by M. P. Pubs
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Life Is Good … 2
Chapter 2: Innocence Lost … 7
Chapter 3: Following in His Footsteps … 20
Chapter 4: Power of the Atom … 21
Chapter 5: Family … 42
Chapter 6: The Morlocks … 54
Chapter 7: I Am So Screwed … 63
Chapter 8: Paradise Lost … 71
Chapter 9: It's Good to Have Friends … 81
Chapter 10: Tourist … 98
Chapter 11: Reilly's Rangers … 116
Chapter 12: An Offer I Can't Refuse … 141
Chapter 13: I, Android … 161
Chapter 14: The Lincoln Legacy … 189
Chapter 15: Emancipation … 209
Chapter 16: The Lone Wanderer Rises … 219
Chapter 17: On the Trail … 245
Chapter 18: The Man Behind the Curtain … 260
Chapter 19: Shattered Dreams … 275
Chapter 20: Brotherhood of Steel … 296
Chapter 1: Life Is Good
Marcus answered the final question and started breathing once more. As he sat back in his seat, he realized that sweat was running down his back. The G.O.A.T was something that every sixteen year old dreaded; the one test that would determine what ones job would be for the rest if their lives in Vault 101. Most of Marcus' friends felt he had nothing to worry about, seeing as how his father was the Vault's doctor and an overall brilliant man. But Marcus new the truth: he was nowhere near as smart as his father. Sure he hacked a couple of computers for fun, but that was easy. If only they gave points on the G.O.A.T for shooting, he thought. Using the BB gun his father secretly gave him for his tenth birthday, Marcus would practice taking out rad roaches in the Vault's lower levels; and he had racked up quite the "body" count over the years.
"Marcus!"
Marcus sighed. It was the teacher, Mr. Brotch. Time for the bad news, he thought as he got up and walked over to the front of Brotch's desk. "Yes?"
Mr. Brotch stared at the test in front of him. "Well Marcus, according to this you would be a good priest."
Marcus' eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "A priest! Are you serious?"
Brotch took a quick look around, and then leaned in closer. "Listen," he whispered, "I know the test is bullshit, okay. I normally don't do this, but I still owe your father for helping me last year."
Marcus knew what Brotch was talking about. One of the Vault's doors malfunctioned and slammed down onto Brotch, breaking his right leg. If not for the fast work of Marucs' father, there is little doubt that Brotch would've lost his leg completely. Marcus thought about the offer, but decided against it. He just wanted to get out of there. "Thank you, but I'll keep the results."
Brotch leaned back in his seat. "Alright. You're dismissed."
Marcus turned and headed out the door as fast as he could without running. He was only halfway down the first corridor, when a pair of hands pulled him into a storage closet. The door shut behind him and Marcus found himself in total darkness. His first thought was that it was Butch and his Tunnel Snakes gang looking for another fight. Marcus had had run-ins with them before, and despite being outnumbered, he was able to hold his own. Once Marcus had broken Butch's nose, which annoyed his father since he had to patch him up. As he braced himself for what he thought was the inevitable assault, instead of hitting him, his kidnapper kissed him! Even in the darkness, Marcus realized who it was. "Amata!"
The light to the storage room came on, and there was her beautiful face beaming with that incredible smile. She giggled as she saw the surprise on his face. "Surprised you, didn't I?"
Marcus answered by taking her into his arms and kissing her passionately. She returned his embrace, and for the next few moments no words were spoken. Finally they stopped, but only because they needed air. "So," Amata began, "how did it go?"
Marcus took a breath. "It said I would make a good priest."
Amata laughed, but quickly covered her mouth so that they couldn't be heard. "Well, you'd better not take a vow of celibacy, Mr."
Marcus smiled; she always knew how to make him feel better. "No priest could ever resist you."
Amata smiled and unconsciously bit her lower lip. Marcus knew what that meant and they embraced again. He wanted her so badly that he ached. As he began pulling the front zipper of her jump suit down, Amata's gentle hand stopped him. "I'm sorry, but I can't. My father's expecting me."
Marcus released the zipper and sighed in defeat. "When can I see you again?"
Amata could see the hunger in his eyes. "Tomorrow…. after class." She smiled and gave him one last kiss before leaving.
Marcus walked into his living quarters and was surprised to see his father there. Usually he would be in his lab until late in the day, so the fact that he was sitting as his desk was a bit unusual.
"Dad?"
James quickly placed the holotape he was listening to out of sight. "Marcus, come in. So, how was the G.O.A.T?"
Marcus sat down on the bed across from his father and told him the results.
"A priest, hu? Well don't worry, we'll find a place for you here."
Marcus nodded. "So what is that you're working on?"
James silently cursed himself for not hiding the holotape faster. "Oh….just some old research I was working on before you were born." He quickly changed the subject. "I know something that could cheer you up."
James stood and Marcus followed. "Where are we going?"
"To the lab, I have something to show you. But," he stopped and pointed directly at his son. "you must not tell anyone about this. You understand-no one. Not even Amata."
That last comment caught Marcus off guard. Everyone new that he and Amata were friends, they had been since childhood. But could his father know more…
"I promise." He managed to say.
James smiled. "That's my boy." He placed his arm around Marcus. "Come on, you'll love this."
Once they had reached the lab, James locked the door behind them. Only three people had the code to enter: James, his assistant Jonas, and the Overseer. James trusted Jonas with his life, but if the Overseer caught them it could spell disaster for both him and his son.
"What are we here for, Dad?"
James headed over to a door in the far side of the lab; a door that had always been locked and that Marcus had never set foot through. "Now you know all about you PIPBOY 2000, right? It can show you where you are, your current health, record and playback video and scan the air and water for radiation, right?"
Marcus nodded. The PIPBOY 2000 was invented by Vault-Tech (the same company that built Vault 101) before the Great War. Everyone in the vault was giving one when they were ten; as a rite of passage of sorts. Marcus could not understand what this had to do with what was behind that mysterious door.
James began punching in a code on the doors panel. "What you don't know is that just before the war, Vault-Tech was working on an updated PIPBOY." After entering the code and placing his thumb on a biometric scanner, the door slid open. "Behold: the PIPBOY 3000-the only prototype to survive the war."
Marcus stepped inside the room. It was the size of any storage closet and was empty except for a small pedestal in the center. Resting on the pedestal, under a glass cover and blue light, was the PIPBOY 3000. Marcus approached and stared at it in owe. The PIPBOY 3000 was just like the 2000-only it had a touch screen instead of the buttons that routinely broke off. Marcus knew that couldn't be the only upgrade to this beauty. "What does it do?"
His father removed the glass cover. "Well, in addition to everything that the 2000 can do, the 3000 has a feature called V.A.T.S." He handed
the PIPBOY to his son.
"What is V.A.T.S?" Marcus asked as he held and studied the pre-war tech.
"It stands for: Vault-Tech Assisted Targeting System. Do you notice the four small spikes on the inside of the device?"
Marcus looked and noticed the four quarter inch long spikes on the inside of the PIPBOY. This surprised him since this was the part of the PIPBOY that wrapped around ones arm. "Yes."
"Well, unlike your PIPBOY 2000 which you can take on and off, this model attaches directly to your central nervous system."
Marcus cringed at the thought of this spikes sinking into his flesh. "That sounds painful."
James chuckled. "Yes, but only for a few moments. The way the V.A.T.S system works is it allows you select up to three targets with your own eyes. By synchronizing your line of sight to your body movements, you have a 96% chance of hitting the target; from the tallest man to the smallest field mouse."
Marcus stared down at the PIPBOY once again. Imagine the rad roaches he could kill with this tech.
"But remember," His father continued, "after three targets you have to wait at least sixty seconds for it to recharge."
Marcus shrugged. "That's not long."
James smirked at his naivety. "When you're fighting for your life, a minute could make all the difference. "
Marcus looked up at his father-and wonder how it was he knew that. James took the PIPBOY and placed it back on its pedestal. "Come, we should leave now before we are caught."
As they left the secret room, Marcus couldn't help but ask: "Dad, why are you showing me this?"
James forced himself to smile; he couldn't bear to tell him the truth. "Can't a man spend some quality time with his son?"
Marcus smiled back. "I guess so."
James slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get some dinner."
Chapter 2: Innocence Lost
"Wake up!" Amata yelled as she nudged him violently. "Come on, wake up!"
Marcus seemed to be in a stupor as he rolled over and opened his eyes. He smiled when he realized who it was. "Oh…I'm having that dream again."
Amata responded with a slap. "This is no time to be a smartass! You have to get out of here!"
Now Marcus was fully alert and he quickly sat up. "What are you talking about?"
"Your father is gone! Somehow he left the Vault, and now my father's men are looking for you."
Marcus jumped to his feet and grabbed Amata's shoulders. "What do you mean he left the Vault? That's not possible!"
"It's true!" Amata fought back the tears. "Your father is gone and my father is furious. His men are on their way. He's questioning Jonas right now and I don't know what he's going to do to him."
Marcus couldn't believe what was happening. This had to be a dream; a very bad dream. "But….I had no idea what my father was planning….."
"I know that, but my father won't believe you. You're only chance is to leave the Vault."
Marcus was stunned. "Leave the Vault! How? There must be a dozen guards between here and the main door."
"There is a secret tunnel underneath my father's office that will take you directly to the entrance." She reached inside a small satchel and pulled out a 10mm pistol, which she placed into Marcus' hand. "Take this; I stole it from my father. It's loaded with about fifteen rounds."
Marcus looked down at the weapon, and his hands immediately started shaking. He stared into Amata's tear filled eyes. "I….I can't…"
"You must!" Amata stared at him with a determination he had not seen before. It was clear she was determined to keep Marcus safe-no matter what.
Reluctantly, Marcus silently nodded. Amata kissed him on the lips. "I'll try to delay them, you just get going. You'll have to hack into my father's computer to open the tunnel; I don't know his password." She stared at his PIPBOY 2000. "And take that thing off! They can track you with it."
He watched as she sprinted down the corridor. Marcus stood in his room frozen in place. In his mind he knew had to get going, but his body would not move. A million questions were going through his mind all at once, but the most frequent was: "Why? Why did he just leave me here?" Marcus stared at the pistol once again and he began to sweat as he thought about what he might have to do with it. Killing rad roaches was one thing, but killing another human being…..
The sound of the Vault's general alarm nearly caused Marcus to drop that very pistol. It was immediately followed by an announcement over the PA system:
"Attention all Vault personnel: we have a level one rad roach infestation on levels two and three. All available security personnel muster in the armory. All civilians stay in your quarters until you receive further instructions."
Marcus sprang into action. If there was any chance of him escaping, it would have to be now! He quickly got dressed in his jumpsuit and boots, grabbed his small back pack and began stuffing it with whatever he thought he might need on his journey. A change of clothes, some soap, three bottles of water, etc. As he turned to leave, his eyes caught site of the picture he had on his desk of himself and his father. Jonas had taken it on his tenth birthday; the same day Marcus received his BB gun from his father. The picture was in a frame that was engraved with his mother's favorite passage from the Bible. It was Revelation 21:6: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink from the spring of the water of life." He picked up the photo and stared at it, fighting back the tears. "Why?"
At that moment Marcus had made a decision: he would go out into the Wasteland and find his father. No matter how long it took, Marcus would have an answer to that question.
As he was about to place the picture into his backpack, the back of the frame fell out and landed on his desk. Marcus looked down and saw that a small holotape had fallen out with the photograph. "What the hell?" He picked it up and studied it for a moment. He knew time was running out, but curiosity had gotten the better of him. Marcus slid the small disc into his PIPBOY and pressed play. He immediately recognized the voice of his father:
"Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first. I... I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe someday things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going."
"Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with."
"Okay. Go ahead. Goodbye. I love you, son."
Marcus stood there silent for several minutes. "Something he had to do?" He thought out load. "What could possibly be so important out in that hell hole?" Marcus sighed: more questions.
After removing the holotap, Marcus removed his PIPBOY and placed it on the floor in front of him. He then picked up his baseball bat and smashed it until the power light went out. Marcus began making his way down the long corridors of the Vault towards the Overseer's office on the first level. So far he hadn't run into anyone; the rad roach problem seemed to be taking care of that. He had just climbed the stairs to the second level when his luck ran out.
"You! Hold it right there!"
Marcus was standing face to face with two of the Vaults security guards, who were both dressed in riot gear and had their pistols drawn. He recognized them as officer's Gomez and Mack. Gomez was always nice to Marcus and his father, but Mack had always been a bully. Marcus raised his hands and slowly backed away. "I don't want any trouble."
Mack ignored him. "You're under arrest for treason."
That was not the reaction Marcus was hoping for. "Tre
ason! I haven't done anything….."
"Shut up! And stop fucking moving!"
Marcus continued his slow retreat as the guards approached. "I just want to leave, okay. No one has to get hurt."
"Don't make this any harder on yourself, kid." It was Gomez who spoke this time, and judging by his tone, he wasn't enjoying this either.
The door to Officer Mack's left slid open-and he barely had time to scream before three rad roaches leaped on him. Gomez stepped back and fired four shots wildly, missing three of them. Marcus watched in horror as the rad roach sitting on Mack's chest ripped a huge chunk of flesh out of his throat.
The roaches were now focused on Gomez, who was screaming and firing his pistol as they swarmed him. Marcus knew this could be his only chance, but he couldn't let Gomez suffer such a fate. He saw Gomez go down as a rad roach sunk its teeth into his left leg. Drawing the 10mm pistol, Marcus took aim at the roach now climbing up Gomez's torso and fired. The bullet struck the rad roach's head and exploded. Marcus fired four more rounds and made quick work of the last two.
Gomez pushed the dead roach off his chest. Marcus slowly approached him. "Are you alright?"
Gomez held his leg and winced in pain. "I'll live," he stared up at Marcus. "thanks to you, kid. Listen, just get out of here, okay. As far as anyone else is concerned, you were never here."
Marcus began to breathe a little easier. As he walked passed the carnage, Gomez called out to him. "Hey kid!"
He tensed up and turned, fearing that Gomez had changed his mind.
Gomez pulled a 10mm magazine from his vest and tossed it at him. "You may need this."
Marcus caught the magazine and thanked him. Not wanting to risk another encounter, he decided to take a different route; one that he hadn't taken since his childhood. The ventilation shafts were always his favorite "playground", and he'd spent many hours exploring them. As he squeezed into one, he realized the shafts were a lot tighter than he had remembered; probably because he was nine the last time he was inside of one. Luckily the shafts were big enough for a man to crawl through, and soon he found himself on the first level. He was heading for the Overseer's office when he heard loud voices coming from the other direction. Marcus realized they were coming from his father's lab, so he decided to make a detour.
