[katie TWAVA]

NOTES

Mark Walker goes from being a character of the MYSTERIOUS STRANGER story to being part of the RESCUE OPERATION story.

Mark Walker goes from being a character of the MYSTERIOUS STRANGER STORY to being part of the MEGATON CHANGES STORY.

[Svenja Hedrich]

02-09(0041)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

The expeditionary force, backed up by soldiers of the AlphaOmega Commonwealth, found that the Enclavers were not where they were supposed to be. The AlphaOmegan scouts who had supposedly been keeping track of them were dead and looted. It was clear that Enclaver faceshifters had mimicked the scouts, had fooled AlphaOmega Command. The hoversleds were long gone, along with those in them including the captives in the status-capsules.

Herbert and Argyle began to track the Enclavers with assistance of the others. The AlphaOmegans staid behind to take their dead scouts back to their commonwealth, they being understandably sad and angry about what had happened. It was not long before they had left the AlphaOmega Sector behind, were traveling through great empty levels except for big metallic storage containers full of an amazing array of old university stuff. There were plastic molded chairs, medical student charts, cans of artistic paint, carpet tiles, basic dumb-robots, student artworks, text books, teaching holotapes, small electric carts and much else.

It was a treasure trove of resources by the standards of the Wastelands but who would dare go there.

Big, dangerous radspiders scuttled between and over the containers. These creatures had savage bites but also deadly venom and could spit webbing to entangle one. A few had to be shot at before they got the right idea and staid away. There were even more radroaches and these were the main prey of the radspiders. The radspiders did not always have it their own way; sometimes swarms of radroaches would engulf a radspider and drag it away to be devoured.

The next research and development sector they entered was potentially a horror show. They entered through a security airlock type entrance and were soon moving through what appeared to be a mutagenic research and development centre. They hacked computer terminals and found out that it was similar to the TekVault0087 experiments in some ways but not identical.

It was a surprise when they came upon the first of the dupermutants. The two hulking figures were playing hopscotch with a small girl. The three were so intent on having fun that they did not notice the newcomers. When they did notice them, the girl frowned heavily and stood protectively while the hulking dupermutants looked frightened and tried to hide behind her much smaller body.

In her cute bunny coveralls, the girl raised her hands and they began to sparkle with energies of a powerful psyker mutant. She spoke in English. "You try to hurt my friends and I am going to get very angry with you."

Herbert smiled and bowed. "Herbert Daring Dashwood at your service." He stood and indicated the others. "This is Argyle, this is Jasmine, this is Jaralina, this is Sarah and these are the Troopers of Steel of Lyons pride."

The girl giggled, the energies around her hands vanished and then spoke. "Gosh, I heard stories about you on the new radio channel. My name is Mixi212 and I can do amazing things. Mixi222 can do amazing things also but different amazing things. We saved the dupermutants from the nasties and they have been our friends ever since. Big friendly sillys they are so you be nice to them. Can you give me your autograph. Gosh, Argyle, you is changed, you look more human."

Argyle nodded. "What with all the troubles with Rockopolis, had to do so, missy."

The girl looked at them with much intensity. "Can you help us fight the nasty thing that is hanging around? Oh, yes, the poor angel is hurt and we do our best to help but maybe you can do better. Then there are those Enclavers, why we have them trapped but they are not playing nice at all; they keep threatening to hurt the poor people trapped in the status-capsules."

[Tanika O'Connell]

02-10(0042)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

The psyker girl led them, and the two now happy dupermutants, through some big old chambers stuffed half full of an amazing array of items. The dupermutants were quick to realize that not only were the newcomers not dangerous to them but they could get some goodies from them. So each dupermutant happily chewed on a foodbar; Mixi212 had firmly asked them not to eat the food too quickly.

The dupermutants picked up two big packs stuffed full of stuff the three of them had been saluaging. Then the whole group continued onwards. Mixi212 explained that the dupermutants, unlike the supermutants, came out all passive though some were defensive aggressive if they needed to be. Dupermutants had been abandoned as a failed experiment and yet two scientists, a married couple, had staid with them to try to look after them. They did so with the assistance of five robots and two androids. The married couple, Edna and Arnie, had found the cloned children in status-capsules and had freed them.

Mixi212 sighed. "Ma and Pa died a long time ago. It was so sad but we have to go on living, don't we?"

Jasmine smiled lightly, as did Jaralina. Herbert just nodded. Argyle seemed calmly alert. Sarah and her troopers spread out in formation but not in any fashion that suggested immediate or great danger.

Herbert spoke. "How did Ma and Pa die?"

Mixi212 sighed yet again. "They were very very silly. They tried to stop us playing one of our favouritest of games. Mixi211 got very angry and she killed them before we other MixiClones could stop her; so we killed Mixi211, poor thing, but life has to go on and we should all have happy thoughts. Soon you will meet the other MixiClones. Gosh, they will be very happy to meet you. Mixi001 might even be awake. She is wonderfully wonderful! Everybody thinks so. The dupermutants adore her, really they do."

The dupermutants cringed visibly upon hearing the name 'Mixi001'. Then they edged away from Mixi212 to be closer to Herbert, as if seeking protection with him.

Herbert sighed. "Mixi212, of the MixiClones, what is the truth?"

Mixi212 giggled and then spoke. "Naughty dupermutants! Are you forgetting all the nice things the MixiClones have done for you? I mean us very lovely MixiClones, not those silly silly MixiClones like that Mixi301 who says Mixi001 is a monster. Why she even called me a monster! How horribly horrible and just because I like to play scary games with dupermutants sometimes." She giggled. "Oh we are going to have lots of very lovely games with you lovely new people, lots of wonderful amusing games."

Which was when Argyle took out a large handgun and shot Mixi212 in the back three times even as Herbert clasped his hand onto her head. Mixi212 died and fell writhing to the floor. As she did she changed and now she was a mishappen humanoid thing in girl's clothing and other gear. Scars and strange burn marks dotted her body as did bizarre black tatoos.

A dupermutant pointed to the creature. "Not MixiClone! Bad thing called shappler. Shapplers bad bad, very bad! Mixi001 made shapplers and other bad things. Mixi001 gone mad bad, very bad mad."

[IsAiah AkA figgy]

02-11(0043)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

The real Mixi212 came out of hiding, along with some dupermutants with a strange variety of weapons and things used as weapons. These were some of the tougher, braver dupermutants but they were not berserker agressive as supermutants normally were. The real Mixi212 was looking angry, sad and determined but she held no weapons, she was a weapon.

In her jumpsuit and pigtails, she spoke to the newcomers. "Mixi001 is taken over by something shadowy but she is fighting to be free. We help her by linking with her. Other MixiClones are meditating just as OldBen taught us how to. OldBen is with us in spirit though he died many years ago."

Herbert nodded. "OldBen as in Professor Ben Mystics?"

The cloned girl child smiled and nodded. "He is strong of the Light. When he died he left us much of use including robots and androids. Will you help us rescue Mixi001?"

The 'rescue operation' was rescuing more than those captured by the Enclavers. Turned out that MixiClones did have the Enclavers holed up in a large chamber but not only were the Enclavers using their status-capsule prisoners as hostages, that they had a good deal of fighting skills and equipment that the people there found hard to match. Herbert asked the MixiClones to make contact with the AlphaOmega Foundation and to try to form an alliance with them, to ask for assistance. He knew the AlphaOmegans would be eager to study the MixiClones and the dupermutants but would help the MixiClones even with out this incentive.

There turned out to be over a hundred dupermutants being mostly ex-humans but there were some big duperhounds that were fairly aggressive but not berserker so. There were also some ghouls of various kinds including passified zhouls who had been changed by the MixiClones for the better. Three of the MixiClones set out at once to the AlphaOmega Commonwealth, taking with them two dupermutants, one of them being a duperhound of a more passive temperament.

There were thirty-eight MixiClones, including Mixi001, that were active but another eighty-five were in status-capsules for they were too sick to come out. Herbert decided that these also needed to be 'rescued' and that the AlphaOmega Foundation could very much help in this process.

Sarah and the Lyons Pride prepared for trouble as much as they could. That is they prepared to attack the Enclavers though they would need the assistance of the others including the MixiClones and the AlphaOmegans. Sarah was reluctant to use the dupermutants mainly because she did not want to see them die needlessly. Yet some dupermutants wanted to fight and they were as tough as supermutants, as hard to kill.

Herbert examined the exotic eccentric but well equipped facilities of OldBen. They were now used as the core of the MixiClones settlement. There were dormitories, workshops, laboratories, commonrooms, a medical centre, a cafeteria, a small 3D-holographic theatre, storerooms, an armoury and other chambers. Indeed it was generally a minivault in nature being of VaultTek design.

About half of the robots and androids were active, the robots being of the 'tron' series of robots like gracefully ugly metal humanoids and the androids being basic duplicants that were obviously not human, being like animated mannequins.

It was soon clear that Herbert was looking for something special in that place and that it was heavily linked to Professor Ben Mystic himself.

[CArla HOlbert]

02-12(0044)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

It was Herbert who found the hidden cable-teleport booth that took them to the secret place.

Professor Ben Mystic had a hidden set of chambers, as Herbert suspected he would and they were an odd mixture, contrast, of luxury and bareness.

There was a large bedroom with a four-poster bed and some other heavy wooden pieces of furniture. One was the bed, another a big dressing table with a large three section mirror, another was a big desk with a horizontal curving lid plus many small wooden drawers and yet another was a big, cube shaped, wardrobe apparently designed to be place well away from any wall. Yet the other furnishings were basic molded plastic items or metal ones such as sets of shelves, chairs, computer desks and such like.

There were antechambers to the master bedroom, bathroom, toiletroom, kitchenette-dining room and a library-study. There were five other bedrooms, two dormitories, more bathrooms, more toiletrooms with cubicles, a lounge room, a big commonroom, a main kitchen, a dining room, two workshops, two workrooms, a museum-gallery-library, a zoo full of animals and plants in status-capsules and some other chambers. There were thirteen androids being one advanced simulicant, three replicants and nine duplicants. There were three brainbots. There were the thirteen NixiClones, grown up versions of the MixiClones.

It turned out that the MixiClones always knew about the secret chambers but they were reluctant to reveal them and had wanted to see if Herbert could, would, find them. If he had not, they would have revealed the chambers.

In one of the other chambers were the sick MixiClones in special slow healing status-capsules. In that same chamber was the sick professor himself, his three wives and his nine concubines. The wives were natural born women but the concubines were NixiClones. Professor Ben Mystic, not his original name, was a patriarch with some strange views of society. Jasmine, Jarilina, Sarah and other women were far from impressed and Herbert felt the same way. Argyle was bemused and other men were smart enough not to say anything stupid.

It was Herbert who realized that they were 'inside' the wooden wardrobe though it was 'inside' the professor's master bedroom. The wooden wardrobe was a TARDIS of the TimeLords, a people long vanished in a terrible Time War. Herbert was very surprised by the discovery as they found the central control chamber with its heavy wooden, brass and glass console with the cylinder at its center. Or at least it looked as if it was made of those materials. The question that came up for Herbert was how had Professor Ben Mystic gained the TARDIS and how had he learned to use it. The others knew nothing of the TimeLords or the Time War, which was partly a result of the Time War itself or so he guessed. Herbert was very reluctant to speak of the Time War.

Herbert began to investigate the TARDIS to learn as much as he could learn. How much he would reveal to the others, was another matter altogether.

[Baby K(:]

02-13(0045)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

So OldBen, Professor Ben Mystic, was not dead but it seemed that he, his wives, and his concubines had come close to death. They had fought a terrible enemy that had tried to invade the TARDIS. They had badly damaged and driven off the enemy but had paid a heavy price in doing so. Herbert began to do what he could for OldBen and his women companions.

For the moment the others did some relaxing in the relative time compression field of the TARDIS. Time passed quicker but somehow nobody, nothing, aged quicker. Jasmine and Jaralina, cloned sister of Jaralin, got to know each a bit more. They swapped stories of both TekVault0101 and the secret base, AlphaBeta111. Jasmine learned how Catherine and Jaralin had a relationship that was often stormy, sometimes estranged but at other times warmly loving. It soon turned out that Jaralina's memories had been tampered with so that she could not give out certain secrets of AlphaBeta111.

Sarah and the Lyons Pride utilised an ultimate virtual reality chamber that went way beyond super virtual reality's abilities of illusion. This was so called solid illusion and in triple compressed relative time they visited Pleasure Island, a tropical paradise, and then the original Washington DC of the 1950s before they went on to tour Europe of the 1890s. Three MixiClones went with them.

Herbert finished with the Mystic Family and had increased speed and improved the efficiency of their healing processes and yet it would still take at least a month before any of them emerged from their capsules.

Herbert, Jasmine and Jaralina joined the others in Old Earth London of 1897. They strolled along beside the Thames with Big Ben in the distance and some big airships floating through the sky overhead. They walked past the still standing abandoned war-tripod of the Martians whose invasion had failed because of a combination of elements including Earth bacteria and viruses. It was an open secret that scientists, engineers and others were secretly trying to understand and replicate Martian technologies but it was proving to be extremely difficult for the Martian devices were solid-state or partly so. Heat-ray cannons and black smoke generators were used by British Imperial Special Defence Forces designed to try to defeat any further Martian Invasions. No such second invasion ever took place.

They were sitting on a grassy area of a park, having a picnic lunch 'summoned' out of mid air, when an elegant gentleman came out of nowhere. At once there was a strong, subtle, 'sense' that this was not a typical solid illusionary character but was a real person of some kind. Herbert smiled and indicated the blanket.

He spoke in English. "Welcome Professor Ben Mystic. I computed that you would have some kind of avatar here in the ultimate virtual reality network-system. Please be welcome. Would you like some tea, cake and perhaps even some cucumber sandwiches?"

[Robert Devlin]

NOTES

Mystic Settlement
MixiClones
Dupermutants
Some Others

TARDIS (wardrobe!?)
Professor Ben Mystic and Family
NixiClones
More MixiClones
Others including robots and androids

[^~LIL B0NE5~^]

02-14(0046)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

"I can only sustain myself in this avatar shapeform identity for a relatively short time, even in a relative time compression field." The professor took another bite of sandwich, ate it and then spoke again. "Very good, tasty! I used to be a TimeLord Follower, a TimeLordite, born and bred on-in one of the three moons of Gallifrey. I attended the TimeLordite Academy to serve as a TimePolice Agent for the TimeLords. When the Time War began I was caught in a time space pocket vortex. When I managed to escape, I found myself on a desolate world dotted with wreckage of TimeLord, Dalek Imperial and other advanced technologies. Nothing lived there. I found this TARDIS and managed to escape in it though it is not fully functional. It is slowly and steadily self repairing but it is still badly damaged. The TARDIS appeared here about a hundred years ago, in the Wastelands of DC, in the depths of the Springvale University. Matters went peacefully for a long time until the shadow creature attacked. It was a shadaz of the Shadanz, a terrible species that arose as a result of the Time War itself or so I compute."

Again the shadaza! Just what were the strange and terrible creatures up to?

Herbert nodded. "I myself was created by TimeLord technologies. Was it you who did this?"

Professor Ben Mystic shook his head. "No, but I suspect you already know that. You are trying to assist me, and my family, so it is only fair that I help you in turn. TARDISABC67 is damaged but it has some very special tricks to use as it was a prototype machine developed to fight the Dalek Empire and the secret manipulative dark force behind that dreaded empire. There are teleport-bracelets that can send you to any local within a few hundreds kilometres away from the TARDIS and return you once the bracelets are fully recharged, though the teleportations, either way, can be blocked in certain ways. There is a manufacturing machine that can produce basic survival items. There are the rejuvenation-regeneration chambers. There is the transduplicator."

A large steamboat passed along the Thames River taking building materials to one of the areas of London still being repaired since the Martian Invasion. Its new improved steam-engine, something gained from the study of Martian machines, moved the vessel at a high speed compared to what such a steamboat could have done. It left a wide wake behind itself in the river surface. Seagulls flew overhead and children played across the way in the same green lawn covered park.

Professor Ben Mystic flickered briefly and then he spoke again, his voice fading. "I suggest that you do some exploring of the TARDIS. For some reason I 'sense' you may be able to access areas that have always been closed off to me. I will communicate with you again, here in the UVR Network-System, as soon as I can."

Then he was gone with a small shimmering effect.

Herbert looked thoughtfully out over the wide Thames River.

[Ruben Bernal]

02-15(0047)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

A small well armed-armoured taskforce teleported from the MysticTARDIS and materialized close to where the Enclavers were bottled up by a force of MixiClones, dupermutants and some others such as rhouls, a few ghoulimans and some Wastelander humans. There was a fairly large settlement, known as Mysticville, linked to the Mixiclones and others, to Professor Ben Mystic. It came as no surprise that it was 'inside' the MysticTARDIS, being in its own special sector. The rhouls, ghoulimans, humans and dupermutants were in fleximetallic body-armour and had a variety of weapons.

The Enclavers had the ability to go into a form of semihibernation that allowed them to rest, recover and to save on the consumption of vital resources. About half of them were doing this when Jasmine, Argyle and Sarah led the surprise attack. They came down through the ceiling using a phase-device taken from the MysticTARDIS, meaning they 'ghosted' through solid smart-concrete and other hard materials.

The fighting was terrible but brief. The Enclaver superclones fought hard and fast but, overwhelmed with speed and in numbers, fell quickly. So it was that the Enclavers were taken and those in the status-capsules were saved.

The superclones were rounded up, only two had been killed and four wounded badly, while Jasmine carefully examined the bodies in the status-capsules to find that while most of them were the real captives, five were fake, were baseline clones designed not to live except enough to fool sensors and other devices. These five baseline clones would never awaken properly let alone live properly; they were a crime made solid, a cruel travesty of nature.

Thankfully the McDonald Family really were there being Maria334, Joe209 and Angie565. A prime new question was now who had been replaced by baseline clones and why had this been done. Questioning of the superclones came to nothing as they really assumed that they were carrying the real captives. These superclones were dangerous, ice minded entities with strange abilities and yet strange weaknesses also. They lacked creativity and flexibility of thinking though they were computer fast and efficient in their mental processes.

The Enclaven cyborg-clones and faceshifters were teleported back to the MysticTARDIS and into a prison chamber that froze them with a stilled time field.

It had been too easy! Jasmine was not the only one who was supcisious about what was really going on. Everybody returned to the MysticTARDIS, many of them going to Mysticville.

[Jack]

02-16(0048)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

"The Enclaver expeditionary group that came here to the Springvale University was partly a decoy operation though there were real prizes in the status-capsules that might have been taken in by the Enclaven." Herbert was studying the rows of propped up status-capsules in one big chamber that were the Enclaven superclones and the baseline clones, the fake captives. "The mystery deepens. The five baseline clones are based on individuals who do not officially exist in TekVault0101 and yet the real captives were supposedly taken from there. So we have no easy way of identifying them, their true natures. The baseline DNA has given me some clues, as have other features of the poor clones. These five individuals were not standard humans, either by PreDoomsday or PostDoomsday standards. They were gen-engineered in some way. They were gifted with special physical and mental abilities, perhaps psionic ones as well."

Jasmine frowned softly. "Were they a kind of superclone, as I am?"

"Related to superclones but with some important differences." Herbert turned to examine a set of 3Ddatasymbols projected into the air. "There is a very good chance we can rescue the baseline clones by converting them into real living cloned humans; I will try to do that. As for the cyborg-clones and faceshifters, they are not the real things but are copies created to carry out the duties of real superclones until they die and breakdown about a year after creation. They do not know they are fake. This is yet another dark crime of the Enclaven and what ever lies behind the Enclaven. Perhaps we can transform, rescue, these temporary clones."

Sarah came forward from another part of the TARDIS. She and Lyon's Pride had been doing some special training using the amazing ultimate virtual reality technologies of the TARDIS. This turned out to be a basic-standard network-system meant to be used by TimeLordites and other TimeLord servants rather than by TimeLords or TimeLordlings (TimeLord High Cadets). The more elite technologies were locked away or unusuable or both.

Sarah was told of the situation and she spoke. "Somebody took a lot of effort to do this."

"Perhaps not!" Herbert frowned softly. "No, perhaps not at all. The one behind this might have some amazing, exotic abilities of strange nature and limitations. There have been many fragmentary stories, odd whispers, of entities known as the CopierVoyles of the Voyles. There have also been fragmented stories, odd whispers, of something called the Digital Circus with some strange technological and quasimagical abilities. Both of these, and some others, can create such as special clones and copies of things that do the job well but only last for a relatively short time. In this case the vehicles and other equipment and supplies are real, as are the captives and baseline clones. Only the false superclones seem to be such fabrications or 'fabricants'."

Jasmine nodded. "Can a teleport bracelet get me to AlphaOmega111?"

Herbert shook his head. "No, the distance is far too great. As it is I have decided they are not to be used again until they can be fully fixed. I have come up with some solutions, some forms of special assistance, using the TARDIS and its amazing resources that I have gained access to. I can get you as far as the city of Springvale with a secondary emergency one way teleport network-system I have found. It will not bring you back to the TARDIS and it can only send just three or so standard sized, shapeformed entities such as yourself along with a relatively small amount of equipment and supplies."

Jasmine nodded. "Then I will and I will take Jaralina with me but who else?"

Herbert sighed. "Argyle will stay with me. Sarah would stay with the Lyon's Pride. Please make preperations and give me some time before final decisions are made. Remember we are in a relative time compression field here. Time is, has been, passing more slowly outside of the TARDIS."

Yes, that was a factor that was too easy to forget, at least for many of them.

[Javaun Thompson]

FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: STORY SUMMERY

While Jasmine, Herbert, Argyle, Sarah, Jaralina and others were busy in the MysticTARDIS, others were also busy.

The AlphaOmegans sent an expedition that was met by MixiClones and duperclones, along with some others. They came to assist but also to investigate the existence of the MixiClones and the dupermutants. They were amazing by the TARDIS and they were allowed to go into its Outer Zone where Mysticville was to be found. Mysticville was in a big chamber that was a copy of a small semiwilderness complete with a river, a big grassy clearing with buildings on the river shore, an underground complex and much else. The chamber was three kilometres wide and half that high at the centre. Herbert and others met the expedition there. Nobody knew it then but it was the start of a long, special chain of events that would change the future history of the Wastelands.

Jasmane, now a beloved fully accepted member of the Bright Fun Place settlement, had tried to set up an expedition to go to the Black Arcades but the rhouls were too frightened to go there and other events took place that stopped it from happening. Rhouls, and other refugees from strange and terrible events, began to arrive at the Bright Fun Place in large groups. They brought resources with them but also many needs and some tensions. Jasmane found herself focused on directing operations to assist these people, often recruiting them to help themselves and the greater community. Exotic resources were explored and thus Jasmane made some startling new discoveries about what was hidden in that location other than the cable-teleport hub already found.

Jasmine393 and Jasmi were getting along fine enough in TekVault0101. The vault was still going through a big reformation, was integrating the FreeZones into the greater community, was becoming more democratic and less centralist. The exotic minivaults were still being investigated. Yet coming troubles were indicated by the increasing arrival, in both frequency and size, of groups of refugees from outside. They were rhouls, ghoulimans, humans, animal-humans and others. They came with increasingly strange and disturbing stories of supermutants, robotic monsters and strange alien soldiers along with other things that they spoke of that could have been doppelgangers and-or Enclaven superclones.

In Megaton, Mark Walker oversaw the revealing of the Atomicus Imperium to the peoples of Megaton, including to most of the Children of the Atom who had not known of its existence. There was much tension, some anger, but also the realization that now things were in the open that a positive, productive agreement of sorts could be worked out that would benefit both sides. Mark Walker, an avatar of the Mysterious Stranger, was soon taking the role of diplomatic mediator of a range of meetings between the Megatonfolk and the Atomicus Imperials.

The Orderdom of Steel began a great war against invading supermutants from TekVault0087, four kinds of raiders, EagleEnclave forces and other invaders. They were soon joined by many other forces in a desperate alliance to fend off the growing threat to the DC including treacherous DC Factions.

The Mysterious Stranger reached the outskirts of the huge, semi-underground SuperDuperMart complex that was in surprisingly good condition. It was beneath its own dome, which had only slight cracks in it but which was fairly filthy. The only thing wrong with such 'smart-domes' and other such structures was that on Doomsday there had been too few of them. Other, older and less sophisticated, types of domes had tended to crumble, or worse, on Doomsday. Some had increased problems such as ghoulification and toxic death. The Mysterious Stranger transformed into the woman named Modesty Blaze and with her appeared a tough man called Willie Gravin, a large hound, five horses and five robots along with two androids and a ghouliman. Modesty Blaze was a prime avatar of the Mysterious Stranger, Willie Gravin was a lesser avatar of the same and the others were all elemental shapeshifters with profound shapeshifting and other abilities. They looked like a group of tough bounty-hunters, artifact-hunters or such like.

In the distance moved a large group of Talon Mercenaries, in this case lowly thug-mercenaries with basic automatic weapons, body-armour, fatigues and other such gear. They were not to be confused with either the regular or elite classes of the Talon Mercenaries or their specialist castes. But any Talon Mercs were possible trouble because thug-mercenaries could attract the attention of more dangerous Talon Mercs.

[Juan Suarez]

02-17(0049)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: RESCUE OPERATION

Jasmine, Jarlina and an advanced android, from the TARDIS storage cells, called Andro01A1, would make the teleportation trip to Springvale City, to materialize inside the big citydome. To reach Megaton they would have to get through Springvale and then across an open area of semiwilderness, of open Wastelands. Travelling the Wastelands was never easy but some areas were worse than others, some far worse than others. The worst was Springvale itself where fanatical religious cults and savage gangers fought each other or the many savage feral ghouls, zhouls, to be found there. They would materialize inside a large hall in the Springvale Advanced School for High Achievement, an elite school for the wealthy and for those lucky enough to get scholarships.

Herbert handed Jasmine some small devices. "Special teleport bracelets, teleportation energy detectors and this U-scanner that should help you detect any shadaza that might be in the area. Beware the ghouls. While most are feral zhouls, and some are friendlier rhouls, there are also some stranger, more deadly versions of feral ghouls such as GlowingOnes and ghoulers, thinking zhouls who can and will use guns and other more modern equipment though their 'thinking' is often clouded. If you meet any of the gangers known as the Springvallers or the Vallerbords, give them my name for both owe me large favours and both can be worked with. I will have messages for you to take to both of the leaders."

Jasmine examined the items and then carefully stored them away. "We move light and quick, trying not to attract attention, then we try to find out what has been happening at Megaton. You?"

Herbert frowned softly. "Mixi001 is fighting hard for her freedom and I now know I can assist her to become free. The problem is that the powerful shadaz that has controlled her, will be able to escape. I want to damage it badly as it does so. The more I both distract and hurt it, the less harm will be done to Mixi001. Professor Mystic made those clones damned strong and from very healthy, very strong genetic material stored in this TARDIS. Both the MixiClones and NixiClones have TimeLordite genes in them."

They were in the console room and androids were moving around, along with robots, doing some work as Herbert sought to make some changes to the TARDIS. He seemed to know a surprisingly large amount of such things but he was a TimeLord made android of special qualities. The more one got to know Herbert Daring Dashwood, the more questions one had about his real nature and his real past. For example, just how old was he?

Jasmine sighed. "The sooner I get to talk to mother, and my other sister, the better."

Herbert smiled. "You have accepted Jaralina into your heart as your beloved sister; that is excellent."

She smiled for it was good!

HERE ENDS 'RESCUE OPERATION'

[Jesus Sanchez]

00-12(0050)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

The Mysterious Stranger reached the outskirts of the huge, semi-underground SuperDuperMart complex that was in surprisingly good condition. It was beneath its own dome, which had only slight cracks in it but which was fairly filthy. The only thing wrong with such 'smart-domes' and other such structures was that on Doomsday there had been too few of them. Other, older and less sophisticated, types of domes had tended to crumble, or worse, on Doomsday. Some had increased problems such as ghoulification and toxic death. The Mysterious Stranger transformed into the woman named Modesty Blaze and with her appeared a tough man called Willie Gravin, a large hound, five horses and five robots along with two androids and a ghouliman. Modesty Blaze was a prime avatar of the Mysterious Stranger, Willie Gravin was a lesser avatar of the same and the others were all elemental shapeshifters with profound shapeshifting and other abilities. They looked like a group of tough bounty-hunters, artifact-hunters or such like.

The shapeshifters had now all changed to look like lightly armoured humans except for three robots, the two androids and the ghouliman. That meant the 'fake horses' were now shapeformed like humans.

Modesty Blaze, and her people, moved quickly and quietly to penetrate the dome by finding an old utility tunnel entrance. They were soon moving through the utility tunnel, that was in fair condition though filled with fairly stale air. Some people had, long ago, tried to shelter there and their remains, along with those of some pets, could still be found. Such sights were altogether too common across the Wastelands except where they had been cleared away, which was one reason many people preferred to stay inside secured settlements and reasonably secured areas. Modesty Blaze paused at the remains and, in the fashion of the Mysterious Stranger, gained information from the long ago deaths.

She stood and looked around at the larger, wider area of tunnel. "They committed suicide as their minds were full of despair. Far too many took their lives, killed their pets and children before doing so. Yet who could blame them? We need to continue but soon I suggest that we find a place to rest, to eat, drink and do what ever else needs to be done. What I need is a direct way to access local computer network-systems through a smart-terminal."

Willie Gravin responded. "Perhaps we could find some kind of emergency security shelter. Such utility tunnels were sometimes linked with such."

Modesty Blaze smiled, nodded. "Excellent suggestion."

They passed areas illegally half filled with stored commercial stuff. The tunnel halted at a T-junction and they turned left, towards the SuperDuperComplex but moments later Modesty halted them. "There are gangers ahead, a very nasty kind of gangers hyped up on psycho and-or jet. They are most likely members of the AxeButchers, a large gang that has its home base as part of the SuperDuperComplex ahead of us. They have an uneasy alliance with some other SuperDuperComplex based gangs and are traditional enemies of others. It is those others that we need to make contact with because they are reliable when it comes to paying for traveling through rights and information. I also have some bribes, of a kind, that they will very much be drawn to taking."

They did not turn back. The other tunnel, leading from the T-junction, led only to a dead end thanks to a collasped roof.

The drugged, crazed, gangers came in a rush and most died in a hail of bullets, of energy pulsebeams, but some instead vanished with a sparkling shimmer. Then there were bodies strewn across the tunnel floor. They looted some useful, tradeable items that could also be used as bribes, as tributes, to locals. The smell of spilt blood was thick. The enemy had not managed to fire off many bullets and the defenders fired relatively few bullets or pulsebeams with amazing effect.

Modesty Blaze, the Mysterious Stranger, did not speak of what had happened to the vanished gangers but she really did not have to as the others knew.

They kept on moving.

[Kit Marsden]

00-13(0051)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

They reached a small security outpost, a chamber with basic emergency and security utilities and some equipment and supplies. Surprisingly enough it had not been found since Doomsday and was untouched. Modesty Blaze focused on hacking into a smart-terminal, which she did with amazing efficiency and speed, while the others rested. Somebody, centuries ago, had stashed some stolen goodies in the outpost chamber. There was a poorly hidden box of bottles of wine, some portable two-way radios, some expensive chocolates in fancy boxes, some prerecorded holotapes and even a silver letter opener along with some other items. The wine was preserved and they drank one of the bottles between them, ate the slightly stale chocolates, that were also preserved, and rested.

When the very small one appeared, a baby figure that was not really a baby, none of them were seemingly surprised. In a slightly grubby nappisuit, the neobaby materialized out of mid air with a sparkling shimmer, wandered over and took a fancy chocolate. He looked around at the figures there with big, brown eyes, with a big sweet smile, then vanished along with the chocolate.

Modesty Blaze spoke. "Our visitor has gained a chocolate delight. This smart-terminal linked me to a local mainframe and no further. The wider computer network-system of the SuperDuperMart Complex has been damaged. I linked into some local 3Dcameras and security scanner systems. There are some more gangers fairly close to us but no real easy way for them to get from where they are to where we are, thanks to a collapsed tunnel. There are also others but they are not gangers, far from it. They are Brothers of Steel being Special Forces in lighter assault power armour. I think they are infiltrating the complex to gain data on it, to see if there is any good reason for the Orderdom of Steel to focus more heavily on this place. The area has been largely looted by gangers but there are some hidden surprises not found by them or by others. One of those hidden surprises seems to be very interesting, very special."

She stepped back and away from the smart-terminal after returning it to semiactive mode. She looked at the area where the neobaby had appeared, taken the chocolate and then vanished. "The small one 'sensed' he was safe here and that we are safe. He will return and may bring friends with him."

With a sparkling shimmer three neobabies, in slightly grubby nappisuits, appeared and looked around eagerly. Modesty Blaze squatted and smiled at them. They smiled back. She spoke to them. "Have you got mummies and daddies? Can I meet your mummies and daddies? You can have chocolates!?

One of the neobabies nodded, shyly, at Modesty and then the three grabbed up a chocolate each before vanishing. Modesty Blaze slowly stood up and looked thoughtful. She spoke to the others. "Unity! The neobabies share a secondary mentality. They are a form of Unity, of unityfolk but are there just neobabies involved? Somehow that seems doubtful but strangers things have been proven to be true. We will wait here longer. Hopefully perhaps advlt unityfolk will appear."

With a sparkling shimmer a young man appeared out of mid air. He stood fairly tall, angular to the point of being gaunt, with a big smile showing large white teeth. He wore a black tophat, a black dinner jacket, a white Tshirt, black denim jeans and black hiking boots. His skin was lightest of browns and his eyes were dark brown, as was his shoulder length hair. He spoke. "The neobabies said you had chocolates to spare. Chocolates are always good, especially as they are enjoyed by She Who Must Not Be Annoyed. Some neobabies work as scouts; its dangerous work but their extreme empathy and other tricks make it surprisingly safe for them. Only the worst of the gangers would harm them, they are so harmless and popular; I wish I could say the same for myself. My name is TophatTed of the Tophat Siblings, we being seven brothers and six sisters, some of those being twins or triplets. All of you 'smell' of power, of exotic nature and yet I 'smell' no danger with you. I will take a message to the Council of Three who will pass it onto the Council of One and the Council of Nine will probably deal with the practicalities."

Modesty Blaze nodded, smiled, and gave him a message to pass on in the form of a very quickly but neatly written two pages. "Take this to your Council of Three so they can pass it onto your Council of One. I would like information about the SuperDuperMart Complex, about gangers, about others who dwell here, about anything useful. Take the chocolates. They are slightly stale. There are two large cans of reconstituted concentrated orange juice that can be nicely broken down with fresh cold water to make much more to drink. Take those also."

The young man tipped his tophat to her. "Aaahhh, very good! I will do as you ask and I will get back to you as soon as I am able to do so."

He took the stuff and then he was gone.

[Big Homie]

00-14(0052)
FALLOUT QUEST EPIC: MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

Modesty Blaze, of the Mysterious Stranger, spoke urgently. "We can not trust the last figure that appeared. He was not telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I suspect that this 'TophatTed' wanted us to remain here, delayed by our waiting for him to get back in touch with us, while others came to meet us. You all 'sense' much the same. I gave over the chocolates and drink in order to give the suggestion that we believed what that one had told us."

In a very short time they were on the move again. They moved quickly and efficiently through yet more underground spaces, tunnels and chambers but also what seemed like basically completed sealed off underground areas of many odd shapes. As they moved, Modesty Blaze was directing them to meet with the Brotherhood of Steel power armoured soldiers. She was also 'sensing' increasing danger. The questions were many? Who was She Who Must Be Obeyed and what was she? Who, what, were the TopHat Siblings and what relationship did they have with She Who Must Be Obeyed? Something told Modesty Blaze that the answer would not be so straight forward such as that the Tophat Siblings were enemies of She Who Must Be Obeyed or the neobabies. Yet she 'sensed' threat from them when it came to herself and her companions.

When they heard the muffled sounds of gunfire, with enhanced abilities of hearing, Modesty Blaze was already leading them to go to the rescue of the Brothers of Steel. She had glimpsed, through her mindeye, the elite soldiers being trapped in an ambush site by heavily armed gangers who were equipped with light power armour and battlerifles, weapons designed to be used with the added strength and endurance of power armour. Or were they just gangers? She was having her doubts even as the group came up behind the attackers.

Havy 12.7mm calibre bullets, traditionally used with heavy machineguns and special sniper rifles, zipped across the chamber from both sides. There were also pulseblasts and laserpulses of energy. Small missiles blasted small explosions as did handgrenades and grenadeshells. The fake gangers were well trained and experienced elite soldiers, that was obvious enough to Modesty Blaze as soon as she saw them.

They surrendered, the fake gangers, because they had no real choice and because they were being influenced by the Mysterious Stranger. They stood, frozen and unable to move but not uncomfortable, thanks to the powers of the Mysterious Stranger. Those powers had great limits but under certain conditions could be very effective.

The officer in charge of the Brothers of Steel came to them and revealed himself to be one KnightLieutenant Phillipe Palmer. He was lightly scarred, damned tough and impressed by how the ambush had been undone. He spoke with some wariness, along with admiration and curiosity. "These are elite Talon Mercenaries, for sure, since some Brothers of Steel became traitors and deserted to the mercenary scum to train them for big lot of rewards. Only the elites are so trained. Their regulars and thug-mercenaries they do not so much care to spend so many resources on."

It soon turned out to be true. TalonFists, elite Talon Mercenaries, had been contract hired to infiltrate the SuperDuperMart Complex, to explore it and to chart what was there. They did not know who had hired them and had no real interest in knowing. This was partly because they had been warned it was very unhealthy for them to be too curious in this operation. The TalonFists were not happy; they had started out as three fighting platoons, one reserve platoon and a special service-support unit. They were the only fighting platoon that had not vanished and they were finding it difficult to get back to the reserve platoon and special service-support unit, the two being together. Gangers and local nasty critters had only been one of the problems. So they had decided to ambush the Brothers of Steel to loot them of valuable supplies because they were running out of ammo, food rations and much else.

The woman commander of the TalonFists Platoon was scowling as she spoke. "Strange creatures and people are in this damned complex, fighting each other with strange powers. There are monsters also. Something like deathclaws, but smaller, giant radroaches, berserker gangers, shadowy things that..." She shivered, a sensation of fear she was clearly not used to showing. "I suggest a basic alliance. We will not break our word. We are elite mercs, not those slimy thugs or those stupid regulars."

Strangely enough, the TalonFists were known for honouring any such agreements. It was one of their selling points and one reason they had survived quite well for many years through very difficult conditions.

[Luis Reyma]

Have ceased to write this story for the moment but could return to it in future.

[Big mike]

Locked by OP's request.