First off as those of you can tell this chapter has replaced the original Awakening chapter that I had posted before. I know some of you will not like this but I felt it best for me to do so. As I sat down to write the next chapter for the original I felt like something was missing. I put off writing the chapter and spent a few days just thinking about what I did not like with the original. My conclusion was that the main character was simply to well informed and that felt wrong for a Fallout inspired game. For in the games the main character usually does not understand what is going on and only through traveling the waste does he or she discover the full story. So I felt that the main character started off knowing to much and this prevented him from really learning about the world that to me felt boring.
I apologize for doing this to those who did like the original but I feel that doing this betters the story. Note however that I am changing the how the main character is introduced to this world, not necessarily the back story, although I have a few ideas on how to slightly augment it.
As always read and enjoy and be sure to submit a review with any thoughts or opinions.
Awakening
He was cold. This was the first thought that passed through the courier's mind. A few seconds passed by and he began to hear a hiss. Warmth flooded around him causing goose bumps to bubble all over his body. With a slight rumble he felt gravity take hold of him and his body tumbled to the like a heavy sack casually tossed to the ground. Blinded and confused as well as in pain he stayed still. He was on his stomach and could feel heat radiating from the floor. The air tasted dusty and old as he took labored breaths. His muscles felt weak and he was nauseous as his stomach rolled around itself upon his awakening The warmth that he first happily felt began to grow into a dry heat causing him to sweat as his body attempted to cool him down.
After a few moments of him gathering his thoughts together the courier moved into a sitting position. As he sat he began to notice a blurred red light as his vision slowly came back to him. The flashes at became painful as they grew more in clarity. He closed his eyes as his vision came back to him. Soon he noticed the pulsing red light permeating his eyelids and he began to squint his eyes open. After he determined that his eyes had adjusted well enough he opened them fully revealing the room he was in.
He looked around and felt somewhat disoriented. While the red light illuminated the room, it only did so for a short time. It flashed every couple of seconds and between the flashes were periods of absolute darkness. The situation he was in was reminiscent of a tale of horror, many of which he experienced personally. Fear began to worm its way into the recesses of his mind and he focused on keeping himself under control. The fear did do some good as it caused adrenaline to began coursing through his system giving him much needed strength and energy.
He turned around to where he fell from and saw a stasis pod, the very same one he went under in. To him it felt like hours, but the state of the room he knew it must have been longer. Panic flooded through him as he realized it must have been much longer. He knew the pod was originally white but he could see that it was not filthy even though there was poor light in the room. He stood transfixed as he stared at the pod as memories came alive inside of him and took him to a time long past.
He remembered standing over a long dark wood coffin with a wreath of roses wresting on top. The feel of the wood felt nice on his fingers and he placed his hand upon the top. He was dressed in black just as everyone else was. He was left alone as the mourners made their way off of the small cemetery. The coffin was suspended by rope over a deep hole in the earth where it would rest. Tears escaping from his eyes were masked as rain began falling from the sky. Lighting lit up the darkened sky as thunder roared in the atmosphere giving this scene a solemn tone. His cloths became wet as he was struck by rain but he stood tall and unmoving ignoring the discomfort of the downpour. He looked around and realized he was completely alone, thankfully left alone by his friends in his time of grief. Anger and frustration welled up inside of him. Through the experience he had been powerless to stop what was going on to his beloved Cass. He watched for months as her vitality fled her and she became weaker. While Vegas was thriving there was still much to be desired of its medical technology and he was told by House there was nothing he could do there to help her. But while House lacked the ability, he still tried. He set up a deal with Vault City for experimental treatments that might have helped with Cass' heart condition. He remembered returning to New Vegas with a caravan loaded with hope. He soon found out he was too late. That next day the funeral was held.
As he stood at the coffin and thought of the needless death, of the hopelessness and dread that now filled him, he was approached by House through one of the securitrons. As always House had an offer. A week passed by and he walked into a white room. In the center was the stasis pod. House wanted him to go into it and sleep. He said that while Vegas did not need him now, it would need him eventually and House pleaded with him to take this opportunity and gain a purpose with his life that had suddenly became empty and meaningless. He knew House was taking advantage of his situation but he did not care, he just wanted to escape the pain and sadness if only for a time.
As he laid in the pod and clear cover began to descend part of him hoped this device would not become his coffin. He felt his body began to become cold and soon he felt or thought nothing at all.
The courier snapped out of his trance of the past and took notice to the room. He realized that his pod was not the only one in here. The room was fairly large and he saw that there were over fifty pods taking up space lining the walls of the rooms. As he spun around the room he noticed that the area right next to his pod was vacant. He thought it odd that that was the only pod missing out of all of them. He looked a small ways down and saw something crumpled in front of the room's only door which was right below the flashing light. He set to approach the item on the floor and as he came closer he saw that it was a body, or at least the bones of one. Armor and cloths covered the fallen figure and after a quick glance the courier was even more disturbed to discover there were no battle marks on the armor or cloths. It worried him that whatever killed this person was something that did not scar, perhaps a chemical weapon or radiation.
He suddenly became worried at the thought of radiation and brought up his left wrist. There rested his pipboy, blank and powerless. He turned it on and the screen glowed green and after a few seconds he was able to view various amounts of information. He firstly checked the radiation levels and saw that they were normal and then he checked his own vitals which also showed as normal. He continued to flick through the information on his pipboy for a few more moments. A multitude of personal content was stored on it including a picture of Cass which he looked at longingly. He finally checked the device's map and saw that he was close to the same position to where he went under at. This put him somewhere around the Lucky 38 Casino and most likely underground. He also saw that there was an objective marker on the map and while no information was shown about it, the courier guessed it was his best chance for figuring out what was going on.
He stopped fiddling with his pipboy and began to comb over the fallen person before him. He could tell the dead person was a guard or soldier of some kind which meant there was most likely a weapon. He heaved over the guard and found a plasma rifle laying underneath it. He picked it up and began to examine it. He noticed that while he could tell it was a plasma weapon it was far more advanced than anything he ever held giving another indicator of him being under a long time. He set aside the gun and went about examining the armor. He figured out that the guard had been a woman due to the shape and size of the armor and he discarded the thought of equipping it due to it being too small. He checked his own apparel out and saw that he was wearing the same blue body suit that he had been when he went under. It worried him of having no protection if he encountered someone or something that was less than friendly. After he combed through the remains he took his new rifle and began examining the door. It opened from the center and he hoped it would be easy to access. As he moved closer for an attempt a thought occurred to him of checking on the other pods in case there was someone else. He cursed himself for not thinking of this earlier.
He left the door and proceeded to check each pod. The door was on the far side of the room so he was left with an easy check. He flipped on his pipboy light and used it to give more useful light for his search. All he saw was death except for the few pods that were empty. As he passed each pod he was met with those who had passed. While some were just bones, others were in different states of decomposition and caused his already active stomach to grow more unruly. He passed by his pod which was near to the end and was filled with the knowledge that he was alone. He came to the last pad and scanned inside seeing another decomposing corpse. As he turned around to head back to the room a small light caught his eye. Turning back he looked to the right of the pod and saw a panel that gave off the slightest red glow almost unnoticeable due to the flashing red light above the door. He wiped away the dust and grime and saw one word in red: ACTIVE. He then looked back at the occupant and still saw a rotting corpse. Then it clicked into his mind that it might not be a corpse but a ghoul.
He went back to the panel and looked for a way to open the pod. A short time later he was confounded at the device for he could not find any way to access the device. He got to his knees and brought his light close to the panel. He saw a faint outline of what looked like a hand. He put his hand on the panel where it was flat and instantly the red word changed to green. A hiss followed and the pod opened up. As the occupant began to fall out the courier managed to get a hold of him and brought him softly to the floor. He noticed that it was indeed a ghoul as he watched its chest rise and fall. He was unresponsive to any questions asked by the courier and seemed to still be unconscious. The courier let him be and went around to the other pods to see if maybe those that were in there were ghouls as well. His was disappointed to find that each of the pods did not have any power. He even tried putting his hand on them to no avail. He realized these people were truly dead.
He heard the ghoul behind him cough and abandoned his search for survivors to return to the ghoul. Its eyes were open and he was looking around. The courier could tell he was nervous as he watched him approach.
"How do you feel," asked the courier as he bent down towards the ghoul.
"Like someone to a sledgehammer to my head," said the ghoul in a raspy voice after a few seconds of silence. He looked at the courier and recognition dawned in his eyes. "Oh my God, you're John Walker, the courier" Excitement was strong in his voice as he said this and looked at the courier in awe.
"It seems as though I am at a slight disadvantage. You know who I am but I don't know who you are." John brought an easy smile to his face hoping to gain some information.
The ghoul seemed to take the cue. "I am Doctor David Cobalt. I am in charge of overseeing the stasis pods housed in this facility. I... I was the one in charge of making sure you and those in your condition were taken care of..." he cut himself off in midsentence a let out a small moan. He clutched his side and John saw a fair amount of blood pooling beneath him. The doctor gave another grunt and then passed out. John gave the man a small shake with some words to no avail and then took the opportunity to examine the wound and saw that it was indeed serious. He realized he needed to find some way to patch him up. He was left with the decision to either leave him there and search for medical supplies or take him with him. He was not too heavy but he would still be a burden if they came across anything unpleasant.
He made the decision to take the man with him for he could not dare leave him behind in this place. The doctor made another grunt as John lifted him up. "Are you with me doc?" asked John. The good doctor did not respond but he did feel him supporting himself somewhat allowing John to only have to use one are to carry him. He placed him on his left side and held the gun on his right hand. It was uncomfortable holding the rifle with only one hand but John pressed on carrying the doctor to the door.
He looked at the door and thought of a way to open it up. There was a panel on the right hand side and he figured he start there. He put the doctor on the ground and was met with another grunt in response. He held his breath as he put his hand on the panel and was disappointed that nothing happened. After a couple of seconds of frustration he hit the panel with the butt of the rifle out of irritation which did not change his circumstances. He put the rifle on the ground and moved to the middle of the door and attempted to pry it open.
"We have to hurry," said the ghoul with a weak voice. "We have to make it to the evacuation ship before they make it to the city." He seemed to be loss in another time.
John was confused by what his new friend was saying. "What do you mean doc? Why are we evacuating the city? Who is coming?" John was full of questions and hoped this man would be able to shed some light on them. He abandoned what he was doing with the door and crouched down close to the ghoul.
"We have to hurry. House has ordered..." he gave a nasty liquid filled cough. " ordered everyone to the ships. Washington has fallen and they will be here soon."
"Who will be here soon?" asked John in a nervous excitement to his voice.
"The aliens, the Citadel," said the ghoul and then his head slummed as he lost consciousness.
The last thing the ghoul said made him believe that the man was delirious. Aliens? The man must be hurt worse than he thought. He also spoke about Washington which he knew to be the old country's capital. He wondered if this ghoul was from before the Great War to remember something like that. He stood back up to the door just as the red light flashed for a final time sending the room into utter darkness minus the small light of the pipboy. John became still, staining to hear or sense anything. After a few seconds passed buy he heard a whine of electricity.
Sparks began to rain from the ceiling causing John to jump. He then noticed that along with the sparks some lights came on from above. Most were not working but the ones that were added little comfort to the room. Only one was not flickering and shadows danced around the room like demons. He then saw that the panel for the door was lit showing a red circle. He went to place his hand on it but the panel activated just as he put his hand close. The red circle turned green and with groan the door began to part. They only opened about halfway before they came to a stop giving off a burst of sparks as they died. The courier picked up his rifle and looked out the door. The hallway he was in was as equally as disturbing as the pod room due to what lights there were flickering if not totally failing. Seeing that it was as safe as he could see he went back into the room and grabbed the doctor. The doctor still supported himself some but John noticed it was less than before. He hoped he would not have to fully carry the man if it could be helped. With his gun and wounded companion he stepped out into the hellish hall.
He knew his pipboy told him to go left for the marker so that is what he did. He walked for minutes taking turns he felt appropriate. The floors were lined with cracks and some of the floor raised higher than the rest forcing John to climb and jump in some places. His ghoul companion made grunts along the way but John did not try to engage in conversation fearing what may be lurking in the halls. Some rooms were open, some were not and all those that were showed no signs of life. This changed soon.
They were approaching another open door and John had stopped being so cautious about checking them. As he was walking by the open room he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He froze and looked inside the room. He saw someone crouching with its back towards him. The lights in the room were dark and he could not make out who the person was. It was playing with something. John brought the rifle up and pointed it at the creature.
"Hey there," said John and instantly the person froze. John hoped he had not made a mistake as the creature crouched there. Soon it moved and turned around. John saw to yellow eyes boring straight at him. He was looking into the eyes of a feral ghoul. Both did not move and were silent for the next second. Then John went to fire the rifle just as the feral let out a blood curling scream. The rifle gave a kick throwing a ball of plasma melting the creature where it stood cutting off the scream but he was too late. He began to hear other screams all around him. He heard pounding on the walls as hands and bodies slammed into them. Then he saw over a dozen pair of yellow eyes come to life in the room. They all screamed and began to move towards him. John fired his rifle a few more time while he thrust the doctor onto his shoulder so he could fully carry him. Then he ran.
He was able to see the pipboy easily as he held the doctor in place while he ran for his life. He could hear hundreds of ferals behind him, their screeching driving the fear of death into his heart. He saw a closed hallway door up ahead and prayed that it had power. As he got closer he could make out a small red light and when he got close enough he waved his hand over it causing the door to open. Thankfully the door opened better than the one for the pod room. Even still he turned around for the first time seeing hundreds of yellow eyes staring at him in chase. As the door was opening he fired off the rifle a couple of time and then jumped through the door. He looked for the panel on the other side so he could close the door but the creatures were just too close so he abandoned it and tried to run. He thought about jumping into one of the open rooms but he did not want to be stuck with an army of ferals just outside. As he was running a couple of ferals jumped out from one said room and began to rush him. He fired his rifle at one causing it to crumple to the ground and the other kept coming closing the distance. Being too close to shoot John used the rifle as a club and smacked it in the head allowing them to pass. That one simply melded into the mob chasing him.
They came to another door which John was able to open. As he passed through it he took the chance to wave his hand in front of the other panel and was relieved to see the door start to close. He looked through the closing door and saw the horde rushing towards him. He turned and ran not wanting to take another chance. He slowed and looked back to see the door just about to seal. Just before the doors closed he saw one hand and then another followed by another reached into the crack. He stopped amazed at what he was seeing. The ferals stopped the doors from closing completely and he could make out fingers reaching around the crack. Soon the doors began to part and he could see the ferals prying open the doors. This scene scared him more than anything for he had never seen such a display of intelligence from these creatures. He turned and ran once more. He heard the creatures continuing the chase and hoped he would find something soon. He just kept moving towards the objective marker displayed on his pipboy. He saw another door but felt a crushing weight of defeat press on him.
While the door was intact he saw a small amount of sparks emanating from the panel, or where the panel should have been. What he saw was just a mess of melted metal. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked for another doorway. Where the previous areas before held many room this area held none. He looked back and saw the only one at a corner he had just turned. Before he made a step towards it the horde turned the corner and charged towards him. John bolted ruined door knowing that fighting was his only hope if he even had one. He threw the doctor down without guilt and took his rifle in both hands. He began firing at the horde taking down many. But they still kept coming and even pushed their dead brethren out of the way so they would block the path. While John killed many of them they slowly advanced and seemed to be innumerable. He heard banging on the door and he laughed in his moment of demise at the thought of more of them being on the other side. He glanced back while firing and saw it was the wounded doctor banging on the door. He could barely hear his cries for help. John did not even try to tell him it was hopeless. Most likely these ghouls would not even bother the ghoul anyway. The courier thought he should have just left him when the ferals started their chase knowing they would not hurt a ghoul but that thought was too little too late.
He continued firing at the horde as the doctor banged harder and harder on the door. The horde kept advancing and closer and closer and John knew he had only seconds before he was torn apart by these monsters. Just then he heard the doors move and a white, nearly blinding light ran down the center of the hallway. Before he could even turnaround he felt a hand grab him by the closes on his back and pulled him back. Terror ran through him as he thought the ferals were getting at him from behind. As he was pulled backed and onto the floor through the doorway he heard the whine of a weapon and soon beams of light began to pass through the door at the horde mowing them down with ease. He looked to his right and saw the doctor lying next to him and then the doors began closing. He had to pull his feet back so that they would not be crushed.
He turned around to look at his saviors and was awed when he saw them. Standing in front of a bright light he saw to figures easily over seven feet tall clad in black power armor. The armor was unfamiliar to him but he was grateful to see it nonetheless. Even though he was grateful he still made a move to secure his rifle only to discover it was already held by one of the power armored soldier. Worry ran through him and he looked at the one on the right and looked where his face was. Its face was hidden beneath a helmet that had a face mask that looked like plated metal. After a second or two of silence of blackness of the metal became transparent and inside he saw a man with blue eyes staring at him.
"You're welcome buddy," said the man in a rough voice and then grabbed the courier and pushed him further into the lit hall. The other one grabbed the doctor and carried him under his arm behind John.
"Careful with him," said John furious over their treatment. "The man's hurt."
The soldiers clad in armor laughed as he said this. "Keep moving," he said and pushed John further down the hallway into the light that watered his eyes.
John wondered if this new situation was any better than the one he just escaped from. He checked his pipboy and say that he was still moving closer to the marker. He just hoped it could help.
Stay tuned for more.