Thanks guys, I might get another chapter up today, if you're lucky.

I'm bored, so here's some more, yay!

===

Chapter Eight
A Shattered Dream

The light inside the train hissed and cracked as the dust inside swirled around Garrett's body. He groaned as he sat up, looking at his surroundings; the train had crashed. As Garrett snapped the throttle, he was unable to reduce the speed and when the track itself was in poor condition, let a lone the wheels on the train, you're in trouble. The whole carriage rolled off the track when it rounded a particularly sharp corner. The sudden crash had caused Garrett to be tossed around inside and he recieved a strong blow to the head. And here he was, still in his hospital gown. Slowly, he got up from the floor and looked around. The blood from Ice's body was now all over the gown which induced a shudder and a slight sob from Garrett as he clambered out of the carriage. He landed on the track next to Ice's sniper rifle that'd obviously fallen from the train during the roll. He picked it up carefully and removed the clip. "Three shots left." Taking the leather belt connected to the rifle, he slung it over his back and set off in the direction of the closest platform.

After a fair amount of walking, Garrett stumbled upon a derelict platform and, with the aid of a wall mounted map, deduced that he was at 'Chevy Chase North'. He clambered up the escalator slowly making sure not to step on the jagged cans with his bare feet as he went. Once up, he took a left and headed into what appeared to be a lobby. He looked around slowly, puzzled by the appearance of the place. "For a city on the mend, I would of thought the tunnels would of been in better condition..." He wandered forth and decided it would be best to do a bit of scavenging before he went any further. To his side, he spotted an old, half broken door and decided it would be best to check their first. With a single kick, he managed to knock it down and then he walked in. It appeared to be an old office, probably for the staff to kick back and relax in. Instantly, he spotted a skeleton under a desk, its boney fingers clasping a baseball bat. Garrett took the bat for himself and took a seat on the desk, clutching his head. He lowered his hand only to find it covered in a thick red liquid; blood. To be more exact, his own blood. He sighed, wiping it on the desk.

Once he'd managed to wrap the head wound with what cloth he could find, he set off from the office and yanked the rusted iron gates apart, squinting as the light bombarded his eyes. He was suprised how quickly he had gotten use to the darkness in the metros, but his time in the dank subway was over and now, Garrett was ready for an easy life in D.C. He stepped out, opening another set of gates before ascending a few sets of stairs. His hands moved to cover his eyes as the intensity of light increased ten fold, blinding him for a moment. The initial glare wore off and he lowered his guard, only to find what lay infront of him was not what he expected. The ruins of an old building was the first thing he saw, the chassis of a blown out car sat on a mound of worn rubber tires was the next, and the third, two huge figures much like the one from the train, their hands tightly gripped around hunting rifles. Before they could spot Garrett, he went prone. "Maybe this is just the slums, like in Reno. It'll get better, I've just gotta' get to the center!"

He took Ice's rifle from his back and placed the baseball bat down by his side slowly, careful not to make a noise and attract unwanted attention. Using the ground for support, he layed the rifle down and looked through the scope; the two mutants appeared to be talking, gesturing wildly with their arms and hands as they did. He lined the crosshair with the largest mutant's head, just below the peak of its metal helmet, right between the eyes. He squeezed the trigger slowly until it let a bullet loose. Bang. The noise echoed throughout the nearby ruins as the bullet struck the mutant's head and a violent explosion of gore followed. The other mutant span around, looking for where the shot originated from with little success. Garrett lined the sniper rifle up once more and yanked the trigger but this time he wasn't as lucky. The bullet veered off to the right and struck a metal sign sending another noise into the air. "FOUND YOU!" It yelled as Garrett quickly pulled the bolt on the rifle back and rose to his feet. "Last shot, gotta` make it count." He pulled the trigger without hesitantion and the bullet tore through the mutant's shoulder like it was nothing. The beast gave an all mighty howl as blood shot from it's found, but it wasn't down. It aimed the rifle at Garrett's petrified body; he was defenceless. "Move, Garrett. Move!"

When all seemed lost, a flash of red appeared from the ruins. It was a beam of concentrated light which passed straight through the mutant's chest and burnt into the wall behind it. As if it were in slow motion, the mutant fell down to its knees, then onto its hands and finally onto its chest, dead. "Who's there?" Came a female voice. It orginiated from around the corner, about the same place where the laser rifle was fired. Garrett swung the rifle over his back after regaining control of his body and once more took hold of the baseball bat. He wandered forwards, hands in the air.

"I-I mean no harm!" He yelled as he stepped round the corner, expecting the worst. He winced with one eye and look intently onwards with the remaining eye. Infront of him stood three figures, their bodies coated in metal armour powered by hydrolic systems. Two wore helmets of similiar design, their visors as black as obsidian. Garrett gave a shudder, they seemed as if they were robots and if there was one thing Garrett hated, it was robots. The third, however, wore no helmet. She was quite a young women, her dusty blonde hair was tied tightly behind her head in a pony-tail and her face was set like stone. Her rifle was still raise, aimed directly at Garrett.

"What're you doing out here Wastelander? This place is a warzone incase you didn't notice." Her voice was harsh and it sounded particularly impatient as she peered over her shoulder slowly. "Look. We're in the middle of something here, so you can either stick with us or go home, alright?" He tapped her foot slowly and before Garrett could reply, she'd turned around and had set off down an alleyway.

"Wait!" Called Garrett, rushing to the bodies of the fallen mutants. He gripped one of their rifles and rummaged through their crude clothing for ammo. "Twenty rounds...That's plenty." He thought to himself, carrying the rifle in one hand and the bat in the other. With a quick step, he began to jog after the group of armoured soldiers not wanting to be left alone in these slums. Once he rounded the corner, he spotted another soldier standing with an assault rifle and, on a nearby bed, a dead soldier. He walked forwards, trying to secure the bat to his back as he went. "Who are you people?"

"We're the Brotherhood of Steel, buddy. We're the ones making D.C. a safer place and don't you forget it." The voice came from one of the soldiers wearing a helmet and, thanks to the filtration system, sounded robotic and arrogant. The four of them huddled together and discussed a plan, purposefully excluding Garrett because he was an outsider. "Good plan. Lets secure GNR!" The voice spoke again and even though it tried to sound joyous, the helmet killed the expression making it feel cold and distant. As they walked into the open, they were instantly under heavy fire. Garrett hung back and decided to just observe to begin with. The armour was very effective with the bullets that impacted the metal simply being deflected. The soldiers themselves were well trained and extremely skilled, dispatching each mutant they came into aim with as little bullets as possible. Garrett was way out of his leauge. "Guess I'll stay with these guys for protection for as long as possible..."

===

Which, I can assure you, won't be very long. I REALLY dislike the BoS, so you're going to see them being complete and utter [censored]s to Garrett. Bias or what? !

I dunno about this chapter, it feels...Weak. Other than the first, I probably think this is the weakest thus far.

Second page? I THINK NOT! Time to ditch the BoS.

===

Chapter Nine
You've got to roll with the punches...

Garrett slid on his knees behind a bin avoiding the fire from an assault rifle. He looked to his severely grazed knees, "Probably shouldn't of slid on bare knees, ouch." He wiped the loose grit from his shallow wounds and focused on the fight at hand. He peered around the corner and the mutant who'd shot at him had turned its attention to the Brotherhood members. He aimed the hunting rifle at the super-mutant and tugged on the rusted trigger. The bullet hit it directly through the chest and it fell down onto its knees. The other mutants were too busy fighting the well armed soldiers to notice Garrett, so he made a break for it. He charged the school building infront of him, keeping low to avoid being seen. Just as two of the creatures came through the doorway, Garrett had dived through the open window and landed inside. He let out a silent pant before checking the body of the mutant he had just taken down. The only ammo for the assault rifle was what was left in the current clip, so Garrett put down his hunting rifle for a moment and gripped the machine gun and prepared to take down the mutant on the floor above him. Whilst crouched, he backed up and aimed the rifle at its back. It was too busy emptying the minigun in its hands to hearing the light footsteps of the Human. A quick volley of bullets caused it to swing around wildly, still firing the heavy weapon in a random direction. Luckily, another mutant who was coming round the corner filled that random direction and was mowed down instantly. The mutant fell from the roof and landed on the ground outside.

"Alright. Move up!" It was the leader of the squad again, commanding her little taskforce to enter the school. Garrett swaped the empty assault rifle with the hunting rifle and rushed to the victim of friendly fire and took his five .32 caliber rounds. He pulled the bolt back on his rifle and moved out from the wall, noticing a mutant stand infront of him. It swung its giant wooden plank at Garrett's head, but Garrett was too quick; he ducked down and before it could swing the board again, a laser beam removed its head from its shoulders and its headless corpse tumbled down backwards. "That's twice I've had to save you, wastelander." Said the blonde walking past Garrett, her voice as annoyed as ever.

"You don't have to be such a [censored] about it." Retorted Garrett, clearly getting a bit bored of her attitude. As one of the other soldiers walked past, Garrett felt his right foot being hooked from under his body by something metal. He fell down to the ground and watched as one of them began laughing.

"Don't you talk to Lyons like that, scumbag." She hissed, walking off, assault rifle in hands. Garrett let out a groan, he'd fallen on a tin can. "[censored] cans, they're everywhere goddamnit." He got up to his feet and continued after the soldiers. As much as Garrett hated them, they were his best bet of survival. Besides, he didn't know anything about D.C. and he'd need some help finding where the main settlement was. The group neared the back door to the school and the sound of gunfire was dangerously close. They kicked the doors open and flooded out. Garrett looked around the corner of the door and frowned, "Ugh. More mutants and more Brotherhood [censored]s.". It seemed the mutants were attacking what appeared to be a Brotherhood stronghold of sorts, but Garrett wasn't too sure. After a quick fire fight, the mutants were dead and the celebrations began. Garrett walked out from the doorway and decided now would be the time to ask about the settlement.

"Uh, Lyons..." He asked, jogging up to her, smiling. "So, where does everyone live in D.C.?" He asked, still smiling.

"...What the hell do you mean wastelander? D.C.'s a warzone, I told you that earlier. Nobody live here. Its ruins. R-U-I-N-S. Got it?" She barked, pushing Garrett away from her as she tried to focus on her fellow comrades.

"Ruins? What the hell are you on about?! I heard that this place was suppose to be a bonafide city with houses and jobs an--" Most of the soldiers turned to look at him before bursting out laughing, something Garrett had gotten use to in this place.

"Haha! I haven't heard that one before. Someone told you a lie, a big lie. D.C.'s a hellhole. You've probably taken in too many rads, I mean, look, you're wearing a dress." It was the other girl from before speaking this time, pointing at Garrett before contiuning her laughter. Garrett clenched this fist, it wasn't the fact that he had been lied to that was inducing the rage, but that the Brotherhood were mocking him. They didn't know what he'd been through, what he'd lost. He gritted his teeth and looked right at Lyons.

"Alright then. I'm wrong. You don't need to be such an ass about it. Or is that your job? Kill the mutants and piss on the small people?" He approached her, a look of pure anger on his face. As soon as he began walking at her, one of the power armoured men stepped forth and pushed him to the ground.

"You should be grateful, we're making the city a safe place and if you've got a problem with our methods, punk, do it yourself." He said, placing his foot on Garrett's chest, pinning him down. Garrett wheezed slightly finding it hard to breath with all the pressure on his chest, but he managed to take a deep breath and get some words in.

"Ha...Ha, big defenders huh? I don't think anyone buys into that [censored]," He coughed and spluttered a little before carrying on, "Now get your foot off me, [censored]. Hiding inside your metal suit...Thinking you're such a big man, screw you." Garrett spat on the man's foot and then shot him a look of pure disgust. "Get off me."

"Why you ungrateful little--" He began, but Lyons stopped him, pulling him back off Garrett.

"Leave him. He's obviously insane." She spoke as if Garrett wasn't even there and once she'd finished, she and all the other turned around and walked off leaving Garrett there on the floor. He got up slowly, coughing violently before walking over to the nearby fountain and taking a seat on one of the benches there, next to a dead Brotherhood soldier. "So I was lied to..." He ran his hands through his hair, trying to figure out where he stood. He was alone, he didn't know where he was in D.C., there was no safe haven...He was screwed.

===

"But what of the Behemoth?" you say. Wait till next chapter and something you'll never expect'll happen too, trust me, it'll be a suprise. ^_^

Oh, this just gets better and better Keep up the good work.

Time for another chapter, but before we get down to the story, I want to ask a question; WHERE ARE THE COMMENTS?!

===

Chapter Ten
The Power of the Atom

"Hey...What was that?" Said one of the soldiers, turning on his heels as the small group were heading for the door. The sound metal being pounded rang through the air. At first it was quite, but slowly it gained volume until it dwarfed all other noises in the small plaza. All of the soldiers had converged by a small mound of broken cars and a large bus to the side of the GNR building; it was a barricade used to lessen the amount of mutants getting to their little base camp. Garrett peered off at them, curious as to what the noise was. Suddenly, the cars making up the barrier flew into action. They flew through the air, one passing over the top of Garrett's head and smashing the statue behind him. The bus let out a violent explosion as the hydrogen that once powered it caught light and blew up sending flames through the air. The inital explosion sent one of the brotherhood members flying backwards into a wall whilst the others back away, firing into the cloud of smoke. One yelled out other the madness, his voice barely audiable. "BEHEMOTH!"

Garrett moved his hands down from his head, which had been protecting him from the falling bigs of statute, and looked up, the dust cloud had dissipated and in its place stood a monster. It was akin to the mutants Garrett had seen before, but it was huge. Bulging veins and muscles covered the creature's enormous body and as it strode forth, they flexed and pulsated in a freakish manner. In one hand it held the largest fire hydrant Garrett had ever seen on the end of a pole and in the other a car door. He held them as if he were a warrior, like a sword and shield, but the creature swung them with no form or disgression at all. The huge club struck one of the armoured men, sending him flying upwards into the air before returning to Earth with a thud, he wasn't going to get up. Garrett got up slowly and looked to his side; in the hands of the dead soldier was a catapult of sorts and in its mechanic sling was a smaller version of a nuclear bomb. He picked it up and rested the huge weapon on his shoulder and looked forwards at the combat. The brotherhood members were running inbetween its legs, shooting wildly at it, hoping to bring the beast down. Their former control was no longer there, they were but ants compared to the Behemoth.

"Keep firing! Keep firing!" It was Lyons' voice. Her voice was full of fear this time and she was standing off from the combat, firing only occassionally. "Coward." Thought Garrett, gritting his teeth once more. Without thinking anymore, he pulled on the trigger and let loose the nuclear bomb.

"YOU BASTARDS!" He yelled, Garrett's voice cracking with rage and anger. Lyons turned to see the bomb flying towards them. She turned to running, but it was too late; the bomb had hit the Behemoth squarely in the gut. As soon as it impacted, the Behemoth, soldiers and Garrett were thrown to the floor by the sheer force released by the weapon. Luckily for Garrett, he was outside of the main blast radius, the others were not so lucky. The blast ignored the armour protecting the soldiers. Their armour may of been able to defend them from small arms fire, but against the power of the atom, it stood no chance. The armour disintergrated under the sheer force of the atomic blast. Skin, flesh and bone melted. The screams that escaped were twisted. No one within the blast survived.

Garrett landed on the bench he had just gotten up from, his head still spinning from the concussive force of the blast. "D-Did I just..." His eyes widened as the realisation reared its ugly head. He stood up, dropping the Fat Man on the floor, looking at the carnage he had unleashed. He heard voices from inside the building, frantic voices; they probably knew what'd happened. Not wanting to take any risks, he ran towards where the Behemoth came from, fleeing from the murders he had just committed.

===

Ok, ok, I suped-up the Fat Man a bit, but I prefer it that way, makes the lack of mini-nukes justified. And so starts Garrett eventual fall into madness...

Quite the story. It is very good
Your story is the fat man.
mine is the Chinese pistol.

I'm joking of course but really it is very nice

Sorry I haven't posted anything new in recent times but I've been busy with the outside world. So here it goes.

===

Chapter Eleven
Descent to Madness

Garrett ran until fatigue got the better of him. He collapsed in the doorway of a once glorious pre-war skyscrapper. Garrett leant against the half broken glass door, panting. He turned his head to what glass remained in the doorway and looked at himself. Rubbing the filthy pane of glass, he examined the wound that rested upon his forehead. The wiped both the dry and wet blood surrounding the gash from his forehead to get a better look and he instantly wished he hadn't; under the huge mass of gore was no ordinary wound. A large band of flesh had been ripped from his brow in a savage fashion, leaving parts of the skull partially exposed. His eyes widened as the dull white skull came into view and sickness rose up from his gut almost causing him to throw up. He shook it off, not wanting to lose any 'valuable' substance as he didn't know when his neck meal would come. He tried to ignore the sight in the glass, but his eyes were continually drawn to it, as if he were possessed. Using the butt of his hunting rifle, he smashed the glass over and over with a wild fury. He then cast the rifle aside, burying his head in his hands. "What's happened to me? What's wrong with me?!" And then it hit him. While he was a sleep, Bones must of done something to him, or maybe it was the gas. He got up from the floor and began pacing around, talking over the possible causes of his new found mental state. "It was the gas...It must of been." He said outloud to himself.

"How'd you know?" The voice was close.

"W-Who are you?" Snapped back Garrett, his eyes frantically searching for the source of the voice.

"I'm you." The voice was cocky and smooth, very similiar to Garrett's own voice back in New Reno, before all the trouble.

"Huh? What do you mean? Stay away!" Screamed Garrett as he picked up his hunting rifle, pointing it round, not believing that he was insane.

"Poor Garrett...All alone. All messed up." The words were coming from Garrett's own lips, but he refused to admit it. He refused to admit he was going insane. He paused, trembling with fear and confusion. "Aw, its alright. I'll look after you, don't worry. You can call me..." Pausing, Garrett let out a long "Hm" before finally announcing his alter ego's name, "New Reno! Reno for short." He winked to himself, looking at the one of windows as he spoke as to see his reflection. He winked to himself.

"R-Reno?" Garrett stammered, his hand stretching out to touch the reflection in the window. In Garrett's eyes, he saw his old self in the window, with his old clothes and his former face. He smiled weakly as he grew closer, but once his hand touched the window, the image became distorted. It morphed into what Garrett now looked like. His battle-scarred face, covered in cuts and bruises - along with the missing chunk of forehead - and his pale, pale skin. He was no longer a hearty peach colour, but a sickly white with a hint of green. His face screwed up in rage as he once again swung the rifle into the window. It shattered, raining glass over the floor and on Garrett's body. He moved to the next window, screaming out profanity as he bludgeoned the next window along. And the one after that, and the one after that. He made it to the end of the building, his breath staggered from his exertion. He collapsed on his knees as a throbbing pain made itself known in his head. He clutched the area where the pain was before slowly fading out of conciousness.

Garrett found himself in a large white room, curled up in a ball on the floor. He got up quickly and began searching the walls for an escape route. He banged his fists against the solid walls and begged to be let out, but his calls were only echoed in the small room. Garrett looked around and upon closer inspection, the walls, the floor and the ceiling were made of a padded material. He was inside what appeared to be a mental asylum, or at least one of the asylum's less desirable rooms. A voice replaced Garrett howling; it was Reno's cool dialect. "Welcome, Garret. Welcome to your mind." Even inside Garrett's own mind he was trapped. Trapped, dishearted and afraid. "So, Garrett, I have an offer for you." He cleared his throat and continued. "I'll look after you if you do exactly as I say, alright?" Garrett couldn't see Reno, but he knew he'd be smiling. "If you don't do exactly as I say, you'll find yourself back here and I'll do it myself." A low chuckle echoed throughout the room. Garrett knew he had to agree.

"I...I agree."

===

I always planned to go down the insanity path but not in this way, however, I'm liking this idea. I got inspiriation from a certain Oblivion Mod. A turtle to anyone who guesses which mod!

I'm not sure if I should carry this on. Its not getting much interest at all. I mean, I didn't expect to have page after page of comments, but this is just silly, I'm getting next to none compared to most other FanFics. So should I leave this and do something else?

Hm, I should start sharing how much enjoyment I get out of stories.
Anyways, don't give up on it! I enjoy it too much I'm sure lots of other people follow along, but just don't comment, too!

Comments help me with my writing, they tell me where to go with the story, where I've gone wrong and what aspects to avoid, without them, the story will slowly dissolve into...Fail! o;

Haha, I know how it is. I requested a lock on my last FF, and found out there were actually some people who read it. But I already took the other chapters I had planned off my computer. Comments are very much needed, and I'll make sure to post after every chapter

Ah, thanks, 'tis much appreciated. So what do you think about the whole dual-personality thing? Good, bad, alright?

Definitely original and awesome. I like the idea.
EDIT: That kind of came off wrong, I thought. So I'll just pick an option and say "Good". Haha.

Lolz, thanks. And what do you think of Garrett as a person? About his past? And now, I'm feeling inspired, onto chapter twelve!

===

Chapter Twelve
A New Dream?

Garrett's bolted up right, sweat pouring down his face and body. "W-What? Where am I?!" He yelled out, looking around his surroundings. Garrett was slowly becoming use to falling asleep and waking up in a place he didn't know, but this place wasn't scary, nor intimidating. It appeared to be a home of sorts and Garrett was in the bedroom, lieing on a bed. Upon further inspection, he noted an ensuite bathroom and a living room connected to the bedroom and that his hospital gown had been removed and a pair of boxer shorts had been put on him. He caught his own reflection staring back at him in the mirror and he was shocked once more; the missing section of forehead had been replaced by a clean bandage, the larges cuts had been sown together to form stitches and his whole face looked a lot better. The sound of someone running down stairs alerted Garrett to someone's presences.

"Its ok! Its ok! Don't worry, I want to help." Her voice was soft and sweet as it floated through the doorway and into Garrett's ears. She appeared in the doorway dressed in a white tank top and brown trousers. From the medical equipment strapped to her belt, Garrett deduced she was a doctor and was probably the person he had to thank for patching him up. Her brown hair was tied up behind her head in a pony tail revealing her suprisingly familiar face.

"S-Sam?" Garrett whispered, standing up from the bed and slowly walking over to her, hand out stretched. "Sam?" He said again.

"Sam? I'm sorry, but I'm Kate." She looked rather confused at this assumption, but she was also curious as to who Sam was, but nevertheless, she had to look after Garrett first, "Now sit back down." Her tone changed, it turned strict, but Garrett knew that particular tone all too well, he knew she meant well. He took a seat on the bed and watched as she drew closer. "The morphine I gave you is almost out of your system so you'll be feeling a bit dizzy." She pulled a small torch from her belt and turned it on. "Open your eyes." Garrett did as she said and Kate began shining the light on both the pupils. "Looks like you're fine though, no other effects. You need to stay off your feet though." She pulled up a chair and sat by the side of Garrett's bed. "So, what's your name?"

"Garrett. Garrett Neilson." He replied, groaning as he lay on his back. "I came from New Reno."

"New Reno? I've heard of that place. Isn't it where Jet was first invented?" Garrett gave a nod causing Kate to turn up her nose a little. "Horrible drug. So very addictive and what for? A silly little high." She looked away for a moment, before returning to Garrett smiling once more. "As I said, I'm Kate. You're probably wondering where you are exactly, no?" She gave a little laugh as Garrett nodded a few times. "Currently, you're in my house. And my house is in a settlement called 'Eden'. And Eden is in the heart of D.C." Garrett's eyes opened wide, perhaps he hadn't been lied to.

"But...The Brotherhood of Steel told me that D.C. was completely in ruins, told me it was a warzone." Garrett was confused, did the Brotherhood lie to him?

"It is, it is." She sighed, "To my knowledge, the Brotherhood of Steel don't know anything about Eden, nor do many people. We're a hidden pocket of Human life, safe from the Raiders, the Super Mutants and anything else." A smile crept onto Garrett's face, "I've found it...My paradise." He stopped for a moment before asking Kate a question. "Why did you save me?" After the incident with Bones and the Brotherhood, Garrett had lost a lot of trust in people he didn't know, and if it weren't for Kate's similarity to Sam, Garrett might of killed her.

"Why do you think? I heard the shattering of glass outside and a conversation going on. Me and a few members of the security team came to check what was going on and we found you, in a very bad state I must add. Being the kind natured person I am, I decided we couldn't leave you out in D.C.'s streets, I mean that person might of came back to finish you off."

"That person?"

"Yes, the person you were talking to. They did attack you, didn't they?" Garrett coughed a little. He'd forgotten about Reno and about his mental state. He froze.

===

So Garrett's found his Eden, but will he take the forbidden fruit and ruin everything? Only time will tell (or the next few chapters).

To be honest I thought the idea of a gambler that got to deep was a bit overused, but you're definitely making it work great, like how bits of his past came back to bite him in the ass, like in Megaton. It's a really great story, and I think Garret is a great character, hope it goes on for a while. :goodjob: Good chapter, by the way.

I had no idea Fallout fans could be such amazing writers!!! This story actually makes me want to read it again and again!!! keep it up!!

Yep I'm also enjoying this saga,keep up the good work.

Thanks for the support guys, but has no one got any criticisms?

I've nitpicked through the entire story, and no, no criticisms - just keep doing what you're doing, because we're all enjoying it We'll only criticise when there is something to be critical about - which there isn't at the moment so put up the next chapter, and see what happens. Don't drag yourself down too much - it's good, as a writer, to never be completely satisfied with your work, but don't forget - often it's better than you may think (case in point).

New chapter. Time to introduce you to the Eden gang.

===

Chapter Thirteen
An Undiscovered Paradise

"Garrett? Are you alright?" Asked Kate as Garrett seemed to zone out for a moment or two. He looked back to Kate, blinked a few times and then began to talk.

"Y-Yeah. It was...Talon mercs." He tried to play it off as if he feared them and that remembering the whole experience made him choke. Infact, it was the realisation that there was someone else in his head, Reno. Someone else with the ability to 'take over' his bodily functions. Garrett shuddered at the thought. Kate gave him a sympathetic look and patted him on the back.

"Its alright, Garrett. You're safe here, don't worry." She smiled and stood up and left the room leaving Garrett with his thoughts. "Maybe I just 'imagined' Reno...I'm probably fine, it was just the knock to the head." Garrett decided it would be best to ignore it rather than getting worked up about it. He swung his legs off the bed and stood up slowly, the med-x hampering his movement. "Ugh...I don't feel so sharp." He gripped the bed post to keep himself upright before spying a crutch at the end of the bed. "That'll do..." With a shakey hand, he took hold of the crutch and used that to support himself instead. Slowly, but surely, he made his way out of the room and into the next room. It seemed to be a living room and it was suprisingly clean and well furnished. Something else caught his attention; a window. His eyes opened wide as he looked through the clear glass. This really was heaven. The first thing he saw was Kate's garden, or at least he thought it was. The green grass was mowed short and uniform, the borders were lined with bright red flowers and it was fenced off with a recently painted white picket fence. "Wow..." Kate walked back into the living room, hands on her hips.

"You just won't stay put, will you Garrett?" She smiled, happy he was feeling so strong so soon. She walked over and joined him at the window. "Its beautiful, isn't it?" Garrett was lost for words, so he simply nodded. "I have no doubt that you are wondering how this place came into existance." Garrett nodded once more. "Well, you see, before we founded Eden, we were a small group of travellers. We didn't stay in one place for too long as we feared being preyed upon by Raiders. Then, one day, we came across a silver briefcase with the word "G.E.C.K." written across the front." Garrett looked puzzled, but Kate went on. "Doctor Amsil knew exactly what it was. It was a Garden of Eden Creation Kit, hence the name 'Eden'. He told us it would be able to bring life back to a wasteland and it did. Rather than using it in a vast open area where we could easily be attacked, we found this place." She pointed out the window at the large expanse infront of them and then to what Garrett thought were walls at first, but infact, they were buildings. Its a rather large courtyard if you wish. We've successfully secured each building and we have aquired enough weaponry and armour to equip our own security force. We're safe."

"C-Can I live here?" Garrett asked. He'd found his paradise. Kate bit the inside of her lip slowly, she was in a deep thought process.

"If it were up to me, of course, but the mayor may not be as kind as myself. He doesn't trust outsiders, that's why our community is still so small. I'll try Garrett, honestly I will." She gave him a weak smile, but Garrett knew that his chances were slim.

"Tell him I could join the security force! I'm pretty good in a fight, honest." He was desperate, Garrett didn't want to leave.

"I will, I will. I'll tell you what, why don't you come with me? Obviously you'll have to get dressed first." She looked up and down Garrett's barely closed body before pointing to a doorway up a flight of stairs. "Second door on the left, third draw in the chest of draws." Garrett thanked Kate and made his way up the stairs and into the room. He entered the room and looked around. A double-bed sat in the middle of the room, its sheets were uncreased and white, as if the bed had never been used. He yanked the draw open, revealing a fair amount of male clothing. He took a liking to a particular set of brown fatigues and a white shirt. He also spied a pair of heavy black boots he liked to the side of the draws. So, half-drugged up on morphine, he got dressed. The drug's effects were albeit gone but it'd left him with a buzzing headache. He scratched his head and set off downstairs and looked to Kate.

"How do I look?" He laughed, smiling at her. But Kate wasn't laughing. The back of her head covered her mouth and with the other hand, she took out a tissue to dry her moist cheeks. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No...No. You just look so much like my husband." She began to sob again, burying her face in her hand. Garrett jogged over to her, putting his arm around her shoulder before pulling her into a hug. He didn't know Kate very well, but he knew what she felt as he'd experienced the same feeling with her.

"Its alright." He patted her back, honestly feeling sorry for her. "Its alright." She lifted her head from Garrett's shoulder, leaving a wet patch on the shirt. She looked at him and smiled.

"I'm sorry." She slipped from Garrett's arms before drying her face with the now soaking tissue. Her tears stopped fully and she regained her former etiquette. "My husband died from a Jet overdose. How he managed to aquire such a drug in Eden, I don't know, but he did and he died. I had know about his addiction for many months before, but I never confronted him, not once. Maybe if I had..." She sighed and shook her head. "Best not to think about it. Alright. Let us go." She put on a brave face, but it didn't fool Garrett, beneath the lie was a broken women. Nevertheless, they set out into the rest of Eden.

The sun shone down on the small community, which, to Garrett, seemed to shine brighter than ever. The plants that were spotted around the buildings amazed Garrett as he had only seen crops before, never plants this delicate or beautiful. The smell was wonderful, it must of been all the flowers, no longer did Garrett smell death in the air, but instead, the elegant, perfume-like smell of roses clung to the inside of his nose. He couldn't help but smile as he wandered down the makeshift cobble path. Garrett noticed a few other people milling around, doing whatever pleased them. Most of the people weren't exactly young, but they did seem to be extremely learned and, for a lack of a better word, posh. Some of the passers by turned their noses up at Garrett's presence as they walked past which slowly lessened the smile on his face. He turned slightly to Kate when everyone seemed out of earshot. "What does everyone do around here? These guys look a bit too old to be working on a farm." Kate looked hesitant to answer, and before doing so, checked extensively around.

"We get our food from a...Synthesiser." She flashed him a smile before carrying on to the mayor's office which lay infront of the duo. "Here we are." She opened the door and stepped in before calling back to Garrett. "Are you coming?" Garrett knew there was something wrong.

===

Is this Eden not all Garrett thought it was cracked up to be?

For those who may be wondering why this hasn't been updated in awhile, its because I've just gone back to school, can't get on the PC, got loads of homework/coursework, so I'm bogged down. D: Sorry guys.

Yay you're still around! No worries man. We all know how it is. Good luck!