My eyes slowly opened as I kicked off my covers, and I sat up in bed, Natalie’s place beside me empty.
Man, was she up early.
Not even the army forced you to be up this early unless you had the night watch. The sun hadn’t even risen yet.
Slowly getting out of bed, I walked into the bathroom and took a hot, drawn-out shower, after which I stepped over to the sink and wiped away the condensation on the mirror.
Grabbing some shaving foam, I wiped it over my face and got to work with my razor.
"War never changes... War, never changes... No, that's not it." I muttered to myself
Looking into the mirror, I realized Natalie was standing in the doorway wearing only her gown and clutching a mug of coffee. I smiled at her sheepishly.
"Hey there, handsome," She stood behind me, "You're going to knock 'em dead at the Veteran's Hall tonight."
"You think?"
"Absolutely, now get ready and stop hogging the mirror." She stepped beside me, gently holding my shoulder.
I chuckled and wiped some of my shaving foam on her nose, causing her to reel back in surprise.
"I've been thinking hon."
"Oh, I don't like where this is going, the last time you said that we went to the park." She smirked, pushing me out of the way gently.
"Come on, you can't exactly complain about that evening, can you?" I shoved her back with my hip.
She grunted, "Guess I can't. What were you thinking about?"
"I should go down to the Veteran's Hall this morning, just to make sure everything's going as planned. I want everything to be perfect-" I paused as she gave me a look, "Just let me do this, please, it'd calm my nerves." I tried a lopsided grin.
"You and your nerves are getting on my nerves. Fine… Go, but I want you back here by lunch. The more you worry about your speech, the less likely you are to succeed."
"Love you." I kissed her on the cheek, before heading back into our bedroom to get dressed.
Stepping into Shaun's room, I smiled as I saw him sleeping in his cot. Natalie would kill me if I woke him, so I didn't dare get any closer.
Codsworth was floating in the kitchen as I strode in, preparing our breakfast. Taking a sip of the steaming coffee laid out for me, and grabbing two buttered toasts, one of Codsworth's eyes turned towards me.
"Ah, good morning, sir! Off so soon?"
"Just checking in at the Vet's Hall, I'll be back soon. Take care of the house while I'm away?"
"Of course, sir. Drive safely!"
As I left the house and got in the car, I couldn't knock tonight's speech out of my head, no matter how hard I tried. It was the official ending of my military service, an ending to my old life.
Things would be changing after today’s events. Turning a new page.
Would I really be able to fit into a different way of life?
Making my way past the Red Rocket at the far end of the bridge, I wondered what my old friends from the academy were doing right now. Were they still alive, even?
I could only assume that the letters getting sent from the frontlines were harder than ever to get past high command. We were winning, even if I disregarded the overly optimistic propaganda always being broadcasted, and that meant nothing was allowed to slip into enemy hands.
The reds had ears and eyes everywhere.
Last I had heard, our forces were nearing Beijing, the Chinese top dogs leaving the doomed city days ago. The fight was bound to leave the commies sooner or later, hopefully, sooner, and then the government could finally worry about all the other problems we were facing.
Like food shortages, the new plague and various rumours spreading across America.
Using brute force against our own countrymen and women had been uncalled for, especially since they were rioting about food… Fucking food. With the war drawing closer to an end, fewer reports of protests turning into full-blown battles circulated in the news, and maybe they’d completely stop by the time peace was finally made.
Reaching the outskirts of Concord, it took no time at all to find a parking spot near the hall, and it filled me with joy to see people already hard at work, even though the sun was only just rising above the horizon.
Locking the car, I strode up to the entrance and quickly found the officer inside. Our eyes met, and his face lit up, his white walrus moustache revealing a broad smile as he beckoned me over to join him.
“James, it’s a surprise seeing you here this early!”
“I could say the same Pete, your boys are already hard at work even though the ceremony’s not starting for another twelve hours.”
“More than twelve,” He smirked, “You know what it’s like though. Don’t want any nitpicking ass other than myself coming down early from the offices and berating us for not doing our jobs… So how come you’re here?”
“I’m too impatient to wait for tonight.” I chuckled, “The army was my family since I left home… Now I’ve got a different family that I have to worry about, and I’m not sure I’m prepared to leave.”
“Ah, don’t you worry about that, you’re lucky to be this young, getting a chance to try something else. I’m still waiting for the day I can retire to a more carefree life.”
I sighed, “I won’t forget when we first met, you were just like the others.”
“What, an ass?”
“Exactly. You annoyed me, just like the other office workers, but you eventually made me come around.”
He slapped my shoulder whilst chuckling, “Well, that’s why not everyone gets to go to the front. I don’t know what state my wife’d be in if I was fighting the reds with a gun rather than with paperwork. Hell, she gets deathly ill if I so much as go up a ladder to patch up our roof.”
“How’s your wife, anyway?”
“Doris? Oh, she’s doing excellently, especially now, after Bonnie finally got married.”
“Bonnie’s married? Didn’t even know she got engaged. Who’s the guy?”
“Ah, some lawyer here in Concord, you don’t know him. But enough about us, what about your family?” He scratched his bald head beneath his cap.
“Well, Nat’s doing well, and I can see she’s happy that I’m finally home. Shaun’s growing…” I shrugged, “Honestly, I’m still trying to fit back into my family’s everyday life. My first complete day at home started with my wife throwing her coffee against our wall whilst screaming after I’d made her jump from just walking into the room.”
He laughed, “Saw her in the store sometime not long ago, but I don’t think she recognized me.”
“She gets tunnel vision when shopping, so I’m not surprised she didn’t see you. Happens more often than you think.”
Another row of benches was laid down.
“And what comes after? Plans?”
“Fuck if I know anything. I’ve been thinking about opening a restaurant, something that isn’t fast food, just to spice things up.”
“With the state, things are in, maybe it isn’t such a good idea to start a business. You know about the food riots?”
“They’ve been a thing since before I shipped off to Anchorage. I sure as hell hope things get better once the Chinese are finally finished.”
“I’d be happy to share in your optimism, friend, but I fear the worst. I mean, they’ve got a bunch of atoms they’ve yet to use. My guess is they’ll go out with a boom.”
“We’re prepared for that, we’ve got nukes of our own, not to mention Vault-Tec.”
“Ah, the vaults currently built can’t house jackshit, though I guess I can count my lucky stars that one-eleven was built near Sanctuary Hills.”
“Oh, I heard. Went to check it out some time ago, but a power-armour-wearing soldier blocked me from entering.”
“Sounds about right. I pray we never have to use them, so best you don’t get curious before it’s time to use them. That only brings bad luck.”
“Wouldn’t hurt anyone, not like I’d get to enter anyway.” I shrugged, “I’m not important enough to get a ticket.”
“What do you mean you don’t? That’s bullshit,” He raised an eyebrow, “Vault one-eleven has space for all military families in Concord and Sanctuary Hills, I know, it was me who signed the contract with them.”
“That’s amazing!” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
“You’re on their list, it’s only a matter of time before they find you. The cheery Vault-Tec rep only arrived three days ago, so they’re not late at all.”
“So you’ve got a space in there too?”
“Nah. Bonnie and her hubby were given our spaces because I sure as hell ain’t going into a tin can buried underground to live out the rest of my days inside, and Doris felt likewise.” His eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on something behind me, “Hey! That’s not where that goes, move it!” He gave me a sheepish smile, “Sorry.”
“I think that’s my cue to leave, I still have to recite my lines a few times.”
“Ah, don’t go just yet! Come, let’s have a drink in the office, maybe talk a bit more. Always loved talking with you.”
I smirked, “Sounds like a plan.”
Following him up the stairs, he strode past an empty table for his secretary, before opening a door leading into a large room. Glass lined a great portion of the far side wall, and there was a door leading out to a wooden balcony.
“Come, have a seat.” He gestured towards one of the armchairs.
“What about out there? It’s a nice day today.”
“Fine by me.”
He grabbed two glasses and a bottle of whiskey, leading the way once more.
Walking outside, I took in the cool fall breeze, smiling as I spotted the history museum’s top above the other houses.
Handing me a glass of whiskey, he leaned on the balcony’s railing beside me and sipped his drink.
“War… War never changes.” I muttered under my breath, enjoying the drink in my hand.
“You can say that again. The end of the war really is what I hope for, we could all use some peace. I’m not the only one that lost someone in this fucking hell.”
“Mike?”
“And my nephew Peter too, and not even in the fights, but the protests. Wrong place, wrong time.” He sighed deeply, “So much death, and for what? One side wants power, the other wants fossil fuels. We aren’t the good guys here.”
“You do realise these are dangerous words these days?” I raised an eyebrow.
“I’m aware, and I also know for a fact that you aren’t about to report me as a commie spy.”
I chuckled, “Well, you’re right about that.”
“And about what I said, do you agree?”
“Things could’ve been much different if politics wasn’t what it was, that much I agree with you on, and annexing Canada was wrong, especially the way we did it.”
“You take part in that?”
“No, thank God for that. I was with the Second AAC by then, preparing for the assault on China.”
“You never really told me about what it was like.”
“It isn’t a happy memory that’s why.”
“I find it helps if I can talk about it with someone, so speak.” He smiled, finishing the last of his drink.
I thought about it for a while, working up the courage to say something.
“Well, after landing in the Philippines, there wasn’t a lot to do. No reds attacked us directly, though we were sometimes deployed to the other islands to beat back attackers. There were five hundred of us stationed there with power armour and about two thousand regular infantry. The bare minimum for a garrison. Engineers, mechanics, logisticians were also staying there by the dozen, and of course, the air force, shooting down anything that came even remotely close to us.”
“What then? The days leading up to the assault.”
“Thousands of soldiers arrived continuously, most of them fresh-faced recruits, some veterans from Alaska, like me. The otherwise silent camp was suddenly filled with life.”
He was about to ask something else when he was interrupted by the quiet ringing of his phone from inside.
“Ah, let me get that, then I’ll be right back with you.” He smiled.
As he went inside, I listened to the sounds of Concord. The sound of hundreds of people buzzing, living their life.
But something didn’t fit in with that picture.
The deep drone of a vaguely familiar aircraft.
It got louder every second, until three vertiberds, newer models than what I had seen on the front, passed overhead. They were going faster than what I would’ve expected for a practice flight.
In the distance, I could hear someone speaking on a megaphone and the rumbling of large vehicles.
“Hey, James!” Pete called from inside.
“Something’s, going- “
“Your wife’s on the line,” He strode up beside me, handing me the telephone, cable trailing back inside.
“Hey dear,” I smiled, trying to spot any sign of the rumbling vehicle. It was something from the military, that was for sure. One never forgot the burr of a military vehicle once riding in one.
“Hey hon, guess what?”
“What?”
“A Vault-tec rep just rang the bell, and told us we’ve been given spaces in the vault, how awesome is that?”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“That’s a coincidence,” I chuckled, “Pete and I talked about that maybe ten minutes ago.”
“See, maybe you just had to bring it up for it to happen.”
“And how are you? Need my help with anything?”
“I’m fine, you…“
She trailed off, and while I waited for her to finish her sentence, my eyes wandered over to Pete’s office. He was sitting in a chair, listening to the radio.
Only, he was staring at it like at any moment it was going to get up on its feet and attack him, his lit cigar hovering between his lips and the ashtray.
“Honey, is everything okay?” I couldn’t keep the worry from my voice.
“Get to the vault, now!”
“What-“ The call was interrupted, and I felt my heart start beating in my throat. Opening the door, I opened my mouth to ask Pete what was going on, only for it to remain agape as I caught the radio broadcast.
“-confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania. All residents evacuate to safety. This message will repeat, this is not a test.”
“Shit.” I muttered, “Pete, come on! We must get somewhere safe!”
“I-I-“ He looked at me, teary-eyed, “Doris, she’s at home. I-I-“ I pulled him up from his armchair and ripped open the door, rushing down the steps, and yelling at everyone to get to safety.
Many of them just stared at me in confusion.
Finally, in the parking lot, I looked Pete in the eye, “Get home and lay low! Once it’s all over, we’ll meet up again, yeah?” I patted his shoulder while he gave me an anxious smile.
In the distance, I could hear yet another vertiberd getting closer, about to pass overhead
Suddenly, the sky lit up, as if the sun itself was setting down.
The ground started trembling under my feet, the shockwaves getting stronger with each passing second. Accompanied by the loudest explosion I had ever heard, I was flung backwards into the hall’s wall.
Darkness followed.
----------------------------------------
I woke up to the pain crushing my chest, one that I had had the displeasure to experience before. Broken ribs, multiple, by the feel of it.
My skin was as dry as a desert, and as I sucked in lungfuls of dust-filled air, I felt just how dry my mouth was. Even from that one move, I could feel my lips cracking, the taste of blood soon filling my mouth.
Past the ringing in my ear, I could hear vague noises. Screams perhaps? Sirens? God knows what.
I had to get home.
Very carefully getting to my feet, I looked at Pete’s motionless body laying amid a pile of wood debris.
“Pete!” I called as loudly as my throat let me, “Wake up, you-“ It was then that I noticed a shard of wood, sticking out of his head, the sharp, crimson tip grey from the dust sticking to the blood, “Fuck…”
Limping over to my car, I sat inside and shut the door.
Was my family alive? Had they reached the vault in time… Had they even been let inside without me?
A million more questions buzzed around in my head, finally shut off by my hands turning the key in the ignition.
Nothing. Not even a light buzz. It was completely dead.
Carefully getting back out, every breath more painful than the last, I limped inside the Vet’s Hall and looked around for a medical pack.
Nobody had survived the blast inside, the furniture crushing everyone against the wall, the slurry of gore flowing slowly out from behind the benches.
Tearing open the white box with green letters hanging from the wall, I quickly found what I was looking for. A stimpak.
Jabbing it into my arm, I sat down against the wall as I waited for the drugs to kick in, the pain slowly disappearing and the ringing in my ears fading.
Finally, I got back up, and slowly I made my way down the streets of Concord, heading back towards Sanctuary Hills.
Rubble was scattered across every road and I passed by shocked faces unable to comprehend what had just happened. I wasn’t going to stop for them… My family needed me.
Bodies... So many bodies, all belonging to the unlucky ones who’d been caught out in the open by the shockwave or crushed under debris flung around by the explosion.
The mushroom cloud still lingered in the air, watching over the destruction it had wrought on Boston and its surrounding cities like some ancient, angry god.
It felt like a lifetime, but I finally reached the wooden bridge, my chest once again flaring back up as the effects of the stimpak wore off. Striding straight past a scattered military blockade, the soldiers still trying to make sense of the chaos, they didn’t even attempt to stop me.
“Natalie!” I called through our open door, “Codsworth! Are you here?”
“Mister Teach?” I young boy came running from behind me, just as I collapsed on our doorstep. He grabbed my arm and tried pulling me up, “Mom!” He yelled, “Mister Teach needs our help!”
Footsteps, and then someone knelt beside me.
“James? What happened to you… Speak to me here.” Erica Rosa, the neighbour opposite us slapped my face lightly.
“I’m- I’m gonna be fine.” I looked her in the eyes, her entire face covered in ash, “My family? Where are they? Did you see them leave?”
“Don’t worry about them, they’re safe. I watched them walk through the gates to the vault.” She grabbed my shoulders, “But you need to be seen by a doctor.”
“So you’re-“ I grunted as I readjusted myself, “-you’re saying they’re safely inside?”
“Yes.” She replied bitterly, “Those assholes wouldn’t let Chris and I in, no matter what I told them. Then, the bomb dropped, and when I woke up most of the people were dead or dying. We ran back home, but I heard gunshots from up there.”
“You should’ve seen the streets of Concord,” I shook my head sadly, “It was like hell itself.”
She was idly twisting strands of her brown hair between her fingers, when suddenly, she stopped, frowning. One tiny tug later, and she was holding a clump.
“I’m not gonna make it.” She muttered, as she started to panic, tearing more strands of hair from her head, “I’m not gonna make it. I’m not gonna make it.”
“Erica!” I bellowed, causing her to stop and look at me, “Listen, for fuck’s sake. Grab a soldier from the blockade near the bridge, tell them that we need help. Rad-X, Radaway for the radiation, medicine for our wounds. Go! Every second counts!”
She was back in ten minutes with a shaken young man trailing behind her, a red box under his arm.
His eyes were distant and watery, and I could understand that. But I had to get another shot from a stimpak.
“I-I-I-“ He stuttered.
“Soldier!” I barked, and instantly he snapped to attention, “I am Major James Teach of the United States Army, you will listen to my orders, understand?” He nodded, “Give me a stimpak, and this mother and her son some radiation suppression pills, then help me get up to the vault.”
He saluted, stabbing the needle into my thigh, then giving the Rosa’s a few bottles of radaway. Carefully taking me by the arm, and lifting me off the ground, he draped me over his shoulder.
Slowly, but surely, we made our way towards the vault built atop the hill, the Rosa’s staying behind.
Just outside the gate leading to the vault was a slew of dead bodies. Not all had died from the explosion, a good portion of the people easily covered by the rock beside the entrance.
Most had been shot.
I felt my temper flare up. Who the hell had ordered this?
The gate itself was unguarded, so we strode straight past it.
Construction equipment was strewn all over the place, a vertiberd laying on its side, but in otherwise good condition. Underneath a bulldozer was a soldier in power armour, clearly dead.
His squadmates were gathered around a small shack next to the cogwheel-shaped door in the ground, including two more power-armour-wearing soldiers.
As we got closer to them, I heard what they were arguing about.
“This is an order, let us into that vault!”
“I don’t report to the military, you aren’t my commanding officer!”
“You motherfu-“
“I have explicit orders that once the vault is sealed, under no circumstance is anyone to be let inside, whether they’re on the list, or not.”
“Listen here you fucker…“ I pushed through the crowd, my living crutch following me closely, trying to find who was talking, “I don’t give a flying fuck about your goddamn orders. You let us in, or I’m taking that pip-boy off your corpse and letting ourselves in. What’s it gonna be?”
The man arguing with the incredibly tall vault-tec guard was a head shorter than I was, and his face looked extremely punchable. No weapons were drawn… Yet.
Laying on the ramp up to the cabin was a soldier with metal shrapnel sticking out of his abdomen, another soldier trying their best to save them.
“What the hell is going on here?” I called out, and instantly all eyes were focused on me.
“Who the fuck’s asking, pissrag?” He asked.
I narrowed my eyes, “Major James Teach, and if you don’t want to be fucked in the ass by an insubordination charge, I suggest you change your tone.”
“Major my ass…” He paused as he looked me over from top to bottom, “Ranks don’t matter much as of twenty minutes ago, but I’m Staff Sergeant Eugene Tucker… Sir, if I should even call you that. People with pretty ranks like yours ain’t over here, so why don’t you stop with the bullshit.”
“A man that orders his troops to open fire on the civilians he swore to protect with his life is doubting me and my loyalty to my country? If you don’t believe me you can look at my arm.” I showed him the massive scar running down my prosthetic arm, revealing the interior, “You think they hand these out for small accidents?”
He gawped like a fish out of water, “I-I’m sorry, sir.” He stuttered, saluting quickly, before turning back around and pointing a finger at the vault-tec guard, “These bastards don’t want to let us in.”
I looked at the guard, “Why? I, for one, have family down there. What’s the harm if me and the other residents of Sanctuary Hills go down there as well?”
“You must understand, the supplies inside were calculated precisely for the number of residents on the list. Opening the vault doors now, even for someone on the list, would doom everyone inside to the same fate as ours. If you want the best for your family, don’t go inside.”
I glared at him, but I knew people well enough to know he wasn’t lying. He was following orders, just like soldiers did throughout their lives.
“Fuck…” I massaged the bridge of my nose, “Alright then, new plan. Staff Sergeant, get your men to tip that vertiberd back upright, we’re leaving for Devereux Training Yard.”
“But… We won’t all fit in there. Half the squad came by APC.”
“Right…” I muttered, looking at the group standing before me. Eighteen of us, all in all, including the wounded man, “In that case, we’ll leave half of your squad here. I assume you brought more supplies than what I got?” I looked at the soldier who had helped me with medicine.
“Yessir, we brought everything according to regulations. Food, medicine, clothes.”
“Perfect. Get everyone supplied, and then load everyone into the APCs if they still work after the EMP blast. They should, we use the same variants on the front, they’ve got EMP protection.”
Glancing at the wounded soldier, his brother-in-arms shook his head sadly. Already one man down, and we hadn’t even started our journey.
They all saluted, before rushing over to the overturned vertiberd. Thank God the rotors hadn’t been on during the blast, otherwise, that thing wouldn’t be going anywhere, no matter its orientation.
It took little to no time for the vehicle to be in an upright position once again, no small thanks to the power-armoured soldiers. We piled in, the blades slowly but surely spinning up.
“Remember!” I looked at those staying behind, “Head straight for the training yard. No stops, no matter who it is.”
And those were my final words as we lifted off the ground, most probably lost in the buzz of vertiberd blades.
“It’s a fucking surprise this thing is working.”
“Why?” I looked at the soldier muttering into the onboard radio, who didn’t seem to realise he had said that out loud.
“Ford just doesn’t know his vehicles, sir.” Explained another voice, “These vertiberds were never meant to hit the fronts until twenty-eighty-five, so the models released as prototypes at home never came with EMP protection… Not until three or so months ago. Pat must’ve sucked off Fortuna or something for us to be this lucky.”
“Hey, fuck you, Matt!”
“Luck… Pfft.”
“Yes, luck, I know you hate the concept Mitch, but just think of those sorry fucks that were mid-flight when the bombs hit. EMP protection or not, you still lose power.” He pointed down at a vertiberd smoking on top of the Museum of Freedom, “You think that was Mike’s patrol?”
“Could very well be. Poor sucker didn’t make it too far towards West Stockbridge. Should we see if there are any survivors?”
“No.” I told them, “We can return to them once some semblance of order is restored with the Military.”
We passed over Lexington, and though we were nowhere near Cambridge, we could see in the distance a smoking crater blasted into Cambridge’s cityscape.
I was torn from the view by the pilot’s voice over the radio.
“Sir! Devereux Training Yard isn’t granting us permission to land!”
“Patch them through to me!”
There was a short buzz before I heard the voice of a woman coming through.
“Vertiberd! Do you copy!”
“This is Major James Teach aboard the Vertiberd you were communicating with. We request permission to land.”
“As stated before, due to the current situation our base is on lockdown, and we cannot grant you permission to land. Please direct your vehicle towards either Fort Strong or Fort Hagen.”
“Get me your commanding officer,” I grunted.
“Right away, sir.”
A few minutes later, a man’s voice appeared in my ear.
“This is Colonel Jacob Veer.”
“And I am Major James Teach, sir, requesting special permission to land. We have wounded, myself included, but the entire squad is ready to help.”
Silence for a while, “Where you serve, son?”
“Where haven’t I? Alaska twice and took part in the battle to establish the Chinese beachhead.”
Another silence, “Permission granted, major. Welcome to the shitshow.”
“Many thanks, sir!”
The vertiberd was touching the ground moments later, a small entourage waiting for us at the landing pad.
As I stepped outside with the help of one of the soldiers, I locked eyes with the officer at the head of the welcoming party, clearly not the colonel. I waved him over.
“Major?”
“That’s me.”
He saluted, “The colonel would like to talk with you once we’ve patched you up. He’ll be in his office.”
“How are things here?”
“Not good. We’ve already got civilians in front of the complex and we’re severely undermanned.”
“Shouldn’t you have at least a thousand soldiers on active duty here?”
“Well, that was before the orders came to start helping with evacuations, about an hour before the bombs dropped. We’re down to half capacity, and the Cambridge explosion hasn’t helped matters. Those that had been outside when the blast happened are already coming down with radiation sickness.”
“Radaway?”
“A temporary measure and the stocks are being depleted fast, even without the flood of civilians were expecting in the coming days.”
“So things aren’t dandy…” He shook his head, “Thank you. Can you help me to the infirmary?”
----------------------------------------
“Thank you, dismissed.” The colonel told the woman that had helped me to his office. As the door closed behind me, his shoulders drooped, and a look of fatigue came over him.
“Sir?”
“Oh, dispense with the pleasantries James, it’s the end of the fucking world.” He jabbed his palm towards a seat, and I took it.
“In that case, Jacob?” He nodded in agreement, “What can I help with?”
“I’m down half my garrison, our stockpile is nowhere near enough for the civilians, and all lines of communication are dead… We’re dead! Up shit creek without a paddle… Or fucking arms,” He unscrewed the cap of a radaway bottle, and threw two pills into his mouth, “And this fucking radiation poisoning is eating me up from the inside.”
He offered me the bottle, and I thankfully took a pill, the sickening churning of my stomach already back.
My hair had been falling out in tufts ever since I had sat down in the infirmary, and the cramps I had felt and had chalked up to stress had been diagnosed by the medics as radiation sickness.
“So we should start by slowly sending out patrols, scavenging what we can. Set up a system for admitting residents and give them somewhere to settle down.”
“All in good time.” He coughed, “First I want to know who you are and what you’ve done thus far. I need to know.”
I told him everything, from finishing at the academy to my first deployment in Alaska, then the beach landing, my injury, and my return to Alaska as a garrison commander. Then I described my family, how they had been admitted into the vault while I had been stuck outside.
“They’re in a good place inside, believe me.” He smiled, sadness gleaming in his eyes, “I was here when I got the command to send out patrols. I wouldn’t have reached home in time, but I managed to call my wife to tell her to get to the vault in Malden. She took our two kids, and most probably got inside successfully.”
“They’ll live a good life in there,” I copied his expression, sharing with him the bittersweet feeling.
He suddenly stood up.
“Well, you’ve got me convinced. You said you’re a major?”
“Yes, sir… I mean Jacob.”
“Well forget that. Seeing how I’m the highest-ranking officer amongst the known surviving members of the United States Military, I’m promoting you to Lieutenant Colonel, and in turn my second-in-command. And I’m not filling out no fucking paperwork for it either.” He smirked
“Thank you.” I smiled wearily, “What are my first orders?”
----------------------------------------
“Please form a steady line!” I ordered the civilians before me, hundreds upon hundreds of them, “Everyone will be let in, where you’ll be treated and given rations.”
Two days had passed since we’d started letting in the civilians, three since I’d arrived, and already two deaths had occurred from fights breaking out between survivors waiting in line and a further four from trying to confront the troops.
We were down to three hundred active-duty soldiers at the base, a select few successfully returning from their patrol duties, while many either deserted to search for their families, or died from radiation poisoning. As for the civilians, getting in was a slow process, and many of them were dropping in the line, their bodies collapsing from the high levels of radiation already suffered by them.
Then there were the strange cases.
People like me and the colonel.
Our hair had fallen out, and our eyes had turned completely black. Our skin was scarring and rotting more and more every single day, and all our voices were raspy and hoarse. Yet we were still alive.
Better than alive, in fact, because my ribs had already healed, despite the medics originally telling me I would be fucked for weeks.
These people were being actively observed, including the survivors, but so far there didn’t seem to be any actual negative side-effects.
Still, I was covered in cloth from head to toe, just to ease the nerves of the arrivals, not like they didn’t see these walking corpses standing amongst their numbers.
“Colonel James, sir!” Crackled my radio, one of the few we managed to repair after the EMP damaged all our electronics.
“This is Lieutenant-Colonel James Teach.”
“Sir!” Came the voice, and I recognized it as one of the engineers working on the nearby satellite array in Revere, Harry, “We’ve finally found a signal! Messages have come through, I’ve sent a runner with it.”
“Gotcha, we’ll look out for him.” I looked at the soldiers surrounding me, “Williams, Tucker, you two with me. We’ve got a runner coming with a data disk, make way for him.”
Very soon a spot appeared in the distance, and as it approached, we created a path through the refugees. A man rushed past me, throwing me a salute on the way.
As everyone returned to their spots, and the slow process of passing through inspection continued, ash started falling from the sky again, and face coverings were hastily put back on.
It was a depressing sight, seeing so many people broken, tired and in pain.
Ten minutes didn’t even pass when I was once again called on the radio, this time by the colonel.
“Teach. Meet me in my office, pronto.”
“Right away, sir!” I looked up, “Tucker, take over from me.”
“Yes sir!”
I strode inside as fast as possible, making my way up to Jacob’s office, and stepping inside without knocking.
“James… Fucking hell, look at this!” He blurted out, not even waiting for me to turn around to look at him. I’d never seen him this excited.
His nose was gone now, much like most of the others afflicted with our condition, but he had quickly put himself past that fact.
Turning the terminal’s monitor toward me, I quickly read the message, my heart beating faster with every line.
This is an emergency broadcast to all military installations and personnel still operational after the nuclear attack against mainland America. Our nation has not yet fallen, and the leadership of these once great United States is still alive and well. We offer all members of what was once the United States Army a chance to be a part of the future. All civilians deemed as essential by the commanding officer are to be prioritised over enlisted personnel.
Travel to Clarkston, Idaho (46.41022, -117.008).
May God be with us all.
Howard Pierce, Former President of the United States, Current President of the Enclave
“The Enclave?” I looked up at Jacob.
“The rumours were true, there was a shadow government before the bombs.” He muttered.
“That Appalachian Senator… The Boston Bugle… Fuck me.” I sat down, holding my head.
“Things can get better,” His eyes were wide with joy, “Things aren’t as shit as we thought.”
“And you trust them? They were hiding secrets before all this, they sure as hell won’t stop lying because of a few bombs.”
“Maybe you’re right, but what else is there that we can do?”
“Help the people lining up at our door?” I was starting to get angry with him, “We can’t take everyone with us, and if we leave, we snuff out what little flame of hope we managed to rekindle in these folks. Not to mention Idaho… That ain’t here.”
“God damn you man, I know, but maybe they have a cure for this!” He gestured at his face, “If they have something that stops us from rotting through completely, I’m sure as hell following them, and I know you’d do the same.”
I stayed silent as I thought.
“But-“
“No buts, James. Yes, people are depending on us here, but what use is it if we die here? We can leave for a while, along with the doctors, engineers and whoever else we think should come, then convince them to help Boston. Something even remotely resembling a government can scrounge together more resources than we ever could.”
“I don’t like abandoning people…” I sighed, “But you’re starting to make sense.”
“I knew you’d see it that way!” He laughed, standing up and opening a drawer, pulling out a bottle of whiskey, “Now how about a toast? To a new future?”
“I’ll drink to that,” I smiled.