A/N: Firstly I'd like to apologise for the delayed update when I did say I would try and write more often. If you've been keeping up with the news you've probably heard that Queensland, Australia has been flooded pretty badly. This happens to be where I live hence the delay. Also my third year of university has been my busiest so far, I've been trying to focus more on that. Priorities, it sucks eh? If anyone has been agitated I apologise.
Perry zipped up his new vault 62 jumpsuit and relished in the familiar feel. The smooth material brought back feelings of security and safety he hasn't felt since his childhood. Granted the suit was dirty and smelt of animal faeces but for Perry nostalgia was the greatest odour eater. Smiling to himself, Perry stepped out of his tent and into the sunlight. Today he was meant to be meeting with the Keeper's Loremaster in order to learn of Noah's history, he couldn't help but wonder what happened to these people since they left the vault.
None of the Keepers besides Ingrid had yet spoken to Perry. It wasn't that they despised him, they were simply nervous. Perry was the first outsider to be allowed to wonder the town freely, so he had been told. It was only natural they would be unsure about him. Still, he only wished they'd stop staring at him everywhere he went. Whether they were feeding animals, milking them or helping them give birth, they would look up at him like he was the strangest one there.
It's amazing these people seem to have developed a kind of loathing for their own species, he thought to himself.
As Perry walked through the crowds of wildlife he couldn't help but wonder where The Keepers got the food to feed so many animals. Sure the carnivores would be fine but what about the herbivores, or indeed the Keepers themselves? If they wouldn't so much as call a Lord an animal there was no way they were going to eat them. Which only meant they must grow their own food, but where?
Out of nowhere a Keeper carrying buckets of water in both hands turned a corner and collided with Perry. The impact splashed the water over both of them, despite the freezing cold Perry was glad to have his clothes washed even partially.
"Oh! Sorry about that," He said to the Keeper. The man just looked up at him with a blank face, like he didn't even register the collision. With what little water remained in his buckets he walked off without a word. Perry watched him go and for the first time realized how young he was. In fact, every single Keeper Perry had seen couldn't have been older than 35. What happened to all the older citizens?
The list of questions Perry had for this Loremaster was growing rapidly.
After some searching Perry finally found the tent he was looking for. The scrap metal door had a drawing of a large wooden boat on it, no doubt a homage to the towns namesake. He lightly knocked on the door. Almost immediately a young man with reddish hair opened the door.
"Hello, I'm Perry. The Overseer…" Before he could finish the young man interrupted.
"Yes, yes, I know. You don't take up the position of Loremaster without knowing when something like this happens now do you? I swear, you outsiders know as much as you need to survive and nothing else." The Loremaster turned around and walked back into his tent saying to himself, "Eat, sleep, piss, shit, breathe. Congratulations! You passed!"
And I thought the other Keepers were hostile…
Perry followed in after him and was impressed by what he saw. Inside the tent were walls completely covered with drawings, paintings and photos of animals. Every type of animal Perry could ever think of and some he had never even seen or heard of before. In the centre of the room stood an old vault-tec projector like the type he had in his old classroom. A large screen was hung on the opposing wall and in the darkest corner was the smallest and most pathetic writing desk Perry had ever seen.
A number of the pictures drew his attention; among the walls of photos were drawings of animals with surprisingly human expressions. They were elegantly drawn and looked as old as the posters that Perry would often see in the subways back in Washington. As the Loremaster rummaged through his miniscule desk, Perry approached and studied one of the posters. It was a beautiful drawing of a lush, green expanse. Crowded with animals all gazing up at what appeared to be a lion looking out over them. The title The Lion King embellished the top in clear golden letters.
"Should I go ahead and assume you can't read?" The Loremaster asked with thick contempt.
"I can read. I also know some advanced biology. Like exactly where I need to squeeze a person's neck to suffocate them."
The Loremaster smirked. "You stand up for yourself. Good to see the Overseer didn't let in some wimp who would only weaken our already small gene pool."
Perry turned and faced the Loremaster. "What do genes have to do with anything?"
"And here I was beginning to think you could be smart." The young man folded his arms and sighed. "The Overseer has explained why she wants you to stay here right?"
"She said you were dwindling and she needed to start bringing people in."
"That's right. You're the first in our history to come from the outside. So what do you think that says about our gene pool?"
"Well obviously that it would be very limited and you're at risk of genetic deformities."
"Indeed, we've had too many children who barely make it past two weeks outside the womb. It makes good food for our meat eating Lords but if we don't fix this eventually we'll die out."
Perry had to process what this man said for a moment. "Good… food? You fed your children to the animals?"
The man's eye slightly twitched. "Yes… we all serve the Lords in our own way… even in death. It is a great honour for us. There is no greater privilege than to be become one with our Lords."
"That's sick!" Perry burst out in disgust.
The Loremaster shrugged. "Better we use our empty bodies to sustain our Lords than let them rot pointlessly in the dirt. But let's get back to the point here."
Despite the logic that Perry could see in this man's words, his stomach was still nauseous at the thought of it. "We need outsiders to mix up our genetic pool. You're the only one the Overseer has let in and perhaps ever will. So what do you think that means?"
Still slightly sick from before it took a few seconds for Perry to realize what he was implying.
"Wait… what? I thought she was just going to use me to find other outsiders. Not…mate with you all."
"It's either that or the death of our way of life. And the death of our Lords."
"But… your people look at me like I'm some bizarre creature. They wouldn't do that with me."
"Some of them would, they were probably just sizing you up as a potential mate. Don't know what they could see in you but then I don't claim to know the mind of every Keeper. I only know our history and our stories." The Loremaster leaned forward, "And if you want even one mate you'll need to know them to."
Despite every town he visited in the Capitol Wasteland, Perry thought this group was undoubtedly the strangest. "Alright, I guess hearing a few stories will make up for your leader not murdering me."
The Loremaster walked towards his desk and withdrew the chair. He placed it directly in front of the screen and pointed at it, clearly ordering him to sit; Perry complied. He would continue to sit in that chair for the rest of the day and night. The Loremaster played century's old films of talking animals overcoming disaster or defeating some great villain. For the most part, these villains were humans but if he ever asked why this was or said anything at all the Loremaster would slap him on the back of the head to silence him.
Perry just kept his mouth shut and watched. Once the sun finally rose over the horizon once again, Perry was on the verge of passing out. It has been so long since he got a good nights rest he wondered if he could just… rest… his eyes… for a moment…
No such luck. The familiar slap brought him crashing back to consciousness as the ending finally arrived and the credits for long dead artists and writers scrolled up the screen.
"That's it; I sure hope you remembered all that."
Perry looked up at the young man but could barely see him. His vision was fuzzy, his balance was gone and he wondered if he tried to stand up would he fall over dead. "Could I just sleep here…" He managed to blurt out.
The Loremaster wasn't oblivious to Perry's exhaustion. But if this outsider was ever to understand their way of life he would have to know what they knew as soon as possible. But as much as he hated to admit it, he knew this outsider was vital to their survival. Feigning annoyance he said, "Fine, I have to go see the Overseer anyway. I'll be back in a few hours but if I see drool on the desk I won't hesitate to get Fluffy in here to teach you some manners."
The Loremaster then turned and left the tent, but rather than ponder who or what Fluffy is, Perry fell forward off the chair, collapsed onto the ground and instantly fell asleep.
A week after Perry had his visit to the Loremaster he still felt no closer to these people or their way of life. They seemed to have no personality, all they did was mindlessly attend to the needs of the animals with no sense of self or desires for anything else. The Keepers had a purpose and a noble goal, the preservation of these endangered animals, but at the same time Perry couldn't help but wonder if this purpose had destroyed their humanity.
As he walked through the fields of animals and their attending Keepers, he would examine the faces of these caretakers and notice just how empty they looked. Like their minds weren't even there. They were human, no doubt about that, but maybe that's what destroyed them.
They've been told their entire lives that humans are evil, disgusting and should look after the wellbeing of animals. But being human themselves… that kind of self-loathing must be unbearable.
Perry's only comfort during his time staying in Noah was Fawkes. Fawkes had a way with some of the larger animals so the Keepers asked if he could aid them. He accepted of course, Fawkes had spent decades reading about these creatures so this was his chance to study them in person. Perry once joked that maybe Fawkes should write a book himself, the next day Perry heard that the Loremaster was mysteriously missing some pencils and blank books.
Late at night as Perry tried to fall asleep in his personal tent, he thought about what was happening back in Washington. Was Sarah okay? Had Moira blown herself up yet? Had Elder Lyons resigned at last? And the Stranger, Perry hadn't seen him since that billboard. The Stranger made himself clear, Perry wasn't supposed to stay here. So naturally that made him stick around longer than he would have done otherwise. He didn't feel at home in Noah, but he felt that by staying he could defy this puppeteer. Perry was his own man; he wasn't going to dance just because this trench coat wearing trickster told him to.
Perry finally closed his eyes. He envisioned Megaton and what it might look like some day, his ears started to ring, which child from Little Lamplight would turn Big Town around, the ringing grew louder, what would Harold….
What is that bloody ringing?
The sound was filling his head; it blocked out every other noise and made Perry grind his teeth in annoyance.
Where is that coming from…
Perry opened his eyes. The tent immediately flew open as The Overseer entered his tent. The ringing stopped.
"Perry! We need your help right now!" Ingrid yelled.
He shot up out of bed. "What happened?"
"It's the Burrow, something's happening down there. We sent several of our Keepers to investigate but only one came back."
The Burrow, as Perry learnt a few days ago, is the Vault that The Keepers ancestors lived in during the Great War.
"Did he say what happened?"
"Yes but I barely believe it." Ingrid shook her head. "He said something about a ghost who seemed to appear and disappear at will. The ghost let him survive and told him to 'bring back the outsider and his brute friend'."
Perry's heart felt like it had been dipped in ice water.
Fawkes and Perry stood before the enormous metal doorframe into Vault 62. The frame was much larger than any he saw before and built directly into the side of the hill. No doubt this was to accommodate for the large animals so they could go in and out of the Vault.
"Do we know what awaits us, my friend?" Fawkes asked.
"A bit. The Overseer told me that they use machines inside the vault to produce food. They've been doing this to supply themselves and the animals ever since the war. There was some sort of conflict and they decided to live outside ever since." Perry decided not to mention that any Keepers who would have been inside were all reported missing.
"I wonder how many times I've walked into darkness for you," Fawkes said in what must have been his attempt at a joke.
"More than I'd like, believe me." Perry loaded Blackhawk and checked his ammo pouch. He made sure to put on his mercenary armour again as well as bringing all of the artillery they arrived at Noah with. With a nod, they entered the Vault.
The lights and machinery inside the vault was still functional, but for whatever reason they smelt and looked filthier than anything Perry had experienced. Covering his mouth they pressed on. Unlike all the vaults that Perry had visited in his short life this vault was extremely wide, lacking the claustrophobic corridors he was used to. They turned a wide corner and found their first body. A young woman lay against the wall, bloody sprayed across the wall behind her.
Perry knelt down and slowly lifted her chin. A bullet wound was in the middle of her forehead. He examined the wound and knew immediately what caused it.
.44 Magnum. Point blank range.
"Is it a warning?" Fawkes asked.
"No," Perry answered coldly. "A reminder." Perry looked up at the wall and noticed the signs pointing to different areas of the vault. There were the typical rooms; residential, reactor, but one drew his gaze.
Perry stood up, and examined the signs more closely. He barely saw it before but now it was clear. He lifted his hand up and tapped on the sign that read Animal Studies. "This is where He wants us to go."
"How do you know?"
In response Perry brightened his PipBoy light and flashed it on the sign. The green light illuminated an invisible 'X' that had been drawn on the sign. At the back of his mind Perry thought it'd be insane to follow. In all likelihood he was walking into some sort of trap. But something pushed him on; something told him he had to do this. It was the drive to know; he was sick of being in the dark and wanted to hear what this Stranger was doing.
Why save me so many times? Why bring me out here to begin with?
He was going to get his answers no matter what.
The companions continued on into the vault, following the signs that pointed them deeper and deeper into the ancient shelter. Eventually, they faced a large metallic door with no known method of opening it.
What now, genius?
Perry looked around the wide corridor and noticed a window to the side. Through it he saw a room with a single operating computer sitting on a desk. He motioned for Fawkes to follow and approached the glass. With a nod from Perry, Fawkes smashed his enormous fists into the window, instantly shattering it. Smiling, Perry climbed into the room. He walked towards the computer while putting Blackhawk away and started up the machine.
Typing in some basic commands he tried to find out what exactly this computer was connected to and if it could open the door. To his annoyance the computer was only a personal diary but one of the chapter titles drew his gaze.
December 4th, 2072. Where Are the Animals Going?
Has it really been a year since I moved into this place? The time has gone by so quickly I wonder where it all went. Just like the animals. The ones under my care were examined by the science team; I tried to tell them my years as a veterinarian assured me nothing was wrong with them but they insisted that they were suffering that strange illness that's been going around and took them away.
What was the point of having vets like me brought in to take care of the animals if the science team has the last say about what happens to them? I should probably cut them some slack though, they're studying how to ensure their survival after all. I just wish they didn't bring in those damn animal rights activists. They don't really contribute anything to the vault as a whole, all they ever do is cuddle the smaller animals and say how much better animals are to humans.
I swear those idiots would make us worship animals if they could.
As Perry finished the diary chapter he became aware of the ringing in his ears again. Ignoring it, he read the next entry.
January 18th, 2076
We've been lied to. This was all a lie. It all started when that THING came out of the science facility. Some gigantic monster with huge claws. It spoke to us, told us about the horrible things the scientists were doing to the animals. It wants us to rise up, to do what we were meant to and save the animals.
"Azrael." Perry muttered under his breathe.
This is history. We're going to preserve these creatures and not let them be tested on. They're living beings; they feel pain just like we do. Just like those scientists are going to…
Distracting him from the chapter was the sound of metal scratching against metal and the ground shaking slightly. He walked back to the window and saw Fawkes examining the now unblocked doorway.
"Well done my friend," Fawkes complimented. "The way is clear."
Perry looked back over his shoulder at the silent computer. Was it something he did? Shrugging it off, he climbed back out of the room and rejoined Fawkes as they continued their search. The corridors were different this far in. He knew that no one has been here for centuries. The metal was corroded and red. The air was foul and reminded Perry of the very vault he first met Fawkes.
"This place…" Fawkes muttered.
The ringing was getting louder with every step. They noticed an unmarked door to the side. Perry pushed the button beside it and it opened to a vast chamber filled with enormous vats. Fawkes and Perry looked at each other before stepping inside. As they walked among the metallic containers Perry tapped them with his armoured finger.
"There's something in these things."
"You're right about that, kiddo."
Perry whipped around and fired three rapid shots at the trench coat wearing figure behind him. The Stranger just smiled. Not a single bullet hit him.
"How have you been kid? Getting plenty of rest to move on to bigger and better things I hope?" He talked like Perry and he were old friends. Perry was having none of it.
"Why have you done this? What's going on?" He kept Blackhawk trained on the Stranger, even though he knew it was futile. Fawkes growled next to Perry, clearly as anxious about this as he was.
The Stranger smiled and stretched his arm out to his side. "This! This is what's happening. It's the old world, kid. Look at these babies!" The Stranger walked down the row of vats with Perry and Fawkes carefully watching him. He turned back to the companions, "Do you have any idea what all this is capable of? That little water cleaner your pappa made has nothing compared to what we were capable of back in the swinging days. Let me give you an example." The Stranger clicked his fingers and bars of bright light materialised around Perry and Fawkes. A panel of light appeared under their feet and the bars, Perry realised, were cages. He grabbed on to a bar of light and tried to break it but it was as hard as metal.
"What the hell is this?" Perry shouted.
"Hard-Light Cages, kid."
Perry heard a roar as Fawkes went mad inside his own light cage. He smashed his enormous fists into the light but they barely moved from his blows. "Ain't any use kid. These things have imprisoned tougher beasts than your little side kick here." The cages lifted off the ground, carrying Perry and Fawkes with them. "I tried to tell you kid. You're a part of something much bigger than you know but you thought you could live in this little freak show. A regular fish in a mutant pond. Doesn't work like that."
Fawke's cage flew up and hovered above the closest vat.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Perry shouted.
"Each vault was also part of something larger. The advancement of the human race. But we never advance without sacrifice. We never move on without leaving something behind." Perry's cage drifted up high enough that he could see over the vat. The metallic cover of the vat opened up to reveal a sickly green liquid inside. "We managed to make great strides in this vault. And we didn't even need to sacrifice people to do it. The animals this vault tested pushed the boundaries of what we were capable of. But then these soft-hearted hippies couldn't accept it. Then the war happened. The world froze in the nuclear fire. But now it's happening kid. We're taking it all back."
Perry was horrified. Fawkes was still furiously attempting to break his cage. Perry screamed, "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?"
The figure below him chuckled. "You? It was never about you. It was never about me. We're playing our parts. You were always going to come out this way, but by choosing your little 'escape' just meant less work for us. There is someone I want you to meet, and you're going to help him whether you choose to or not." The Stranger paused. "You chose not." He clicked his fingers.
The Light-Cage surrounding Fawkes disappeared. With a furious scream Fawkes fell into the vat. Perry could only watch in horror. The ringing in his ears was now so loud it felt like his head was about to split open. He clutched his head and yelled in pain, horror, and despair. He couldn't see. He couldn't think. There was only the sound of his failure and his pain. He fell to his knees and barely glimpsed the image of his only remaining friend disappearing into the liquid.
Perry was shaking from the pain, his hands still clutching his head perhaps to try and contain the noise. Bubbles appeared on the surface of the liquid. Was it Fawkes? Was he still alive?
A furious creature broke the surface of the liquid. It was Fawkes but he was thrashing about the surface. He was in pain. He was going mad. This was not Fawkes, this was the monster inside of him. Perry watched as the figure's skin bubbled and expanded, his hands grew and developed hideous spikes and always it roared in pain… and anger. Terrifying anger.
Over the roaring Perry could hear laughter. "Isn't it beautiful?" The Stranger yelled in gleeful triumph. "The pride of the old world! Now it's time to reclaim the new!" The monster that was once Fawkes slashed the walls of the vat, the containers disgusting contents spilled out over the floor. Perry watched above as the creature, now freed from the vat, furiously rushed around the room destroying everything in its path. It noticed the door and collided with the wall, tearing it apart. He broke into the large corridor, barely able to fit, and vanished around the corner. Perry could still hear the sound of its powerful steps shrink off into the distance… towards Noah.
"Fawkes! Stop! Damn you, stop this!"
"It's progress kid. You didn't want to move on, so now I need to remove any reason for you to stay."
"No! Fuck you! Fuck you and your fucking plans!"
"Language, kid." Perry's cage drifted back down and floated just above the surface of the spilt liquid. Why the liquid that was pouring around the Stranger's feet had no effect Perry couldn't fathom, nor did he care. He just wanted to stop all this; he wanted to silence the noise, he needed to do something.
"There's nothing you can do, Perry my boy." He looked up at the smirking figure and realised he hated him. Furiously, unwaveringly despised this man with every ounce of his being. The Enclave, the super mutants, they were faceless unambiguous evils. The Stranger? This was a man who ruined his life and turned his best friend into a monster. There were no words that could describe how much he wanted to see this man die.
"Awww," The Stranger said mockingly. "You don't like me now eh? That's a pity; I was hoping we could be best friends and grab a beer at the bar." He reached into Perry's cage, his hands moving effortlessly through the Hard-Lights, and grabbed his throat. He pulled Perry up to the bars and leaned forward. "You listen to me kid, I can do more than ruin your life and turn your pet into the freak he always was. This country ain't as safe as it used to be. There are horrors I could send you to that would make hell into a vacation. But I won't because I want you to do something for me."
A bright light blinded Perry, he felt like he was being squeezed into a tiny hole and pushed back out the other end, all the whole the Stranger's hand was firmly holding his throat. As the light disappeared, he felt solid ground beneath his feet. His eyes adjusted and he realised he was standing out in the Wasteland in the middle of the night. The hand let go of his throat and he fell to the dirt coughing. The ringing intensified again and he was now screaming in pain in the dirt.
"How long can you endure that kid? I can make it stop. You just have to do as I say."
Perry surrendered.
"YES! STOP IT STOP IT!" The ringing stopped. Perry was lying on the ground taking deep, desperate breathes.
"That's more like it."
Somewhere in the distance Perry could hear the sound of screams. Were they his own? No they were the sound of women's, the cries of animals. He slowly got to his feet and searched the horizon. He saw the familiar sight of Noah's gate, but was lit behind with fire and the shadow of an enormous creature destroying everything around it. There was gunfire, but it was quickly silenced. There were the cries of animals that would never be heard again.
Perry slowly stumbled around and faced the Stranger. He wanted to hit this man, he wanted to hurt him. But he had nothing now. All he had was this Stranger's orders.
Choking, Perry managed to sputter out, "What… do you want me to do."
"Go West. You'll make it; I'll make sure of that. When you reach your goal, I'll let you know. Have a little faith, okay kid?" Perry responded with a dry, painful cough. "Check that little toy on your wrist; I'll see you soon kid." Perry brought his Pipboy up to his face and noticed a note had been added. He looked up at the Stranger but, at long last, he had left. Perry fell to his knees to give his legs a rest and slowly opened the note.
The lonesome road is on and on,
In every way and direction,
Through dark and thick till it's gone,
In each its confusion and section.
Beneath the fields of earthly way,
Where the empathy of beat lies,
When young becomes old yesterday,
With clouds on remoteness skies.
Where real is in its dream only,
Forsaken to the dark and night,
And every footstep walked lonely.
From hours of the gone bright,
Our love has only there been,
With sparks of wishes in the heart,
In between cracks not yet seen,
In our existence of another start.
Times are calling through the field,
With days to the front in need,
Where stories from the old did yield,
Beauty that boondocks gloried.
When days where in green awake,
In breathing of young and bold,
And the ground was not forsake,
In our slip-up ways stronghold.
The lonesome road is on and on,
In every way and direction,
Through dark and thick till it's gone,
In each its confusion and section.
Though still there is life out there,
Those give us a turn into gold,
By dreams confronted everywhere,
That never again become old.
Perry's arm fell at his side. He didn't have the strength to hold it up anymore. He fell forward face-first into the dirt and slipped into sleep.
The warmth of the sun woke Perry from his slumber. His neck was now burnt and he could hear noises in the distance. He pushed himself up from the ground and saw the smouldering ruins of Noah, the last haven of so many animals. With difficulty, he raised himself onto his feet and looked around. There was a sign that he never noticed before with an arrow pointing along the road. Official looking words were covered by white paint that spelt "The Lonesome Road".
This was his goal. He had nothing, no one, and so nothing left to loose. Nothing left to weigh him down. He took his first step along the Lonesome Road, never knowing he was not the only one.
A/N: Well that was a massive chapter, I had originally thought to make this two but considering how long it's been since my last update I guess I felt I owed something like this to the readers. I apologise again for the long wait but I'm afraid I have more bad news. I'm going away to Europe for 3 weeks so I won't be able to update until I get back. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and can hold you over until the next one. As always reviews and criticisms appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
The poem is "The Lonesome Road" by Peter S. Quinn.