Billy Creel
April 13th, 2276

Finally after weeks of waiting with bated breath, they moved. The soldiers stationed outside the Vault turned their sights onto Megaton. There was a long period of nothing but Vertibirds coming to and from the camp - now turned outpost - and now they've finally come to Megaton.

Billy was helping out unloading newly arrived goods with other residents until he heard the emergency horn echo throughout the town. Every muscle of his went taut and he bolted straight to his house as his pistol wouldn't be enough for what was to come.

The surroundings all around him blurred as he sprinted towards his home and he saw many other residents doing the same. Whether or not they were grabbing weapons or looking for a way to escape he doesn't know. He arrived at his home and slammed the door open hoping his daughter was still inside.

"MAGGIE!" he screamed, "PACK UP! IT'S TIME TO GO!"

At first he heard nothing but then a voice spoke out in panic from inside Maggie's room.

"Understood!"

Billy wasted no time as he grabbed his bugout bag, rifle and medical supplies. He uncovered the safe on the floor and ripped out his stash of caps and valuables were shoved into his pockets till they almost seemed close to bursting.

Maggie frantically opened the door with her bag on her back and a stuffed animal in her hands. A fleeting part of Billy wanted to chastise her for grabbing the toy but he crushed the feeling. It was already done and there was little point in yelling at her now.

He grabbed her hand tightly and both ran out the door. A part of Billy felt guilty because he should show up to the defense but Maggie's safety was more important to him than all the lives inside Megaton. The town won't survive and Billy can't do anything about it so it's just better to save what he can.

Billy knew of a way outside of Megaton out through the back and he was quick to nearly drag Maggie there. Both of them ran through Megaton and just before they reached the back a horn blasted throughout Megaton again. Billy paused and Maggie fell down after running straight into him.

Through her panting she asked. "Wh… what's wrong?"

He knelt down and helped her up. "They blew the 'standby' alarm. It's the one before the false alarm. It means that the town isn't in immediate danger but we should standby."

"Are we running away?"

Billy seriously thought about it. He didn't see Vertibirds flying down and bombing them. His ears aren't picking up gunfire or laserfire either. A memory flashed through his head and now he cringed at his prior panic. A couple days ago the radio broadcast coming from the so-called government stated they were going to deliver fresh water to all communities within the Capital region.

The radio also stated they took care of Paradise Falls which he hadn't believed till the traders informed Megaton of it. Raider activity across the region fell as whoever these people were started expanding their patrols throughout the city.

He wished they were more transparent about their intentions as everyone was paranoid about what they wanted. These people haven't established contact with any communities till now and a single radio station spewing incredible promises wasn't a way to settle fears. It only increased them.

Billy believed that it was better safe than sorry and it seemed other residents were bolting as well before the 'standby' horn was blown.

He looked around and saw the other residents in the middle of packing and others carrying their essentials to the nearest exits. His eyes skimmed the shops and wondered if Moira was packing but dismissed the thought. People like her wouldn't run away unlike him.

Billy could visibly see the panic die down and be replaced by confusion. He made his choice and he knelt down, ripped off his pack and then took non-essentials out of his pockets and into his bag.

"Maggie, take our stuff back home. Ima take my rifle and help shore up defenses. If anyone forces their way through the front door then shoot em. If they are in big metal armor then bail out through the window. Don't even bother fighting them." he said.

"...Okay. What's going on? Will we be running away? Where will I go to meet up with you if I have to leave the house?"

His gut twisted a little. Billy doubted he would be alive if they were forcing their way through residents' homes.

"Just get down to I-95 and head straight towards Richmond. I'll be looking for you on that road and if I don't show or there is danger then please prioritize your own safety over finding me."

Billy felt like a coward for not explaining more but there was little time. Maggie only shook her head in affirmation and he headed straight for the main entrance of the town. He checked his rifle and confirmed he was loaded up and ready for violence.

It took Billy a good moment to arrive at the entrance. It seemed that a bunch of residents had the same idea and he recognized a lot of familiar faces. Further proof that he was less of a loyal resident than he thought as his friends were focused on the defense of the town instead of running away with their tails between their legs.

Billy saw many fellow guards behind barricades and anything they could prop up. He couldn't see the guard railing from here but he reckoned it was packed with people aiming their firearms at whoever was knocking.

He heard a whistle and saw Stockholm calling him over. The entrance was semi closed but there was a small opening as Stockholm and several others were peering through. Billy couldn't see Lucas Simms anywhere and he guessed he was out there speaking to whoever showed up.

Billy walked straight over ignoring the glances he received from those behind cover.

Stockholm cracked a smile as he said, "Nice to see you arrive. Thought you were going to bail with Maggie."

Billy the inquisitive stares from the others at the entrance but he felt no need to hide it. "I was going to do so. But the standby horn made me remember the weird ass radio broadcasts. And they aren't flying over bombing us like they did to those Brotherhood folks."

Stockholm only hummed at that and went back to looking.

Billy peered out the entrance and what he saw made him sweat. Columns of vehicles that were armored and armed to the teeth. Each one of them looked like they drove straight out of another era,the paint was nicer on them than anything inside of Megaton. He couldn't see them but he could hear the engines of Vertibirds in the distance.

His eyes skimmed over the obvious threat but he saw strange vehicles with long tubes attached to them. Billy recognized them from old world transport trucks that used to carry large amounts of liquids that were now just laying around collecting rust.

He saw Lucas Simms talking with several others in suits. There weren't Power Armored guards near them but he could see a couple standing a fair bit away looking ready to jump in.

Stockholm said, "I don't know. They might be carrying clean water like the radio said but that might just be a way to get easy access inside the town."

Another resident, Leo Stahl, said. "It has to be filled with rads. Ain't nobody has that much clean water. Especially in big containers like that. I bet they scooped a whole bunch out of the river and are just presenting it."

"It could just be empty." Billy said.

Stockholm's face split into a grin. "That would be messed up. Doubt both of those ideas though. These people have Power Armor and a ludicrous amount of vehicles. They must've found a way to purify it."

Leo snorted. "Did Nathan get to you? These people are probably going to storm this place like they did with the Brotherhood. Only difference is that we have fewer ways of defending ourselves. We don't even know what they did to the slaves in Paradise Falls."

Stockholm looked to be deep in thought for a moment. "I honestly don't know. Nathan may be right. Personally I think these people are just the isolationist type. If they exterminated the slave wouldn't they just exterminate us as well?"

Billy said, "I agree with Stockholm. It's why I didn't bolt with Maggie. Taking care of raiders nearby, clearing out ferals and mutants in the city, and now Paradise Falls. That deserves some credit in my eyes. If they were going to wipe us out then they wouldn't be speaking with Lucas."

Leo rolled his eyes. He seemed unconvinced and Billy couldn't understand why. Megaton could be crushed within an hour if they really decided to take over.

After a moment Stockholm said, "At least she's cute."

Billy felt confusion for a moment and then realized what he meant. The woman in a suit right next to the man talking to Lucas was indeed pretty. It seemed all of them were clean and nice looking but he felt annoyed regardless.

"Now isn't the time to ogle potential enemies," he said.

Stockholm was quick to rebuke. "They might not be enemies."

All of them watched as Lucas was chatting up visitors who looked to be talkative. This continued on for minutes until Lucas stood up straight and turned around with a tight look on his face. He walked over to the entrance and Billy could now see a worn out look in his eyes.

Lucas took a second to look over at everyone peering out the cracked open entrance.

He said, "Friends, it looks like the... government is coming in to speak with us all. The President said they want to rebuild the wasteland and want us to be a part of this endeavor."

The extremely blunt statement was met with silence. After a moment Billy asked, "That's it? The President? They wanna come in and talk to us about rebuilding the wasteland?"

Lucas had a blank face as he said, "The person I spoke with had far more to say about it. Tell all the shop owners and residents to gather in the middle. These people want to make a whole load of promises."

Everyone could only give reluctant nods at the order.

Everyone important in Megaton was there in the middle of Megaton. Billy could see that there were no children present and families hadn't brought every person along. Skepticism was already within the air at what the newcomers wanted to say. Especially the man who called himself the President. The radio had talked about a man named President Autumn who replaced another called President Eden but seeing was believing.

Billy could see Nathan in the distance and he looked to be happy. A part of him was jealous that someone could live life without so many worries.

The entire situation gave Billy a headache and he only wanted to return home to his daughter. The soldiers and several people dressed in suits kept guard of President Autumn who dressed in a nicely made suit with a flag pin on his torso. All of them even had a PipBoy on their wrists which only cemented how wealthy these people were.

There were even a couple expensive feminine looking robots Billy had only seen dismantled in ruins. It seemed they had properly secured the area for any potential threats and they had brought in a small portable platform and speakers for the man to deliver a speech.

Billy imagined that if this man threatened them all on that platform no one could do anything about it. There was no resistance in this situation that ended with victory.

President Autumn now stood on top of the platform and Billy could now clearly see him. He had gray hair that was nearly white but youthful looks that screamed good health. His gray eyes scanned the audience and he looked happy for some reason.

Autumn spoke out loud in a booming accented voice that was carried by the speakers.

"It gladdens my heart to finally speak with all of you. I had wanted to do this sooner and possibly send people to meet up with each and every community at the start… but there were things we had to take care of first.

"I want to preface this speech. We mean you no harm and I promise all of you that you will never see unjust violence against your persons. Nor will your property or liberty be taken away from you. We have only come to deliver upon you the chance of rebuilding the American Dream."

Billy was pleased at his words but that hadn't rid him of his confusion. The crowd seemed to align with his feelings on that.

"I know many of you are confused. I would like to explain what exactly has happened, is happening and what's going to happen."

Billy could see his sullen smile on his face as he talked.

"My fellow Americans, we are all in this together. If you don't mind me explaining what most of you already know. Our country was struck with nukes by China in 2077 and since then life has been utter hell for America. We had kicked the Chinese out of our territories after they invaded us and we whooped them all the way back into China… and America was rewarded with a nuclear war! Including all of you, every single American on this continent is now fighting to survive. Everywhere you look there is only destruction. You won't find anywhere different from the shores of California to the Chesapeake Bay. This has been the case for 200 years and from what I can see it won't change."

Autumn's words cut deep as he only said the truth. There is no life other than the wasteland.

"Why am I only stating the obvious? Why have I come to tell you the depressing truth when you live it? Because I need to stress this to all of you… every single person here deserves better! You live in squalor while your ancestors lived in the greatest nation to ever grace this Earth!

"You think your ancestors struggled for clean water? Clean food? What about medical supplies? You think they fought tooth and nail for a stimpak or RadAway? The ground is poisoned, the water is irradiated, and now there are slavers and raiders everywhere you look.

"You think your ancestors wanted this for you? You think the people who crawled out of the ruins of America wanted this for themselves? Hell no!"

Billy couldn't understand how someone could put so much passion in his voice. It echoed throughout Megaton and he could easily see the energy of the crowd rise. He couldn't tell if it was negative or positive.

"I have come to tell you that this isn't all there is. Our forefathers prepared for a potential nuclear war and while the path hadn't been straight we've finally come to bring back what once was. We're here to bring back a world where your children won't go to sleep hungry or thirsty. Where you need to ration RadAway to just drink what little water you can. Where you don't worry about eating suspicious meat you bought from a random trader.

"If this town rejoins the federal government, we'll bring all of you clean water at this very moment. In the next few days we'll deliver even more to farm with. I want all of you to imagine being able to bathe without worry and drink to your heart's content. With farming equipment and clean water every single one of you will be able to eat as much as you want. All of you were born with the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

"No longer will you fear slavers and raiders. We will liberate every single slave and purge every raider.

"That's the life I have come here to promise you. As the President of the United States of America, I swear to all of you that I will fix this country!"

Billy struggled to comprehend all the implications of Autumn's words. He looked at Autumn's beaming face and saw the evident truth. The so-called President truly believed in his own words. It's not like there was any choice in the matter as these guys could just roll over Megaton with their superior firepower.

The crowd looked to be an extreme mix of confusion, fear, happiness and in Moriaty's case completely neutral. He could see Nathan looking at Autumn like he hung the Moon all by himself.

Billy could only hope for the best as he knows what Megaton will choose when presented with impossible choices.

Glory
April 15th, 2276

Glory ate three times a day and she loved it. The food she received was incredibly filling and the nurse said she's gaining a healthy amount of weight. She didn't understand the point of monitoring that with the weight scales and writing it down as she saw visibly that she had gained a fair bit of fat.

Though Glory hadn't regained all she had lost as a slave and she could still see her ribs in the mirror somewhat. She's glad the school provided uniforms that weren't skintight. A part of her was worried when she saw those black nearly skin tight uniforms that the soldiers wore under their Power Armor and officer uniforms.

The school she now attended was called 'Armstrong Academy' named after Samuel Armstrong the last President of the United States before the nukes dropped. The man who saved the government from total nuclear annihilation from China. Or that's what she's being taught.

After Glory and the other slaves were liberated from Paradise Falls the adults and family units were sent off into different areas under government control like Adams AFB or the big bunker the President resided in. Children like her without parents or guardians were sent to Armstrong Academy which doubles as an orphanage. The academy itself was in the civilian district outside of Adams AFB which still had parts under construction.

Even the academy wasn't completely finished as they aren't making her and the other kids attend the harder classes. Glory's room was on the third floor so she got to see the workers bulldoze dozens of ruined houses, excavate the area, lay down pipes and wires, and then build foundation after foundation for new buildings. Seeing vehicles, robots, and people work together for hours was now one of her favorite past times.

Sometimes they did this day and night which she enjoyed as she couldn't sleep right anyways. The nurses sent Glory to some head doctor that gave her some medication for sleep which she liked but sometimes she skipped taking any as she wanted to just look out the window at night.

Glory was currently in the Academy cafeteria eating breakfast alone. One of the staff told her that it was the most important meal of the day and she couldn't help but agree. Eating bacon, eggs and sausages every day was something she wished everyone could have.

She woke up at 6:00 AM, prepared for her day and was in the cafeteria before 7:00 AM. Being able to freshen up using clean hot water was a miracle in her eyes. Adding three meals every day made her think that Pre-War folk were spoiled beyond belief if they experienced this before the Chinese attacked them.

Right now she only had to stay in classes till 12:00 PM and then she was free to go play outside in the recess area, gym or recreation room which had Pre-War cartoons playing all the time and even some holo-games. While the next stage of classes and longer attendance was held back by the building still being constructed, apparently the classes and schedule she was going through was called 'rehabilitation intake for newly rescued children'.

Any new kid the government rescues will be put through the same thing. The classes made sense in her head through that context as they were boring but informative. Glory hadn't found out till later but after they confirmed that she could read, write and do basic math because her parents taught her how they put her in the advanced classes.

Glory questioned how the other kids were going to be taught as she knew the tribal kids north of Allentown couldn't read at all. Her father said that some tribals barely knew how to count right. She figured the academy had several levels of education for intake as children coming in will have varying levels of education.

She glanced around as she finished up her meal. The cafeteria was big but it seemed like kids naturally cluster around certain cliques. The slave kids weren't exactly sociable which Glory could relate with but they stuck around each other a fair bit. Sitting alone in the corner allowed her to see the only other clique that arrived just before they were freed from slavery.

They were easily discernible in the cafeteria and they were the only ones that filled their entire table. They were a close-knit group which hadn't always been the case as at the start they were chatty with the newly freed kids. Until they weren't.

They said they came from a place called Little Lamplight which was a community of all children. Supposedly the government had caught wind of them after they had reclaimed a nearby Vault and then shortly after went in and 'kidnapped' them. Afterwards they hated anything related to the government even though they kept them safe and well fed.

Glory could only roll her eyes at that. The government freed slaves and wanted to deliver water, food and security to the wasteland. They wouldn't kidnap anyone who didn't deserve it. Or needed it in her eyes. From what the Little Lamplight kids told her it sounded like they lived in a hole in the ground and were just a bunch of armed children.

The reason Glory was alone even among the freed orphan kids was not solely because she's a loner even though she enjoys the privacy. It's because after the Little Lamplight kids told them the story of how the military kidnapped them she had laughed at them for a good minute.

The story was that a squad of soldiers came down into their hole in the ground, took their weapons and dragged them into trucks to then be transported to the academy. The reason she laughed was because they described it like the greatest evil to ever occur. Her father had told her to never handle guns unless she had no choice or if she had adult supervision. The existence of Little Lamplight probably would've made her father go red in the face as he had screamed at her when she was caught touching his 10mm pistol under his pillow years ago.

Only her mother was able to get him to calm down. He later explained that kids shouldn't touch dangerous stuff as they could seriously harm themselves and others if they aren't careful. She could see why Little Lamplight had been relocated as any adult would hate unsupervised children playing with guns.

Despite her isolation she didn't feel alone. Rivera visited her every now and then when she was not on duty and she enjoys her company. Though it seemed that her off duty time was decreasing as the military was getting more busy rebuilding America.

The bell rang and Glory headed for the cafeteria exit. If the other freed orphan kids wanted to exclude her just so they could be friends with the Little Lamplight kids then she would let them. She could care less.

She walked through several hallways until she reached her American history class. She took a seat in the front and was ready for her day.

ANs:

This did not feel like 4k words. Felt way longer for me… maybe because I was writing it while goofing off with friends. I also wrote it hungry so ignore me describing my dream breakfast.

Was tempted to put "Steven Armstrong" but I resisted. Then only partly put it in as Samuel Armstrong. Is he even remotely related? No, not really. Though there are some similarities I might put it for fun.

Little iffy on the timeline I have set down as… you know what? I think it's fine as is. The Fallout 3 timeline for Project Purity coming online is quick as hell anyways. Better to just double down on speed.