The starry sky watched over the Midwestern desert and the only sound made was the gushes of dry wind. The dilapidated roads laid unused for decades as all cars had been destroyed since the war. However, the silence would soon end as one car had been made to work again. The roaring engine could be heard for miles and it was moving fast. The Highwayman flew down the road as its driver, Michael, was determined to reach his destination in record time. Sweat barreled down his face as fear overtook him in a way unlike anything he's ever faced.
"Michael, where are we going?!" Bonnie asked, trying desperately to get the seatbelt around her.
"To find them." Michael said, not taking his eyes off the road.
"Mikey, I know these people are apparently dangerous, but we don't know where they are." Bonnie reasoned.
"Vault 25. We go there and round up everyone and cure them." Michael said. "We'll fix them all."
"We don't know if they're even at Vault 25 anymore! They could've left the place abandoned for all we know." Bonnie argued. "You're not thinking straight. We've been gone for awhile. Who knows how long that trackers been going for?" She paused. Michael thought about what she said. He slowed down the car and put it in park in the middle of the road. The young vault dweller rested his head on the wheel and pondered.
"Okay." Michael said. "What do we know?"
"Well, we know that we're being tracked." Bonnie said. "That's pretty much it."
"Let me think." Michael was trying to piece together something that could help them. "The signal is weak, but it is able to reach as far as the outskirts of Kansas. However, the original signal went only as far as the vaults interior. I never mapped it to the outside world. So, they had to have boosted the signal somehow, but they would need a signal booster powerful enough to reach across the state. Where would that be?" Michael contemplated on this thought.
"I don't know about you, but I like to listen to music when I think." Bonnie said as she pulled out her cigarette's, finding out that she had smoked them all. "I would smoke too, but apparently that's out of the question." Michael thought about what Bonnie said and a thought came to his mind.
"Music.." Michael muttered to himself. "A radio station! That would be perfect to boost a signal."
"I guess that would work." Bonnie said. "I'm not as tech-savvy as you are, so I wouldn't know."
"Yeah. A radio broadcast station would give enough of a boost to the signal to reach the distance necessary." Michael explained. "I just need to find that station."
"Why not Pilgrim Radio?" Bonnie suggested. "It's one of the biggest radio stations in the Midwest." Bonnie suggested.
"Alright. We start there." Michael said. "Where is Pilgrim Radio anyway?"
"It should be back in Bordertown if I remember." Bonnie said. "In the central district."
"Then we head to Bordertown then. I just hope we can get actually get a lead there." Michael said.
"Wake me up when we get there." Bonnie requested as she tipped her hat down to cover her eyes. "I need to get some real shut eye." Michael put the car in drive and drove toward Bordertown on the other side of Kansas. Meanwhile, the city of Bordertown was as peaceful as it could possibly be at night. The gangs roamed the alleys, the homeless laid on the concrete, the bars were overfilled with hopeless individuals, and the most famous station blasted its tunes on the radio. However, tonight's broadcast was very special.
"So, do tell. What is your next big adventure?" The DJ, Long John DiVagria, asked his very special guest. "I'm sure the listeners are dying to know."
"Well, I plan on a lot of things." The guest said. "Maybe I'll go toward the horizon. Maybe I'll scrounge other vaults for loot. Maybe I'll take the Lesion head on and take down Caesar myself."
"You mean the Legion." The DJ corrected.
"Whatever those savages are called." The guest said. "See? They're so unimportant to me that I can't remember what they're even called!"
"Interesting." The DJ said. "And just how do you plan on taking down the Legion?"
"Well, I can't tell you now. Can I?" The guest said. "All I can say is that Caesar better watch his back."
"Well, we'll see what happens." The DJ said. "Alright, folks, that's all the time we have for today. I'd like to thank our very special guest for coming today and I bid you all a goodnight. You have anything to tell our listeners before you go?"
"Yeah." The guest said. "Keep working of your dreams and you'll become stronger, but not as strong as me. I mean, come on. I am The Prodigy after all."
Hours pass and the Highwayman crew had made it to the edge of Bordertown. They drove through the road of the dead forest and arrived at the large metal gate.
"Hey, Bonnie!" Michael nudged his companion and woke her up. "We're here." Bonnie wiped the sleep from her eyes and laid her gaze upon the large gate in front of them. The group waited for the guards to come and open the gate. One guard came down and walked towards the Highwayman.
"What've we got here?" The guard said. "Couple of travelers in a car. You don't see that everyday."
"Yes, it's very interesting." Michael said. "Can you guys open the gate? We're kind of on a tight schedule here."
"Oh yeah sure, I can let you in. For a fee of course." The guard said.
"A fee? Since when was there a fee?!" Bonnie said, angry at such a claim.
"Look. I know this is a new thing, but I can't just let every random Joe in." The guard said with smug as he leaned his arm on the car roof. "Either you pay, or I can tell you to piss off back to the desert. Your choice."
"How about I pay you in lead?" The voice blurted out of Michael.
"You see, that's not gonna get you anywhere." The guard said, unfazed from the threat. "Now we can continue arguing about this, but I'm a busy man, so-" The guard was cut off. The car shook and rose as something heavy had just left. Jenkins had climbed out of the back and walked toward the guard. The Brotherhood Paladin towered over the guard in his T-51b Power Armor suit.
"Open the door." Jenkins demanded. The guard stared at the large, metal man before him in horror.
"Alright. I-I'll open the gate." The guard shuddered. He walked away from the Highwayman and signaled to the other guards to open the gate. The large, rust covered gate slowly began to screech open. Jenkins hopped back on the car and The Prodigy drove into the dirty streets of Bordertown.
"Feels good to be home." Bonnie remarked as she stared out into the streets. The inhabitants of the city stop and stared as the car passed by in bewilderment, but that didn't bother the group. They were on a mission of upmost importance.
"So where did you say this place was?" Michael asked.
"Just drive and take a right where that crashed cop car is." Bonnie said. The Prodigy followed her directions. After about sixteen minutes of driving and bickering on directions, the crew made it to the town center. It was bustling with patrons and merchants from all over Kansas and stores inside old, dilapidated buildings. Becker drove carefully through the crowd and he had caught a lot attention to himself and the car. On the corner of the market center was an old building with a large, partially lit, letterbox logo that consisted of a wooden wagon, and the words "Pilgrim Radio" on the side.
"This must be the place." Michael said. The crew hopped out of the car and stared at the building in front of them. Michael looked around and saw a load of people's gazes locked on their car. "Someone has to stay with the car." He said to his friends.
"I'll stay." Jenkins declared. "I doubt these people would dare to come up to a Brotherhood Paladin."
"I came up to you." Michael said.
"You're not really a local, Michael." Jenkins quipped.
"That is true." Michael responded. "You with me, Bonnie?"
"Yeah. Don't really feel like sitting on my ass this time." Bonnie said.
"Alright. I'll go in and speak with the main man himself." Michael said. "If the tracker is anywhere, it should be in the studio."
"Then let's go find it." Bonnie said. The two left and Dogmeat followed, leaving Jenkins all alone with the car. The paladin hopped back into the trunk and looked around, noticing all the people staring at the Highwayman. He pulled out his gauss rifle, making sure no one would dare to get close.
"Anything you can tell me about this DiVagria guy?" Michael asked as they ascended the stairs to the front door.
"He's old. Been around since I was kid." Bonnie replied. "He plays the music and occasionally comes on to spout some news or something."
"Well, I know that, but what is this guy like?" Michael asked. "He prone to reason?"
"Can't really say." Bonnie said. "He doesn't really come out of his studio that much. Usually sends out his assistant to do stuff."
"So we got a guy we have barely any idea about." Michael said. "Alright. Let's get it over with." The three entered the building and found themselves in a large, furbished room with old photos and album covers from the Pre-War era, and a secretary typing away at a terminal on a desk in the middle of the room in front of two sets of staircases that both lead to a platform above. Michael walked over to the secretary, but she didn't seem to be paying attention.
"Hello?" Michael said, but to no response. "Ma'am?" Again, no response. She seemed extremely preoccupied with what she was doing on the terminal. Michael peered over the terminal and found that she was playing some old text-based adventure game. Bonnie didn't have the patience for this and slammed her hand on the desk, startling the secretary.
"Oh!" The secretary shrieked. "Sorry. Can I help you?" She adjusted her glasses and closed the game.
"Hello." Michael began. "I would like to see Mr. DiVagria please."
"I'm sorry, but no one is permitted to see Mr. DiVagria unless he permits it." She said, turning her attention back to her terminal.
"But I need to see him." Michael added. "It is of upmost importance that I speak with him." The secretary rolled her eyes.
"Like I just said, you cannot see him unless you have an interview." She said.
"But I do have an interview!" Michael recalled. "I'm The Prodigy. I'm sure he would love to speak with me." He was very certain in his claim. However, the receptionist did not look impressed.
"If you're The Prodigy, then I'm Nuka-Girl." She mocked. "So, once again, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."
"But I am The Prodigy!" Michael insisted. "I have the vault suit, the Pip-Boy, everything."
"Look, sir, The Prodigy already came in today. You aren't fooling anyone, darling." She said. Michael hesitated for a moment. He was dumbstruck with her response.
"I'm sorry, The Prodigy already came in?" He asked.
"Yes, sir. Last night." She begrudgingly replied. Michael hesitated again. The young prodigy rubbed his face in dread, unsure on how to proceed.
"Alright." He said quietly. "Let's go, Bonnie."
"What?" Bonnie asked, angry at the order. "Mikey, we can't just-"
"Let's. Go." Michael interrupted. Bonnie shot one last dirty glare at the receptionist and followed Michael out the front door with Dogmeat in tail.
"I can't believe you." Bonnie barked as they went down the stairs back to the sidewalk. "You better have some sort of plan."
"I'm trying." Michael defended. "Another Prodigy..."
"What happened?" Jenkins asked from the trunk of the car.
"We weren't allowed in." Bonnie answered as she leaned against the car with Dogmeat sitting next to her.
"There's a faker running around." Michael added.
"A faker?" Jenkins repeated.
"Another Prodigy." Bonnie answered. "Someone's going around pretending to be Michael."
"Do we know who?" Jenkins questioned.
"No. We don't." Michael said. Just then, something hit and splashed Michael in the face, catching them all by surprise. Bonnie and Jenkins spun around and saw this old merchant lady throwing food at them.
"Goddamned bastard!" She screamed. "You stole from me!"
"Hey!" A guard saw the commotion and bolted toward the old lady. She tried to run, but the guard caught up and wacked her on her side with his baton, causing her to fall to the ground in pain.
"Well, that certainly did the job." Jenkins muttered.
"Ah Jesus." Bonnie growled, pulling out a piece of cloth and grabbing Michael's face. She began to scrub the thrown food off of him. "Crazy bitch." She said.
"I'm starting to think this faker is more of a problem than we realized." Michael said. Bonnie finished wiping Michael's face and Dogmeat jumped up and licked off any remnants that were left. "Looks like they've caused some trouble while we were gone. I dread to think what else they've done in my name."
"So, what do we do now?" Bonnie asked. Michael looked at the building and pondered on the next step.
"Is there a fire escape?" Michael asked.
"There might be." Bonnie answered. "I think there might be one in that alleyway." She pointed over to an alleyway between the side of the radio station building and what appeared to be an old residential complex atop a boarded up store. Michael walked over to the alleyway and found it full of trash littered about, broken windows, graffiti, vermin, the other side blocked off by a fence and, best of all: a fire escape. However, it was on the opposite building.
"It'll have to be good enough." Michael declared. Bonnie walked up beside him.
"So, what's the plan?" She said.
"We'll have to climb to the studio." Michael replied. "Looks like we'll have to jump across."
"So, we doing this stealthy." Bonnie said. "We can do that. Don't know about the big guy and the mutt."
"They'll stay behind. You and I are gonna sneak into the building and find the studio." Michael commanded.
"Since when were you leader?" Bonnie quipped. "We'll have to lose some of the heavier stuff. That includes anything that ain't a pistol or a knife."
"We'll keep our stuff with Jenkins in the car." Michael declared. He walked toward the fire escape and found the ladder was released, but got stuck halfway on the track and rust had made it nearly impossible to release it. They would need something to stand on to get to the ladder. "This alley looks big enough for the car. We can use it to get up there." Michael said.
"It's worth a shot, I guess." Bonnie obliged. "But you got to be careful."
"What do you mean?" Michael asked. "I can be sneaky. I rescued you from those raiders when we left Danbury and I think I did just fine."
"One of the slaves spotted you." Bonnie reminded. "Not to mention, we don't know what floor the studio is on."
"I'm sure we'll find it. We've been through worse." Michael stated. With that, the two went back to the car and drove it carefully into the alleyway under the fire escape.
"You sure you can defend the car like this?" Bonnie asked the paladin.
"With most certainty." Jenkins confirmed. "I'm at a choke point, so I only need to focus my fire in one direction."
"Alright. Just make sure the car is still here when we come back." Bonnie said.
"I wouldn't dare lose suck an important piece of technology." The paladin replied.
"You ain't taking my car." Michael stepped in. The Prodigy and Bonnie left their guns behind and took only a the revolver, a pistol and a knife. They climbed atop the car and reached for the latter. Michael had some trouble, but Bonnie helped him up. She soon followed, leaving both Jenkins and Dogmeat behind. As the two left, Jenkins reached inside the trunk and pulled out the Enclave X-01 helmet he stashed away. He analyzed the helmet and pondered about the Brotherhood and what it is. On what it was. He pondered on how the Brotherhood had survived the worst the Wasteland could throw at them, but not without consequence. But that's the price of survival. He wondered what the future held and if he would still be around to see it. He also pondered on how the scribes would have a field day with this technology.
"So, what're we gonna do when we get the emitter?" Bonnie asked, climbing the fire escape all the way to the top.
"I'm gonna see if I can reverse-engineer it. That way we can get a location of the tracker." Michael explained.
"And how will you do that?" Bonnie questioned.
"Don't know yet." Michael said. "Might hook it up to my PIP-Boy, but I'll need to see it. I can't really remember the schematics of it off the top of my head." The two climbed the long metal staircases up to the top floor of the building. Just across from them were windows into the studio building. They just needed to get over there.
"How do you suppose we do this?" Michael asked. There was a large gap between them and one wrong move could leave to a long, and potentially deadly drop.
"I say we jump it." Bonnie declared.
"Jump it?!" Michael yelped. "You crazy?"
"Oh come on. You've done crazier shit than this." Bonnie shot back.
"Yes, but I always did it with the odds pointing more towards me." Michael remarked.
"That's a big fat lie right there." Bonnie replied. "I'll go first." She climbed over the railing and held onto it with her boots between the fence. She readied herself and then leaped across, landing on a small ledge and stayed close to the wall. "See? Now you try."
"Oh, Christ." Michael sighed. "One of these days, I'm gonna die this way." The Prodigy hesitantly climbed over the fence like Bonnie did and prepared himself to jump. He took a deep breath and lunged at toward the ledge. He reached the ledge, but his foot slipped off.
"Shit!" Michael screamed as he felt himself drop. Just before he could fall, Bonnie reached over and grabbed him by the straps of his armor.
"Be more careful!" She barked. Bonnie hoisted Michael back up onto a more sturdier part of the ledge and he got his footing.
"Thanks." Michael said in a sigh of relief. The two fixed themselves and shimmied toward an open window. Bonnie lifted the window higher for her to slip in and Michael followed shortly. The two were now inside the building and it looked as if they were in some old, dirty office complete with barely barely functional lighting, misaligned furniture and enough dust to cover everything in a think layer of gray.
"We're in." Michael pointed the obvious. "Now, we find the studio." The two kept close to the ground and approached the door. Michael opened the old wooden door slightly to peek outside. It didn't appear that anyone was on this floor, so Michael nodded to Bonnie and the two left the room into the hallways. The hallways wreaked of mildew with corroded wood, wallpaper tearing off the walls, burnt posters, and old record labels, but at least the lights were functional. Michael and Bonnie snuck along side the wall, making sure no one was around the corner. Bonnie was in the lead with Michael straggling behind. All of a sudden, footsteps could be heard getting closer to them.
"Shit. Hide." Bonnie whispered. The two ducked into a side room and shut the door behind them. Bonnie kept her ear close to the door to make sure she couldn't hear the footsteps. While she was doing that, Michael explored the room they were in. This room seemed like a storage space with all the clutter surrounding them. The room was full of boxes, old posters, and other assortments of miscellaneous junk. The young dweller scavenged the room and found some old instruments and items in cases. The first thing he found was in a case with the initials labeled "L.A." on it. When he opened it up, Michael found an old trumpet that looked fairly pristine, but Michael saw no need to take it. Next, he found a glass case that held a black fedora in it with a plaque that was too scratched up to read, but he was able to make out the name "Frank" on it. Lastly, Michael found an old, beaten guitar case with no name on it. He opened it up and found a black, acoustic guitar with the word "HURT" crudely scratched in on the side with a bit of dried up blood covering it. Seems this guitar was used as a weapon. Bonnie heard the footsteps walk past them and blew out a sigh of relief. She called out to Michael and the mission was back on. The two snuck out the door and back into the hallways.
"Some interesting stuff in there." Michael noted.
"We ain't here to steal." Bonnie said. "Well, not like that." The two companions continued on and eventually came across a staircase. Michael saw a sign on the wall that said that the studio was higher up, so they ascended the building. The stairs were easy to sneak through since there wasn't anyone on the stairs at the time. They reached a door with sign next to it that read "studio". They slowly opened the door, made sure no one was in their way and snuck inside. The studio floor was much more well kept and tidy compared to the other floors, but the smell of mildew was just too potent. The two kept forward and eventually heard music. As they walked closer to the sound, they found a room full of equipment, holotapes full of music, and a large man sitting near a microphone. They had found the studio. The large sitting on the chair was none other than Mr. Long John DiVagria himself. Just then, the music stopped playing and DiVagria turned on his microphone to address his listeners.
"Good morning all you beautiful people." He said in his raspy voice. "I hope you all enjoyed that little wake up music because I sure did." He had this glimmer to him in a way, almost as if he was humbled when he spoke on the radio. "The time now is 8:34 in the morning is shining, as if always does. Now, I believe it's time for the news on what's happening out there in the sun bleached desert." He pulled out a piece of paper and cleared his throat. "As of last night, some wastelander's and traders had reported seeing a giant, burning bird being shot out of the sky. Some people say it was a plane, while the more skeptical believe it were aliens in their UFO come to conquer us. Now, I'm not one to point out the depressing parts of our world, but it seems like there ain't much left to conquer. As for more important news-" He was cut short when his chair suddenly spun around and this old man was met with a knife against his throat and a very intimidating looking lady.
"Howdy." Bonnie greeted.
"H-Hello.." DiVagria whimpered out. DiVagria had this gray beard and glasses with a flatback cap on and messy business suit. However, he didn't appear to be a threat.
"Bonnie." Michael called from the door. "That's enough." Bonnie complied and took the knife away from the old DJ's throat. DiVagria rubbed his neck and readjusted his glasses to see who had called her off. Michael approached the old man. "Turn the mic off, DiVagria." Michael demanded, to which the DJ happily complied. DiVagria spun back around and turned off the microphone, leaving the radio in silence.
"What do you people want?" DiVagria said in fear. "Do you want money? I-I'd be more than happy to give it to you."
"Calm down, DiVagria." Michael said. "We're not here to rob you. Just here to ask a few questions." The DJ was relieved, but still was skeptical of the intruders. He noticed that the smaller intruder was clothed in a familiar blue jumpsuit.
"You're wearing a vault jumpsuit." DiVagria pointed out. "Are you looking for The Prodigy?"
"No, DiVagria." Michael stated. "That man you interviewed, he was not what he seemed. He was not The Prodigy." Michael paused to make this hero pose with his fists on his hips. "I am The Prodigy."
"What?" DiVagria responded. "But I interviewed The Prodigy. He was here last night."
"Yeah, turns out that was a big crock of bullshit." Bonnie remarked.
"That man was an imposter pretending to be me." Michael explained. "I left the Midwest for a bit and it seems someone has been impersonating as me. And I'm looking to found out who."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" DiVagria said, still not convinced. Michael thought about how to convince DiVagria. He pulled up a chair in front of the old DJ and spoke to him.
"When I left my vault, the first thing I heard was my PIP-Boy play a song on your station." Michael said, grabbing the attention of the DJ. "It was... June 24th to be exact, around four in the afternoon. You greeted the audience, then told the forecast." Michael paused. "Then, you played a song. 'Move It On Over' by Hank Williams."
"What does that mean?" The DJ was confused. "I don't have a mental record of what I play. Besides, it's a song that I regularly play on this station, like every other song that plays. It means nothing."
"It may not mean anything to you, but it means a whole lot to me." Michael said. "That was the first sound I heard." He was almost whispering. "Just when I thought I was at my darkness moment, I heard a semblance of joy and hope that there was something out there. Something that could help my people. All because I picked up your station." He looked DiVagria in the eyes. "That song gave hope to a hopeless boy." DiVagria didn't respond, not knowing how to.
"Look, that's good and all, but we got to find this guy." Bonnie interrupted. "So, it'd be real nice if you find this tracker, Mickey."
"Right." Michael responded. "DiVagria, did that fake Prodigy install anything or do anything to your equipment?"
"No." The DJ responded. "But, I do remember him asking about the satellite tower on the roof. There's a service elevator that goes all the way up just down the corridor to the right."
"That all?" Michael asked, but to no response. "Very well. That'll have to do for now." He stood up from his chair. "Thank you for your assistance Mr. DiVagria. My companion and I will be on our way now." The two left the room, leaving the old DJ to think about what he just endured. Once he got hold of himself, he spun back around and promptly turned his microphone back on.
"Attention, ladies and gentlemen." He said into the mic. "Have I got a story for you." Michael and Bonnie walked down the corridor and found the service elevator.
"Think the tracker is up there?" Bonnie asked.
"Only one way to find out." Michael replied. They both hopped into the elevator and pressed the button for the roof. The elevator shuttered to life and the lights flickered on. A short time later, the lift had taken them to the roof, where they were a bit blinded by the sunlight. The two exited the elevator and saw a giant satellite tower in the middle with four dishes faces different directions.
"Lord almighty." Michael said, looking up at the tower. He walked over to the tower and found the circuit box, which looked as if it were recently forced open. Michael opened the box and saw a bunch of wires, circuit boards, switches, anything that made this tower run. Becker carefully examined the innerworkings of the box and saw something blinking red from within it. He reached his hand in and pulled out a small device, which gave a short zap of electricity as it was pulled out of the socket. Becker examined the device and deduced that it was his handiwork. He had found the emitter. "Got it!" Michael called out, but to no response. He turned his attention toward his companion and saw her looking over the city. He slowly approached her and stood next to her.
"You know, I've seen a lot of things, but never something like this." Bonnie said. "Almost makes you forget what it's really like down there." The city looked beautiful, in a sort of way. The buildings shined in the morning sun as the rays beamed through the holes of the dilapidated skyscrapers. The remaining bits of glass twinkled in the dawn of a new day in this world left behind. There was beauty in a concrete jungle left abandoned and ruined by the ones who created it, but now it bustles with new life of their descendants as they take refuge and sanctity in what was once the home of their ancestors. Michael loomed over the city, watching the seconds go by. All his life, he only knew the steel walls of his vault and the supposed refuge from the world destroyed. But, Michael now saw the world and he wonders if it was really the right choice to hide away in a place that would keep him away from this. Away from the real world. Yes, it is dangerous and deadly, but it is the world. It was always dangerous. That's how a person should live: to overcome danger and not hide away from it. The world is alive and it is waiting for a better tomorrow. But, Michael knows that he can't stop. His people are in grave danger and he needs to help them.
"It is beautiful." Michael responds. "I got the emitter. I'm gonna see what I can do." Michael stepped back and pulled out a screwdriver from his tool pouch. He took off his PIP-Boy and opened a panel on it. He then did his best to connect the emitter to the PIP-Boy. After he turned the emitter back on, the PIP-Boy screen shuttered and rebooted, but soon came on again. Michael switched to the map and saw the marker pointed at a location inside the city. It appears the faker never left town. "Got you, you son of a bitch."
"You found him?" Bonnie asked, rejoining her friend.
"Yeah." Michael assured. "Looks like he never left town."
"Then, let's go get his ass before he does." Bonnie said. The two stepped back into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. The elevator descended and eventually reached the ground floor. When the doors opened, they saw the secretary still at the service desk. The two walked out and she spotted them.
"Hey!" She called out, but to no response. "Hey!" She called again.
"Had a nice talk with your boss." Bonnie gloated. "Thanks for the great service." The secretary tried chasing them, but stopped in the middle of the room, watching them leave the building.
"I'm calling security!" She shouted to deaf ears. Bonnie and Michael walked back to the car in the alley and saw Jenkins and Dogmeat guarding it. Dogmeat spotted his owner and promptly went to reunite with him.
"Hey boy." Michael said in a calm tone to his dog as he petted him.
"Do we have a location of the target?" Jenkins asked.
"Yes we do, my giant, metal compadre." Michael said. They all hopped back into the car and Becker reversed out of the alley and into the street. He followed the directions on his PIP-Boy and promptly stepped on the gas, gunning it down the streets. Meanwhile, at one of the most despicable places to go in the city, one certain person was winning it big time at the tables.
"Woo!" The person cheered. "Another win for me boys." He grabbed the pile of caps on the table toward him, much to the hatred of the people he was playing against. "Sorry, boys, but this is what happens when you play against The Prodigy." The faker was playing blackjack at The Hell and High Water.
"Can't believe this fucking guy." One of the angry competitors said. While this was going on, the owner of the bar, Marcy, watched over this Prodigy from one of the upper balcony's. One of her workers walked up to her.
"Ms. Ainsley." The waitress said. "We can't let this go on. He's taken too much money from the house."
"I know." Marcy said as she slammed a shot of whiskey.
"Ms. Ainsley, with all due respect, we can't just sit here and watch as he steals our livelihood." The waitress argued.
"Why not?" It's more fun." Marcy replied.
"Something has to be done, Ms. Ainsley." The waitress said. Marcy looked at her with a crooked brow.
"Haven't you heard the radio?" Marcy asked. The faker walked over to a booth with his winnings spilling out of his hands. Next to him was the robot that was accompanying him, a repaired Mr. Handy.
"Do you see this, Toddsworth?" The faker said. "I'm damn dirty rich!"
"Yes, sir. That is all well and good, but don't you suppose it's time we go out and search for Mr. Becker?" Toddsworth asked.
"Who? Oh yeah. Yeah, we'll find him." The faker replied. "But not right now. I'm on a winning streak. Say, watch this while I go win more of these bottlecaps." As the faker stood up, two guys from the tables approached and stopped him. The faker rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, but I ain't giving this stuff back. Now piss off." He said. One of the two men pushed the faker to the ground in response, gaining the whole attention of the bar. "Hey!" The faker shouted. "Don't you clowns know who I am?!"
"Yeah we know." One of the men said. "A damn dirty liar." The man pulled the faker up by the collar to his feet and pushed him again against the bar.
"Here it is." Marcy said with a smile as she watched it unfold.
"You ain't no Prodigy. We heard on the radio." The man said. The faker tried to punch the assailant, but he was able to catch his hand. The assailant reached into the fakers sleeve and pulled out a bunch of cards from the table. "And you ain't no winner neither." The man pushed him again.
"Okay. Okay. I may have cheated, but I am The Prodigy." The faker claimed. "Look! I can prove it." The faker reached into his suit and pulled out this handheld device with a screen and dials on it. "See! This is my PIP-Boy!" The faker said. He held it up for everyone to see. "Yeah! I am The Prodigy. And this is my famous PIP-Boy!" Just then, the device started beeping. "Heh.. It..uh.. It does that." The faker said. The faker began to shake the device, but the beeper only got faster and faster. He hit the device, but the beeping wouldn't stop. "Come on, you piece of shit." He murmured.
"It beeps when it's close to what it's tracking." A voice called out from the crowd. Everyone looked over to the front entrance to find a figure standing in the sun ray with a dog by his side. "You would know that." The figure got closer and the faker could finally see who it was as the crowd moved aside to let him walk. "I can't believe that you've got the nerve to try and hunt me down." The fakers breathing became more rapid as the figure got closer. "But, what you didn't realize was that I was hunting you." The faker couldn't believe what he saw: Michael Becker, The Prodigy.
"You.." The faker muttered. "You're alive?"
"Am I not supposed to be?" Michael replied. "I mean, that is what The Prodigy was supposed to do, right? Survive." The two remained silent for a bit. Michael raised the tension by walking up to the bar next to the faker and ordered a Nuka-Cola from the bartender. "Out of everyone they could've sent out." Michael looked at the faker. "I had to get your ass."
"It's.. It's good to see you, Michael." The faker said. The Prodigy chuckled in response.
"You are anything, but a good liar." The Prodigy whispered. Just then, their conversation was interrupted by a familiar metal face.
"Mr. Becker!" Toddsworth shouted at the sight of him. "Is it really you?"
"Toddsworth!" Michael responded in joy. "How in the hell are you alive? I saw you get speared."
"Yes, well, I was repaired rather quickly when the engineers found me in one of their routine repair missions." Toddsworth replied.
"What?" Michael was confused. The bartender set the Nuka-Cola on the bar and Michael paid him five caps. "We'll talk later, but it is good to see an old friend." Michael said to the familiar robot handyman. "Speaking of friends. I've made some new ones out here." Michael said to the faker. "Why don't we go meet them?" Michael then slammed the Nuka-Cola bottle against the faker, knocking him out and surprising Toddsworth. Michael looked up to the balcony and saw Marcy looking at him with a smile. "Surprised to see me?!" Michael shouted to her, but Marcy didn't reply. She simply walked out of view. Becker picked the faker up by the collar and dragged him through the crowd to the outside with Toddsworth following behind. Everyone watched as Michael dragged the faker out the door and everything soon went back to normal, but Marcy has a big smile on her face.
"Kid's got vigor. I'll give him that." Marcy said as she kicked her feet up on one of the tables and lit a cigarette. Becker dragged the unconscious wannabe all the way to the streets toward his car.
"This him?" Bonnie asked, leaning on the side of the Highwayman.
"You see anyone else in a vault jumpsuit?" Michael sarcastically asked.
"Besides the obvious?" Bonnie shot back.
"Sir, are you acquainted with these people at all?" Toddsworth asked with worry as he looked at the dusty mercenary, the large paladin, and the dirty canine.
"Yes, I am." Michael responded as he opened the backdoor and slumped the faker into the backseat. "They are my friends. This is Bonnie." He introduced.
"Howdy." Bonnie said.
"This is Dogmeat." Michael pointed to his canine companion, who was currently sniffing the Mister Handy. "And this is Paladin Jenkins." Michael finished.
"Do you know this Mister Handy unit?" Jenkins asked.
"Yes I do, Jenkins." Becker responded. "This right here is an upgraded Mister Handy mark 2 maintenance unit provided by General Atomics International and Rob Co., or Toddsworth. He's from my vault."
"Affirmative!" Toddsworth affirmed. "Mr. Becker, you don't know how glad I am to see you. I had feared the worst had come to you."
"I saw the worst happen to you." Michael reminded. "How are you still active? I saw you get speared by my teacher."
"Ah yes. I don't believe Mr. Garland meant to do that." Toddsworth said. "Or, I hope not. As for your question, I was repaired and reactivated by some of the remaining mechanics after a team found and hauled me back after one of their retrieval missions into the lower levels."
"Stop right there." Michael paused his robot friend. "What do you mean by 'team' and 'retrieval mission'. The vault was infected."
"Indeed it was, sir." Toddsworth confirmed. "But, after you opened the vault door, much of the recycled air from the inside had flooded out and a surge of fresh air flooded in. The filtration system saw this and promptly reset itself before anymore air was infested. However, the process requires that all air from the first floor to be flushed out and new air to be pumped in from the external ventilation shafts." Michael listened closely to the explanation. "When the old air was ventilated, all of that nasty, tainted air from the inside got washed out, no longer exposing anyone on the first floor to the airborne vaccine."
"That's some advanced filtration systems." Jenkins remarked.
"So, anyone on the first floor is no longer infected." Michael declared.
"I'm afraid not, sir." Toddsworth corrected. "They're still infected, but just not as infected as the rest." Michael took note of that.
"What do you mean 'the rest'?" Michael asked.
"The filtration was never designed to reach any of the other floors." Toddsworth explained. "Everyone down there is still infected and the rest of the vault has been quarantined. The only way people are allowed down there is if it's a maintenance or retrieval crew. Even then, they have to go through vigorous testing from any medical staff on the first floor and wear specialized air-tight suits, so they won't get infected."
"That's nine floors still infected." Michael said with worry in his tone. "The main generators are on the 7th floor. Have they've been taken care of?"
"To best of our abilities, sir." The Mister Handy answered. "Not a lot can be done with the infected still roaming around and attacking us. We've made sure the generators haven't overloaded, but we are mostly running on reserve power." Michael leaned back on the car and pondered on what to do next.
"Mikey?" Bonnie said. "What now?" Michael looked at her.
"Now?" Michael quietly said. "Now. We haul ass to the vault." Michael stood up and hoofed over to the driver's seat. Bonnie hopped in the passenger seat, Dogmeat hopped in the back seat with the faker and Jenkins climbed into the trunk.
"Um... Where do I sit, sir?" Toddsworth asked.
"Just hop in the trunk with the large tin-man." Bonnie ordered. "I'm sure we got some cables back there." Toddsworth hesitated, but eventually did as he was told. Jenkins found some rope in the back and tied Toddsworth to the trunk of the Highwayman.
"We all ready?" Michael asked.
"Ready when you are." Jenkins declared.
"Affirmative, sir!" Toddsworth joyfully shouted. Michael looked over at Bonnie and the two locked eyes. A smile formed on the mercenary's face.
"Hit it." She said. Michael shifted into drive and slammed on the accelerator. The car flew down the streets of Bordertown in a flash. Michael was determined to get to the vault as quickly as possible. Now, with the G.E.C.K. in hand and his friends by his side, nothing could stop him. The Highwayman reached the gates they entered and the guards quickly opened the gates as they saw the Highwayman not slow down. The gates were barely open as the car slipped through and out onto the open Kansas road. An hour passes and the gang are still on the road with the faker still knocked out in the back.
"How I missed the Kansas sun." Bonnie said as she let the wind hit her from the open window.
"Did you really?" Michael asked, skeptical of his friend.
"No. Not really." Bonnie responded. "Still, it's something familiar." Bonnie peered over her shoulder and looked at the faker. "So, do you know this guy?"
"Yeah. I know him." Michael sighed. "He's an asshole for one. Second, he's the vault bully, Danny Travis. He loves to pick on people, especially me." He paused. "Called me a genetic freak of nature. I think he just has bad parents." As they were talking, a certain someone had woken up.
"Wh..wha.." The faker muttered.
"Oh hey! Look who's finally awake." Bonnie announced. Danny sat himself up and saw Dogmeat staring him right in the face. The two locked eyes and sat in silence. Dogmeat tilted his head in wonder and confusion.
"Okay.." Danny said.
"Danny Travis." Michael caught his attention. "Why in the hell are you out here?"
"What?" Danny responded.
"You know exactly what I said." Michael replied. "Answer the question."
"Why.. Why in the hell would I listen to you?" Danny muttered.
"Danny, don't be ballsy." Michael said. "You're not in the position to be ballsy."
"You know why I'm out here." Danny said. "To get away from those freaks like you."
"Kid, you ain't gonna make it out of this alive if you keep talking like that." Bonnie remarked, but Danny ignored her.
"But, you left first. Guess you wanted to get away too." Danny kept insulting Michael. "What would your family think of you? The things you did? The people you've hurt." Danny had this grin on his face as Michael kept silent. "But, I guess you don't want to admit it, don't you? And why would you trade this gig up? It's much better than being inside that stuffy old vault. You're free! You can do whatever you want out here." Michael kept listening, but eventually it became silence to him. He was getting Michael angry. "Face it. You're not Michael Becker. You're The Prodigy."
"Alright, listen, you little shit-" Bonnie tried to say, but Michael slammed on the brakes and the car jumped to a stop. "What the hell!?" Bonnie shouted. Michael stepped out of the car and stomped toward the backdoor. He nearly ripped the door off with how hard he pulled it open. He grabbed Danny by the jumpsuit.
"Hey. Hey!" Danny retaliated, but it fell on deaf ears. Michael dragged Danny out of the car and onto the road.
"What's going on?" Jenkins said, hopping off the car. Danny punched and squirmed, trying to break free of Michael's grip, but to no avail. Michael dragged Danny all the way off the old road and into the dry desert sand. He picked up Danny by the collar and threw him into the ground in front of him. The bully tumbled and fell face first into the sand. When he took his head out, he was met with the ugliest sight he's ever seen, a mutated naked molerat herd, and they were hungry. Danny screamed at the sight and tried to get himself up, but Michael put his foot on Danny's back, making sure he stays down. The molerats got closer and closer and Danny could only watch.
"Why are you out here?!" Michael shouted.
"I would answer him, kid." Bonnie called out. "He always gets his information."
"WHY ARE YOU OUT HERE?!" Michael shouted again.
"Oh dear..." Toddsworth trembled as the other companions watched.
"I'll ask one more time." Michael said as he pressed down harder. "Why are you out here." The molerats began to sniff Danny and the bully began to fear his situation.
"I was sent out!" Danny shouted. One molerat opened its jaw and lunged at Danny, ready to take a bite out of his face, but Michael unsheathed his shishkebab and plunged it down into the molerats neck. The molerat squealed as it died and spat blood out of its mouth and onto Danny's face. The other molerats hissed at Michael, but soon retreated back into the ground. Michael drew his sword from the molerat and wiped the blood off it with a spare rag from his belt. He took his foot off Danny and the bully rolled over, taking a breath of relief.
"Sent out?" Michael asked. "By who?"
"The Overseer." Danny answered. "He sent me out to find the PIP-Boy. He didn't think you survived, so he just wanted the damn wrist-thing and his gun back. That's all. I promise, that's all." Michael stood in silence.
"So, instead of looking for the PIP-Boy, you abandon the mission to go play tables at the bar. Then, you find out I survived and took my place in my absence, claiming yourself to be The Prodigy and spoiling my good name." Michael said with venom in his voice.
"I was gonna find ya eventually." Danny desperately declared. "I swear on life."
"No. No, you weren't." Michael said as he circled his bully. "You never liked me, Danny. You hated me. Called me a genetic freak that didn't deserve to exist. Everyday was the same with you in the vault." He stopped circling and looked Danny square in the eyes. "But, we're not in the vault. We're outside! So few dwellers even dream of this. I'm free." Michael picked Danny up by the collar with one hand and kept his shishkebab in the other. "And, it's like you said: I can do whatever I want..." The Prodigy slowly raised his sword and Danny quivered and begged in fear. Suddenly, The Prodigy's hand began to shake and his head twisted toward the side. He gritted his teeth and dropped Danny to the ground. The Prodigy leaned back in restraint and his empty hand began to curl into a fist. The Prodigy then punched himself in the face and he shook his head. He walked away from Danny in a fuss and began to mumble to himself. The companions saw this and decided to get things back under control.
"Alright. Up, you." Jenkins ordered to Danny, pulling up to his feet. Bonnie went to check on Michael.
"I had it under control. I didn't need you." Bonnie heard Michael mutter.
"My ass, you did. This is an interrogation, not some questioner on the back of a magazine." She heard another voice come from Michael.
"You don't get to decide these kinds of things." Michael whispered.
"And you think you have any idea how to decide?" The voice shot back.
"Hey, Mikey." Bonnie called out, snapping Michael out of his trance.
"Hey." Michael breathed.
"You alright?" The mercenary asked.
"...Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." Michael assured.
"Was that... the other guy?" Bonnie asked, worried of her friend.
"I'm fine. Just need to get to the vault." Michael said. "EVERYONE! Back in the car!" Michael ordered, to which everyone obliged. The group set back out on the road shortly. The rest of the drive was fairly quiet and nothing much else happened after that whole fiasco. After nearly another hour of driving, the group eventually reached the plateau that hid the cave entrance amongst the rocks. Michael drove carefully through it, but had to stop because there was barely any road to drive on.
"Okay. We're gonna have to cut the drive short here." Michael said. "We're gonna have to hoof it."
"I'm fine with that." Bonnie said. "Just make sure to hide the car."
"We're walking it!" Michael shouted outside the window, informing Jenkins. Michael pulled the car up next to some shrubbery and used fallen branches and leaves to hide the car. He then took the G.E.C.K. out of the car and held it in his hands.
"What's that?" Danny asked, looking at what Michael was holding.
"Our salvation." Michael simply put.
"Do you remember where it is?" Bonnie asked.
"It was by a river bed." Michael replied. "Flowing water and a wall of natural stone formations."
"You mean like that?" Jenkins called their attention. He was looking down a ledge that oversaw a riverbed with flowing water and a wall of stone with the entrance to a cave in it.
"Yes! That's it!" Michael joyfully said. "Good eye, paladin." The group looked over the ledge and stared at the cave entrance.
"So, that's it." Bonnie said.
"Yeah. That's it." Michael replied. "We're so close." The group continued on the trek and found a dirt trail that went down toward the riverbed. Michael was beaming with a multitude of emotions: joy, fear, sadness. Needless to say, he was extremely anxious and very tense of what was to come.
"Hey, Mikey." Bonnie said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Michael looked at her. "We made it." She said. A smile formed on Michael's face in response. They made it. He made it. They were at the finish line at last. The group reached the cave entrance and looked inside the dark tunnel that awaited them. Michael turned on his PIP-Boy light and lead the way.
"How come big and chrome ain't leading? He has a light too." Danny argued.
"My headlamp doesn't function properly." Jenkins answered. "Besides, this is Michael's mission." The group descended deeper into the dark caverns. The only sound audible was their footsteps on the jagged floor and water dripping around them.
"This reminds of when we met Goris." Bonnie said.
"Definitely has the same eerie feeling to it." Jenkins replied.
"Who's Goris?" Danny asked.
"A talking Deathclaw." Michael answered. Danny looked confused.
"The hell's a 'Deathclaw'?" Danny questioned, but to no answer. The crew get going. They eventually turned a corner and saw something out of place. Michael approached it and shined his light in the center. In the darkness, the light revealed the golden number 25. This was it. They had reached the vault door.
"We're here." Michael said. The companions stared in awe at the giant metal door in front of them. Michael wasn't sure what to feel; he had completed in finding a potential cure, but he was more than scared to see what was on the other side of that door.
"I got this." Danny snarked. He strutted over to the console next to the door and pressed a button that turned on the audio system. "Breaker, breaker. This is the Dan Man himself. Over." There was no response at first.
"Password." The person on the other side demanded.
"Oh yeah! The password." Danny said. "It's uh...uh.. oh shit." Michael pulled Danny aside.
"You're telling me they gave you a password and you can't remember it?!" Michael snarled.
"Look, it was pretty long and difficult to remember." Danny said. "I'm pretty sure there was a number in there." Michael put his head in his hands in disbelief.
"It's a wonder how you passed 1st grade." Michael groaned.
"Do you have the password or not?" The voice said on the other end, but no one responded. "This is Officer Natalie Becker. Please respond." Michael was shocked to hear that name.
"My sister became security?" He asked Danny.
"Did I not mention that?" Danny replied. Michael scowled at him. Michael went up and stared at the console.
"I repeat: This is Officer Natalie Becker. Please respo-" She was cut off by Michael pressing the button.
"Natalie." He simply said. The two remained silent for a second.
"Yes? This is her. Do you have the password or not?" She asked again, getting tired of this. Michael hesitated.
"No. We don't have the password to get inside." Michael responded. "But, I do have a password you might know." Michael was more than happy to hear his sister's voice.
"Say it." She ordered.
"Nuka-Break." Michael softly said. Natalie paused for a second.
"I'm sorry?" She said.
"Nuka-Break! It was our passcode when we went to steal Nuka-Cola from the vending machine." Michael said with teary eyes. Natalie paused again.
"Who is this?" She said with a shaky voice.
"Nat." Michael softly said. "It's me. It's Michael." Natalie paused again. "Nat, if you don't believe me, just look at the camera feed." Silence fell over them. Suddenly, the outside camera turned on and slowly turned toward the console. Michael looked up at the camera and smiled.
"Hi, Nat." Michael said. The camera switched off and the sound of grinding metal could be heard inside the vault. Eventually, the giant door was pulled back and moved aside. The lights from the inside blinded the people outside at first, but then they could see the metal interior of the vault. Surrounding the entrance was security and one stood on the stairs. They took their helmet off and revealed it to be Natalie in disbelief and overjoyed to see her lost sibling. Michael smiled and was about to cry from the same emotions. The Prodigy slowly stepped forward into the light. Back into the one place he could call home: Vault 25.