Chapter 27, Better Times Ahead

Present Day

"So, there you have it. That's what went on for the last four years," my Dad said.

I leaned back, taking in what he said. All the pieces, more or less, make sense, as to why we couldn't find each other. Hearing all this, part of me was mad that I left. If I had just waited a little bit longer instead of leaving in the pissed off state that I was in, none of this would have happened. Dad and I would still be in D.C, rebuilding the world together for the better. But then again, I would have never helped the Brotherhood chapter here come out of its shell and I would have never met Elizabeth or even saved her. And hearing the things the Lutece Twins told my Dad about the analogy of the play, everything had to happen the way it did. It's starting to prove to me that they really were the ones that set things in motion. Right from the moment I left the Vault to now, they had lined things up the way they did. They needed me to go to New Vegas at a certain moment in time, get the info I needed to then go back to D.C and start the chain of events needed to save Elizabeth and give her a better future. But I am still pissed how all these things played out. Couldn't they have sent me something, anything to let me know he was still alive and give me some comfort? Or did my four years of grief have to play out the way it did to keep everything on track? Something I'll have to ask them when I get a chance next time I see them.

I sighed, "Well, everything makes sense in a way. I'm more pissed now at myself than you. Because if I had stayed even just one more day, then I would have catched you and I wouldn't be here now."

"I can't blame you for leaving. If the roles had reversed, I would have done the same thing. The years I have been alive on this planet, life sometimes has a way of pulling these kinds of things," my Dad answered.

"Well, I suspect this isn't life or God doing this," I replied.

My Dad gave me a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"I guess it's time I say my piece. Long story short, I spent the last four years just moving from place to place until I settled here in New Vegas. But earlier this month, I received a package from an unknown party. I'd find out later who it was, but the package took me back to D.C. to find a lost city"

"Lost city? Like Atlantis," he inquired.

I nodded, "Funny enough, yes. A modern day one called Rapture."

"Rapture? Like from the Bible?"

"Yes, but this was an actual city from hundreds of years ago. I saw it in person," I affirmed.

Dad fell a bit back in his seat, "Incredible. How was it structurally?"

"There was a pocket of it that I could enter from the Submarine. I was expecting to find Pre War tech even weapons from that time. Sadly, I never did. But I found research notes from a few years ago from scientists on some of the tech that they discovered."

"What did they find?"

"Time travel. And resurrection," I answered.

Dad gave a look of doubt, "That's impossible. How could those things be possible hundreds of years ago and we never got it?"

"When Rapture was established after the Second World War, there were many technological advances. Andrew Ryan helped establish and make Rapture possible. A whole underground city that was full of technological advancements. Stuff like ADAM, gene splicing, and even early instances of Resurrection called Vita-Chamber's. Adam Ryan hoarded some of it for himself, but it was all there, ready to go."

"Were you able to save any of this? If we could reverse engineer some of those projects, it could change so much for humanity," he questioned.

I shook my head, "Sadly no. Whole place collapsed. I still have the notes, but not much in terms of schematics."

"I see. When you say time travel, how far did they go back?"

"I want to say, around the early 1900's."

"What was so important during that time that made them go there," he requested.

I cleared my throat, "So this is where things really get interesting. Rapture was not the only hidden city. There was another in the sky called Columbia. I never visited it, but it did exist according to the records and other sources."

I saw Dad's eye's enlarge, "What? A floating city? How is that even possible at all? I mean that amount of work and technology to even achieve that feat is beyond anything that is possible."

"I don't know much about it, but it existed somehow. Elizabeth knows more about it than I do."

"Ok. But back to Rapture. What were you able to take with you?"

I sighed, bracing myself, "You won't believe at all what I say next. You would think I was crazy."

"Evan, I would never think of that of you. After all I've seen these last few years, I try to keep an open mind."

"Ok. What I got from my trip to Rapture… was Elizabeth."

He smiled, "Oh Evan. Is that how you met her? You left with nothing from Rapture, but met Elizabeth along the way and that was what you took from it? You don't have to seem crazy for bringing that up."

I shook my head, "No. I mean I literally took her from Rapture in a way. I brought her back to life using the Resurrection device. She saw Rapture and Columbia in its prime."

Dad leaned forward, "Hold on. You're telling me that you were able to boot up the Vita- Chamber and bring someone back from hundreds of years ago?"

I nodded, "She's almost 400 years old. But her age is 20 biologically. However, booting it up made the place collapse."

Dad leaned back, "This…This is… extraordinary. I mean she's a link to not only to the Pre-war era, but she's a link to a hundred years well before the corruption and problems of the U.S. That is truly incredible Evan. How has she adjusted to everything?"

"Not good at first, but she slowly got there. And throughout this whole time, we've become close."

"So you're together, in that way," he inquired.

I nodded, feeling a subtle hotness in my face, "Yeah. But that isn't the true crazy part. And I didn't find out about this until recently, but this isn't the first time she has died. She died twice."

"Was she brought back before by the Vita - Chamber?"

"No. Do you remember those two you mentioned that talked to you at the bar?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

"Those are the Lutece Twins, they are from the 1800's. An accident made them Omnipotent or exist between timelines and be able to manipulate them in a way. And something like that happened to Elizabeth when she was a baby. She had her pinky severed by a portal to one of the realities, which made her exist across realities. So, when she died the first time, she lost all that power and was able to come back, but was stuck in our reality. She died again and then I brought her back."

Dad was silent, but his face spoke of what he was thinking. Puzzled, confused, and even questioning everything we ever knew. All of this was easily readable on his face, like reading that You're SPECIAL! I had it when I was a little kid at an older age. Much like how I was when I first found all this out. After a long minute, he sighed and lowered his hand from his face.

"Was Elizabeth almost like a god?"

"Yes. And the Lutece Twins, something similar, but she was more powerful than them. But they are the same person from two realities. Where one was female, one was male. Elizabeth could create Tears and manipulate reality right in the moment, even create her own realities."

"What about the Lutece Twins? Were they as strong as her?"

"Not entirely. But the Lutece Twins, I think, are responsible for everything in the last four years," I answered.

"What do you mean," he questioned.

"Elizabeth told me that they have a tendency to appear to set things in motion whether they show themselves to us or not. They appeared multiple times to me and her sometimes even when we were separate. But it always seemed like they were always picking our brains to think and make decisions. And if they appeared to you like that, it wouldn't surprise me."

"You think they set this all up?"

I nodded, "I'd say the moment I left the vault, they set everything in motion. Maybe even sooner. Maybe they were setting things up well before that. But they were the ones who sent the package to me."

"It very well could be. We'd have to ask whenever we see them," he finishes with a large exhale.

"Yeah. It's a lot to piece together. And it took time for Elizabeth to tell me all this."

"I can't blame her. Sounds like she's really had it rough," he replies.

"That's not even half her story. But I think it's best if she tells you when she's ready."

Dad raised his hand, "That's ok. I can put that together easily. So how have the two of you managed your relationship with each other?"

"It has been an interesting road together to say the least," I finished with a shrug.

"I can only imagine. I'm just… glad you were able to at least move on in a way. Even if we never saw each other again, I'm more than confident you would have moved on, settled down and maybe even have kids one day. "

I scratched the back of my head. I'm not sure I want to have kids in this world. We still live in a Wasteland despite the slow progression of it becoming time. Maybe in the future it could be possible.

"Yeah. These last weeks with Elizabeth, all the nightmares were gone and I felt like I moved on. But you're back, maybe we can catch up," I replied.

"With how things are going right now, we'll have to see. Anyway, it is starting to get late and I do need to get back to the Brotherhood," he finishes, standing up.

I stood up, "Yeah. But after all this, what's next?"

"Well, if you would like, I'd love to show you the progress D.C. has made in the last four years. D.C. is on track and more to being a peak in civilization."

I froze. Going back to D.C., the Capital Wasteland itself that I had left four years ago, makes my stomach churn. Even with Dad still alive, how would people react to my return? Would it be full of happiness? Or will they be pissed that I abandoned them to go to another place?

I scratched my head, "I…"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. I don't think they would like me returning."

Dad chuckled, "What makes you say that? Besides, we aren't looking to make enemies. We've had plenty of those in the years before and during reconstruction. Everyone misses you on some level Evan. I don't imagine everyone being pissed at you for leaving."

"I guess it's worth thinking about. How long will you be in town?"

"Another two days I imagine," he replied.

My Dad looks at my arm, "What is that? What happened to your old Pipboy?"

I raised my arm, "Ah. I gave mine to Elizabeth. This was a gift from someone named Cachino and apparently it's real diamonds and gold paint."

"Huh. Interesting. Never knew Pipboy's could be the illustrious type to customize like that. Anyway, let me put my frequency in there."

"Ok sounds like a plan," I finished, raising my arm to show my Pimpboy.

Once he was done, I walked with him to the door and back in the hall. He pushed the elevator button and the doors opened, ready for him to go back down.

"Let me know what you decide on doing. We can then go from there. But it is so good to see you again Evan. After all this time, " he says, giving me a bear hug, similar to the first time.

I patted his back before he let go and went down the elevator. I then let out a sigh and walked to Elizabeth's room. I opened the door and saw she was reading a new book, Children in the Future. Odd book name.

"Hey, sorry that took so long," I announced.

She closed the book, "No problem at all. You and your Dad needed quite a bite of time to reconnect with each other after so long. Least before he goes back to D.C."

I walked in, "Speaking of that, he invited me to go back to D.C. and see the progress they've made in the last year."

"Really? You don't sound enthusiastic about it."

"I mean I'm not entirely sure I want to go back. I feel people wouldn't really be happy to see me after how I just upped and left all of a sudden," I said as I sat down on the bed.

Elizabeth shifted towards me, "The choice is yours. I'd love to see D.C. so I would be fine going there even if you don't feel like going. Besides, we still need a copy of the Constitution to convince Mr. House."

Right. With everything going on, I almost lost track of that. We still need a copy of the Constitution before all the shitty laws and what not were added in. So going to D.C. might have another use in going there.

"I almost forgot about that. With everything going on, it slipped my mind. But if you want to go, you don't need my permission. I'm not your overly controlling husband," I said with a smile.

"Oh I know. But it would be nice to go with you. Be a nice break from the desert and sand we've been seeing the last month. Besides, I haven't had a chance to see more of the U.S. even if it would be from the sky."

I shrugged,"Ok. Just give me the night to think about it."

"Alright. What do you plan on doing for the rest of tonight?"

"Probably get ready for bed and get some sleep. Don't really have any side hobbies to do before bed."

"Try reading, drawing, or even journaling if you want. Can help pass a bit of time if you're not tired," she suggested.

"After the day I've had, I'm unfortunately tired now. Maybe another night."

She shrugged, "I can believe that. I'll join you once I finish a few chapters on this."

"Ok," I say, giving her a hug, "Good night."

She kisses my cheek, "See you in a bit."

I got up and went to the bathroom to get ready. Then changed into some Pajamas before turning the light off and getting under the covers. It still boggles my mind that my Dad is still alive. It still feels so surreal to me. Like a dream that sticks in your mind for days to come that you still can't believe happened. But what still rings around in my head is the idea of going back to D.C. I may not want to personally, but before the Battle of Hoover Dam, Elizabeth and I wanted to find the Constitution with the hope of convincing Mr. House to change his mind about being an autocrat for the long term. And an early, pre corrupt version could in theory do that. But with how Mr. House is, it definitely will take more than just that. His mind is "his way or the highway" so it's going to take a lot to change his mind. Here's hoping it's a stepping stone for what is to come.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the eventual drifting off to sleep that I would eventually slumber into.

When I reopened my eyes, I could feel the familiar presence of Elizabeth next to me, waking me up further. I kissed her forehead and got out of bed, ready for the morning. I went into the kitchen and made breakfast, still thinking about the prospect of returning to D.C. A bit more has changed in my mind from yesterday. Going to D.C. and getting a copy of the Constitution could be what jumpstarts change here, but also across the Wasteland. However, it still lingers in my head on how people would react to me returning. I still think everyone will be pissed on some level and hopefully that doesn't lead to making things worse. Last thing we need is my appearance triggering some conflict that makes a war on two fronts.

I got the rest of my clothes on and I noticed Elizabeth was already up and ready to go.

"Are you heading out," she asked.

"Just going to do some chores and think about D.C. I'll even check on your surprise while I'm at it," I replied.

She gave me a grin, "I'm going to find out what it is. One way or another."

I put my arm around her, "I'll make sure you don't until it's ready."

She pulled my arm around and kissed me before heading into her room, "Don't bet on it."

I put my helmet on and made my way outside the Lucky 38, ready for what today had in store.

I started my day off making my way to the Kings to find out if there was any update on Elizabeth's surprise. I walked down the strip with the lesser feeling of the sun beating down on my helmet, signifying how close winter was becoming. I continued forward, taking notice of the Securitrons patrolling to even see more kids out playing. Only this time they weren't chasing a rat down in food like in Freeside, but they were playing hopscotch on the ground. They weren't having to scavenge for food or worrying about some raider or low life trying to snatch them or worse. They were kids, just being kids. Just like I was back in the vault with all the other kids when we would play hopscotch, hide and seek, or even cowboys. I even saw a glimpse of Securitions playing with the kids with a jump rope only further cementing this feeling of safety to me and the kids playing. It's beautiful to see in a way. Mr. House has brought peace and order to an area like Freeside which I never thought would be possible.

I smiled and endured to The King's hideout. I entered and could smell the familiar smell of hair gel filling there as it entered my lungs. I made my way to the theater and saw The King playing with Rex with a red ball. Seeing Rex move around energetically was such a relief to see considering how I last saw him, unable to stand himself up. I approached The King and he quickly took notice of me and greeted me.

"Hey. Nice to see you again. Are you here to check up on finding puppies," he asked.

"Yup. Just checking since I'm not sure when I'll have a chance in the next week or so," I replied.

"Ah. Are you heading out of town on a trip?"

I shrugged, "Something like that possibly."

He rubbed his face, "I see. Well I'll keep you updated if I find anything. So far, I think next week I'll have something."

"Really," I asked.

"Yeah. One of my contacts found someone who had a dog just give birth. They're just nurturing them to health and they should be ready by the time you get back."

"Awesome. I'll swing by when I get back then. How's Rex doing?"

"He is still doing well and kicking ass. Thank you again for helping him," he answered.

"No problem. I'm glad he's doing well. Out of curiosity, how else are things doing," I inquired.

"Things have been pretty peaceful recently. With the last week of the Securitrons being here, we've had barely any attacks happen. Been seeing even more kids coming out to play. Looks like they finally feel safe after seeing the Securitrons around for a while. It's been nice in a way. Seeing kids actually being kids. Been seeing Freeside touch itself up a little as well. Nothing crazy, but it's coming along nicely."

"That's great to hear that things are starting to slowly improve. Anyway, I'm going to get back to my day, I'll see you later, " I replied, walking out.

I traveled to the Followers Outpost to see if they needed any work done. Julie just said they needed help caravanning supplies from 188 Trading Post and the surrounding area to help with the increase in demand of injured people as well as the more traffic of people in general. I agreed in order to help pass the time and spent a good chunk of the day helping get supplies to them to help. Most of the supplies were just medical with some provisions, nothing too special. We occasionally ran into the group of Gecko's and Radroaches that took notice of our caravan, but quickly dispatched them without much struggle. To which I noticed that the lack of radiated and mutated creatures across the wasteland was starting to drop significantly. I guess Mr. House's Securitrons were really making short work of them and thinning out their herds to make way for the future.

The day went on, back and forth between the two locations until we finally had moved everything to the Followers Outpost and the sun was beginning to set, letting me know it was time to go back. On my way back, I finally made a choice on going to D.C and was ready to tell Elizabeth. I trekked back to the Lucky 38 and took the elevator back to the suite. The doors opened and I walked into my room, setting my bag down and walking out to Elizabeth's room. She was on the bed, reading the same book as last time, before I cleared my throat.

"How was your day, "I asked.

"Good, I'm about to finish this book," she replied.

"What's it about?"

"An old world book about how Children can evolve in time and how parents can assist in that," she explained.

"What made you want to read a book about that?"

She shrugged, closing the book, "I don't know. When it comes to reading, I read the title and the first chapter to see if I'll like it."

"So, you don't judge a book by its cover?"

"Mostly no. Anyway, did you decide on going to D.C. or not," she inquired.

I rubbed the back of my neck, "I think…I think it's best we go. Regardless of how people feel, that constitution is on our list. So, I'll let my Dad know we plan on going and we can get some stuff together."

She set her book on the tableside, "Already on it. I had a feeling you would say yes."

"Really? How did you know?"

She shot me a look pulling a suitcase from behind, "We've been together for over a month almost everyday. You always come around in a way."

I shrugged in agreement. Guess I'm starting to become predictable in a way. Let's hope it doesn't come back to bite me.

I rommanged around to find a black and red velvet suitcase and brought it into my room, packing the essentials as well as packed my backpack with plenty of ammo and medical supplies. I zipped it up and set it aside and started to radio to Dad about my decision.

"Dad. Are you there," I asked.

It took a minute until I heard his voice appear, "Yes, hold on."

After a few seconds his voice came back through, "Ok. I'm here."

"Both Elizabeth and I have decided…that we'll go to D.C."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear. I'll let Lyons know and we'll make room. Arrive here first thing in the morning when you can and we'll take off."

I lowered my arm, "They're expecting us tomorrow morning."

"Ok," I hear her say.

I walked out of the room and saw Elizabeth bringing out her suitcase and set it down.

"You look eager to head out," I stated.

"Yeah. I've never been to D.C. before and the idea of going on a trip excites me in a way."

"Really? You used to travel between realities before. Isn't this the same thing," I remarked.

"Yes, but there's something special about flying or even driving to a location and the journey that it brings. The trip can have some fun moments in between that just teleporting there just doesn't have," she states.

She's not wrong entirely. When I traveled from D.C. to New Vegas, those moments were nice. From breaking down to having a path blocked to go around, it adds to the journey in a way of looking back. At the time though, I wasn't happy with those moments as I was still in the mindset of wanting to get far away from everyone and everything. But on reflection, it added to it in a way.

"I get what you mean. Well, I'll make myself some dinner and continue to pack."

I made myself some Brahmin Steak and Green Beans on the side. Once I was done and cleaned my mess up, I went back into my room to finish up packing. I saw the picture I had in the drawer on my bedside of me and my father when I was a kid and put it in there. I then got up to take a shower before heading to bed. As I got under the covers, I pulled the blankets over and looked at the ceiling, thinking more on what tomorrow and the next week would bring us. I closed my eyes, appreciating the feeling of the comfortable mattress under me one last time.

Next thing I knew, it was morning and time to go. After we had breakfast, we made our way outside the Strip, near the Gun Runners store where Dad and a Brotherhood of Steel member were outside the gate. Next to them was a somewhat put together van with scrap metal welded together and its rustic look of exposure to the weather outside.

"You got everything," my Dad asks.

"Yup. We got enough for a few days."

"Good, once we get back to the bunker, we can get the Vertibird up and running and head on out."

Elizabeth and I put our suitcases in the van and I can already see the condition of it. There was an attempt to make it decent for travel, but the rusted floor and ceiling with torn seats make me question it for long term travel. Best to just buckle in and hope for the best.

We buckled in and the van took off, and the sound the entire van was making only solidified what I thought earlier. It creaked and sounded that at any moment, it could fall apart leaving us stranded or go flying out into the wasteland, across the sky.

After almost an hour of time being in the van, we finally made our destination outside of the Bunker. When I opened the door, I was met with the crowd of Brotherhood members packing up their stuff and getting ready for travel. I could see the frantic nature of everyone making sure they weren't leaving anything behind to have to make the long trip back for something. I saw Veronica, talking with Elder Lyons for a moment, before my Dad motioned me to the Vertibird we would be sitting in.

Elizabeth and I put our suitcases in the Vertibird and sat down in one of the seats, strapping myself in. I looked off at the sun, making its presence known by its rays beaming through the visor on my helmet. Whatever is in store for us, we'll be ready. We find that constitution and we convince Mr. House to adopt it on some level, the future of New Vegas will only look brighter than it did before. And if it doesn't work, then hopefully we can lay the groundwork for the future so that maybe New Vegas won't need either of us to micro-manage or be the gatekeepers for Mr. House.