much put a stop to slaving once he had the resources. Then he went and intentionally got himself captured and drug to Pittsburgh. I was good with being a slave just the one time." Julian joked.
Amata stared at the mural for a moment longer, feeling all the more regretful about sending Neal out here the more she heard about the things he endured. But what choice did she have?
"I bet Alejandra did this. She was always artistic." Julian said with a smile as he noticed the Temple of the Union reference. "Come on, we should get going." He said playfully patting her posterior.
Amata only smirked at him. She was amazed at how he was able to stay so relaxed all the time. He always smiled and told her 'lots of practice' with that irresistible twinkle in his dark brown eyes. Amata had never imagined a relationship with him would develop when he came forward to ask for the open vault doctor position, but then again her whole life hadn't gone according to plan. She pulled her recon helmet back over her face and continued on their walk, with luck, they could make it back before sunset. Amata was eager to deliver the great news to Reilly. Things had been going well lately, it made her wary that something was bound to go wrong. She wasn't about to wait for that to happen. Amata was nothing if not proactive. Even though sitting back seemed the more desirable option it was too easy. She was not going to let herself grow complacent. She remembered how desperately she wanted to take a shower and shuddered at the reminder of Dave.
The Lone Wanderer
Kansas City, Caesar's Legion Outpost
Neal glanced down at the glisten of blood on his machete blade. He and the recruits had been forced to kill the disobedient or rebellious slaves in a small arena. The veteran legionnaires training them had told them it was a rite of passage. If they could not bring themselves to do it, they were beaten and drug from the arena. Neal didn't know what happened to the few who had not been able to kill the slaves, but he could tell it wasn't good. Neal found it interesting that any of the overzealous recruits that took a bit too much pleasure in killing were also reprimanded though not as badly. They were firmly reminded that they were ordered to kill the slaves not to brutalize them. They demanded the ultimate obedience and left no room for interpretation or twisting of orders.
Neal wiped the blood on the dead slave's ragged outfit as the corpse lay before him. Staring down at the poor soul's horrified expression Neal still found no emotion whatsoever. He felt something heavy and unforgiving thrust into his chest, his arms instinctively extended to catch the weight. He quickly regained his lost breath and looked down, finding he was holding the armor of his captors, along with white underclothes.
"The day is just beginning. Now each of you must adapt to your armor. It both protects and limits. You must learn to stretch those limits to become strengths. Before you can enter battle you must have the stamina to last the battle or in many cases, multiple. TO THE HILL!" the veteran legionnaire barked.
As Neal found his place at the foot of the hill, he spotted young boys no more than ten also being drilled. He suspected many of them were in far better shape than these recruits. Neal also noticed a section off to one side where Brahmin with packs were lined up. There were traders standing near them, preparing their wares for inspection by a legionnaire in a unique set of armor he had never seen before.
On the drill leader's go they surged up the hill, their armor flapping and clunking as they went. They quickly made their way back down the drill instructor, while on his way down Neal made eye contact with a woman wearing a cowboy hat. She stared at him as though she knew him. Neal continued down, listening to instructions. Everyone seemed happy enough to hear their armor would eventually be fitted. They surged up the hill again and again until recruits began to collapse. A voice in Neal's head told him not to stop and help. This proved to be correct when the veteran legionnaire howled that only the strong survive in the Legion. Saving another would only get you killed. They moved on to practicing with the machetes. Apparently this was preparing them to fight while tired.
The surviving members had been show to their tents and rewarded with a rest. Neal lay on his cot and finally thought everything over. His memory consisted of being awoken in the middle of the night by legionnaires and fighting for his life, then he found himself here. There was more there, it felt as though it was sitting at the edge of his mind. He just couldn't quite remember. He let it go and considered the 'voice' that had guided him. If he couldn't remember anything about himself, where was this coming from? He quickly drifted off to sleep, knowing he would be up early again the next day.
Elder Sarah Lyons
Megaton, Capital Wasteland
Sarah and Veronica were both looking at the massive mural painted on the side of Neal's old Megaton home. The man wore in T-51B power armor with the trademark 101 painted on one pauldron and the Lyons' Pride logo on the left breastplate, right above the heart. Sarah did her best not to gawk at the amazing accuracy, right down the minute details. There were phrases and titles all around the painting. One phrase seemed to lead into the others: "That crazy kid from vault 101…" Then titles and words of praise had been written around his likeness by citizens from the wasteland. It was beyond anything Neal could have imagined, Sarah was sure. She also could tell the artist had purposely avoided painting Neal's face or name anywhere. It was similar to how Three Dog never used Neal's name when talking about him. It was as much about protecting his well-deserved privacy as it was about upholding the persona of the Lone Wanderer. Sarah also fondly noted the Brotherhood had an equally large mural with the core values and common phrases written around the logo.
The Brotherhood was treated with the utmost regard for their efforts in defeating the Enclave. All Brotherhood soldiers ate free in Megaton. They were also profusely thanked by the town's citizens. Sarah decided she was going to enter the house, she fingered the key Neal had given her anxiously. She also noted that Veronica had been noticeably silent. Sarah unlocked the door and entered. The house was surprisingly well kept by the robotic butler, Wadworth. Veronica finally spoke upon spotting the Vault-Tec bobbleheads.
"Awesome!" she exclaimed looking them over.
Sarah looked around, remembering the good times they'd had here. This was one of the few places where they felt like they didn't have to hide their relationship. Sarah spotted a holotape on the table, she popped it into her pip-boy and played it. It was James' unique voice was easily recognizable he was talking about how it ate at him to leave the vault and his son. He also mused for a bit about how Neal was handsome and smart just like he was.
"Someone's a little full of himself." Veronica joked.
"You wouldn't say that if you got the chance to meet him. He was…very handsome." Sarah said awkwardly.
"So you go after his son, makes sense." Veronica teased. Sarah rolled her eyes, "Yes, that's exactly how I rationalized it." Sarah deadpanned.
Wadsworth jetted over to them, "Welcome! May I get you a refreshment?"
"Two Nuka Colas." Veronica piped up, inspecting the butler with intrigue.
"So, how did you do it?" Sarah asked, upon seeing Veronica's confused expression she clarified, "The hologram."
"I suppose I did make it sound like I was accepting full credit, at least so Rothchild could hear me, but that wouldn't exactly be the whole truth. It was very much a collaboration. We used a lot of tech from the vault John came from." Veronica explained.
"Wait, John is from a vault?" Sarah asked, surprised at this new information.
"Yeah, one with cryogenic freezing. He's actually a marine from Great War. I know I'm referring to it with the same enthusiasm as say, the weather, but I really don't know much about that. He doesn't like talking about his life before the war." She explained.
Sarah nodded slowly, filing the information away for potential use later. "That's amazing."
Veronica's eyes widened in agreement, "You're telling me."
Wadsworth had brought them their ice-cold Nuka Colas and quietly returned to cleaning.
"So," Veronica segued awkwardly, "How do you feel?"
Sarah got the sense there was more to her question, but she realized she hadn't thought about that the whole trip. She supposed that meant Veronica had been right.
"Pretty good, actually. The fresh air helps." Sarah said. She then cast Veronica a suspicious look, "Why?"
"Well…" Veronica said, looking down at her feet. "Arcade had this theory about what the problem was."
"Stress, right?" Sarah answered, giving Veronica one of her intimidating scrutinizing looks.
"Yeah, only… There was something else he wanted me to confirm." Veronica said sheepishly. She reached out and handed Sarah a pre-war box of some sort. There was a pharmaceutical logo on it. Sarah almost dropped the box when she read the printing. It was a pregnancy test.
"Are you kidding me?" Sarah asked, not able to decide on whether she was more pissed or terrified.
"Well if you're not, then good, right?" Veronica provided hopefully.
"I guess." Sarah said with a shrug. This whole thing seemed really silly. She'd been with other men before Neal and nothing had happened.
Sarah made her way to one of the only working bathrooms in settlement, thankfully it was in Neal's house. Sarah did as the package instructed and paced in front of the mirror. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment. She glanced down at the stick. She checked the box to see what one line meant.
Negative.
"See, I told you." Sarah said, exiting the bathroom and holding the stick out for Veronica to see.
Veronica flushed, "Uh, Sarah…" she pointed at the stick.
Sarah turned it around and looked at it, it was positive.
"Oh shit." Sarah cursed weakly.
Veronica decided at the moment protocol could go fly a kite. She wasn't one for following it closely anyway. She reached out and hugged Sarah, half expecting her to punch her.
"We have to tell him." Sarah whispered.
Veronica broke the hug and moved over to the ham radio. She called in to the Citadel and did her best to be subtle about getting them to track down the Wanderer. Veronica operated under the guise that they needed help with the simulation. There was silence for at least an hour, or at least it felt that way. Time seemed to move slowly.
"Scribe Santangelo, we have recently received word that the Wanderer's deep cover assignment is already underway. I apologize, but there is no way of contacting him now." The scribe responded.
Veronica cast Sarah and apologetic look, unsure of what to say. Sarah just stared silently at the table before her.
The pain and misery he had endured over the past few days made it hard to even move. His muscles were weak and incredibly sore. He had a few new scars. As he struggled to bring himself to stand at attention, he forced the pain he felt from reaching his face. Blood from a gash on his forehead trickled down into his eye and he blinked it away, but made no move to wipe his eye.
"You can take one hell of a beating, I'll give you that." The veteran legionnaire said. "Harden your emotions for to do the Caesar's will you must be decisive and swift. You must not question the orders passed down to you. And above all, you must not falter from our code."
A sinister smile passed across the legionnaire's face. "The Decanus that found you thought you might be command material, or a spy. Let's see if you can take the reins for a while. Send them out." The legionnaire said coldly.
Neal had no idea what the legionnaire was getting at. He looked over at the other exhausted recruits, they eyed him with hostility and desperation.
"Move out!" Neal shouted, meeting their glares with a glare of his own.
"Make them fear you or they will never respect you." A voice in his head said.
He marched with them and carried the cadence. He occasionally checked back to see that the flag was still flying and held in the proper position. They were beginning to get the routine down, but he could tell they were itching to do something new. From the discussion they had with one another in their tent at night, they had pretty much accepted that this was their new life. Many of the men were at least happy they had a consistent meal and someone to back them up. Neal had to agree with that sentiment. It was much better than wandering the wastes doing…whatever it was he was doing before he was captured.
They gathered inside the gates after finishing their tour. They fully expected to practice with their spears or spar with their machetes, but it appeared their instructor had other plans.
"Ten hut! The Centurion approaches!" Marcus, their instructor and veteran legionnaire also stood alongside them at attention. As the Centurion passed each soldier saluted. His armor was magnificent and seemed to make him appear taller. The cold, impassive look on his face told Neal that he was as battle hardened as they came…and putting on a show of toughness for his subordinates. The Centurion glanced around at the men gathered before him. Neal found himself enthralled.
"Legion, consider yourself fortunate enough to take part in the dawning of a new era. Each of you before me shall play no small part in bringing forth this new age. Our Caesar's vision of glory lies in eastward expansion. The order has been handed down from the Caesar himself that this cohort will have the privilege of executing the first strike in our campaign for the east. We will strike the first blow that shall send fear into the hearts of all who lay before us!"
All of the Legionnaires raised their machetes and roared in response. All of the Contubernia gathered and met up with their Decanus. They were to leave in the night and strike a settlement as their first major engagement. All of the newer legionnaires were to go first and clear out any resistance before the main force moved in. Sunset was only two hours out so Neal's group was sent to the Quartermaster to get their machetes sharpened, which meant they were fully recognized as legionnaires. It was tradition before every scouting mission or major engagement, every legionnaire got their machete sharpened. The higher ranking legionnaires did it themselves at their leisure. They were also each presented with a throwing spear. They all put their helmets on and prepared to head out. Neal looked around at the others in his Contubernia and saw the fear in their eyes. Sure, they were blooded, but not in the true sense. Slaves didn't count. Neal only wondered how many of his unit would die. Would he?
Amata Almodovar
Kaelyn's B&B, Capital Wasteland
"Up ahead is major raider haunt. We could do a lot of good by taking them out." Julian pointed out. He pulled his sniper rifle from his back and nodded in the direction of the crumbling house. They were both kneeling behind a collection of rocks so as not to be spotted.
Amata glanced down at her pip-boy and saw the place was marked as Kaelyn's Bed & Breakfast. She saw that not too far past it was Vault 106.
"Vault 106…why does that sound familiar?" Amata whispered.
Julian shrugged, then began to scan the area. "Looks like six raiders…and a dog."
Both travelers turned and looked at Dogmeat, a low growl rumbling in his throat.
"I'll keep Dogmeat here with me. See if you can sneak around and lob some grenades." Julian suggested.
Amata took a few grenades from Julian and added them to her belt. Dogmeat gave a pathetic whine when Julian told him to stay with him.
"Wait for me to take the first shot." Julian said, "And be careful."
Amata nodded and slid her recon helmet on, vanishing into thin air. She quietly made her way around the house and onto a hilltop. She bit back a gasp of surprise when she spotted the dog Julian mentioned. It was sniffing the air. Amata slid her silence 10mm from its place in her belt along her back and aimed. She two steady shots and then a third to finish the dog off before it could cry out. She quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed, but it didn't appear anyone had. Amata took a step forward and heard a ticking noise that made her heart jam into her throat. She automatically reached down and pulled the mechanism out of the center of the mine and heard the ticking subside. She sighed a breath of relief and dropped the ball of wires.
A gunshot rang out that made her jump. The sound of a human body exploding came shortly after that. Swears and screams filled the air as the confused raiders tried to figure out where the shot came from. Another shot rang out and another raider dropped. Amata grabbed a grenade, waiting for two raiders to draw closer to another, then she threw it. The grenade fell short and merely alerted them of her position. Thankfully, one of them was dropped by Julian's rifle. Amata drew her sawed off shotgun as the remaining raider fired at her.
"Hey over here!" he shouted.
Amata slid down the rocky outcropping and put her back to it. They would be on her in a moment.
She bit her lip as they taunted her.
"Found y-" The raider didn't get to finish his sentence. His head erupted into pulpy matter from Amata's sawed off shotgun. She saw the other two running over towards her. She quickly grabbed a grenade a lobbed it, realizing too late that she forgot to pull the pin in all of the anticipation. Amata fired a shot that downed one of the raiders, but the other continued to charge her.
"I SEE YOU!" the female raider screamed.
Amata scrambled, trying to reload the sawed off. The raider struck her with the baseball bat sending Amata on her back. She immediately felt lightheaded and disoriented. The raider was winding up for a fierce downward strike when Amata pulled Blackhawk from her belt and fired, blowing the raider backwards. Amata came up to her knees, despite being dazed and fired two more rounds.
"Double tap." Neal had told her once.
Amata sat there collecting her breath and staring at the raider's anguished expression and dead eyes. Dogmeat ran up to her and began to lick her face. He earned a small smile and a pet. Julian seemed to understand what was going on and put a hand on her shoulder.
"It gets easier." He said reassuringly.
"It shouldn't have to be that." Amata said grimly. Julian only shrugged.
"That's the way it's always been in the wasteland." He pointed out.
Amata got to her feet and shook off the dizzy feeling. She glanced in the direction of Vault 106 once before jogging to catch up with Julian and Dogmeat. They made the last leg of the trip quicker than anticipated and found themselves back at Fort Bannister.
Amata gave Reilly her report and headed to her tent. She tossed her gear into her footlocker. She was about to lock it when she realized what she had seen before tossing her things in. Amata pulled her outfit out and looked at the holotapes underneath it. The one on the top was labeled 'the other vaults'.
Amata placed the tape in her pip-boy and pressed play.
"While working on Project Purity and searching for a G.E.C.K., I came across a terminal in the Citadel that listed all of the vaults in the area. I was surprised to discover that each of the vaults had a 'purpose', while I couldn't access these 'purposes' there, I decided to do some research on what they were. Some of them I already knew, like Vault 87 or Vault 106, but had thought it to be some sort of fluke or an individual decision made by the Overseer or medical staff. As it turns out, Vault-Tec and the United States government had experiments planned for each of the vaults. For Vault 87 it was the FEV or Forced Evolutionary Virus, which is why there are now super mutants. The residents, usually the troublemakers were secretly used in experiments. While Fawkes remembers very little, his former self, head of security, took notes on the happenings.
As for Vault 106…that was a challenge. I saw a blue haze, and hallucinated that I was back in the vault. The insane vault residents attacked me, but they looked like people I knew. I saw Dad, Amata, and the Tunnel Snakes. After reading the Overseer's terminal I discovered there was some sort of airborne psychoactive drug. The residents became aggressive and eventually insane. The people I found in the vault couldn't be the original residents but they came hoping for safety…"
The tape paused for a moment as if between recording periods. Amata couldn't believe what she was hearing, she wondered what that meant for Vault 101.
"Some of my more recent searches have found a cloning program, a white noise experiment, a simulator, I also discovered the true purpose of Vault 101 in the process… As it turns out. The 'you live in the vault, you die in the vault' phrase was the intent. A dictatorial Overseer and the vault was never intended to open. The fact that my father was an outsider is what made our lives so difficult. Alphonse was desperate for a doctor to save his wife and my father was looking for a safe place to raise me. It seems all of the adults at the time decided to keep my father's…and my origin a secret. A lot of things make sense now. Like why we were such outcasts and why the Overseer hated us so much. He always thought we'd fill everyone's heads with ideas of leaving. It must have really worried him that Amata and I were friends. But she didn't leave even when I asked her to. (Neal laughs a little) Somehow she turned out okay.
Anyways, I'm getting off track, but what I need to get across here is that the Enclave is wrong. They want to restore the old America. There were some great things about it namely: freedom and safety. But its things like this that show that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. This world is awful, to be sure. But my family died trying to change it. The Brotherhood is working to change it. And it's the few good people like us that help those who can't stand up for themselves."
Amata just sat there on her bed staring at her pip-boy. There were tears in her eyes as everything sunk in. She had rethought the day Neal left countless times.
It was early morning and Amata had snuck out Neal's room and back to her own. She had only been asleep a few hours when she heard the sounds of the security force moving to wake her father. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could tell from the tone that it wasn't good. Fear rose in her chest…What if they found out about her and Neal?
Amata slipped quietly out of her bed and followed the security force and her father down the hall. She saw the light go on in the security office.
"Where is James?" the Overseer asked, his tone dark.
"He's just…out. Why?" Jonas asked. Amata could tell even from a distance that he was nervous.
"He's been out wandering the halls late at night a lot these past few nights. What's he up to?" Chief Hannon prodded, brandishing a baton.
As if on cue, a loud beeping could be heard, then an earsplitting screech. Everyone jumped.
Jonas looked fearfully around at the men standing before him. The security forces immediately gathered and began to head for the cog. Amata realized that meant they were headed her direction. She sprinted back into her room and closed the door. She tried her best to keep her breathing down as they passed. After what felt like an hour, Amata heard them rumble past.
"He's escaped! He left the vault!" someone shouted.
Amata's jaw dropped. She didn't even think it was possible. She still breathed heavily, but not because she was tired, but due to fear. The realization dawned on her. What were they going to do to Neal?
Amata desperately racked her brain for answers. She went into her desk and pulled out a screwdriver and a bobby pin. Knowing the coast was clear, Amata picked the lock into her father's office and went into his locker. Her hands shook as she picked up the 10mm pistol and stuffed it into her jumpsuit. She crept down the hall peered into the security office again. She barely contained a gasp at the sight of Jonas' lifeless body lying in a pool of blood. Her father and the security officers were arguing fiercely. "Find his son! I'll have answers one way or another!" the Overseer raged.
Amata sought her chance and ran down the hall, praying no one noticed her. She took the back, less traveled way to Neal's dorm. She dodged radroaches without even really thinking about the risk. Amata was too busy thinking about what Neal should do. She was going to save him if she could, even if it meant losing the person she loved most. She could cope knowing he was still alive. It was more a chance than he had here, right?
Amata was nearly out of breath by the time she reached Neal's bedroom. She shook him awake, panting. "You have to wake up!" she cried.
He stirred and looked sleepily up at her. He smiled, not realizing she had left. He stared at her moment and seemed to snap out of it at the look in her eyes. He pushed the covers down, revealing his naked and nicely toned torso. He sat up, pulling his jumpsuit on.
"Your dad is gone and my father's men are looking for you!"
"What?" he stammered, still trying to process what he heard, "Left the vault? How?"
"I don't know, but you have to leave too." Amata said, trying not cry, but failing.
"What's got you so scared, Amata?" Neal said, wrapping his arms around her.
She pulled away knowing they had no time. "They killed Jonas! When your father left, they questioned him and Officer Mack lost it. I'm afraid…"
"I'm next." Neal said grimly, but strangely unafraid.
Amata handed him the pistol. "Here. I got this out of my dad's locker…"
His eyes widened as he looked at it, then at her.
"I'll only use it as a last resort, I promise." He said, tucking it into his waistband. He looked around the room anxiously.
"You have to leave the vault, it's the only way. There's a secret entrance through the Overseer's office. There won't be any of my father's men that way." She said desperately. She then briskly kissed him, "Don't wait for me!" she said before running off.
Amata didn't make it far before she was hauled off to the security office. She stared wide-eyed as she was interrogated by Chief Hannon, Officer Mack, and her own father. She was sitting in the same place Jonas had been murdered minutes ago.
"He had nothing to do with it! Leave him alone!" Amata begged.
"Amata, you are my daughter but you know the vault must come first. Tell me what you know of James' plan to escape." He said in that sadistic voice she hated so much.
"I don't know anything, I swear!" she said, tears trickling down her face. She was terrified.
"Amata, I can't help you when you lie!" her father pleaded, though his voice still had that sickening tone to it. He let one of the guards hit her with a baton. She cried out.
In a flash, many things happened.
"Don't you touch her!" Neal roared, leveling Officer Mack with his baseball bat. Chief Hannon managed to land a shot to Neal's shoulder, which he responded with vicious swing that knocked Hannon to the ground. He lie there motionless. Neal's were as cold as ice as he stared down at the dead security chief. Amata was headed for the door when her father grabbed hold of her. She saw Officer Mack leveling a gun on Neal's back from where he lay.
"NEAL!" she screamed hoping she wasn't too late.
Neal whipped around with incredible speed and disarmed Officer Mack, he had also drew his gun, but his eyes found Amata's. He instead kicked Officer Mack viciously in the head.
Alphonse let go of Amata in shock, and soon found himself pinned up against the glass by his neck.
"You let your cronies kill Jonas and you beat your own daughter? I swear if so much as touch Amata I will end you right here!" Neal screamed as he choked the Overseer. Amata felt fear travel down her spine like ice water.
"Neal, stop it! Please don't kill him!" Amata begged, placing a hand on Neal's tensed upper arm.
She was surprised when he relented, but jumped when used the blocky 10mm to smash her father across the face and knock him out cold.
"There!" came a shout before Amata could say anything. She sprinted away, and made for her room. She heard the sounds of a struggle and prayed Neal would be okay. As she entered the living area, she screeched to a halt, almost tripping over Jonas' body. He lay slumped on the floor, with something falling from his lab coat pocket. It seemed her father's cronies hadn't finished dumping the poor assistant's body. She bent over and picked up the holotape until she realized it was labeled 'Neal'. She then placed it back where she found it, not wanting to chance Neal not finding it.
Amata then moved over to her desk and rested her face in her hands, trying to make sense of everything. Her whole world was crashing down around her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. What she wouldn't give for everyone to just forget this ever happened. But no one would, though some would forgive with time.
Amata felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see a man in vault security armor, causing her to almost jump out of her seat. She realized it was Neal, looking at her sympathetically. She would always remember that look. Despite everything he knew crashing around him, Neal was still empathetic towards her. It was his ability to feel compassion and empathy that helped Neal rise above the horrors of the wastes and become the Lone Wanderer. It was also his ability to be decisive and swift that would help him survive long enough to make an impact.
Amata threw her arms around him and hugged him and cried, "Thank you!" her voice cracked, overwhelmed with emotion. The sounds of footsteps approaching forced them apart.
"Go!" she whispered. Neal quickly slipped away. Amata peered out of her room to keep watch. She breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the Overseer's tunnel open. She decided to go after him and make sure he made it out. She hadn't yet decided if she would go with him. Her heart told her to follow him, but her head told her she wouldn't last ten minutes in the wastes. She had no idea what to expect and no idea how to defend herself. The sound of the vault door alarms blaring and the horrific screech of the metal cog urged her to move faster. She spotted Neal at the control panel and ran over to him. She looked out at the cave exit and saw the sunlight filtering in through the door. Amata realized she had never seen sunlight before.
"Come with me!" Neal cried, breathing heavily. The door thundered as the vault guards tried to open it.
"He's opened the vault! I need this door open now!" came the muffled voice of a security guard.
Tears filled Amata's eyes as she looked from Neal to the door.
"I… can't. Someone has to stop my father. I'm the only one who can talk him down! Besides I'd only slow you down. If anyone can survive out there, it's you." She said reaching out and touching his face. Seeing the sadness in his expression. She tried to keep it together.
The door thundered again.
Neal leaned in and kissed her passionately one last time. She returned the kiss. Both of them trying to memorize how it felt.
The door came open a little and Neal turned towards the exit. The door came flying open and Neal ran as fast as he could. Gunshots rang out and Amata screamed at them to stop. She saw Neal grimace as a bullet struck his left shoulder blade.
"Close the door!" yelled Officer Gomez, also secretly trying to let the young man escape. He ran over to the terminal and pressed the button to close the cog.
Amata watched Neal as long as she could, but the cog went closed once again. And she was alone for the first time. Doubting she'd ever see him again and constantly wondering if he was alive as the months passed.
Amata had always wondered going with him might have been like. From what she had heard about Neal's first few months, she was glad she wasn't there, but also wondered if she could have helped him. She had always thought that cold, calculating side to Neal risked taking him over completely out there in the wasteland, but she never lost hope. She realized now that it was necessary for his survival. He had endured atrocities that few have ever survived and yet he was still at his core the compassionate, selfless person she remembered. Yet here she was again, wondering if he was alive.
The Lone Wanderer
Somewhere in the Midwestern Wastes
Neal's Contubernia had marched through the night, luckily they had only run into a few roaming mole rat and a small radscorpion.
Neal noticed they hadn't selected a leader, he decided he would be the one to step in, no one else seemed eager to do so. As they marched, Neal glanced around and the terrified looks on his fellow recruits' faces.
"Has anyone been in a fight before?" he asked. Most shook their heads no. One man spoke up and said he had, however it was never anything like this. The dark skinned man looked to be in much better condition than the others and Neal recalled him being the only other recruit who didn't collapse the first time they ran the hill. Neal wanted to know the man's name but remembered they no longer had birth names, only the names they earned. Neal could sense the recruits behind him getting tired, but he knew they were getting close.
He moved over to the other experienced recruit and spoke quietly, "Fired a gun before?"
The man nodded. "If we're going to survive we have to work together."
The other recruits behind them panted, but one particularly skinny recruit managed to get out, "How?"
"Let your instincts tell you what you must do." The experienced man said.
"Or listen to us." Neal added, motioning to himself and the other experienced recruit. "If we play to each of our strengths, we can get out of this alive."
They slowed upon reaching the rest of the Legion forces that were massing just out of view of the settlement. A man dressed just like the one Neal had dueled approached them. He announced that he was a Decanus and therefore in charge. Their Contubernia (or tent group)'s task was to simply charge the main entrance. It didn't take much intellect to understand that they were practically cannon fodder. The Decanus seemed to be interested in Neal, for he watched him closely as they prepared to move out.
"Move to the vanguard." The Decanus ordered.
Neal and the others did as they were told. They drew their machetes and waited for further instruction. Within a few minutes they were charging, it didn't appear that the settlement knew they were coming. They stormed through the main entrance and swarmed them. Gunshots rang out, but the sheer number of legionnaires was too much. The defenders put up a good fight however, they threw grenades and set traps. But they lacked the conditioning and uniform training the Legion possessed. Neal and the experienced man barked out orders, calling for the recruits to take cover or swarm an enemy. They lost one man in the initial charge and another in a melee fight, but overall, everyone seemed to be on the same page, which seemed to surprise the other units. They had broken through the main gate with the help of the other units and began to do a building to building sweep as ordered by the Decanus. As they were clearing the buildings, Neal's unit was ambushed by hiding enemies. They wounded the heavy set Latino man, causing him to stumble back while the two recruits at his side swung madly at the attacker, keeping him back. Neal hacked down the waster before him and spun, doing the same to the ambusher that had injured his ally. He spotted a 9mm pistol on the ground and picked it up. It felt completely natural as he held it. As his unit clawed its way through the settlement, he found shooting to be second nature. Though he tried he couldn't recall where he'd learned to shoot. It felt like the memories associated were locked away somewhere in his mind, just out of reach.
The Legion had routed the settlement's defenders rather quickly and now was tasked with rounding up the survivors and non-combatants. The war dogs chased down anyone who tried to flee. Neal's unit hesitantly rounded up mainly adults. Sadly, there were a few children as well. The whole settlement reeked. A legionnaire known as a Fumentarius approached and assessed the captives.
"This town is a cesspool. It reeks of needs of the flesh and drugs. It reeks of weakness!" his cold voice yelled. He turned to look at the gathered legionnaires.
"These pathetic excuses for human life need to extinguished if we are to perfect this world as our Caesar demands." The Fumentarii's harsh gaze turned on the captured. "Submit to the lottery."
The Fallout 4 reveal was exciting! Any similarities between my fic and that are obviously coincidental. I realize the Legion sending Neal's unit out to fight so soon seems a little rushed but I always felt that they threw their new recruits right into the thick of battle to see who would survive. Anyways Sarah's recent plot twist will get a lot more attention next chapter so wait before bashing the idea as unoriginal. I think it will fit into the plot quite well (by that I mean complicate things). Thanks for reading.