Fallout: After-Effect

12.31.2290 - Betrayal

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." - William Blake

Lifting up the grate Marshal gestured for Nate to enter. Ducking his head he climbed into the pipe. As he breathed in the air of the passage way he nearly choked. Clutching his nose, Nate tried to rid himself of the awful stench. Grinning at Nate's obvious discomfort Marshal climbed in after him.

"Forgot it would smell a lot worse without power armor on," Marshal grinned.

Scowling at Marshal's enjoyment of the issue Nate replied, "obviously."

"just keep heading straight and you'll come into a ladder that leads up to a ventilation opening," Marshal said as he crawled behind Nate.

After crawling uncomfortably in the stink for what seemed like a few hours Nate finally decided to break the silence. "So, do you know your family?"

"The Brotherhood is my family."

"Of course it is, a soldier till the end eh?" Nate grinned.

Shaking his head Marshal crawled next to Nate, "well I was an orphan when the Brotherhood found me. So they're basically the only family that I've known."

"Oh."

"So, how about you? What is the great Forger family line like?" Marshal mocked.

Casting a glance at Marshal Nate related his story, "well my father died in the Brotherhood and my mother died shortly after I was born. Our legacy is that we had a great great, I don't know how many greats, grandfather who was a vault dweller. I'm actually named after him."

"Not bad, mighty Forger," Marshal smiled. Pointing to an object ahead Marshal nudged Nate in the stomach. "Here we are." Pulling himself off the muck of the tunnel Nate climbed the shaky ladder and up into what appeared to be an air shaft.

Heaving himself out of a destroyed vent, Nate found himself in an abandoned cabin. Turning around he looked at Marshal who was giving him a dead eye look. Hearing a door slide open behind him he whirled to meet the new threat. Entering the room were two Paladins in full power armor with laser rifles pointed at Nate. "Nate Forger, come with us and you won't be harmed," one of the Paladins said.

Whirling on Marshal Nate accused him of his treachery. "You set me up?"

"I told you, they're my family." The last thing Nate saw before his world went dark was Marshal's grim smile as he slammed the butt of his gun into Nate's head.