I do not own RWBY and Fallout 3, they are owned by Roosther teeth and Bethesda.
"Vol 1 Ch 3: Interrogation"
If you're wondering, he never got his autograph. Instead, everyone was taken to the police station, where their backpacks, weapons, and spare clothes were confiscated, even their masks. Fortunately, the Pip-Boy was left behind. I admit it was amusing for the Wanderer to see them carry Fawkes' laser minigun and Cross' power armor. During that conversation, they decided not to mention the wasteland or their identities.
While everyone waited for something to happen, the group chatted about their boring lives while the Wanderer pondered how to get out of this situation. One thing that made no sense was the witch's ability; somehow, she had telekinetically carried them all to the police station. Most of them were speechless at this action. He didn't know how long he had been thinking when he saw the excited red-haired girl rush outside without noticing them due to her excitement.
"Albert Johnson, please come inside," said the officer, who eyed him with suspicion.
"Don't say anything until you get a lawyer," Butch joked.
"I doubt we'll have one, Butch," Albert said as he entered the interrogation room.
"At least it was clean," thought the Wanderer, observing the room and sitting down, waiting for the two minutes it would take for them to enter.
The same woman with powers and an older man with white hair, a green coat over a black suit, yellow eyes, glasses, and a cane walked in. Upon sitting, he examined Albert momentarily for his scars.
"Act smart, Albert. The last thing we want is to become someone's tool," he thought.
"Can I help you, sir?" Albert asked.
"Good evening, young Johnson," the man introduced himself. "My name is Ozpin, director of Beacon Academy. This is my assistant and combat instructor Glynda Goodwitch, and I would like to ask you a few questions regarding what happened at the store."
"Well, we're here now. So go ahead. Shoot," Albert said, trying to sound friendly, though his tone reminded him of the late Azhrukal.
"First, who are you, and why did you come to Vale?"
"Well, I'm Albert Johnson, and I came here with my team for information."
"What kind of information?" Glynda asked directly.
"She's sharp," he thought. "Just about where we were and nearby towns to make a living."
"Are you mercenaries?" Ozpin inquired.
"Yes, although I'm more of what you need: engineer, mechanic, doctor, etc.," he replied.
"I see," said Ozpin. "And I assume you're the leader of your group."
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "We're a diverse group as you've seen, but we work well."
"That explains how you managed to scare off a wanted criminal in Vale just by threatening him... By the way, the store owner gave you this as payment." Ozpin extended a city map. Albert smiled and took it.
"At least you didn't rob the store, although your friends did wreck it."
"Yes, a misfortune," said Ozpin.
"Well, I have to go. My team and I have several things to do."
"Of course, go ahead," Ozpin said as Albert got up to leave. "After all, you don't exist in the data source; you only appeared upon entering the city."
"Damn it! Think, Albert. Wait, he doesn't know about us. I need to play my cards right."
"What do you mean?" Albert asked while sitting back down.
Ozpin glanced at Glynda to see her serious expression. "You have no medical records, and the places mentioned in your school entry papers don't exist. So we want the truth, Mr. Johnson, or you and your friends will face trial."
Albert saw that he was up against a wall. He needed to be smart.
"Alright," Albert thought of a plausible but false story. "I come from an illegal settlement colloquially known as Refuge. It was set up in an abandoned mine where I lived for nineteen years with my father. My mother died giving birth to me."
Albert reminisced about his life in the refuge with a nostalgic smile. "My father was the brightest man I've known. He was the refuge's doctor, regarded as a guardian angel for saving the residents. He taught me everything I know. I remember that on my tenth birthday, he made me my own shooting range for a BB gun he gave me." But he recalled the fateful day.
"One day, he left the refuge, and the community leader labeled us as traitors. I left as quickly as I could with the goal of finding him throughout Remnant. I formed my search group to locate him. But… by the time I found him, it was too late." Omitting Tranquility Lane and the Enclave's intervention.
Albert pushed his way through the battle against the group that attacked the purifier. Luckily, his companions—Jericho, Charon, Butch, Harkness, and Sydney, along with Albondiga at his side—were holding them back. As he entered, he saw Dr. Li outside the control room, looking worried.
"Dad, what's happening?" Albert shouted as he pounded on the glass separating him from the control room of the Purity Project, where his father, an assistant named Janice, a cleanly dressed officer, and a woman in black power armor were inside.
"By order of the President, this facility is now under the control of the United States government. Dr. James Johnson, you are ordered to surrender all materials related to the project." The man spoke with a slight Southern accent. James had a defiant look on his face, and Janice looked clearly frightened.
"Colonel Autumn. I believe that's your title?" James said, trying to sound polite. "I'm afraid the Enclave has no authority here. You'll have to leave."
"The Enclave?" Albert thought, recalling the scant details they knew about the group. Suddenly, Albert slammed the glass, startling Dr. Li.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Open this damn door!" At his feet, Dogmeat growled toward the door.
The man turned and looked at Albert through the glass. He had gray hair, neatly combed, and his arms crossed behind his back. Seeing Albert, the man's stern expression softened slightly, and he chuckled to himself, as if he knew a good private joke. "Well, well, look what we have here: the disobedient son."
"Albert, step back," James warned, raising his hand. "Let me handle this."
"Let my father go," Albert ordered.
Autumn chuckled a little more to himself. "No, Albert, I don't think so. I have everyone right where I want them, including you. At this moment, my soldiers are surrounding this building, invading its tunnels. We've already won."
"Who the hell are you?" Albert asked, his fists clenched in fury.
"I suppose we have some time," Autumn said, pulling out a gold pocket watch, opening it, and looking at it indifferently. He straightened up, along with the woman, and introduced himself: "Colonel Augustus Autumn of the Enclave, and my associate, General Clementine Smith. Albert Johnson, or 'the Lone Wanderer,' as that chatty idiot from GNR Radio called you. I'd like to take this moment to personally thank you for the role you have played since you left your vault."
"What?" Albert asked, not understanding.
Clementine smiled and looked at James. "We couldn't locate James. He did an outstanding job of keeping a low profile..." She looked back at him. "... Unlike you. Running around and solving every little problem that came your way, it was extremely easy to track you and keep you under control."
"One of your soldiers attacked us before we found my father," Albert said, recalling the encounter near Megaton. "Why try to kill us if you wanted us to find him?"
"It was an explorer's mistake," admitted Autumn, waving his hand. "He thought you were your father. It was my decision to have you followed. I had a hunch you'd simply lead us to the prize—the prize being your father and this project."
"I will not work with you," James said, drawing Autumn's attention. "And the Purity Project won't work either. It never has, and it probably never will."
Albert could hardly believe what he was hearing. His father had had every faith that the Purity Project would work. Then he realized that maybe his father was just trying to deceive the colonel and that the man might not know anything about the GECK they needed.
Autumn frowned. "You don't seriously expect me to believe you would return to this project after such a long absence without expecting results, do you?"
"How do you even know about this?" Albert asked. "How do you know so much about my father, about me, and about this project?"
Clementine turned around, and her expression was no longer amused. "Kid, you need to learn the order of things. First, we have people everywhere. We knew about James's return from our agent at the Rivet City science lab. We compared that with our agent in Megaton to confirm he had passed through there.
"Who?" Dr. Li suddenly asked, outraged by the treacherous actions of someone from her scientific team. "Who sold us out?"
"I suppose, since you'll never see her again, you'll know, Dr. Madison Li. Anna Holt was our agent in your science lab, worked with you all the time, deceived you, earned your trust. We've found that our agents are exceptionally good at that."
Madison's eyes dropped, as something became absolutely clear to her.
Autumn, now facing the Lone Wanderer, continued: "So, after James left the Vault, you showed up and suddenly were on everyone's radar. I'm impressed by the commotion you've caused in your short time in the outside world, kid. And again, I must thank you for everything you've done. But I'd like to mention that you've given us something useful, young Johnson."
Albert narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man, not understanding what he meant. Autumn smiled. "Let me explain. Thanks to your absence, we were able to convince your friend Amata to let us access Vault 101. It was pathetically idealistic, really; all we had to do was offer to open the Vault for the wastelanders. Of course, I never intended to honor that part of the deal. The steel door of Vault 101 opened, and we poured in and took control. And now, we've transported them through the wasteland to a safe and secure place, well hidden from rescue."
Albert shuddered as the weight of his words hit him, realizing he was directly responsible for what had happened to the people of the Vault, since he had helped them end that revolt peacefully, giving Amata power and letting Butch join them. "Why the hell?" Albert demanded, gritting his teeth. He wanted to break through the door and strangle the man. But with the thickness of the glass and the fact that they had James and Janice at gunpoint, he had no other option.
Clementine explained, allowing a tone of superior arrogance to emerge in her voice: "The Enclave values civilians who haven't been tainted by the outside world, young Johnson. Our inner circle has determined that the people of Vault 101 will make an excellent working caste in our new society."
Albert narrowed his eyes and asked, "What new society?"
"The New United States of America, of course," Autumn replied casually.
"How dare you!" Albert shouted at the man, clenching his fists. "They're people! Humans! You can't enslave them!"
"Yes, of course we can," Clementine paused for a moment and studied the young man closely, searching for something. She seemed to find it when she said: "I must say, young Johnson, you really resemble your friend Amata. I should know; you both were very passionate before I killed her."
Albert's eyes widened, and his heart sank completely. "You... you didn't..." he said, barely loud enough for the generals to hear.
Clementine, looking him straight in the eye, replied, "Yes, I did."
In a fit of rage, Albert drew his scoped Magnum and aimed at Autumn through the glass. He fired, and the bullet ricocheted off the glass. Autumn did not flinch at the shot, although everyone else did. The Colonel seemed amused by the sudden assassination attempt.
"How noble, Mr. Johnson! How truly noble! But I'm afraid in your current position you hold no power, and the time for heroic games has passed."
Clementine smiled and looked at James. "We couldn't locate James. He did an excellent job of keeping a low profile..." She looked back at him. "... Unlike you. Running around and solving every little problem that came your way, it was extremely easy to track you and keep you under control."
"One of your soldiers attacked us before we found my father," Albert said, recalling the encounter near Megaton. "Why try to kill us if you wanted us to find him?"
"It was an explorer's mistake," admitted Autumn, waving his hand. "He thought you were your father. It was my decision to have you followed. I had a hunch you'd simply lead us to the prize—the prize being your father and this project."
"I will not work with you," James said, drawing Autumn's attention. "And the Purity Project won't work either. It never has, and it probably never will."
Albert could hardly believe what he was hearing. His father had had every faith that the Purity Project would work. Then he realized that maybe his father was just trying to deceive the colonel and that the man might not know anything about the GECK they needed.
Autumn frowned. "You don't seriously expect me to believe you would return to this project after such a long absence without expecting results, do you?"
Autumn turned around, pulled out a gun, and aimed it at Janice's head. "Dr. Johnson, you will hand over all materials related to the project, as I said. Additionally, you must assist the Enclave scientific staff in any way they request to ensure this facility is fully operational. Do I make myself clear?" He readied the weapon. "Or should I add an exclamation point to my order?"
The woman raised her hands, her legs trembling with fear. Tears streamed down her face as she began to sob openly. "Don't shoot her," James pleaded. "Please, it's not necessary. We can talk about this, Colonel."
A single shot rang out, and Janice fell to the floor, dead, with a single bloody hole between her eyes. Albert's hatred for the two of them intensified, obscuring the view of the cold-blooded murder committed by the man who claimed to have killed his father. If there had been any doubt about Autumn's capacity to do what he said, it was gone now. The growls of Dogmeat grew louder.
Autumn holstered his pistol. "Although I admit I've been quite conversational up to this point, I didn't come here to chat, Dr. Johnson. Now, before there are any more accidents, can I assume you'll cooperate without further dissent? Is that clear, Dr. Johnson?"
James, containing his terrible fury at the atrocity before him, begrudgingly spat out, "Yes, Colonel."
Albert nearly choked, feeling helpless behind the glass. He shouted defiantly, "Dad! You can't do what he says!"
James looked at his son with a look Albert had never seen before and said, "Albert... I need you to be quiet." It worked; Albert was left speechless.
Autumn laughed heartily at the exchange. "Kids. They never quite learn their place beneath adults, do they, James?"
James shook his head and closed his eyes in frustration. "Don't talk about my son, Autumn, you damned bastard."
"Petty insults work on petty people, Dr. Johnson, and I am not one of them. I've enjoyed our little chat in my own way, but I'm afraid my patience is wearing thin. Hand over the materials we need, now," Clementine demanded.
James straightened up and took a deep breath. He looked at Autumn and Clementine, then at Albert and Madison. He closed his eyes, and at that moment, his determination seemed to abandon him, and he appeared defeated. His shoulders slumped, and his head bowed slightly. Albert watched with wide eyes as his father looked at Autumn and resignedly said, "Alright, Autumn. You finally won. Give me a moment to get the system operational."
"Dad, no..." Albert said, barely above a whisper.
James looked at Albert, and only Albert, one last time. Then he turned, approached the main console, and began pressing the necessary keys to start it. Albert and Li watched as their hopes and dreams for the project faded when James, the visionary and team leader, was about to hand it over to the Enclave.
"I'm growing tired of these delays," Autumn said after a few seconds, clenching his fists behind his back.
"Just a moment more," James murmured.
A flash of light emanated from within the chamber, taking everyone by surprise. It temporarily blinded them, preventing them from seeing the explosion they could hear. Dogmeat began barking wildly as Albert's Pip-Boy started ticking with a familiar sound; the Geiger counter was registering radiation. When the vision returned to those outside the purifier chamber, they were met with a horrific sight. The two Enclave soldiers in power armor inside had dropped their weapons and were staggering, trying to fight against an invisible enemy, while the incredibly lethal radiation did its work. Autumn and Clementine, who suddenly looked very ill, staggered towards James before collapsing on the floor and lying very still.
Everyone watched as James panted and slowly walked toward the glass separating him from them. It was evident he was suffering great pain because the radiation caused by overloading the central purifier's main power source was assaulting his body. Struggling with each agonizing step, James finally fell to his knees in front of the door and placed his hand on the glass.
"Son..." he said in a hoarse, weak voice. Albert got down to his father's level and also placed his hands on the glass. His eyes were wide open and fearful.
Albert looked at his father and shouted, "Dad! What did you do?"
"I stopped them... from taking the project... from my son..." James gasped, and before Albert could respond, he said, "Albert! Listen to me... you must... run, escape... take... take Madison and her team... escape... run... run..."
"No! Dad, I won't leave you!" Albert yelled, almost hitting the glass.
His father closed his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm already... dead... this radiation... I'm dead..."
"No! No! No!" Albert's eyes were filled with tears streaming down his cheeks. "I didn't come all this way... you didn't come all this way just for this! Don't leave me again! Not again! Don't do this!"
"I'm so sorry... my son... that it has to be this way..." James coughed. To Albert's terrified eyes, his father's skin began to decay slowly, and in a moment etched forever in Albert's memory, his father began to look slowly like a ghoul but he wouldn't become one.
"Albert..." James said in a rasping voice. "Never... never let them take it from you... Your mother's dream..."
"Dad..." Albert whispered. He felt as if his heart was beating a thousand times per second, as if he were drowning, as if everything in the world was collapsing around him, shattered by some malignant higher power. Nothing could have prepared him to see his father dying slowly before him and feeling utterly, completely powerless to save him. Li was similarly stunned, beyond the capacity for rational action.
His father, exhaling his last breath, suddenly took on a serene look in his now milky eyes. He looked up and, with cracked lips, said, "I... am Alpha... and Omega..." He looked at Albert and spoke his final words. "Son... I... love you... I'm... proud..."
James collapsed to the floor with a bullet hole in his head from General Clementine, who had fainted from radiation, falling against the glass and closing her eyes. His last breath escaped his lips in one long, final exhalation. Madison and perhaps the most affected of all, Albert, watched with devastating pain as the man died.
Albert couldn't breathe, couldn't close his eyes, couldn't tear them away from the sight of his dead father, the martyr, the man who had been the most important person in his life. His fingers ached from pressing so hard against the glass, wishing it would disappear so he could pull his father out and save him. Completely defenseless, utterly defeated, and in incredible despair, Albert pounded on the glass and screamed. He screamed many things, none of which he would remember, because everything seemed silent to him, as if the world had lost its control over him and he was far away, trapped in a dark prison. He screamed and pounded, pressing his face against the glass, doing everything he could to make it all end, to make it all reverse, anything to stop the horrible hand of fate from dealing him this card. Anything to change what had just happened.
Charon, upon entering and seeing what had happened, dragged him back, not even sure how much time had passed since his father's death. Time had no meaning for him at that moment. As they pulled him away, he never took his eyes off the chamber door, that simple thing that had separated him from his father, and he fought against it every second, not even knowing why. They took him out of the rotunda, led him down the hallway, and lowered him through a sewer that led to the tunnels beneath the monument. Now, in the darkness, Albert sat in silence, his screams having ceased as he closed his eyes and simply cried.
Without realizing it, Albert had shed some tears, which did not go unnoticed by Ozpin and Glynda, who looked at him with sympathy. Albert, annoyed at being seen in such a vulnerable state, quickly wiped away his tears.
"He died in front of me because of a national supremacist group. And I killed them all... Now we make a living as mercenaries."
Ozpin looked at him with sympathy. "You've been through a lot, Mr. Johnson. My deepest condolences for your father."
Glynda murmured a silent prayer. "I'm so sorry."
Albert calmed down a bit. "Don't feel sorry for me. The dead cannot return."
Ozpin nodded to Glynda, signaling her to leave, only to return two minutes later with a cup of hot chocolate. Albert looked at the hot drink, unsure of it, but after smelling and taking a sip, he felt a sense of calm.
"I have a proposal for you, Mr. Johnson."
"What do you want?" Albert asked, slightly calmer.
"From what I've seen of your weapons and armor, you and your team know how to maintain order, even if it means using force. So, I propose you come to my school where you can improve your skills and have a home. Not to mention, with a hunter license, you'll have more freedom than as mercenaries."
Albert considered his words. It seemed like a good alternative to wandering aimlessly until the Brotherhood returned. But he wanted to know something. "Will those who aren't human be treated equally by the students and staff?"
Ozpin smiled. "My school has zero tolerance for racism, both against faunus and their fellow students."
That convinced Albert. "Alright, we'll join."
Ozpin nodded with a smile and extended his hand. "You've made a good decision, young Johnson."
Albert shook his hand. "Let's hope so, Director Ozpin."
As they released their handshake, Ozpin stood up. "Tomorrow before school, my assistant Glynda will arrange for you and your team to have official paperwork to become students. Do you have a place to spend the night?"
"Um, no," Albert admitted, a bit unsure.
Ozpin wrote something on a piece of paper he took from his pocket along with a pen. "Go to this address; you can spend the night there. I'm covering the cost, and I've also included the address of Beacon's offices where you'll meet Glynda for your interviews." He handed Albert the written paper.
Albert took the paper. "Thank you, Professor Ozpin."
"The pleasure is mine, young Johnson. It's the least I can do for you."
As the three of them prepared to leave, Albert felt a nagging sense that something was amiss. But for now, they had a plan and were determined to make the most of it.
What do you think? Leave me your comments, and I'll see you later.