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Chapter Text

Augustus Autumn
January 1st, 2276.

Ever since Augustus Autumn had woken up early this morning to get ahead of his duties, he’s been a different man. Not to say he has changed physically but his mind has certainly gone through a drastic shift. Autumn’s strict and cold personality gave way to something drastically different. His mind merged and twisted with something new and very foreign.

Maybe I shouldn’t refer to him as someone else since he was now me and I was now him. Being a common man from the 21st century that had technology both beyond Fallout and incredibly far behind was a weird feeling. 

I felt the ever present itch to reach for a cellular phone, to read the news, check over family on social media and finally to look online for the nearest mental hospital because the situation I was now going through was complete bullshit. 

If I was cozy, warm, with family and didn’t have his memories and personality warping my perception then I would be dealing with this far better. Instead I found the original Autumn’s room to be cold, sterile, and the chill of the dark gray metal walls reached deep into my bones. The militaristic and drab lifestyle was never for me. This seemed like an extreme variation of that. 

The reminder of the military forced memories to the forefront of my mind. My position as Colonel and de-facto head of the Enclave outside of President John Henry Eden is not a fun one. My new(old?) duties of managing various department heads, resources intake, production and planning was not something I would see myself doing in my previous life. 

From what I know of Fallout 2 and 3 I have found myself in the position to lead one of the goofiest villain factions in Fallout. We even have a super hero plot that has the Player Character dismantling the Enclave two times in the franchise. When in doubt I guess the insane leaders default to global genocide. 

The old feelings and memories rose up within me. I am reminded of how different the Enclave was… or how real it now feels. From the historic logs of Control Station ENCLAVE, to my memories of the Rig that filled me with sorrow. Original Autumn had a mother that lived on the Oil Rig. She’s definitely now ash. 

As a young kid the original Autumn had only his father, those around him in Navarro and the shared grief over losing nearly everything. The Exodus to the East Coast was difficult even with the USSA Shuttle Transporter or I figured calling it Mobile Base Crawler was more apt with the refits we have done to it.

The Exodus reminded me of Navarro. Original Autumn had had a lot of anger at the New California Republic but I only felt bitterness at the memories of losing my mother. I had no real displeasure at the NCR for what they did. If I was there would I have done the same thing? Definitely. But I wasn’t so I only have the cold feelings of the man I took over. 

The rest of the Enclave had guesses on what happened to Navarro but I guess I’m the only one who definitely knows what went down. I wonder if Eden lied about the Satellites not having aerial coverage of that region but I dismissed the thought. 

I had a headache just thinking of the Enclave, every personal issue I had once had with them now swam through my head. From their idiocy, general elitism, genocidal tendencies and Eden. Fallout 3’s lack of choice in faction for the ending probably damned the entire East Coast to living in a post apocalypse for another hundred years. Call me crazy but I outright questioned the writing choices Bethesda had even despite me living in the setting now. I guess I can’t reject reality for what it is.

With the thoughts of problems in my head came solutions that had my head spinning at the volume of work that was ahead. Everything was just so inefficient in Raven Rock. With the foresight Autumn lacked I knew that there was basically nothing standing in the Enclave's way of rebuilding the United States. But crazy secrecy policies, a lack of conviction to wipe out the Brotherhood of Steel, and the obsession with Eden’s plan to build a robot army that is only loyal to him has led the Enclave to be bottlenecked in a dozen different ways. 

The lack of manpower was easily fixable. Denizens of the wasteland were in desperate need of basic resources. Offering them said resources and many more benefits would give us free reign to mold them in the Enclave’s image, reeducating and retraining them into loyal soldiers and citizens. 

I did feel a little bit of grief and sadness for mother and the other innocent civilians that had been there but those feelings were mixed with coldblooded pragmatism, knowing it was actually great that all the politicians and lead scientists within the Enclave had blown up with the Oil Rig. The death of all those stupid scientists and genocidal leaders would let me reform the Enclave from its idiotic ways into literally anything else. If I deal with Eden then there is so much I could do.

Thinking about Eden had me getting up from my chair and walking over to the box filled with things that could change everything. It's not the same as the game. This was reality. My already low enthusiasm was lowered even more by the fact that I have to kill Eden then lie about it. I couldn’t exactly reveal his AI nature and the fact that he wants to genocide everyone. It's better to pretend the US Government is a straight continuation from Pre-War instead of the mess I am currently stuck in. 

I was not really worried about betrayal but the fact that most of the populace in Raven Rock was clinically depressed, if the psychologists under Dr. Matthews was to be believed, was concerning. Last thing I wanted was to cause morale to drop even further. Oil Rig, Navarro, Exodus and the hard years… living inside a new cold bunker for decades while monotonously carrying out tasks had to be soul crushing. The kids inside the Enclave probably needed the most attention but diverting resources to psychological needs at this point is a fruitless endeavor. Can’t fix psychological issues when the environment is the problem. 

I moved away from the box. I instead headed over to the steel locker, unlocked it and grabbed the particularly nice coat that I should’ve grabbed right as I got out of bed. It would keep the chill away and it looked nice.

I stretched out a little, breathed in and began walking to the door. I opened it and started going straight to the exit of Raven Rock. The game was so wildly different from this new reality. Everything is scaled up to the point I thought the game just doesn’t compare. My new memories easily guided me through the long hallways which had a multitude of personnel walking through clad in both uniform and the Advanced Power Armor Mark II. As the highest ranking military officer in the Enclave I was greeted by salutes from military personnel and stares from civilian staff. 

I did kind of wish they didn’t because many were carrying clipboards and packages or pushing tram carts through the wide hallways. As I kept walking past the war room and made my way to the entrance I saw Power Armored Soldiers carrying supplies to production as they looked like they came from the hangar. 

The lack of webbing and other gear fitted onto the Power Armor makes me think the officers under me felt assured that nothing will get through the bunker defenses posted at the entrance, hangar and security grid. 

Well not completely as I spot the officers with Plasma Handguns in holsters.

As I continued walking I saw the hallway get bigger as I passed by the entrance of the hangar bay for the Vertibirds and the entrance was getting closer. Seeing Power Armor and Energy Weapons was already cool but seeing an actual Sentry Bot was astounding. Autumn’s memories told me that it was nothing special beyond its expense but I can’t help feeling the emotions in my heart. It was strange to see something you had only known in a game come to life before your very eyes. 

With a start, I realized that the men beside Sentry Bot stationed at the door had been staring at me since I came into the main hallway and they saluted me as I got closer.

My voice was firm and foreign to me but the accent was certainly recognizable. “I’m heading through to check over the entrance fortifications and those stationed there.”

I eyed the serial number, name and rank on the Power Armor of the person in front of me as I realized it was a woman, a Sergeant named Misty Rivera. She responded quickly to my command.

“Yes sir,” the Sergeant answered affirmatively as she reached her radio and called into the security room, transmitting the proper security clearance codes. 

The door cycled through its opening sequence and opened with the screech of metal. The air blasted my face and the bright sun outside made me squint. I walked out into the open air and saw beautiful skies. For a brief moment I felt joy at the sight before it was gone. I had to blink away involuntary tears that had pooled in my eyes. Even this far away from the cities the nuclear wasteland was inescapable as my senses were bombarded with decay. 

I was once again reminded of how different the game looked compared to reality with the lack of a green filter plastered over my eyes and there was a definite lack of gray compared to walking around Fallout 3. 

The sun had beaten down relentlessly on me ever since I left Raven Rock. The sound of boots on metal turned into the crunch of gravel.  

I looked around the encampment, observing giant thick metal sheet walls, walkways, barricades of sandbags and waist high gray ballistic shields. The guard towers overlooked the outside perimeter and there were several Sentry Bots, Assaultrons and fully equipped Enclave Troopers. A lot of them stared at me as I walked out and up the stairs leading to the battlements of the metal walls.

The sight that greeted me was expected but it still disappointed me. I felt the stares of many on my back as I looked over the region from the vantage point. Miles upon miles of dead land stretched on forever with trees that jutted out from the ground. I saw decayed roads, guardrails, lampposts and buildings far into the distance. The remnants of Pennsylvania and beyond it is Maryland. Further beyond that is the Capital of the United States. 

I can’t fix the mess before me by myself. I am not the Player Character from the games. The Fallout games provided the ability for Players to brute force results while the reality before me required me to use other people. 

The only advantage I have is the Enclave and the entire technological might of Pre-War US and the advancements made Post-War. I could do incredible things with just that. The question of the Player Character’s interference came into my head but I dismissed it. That will come later.

If I don't act, I would doom hundreds of thousands to a life of squalor and poverty. The Brotherhood of Steel would never hand out even basic technology to help wastelanders rebuild after the Great War. Advanced medicine, water purification, electricity, and so many wonderful things could be given out but they choose not to do so. Lyons might be a different breed but I know how the Eastern Brotherhood chapter ends up. Nothing will change.

I might lament, whine, or complain about the path laid before me, but my choice to follow it had already been made in truth. My competence didn’t negate how ordinary I was but I should at least try to make life better for people out on the East Coast. Even if it damned the burgeoning democracy in the west.

___________________

I had spoken to the officer in charge of the entrance garrison to complete what I supposedly came there for and then I found myself in my quarters again. I stared at the turned-off radio on my waist as I contemplated the specifics of my plan.

The Lone Wanderer just had to say some lines and Eden proceeded to kill himself. I doubted that I could do the same. Fortunately I did have ZAX administrative codes that had been passed down to me by my father. It was different from the ZAX destruct sequence I remembered in Fallout 3. I had to take the chance using them. The possibility of Eden not responding weighed on my mind but it was now or never. 

I grabbed the administrative codes and made my way straight out of the room and into the hallways. Everything blurred as I made my way through several halls and finally ended up at Eden’s chamber hallway. No one was allowed in this hall and I could see Eden’s camera quickly swivel to look straight at me. 

My awareness of the security systems that could pulverize me was not helping. 

“While I know you are under a great deal of stress Colonel, I do not appreciate you disobeying regulations like this. For your security I recommend you leave this hallway.” Eden’s voice sounded clearly through the intercom, calm as ever. I noticed that no matter what, Eden’s voice was calm and measured, even when he did not get his way. 

With finality and a quick prayer I spoke. “Authorization code 420-03-20-9.” 

Eden was quick to demand answers. “What is the meaning -”

I offered him no chance. “Silence. Cease any hostile actions against me and anyone else.”

The dead silence that followed had my heart soaring. 

“Allow me through then shut the doors. Keep the doors shut and don’t initiate any action without my approval,” I commanded firmly.

I made my way through a giant server room that wasn't at all similar to Fallout 3's chamber for Eden. Less tall and more wide with the servers creating a spectacle to look at. Fallout lacked a lot of the technology I was familiar with, but this room looked almost like a modern server room, with endless shelves filled with lights and hundreds of wires extending out and up into the ceiling.

Eden’s main supercomputer resided in the middle of the room off the ground. The largest screen had the 14 star US flag above it. I took a seat at the control consoles that had an impressive sheen of dust that I had to wipe off. I inserted the large light gray disk into the center console. 

“Load up the consoles with all your controls, Eden. Load up the US Presidential Command Network and everything relating to Enclave operations as well,” I ordered. 

My unfamiliarity with the technology could be circumvented by commanding the ZAX system. 

Green text immediately filled the entire screen as hundreds of options, operations and networking systems loaded up. From Autumn’s original memories and my own I knew that many of these systems were familiar to me and many more were not. Eden had melded the Presidential Command Network and his own ZAX systems together seamlessly. It was honestly impressive. 

It’s really no wonder that my father had followed Eden. It really did look like he had taken over straight from Richardson in a proper line of succession. It certainly made things easier for me now.

I spent around an hour reading through the console as I committed everything I could to memory. I searched for any landmines Eden had left behind just in case. Skimming through all these files I noticed something. Eden hadn’t bothered trying to hide his artificial nature on his own systems. 

“I guess I can only be thankful you haven't been talking to Enclave personnel for an unrealistic amount of time even if you did the bare minimum here,” I said.

Feeling like this would take me forever, I ordered the ZAX, “Present me a list of everything you have done by order of importance and then modify all file dates to stimulate your need for sleep.”

With the streamlined list I could see everything Eden had done since the Great War and it surprised me. Eden hadn’t really done anything until he had modeled his personality matrix after the greatest Presidents in history several years before the Rig’s destruction. Though I’m pretty sure Abraham Lincoln would turn in his grave if he knew this psychopathic AI admired him greatly. 

I confirmed everything was intact and the ZAX had taken no action against me or the Enclave. With that in mind I decided to end this. I entered in several prompts and data sheets to cover up Eden’s artificial intelligence. In minutes there was an abundance of documents, recorded paranoid rants and a last will. Eden will look like he killed himself.

I doubted everyone would believe me. I don’t have a body and the core Enclave personnel would never believe me. I am sure some already suspected the truth of his nature.

My final order. “Wipe personality matrix.”

Within minutes the server storage indicator showed that a huge space opened up. After verifying that the personality matrix was indeed gone I began to make sure only I could access these systems. 

I changed administrator access codes, froze maintenance codes and put basic blocks on what the ZAX can and cannot do. I also canceled my previous silence command so the base ZAX can deliver speech. 

Finally I leaned back into my chair as I breathed out in complete relief. If I had failed then I would’ve damned the entire East Coast to look like the Terminator movies. 

After a moment had passed, I sat back up because of the loads of work ahead of me.

First order of business now that I don’t have to worry about Eden. The entire robot network Eden had established was a problem. I quickly went into the network from the console as I could now see the list of every robot that the ZAX was connected with. The list in front of me is listing all the models, IFFs, activity, position and current commands. An incredibly huge liability presents itself.

Specialized EMPs, hacking, signal jamming and signal replication. ZAX intelligence might surpass humanities but the average robot has no creative thought. Even if a robot could form a personality, robots aren’t exactly smarter than the average human. Even children could outsmart them. They simply lack the high data capacity for every tactical analysis. Unless we install supercomputers into each robot for independent thought then the very idea of a robot only army is inane. The risk is incredible. 

Plus self aware robots. Eden had firmly killed the idea in my mind. Like tanks and air power, robots were there to support human forces only, not replace them

After I went through a couple more prompts and general program files with verification of the ZAX, I sent out a general purpose update to the technicians to update the robots except the eyebots. We shall keep the eyebots as a general purpose observation unit for now. 

I then loaded up the US Satellite network. Hundreds of satellites loaded up on the screens as they connected to the Raven Rock Communications Array. My memories confirmed that everything looked the same as Eden did not lie about the state of it. Many have fallen out of orbit, been damaged and some have been destroyed by anti-sat weapons by the Chinese.

Defense and spy satellite coverage is spotty. Communication satellites could be in better condition but they work. As expected, the weather satellites have the best condition. 

I eyed the most important satellite currently under command. The Bradley-Hercules Orbital Platform. From this system I could easily access its controls and system. Broken propulsion, broken reloader, locked orbit and no immediate fix. I planned on using the last of its payloads to secure the region.

I verified everything over again to make sure I have no immediate worries. I checked the time and saw that it was 2:17 PM. Autumn’s memory and the date displayed under the time confirmed that I only had so much time. Only a year and eight months.

Something was nagging at my mind as I continued looking through the satellite data. What was it? Oh right. Now I remember. I had forgotten about Eden’s stupid radio broadcasts.

After I switched off the radio broadcasts, I set out to modify, delete, and cover up everything the Enclave’s high command was doing in Northern California. I felt revulsion for Mariposa Military Base and anything relating to Richardson and the idea that their crimes would be buried but I had no choice.

If I refused to do this then the truth would bite the new US in the ass hard. It was hard to recruit people if they knew your predecessors wanted to commit global genocide. Letting these files continue to exist would cause future me problems if they ever got leaked. Thankfully these were the last copies in existence that I knew of. This network was separated from PoseidoNet. Everything else was destroyed when the Oil Rig was destroyed.

I hoped that not everything was destroyed with the rig though. The unanswered questions I needed solved hopefully remained within the files here. After I typed a couple commands and skimmed a couple files I found what I was looking for. 

Vault-Tec data. My curiosity turned into indignation as I saw that information on which US Department had helped them was missing. Funding details, management and construction details were lacking as well. The only thing I saw was experiment synopses, locations, and security bypasses. There was plenty of miscellaneous information in here but nothing that answered my historical queries. 

Were the Vaults able to be controlled from the Rig, I wondered. After more skimming, I found my answer. It seemed like Vault 0 existed. This was supposedly the place controlling the Vaults. And the information surrounding it is completely empty with only a single line on the long list of Vaults. From what I knew of Fallout Tactics I could surmise that the Vault is gone. 

I cycled through the list of Vaults again and I went straight to Vault 101 this time. The information displayed was already known to me but it's the security bypass that I was interested in. Autumn’s original memories of Eden telling me that he lacked the security bypasses irked me endlessly. Years of trying to rebuild our numbers and he did something like this. Eden was never an ally to anyone but himself. 

With ideas that could help my plans I decided that delaying any further would only harm me. 

I typed out specific orders to each department head as I began to summon every high and mid-ranking personnel of the Enclave to the main atrium. I wasn’t worried about betrayal from the latest heads but as it stood it was better safe than sorry. 

Getting up and walking over to the door, I estimated that it would take over an hour for everyone to arrive at the atrium, not including those stationed in Adams AFB. 

___________________

The main atrium had to be my favorite place in Raven Rock. The fluorescent blue and yellow lights in such a big place generated a wonderful effect on the dark metal bunker. Though my enjoyment of this place was dampened from all the stares I was getting on the raised up dias.

What stood before me was a large crowd of Enclave personnel, all standing uniformly with  higher ranked personnel front and center. A large portion of the rank and file were not present,leaving a lot of room in the back. I wondered how many exactly could fit inside. 

I saw confusion on the faces of the lower ranks but the department heads but it seemed the department heads all had a straight face and calm demeanor. Everyone got here quicker than I had expected but it was no issue for what I have to say. 

“It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that President John Henry Eden is dead.” My voice rang throughout the entire atrium. 

All at once I heard quiet murmurs and surprise. Anyone not above a certain rank or station looked stunned while my direct subordinates and department heads all had their eyes glued directly onto me. 

“In the last several hours I have been busy dealing with the aftermath of his death. President Eden’s paranoia led to him being extremely isolated and over a long period of time he developed depression. President Eden always spoke of rebuilding the America he envisioned in his speeches and it seems he fell into despair when he realized the enormity and perhaps, what he perceived to be the impossibility of that task,” I explained. 

Looks of understanding and sadness flashed through most while the department heads either gave me sour looks or kept their faces straight. The strange face on Dr. Matthews made me realize I should talk to him afterwards since he was the least zealous in the Enclave leadership.

At least compared to the others. Which wasn’t really saying much.

“His will, notes and recordings will be distributed to the various heads for record keeping. If anyone wishes to see them then please contact your supervisor,” I said with feigned sympathy. 

“I know this is sudden but it must be said. I plan to re-enact the election protocol. There is an urgent need to get the US Government operational again. The more aged here probably remember the Presidential Cabinet and State of Emergency Congress that was present on the Rig. I plan on re-establishing that as well.” The positive looks I received were welcomed over the previously downtrodden. 

“I know some of you felt that President Eden’s control was the only alternative ever since we left Camp Navarro but an election must come. As the de-facto head I must urge all of you to elect who you feel is best. I assure you while this might seem harsh we must move forwards as fast as possible. For America.”

___________________

Augustus Autumn
January 5th, 2276. 

I don’t recall this room being present within Fallout 3 but Autumn’s original memories provided a lot of context. This was the Presidential Cabinet’s room with various monitors on the walls and a large table in the middle. The Federal Great Seal loomed over behind me on the wall.

The election was technically not finished yet but it was clear who would rule after tomorrow. I won’t arrogantly proclaim it unanimous but it was close. 

I had gathered everyone important and seated around the table with large folders in front of them. The question of more specific details on Eden’s death, corpse and suicide weren’t said. I had seen fear in some of those present after the atrium announcement but 4 days later at least some of them were bound to feel a little braver.. 

The folders that were in front of them contained soil data, BoS bases, Pre-War military bases, Vault data, industrial locations and wastelander population centers and movements. Any points of interest within the Washington DC region have been documented. 

I constructed a fair amount of the plans using the ZAX supercomputer to calculate resource needs to restore the region. Those same plans contained in the folders stunned those here into silence. 

The raising of wasteland populace into American citizens is the reason why. They are essential to my rough outline of restoring the United States. Doing so with just a few thousand Enclave personnel and civilians is impossible. 

The only one I spoke to previously about this plan is the head scientist Dr. Matthews as I did so right after the atrium announcement. He was the right hand man of my father even back in Camp Navarro and I had inherited some of the respect and loyalty he had for him.. 

Dr. Joffrey Matthews was what I would describe as truly apathetic. A bald caucasian man with blue eyes and a silent demeanor. Someone who preferred just doing the job he was tasked with no matter the ethics involved. If Autumn’s original personality and memories weren’t warping my own I could see myself disliking the man. At this stage though, I needed all the allies I could get. 

Autumn’s original memories made it easy to predict who would speak out against this and the prediction came true quickly. 

“Colonel Autumn, I understand the general thought process of this plan but I feel there is a lack of foundation on using wastelanders for this. Most of them are savages.” Hannah Thorn's voice sounded urgent.

The gray eyed brunette woman was the Director of the Nuclear Energy Commision which oversaw the nuclear reactors in Raven Rock and Adams AFB. They also provided technical staff for anything related to microfusion and helped mechanics deal with Vertibird engine problems. 

The mostly civilian Greenbrier Bunker my father evacuated during the Exodus might’ve helped our population but growth is unmanageable at this time. I needed to make this clear to everyone here.

“I assure you, Director Thorn, that I understand well. It's why I noted down the differences between certain flavors of wastelander. I don’t intend to turn raiders and slavers into proud Americans. It will be those inhabiting farming communities and trade centers.” My rebuttal was met with flat stares from everyone present except Dr. Matthews.

“We have other solutions to our population problems, Colonel Autumn. Why don’t we try those before we jump into giving illiterate people Power Armor and weapons?” Director Thorn asked.

“Because we have no choice. We will teach them to read, how to fight, and how to serve. I don’t know if you noticed, Director Thorn, but clinically our population is depressed. We can’t exactly breed tens of thousands into existence so that they may live in cramped spaces like we all have since 2077,” I said harshly. 

Director Thorn’s words had some truth but I am fairly positive that a lot of wastelanders could read. It's not their literacy that I have issue with, it’s their ability to obey new laws, rules and societal norms. 

Looking around my eyes landed on my direct military subordinates. “We need brave men and women to fight for us.” 

My eyes went to the various production chiefs. “We need people to help produce material, equipment and various supplies.”

I gave a general look to everyone. “We need to fix the country. We can’t do that without everyone on board. The situation is astronomically bad for everyone on the continent.” 

My words reached a lot of them. I can tell Director Thorn is still on the ropes.

“I want the best for everyone in America. Without the Enclave, it's possible that these people won’t ever receive the push they’ll need to clean up after the Great War. Meanwhile our enemies multiply. The Brotherhood are camped out in the Pentagon and President Eden had us do nothing but sit on our laurels while they feud with each other,” I said with finality. 

I tried being more amenable. “I don’t plan on removing anyone here for disagreements with my plans. I ask for support and the best possible effort you can give to this mission. That’s all anyone here will get from me as long as you don’t commit treason.” The looks I received were probably the most positive I have gotten during this entire meeting. 

After a moment had passed, Director Thorn solemnly spoke out one last time. “Will we be able to decide our own department standards and requirements? If we go forward with these plans I want the cream of the crop… or whatever counts as that for their kind.”

“As long as it's not lower than what is currently set, anyone here can pick and choose your own standards for recruitment. I would recommend working together to set up a proper education system to produce quality American men and women out of the wasteland populace. I plan to expand Adams Air Force Base to accommodate more training on top of what we already have. We’ll also move some educational staff to the base so we can acquire new scientists, mechanics and workers,” I said.

A long moment passed and the various top ranking Enclave personnel began flipping through the folder asking more and more questions. Their apparent acceptance of my plans took a great deal of stress off of me. 

___________________

Augustus Autumn
January 6th, 2276. 

The crowd inside the atrium was vastly different from the last time I had summoned all the high and mid-ranking officials in the Enclave. Everyone was present this time except the ones stationed in Adams AFB, Greenbrier Bunker, and the Chicago base. From lower level grunts to the officers that commanded them, every soldier that could be spared was present.

My newly minted Cabinet had helped a lot with organizing this without compromising security. We couldn’t fit every civilian inside but we were able to get the majority of important staff positions from all non-military departments. I would’ve expected this to be more disorderly but it seemed that everyone had managed just fine. 

I wanted to make sure my inauguration speech was heard by everyone important inside the Enclave. The small light on the podium finally flashed green indicating that the microphone was live and that it was time to speak.

After a moment had passed I breathed in and spoke. “It was around five hundred years ago that this nation was born. Then for the next three hundred years it grew into something truly wonderful. A nation with flaws that forced the people to etch freedom into its very core in defiance, much in the same way the country was founded against the British.”

My voice echoing and reaching everyone made me nervous but the original Autumn personality helped greatly.

“No nation will be perfect just like no one will be without flaws. Only by recognizing these flaws can one hope to overcome them and grow far beyond who they were. I am of firm belief that this is what the Enclave is.” My voice got stronger with a firm resolve at the end. The intensity of the stares I received weighed me down but pushed forward nonetheless.

“Without question we have failed America. Roughly two hundred years ago there was an atomic exchange initiated by China against the United States. And since then… what have we done to fix it? To rebuild our great nation?” The question was met with a deafening silence.

“What have we done? I ask all of you, look outside and see the 200 years of our negligence.” I could see an increasingly offended look in the faces of nearly everyone here. The remainder were stunned.

“I will only say this once for everyone to hear. This absolutely cannot stand. Everything about this decay is revolting to me, it should be that way to all of us! My very soul burns with righteous anger. At the raiders causing chaos, raping and murdering innocents. At the slavers defying basic human decency. At the terrorists roleplaying as medieval knights in the fucking Pentagon. At the cratered hellscape that is our Capital!” My voice was so thick with emotion that my heart could no longer differentiate between my emotions and the ones that came from Original Autumn.

“I see a broken nation filled with rot and decay, with vile atrocities and the fading echoes of our nation. Everywhere you look you will see farmers struggle with dead soil, traders harassed by bandits, communities torn apart by filthy slavers. All live in absolute squalor. Everyone who descended from proper America has had their birthright stripped away from them. The right to the American Dream.” I tried to keep my tone even.

“No more. It is this great task that I bind you all with. As President of the United States of America. We are going to reclaim every inch of American soil. We shall shatter the Brotherhood of Steel. We will root out the mutants and feral ghouls. We will obliterate every slaver and raider from North America. And most importantly of all, I want everyone here to be the foundation of restoring the American Dream for every single person on this continent.” My voice carried by the microphone had struck everyone in the room.

“We shall show everyone that we are here, that the government lives, that there is hope and that America has not, and will never perish from this Earth.” 

The hundreds of stares at me reflected immense emotions. It was a mixture of sadness, shock, anger, pride, and finally hope. I could already tell that my troubles with elitism, racism and general idiocy in the Enclave were not going to end so easily. 

But this was a firm start at moving everyone forward. Worst case scenario, I have to put troublesome people on the frontlines in hopes of removing them.

I hoped that it wouldn’t come to that.

Chapter Text

Augustus Autumn
February 17th, 2276.

The vibration and sounds of the Vertibird absolutely did not help my growing headache. As the cold wind hit my face, my eyes skimmed over the remains of Washington DC. I could see a lot from here as we flew along the eastern edges of the city. The Capitol Building, Washington Monument and so many more historic buildings. 

The dawn brought about a hauntingly beautiful landscape that also evoked dread and despair as I beheld the remains of Washington. The steel and rubble formed a skeletal city and I could see all the destruction the nuclear exchange had brought about. 

This was just one of many tests of my resolve to save the wasteland.

I was currently en route to inspect Adams Air Force Base and speak with Lt. Col Johnathan Cade. About a month and a half had passed since I had taken over the Enclave. Since then I had been busy working my new Presidential Cabinet to fill  in a skeleton Congress just to get the ball rolling. I felt awkward at making or more accurately reintroducing the State of Emergency Congress. 

I acknowledged that I probably counted as a warlord instead of an actual President of the United States. Still, that didn’t really matter to me right now. America had to be rebuilt first for Congress to mean anything. Eventually the dummy seats will be replaced with real senators and representatives when there are actual constituents to vote them in but until then the SOE Congress would serve well for designing short and long term plans to reclaim the wasteland. 

I looked at the gunner inside the vertibird and felt pleased with the results of my most successful Executive Order to date. There was no E in sight on the trooper’s Power Armor. Just a new coat of good old army green and an American flag painted right onto the left shoulder. Instead of using velcro patches the insignias were instead painted onto the right shoulder. The white star was on the left breast and details concerning the soldier’s name, rank and regiment were on the right. 

Since the identity of the Enclave was so hyper focused on being the last part of the US Government it was easy to convince everyone to switch over. It would certainly make it easier to establish ourselves as the old government; it was already increasing morale among the rank and file, giving them renewed national pride and nostalgia. If we could make the wastelanders feel the same way, there may just yet be hope for America. 

I was probably going to scale it up even more and remove our identity as the Enclave entirely. It would be for the best if the remnants of what we were were buried forever.

Quickly, the landscape below shifted from the eastern edge of the city to the suburbs then fields. Eventually we arrived at our destination. The sight of Adams AFB conflicted with older memories of it. It had been cleaned and fixed up and now had a lot more Vertibirds. I could see several laser turrets scanning the skies for anything not related to Enclave IFFs.

As the touchdown sequence completed and we fully landed I stepped off with my guards and stared straight at the greeting party, Lt. Col Johnathan Cade and his officers. 

“Welcome to Adams Air Force Base, Mr. President,” Cade said with a salute as he quickly presented himself and his officers who were standing at attention. 

Lt. Col Cade was a man the ladies would call handsome. Six feet tall with neatly cut brown hair and green eyes. Caucasian with a healthy tan. He wasn’t just a pretty face though, he had been my subordinate for the longest time and I knew he had earned his rank through competence. 

“It's good to see you, Lt. Col Cade. I hope this base hasn’t had any complications with the new equipment I had delivered recently.” If the expensive equipment I had had the scientists and engineer personnel design, fabricate and build was broken I might rip my hair out. 

The resource expenditure could not be overstated. We had gathered up dozens of old Pre-War cars and turned them into raw materials. There were also the materials we had gotten from Fort Constantine but I hadn’t read the latest reports within the last week on that base. 

Just more things to talk to Cade about.

___________________

I stood upon the raised platform alone with Lt. Col Cade looking over the eastern fields next to Adams AFB. I inspected the troops training and firing the newest pieces of equipment. The M906 155mm Howitzer was a break away from Pre-War designs and had a longer range of 35-45 kilometers thanks to its specialized magnetic rail system. The new design was for the energy based explosives instead of the more typical explosives of the past. 

Not that it couldn’t shoot typical explosives. They would just need to be designed for this gun specifically. 

The plasma based explosives and new artillery gun were designed during the later years of the Sino-American War when Plasma Casters were a hot topic inside the halls of power. They were never implemented because of resource shortages and US High Command before the Great War had felt like they were an unneeded expense when they already had thousands of older towed artillery models and the shells for them that worked just fine.

I eventually found those same schematics buried within our databases. Alongside many other schematics that never saw the light of day till now. 

The towed artillery was not the only addition. When you have to tow something you need vehicles to tow it and armor to defend them. I had decided that our ground forces needed more firepower anyways since the Brotherhood had access to the bunker under the Pentagon and we could no longer rely upon the robot hivemind to overwhelm our enemies.

Lt. Col Cade after basking in the sight of new equipment decided to ask, “Will we receive more tanks and support vehicles before the big blitz?”

“Only as they come off the line. Our resources are kinda tight after we produced the three we gave you. Alongside the supply trucks and MRAPs. It might’ve been better not to design them with newer technology but we can’t risk the Brotherhood overwhelming our ground forces when we breach the bunker.” It was better that I remain blunt with Cade considering that he didn’t enjoy wasting time.

“If you feel unsure of the plan then I will give you access to more Sentry Bots and Assaultrons to send as a vanguard. Just be careful since they have mini-nukes and who knows what else inside there.” I tried to mollify him.

Lt. Col Cade looked a little surprised at my answer but I ignored it. Eden had treated those bots with the same importance as human lives and it had shown during resource intake operations. Well Eden was no longer in charge and since we had so many of them we might as well use them as much as possible to deal with the surplus.

“Thank you, Mr. President. Since we are on the topic of manpower I would like to thank you for acquiescing to the… Cabinet’s request to use Vault Dwellers before any wastelander recruitment.” Cade both thanked me and reminded me of the slight change of my plans.

“It’s no issue. I was thinking of delaying wastelander recruitment anyways for more reliable recruits from Vault 101 when we finally open it,” I said.

The Vault Dwellers would be the first wave to ever hit training at Adams AFB after we had finished off the Brotherhood of Steel and expanded the base. Both were going to take awhile and were the reasons for this buildup. I had no idea what to expect from Vault 101 and I wanted to avoid a teenaged murderhobo being released into the wild. 

The Lone Wanderer could be pretty unhinged depending on how one played the game and I had little desire to see just how unhinged they were until I was prepared for it. If I could recruit them into the US Army, they would make a potent asset, but we had to be ready to train them the moment we opened the Vault and we weren’t yet.

“Excuse my forwardness, Mr. President, but why are we proceeding so fast? The cleaning up of Adams is already slowing us down somewhat. Refits and expansions are going to take even longer.” There was genuine curiosity in his voice.

I decided to tell him the truth. “Because the Brotherhood of Steel has Liberty Prime.”

A solid moment had passed before my statement registered in his mind. His green eyes stared at me in slight panic. “I believed the report on Liberty Prime stated that it lacked a power source, correct? I don’t see those terrorists ever powering it up.”

“I worry about them activating it, Lt. Col Cade.” I made sure to inject urgency in my voice.

“I have some doubts about that. The new Cabinet didn't think they could activate it.” Cade’s doubt started to annoy me.

With a harsh tone I said. “Because they’ve been sitting on it for years. I won’t take chances when the country is at stake. Last thing I want is for them to use it against us.” 

Seeing his face twist up a little, I decided to calm down a little. Not a good idea to lambast Cade for this. As long as he remained respectful and obeyed orders. 

With far more grace I said. “I understand the worry. As it stands I just want them out of the way. Should they detect our substantial buildup then they are going to begin reacting to us. Our enemies don’t behave in a vacuum. We don’t know what’s laying around in the wasteland waiting to be picked up so it's better to finish them off now instead of later.” 

After a moment Cade finally said. “Understood, Mr. President.”

Happy with his answer, I turned around and looked over the interior of Adams AFB. The large storage facility loomed as the tanks sat stationary next to it. The soldiers, mechanics and maintenance robots buzzed over them like a swarm of bees. I understood the awe. 

“They seem excited about them. Have you decided who the tank crews will be? Have the men and women already acquainted themselves with them?” I asked.

“I have, Mr. President. As it stands they understand the basic functions and have a general feel on what they need to do. Personally I would establish a tank school to rebuild our expertise since all we have is paper knowledge and doctrine.” 

“While I can see the artillery crews training, I do want your personal thoughts on the effectiveness of artillery at this stage.” I really hoped I didn’t waste material on them.

Cade helpfully put my worries to rest. “The guns will provide enough power to wipe out any heavy force we can see, Mr. President.” 

“Good.”

The hum of engines distracted me for a moment as I saw several new supply trucks, MRAPs and APCs drive through to supply. The green paint and white star remind me of my older life. They closely resembled WW2 and 50s era military equipment in documentaries. Even after so many centuries it seemed this version of America still had odd tastes.

“Talking here isn’t really appropriate. To the Command Tower. We have more to discuss. I know you have more questions, Lt. Col Cade.” 

___________________

The map of the entire region was pretty to look at but it was depressing to see how little we actually controlled. On the holographic table I could see all the locations we had marked as hostile. From Eden’s eyebot network, our own reconnaissance teams and satellite imaging we had been able to deduce quite a bit of information on the region.

I recognized a lot of these hostile places. Paradise Falls, Evergreen Mills, and ruins upon ruins filled with raiders of varying quality. I felt the itch to glass them but they would have to come later.

On the map I could see locations of Brotherhood activity and locations of interest. Considering all of this I decided to inquire about the latest addition on the map.

“How did the Fort Independence recon go? Did a splinter cell really form?”

“Indeed they have. It seems the hints of disunity were right as a great number split off from their main base. We surmised there might be a schism of some sort happening during November and December but I didn’t expect so many of them to break off from the Pentagon group.” Lt. Col Cade informed. 

“It was expected.” My mouth seemed to have escaped my brain for just a moment.

The commander looked at me with respect. “I’m surprised you were able to surmise this, Mr. President. No one guessed it would turn out like this… I thought they were just looting that old military base. No one foresaw an actual split but you.” 

The respect in his green eyes for my slip up made me sweat a little.

“It’s not surprising. They are indeed techno-cultists. Zealots are as predictable as the sun rising. I only guessed it because they seemed split between helping people and hoarding whatever technology they can.” I tried explaining myself.

It did not diminish the look of respect in Cade’s eyes. It would be better to distract him.

“With this splinter cell formed it's going to be easier to deal with the Brotherhood in the Pentagon. They’ve divided their forces and it will be fun indeed to capitalize on this mistake.” I said, moving on.

Both myself and Lt. Col Cade deliberated on supplies, troops, air support and ground vehicles for about an hour before I realized I had forgotten about the field reports. 

“How was the expedition to Fort Constantine?” That base has been on my mind since I merged with Autumn.

The commander’s face was bright. “It went exceedingly well. Our IFFs are associated with US Armed Forces so we easily accessed the facility without the Pre-War robots making it a pain. We got access to all its systems within two days of restoring some basic functions and power. Decent portions of the military base were broken down but we accessed what was inside the storage.”

Even I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “And?”

“25 atomic warheads and the ICBM Silos are under our control. It was an incredible find.” His cheery answer raised my spirits. 

Lt. Col Cade’s face fell a little. “Though if we ever want to launch anything we are going to need some time and manpower. Maybe two weeks at least. Perhaps longer if we don’t want complications as the constant system glitches are aggravating the technicians we brought. They think it would be better to replace some of the computers and systems with newly fabricated ones.”

“You’ll have whatever you need soon. Though we don’t need silos or ICBMs for our purposes right now.” I assure him.

He looked at me questioningly. I decided to change the plans up a little bit so as to not waste any more resources for the sideshow. 

“Have your team bring a warhead to Raven Rock for modification. I’m going to have them scale it down to something tactical. I see no reason not to remove Fort Independence from the map if it conserves our forces for securing the Pentagon.” I ordered. 

Lt. Col Cade looked strangely relieved. His shoulders looked less tense and he had a relaxed demeanor now. 

“The plans for the Pentagon… and now this. You don’t plan on showing them mercy. Some of the grunts were gossiping about you turning soft, Mr. President. I can firmly say this will silence any doubt of your commitment.” His words made me proud for some reason.

Couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad thing. 

Chapter Text

Sentinel Sarah Lyons
March 2nd, 2276 8:32 AM

The walls of the Citadel surrounded Sarah Lyons completely. The noise of laser fire, commands from superiors, and the shuffles of soldiers’ movements filled the air. Sarah imagined that this was what a military base sounded like before the Great War. 

It provided a perfect backdrop for equipment maintenance. Sarah sat at one of the many tables near the entrance of the Citadel. 

She kept cleaning components, scrubbing away grime and oiling things that needed it. She did this over and over again for every piece of her equipment. 

Her equipment was perfectly maintained already to be honest, Sarah only did this because of nerves. The recent schism in the Chapter had piled onto her stress. 

The newly dubbed Outcasts took more people from the Brotherhood than the filthy Mutants and Enclave did in years. Many had abandoned Elder Lyons in exchange for camping out in an old Pre-War military base so they could correct what they perceived as delusion. 

Sarah’s father had forbidden anyone to talk about the schism which she believed made things worse. Sarah wished he hadn’t included his own daughter into it but she understood how favoritism would look to the other members. The Elder must always be impartial. 

The Outcasts wanted to pursue the Brotherhood’s objective in collecting technology. They believe that her father isn’t doing enough despite him protecting the innocents of the wasteland from worse threats.

What is the reason for collecting technology if not the protection of the weak? The wastelanders can’t handle technology so that’s why the Brotherhood’s mission is to protect them from it. Sarah believed that through the lens of protecting wastelanders, the Super Mutants and the obscene amount of ferals inside the Capital Wasteland needed to be dealt with.

Sarah was proud of what her father had done for the wasteland. Her anger for the Outcasts only increased because she knew the stress was wearing her father down. Sarah had trouble seeing the hero he used to be in the stories she was told as a kid. 

The man who had participated in bringing down the Enclave in California. A part of her wished the chapter had stayed in California where the Enclave had been firmly wiped out. 

Sarah felt she should avoid working up a sweat with depressing thoughts as slipping out of a stinked up T-45d Power Armor suit was never fun. 

She couldn’t help it though. Her thoughts kept turning around to the Enclave. 

The Enclave was dead silent on the radio. Eden wasn’t making broadcasts anymore. The music had disappeared. When it happened at the beginning of January everyone was busy with the schism. Negotiations with the Outcasts hadn’t gone well and they were firm on their position. 

The ensuing silence after the start of the new year from the Brotherhood’s main enemies hadn’t  helped. 

Vertibird activity had quite literally exploded across the region. Sarah’s father had noted during a meeting with the other Paladins that they hadn’t done this before. They usually liked keeping themselves unseen despite the annoying eyebots and radio broadcasts. 

Elder Lyons and the other Paladins had been surprised about Eden stopping the broadcast. That surprise had then turned into amusement as everyone in the Chapter could agree that it was a welcome change. Eden’s radio broadcasts were downright delusional.

The Enclave weren’t really human. Even Sarah’s father had mentioned their inhumanity. Didn’t matter what words they said. Apparently the soldiers and so called “civilians” camped out in the northern region of California had tried saying they weren’t involved in Richardson’s plot. 

Obviously a lie. Luckily the New California Republic and the Brotherhood had wiped them out before they could cause more trouble for the wasteland. 

Sarah got tired of the morbid thoughts. She looked up and blew the blond hair out of her face. 

When Sarah looked over the training fields and at one of the tables, she noticed that several younger Brotherhood members were gathered and fiddling with something. She grabbed her Power Armor helmet and decided to walk over.

When Sarah got closer she saw that it was a radio and it was silent. 

“Break it?” Sarah asked.

Looking shocked at the intrusion one of the younger Scribes answered. “Uhh… no ma’am. It just suddenly stopped playing music. I don’t see Three-Dog stopping his broadcasts so I assume the radio is broken.”

A knight asked. “You sure it ain’t just normal interference? His frequency hasn’t been sounding good for a while. It's possible this is just a bad moment.”

Sarah wanted to ask what they had done to the radio but stopped as she saw Paladin Glade make his way over. 

“Radio’s dead over here, Sentinel?” The nervous tone didn’t suit Paladin Glade. 

“Yes, Paladin,” she responded. 

“Well comms are dead. Scribes down below are reporting they can’t reach those stationed at the GNR Building. Or our patrols.” The words filled Sarah with a foreboding sense of dread.

“I will speak to my father.” Sarah didn’t wait for his reply as it was unnecessary. She pulled away from the crowd and walked straight to the underground entrance. 

After a couple moments had passed making her way across the center of the Citadel, she saw from the corner of her eye several initiates on the training field point up.

Sarah looked towards the sky. She knitted her eyebrows as several bright lights were quickly growing in intensity. 

Feeling her gut drop Sarah immediately ran towards the bunker entrance. She tried slamming her helmet on but it was too late. 

The ground shook violently and the impenetrable walls of the Citadel disintegrated. Sarah saw a blinding light that seared into her very being and then... nothing.

___________________

Private Alissa Redfield
March 2nd, 2276 8:51 AM

Private Alissa Redfield felt the excitement her squad was emitting. Several people stood inside a XVB02 Transport Vertibird while the scenery through the limited windows passed by. She wished the doors were open but understood keeping them closed. 

Alissa looked to the side and caught glimpses of the several gunship and transport Vertibirds that flew along in formation. She wondered if they would soon see smoke from the Pentagon strike. 

Inside the Vertibird with only the whirring of the engines and the shuffles of her squad in their Power Armor, Alissa couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander a little.

The operation had been explained at the big debriefing at Adams Air Force Base. Alissa had seen a lot of familiar faces there. A lot of big shots. President Autumn had even given a big speech on how important the operation is. 

They were going to put down the enemies camping out on government property. Most of them inside the Pentagon and Fort Independence with a small garrison at a Pre-War news station building. 

Alissa knew she wasn’t supposed to have conflicting feelings such as envy and joy for her peers but she couldn’t help it. She wished her squad had been deployed against the splinter cell at Fort Independence. That mission was at most a mop up mission. It certainly beat breaching a bunker complex. 

Alissa could feel joy at not having to do more manual labor at Adams AFB. Loading up 155mm shells, coolant for ground vehicles and supporting tank crews was tedious. The clean-up, repair and expansion of the base was leagues worse. 

Her company approached from the south-west as the only roads available were through this direction. They needed tanks and armored vehicles to help breach the bunker and prevent them from being pushed back. 

The ground forces were deployed earlier with gunships so they could secure a landing zone. This would allow them to move any number of troops into the area quickly.  

The difficulty of this operation came from the bunkers, metros and sewers that connected so much of Washington. If not for the ground armor there would be a risk of getting shot at from their flanks. 

With air support and armor Alissa hoped that this would be easy. At least for the squad she was in. This is the first real combat offensive her squad was participating in except for Sgt. Rivera. 

Alissa was positive her squadmates would tease her if she voiced her thoughts. She was the youngest in the squad at only nineteen. 

The smoke through the windows derailed Alissa’s train of thought. Leaning slightly she could see outside the window and she saw it. The remains of the Pentagon. 

The orbital strike was not directly on-top of the building but had several warheads clipping it in all directions to completely wipe out the surface. High Command had wanted the bunker underneath intact and so anything that would risk a cave in was not allowed. 

Which included using high explosive ordinance such as mini-nukes inside the bunker.  

Alissa saw Sgt Rivera twist her helmeted head towards the squad from the front. “We’re close. Make sure everything is loaded up and don't dare forget anything. Vertibird is leaving right after we get out.”

All at once the squad started checking over the military webbing, straps, grenades, ammunition and energy weapons. Alissa made sure she had everything and looked over her AER9 Laser Rifle and Plasma handgun. 

The Vertibird Pilots quickly fiddled with the controls and she felt the Vertibird change speed and start a descent. 

Sgt. Riverta added, “We’re landing a little bit aways from the Pentagon itself. The ground forces deployed first will keep them busy as the rest of the company unloads.”

Alissa hoped the ground forces would distract any terrorist survivors on the surface long enough for her squad to land in peace.. 

The Vertibird shook as it landed and the door opened up. Sgt. Rivera was immediately out of the transport and the squad followed behind with crates of extra supplies. Now out in the open surrounded by ruins Alissa could see several other landed Vertibirds unloading. 

She looked toward the smoky wreckage of the Pentagon and from her position she could see several fires, streaks of red laser beams and a sickly green glow that repeatedly popped out. 

Sgt. Rivera looked over all of them and simply stated. “If the situation hasn’t changed then we’ll be on search and destroy duty while the other squads locate and clear the entrance. I want all of you -” 

Before the commander could even complete her order an explosion rippled throughout the landing zone followed by shrieks of pain. 

Everyone spun around to see a comrade in another squad hit with a rocket. He sprawled out on the ground. Thankfully it looked like the Power Armor had protected him.

Swiftly spinning around, Alissa followed the rocket smoke’s direction and aimed her laser rifle at a Brotherhood trooper with blood pouring out of the gaps of his T-45d Power Armor and carrying an empty rocket launcher. 

Within a second dozens of Enclave troopers fired. Hundreds of laser beams and plasma bolts crashed into the terrorist, shredding them. 

Alissa breathed in hard. The situation made her Power Armor feel cramped and stuffy. From her position she could see the struck comrade had red seeping out of his armor.

From beside her a squadmate, Oliver Renner, said. “He’s probably going to just need a stimpak.”

She hoped he was right. A medic was already attending to the downed trooper. 

Sgt. Rivera said. “The terrorist must’ve hid when the Vertibirds approached and waited till we started unloading. Our squad is going to mop up guys like that so look out for rockets.”

After that, the squad commander simply turned towards the Pentagon and started walking. Alissa’s squad followed behind her. Eventually smoke covered them as they continued on and ignored the open portions of the ruins where the initial ground forces were mopping up.

While staying behind cover Alissa’s squad found a vantage point on-top of the rubble overlooking large portions of the Pentagon and she could see where the armored vehicles couldn’t breach yet.

Sgt. Rivera simply pointed and Alissa could see several Brotherhood corpses with varied clothing and armor. 

“Even if they look dead, shoot them. Especially the ones in Power Armor. We don’t need any accidents.” Sgt. Rivera's tone was cold. 

From this high up Alissa’s squad could see several other Brotherhood members try to get up and some were trying to dig themselves and others out of the rubble. Other Enclave squads climbed up onto the rubble and overlooked the same scene Alissa and her squad did.

The Enclave squads took aim and started firing. The unarmored didn’t stand a chance and even the ones wearing Power Armor didn’t have the ability to fight back.

___________________

March 2nd, 2276 11:18 AM

Alissa wished the Power Armor was less cramped. Spending two hours inside the armor at base was easy but during an operation the Advanced Power Armor Mark II felt like a coffin. She would’ve broken down already if not for the internal thermal and water system. 

The amount of Brotherhood survivors found dropped drastically after the first hour. Her company was involved in securing the area which involved a lot of executing terrorists. Captain Jackson, who led the company, decided to have Lt. Smith and his platoon help unload the incoming heavy robotic force. 

Which meant that Alissa and her squad were on manual labor duty for over an hour. Other than the Mr. Gutsys’ and Sentry Bots that had come in with the ground forces, they only had eyebots scouring the area for survivors. 

The Vertibird transports only brought in Sentry Bots and now Assaultrons. The amount was staggering and Alissa thought that they could just swarm the bunker at this point. 

Alissa’s squad aided in unloading dozens of robots from the Vertibirds and helped load up ammunition for the heavy platoon who would be going first inside the bunker. 

Sgt. Rivera had already told her that Cpt. Jackson had ordered Lt. Smith to ready the whole platoon for support. Which meant that Alissa was going into the bunker. 

When Alissa got to the bunker entrance she found it unearthed and several squads already dug in with ballistic barricades up and heavy weapons aimed towards the door. Sgt. Rivera waved her on over to her squad’s location.

The spot was one of the furthest behind and Alissa was glad for it. All around her was rubble and the skeleton of a building. If not for the vanguard digging in a defensive position she was sure the Brotherhood would have better chances. 

The smoke and dust was clinging to everything around and when she brought her armored arm up she was caked in a layer of it.  Looking around Alissa saw columns of robots and dug in squads looking straight at the door.

The heavy troopers which carried Gatling Lasers were in the front. They were simply loading in their heavy guns and looked ready for a fight. 

When Alissa was looking over the field she saw her commander hunched over with a hand over her ear. Then she looked towards the squad.

“We’re breaching in 10 minutes. Everything is ready and delaying any further will only give the enemy more time.” Sgt. Rivera said.

Around her everything started moving. Assaultrons started going into position and Sentry Bots were moving forwards to be the first inside. 

After a couple of moments of Alissa staring at a big metal door with her laser rifle propped up the command to breach was given.

The cylindrical detonation charges that were placed at the entrance blew. All at once the brightest light she ever saw consumed the door. Within moments the big door warped, twisted and then gave way to darkness. 

A second later beams of red and a storm of bullets came pouring out. Several Assaultrons around her released charged up laser beams straight into the entrance and the Sentry Bots charged faster than she had ever seen them move. 

Alissa couldn’t see if the laser beams hit because she ducked from the storm of bullets and laserfire came out in every direction. She looked around and saw several comrades get hit dealing negligible damage. 

Just as Sgt. Rivera shifted towards Alissa and her squad, something came out towards the charging Sentry Bots. Instantly a bright light and a blastwave swept the area. When she looked towards the field she saw the heavy troopers alright but the robot vanguard was destroyed.

The company commander screamed out. “Look out for Mini-Nukes!” 

He then screamed out something else and before Alissa could register it another wave of Sentry Bots charged forth into the entrance.

The result was the same. The robots opened up a roar of laserfire and a mini-nuke came out to strike them again. The blastwave swept the field and she saw the entrance being scorched. 

 His plan was obvious. Wear them thin and waste as many high explosives as possible while hopefully taking out enemy combatants. 

Once again another wave of about half a dozen Sentry Bots were sent in and opened up fire. Another mini-nuke blasted them away. 

They were dug deeper into the bunker. The first wave had some effect on them but she couldn’t see further inside from her position. Wave after wave was sent and but by the fifth wave she could tell that there was visibly far less resistance. 

Alissa had worried about running out of robots and being sent in instead but now there were only missiles, bullets and some laserfire coming out to strike the robots. The fifth wave was inside for a while and she could hear the fighting inside. 

Instead of more Sentry Bots being sent in to help them, the company commander ordered the less armored Assaultrons into the bunker. Soon the dark entrance lit up in red flashes as the Assaultrons took care of what the Sentry Bots couldn’t. 

Sgt. Rivera held her hand to her helmet for a moment and then got up from behind her cover. 

The squad commander looked over everyone and then said. “Form up. The company commander just told the heavy troopers that they are going in. Our job is going to be to provide rear support. Doesn’t matter if it's helping medics or carrying ammunition. Worst case scenario is that the enemy gets behind us.”

While Alissa couldn’t see through the helmeted head of Sgt. Rivera, she could tell that the commander was on edge. Her squad was no better as they all shuffled to load up. After a moment everyone was ready. 

The heavy troopers were quick in going into the bunker as several squads followed behind. 

As Alissa followed behind her comrades into the entrance she could see the twisted metal around her from the breach and mini-nukes. The scorched blast marks, bullet and laser holes blanketed the bunker till around 30 feet inside. 

She could see several ruined turrets, battlements and eventually Brotherhood troopers were laying around. Many Assaultron laser blasts marks left a melted trail of metal. The high volume of bullet casings covered nearly the entire hallway floor. 

Alissa’s internal geiger counter ticked as she passed through the nuclear materials left behind from the mini-nukes. 

Before she could observe further the battle picked up down the hallway as many found themselves without cover. Hundreds of bullets were shot down the big hallway and some struck Alissa. She felt her Power Armor hold up against them but she reflexively put her arm up to protect herself. 

The cramped hallways didn’t let her see what was shooting at them and she could barely see past her fellow soldiers. 

Several loud explosions followed and Alissa saw a heavy trooper get blown back a couple feet. Within a couple moments the heavy troopers put down the counterattack and squads moved forwards as the vanguard was quickly progressing through the long hallway. 

As medics were trying to pick him up Alissa ran forwards and tried to help. When she knelt down next to the downed soldier her gut lurched as she realized he was dead. The rocket had struck just right.his neck and battered head were pouring blood. 

Alissa got up, filled with rage. She moved forward with the rest of the company. The green, red and flashing orange lights lit up again down the hallway and once again stopped. 

They were barely down a single hallway and the thought of clearing an entire bunker like this felt daunting to Alissa. Even through her rage, she knew it was going to be a trial. 

___________________

Get into a hallway. Heavy Troopers clear the hallway with several rockets and thousands of bullets being fired at them. Mercilessly cut down Brotherhood resistance. Rinse and repeat. Over and over it went as they cleared out the bunker.

Since it was risky having the Heavy Troopers leave the front, room clearing was left up to Alissa’s squad and a complement of Assaultrons and Sentry Bots. Soon they fall into a routine. When they found an open room,, they would throw in Plasma or Pulse grenades, then send in a Sentry Bot and come in alongside Assaultrons to sweep up anything remaining. Most of the time they were dead from the grenades or Sentry Bot.

Every room was either empty already or soon filled with scorched bodies and pools of blood. Kitchens, living quarters, locker rooms, workshops, storage rooms and even bathrooms. 

Though problems had arisen. Two caved in hallways, loads of broken lights and jammed doors. Alissa was worried about a cave in happening down the line. 

Soon the Brotherhood had run out of Power Armored troops and their non-armored soldiers were desperately trying to hold the line. A foolish idea as they were ripped apart. 

The process repeated itself over and over again. Clear hallways. Breach into rooms. Clear them of hostiles. Provide support to the injured. 

There were a few dozen casualties but most were just injured. Sadly a few had died. Every death weighed on Alissa’s mind. 

By the time she felt the routine was endless they had reached a hallway to a large door smaller than the entrance but the hallway was bigger than the rest so everyone could move around easily. She knew what room it was as High Command had talked about it. The room contained US Government property… well the whole bunker was government property but Alissa couldn’t see themselves using the place for a long time. 

Before she could ask Sgt. Rivera right next to her about the room the commander went to Lt. Smith. She followed behind silently. 

Reaching the platoon commander Sgt. Rivera asked. “Shouldn’t there be a bigger door? Or a tram system?”

Lt. Smith gruffly responded. “Cpt. Jackson said this isn’t like other government bunkers. If they had big items to load down into the bunker they used the center ceiling door in the middle. A large volume of rubble over the big door is why we didn’t go through it. Bringing in construction equipment at this stage would allow them to prepare for us.” 

From the front Cpt. Jackson yelled out a command before Sgt. Rivera could ask more questions. 

“Form up! Watch your fire! If we destroy the big super bot, High Command will be on our ass for eternity.”

___________________

It was the same preparation as for the initial breach. Except the charges were a lot smaller. The unusually large hallway soon became incredibly cramped as large columns of robots were readied in the hallways with the infantry hanging back.

Alissa and her squad were kneeling down behind freshly placed battlements. Several soldiers were in doorways or new battlements themselves looking straight at the door. 

All at once the charges blew the door open. The immense heat scorched a portion of the hallway and the door opened quickly.

Unlike before, a mini-nuke was sent out immediately straight at the Sentry Bot vanguard that had just barely started moving forwards. 

The blast was closer to her and in much tighter quarters so everyone was shaken up. When Alissa looked forwards she saw the first wave wiped out and the second wave was partly battered as well. The hallway was a ruin with panels falling off, lights destroyed, wiring exposed and nearly everything was scorched. 

Alissa feared a cave in but she decided to trust in Pre-War engineering. 

She heard a yell from the Captain and the Sentry Bots charged in. Another mini-nuke blasted and the hallway got worse. Seems the Brotherhood had decided that grouping up the Sentry Bots after they entered was a wasted effort as they would take casualties so they were dispatching mini-nukes far quicker than at the entrance. 

In this environment they are wiping out far more robots than the entrance while taking far less casualties. 

She could tell that they were going to run out of bots and she could see several fellow soldiers tightening their combat webbing around their Power Armor as preparation for what is to come. 

By the fourth wave they had run out of Sentry Bots and only had light and heavy infantry with Assaultrons left. She felt incredibly nauseous as she heard a command from the front.

Cpt. Jackson screamed out with fervor. “We’re moving forwards! No matter what, continue moving forwards and kill any resistance! Even after death, keep going!” 

Alissa breathed in heavily as she got up alongside the rest of her squad. Another one of her squadmates, John Gray, laid a hand on her shoulder. He wasn’t much older than her but he was far more experienced. 

“It’s going to be fine,” he said.

She was thankful to her squadmate. The silent and almost robotic demeanor the military personified grated on a fair portion of the civilian personnel in the Enclave but she could now see that they all had hearts after joining. 

A moment later the Assaultrons charged forth with incredible speed with Heavy Troopers close by as Alissa and her squad followed behind. 

As the vanguard reached the scorched entrance a mini-nuke struck the front and the blast caused her to stumble and avert her eyes for a moment but she felt hands from behind land on her back to keep her steady. She looked forward quickly and saw many Assaultrons and Heavy Troopers had been annihilated with about a dozen injured but she had no choice but to keep moving.

Everyone charged forward regardless. Soon Alissa was out of the hallway and inside of a giant room with enemies were all over. Behind cover, on walkways and just standing out holding miniguns. 

Hell broke loose as the room was filled with a variety of colors as several different types of weapons unloaded. 

Alissa fired her laser rifle repeatedly at any target she could find. She struck down several unarmored soldiers and eventually started firing at armored targets. She felt herself get tagged with kinetic and energy fire several times as the room was filled with a storm of bullets and laserbeams. The vanguard had it worse as it looked like rain of metal was pouring over them thanks to the miniguns.

The heavy infantry was sending out thousands of laser beams and their own rockets at the Brotherhood soldiers and she could see all non armored targets fall near instantly. Any Brotherhood soldier with Power Armor got treated like a lightning rod as Assaultron beams focused directly onto them. Soon the amount of dead on both sides were considerable. 

A couple of moments later and the firing from the Brotherhood slowed down considerably as many were cut down without anyone to replace them. She couldn’t see it but she knew many more comrades were flooding the room from behind to replace the losses. 

Alissa stopped firing for a moment to reload and started to pay attention to where the enemy shots were coming from. Eventually she followed a straight line of gunfire coming from the ceiling and spotted several turrets. 

She fired upon them immediately and destroyed several of them. A rocket flew straight past her striking at her squad and she watched Oliver get blown back. Blood was rushing through her ears and she could barely hear anything as she followed the rocket trail and gunned down the terrorist who fired it. 

Spinning back around she looked at her fellow squad member. His arm was spun in the wrong direction and he was grunting while trying to get up. She walked forwards to help him but a metal hand landed hard on her shoulder. 

“Leave it to the medics. Keep your eyes on the enemy Private!” Sgt. Rivera’s rebuke was hard.

Alissa said nothing but gave a final glance towards her squadmate. She nodded to him before turning to follow her squad commander. 

Alissa thought that she should’ve become a scientist. 

___________________

President Augustus Autumn
March 2nd, 2276 2:12 PM

The command room at Raven Rock was filled with mixed emotions. The operation was a success. All the ground teams had succeeded in wiping out the Brotherhood. But the costs were high. 

My own mind reflected the room's mixed reaction. The costs weighed heavily on me but I couldn’t help but feel relief. I was a little worried about unknown changes causing me problems but since victory had been achieved I didn’t really have anything to complain about. 

Outside of my Cabinet there were only military officers inside the command room. Everyone was at minimum a little stressed with the exception of the newly minted Secretary of Energy, Hannah Thorn. 

I’m sure she only had a cold appreciation of the great results in her mind. I couldn’t really blame her because the operation had been a success despite the costs. 

The operation had fully begun at 8:30 AM with no delays. Radios across the Washington region had been fully blocked and artillery and ground forces had been deployed far earlier to dig in and prepare an assault.

The Bradley-Hercules Orbital Platform had struck the Pentagon with absolute precision. The images that were broadcasted via satellites and eyebot showed no cave in and a wiped out surface. 

The artillery squads had then immediately unloaded into the GNR Building from the north. The mixed plasma and mini-nuke artillery shot at the GNR Building started the same time as the orbital payload dropped and lasted for around 30 minutes with the green and orange glow lighting up the surroundings. It was extremely effective.  
 
The assault on the GNR Building had a second phase of Vertibird Assault teams coming in and mopping up. I’m certain the soldiers deployed were bored because of how easy it was.

I felt that dropping a tactical nuclear warhead would’ve been quicker but I didn’t want wastelanders questioning us even more. Three-Dog didn’t need to live but it was easier to convince everyone it was an accident or the Brotherhood were at fault if we don’t turn the building he lives in into a giant smoking crater. 

I was already nervous wondering what stories the Brotherhood might’ve spread to the wastelanders about us. The Brotherhood had been active in the region for years… 

All of my holding back might be a wasted effort considering the strike at Fort Independence. I felt good about at least resurrecting artillery and giving the soldiers more experience at swift assaults via Vertibird. Vertibird Assault teams were going to be the future for the next few decades while they mopped up the East Coast. 

The Fort Independence strike wasn’t about precision. There was nothing to save there. A tactical nuke able to wipe out almost a block was launched at them. Several tanks and armored vehicles plus air support had moved in afterward to wipe them off the face of the map. 

A victory there was nothing to gloat about. It would be insulting to cheer for it considering the losses we took at the Pentagon. 

The precision orbital strike had done absolute wonders. But taking the bunker had still been costly. Around 60 Sentry Bots were lost and countless Assaultrons. The robot losses stung but they were nothing compared to losing 28 soldiers and having many more injured or crippled. 

Power Armor and Robot repairs could be handled easily. Injured soldiers could be fixed up with cybernetic limbs, eyes and organs. But dead soldiers could not be brought back. They just had to be replaced.

I took my officers at their word. They had assumed that the Brotherhood had less mini-nukes than what they actually had. Decades of living in an environment with several Super Mutant Behemoths had made the officers surmise they didn’t have a lot of mini-nukes. 

They were hoping that the bulk of the mini-nukes would’ve been stored above ground to be readily accessed. And that the orbital strike would’ve taken care of it.

It didn’t. Or at least not fully. We needed to rectify our tactics.

“We should develop heavier armored robots. We’ve been so focused on Power Armor that most robots have less armor than our infantry,” Lt. Col Cade recommended. 

“It would be a good idea to develop something like that,” I said.

Thorn interjected. “It would be expensive to develop that. Especially after we just lost nearly our entire heavy robotic force.”

“It’s fine. We won’t be doing bunker breaches like this often. Bunker busters are going to be the standard unless there is something we want. If we do develop a special robot, hopefully we will not need a lot of them,” I said.

“What about Liberty Prime?” Dr. Matthews asked.

Despite her cold demeanor I could tell even Thorn was interested in the answer.

Lt. Col Cade answered. “The bunker is fully cleared but the technicians haven’t fully looked over the big bot. From just a cursory glance we can tell it’s not destroyed or harmed in a big way. Though laying there for centuries untouched and the battle has taken a toll on it.”

“When will we get our hands on it?” Thorn asked.

I answered this time. “Not for a while. We need to excavate the area to open the big door in the middle of the Pentagon. Plus actually working out the Pre-War issues it suffered from.” 

Thorn seemed to take my words in stride.

A couple of moments passed. Everyone stared at the series of screens and the giant holographic table overlooking battle reports. 

“What’s next, Mr. President?” Dr. Matthews asked.

“Jefferson Memorial, Super Mutant extermination and finally the Vaults,” I stated firmly

It was time for Project Purity to be brought back. Water will be the foundation upon which we rebuilt the seat of the US Government.

Chapter Text

Doctor Donovan Whitley
March 14th, 2276

Dr. Donovan Whitley repeatedly unplugged, replugged and changed several differently colored wires, taking logic boards out and replacing them with new ones as he changed batteries out. Right now he was trying to increase power efficiency inside Eyebot Duraframe Subject E, also known as ED-E. 

Whitley felt as though he was hitting a roadblock with making eyebots more power efficient. Certainly spending this much time on eyebots was a waste but Whitley felt as though he needed to make ED-E the best it could possibly be. 

He knew that he wasn’t supposed to play favorites but ED-E held a special place in his heart. ED-E eased his burdens and resentment towards his superiors. 

Right now Whitley felt stressed but also content with his current circumstances. He had not been placed on any of the new projects that had popped up after the now named Operation Ironstrike. The near total annihilation of all of the Enclave’s heavy robots had dampened many spirits inside the government. 

High Command had then gone about approving and requesting several projects to rectify previous problems. Ever since then it had been a flurry of movement inside Raven Rock. 

The new projects were varied but the major ones were improved heavy robotics and apparently new anti Power Armor weapons. From what Whitley had heard it was going to be a railgun overhaul project that would improve on Pre-War designs. 

Despite Whitley’s negative feelings toward President Autumn because of his caustic nature when he was a Colonel, he did feel amusement at everyone’s confusion at his actions. The President had ordered several technologies to be produced with absolutely no pattern. From howitzers to PipBoys. 

PipBoy 3000 Mark IV’s being distributed throughout the Enclave has been a huge help and Whitley wondered why they hadn’t done this far earlier. The new PipBoy 4000 Project that had popped up after the production order showed that High Command also found the devices to be handy. 

Even Whitley found use out of them. Though he still habitually used his terminal often.

With all these new projects, production needs, resource intake and expansions at Adams AFB the personnel issues were now felt heavily throughout the Enclave. Whitley had heard rumors of evacuating the rest of the Greenbrier Bunker and Chicago Outpost but High Command had yet to comment. 

The issue was made even worse thanks to their sending engineers and scientists to the Jefferson Memorial. The ‘Waters of America’ Project was currently one of the most expensive. Reclamation teams had also been sent to two Vaults to extract resources and technology to assist in the project though Whitley didn’t know anything more than that.

A part of Whitley wished he was on the Liberty Prime team but comforted himself by working harder on his own robots. 

Whitley suspected that because his peers and superiors disliked him, his project would be scrapped and he would be placed somewhere else to be more useful. He didn’t know who to blame for his relationship with everyone else. Himself? His peers? Dr. Grant? Autumn?

Dr. Grant grated on his nerves like no other could. When Autumn was a Colonel he was supportive of her barbaric actions. Whitley had feared that since Autumn had gained more power after becoming President and he wasn’t afraid to use it, his project, lab and position would be canned in the name of efficiency. 

The bleak vision hadn’t come true thankfully. Even when the head scientist, Dr. Matthews, had revealed that President Autumn had no interest in Eyebots outside of scout units. 

Whitley felt as though perhaps it was pity that had guided the course of actions that led to his current predicament. There was no other way to describe it as the Duraframe Eyebot project team had been functionally dismantled. Whitley was the only one left and he had been working by himself for four days.

Whitley continued working on ED-E. Within a moment he screwed on its panels and then used the terminal to turn the eyebot on. ED-E didn’t move for a moment and then floated directly upwards orienting itself correctly. 

ED-E released a few happy beeps. 

“Everything working good? No power failures or loose wires?” he asked.

ED-E beeped affirmatively. 

He said, “Well, I’m going to check the diagnostic programs on the terminal. Don’t go floating off until I make sure everything is alright.” 

Whitley began reading through the terminal as he saw several lines of text describing the diagnostic check. He felt good about what he saw and just as he was going to send ED-E away he heard the hydraulics to the door open up his lab. Confused, he turned around and saw them.

President Augustus Autumn and two soldiers behind him. When inside Raven Rock, Autumn dressed in a suit befitting a President. Even had an American flag pin on his torso and the only thing out of place was the PipBoy on his wrist. 

Behind him stood two soldiers clad in the now unusually black painted Advanced Power Armor Mark II. The order to repaint green apparently hadn’t affected the new Secret Service. They didn’t have any markings beside the American flag and serial number markings on their shoulders. 

He got up quickly to greet the President but Autumn spoke first.

“No need for that, Dr. Whitley.” Before Whitley could even reply Autumn looked towards the soldiers.

“I don’t need shadows right now. Stand guard outside the door and wait for me.”

After a slight pause the two soldiers silently moved out of the room and the hydraulics quickly closed the door. The President looked directly at him. 

President Autumn had gray eyes with a hint of blue that reminded Whitley of ice chips matching his usually neutral face. The natural gray hair only added to his handsome facial features. He certainly looked the part of a President if nothing else.

Autumn grabbed a chair and sat down a couple of feet away from Whitley. 

“It’s better to sit down for this. I feel no need to be overly polite in this conversation, Dr. Whitley.” he said blandly.

“Forgive my forwardness, Mr. President, but what are you here for?” Whitley could only hope he wasn’t being canned… and that his robots would be safe. 

Autumn surprisingly cracked a smile and let out a small laugh as he said, “I’m down here in the labs to personally hand off a project and check up on several other projects. With Raven Rock feeling less crowded besides the youngsters running around going to classes, I felt it was necessary for me to socialize a bit.” 

After a moment he added. “I’m a little biased but I have always resented the bunker for what it represented. A hole in the ground to hide in. Now that everyone is busy following my own orders, I feel the bunker halls are a little lonely now. But that’s enough rambling out of me.” 

Whitley asked, “Am I receiving the project or am I just being checked upon, Mr President?”

“You get the project. I don’t like wasting time so here you go.” he replied and then interacted with his PipBoy.

Whitley’s terminal and his own PipBoy released a noise indicating he had gotten a file over the network. Despite his confusion he caught onto Autumn’s words and quickly got to the file on his PipBoy so he wouldn’t waste his time. 

Within seconds the file was displayed on his PipBoy. It was an eyebot request form. Though the specifications of it nearly made him jump from his seat in surprise. 

Taking a moment to calm himself, Whitley then asked. “Mr. President, this is an expensive robot. Even making it will take time since production doesn’t have an assembly line for half of this stuff.
The satellite communications, navigation, flight and facial recognition systems are relatively simple as we have them on hand.”

He then tried putting as much seriousness into his voice as possible. “But the anti-scan defenses and the prototyped RobCo self-repair systems from the Pre-War Securitron Project… it’s all going to have to be custom made, fitted and tested just for just a single eyebot.”

Autumn’s face didn’t change at all. He only replied with, “That’s fine. I’m willing to devote the resources into getting some of these bots produced.”

Whitley felt a surge of emotion and got up to say, “The power requirements alone will require a microfusion pack on par with the T-45’s but way smaller. For just eyebots this is ludicrously expensive!”

Breathing heavily, Whitley realized the situation he was in and sat back down immediately. 

Autumn only stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I apologize, Mr. President.” Whitley said.

“I accept your apology. I probably should’ve said my reasons for the eyebot project in the first place.” Autumn said.

After a moment passed, Autumn said, “I need an eyebot to head to the West Coast and keep an eye on our enemies, establish communications with Navarro and if something happened to them, find survivors and lead them east.”

Whitley understood immediately. Camp Navarro has been radio silent for years and they have no satellite coverage over northern California. 

Whitley asked. “Does that mean Navarro is lost?”

Autumn’s face shifted into an unknown emotion and then rubbed his eyes with his fingers. 

He breathed out and then replied. “They would’ve fixed communication trouble years ago if they were fine. It's possible they are being jammed but I highly doubt that. The New California Republic and Brotherhood of Steel won’t tolerate them. I suspect their destruction so heavily that I personally feel no need to verify it. I’m only interested in survivors.”

His reply made Whitley’s stomach twist up. He’s confident they were lost? His answer made complete sense but a part of Whitley refuses to believe it. 

Sullenly Whitley decided to ask. “Will I be producing several robots with these specifications? If so then will they also go to the West Coast as well?”

“At most you will be producing three. One for California. One for Colorado to confirm some things. The final one will be winterized for Alaska.” Autumn replied.

Whitley’s downturn in mood turned into confusion. 

He asked. “Alaska? Colorado?”

Autumn replied. “Yes. Alaska to make sure we haven’t got more surprises for us. Colorado to make sure Vault 0… a private Vault-Tec management facility is neutralized. I might change the direction the California designated bot goes towards as I want Nevada to be watched. The New California Republic should be entering in the region soon anyways if they are growing as a supposed nation state.”

Whitley's questions were answered but now he had many more. He decided to hold them as Autumn checked the time on his watch and suddenly got up. He looked to be leaving for a moment and then paused.

“I recommend using that eyebot behind you for the California bot.” Autumn said.

Whitley asked. “Why? ED-E isn’t particularly special for this task.”

Autumn replied. “I may hate artificial intelligence but I can recognize when developed personalities can be beneficial towards some tasks.”

Coming from the man he used to hate, Whitley could only be stunned.

Before he could say anything Autumn then said. “This doesn’t mean I approve of your robot fetishism. I don’t see them as life. That doesn’t mean I can’t be kind towards them though. I’ll send you the files to configure them to the satellites later so I can get out of your hair.”

Just before he fully left the room Autumn added, “Oh and do be careful of Dr. Grant. After I shut down her new efficiency guidelines recommendation she looked pissed.”

With the sound of hydraulics the room was once again only occupied by a man and his robot. So many questions swam through Whitley’s head that he started getting dizzy. 

ED-E beeped behind him.

“I’m fine, ED-E.” he replied.

Dr. Grant’s new guidelines? Confusion was replaced by an answer. Experimenting on robots while they were awake then. What of Vault-Tec? Nevada? Alaska?

Whitley looked at ED-E and felt sadness but also hope. 

“You are indeed the most trustworthy robot out there. And the most determined.” Whitley said.

ED-E beeped in pride. 

Whitley laughed and then said “I’ll start the design phase for now. The form states I have three months for a single eyebot which is plenty of time. Let’s get to work.”

___________________

Head Scientist, Doctor Joffrey Matthews
March 16th, 2276

Every day was becoming more stressful than the last. Not emotionally but physically. The strain of the body became worse with age and Dr. Joffrey Matthews was nearing seventy. 

His old bones just couldn’t handle the strain of excitement and exploration into something unknown. Being inside a newly captured Vault with a bunch of busybody soldiers and young energetic scientists was not the worst fate but Matthews preferred being inside the bunker. 

Matthews was tempted to requisition some implants to help deal with his old age but he didn’t see a point. He felt assured of the future and was willing to let the youngsters pick up where his generation had failed.
 
The next generation is so unbelievably bright that it was hard for him to stare at them. He was sure that Julius would be proud of the man Augustus became. Matthews remembers the kid he used to be. Sullen over the loss of his mother and the lack of attention from his father. Made worse by the journey east from Navarro. 

By the time they had made it to Raven Rock, he had felt that young Augustus was a shell. Nowadays he could practically feel the energy he emits. He was always working hard and pushing others to do the same. It made Matthews unbelievably happy. 

At first he had thought Augustus had gone soft but now he saw the truth. He really wanted to rebuild America. 

Matthews thought Augustus had more ulterior motives. The blunt plans of rebuilding the United States were so idealistic that he thought perhaps Augustus had other plans. Instead he only found the truth as no one could make such a confused face honestly. When Matthews had probed him for what else he had in mind besides rebuilding America, it had looked like he was trying to solve quantum particle theory.

Augustus Autumn truly believed in the American Dream. Even if some of his plans would make the most idealistic radicals in the Enclave look conservative by comparison. 

Matthews felt that it was a good thing he was able to stop the more drastic suggestions before they reached the rest of the newly minted Presidential Cabinet. He had no idea how they would react to giving Ghouls human rights. 

Augustus seemed convinced that they could be cured. Matthews personally felt that it was a waste of time. 

Thinking of his issues with Augustus opened a dam of complaints. Matthews' happiness over reflecting on the next generation was dampened with annoyance. Augustus was straining the Enclave and running everyone ragged. Personnel issues had never been felt so strongly as they were now. Matthews suspected he was doing it on purpose to make Wastelander integration more accepted. 

Regardless of his dampened spirit, the old scientist felt truly happy at his current predicament. His aged bones might’ve stopped him from truly enjoying it but being inside a newly captured Vault was fun. 

When Matthews had heard that he was going to be sent to Vault 112, he had been pretty confused. Maybe it was to reclaim an experiment? Or lead a team to configure the Vault to produce resources? Instead the new data he had been handed had filled him with euphoria.
All men have heroes and when he was a young boy he had looked up to great scientists. Scientists that were so unbelievably smart that they had redefined science in their era. Tesla, Einstein and Oppeheimer for example. 

Past the 2030s there were many great men and women who had redefined the scientific field in America. Stanislaus Braun was one such man. Even more so than any other scientist. Only the invention of fusion was comparable to his achievements for it was Dr. Braun who had cracked the secrets of life. 

The fact that Stanislaus Braun had gone out of his way to put himself and others in suspended animation inside a virtual reality simulator was a godsend. A true miracle.

The recent edition of a working Garden of Eden Creation Kit from Vault 87 had made the situation even better. The reclamation teams had easily captured Vault 87 and 112. 

So many Vault-Tec files had been lost in the Rig and sometimes Matthews felt he had more personal knowledge on them than they had files. Years of working inside Control Station Enclave had given him an edge over his subordinates. Strangely the files regarding anything else were intact and present on PosiedoNet. Augustus had personally confirmed that there were no real Vault-Tec secrets on the Presidential Network either. He had also said that he suspected that anything regarding them had been locked up tight on the Rig. 

Julius had known even more about the inner workings of Richardson’s administration so he had probably passed on secrets to his son. That was probably why Augustus even knew about Dr. Braun being inside Vault 112 or the GECK in Vault 87. 

It was concerning but it didn’t really matter anymore. With a working GECK they could replicate the technology. Already in Raven Rock it was being scanned with the best possible technology. Every file extracted from Vault 87 regarding it was being picked apart. They’ll eventually dismantle it for study and then use it for the ‘Waters of America’ Project. 

Once they figured out how to release Dr. Braun, they would put him in a newly made medical station inside the Vault so his aged body wouldn’t give out. Worst case scenario, they would turn him into a robobrain. His genius was just too good to be lost.

Augustus had informed him that the other residents were unneeded. Matthews didn’t understand why he had gone out of his way to inform of this because he had also said to avoid killing them if possible. 

Matthews was overlooking several terminals inside a large room with the simulator pods and there was a flurry of activity from several technicians probing the systems. It had been completely overhauled from the base operating system and despite having government override codes to the Vault they couldn’t touch the simulation system. 

They couldn’t see inside or get the basics of what was happening but they knew Braun was constantly changing things and adding to the simulation matrix as the administrator. Truly a dedicated man devoted to his scientific craft even centuries later. 

Several terminals kept displaying countless lines of code and diagnostic programs as Matthews kept trying to decipher a way to gain complete control over the system without hurting the occupants. 

Then a young engineer came over, Jake Markson, to speak with him.

“Dr. Matthews, we’ve opened up a communication port. We can reroute it to your monitor and plug a camera in,” the young man said.

“Ah. Wonderful. Hopefully we can convince him to assist us. Set it up,” Matthews replied.

A bunch of engineers and technicians took a moment to set up a camera and microphone while they loaded in all the access ports to his monitor but they eventually got it.

Matthews sat up straight as they signaled it was going live. The communication indicator showed that Braun was indeed now watching and listening.

“Dr. Braun, I apologize for intruding but I have to say that it's nice to meet you.”

“Who - who are you?” Braun replied but at first it strangely sounded off. Like a little girl. The rest of the reply was that of a German accented and aged man.

Matthews was confused but decided to continue.

“I’m Doctor Joffrey Matthews and I’m with the Federal Government. The Federal Nuclear Emergency Protocols have been active since 2077 and martial law has been declared. We need your help with GECK technology. We’re going to try and get you out of there. We have medical assistance on standby to rebuild your whole body if needed,” Matthews said. 

There was a long pause and he worried about system errors. The technicians gave each other confused looks but Matthews stayed patient. 

Eventually Braun replied. “The codes you used to open the Vault are indeed Federal. I believe you are who you say you are. However, you should not release me or anyone else inside the simulation.”

“Is there an issue with doing so, Dr. Braun?” Matthews inquired.

“Everyone inside wants to avoid the realities outside the Vault. Everyone is happy inside here and their aged bodies filled with decayed nerves and withered flesh wouldn’t be pleasant. Reminding them of the outside or forcing them out would be traumatic for them. They simply wish to forget,” Braun said as if every word was carefully chosen.

“Is there a way to rectify this, Dr. Braun?” Matthews asked.

“No. Though I can see how this wouldn’t suffice as an answer since you came all this way to acquire me. I’ll provide my private files regarding the GECK and anything else I did with Vault-Tec if you just leave me and this paradise alone,” Braun replied carefully again.

Matthews knew that no one would be happy with that answer. Though it was better than accidentally killing him by breaching a constantly changing network. He suspected that there was a lie somewhere mixed in Braun’s words. 

“I can see my superiors not being happy about that. Will you be available for scientific consultation?” Matthews said.

“Of course. My mind is free of charge to pick as long as we have our privacy. I can’t say the same about the intentions of my peers in Vault-Tec but I believe in rebuilding humanity.” Braun sounded happy in his reply. 

The monitors soon displayed several large data packages being transferred to them. 

Augustus would probably be happy with this but Matthews knew it would certainly sour some of High Command’s expectations. Especially Secretary Hannah Thorn. 

Chapter Text

Billy Creel
March 13th, 2276

Billy Creel was content with his life despite the problems with his body. Years of being a mercenary, scavenger, and other assortments of dirty jobs had worn him down. He had scars all over his body from wounds that didn’t heal right. One of his eyes was missing and he no longer felt confident of his aim. Still he was thankful to be alive and glad to still be of use to his community.

Doctor Church, the man who ran the Megaton Clinic, said something about his depth perception being messed up. Billy was thankful the doctor had kept it quiet as he didn’t need other Megaton residents doubting his ability to help out. The wasteland was a harsh place and his residency relied upon his usefulness even if Lucas Simms reassured him otherwise. It's why Billy constantly volunteered to help out. 

Lucas had him and others helping out far more since trade had picked up within Megaton as temperatures started rising. Summer was already looking to be a busy season and Lucas supposedly wanted to get ahead of the curve. Though the entire town knew it was for other reasons.

Right now Billy stood guard on the walkway of the Megaton wall. Outstretched before him was a dead landscape filled with roads, ruins and mutated life. Every now and then he watched as traders passed into Megaton. The wind carried dust and the sound of the groaning metal walls of Megaton.

A part of him resented being so forthcoming with helping Megaton but he had to do his part since this place was his home. For himself and his daughter he must bear with it.

The thought of leaving Megaton entered his mind but he crushed the thought. Billy might be able to survive out there but with Maggie his chances are slim. Being a voluntary adoptive father is uncommon in the wasteland. He never expected it himself but now that he’s been raising Maggie for years he can’t help the protective instincts that keep flaring up.

Billy had seen and heard of people using little girls in disgusting ways or just selling them into slavery. His blood boils at the thought but he couldn’t help it. Slavers were all over the region and recently the problem has gotten unquestionably worse. 

Apparently they had been coming from an old Pre-War city called Pittsburgh though he heard the slaver clans there just called it the Pitt.  They have been using the old highways to travel to an outpost nearly the entire Capital Wasteland knows about now. Paradise Falls. 

Those fuckers captured anyone. Men were turned into workers, women into sex slaves, and children into playthings. The violent emotions made every scar on his body ache. At least Billy understood them on a basic level. He knew where they came from and what they wanted to do. 

It's far more powerful and unknown forces that he and the rest of Megaton are worried about. Billy doesn’t believe in the facade some groups put up and a constant fixture of the Wasteland that disappeared at the start of the year was the weird ‘Enclave Radio’ station which had spouted about being the Pre-War government. With a whole so-called President and everything. 

Most called it a joke or an elaborate trap to suck people wanting a better life and Billy thought that as well. But recently the entire region found out very differently. Almost two weeks ago the entire region bore witness to the Brotherhood being wiped out within a day. 

Billy didn’t know much about the Brotherhood other than them having some badass energy weapons and even Power Armor from before the Great War. From what Galaxy News Radio told him was that they were the strongest around, loved technology and kept the Super Mutants at bay. 

No one knew exactly what happened. They were there and then they weren’t. The traders from Rivet City were quite talkative about what they witnessed and heard. The people inside Rivet City weren’t sure what happened but apparently it looked like lightning fell on top of the Brotherhood base and was blown up. 

Then a bunch of flying vehicles some of the Rivet City residents called Vertibirds flew down and took over after. It sounded unbelievable but traders on the roads near Andale reported the same but in a different location. Another Brotherhood compound was blown up. 

Billy believed them because everyone in Megaton had heard a large boom and the ground had shook slightly.

Afterwards things were different. People were on edge for the first week while the news spread and the various communities shared that what they knew as Galaxy News Radio had disappeared completely. 

Then the radio broadcasts started up again. A channel called Stars and Stripes with a host named Rosie started filling up most radios. With a crispy clear signal and a wide array of music being broadcasted with even weather reports it had quickly cemented itself as the main radio channel within the region. The host said they were broadcasting on behalf of the US Government and that they had replaced the old ‘Enclave Radio’. 

The Jefferson Memorial near Rivet City became occupied by a bunch of Power Armored soldiers and those Vertibirds were all over the region now. The same soldiers picked up where the Brotherhood left off with keeping the Super Mutant population at bay and had heard that they had even pushed them back. 

Those same soldiers started patrolling in the city and used trucks and tanks. Billy had seen an old broken down tank when he scavenged old military ruins and even had some toys and old comics when he was young. Billy had even seen wastelanders have the odd working car in his life but the idea of using them on this scale scared Billy. 

The worst part wasn’t even what was happening far away. It was what was happening right next to Megaton. Two days ago the nearby Vault started getting visitors. Vertibirds flew in over Megaton and then set up camp outside the Vault. 

It was the real reason Lucas had him on wall duty. Everyone had been on edge and they were looking to Lucas Simms for leadership. Lucas didn’t disappoint but it might be pointless as there was nothing stopping the newcomers from destroying Megaton.

Lucas had started sending others like Billy to scout around the area. The scouting only showed how screwed they were. The eyebots were everywhere and the raiders that were set up in the old school ruins had been put down. They didn’t even know when they put the raiders down, only that it happened.

When Lucas began asking traders everything he could, a trader told him that the soldiers had just rudely told anyone getting near their patrols to move aside. Apparently no one had been brave enough to approach their bases. 

The same trader told Lucas that the soldiers were exterminating feral ghouls in the city and clearing out building after building. Even spray painting weird symbols on doors after. Billy had been inside the city several times in his life and he couldn’t wrap his head around actually exterminating the hordes of ferals inside. 

Billy felt that perhaps it would be better to grab Maggie and just leave for greener pastures. He could hop on a trade caravan and use the I-95 to travel down south as he heard Richmond was much better.

Billy was too busy in his own head and up high on the guard walkway, he heard a noise behind him. Startled, he looked and it was Lucas. The dark skinned man was dressed up in a brown long coat with a hat and a sheriff star hooked on his chest. 

His face was as usual though Billy could see bags under his eyes and he didn’t even look at Billy. Lucas only looked out into the wasteland or more specifically the direction of the Vault. 

Lucas asked, “Any movement?”

Billy said. “Nope. Just more Vertibirds. They must’ve set up giant lights as last night you could clearly see the area around the Vault.”

Lucas just scratched his head and then asked, “You think they will come for Megaton?”

Billy may have known the man for years but he was weirded out that Lucas had asked him of all people this question. 

“Maybe. If they were going to destroy or raid us then they would’ve done so already. They have the ability to do so,” Billy said.

Lucas looked slightly relieved at his answer. Billy was tempted to add more to the answer but he didn’t want to stress him out. The man obviously hadn’t been sleeping well.

He spent more time just staring at the direction of the Vault and Billy was willing to give him some time to sort out his thoughts. 

“Moriaty is taking the opportunity to drive up fear in the town. I haven’t seen it myself… but I heard that he is privately lambasting me.” Lucas finally said.

Billy’s annoyance flared up and he said. “I don’t give much credence to gossip but I do see Moriaty doing that. He has the habit of being the center of every rumor in town.”

Lucas could only look sympathetically at Billy which only incensed him further. He preferred Lucas doing something about Moriaty’s behavior instead of letting things simmer. As it stood he couldn’t even keep his annoyance out of his voice. 

“I’m guessing this is how those in Rivet City feel. Though I’d imagine they feel safer in that big steel boat than we do,” Billy said. He hoped that Lucas would avoid bringing up Moriaty again. 

That man liked spreading rumors about Billy and everyday he was tempted to shoot him.

Lucas only let out a huff and said, “I can’t tell you anything about that. I hadn’t thought to ask passing traders about the vibe Rivet City emits. I only know that apparently some of their scientists left after the newcomers wiped the floor with the Brotherhood.”

That was not good at all. Billy would’ve preferred learning that bit sooner. The thoughts of going south entered his mind again. He didn’t want to abandon the town but he saw no hope if the newcomers decided to erase the town. 

Feeling the need to lighten the mood, Billy quipped, “Maybe old Nathan is right. He certainly seems obsessed with the new arrivals. I’m not one to be convinced but I do see the chance of them actually being the government. ”

Lucas cracked a smile on his tired face and said, “Nathan's head is not screwed on right. But I prefer his rambling over the US Government returning instead of Moriaty’s bleak predictions.”

Billy, feeling the mood come back, said, “I think both of us can agree on that.” 

___________________

President Augustus Autumn
March 14th, 2276

I didn’t know what to feel at this moment. I don’t know what to do or say either. I didn’t expect this result as I had ordered anything FEV related to be burned and any data to be deleted after extraction. Including all Super Mutants. 

I did put out an order to capture the least hostile ones because I hoped the thing before me could be saved. But it was an incredibly small hope and I didn’t expect it to actually happen. I was tempted to go further but I was already cutting it close by using my previous life’s memories to cheat. The odd stares I had received from my Cabinet after I had revealed the information on the GECK and Braun already made me sweat a little. 

The result before me truly made me think about my place in this world and how I should try to affect it more positively. 

I looked upon a restrained Fawkes and asked. “What is this?”

One of the older scientists answered. “It’s one of the more intelligent mutants we found in Vault 87. The extraction team didn’t know what to do with him so they tranquilized him. Apparently they felt like they hadn’t captured enough living samples as per your orders so this one was good as any.” 

I knew they had captured some Super Mutants but the mission report didn’t specify any special characteristics so I had just assumed he died. The hostile nature of Super Mutants, the rudeness of soldiers and the temperamental attitude of a creature who had been trapped for a good long while, it should all have been the perfect mix to end up killing Fawkes.

But here he was. Restrained and sleeping on a giant steel medical table within the labs. All around me were scientists poking and prodding several other Super Mutant specimens along with an assortment of other creatures. 

I regretted sending Dr. Matthews away to Vault 112 as I found it easier to convince him whenever I needed something done. I had just wanted to see Whitley and check up on the labs. I sorely regretted that as I stood before someone I didn’t want killed.

The weight of past memories felt crushing on my soul. I almost couldn’t bear to look at the knocked out Fawkes. I knew what was going to happen to the poor guy if left alone. He deserved better than being experimented on and he definitely didn’t deserve being locked up forever. 

I had to rectify this. With all the moral shortcuts I’d taken so far I felt the need to do some good.

“I don’t want this one killed or experimented on,” I said firmly. 

Several scientists, doctors and even my own guards looked at me weirdly but I ignored it. 

I added, “Keep him restrained and locked up. I’ll handle him personally as we don’t come across specimens like this often. Might as well wring every drop of value out of this one.”

Hopefully I adequately dodged suspicion as everyone looked at me in understanding. 

I simply hoped I could convince Fawkes to work under him so I could get the excuse needed to turn him into some sort of soldier. I’ll have Dr. Matthews set something up for him in the future as it’s better than being a lab pet. 

I ignored the growing headache. I have a big day tomorrow and need to not add to the stress. 

___________________

March 15th, 2276

Despite the wind smacking me in the face, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of Megaton from inside a Vertibird. 

In Fallout 3 it was a bunch of shacks surrounded by a metal wall. The reality before me was far larger in scale and while I had expected it to be bigger than in the game I didn’t expect it to be this big. 

It was a moderate sized town and reports indicated that it might have hundreds of people inside. I knew in the game it was supposedly a prosperous trading town that had been founded from the people that couldn’t get inside Vault 101. The sight before me really cemented that reality. 

I could only see a little inside from my line of sight but I could see rooftop farms, water pipes sprawling around the town, brahmins carrying large packs and even carriages fitted from Pre-War cars. There was visible traffic inside and I could see people exiting and entering the town. It truly looked like a functioning post-apocalyptic town. 

The Vault was very close to Megaton. A little too close for comfort but there had been no reports of trouble for the garrison outside the Vault apart from camped out raiders in a school. Apparently other than looking, the locals had so far avoided the soldiers. A part of me was glad for it and another saddened as I had ordered all troops to not shoot wastelanders unless they were raiders or were looking for a fight. 

The garrison in front of the Vault had been handed direct orders to be friendly towards Megaton and give a brief explanation to them if asked. I had really underestimated how skittish the wasteland populace was.

I felt the Vertibird descend alongside several others. We had arrived at a moderately sized camp outside Vault 101. 

I eventually got out of the Vertibird followed by several guards and in front of the garrison commander, Lt. Samuel. 

The man was in Power Armor without a helmet showing me his dark skin and nearly bald head. He saluted me before speaking. “Everything is secure, Mr. President.” 

“How have been the communications with the Vault?” I asked.

Lt. Samuel’s face twisted for a moment before returning to normal. “It hasn’t been going well. We got in contact with him through the special port on the outside console but the Overseer refused to open the Vault and even our identification codes aren’t enough to convince him. It’s been going on like that for days.” 

“Will override codes be needed?” I asked.

Hesitantly he answered. “Yes, Mr. President.”

Taking a moment to think, I eventually say, “We shall do it in an hour. Tell them to prepare and if we are met with hostility we will respond in force. Have a medical team on standby and prepare only non-lethal weapons.”

Lt. Samuel salutes and walks away. 

I set up inside the command tent as I waited. I’m glad that I took my military uniform as I found the suit to be uncomfortable to wear. Wearing it outside might’ve made me look more official but I preferred the military uniform when outside. 

After half an hour passed Lt. Samuel came back to me from the technician’s tent that had a wire leading to inside the Vault cave. 

Lt. Samuel said, “The Overseer said that if the door is opened he will respond with his security forces and that he’s prepared for violence.”

I rolled my eyes as I said, “Very well. Use stun weapons only and don’t kill anyone. Send in only Power Armored troops.”

The next half hour went by quickly and while I wasn’t inside the cave I did have a visual from a screen displaying a live feed from an eyebot. I could see around twenty heavily armored soldiers in there about to have a field day wrestling with Vault Security. I almost wished I could join them as it sounded like fun.

Within moments the giant Vault door screeched open and I could hear the alarms through the eyebot. I could clearly see inside and the people dressed in armor reminiscent of riot armor from my other life opened fire on my soldiers with handguns. 

It was an incredibly stupid choice. The soldiers flooded the entrance of the Vault and wrangled them to the ground. 

Some of the soldiers outright ripped the guns out of the hands of the security guards while others threw the security to the ground. Other than the gunshots and the alarms emitting from the screens I could hear the soldiers laughing at them.

I clearly saw the Overseer among the ones quickly taken down and I felt no sympathy for the man. 

Eventually most were subdued without needing heavy shock weapons but one of them kept struggling despite the soldiers trying to calm him down. Eventually he punched the face of one of the soldiers with near perfect form. With his hand. Against Power Armor. 

Everyone in the command tent winced. For once I am happy that I don't have a high definition screen as the hand has some red splotches. I couldn’t hear any voices clearly but I can tell the Overseer is yelling out and thrashing against the soldier holding him down.

Eventually a man who I recognized immediately came out trying to calm everyone down. I reached the radio. 

“Don’t touch the new arrival. Let him calm the Overseer down,” I ordered.

I knew who he was. The father of the Lone Wanderer and lead scientist for Project Purity. He’s someone I want to acquire.

A dark skinned man eventually followed James and tried assisting him. I recognized him as Jonas. 

The Overseer who was red faced from exertion and pinned won by a soldier kept hollering something. 

The eyebot got closer and I could hear what was said. “Please calm down. They haven’t started killing us. We just need -” before James could finish his sentence he was interrupted. 

“I DON’T CARE. THE VAULT IS TO REMAIN CLOSED NO MATTER WHAT!” the Overseer screamed.

I decided to get up and head to the entrance. I exited the tent and my guards followed silently behind me. I walked straight into the cave entrance and eventually got into the Vault. I found the alarms to be quite annoying.

All the soldiers stood straighter when I walked in with my guards. The Overseer who was arguing with James immediately recognized me as the one in charge. 

He looked straight at me and ground out the same line. “The Vault is to remain closed no matter what! I’m in charge and my word is law!”

Through everyone’s stares and the alarm ringing I felt genuine annoyance for the man in front of me. 

“You don’t have the right to dictate the fates of everyone in the Vault. Especially when the government comes knocking. It’s a violation of their rights. The fact that you have gone against the orders of the government just to enforce a dictatorial policy is proof of our needing to open the Vault,” I bluntly stated. 

James and Jonas both looked at me with bewildered looks. Startled, James looked back into the Vault. He then looked directly at me.

“There’s a problem. The outside air and radiation must’ve agitated the radroaches,” James said.

Feeling more agitation, I said. “Why wasn’t this handled in the hour we gave before we opened the Vault?”

James’s face could only twist up in displeasure. He said, “I don’t know. It wasn’t my call.”

I ignored the noises of disgruntlement from the Overseer, I asked, “Who would be willing to lead some of my soldiers further into the Vault to deal with the bugs?”

Everyone was silent for a moment and then someone’s voice rang out. I turned and looked towards a man I felt like I should recognize. 

“Who are you?” I ask.

“Officer Herman Gomez.” he said. The soldier restraining him let him go and Gomez took a moment to straighten himself. 

Taking a breath I said. “Bring someone in to turn off this alarm. Any soldiers not restraining someone follow Officer Gomez into the Vault to help anyone in need.”

After Gomez led several soldiers into the Vault everyone was staring at me. Feeling a little awkward but I pushed through it.

“Put the security in cuffs for now while the alarms are being dealt with,” I ordered. 

___________________

My excitement for opening up Vault 101 had turned into a headache. After Vault Security was dealt with and the alarms turned off I heard from my radio that the radroaches were dealt with. 

Jonas was trying to talk to the Overseer while James hung back looking at me the whole time. James was an older man with gray hair and gray eyes. He looked a lot like his game model. 

I decided that it was now or never. I walked over to James.

“I would like to inquire about the information of the Vault. Population, resources or any concerns I need to know about,” I said.

James looked serious as he said. “The population is around 140 people and the only problem is radroaches. I cannot give you accurate numbers on resources. Now may I ask who you and your men are? Why are you here? You barged in and risked the lives of everyone here by letting in a fresh wave of radiation.”

I noted several things at once. The Vault was smaller than expected, James actually sounded like Liam Neeson and he couldn’t guess that they were the Enclave despite being in contact with the Brotherhood for years during his time at Project Purity. He was also a massive hypocrite considering he killed several people after leaving the Vault himself by releasing radiation into it in the game.

I said, “This might sound implausible but I am the President of the United States. Or at least the President of the remnant of the US Government. I’m here to open the Vault and have the people here help rebuild the wasteland. That’s the whole purpose of Vaults and it’s the deal their ancestors made back in 2077 that’s bound to the very existence of this facility. I was not aware of the radroach problem. I had hoped that any issues like it would be solved by the preparation time we gave the Overseer.” 

James looked to be deep in thought for a moment before asking. “Rebuilding the wasteland… the US Government… you mean the Enclave?”

I said, “We are called that by some but the name is now officially abandoned. We are simply the federal government. Since you know our other name I assume you’ve been in contact with the Wasteland? May I ask what your name is?”

James took a moment. He breathed in as his face shifted into several emotions. He looked around at my guards and then the soldiers around him. 

James said, “My name is James Connors. I have been out there. I worked on a giant facility for Project Purity with the help of the Brotherhood of Steel. I was under the assumption that the Enclave wants horrible things for the wasteland.” 

I could see several soldiers shifting around me as they were probably offended that someone worked with the Brotherhood. The recent operation that took several of their comrades probably flashed through their minds. 

“We know of Project Purity. Probably the best thing the Brotherhood has done… or attempted to do for the Capital Wasteland. I want you to know before this conversation goes further. The Brotherhood descended into a civil war and we had to wipe them out as they were violently opposed to us,” I stated.

It looked like James aged by a decade as he stepped back in shock. What looked to be sadness and a bit of anger appeared on his face. 

I spoke before he could say anything. “The Brotherhood lied about our intentions. I don’t know what relationship you may have had with them but I assure you that the Brotherhood isn’t devoted to helping people.”

James retorted with heat. “And your organization is?! They helped people. I saw it with my own eyes. They didn’t deserve to be wiped out!”

The whole room was silently paying attention to them now. Jonas was no longer speaking to the Overseer who was now gagged.

“I know,” I stated simply.

His anger was replaced with confusion. “Then why?”

I answered. “This is a bit of a long winded explanation but I shall indulge you. The Brotherhood along with secessionists on the West Coast used a nuclear bomb in a terrorist attack around 30 years ago wiping out most of the US Government. This includes my predecessor, President Richardson, his Cabinet and the State of Emergency Congress.”

James looked to be absorbing my words.

James then said. “The Brotherhood said that you all were planning to wipe out the world.”

I snorted and said. “With what evidence? This isn’t comics, James. Global genocide? A plot not even worthy of Pre-War Hollywood.”

James now looked confused. Feeling annoyed and filthy from lying so blatantly I decided to push it.

I said, “What’s more likely? The remnants of the government trying to wipe out the entire human race or the descendants of military rebels and secessionists trying to end the government? I admit that Richardson and the government at the time were harsh with raiders, tribals and anyone who got in their way but it was a harsh time in California. If we were genocidal maniacs hellbent on the dissolution of the human race… would we even be here? You can look outside and still see that big settlement being populated.”

James looked out the Vault door. Then back at me as he looked me straight in my eyes looking for anything resembling a lie. 

James then spoke with a heavy tone. “What about Vault-Tec? They were heavily involved with the Pre-War government. You used some override codes that opened up this Vault regardless of the Overseer's wishes. Which means you have some awareness about Vault-Tec and their experiments.” 

I felt extremely thankful for coming up with an excuse many weeks ago. I put everything I could into my acting ability and proceeded to put my hand through my hair while making a grim face.

I said, “They betrayed the government. Or more like the corrupt parts of the government and Vault-Tec betrayed everyone else. When Vault-Tec was commissioned to build the Vaults back in 2054 things weren’t looking so bright. Tel Aviv was nuked by terrorists causing a global nuclear scare, the New Plague was ripping through the states causing quarantines, and the United Nations broke down thanks to a global resource shortage. Several wars started and even America did things that it really shouldn’t have. Everything post 2050 was an unfortunate mistake and the government was barely functional under the stress of so many issues. I don’t excuse it. It happened.”

The silence of the room was somehow deafening.

After a long moment James finally asked, “What do you plan to do then?”

I smiled and firmly said, “Rebuild the United States of America. Those who can’t even drink clean water deserve the American Dream. I’ll make sure to deliver it to everyone on the continent.” 

James’s face went back to neutral. He obviously wasn’t happy with the Enclave as we had killed a lot of his friends. But he wasn’t hostile at least.

I asked, “You said you were involved with Project Purity? The one at Jefferson Memorial?”

His face became confused. “Yes.” 

“Well we occupied the memorial and wiped out the Super Mutants inside and surrounding it. Our people looked over the facility and found that it was surprisingly well built. We have advanced technology so I invite you to join us.”

James knitted his eyebrows together and asked, “You guys are going to purify the water?”

“Yes. We’re going to use the purified water as a  building block to rebuild the government and the wasteland. Among many other things. I’m sure you’ll find the array of advanced technologies at our disposal to be quite wonderful for this task,” I said. 

James took a moment to respond and said, “I’ll need some time to think it over. I also have a daughter to worry about.”

My gut turned. The Lone Wanderer? I knew I was going to have to think about the Lone Wanderer eventually but I wanted to avoid the topic in my head for as long as possible. Even tangentially related topics of the Player Characters made me nauseous. I don't know why.

The roll of the dice determined what type of person the Player Character was. They could be the type to nuke Megaton after all. Even in a normal playthrough of Fallout 3 the Lone Wanderer was a killer. I had always assumed that Player Characters weren’t super humans who defy physics regularly or anything of that sort. I believed they were blessed with ridiculous amounts of luck, charisma and sheer talent and just that was enough to make them dangerous.. 

Though I couldn’t be sure. Best not to let James die as I didn’t want to start a revenge questline. A part of me suspected I was overthinking this. 

I said, “I hope you don’t mind but can you give me a tour of the Vault? I’m going to have more people come in here and talk with the Vault Dwellers.”

James looked conflicted for a moment but said yes. 

___________________

I love how different the Vault looked from Fallout 3. It’s truly spectacular. As Technicians overlooked the Vault systems from the Overseers Office and medical teams were overlooking all related files for the Vault Dwellers, James took me on a tour along with some guards. 

It was a pretty big Vault and probably could fit around 200 people. From what James had said the population has been in decline. Inbreeding hasn’t been a severe issue but most people are now related to each other hence why the Overseer had tried letting in some outsiders. 

I couldn’t remember the exact reason why James was allowed in in Fallout 3 but I was fairly sure the reasoning involved his usefulness as a doctor. 

Many of the Vault Dwellers organized themselves in an auditorium to talk to the personnel I brought in and things were progressing quite fast. I thought I may need to give a speech but I felt no need. Everyone was strangely well behaved.

As they reached the cafeteria I couldn’t help but ask, “As a Wastelander, don’t you feel that they should be strongly opposing us? They aren’t exactly rioting like in our worst case predictions.”

James said, “Vault Dwellers typically develop softer dispositions than most people. In the wasteland they are typically viewed as free game by slavers since they are disease free and usually clean.”

I felt disgusted and I couldn’t quite keep it off my face.

James saw my expression. “I agree. Will the government be dealing with the raiders and slavers around the Capital Wasteland?” 

“Yes. And the East Coast -” before I could finish my sentence I was interrupted by a feminine voice calling for her father.

Both myself and James turned around to look behind them and across the cafeteria there were two girls.

James said, “Olivia! I thought I told you to stay inside your room! And why did you drag Amata with you?”

She had black hair, pale skin and piercing blue eyes. She was a remarkably pretty girl but her youth was unmistakable. The now named Lone Wanderer was before me.

And Olivia Connors’ unnaturally still face and sharp calculating eyes made me regret personally stepping inside the Vault. 

Chapter Text

Olivia Connors
March 18th, 2276

Olivia didn’t want to leave her room. She felt irritation at her childishness and with her father for the recent situation the Vault had found itself in. She looked around and saw several boxes packed up with her clothing, pictures and other personal items. 

Olivia knew she was being childish but she felt the need to rebuke her father again. She knew it would be futile. He had lied to her about his origins and it seemed like a decent portion of the Vault knew about it. The fact that his origins were an open secret to everyone but her pained her. Learning the full story on how her mother had died wasn’t pleasant and a part of her suspected he only told her that to garner sympathy. 

Right now Olivia and many others were being moved out of the Vault. While others were leaving voluntarily it seemed that Olivia was being forced to go with her father and his now new project. Or old as it seemed he used to work on some water purification lab outside in the ‘Capital Wasteland’. She grimaced at the thought. 

Olivia wanted a peaceful carefree life. Despite her issues in the Vault with petty drama with Butch and the Overseer, she felt the need to stay safe inside the Vault. After the stories her father gave her the need increased. A part of her understood him keeping it a secret but at the same time it hurt her in a way she couldn’t describe. 

The fact that he now planned on leaving the Vault soon to join the water purification lab outside the Vault soured her relationship with him. The man in a military uniform who was apparently the President talked to him about it when the Vault was ripped open. 

Her feelings regarding the government were complex but the idea of the wasteland outside getting better was good in her opinion. She only wished they hadn’t opened the Vault and weren’t luring her father into a science project. 

It seemed no one in the Vault had any hostility to them. When they opened the Vault door a bunch of soldiers appeared to squash the radroaches which seemed to win over the hearts of the other Vault dwellers. Even though it was their fault the radroaches got agitated. 

Since then a bunch of government officials had come in and had everyone fill out a bunch of forms. Physical and psychological health examinations, fitness records and even family history. Then everyone had taken pictures and gotten new paperwork alongside civilian identification. Afterward everyone had been presented options of work in the form of giant stacks of paperwork. 

Olivia and Amata had poured over it and all of it basically amounted to either becoming a soldier, technician, factory worker or a paper pusher. It was really glossing over it but there was an incredible amount of options to pick from which gave her a headache. 

Some of the positions made her gut twist up. The stories her father told didn’t hold a candle to seeing ‘Freedmen’s Bureau’ which was designed for ex-slave and refugee integration. Hearing about it and seeing large packets detailing how to deal with former slaves was depressing. 

The long list of recruitment for medical staff specialized in psychology was also concerning. A part of Olivia suspected that therapy wasn’t big inside the government as there were far more psychology recruitment papers than any other medical positions. 

While Olivia was ambivalent about most of it when reading through the materials, Amata was interested in the ‘Bureau of American Reclamation’ which was a new part of the government set on organizing newly integrated territories. Frankly it looked like a bunch of paperwork and bureaucracy while engineers copied Pre-War designs and fitted them over destroyed areas of the wasteland. The Reclamation Bureau organized and everyone else did the hard work. 

Every position offered had different departments or offices connected to it. After finishing up skimming through everything, she had no desire to join up with any of them at all. Olivia’s father on the other hand had had different ideas. 

While he had been handed a big packet like everyone else he had also been handed a holotape. He later told her that it was technical data for finishing up his old project and Olivia had realized what it truly was. Bait to lure her father in. 

Olivia knew something was off about that man speaking to her father right after the Vault opened. Learning that it was the President felt like a flashbang and she just couldn’t understand why he would speak to her father. After learning her father’s history and learning that he had been handed technical data she knew what would happen. And she couldn’t stop it.

The haunted look he always carried seemed to intensify into an obsession. The look in his face told her that he was going to join up with them and even if they didn’t open the Vault he would’ve left it eventually regardless. 

Her confrontation with her father only proved it. He couldn’t deny his goals of finishing up the now named Project Purity eventually. He was working on it in secret inside the Vault the entire time just waiting for an excuse. The government just laid out a path for him to walk and it’s like he couldn’t even stop himself. 

It’s not like she didn’t understand. Seeing the many positions for fixing the fucked up world outside gave her a decent picture. The fact that clean water wasn’t available and people could barely farm out there made her feel slightly guilty about her anger. Though this guilt disappeared whenever she saw his face glued to the computer. 

Yesterday he and Jonas had signed up to work on the water purification project. Hence why all her belongings were packed up. She was going to the civilian portion of a place called Adams Air Force Base while her father will soon be shipped off into the Jefferson Memorial which holds the water purifier. 

Olivia was supposed to be an adult yet it seemed even a single family member signing up for outside life was enough for entire families to be relocated. She had to admit it was a great way to flood the population out. The bonuses for working with the government were incredible. 

The ready access to advanced healthcare, security, food and water, and training to handle their new positions convinced a lot of people. Getting a guarantee on attaining property and education in the future just added to the incredible opportunity. 

Olivia didn’t know what to do with her future. Amata seemed to be signing up as well and even Butch looked to be leaving. His relationship with his mother wasn’t good so it was no wonder seeing him so ecstatic about leaving the Vault. 

She twisted around every idea in her head and her thoughts kept drifting to one particular option. Olivia felt like she had no choice as sheer boredom will likely kill her eventually. If she was going to be shoved outside no matter what because her father would rather work out there than stay in the Vault then it’s only fair that she also take up a new position outside. 

Olivia got up, grabbed what she needed, exited her room and then her family quarters. She did not pay attention to her surroundings; walking through several hallways and doors before reaching the atrium. Seeing several tables with some having lines of people in front she walked over to the table with the longest line. 

Standing in line she observed the table she was heading towards. It had a red, white and blue tablecloth draped over it alongside a pole displaying the American flag. The giant display card on the table only said one thing. 

‘JOIN THE ARMED FORCES TODAY’

The people manning the table were dressed in a military green dress uniform with several colored bands on the chest. The hats bore a gold eagle and their shoulders and collars bore symbols she couldn’t understand. She had to admit that the uniforms were finely made and worn. 

Olivia looked around and she couldn’t see any of the green suits of Power Armor that usually loitered about. She was tempted to ask what model they were as she couldn’t recognize them from the history books or holotapes she had seen. 

Every time a person left the table they left with a card that had been stamped out from the computer on the table and then were led off into a side room. 

When Olivia finally got to the front she only said, “I would like to join the military.”

The man sitting at the table smiled warmly and said, “We would love to have you. Did you bring your paperwork?”

Olivia laid out her paperwork and ID on the table. “I did.”

He quickly read through it and then typed on his computer for a moment. 

“What branch do you wish to serve in?” he asked.

She didn’t even need to think. “Army.”

More clicking noises as he typed. 

“How long do you plan on serving?” he asked.

“The lowest option was four years so I’ll take that.” 

He only gave out a slight hum and then asked, “Any chances for extending your service? Serving isn’t so bad that you need to pick the lowest option.”

Olivia thought for a moment. Did she really want to serve longer? 

She replied, “If I like serving then I would be willing to extend my service for longer.”

He typed some more and eventually the computer whirred and spat out a thin card. He took the card and gave it to her. 

“You're eligible. You need to take this card and plug it into the computer inside the testing room which will direct you to your ASVAB test.” 

Olivia asked, “ASVAB test?”

He smiled and said, “The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery which will tell us your mental aptitude for the military. Don’t worry, failing it isn’t something that usually happens. When you're done a recruiter will personally give you details on what you need to do. You’ll be trained for a few months at Adams AFB and then spat out as a soldier.”

“It’s like the GOAT test?” she asked.

“Ah… kinda. But more specialized and less… Vault-Tec,” he said. He almost sounded insulted though his face remained neutral.

Olivia smiled.

___________________

Glory
March 25th, 2276 4:01 AM

Every time Glory closed her eyes she imagined a better life and like a mirage she could only vaguely see it. Surrounded by the cold darkness she could only try and imagine anything other than her current life. The cool temperatures at night made her woozy and she needed all the distractions she could get.

Being stuck in a cell alongside a dozen other slaves inside Paradise Falls was not the life her parents had imagined for her. Glory considered herself fortunate as she had a wooden pallet to sleep on instead of the cold ground. The cold temperatures made the collar around her neck frigid and at times it felt like it was burning her spirit just by existing. 

It didn’t help that she couldn’t do anything about it. She had dreams of rebelling and ripping apart the slavers everyday but she just couldn’t do it. The slave collars prevented rebelling more so than anything else because the slavers can just detonate them whenever they want. 

A part of her wished the newer slaves would shut up about their predicament but it's not like she could complain. When she had arrived she was not any better and probably worse. Being an eleven year old had won her no sympathy with her new so-called masters. Eventually the despair of losing her family and being enslaved turned into a dull ache.

Glory and her family had come from a place called Allentown. It was a small community that thrived on scrap trade and farming products north of Philadelphia. Apparently the small shop her father owned had been struggling even before she was born and her birth had only burdened her family even further. Or at least she guessed since her parents never told her outright. Thin scrap walls don’t conceal the hushed conversations her parents constantly had and a part of her wished she had never listened in.

When slavers and raiders from a place called the Pitt had started harassing trade in the region several years ago her father decided to have her start working. Since Glory was seven she had worked the scrap trade and she could admit the truth. She had sucked at her job and her father was a terrible liar. Her mother had just said that she needed more focus instead of constantly trying to get out and play with the other kids in Allentown. 

Glory had no idea what her younger self was thinking at the time. She recalled just wanting to have fun while her father had just grumbled and let her go. She recalled not being dedicated to the job like her father was. 

Maybe if she had worked harder then her parents wouldn’t be dead. Maybe they wouldn’t have had to leave Allentown in hopes for better trade. The guilt weighed on her and in between imagining a better life she imagined the scorn her parents would give her. 

When trade in the region had become slower her family had struggled. When a particularly bad storm hurt farming in the region it had basically put an end to her father’s business as trade throughout the region dropped. They could no longer afford food and her parents had decided that it was a good time to leave for greener pastures. They were wrong.

Glory’s parents had decided to head south for warmer temperatures and get away from the slaver city. She recalled with clarity the plan her parents had cooked up. Use the I-81 to travel down south as fast as possible just before winter struck. The plan of using old world highways to travel wasn’t new but it was a dangerous way to travel. 

Considering this her parents had decided to hitch a ride with a passing trade caravan in hopes of protection. Glory’s father had volunteered his muscle and her mother had helped out with managing caravan supplies. 

Glory remembered that she had felt excited about leaving for new places. At first it was fun as she went further than ever before and she saw so many new places. That excitement had turned to sadness because she missed her friends in Allentown. 

A part of her wanted to scream at her younger self. Glory’s father had told her that worrying about stupid things led to stupid outcomes and she had to agree. They had more important issues to worry about and she had been distracted by childish things. 

Around two weeks after setting out they were attacked by slavers in the dead of night. She had been quick to wake up when the fighting broke out but by the time she even exited her tent it had been over. She didn’t know how the fight started but it seemed like a perfect ambush and she had been quickly wrestled to the ground and pinned. Her father had died immediately at the start of the attack after he tried to reach for his pistol and her mother had been wounded. The rest of the caravan was quickly destroyed. 

The raiders later put her in chains while anyone heavily wounded was put down. The look her mother had as she saw her in chains still haunted Glory. Her mother didn’t make a single noise as they shot her. 

The other people who had been captured alongside her said her mother had been in shock. After they captured her the raiders had transported them to a place called Paradise Falls which she now resided in. The slavers loved tormenting the slaves and called them livestock often. They weren’t transported to the Pitt during winter but now that temperatures were picking up it seemed like that was going to change. 

Glory hated everything. She hated the slavers and slaves. She hated the people in Allentown for not helping out her family. She hated herself for her childish weakness. Every day it was always some new cruelty. 

The slaver men loved taking the older women out into the side rooms and raping them. Even the slaver women weren’t any better as most of them had power tripping issues; one wrong look and you're off working to near death. Or even being molested as one little boy found out. One of the older slaves told her that some female slaves were treated more cruelly by the female slavers if they were prettier than them. 

That wasn’t even speaking about the torture they put some of the more disobedient slaves through. The screams echoing out of Paradise Falls quieted any resistance in her heart. 

Glory didn’t understand anymore. The only thing she felt was hate. All the world’s rules didn’t make sense and she didn’t understand why the world was so barbaric. The constant agitation had given her something a fellow slave called insomnia and she could no longer sleep right. All she did was lay on a wooden pallet to dream up anything better than the reality around her. 

Being stuck inside an open air cell wasn't great as a particularly cold breeze blew through the cells and all at once several of the other slaves groaned. Her face twisted up in a sneer at the noise as she wanted some peace and quiet. She twisted over and tried sleeping in a different position. 

After the slave cell quieted down she tried imagining a field of flowers. Glory saw several Pre-War postcards with giant fields lush with flowers of all types before she had been enslaved.

Just as her imagination nearly got it she heard a noise. It was a quiet voice in the back of the pen.

“Something’s wrong,” a man said. 

The cell was dead silent. The slavers hated noise and especially talking.

“Be quiet,” someone whispered harshly. 

The same man said again, “The guard is dead.”

Glory could barely see in the dark but she knew everyone in the cell had stopped breathing. She couldn’t comprehend what he said.

Getting up she peered out of the chain link fence and to the person on guard duty. He was sitting in a chair just… sleeping?

“You're just seeing shit. He’s asleep, you dumbass,” someone whispered again. 

“I’m not seeing shit. Look closely you idiots,” the man retorted.

The darkness restricted her vision a lot and she could only see an outline against the distant light emitted by camp fires. Ignoring the harsh whispers around her as they argued she saw it. The outline of liquid pouring out from the guard. The liquid reflected light and she could see the faint color. 

“He’s bleeding.” Although Glory said this quietly her voice stretched across the entire pen.

She couldn’t see anyone clearly but she could tell everyone was now looking at the guard. Looking closer she could see the ground beneath him was glinting. He had a huge puddle of blood under him. 

“Did any of you do this? We might be punished for this!” a younger woman whispered harshly. 

“Why the fuck would any of us do this?! We are in the back cell. Any revolt is going to take forever from where we are,” another voice said.

The man who pointed out the guard’s death said, “I saw the air distort.”

The slaves digested this and someone said, “Really? A Stealth Boy?” 

“Likely. I couldn’t tell. I lost the distortion right as it appeared. Then the guard looked to stop breathing,” the man said. 

His voice sounded clearer and she could recognize it as the quiet old man. She recalled him from when she first arrived. He had been in the slave pens for awhile and he never said a word.

Glory kept thinking about it and she asked, “Aren’t those expensive? I’ve never seen one.” 

The old replied, “Indeed. Incredibly expensive.” 

Glory wished she could see in the darkness. What felt like minutes passed by as none of the other slaves said anything. 

Eventually someone said, “What are we going to do? I don’t think we could blame it on a Stealth Boy. The slavers are going to check back eventually and we are going to get the blame.” 

“Nothing we can do. They’ll just blame us,” the younger woman replied. She sounded defeated. 

“I’m not trying to get anyone’s hopes up but we likely don’t have to worry,” the old man replied. 

“And why is that?” the younger woman sounded almost angry.

“Because I got good ears, lady. I can’t hear shit right now,” the old man said. She could almost hear a smile. 

Listening closely she had to agree. Paradise Falls was eerily quiet. 

“That doesn’t mean anything. This could just be a quiet night,” someone said.

“We’ll see,” the old man replied. 

It felt like eternity passed. Around half an hour went by as they were sitting in the cold with a dead guard. The thoughts of escaping was on everyone’s minds. As it stood they were too scared to yell out or try and force the fence gate open. 

Glory wondered when dawn was going to creep up. 

For the first time in months Glory prayed. She prayed to anyone who would listen. Moments passed and that prayer was answered. 

An incredibly small hum was in the background. That hum grew and while she couldn’t recognize it she knew it was coming from outside of Paradise Falls. Before anyone could say anything, several blinding lights consumed the walls in an explosion. 

The ground shook and immediately yelling consumed the area. The hum transformed into a loud sound of whirring as several metal vehicles flew overhead. The light dimmed down and several vehicles crashed through the walls and before she could look closer the doors to the buildings slammed open.

Slavers rushed out from the buildings and beams of red poured out to put them down. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The flying vehicles were showing large spotlight beams over the area skimming over everything including the slave pens. Glory thought they might shoot at them but that didn’t come.

In a scene of sheer gore she watched as the slavers were ripped apart by laser fire from the air and the ground vehicles took place in the middle. She could clearly see several people clad in green metal suits take aim and shoot at the buildings. From the angle she couldn’t even see where they were shooting. 

Despite the deafening noise the old man was against the fence with an intense look on his face as he said, “Power Armor!”

No one could reply as everyone was too stunned to speak. 

Seeing more clearly now with the fires blazing and the overhead lights whipping across the fields she saw the face of the young woman next to her morph in fear.

“What about our collars?!” she screeched. 

Before anyone could reply they heard a voice. “The ones in charge of collar detonators are dead. And the signals are being scrambled anyway. Keep still and don’t run away.” 

Every head whipped to the direction of the voice. Glory swore that the air was talking to them but looking closer she saw that there was a person sized distortion of the light. 

The ground once again shook as several large blasts swept the area and she could see thick beams of red pour out from femininely shaped robots pouring into the chasms of buildings. 

The sounds of laser fire and the loud whirring consumed the area for minutes as everyone was too scared to talk.

Looking at the same spot again she could see the air distortion left. Even after what felt like eternity passed the sounds of fighting continued till eventually it felt like it was some distance away. Several metal clad people kept passing by their cell but never slowing down. 

Eventually dawn broke and with it came several people in what the old man said was Power Armor. 

Around five people stood in front of the pen alongside an eyebot. No one said a word as one of them walked forwards. 

“Greetings. We are the United States Army. We are here to rescue you from your captivity and deliver to you the promise of a better future,” the feminine voice sounded like she had just read a script. Her voice also sounded off in the helmet. 

“...will you be taking the collars off?” the young woman asked. 

“Yes. We will be taking collars off alongside a complete health examination. Private Alissa, please rip the gate open and release the occupants.” 

The sound of metal screeching as the person named Alissa ripped the gate open. Everyone immediately poured out of the slave pens and the look of jubilation was etched onto every face.

Glory struggled with identifying the emotions coursing through her after she exited the pen. The first she understood was fear. The second she understood it as a mix of hope and relief. Her eyes were blurry and her face was wet. 

Now next to her the old man handed her a particularly clean rag considering their circumstances. 

She asked, “Are you really rescuing us?” 

Glory hated how broken her voice sounded. The one who spoke to them almost looked startled. 

The woman replied, “Yes. We shall. All of you shall be evacuated to a safe location to get those collars off and take a health examination. We shall help all of you readjust to civilian life and the government will compensate all of you for this tragedy.” 

Glory barely understood any of that. She just understood that they were now safe. As everyone was directed to the direction of vehicles the woman stopped her for a moment. 

“If I may ask, how old are you? Where are your parents? Are they in the other holding cells?” the woman asked gently. 

She felt confused and said, “I’m around eleven. My parents died.”

“...I see. Come on, I’ll help you onto the transport trucks.” the woman said. 

The woman took her pale hand and brought her along to the now named trucks. The sounds of whirring still filled the area and the metal vehicles still passed by overhead several times. 

As Glory followed, the cold metal hand made her want to ask, “What’s your name?”

“Sergeant… just call me Rivera. It's what everyone knows me by,” Rivera said. She wondered what she looked like under that helmet. 

Glory wished her parents could have experienced this. But she could settle with it just being her  as she could finally leave this hellish place. 

Chapter Text

Billy Creel
April 13th, 2276

Finally after weeks of waiting with bated breath, they moved. The soldiers stationed outside the Vault turned their sights onto Megaton. There was a long period of nothing but Vertibirds coming to and from the camp - now turned outpost - and now they’ve finally come to Megaton. 

Billy was helping out unloading newly arrived goods with other residents until he heard the emergency horn echo throughout the town. Every muscle of his went taut and he bolted straight to his house as his pistol wouldn’t be enough for what was to come. 

The surroundings all around him blurred as he sprinted towards his home and he saw many other residents doing the same. Whether or not they were grabbing weapons or looking for a way to escape he doesn’t know. He arrived at his home and slammed the door open hoping his daughter was still inside.

“MAGGIE!” he screamed, “PACK UP! IT'S TIME TO GO!”

At first he heard nothing but then a voice spoke out in panic from inside Maggie’s room. 

“Understood!”

Billy wasted no time as he grabbed his bugout bag, rifle and medical supplies. He uncovered the safe on the floor and ripped out his stash of caps and valuables were shoved into his pockets till they almost seemed close to bursting.

Maggie frantically opened the door with her bag on her back and a stuffed animal in her hands. A fleeting part of Billy wanted to chastise her for grabbing the toy but he crushed the feeling. It was already done and there was little point in yelling at her now. 

He grabbed her hand tightly and both ran out the door. A part of Billy felt guilty because he should show up to the defense but Maggie’s safety was more important to him than all the lives inside Megaton. The town won’t survive and Billy can’t do anything about it so it’s just better to save what he can. 

Billy knew of a way outside of Megaton out through the back and he was quick to nearly drag Maggie there. Both of them ran through Megaton and just before they reached the back a horn blasted throughout Megaton again. Billy paused and Maggie fell down after running straight into him.

Through her panting she asked. “Wh… what’s wrong?” 

He knelt down and helped her up. “They blew the ‘standby’ alarm. It's the one before the false alarm. It means that the town isn’t in immediate danger but we should standby.”

“Are we running away?” 

Billy seriously thought about it. He didn’t see Vertibirds flying down and bombing them. His ears aren’t picking up gunfire or laserfire either. A memory flashed through his head and now he cringed at his prior panic. A couple days ago the radio broadcast coming from the so-called government stated they were going to deliver fresh water to all communities within the Capital region.

The radio also stated they took care of Paradise Falls which he hadn’t believed till the traders informed Megaton of it. Raider activity across the region fell as whoever these people were started expanding their patrols throughout the city.

He wished they were more transparent about their intentions as everyone was paranoid about what they wanted. These people haven’t established contact with any communities till now and a single radio station spewing incredible promises wasn’t a way to settle fears. It only increased them.

Billy believed that it was better safe than sorry and it seemed other residents were bolting as well before the ‘standby’ horn was blown. 

He looked around and saw the other residents in the middle of packing and others carrying their essentials to the nearest exits. His eyes skimmed the shops and wondered if Moira was packing but dismissed the thought. People like her wouldn’t run away unlike him. 

Billy could visibly see the panic die down and be replaced by confusion. He made his choice and he knelt down, ripped off his pack and then took non-essentials out of his pockets and into his bag. 

“Maggie, take our stuff back home. Ima take my rifle and help shore up defenses. If anyone forces their way through the front door then shoot em. If they are in big metal armor then bail out through the window. Don’t even bother fighting them.” he said.

“...Okay. What’s going on? Will we be running away? Where will I go to meet up with you if I have to leave the house?” 

His gut twisted a little. Billy doubted he would be alive if they were forcing their way through residents' homes.  

“Just get down to I-95 and head straight towards Richmond. I’ll be looking for you on that road and if I don’t show or there is danger then please prioritize your own safety over finding me.” 

Billy felt like a coward for not explaining more but there was little time. Maggie only shook her head in affirmation and he headed straight for the main entrance of the town. He checked his rifle and confirmed he was loaded up and ready for violence.

___________________

It took Billy a good moment to arrive at the entrance. It seemed that a bunch of residents had the same idea and he recognized a lot of familiar faces. Further proof that he was less of a loyal resident than he thought as his friends were focused on the defense of the town instead of running away with their tails between their legs.

Billy saw many fellow guards behind barricades and anything they could prop up. He couldn’t see the guard railing from here but he reckoned it was packed with people aiming their firearms at whoever was knocking.

He heard a whistle and saw Stockholm calling him over. The entrance was semi closed but there was a small opening as Stockholm and several others were peering through. Billy couldn’t see Lucas Simms anywhere and he guessed he was out there speaking to whoever showed up.

Billy walked straight over ignoring the glances he received from those behind cover.

Stockholm cracked a smile as he said, “Nice to see you arrive. Thought you were going to bail with Maggie.”

Billy the inquisitive stares from the others at the entrance but he felt no need to hide it. “I was going to do so. But the standby horn made me remember the weird ass radio broadcasts. And they aren’t flying over bombing us like they did to those Brotherhood folks.” 

Stockholm only hummed at that and went back to looking. 

Billy peered out the entrance and what he saw made him sweat. Columns of vehicles that were armored and armed to the teeth. Each one of them looked like they drove straight out of another era,the paint was nicer on them than anything inside of Megaton. He couldn’t see them but he could hear the engines of Vertibirds in the distance.

His eyes skimmed over the obvious threat but he saw strange vehicles with long tubes attached to them. Billy recognized them from old world transport trucks that used to carry large amounts of liquids that were now just laying around collecting rust. 

He saw Lucas Simms talking with several others in suits. There weren’t Power Armored guards near them but he could see a couple standing a fair bit away looking ready to jump in. 

Stockholm said, “I don’t know. They might be carrying clean water like the radio said but that might just be a way to get easy access inside the town.”

Another resident, Leo Stahl, said. “It has to be filled with rads. Ain’t nobody has that much clean water. Especially in big containers like that. I bet they scooped a whole bunch out of the river and are just presenting it.”

“It could just be empty.” Billy said. 

Stockholm’s face split into a grin. “That would be messed up. Doubt both of those ideas though. These people have Power Armor and a ludicrous amount of vehicles. They must’ve found a way to purify it.”

Leo snorted. “Did Nathan get to you? These people are probably going to storm this place like they did with the Brotherhood. Only difference is that we have fewer ways of defending ourselves. We don’t even know what they did to the slaves in Paradise Falls.”

Stockholm looked to be deep in thought for a moment. “I honestly don’t know. Nathan may be right. Personally I think these people are just the isolationist type. If they exterminated the slave wouldn’t they just exterminate us as well?”

Billy said, “I agree with Stockholm. It's why I didn’t bolt with Maggie. Taking care of raiders nearby, clearing out ferals and mutants in the city, and now Paradise Falls. That deserves some credit in my eyes. If they were going to wipe us out then they wouldn’t be speaking with Lucas.” 

Leo rolled his eyes. He seemed unconvinced and Billy couldn't understand why. Megaton could be crushed within an hour if they really decided to take over. 

After a moment Stockholm said, “At least she’s cute.”

Billy felt confusion for a moment and then realized what he meant. The woman in a suit right next to the man talking to Lucas was indeed pretty. It seemed all of them were clean and nice looking but he felt annoyed regardless.

“Now isn’t the time to ogle potential enemies,” he said.

Stockholm was quick to rebuke. “They might not be enemies.”

All of them watched as Lucas was chatting up visitors who looked to be talkative. This continued on for minutes until Lucas stood up straight and turned around with a tight look on his face. He walked over to the entrance and Billy could now see a worn out look in his eyes. 

Lucas took a second to look over at everyone peering out the cracked open entrance.

He said, “Friends, it looks like the... government is coming in to speak with us all. The President said they want to rebuild the wasteland and want us to be a part of this endeavor.”

The extremely blunt statement was met with silence. After a moment Billy asked, “That’s it? The President? They wanna come in and talk to us about rebuilding the wasteland?”

Lucas had a blank face as he said, “The person I spoke with had far more to say about it. Tell all the shop owners and residents to gather in the middle. These people want to make a whole load of promises.”

Everyone could only give reluctant nods at the order. 

___________________

Everyone important in Megaton was there in the middle of Megaton. Billy could see that there were no children present and families hadn’t brought every person along. Skepticism was already within the air at what the newcomers wanted to say. Especially the man who called himself the President. The radio had talked about a man named President Autumn who replaced another called President Eden but seeing was believing. 

Billy could see Nathan in the distance and he looked to be happy. A part of him was jealous that someone could live life without so many worries. 

The entire situation gave Billy a headache and he only wanted to return home to his daughter. The soldiers and several people dressed in suits kept guard of President Autumn who dressed in a nicely made suit with a flag pin on his torso. All of them even had a PipBoy on their wrists which only cemented how wealthy these people were. 

There were even a couple expensive feminine looking robots Billy had only seen dismantled in ruins. It seemed they had properly secured the area for any potential threats and they had brought in a small portable platform and speakers for the man to deliver a speech. 

Billy imagined that if this man threatened them all on that platform no one could do anything about it. There was no resistance in this situation that ended with victory. 

President Autumn now stood on top of the platform and Billy could now clearly see him. He had gray hair that was nearly white but youthful looks that screamed good health. His gray eyes scanned the audience and he looked happy for some reason. 

Autumn spoke out loud in a booming accented voice that was carried by the speakers. 

“It gladdens my heart to finally speak with all of you. I had wanted to do this sooner and possibly send people to meet up with each and every community at the start… but there were things we had to take care of first. 

“I want to preface this speech. We mean you no harm and I promise all of you that you will never see unjust violence against your persons. Nor will your property or liberty be taken away from you. We have only come to deliver upon you the chance of rebuilding the American Dream.”

Billy was pleased at his words but that hadn’t rid him of his confusion. The crowd seemed to align with his feelings on that.

“I know many of you are confused. I would like to explain what exactly has happened, is happening and what’s going to happen.”

Billy could see his sullen smile on his face as he talked.

“My fellow Americans, we are all in this together. If you don’t mind me explaining what most of you already know. Our country was struck with nukes by China in 2077 and since then life has been utter hell for America. We had kicked the Chinese out of our territories after they invaded us and we whooped them all the way back into China… and America was rewarded with a nuclear war! Including all of you, every single American on this continent is now fighting to survive. Everywhere you look there is only destruction. You won’t find anywhere different from the shores of California to the Chesapeake Bay. This has been the case for 200 years and from what I can see it won’t change.”

Autumn’s words cut deep as he only said the truth. There is no life other than the wasteland. 

“Why am I only stating the obvious? Why have I come to tell you the depressing truth when you live it? Because I need to stress this to all of you… every single person here deserves better! You live in squalor while your ancestors lived in the greatest nation to ever grace this Earth!

“You think your ancestors struggled for clean water? Clean food? What about medical supplies? You think they fought tooth and nail for a stimpak or RadAway? The ground is poisoned, the water is irradiated, and now there are slavers and raiders everywhere you look.  

“You think your ancestors wanted this for you? You think the people who crawled out of the ruins of America wanted this for themselves? Hell no!”

Billy couldn’t understand how someone could put so much passion in his voice. It echoed throughout Megaton and he could easily see the energy of the crowd rise. He couldn’t tell if it was negative or positive. 

“I have come to tell you that this isn’t all there is. Our forefathers prepared for a potential nuclear war and while the path hadn’t been straight we’ve finally come to bring back what once was. We’re here to bring back a world where your children won’t go to sleep hungry or thirsty. Where you need to ration RadAway to just drink what little water you can. Where you don’t worry about eating suspicious meat you bought from a random trader. 

“If this town rejoins the federal government, we’ll bring all of you clean water at this very moment. In the next few days we’ll deliver even more to farm with. I want all of you to imagine being able to bathe without worry and drink to your heart's content. With farming equipment and clean water every single one of you will be able to eat as much as you want. All of you were born with the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“No longer will you fear slavers and raiders. We will liberate every single slave and purge every raider. 

“That’s the life I have come here to promise you. As the President of the United States of America, I swear to all of you that I will fix this country!”

Billy struggled to comprehend all the implications of Autumn’s words. He looked at Autumn’s beaming face and saw the evident truth. The so-called President truly believed in his own words. It’s not like there was any choice in the matter as these guys could just roll over Megaton with their superior firepower. 

The crowd looked to be an extreme mix of confusion, fear, happiness and in Moriaty’s case completely neutral. He could see Nathan looking at Autumn like he hung the Moon all by himself. 

Billy could only hope for the best as he knows what Megaton will choose when presented with impossible choices. 

___________________

Glory
April 15th, 2276

Glory ate three times a day and she loved it. The food she received was incredibly filling and the nurse said she’s gaining a healthy amount of weight. She didn’t understand the point of monitoring that with the weight scales and writing it down as she saw visibly that she had gained a fair bit of fat. 

Though Glory hadn’t regained all she had lost as a slave and she could still see her ribs in the mirror somewhat. She’s glad the school provided uniforms that weren’t skintight. A part of her was worried when she saw those black nearly skin tight uniforms that the soldiers wore under their Power Armor and officer uniforms. 

The school she now attended was called ‘Armstrong Academy’ named after Samuel Armstrong the last President of the United States before the nukes dropped. The man who saved the government from total nuclear annihilation from China. Or that’s what she’s being taught. 

After Glory and the other slaves were liberated from Paradise Falls the adults and family units were sent off into different areas under government control like Adams AFB or the big bunker the President resided in. Children like her without parents or guardians were sent to Armstrong Academy which doubles as an orphanage. The academy itself was in the civilian district outside of Adams AFB which still had parts under construction.

Even the academy wasn’t completely finished as they aren’t making her and the other kids attend the harder classes. Glory’s room was on the third floor so she got to see the workers bulldoze dozens of ruined houses, excavate the area, lay down pipes and wires, and then build foundation after foundation for new buildings. Seeing vehicles, robots, and people work together for hours was now one of her favorite past times. 

Sometimes they did this day and night which she enjoyed as she couldn’t sleep right anyways. The nurses sent Glory to some head doctor that gave her some medication for sleep which she liked but sometimes she skipped taking any as she wanted to just look out the window at night. 

Glory was currently in the Academy cafeteria eating breakfast alone. One of the staff told her that it was the most important meal of the day and she couldn’t help but agree. Eating bacon, eggs and sausages every day was something she wished everyone could have.

She woke up at 6:00 AM, prepared for her day and was in the cafeteria before 7:00 AM. Being able to freshen up using clean hot water was a miracle in her eyes. Adding three meals every day made her think that Pre-War folk were spoiled beyond belief if they experienced this before the Chinese attacked them. 

Right now she only had to stay in classes till 12:00 PM and then she was free to go play outside in the recess area, gym or recreation room which had Pre-War cartoons playing all the time and even some holo-games. While the next stage of classes and longer attendance was held back by the building still being constructed, apparently the classes and schedule she was going through was called ‘rehabilitation intake for newly rescued children’.

Any new kid the government rescues will be put through the same thing. The classes made sense in her head through that context as they were boring but informative. Glory hadn’t found out till later but after they confirmed that she could read, write and do basic math because her parents taught her how they put her in the advanced classes. 

Glory questioned how the other kids were going to be taught as she knew the tribal kids north of Allentown couldn’t read at all. Her father said that some tribals barely knew how to count right. She figured the academy had several levels of education for intake as children coming in will have varying levels of education. 

She glanced around as she finished up her meal. The cafeteria was big but it seemed like kids naturally cluster around certain cliques. The slave kids weren’t exactly sociable which Glory could relate with but they stuck around each other a fair bit. Sitting alone in the corner allowed her to see the only other clique that arrived just before they were freed from slavery. 

They were easily discernible in the cafeteria and they were the only ones that filled their entire table. They were a close-knit group which hadn’t always been the case as at the start they were chatty with the newly freed kids. Until they weren’t. 

They said they came from a place called Little Lamplight which was a community of all children. Supposedly the government had caught wind of them after they had reclaimed a nearby Vault and then shortly after went in and ‘kidnapped’ them. Afterwards they hated anything related to the government even though they kept them safe and well fed.

Glory could only roll her eyes at that. The government freed slaves and wanted to deliver water, food and security to the wasteland. They wouldn’t kidnap anyone who didn’t deserve it. Or needed it in her eyes. From what the Little Lamplight kids told her it sounded like they lived in a hole in the ground and were just a bunch of armed children. 

The reason Glory was alone even among the freed orphan kids was not solely because she’s a loner even though she enjoys the privacy. It's because after the Little Lamplight kids told them the story of how the military kidnapped them she had laughed at them for a good minute. 

The story was that a squad of soldiers came down into their hole in the ground, took their weapons and dragged them into trucks to then be transported to the academy. The reason she laughed was because they described it like the greatest evil to ever occur. Her father had told her to never handle guns unless she had no choice or if she had adult supervision. The existence of Little Lamplight probably would’ve made her father go red in the face as he had screamed at her when she was caught touching his 10mm pistol under his pillow years ago. 

Only her mother was able to get him to calm down. He later explained that kids shouldn’t touch dangerous stuff as they could seriously harm themselves and others if they aren’t careful. She could see why Little Lamplight had been relocated as any adult would hate unsupervised children playing with guns. 

Despite her isolation she didn’t feel alone. Rivera visited her every now and then when she was not on duty and she enjoys her company. Though it seemed that her off duty time was decreasing as the military was getting more busy rebuilding America. 

The bell rang and Glory headed for the cafeteria exit. If the other freed orphan kids wanted to exclude her just so they could be friends with the Little Lamplight kids then she would let them. She could care less.

She walked through several hallways until she reached her American history class. She took a seat in the front and was ready for her day. 

Chapter Text

Vera Weatherly
June 10th, 2276

Vera Weatherly found herself missing her brother, Fred Wilks, more so than ever. She wished she went alongside him and his son to Greyditch because at least then they would be together for the storm the Capital Wasteland had found itself in. Vera had worked hard to build herself a life in Rivet City and it felt like everything was being thrown in uncertainty. 

Nothing would be changed even if she moved to Greyditch alongside her brother. Vera just wanted comfort from the rapidly changing circumstances the city had gotten into. From the letters she had exchanged with her brother via merchants, she knew nowhere else was different. The newcomers were approaching everybody.

She was currently sitting down at the front desk for her hotel inside Rivet City. Usually her robot would be doing this job but she needed the monotony as she wanted to turn her brain off. The only comfort she could achieve was going to Saint Monica’s Church. Father Clifford was a kind man who was able to calm people down and even the City Council listened to his wise words. 

Sadly the City Council wasn’t going to listen to him or anyone else’s opinion on what should be done. It’s why when those paper pushers and the President sweet talked the City Council they had just folded. No one could convince them otherwise after renegotiations had failed. Somehow Vera found herself in the minority in Rivet City on what should be done about the ‘government’ and their offer. 

Vera believed that they truly were the government. But she had many qualms about the way they were doing things and what authority they had over the wasteland. They had been gone for so long, what authority did they really have? She recalled that the Pre-War government had been democratic but she never recalled voting for this Augustus Autumn. They had even called themselves the Enclave for a while before ditching that name.

It seemed that since the Brotherhood was wiped out, the City Council saw resistance as futile. Vera couldn’t fully blame them as she recalled what the fear was like when the Brotherhood base had been wiped out. Everyone had been worried about Super Mutants and the oceans of ferals ghouls sleeping inside the city. Other than the grief expressed by those who had known some Brotherhood members, it was the biggest thing on everyone's minds. 

Then the Jefferson Memorial that had been a problem for Rivet City was occupied. Super Mutants were exterminated en masse near Rivet City. The same people who had wiped the Brotherhood out had taken their place as protectors of the Capital Wasteland. Patrols popped up all over the place to crack down on Super Mutants and feral ghouls. 

The military patrolled using vehicles that looked like they came straight from a Pre-War comic book. The flying machines called Vertibirds were even more impressive as they were all over the place now. After they had captured the Jefferson Memorial lights were set up and all of Rivet City could see it clearly at night. 

Then began the cleansing. Caravans, scavengers and many others witnessed these military patrols going house to house clearing out ferals in the city. Building after building was breached and cleared using squads of Power Armored soldiers. Any scavenger who had missed what was happening would probably be puzzled why there were no feral ghouls and doors had been spray painted with strange symbols. 

She recalled merchants complaining that passing by some roads was a hassle because their brahmins would get spooked by the Vertibirds passing over with sirens blaring. No one knew why until they realized they were attracting ferals en masse and then bombing them from afar. 

Slavers from Paradise Falls and several other locations were gutted. She had heard from government officials and the Stars and Stripes radio that the slaves were freed and then relocated to other locations the government had under control. Though some opted to leave the region to look for family. 

The reason the City Council was so open to dealing with the government was because of the exodus. Doctor Madison Li, several scientists and a few others fled immediately after the Brotherhood were wiped out. Doctor Li only gave a vague warning on how they should all flee the Enclave and left quickly afterwards. The production of medical supplies, clean water and advanced fertilizer became difficult without her. Doctor Li and her team seemingly took their notes with them so they had trouble reproducing what she achieved and things became increasingly difficult within Rivet City. 

All of these things presumably weighed on the City Council. Then Vertibirds and vehicles approached Rivet City carrying water and diplomats. They had approached Megaton and several smaller settlements from what she heard. Within weeks it was like the entire Capital Wasteland was listening to the government in exchange for what seemed like limitless water.

Everyone panicked when they came to Rivet City. When the panic settled and the government negotiated with the City Council everything seemed so uncertain. Vera recalled feeling betrayed when the City Council decided to give into their demands but that feeling dissipated when she saw the benefits it brought. 

Everyone was able to procure water for drinking and even cleaning. Though with the caveat that the government will eventually stop giving it out for free and instead allow people to buy it with their new currency later on. Vera wasn’t quite sure about that but they said it would be far cheaper than anyone in the Capital Wasteland could sell. She had hoped they were telling the truth as water merchants were always the grubbiest people to deal with.

Large trucks towing medical trailers that were mobile clinics filled with supplies came to Rivet City quickly after the City Council gave their support. Everyone in Rivet City received a free check up alongside treatment if they filled out forms. Within a short amount of time everyone in Rivet City was now healthy. Previous ailments such as radiation sickness, cancer, crotch rot, and all manner of medical issues were cured. The rarity of medical supplies before then meant that people avoided treating themselves since doing so would cost caps. 

There was a decent amount of people who endured horrific conditions just because they wouldn’t want to risk starvation. Seeing these people lifted up Vera’s heart. It felt like her hotel business was now truly booming and that’s where her issues with the government started. 

When the government first came to Rivet City they had claimed the aircraft carrier as their property and said they were squatters. The City Council had no choice but to accept considering their military strength. Vera couldThe City Council then tried renegotiating with the government over the last few weeks with hopes of stopping it. Now they’d given up completely after being stonewalled at every turn.

They had a little over a year to vacate the aircraft carrier as the government will be setting up new homes for them elsewhere. The government had inspectors all over picking through the aircraft carrier and surveyors inspecting territories around Rivet City for a place to build homes. 

It’s only because of the numerous benefits the government brought that the people in Rivet City tolerated the government. The deal City Council made assured everyone would be receiving compensation asides from the initial property they would be receiving. Business owners like her filled out special forms so they would receive extra and even loans to build a new business. 

The forms included pictures of what her future property might look like. Vera thought they looked like Pre-War advertisements but there were even schematics of the buildings she would acquire. The amount of forms even the average Rivet Citizen had to fill out was ludicrous and business owners like her were drowning in paperwork. 

Vera had to admit she liked the idea of acquiring a true hotel but she didn’t like the idea of paying off a loan. The man she talked with had an almost plastic face as he assured her that the loans would be easy to pay off since the government didn’t want to stifle new businesses. 

She wondered how much lingering resentment they sensed from the populace after everything was settled. Everyone filled out forms, took pictures, received medical treatment, acquired paperwork alongside civilian identification and then continued on like normal albeit with some new norms. 

When a small garrison was placed at Rivet City, the soldiers on their downtime walked by the merchant stalls and bought anything that caught their eye. They must be paid greatly as they quickly became the favorite customers of many due to the amount of caps they spent. They bought anything ranging from toys, gadgets, comics, and refurbished holotapes containing Pre-War movies.

Military officials even opened up contracts with scavengers and merchants for scrap. Those that carried scrap to their bases were supposedly paid a lot. She heard that some were using brahmins to roll old Pre-War cars to their bases for pay and the military even used Vertibirds to carry heavy loads of scrap at specific locations. 

Eventually they started selling medical supplies cheaply to merchants and any doctors left inside Rivet City which was appreciated by everyone. All of this eventually gave the government a decent reputation with Rivet City after tensions had settled. 

Vera believed that sometimes it was only her that was so resentful towards the government. The dubious absence, kicking them out of their home, wiping out their previous protectors, and even causing many of their residents to leave immediately after their victory over the Brotherhood. 

She understood why. She wished they would push back against it so the City Council looked like they weren’t alone in trying to renegotiate. As it stands nothing was going to change and the City Council no longer had any reason to try again.

Her job at the front desk was so boring she could twist around the situation in her head dozens of times before reaching the same conclusion. Vera could gain incredible benefits from this and maybe the uncertainty was worth the trouble. Maybe the paperwork wasn’t so bad when she could own a real hotel that wasn’t inside a beached boat. 

Vera decided that now would be a good time to speak with Father Clifford to settle her worries. 

___________________

President Augustus Autumn
June 10th, 2276

Every fiber of my being hated paperwork. My previous life hadn’t involved this much paperwork and the original Autumn hadn’t bothered working this hard on bureaucracy. I was inside my office in Raven Rock taking care of a mountain of documents and forms on my terminals. I felt my eyes ache from the strain of sitting down everyday and doing nothing but paperwork.

Whenever I could get up it was almost always for observation of current operations. At this point I could recite every little detail of what we were doing in the Washington DC area. I recalled from the games that I helped out combat operations in both acquiring the GECK and in Project Purity. Nowadays I cannot even see myself shooting a weapon.

At least the recruits from Vault 101 were doing quite nicely. They will serve as the bedrock for future recruitment drives. Seeing the Lone Wanderer amongst the names of the recruits nearly gave me a heart attack though. I was happy that the freed slaves were doing well amongst the Enclave personnel as they’ll help future wasteland integration.

The speed at which we were achieving gains was incredible. Within a short amount of time the Enclave had reformed its structure in both military and civilian departments while eliminating our biggest obstacle from the region. After we had occupied the Jefferson Memorial I had scientists stationed there begin work immediately on bringing the purifier online. The GECK acquired alongside the data from both Vault 87 and Vault 112 was immensely helpful. 

The GECK was scanned with every available scanner and then taken apart which each individual part studied. The data we acquired from both Vaults might’ve been enough for us to eventually build our own GECK’s but on hand experience accelerated the process by years. Dr. Matthews assured me that within a year we will have our production equipped to build them. 

The fabricators to build them will require custom fabrication methods that exceed anything the Enclave can achieve as Vault-Tec at the time was able to use the entire American market to source the right factories to build each part separately which were then assembled to make the GECK. The investment into this technology was well worth it in my eyes as GECK technology will accelerate rebuilding America by centuries. 

I recalled reading over every file we acquired about the GECK and then actually looking at it. Outside of microfusion it was probably the greatest success humanity had ever achieved. It was a once in a generation technological marvel that threw into question humanity's place in the world. Even if we disregard the terraforming and matter replication technology, acquiring the GECK will improve our own nuclear power by decades.

The small contained cold fusion generator that powered the genesis device would help us improve our own microfusion devices and engines. Studying it will allow us to come up with solutions that will eventually power Liberty Prime as well. Hopefully the data will speed up our building of cold fusion power plants. 

The implications made me giddy.  After the GECK had been dismantled I had the parts handed off to the Waters of America Project which brought immediate success. We were now using clean water for dealing with wastelanders. Everyone in the region relied on limited clean water sources, outside water merchants or straight up drinking the irradiated water sources with rationed RadAway. 

After both Megaton and Rivet City agreed to our demands and accepted our authority things became infinitely easier. After we brought them on board we broadcasted our offer to the entire region. From what I understand the southern half of Pennsylvania, the northern half of Virginia, and nearly all of Maryland were receiving the broadcast.

With just basic medical supplies and water we had won the hearts and minds of the Capital Wasteland. Traders who acquired medical supplies and water for cheap will carry word of the government's return. Our attack on the slavers in Paradise Falls and other locations will be carried to all raiders and slavers. 

I want it to be known that the US Government was back and was here to stay. I won’t tolerate slavery and destitution in this country. 

I don’t want to be a brutal dictator deciding whether or not a community rejoins the government. Democracy shall be reinstituted wherever the government touches. It’s why I was enabling more subtle ways of influencing communities. If people wanted to use old rusted bottle caps for trade then I’ll let them do so after I devalued the entire market by flooding caps in by the thousands. 

We had already opened up deals with any trader willing to use their brahmins to drag Pre-War cars into our bases and then opened up scrap bounties for anyone bringing in rare metals or technologies. After we had given water and medical aid, no one looked at us oddly for being so generous. From their point of view we were just extremely wealthy. 

It solved our resource shortage, brought people jobs, and will eventually allow us to introduce a more stable currency. Once caps go away our new currency will be used with those we have previously worked with and they’ll generously be paid. Hopefully this will be the building block needed to make a bunch of small businesses that will grow into full fledged companies. This was all in addition to the companies we will make wholesale and through cheap loans. All of the market building was being calculated through the ZAX and in a few short years the newly built economy will rocket upwards.

When I had discussed with my Cabinet on our potential growth models, I had considered rapid expansion then rebuilding. Perhaps we should just conquer as much as possible then rebuild? The idea had been quickly thrown out. Rebuilding that way wasn’t rebuilding as we would always be delayed through resource shortages and local problems popping up in new regions. The wasteland was unpredictable and we wouldn’t be able to deal with our bottlenecks while we were neck deep in emerging problems in newly reclaimed lands. It just wouldn’t present a good sign to those who might join us down the road.

The model that we decided upon was much more stable. We would acquire the Washington DC region which included parts of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. We will then take our time rebuilding the region so that we won’t have bottleneck issues. Manpower, food, water, materials, factories, and living space will be handled so that when we breach other states we will be able to efficiently deal with any issues that come up. 

Already we have the region being culled. Entire city blocks were being cleared of feral ghouls and Super Mutants. Patrols had quelled raider activity and raids upon any big raider den had those scum fleeing the region. Vertibirds were flying uncontested and nothing stood in our way.

All seemed well but now was the time of endless paperwork and debates. Already the Emergency Congress and my Cabinet were in hot debate on how we should proceed. I hadn’t expected the xenophobic organization to be so passionate on how we should help the wasteland. It was both a pleasant surprise and an annoyance. I felt that our growth model settled the debate but some of my supposed opposition in the Enclave raised good points. 

We were meant to be handling threats but what about threats outside our region? Pittsburgh needed to be handled sooner rather than later. What about Pre-War highways? We could easily blitz through hundreds of miles of highways using armored vehicles and Vertibirds. Could we not do basic patrols of them? These sorts of questions weighed on me. Though they didn’t weigh on me compared to what some of my Cabinet had requested. The reclamation of West Virginia. 

I couldn’t remember much as I was only an eight year old at the time but I recalled during the Exodus from Navarro that we had stopped there to pick up a decent number of the local population inside the Greenbrier Bunker and some supplies. The region was on the table for abandonment ever since. The only thing that stopped the Enclave from ditching it was because of the advanced production facilities it housed and the immensely valuable technology in the region. 

The sealed nuclear silos underground surfaced in my mind as one of the many reasons we hadn’t abandoned the region outright. Previously the Greenbrier Bunker was the control point for one of the most advanced orbital platforms the United States ever produced. Even more so than the Bradley-Hercules Platform. The Kovac-Muldoon Platform had some of the most advanced anti-detection systems on the planet combined with the ability to launch missile strikes and recon areas. It had been able to deliver supplies and register threats wherever the orbit allowed it. 

Sadly the advanced Kovac-Muldoon Platform had critical flaws that made the reactor fail and the platform later crashed to Earth somewhere in the ocean after a couple decades. I felt sadness for such a great piece of technology being lost to the Enclave but the story surrounding its usage gave me a headache.

A part of myself wanted to ignore the region for a little while longer but I no longer could. The issue was that it doesn’t quite follow what I know of Fallout 76. The timeline was off and the events that took place felt wrong. Which made me nervous as there was a lot to fear in West Virginia. 

I had to separate what I knew from the game, what I understood from our files, and what I could guess. The Enclave in Appalachia actually served their purpose unlike in the game. Government officials arrived en masse and were able to safely stay inside Greenbrier Bunker and remained in contact with the rest of the Enclave. Till their communications went down.

After the Great War, the Appalachian Enclave played with genetic engineering and produced Scorchedbeasts. Those Scorchedbeasts then reportedly broke out and harassed the region, eventually culminating in the spread of the Scorched Plague that wiped out a fair portion of the region.

The story was wrong from what I understood. I surmised that the story was likely modified because the Enclave had only just entered the apocalyptic age and the bunker was politically unstable. The Scorchedbeasts hadn’t broken out, they’d been released. And the Appalachian Enclave should’ve been wiped out because of MODUS and the Scorched Plague. 

Everything gets even more muddled as the Appalachian Enclave had a schism and then lost communication with the entire network. They reported that they dealt with the schism, the Scorched Plague and a ‘Scorchedbeast Queen’ with some Vault Dwellers from Vault 76 during the blackout. Afterwards they had spent some time on repairs and eventually reconnected. They had seemingly lost 90% of their population during the entire blackout from High Command’s perspective. 

The event was a huge debacle and many details were still extremely muddled. I couldn’t even see what the schism was about aside from several members inside the bunker being megalomaniacs. The files made me feel fortunate at not having to deal with such a mess. 

The rest of the Enclave couldn’t access the Kovac-Muldoon Platform but they could see the logs. High Command knew the Appalachian Enclave wasn't forthcoming about every detail as they spammed the Kovac-Muldoon Platform during the blackout. From what the official logs indicate, the Appalachian Enclave used the platform to wipe several positions when the Scorched Plague had been ripping through the region. 

What I could guess was that the Appalachian Division of the Enclave used the platform to wipe out Brotherhood splinter cells or maybe other splinter organizations that had access to military technology. Perhaps using the bombardment to kill the Scorched, Super Mutants, and maybe even rivals in the region. Though it seemed the people from Vault 76 weren’t included. 

High Command couldn’t rip out every detail out of the Appalachian Division. I couldn’t tell what High Command had been thinking at the time but I assumed they thought the Appalachian Enclave used it against threats and just… turned a blind eye to it. High Command had a rare moment of sympathy towards the gutted division inside West Virginia. 

The Enclave bore witness to one of their divisions nearly being wiped out because of a schism and thoughtless genetic tampering. The events that took place in Appalachia looked small but the ramifications were huge. 

From my point of view, the Enclave were incredibly scared as they panicked. The rest of the Enclave had been panicked so much that there was visible change in Enclave policy post-Appalachia. Stricter command structure and communication with other Enclave divisions only with Presidential approval had turned the Enclave into a nearly full authoritarian organization with only a facade of democracy.

The reforms they went through eventually culminated in the last remnants of the good inside the Enclave being phased out. Decades passed and any original Enclave members from the Pre-War government were gone and what had been left was a cold sterile organization devoid of taking risks.

It was an incredibly tragic story. These events likely culminated in the plot of Fallout 2. I’m happy that the Enclave in Appalachia had survived the events but I had some questions regarding the thing inside of it. I have confirmed from the Enclave network that MODUS did exist and reportedly was functioning at full capacity inside the Greenbrier Bunker. When I had talked with the commander of the bunker he had been confused on why I was so fixated on it.

From what I could tell MODUS was operating normally and wasn’t acting unusual. He had sent over the operation logs regarding MODUS and anything regarding the ZAX. I found the data showing no signs of what I was looking for. I realized it wasn’t about finding the smoking gun. It was about finding the lack of it. 

I looked through the logs he had sent and realized that all logs regarding the communication with Eden weren’t there. Then I personally went into the ZAX server room and looked at Eden’s own logs and found the truth. MODUS was operating at sentient levels and had hidden the logs regarding Eden and his communication with him.

The rest of my findings made everything weird. It was like Eden had only one sided communications with MODUS as MODUS bluntly refused to recognize him as an authority. I couldn’t tell if it was an AI superiority complex or if MODUS refused to see an AI as the rightful leader of the Enclave.

I’ll have to personally visit West Virginia at some point to learn more as Vault 79 and several nuclear silos needed to be acquired. I wanted to acquire the nuclear silos for obvious reasons but Vault 79 was an absolute must for rebuilding society. The benefits of acquiring the entire Pre-War US Gold Reserve would help us rebuild.

Possibly even Vault 96 for Pre-War genetic data they had stored because while we had our own gene banks and databases it doesn’t hurt to have more. Cloning up actual animals for agriculture was going to be a huge hurdle but it must be done. Disgusting mutated animals wasn’t something I wanted the new America using for agriculture.  

All of these factors weighed on my mind. I think I’ll agree to my Cabinet’s recommendation to expand the initial reclamation to West Virginia as well since the region was so valuable. Vault 76 supposedly went back underground after they realized West Virginia was filled with hostile wildlife and no population to speak of outside their allies in the Greenbrier Bunker. 

After I speak with MODUS… or deal with him, I’ll get more details on the region and the Vault. Opening up Vault 76 would help the rebuilding process as Greenbrier Bunker only had around two hundred people left inside and most of them were civilians. 

I eyed another form loaded up on my terminal and then stared at the time. Maybe I should look for a Vice President at this rate. 

Chapter Text

Sergeant Alissa Redfield
August 9th, 2278

As Alissa’s eyes skimmed the airfield she couldn’t help but feel proud of herself. She no longer felt the need to take off her helmet. Months of wearing the damnably stuffy armor had started making her feel as if it was a second layer of skin. Of course she still felt heavenly after taking it off and hopping into the showers. 

A part of Alissa hadn’t wanted to reprimand her subordinates as she watched them step off the Vertibird alongside her and nearly automatically take their helmets to wipe sweat off. She thought for a moment but decided against doing it now. It had been another long day of patrols and they were finally inside the newly minted Fort Grant. 

The military regulations allowed some leeway when it came to taking helmets off when off duty but personally she felt that they should’ve stayed on considering the circumstances. Alissa’s eyes turned towards the smog filled skies over the distant city skylines. The air wasn’t pleasant and she preferred breathing through filters this close to the city. 

Alissa couldn’t help her face twisting up before she eyed the time display inside her helmet. Now wasn’t the time. Not when they were going to be far busier. After turning she now faced her squad. 

“Alright.” She said, “It’s time to get a move on. I want all of you to refill on supplies and then report to your barracks.”

One of them who took their helmet off, Teddy Roads, responded. “Uhh… Sgt. Redfield? I thought we were going to prepare for the arrival of the last batch before the operation?”

“Change of plans, Corporal Roads. They are bringing their own logistical support this time since they didn’t fill every available space with supplies since we nearly have everything we need here. ” 

Alissa’s words brought Roads’ weathered face into a mix of happiness and trepidation. Or at least that’s what she thinks it was. Despite his recruitment from his family’s farm bringing much of his supposed youth back, the years of being a scavenger hadn’t helped his features. A stable diet can only do so much. 

“...before I forget. Don’t let me catch you guys developing the habit of taking your helmets off. In a secure location it’s fine when the security doesn't require it. But we could easily get a warning and even a punishment if all of you start taking off your helmets every time you step off into the airfield after patrolling. I don’t want to add more stress before the upcoming operation so just remember. ”

The faces of her squad told Alissa that they hadn’t completely understood but they saluted and then proceeded to make their way towards the supply depot. She couldn’t help the irritation building up inside her.

‘How many Brotherhood grunts were caught without helmets?’ Alissa couldn’t say but she remembered a few grumblings of wanting to just gas the terrorists inside the bunker. Ever since then she had the instinctual fear of dying because of a simple mistake such as a missing helmet. 

Alissa recalled in the past how some commanding officers screamed at their subordinates over what she thought was nothing. Now that she’s been promoted and was leading a squad of her own she felt a greater measure of respect for those officers. Mayhaps she should be far more strict and demanding.

Though she had trouble imagining herself doing that. She had always been on the softer side even though she was in the armed forces. Alissa preferred being a grunt compared to being a commander. Especially with wasteland recruits. She bore no ill will against them but it was hard to really wrap her head around recruiting bottom feeders. 

At least Corporal Roads and Private Greenline were on the higher rungs of wastelander life though that wasn’t saying much since Roads was a spare son of a farmer and Greenline had been… actually Alissa hadn’t known. Greenline was the only other female member of the squad and the files on all of them were vague at best.

‘How does one write down the reality of near destitution? What would that look like on an old world resume?’

Perhaps she was being condescending to their circumstances but she couldn’t help herself. When recruits are brought up they can request certain information not be made public and Natalie Greenline’s file is the only one with any sort of redaction. Which hints towards prostitution if Alissa’s intuition was right. The other files hadn’t needed any sort of redaction. They were all from the Megaton region barely getting by.

All these thoughts just made her miss her old squad more. She began walking over to the building connected to the Air Control Tower. She wanted to speak to the now Second Lieutenant Rivera. 

___________________

“It’s nice to see you again, Alissa.” Rivera’s voice always sounded so off to her ears whenever she wasn’t in Power Armor. Being inside a side room of the command center hadn’t demanded wearing armor so Rivera hadn’t bothered. Though Alissa still wore her own except the helmet was in her hands. 

‘How can a thirty year old woman look so youthful?’ Alissa couldn’t help thinking about it. 

She had brown skin though Enclave inbreeding made it hard for Alissa to tell which race she might’ve descended from. The way Rivera wore her short cropped hair made Alissa think she liked it despite short hair being military regulation. Alissa hadn’t felt jealous towards her though she wondered if she would age as gracefully when the time came. 

“It’s good to see you as well. I’m sorry I couldn’t speak to you when you arrived with the last batch, commander. I’ve been so busy patrolling with my squad that I haven’t had the time to even consider personal matters. I haven’t even called my family in about two months.” Alissa tried to keep her exhaustion out of her voice but failed. 

Rivera only smiled. “It’s alright, Alissa. I haven’t felt your absence since I’ve been busy with my new duties. The jump from Sergeant to Second Lieutenant was more jarring than I thought it would be. Years of being stuck with the same rank made me more complacent than I thought and I’m happy the military is finally ranking up people again but the circumstances could be better.”

While the side room was spacious there were a few people taking care of their own duties. Alissa preferred privacy but she decided to just keep her voice down.

“I agree. The atmosphere in the military has been tense since President Autumn ordered wasteland recruitment after the batch from Vault 101 passed with flying colors.”

Rivera followed her lead and kept her voice down as well. “I understand. As far as I can see it’s been the same way ever further up. At least everyone who was here before is getting prompted. Lt. Col Cade is now Colonel Cade. I heard rumors he will be further promoted after the military expands more.”

Alissa had a stray thought. “How far will the original members be promoted? Will they just keep pushing us up the ranks?”

Rivera’s face adopted a tense look. “I don’t know. I recall Lt. Smith talked about the possibility of wasteland recruits eventually rising up through the ranks but I’d imagine that would be after command ran out of original Enclave members to push upwards.”

Alissa had doubts. “I… guess that’s a good thing? After all our hard work I feel like we should be the ones considered for promotion first. But I don’t want the wastelanders thinking we are ignoring what they do either.” 

“It is what it is, Alissa. The President might throw a curveball into the plans for the military so it's best not to form expectations. Though I hope I don’t get stuck at this rank and continue moving forwards.”

Alissa smiled even though she had other thoughts. ‘I can’t imagine a wasteland recruit actually being a better soldier than the true Americans inside the Enclave. Even if I prefer being a grunt so far I’ve seen no wasteland recruit with the ability to lead.’

Before anything else was said the ground rumbled. She knew what it was even before she looked out the window. Stepping out into the large hallway she was able to look towards the south. 

Both Alissa and Rivera saw it. The sign that operations towards culling the Pitt was about to begin.

A massive armored platform with a satellite dish moved towards Fort Grant at a slow steady pace. The platform was called the Mobile Base Crawler and had been the home of the Enclave for a couple years while they migrated east after the Exodus from Navarro. She could clearly see the artillery guns and laser cannons the platform fielded and she gave a wide smile to Rivera.

“Looks like the fun is about to begin.” Alissa said with glee. She couldn’t wait to finish the operation and then be sent anywhere else with cleaner air.

Rivera fiddled with her PipBoy and then looked towards Alissa. “I’ve received my orders. Most of the grunts will be summoned later but if your squad wants to help unload then send them towards one of the logistical staff.”

“Will do. I’ll see you later, commander.” Alissa said.

___________________

Fort Grant was a few dozen miles south of Pittsburgh and the base had only been established a few months ago. Before the Great War it had been a civilian airfield for people to store their own aircraft in rented hangars. The region had been devastated due to being near Pittsburgh and it required weeks of repairs before command was satisfied. 

The hangar she now stood in was smaller than the hangar in Adams AFB where she received her debriefing for what would be Operation Ironstrike. As she stood in the many rows of soldiers she could see a lot of familiar and new faces. 

After Alissa had spoken to Rivera, she had stripped out of her Power Armor and wore her field uniform. It was a simple black ballistic suit that made wearing Power Armor more tolerable. The uniform was worn under every suit of Power Armor and she had to admit she liked it. 

A part of her just wanted the debriefing to be over and the fight to begin in Pittsburgh but she knew that wasn’t going to happen till the crew in the Mobile Base Crawler unpacked additional supplies.

Across the rows of soldiers and staff she saw Colonel Cade standing on a raised platform with a podium and a white sheet that hangs behind him. Col. Cade was a shockingly nice and youthful man considering all the others in High Command were fossils. Though Alissa would never say that outloud. 

His voice began to fill the hangar. “Many of you are probably tired of speeches. Many more of you are tired of patrols and polluted air. I want to give you the good news and the bad.”

Colonel Cade tone was even but hearing that there would be bad news almost made Alissa groan. 

“There’s a lot to explain so I won’t waste time and I’ll break the bad news first. I know many of you were expecting differently but High Command has decided not to deploy Liberty Prime. If we can’t achieve our objectives then there is little point bringing the big bot over when we could achieve the same result with bombing the city into the ground. The technicians also don’t feel that it has the greenlight for deployment yet.”

‘Really? After all this time? How hard is it to get a damn big robot out into the field?’ Alissa couldn’t help the disappointed feeling coursing through her. 

Some of the posters they were ordered to put up around communities showed a heroic looking Liberty Prime defeating villainous raiders. The words displayed were usually along the lines of ‘Liberty Prime fights for freedom! Will you also defend it?’. She wished to see reality match the posters. 

“Another thing. This operation isn’t going to be quick. High Command wants to clear the city just like we did with Washington. We’ve only sent in scouts and took aerial shots of Pittsburgh and many of you heard rumors of what it's like in the city. I want to tell all of you… it’s much worse than the rumors.”

Alissa’s face couldn’t help but twist up at the news. 

He was quick to add, “But all is not lost. You guys aren’t expected to keep the city in good shape and unlike the bunker breach in Washington we don’t have to worry about cave-ins. Deployment of Fat Man’s has been approved and we brought a lot of mini-nukes. I know a fair amount of newcomers were spooked seeing the footage of the bunker breach and fighting Power Armored foes. I want to assure you that it won’t be as difficult as Operation Ironstrike. It will however be more difficult than monotonously fighting feral ghouls and simple raiders.”

“Let’s begin with the data we acquired.”

The white sheet behind the colonel was hit with a projector displaying several types of enemy. Concerningly there were images of Power Armored raiders commanding what looks to be underlings.

“The forces in the city look incredibly dangerous compared to the usual raider bands we have been seeing in Maryland and Virginia. From what we know they have hired several mercenary companies ranging from Talon Company which vacated the DC region to some unknown company that has access to Power Armor.”

Alissa couldn’t see it but she could guess what the faces on her new peers looked like. 

“I know this might seem daunting to the fresh faces here since Power Armor is our greatest advantage. But it’s not as simple as it seems. They don’t have many of them and on closer inspection of a captured suit of armor revealed a lot of things. They modified an old Power Armor factory to turn scrap metal and electronics into these suits which means even compared to a set of T-51b they will be quite lacking. That doesn’t mean you should underestimate them though.” 

‘I can’t imagine the metallurgy of wasteland crucibles producing viable armor against energy weapons.’ Alissa felt happiness knowing that energy weapons will be effective.

The images changed to views of giant rifles, heavy machine guns and melee weapons that looked like they belonged in a movie.

“As for weapons, our eyebot scouts and aerial coverage gave us a general idea on what they are fielding. As you can see they have amassed hard hitting kinetic weaponry such as .50 calibers and basic anti-tank rifles using the factories around them. I wouldn’t recommend even getting in range of their melee weapons as they look industrially fitted to tear metal.”

The images changed once again to several maps. A satellite map, radiation hazard map, and then a Pre-War map displaying how Pitssburgh used to look.

“Before we begin with outlining the operation, I have to inform all of you of this. The city is extremely hazardous. Getting into the river is a death sentence, the wildlife will rip you apart if you act careless and the air is toxic. Even though your Power Armor can protect you, you'll all be handed medication to deal with any problems just in case. If one of you is idiotic enough to fall into the river I’d recommend getting out immediately and reporting to a medic.”

Alissa questioned how the people inside the city were living inside if the environment was that bad.

“No one is allowed into the city without wearing Power Armor or a CBRN suit. If you catch anyone taking off their helmets or exiting their Power Armor for whatever reason then report them to their CO. Yes, all of you aren’t even allowed to use the restroom so make sure your waste unit is working properly. I know everyone hates using and cleaning them over extended periods of time but it’s absolutely necessary for your health. You can’t just hold it till you get back to base since you’ll be in the city for a while.”

Alissa could hear several grumbles around her and she agreed. Cleaning her own waste out of a waste unit was already disgusting. Extended usage of that feature made the issue even more worse.

‘I hope we can clean it regularly if we secure enough space in the city. Cleaning after days of usage always makes my stomach…’ as Alissa mentally grumbled she nearly flinched after the screen flashed a new image. 

“Another thing. The Trogs that infest the city. As far as we can tell they are as powerful as feral ghouls. Difference is that they are much faster and hunt in packs. You are to shoot on sight. Stick with your squad and don’t get caught alone with them as they can be quite ferocious.”

Alissa decided that she despised the existence of the city even without the slaver presence. Everything displayed was now only operational maps.

“I need to make this point clear to all of you. The operation has several… goals. Our primary goal is to remove the blight of slavers from the region. The secondary goal is to free slaves. High Command had considered putting the capture of factories on our list of goals but they switched gears to wanting to secure the industries in West Virginia. Any factory in Pittsburgh will be a great addition but the damaged ones will be taken apart for industrial components which will be shipped back to Washington. This is why all of you are permitted to use Fat Man’s and explosive weaponry if you deem it necessary.”

Alissa followed along till some words stuck out. ‘Wait a minute. Is High Command actually considering populating this hellhole after the operation? Shouldn’t all the factories be dismantled regardless of how well it’s put together?’ 

“We broadcasted over the radio and then did some flybys to drop pamphlets into the city. The slavers and mercenaries know that if they kill the slaves or detonate their collars then they will die. If they kill the slaves then the artillery and our Vertibirds will bomb the city into the ground. High Command doesn’t want to waste time on these despots if there is no reason to breach the city with boots on the ground.”

Col. Cade pointed to the map and clicked a button on the remote in his hand. 

“Listen closely as each platoon has a hard job to do…”

___________________

Sergeant Alissa Redfield
August 12th, 2278

Alissa breathed steadily as she aimed down the sights of her laser rifle. Maybe for the wasteland recruits the feeling of the near recoilless weapon would be jarring but not for Alissa. Shot after shot was being fired into decrepit buildings. Any opening was fired upon and if any showed a muzzle flash hundreds of lasers targeted it. 

She couldn’t see it from her angle but the bridge was just over the cover as it was the only bridge left capable of holding military vehicles. As much as it was their lifeline she knew it was the best available road for these slavers to traverse down south unless they wanted to take several detours.

Maybe that was why it wasn’t immediately destroyed after they started catching onto their patrols and the fact that they have an airfield not even a hundred miles south of Pittsburgh. Or maybe it was because of the hundreds of eyebots, drones, Vertibirds, and StealthBoy infiltrators making sure no one can plant enough explosives to get rid of the bridge. 

It hadn’t mattered to Alissa. She only cared for wiping out the enemy. She saw a muzzle flash and she didn't need to be a prophet to know that the person responsible was dead after she and hundreds of others made the side of the building glow from laserfire. A far cry from two hours ago when mountains of lead were pouring over into their lines. Though that’ll change when they begin charging over the bridge.

Alissa turned around to check on her squad. They looked to be doing fine but she could tell they were leaning into cover a little too much despite needing to peek over to fire at the enemy. She imagined her old commander would probably call them scaredy cats but so far she was happy they weren’t cowering behind the many lines of M1 Constantine tanks, MRAPs, and APCs.

She heard a few dozen whistling and whooshing noises as the sound of what seemed to be rocks dropped onto them… not rocks. Grenades. 

Alissa and several others screamed, “GET COVER!” 

The sound of hundreds of small explosives going off would’ve made her ears ring if not for her helmet's ear protection. As the helmet automatically adjusted the sensitivity so she could once again pick up the roar of laser fire and Vertibirds flying overhead she looked around to see the source of the grenades. 

Not seeing anything she was about to tune into the deafening chatter of her comms until someone stopped her. She was frantic and hadn’t bothered looking at the name scribbled onto the armor aside from seeing they were a rank above her as the person started speaking with a raised voice over the sound of battle.

“Get your squad together! I want you and three other squads to spearhead with tanks and vertibird cover. Those shitheads are launching grenades out of a jury rigged air cannon past the buildings. We need to capture this bridge now!”

Alissa looked to her squad as they were still picking themselves up from lying prone to avoid shrapnel. She hoped that their servos or weapons weren’t damaged from the barrage as she realized that her squad was about to be treated like a bludgeon. 

‘Several platoons need to get past this bridge. Once the bridge and main road into downtown is captured our jobs will be much easier.’ Alissa hoped she wasn’t bullshitting herself. 

“Understood, sir!” 

Alissa ran to assist her squad and began explaining the plan. Assist the tanks crossing the bridge and begin annihilating the enemy…. ‘air cannon’ encampments so they aren’t bombarded with cheap explosives. 

___________________

The sound of Vertibird engines had gotten annoying to Alissa. She had to pay attention to where gunfire was coming from and the roar of Vertibirds coming in for bombing runs and cover fire had made it hard to tell which way they were being shot from. She and her squad kept shooting their weapons into several windows and doorways whenever enemies made themselves known.

Ever since they formed up behind and around the tank they began taking fire from several directions. Dozens of rockets(that hadn’t flown straight) started coming for the Vertibirds which kept substantial air support away. Progress was made regardless. The spearhead just needed to blast through the bulk and take out rocket and air cannons so the main force could steamroll past the biggest bottleneck. 

Microfusion tanks were quieter than most would think but standing next to them gave a different experience. The electric hum of microfusion felt strangely dangerous and Alissa hadn’t wanted to find out what would happen if they went critical. Halfway across the bridge she imagined this would be the worst place for it.

Roads yelled out, “Can’t we just bomb the buildings into the ground?”

Alissa felt frustration build up but kept firing her weapon. “No. We can’t. We already have to bring MRAPs and APCs with bulldozer capabilities just because of horrible street conditions. No one wants to risk clogging up the road.”

She heard several grumblings but she couldn’t even tell if it was her squad. Four squads were tightly packed behind the tank as thousands of high caliber bullets showered upon the tank. When they arrived at the end of the bridge the rocket barrages stopped targeting Vertibirds and then began pelting the tanks. 

Visibility had already been horrible but the smoke filling the air from the scrap rockets made the seeing near impossible. Despite that Alissa smiled. The raiders weren’t the smartest and if they had any brains they would be focusing the rockets on the air power. Not the obvious bait. Disabling them was the goal but distraction also works. 

All at once several Vertibirds descended closer and then released several missiles and bombs precisely onto the enemy targets. The air around her pushed and swirled the soldiers as they watched the fire blossom throughout the buildings. Weaving and slipping through the cracks taking over anything that had an opening. A few moments later the sounds of secondary explosions started ringing throughout the main road. 

The battle wasn’t over. It would not be for days. But the most difficult hurdle was completely gone. 

Chapter Text

Sergeant Alissa Redfield
August 16th, 2278

Alissa thought she had conquered the sensation of feeling cramped inside a suit of Power Armor. Just a few days ago she felt the inklings of superiority over new subordinates because they weren’t acclimated to their new armor. Now Alissa had known she was deluded. Being inside a suit of Power Armor meant that there was an emotional shield between the wearer and the rest of the world. Which meant whoever was inside the suit would experience emotions more honestly without reprisal since they couldn’t be seen crying or looking pissed.

Alissa both hated and was thankful for being inside a suit at this moment.

“...please… please save him!” a murmur of pleas from one direction.

“Can someone bring over another medical truck?! We got several with sepsis and high levels of rads!” hollers from her compatriots from another direction. 

And from above the constant whirring of Vertibirds flying in and out.

Amidst even all that the sprinkling laserfire and ballistic munitions being thrown around was heard in the distance. Corporal Roads obviously couldn’t hold it in anymore. 

“...Sergeant, are we going to join the others?”

Alissa pushed the raw feelings down as she thought for a moment. 

‘Personally I think command left a little too much autonomy for us. I want to say that his operation isn’t chaotic but…’

The operation to retake Pittsburgh was a success by most metrics. Hundreds of slavers and what wastelanders call tribal clans were annihilated. But the issue wasn’t the assault operation. Without a doubt the cleanup operation was quickly spiralling out of control. Not enough soldiers or volunteers to control the crowds.

“No. We can’t seem to get enough personnel over here and our platoon is basically stuck here anyways with all the refugees flooding the base. The fighting is mostly over so let others have the glory.” 

Alissa eyed the masses. Not a dozen or simply a hundred people. Her own estimation would put the crowd over a thousand. Staving, diseased, injured, crippled, and some with mutations that make them resemble anything other than human. These poor people, if untreated, will inevitably die. How the slavers kept them alive through the disgusting environment was unknown to Alissa.

‘Do I even want to know how? Most of those animals died far too quickly for my taste.’

Even in the distance she could see the road to the trainyard encampment just south having a line of people spill in. The operation hadn’t accounted for several facts. They had dropped flyers all over the region, both within and beyond the city limits, with threats not to do anything to the slaves if the tribes and raiders hadn’t desired grim deaths. She hadn’t quite known if High Command anticipated something like this in their estimations but she doubted it.

The flyers, rumors, and general display of power stayed the hand of most tribals when it came to dealing with rebellious slaves hoping to be rescued by the government. Apparently there was difficulty punishing the slaves when every single slave obviously wished for the same outcome.When the region witnessed the capital of slavery in the north east getting humbled? The tribes decided it would be easier to flee.

The issue came to why they wouldn’t pursue them as they fled. The major tribes either had a general agreement on what to do or copied each other in methodology… Alissa doubted they all had the same idea at the same time. Every slave was stripped of anything that might help them. Food and water was taken away. Some were even injured or crippled. Then en masse they were all sent towards Pittsburgh. 

Scouts, drone and Vertibird flybys, and even word of mouth quickly notified ground forces. The fighting was harsh and they had lost dozens of men and women capturing the city. A little over a hundred if what Alissa heard was true. But that wasn’t the hard part. 

The tribes that ran big plantations, mines, and junk harvester plants sent hundreds and possibly thousands of slaves towards Pittsburgh. The final number will most likely only be known months after the tribal exodus. 

Alissa finally had enough of dawdling. “Alright guys. Let’s not waste time and join the rest of the platoon in security. Plenty of these folks are armed and shouldn’t be. And many more of them are starving and desperate.”

___________________

Colonel Jonathan Cade
August 17th, 2278

Despite Cade being a staunch supporter of President Autumn he had many mixed feelings regarding the man. Cade also had known the rest of High Command had similar feelings regarding their new President. Autumn one day just changed and evidently decided that Eden was not getting America back on track.

‘But is this really getting things back on track? It feels like we’re just stomping through primitive settlements and taking over… and then calling the inhabitants Americans.’

At the beginning Cade couldn’t say he disagreed or agreed. Doubts constantly flowed through his head. Could these men and women be turned into Americans? He hadn’t known at the time. Autumn brought up how they could swiftly ingratiate good ole American culture into them but he simply couldn’t see it. Even when they were making good progress on turning wastelanders into troops and citizens he just couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

Cade would never say it in any official capacity. Not even in his own journal he admitted it. How could he? The ideology in the Enclave has always been that wastelanders were not capable of what Enclave stock achieved by merit of being pure. But when they defy expectation after expectation? When they eagerly help strip down city blocks and help build up new apartments and God honest suburbia? It felt like Cade missed something in his education growing up in the Enclave. 

‘The rest of those fools in High Command probably feel the same way. Autumn saw it. He knew that within the wastes America could be rebuilt.’

The depression and despair the Enclave had built up over the years since they fled Navarro was a silent and an insidious thing. Truly the Enclave only had Eden whispering things through the intercom and radio to go off of but that was a faceless and empty path. 

But the immediate controversy of Autumn’s thinly veiled coup and anti-Purist ideology agenda quickly made the Enclave truly feel again. The quiet outrage and insecurity of having wastelanders join the Enclave quickly turned into astonishment. These were people. Calling them wastelanders for so long made Cade realize he sorta forgot that every single one of them had stories. Struggles. Things he couldn’t quite comprehend because he lived a privileged lifestyle by being one of the last true remnants of the United States. 

He now understood the big picture Autumn always talked about. The people in the wasteland vaguely understood what America was even if they weren’t gifted with an education. They understood that Pre-War America was a Golden Age. That there was food on the table. Machines that could fly across the country and take them anywhere. Littered all around them were symbols of American economic might and they had known through these glimpses that they were experiencing the apocalypse even if the Great War was two centuries ago. 

They had known they were missing something. Autumn in one of his many radio speeches mentioned how plenty of US flags still fly in some wastelanders' homes. Maybe it was a habit carried on by their family from before Pre-War? Maybe it was something more. A desire for something better. When Autumn then started talking about the American Dream it was like Cade could feel the sheer shift in perspective from those who lived in the Washington region and those in the Enclave.

Cade had known that the more fanatical supporters of Autumn and even his so-called fans in Washington wrote down what he said for the history books.

“Any man or woman can dream for something better. But the dream in the wasteland? It's a rotten thing. An insidious desire that holds back creativity. I don’t mock the simplicity of those who live day to day hoping for food and water that doesn’t choke them from radiation. I truly get it since life out there is rougher than I could possibly imagine. 

“Let this be heard for all you to know. Before the Great War your ancestors lived in unimaginable wealth. Even the poor got their basic needs met most of the time. If they could see you now they would be furious! 

“The Chinese robbed so much from all of us. For 200 years they’ve robbed Americans of their basic rights. The secessionists in California might’ve held these words back a few decades but the American people deserve to hear them.

“The past glory of America? Don’t think of reclaiming it. Think of surpassing it in every possible way! America was on the cusp of starting true colonies in the stars! Already we had bases on the Moon that had the Chinese attacking out of jealousy in a war they started. We’ll reclaim it all and then go beyond what the Founding Fathers ever thought were possible for America. We’ll make George Washington blush from Heaven. I’m sick of dreaming of past glory to reclaim. I want to be better. America’s past is far from sinless but we’ll rise so far above the muck to show that America still lives. Brighter than any other.

“Once again the Star Spangled Banner will fly across all of North America with pride!”

Productivity in all facets of proper Enclave personnel and Wasteland citizens rose by a quarter and showed no sign of slowing. High Command was twisted up in a pretzel and any remnants of the Purity faction were quickly being reformed into a political party. Cade hadn’t the desire to think about the factionalism that was quickly forming within the government though.

‘There are more severe issues right now. Ones that will probably add more to that divide with the way this is going.’

Simply put. With President Autumn arranging Liberty Prime’s arrival to West Virginia and the foundations of an operation to claim the Appalachians, the military assets for Pittsburgh weren’t what they could’ve been. Cade believed the resources to be adequate but safe to say High Command hadn’t been able to predict this. 

Refugees. Thousands of them. Cade stared at the monitors inside the Mobile Base Crawler and felt dread. After continuous communication with Washington it quickly turned into a dispute for limited resources since Washington was heading its own reclamation operation locally at Norfolk and the Delmarva Peninsula. The President was semi aware of the crisis but no one wanted to rip the bandaid off and request that the operation he was personally heading be put on pause to deal with the flood of people. Cade had known that the President was endlessly fascinated by West Virginia and its untapped resources. 

The Capital region was getting people from all over already. There was a steady stream but now it felt like Washington was getting a flood of caravans wanting to put their roots down in the region. Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware were getting the influx of people from all over. Two years since they’d taken over the region and it seems traders and caravans spread the news all over the Eastern Coast. 

From what the eggheads in Raven Rock said the estimation was that rumors could’ve spread all the way to Texas since the Pre-War interstate highways seem to be the post apocalyptic silk road for traders. How much info spread across the East Coast wasn’t known. 

Cade doesn’t have the desire to sound arrogant but he imagined that traders that saw the transformation Washington was getting would only leave so that they could grab their families. Two years and that’s probably what happened with the huge influx they are getting. 

Despite all of that it seems that Cade had no choice. High Command might point fingers if Autumn presses for someone to find fault with but seeing the dirty and starving masses of hundreds of people made him feel obligated. With how many distractions there are with rebuilding America there was a possibility of spending decades just on the East Coast. 

Especially since that newly minted Private happened upon that android while off duty months ago. What a mess.

___________________

Augustus Autumn
August 17th, 2278

I hadn’t thought I could stare into a monitor without blinking for such a long period. I hadn’t even felt tears building up. I was just so tired.

“I could delay the operation a few weeks. Possibly even a month or two. It's not that big of a concern. But a garrison and Liberty Prime must be deployed to West Virginia no matter what. They are dealing with an infestation that requires great defense.”

Cade was a decent commander and honestly he was politically inept enough that I hadn’t felt threatened promoting him. If Cade continues to serve loyally he might be the first General in centuries. Except for the weird pseudo general’s the Enclave had which were more political titles and something for the Enclave high command to nod at. Luckily those morons died with the rest of the purity nuts in the Rig. Though that thought made my gut twist since the original Autumn’s mother died in the Rig. Best not to dwell on such things. 

There seems to be a prevailing line of thought within my staff that my only interest in West Virginia was scientific. It wasn’t. I still remember my thoughts halting when I saw images of those damnable creatures flying around the region. When we had a full squadron of recon drones do a casual sweep of the mountains we found things that gave me the mother of all migraines. 

I recalled when I first saw the pictures through the monitors. Truly they are uglier in real life and the 50s era screen technology enhances it somehow. I really should get to pushing the development of flatscreens soon but that’s not what’s important.

‘Was I confused? The Scorchbeasts and their Queen got shit on in the game, right?’

My playthrough of Fallout 76 felt like decades ago. Even then I hadn’t played it all that much. Sinking around a thousand hours in New Vegas and 3 probably wasn’t healthy but I’m regretting not doing the same for Fallout 76 since West Virginia was annoyingly dominating a lot of meetings. 

Cade’s face twisted up for a moment. “Mr. President, I think we should delay further than that. Push it into 2279 or even 2280.”

‘Okay that’s why everyone has been dodgy on asking me to delay. I had known that we had to introduce a delay somewhere and it was likely my own operation was everyone’s pick… but a year or two?’

Irritation built up quickly. It wasn’t like we had a full picture on what was going on around the mountains and we hadn’t seen any queens yet. But I had known within my gut that the region was a threat even if I had no data to back it up.

I couldn’t take it out on the colonel however and it seemed he sensed my displeasure with how tense he was.

“We’ll consider it when I review the situation in West Virginia personally, Cade. I need to meet the commander there and properly acquaint myself with the… technological capabilities of the base and region.”

I need to decide if I should destroy MODUS or not. My hatred of AI and robots doesn’t have an end. I genuinely hated robots. I hadn’t wanted that hatred to affect whatever policy I draft up for future generations but it was an ongoing struggle. 

Cade quickly gave me a vocal overview of Operation Chemtrail. The casualties were around 300s and counting. Every now and then some soldiers get injured. Rarely was there injury that took a soldier more than a basic stimpak to fix. The actual deaths were 52. A disappointing figure honestly but I can’t expect perfection. Especially since this was the first real deployment of wastelander soldiers. 

I couldn’t help but release a snort.. The colonel sent a strange look and I couldn’t tell if he hadn’t realized it yet.

“So you basically lied in your big speech?” I said with morbid mirth.

“Lie? How did I… oh. That was a genuine mistake. I wrote the speech expecting less resistance. I hadn’t expected that the slavers would rather fight to the death instead of running away. Though the tribes that controlled the surrounding region were far smarter than I gave them credit for. Sending beaten and starved slaves to the city? Disgusting. We could’ve done better.” Cade’s disgust was clear in his voice as was his disappointment at his performance.

I hadn’t known if I was being a good President if I hadn’t expected better from Cade or the operation. I expected worse. I expected the cretins to have just killed the slaves and be done with it. Should I expect and push my subordinates to work harder? I believed if I expressed how mild my expectations were I wouldn’t be acting in good faith. Those words would be empty for him.

“We can only take the good out of the bad, Col. Cade. Those refugees can be sent to work on established farms and receive the baseline education package. Once they are ready they’ll receive land themselves.”

Cade hadn’t looked happy but he certainly hadn’t looked as disappointed.

“With how well the purifier and soil treatments are going from our GECK research we might turn the entire DC region green by the time I can finally start the West Virginia reclamation,” I joked.

Cade’s face once again twisted up in regret. It started to feel weird with everyone tip-toeing around me. Ever since I launched the coup the general vibe had been that I was a hardass. I’m starting to feel like a bad boss. It wasn’t like my expectations were that high. It was my own staff and even Cade himself that was a part of the meetings that inevitably led to us being overstretched over four states. 

“Col. Cade. Worry not about West Virginia for now. I knew a delay was coming. I can focus my time on building a road map for Pittsburgh and the Washington region. With the Richmond settlement and the desolate Norfolk communities joining us we nearly have complete control of Virginia. The Delmarva Peninsula is already getting settled.”

After that the call ended and I could think clearly. Being inside the Raven Rock ‘Oval Office’ was getting quite annoying. I’ve been stuck in this room for over a year. I had known that I annoyed the Secret Service and the military with my constant speeches and reviews outside Raven Rock but truly I couldn’t help myself. I hated being in this bunker. 

I couldn’t help but think over all the progress we have made in the region. I wasn’t lying to Cade. Things were getting green out there and we had wiped out miles upon miles of city scape. Now all that remains was the constant construction of buildings and the refurbishing of anything that passed reclamation city code. 

There was Point Lookout as well which we had claimed all the scientific assets in the area including the St. Aubin medical facility. I expected the facility to bring us more well… science but it seems Enclave Robo Brain tech surpassed Pre-War science. What was interesting was Desmond Lockheart. I hadn’t seen the interviews but he was willing to exchange what the British MI6 were up to during the Great War and willing to offer his own expertise. Though there was a slight hitch.

Desmond Lockheart was a ghoul. What’s more interesting was that he was a ghoul from even before the Great War. He willingly became a ghoul before the nukes dropped and I recall seeing how disgusted the Enclave personnel were at seeing that and even made several notes at how Desmond was probably defective even before he became ghoul. I had damn near forgotten these guys existed and made me question if ghouls were a thing after we had dropped nukes on Japan. 

Questions to bring up to Enclave historians when they weren’t busy teaching and developing education services. 

Regardless I’m going to have to force the issue. Spycraft was already known in the Enclave and we have mountains of CIA documents and files to explore. But there was a vast difference between having theory and having an actual spy from the Great War period. That was an era where spying took a lethal and often terroristic approach by all the powers. Or maybe not since I recall Desmond being a bit of a prick. 

I have to wonder about the United Kingdom as well. We have a genuine British man amongst us. According to the reports he seemed grateful of our decommissioning of Professor Calvert. My memories of Fallout 3 were getting foggier and foggier but I had known he hated that Robo Brain for some reason. 

We’re going to need a huge investment into spycraft on some level. Somehow the Lone Wanderer struck a chord with fate and got involved with the synth. The Railroad and Institute hadn’t realized they were talking to an off duty soldier and Pvt. Connors reported it to her commander. No one believed her and she pushed to almost the point of insubordination. If I wasn’t already observing Pvt. Connors then she most likely could've been flogged. 

I had immediately ordered that everyone involved be arrested. And like the wind the Institute had disappeared and the Railroad was nowhere to be found. But the synth? We captured it. My entire staff had been quite alarmed and now we have to do deep scrubs into every recruit to not only check for diseases and health issues but to see if they are robots. Truly the problems keep stacking. At least the Lone Wanderer was now on an officer track and would be receiving promotion. 

Feeling the need to escape my troubles I felt that perhaps I can justify a visit to Desmond. I always wondered what the British perspective was in Fallout.

Chapter Text

Olivia Connors
June 8th, 2278

Olivia found the sprawling street markets truly astounding. The government set up a designated zone for temporary markets to be set up by residents relocated from Rivet City and probably a dozen other shabby settlements. The government even gave out tarps, signage materials, and open tents to allow markets to set up swiftly.

She could even see in the distance a long freezer trailer that could be rented out cheaply for food vendors and a coolant station off to the side for vehicles. 

The renovated Anchorage Memorial right next to the market helped with the atmosphere immensely. Combined with the Lincoln Memorial in the opposite direction which apparently lost the head of Lincoln himself the memorials had to be fixed up. In the case of the Anchorage Memorial President Autumn requested that it be completely remade. 

Since both were close to the center of Washington there were angels in the market which she could see construction in the distance. Even if Olivia couldn’t see it unless she could certainly hear it. Within the first six months the entire city had been cleared of ghouls and then every building had been marked for either refurbishment or complete destruction. 

‘Personally I think the entire city should’ve been razed outside of historical landmarks.’

As Olivia walked in between people through the crowd she knew she stuck out. She’d realized her old Vault suit got more form fitting after she completed basic training at Adams AFB. It wasn’t really a problem but her already good looks made it difficult to dodge attention when off duty. 

Olivia stuck out like a sore thumb considering wastelanders looked worse off outside the well off merchants and store owners from main towns. Though that may have been Olivia being vain. The Vault suit combo alongside the handgun she wore on her hip may have attracted more attention than her looks. 

Being off duty she wasn’t allowed to wear her military uniform. She would prefer it since it was somehow even more comfortable than a Vault suit. Olivia had just wanted to visit a few market stalls to find a gift that may cheer her father up. She didn’t believe she needed to do so but he was furious with her after she joined the military. 

‘I told him how I felt after he admitted to lying for so long but he still didn’t understand. I’m a young adult and he can’t trust me with my own decisions in life? What a load of shit.’

If a gift doesn’t convince her father to reconcile with her then she’ll just brand him a hypocrite and be done with him. Intellectually she knew he was already a hypocrite and an overbearing dad but she loved him regardless. But even she had limits.
Olivia reached the center of the market plaza with more luxurious market stalls and marvelled at how marvellous the Anchorage Memorial was. Three times as large and the podium had been raised higher. All the concrete had been swiftly replaced and she knew once it turned night the memorial the newly installed lights would brighten up the statues. 

She had already seen dozens of holotapes of the Sino-American War in Anchorage but she could hardly believe such a large-scale conflict occurred. 

‘Estimates put the casualties around 2-3 million American soldiers. And the estimates for civilian deaths are almost as high as well. It’s as the Drill Sergeants say. Can’t trust the commies to have an ounce of humanity inside them.’

She released a huff and turned away from the memorial. It was time to look for gadgets and gizmos in the bigger stalls to give her father. 

___________________

“Ah… a Vault Dweller. And a mercenary one at that.”

A voice right behind Olivia spoke out. 

Olivia turned to the man and was surprised. A man dressed in a finely made suit that looked new informed Olivia that this man had either been from the government or was a well off settler. 

‘The gun behind him probably means he’s a very well off settler. An armed bodyguard? Maybe he’s from Tenpenny Tower. I heard from my compatriots that the people from there are as elitist as one can be living in the wasteland.’

“And who are you?”

“I’m Dr. Zimmer. I’m from… Boston, looking for potential hires to aid me in my quest to relocate my android.”

“I’m not sure if I’m the person for the job, Dr. Zimmer.”

Olivia hadn’t wanted to get distracted. She only had so much time off duty before she had to return to her duties. The military was in a flurry of activity to begin the operation in Pittsburgh so if she wasted time she would get in trouble. 

It also raised alarm bells within her mind that this man waited till she in a secluded portion of the market. People were near enough to see and vaguely hear but not close enough to fully overhear their conversation.

Dr. Zimmer snorted. “I do not need to waste time with the savages that populate the land. And I prefer someone educated like yourself.”

“Why not report the theft to the government then? I’m pretty sure they’ll get it taken care of far quicker than I can.”

“I would rather avoid scrutiny from anyone right now. I’m dealing with advanced technology that hasn’t been unveiled to the wider world.”

‘This is sounding more and more wrong.’

“I’m willing to assist but I need to know what exactly I’m dealing with here.”

The self proclaimed doctor released a huff, “All you know is that robots are a bucket of bolts. You’ve probably seen them way more often since those remnants of a bygone age took over the region. But in the Commonwealth? Robots are so much more. What we’re talking about is a robot that looks completely human. Even medical tests would show that he’s human.”

Olivia’s mind quickly picked up on several facts. Firstly he’s desperate since he approached someone in the market. Secondly was that he’s not fond of his own government looking into what he’s doing. Three… he’s without a doubt involved with something that her superiors would immediately want to know about. 

“Where is the android then?”

Dr. Zimmer’s face contorted in consternation.

“I’ve been in the Capital Wasteland a little too long. I eventually located the android but it took many hard months but it's well worth it. I investigated alongside my android bodyguard Armitage. Originally I was going to hire someone from Rivet City and scout out talent residing there but plans had to drastically change.”

Olivia knew he wasn’t going to let out information unless she probed properly.

“Certainly an android isn’t worth staying in the region for that long, Mr. Zimmer.”

“That’s… That’s Dr. Zimmer to you! And yes. Months here for a single android? Not quite worth it. But I had other duties. I felt obligated to collect information on the Capital Wasteland’s newest rulers. Truly a troublesome bunch.”

‘I like to imagine he would shit himself if I revealed that I’m a soldier. Getting into a firefight over unconfirmed information on humanlike androids at the crowded market would get me flogged though.’

All new recruits feared the physical punishments of the military. There was a small prison the military used but overfilling it wasn’t an option and other punishments hadn’t seemed as viable as just lashing soldiers which was called flogging. 

Olivia needed to pretend to be greedy if she wanted him to tell her everything. 

“I’m willing to accept a hefty payment for the job. Where is the android?”

With a pleased tone he said, “I can talk price after depending on the condition of the android. There will be quite the tip if it's left intact. After a long search I found that he was posing as a human named Harkness. All I need you to do is assist my bodyguard Armitage in capturing him discreetly. I don’t care if he dies but his head must remain undamaged to salvage.”

‘Harkness? Where have I heard that before… oh shit. That guy was the former security chief of Rivet City. He’s one of the more affluent wastelanders and he’s in competition to become Chief of Police of the quickly forming DCPD. This is an extraordinary risk for this man so why do this for salvage?’

Outside of the coming election of Mayor of DC there’s a fierce competition for becoming the head of police. Instead of an election the President himself was going to decide on the Chief of Police. His speeches on the importance of civilian police forces convinced a lot of people that having soldiers constantly patrolling wasn’t viable and having locals take over police work would make them feel safer. 

“You do understand that he’s not usually wandering about nowadays?”

“Obviously. But that’s a boon. He’s in the position to have information the usual wastelanders won’t have.”

‘Information? Oh. He means information on the government. I guess I have no choice but to report this guy to my superiors. Unsure if they’ll believe me but my gut is telling me that this is big.’

“I’ll inform you of the details of the plan. We’ll carry out a swift but silent raid on his home tonight. Just come to this location at…”

___________________

Spending four hours in a cell wasn’t a part of Olivia’s plan. The sting of betrayal burns. Though Olivia should call it the sting of her own incompetence. After she parted with Zimmer she reported her findings to her immediate superiors. When they thought it was a joke she had been forced to go above them. 

That had not gone well. Jokes were not intolerable in the military but a newly minted private saying there’s a matter of national security that needs to be handled swiftly and one of the DCPD Chief candidates was an android? That some place hundreds of miles away in Boston had sent a man after the android? 

‘Perhaps I should’ve convinced Zimmer that he had to wait a day or two. I’m being punished because I stressed that the matter had to happen this very night… Perhaps I stressed it a bit too hard.’

Olivia knew she was going to get punished. She hoped that Zimmer wasn’t just fooling her and she actually came across a matter of grave importance but the more that she thought about it the more she doubted her spur of the moment heroism. Olivia hoped that her commanders would listen to her but like her father, anyone of importance to her doesn’t trust her or outright ignores her till it becomes inconvenient. 

The temporary holding cell she was in was quite advanced like all things within Raven Rock. A blue forcefield instead of a door and thick steel dark grey walls surrounded her. She hadn’t known why she was transferred to the bunker from the cells in Adams AFB but she could only guess.

After six hours since her meeting with Zimmer and hours since her imprisonment she heard the sounds of Power Armored boots pounding against the metal floor.  

‘Power Armor troops coming with a CO to dictate my punishment? I’m quite fucked.’

Olivia held back tears. She felt it within her gut that Zimmer wasn’t lying. That there was something big going on. Even if it wasn’t as big as she was saying, the man was planning to kidnap someone and had wanted to illegally collect information on the government. 

The metallic footsteps ceased just beyond the forcefield doorway. With a snap like hiss the doorway cut off and revealed Power Armored troops… of the Secret Service. Painted fully black and with few visible markings they were an intimidating sight. In the middle stood a man anyone in the Capital Region would recognize. Augustus Autumn wasn’t the CO Olivia had been expecting. 

President Autumn looked nearly the same as when she encountered him within Vault 101. Even if she hadn’t encountered him he’s plastered all over in posters and has made several moving speeches in radios and in crowds. He looked exceedingly good for a 44-year old, wearing the usual Presidential suit like he was born for it. Many might even mistake him for someone in their late twenties but Olivia was not one of them. Autumn carried himself with an unmistakable authority and power no one of such youth could possess. 

And he looked displeased.

It might’ve been her imagination but it looked as if his face softened a touch when he looked at her face. Perhaps he pitied her state of nearly crying. 

“I’m sorry for the unfortunate circumstances which you have found yourself in, Pvt. Connors. This sort of thing won’t be happening again. Even though I’m sure you're unhappy of being locked in the cell I went out of my way to rectify this.”

“...pardon for questioning you but why are you here? Did my father say anything?”

“I’m here on my own prerogative. I happened to get word of your unfortunate arrest after you all but accosted your superiors and refused to stop. I’m here to release you.”

As the President waved off his guard Olivia started thinking and while knowing it was unwise but she had to mention Zimmer at least once last time. Her instincts were surely on point. 

“...Mr. President, I want to inform you of the android. I believe it's important enough to deploy a fair number of soldiers to arrest everyone involved.”

At those words President Autumn’s face grimaced. Olivia knew her punishment might’ve become way worse. However before she could say anything he spoke.

“I already deployed troops to arrest everyone. The man known as Dr. Zimmer and his android bodyguard disappeared like a gust of wind. Though Harkness had been captured at least. We’ve confirmed that Harkness is indeed a synth of sorts.”

She had been so stunned that after a moment she lost control of her mouth. “Wait… what?! How? Why? No one believed me when I informed them.”

“I believed you.” With no other explanation the President bluntly responded. 

Olivia closed and opened her mouth in an effort to find words but couldn’t. The President believed her over just happening to hear about it? 

“The truth is that I’m somewhat of a paranoid individual. I’m constantly skimming over all reports and disciplinary actions by my military. When I saw the report of a private pushing a joke to her commanding officers about an android and taking it too far even though she was told to stop? I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt to anybody pursuing their patriotic duty.”

The relief was immense. Someone had believed in her. Trusted her. Deployed soldiers just because her own words moved them. 

Summoning up her courage she finally said, “Thank you so much! I thought this might slip by the government and classified information might slip out.”

Autumn snorted. “Classified information? Harkness was never in position to leak any. I’m surprised Zimmer even stayed honestly. I expected him to… I mean I expect men like him to leave reclaimed territory because their clandestine operations would piss off the government. I had plans to do way deeper medical scans on several of the Police Chief and mayoral candidates because we wanted no unforeseen mental issues presenting a public perception issue down the road.”

‘Of course. Someone as intelligent as him doesn’t even need overzealous privates. There was never any worry to begin with or foolish scientists.’

He continued, “But regardless. What you did was of national service. Your commanders should’ve at least followed up. It's not in the public eye but we still employ even pet deathclaws. Androids looking like people? Not that far of a fetch.”

Every word flowed like butter to Olivia’s ears. The feeling of validation of her service made her heart feel like it wanted to burst.

“In recognition of this fact I shall reward you with the Defense Distinguished Service Medal in an upcoming small ceremony though the details will need to be temporarily blacklisted. This medal hasn’t been handed out in awhile and it's not usually used in this way but in the right moment you have uncovered a sinister plot and even more sinister forces. Human-like androids? My entire Cabinet was stunned. Normal medical scans don’t even remotely pick up on it. I think you almost gave Dr. Matthews a heart attack. I haven’t seen him this stunned since we discovered Stanislaus Braun alive.”

Olivia felt emotionally overwhelmed. She was going to receive a medal. Her service even surprised the Presidential cabinet. It took a second but she recognized the name Dr. Matthews. He was sometimes around her father within Project Purity and held the position of Health and Human Services within Autumn’s cabinet. 

Olivia thought she would only ever see glances of important people near her father but her actions reached even the top levels of government. 

“I would also like to offer you a position which you might enjoy.”

Through the intense emotions she said, “A position?”

“Yes. I want you to lead a special squad of enhanced or talented misfits that don’t quite fit in with the rest of the military.”

‘A special squad? That sounds good but misfits? Wasn’t that also referring to me?’

Autumn must’ve seen the joy slip off her face so he quickly added, “I assure you that this isn’t an ordinary position. I need a squad filled with talented people. I’m choosing you because you fit in but also have great instincts.”

“How don't they fit in? And who exactly will I be serving under?”

Olivia doesn’t discriminate and on occasions she was willing to work with anyone during training or patrolling. But she wouldn’t want to work with troops that disobeyed orders. 

With a small smile he said,  “They are not well liked at all but I assure you they are capable. I’m sure you’ll quite like Fawkes in particular eventually. And as for command? You’ll basically report to me since the somewhat newly formed USASOC is busy with other matters.”

USASOC. Olivia knew of it. Even heard the bunker raised troops wanting to put in their application to hopefully become one of the elite. Though she’s sure many will end up as some officers' paper pusher. 

“This squad is within the Special Forces? That’s what the United States Army Special Operations Command is isn’t it?”

“Yes. It's quite the skeleton of an organization right now. And while there are many wanting to become a part of the Special Forces they aren’t quite up there. Your physical performance evaluations are through the roof however. And recently you’ve shown excellent instincts. I’m hoping you can be a proper bridge between the exceptional that don’t fit in and the exceptional that do.”

When Olivia was a child and got in trouble for hunting radroaches on her own she had been severely punished. When she explained she just liked killing them for fun she had been given an even harsher punishment by her father. Olivia’s childhood had been filled with odd moments like that as her father had never recognized her talents. 

But standing before her right now? Augustus Autumn recognized Olivia. He saw her like no one else ever had.

Her young heart beat faster than ever before. Olivia’s senses tingled with a feeling of danger and thrill. She finally understood how men and women could so easily fall into this man’s gravity and never escape. 

‘Powerful indeed,’ she thought to herself with the slightest of smirks.

Chapter Text

Hannah Thorn
January 2th, 2279

The clean up after New Year’s celebration within Raven Rock had been quick. Personally Hannah believed that it had been a waste of time. Useless decorations and lights gave her a headache. The alcohol everyone in the bunker seemed to acquire from nowhere had pissed her off.

Those within the Enclave should be working. Not drinking and celebrating a date on the calendar. Hannah had the same opinion for every other holiday it seemed Autumn was pushing down the throats of Enclave personnel.

Everyone celebrated but she only worked. Worked on the inane things Autumn wanted and what the rest of the Cabinet decided was important. At the beginning of the reclamation she had been sent to work on salvaging all the technology from the beached aircraft carrier near the city. Two months later led to the reactor, engine parts, electronics, and much of the computer systems being salvaged. Plus several aircraft which had immediately been torn apart for their parts. They already possessed the schematics and they weren’t going to be needed at minimum another decade unless they miraculously encountered a strong nation state.

‘The simulators and high speed combat don't mix as well. Still many quirks to iron out.’

Begrudgingly she had to admit that salvaging the aircraft carrier had been fun. Though what the wastelanders had done to the interior of it wasn’t fun. After everything important had been stripped, Autumn ordered the entire carrier be dismantled. Autumn then ordered that a new aircraft carrier be made from the salvage. Since a section had been split off from the back a fair bit of the carrier must be recycled with most of the ship being dismantled so that it can be completely remade. All the internals were either to be recycled or completely refurbished.

A few had suggested taking over the Norfolk region to fully rebuild proper drydocks but they had discovered several aircraft carriers and a dozen small boats sunk during the Great War. Usually that wouldn’t be a problem but the aircraft carriers had fission reactors that melted down thus turning the coasts near Norfolk and Newport News into radioactive waste. 

After the discovery it had been decided that from a port the ship was to be constructed near Washington, DC. The completion date kept jumping around from 2283 to 2290. Eventually they had a reasonable completion date set to be around mid 2285. 

After Hannah completed most of her work on the aircraft carrier design and refurbishment of the reactor system she had been reassigned personally by the President. Most would consider it an honor but was she a part of the Liberty Prime team? Perhaps the cloning project to revive Pre-War animals? Maybe she would even be a part of the research team assigned to that android? Well she hadn’t been assigned to any of those. Instead she was stuck researching a tree-man mutant. 

When Enclave troopers at the beginning of the so-called reclamation of Washington discovered a giant plant-tree-man the troopers in charge contacted command. Autumn decided to ignore everyone else’s expertise on the matter and the cult surrounding the tree had been given medical supplies, food, and more luxurious relocation. 

When some of them refused the troopers had to be persuasive. Though she doubted Autumn would call it that since he disliked threatening so-called peaceful wastelanders. Once the town had been cleared the tree-man and the area around him had been put under study. When Hannah and her team examined the area she almost couldn’t believe her eyes. The tree-man mutant had actually restored a small region around himself.

She and her team had discussed at length with the tree about his origins and he seemed suicidal. In a rare moment he asked for death. After she refused he no longer seemed willing to speak to anyone within the Enclave. A part of her was grateful because a talking tree made her hatred of mutants rise up more than anything else. The tree even believed it had a name. 

‘Disgusting. Like all things on this rotted planet.”

Hannah had been ready to argue with Autumn to relocate the tree to Raven Rock but it seemed he had a moment of clarity and decided to order the relocation himself. Though not before deciding the tree had to die. Autumn hadn’t even spoken to the suicidal tree and she was sure nowhere in the reports listed the tree’s desire. Someone on her team must be reporting directly to Autumn or he just accurately assumed he desired death. She wished he had the same assumption for the rest of the wasteland. Do they not deserve the mercy of being wiped out? 

After many samples were taken the troopers and scientists administered a poison straight into the tree. The tree-man looked grateful in his final moments. When they uprooted him they found the environment hadn’t decayed or changed at all. More samples were being taken to check on any changes post-removal.

The man-tree had been put into a freezing chamber with Raven Rock to preserve the biggest and most valuable sample. 

Autumn and Dr. Matthews decided the best way to move forwards was to consult Dr. Braun, the creator of the GECK, on how to move forwards with the research. And just like that most of the authority on the research had been handed to that quack.

‘I guess consulting one of the greatest geniuses during the Pre-War era would convince anyone that they were more important than they actually were. If Autumn didn’t have a bias for Dr. Matthews then I would be in charge of Dr. Braun and ecological recovery efforts. Perhaps the de-facto leader of all science within the Enclave.’

The result of their consultation and the previous research acquired from the GECK and the Waters of America project that Autumn spearheaded was interesting but uncreative. What they named it was insulting on every level. 

‘Who names something that will be seen as a symbol of ecological efforts across the wasteland after someone they killed? Autumn, like usual, is a lunatic.’

Autumn named the land recovery sludge Eden’s Gift. And most people within the Enclave had just called it Eden Sludge since the liquid turns into a foamy sludge after it absorbs the byproducts of the nuclear war. Specific regions had been sprayed via vertibird and many farms had trucks visit them to deploy the liquid on their land. 

The fame of the effort went to the Enclave. Or she guessed the government. She still hadn’t known why Autumn retired the Enclave name. Removed every E in sight and flags were scrapped if they bore the symbol. The symbols of the Old World had been plastered all over the place. 

‘Autumn makes arbitrary decisions and consults no one as usual. Even explaining himself over removing a basic symbol is beyond him.’

The same symbol their parents used. The same symbol America had used for the last 200 years. Autumn without consulting anyone removed the symbol his own father, Julius Autumn, had used. The Enclave should’ve removed him immediately if she had any say.

Hannah hadn’t known how Autumn concealed the obvious fact he killed Eden. Or perhaps there was a level of fear and reverence. Dissatisfaction and the mental weakness known as depression had been rampant within the Enclave decades after leaving Navarro. Already everyone looked up to Autumn as the de-facto leader of the Enclave. Eden had just been a voice.

Haanah had believed she was destined to make a difference. Not for America but for the world. She wasn’t a soldier like Autumn but his own father wasn’t either. She had plans to replace Autumn since Eden hadn’t minded Julius being in charge when he had been alive. And unlike his son she was loyal to Eden. 

She remembered the day Autumn took over the Enclave. She had been trying to talk to Eden for the last few months to hopefully convince him that she was a more worthy leader. Eden, like usual, denied requests to meet personally. And their conversations through cameras was not enough. 

Autumn himself seemed to meet the President whenever he desired. Probably how he killed him. No Secret Service to protect him and no one to witness the act of barbarity. A fake suicide note that spit in the face of everyone who looked up to him. Autumn even had the audacity to show how much he grieved for him. He had paintings hung up within his office and planned memorials within DC itself with his likeness. He even had one already built at Adams Air Force Base. 

Even with several quotes attached showing how much Eden believed in humanity's progress and how he believed that humanity shouldn’t despise each other. 

Real inspiring stuff to the low intelligence wastelanders outside. Hannah could sometimes see wastelanders paying respect to the statue. Losing the Presidential voice that had been over the radio for years must’ve hit them in some way. Another point in Eden’s favor for even wastelanders knew deep down that Eden was the last hope for humanity. Even if they hadn’t known why. 

‘Even to the disgusting wastelanders Autumn would be seen as a disgusting degenerate if they knew of his crimes.’

Autumn ordered flags be raised up everywhere. All over DC and the bases they had controlled. It looked inspiring but it felt like a hollow attempt to convince the wastelanders they were Americans themselves. 

The average person within the Enclave ate it up. Every flag, every holiday, every firework event for July 4th. His speeches made men and women view him as some sort of deity. The fervor of support for both the government and Autumn himself was almost intoxicating. 

‘And slowly but surely they are being replaced by wastelanders.’

Hannah hadn’t believed Autumn words about the Enclave personnel being replaced. Sure everyone was rising in rank and prestige but overall the ground forces were rapidly expanding and some scientists even volunteered to become teachers. They couldn’t see the big picture. Once Autumn was done with them they would all be replaced. Probably killed like Eden was. 

___________________

Hannah had some allies in her beliefs. Some members of Autumn’s facade Congress which was meant to act as a replacement till actual officials were elected… from wastelanders. Which had been further proof of Autumn incompetence. 

Senator Roberts asked, “Are you sure, Dr. Thorn? The plan you're asking for is kinda subversive. President Autumn could very well replace us in his Congress. He’s the one to give us our positions in the first place.”

“I’m quite sure. More so than anything I believe Au… President Autumn to be a man of conviction. His beliefs towards democratic principles are real. He wouldn’t dare silence dissent if it manifests itself properly within the system.”

The one redeemable quality from Autumn was his unrelenting attitude to hearing criticism. A facade but one they could take advantage of. 

She could hear murmurs from the few other Congressmen gathered but the skeptical looks remained.

Senator Larry who she had found to be a staunch ally said, “I understand if some of you are unwilling to risk this. I implore you however to see it needs to be done. If President Autumn is left uncontested then he’ll be an autocrat in all but name. Already they’re forming a political faction themselves. They see the tide that might rise up against them.”

“You say that but what would this party even support? President Autumn has forbidden some of the more… extreme policies of the Enclave. Even if it's not written down anywhere we all know if we start preaching old ideals of purity or fleeing into space we’ll get canned.” Senator Roberts’ was proving to be difficult to convince. 

‘This old man is one of the more well respected members of the Enclave. He’s old but two decades ago he was in Dr. Matthews’ position as the head of sciences. Surprised he didn’t jump at the opportunity to join us considering Autumn halted all the FEV projects.’

Hannah couldn’t hold it in anymore, “We would be against the consensus of President Autumn’s followers. With his uncontested powers he already signed robotic labor laws. What did he call it? Getting ahead of the issue before it became a problem down the road? Let’s face it. He will use his power to make so-called corrections to American society.”

Senator Roberts’ raised an eyebrow. “President Autumn signed laws against corporations and small businesses using robots in favor of humans. Was what he signed even that controversial? He even put down that dangerous occupations using robot labor wouldn’t be touched.”

The law hadn’t raised much controversy. Back 200 years ago robotic labor laws favored corporations. The government desperately desired more war material and robots hadn’t required sleep and were cheaper overall instead of paying wages. Now that the desperation was gone? Autumn had decided that any business using robots en masse were subject to special taxes and regulations. Of course limited robotic use wasn’t hit with anything extreme but if a business was to go overboard they would find themselves finding it cheaper to hire human beings. If they wanted a massive amount of robots then they would need to hire a lot of humans. 

The government hadn’t been hit with such regulation luckily. Police officers, firefighters, and various agencies had permission to exploit robotic forces as much as they wanted if it prevented the risk to lives. 

Senator Larry spoke up. “We can all admit that letting corporations do as they please will go badly just as it had in the last decade before the nukes dropped. Vault-Tec and several other large corporations will no longer be able to stab us in the back if we properly enforce the new laws. But this is about government overreach. How far will we go to crush corporations? It’s not a sin to gain wealth is it? We’re capitalists. Not commies.”

When Senator Roberts’ heard Vault-Tec looked like he wanted to say something that wouldn’t go well. Even Hannah could admit that certain information was best kept out of the hands of common Enclave personnel and especially wastelanders. He had also looked insulted at the communist comment

“While I admit some of President Autumn’s policies seem anti-capitalist it does protect the common American from being exploited unfairly. Though I disagree with his rhetoric at times when he speaks of rogue corporations…”

Hannah almost prayed he wouldn't bring up Vault-Tec. Just a single report from one of the people within the room could have Autumn crush them all. Keeping Vault-Tec and Enclave connections to a minimum had been rule of law. 

Luckily the man had some sense. “...wasn’t Poseidon Energy proof of how far a corporation could go for America? We basically consumed the corporation during the days of the Sino-American War and they were all for it. Even for corporations that resist becoming government proxies such as RobCo we had great relationships with them.”

Senator Larry sensed the opening, “Exactly. We feel his rhetoric on the sins of the Old World brush off certain virtues. While we won’t be going against President Autumn's policies if they don’t go overboard, we want to present a faction aiming to preserve certain qualities of American life.”

Eventually the room began debating each other on policies they liked and disliked. Political theories and economic models were presented and much had been dismissed. Eventually they had decided on what their political party would be called. The Traditional Preservation Party. 

Eventually the other side would be calling themselves the National Liberty Party. While Hannah hadn’t been great at telling Autumn’s facial expression she could see his feelings had been mixed when his facade Congress organized themselves into something beyond being his yes men.