The pit stop garage remained silent as the old man finished the story. The group seemed to have a lot of questions, but the old nomad was not interested in such debacles.
"So.." Courtney broke the awkward silence. "The Chosen One died. What happened next?"
"Now hold on." Rodger cut in. "I'm confused. When you started this story, you called the kid 'Michael', but then you called him 'Micheal'. Now you're back to calling him 'Michael'. What gives, old man?" The old man grunted as he leaned back in the dusty chair.
"I suppose it was a slip of the tongue, or faulty memory on some minor details. Or, it could be that The Prodigy's name has been interpreted in many different ways." The old man said. "Some say it like 'Micheal, Michayll, Mychail. What remains of the Legion call him 'Michahel', which is how you spell it in Latin. Hell, some folk over in The Skid's region believe he was a woman and call him 'Michelle'. The Prodigy has taken many iterations, but it was 'Michael' and he was male."
"So, this story is interpreted? How do we know you're telling the true story?" Rodger slightly hissed at him.
"Because I knew The Prodigy personally." The old man said. "It has been a long time since I've seen him."
Rodger leaned back against the wall with a smirk. "You met him?" He sarcastically asked. "When?"
The old man heard his voice and turned his blind eyes in that direction. "When the time is right, my friend." He said. Kelly decided to cut in.
"Welp! I gotta take a piss. Any bathrooms around here?" She said as she slid herself off the barrel.
"I'm going with you." Courtney said to her. "Don't think you'll be running off that easy."
Kelly looked to her and smiled that uncaring smile. "Fine. But don't think of trying to snag a peek." She mocked as she walked pass the mercenary.
"I'd rather stare at two roaches in heat." Courtney said. She picked up her rifle and followed Kelly outside to keep an eye on her. The three men were left alone in the garage to talk about whatever.
"So, what happened after The Chosen One died?" Jr. asked, sitting on the floor cross-legged like a child.
"Well, after The Chosen One...passed, the people of Arroyo decided it'd be best to hold a funeral service for him. Michael and the others attended out of respect." He elaborated. "After that, the people united once more and decided to hold a democratic vote on the future of Arroyo. Gillian ran for superior, but he lost and was exiled from Arroyo on terms of murder, disturbing the peace, and the attempted destruction of a historical landmark. Fortunately, the little vault dweller and his posse were let free with the G.E.C.K. and a couple caps for their troubles. The only problem now: it was a long way back to Kansas."
The group had left the golden gates of Arroyo and were back on the dusty trail. The interior of the Highwayman remained silent as the gang thought about what had just transpired. Michael had the G.E.C.K. in between the drivers seat and the armrest to keep it safe.
"So..." Bonnie said as she tipped her new hat. "We did it."
"...Yeah." Michael softly said. "We did." The two locked eyes and sat there in silence as Michael kept driving. Soon, smiles began to form on their faces and they began to chuckle. Phyllis soon joined in and Jenkins heard the laughter. The once light chuckles turned into laughing, and was now hysterical. Michael had to stop the car in the road to compose himself.
"WE FUCKING DID IT!" Phyllis cheered from the back. The group erupted into cheers and laughter at their near impossible accomplishment. Even Jenkins couldn't help but join in the cheer, despite his militaristic mindset. The group eventually settled down and caught their breath's.
"It's not over yet, though." Michael said. "We still need to get back to Kansas." The group sat in silence, pondering their next move.
"Should we go back the way we came?" Bonnie suggested.
"I don't know. Seems a bit too risky." Michael said.
"Oh! Now you're worried about risk." Bonnie mocked.
"Well, considering we have what's basically the equivalent of God's given gift at our disposal, I don't think it's a great idea to haul our asses back the way we came." Michael retaliated.
"Well, what do you suppose we do?" Bonnie sat back in her seat and kicked her feet up on the dashboard. Michael thought about a solution, but couldn't come up with one. It would seem they would have to go back the way they came, but that was extremely risky. The Prodigy thought for a second and stepped out of the car to try and think to himself. He leaned against the drivers side door and looked around. Nothing but desert for miles.
"What to do.." Michael said to himself. The young vault dweller looked over to his Brotherhood companion in the trunk and saw him doing maintenance to his gun. Michael looked up at the sky and looked at the clouds. The big, puffy, white clouds allowed him to clear his thoughts. He looked at the various puffballs in the sky and saw that one cloud was different than the rest. It appeared to be dark, and weirdly shaped. It also seemed to be moving fast. Michael stared at it, thinking what could form a cloud like that. But, as soon as he got his thoughts again, he soon realized that cloud was no cloud at all. Instead, he was looking at a plane flying in the air. It seemed to be a large plane, could've been a cargo plane. Just then, Michael's lightbulb lit up with an idea. He hopped back in the car and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The others were jolted back at the car moved again and Jenkins almost fell off, but he grabbed the rail before he could hit the dirt.
"What the hell's your problem?!" Bonnie shouted, but Michael wasn't listening. The Prodigy kept looking out the window and eventually drove off the road and into the desert. He was trying to follow the plane. After about an hour of driving through the sand, the plane began to descend and Michael was gonna be sure he was there when it happened. The gang followed the plane South and drove through the near desolate town of Marysville. They went East of the town and saw the plane appearing to land inside of a big, gated area. Michael drove through the front gate, breaking the lock and swinging open the fence doors. What he didn't see was the sign outside that read "Beale Air Force Base". The cargo plane landed on the old runway and skidded along the concrete, coming to a full stop.
The engines were cut and the large back door opened, revealing a very colorful figure with a motorcycle; it would appear that Bloom, the cheery woman from Vault 55, had hitched a ride. Soon, a ghoul came to her side and started a conversation.
"Not bad for a two-hundred year old hunk of junk." It was Toby, the ghoulified military pilot.
"Thank you kindly for the ride, but I still think the ground is a lot more fun." Bloom said. The two started walking down the ramp, but stopped when a car with a man in power armor in the trunk came to a screeching halt in front of them. The driver's side door swung open and a familiar face popped out.
"Toby!" Michael called out. He got out of the car and jogged toward the pilot.
"...Michael?" The ghoul said in confusion.
"Michael!" Bloom called out and politely kissed The Prodigy on the cheek as a greeting. "It's good to see you again, dearie!"
"Hi Bloom." Michael greeted. "Toby, I need your help." The ghoul pilot didn't respond, but only stared at the young vault dweller in confusion. He grabbed Michael's face and analyzed it.
"H-How...How did you do it?" Toby stuttered. Michael swatted his hands away.
"Toby, I don't have time for small talk. I need a flight to Kansas." Michael said.
"...What?" Toby wasn't paying attention.
"Toby! I need a safe passage back to Kansas." Michael repeated.
"...Yeah...Wait. Kansas? You want me to fly you to Kansas?" Toby said.
"Yes. It's of up-most urgency." The Prodigy replied.
"Well, I mean, I can take you there, and I'm more than willing to leave California for a bit, but it's extremely dangerous to fly into Legion territory." The ghoul said.
"Come on, Toby! I need to get there. Now." Michael urged.
"Hmm. I do know of an old airport in Oklahoma that's close to the Kansas border, but it's gonna cost ya. I don't give free flights that far out." Toby said.
"Fine. How much?" The Prodigy said.
"Taking that you also want to take the car along for the ride, plus any friends that you may have, that would be about... 4,000 caps." Toby set the price.
"4.. 4,000..caps? I don't have that much.." Michael shuttered. "Can't you lower the price? This is an emergency!"
"If it's an emergency, then you would pay the full price. Sorry, kid. You ain't getting out of this one." Toby refused to lower the price.
"Oh come on, Toby." Bloom cut in. "The boy's been through a lot."
"Sorry, doll. But it's extremely dangerous flying that way. I ain't gonna risk my life for free." Toby said. The quickest way to home would cost an arm and a leg, and it seemed as if their luck had run out. But, not all solutions can come from a boy in a vault suit.
"There a problem here?" Phyllis had stepped out of the car and joined Michael's side.
"Woah. What's an NCR ranger doing in these parts?" Toby said.
"Michael here is my travelling companion. Is there a problem with the transport?" Phyllis asked.
"Nothing that concerns the big boys. Just a simple price discussion." Toby said. "4,000 caps for the flight. I ain't going any lower."
"4,000?" Phyllis looked over to Michael and knew just how desperate he was. "All right." Phyllis reached into one of his pouches on his belt, pulling out a stack of NCR money, a piece of paper and a pen. He counted the paper dollars and signed his signature on the scrap paper. "Here you are." The ranger said, handing Toby about twenty 100 bills and the piece of paper. "You take this over to an NCR bank and you should be eligible for a withdrawal. Then, you'll get your 4,000 caps." Toby looked at the ranger.
"All right." Toby agreed. "What time you want to leave?"
"We need to get out of here now." Michael said.
"Best to get you stuff loaded, then. I'll go start refueling." Toby said. The ghoul left to go bring out the hose and Bloom went to go get her bike. Michael was relieved that they were able to catch a flight and was thankful toward Phyllis. After about an hour of loading the essentials and strapping the car down in the back of the plane, the gang were ready to set flight.
"You ready?" Toby said as he rubbed the oil off his hands with a towel.
"Should be." Michael replied as he strung the strap that was holding down his car.
"All right. I suggest you all get settled. It's gonna be a long flight." Toby said. Michael walked down the ramp to get a good look at the plane. It was old, covered in a bit of rust, but not too bad. The wings were long, about 156 feet from Michael's estimate, and there were four engines, two on each wing. This plane was made for shipping large containers and vehicles across great distances, but now it is carrying the very thing that could revive this wasted world over to the great flatland that is Kansas. Michael was about ready to get back on board, but saw Phyllis standing in the runway.
"Phyllis!" Michael called out. "Come on! Let's go!" The ranger didn't respond. "Phyllis?" Michael walked over to the ranger and confronted him. "Phyllis, we got to go. We're so close!" The Prodigy said.
"I'm not going." Phyllis declared.
"What are you talking about? You afraid of heights or something?" Michael asked with a smirk.
"No. Michael, you don't understand." Phyllis said "I can't go with you. My orders are to report to Hoover Dam."
"..W-Well, can't you deny orders? The plane can take you back." Michael said.
"They are from President Kimball himself. I can't deny them. I have to do this." Phyllis looked down.
"B-But we're so close! We're finally at the home stretch!" Michael pleaded.
"No, Michael. You're at the home stretch." Phyllis said. Michael was silent. The ranger put his hand on the vault dweller's shoulder. "Look, I know we may not have known each other for very long, but you certainly have taught me something I won't soon forget. You taught me that the impossible is possible and not everything is laid out in front of us. There's a path for us, but it's never a straight road." The engines turned on, the whirling fans making the loud sounds. "I just hope you can see that as well." Silence was the only thing that came from Michael.
"What happens now?" Michael muttered. Phyllis let go of Michael and took off his helmet, revealing his messy, blonde hair, five-o-clock shadow, and chiseled chin.
"Right now, you're gonna get up on that plane... and get out of here." Phyllis said.
"Will we ever see each other again?" Michael asked.
"Maybe. I do hope we do." Phyllis stuck his hand out for a handshake, to which Michael accepted. "Good luck, Michael."
"You too, Phyllis." Michael muttered.
"Call me Arthur." The ranger said and put his helmet back on. The two shared one last goodbye and Michael rushed back to the plane.
"Where's Phyllis?" Bonnie asked, seeing Michael walk up the ramp.
"He's not coming." Michael silently answered as he walked past her. Phyllis watched as the ramp door rose and shut close. The plane jerked and began to roll down the runway, catching speed. As the plane reached the end, it caught air and began to fly. The plane left the runway and flew East towards Kansas. As Phyllis watched the plane fly away, he pondered on the memories of his companions and how they have done the impossible. He pondered on how they were the only people that he could actually call friends. But, as he travelled with them, Phyllis made sure to keep some thing's personal. The ranger reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a map of California. He looked at the map and saw a red circle he had drawn in a specific location. He had marked the exact location of Arroyo.
About almost an hour into the flight and things were silent among the passengers. Bonnie decided to get some much needed rest, Jenkins sat idly by with Dogmeat, Toby sat in the cockpit, and Michael was left to ponder in his head for awhile. He sat in an area away from everyone as he wanted to be in silence. He had the G.E.C.K. on his lap and studied it's insides. He drew the mechanics of it in his little black notebook, or rather, the Chosen One's old black notebook. As he drew, the young vault dweller couldn't escape the thought that has been plaguing him ever since he left Lincoln City: what did Vault-Tec do?
"You know you think too much?" The voice called to him.
"You talk too much." Michael shot back. "Can't you just leave me alone for awhile? Leave me to myself?" The voice chuckled.
"It's not my fault we share the same body." The voice argued. "Believe me. If it was up to me, I wouldn't have let you outside."
"What's that suppose to mean?" The Prodigy asked.
"Come on, Mikey. You know exactly what I mean." The voice said. "You don't belong in this world. Only I have the power to survive. You? You're not fit to go through the hardships this Wasteland provides."
"And what would you know about survival?" Michael said. "You're just a voice in my head."
"Am I though? Am I really just a voice in your head?" The voice said back. "I'm the reason you were able to fight off those Legionaries. I'm the reason we survived that fall in the Badlands. I'm the reason you were able to kill those three raiders. I'm the reason we're alive at all."
"No you're not. The vaccine is the reason why I'm able to do such things." Becker retaliated. "You're just an unexpected side effect."
"You see, that's another thing you don't understand. And I don't expect you to fully grasp it yet." The voice said. "But, what you need to realize right now is that I'm not at fault for my existence."
"You gonna start blaming the overseer again?" Michael said as he closed the case of the G.E.C.K. and stood up. The voice remained silent for a second.
"I think you should really read that holotape." The voice suggested.
"What holotape?" Michael asked.
"That one you pulled from that old Vault-Tec building back in Lincoln. I read it." The voice said.
"You read it?" Michael was confused.
"During one of our little...tangents. The one we had in Zion when we had to fight for the car, it was right after that. You didn't wake up for a bit, so I read it. And I think you'll find the answers you've been so desperate to know." The voice boasted.
Michael stared at nothing for a bit. He pulled the holotape out of his pouch, the same one with the Vault 13 canteen, and loaded into his PIP-Boy. The screen fuzzed for a bit, but letters began scrolling across the screen. It was the same interface he saw on the terminal where he loaded the information from. He saw that Vault 25 had already been highlighted, signifying that the voice was telling the truth about reading it. He clicked the button to select it and it showed logs about the construction for the vault, selected inhabitants, the insurances, etc. But, it also showed one catalog labeled "Messages from Vault 25." Michael clicked on the strange catalog and saw that there were indeed messages from Vault 25's main computer, but the dates they were sent were after the war.
"December, 2077, August, 2082, October, 2095. This doesn't make sense." Michael said.
"Oh. But it does." The voice said. "It would appear our little overseers still had a connection to the outside world." Michael didn't know what to make of this. The first overseer said that all connections with the outside had been cut off, most likely due to the bombs destroying the towers. But, it would appear Vault 25 still had a strong connection with some kind of secure network long after the war. "Why don't you keep reading?" The voice suggested.
Michael kept reading and found that the last messages sent to the outside were over fifteen years ago. It showed that the messages were indeed from the overseer, but he was responding to some anonymous source labeled "E-115." The messages read as followed:
[E-115]
Attention, Overseer of Vault 25. This is an urgent message from the United States government. You are ordered to open the vault door under the jurisdiction of GEV-25
[Overseer Blevins]
Hello. I would love to open our door to such men like the United States government, but I'm afraid I can't do that without the verification code. If you so have the code, please send it so I may let you in.
[E-115]
(VAULT 25 ENTRY CODE: REQUIEM SANTUS)
[Overseer Blevins]
Please stand by.
[Overseer Blevins]
The code is accepted. Please stand back as the door will be open. I suggest you cover your ears as well. It's been awhile since that thing opened.
[TRANSMISSION END]
Michael couldn't believe what he was reading. The vault did open. But why would nobody tell him? Why didn't they leave the vault? Why did they keep it a secret? Michael kept reading. He saw that most of the messages between the two have been deleted, probably from the overseer. But, the last conversation they had was still up. The last conversation was on July 17, 2267, two years after he was born.
[E-115]
Overseer Blevins, what you are doing violates the agreement we had as well as basic constitutional rights.
[Overseer Blevins]
And your plan doesn't? What you people are doing is monstrous, unethical, and violates every basic human right.
[E-115]
Mr. Blevins, with the information provided to us by our scientists, you have stolen a large quantity of our formula, near all of our research, locked us out, and your top scientist had interrupted our most successful test and stole property that so rightfully belongs to us.
[Overseer Blevins]
Your "property" is one of our own. That is a human baby, not some mongrel dog you can poison. And I do regret my contribution in whatever you pumped into him. As for the formula and research, you'll have to pry that door open to get it back.
[E-115]
Mr. Blevins, as we do care for the formula and research, we care more about retrieving our subject. If you would so kindly return it to us, we will gladly leave the vicinity of Vault 25 and never return. If you value your citizens, I suggest you open that door.
[Overseer Blevins]
You're right. I do care for my citizens. All my citizens. You are not getting the child and I can promise you that that door will remain closed and you will not get in here for as long as I am overseer and the many that will come after me. We survived this long without you and we will survive longer than you.
[E-115]
Mr. Blevins, may I remind you that you are responsible for a majority of the subjects condition? You were the one that suggested the child, signed the permits, even assigned your doctors toward the project. We were willing to take any subject. And, while you did give us about seven subjects to test on out of your own citizens, the child was the most successful as it didn't rip itself apart when administered the vaccine. You claim us the monsters, but you were the one that assigned unwilling vault citizens to the project and are responsible for their deaths. The child is the only subject that has been somewhat successful. Give us the child and you'll be left alone.
[Overseer Blevins]
You're not getting Michael, Commander.
[E-115]
BLEVINS YOU OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME GOD
[TRANSMISSION END]
Michael read the messages over and over again to try and get an understanding. He sat down on one of the seats and was bewildered by his discovery. The overseer is responsible for his condition, he let those strangers experiment on his people, those strangers wanted him for whatever reason. Michael didn't know what to make of it. As his mind jumped sporadically, he heard whispers behind him. He didn't look behind, but saw a figure walk from said direction. The figure leaned down to Michaels level and faced him. The figure looked like a much cleaner version of him, but the eyes were crimson red and stared deep into his soul.
"I told you so." It was the voice. It had managed to escape his mind and meet him face to face in the real world, while still just a metaphysical being inside Michaels head. He was still chained to the vault dweller, but he was growing stronger. Michael only watched as the voice walked away from him and fade away into nothing. Michael sat in silence, unable to hear his surroundings as his mind was flooded. However, his thoughts were stopped as he felt the plane shake and a loud boom came from outside. The Prodigy cleared his head and rushed toward the cockpit with the G.E.C.K. in hand. He slammed the door to the cockpit open and saw Toby frantically pulling levers and switching switches.
"What the hell's going on?" Michael asked.
"We got bogeys on our six!" Toby replied. "I need you guys to take care of them. I'm gonna try and take evasive maneuvers."
"With what?! There're no weapons on this thing!" Michael said.
"There's a rocket launcher in a red box near the cargo bay door. Go get it!" Toby ordered. Michael did as followed and left the cockpit. "Okay." Toby said to himself. "Just like old times." Michael ran toward the cargo bay and was found Bonnie holding onto a railing, Jenkins stationed in place, and Dogmeat whining in fear. The plane shook as the unknown object attacked again.
"What's going on?!" Bonnie said and she nearly fell.
"We're being hit." Michael answered back.
"We got a visual? Can we identify them?" Jenkins asked.
"Not yet." Michael said. The Prodigy found the red box and flicked open the latches, revealing an old military grade missile launcher. He picked up the weapon and almost dropped it due to another hit from the enemy.
"How you plan to hit anything with that?" Bonnie said as she reached over to grab hold of Dogmeat.
"Like this." Michael said as he slammed the button that opens the cargo door. An alarm started to blare as the giant door opened slowly. "Hold onto something!" He shouted as he latched his arm and leg around some netting. Bonnie grabbed hold of Dogmeat and bunkered down in the car while Jenkins buckled himself to a handle. The door opened and the wind was violent against the inside of the cargo bay and boxes flew passed and fell to the earth. Michael wasn't focused on though; he was trying to see what was shooting at them.
"Anyone see anything?" Jenkins shouted out. They looked into the clouds and eventually heard loud mechanical buzzing. Something big flew out of the clouds and into their perifacial vison. "Oh my god." Jenkins said. It was some sort of small flying thing with two propeller's on the wings and another on the tail fin. It had two miniguns on the front and two rocket launchers on the front. It looked like a futurized version of a helicopter.
"What the hell is that?" Michael asked.
"That's a vertibird." Jenkins answered. All of a sudden, three more appeared out of the clouds and two flew fast enough to reach the sides of the plane. Michael decided to take his shot and got the closest vertibird locked in V.A.T.S. Michael focused hard on the enemy until the ping went off. Time slowness showed Michael shooting the missile launcher and blowing up one of the vertibirds. As the first one fell, it clipped one of the back fins of the plane and sent the plane tilting for a second.
"Got one!" Michael cheered, but his cheering was short-lived as another vertibird shot a rocket at the cargo hold. The missile missed the entrance to the cargo bay, but hit one of the back fins and it shook the plane with a thundering boom. Soon, fire and smoke emitted from the tail fin and the plane began to lose altitude.
"We're losing airspace!" Jenkins said as a box hit him, but his power armor prevented any major damage.
"I know!" Michael screamed. The Prodigy wondered on his next step. "All right. Get in the car!" He ordered.
"What?" Jenkins asked.
"Get in the car!" Michael ordered again. Michael unhooked from the net and pulled himself over to the Highwayman. He climbed inside the car and sat in the drivers seat with Bonnie strapped in with her seatbelt and Dogmeat belted down as well in the back.
"What the hell is going on out there?!" Bonnie asked.
"We're being attacked by something called vertibirds." Michael explained.
"Vertibirds? Think it's NCR?" Bonnie said.
"I'm not sure. I don't know." Michael had no answers to any of these questions. "Right now, we need to get out of here." The car rocked in the back, signifying that Jenkins hopped aboard.
"Out of here? How are we gonna get out of here?!" Bonnie questioned the state of Michael's planning. Michael couldn't find the words to respond.
"Okay, look, it's not a good plan and I kind of just made it up, but I have a strong feeling it will work." Bonnie just stared at Michael in response. "Okay, a moderate feeling it will work." The plane fell faster and faster toward the earth as Toby tried desperately to keep his bird in the air.
"What's going on back there?!" Toby screamed from the cockpit. He pulled the throttle back as far it can go to keep the plane from crashing, but it was quickly hurtling toward the earth. Jenkins looked behind him and the rampaging fire coming from inside the cargo hold.
"Now would be a good time for a miracle plan." The paladin said.
"I got one! Just hold on!" Michael yelled back at the brotherhood member. "Just need to get the timing right."
"What timing?" Bonnie asked, worried of what her little vault-boy had cooked up in his head. Toby tried everything he could to keep his prize possession from falling, but the effort was wasted. The cargo plane was about 200 feet from the ground by now and closing in fast. Toby pulled hard and the plane started to tilt up, but it was too late. During this, Michael counted.
200 feet: 10.
180 feet: 9.
160 feet. 8.
150 feet: 7.
120 feet. 6.
100 feet: 5.
50 feet: 4.
40 feet; 3.
30 feet; 2.
10 feet: 1.
The plane hit the earth and ran across it. The massive metal bird push the dirt in front of it; leaving a trail in the sand as bits and pieces of it flew off. The burning bird flew too close to the sun and suffered the same fate as Icarus before. Our main team watched from the back as a long trail in the dirt was left behind the plane and the fire beginning to engulf the entire plane.
"NOW!" Michael shouted. He shifted the gear of the Highwayman into drive and slammed on the pedal. The tires of the old car screeched as they spun and the straps holding the vehicle snapped at the sheer force. The car drove fast and flew out the burning cargo hold and onto the soiled dirt in the trench that the plane made. The Highwayman jumped violently as it hit the ground and the passengers suffered a rocky landing. Jenkins was almost sent flying, but was able to grip onto the car with his right hand. Dogmeat hit the roof of the car as it jumped and the poor pooch whined. Bonnie's head was sent slamming into the dashboard, knocking her unconscious. Michael was too busy trying to keep the car from swerving to notice that he too suffered an injury from this endeavor. The car flew down the trench as debris soared passed and crashed into the earth around them. Michael was able to fully gain control of the car and slammed on the brakes, stopping the old Highwayman. The tires came to a screeching halt and Michael stepped out to look at the damage.
"Oh my god." The young prodigy said in disbelief. The plane laid in ruins as the fire burned through the cracks. Michael tried to run there to help Toby, but his sustained injury sent him in a fit of pain. He collapsed to the ground and looked at the very source that's preventing him from saving the ghoul: a large shard of metal was protruding from his thigh. "Must've been...from..." Michael tried to talk, but he was losing blood. The Prodigy flipped himself onto his back and laid on the dirt; watching the clouds in the sky. His vision began to go black. As he watched the blue sky, he could see the vertibirds that attacked them fly overhead and leave them to die. His eyes closed and he fell unconscious. In that moment, his mind didn't retreat into itself. Instead, it was nothing. Just for a singular moment, Michael was at peace. Hours pass and the sun was setting amongst the desert. The mutated creatures scuttled across the sand as silence loomed over the empty land. Amongst the dunes lays a makeshift camp with a tent, an old car, and a small fire. Among the fire sat two individuals and a dog as a third member sat unconscious in the tent.
"Think he'll wake up?" Bonnie asked, rubbing her head.
"He'll be fine. He's strong." Jenkins said, dusting the dirt off his armor. "You took a good hit. You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine. I've had worse." Bonnie declared. "Thanks for pulling us out of that mess and patching us up."
"No problem. I've had plenty of medical training out in the field." Jenkins said. "Just enough to patch up injuries." Jenkins had aided his friends since the crash. Bonnie had awoken an hour before, but Michael was still knocked out. Alive, but not well.
"What'd you say his injury was again?" Bonnie asked.
"He took a large piece of debris to his leg. Lost a lot of blood when I got to him." Jenkins explained. "He should be able to walk though. Those stimpak's do wonder's, plus his supposed quick healing."
"Yeah...That's actually something I wanted to talk about." Bonnie said as she prodded at the fire and passed a piece of cooked radroach to Dogmeat. Inside the tent, the young vault dweller laid dormant in his sleep. He didn't dream, he didn't make a noise. He slept peacefully. The other members of the group didn't bother, besides checking up on his wounds every now and then. They knew he hasn't had a good nights sleep in awhile and they felt he needed it, even if it was due to injuries. However, his peace would soon come to an end. The young lad's eyes fluttered open and he was met with the roof of the makeshift tent. He quickly shook his daze off and tried to stand up, but a sharp pain slowed him down. He looked down and saw bandages where the sharp metal once protruded from. He looked around him and saw the G.E.C.K. sitting next to him. He was relieved to see the metal case and grabbed it to keep it safe. He pushed himself up and wobbled for a bit. He limped out of the tent and saw his companions sitting around a fire. Dogmeat stood up and started wagging his tail. The mutt ran over to it's owner and started licking him.
"There he is." Jenkins said.
"Michael." Bonnie said, relieved that her friend was okay. She went over to The Prodigy and embraced him in a hug.
"Hey. I'm alright." Michael assured. "Wha..What happened? Did we make it?"
"Yeah. We made it." Bonnie answered, letting go of her friend.
"What about Toby?" Michael asked, worried of their pilot. Bonnie didn't answer. Jenkins walked up to the vault dweller.
"He didn't make it." The paladin answered. "I went back into the plane to try and rescue him, but there was only a charred corpse." Michael looked away, distraught at the news. This is the first time anyone died directly by helping him, and he didn't know how to take that. While Toby wasn't a saint, he certainly wasn't a bad person. He deserved better than to be burned alive in a crash. Michael felt responsible for Toby's death and he would have to carry that burden for the rest of his life.
"If it's any consolation, we're alive, and we have the G.E.C.K." Bonnie said.
"Do we know who attacked us?" Michael asked.
"No idea." Jenkins answered. "All we know is that they certainly have some serious firepower. I intend to inform the Brotherhood of this."
"Inform them? For all we know that could've been the Brotherhood." Bonnie argued.
"Negative." Jenkins declared. "The Midwestern chapter is not in possession of any flying vehicles, and I doubt the Western chapter would dare to come out of hiding in NCR controlled airspace. Let alone shoot down another aircraft."
"Are we even in any NCR territory?" Bonnie asked. Michael looked down at his Pip-Boy and switched to the map. He looked around and saw an icon on the map that appears he had already been too. Granted, it was about a day's walk, but it was something. Selecting the icon revealed it to be the town of Danbury.
"No. We're not." Michael answered. "We're home." He said looking up at his companions. "We're about on the border of Kansas."
"So...We're back?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. Michael looked up to her.
"Yeah." He said with determination in his eyes. "We're back." A smiled formed on their faces and they began to celebrate. They had done it. The impossible. They went to California and back with the G.E.C.K. in hand. Nothing could stop them now. They all sat around the fire to rest for one last night.
"Shit. We actually did it." Bonnie said, pulling a flask out of her pockets. "They're gonna sing fucking songs about us."
"While I should be more focused on completing the mission, I can't say I'm not amazed on what we have accomplished as a team." Jenkins admitted. Michael stared at the G.E.C.K., amazed at his triumphs. He will be a legend among his vault. His vault. Michael's smile faded from his face and he began to ponder. His adventure, his time out in the Wasteland, the people he's met, the people he's helped, the people he's killed. He was so focused on getting the G.E.C.K. that he never wondered if he was truly ready to go back into the vault. To go back to a life of pure isolation underground. He wondered if the people he once knew would accept him.
"Mikey? You alright?" Bonnie asked, noticing Michael lost in space.
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I'm alright. Just wondering is all." Michael answered. He sighed. "Bonnie, do you remember what you told me in that gas station back in Utah?" He asked.
"Yeah. Why?" She said.
"Well, I still haven't told you anything." Michael pouted. "I should tell you both. You've all been truthful to me." The two began to listen to the young prodigy. Jenkins removed his helmet, allowing his face to show, while Bonnie took a swig from her flask.
"What do you want to tell us?" Jenkins asked. Michael hesitated.
"You both know that there is a virus, well, more of a pathogen by now, spreading through my vault." Michael said. "Well, I never said where that came from." The duo listened closely. "A long time ago, my overseer ordered that a 'vaccine' would be made in order to make us stronger and better equipped to survive if the vault ever opened. It was once a liquid substance held in tanks, but those tanks broke and the gases from it spread through the ventilation system, causing everyone to be affected and suffer the side effects."
"But, you were lucky, right?" Bonnie asked. "We already know you probably inhaled some of that stuff, but you didn't become a blood thirsty monster and got out of there."
"That's the thing." Michael said. "I am infected. I'm probably more infected than anyone down there." The duo remained silent. "The overseer wanted to make sure the vaccine worked, so he needed guinea pigs to test it. The adults and teens that took it all died because their bodies rejected the vaccine, so they tried something else." He looked over at Bonnie. "Children. He knew that children were less developed and the vaccine would grow within them as they grew up, but he needed to make sure it would work. So, he chose a two year old baby to test it on. He put the kid in a machine and was halfway through before the head scientist, the kid's father, stopped all this because he specifically did not want the overseer to use his child in the experiment." Michael sighed. "While the kid did get the benefits of the vaccine, being removed so prematurely had some dire consequences. The child's mind was split into two, one side more intelligent and weak, while the other more violent and strong. Eventually the other side became a mind of its own and began to talk to it's counterpart, further separating the two. After that mess, the vaccine was sealed away and never used again."
"What are you trying to get at?" Jenkins asked, curious and confused. Young Michael stared into the dying fire.
"I was that kid." The Prodigy admitted. "I am Patient Zero; The Prodigy." Jenkins and Bonnie looked at each other in fear and understanding. "I was in the lower sections of the vault when the tank burst, sleeping at my desk. I only escaped intact because I was immune to the vaccine, but the others..." He paused. "The other's weren't so lucky." Michael looked up at his companions and pointed to his head. "I can hear him. Everyday. Even when I can't see him, I can still feel his presence looming over me. He tells me to kill. I've tried to unite with him, but he says that we're better separated for the full force of the vaccine will overtake us if we were to merge. But...It's get hard to control him, if I even have any control anymore." Michael could feel his counterpart watching him just over his shoulder, but so far away for him to grasp.
"So...You have, like, another voice in your head?" Bonnie tried to understand.
"He's his own person." Michael explained. "It's more like two beings sharing the same body. One is in control when the other isn't." Bonnie looked down at the flask.
"We'll get back to your vault and we'll find a cure." Jenkins said. "We've been through hell and back. We ain't leaving just yet." Jenkins was always more direct with his responses, but deep down, he had no idea what to say. Bonnie was left perplexed. She knew Michael was a good kid, but he was troubled from what the overseer did to him. Why would he want to go back to that? "We should sleep for the night and head out in the morning." Jenkins suggested. "It's been a long day." The paladin walked off to go set up another tent.
"This..other side.." Bonnie leaned over to Michael. "It is evil?" She asked.
"No. Not evil." Michael answered. "He just doesn't want to die, and if that means working with me, then so be it." Silence fell over the two and Michael began to drift off.
"What's that beeping sound?" Bonnie asked.
"Beeping sound?" Michael was confused by what she meant, but he too soon heard a beeping sound. It was coming from his arm. More specifically: his Pip-Boy. Michael's eyes shot open in fear. He pulled out a screwdriver from his belt and began trying to take off a panel from the Pip-Boy. He nearly yanked the panel off and revealed the inner workings of the device. He reached his fingers in and pulled out a small device with a blinking red light. The device beeped at Michael as he held it in his hand.
"What is that?" Bonnie asked.
"A tracker." Michael said with venom in his voice.
"A tracker!?" She screamed, grabbing the attention of Jenkins and Dogmeat. "Who's tracking us? NCR? The Brotherhood?"
"None of them" Michael answered. "I put the tracker in."
"Why the hell would you do that?!" Bonnie shouted.
"It was the only Pip-Boy in the vault. It got stolen a lot and the overseer made me put a tracker in it, so he could find it." Michael explained. "But why is it on? It's vicinity should only be able to reach the interior of the vault. I mapped it myself...Unless..." Michael began to piece this puzzle together. His eyes shot open in fear and he looked out into the desert. "Oh my god..." He said.
"What? What's going on?" Jenkins asked, confused as everyone else.
"They did it. They fucking did it.." Michael was shocked at his realization.
"Michael." Bonnie called to him. "What's going on?" Michael looked to them.
"They're outside." He said with fear covering his face. "They're free." He answered.
"Who?" Bonnie asked. Michael looked to her.
"Vault 25." Michael looked back to the desert. "They found out how to open the door."