Markus wasn't planning on such a big group learning about his actual past when he looked back to this moment. But the fact remained that the enemy were synthetic infiltrators of some kind, and they were equipped with laser weaponry of unknown make, using Microfusion Cells from his world. Hikaru tried to kill Ai, Nino saw the laser blast, Chika was captured by the synthetic merc for a reason, Hayasaka saw him shoot Hikaru seven times with a shotgun, but didn't die, meaning she was going to tell Kaguya.
As such the group that was going to be small became large by Markus's standards, as Ai, Nino, Hayasaka, Kaguya, Chika, Miyuki, Daichi, and Maho were all here with him in one room in the school. Because logically a private school was the best place for the conversation to be held and away from prying ears and eyes. Aqua, Ruby, and Frill were with Yu and Miko in the Student Council room so they could have this talk.
Which Markus started as he spoke up. "Alright then, so I imagine all of you were wondering what is going on and why a number of you are here, yes?" He asked as all of them nodded to some degree. "Glad to know we're all on the same page, and I will get to that but first some backstory for the context of this talk if none of you don't mind now." Markus said as he questioned his audience as he had his…personal belongings on him.
"I have no issue, though I am surprised that you called us back here so soon." Daichi admitted as Maho nodded before his eyes sharpened a bit. "I imagine that it has something to do with the other matter?" He questioned as Markus nodded. "Then continue." He requested as Markus nodded again at that.
"Alright to start with some context, some time ago, I had met an Idol who I somehow ended up befriending against all odds, Ai of B-Komachi." He said as several members of the group waved and the likes at Ai, who simply smiled sheepishly at them. "As I became friends with her and spent more time with her, and soon enough some complications arose that for her own safety, Ai started bunking at my place." Markus said as the girls turned to Ai with grins on their face as she flushed red.
"So, you must be Markus's special lady friend!" Chika said cheerfully as Ai turned even redder at that and Nino giggled at her.
Miyuki, however, focused on the reasoning behind it. "She came under attack or something like that, yes?" He questioned seriously, dampening the mood as Markus nodded.
"Yep, some stalker tried to hurt her, thankfully I was there in time to chase off the stalker and I tried to chase him down, but the idiot didn't look where he was going and got himself killed by accident." Markus explained as a number of people grimaced at that detail. "Naturally after I moved Ai to safety, I went back to check up on the crime scene to see if there was anything I could learn, a complication did happen though." He stated to them.
"What kind of complication?" Kaguya frowned at that. "A Criminal Investigation should have been active, especially if he died by accident, especially since deaths are very uncommon." She pointed out as Markus nodded.
"Well, the first problem to that Kaguya, is that there was no investigation." He said seriously earning wide eyes from most of the group, save for the Fujiwara family. They seem to have an idea as to where Markus was going with this. "The body vanished as if nothing happened and anything suspicious was removed, for all intents and purposes, the crime scene was covered up completely." Markus said seriously to them.
"The body vanished? Without a clue? And nothing ever came of it?" Nino questioned in shock as Markus nodded. "How?" She questioned.
"I don't know, but that leads to the next set of circumstances that I found myself in." Markus admitted and then continued. "I got kidnapped alongside Chika by some kidnappers looking to make a hostage deal with Chika's family." He then said as Kaguya and Miyuki turned to Chika in shock and in worry as she smiled weakly and nodded towards Markus as the two looked grateful to him. "Long story short, I got out with Chika, but I also later found out that the incident got covered up as well." He said as the audience started to follow Markus's words.
"That incident was also covered up as well?" Nino questioned in disbelief. "That's not normal, I can't think that a kidnapping attempt could be covered up." She stated at that.
"Yes, and I was thinking this was some annoyance of a bigger conspiracy that was going on, until I found out when Ai was being assaulted by the man whom we suspect is responsible for sending that stalker after her." He then explained and his face got serious. "And here's when things get hectic, because not only did the guy pull out, and I kid you not, an actual laser gun." He said to the shock of everyone as he pulled out the partially damaged laser gun in sight. "But the guy was also a synthetic life form of some kind." He said causing most of the group to gasp.
Hayasaka grimaced. "That explained why that one man was able to stay standing up after he took seven shotgun blasts to his body and you had to knock him over the railing." She said as Kaguya and Miyuki turned to her in surprise, realizing that Markus was not screwing with them.
"And that's where the complicated matter begins." Markus sighs as he showed the power cell from the gun that came with it, and then he dug into his bag and pulled out his Pipboy, which confused everyone and then to everyone's widened shock. He managed to make the very same power cell appear right before their eyes after Markus pressed on certain settings. "This here is a Microfusion Cell, the same power source that powered the very weapons you see before you." He explained calmly to the group.
"Why do you have that on you Markus?" Ai questioned in shock with wide eyes as she felt something big was going to be exposed, as did everyone else who seem to be focusing on Markus as he looked tired yet also relieved.
"I have this on me, because it's native where I'm from." He started off before he took a pause. "It's native from my world, from the far future of 2282." He said to the shock of everyone as Markus then took out his photobook, showcasing a bunch of photos and sights that everyone started looking at in shock. "I'm not from this world, and I am not from this time." Markus announced to them all as they remained silent.
"I'm sorry Markus, but did you just said that you hailed from another timeline/reality?" Kaguya asked weakly as Markus nodded as Kaguya started giggling a bit. "You're very funny Markus, I did not know that you were a practicing comedian of some kind as well." She said in denial.
"I am not lying." Markus assured her as he directed her to the photographs before he turned to Hayasaka. "Hayasaka." He called out to her, as she blinked at him in surprise. "I imagine that you have a bit of fair training in being able to spot fakes and the likes; right?" He asked as Hayasaka nodded to an extent at that. "I took all of the photos on an old polaroid camera, last I checked, unlike digital cameras, those can't be edited, so please confirm what I am showing." He requested.
Hayasaka was silent for a moment but nodded as she went over the check over the phots and examined as many of them as she can while checking them to see if they were fake. And as she examined them, her eyes went wider and wider until she finished examining the photos and was staring at Markus with wide eyes before she made her judgement. "If these are fakes, then these are possibly the most well-made fakes I have ever seen in my life." She said to the shock of all.
"They're real?" Miyuki said in shock as he looked over the many photos that Markus had in his album and he couldn't help but widen his eyes at some of the wasteland monstrosities that Markus's world and time held, as he beheld monsters like the Cazadores, Night Stalkers, Deathclaws, Feral Ghouls, and more. "I don't believe, a lot of these things look like they come out of an old sci-fi fiction series." He muttered.
"And if you're having trouble believing it with just the photos, I got something weird to show you." Markus said as he then pulled out…the Fist of Rawr, an unarmed weapon he made from an exceptionally pissed off and nasty as fuck Deathclaw as everyone's eyes instantly went over the Deathclaw Gauntlet, as he heard it was called on the East Cost from some of the travelers hailing from a place called the Capital Wasteland. "Yeah, that's a genuine part of a very nasty critter where I'm from." Markus deadpanned to the group, who were all examining the weaponized Deathclaw Hand.
While most of the group was examining the Deathclaw with shock and fascination, Ai had her eyes focused on Markus as her eyes were completely wide at what he revealed to her and the rest of them. "You were hiding a pretty massive secret there Markus." Was what she said when she eventually regained her composure as she walked to him. "So how much of what you told me about your past was a lie?" She then asked more silently and vulnerably.
Markus blinked at that as he dd not expect that kind of reaction from Ai, but he answered as truthfully as he could. "I never actually lied to you; I simply told you about the broad strokes of what I actually endured." Markus said as Ai looked to him with calmer eyes now. "What I said is both true, albeit some parts of were hidden but were true when you looked at it from a certain point of view."
"…What?" She questioned in confusion as Markus had to hold back a desire to sigh at Ai.
"Basically, I hid some parts of my story under a different identity, but for all intents and purposes, it was the same story." Markus explained to her. "My soul-searching experience and the likes were never elaborated as it were. The treasure I mentioned was actually an army of some kind that were key to controlling the city, and I did meet someone who did try to make me the next boss guy, but I refused." Markus explained to Ai, as she slowly started to get it now, as Markus did not lie, rather just never elaborated on the events.
"I see." Ai nodded, as internally she felt relief that the face that Markus showed to her, was not a false identity. Markus is still very much genuine, but he just omitted some parts about his past, which considering how long she's been lying for, was not much of a mark against him.
"Besides, do you really think that I wouldn't sound crazy or insane if I told you or other people in general that I was from another world?" Markus snarked at her rhetorically as Ai flushed red at remembering that tidbit. As in hindsight, revealing that you were from another world, would make most people think that you were insane. Ai even started to think that there was something off with Markus had she not seen both the photo album and the weaponized hand of the monster itself.
"He has a point you know." Daichi commented as he picked up the Fist of Rawr and examined it with awe. "So, this is the hand of a genuine foreign unknown lifeform from another world!" He said in absolute fascination. "I can't imagine what kind of circumstances could create something some vicious looking, and can only shudder how large the monster in question must have been."
"I've seen some pretty insane sights in my life." Markus replied to Daichi as Chika turned to another photo and her eyes widened at the sight of the Robo-Scorpions from Big Mountain, and then her eyes paled at the sight of a destroyed giant Robo-Scorpion inside a facility. Something that internally made Markus shivered as Dr. Mobius's creation still gave Markus nightmares from how fucking horrifying it was to fight that damn thing.
"Is that giant robot scorpion?" Hayasaka said with genuine befuddlement. "What kind of mad scientist or engineer would build such a machine and for what purpose?" She questioned as she looked around and saw additional examples of machines. "Your world has advanced the point that machines can be mass produced like those Combat Droids from Star Wars?" She said in genuine shock as she looked upon House's Securitron Army patrolling the Free Economic Zone of Vegas.
Which underwent a change of name as the Sovereign State of New Vegas when House officially entered the NCR. Markus was many things, and while he did know House was smart, he also knew damn well that House did not exactly make the best choices in finding people to follow him. The higher ups from the Omerta, Benny, and those Cannibal from the White Gloves, could have easily all dragged House down with them had he not intervened. As such, Markus preferred not for House to be on any sort of leash save for a short leash, because in some ways to him. House was more dangerous than the Think Tank.
At any rate now. "I suppose that you all have questions for me." Markus said to them all as they all nodded. "I can imagine, so as someone who's a native, I think I should start from the beginning, or at least what I deduce or think to be the beginning, because there's a lot of lost history on the current state of the world and the setup to it." Markus explained to them as they nodded.
"I think that would do." Nino said with wide eyes of shocking of seeing some of the insane locations and native life in the Mojave Wasteland. She especially started to get a bit pale at seeing the Yao Guai, Tunnelers, and Marked Men.
"Alright so first important bit of info to know." Markus said as he became very serious as everyone all paid attention. "As far as everyone knows, the world went to shit when countries back in the old days, escalated to nuclear missile strikes." He said as everyone if the group went paled. Which to Markus, made some sense, since Japan is literally the only to have ever been on the receiving end of a nuclear strike, not once, but twice. "I couldn't tell you exactly what went down before the nukes struck, but as far as everyone knows, the bombs fell on October 23, 2077. The People's Republic of China and the United States of America exchange Nuclear Bombs which as you can imagine, destroyed modern civilization and devastated the world since many other nations jumped in on the nuke exchange as well." Markus started off.
"Your world went nuclear?" Ai questioned with horror clear as day in her voice as Markus nodded. "Why? Why did they go nuclear and used those horrific weapons of mass destruction and destroyed modern society in your world?" She couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know for sure, but from what little historical records I was able to find and dig up, tensions between China and the USA have been escalating for years. And one of the major issues that caused the conflict between them, was the eventual extinguishment of a resource known as Fossil Fuel, which led to massive resource shortages and the likes. And only America had what remaining fuel left in the world, or so I've been told and checked." Markus explained to them before he quickly added in. "I wouldn't take my word for it, there's very few details of records existing to that time that isn't damaged."
Markus took a moment to pause before he continued. "But as you can imagine the Americans and Chinese don't like each other and the Americans refused to share with the Chinse, which kicked off the Sino-American War, or Resource War, I don't know, but that war led to the Great War which was the war in which the bombs dropped." Markus then explained. "And as you can imagine, a whole hole of radiation, pollution, and other factors mutated a lot of stuff, creating the very monsters and the likes you see in that album." Markus said.
"But all of these events happened over a hundred years ago." Miyuki then pointed out. "So where were you, or what was your story before you ended up here?" He then asked Markus who nodded at Miyuki's question.
"I was wondering when someone was going to get there." Markus said to him before he turned to the group. "Some already knew that I was originally a Courier delivering packages and mails, which as you can imagine, is no easy task in the lawless state of the world." He said as Ai nodded to knowing that part. "But how my story began, was me delivering a certain package that saw me ambushed, knocked out, then shot twice in the head, before being buried in a shallow grave." Markus said to them as all of them widened their eyes and started gasping as Markus moved part of his hair to show the gunshot scars on his head.
"How did you live?! How are you even alive right now Markus?!" Maho said in shock as she and Chika took a closer look at Markus's gunshot scars and paled at how vicious they looked.
"Through several factors, the first of which was I was saved by a wondering bystander who dug me out, the place where I was buried was next to a village that had an exceptionally skilled doctor who worked all night to save me. The last of which I think is luck, I am not exactly sure on the matter except I lived again." Markus admitted before he turned his head aside. "But the resulting shots and surgery left me with complete memory loss, thus I had no memories to recall or to call upon." He then revealed as everyone but Ai gasped at that.
"You lost your memories Markus?" Kaguya questioned in disbelief as Markus nodded. "But is Markus Redgrave your original name or what?" She then asked.
"Markus Redgrave is not my original name." Markus started off. "It was a name that I was given after I was baptized by a wise preacher by the name of Joshua Graham, who christened my current self and my new identity." Markus explained before he looked kind of sheepish. "So, for a while I just went by the name of Courier Six for a bit." He added in embarrassment as the reveal made the shock die down.
"I can't help but imagine the kind of weird looks you got from that." Chika snickered at that as Markus did not look repentant at all. But he did feel some second-hand embarrassment later on thinking back on it. As it was the kind of name an idiot like Fantastic would work with.
"Right then, so shall I continue with my backstory and the circumstances that eventually led me here?" He then asked as everyone nodded at him at once. As all of them were kind of excited and interested in learning what kind of misadventures Markus had in a post nuclear wasteland of some kind. Already there were the typical mutated monsters, robots, and there was bound to be a bunch of fun tales.
"After I woke up, the local doctor, by the name of Mitchell, helped me learn what was going on and soon helped me get settled in and directed me to the locals who could help me out. After teaching me the basics of combat and how to make medicine through traditional means. I was planning on leaving until I overheard the locals being under threat and danger from some criminal gangsters called the Powder Gangers." Markus explained as many of them raised an eyebrow at the name. "Came from their main weapons in the form of dynamite." He added in as they all nodded in understanding.
"So, what did you do then Markus?" Ai asked.
"I did the only reasonable thing I could do at the time. I decided to help pay back the town that saved my ass and rallied the locals and gathered armor, weapons, and supplies to fight back those Powder Gangers." Markus said rather casually, as a number of people like Kaguya and Ai couldn't help but smile that even when he lost his memories, Markus had always been seemingly a good person at heart.
"To my own surprise, that would not be the last time I stuck my nose into someone's business and got myself into a new kind of troublesome situation because I couldn't just go ignoring people in trouble." Markus chuckled in amusement as Kaguya and Ai looked amused by that, as did Chika and her parents. Since all of them were well aware of the kind of person that Markus had proven himself to be. And he hardly did his actions for rewards, even though they could be high.
And then one by one, Markus told his many misadventures in the world that he came from. To the Confrontation with the criminals in Primm, and liberated the Deputy from the crooks, before he went to Powder Ganger territory to recruit a convict by the name of Meyers and several of his boys to act as the Sheriff and Law Enforcement in Primm. After, of course, he got him a Pardon for him and his boys from the one of the post nuclear nations called the NCR, or New California Republic as the group found out.
Then Markus told them about taking out the threat of ants, which many were skeptical to how dangerous they could be until they saw ants ranging from the size of dogs to the size of cows, and breathing fire. Then he told them about the first meeting he had with Caesar's Legion, and how they razed the town of Nipton to ashes and crucified the locals. As Markus had expected, the group was horrified to hear about such an atrocity.
And then he talked about helping Boone with his quest to avenge his wife, and when Markus went into a bit more detail over the circumstances behind his wife's death. Needless to say, everyone was shocked and horrified at what Boone's wife endured and none of them had any opposition when Boone got his revenge on the piece of shit that sold his wife and unborn kid into slavery. It was also another very grim reminder of how the world has gone to shit in Markus's time and how society went backwards as a result.
Of course, Markus made sure to move on and amused the group with the way he ended up helping a bunch of ghoul cultists get onto rockets to go into space. And then he talked about Helios One, and everyone could not believe that someone as stupid as Fantastic got himself a job making sure the facility was brought back online or that someone was called Fantastic as an actual name to begin with.
And then there was the confrontation at Boulder City, which everyone was impressed by how Markus was able to get the Great Khans to stand down, and release the hostages. But also convinced the NCR to let the Great Khans go without any blood being shed, and Markus being one step closer to finding out about the importance of his package.
And as Markus told more and more tales about his past. He noticed that Ai was in awe at some of them, yet she also had a deeply complicated expression of some kind that appeared on her face. Eventually, for reasons unknown to him, she decided to get up and leave the room with that same complicated expression on her face. Feeling some form of concern for Ai, Markus decided to leave several other interesting artifacts from his world that wouldn't be too dangerous to leave by themselves to let the group touch and see.
Ai, for better or for worse was now connected to him, as the threat had to have come from his world.
Ai couldn't help but be in a daze as she took a moment to exit the room where Markus dropped his bombshell. To think that Markus was not only from a different world, one that is far into the future where tensions between nations rose until nukes were used. But more importantly, she couldn't help but be in shock at the fact that Markus was something of a Good Samaritan that always had a habit of helping out or getting involved into struggles when if he can help.
Ai considered herself a good judge of character, she had to be, in her line of work. And nothing that Markus did or said indicated that anything he said was a lie. Even the details on the treasure and key to holding control to a city was not a lie as well. Just not very elaborated, and an army of combat machines would be a treasure of some kind. But more importantly to her, Markus had always been truthful, always honest, always moral, and always acting in the best interests of people.
…That's more than she could say for herself as a person.
She had not been honest for a long time, and still couldn't be honest with either herself or with her children. It made her feel…certain things that made her partially disgusted with herself. But some of the worst feelings was her growing jealousy and envy of Markus, when he shared everything with not just her, but also Nino, the students, and the parents when Markus told them all about his actual past and his origins.
Markus had nothing; he was literally a whole new person when he went on his misadventures. He had every right to be scared, paranoid, apathetic to the world around him as he could have focused on his personal goal. But despite everything that he went through, he had enough moral fiber to offer his aid and intervene when he can. He had been a good person at his core, even in a world where such traits should not have existed and serve only to bring out the worst in people.
She couldn't even bring herself to be honest with her kids…her own kids for crying out loud!
How could she have let this be? How could she not even be truthful with her own children? Markus was special, he could be as honest as he wanted to and yet pursued truth. He had no hangups or issues, or anything like that…well except for the part about his missing memories. But he moved on and forged new memories to the point he seems satisfied with who he is as a person, unlike her.
She nearly died twice and not once had she been honest or said to them that she loved them. She couldn't let that stand, Ai knew that both Ruby and Aqua loved her, and practically adore and worship her. But not once had she said she had loved them…this wasn't going to stand. She was going to find her kids and said the words that she should have said ages ago!
So, with determination in her eyes shining outside of work. She had enough of being almost killed and not giving enough to her kids. She was going to find them and tell them she loved them! And as she marched quickly, she opened the door to where Markus said Aqua and Ruby were, and when she entered in, several students were blinking in surprise at seeing her. As well as her own two kids, and so she went up to them and picked them up.
"Ai!?" Aqua said in surprise.
"Ah miss?" Miko blinked in surprise as Ai picked up her kids. "Is there something wrong?" She asked cautiously.
"Just needed to have a heart-to-heart chat with my kids, went through some major events is all." Ai said with her calm smile as Miko was silent but nodded and let her take Aqua and Ruby. Though now, the third child that was there pouted a tiny bit as Aqua was not hanging out with her.
Which reminded her that she needed to prepare for Aqua's future as already she could tell that the girl liked hanging out with Aqua. And he might easily become a lady's man in the future.
"Mama?" Ruby said softly as Ai held them in her hands the moment they left the student council room.
"There is something that mama needed to tell you two that was long overdue for a long time." Ai said with a kind smile on her face. "Just wait for a little bit longer." She requested as they nodded before they found a more private room to have their talk there.
"Ai, what is going on?" Aqua asked in confusion. "Why did you bring us here?" He added in as Ai smiled at how smart and well spoken her son is.
"Ruby, Aqua, there is something that mama needs to let you both know." She said calmly as she forgone any personas she had, and showed her more vulnerable human side as she started to tear up, surprising both of her kids. And then she reached down and hugged them both warmly and tenderly.
"!" Neither Aqua or Ruby could say anything as they simply gasped in surprise as Ai hugged them as happily and warmly as she could.
"Ruby, Aqua, when I first found out I was pregnant, I was scared I couldn't be the mother that either of you deserved or wanted." Ai confessed before she let go of her hug as tears flowed from her eyes. "But I will never regret the day that I gave birth to either of you two, the two of you have been the greatest divine blessing I could have ever received." She sniffled.
"…Mama." Aqua said for the first time in a long while as he felt tears form on his face as Ruby sniffled as well.
"That is why I must say this. I should have said this a long time ago." Ai said as the stars in her eyes turned a beautiful pure color of white. "Thank you for being born, thank you for enriching my life. And most of all…I love you two." She said as she went back to hugging her kids as both Aqua and Ruby hugged her with everything she's got.
And the three family members stayed like this for a while until they heard knocking on the door. "Ai? Are you in there? I heard from Miko and Yu that you suddenly took Aqua and Ruby for a reason." Markus said as Ai let go of her kids and now, she had one more thing to do, one last truth she needed to reveal, for good or for ill.
As Ai approached the door, she answered him. "Coming Markus, just giving my children the much-deserved love they truly deserve." She said as she opened the door, to Markus, looking calmer now.
"Ah that's good to hear." Markus nodded. "Was worried when you vanished, had me concerned you know?" Markus said casually as Ai got closer, confusing him. "Something the matter Ai?" He asked before his eyes widened in surprise when Ai grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in and kissed him tenderly on his cheek, causing his face to become a new expression of confusion and…joy on his face.
Aqua and Ruby both widened their eyes at this and Ruby squealed at how lovely it looked while Aqua remained silent yet also approvingly.
As soon as Ai finished kissing Markus, she took a step back and blushed red at her action as Markus continued blinking in surprise as she giggled at his surprised expression and gave him a wink before she smiled again and tilted her head with a lovely expression on her face.
"Markus Redgrave, I love you." She confessed as Markus's eyes widen at the confession, and slowly but surely, Ai can see Markus's mouth slowly turning upwards into a smile. "I love you with all of my heart, and if you would do me the honor, will you become my boyfriend?" Ai asked.