Blue Vegas
Member
- Messages
- 22
It was gone. Everything that they had built over the last two centuries. This was a disaster of unmitigated proportions. Adams Air Force Base was up in flames, the final bastion of hope for the Enclave, the true government, the true Americans of this great country.
Gone.
Renee watched the flames lick the night sky, smoke billowing up to mingle with unseen clouds. The Brotherhood of Steel was starting to move in to clear the wreckage, to murder any of her remaining friends. Her family. She needed to run, to get as far away from this place as possible. Whatever she did, it needed to happen now. If the Brotherhood, or worse, The Lone Wanderer, found her now, she was as good as dead.
She dropped her rifle and fled, effectively committing treason against the Enclave. Running away from the fires that raged behind her, from the life that she was born into. But where was she going to run? The Brotherhood was everywhere in the Capital Wasteland, and Renee would stand out like a sore thumb in Rivet City or Megaton.
Where was she going to go?
Every night was like this lately. She'd hear the tiniest noise and go ballistic, afraid the Brotherhood had finally found her, that someone had recognised her, that her past had finally caught up with her. Dammit, Renee used to be a damn prodigy for the Enclave, and now she was hiding in a rundown shack on the water's edge, like a ghoul!
But where had she gone in all this time? From the Capital Wasteland, Renee had traveled north to Pittsburgh. Sadly, the irradiated hellscape that was now The Pitt quickly made her move on, lest she become enslaved. Learning her lesson to avoid ground zero, she moved north-west to Lake Erie and followed the water up until she hit Buffalo.
She'd stayed in Buffalo for five years, but the Brotherhood arrived to take technology from local raiders. Without even a goodbye to her new life, she ran into Canada and followed the water of Lake Ontario into New York State, but still wanted to avoid the hellish graveyard that was New York City. So Renee moved East, crossing Vermont, and entering Massachusetts. Concord was her first city in this state, and she was run out, exhausted, by raiders.
Renee collapsed not far from a small farm called Tenpines Bluff. The siblings living there tended to her wounds. and in exchange for the medicine she had used up, Renee indentured herself as a farmer for a year. Once her contract ended, she moved on with the knowledge she could always come back... if she ever deigned to.
And now, in 2287, ten years after her life had completely collapsed because of a Vault Dweller who thought they knew what was best for everyone, she was sitting in a self-made shack north of Salem, built out of a destroyed house. The crazy man in Salem was willing to trade whenever she needed something, in exchange for her intelligence in scientific endeavours. Usually bomb making.
'Who's there?' Renee said, checking that the safety was off her pistol.
'Sorry,' came the voice. It was a woman. 'I didn't mean to disturb you.'
'Too late. What do you want?'
The door opened and Renee saw a sight that made her blood boil. Blue and yellow, the trademark jumpsuit of the vault dwellers. This woman, though... she looked like she had barely spent a week above ground. Was that possible? Renee decided to hear her out for now. Could always kill her later.
'I was just heading to Salem, but I need somewhere to spend the night. If it's not too much bother..?'
The vault dweller was maybe in her late-thirties, with chestnut brown hair and frayed green eyes. Renee sighed and put her pistol down.
'I only have one bed. You'll have to sleep on the floor.'
Renee was hoping this would deter the vault dweller, but the woman smiled.
'Oh, that's ok, least I can lay down.'
The woman laid herself down on the floor next to Renee's bed.
'By the way, I'm Nora.'
'I don't care. You're leaving tomorrow.'
Nora clicked her tongue against her teeth.
'You seem agitated.'
'That's because a crazy vault dweller came to my house at midnight, woke me up, and is now sleeping on my floor.'
'Sorry. I just... I haven't met many friendly people since I left the vault. Most shoot at me.'
Renee sighed again, a drawn out sound of annoyance, but Nora continued.
'My son was taken. By a mercenary... I need to find them, kill the bastard who took my baby, and killed my... Nate... oh god...'
Nora started crying on the floor, and Renee groaned at the sound. Why did this have to happen to her? Why?! Was something punishing her? Nora made no signs of stopping, so Renee looked down onto the floor.
'How old is you son...' she asked begrudgingly.
'He's just a b-baby. And that... he took him. I have no idea why. There was a doctor with him, or a scientist.'
'Sounds like the Institute. Look at that, solved the kidnapping for you.'
Nora blinked blearingly at Renee above her.
'Who are they?'
'The Institute are the boogeyman of the Commonwealth, Nora. Every wasteland has one. In Washington, it's the Enclave. In Pittsburgh, it's the Trogs. In New York, it's the Reavers. Here, it's the Institute.'
'But who are they?' Nora persisted.
Renee had no idea how to answer that. Even to the Enclave in the past, the Institute was largely an unknown.
'No one knows.' Renee finally admitted. 'And no one can help you. No one will, either.'
Nora pushed herself up off the floor, and towered over Renee.
'Someone will know something! They have to!'
'No one helps anyone out here,' Renee said quietly. 'You have to think about number one before you think of anything else. Every day you aren't dead is a victory. That's life out here.'
Nora's eye twitched as Renee slowly stood to her level. Huh... they were the same height.
'Everyone is selfish now? Everyone only thinks about themselves?'
'That's what I'm saying. You can't trust anyone, and you can't rely on anyone. '
Nora's hand dropped to the holster on her hip, and Renee punched the vault dweller in the face, knocking her to the ground. Renee aimed her gun at Nora's face.
'Wait-'
The sound filled the shack, and Nora's head exploded. Bone shrapnel, blood spatters and brainy gristle scattered over the floor. Renee sighed, then put her handgun down on the bed, sitting down on the floor.
'There's no exception to the rules. Even to a vault dweller...'
Then a dark thought entered Renee's head. What better way to hide who you were... then to hide in plain sight. She'd made a life of hiding from the Brotherhood, and by avoiding settlements like Diamond City, but a vault dweller... most people would see a vault dweller and assume they know nothing about this world. It's the perfect disguise. But it wasn't just a matter of wearing the jumpsuit. It was the computer on the wrist. The Pip-Boy.
'Am I really doing this?' Renee asked herself seriously.
Was there any other choice? The Enclave survived through her. If she died now...
Renee grabbed the jumpsuit's zip.
Gone.
Renee watched the flames lick the night sky, smoke billowing up to mingle with unseen clouds. The Brotherhood of Steel was starting to move in to clear the wreckage, to murder any of her remaining friends. Her family. She needed to run, to get as far away from this place as possible. Whatever she did, it needed to happen now. If the Brotherhood, or worse, The Lone Wanderer, found her now, she was as good as dead.
She dropped her rifle and fled, effectively committing treason against the Enclave. Running away from the fires that raged behind her, from the life that she was born into. But where was she going to run? The Brotherhood was everywhere in the Capital Wasteland, and Renee would stand out like a sore thumb in Rivet City or Megaton.
Where was she going to go?
Ten Years Later
Renee's eyes snapped open, and she sat up, pointing her handgun at the door. Cold sweat dripped down her face at the sound of the bang, like metal on a hardwood floor.
Every night was like this lately. She'd hear the tiniest noise and go ballistic, afraid the Brotherhood had finally found her, that someone had recognised her, that her past had finally caught up with her. Dammit, Renee used to be a damn prodigy for the Enclave, and now she was hiding in a rundown shack on the water's edge, like a ghoul!
But where had she gone in all this time? From the Capital Wasteland, Renee had traveled north to Pittsburgh. Sadly, the irradiated hellscape that was now The Pitt quickly made her move on, lest she become enslaved. Learning her lesson to avoid ground zero, she moved north-west to Lake Erie and followed the water up until she hit Buffalo.
She'd stayed in Buffalo for five years, but the Brotherhood arrived to take technology from local raiders. Without even a goodbye to her new life, she ran into Canada and followed the water of Lake Ontario into New York State, but still wanted to avoid the hellish graveyard that was New York City. So Renee moved East, crossing Vermont, and entering Massachusetts. Concord was her first city in this state, and she was run out, exhausted, by raiders.
Renee collapsed not far from a small farm called Tenpines Bluff. The siblings living there tended to her wounds. and in exchange for the medicine she had used up, Renee indentured herself as a farmer for a year. Once her contract ended, she moved on with the knowledge she could always come back... if she ever deigned to.
And now, in 2287, ten years after her life had completely collapsed because of a Vault Dweller who thought they knew what was best for everyone, she was sitting in a self-made shack north of Salem, built out of a destroyed house. The crazy man in Salem was willing to trade whenever she needed something, in exchange for her intelligence in scientific endeavours. Usually bomb making.
'Who's there?' Renee said, checking that the safety was off her pistol.
'Sorry,' came the voice. It was a woman. 'I didn't mean to disturb you.'
'Too late. What do you want?'
The door opened and Renee saw a sight that made her blood boil. Blue and yellow, the trademark jumpsuit of the vault dwellers. This woman, though... she looked like she had barely spent a week above ground. Was that possible? Renee decided to hear her out for now. Could always kill her later.
'I was just heading to Salem, but I need somewhere to spend the night. If it's not too much bother..?'
The vault dweller was maybe in her late-thirties, with chestnut brown hair and frayed green eyes. Renee sighed and put her pistol down.
'I only have one bed. You'll have to sleep on the floor.'
Renee was hoping this would deter the vault dweller, but the woman smiled.
'Oh, that's ok, least I can lay down.'
The woman laid herself down on the floor next to Renee's bed.
'By the way, I'm Nora.'
'I don't care. You're leaving tomorrow.'
Nora clicked her tongue against her teeth.
'You seem agitated.'
'That's because a crazy vault dweller came to my house at midnight, woke me up, and is now sleeping on my floor.'
'Sorry. I just... I haven't met many friendly people since I left the vault. Most shoot at me.'
Renee sighed again, a drawn out sound of annoyance, but Nora continued.
'My son was taken. By a mercenary... I need to find them, kill the bastard who took my baby, and killed my... Nate... oh god...'
Nora started crying on the floor, and Renee groaned at the sound. Why did this have to happen to her? Why?! Was something punishing her? Nora made no signs of stopping, so Renee looked down onto the floor.
'How old is you son...' she asked begrudgingly.
'He's just a b-baby. And that... he took him. I have no idea why. There was a doctor with him, or a scientist.'
'Sounds like the Institute. Look at that, solved the kidnapping for you.'
Nora blinked blearingly at Renee above her.
'Who are they?'
'The Institute are the boogeyman of the Commonwealth, Nora. Every wasteland has one. In Washington, it's the Enclave. In Pittsburgh, it's the Trogs. In New York, it's the Reavers. Here, it's the Institute.'
'But who are they?' Nora persisted.
Renee had no idea how to answer that. Even to the Enclave in the past, the Institute was largely an unknown.
'No one knows.' Renee finally admitted. 'And no one can help you. No one will, either.'
Nora pushed herself up off the floor, and towered over Renee.
'Someone will know something! They have to!'
'No one helps anyone out here,' Renee said quietly. 'You have to think about number one before you think of anything else. Every day you aren't dead is a victory. That's life out here.'
Nora's eye twitched as Renee slowly stood to her level. Huh... they were the same height.
'Everyone is selfish now? Everyone only thinks about themselves?'
'That's what I'm saying. You can't trust anyone, and you can't rely on anyone. '
Nora's hand dropped to the holster on her hip, and Renee punched the vault dweller in the face, knocking her to the ground. Renee aimed her gun at Nora's face.
'Wait-'
The sound filled the shack, and Nora's head exploded. Bone shrapnel, blood spatters and brainy gristle scattered over the floor. Renee sighed, then put her handgun down on the bed, sitting down on the floor.
'There's no exception to the rules. Even to a vault dweller...'
Then a dark thought entered Renee's head. What better way to hide who you were... then to hide in plain sight. She'd made a life of hiding from the Brotherhood, and by avoiding settlements like Diamond City, but a vault dweller... most people would see a vault dweller and assume they know nothing about this world. It's the perfect disguise. But it wasn't just a matter of wearing the jumpsuit. It was the computer on the wrist. The Pip-Boy.
'Am I really doing this?' Renee asked herself seriously.
Was there any other choice? The Enclave survived through her. If she died now...
Renee grabbed the jumpsuit's zip.
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