Ghosts of the Past
2078:
Inside the dark ruins of a large derelict building somewhere in California, a lone figure, wearing a suit akin to a Chinese Stealth Suit and armed with a G36C Assault Rifle.
With his rifle raised and the night vision function of his suit on, the figure slowly made his way through the debris and finds an automatic door.
He forcibly opens the door and finds several partially decomposed bodies, all occupying most of the space in a narrow hallway, on the other side. The closest body seemingly reaching for the door…
The figure slowly moves forward, careful not to disturb the dead… Each body felt like a blade hitting the figure's heart…
He soon emerges from the hallway and finds so many bodies littering a collapsed open area of the building. It was a makeshift evacuation center...
Traversing through the area, the figure stops as he sees a heart wrenching sight…
2 bodies, decomposed beyond recognition, were hugging one another.
One seemed to be an adult and the other… a child… Based on the height, the figure deduced that the child was around 14 years old… Behind them, he notices a partially intact billboard.
It reads: "Vault-Tec: Revolutionizing safety for an uncertain future"
The figure grips his rifle tightly, trying to hold his anger, as he moves on.
After walking for a few minutes, the figure reaches a dead end, a huge metallic door blocks his path.
It looked like a bomb shelter door and bodies littered the outside, one would assume that these poor souls were left to die as the shelter doors closed…
The figure looks around and finds a terminal. Pressing a few buttons on his left arm, the figure was able to hack the terminal forcing the shelter doors to open.
As the doors slowly open, the figure cocks his rifle and moves on.
Inside, tables and furniture were neat and tidy but there was not even a single soul in sight…
The facility was dark and seemed to have no power.
It did not take long for the figure to hear activity inside.
"I heard the blast doors open" a voice echoed through the halls "Let's check it out"
Hearing this, the figure quickly retreats into the shadows as 3 individuals, armed with heavy modified M4A1s, run past him.
The figure quickly stalks the men to the entrance.
"Someone opened this…" One of the armed men said as the three separately investigate the area
The figure places his G36 in a corner and creeps towards one of the unsuspecting men.
He quickly grabs one of them and slits his throat while dragging him back into the dark parts of the area.
Still oblivious of his presence, the remaining two men continue investigating.
The figure quickly made his way to his next target.
He grabs the unsuspecting individual but the man yells, alerting his colleague.
The figure quickly snaps his neck and throws his knife, landing between his eyes.
With the area clear, the figure checks on the bodies.
He quickly notices the Vault-Tec insignia in the armor of all 3 individuals.
"Knew it" he muttered as he further examines the armor.
He eventually realizes that the armor worn by these armed men bore a striking resemblance to a prototype armor presented by West Tek years ago…
A short while later, the figure picks up his rifle and continues to moves stealthily through the area.
Reaching a large warehouse, the figure sees several Vault-Tec soldiers patrolling the area, which is now lit.
Transport vehicles were parked at the very end of the warehouse, all loaded with equipment and other items.
"Cleaning house, huh…" the figure thought
Opting to remain hidden, the figure deactivates his night vision and sticks to the shadows as he moves through the facility, avoiding contact and combat at all costs.
Eventually, the figure reaches a narrow hallway. He moves quickly, hoping that he won't run into any trouble.
As he reaches an intersection, he quickly spots a Vault-Tec guard emerge from the other hallway.
The figure quickly hides behind a wall. Seconds later, he took a peek and the individual is still there.
He waited for the Vault-Tec soldier to move to the other corridor.
As the soldier did that, the figure quickly made his way to the opposite hall.
After sneaking past more soldiers, the figure finds himself in what seems to be the command center as several individuals are sitting down behind terminals, seemingly purging their databases and files.
Wasting no time, the figure quickly makes his way to one of the unwary individuals.
He puts his rifle on his back and draws his silenced H&K MK 23.
The figure quickly goes for one of the individuals at the back of the room.
"Don't make a sound" the figure said pointing his pistol at the man "Put all the files here"
The figure then hands over a holotape to the man, who complies.
After getting back the holotape, the figure pistol whips the hapless individual, knocking him out.
He then covertly carries the body and hides it in a nearby closet.
He then checks the files uploaded into the holotape.
Plans, weapon schematics, maps. The holotape was loaded with information.
Pleased with this fortunate turn of events, the figure uses the map to look for the facility's reactor.
He presses a button on his left arm and his visor lights up as a circle appears on his upper left corner with the label: Surround Indicator written at the bottom.
Sensitive to sound, the visor enables the figure to estimate the location of the enemy soldiers via the sound of their footsteps.
Stealthily passing through heavily guarded labs and foundries, the figure eventually comes across a peculiar room.
On the outside, it looked like any other lab in the area. However, the figure had a feeling that something was off with this room and investigates further.
Entering the back room, the figure finds several bodies sprawled against the wall.
They were all wearing either a lab coat, suits, or BDUs.
It was the aftermath of an execution…
The figure did not utter a word. He simply did a sign of the cross and moves on.
Sometime later, he makes it to the reactor.
He deactivates his Surround Indicator and quickly plants explosives around the reactor.
Just as the bomb's timer begins its countdown, the figure feels a looming sense of dread.
He turns around and quickly pushes his would-be assailant's rifle, an AN-94, upwards.
A few bullets were fired.
The figure quickly brought out his knife and stabs the soldier several times in the chest, killing him.
Unfortunately, the entire base was alerted to the sound of gunfire as several Vault Tec soldier converge on the figure's position.
The figure quickly grabs his G36 and proceeds to fight his way through the base.
"He's over here!" a Vault Tec soldier cried out as they open fire
Hiding behind a wall, the figure checks his timer.
"3:30" it says.
With little time left, the figure throws a flashbang towards the enemy forces.
The grenade succeeds in stunning his adversaries as the figure charges forward, opening fire on the stunned enemies.
Reaching the control room, the figure is pinned down behind the upper consoles as more enemy soldiers converge on his location.
The figure quickly moves from cover to cover, firing a few bursts in between.
The enemy soldiers slowly but surely close the distance to the figure, who has been hiding behind cover for some time.
With a nod, the soldiers quickly move and shoot at the figure, which turns out to be a hologram.
They pick up the disk that created the hologram as they notice too late that the figure had reached the door and locks it behind them.
In the warehouse area, the figure hastens his pace as he checks the timer which reads "0:46"
With more enemy soldiers entering the fray, the figure quickly throws a smoke grenade to cover his escape as a hail of bullets rain on the area.
Reaching the blast doors and with only 30 seconds left, the figure quickly accesses the outside terminal to close the doors.
The yellow alarm light comes alive as the doors slowly close.
The figure uses the doors as cover as he engages the enemy soldiers coming from the facility.
The doors were nearly closed as the timer runs out. The earth shakes as explosions can be heard from afar.
The figure then throws a frag grenade towards the enemy soldiers, who duck behind cover.
The doors eventually close shut as a force from the inside causes him to step back and lose a bit of his balance.
The figure then draws a cross in the dirt before leaving the area…
Sometime later:
Reaching the top part of the derelict building, the lone figure looks at the destruction that befell the city as irradiated winds blow through the cloudy landscape, with not a single ray of sunlight in sight.
He soon sees the remains of a flagpole. On top of it were the fluttering remains of 2 flags, one from the defunct state of California and, below it, West Tek.
2312
Broken Hills (Downtown)
Midday:
Under the heat of the blistering sun, Rufus wanders into the long abandoned mining town…
Wearing his father's customized Vault 101 suit alongside a brown trench coat, a blue bandanna over his face and armed with a R91 assault rifle, he presses onward into the town alone.
He stops midway and runs into one of the old buildings as several shots rain down on his position.
Crouching behind a wall, Rufus peeks through an open window and sees several raiders, each armed with different firearms.
"Well. Well. Well" one of the raiders said firing at Rufus' position "Pretty shitty timing for you to end up getting lost"
Rufus returns fire, prompting the raiders to take cover as well.
"A fighter" a female raider remarked "I'm gonna enjoy splattering your remains!"
Seeing a small crack in the wall, Rufus quickly goes prone and crawls through the hole, going to the adjacent building.
He crouches and takes cover behind an old door.
Looking through a hole, he sees the raiders surrounding the building he was in.
"Come out, little mouse!" a raider shouted "Make it easy for yourself and just give up. I'll make it quick, I promise"
Rufus then brings out a suppressor and attaches it to his rifle as the raider continues to taunt him.
He gets into position near a window, readies his rifle, and fires a single shot.
The bullet pierces the taunting raider's head, alerting his allies.
"What?!" another raider shouted "Where'd that come from?!"
Rufus fires again, killing another raider.
"Shit! He's hiding in one of those buildings! Burn him out!"
The raiders quickly scramble, throwing grenades into the first building.
As the raiders neared Rufus' position, the ranger slings his rifle and brings out a 10mm pistol.
Before the raiders could even pull the pin, Rufus bursts through the glass window.
He flicks his left wrist and stabs the unsuspecting raider in the neck. He then fired his pistol on the 2 other raiders, killing them, as the rest open fire on him.
Rufus quickly takes cover behind some old mining equipment.
The raiders rain heavy fire on Rufus' position, all the while walking slowly towards him.
Sensing this, Rufus brings out a grenade he stole from one of the raiders.
He pulls the pin and throws it at the raiders, who quickly jump out of the way.
Rufus quickly broke cover and fired his rifle on the raiders, killing the exposed ones first.
The raiders return fire as Rufus runs from cover to cover.
It did not take long for him to reach the remaining raiders and engaged them in melee combat.
They were quickly decimated by Rufus' superior skills in combat.
With the area clear, Rufus resumes his investigation of the abandoned town.
He accesses his Pip-boy for a moment as a marker appears on his map.
Broken Hills (Residential):
Following the map marker, Rufus in front of a building entangled by plant vines and foliage.
Carefully entering the building, Rufus finds the inside of the building almost completely devoid of light.
"Thick foliage…" Rufus muttered, turning on his Pip-Boy light "Huh… Couldn't have found a more comforting hiding spot, Alex?"
Going through the building, Rufus ends up in what appears to be a backyard.
It didn't take long for the wanderer to be confronted by a spore plant.
He readies his rifle but the mutant plant did not attack him.
It was a few minutes of silence with the two adversaries staring at one another.
Suddenly, the spore plant spoke. "So what will you do?"
Rufus' eyes widen. "Huh?"
"You heard me" the plant spoke again "Will you shoot me?"
"Uh…"
"Ha! I see that you are not like those brainless raiders there!"
"Brainless raiders?"
"You see, my good fellow, after the town was abandoned, I was left here, alone, for years. I was lonely, you know. Then this band of humans came. I was so excited to finally have human contact but I quickly realized that they were beyond friendly. Luckily, they did not draw near as the foliage in this building was enough to deter them"
"A sociable plant… Wow… I guess there IS a first time for everything"
"Anyway, why are you here?"
"Uh… I was following a marker on my map. You didn't happen to interact with a middle-aged gentleman, did you?"
"You know Mr. Alexander?"
"Right… So you did interact with him…"
"So you must be Rufus then"
"Yes. And you are?"
"Seymour"
"Right well… I'm guessing you know where he hid the item I want"
"As a matter of fact, I do. He put it inside a Vault-Tec Lunchbox and buried it over there by the old wooden barrels"
"Typical…"
Rufus then proceeds to dig through and eventually, finds the lunchbox.
He quickly opens it, grabs the holotape, and proceeds to play it.
Nice work getting part 2, Rufus.
Now, I'll start from the beginning. After the NCR campaign on D.C. ended 5 years ago, we all found out about the NCR's experiments on live humans and non-feral ghouls.
We know they produced the Black Suits and those other abominations.
Oliver's statements and documents were enough proof to convince the public but the rest of the data went missing. Do you remember that?
Their origins, the head honcho of the entire operation, the one who pioneered the entire experiment in the first place… They all disappeared…
Not to mention that countless NCR citizens, scientists, politicians, and military personnel were murdered in cold blood, Oliver included.
Not one of those cases were ever solved… No one knows who killed them and why.
I think you should already know the answer to this.
It's Vault-Tec. They knew we were on to them so they cleaned house.
I know it's not over yet. They still have their manipulative hands running deep within the NCR.
We may have had a reelection and new people may have taken power but not every one of them has great intentions.
Watch yourself, Rufus. Trust only those who you truly believe in.
Unfortunately, we can't completely trust our own government yet.
God Speed.
Now, the code for this one is Abusive
By the way, how did you like Broken Hills? That place used to be a symbol of unity between super mutants, ghouls, and humans.
Sad that it was abandoned just because the nearby uranium mines were dried out…
Anyway, part 3 is located in an old farm where 'ghosts' were rumored to be walking around.
Happy hunting!
As the recording ends, Rufus approaches the spore plant.
"So" the plant said "Since you are here then that means something happened to Mr. Alexander"
"Yes" Rufus replied
"That's sad… But I hope you will catch whoever did that to him and bring them to justice"
"I will. I swear it"
"What will you do now?"
"I have my next destination on hand"
"Take care, friend. Mr. Alexander spoke highly of you"
"How long have you interacted with Alex?"
"Years actually. He was the only one who ever talked to me ever since the town was abandoned"
"Wait. I thought you said you were lonely for years"
"I was. The last kind human who talked to me replanted me here. She was a nice girl. I hear she ended up saving the world"
"Saving the world huh… But how did Alex get past those raiders?"
"That's easy. He had a stealth boy. Raiders are not exactly known for their intelligence, now are they?"
"You have a point"
"You be careful now"
"Thank you. I'll be sure to bring Alex here when all this is over"
"That would be mighty kind of you. Actually, if you can bring this whole town back that'd be great too"
Rufus smiles and waves goodbye to the friendly spore plant.
Navarro (former Enclave Military Base):
Barracks
8:30pm:
Inside the mess hall, the members of Wolf Pack were playing a rousing game of cards.
"A queen" Owen said placing a card face down on the table
"Bullshit, Owen" Marta quickly called
"Bullshit?" Owen responded "Damn it, Marta. You always accuse me of bullshitting in this game!"
"That's cuz you ARE full of shit!"
"That hurts, you know. I may be a man that enjoys battles but I still have emotions and feelings too, you know!"
"Yeah. Yeah. Cry me a river. Now show me your card!"
"Tch…"
Owen then reveals his card, which turns out to be the Queen of hearts.
"So?" Owen said with a smug look "Am I still full of shit?"
"Yes" Marta said getting all the cards in the pile.
"King" Vivian said putting down a card "Anyway, you guys notice that Ellie and Talon are taking their time down in the medical labs?"
"I know right?" Owen replied "I know it's to check on Talon's condition but geez… They took up the entire day"
"Maybe Talon's mutation is not as simple as we think?" Jonas theorized
"That is true but…" Owen responded "… Why did we all have to go on standby? The four of us could have followed up on our lead already"
"That proves exactly why you're full of shit" Marta added
"What?!"
"Think, 'genius'. Vault-Tec doesn't mess around. We already lost Dallas. I don't think Ellie is willing to risk any more unnecessary losses just to get back at Vault-Tec"
"That is true" Vivian added "My dad told me stories about Ellie once. He described her as being devoid of empathy and very devoted to the Enclave's cause"
"One's perception is affected by their environment and upbringing" Jonas interjected "Ellie's experiences throughout the decades have changed her for the better, at least in my eyes"
"Alright enough with the sappy crap" Owen interrupted "Let's get back to the game. Jonas, your turn"
Medical Labs:
"These are some very interesting finds" Ellie said as she looks at several files in her terminal
"What did you find out?" Talon asked
"Your mutation is the result of another modified strain of the FEV. But this strain is rather old and primitive, you're actually lucky you didn't end up becoming a mindless super mutant. Something in your body caused the virus to form a symbiosis with them. The result is not only your arm but also your physical traits as well. Becoming stronger, more perceptive, and not to mention your wounds heal almost as fast as mine"
"So… What does this mean exactly?"
"Basically, you're a unique case. Normally, you should have turned into a super mutant but instead of doing that, the virus harmonized with your body. About your arm, it's not just a lump of mutated flesh but rather a carapace akin to a mirelurk's. It has a hard outer shell that, based on my findings, can withstand tremendous forces. In lay man terms, it means that you can use your arm not only as a weapon but also as a shield. Now, I'm formulating a serum so that you can suppress the FEV strain inside of you in order for you to be able to utilize a normal human left arm"
"What? You can do that?"
"I'm still formulating but if done right, I should be able to create a serum that would act as an inhibitor so that you won't have to constantly live with a mutated arm for the rest of your days"
"I am grateful for this but are we not on a mission? Should we not proceed with our next objective? Vault-Tec will not let us wait"
Ellie stopped for a moment and was silent. She laid her head low and was in deep thought.
"Ellie?" Talon called
"I lost a good friend to Vault-Tec because I was careless. Underestimating your enemy is the greatest mistake anyone could ever make. It may look like I'm being too cautious but it must be done. Don't get me wrong. We will strike back at Vault-Tec eventually. But if we are to succeed, we must not do things hastily lest we trip on the finish line"
"I understand. I'm sorry for bringing it up"
"It's ok. Now, let's get back to formulating that serum"
"Right!"
Hallowed Moors Cemetery:
Midnight:
Johannes, wearing leather armor, walks into the dark abandoned chapel.
He sits down in a corner to rest, lighting a cigarette.
Seconds later, an individual, wearing Chinese Stealth Armor, uncloaks in front of the former rebel leader.
"Do you know why I'm here?" the individual asked with a menacing tone
"I'm not sure" Johannes replied puffing a smoke "Either you're here to kill me or ask for my assistance. Which one is it?"
"You know where the artifacts are, correct?"
"Yes. But I'm sure you all know that by now"
The individual did not respond.
"Judging from the fact that you came hunting for me and did not kill me on sight means that you can't access it"
"Yes. And you know how to open it, right?"
"Maybe. The vault is locked pretty well. Whoever made that vault, really wanted those items to be kept a secret"
"Mr. Oppenheim has offered you a second chance. You are to find a way to access the vault and deliver the artifacts to him. Take too long and your life is forfeit. Am I clear?"
Johannes laughs for a moment. "Crystal clear, chief. I'll find a way to open your vault"
"Do not fail us again"
The individual then disappears into the night.
Finishing up his cigarette, Johannes brings out an old photo of him, Gerard, and Ellie.
"The good ol days, eh Gerard?" Johannes muttered "The players have begun their moves… I wonder what will happen this time. Will we have a repeat of the mistakes of the past? Or will a different ending surface?"
The Vault-Tec conspirator then lights another cigarette as he looks into the night sky.