Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Fallout Wasteland	By : Samson Category: +A through F > Fallout (Series) > Fallout (Series) Views: 28950 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Fallout intellectual property, nor am I making any money off of this fanfic. Unauthorized duplication of this work is prohibited.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Vault 17. Abandoned. Reawakening.

Fallout: Life In The Wasteland

Part 5 - "Catharsis"

By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson

Original Date Written: July 12, 2010

Kid and Dominique continued holding one another for several minutes before they heard the familiar shuffling of Ronald's brahmin carts. "Hey, why have you stopped, Kid? You found something?" Kid released Dominique slowly, looking over through the driver's side window. He opened it, Ronald's carts just about surrounding the Highwayman. He said "Yeah, some sort of cave. Me and Dominique looked through a little bit of it, but we came back up t-to wait for you guys." Ronald raised his eyebrows, saying "Good idea, who knows what could be down those caves...We'll check it out with you." Kid nodded. He turned off the Highwayman and slipped the keys into his right pocket, reaching into the back of the car and grabbing the Calico Liberty 100, Dominique getting out and readying her claws, pulling out her Pulse Pistol. Ronald and the rest jumped out of their carts, drawing weapons of their own. Ronald said "In case this turns out to be a wanamingo-infested cave or something of the sort, let's all be on our guard."
Everyone in Ronald's group nodded. They began to slip into the cavern, Kid and Dominique following once everyone had gone inside. Ronald led the way, holding up a Casull .454 Revolver, slowly seeing his way through the darkness. "We turn to the left up here, I already checked the path on the right, it doesn't lead anywhere..." Kid said softly. Ronald said nothing, only nodding slightly. The group headed down the passageway on the left, going along the path that was already familiar to Kid and Dominique. Dominique began to breathe a little rapidly, her eyes darting around the cave, a general sense of fear and panic beginning to wash over her. Kid walked close by, noticing the changes coming over her, reaching a hand over and carefully holding the hand she wore her clawed glove on. Dominique looked over, smiling gently, calming down slightly after a second. Eventually the group reached the spot that Kid and Dominique had stopped at, passing it, heading further into the cave. They went down another incline, the cave going around a corner up ahead. Ronald suddenly froze, urgently whispering "Everyone, stop!" Everyone immediately stopped moving. "Thought I heard something...Sounded like a machine." He said.
Ronald walked over to the corner of the cave, peeping around the corner for a moment before jumping back. "Turrets, a good four of them!" He breathed. Dominique and Tansy both stepped forward at the same time, glancing at each other. Dominique looked at Tansy and said "My Pulse Pistol will short them out like they're nothing." Tansy reached into the bag that hung from her shoulder to her left hip, pulling out a few of the small circular objects that lay within. "My Pulse Grenades will fry them just the same." Ronald softly said "I don't care who does it, as long as someone makes sure they hit the damn things the first time they try!" Dominique and Tansy quickly approached the corner of the cave's passage, looking around it. They saw four turrets, standing quietly, watching guard over another passageway in the cave. They looked like cylindrical blocks of grey metal with twin cannons on each, small but deadly, capable of firing plasma blasts, glowing green light shining out gently from tubes around it's body. Tansy pressed a button on two of her grenades, throwing them out at the turrets before ducking back behind the corner.
The turrets began to realize danger was nearby, pointing their barrels at the intruders at the end of the path. Suddenly, Tansy's grenades let out a loud whine, a bright flash erupting in the cave as the grenades let out an intense blast of electromagnetic radiation, three of the turrets instantly letting out a plume of black smoke as they died. Dominique pointed her Pulse Pistol at the last severely-damaged one, pulling the trigger, watching as the purple flash of light fired out and flew to the turret, utterly destroying it's insides and leaving the machine dead. "There, the coast is clear!' Tansy said. Ronald and the rest quickly walked through the passageway, past the dead turrets and down the other path. The path took a curve, the whole group walking around it at once, everyone pausing as soon as they did so. Up ahead was a bit of a clearing. In front of them stood a large wall of metal, a door of sorts set in the middle. The massive structure of reinforced steel stood like some sort of steadfast guardian, almost warning them with it's stern appearance. A computer console nearby let out a few soft beeps as several small lights along it twinkled. The door's numbering was large and clear; the dark engraving along the massive cog-like door was a little darker than the metal itself. It was a large "17". They had finally found it, they had at last found Vault 17.
Kid took a few steps closer to the door, raising up a hand and touching it to the door's cold metal. "How was Kid able to get out with the turrets right there?" Terra asked. Ronald said "Like I said before, they might have known he was a resident of the vault and simply let him go. Maybe he just ran out and around the corner before they fired? Maybe...Who knows? I'm just speculatin' here." Kid's face was serious as he said "How do we get it open?" Dominique said "Remember what I said before, Kid?" Kid thought for a moment. He turned around and pointed towards the nearby computer console. "The computer, right?" Dominique smiled lightly and nodded. Kid shrugged lightly. "Well, I have no idea how t-to do it..." He took a few steps from the door, the group walking over. Ronald said "Sebastian, you know how to work computers. Think you could get the door open?" Sebastian shrugged. "Depends. If it has a password, it might take some time. If not, I can get it right open." Sebastian walked over to the computer console.
It was a standing object reaching his lower chest, it's lower parts being several metal stands and heavy wires leading into the ground and into the metal wall. The computer console's face was a flat rectangular metal of a yellow hue, a keyboard along with several other buttons and a small screen making up it's interface. He raised his hands and touched a few keys, several lights on the terminal lighting up, the screen lightening up and showing some dark green words. Sebastian pressed several more keys, an annoyed face crossing him. "What's wrong?" Mandy asked. Sebastian said "Seems the vault residents didn't want any visitors. There's a password to the system, I can't just get into it." "How much time will it take?" Ronald asked. Sebastian shrugged. "I'll try and get past their security quietly. This is a vault though, this crap is pre-war. It could take some time." Ronald raised an eyebrow as he asked "How long, Sebastian?" Sebastian glanced over his shoulder as he said "...An hour, maybe?"
Kid sighed softly in disappointment. Dominique raised her hands slightly in exasperation, lowering them quickly as she said "Well, guess we're sitting around and waiting, then." Sebastian raised an eyebrow as he said "Look, I'm sorry it'll take a while, but I don't want to trip any alarms. We should keep this quiet. Opening the vault door will probably alert anybody on the first floor, and they could quickly alert everyone else. Smashing through their security could alert everyone as soon as I'm in, before the damn door is even open. The less time they have to prepare, the better." Ronald said "Relax, Sebastian. Just do your thing." Sebastian nodded, clacking a few more keys on the keyboard, working away at it, trying to figure out the console's password as stealthily as possible.
Around forty minutes later, Sebastian let a grin cross his face. Kid was seated by a wall with Dominique, Ronald standing with his group on the other side of the cave. Tansy kept sending friendly looks towards Kid, Kid looking back at her every once in a while, mostly paying attention to Dominique. Sebastian said "I got it, the password was "Programme17"." Kid stood up quickly, saying "Quick, open the door, let's get inside!" Sebastian pressed two more buttons, saying "Alright, stand back, it's opening." Everyone watched as a thin arm slid out of the side of the wall, reaching over and hovering over the vault door. Several thin rectangular openings appeared around the center of the door, around it's numbering, the arm letting several thin pieces push out of it, going into the door's openings. The arm's end twisted in a complete circle, rotating the center of the vault door. It moved outwards towards them, a loud yet smooth mechanical whine sounding out as the door moved out of it's frame. The arm pulled it to the side, rolling the door like it was a wheel, moving it beside the now-open doorway.
They all looked into the large hallway beyond. The walls were white and sparkling clean, made of metal. Down the long hallway, a single metal door stood closed. "Well...There it is. Let's check it out." Tansy said. Ronald led the way, the group slowly walking into the vault. The air instantly began to smell like antiseptic, Mandy making a bit of a face as she wondered what was causing it. The floor made no noise as they walked on it. They approached the door at the end of the hallway. It was pale gray and featureless, Ronald raising a hand and touching it, the door sliding upwards into the ceiling and revealing a small room. A few pipes were in the wall ahead, a closed door to the left and to the right, flat and featureless like the first. Ronald pointed his gun towards the door on the right, Kid walking towards the door on the left. He touched it, the door sliding open, revealing another small room. A pair of thick black metal doors stood to the right, but nothing else. "Any of this familiar?" Terra asked quietly. Kid shook his head. Ronald opened the door to the right, revealing a larger room with several white gurneys. A large and wide window stood to the left along with a door on the far side of the room, flat and lacking a doorknob like all the rest. Ronald looked around from the doorway. "Not a soul in sight..." He muttered.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Mandy said quietly. Kid walked over to Ronald, the two of them walking deeper into the room. Kid looked over to the window to the left. A few white beds were in the room, along with a few large computer terminals. He thought he saw someone duck to the side, by the door. Kid's eyes widened. "Hey, I saw someone!" He said. Ronald glanced to him. "Where?" He asked. Kid raised up a hand and pointed towards the door nearby. "In there, in that room!" He said. Ronald slowly walked over, raising his revolver, Kid holding up his Calico Liberty 100, walking over, as well. Ronald pushed a foot out, touching the door, getting it to slide open. A gasp came out. A timid-looking man, thin and with graying hair, crouched near the door. He appeared unarmed. He was dressed in a lab coat, a yellow and blue jumpsuit under it. Kid's eyes widened. "That outfit under the jacket! It's the kind from my dreams!" The man's eyes widened more. "...You!..." He said, looking at Kid with wide eyes.
Ronald grabbed the man by his collar, hoisting him up, pushing the barrel of his gun into the middle of the man's chest. "Did you tell anyone else that we were coming?" Ronald asked. The man shakily shook his head. "I...I can't contact anyone from the medical bay...I would have had to run out to the elevator..." Ronald asked "You know this boy?" He moved his head slightly, nodding towards Kid. The man slowly said "Not...Not personally..." Kid questioned "What does that mean?" Ronald said "What's going on in this vault? Are you the only one?" The man shook his head. "There are a lot more....Second and third floors..." Who's the Overseer?" Ronald asked. The man didn't say anything, glancing between him and Kid. Ronald commanded "Answer me! What's going on in this vault, who is the Overseer?" Suddenly, Sheldon's voice sounded out. "Ronald, we got an elevator over here, leads to more floors." Ronald glanced over. While he was looking away, the man's hands shot up, pushing Ronald's gun up so it was pointing directly into his forehead.
By instinct, Ronald pulled the trigger, Kid watching as the back of the man's head exploded in gore, crimson and chunks of gray flying out to the wall behind him. Ronald quickly looked back to the man just as his body collapsed to the ground. Kid closed his eyes and looked away. Ronald's face was confused. Nobody said anything for a few seconds, Sheldon just watching with wide eyes from the window. "...Why did he push my gun up? Surely he knew I'd pull the trigger, damn nutter..." Ronald muttered. Kid walked out of the room, saying nothing. Ronald knelt down and checked the man's body. He had nothing on him. Ronald stood back up, shaking his head for a moment before walking outside. "As crazy as this sounds, I think he wanted you to shoot him." Sheldon said. Ronald shrugged. "I can't see why." A call came out. "Uh, guys? The elevator's going down deeper into the vault, I think we're about to have some company!" Ronald and Kid quickly walked out of the room with Sheldon, the three of them walking over to the room Kid had entered previously, hearing the black doors to the right let out a slow rumbling. Everyone else was in the room, pointing their guns at the door. Ronald said "No, wait, we don't know who's inside. Let's hide out in the main hallway, see who comes outside."
Everyone nodded, walking outside quickly, walking out into the entrance hallway. A few seconds later, the elevator opened. A single set of footsteps sounded out. "Howard? You around, buddy?" A man called out. The footsteps walked past the entrance hallway, freezing for a moment. "Oh my God...Howard, don't tell me you left, you crazy son of a bitch! Least you could do is close the damn door on your way out..." The steps quickly walked over into the room with the gurneys, Ronald quickly walking out, Kid following him. The man just looked through the window as Ronald and Kid entered the doorway, the both of them holding up their guns. The man was dressed in a vault jumpsuit, tight and hugging to his skin. The pants were blue, his shoes dark brown. There was a thick yellow stripe going around his waist, the stripe going up vertically along his stomach and torso, reaching up to his throat. A large yellow "17" was on his back, over his shoulder blades. The man looked to them fearfully. "You...You killed Howard! You monsters!" Ronald coolly said "That's debatable. He more or less brought about his own death." The man angrily looked at them. "Don't think you're gonna get away with that, you murderers! Judas will take care of you!"
Ronald raised an eyebrow. "Who's Judas, the Overseer, the Captain of the security guards, what?" The man uttered a single word: "Both." Kid stared at the man in an unimpressed manner. The man marched towards them, saying "Get out of my way, I'll-" Ronald cut him off, firing a single shot, hitting the man in the chest. The bullet tore through his body, hitting him hard enough to knock him down to his back. He didn't make a sound, a puddle of blood quickly appearing under him. Ronald glanced at Kid. "The name "Judas" ring any bells to you?" Kid shrugged, shaking his head afterwards. Ronald looked back, seeing that the rest of the group had walked out into the small room just beyond the one that they stood in. "He's dead." Ronald said to them. They walked back out to the group, walking over to the room with the elevator. The elevator's door were open, revealing a sparkling white interior. Dominique said "Okay, Vault 15 had three floors to it: the one we're in now, the second floor which was just dormitories, and a third floor. The third floor is where we'll probably want to go, but...It'll probably be the most dangerous. The armoury is on the third floor, but so are the archives. The Overseer's room was on the third floor, too."
Kid slowly asked "What is the "Overseer"?" Ronald said "The leader of the vault, the guy that runs the place." Kid nodded slowly. "Where do you th-think we'll get answers, then...The Overseer or the archives?" Ronald said "Either one would probably have it, but if the stuff going on is really nefarious, it might be kept from the public eye and mind. If creepy stuff is going on, it might be kept off the public computers and away from the general population." Kid nodded slightly. "Well...Both are on the third floor. Guess it's time to go, then." Sebastian said "I might be able to temporarily lock down the elevator when we get up there. If any guards are on the second floor, it'll stop them from coming up." Ronald nodded. "Good idea." They all stepped inside, Kid looking at three white buttons on a panel inside the elevator, each one labelled with a number. The first was labelled "1", the second "2", the third, not surprisingly enough, "3". He pressed the third button, the doors to the elevator sliding shut, the machine beginning to lower itself deeper into the ground, taking them down deeper into the vault's depths...
A minute later, the doors opened once more, revealing a long, white hallway. On the left side of the hallway were two white doors, one close and one far, near the end of the hallway. A large window sat in the hallway to the right, near the end. At the very end of the hallway, the group could see that the hallway took a left and a right, leading off to other areas. Dominique quietly said "Second door on the left is the armoury...Not a big room, but it has all the guns, ammo, armour, and medical supplies...To the right are two more doors, the archives are in the second on the right...The first on the right is the security room...First door on the left here is a entertainment room with televisions and stuff..." "What's down the hallway to the left?" He asked. Dominique quietly said "The Overseer's room..."
Ronald slowly stepped out of the elevator, stealthily walking down the hallway. Kid followed after him, Dominique following after Kid in turn, the rest of the group simply following in turn. Ronald stopped just before he reached the window, going against the wall. He peeked through the very edge of the window, pulling back as he quietly said "About seven guards, all lounging around and relaxing. They all have pistols, and they're wearing some kind of armour over their jumpsuits. Bunch of computers and stuff in the room, too." Sebastian got down on his hands and knees, crawling down the hallway without a word, moving below the window. Sebastian crawled around the corner to the right, disappearing. The door to the security room, a loud laugh sounding out as Sebastian stepped into the doorway, holding up his assault rifle. He opened fire, mowing down four of the seven, the last three firing at him, Sebastian ducking behind the doorway to the right, taking cover.
Ronald stepped out in front of the window, holding up his revolver, firing two rapid shots, the bullets smashing through the glass of the window and hitting a guard in the back. The last two ducked behind some computers in the room, taking cover. An alarm sounded out, the door to the security room quickly sliding open. Kid raised up his gun along with Dominique, the two of them firing as a few guards poured out of the room. Ronald joined in the firing, Terra raising up her gun and firing, as well. They killed the guards quickly, the group running down the hallway until they got to the end, turning to the right. Ronald rapidly reloaded his revolver, looking to Sebastian, glancing towards the doorway. Kid heard a door open behind them. he spun around, opening fire, Sheldon turning and doing the same. There were ten guards piling out of the doorway to the Overseer's office, all firing pistols at them. Sebastian and Ronald ran into the security room, firing at and killing the remaining two guards, catching them by surprise. Sheldon let out a cry as a few bullets hit him. "Sheldon!" Terra cried.
Dominique grabbed Kid and pulled him into the room with her. Kid and Sheldon had killed three of the ten guards. Sheldon lay on his back, two bullets in his stomach, one in his left arm. Kid thought of Libitina, wondering where she was. Sebastian thought about how he had forgotten to try to lock down the elevator and if anyone would come up from behind them. Terra thought about how the only medical supplies the group had were still in the carts on the surface. Ronald thought about the guns the guards around them had and their ammo. Terra knelt in the doorway, reaching a hand out to Sheldon, her eyes growing tearful as she spoke over gunfire. "Take my hand, Sheldon!" Sheldon began to reach a hand out to her's, Terra suddenly screwing her eyes shut and screaming as a bullet blasted through her hand, blood squirting out as a chunk of the center of her palm simply disappeared. Sebastian jumped through the broken window, walking over to the corner of the hallway on the left side, waiting for a pause in the gunfire. When it came, he leaned around the corner, firing his assault rifle, emptying the clip after a few shots. With those shots, however, he took down another guard, leaving six.
Mandy crawled through the broken window, running over to the corner, firing two blasts from her pump-action shotgun before letting out a cry, a bullet hitting her in her arm, Sebastian pulling her back behind the corner. Sheldon slowly tried crawling over to the doorway, Terra reaching her other hand out to him. A spray of blood flew out as three bullets rapidly hit him in the chest. Terra's eyes went wide as his body fell to the ground limply. She let out a scream, jumping up through the doorway, bursting her assault rifle down the hallway, racing down as she did so. A bullet hit her in the leg, but she didn't stop. She aimed for their heads, holding the trigger. She took two down. She took a bullet in the stomach. She took another one down. She was hit in the stomach again, another quick shot hitting her in the other leg, near her knee. She let out a cry of pain, falling to her knees heavily. She stopped shooting, but only for a moment before resuming. She emptied her clip into another one, leaving two guards left. They were about to fire on her when Kid and Dominique ran out into the hallway, firing at them rapidly, one of them screaming and turning to dust from a pulse shot from Dominique, another falling to his back in death from Kid's bullets.
Mandy ran over to Terra. "Oh shit, Terra, I don't have my meds on me!...I can't help!" She said, panicking. Ronald ran into the armour, looking inside frantically. There was several lockers and footlockers within, all made of silver. He pulled open a footlocker, seeing some medical supplies, but no stimpacks. He pulled open a second one, seeing a Super Stimpack within. He grabbed it, running back out to Terra. He rapidly attached the brace to her lower right arm, watching as the needle shot down into her skin, flowing it's red medicine into her. "There. She should be okay..." Ronald said. Mandy stayed and watched Terra. Ronald walked back into the armoury. Kid walked inside as well, looking around. Ronald pulled open a locker, raising his eyebrows.
"What is it?" Kid asked. Ronald reached into the locker and pulled out a rectangular object made of silver, looking like a briefcase. "...I don't know, but it's got G.E.C.K. written on the front. There's another one, too." Kid's face was puzzled. "G.E.C.K.? Like a gecko?" Ronald shrugged. "Who knows. Better leave it where it is. For all I know, it could be a bomb." He put the G.E.C.K. back in the locker, closing it and opening the one beside it. His face grew annoyed. He pulled open the rest of the lockers, saying "Empty, all of 'em. Oh well." He walked back out with Kid. Terra was just starting to stand up as they did so, looking much better. Kid said "Time to visit the Overseer..."
The group walked down the hallway to the open doorway leading to the Overseer's room, stepping inside, looking around. The room they were in was filled with computer terminals, a hallway leading to the right and another one leading straight ahead. Dominique's face grew puzzled. "Vault 15 wasn't quite like this...There was just another room that was like a bedroom, not two more hallways." Ronald quickly walked down the hallway straight ahead, Kid following him, Dominique going after him, as well. The hallway was short, and when it ended, they found themselves in a large room with several tall computers within, blinking coloured lights rapidly. Nothing living was in the room. Ronald looked around. "The other hallway?" Kid suggested. Ronald nodded, walking back with the two of them. Terra was crying and sobbing to herself. "What's wrong?" He asked. Mandy softly said "...She's sad over Sheldon." Ronald didn't say anything for a second. "...He was a good man. But we have to keep moving. We're checking the other hallway, come on."
Terra slowly calmed down, stopping her sobbing but still crying lightly. The group walked down the other hallway, coming to another elevator. Kid pressed a button with a downwards arrow on it, the doors sliding open. They all stepped inside. There were only two buttons on the inside panel: "3" and "4". Kid pressed the button for the fourth floor, the doors sliding shut. Ronald said "Get ready, everyone. Who knows what we'll find down there. Hopefully this "Judas" fellow and some answers." Terra and Sebastian both reloaded their assault rifles with spare clips they kept on them. A minute later, the doors slid open. A white hallway lay ahead, going far straight before taking a left. Kid's face grew curious as he stepped out of the elevator. "I...I've seen this place before...In my dreams." He said quietly. Kid turned around. "Close the elevator doors!" Sebastian said "...They don't close unless the elevator's on another floor." Kid sighed softly. "I think the elevator doors have a "17" on them...I saw it in a dream, that's how I first figured out that this was the vault I came from." Ronald patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright, relax, Kid. Let's keep moving. We'll figure things out."
Kid nodded. The group walked down the hallway. It took a left turn up ahead, a large window in the wall to the right. Kid walked over, fearlessly looking into the window. There was a large room beyond filled with chairs and tables, but there wasn't a single living person within, no humans at all. The group went around the corner. Kid gasped, his eyes going wide. Long down the hallway ahead stood a dark doorway. He knew it led to the room he saw in his nightmares, the room where the man with the gasmask constantly tried to inject him with the glowing green fluid. Kid took a step back, his veins turning to ice. Dominique said "Kid, are you okay?" Kid shut his eyes tight, beginning to breathe a little rapidly. Dominique stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his hips, soothingly saying "Kid...It's okay...This isn't a nightmare...I'm here..." Kid slowly began to calm down, opening his eyes lightly. He looked into Dominique’s caring eyes for a few moments before spotting something moving in the distance. "Look out!" He called, his eyes widening.
Ronald spun around. A man in vault armour was running at him, holding a knife high. Ronald raised his revolver, firing a shot into the man's head, the man collapsing towards Ronald, stabbing into his left hip slightly in death. Ronald grunted slightly, pulling the man's knife out of his hip. Ronald grimaced and glanced at his wound before looking to the man. The vault armour looked like a regular jumpsuit except it had a black kevlar vest to it along with several black pads and plates along vital areas and joints. "You okay?" Mandy asked. "I'll manage." Ronald muttered softly. Kid and Dominique walked over, Kid's face showing more resolution and determination. "Okay...Let's do this thing. I want answers now." He said. Sebastian gave him a pat on the shoulder. The group walked down the hallway, past a path that went to the right, ignoring it. They walked towards the dark room that had reminded Kid of his nightmares, glancing down another path to the left, seeing a few doorways. They reached the room that had scared Kid, a path to the right leading off to another door, the door closed.
Kid's heart was pounding in his chest as he stepped into the room, Ronald feeling along the wall for a light switch, flicking one a moment later. The room filled with light. A few gurneys sat in the room, but nothing else. Kid sighed with relief. Kid looked down to the hallway by the door, to the closed door at the end. "What's down there?" He asked. Ronald shrugged. "One way to find out." The group walked down the hallway, the door opening as they approached. Kid and Dominique's eyes both widened. They were facing the guns of over twenty guards. Assault rifles, shotguns, submachine guns, pistols, a plethora of weapons were all trained right on them. A figure approached them from the middle of the room. He wore a black trenchcoat and dark boots along with black leather gloves, a gasmask on his head hiding all traces of skin. "Ah, so you've returned, as well." A masculine voice said through the mask. "I expected as much after Vanessa returned. How are you, Albert?" Dominique glanced at Kid. Kid's face was puzzled and cold. The man in the mask crossed his arms across his chest. "I thank you for returning with so many people, we were running out of subjects to test on. I doubt you intended to, but this will be a great help to us, Albert."
Kid said "What are you talking about?" The mans aid "Ah, you must be affected by those unfortunate side effects...Albert is your name. Vanessa was the other girl, the one with the paint on her face." Kid narrowed his eyes. "Where is she? Where's Libitina?" The man said nothing for a moment. "...Drop your guns. If you don't, we'll open fire. If you do, we'll put you in holding cells unharmed." Dominique grudgingly began to undo her glove, dropping it to the floor with her pistol. Kid slowly dropped his Calico Liberty 100. Terra and Sebastian dropped their weapons. Ronald narrowed his eyes, rage clear on his face. He didn't drop his revolver. "Drop it. Now." The man in the gasmask commanded. Ronald quickly whipped his weapon at the man, turning and running, raising a hand and touching the small part of the door that stuck out of the ceiling, the door quickly closing. The man was hit in the chest with the revolver, but he quickly said "Let him go. Take these ones to the holding cells. We have some more subjects to test our modified FEV virus on. Good thing, too. The vault residents are nearly entirely exhausted..."
Terra resisted slightly as a man grabbed her wrists, a guard shooting her in the stomach with a pistol, quelling her resistance without killing her. Everyone was pulled away down several hallways, thrown into bare cells in pairs, the cells kept closed with yellow walls of light, the light being force fields. Kid was with Tansy in the cell they shared. As soon as they were first left alone, Tansy immediately said softly "Oh God...What do we do?..." The two of them were sitting against the wall across from the wall of light. Kid gently said "...Wait for Ronald, I guess...He won't just leave us here..." Tansy nodded lightly, the two of them sitting close together in silence from then on...
Days passed. Weeks passed. A month passed, quickly followed by another. Terra had disappeared, followed by Mandy. Sebastian was quick to follow. Dominique was now held with Kid and Tansy. Kid had been subjected to a multitude of physical tests over the time, but nothing really bad yet. The three of them were starving, they were given enough food to barely survive. They had all lost hope. They knew that Ronald had abandoned them, but why? They were kept there still, another month passing. Tansy was taken away one day and never came back. There was hardly a night that passed by where Dominique didn't weep. She was afraid she'd either lose Kid or be taken away and disappear. Kid was terrified, as well. They did the best they could to comfort each other, but the future seemed short and grim for them...
Hazy memories. A soft heartbeat echoing through fluid. "....Complete....Is fully functional...You proud, Jeff?...Did my best...Paid off...Great...Achievement..." Misty words fluttered into her mind. "...Think she's waking up, ACE..." At the mention of the name, her eyes snapped open. She struggles with anger and panic, memories of pain filling her. "...Stress levels rising...Administering tranquillizers..." She feels it around her. Fluid, warm and watery. She's breathing it in but she's not drowning, breathing it in and out feels the same as breathing oxygen. She begins to calm down. "...Drain the tank..." "...Of course, Jeff..." She feels the fluid begin to drain around her, her body resting down on something metallic. The fluid disappears, her black hair clinging to her back and to her face. Air attempts to enter her lungs, coughing violently to remove the fluid from her lungs and allow true oxygen into her body. She finally clears her lungs, her throat growing pained from the coughing. Her vision is blurry. Her memories of pain fade. A metallic sound comes out as the object in front of her moves.
Her hearing grows sharper. "Come on, get out of the tank, you're fine now." She feels hands touch her upper arms, helping her stand and jump out of the tank. She stumbles, falling to her hands and knees. "She may have some muscle weakness for a bit, Jeff." A voice says. The man helps her stand again. "Do you remember anything? You were dead, ACE brought you back." At the mention of the name, again she grows violent. She grabs the man by the throat, squeezing with all her might, gritting her teeth as she cries "Ace!! I'll kill that bitch!" The man raised his hands to his throat, slowly prying Dawn's hands away from him, saying "Calm down! I'm not the one that hurt you!" She began to calm down, releasing him, finding enough strength to barely stand on her own. She felt cold, drops of fluid falling from her body. The man said "Do you remember anything? We've never brought anyone back from the dead before, so we don't know what the side effects could be." She blinks. She raises her hands to her face, clearing the black hair from her vision, looking at him. She doesn't know him. She thinks. She remembers...Her childhood. Her later years as a young teen. Her years as an older teen. Kid. Ace. Dominique. The shots. The blood. The pain. The wrath. The Golden Globes studio. The Wrights.
It all comes back to her like a bullet to the face, just splashing over her like an ice-cold bucket of water. Her teeth chatter for a moment before she says "My name is Dawn...I remember everything..." The man nodded, raising his eyes as he says "Impressive, ACE. She seems fine." A voice thanked him for his compliment. Dawn looked down at herself. She was naked. "Where are my clothes?" She muttered. The man said "Wait here, I'll get you some." He walked past her, Dawn closing her eyes. Kid. Where was Kid? Was he okay? She had to find him. She needed to see if he was alright. It were as if the desire to find him was burned into her mind by some godly might; she absolutely had to find Kid!
- 24
- 25
- 26
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Fallout Wasteland