» Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:38 am Chapter One: Introductions
Sam puffed on and chewed a little, the base of a Statemens Finest cigar. The smoke rose up and passed his oil slicked black hair and into the filtration vent systems of Vault 87. The sleeves of his jump suit were rolled up and his utility belt chinged together wrenches and hammers as he walked down the labratory main hallway. A woman in a lab coat walked by and he raised an eyebrow to her stern expression, he smiled as best he could through his cigar but she cared not for the warm gesture and instead increased her walking pace. The action had offended him a little but he simply rolled his eyes and continued on his route, headed for Doctor Kazhinsky. Before Sam could even turn the corner and enter the actual room, he heard the consistent sound of a terminal keyboard being put to work. Doctor Kazhinsky sat hunched over the green glow of his personal terminal as his glasses reflected the constant arrival of new words on the monitor.
"Doc, my team is finished with those test chambers, I've also installed all of the lockdown and monitoring terminals for the doors." Sam took out his cigar so he could speak over the keyboard.
"Yes yes, very well. What about the turrets incase of the security emergencies?" The doctor did not move his eyesight from the screen.
"Uhm, about that. The crates that came in don't have the correct targeting system data installed, so I was hoping you could send one of your people over to fix that." He took a puff of his cigar.
"No, we are far too busy for such lengthy tasks. Just move the turrets into storage and mark them as scrap material. After all, what's the reason for having security personel during this project?" He released his concentration and sat upright, looking over at the maintenance leader.
"Please, Mr. Divine." The doctor pointed at a near sign on the wall indicating a cigarette and the infamous vault boy wagging his finger. "No smoking in this section of the installation, understood?"
"Got it doc." Sam lifted his polished black boot and extinguished the cigar on his heel. He hid his hand inside his upper jumpsuit and reappeared with a small silver case firmly grasped. After he put the cigar back into its case and checked his pip-boy for any new updates on his team, he began to walk back towards the test chambers.On his way, his throughts drifted over everything his team had done for that passed month or so. They had taken a section of the vault that used to be living quarters and stripped them empty so they could install the strangest test rooms he had ever built. Venting systems, operating tables, and monitors. These scientists and doctors became high ranking answer only to the Overseer type of people and it seemed all the Vaults population made an effort to complete this project.
"You couldn't break that glass if you we're as strong as the Overseer!" The exclamation carried out into the hallway where Sam had already lit his previous cigar.
Chuckles followed after as the man entered the room and saw his maintenance team lounging around their newly renevated section of the vault. There was Riley Mcgarvey, a girthy man who sported a bald head and a reddish-brown beard. He resembled something close to a Lumberjack and his voice bellowed as he laughed heartily. His eyes revealed a vibe of a sort of "Gentle Giant" with a strong work ethic aslong as money was involved. He had thick hands that looked worn and used, small cuts and bruises as well as grease covered the surface, he did most of the heavy lifting. Roy Candice was a loud mouth, Sam didn't really like him, but he could get work done and fast too. He had a knack for solving problems by stroking his blonde mustache and staring at the floor. Last on his crew was Katherine Allen or "Kat" for short. Her hair was cut to a little above shoulder length and had dark brown hair complemented by blonde tips. This woman knew her way around any mechanical device man had ever created and could make a sentry bot that had been stripped and rusting for Fifty years look brand new. They had all just finished installing 4 Inch plexi-glass that was steel fiber wire interlaced and bolted around the edges into 1/2 inch length alloy sheets.
"It kind of makes you wonder, why would they need glass that strong?" The burly Riley silenced the laughing.
"We don't wonder, we work, and in return we get spots in the Vault." Sam flicked his cigar as the ash slowly dwindled in the air a moment and then fell to the spotless, shining floor.
"Oh, Hey boss! Nice to see you've arrived now that we're done! Say, can I ask? What were you doing while away?" Roy spat his sarcastic speech and waited eagerly for a reply.
"I was spending my time reporting to up-their-own-asses Doctors and the people who are in charge of this whole thing. Mostly getting chewed out for your S***ty work Candice. Now that you mention it, why don't you go ahead and move every last turret crate we spent two hours unloading and move them up one section to storage, orders from Doc Kazhinsky if you wanna take it up with him." Sam smirked and put his cigar back into his mouth pulling his officers hat out from his back pocket and placing it over his well oiled hair. Roy grunted and frowned, then rushed passed his superior in a storm of curses and loud boot stomps that carried out through the hall.
"The rest of you filthy grease monkeys, works almost over so why don't we go have ourselves a drink. Huh?" The lights from the ceiling shadowed the hat and only allowed the engineers to see a smile with a cigar jutting out with smoke snaking its way into the air.
With a grunt Riley hefted himself off a crate and grabbed his utility belt with both hands, his stomach raising slightly. "Well thats an offer I refuse to refuse!" His laugh was deep and long. He headed out the doorway and the remainder of his laughter was still being expelled.
Kat smiled and placed a soft hand on Sams shoulder. "Do you always have to be such an ***hole?" She gave him a friendly slap on the cheek and began walking towards the bar.
He stood there in the doorway, admiring his ***holishness. Then turned around to puff on the dwindling cigar and watch Kat sway her hips as she trodded away, he took note of the tightness of her jumpsuit. He began walking towards the bar too and tossed his cigar butt in a nearby trashcan.
Chapter 2: Test Subjects
It was well passed curfew, and the artificial lighting had been turned off. The entire Vault seemed silent, but if you listened just a little bit harder, you could hear the cogs of a machine work in unison. Doctor Kazhinksy stood motionless as the only room with lights on illuminated his task. A large sentry bot that had been modified to work as a fork lift hefted a large barrel in its clamps and was transporting them to dispending units. The doctor simply stood and watched, his hair wild and his eyes fixed. The robot moved the barrel the other end of the long room and firmly lowered it onto a base with a hollow need in the center. The base connected to a tube which ran under the floor and into more advanced technology. Kazhinsky smiled as the green substance within the barrel flowed down through the clear tube and became a solid glow. He set the sentry bot on an automated schedule and then headed for his quarters. The first thing he did was login to his terminal and take a deep breath, then slowly began to write an updated report on his project.
09/19/2074 Doctor Vladmir Kazhinsky, Vault 87, Washington D.C
It was our creation, It was my choice. This is the first of many journal logs that will chronicle the ongoing experimentations of the F.E.V chemical. This is a compound believed to increase human evolution by centuries, we will take what god has put on this earth and manipulate it for the oncoming hardships of a nuclear disaster. I am almost definite the Overseer and I are the only ones who truly knew what this vaults destiny was from the start, these civilians should be so proud of themselves. They are paving the path of evolution and possibly a grander, brighter future for all of non communistic society. Yes, we have looked at the possible lethialitys of this experiment and the severe drawbacks, but that's why we have an entire Vault population under this project, I will begin looking at the lists now and try and select one or two from different sections to avoid panic. I revel in the fact that I will be the first human to witness the joy upon the faces of the proud volunteers once they are transformed.
The doctor had spoke truth in his log, he was looking at the lists of vault dwellers and circling one here and one there at random. There would be a rounded up number of Twelve subjects first, and then the experiment would grow or end depending on results.
"It is within our power now, we can change the course of life as we know it. We cannot fail." The doctor leaned back in his chair and tapped the tip of the pen against his glasses, doing what any scientist would do and went over every last detail in his head. The one thing that struck him as odd was they were only instructed to build Eight F.E.V chambers, he guessed some would be monitored in pairs. He arose from his chair and without thought laid his tired body onto his bed and fell asleep, his glasses crooking slightly and his lab coat wrinkled at points.
Most Vault dwellers believed that almost every system was automated and when the lights flashed on at 6:00 AM sharp and the Overseers message of the day rang over the P.A systems, but truth be told there were people behind these systems. At 4:00 AM Sam woke up with a ringing head and the warm comforting feel of another body next to him, he tried to get out of bed quietly as not to wake up Kat. Taking the first shower in the entire Vault had it's advantages of nearly unlimited hot water. After putting on the same old grease stained jumpsuit he wore and a cup of black coffee, he sat at his kitchen table, newly lit cigar trailing smoke into the ceiling fan while he read an old copy of Guns and Bullets that he particularily favored because of its two page article on the .44 Magnum Handgun which he had one locked away in a case inside his dresser. He finally laid the magazine down and walked to his front door, he looked back at Kat roll over on her side, reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Keycard that could unlock any door in the Vault, another upside to maintenance. His door made a silent hiss that seemed louder in the even more silent hallway, then Sam walked out and put his Officers hat on his head as he turned and headed for a panel that was one level down from him. The "panel", which was actually a case larger than a doorway and wider than the hallways, slipped open as several green, red, orange, yellow and blinking lights lit up the man in the dark hall. He ran several diagnostics over the lights and then flipped a final switch that would automate everything for the next week or so without any problems or system blackouts.
He looked at his Pip-boy and watched as the time changed from 5:59 AM to 6:00 AM.The lights began a chain reaction of turning on and followed the hallway to the end and then around the corner to the rest of the vault, the P.A system clicked on and suddenly the entire section was aloud with "Good Morning Dwellers of Vault 87, Have a great day and be productive. Remember, I'm more than Overseer Andrew Sherman, I'm your friend". As he began walking back to his room the door locks all switched from red to green indicating they were free to leave and enter. Some of the early bird types shuffled out of their quarters and towards the cafeteria where something like "Steaming Fresh Vault-Tech Waffles" or "Vault Boy Suprise Pancake Special" would be displayed in big bold red letters at the front doors to let dwellers get the idea of what's on the menu, today was "Sunny Rise Bacon and Eggs". He passed the cafeteria main entrance and spotted Riley sitting with Roy eating different selections of breakfast food, this early in the morning and the big guy was laughing at some comment Roy had made.
"So then she says "But teacher! I can't be a fry cook! Hairdressing is my dream!" and then this real [censored] next to her with tattoos and a leather jacket gives her a long hard look and says "Wanna trade?" haha!" Roy smiled as he watched his friend spit up peices of eggs and bacon at his joke.
"Hahah! Hoo! Thats a good one man." Riley took a gulp of orange juice to clear his throat "You should be Vault comedian or something that's for sure." He immediately went back to devouring his tray.
"Yeah, well, it'd be better than working this S*** job that's for sure, I mean come on man, what's with our boss. If I had wanted to work for such a [censored] I would've joined Vault-Sec." The blond haired mechanic scoffed and went back to chewing on a bagel.
"I can make that transfer you know." Sam pulled a chair up to the two and flicked his cigar once or twice onto the floor. "If I wanted such an idiot to work under me I'd be in the exact same position I'm in right now."
"Haha funny funny." Roy lifted his coffee cup and was about to make a riot of sarcastic comments when his Pip-boy beeped loud enough for the three to hear.
He stared at it a long long time and took a slight moment of pause before he spoke "Huh, says I've been chosen for some random Vault prize and I could get a chance to get an upgraded Pip-Boy, they want me to show up immediately to the Overseers Office."
As he stood and walked away from the cafeteria a robot walked over to the table and took his tray to the trash. Kat entered the room and joined the two remaining.
"What's he doing?" She nodded towards the distancing crew member.
"I don't know, He mumbled some S*** about winning a prize, truth is, I'm too hungover to really care right now." Sam stared at the table for a while as the throbbing in his head refused to leave.
Chapter 3 : Project Evolve
Roy had only seen the Overseer once during some large vault-wide feast that took place on christmas eve, and he wasn't exactly sitting close to the guy either. The man had to admit he was a little excited about not having to work a morning shift, he was going to burn as much time as possible in this miniscule vacation he had just been given. He finished drinking his coffee and did his best to clear away the dull thud that echoed in his head, it wasn't long before he was coming up on the overseers office. Candice entered the waiting room right outside the office and realized he was waiting with about twelve or so other people, all of them with smug smiles on their faces or nervous eyes that darted around as they thought of what to say to the big cheese. The only standing figure in the room was some wierd looking scientist in a lab coat and had the largest mustache Roy had ever seen. Peering at the name on the coat which read "KAZHINSKY" in bold capital letters snapped him out of his hangover and into a silent apiffany of hate towards the man that had ordered him to move a tons worth of weight in crates into storage while his friends drank, he chose to do so later on in a near empty bar where most had gone back to their underground homes. He was almost compelled to have a little talk with the ***hole wearing glasses when the door to the Overseers office opened and was immediately followed by some secretary and Overseer Sherman himself. Everyone arose as he stood their with his hands clasped together behind his back and a look of satisfaction on his face.
"You twelve few of Vault 87 have been selected for new updated Pip-boy software we have been working on for quite some time now, so. We will have Doctor Kazhinsky deactivate the systems on all of yours and take you to the area in which we can update these, I'm sure you will all enjoy the new updates awaiting." The overseer then turned and walked directly back into his office where the door slowly closed and then hissed as the steel pressurized and clamped solid shut.
As the doctor walked around the room and used a special tool to unscrew the panel on the Pip-boys underside and simply remove wires, which all the civilians didn't realize was happening, they all just smiled and felt a slight amount of special in their lives. Roy, however, kept in mind exactly which wires had been unplugged and which pocket the doctor had put the tool, something seemed very odd in his mind. The doctor told the group to follow him and began heading towards the labratories. He moved at the back of the group and gave a an unseen glance over his shoulder, four vault officers were staying a few feet back but their eyes were locked hard on the people in front of them and all had batons and 10mm pistols holstered to their hips. Once the entourage had reached the labs Roy noticed he was in a place all too familiar since he had been one of the main workers building the strange experiment chambers.
"Uh, hey doc!" He spoke up at the back of the group, he could almost feel the tension of the guards behind him thicken. "I gotta go take a piss, I'll be right back." The doctor turned his head and looked at the man, a smile on his face.
"Very well, Hurry back however, I can't wait to see the excitement on all of your faces." Kazhinsky then began leading most of the people seperately into the chambers and made it his full attention. As Roy began heading in the opposite direction towards the nearest bathroom, one of the guards then tailed him. Upon entering the restroom he closed the door behind him and began quickening his pace to look for an escape route. He pulled out a screwdriver and looked up at the vent in the ceiling, his only hope.
"....yes sir he's in the restroom now." Roy stopped and listened to the muffled voice outside of the door. "Well retreive him immediately Officer Yates!" The rest of the conversation spilled out of his Pip-Boy.
Yates unholstered his baton and charged into the room, taking in every square inch for signs of a person. The stall showed no feet underneath it and the room was completely empty. The ching of a screw that had rolled and landed hard on the tiled floor caught his attention and made him shoot a glance upward. The vent was open and a partial piece of the cover was visible, it now rested inside the vent itself. The officer was going to enter the stall and stand on the toilet so he could reach the vent. The moment the stall door creaked open however, Roy Candice lunged off of the seat and dug his screwdriver into the guards left shoulder, then tried to plow through him on his way to the door. Yates yelled in pain and cursed aloud before he headbutted the mechanic and watched him bend over backwards from the blow, not waiting a second to strike him on the jaw with his baton. He pulled the screwdriver out of his shoulder and inhaled deeply with the sharp stinging sensation, Roy writhing as his lower lip bled profusely.
He was on the verge of unconciousness when Officer Yates gave him a little help, cracking the baton directly onto his forehead. Blackness ringed the edges of his vision as he tasted the warm, salty crimson fluid in his mouth pour out slowly. He finally closed his eyes and let loose the pains of his throbbing head.
There was Roy, running towards his childhood home...sprinting. He wasn't just running home either, he was running away from a distant noise...too distorted to understand. He was feet from his home when the distortion of nothing filled his ears and hurt intensely. A woman strolled out onto the porch of the house with a pie in her mittened hands, Roys mother. Desperation was abundant in the man as he dove for his home's front steps. Then his blinking synchronized with the blackness that surrounded him and there was nothing, he was falling into the mass dark...but the sound was clear now. Sobbing, on the verge of flatout bawling was crystal sharp in his hears. Damn, he shouted heavily in the blackness, My head won't stop hurting.
Adrenal glands kicked in as the man realized what had just happened and he shot up from his laying position staring directly at a wall. His breathing heavy and every breathe he took in was colder than usual vault temperature, but he was glad that he was away from the nightmare he had just experienced. Roy could feel the dry blood caked on his chin and on the side of his face he had been resting against the floor, his head still hurt and something else was very wrong, the sobbing was still around. In a haze of confusion, he slowly turned his head and saw a woman in the same room as him who's face was drenched in tears.
"Wha..." Roy rolled his eyes into the back of his skull as he swallowed a dry gulp and tried to clear his throat so his voice could be heard. "What are we doing here?"
The woman actually grasped the concept of silence and looked at him, tears in her eyes, then began sobbing hysterically over and over half speaking words and then slipping back into sadness. Roy knew he wasn't going to get any information from her until she calmed down, and by the looks of it, that would be a while.
He tried to stand but only managed a kneeling position and looked around to examine the room, which was in fact, the exact chamber he had finished building not even a week ago. Through the glass he could see doctor kazhinsky staring directly at him, his eyes blocked by the glare of light reflecting off of his glasses. The doctor leaned over and pushed some unseen button with his finger.
"Good to see you've awoken Mr. Candice" The intercom didn't sooth Roys headache. "You're little escape attempt was slightly dramatic don't you think?"
Roy didn't reply, instead leaned his back against the nearest wall and shut his eyes, he was afraid of what was to come.
09/20/2074 Doctor Vladmir Kazhinsky, Vault 87, Washington D.C
Daniel A.
Janie B.
Susan B.
Roy C.
Phillip H.
Joseph N.
Zachary R.
Jerome W
Alex S
Emily Q
Hose M
Stew K
Before you are the names of the first Twelve subjects of Project Evolve who will almost immediately be injected with the F.E.V chemical after my team gets done processing the liquid into a vapor for easy airborne access to the participants. I must say, the group have all been told what their roles will be in this project, and they all exhibit fear or anxiety, hopefully this will not interfere with the results. One subject even tried to escape, the devious S.O.B, to be offered such an amazing opportunity only to tuck tail and run from such a glorious fate. Every single last bit of data shall be recorded on these subjects.
Vladmir removed his glasses and wiped the lenses with an edge of his lab coat, smirking at the project he was about to push into full force.
Chatper 4: Week One
09/27/2074 Doctor Vladmir Kazhinsky, Vault 87, Washington D.C
All patients have been exposed to F.E.V and exhibit symptons of kemo-therapy, vommitting, hair loss, extreme flu and weakness. Some seem to be on the verge of death, and I must admit I never expected this. I've already thought about beginning a new list of test subjects, however I do still plan on running the full course of the experiment until the last man either dies or; hopefully, evolves.
The doctor sat back from his terminal and tapped his finger on the desk, inhaling deeply and letting his glasses slide down the bridge of his nose. His desire for success drove him to check on the subjects once more and he began his journey to the test chambers.
Roy convulsed and spilled the contents of his stomach onto his fore arms as he lay on the floor cringing. He could barely lift his head to spit away the vomit still in his mouth as he listened to the sobbing of the woman still with him. For a week he has been svcking some green mist-like substance into his lungs, only to exhale nothing, and then feel so light headed he would collapse. The first day or so wasn't so bad as the mist was dilluted from the oxygen that would creep in with the servings of food they were given. Now every intake was as if fire was shot directly into his lungs and then the flames lashed out and attached themselves, burning so intense that it upset several other of his organs and made them ache as well. Roy was balding extremely fast as he could grasp handfuls of hair and discard them on the ground, he watched the hair float in the air for a while until it lost current and drifted to the floor.
The day right after Roy didn't show up for his night shift, Sam had wondered about him, but the very next day his Pip-Boy had recieved a note stating that Roy had been reassigned a different team and that they would be getting a replacement soon enough. Now Scottie Masters, or "Spark" as he was known for short circuiting his classroom power grid in an attempt to delay the G.O.A.T test, a youngster just out of school was working alongside maintenance veterans. Riley had ofcourse taken an instant liking to the kid because of his stuttering demeanor, which he found hilarious. His stutter seemed to increase ten fold anytime he was working directly alongside Kat or having a conversation with her. Sam didn't mind the kid, for the most part he kept his mouth closed and was actually a damn fine electrician, for his age he was impressive.
"Alright, this cleaning bot is working again, its motion detector was bro-br-broken when it ran that kid over and broke his l-le-leg." Scottie took the robot off of the table and set it back on the floor, where it instantly began its duties of sterilizing the cold steel floor and picking up any small pieces of trash, it went at a much slower pace than when it ran some small Ten year old boy over.
"Nice job hun." Kat looked over the external frame of the bot and smiled in approval, looking back up at Scottie and sharing her grin.
Scottie began to struggle with his speech "Th-than-th-th-tha-..."
"Haha! He can't even say thanks! Hoo! Ha! Nice one Sparky!" Riley slapped his knee while his belly jiggled at his tremendous laughs and Scottie simply glared at him with flush red cheeks.
"It's alright kid, stay on the team long enough and you'll find out she doesn't bite, hard." Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close, they shared a look and Kat flicked his hat off because of the earlier remark.
"I don't bite at all, I don't even kiss in your case bud." She folded her arms and held onto a joking glare while he grabbed his hat off of the floor and readjusted it onto his head.
"Yeah, well..." Sam stopped his reply as a figure dashed passed the repair room that resembled Doctor Kazhinsky.
Cigar in mouth, he dashed out into the hallway to catch him.
"Hey! Doc!" He shouted while running up to the man.
The wild haired scientist stopped for a minute and sulked breifly, not wanting to be disturbed. "Yes..." He spoke in an exhausted tone "What is it, Mr. Divine?"
"I heard that those testing labs we built a while back are sealed off to everyone in the vault except for you and a selected team, why? What are you guys testing?" He ashed his cigar onto the floor, which was immediately cleaned up by the recently repaired bot.
"I can assure you it's none of your concern Mr. Divine, now if you'll excuse I've got work to do." His tone just seemed to focus more and more on letting Sam know he didn't want to be having this conversation, almost like he was blaming him for taking his time.
"Is it about those new Pip-Boy upgrades?" Ignoring the tone, he pressed the matter further.
"What?" The doctor seemed baffled, completely unaware of the topic.
"You know, people like Roy said he was getting chosen for a new Pip-Boy, and as soon as that happened he got transfered from my team." The fan above them intook the smoke that he recently exhaled.
Kazhinksy tensed and knew Sam could see it, "Uhh, Right, he got his upgrade and got integrated with a team of others who had the same Pip-Boy. Remember Mr. Divine! No smoking!" He rushed away from the conversation so Sam could not see the sweat forming on his forehead.
Sam stood under the dim light of the hallway pondering, the clanking sound of boot steps behind him increased and then a hand soothed its way onto his right shoulder. "So what was that about?"
"I'm not sure Kat, but I don't like it." They both turned back to the repair room, preparing for their shift to be over.
"Alright team, let's go get a drink." All four of them began their journey to the bar. One advantage to being on a full career job in the vault was things like smoking and drinking became legal to you regardless of age, Scottie Masters liked the idea of that."Vault Tec Brewery" posted itself in large neon letters above the doorway entrance to the bar, all four entered as most crews of all jobs done with their shifts mingled with eachother. Security officers sat and talked with civilians, waste disposal managers talked among themselves; being the only ones who could tolerate their own smells. Many other people gathered around the bar as the four took their places and began ordering drinks. An hour or so passed of heavy drinking when Sam stood up to relieve himself, on his way to the mens bathroom he accidently eavesdropped on two officers, one had a white bandage wrapped around his shoulder.
"...-stard, I've never like that loud mouthed S.O.B, I swear if I had just five minutes alone with Roy Candice I'd beat him half to death." The bandaged man took a large gulp of his drink and then went back to smoking his ciggarette.
"He did get you good though, It's your own fault for almost letting him escape in the first place." The guard opposite of him spoke under the voices around him.
"It's not like I volunteered to be a guard for that damned project anyways, Doc says most of 'em will be dead in a few days anyways." Sam peered at his badge as officer "Yates" spilled out the last sentence. He continued into the bathroom and fought through his buzz to comprehend the information he had just recieved. The pure shock of what they said spiralled his thoughts into a plan he didn't yet know he would form. Once he reached back out to his barstool to see almost everyone in the bar laughing at Spark, he lay on the floor dryheaving over a pile of vomit that gave testament to his lightweight drinking. Little did Scottie know, at that exact same moment someone else had vomitted...but for far different reasons.
Roy's stomach refused the contents of his evening meal and left him in an even weaker state, through his peripheral vision he could see someone watching him through the glass. Doctor Kazhinsky watched one out of the four patients still alive, calculating the time he had until he died. At that moment the hue of the patients skin began to turn and he screamed in pain, the scream was long. His skin bubbled and loosened for a moment, but was tightened by his increasing muscles, his veins began to protrude vehemently and his scream became a roar. The patients robe was torn now, it rested on its knees and seamed to pass out for a moment. Instantly it arose into a standing position, towering over the female patient still alive in the cell, she was too weak to scream. The creatures eyes were mad with fury and he lifted the human by grabbing her by the face and grappling the other arm onto her left leg. Over half of the observation window was painted crimson as the patient was torn in half. The doctor stood in awe and watched with amazement the entire time, until the moment a fist with knuckle stretching through the skin slammed into the glass, suprisingly, it held. He jumped back a moment, his full security force had heard the commotion and rushed towards Kazhinsky weapons drawn. He informed them of everything that happened and began walking towards his terminal, his glasses revealed excitement inside of his eyes.
09/28/2074 Doctor Vladmir Kazhinsky, Vault 87, Washington D.C
Daniel A.(Deceased)
Janie B.(Deceased)
Susan B.(Deceased)
Roy C.(Success)
Phillip H.(Exposed)
Joseph N.(Deceased)
Zachary R.(Deceased)
Jerome W.(Exposed)
Alex S.(Deceased)
Emily Q.(Deceased)
Hose M.(Deceased)
Stew K.(Deceased)
Success! Evolution! I cannot describe the joy I have with the advancement of my project. Also, I'm going to begin research on a drug that may help reduce the speed in which their immune systems fail, by my calculations it should increase success rate among subjects. Eight more subjects, it seems pairing them is impossible as they appear extremely aggressive, I imagine domesticating and re educating these creatures should present no problem at all.
It was a Sunday, and that meant that Sam's entire team was off duty for the entire day, which was good because he was so hungover he couldn't remember a thing from last night. It was a solid 8:00 A.M and he turned over to wake up his partner, she had apparently drank more. The daily routine was the same except only one shower for two was necessary in the morning, Kat went to go talk with her female friends while Sam went to meet up with several men at the recreation are. Scottie actually showed up, but it was much later than the rest.
"And where have you been Sparky?" Riley took a deep breath and then exhaled as he squatted a hefty 375 lbs, the bar seemed to bend down from gravity as he forced it up.
"It's Sunday, I had to go to church, my dad is Preacher Masters." The kid picked up much lighter weights and began to do curls.
"Boy kid, what your mom would do to you if she saw you last night." Riley squatted again and completed his set.
"Yeah, I know. She's just happy I never joined Vault Sec. Just look at the [censored] they get into to." He nodded over at a pair of men spotting eachother benching. One man was severely bandaged in the shoulder and a little red stain showed due to lack of changing the pad. Sam instantly dropped his 45 pound weight and stopped doing crunches, his memory came back to him...the conversation last night, he had to find out what was going on inside that testing lab.
"You alright?" Riley looked at him curiously for a moment.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered I need to do something." Sam went back to the lockers and changed into his vault suit, he lit a cigar and headed back to his apartment, he had to let Kat know what he was going to do.
The door slid open as he stepped in, scanning the room he found a note, but no Katherine. After taking one last look around he picked up the note and read it.
Sam,
Won a prize! New Pip-Boy! You're going to be so jealous!
Love,
Kat
Chapter 5: Abomination
A loud crashing noise echoed through the apartment and out the open door, a crumpled note lay on the floor. The echo seemed to carry farther than any noise ever heard, which caught the ear of a wondering Scottie. He turned his attention towards the room and then began in that direction, his pace quickened slightly, tools clinking around his waist. Exactly as he reached the entrance a flustered man almost ran him through, stopping when he realized who it was.
"What are you doing boss?" Scottie eyed Sam up and down, the adrenaline that rested on his shoulders filled the small area with extreme tension, he was breathing hard.
More anxious to leave than to speak, Sam hurried his words "I gotta go take care of something." He used that moment to squeeze through the open space in the door entrance that Scotties relaxed stance didn't cover.
"Okay..." The young mechanic looked in the room for the source of the noise, stepping passed the unnoticed note and into the bedroom. The dresser was toppled over on the ground, a hollow backside showed a small square panel and a keyhole in the center, it was cracked open just barely. He stepped over a lamp and a chair that were caught in the noisy frenzy, one leg of the chair had been snapped off which caused a contrast between the light brown splinters and the cold blue metal floor. The lamp light flickered on and off, the darkness devouring the light. Scotties hand reached for the panel and lifted it, letting gravity rest it open on the backside of the dresser. Inside lay an empty box of .44 magnum shells and two bullets which also seemed to be forgotten in Sams hastening. Sparky picked one up and examined it, it was the first time he had ever seen an actual bullet. The cartridge was fairly large but the bullet itself was small and blunted at the end, he knew the effects of a bullet from what he learned in school, which would mushroom inside its target and cause a lot more mayhem.
"What are you takin care of boss...?" Scottie stood in the now solid dark, the lamp had given up its fight. He put the bullet in his right front pocket and went to look for Riley.
Sam stood in front of the laboratory doors which were denied access to everyone but a select few, and the maintenance crew leader. He slipped the green plastic card out of his pocket and he eyed a single black streak that ran on the lower portion, the modern day skeleton key. The control panel on the door read the card as it slid down through the scanner, it wasn't prepared for the instant override so the locking mechanism lagged a little before opening. Knowing he was not allowed in this place he slipped his hat on and let the lights above shadow his face, also he began scanning corners and walking as quietly as boots would permit. He heard the voices before he actually crept onto the scene which sent him into an extremely cautious state, beads of sweat started to form. As he peered into the door to his immediate right he could see a group, some of which were guards while others were dwellers, headed by Doctor Kazhinksy. With no one looking, he entered the room and then darted into an open supply closet, this allowed him to actually make out the voices into words.
"Subjects! Friends!...Fellow vault dwellers..." Sam poked his head out to clearly see the ramblings of the doctor "...I now show to you the next stage in human evolution! Our evolution!" The doctor pressed a button next to the reinforced glass of a testing room and everyone in the group seemed to gasp simaltaniously.
"That! Is an Abomination!" A fairly old and weathered man shouted, his vault suit was distinguished from the others by means of a black collar and white cross upon it, showing his christian faith. "That is not evolution! That is mutation! That is! Thats!" He seemed speechless for a moment before finishing."Blasphemy!".
As some faces turned back to stare at the preacher, one face in particular caught Sams eye. Kat wasn't crying, she wasn't shocked, she looked angry. As their eyes met she let go of her anger for a moment, and relief settled into her expression.
"Nonsense father! Come! Come see this gift from god yourself, he's sedated and couldn't harm a rad roach." The doctor began to enter the necessary code to unlock the door and beckoned several of the members of the group to enter the room.
"Don't mind the fog in the air it's just-" Doctor Kazhinksy flew across the room and the upper half of his body collided with a pipe that was running along the ceiling, forcing him to crash face first onto the floor, a pool of blood already began to form where his face made contact. A roar errupted into the hallway and was swallowed by its own agony, this mutant was in pain. The vault sec officers grasped the situation with their minds and began unholstering their weapons, one actually shot his own foot in a panic and dropped to the floor right before the monster now pulling his bulky frame through the door. The group of people scattered in any direction leading away from the mutant and Kat just barely made it into the supply closet as gunfire and screams erupted. Before the two could hold each other a man flew into the room and slammed hard against the wall, force seemed to hold him against the wall for a moment before he tumbled to the ground barely conscious, his weapon clattered onto the ground next to him. A slick line of crimson slapped itself against the floor near the doorway as the screaming slowly overtook the sound of gunshots. Sam pressed Kats head into his chest as they backed up and leaned against a wall, she tried to control her sobbing, he didn't want her to see these things or hear the sounds outside which seemed to quiet only for a second before he could hear crunching.
Is he eating them?
The sweat on Sam's brow dripped onto his shirt in silence, the crunching continued for a solid twenty minutes, two different pools of blood connected right outside of the doorway and built up enough viscosity to leak its way into the supply closet. The officer that lay dead or unconscious was now laying in someone elses blood, his blue uniform now took a wet and dark coating, the smell was worse than anything. Large footsteps seemed to shake the ground, but it was relieving as the intensity of the vibrations felt like they were distancing, the mutant was walking away. Suddenly the man on the ground yelled in pain and cursed as loud as he could, his own blood came from a contusion on his head. In a panic, Sam lunged at the man and tried to quiet him in hopes of the mutant not coming back, but a sharp elbow caught Sam above the right eye and he lost his balance on the slippery red tile. The confused guard picked up his gun and aimed it at Sam for a clean shot, the only thing that saved the mechanic was that the guard slipped again on the lubricated battlefield. Sam held a scowl on his face as he pressed his elbow against the mans adams apple, he grunted and pushed as hard as he could. The gun slid just an inch out of the guards reach, but no miracle would help him gain one more inch on his arm, he was going to die. The light in the supply closet illuminated a different man than before, instead of a cigar smoking grin, teeth ground against each other as the guard clawed at Sam's face in futility. The officers hand smeared blood against his face as the fight in him slowly left his body, the mans muscles couldn't function and the his brain was dieing. Sam jerked his elbow harder into his neck in hopes that it would make it quicker. It took a few minutes for Sam to realize that the man was actually dead, he finally sat back against a wall and took a deep breath that shook his lungs, from this position he could see outside the room and into the aftermath of a massacre.
The doc's body was gone, a trail of blood headed in the direction of his office, bloody footprints also following in that direction. Some sections of the room just looked like pure gore, small bone fragments and entrails tossed around like the mutant was too picky to eat them. Some bodies weren't recognizable but the ones he could were guards, hopefully the others didn't stick around while the guards were shooting. A soft hand that rested on his shoulder made him jerk out of his state of mind and into reality.
"Is he..." Kat motioned towards the closest body.
"Yea, he's dead." Sam examined himself and felt sick to his stomach, during all of this he had been covered in blood that wasn't his own, it was on his hands and face and soaked in through his clothes onto his skin.
The two stood up out of the puddle and he picked up the officers gun and handed it to Kat "You know how to use it, aim, and shoot." She nodded and wiped tears away from her face.
They headed towards the doctors office, Sam was scared that monster would still be there but he needed answers to what the hell was going on. Following the blood was easy enough, the fear that tainted these hallways was a completely different matter to deal with. Sam stopped leading for a moment and followed Kat as he trapped himself in the thoughts of his murder. No doubt both were shaken, and cautious of every little noise or small movement. Pipes that were cracked and broken hung from the ceiling and hissed steam out into the hallways now, vision was limited, it was like walking through mist in a lions den. The air was thicker and weighed down their lungs, the moisture mixed with their sweat and their clothes stuck to their skin. Part of the doctors door was visible through the steam, it was open. Upon closer inspection the blood trail led into the office, it was distorted by something very large stepping in it previously. Sam stepped in front of Kat and stuck his head into the room first, she could tell something bad had happened inside. Both of them entered to see the scientists corpse crumpled in a corner next to a bloody computer chair. His terminal was flashing and beeping at a low, monotonous tone that overcame the hissing noises from the hallway pipes. Sam stared at the screen for a good ten seconds before he could comprehend what the doctor had done.
"He made more of these things...on different vault levels." He looked back at Kat "He just released the gas that makes these monsters on the entire level below us."
"We have to tell the overseer, he'll know..." Kat couldn't finish her sentence as Sam took off with her arm in hand towards an unknown destination. It wasn't long before they arrived at a large maintenance box on the wall.
Sam spoke as he worked "I'm gonna lock down all of the doors that lead up to this level from below." He flipped several switches and began entering code "Then we go to the overseer, and find a way out of this place." He slammed the box shut and took Kats hand to begin their sprint for the Overseers office. The steam began to clear away and the air took on a more cooling quality as they distanced themselves from the lab and bodies.
"Boss! Hey boss!" Scottie shouted from behind them as they stopped and turned back to look.
"No time Sparky! Come with us!" Sam began to run again when he heard a scream come from Scotties direction, the ground was shaking violently. Both turned to see their fellow mechanic touching the ceiling with the top of his head as the mutant lifted him high in the air. Sam held his magnum with both hands and focused.
Chapter 6: Pain and Glory
Scottie didn't understand why his boss refused to stop, until he looked to his left at a hulking beast sprinting towards him. A scream escaped only for a second before he was lifted in the air and his head was pressed against the hard steel of the ceiling, looking down at this monster was a terrible display. It's eyes were bloodshot and strained, with a yellow tint that matched its torn and stretched skin. Low growls erupted from its maw as fresh blood ran down onto its chest and dripped to the floor. Tattered and unrecognizable clothes adorned the creature, Scotties eyes raced over the image of his soon-to-be killer until he caught a name tag.
Roy?
Boom!
Scottie fell on his back and looked up as a warm liquid splashed onto his pant legs, what was left of Roy yelled and held the limp arm that had lifted Sparky. An intimidating hole took the place of the mutants elbow and made it impossible for him to lift his arm, he turned in Sams direction and roared as loud as possible.
Boom!
A light from directly above flooded into his eyes as the towering figure dropped from Scotties view and shook the ground, twitching uncontrollably with blood starting to pool. Scottie stood up and put a few feet between him and the moving corpse, he headed towards his friends.
"Thats Roy!, that thing is Roy!" Scottie exclaimed as the two others reached him.
"Not anymore.."Sam lowered his gun "Come on, We have to go. Where is Mcgarvey?" They all began to run again.
"Uh, uh...He's...He's on his shift at the repair shop. I was looking for him before I found you two." It was hard to think and run.
"Alright, go get him and meet us at the Overseers office." You could hear exhaustion in Sams voice.
Scottie turned off in a different direction and left the group. The closer they got to the office the more people began to stare at them as they ran passed, they had no reason to worry unless it was announced over the P.A, right? Right? Children looked on in fear as the two slicked with blood finally neared the office. Sam banged on the closed door with the butt of his pistol.
"Overseer! Open up now! We have to warn you!" Sam stood back as the door slowly, almost rhythmically opened to reveal Andrew Sherman sitting at attention in his chair.
"Ah, Mr. Divine." He looked Sam up and down "Sweet lord, Why are you covered in..." He was cut off, who cuts off the Overseer?
"I killed a giant! Listen! We need to open the door and get out of here. I locked down the lower level to keep them away from us but it won't last long." Sam glanced at Kat as she sat down in a nearby chair and took a large breath.
"Open the door!? Ha, are you mad? I know all about the mutants Mr. Divine, and Doctor Kazhinsky has it quite under control. Besides, no testing chambers were placed on the lower level." The Overseer had a calm demeanor, prior to the next bit of news.
"The Doctor is dead! and he filled the lower sector with this gas that turns you into a mutant!" Sam pressed the matter. "We need to get out of here, We can't kill an entire sector of those things!" Several guards began to crowd around the doorway and listen in on the conversation.
"Mr. Divine! Please. Lower your voice. There is no need to elevate this matter higher than it already is. If the doctor has done what you said then we shall go down into the lower sector and clean it out, there shall be much glory in this! Yes, I shall be remembered as the greatest Overseer when the Door is opened and we begin a new world!" He stood erect from his chair and slid the closest desk drawr open, he then removed an old six shooter.
"Dated 1889, Very rare, and in pristine condition. With this pistol I, Overseer Andrew Sherman, will lead the Vault-Sec into the lower level and gain much glory!" He pulled out a box of .32 Caliber bullets and began to load it "I must prepare an announcement immediately. So, Mr. Divine, Please return to your duties as maintenance crew and leave."
"Sir, you're letting this get to your head! You can't just..." Sam was grabbed by the arms.
"Please escort Mr. Divine out of my office, Mrs. Allen, I'm sure you have enough civility to escort yourself." Katherine glared at the man and without words, scolded him. She arose from her chair and followed behind Sam.
"What's going on? Sparky here didn't really fill me in on anything." Riley watched as the two passed through the crowd of guards, Sam covered in a dark crimson.
"Christ man! Is that your blood?" Riley rushed over and gave the tired man some support.
"They want glory..." Sam looked over at Kat, who looked directly into his eyes, her eyes red from tears."They'll get pain. We need to find a way out of here." Sam's slicked back hair was now stuck in strands to his forehead.
"Well how, I mean, It's not like we can just walk out the front door." Scottie chimed in.
"I don't know, I need time to think. But right now, I need a shower, and a smoke."
Sam sat in his apartment, wearing a towel and smoking a new cigar. His magnum sat on the table next to the ashtray with only four rounds left, the pistol Kat had taken was full with a twelve round clip. He inhaled a deep cloud of smoke and let it escape from his nostrils, he thought about what he had done. Killing Roy Candice was easy, because he was a mutant and he never really did like Roy. However, it troubled him that he had suffocated that guard, the one that didn't really understand why he was about to die. Slowly though, after each puff on his cigar and after each contemplative thought, he realized that Vault-Tech wasn't looking out for him, or Kat, or anyone he cared about. As far as he was concerned they were just as much the enemy as the newly discovered monsters that clearly wanted nothing more than to eat people. Kat was just getting out of the shower when the P.A system blared.
"This is your Overseer speaking. All citizens of Vault 87, We are currently under a security lockdown. All jobs will be post-poned and all citizens are required to stay inside their living quarters until further notice. Think of this as a vacation people! Have a little fun with your families. Inside of course. Anyone found wandering the halls will be severely punished. Have a nice day."
Ranks of Vault-Sec guards stood at attention behind their Overseer, they stood in full riot gear under the broken pipes and the evident bloodbath. The remaining mutants on this level roar and stalked back and forth in their cells, wanting freedom...and food.
"Officer, Open this cell." Sherman looked back at a guard who jogged over to the controls and swiped it with his card, overriding the lock. The door began to hiss open and the mutant inside became silent. It stood their for a minute and stared at the man at its doorway.
"I......huuurrr...hurrrrrt." The mutant choked out guttural words.
Bang!
A single bullet entered its skull as it immediately crumpled to the ground. The Overseer stood feet together, extending his right hand at the monster which held his precious pistol, smoking from the shot. He looked like a dueling nobleman from the 1700's, without the wig and odd clothes.
"Well, that was easy." A smile spread across his face. "Exterminate the rest, then we move onto the lower level."
The men began to race in five man teams to separate cells, rhythmically opening them and firing a single shot, sometimes three or four.
Yes, everyone will remember as the greatest Overseer in history. It was the stupid doctors fault this happened. No one has to know I allowed it. I'll cleanse this Vault of the imperfections.
Chapter 7: Need to Know
Seven hours had passed since the late doctor Kazhinsky released the F.E.V chemical into the lower level of the vault, and Sam was hard pressed to find a way out of the underground monster trap. Dressed in a fresh vault suit, hair slicked back with a nice shine to it, you never would have guess this cigar smoking man had ever killed anything in his life. Katherine sat at the table with him, the aroma and steam vapors from a cup of coffee in front of her seemed to caress her face as she lifted it and sipped softly.They sat in silence, but it was comfortable, not like the silence you have with a stranger that forces you to mumble at each other meaningless words in order to stay relaxed. Sam extinguished his shortened cigar in the built in ashtray that sat in the center of the table, exhaling his last lung full of smoke through his teeth. Kat reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder, it was a warm and gentle gesture. But it was only to prepare him for the next step.
"Sam, what are we going to do?" Her eyes were serious, but there was a hint of worry behind it.
Sam sighed and put his hand on hers, being as gentle as he could. He looked into her eyes for a few moments and then stood from his chair. "We're going to find a way out of here, the Overseer is going to tell us how to open the door."
She set down her cup "And what if he doesn't?" Her voice was getting farther and farther from being calm after every word "What if more of those things..."
"Don't worry Kat, he's going to tell us." Sam placed his hand on the grip of the magnum as his fingers seemed to slide perfectly into place before he lifted it in the air, the light in their apartment caught the barrel and ran up and down it as he placed it in the front of his belt, concealing it to the point of only the grip being visible.
"Because if he doesn't." Sam grabbed his hat that was sitting on the bed nearby and placed it firmly on his head, pulling the visor downwards allowing it to shadow his face from the nose up."I will kill him."
Kat stood up from her chair and lunged at Sam, enveloping him in a tight embrace as there lips met forever, a power surge throughout the vault that took their door off of lockdown mode concluded forever. Her lips departed from his and a single tear lay stagnant on her cheek, a trail following from the corner of her left eye.
"I love you, and all of this seems hopeless. I don't want you to die." She collapsed in his arms again, staring out into the open hallway. Where people started to pass by and return to their jobs, unaware of the threat below them.
"I love you too." He leaned out of her embrace and looked into her eyes "I'm not going to die, and more importantly, nothing is going to happen to you." The emerald hue of her iris pierced back into the solid blue ocean of his.
They set out the door while Sam used his Pip-Boy to tell Riley and Scottie to meet him at the Overseers office. The hallways were busy with people at the sudden release of everyone, carving a path through the crowd was a chore until everyone slowed their pace to listen to the P.A system come alive.
"Eherm, Ehem." For a minute ruffled coughing was the only sound blasting it's way through the otherwise silent vault "The...The security lockdown is now over, please return to your daily activities. I'm sorry everyone. Have a nice day."
No one was worried by the announcement, they all just started to quicken their pace again as their daily business was the only thing on their mind. Sam and Kat began to push and shove through the crowd to get to the office, quickening their pace above all others as much more than daily activity was on their mind. The halls began to thin as the dwellers found their places, a complete blanket of tranquility on all of them, most had small smiles on their faces or bright and alert eyes. A constant flow of casual pvssyr and soft laughs, the only sound to come from these people in a long time. Sam could care less about these people.
F*** 'em, They're already dead.
Riley and Scottie stood outside of the Overseers Office waiting, the large door was open, but it appeared no one was inside and the office had been ransacked. Oddly enough, no guards were stationed anywhere near the area. All four entered the office without a word and began looking around the trashed room, papers and folders lay around the room as if they had just experienced a maelstrom. Sam was about to speak when the silence was broken by a single, quite loud, sob. Everyone snapped their attention to the Overseers desk, or rather, under it. Andrew Sherman sat curled up underneath the furniture with his suit stained dark with the dry, caked on crimson of another human being and his face wet with silent tears. Riley reached under the desk and with a not so serious tug, lifted the light Overseer up onto his feet, keeping one hand gripped onto his collar.
"What...the hell happened?" Scottie blurted out before Sam could make his demands.
"I, I lost the code...and the only way to get to the door is from the lower level." He began to sob again. "We can't go down there! Never!" Sam stepped forward and shook the mentally distanced man into the present.
"What code?! What happened in the lower level?" His interrogation had begun.
It started so well. Andrew was standing outside of the lower level main door, with easily two dozen men at his back waiting to execute an execution of an entire sector. He ordered the door open as several hydraulics hissed and pulled the door into two separate halves as it retracted back into the wall. Green mist poured out into their hall and thinned as it combined with the new air, the second level had no power and no lighting. There was a flashlight between every two men, and they began to cautiously creep into the sector. Andrew walked a few feet ahead of his men, a flashlight constantly at his back, making it hard to see far in front of him. A man behind him shouted "Sir!" which in turn caused the Overseer to snap his attention to the man, who shined his flashlight to his lower left. Not three feet from Andrew was something, barely moving on the floor. Another flashlight shined on it, and soon another, and before long the creature was fully illuminated. It's skin was yellow and cracked like the monsters yet it was smaller than a man, appearing emaciated with the exception of one extremely large arm, it rasped very struggling breaths. Andrew pointed his pistol at what he assumed was the deformities head and fired, making the rasping noise come to a halt. The men crowded around the creature in the dark to examine as their Overseer told them that this was all they would encounter, that it had taken at least a week for the creatures they had encountered earlier.
"These things are already half dead, we just have to help them." Andrew looked at the circle of men who pointed their flashlights at him.
"But sir, how many of them are their?" Someone pointed a flashlight directly into his face.
"Let's just say we have plenty of work to do, Now get that light out of my face man!" He lashed out at the source of light and took the flashlight for himself. "Do you like it when I do thi..."
He pointed the light at the man, it traveled up his body until it shined bright directly into his pupils. He closed his eyes and grimaced, but the light reflected off of something behind him that appeared to be a bent lunch table, strapped around the chest of something much scarier. The yellow hue of its skin was illuminated just as much as the liquid crimson shining on its arms, small bullet holes penetrated its makeshift armor and small lines of blood trickled through them.
Ahhhh!
A scream split the silence to the right as a flashlight clattered to the ground and shined at every ones feet, Andrew lifted his pistol and fired every shot he had into the monster that stood behind the man in front of him. More gunfire lit the hallways as a mix of metal and yellow skin flashed around them. Men fired hopelessly into the dark and were rewarded with random grunts and roars, someone screamed as they were grabbed and pulled away, their flashlight the only testament to the thought they were still alive, a beacon of light growing small and smaller as it distanced deeper into the sector. A monster ran right into the illumination of their lights, adorned with lunch table armor and pots and pans hanging from him as he wielded a large pipe that had been ripped out of the ceiling. He charged forward and swung fast, crippling one mans legs and smashing another on the head as their flashlights fell on the floor and added to the random lighting. A scream pierced the noises again right before someone flew across the room and crashed into the Overseer, slamming both of them to the floor. The man made no attempt to get up from the floor, he was heavy and when Andrew placed his hands on his shoulders to move him from being on top of the scared man warm fluid started to run down his hands and onto his sleeves.A ray of light shined onto the two, and Sherman stared into the face of a dead man, his eyes wide with terror as blood ran down his nose and chin. Andrew yelled in horror and squirmed his way out from underneath the body, jumping up into a sprint towards the upper level, his men were abandoned to their own personal hell. The dark fully engulfed his surroundings now, all the gunfire and screams and light at his back. Adrenaline blocked out the pain as he ran face first into the main door, falling back on his hands and jumping back up instantly turning all of his attention to the control panel and typing in the code to open the door. It hissed open and the light blinded him, he rushed up the stairs and turned back to the control panel on his side of the door, closing it. A bullet wizzed through the closing door and sparked off of the stairs, followed by a human yell.
"Wait! Please Wait!"
The door was only large enough to fit maybe an arm or a leg through at that point, and that's exactly what jutted into the light. Someones arm frantically searched for help as its owner screamed and pleaded for the door to be opened again.
"Sir! Sir! Don't leave m..." One other odd object that was still able to fit through was a pipe, dripping blood, very fresh blood. The door continued closing and crushed the mans arm with a sickening noise, the pipe was also consumed in the doorway, the hollow center clamping together and creating a focal point for the blood to drip off of. Andrew stopped a moment, examining the scene and looking on with terrified horror at the bloodied door accompanied by the severed, twitching arm. He gasped and entered a full sprint for his office, the hallways empty due to the lockdown. The adrenaline was fading but nothing would distract him the moment he entered his office.
"Wheres the code?!" He spoke aloud to himself, sifting through papers on his desk and searching his terminal simultaneously. Fear turned to sudden frustration as he couldn't find it, more cabinets and files being worthless to him every time he opened a drawer. Snapping to attention he realized everyone was still on lock down, which with a simple announcement was ended. Frustration turned to hopelessness as he realized the code that would allow him to take the tunnel to the main door was gone, the doctor possibly had something to do with it. He collapsed onto his knees and began to sob, crawling under his desk and shedding tears as quietly as possible.
What do I do now?
He sobbed violently and was slapped, hard.
"There has to be another way out of here! Think dammit!" Sam glared at the tear drenched mess.
The Overseer open his eyes for a moment and paused, then went back to tears "No! I swore to them I'd die before I did that!"
Sam pulled out his magnum and bashed the man in the bridge of the nose."Goddammit! Tell me now!!"
"It's on a need to know basis, you bastard!" He brought his hands to his face and tried to stop the flow of crimson.
A hand ran through his slicked back hair and corrected a single strand that was previously hanging down his forehead, the other hands thumb pulled back the hammer on his magnum and placed the end of the barrel on the Overseers temple "No, It's on a you need to tell me basis."
Chapter 8: Lamplight Caverns
"As you know, this vault is built inside a natural cavern discovered in the 19th century which was then converted to a tourist attraction in the 1920's, Lamplight Caverns." Andrew wiped blood away from his nose "The only opening into the caverns is the main vault door. The only opening with a door, that is. There is one other, it's at the other end of this section, but we covered it over with a wall."
"Then how do we get through the wall?"
"Explosives, in the Vault-Sec barracks." The Overseer tried to pull his collar out of Mcgarveys grip, to no avail.
"Alright, take us there. Then to the wall..." Sam let the magnum drop from execution position and headed out into the hallway, his crew behind him and the Overseer locked securely in Riley s grip. Several feet into the hallway another power surge caused the lights to flicker frantically. Not a moment later a scream echoed, bouncing off of the steel walls until it founds its way into the ears of anyone within hearing distance.
"The surge! It unlocked the door!" Sherman blurted out in a panic, tugging at Riley's hand "This way! We have to go faster!" The Overseer began to lead the group leashed to Mcgarvey, like some scared dog trying to find its way into a hole only he could fit through. A string of semi-automatic gunfire came from a hallway somewhere behind them, followed by a muffled roar, and then more silence. Andrew was exhausting himself, trying to run harder and faster than Riley could allow due to his girth and the fact he was starting to breath heavier.
"This wa..!" Andrew skidded to a stop and would've fallen on his face were it not for the large engineer finger locked to his collar, he then tried to back up in panic. Before them stood a towering beast, covered in assorted cafeteria metals and the blood of his victims. He roared and lowered himself into a charge, Kat aimed her 10mm pistol in his direction and began to fire frantically without aiming. Some bullets bounced off of the nearby corridor walls and some dented the mutants armor, one or two piercing the flesh. It had reached halfway down the hall before Sam had managed to wiggle his magnum stuck on his suit threads out and aim it. His hat flew off when he fired the magnum at the monster, hitting it in the throat at an angle as it exited through the nape of his neck with pieces of spinal cord and cerebral material. It collapsed to the ground as it's momentum brought it to the ground a few feet from the frightened Overseer.
"God it smells!" Kat scrunched up her nose in disgust.
"How many bullets do you have left?" Sam spoke in a hurried tone, as Sherman beckoned them to continue there way to the barracks, tugging on Mcgarvey like a pet.
"One...Sorry." Kat only received a forgiving nod as everyone began to kick back up into a run.
A group of people screaming intersected with them as they sprinted in abandon, directions useless to them as anywhere would point to the same, inevitable fate. As they turned a corner, screams and roars were muffled by the sick, wet sound of a man being torn in half. Without thought, Sam pointed the shining barrel of his .44 at the scene of horror and fired twice, the second shot badly recoiling and almost knocking the weapon from his grip. The first bullet hit the large mutant in his left thigh and crumpled him to ground for a moment, as the second shot entered through the vault dwellers dangling torso, caught in the beasts grip, and exited through the kneeling monsters skull.
They were inside the barracks now, heading for the armory "I only have one bullet left!" Sam shouted in frustration and disappointment. The entire armory was empty, racks upon racks and shelves upon shelves left with nothing but newly forming dust and the endless hope that their respected items would be returned to rest once more.
"What happened to all of the equipment Overseer?" Scottie was inspecting anything for a weapon of his own, not wanting to be left defenseless against what he had witnessed previously in the halls.
Jesus Christ. I'm still a virgin.
Riley found a crowbar and claimed it for himself "Better than nothin." He said to no one in particular.
"They are with their men now, forever, in the lower level." Before anyone could demand to know why he had sent so many to their deaths, Sherman found a locker at the end of a large row and began to type numbers into the keypad. Success presented itself in the form of one mining detonator about the size of a carton of cigarettes. Andrew picked it up and looked at it for a second before Sparky stripped it from his hands.
"It's from the original construction of the vault, use to blast large sections of rock away to make room for more space. It's quite old, I don't even know why we have it really." The Overseer was placed back, literally, into the hands of Riley Mcgarvey.
A man stumbled into the armory, he appeared to be a security officer. Blood dotted parts of his uniform and his heavy breathing accented the whiteknuckle grip placed on his pistol. He didn't even notice everyone else in the room, his eyes focused on the doorway, sweat beading off his forehead.
"Officer! These people have kidnapped me! Arrest them!" The man snapped his gun in their direction and his gun was met by the two others in the room, a stand still of misunderstanding.
"What...What are those things man!?" The officer shouted a little louder than needed and kept his gun trained on everyone.
"Officer! I am your Overseer! Now arrest these people!" Riley slugged him in the stomach, clotting the flow of words as he tried to regain his breath.
"F*** that man! This gun doesn't even have any ammo!" The man held a desolate look on his face, that danced on the edge of tears. "I'm not leaving this place man!" He dropped the weapon, as it was no more use to him than his words. He sat down in a corner and began to mumble of loved ones, a wife once lost, possibly a child caught in the massacre.
"Okay, we have what we need, we're going." Sam looked into Katherine's eyes and held them for a moment.
The group exited the barracks and sprinted back into the fray of winding corridors, blood, stench, death, screams, tears. The vault had become a sick twisted version of itself, no longer standing for the preservation of life and catering to the needs of man, but instead a violent trap serving as a feeding ground for the next step in human "Evolution". A voice of reason was shouting maniacally at everyone in the back of their minds, telling them to give up and give in to the logical reaction that is fear, telling them to stop and refuse to take one more step. If only they had listened just for a second.
Sam didn't even see the demon behind the corner, only the large metal pipe he had swung. The impact rippled off of his mid-chest and snapped several ribs, indenting them towards his interior. The man almost blacked out the pain was so great, but he held on to consciousness. However, he didn't hold on to his magnum which clattered several feet away out of his reach, he thought about the man he killed who was only inches away from his weapon. The monster stood over him, his pipe poised to impale the slick haired man to the ground. Two roars filled the air simultaniously, one much more human than the other. Mcgarvey released his grip on the crowbar now resting deep inside the mutants lower back.
Riley turned his wild eyes towards his companions,
"Run!"
