Ok, it's only a working title. Tell me what you think.
Intro (A bit of background information):
We all know about the bomb being dropped, hell, who doesn’t right? Well, it was a major set back for everyone. People were put into great underground vaults to help them survive. But the vaults were designed to have some defects to test how humans coped in stressful situations. There are too many Vaults to name so I’ll give you the most important ones for this story. Vault 13, the origin of the Vault Dweller and one said to have the worst problems of them all, how wrong you are to think that. Vault 8, out of Vault 8 came Vault City, not a good place to go to by the way. Finally, Vault X, this would have had a number but it wasn’t a registered vault, hence no one actually knowing of it’s existence, apart from the residents. This Vault had the most problems, the residents would love Vault 13 compared to Vault X. This is the story of how three occupants of Vault X come to terms with the world.
Characters (The people you will learn about in this story):
As you know, all Vaults have an overseer, except Vault X, they were not given an overseer and none of the occupants knew what to do. Vault X contained people who were seen as “back ups�, they had no real importance unless somehow most other Vaults failed. Lets get to know the three ones who will be present in this story then, I assume you might want to know them before I start the story? Well, there was one man, one woman and one deathclaw. A strange addition to the party you might think but Vault X is the only Vault to have more than one species resident in it. There were a great number of lab experiments in Vault X so they needed many subjects. These creatures were mainly lizards and rats these evolved into the giant rats and deathclaws we are familiar with. I won’t tell you how, that would require an extra page to do that and I don’t think this story should be any longer than it needs to be… Anyway, the man is called Jack and the woman is called Rachel. The deathclaw is male, just so you know I won’t tell you how to find out, it’s tricky and unpleasant. His name is Greffon and he can talk, well, I mean that he can speak enough to get by but English isn’t his first language, the way he speaks, I doubt it’s even his second, slow speaking. That’s the main characters then. To the story…
Chapter 1: An unlikely choice.
It started out as any other day in Vault X, the sounds of people waking up and walking around. Also, the sound of Jack throwing his rubber ball against his wall has become a familiar morning thing, people complained at first but they learned that he didn’t take any notice of the complaints so they just stopped bothering. For that, he was very glad, they were beginning to get on his nerves. Everyone knew Jack, he was the one who stood out the most, not by his appearance though, he was nearly 6ft tall and had blonde hair. What made him stand out was his defiance of authority, he never did what he was asked. When people were told to go to the canteen to eat, Jack stayed behind and waited until he felt like eating. He was once offered a place in security because of his skill with pistols but he refused, as he hated figures of authority.
Only one other person really stood out from the crowd, a girl by the name of Rachel, she was good looking and in her mid-20s. Once again, her looks did not set her apart from the others, she was the vaults only female security officer. The whole vault knew of her skill with a firearm that was in any way connected to a rifle so she was posted to guard the main door, it was a slow job but at least she was able to get away from all the commotion inside the vault and just be alone, for the vault was never attacked.
Not even the residents of the vault knew where it was located so the only ones to find it were travellers who happened to stumble upon it, they were either killed or taken prisoner to stop the location of the secret Vault X being made public. It had been so long since the vault was sealed that the rough location was unknown, not even the state could be placed, some even doubted it was in America but many simply believed that it didn’t exist, they found that easier to come to terms with.
The Vault itself was spilt into many levels, like all other vaults level one was the entrance and medical centre, level two was the sleeping quarters and level three was the computer centre and library. But Vault X had a fourth level and even a fifth. The fifth level was really crude looking, all rusted and dark, there was something living down there but no one knew what it was. Level four looked a lot more in-keeping with the rest of the vault, apart from the strange wall markings and odd smell. This was where the deathclaws set up residence, only a few people went down there, namely the people who fed them and the mail person.
A knock on Jack’s door distracted his ball throwing and the ball rolled under the bed. “Hey! That’s my only ball. Who could that be anyway?� He got off his bed and up to the door, he pressed the open button and there stood a man in a vault jumpsuit, wearing a baseball cap and holding a bag full of envelopes. He handed Jack a letter and walked off to the next door. He closed the door and walked inside, holding the letter, looking at it. He was a bit cautious because he never got sent mail, all the people who did usually had some importance or were the ones picked to feed the deathclaws. He started shaking as he opened the envelope and took out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded the paper and began to read, he looked up as he finished then opened the door and walked out, dropping the letter on his carpet.
Meanwhile Rachel leant against the wall beside the door computer, she yawned and sat down, she was bored. The mailman dropped a letter next to her and then walked off, she looked at the letter curiously and picked it up. She opened it and started reading, she stood up as another guard came to switch posts and walked off, still reading. After finishing the letter, she changed direction and headed off in the new direction back to the elevator.
The mailman nervously stepped out of the elevator door and looked around, he was in level four. He saw the boxes beside the doors that were meant for the mail, he looked at the letter to find the room number and put the letter in the corresponding box and hurried off. No one in their right mind stayed in the deathclaw level for longer than necessary. A deathclaw emerged from the room and opened the box and took out the letter and took it back into his room. After a while of reading, the deathclaw came out of the room again and headed for the elevator.
Rachel walked up to the door that led to the leader’s room, she wondered why she was called by the leader, she pressed the button and the door opened, she stepped in to find Jack already there, leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets, he glanced at Rachel then resumed looking at the floor. A few minutes later the faint *ping* of the elevator door was heard outside the room. The deathclaw walked out of the elevator and up to the door of the leader, he pressed the button with a long claw and walked in, taking no notice of Jack or Rachel, the three of them waited for the leader to appear. A door opened and a dark outline of the leader appeared in the doorway, neither of the humans could make out the leader’s features due to the light but Greffon, the deathclaw, could see him perfectly thanks to his enhanced vision.
Chapter 2: The offer
The leader sat down behind a desk with three chairs in front of it. “Please, sit down.� He said, offering the seats. Rachel and Greffon sat down but Jack didn’t move at all. “Please Jack, this is important.� The leader said, trying to encourage him. He sighed, shook his head and walked up to the empty chair and leant on the back of it, looking down at the seat. The leader shrugged, it was as good as he was going to get from stubborn young Jack. The leader scratched his forehead and leant forward into the light so that Jack and Rachel could see his face, he was a young man but surprisingly old looking, he had white hair and dark eyes. “I suppose you’re wondering why you are all here?� Rachel nodded, listening intently. Greffon leant back in the chair and said “Get to the point, I haven’t had my breakfast.� Jack just stood and looked at the chair, he didn’t trust the leader, he didn’t trust anyone.
The leader pressed a button under the desk and a big panel dropped down on the wall behind him, he pressed a few more buttons and a map appeared. “We know from outsiders that there are a number of villages in the surrounding area, what I want you three to do is to go out and find out where we are.� Greffon smiled but not at the job offer, “Mmmm, outsiders, haven’t had… one of those… for a while… now.� The deathclaw licked his lips with his long and curled snake like tongue. Rachel’s eyes widened and she shuffled to the other side of her chair, away from the hungry deathclaw. Jack looked up at the leader with a look of interest for the first time. “So, you want us to go out and find out where the hell we are? How are we going to do that then?� The leader laughed quietly and exhaled before answering. “I will leave that to you three to decide but I can give you a few pointers, there is a small village to the south, about half a days walk from here. Seek out the villages and draw up a map.� The leader gets out of his chair and starts to leave. But adds something before returning to his room. “Oh, and you’ll be working together, no arguing.� Then he disappeared.
Jack watches him go then looks at Greffon and Rachel. “No way am I working with you two, I work alone, that’s the way it has been, that’s the way it’s gonna be.� The deathclaw remains silent but she gets up suddenly and looks at him. “Do you think that I agree with this? I can think of many things better than working with you, like being fed to the deathclaws. We have to work together and that’s final! We meet at the front door in fifteen minutes.� She walks out to the elevator. He sighs. “I wish… someone would… get fed to… me, I’m starving.� Jack turns to the seated deathclaw. “Oh shut up about your hunger already, I can’t stand the thought of hearing that all through the journey.� Jack walks out of the room to his quarters. Greffon sits there for a few more minutes and then goes down to his room on level 4.
Jack sat in his room for a while, contemplating the journey, he decided he wouldn’t need much so he put on his leather jacket and got his favourite pistol he used for target practise on small rats, it was a small handgun but he liked it nonetheless. He made a last minute check then stepped out of his room and locked the door, he made his way to the main door on level one. Greffon went into his room and found a big plate of various foods for him to eat, he did so and went back to the door, when he went to the elevator, his father was waiting for him. He was carrying a big, brown cloth. “Son, know that you are going to be amongst more humans, you should wear this to prevent you from being seen.� The old deathclaw handed the cloak to him and walked away. He made his way to the main door and found Jack already there, he sat opposite Jack, who didn’t respond. Rachel looked around her room for things she would need, she took her metal armour and put it on. She looked around for her rifle and found it under some other things, she slung it over her shoulder, took a lot of ammo and a sniper scope for it. She walked out and locked her door then made her way to the main door. When she got there she found Greffon and Jack sitting at either side of the open door frame waiting, Greffon looked up at her and smiled slightly, Jack did nothing, just kept looking at the floor. She started to go into the caves. “Let’s go… then.� He got up and walked behind her, Jack got up and walked slowly behind the other two. He didn’t say a word.
Chapter 3: The beginning
Rachel walked on normally, the caves were nothing new to her. Greffon, on the other hand, was amazed by them as he had never been outside the Vault before. Jack was looking around but still said nothing. The three slowed down to allow Greffon and Jack to examine the cave walls. She was already bored, she didn’t think that caves were really all that interesting. Suddenly, she came to a strange looking rock, she stopped as did the others. Greffon went up to her, “You seem… troubled, is there something… wrong?� She remains silent for a moment, Jack crosses his arms and leans against the wall. She speaks, slowly at first. “This rock… once I go past this… it will be the farthest I’ve ever been from my home in my life.� He nods and extends his long, scaly arm around her. “If it’s any help… I felt that while sitting at… the main door… this is also a huge… step for me.� Jack sighed noisily and spoke for the first time since leaving the door. “Can we hurry up? I don’t want to die of old age before leaving the caves.� He was good at hiding his true feelings, right now, neither of the others could tell that he was really nervous about leaving and yet anxious to see what lies outside the vault. He kept quiet after that.
She looked up, turned her head to Greffon and smiled. “I think we better press on.� Jack sighed slightly and said “about time� under his breath. The three walked on.
Suddenly, Greffon noticed a change in the colour of the ground, it seemed lighter. He tapped Rachel on the shoulder and pointed it out. She smiled and almost laughed slightly at the confused deathclaw. “That’s because the cave exit is just ahead, it’s the light shining on the ground.� He looked ahead to see the cave walls disappear some distance ahead of them, he was getting worried now, so worried he started shaking visibly. Jack paid no attention to the shaking deathclaw and walked on, ahead of the others. She stayed with Greffon, encouraging him to go on further. Jack looked behind him as he walked out the cave entrance, he turned his head and had to raise a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. He squinted, never before had he witnessed natural light, it was so much different from the light in the Vault, this was brighter and strangely warmer on his face. He lowered his hand as his eyes got used to the brightness, he looked around, in front of him was a featureless desert and behind him was a vast mountain range. He stood quietly for a moment, thinking to himself.
Greffon finally got up the courage to press on with the help of Rachel, the two stepped outside slowly to see Jack already there looking around. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and he completely covered his eyes with his hands. The sun was intensely bright for him, who was used to the very dim light in the Vault, his eyes have become accustomed to the darkness and weren’t ready for such high levels of light. Jack squinted as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. It was hotter than the Vault, and there was no way of cooling down. In all directions there was nothing to be seen. He looked at a paper map of the area to see where the villages would be. Since he didn’t know where his position was on the map, it was less than useless at the moment. He shook his head and shrugged. She looked around and suddenly said, pointing, “We go this way.� Both Greffon and Jack looked at her and Jack looked doubtful. “Why that way?� She turned to him. “You got a better idea?� He was going to say something but decided against it and looked at the floor and shrugged. Greffon remembered his cloak and put it on. Jack saw him in the cloak and tried his best not to laugh out load. She looked curiously at him, who said simply, “It’s better people don’t see that I’m a deathclaw, it also helps keep the sun out of my eyes.� She smiled and nodded, then the three started heading in the direction she had indicated to them. Jack, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, kicked the sand as he walked, the grains settling on his boots and falling off again with the next step. Suddenly she stopped and Greffon did as well, Jack took a while to stop, as he didn’t see the others so he looked around for them. She had seen a village in the distance, he soon saw it as well but Greffon kept looking low down and was unable to see it. The three began walking to it.
Chapter 4: One step closer
They entered the small village, is seemed deserted. No one could be seen in any direction. Jack tightened his grip on his pistol, he had a bad feeling about this place. Rachel was more curious than cautious and began to look around. Greffon followed her, not wanting to be left alone with him. He thought he heard a noise from one of the houses and looked around to see what it could be, but there was nothing. He joined the others. “Somehow, I don’t think this place is as deserted as we thought.� She turns to him with a slightly surprised look on her face, “What do you mean?� He looked around uncomfortably and replied, “There’s just something out of place here, I can’t place it though, and I thought I heard something moving.� She shrugged, “Probably just your imagination then.� She turned away and continued the search with Greffon. He shook his head and muttered something under his breath. He went to look around by himself. “I’m tired of taking orders from her, who put her in charge? No one, that’s who. I’ll do this by myself.�
She was looking at a particular building with interest when Greffon turned round to see Jack was missing. “Rachel, Jack is gone.� She looks around quickly to see that he is indeed gone. “Damn, where could he have gone? We better find him before he gets into trouble.� She walks back the way they came quickly with him staying as close behind as he can manage.
Jack was walking down a path with a few small houses on either side. He looked around cautiously at the houses, he was aware that someone, or something, was watching him. He made sure his pistol was loaded. There was a building at the end of the row on his right that stood out, it was considerably taller and felt different in a way he could not place. It looked similar to the other buildings but there was definitely something different about it. Just as he walked into the doorway, Rachel turned the corner and saw him disappearing into the house. She sighed angrily as Greffon caught up. “What does he think he’s doing?� She hurries to the building, with him following.
Jack looked around, examining the room and it’s contents. They looked quite new, as if recently cared for. A floorboard creaked above him and he pulled his pistol up and looked around for the source of the sound. He walked slowly up the stairs, pistol ready in case he needed it, he started shaking as he ascended the steps, he had never fired his gun at a human before, nor anything living but rats. He found himself wondering what the thing could be, if there was anything there. Rachel and Greffon walked into the building, they looked around carefully, seeing no sign of him. She took her rifle off her shoulder and held it ready. She heard footsteps above her and went to investigate, with Greffon following, he loosened his cloak in case he needed to get it off in a hurry.
Jack could see no sign of life on his floor, he heard a heavy thumping behind him and turned around with his pistol to the stairs to find Rachel pointing her rifle at him. They both lowered their weapons and she was the first to speak. “Why the hell did you go off on your own like that? You could have been attacked!� While she was trying to appear aggressive, she found herself feeling relieved that he was okay. He looked at her, his face unchanged. “I went because I was sick of being ordered around by you. All you’ve done since we left is order us around. Why should I listen to you?� She takes a step forward and Greffon starts looking round the place by himself, not straying too far from the others. “Who else would you rather lead us then? You? Hah! I doubt you would know what to do. If it were up to you, we would still be in the desert, trying to think about what to do. Greffon? He knows less about the outside world that either of us.� Jack gritted his teeth. “But he’s a deathclaw, they are born survivors, he should be able to tell us what to do by his instincts.� She put her hands on her hips. “Okay then, we’ll go with your idea.� She turns to Greffon. “Greffon, you’re now the leader, what do you think we should do?� He looks at them surprised. Just as he is about to answer they all hear a noise upstairs, of something falling. “I think… we should investigate… that noise.�
Chapter 5: Not alone
Jack holds his pistol up and walks very slowly and carefully to the stairs. Greffon follows him and Rachel holds her rifle up, wondering what the noise could have been. He gets to the top of the stairs and finds a pot spinning on the ground, as if it had just fallen. “I think this is what made the noise, now what caused to it fall? Greffon, any ideas?� He looked at him curiously. “Why do you assume I know what happened here?� Jack sighs and shakes his head. “I mean, can you see or smell anything in the room that might tell us is there is anyone here.� Greffon nodded. “I see now, give me a minute.� He started sniffing the air, the room was very dark with no signs of light sources. He could see well in the darkness but not enough to make out many shapes. He caught a scent of something peculiar. “I think that there is someone over there.� He points with one of his claws to a dark area. Jack nods. “Can you see anything there?� Greffon just shook his head. He started moving toward the area Greffon had indicated. Rachel makes her way up the stairs and stands next to Greffon. “Maybe I should have brought my torch.� his voice comes out of the darkness. “I think I found something. It isn’t human though.� Greffon looks over to the direction he spoke from and smelled the air again. “There are now two unknown scents, bring that one here and look for the other.� All that was heard from Jack was grumbling. He walked back, dragging whatever it was that he found with him into the light from the stairway.
All three looked anxiously at the body, Rachel turned it over and they all gasped. “What’s that?� Jack shook his head. “I have no idea, it’s got scales and a tail, like a lizard.� Greffon turned to him. “That doesn’t help… much, I have scales… and a tail, it smells… like, something I would… be eating.� Jack walks back to the darkness, shaking his head. She turns to him. “Where are you going now?� He didn’t turn back to answer. “To find the other thing Greffon smelt.� She shrugged, she wasn’t going to try and stop him so she concentrated on what was lying in front of her. He looked around the area he found the thing for what he was really looking for. He spoke to Greffon. “Hey Greffon, are you sure there is another scent around here?� Greffon turned away from his examination and sniffed the air. “Yes Jack, there… is something over… there apart from… you.� He turned back to the thing lying on the floor. Jack nodded to himself and he heard something moving slightly beside him, he felt around and took hold of some cloth, he started taking it to the others, it was heavy, like there was something inside it. He drew their attention to his find and moved it beside the other thing. “I think that this one is still alive, it moved when I was right next to it. I think we’re not alone here.�
Greffon moved closer to the moving cloth and gave it a sniff. “Yes, that’s… the one I… smelt.� He carried on sniffing it. “It smells… human.� Jack looks at him. “You sure?� He says. “I thought this place was deserted, is it alive?� Greffon started smelling again. “Yes… it’s alive.� Jack put his left hand out while pointing his pistol at the bundle, he took a hold of part of the cloth and started to lift it off. “Oh god! What the hell is that?!� He turns away, disgusted. Rachel looks under the cloth and shivers. “I don’t know what you smelt Greffon, but it isn’t human, that’s for sure.� She lifted off the cloth and exposed the thing’s face. It was green and looked partially melted. The smell of rotting flesh was almost overpowering, it certainly made Jack think again about taking a closer look. Greffon held onto his nose. “Uhh, not a nice smell… at all. Ugh.� He backed away from the thing in the blanket. Suddenly it stood up, the cloth still clutched around its body, it spoke with a voice that sounded like an old man’s. “Hey. I can’t help it if I stink. You sure don’t smell too good yourself, deathclaw boy!� All three were amazed. Rachel got the guts to actually talk to it. “Uh, you can talk?� The thing sighed then looked at her. “Of course I can’t, you’re just imagining it. What do you think? Yes I can talk you idiots, jeez, most tribals know more than you do.� Jack was very confused. “Tribal? What the hell is that, and for that matter what the hell are you?� The thing turns to him. “You don’t know? Where the hell have you after the war? In a vault? Hah!� The thing starts laughing for a bit then breaks into a hacking cough.
Jack stood there. “Yes actually, we do come from a nearby vault.� The thing immediately stopped coughing. Then it looked at him suspiciously. “There ain’t a vault for about 40 kilometres, you’re talking a load of crap.� He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, now about the questions.� He pointed his pistol at the thing. It suddenly looked very scared. “Okay, don’t shoot me. I’m a ghoul, name’s Terry. Tribals are simpletons who have banded together with very strange beliefs about gods. Ghouls like me are the result of continued exposure to radiation from the bombs in the war, we got mutated because our vault door wouldn’t shut. I’ll take you to the leader so he can explain things better. Come on.� Terry walked out of the house and the three companions soon followed.
Chapter 6: The horrors of war
The group walked down the street once again but it seemed more alive this time, there were more of these ‘ghouls’ watching them from the houses. Jack felt very nervous about this place, he really wanted to leave. He whispered to Rachel. “I don’t think we should be here, lets go.� She didn’t respond at all, just kept following Terry until they reached a building that had an almost regal look to it. The ghoul indicated the entrance. “Here we are, inside is our leader, his name is Greg. Treat him with more respect than you gave me.� Jack ignored him and walked inside, followed by the others.
The horrors of war had never been so apparent to any of the three until they stepped into that house. These so-called ‘ghouls’ were twisted, shadows of humans, barely recognisable, only by their vague shape was it able to determine their race. Almost all of the ghouls carried rifles of some description.
Some Wasteland Story Thing
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bloodbathmaster2
- Vault Elite
- Posts: 366
- Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 6:29 am
- Location: The Outskirts of Insanity
