What if the Sole Survivor wasn't the Sole Survivor? What if Minutemen General Nate Rogers's wife survived the bullet to her head in Vault 111? How did she survive? How does it impact the fight against the Institute? What's hidden in her buried memories and how could the secrets within alter the Commonwealth's future?
Author's Notes:
Yes, this is a rewrite of a fic I only ever posted one chapter of. To be honest, while I do want to continue this fic, I'm not that happy with the prologue anymore. So I'm rewriting it before moving on.
For those who are new, this is an Alternate Universe fic based on Fallout 4 where both the Sole Survivor (who is male in this fic) and his wife survived Vault 111. But in this universe, the Sole Survivor's wife, named Jane Castle in this fic, has a pretty different backstory than is implied in canon.
If you're here from the original version of this, my Persona collaboration fic The War of the Wildcards, or just one of my older fics, good to see you again! If you just found this while scrolling through Fallout 4 fan-fics, welcome! Either way, I hope you enjoy what I've come up with!
One last thing to note: When you see something in double brackets ((like this)), then that's an addendum added by me for clarity or levity. Prologue: The Day The World Died:
NATE POV:
October 23, 2077
9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
Sanctuary Hills, Massachusetts, United States of America
Nate Rogers went into his washroom, he needed to focus. Tonight he was going to speak at the Veterans Hall, he needed to get this speech just right. He went up to the mirror, steadied himself & began.
"War. War never changes," Nate started with.
"In the year 1945, my great-great grandfather, serving in the army, wondered when he'd get to go home to his wife and the son he'd never seen. He got his wish when the US ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki," he continued with
"The World awaited Armageddon; instead, something miraculous happened. We began to use atomic energy not as a weapon, but as a nearly limitless source of power. People enjoyed luxuries once thought the realm of science fiction. Domestic robots, fusion-powered cars, portable computers," he said
"But then, in the 21st century, people awoke from the American dream.
Years of consumption lead to shortages of every major resource. The entire world unraveled. Peace became a distant memory. It is now the year 2077. We stand on the brink of total war, and I am afraid. For myself, for my wife, for my infant son - because if my time in the army taught me one thing: it's that war, war never changes," he ended with.
It sounded good in his mind, but he wasn't sure how it would go over with the vets.
JANE POV:
War never changes… That was a hell of a way to bookend a speech, Jane Castle thought to herself. Nate was absolutely going to hit it out of the park. No doubt. But as she listened to him rehearsing said speech, she couldn't help but think back to the things she was keeping from him. The fact that she wasn't just a mere lawyer, but also an ex-DIA agent who'd killed more people than she could count. She knew she'd have to tell him the truth eventually. But not now. Right now she just wanted to spend some quality time with her new family.
While she was lost in thought, she'd gotten some coffee from Codsworth, their new Mr. Handy robot and read the day's newspaper. It was mostly just more of the same. More reporting on Eddie Winter's trial, more reporting on relations with China & more mundane puff pieces.
And then the doorbell rang. It was probably that Vault-Tec salesman that's been trying to talk to Nate for the past week.
NATE POV:
Nate had just gotten his cup of coffee from Codsworth when the doorbell rang.
"It's probably that salesman again. Just go answer the door & hear him out, he'll never stop coming until you do," Jane said to him.
As much as he wasn't sure if he wanted to spend God knows how much money on Vault spots for a future that may not come, Nate knew she was right. So he decided to go and answer the door.
"Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!" the Salesman said.
"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying," Nate responded.
"Oh, no worries sir. No worries at all! I'm not selling anything. Not today," the Salesman responded.
Before Nate could ask what he was doing there, he continued.
"You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you! I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you," He responded.
"Then I'm glad you caught up with me!" Nate said, having a good feeling about what was about to happen.
"Oh, me too. You have no idea…" the Salesman responded.
"Now, I know you're a busy fellow, so I won't take up much of your time. Time being a, um, precious commodity… I'm here today to tell you that because of your family's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault! Vault 111," The Salesman revealed. This sounded great to Nate! He was surprised by the implication that Jane had also "served their country", but maybe she did some legal work for the Army or something… What he did want to ask was whether this Vault could fit his whole family.
"But we have a son? You can fit us all, right?" Nate asked.
"Of course! Minus your robot. In fact, you're already cleared for entrance! It's just a matter of verifying some information, naturally. Don't want any hold-ups in the event of total atomic annihilation! Won't take but a moment," the Salesman answered, trying to stay cheerful in the face of the dire future he was discussing by laughing to himself.
"Sure, let's do it," Nate answered.
And with that, the Salesman handed the clipboard over to Nate and he filled out the information that was needed. It was just basic stuff like his name (Nate Rogers), medical history & whatnot. He would have done so for Jane & Shaun as well, but Jane walked over and insisted on doing so herself.
"Wonderful! That's everything. I'll just walk this over to the Vault! Congrats on being prepared for the future," the Salesman said in his best effort to be enthusiastic.
"Hey, it's peace of mind. That's worth some paperwork, right," Jane said to him. And she was right.
"For you & Shaun, no price is too high. I'm sorry for not talking with that salesman sooner," Nate told Jane.
"You're damn right there isn't. Good answer," Jane responded.
"I have my moments," Nate quipped.
JANE POV:
While she's a bit unhappy that it took Nate 4 days to finally agree to talk with that salesman, she was being honest when she said that she felt it was worth it. Especially since they were already pre-selected for the Vault. But between Nate's heroics in the war & her black ops work they'd damn well better have been pre-selected for the Vault.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Shaun crying.
"Mr. Rogers… Shaun has been changed, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that "paternal affection" you seem to be so good at," Codsworth said to them.
Jane simply chuckled. "You heard Codsworth. Go on," she said to her husband.
A part of Jane knew this domestic bliss wouldn't last. Sooner or later she'd have to dust off her law degree and start practicing for real. Sooner or later she'd have to face the music & confess to Nate what her real job was when they met. The Salesman's wording may have given it away. She wasn't sure how he'd react to the revelation she'd lied to him all these years, but he was going to figure it out sooner or later.
'Maybe I could tell him today? We could go to the park & I can confess that I used to kill for a living," Jane thought to herself. But, if the worst was to happen, she'd recorded a holotape while he was away visiting friends from his platoon the other day confessing everything to him. He didn't deserve to love a shadow forever…She hoped that he'd still love her and they would stay together. But she was willing to get a divorce if he was unwilling to love the "real" Jane Castle…
NATE POV:
Nate arrived at Shaun's bedroom. He was still crying, so Nate decided to just lightly run his fingers on him.
"Spin the mobile. He's loved it since I installed the thing last week," Jane said as she walked in.
Nate decided to humor her and do so. And it quickly became clear to him that Jane was right and Shaun was clearly loving it.
After a minute of them just standing quietly & enjoying the moment, Jane spoke up.
"Hey, so… you want to go to the park or something after breakfast? We can bring Shaun along and just enjoy the weather before the Veteran's Hall dinner tonight," Jane proposed. He did hear on the news earlier that the weather is supposed to be pretty nice around that time, so he supposed it was a good idea.
"Sounds great!" Nate said in response.
"Sir? Min? You should come and see this!" Codsworth exclaimed with concern.
"Codsworth? What's wrong," Jane asked as she grabbed Shaun and went out to the living room.
"Followed by… yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions… We're… we're trying to get confirmation…" the Newscaster said.
"What," Nate said in shock. Jane also seemed shocked too.
"But we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations… We do have… coming in… confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania. My god…" the Newscaster said as the TV cut out.
Nate couldn't believe it… The nuclear war he thought he'd help stop was happening.
"We… we need to get to the Vault. Now! I've got Shaun. Let's go," Jane said as Nate opened the door.
They ran as fast as they could to the Vault entrance. Fortunately it was just a short walk away from their home, so if they were quick enough they could make it in time! There was clearly panic spreading across the neighborhood, but Nate tuned it out as he didn't have time to worry about what they were saying.
When they arrived at the gate there was a small crowd as the Salesman from earlier was trying to get in.
"That's absurd! I AM Vault-Tec!" The Salesman exclaimed, clearly upset he wasn't getting in.
"Not on the list! You don't get in," The officer responded as his buddy in T-60 Power Armor got his gatling gun ready.
"Oh… okay. I'M REPORTING THIS!" The Salesman said as he ran for shelter.
Nate & Jane stepped to the officer, hoping their registration had cleared in time.
"We need to get in! We're on the list," Nate said.
"Adult white male… adult white female… Infant… OK, go ahead," the Officer read from his clipboard to verify who they were.
"Thank you," Jane exclaimed as they went past him to get to the Vault entrance.
"Good luck, and God help us all," the Officer said in response.
"What's going to happen to all those people outside," Nate asked as they made it to the Vault.
"We're doing everything we can, now keep moving," a Vault-Tec security officer said in response.
"Step on the platform! In the center," a different Vault-Tec employee said as they made it to said platform.
They made it! Thank God!
"Almost there. We're gonna be okay. I love you. Both of you," Nate said to Jane & Shaun once they were on the platform.
Then a nuke went off.
"Oh my god," Jane said.
"NOW! NOW! SEND IT DOWN NOW!" An Officer exclaimed.
"HOLD ON!" Nate said to Jane as the platform began descending into Vault 11.
"Can this thing move any faster," Mr. Whitfield, one of their neighbors, asked in a panic.
Fortunately, they were able to get down to the point where the door closed right before the blast hit them.
"We did it… We made it. We're okay…" Jane said in relief.
"You okay," Nate asked Jane.
JANE POV:
Jane Castle-Rogers was in fact NOT okay. She thought that the whole point of that mission in Beijing was to decapitate the Chinese government's leadership so that THIS wouldn't happen. She hadn't told him about her black ops work though, so she had to come up with something to tell Nate instead.
"I just can't believe it actually happened… I thought we stopped this by winning the war against the Chinese… By we I mean our country," Jane said after a brief pause.
"Everyone please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion," a Vault-Tec Security officer instructed.
"No need to worry, folks! We'll get everyone situated in your new home. Vault 11! A better future. Underground! Just up the stairs & through the door there," a man, presumably the one in charge ((Overseer, for those unfamiliar)) said to them.
As they walked to & up said stairs, their neighbors were thinking of "what if"s, Jane was running through various scenarios in her mind for who could have shot the bombs first. Was it China? Was it America & China were simply retaliating? Was someone else manipulating things behind the scenes?
As they walked inside, it seemed like an elaborate operation. Like they were ready for the bombs to drop…
"You'll need your suits before we can take you further," a woman said as she handed out bags containing some sort of form-fitting catsuit to everyone.
Both she and Nate took one.
"Thanks… What now," Nate asked.
"Just follow the doctor here. He'll show you where to go," the woman responded.
"All right you three. Follow me," the doctor said. He seemed to have a Pip-Boy on his arm like the one she wore during her black ops days. Would they all get one?
"See? This is our new home…" Jane said, just as much to reassure herself as she was saying it to her son & husband. She was just getting a bad feeling about this place. Maybe it was just unease from the bombs though…
"Oh, you're going to love it here. This is one of our most advanced facilities! Not that the others aren't great, mind you…" the doctor said.
"How long do you think we'll be down here?" Jane asked, trying to get some answers to ease her mind.
"Oh, we'll be going over all that in orientation. Just a few medical items we have to get through first," the doctor responded in a manner that sounded rehearsed. False. Like there was something they were about to do that he didn't want them to know… It did nothing to ease Jane's nerves. Instead it set off alarm bells in her mind. But it wasn't as if she could escape to the surface, with it being nuked to hell & back and all.
They arrived at the pods and all the tubes & canisters just made her wonder whether it was really just for "decompression"...
"Just step in here & put your Vault suit on," the doctor said.
'Fuck… Guess I have no choice,' Jane thought to herself. They changed one at a time. First Nate, then her. She had to admit, for all her unease about this Vault & what was really going on, that both she & Nate looked amazing in these Vault suits! They weren't even all that uncomfortable either.
But as she took Shaun back from Nate, he started acting up again. But it was too late as Nate was stepping into the pod. Guess she had to follow suit…
"The pod will decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper in the Vault. Just relax," the doctor said after she stepped inside & the pod door closed.
"Resident secure. Occupant vitals: Normal. Procedure complete in 5…" the Vault PA said as she started feeling cold & realized they were being frozen!
"4… 3… 2… 1…" the PA continued as she & Shaun fell into a potentially eternal sleep.
—-—-—-—-—-
?
?
Vault 111, Commonwealth Wasteland
"Manual override initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended," the Vault PA said as she started to wake up, as though no time had passed at all. Those damned Vault-Tec bastards! She hoped they had a good reason for this.
"This is the one. Here," some woman said. As she walked into view, she could see that she was definitely not wearing a Vault suit…
"Open it," A man said. He was bald, scarred over his left eye & generally dressed more like a thug than a scientist or Vault staff member.
'What is going on?' Jane thought to herself as her pod opened.
She started coughing, probably from being frozen for God knows how long. Shaun started crying again, but she was in no state to comfort him.
"Is it over? Are we okay?" Jane asked. There was no way to tell how much time had passed, so for all she knew the world had recovered and it was safe to leave.
"Almost. Everything's going to be fine," the bald man said, trying to sound kind & reassuring, but she'd been in intelligence & black ops work long enough to know it was just a facade.
Not helping her suspicions of them was the woman reaching out, clearly wanting her to hand over Shaun.
"Come here… Come here, baby…" the woman said. That was when it clicked in Jane's mind… 'THESE BASTARDS ARE TRYING TO TAKE MY SON FROM ME!'
"No, wait. No, I've got him!" Jane exclaimed, trying to avoid the woman's grasp.
"Let the boy go. I'm only gonna tell you one!" The man said as he aimed a .44 Caliber revolver at her head.
"I'M NOT GIVING YOU SHAUN!" Jane shouted as her attempts to avoid the woman's grasp had become a struggle for Shaun.
Then the man pulled the trigger. The bullet clearly hit its mark as Jane was helplessly pulled away from the land of the living. As this happened she saw the woman had Shaun in hand… All Jane could do is pray for a miracle & hope Nate would be spared from the man's wrath…
NATE POV:
"I'M NOT GIVING YOU SHAUN!" Jane shouted as her attempts to avoid the woman's grasp had become a struggle for Shaun.
Then the man pulled the trigger. He didn't miss as the bullet went into Jane's head, her body going limp & letting go of Shaun.
'Those bastards…' Nate thought to himself, any potential anger about Shaun being taken overwhelmed in the moment by the grief of losing his wife.
"Goddamnit! Get the kid out of here and let's go…" The man said, clearly having not wanted this to happen. Not that this was of much comfort to a grieving husband & angry father.
The man walked up to Nate's pod and gave him a good look at his facial features. Bald head, facial hair, scar over his left eye. He was dressed in a mostly leather ensemble, aside from some choice armor made of metal on his left shoulder & arm. Clearly this guy was some sort of thug, but didn't look like a professional to Nate. But who knows? Maybe his look passed for a professional now. He couldn't know how much time had passed.
"At least we still have the backup…" the man said as he looked Nate right in the eye. This would be the last thing Nate saw as the man's associates decided to refreeze him.
"Cryogenic sequence reinitialized," the Vault PA said as Nate was frozen once more.