Terry nods in agreement with Darius' comments, "It is true Sir, my mother said to me that in all actuality, most government sponsored civilian vaults were experiments. Only military, government, and private civilian vaults were the only vaults that were "normal" fallout or fallout bomb shelters. Some of these normal vaults are inhabited by the Brotherhood of Steel since most experimental vaults are not healthy for normal habitation."
Terry salutes Darius with his semi-rolled up laminated paper.
He quickly sharply returns the salute. You don't need to salute me son I worked for a living. And its worse than that atleast one vault was to be left "cracked" open to see what would happen. Those self-righteous bastards should all burn in hell for playing with citizens that way. Yeah and a lot of what your brotherhood uses now are old bio-chem and nuke labs buikt deep underground by the military in case something went wrong. And give the way some of you treat the things in then its amazing you haven't wiped out all life on earth. Its why locked down the clear water facility when I left. The things in there were mistakes in the first place shoukd have never been made. I sure as hell wasn't leaving them I the hands of the selfish pricks who had them. He trails off tinkering with the thing in his pack nit realising he is babbling he goes on for long minutes abiut the idiocy of those in charge when everythingwrong and Korea started WW III. He also doesnt seem to realise he just admitted to locking down a brotherhood bunker.
After a few more minutes he looks up and grins. Its here my baby is here.
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"How old are you anyway, Darius? You know too much about vaults and the world before the war to be as young as you look. And here I thought I was the old man of the group..."
"As for those vaults left cracked open to see what would happen... I'm what would happen. Wasn't in a Vault-Tec vault, our bunker was under our house, but it's the same concept. Gradual, long-term rad exposure turns whoever doesn't die from it into a handsome little devil like myself."
He sighs and looks at Gergg as if deciding something.
Old. Honestly I'm not sure. I was asleep when the bombs dropped and have yet to bother finding out the date....
I have to trust someone sometime
He looks around at the gathered faces smiling a bit at most and frowning a bit at the Kora and Terry.
I was a technologist for the military. I volunteeered for projects hoping that they would help America. My family was all dead all I had was my friend David, his wife Ashley, and their sons Lucius who was 8 and their 6 year old son Gregory.
He looks a bit sorrowful at the loss of his friends and his lower lip quivers a bit but he sucks it up and carries on.
So I threw myself into one test after another super soldier projects nade me smarter, stronger, longer lived, and a bit unhinged. I went to school and learned all I could from the eggheads. I tested weapons armor helped design quite a few. Worked hard trying to make us so strong that even that crazy one would be afraid to start the last war. But apparently I failed. The last project though was a cold sleep test so we could save people til we knew how to save them. I was supposed to sleep for 6 months to a year. I have no idea how long its been. So I try to do the things that should be done and protect the people. Its all I have left. That and locking up things that should never have been made to begin with.
He barely restrained himself from staring at Darius in disbelief. His babbling made him more creeped out and unnerved by the second. Instead he focused on the doorway before them and ignored the jarring feeling in his gut about these so called experiments Darius spoke of...
No Ghoulification, so perhaps there is more tech out there. Something that could help the wastes perhaps. Wait did he just admit to...
His thought ended there...
The jarring in his gut worsened, to an almost crippling pain. Like something was twisting his insides. He grunted, leaning against the doorframe heavily for a moment as he tried to collect himself and tried to play it cool. If he hadn't had his power armor on he wouldn't be standing at all and no one needed to know of his condition...
Not the brotherhood, not any civilians, not a damn soul.
Shouldn't have stepped into that damn place... What did I inhale?!
His Laser rifle began to sag as the pain increased almost tenfold, his insides felt like they were on fire. He felt like he was going to vomit inside his armor. Then as quickly as the pain had started it suddenly passed, the burning continued but at least it wasn't like he was being cut apart on the inside with razorblades.
He raised his weapon intent on guarding the entrance as he spoke, his comm garbling his voice once more. "Your story sounds unreal Darius... But at least your intentions are pure, does your sleeper vault still exist?"
It wasn't a vault. It was a military bunker and research facility. If your botherhood hadn't decided to awaken me and interrogate me for what I knew I would still be asleep. I was the only subject it was an alpha test project. I heard vault-tec did something similar but there just slowed aging you would still die after a time. Me if it hadn't been for all the other things that had been done to me I would have slept for an Aeon and never known. As it was I dreamed....
Shakes his head thinking.
Besides I wouldn't disarm and put that place back to bed for anyone to many dangerous things in there. Viruses that make you crazed and hunger for flesh, bombs that could crack the world in half, machines smarter than any man will ever be that sleep now without masters, tiny machines that would swarm over everything like a plague of locusts growing ever larger until nowthing was left but them, and a hundred other horrors of which I am the least, and the few I could remake on my own.... I should have just made them kill me but the people they need me and I made an oath.
He looks down and shakes quietly for a moment.
So many things have gone wrong and we made so many mistakes and now all of g ou have to suffer for our failures. The world if fubar and its people like mes fault. The least I can do is try to help rebuild or atleast keep the darkness at bay while others try to rekindle the light of civilization. That's all this old helldog is good for anymore.
Terry, shakes his head at Darius' comments regarding saluting, Terry was not saluting Darius in a professional military manner or not with Marine Corp snap, precision, nor form.
Terry looks at Kora then back to Darius, "Sorry Darius, I am not aware of our Brotherhood organization waking you up from cryogenics. The Brotherhood have factions within the Brotherhood. Mid-Western Brotherhood is the most progressive out of the factions. How about you, Sir? Have your heard our faction waking Darius up?
When Darius mentioned that he was pre-war, Deirdre's ears perked up. Her excitement almost seemed insensitive.
"Woh! Big-D, you were pre-war!? S+*$, man. We gotta sit with some booze. Maybe a smoke if you're into that. I bet you got quite a brain to pick. Dang, you as well Gerggy. I'm surrounded by historical goldmines!!! 'Atom has truly praised this day!'" She turns to Winter and gives him a glowing embrace. She's an atheist, of course, but she knows he'd appreciate the enthusiasm.
and then she realized she may sound insensitive.
"Uhhh... s#*%, I'm sorry guys. I guess it's hard for me to realize what life has been like for you all; especially 200 years ago. The Waste is rough-livin', but it's normal for me. I couldn't imagine watching the entire world abruptly change right before your eyes. Well, consider that beer a means of having good conversation, and not satiating my sick and twisted thirst for knowledge at the expense of reliving those events."
"How about you, Brother Winter? Where do you come from? Might as well get to know one another. Makes me more inclined to take a bullet for one of your asses." ;)
Winter goes slightly pop-eyed at being hugged by an actual human woman, but rallies himself.
"M-M-Me? I was born in Mount Shiloh - out there."
Winter waves an arm around.
"Father-God El 235 established Mount Shiloh as a refuge from the Unrighteous after Atom's great scourging of the sinful, where His chosen people could build a new society away from the Wicked and all the manifold temptations they bring to try and seduce you from the True Path. However, Atom turned his face away from Father-God El 235 and let the Gentiles smite him hip and thigh, so I had to leave. Atom called me to bring the good news to everyone!"
Winter grins, glassy-eyed, then continues.
"You haven't told us about yourself, Sister. We know about Brother Darius and Brother Gergg, who were ancient before time itself was born, but we know nothing about you, or our friends in the armour. Let us share and share alike!"
Maybe we can Rose maybe we can. That of course assumes a few things..... and yes I agree Winter lets hear about the rest of you.
Kora was regaining his strength, despite the insistent burning in his stomach he was able to stand. His sickness was progressing and this time it's spread was worse than before and he was unsure that he would last much longer with medical treatment. His mind drifted in and out of the conversation, he thought of Tyra and hoped that her new life would bring her peace. He refocused as the questions turned to him and Terry, however he was unsure of exactly what all he could tell them...
"As I said before I have no knowledge of the Brotherhood waking or interrogating anyone but the raiders we drag in from time to time. As for myself, I was born and raised under the protection of the Brotherhood, my parents are scribes of different castes and I was offered the chance to change from a scribe in the Order of the Sword to Junior Paladin. However I continue to delve back into research when i'm not on patrol. I joined Repo Squad primarily to look for helpful tech, preferably anything that can change the wastes into something more hospitable. I am more of a Road Scholar now if you will."
He checked the energy drive on his laser rifle and made sure it wouldn't lock up on him again. He reflected back on the mental image of his objective here, hoping that it would lead to salvation.
I know of a few facilities I wouldn't mind revealing the location of to someone with some sense. If they haven't been raided and you promise that the tech will be used to help everyone not just the brotherhood. And there are other places that if we get near them I will want to permanently lock down. The last thing this world needs is more fusion bombs and bioweapons.
He offers Kora his hand. If its take he grips the forearm tightly in an old style warriors clasp.
He holds Koras hand tight til he answers.
Your word?
It was an easy thing to agree too, it was his mission to find tech that would ease the suffering of those who lived peacefully in the waste. He wouldn't cease in making sure those that couldn't live peacefully were put down like rabid molerats. Seeing Darius extend his hand, Kora reached out and took hold of it. "I give my word as a Paladin and as a Protector of the western wastes. I will share whatever tech I can with the wasteland and do my best to ensure that I reach a position within the Western Brotherhood that allows me to keep that promise." He shook Darius's hand firmly sealing the bond.
Deirdre was excited to exchange histories with her comrades. She felt that cohesive groups tend to survive the Waste, and bonding is the only way to achieve cohesion.
"Father God El 235? Is it a person? Have you met Atom in person?" Deirdre is genuinely intrigued and is not one to pass judgments on what other people believe. She approaches what she does not know with open curiosity.
"Oh moi? So sweet of you to ask. There isn't too much about me. I come from NCR territory back out west. I was an orphan, but there were a lot of kids like me. That's a common theme in the waste. Eventually I was adopted, but shortly took off to run with the FoA. There, I got a somewhat formal education and did most of my traveling, though this current trip I'm on has been my longest trek yet. Gulchbottom is just pit-stop for me. I'm just making some extra caps to get further east to the Capital Wasteland. I'm working on a research project of sorts. Hey, not much else to do in the Waste, right?" A true nomad at heart, Deirdre has always been drawn to new horizons. Her survival skills allow her to live a free life, unattached to any one community or job. The life of a nomadic mercenary has suited her well, she felt truly free in this niche. Her research is simply her hobby.
Knowledge Religion to recall what I would know about Winter's particular religion.
Winter looks a little puzzled.
"Father-God El 235 *was* a person... Well..." He makes a discreet gesture towards Gergg.
"He was Atom's anointed prophet, until Atom turned his face away from him. He took Atom's blessings for granted and grew proud and wordly, so Atom caused the gentiles to smite him and his followers for turning away from the right path. *I* stayed true to Atom's word, which is why I've prospered amidst the desolation, but nobody's ever seen Atom, although His works are apparent to all. How could they?"
"Strange... so like, you'd be the equivalent of the Old Testament and the followers of Father-God El 235 would worship the New Testament?"
"So what brings you to Gulchbottom, then?"
Terry still seems very busy looking for something with his laminated paper, taking breaks now and then for situational awareness. He doesn't seem to be drawn to any other person's conversations.
Shakes his head and laughs at the idea of Atom.
What are you reading over there? Anything good?
He looks over at Terry.
With the moment past he refocused on the objective at hand, as much as the banter was needed to form more cohesive bonds he found it distracting to his overall goal. He had to find the lab, locate the tech and pray it would reverse his fatal condition. THe burning sensation in his guts had intensified, if his suit lost power now he'd collapse for sure. Looking for a distraction he was drawn to Terry being unusually quiet.
:Got something to share Knight? Or it personal?:
Terry stops looking for something, looks around for trouble, then looks at Kora,
to help ensure MWBoS survival and I am currently having a small challenge of finding it.
Kora was caught off guard as he too was searching for something but hadn't realized that Terry was here with orders to recover possibly the same tech.
:Understood, I'll do what I can to help but I don't have any maps of this place. We'll do a thorough sweep and perform enough recon to make a database. Hopefully there will be enough tech here for Delta Bunker to annex this vault.:
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"OK, enough chattering already. I'm sick of standing around, let's get our sh*t together and get into this Vault." Gergg suddenly blurts out.
Buncha military types, no wonder nothing's getting done. Probably trying to figure out which form to fill out in triplicate requesting clearance from their superiors to scratch their balls.
The small ghoul warily approaches the newly-opened Vault entrance, straining to make out anything inside while doing his best to hide his presence. Anything alive inside must have heard the echoes of the Vault door opening by now. Trusting his companions to fall into formation behind him, he again proceeds into the unknown.
Terry nods at Kora and points to the laminated sheet...
Terry is making motions that he is laughing.
Terry looks at Gergg and through his armor's loud speaker, "Gergg, not quite yet, we are still checking this area for tech and etc. The honest truth be told, I wouldn't recommend going ahead especially with your armament."
