Fallout: Rise of the Lone Wanderer: Book One

by M. P. Pubs

  Marcus stood up. "You have to, Amata."

  Amata jumped up and grabbed him by his jumpsuit. "NO! I won't do it!"

  "It is the only way, and you know it!"

  "No, it's not!" she frantically shook her head. "We'll...we'll find another way!"

  Marcus placed his hands on her's and gently pulled them off his suit. "You must exile me, Amata."

  Amata continued to shake her head as tears filled her eyes. "No! NO!"

  Marcus placed his hands on the sides of her face. "If I stay the wounds of this Vault will never heal. Every time people see me it will be like a scab being ripped off. If you exile me, you will prove to the people that you are willing to put them and this Vault ahead of your own desires. It will prove to them that you are ready to lead them."

  Amata stared up at him. "But...I just got you back. This is your home, Marcus."

  Marcus struggled to speak. "Your father was right about me, Amata. This is not my home - not anymore it isn't." He looked up as the tears began to fall. "I actually thought that you and I could be together." He placed his left palm against hers. "But it wasn't in the cards."

  Amata pressed her head into his chest and wept. "I can't believe this is happening again."

  Marcus wrapped his arms around her as the tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, but it has to be this way." He released his embrace and removed a small memory card from his PIPBOY, which he handed to Amata. "I've marked down places in the Wasteland you should avoid at all cost. I also marked down all of the friendly settlements I know of. You have to promise me that you will make securing this Vault your number one priority, Amata. There is a man named Flak at a settlement called Rivet City. He can get you started. Promise me."

  Amata took the memory card and nodded. "I will." She tried to wipe her tears away. "What will you do now?"

  In that moment, standing in the Overseer's office and staring at the woman he loved, Marcus made a decision. In the last few weeks he had been trying to deny who he was - and more importantly, who he had become. He tried to blame people like Three Dog for creating the legend of the Lone Wanderer, but the truth was, Marcus had created the legend through his own actions. Maybe this was his destiny: to wander the waste and protect the innocent. Of that, he was still not sure of, but one thing was certain: he was not going to run any longer. Instead, he would embrace the legend that he had created.

  Marcus stared at Amata with a look of determination that she had never seen before. "I'm going to find my father, and after I've done that, I am going to do everything I can to make this Wasteland a safe place for you. For you, the people of the Vault, everyone in Megaton, the ghouls in Underworld - everyone!"

  * * *

  The victorious rebels stood in the classroom as Amata briefed them on what had happened to her father, and as the knew Overseer, her first order of business was to exile Marcus. Only Gomez new the truth, and he had sworn to secrecy. Everyone else was shocked by the decision. Some of the residents, like Freddie, Mr. Brotch and Susie Mack, voiced their opposition to his exile, but most of the residents were glad to see him go. Marcus was leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed, looking angry and annoyed. The truth was, his heart was breaking, and he was trying like hell to hide it.

  Amata turned and faced the man she loved. "I'm sorry, I know you've helped us but my decision is final. It's for the best."

  Marcus couldn't look her in the eye; he knew if he did he would break down. "So that's it then? You're just throwing me out after everything I've done for you?"

  Though she knew it was all an act, the words felt like daggers in Amata's heart. "I'm sorry, you're a hero...and now you have to leave."

  Marcus stood up straight and took a deep breath. "Alright then, good luck." He turned and walked out of the classroom. A few people wished him luck, while others shouted things like "good riddens" and "go on, get out of here!"

  Amata quickly exited the classroom and made her way to the Overseer's office - her office. She closed the door and immediately began to cry. The pain in her chest was so intense she could barley breath, and she had to fight the urge to chase Marcus down and stop him from leaving. "You're doing the right thing. You're doing the right thing." The words did little to comfort her. There was a knock on the door, and she quickly composed herself as best she could before sitting down behind the desk. "Come in."

  The door opened, and Gomez entered the office. After making sure the door was closed, walked up to the new Overseer and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're doing the right thing. Despite everything, I think your father would be proud."

  Amata choked up as she stared down at the spot where her father's body had been just a few minutes ago. "Oh Herman this is so unfair! Why does he have to be punished like this?"

  Gomez let out a tired sigh. "Because he's the hero that the Vault deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we cast him out..."

  Marcus had made it to the Vault's door controls and pulled the release lever. The doors alarms began to wail, and the giant cog began to move...

  "...because he can take it." Gomez continued.

  The giant cog screeched open and was rolled away. Marcus began to walk towards the opening.

  "Because he's become more then our hero, he's a silent guardian..."

  Marcus stepped through the Vault's opening and entered the cave. The alarms wailed again, and the cog began to close.

  "...a watchful protector..."

  The cog shut behind Marcus, and the Vault was sealed.

  "...he is, the Lone Wanderer."

  Chapter 17: On the Trail

  "Last call everyone!" Gob yelled out from behind the bar. "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here."

  Marcus lifted his head up off the bar and looked around. There was no one in the place except for him, Gob, and Nova, who was sitting on the bar stool next to him with her head on his shoulder. His own head was pounding, and he was tempted to punch the ghoul for yelling so loud in the obviously empty bar. Instead, he lifted his empty shot glass. "How bout one more...Gob?" he slurred.

  The ghoul continued to clean the empty glasses and put them away. "I think you've had enough, kid. In fact, I think you had enough about four hours ago."

  Marcus, being careful not to disturb Nova, looked down at his PIPBOY, which showed that it was 2:50 am. Marcus let out a belch. "Fuck!"

  It was true, the time had gotten away from him. He remembered leaving Vault 101 for the last time at around 8:00 that night, headed straight for Moriarty's, and immediately began doing shots of whiskey. Then rum. Then Vodka. Then some of the people started buying him beers...'Jesus!' he thought as he placed his head back down on the bar.

  As if reading his mind, Gob leaned forward. "Take my advise, kid. A light weight like you should never mix drinks. Pick one poison and stick with that for the rest of the night."

  Marcus groaned. "Don't worry...I'm never drinking again for as long as I live."

  Gob chuckled. "Hu, if I had a cap for every time I heard that, I'd be able to buy this place."

  Marcus felt Nova stir and the red haired prostitute was faring no better then he was. He remembered Nova sitting down and asking him if he wanted to quote: "rent a room for the night". As heart broken as he was, Marcus wasn't interested in that kind of company, and instead paid Nova to sit at the bar and listen to him spill his guts about Amata, (leaving out the part that he volunteered to be exiled, of course). To her credit, Nova was a great listener, and after a while she began to open up to him about the lost loves in her life. They talked for hours like old friends, and the drinks kept flowing. After a while Marcus couldn't tell if Nova was actually interested in his stories, or if she was just playing the part for the money. Or perhaps she was just happy to have one night where she didn't have to fuck anybody. Either way, he didn't care.

  The GNR radio station was on, and a song named "One for my Baby", was being sung by a man named Frank Sinatra. It was about a man in a bar late at night, trying to forg
et about the girl he'd lost. The irony was not lost on Marcus as he sat there listening to the sad tune. About halfway through the song, he couldn't take it any more. "I think...it's time to go." he sighed.

  Nova opened her eyes and lifted her head up. "Yeah...it'a about that time."

  Marcus carefully stood up, and Nova kissed him on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, hon."

  Marcus nodded and began heading for the door, but he bumped into Moriarty instead.

  "Well, well, if it ain't the hero of the Wasteland." The gangster sneered. "Boy, if your darling fans could see ya' now."

  Marcus struggled to stand up straight and faced Moriarty. "You know what...Moriarty...I may fall into the gutter from time to time...but you fucking live in it!"

  He turned to leave, but Moriarty stepped in front of him. "Oh no, lade, I don't live in the gutter...I run the bloody thing." He leaned closer to Marcus. "And don't you forget it."

  Marcus chuckled and staggered out of the bar, where Charon was waiting for him. "CHARON!" Marcus yelled as he slapped the ghoul on the shoulder. "How the hell are ya?"

  Charon turned his head, as the smell of Marcus' breath nearly knocked him over. "I'm fine, but you look like hell."

  Marcus smiled and dismissively waved his hand. "Nonsense...I'm fine!"

  He then passed out in Charon's arms.

  * * *

  The next morning, (or in Marcus' case, afternoon), the Lone Wanderer staggered into the bathroom, and after throwing up the contents of his stomach, he sat down and tried to piece together the night before. The last thing he remembered was talking to Nova and Gob at the bar, and the next thing he knew he was waking up in his house. Since this was his first hangover, Marcus couldn't understand why there were so many drunks in the world. After sitting on the couch for what seemed like quite a while, he forced himself to get undressed and began cleaning himself up as best he could in the bathroom. It seemed like forever since he'd had a real shower, and he was tempted to travel all the way to Underworld just to have one. Once he was refreshed, Marcus donned his Ranger armor and made his way to the Brass Lantern, where Charon was eating lunch.

  "Well, well - it lives!" Charon said as Marcus slumped down on the stool to his right. The ghoul pushed a small bowl in front of him. "Here, I ordered you some noodles."

  Marcus gaged. "God no!"

  Charon insisted. "You have to eat; it will absorb the booze that's still in your stomach."

  Reluctantly, Marcus slowly began to eat, and Jenny Stahl handed him a cup of water. "Rough night?" she asked.

  Marcus forced down a mouthful of noodles. "Rough life."

  Jenny nodded. "Can't say I blame ya for hittin' the sauce after what happened."

  Marcus looked up. "What are talking about?"

  Jenny answered by turning on the radio, and the familiar voice of Three Dog came through the speakers. "We interrupt our regularly scheduled program for some news. Who says you can't go home again, huh? The kid from Vault 101 did, but it looks like the prodigal son's return didn't last all that long. He was seen coming OUT of the vault, AGAIN, and headed God knows where. Don't let that revolving door hit you on the ass on the way out..."

  Jenny turned off the radio, and Marcus pushed the bowl of noodles away in frustration. As much as he liked Three Dog, there were times he wanted to punch the man in the face. Jenny decided that now was the time to leave, and she headed for the back. Charon put his hand on Marcus' shoulder. "Sorry about that kid; I guess it's the price of being famous. So...are you ready to head to Vault 112?"

  It didn't take long for Marcus to decide. "Yeah...let's get the hell out of here."

  * * *

  Marcus was silent as he and Charon drove into the wilderness towards Vault 112. According to his PIPBOY's old world map, the only garage located west of Evergreen Mills was a place called Smith and Casey's, located in the mountains about fifty miles from Megaton. The terrain was tough, but the GMC battle truck's four-wheel drive was more then adequate to over come it. After about thirty minutes of awkward silence, Charon decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since yesterday. "So what happened down there?"

  Marcus kept his eyes straight ahead as he drove. "It doesn't matter; that part of my life is over. Time to move on."

  Figuring that was the best answer he was going to get, Charon decided to drop it. After all, he of all people understood that sometimes a man didn't feel like talking. They drove for a while longer, and were less then ten miles from Evergreen Mills, when Charon saw a hulking creature appear from a cave about a hundred yards in front of them. "Stop! STOP!" the ghoul yelled as he practically jerked the wheel from Marcus.

  "What is it?"

  Charon pointed straight ahead, and it was there that Marcus saw it. The creature stood on two massive legs, and was at least nine feet tall, with scales covering it's entire body. Two large horns protruded from the top of it's head, and the creature's claws were the largest that he'd ever seen. It was by far, the most hideous abomination that Marcus had ever seen; and that was saying a lot. "What. The Fuck. Is that?"

  "They're called Deathclaws; for obvious reasons. Thankfully they generally avoid the D.C. area, because they are the deadliest creatures in the Wasteland. A few years ago I saw one tear three Super Mutant Masters apart like they were nothing."

  Marcus stared at the creature, and was both in awe and horrified by it's appearance. "Where did they come from?"

  "No one really knows. Some people think they're another mutation, others think they're the result of some military experiment before the Great War. Some people have even said that when the bombs fell, Hell was cracked open, and these things were set loose upon the Earth."

  After seeing this abomination, Marcus suspected that the answer was all of the above. "How hard are they to be killed?"

  Then, as if it had heard him, the creature stood up straight and stared right at them. The load roar that followed signaled to Marcus and Charon that the creature was going to attack.

  "You're about to find out." Charon said. He scrambled to climb through the truck's back window. "Reverse, and step on it!"

  Marcus saw the Deathclaw begin to charge, and the speed of the massive creature stunned him. Putting the truck in reverse, he pushed down at the accelerator just as Charon opened up with the .50 caliber machine gun. Bullets slammed into the Deathclaw causing him to howl in pain, but the beast continued to close the distance. Charon shifted his aim and tried to shoot the creature's legs out from under him. A few rounds hit the right leg, and for a moment the Deathclaw stumbled, but got right back up and was now only a few yards away.

  Charon fired a few more burst before the machine gun went dry, and that's when the Deathclaw pounced. The creature suddenly leaped into the air and landed ontop of the truck's hood.

  "HOLY FUCK!" Marcus screamed as he stared at the massive teeth and fangs of the Deathclaw. The creature used his massive claws to rip the steel fence covering the windshield away as if it was made of paper. Marcus had to think fast, and he yelled at Charon to hold onto something. As the creature raised his claws to bring them down on the windshield, Marcus jerked the wheel violently to the left, causing the Deathclaw to loose his footing and was thrown off the truck's hood. Marcus stopped the truck, and watched as the creature began to slowly get up. Putting the vehicle in drive, Marcus gunned the accelerator and drove straight at the Deathclaw. The impact knocked the creature into the air and it landed on the ground with a loud thud. Marcus backed the truck up about twenty feet, grabbed his 40mm grenade launcher on the seat, and stepped out. The Deathclaw was clearly wounded, but it was still trying to get back up. Activating his VATS, Marcus aimed for the creature's torso and fired three grenades, and the Deathclaw was finally put down for good.

  Charon jumped out of the truck bed and stood next to Marcus. "Looks like we got'em."

  Marcus lowered his weapon and let out a sigh of relief. "I fucking hope so. You weren't lying; these things are hard to kill."

  "Yeah, we s
hould get move'n before we run into anymore."

  Having no argument from Marcus, the two continued west towards Vault 112.

  * * *

  Evergreen Mills' size and location made it the perfect Raider's haven. Tucked inside a notch surrounded by mountains and ledges, there was only one way in or out, and from what Marcus could see through the sniper rifles' scope, it was mined and heavily guarded. "It'll take time for us to go around without being seen," Marcus began, "but I think that's our best course of action."

  Charon nodded. "I agree."

  They were about to get back in their truck when Marcus spotted an armed caravan approaching the entrance. It didn't take him long to realize that it was a caravan of Raiders, and from the looks of things, they were returning with captured loot. But it wasn't the loot that made Marcus' blood boil, it was what they had with the loot: two men and two women bound with ropes.

  Marcus handed the rifle to Charon who observed the captives being loaded up into a small rail car. A Raider standing guard on a catwalk above the entrance pulled a lever, and the cart began to move and entered the Mill. "Poor bastards; they're as good as dead."

  Marcus clenched his fist. "We have to help them."

  Charon put down the rifle and sighed. "Marcus, I know you want to help every stray puppy in the Wasteland, but even you have limits."

  "I'm aware of that; it's not like I was planning on charging in there guns blazing. We'll wait till night fall and scout the place from the cliffs. If it's too dangerous, we'll move on."

  Charon reluctantly agreed. "Alright. We should stash the truck in the brush over there and head out on foot."

  * * *

  When night fell Marcus and Charon made their way up on the cliffs that overlooked the Evergreen Mills facility. The massive yard was littered with rusted, derailed rail cars and shacks made of sheet metal. Just off to the left of the entrance, Marcus could see the cage where the captives were being held. Directly opposite from their position was the main building, which was built directly into the mountain. There were about ten Raiders loitering around in the yard, three on the catwalk over looking the entrance, and who knows how many more were inside. But what shocked both travelers was the large, electrified cage in the center of the yard that contained a Super Mutant Behmouth.