"Manual Override Initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended."
My vision was fuzzy and it didn't help that the vault was significantly darker than it was when we entered. I felt cold and started getting claustrophobic with how small the pod was. I wanted out and to be with my family again.
I saw a woman wearing a bluish white hazard suit walk along the row of pods across from me. She stopped right next to the pod with Nate and Shaun in it. She looked over to someone I couldn't see, probably because they were on the other side of my pod.
"This is the one. Here."
I saw a man wearing a dark shirt walk to the other side of Nate's pod.
"Open it."
The woman flipped a switch near her, causing the pod to open. Nate started coughing as soon as he came to. Shaun was crying up a storm, poor little guy.
"Is...is it over? Are we okay," Nate asked, looking around the dark room.
"Almost. Everything will be okay," the man said, trying to calm Nate down, I guess. The woman went to grab Shaun from Nate.
"Come here, baby."
"No, I've got him," Nate insisted, struggling against the woman.
"Let the boy go. I'm only gonna tell you once," the man said, pointing a revolver at Nate.
"I'm not giving you Shaun!"
Bang
Nate slumped back into his pod, motionless. Shaun was crying again due to the gunshot, the woman tried frantically to calm him down by bouncing him gently.
"Dammit, get the kid out of here," the man who shot Nate said, motioning for the woman to leave. He walked right up to my pod, "least we still have the back up," he finished, walking away from my pod.
"Cryogenic stasis reinitialized."
I saw the window to my pod freeze up again, causing me to lose consciousness again.
~~~~~~~~
I woke up to see a screen with the words "please stand by" on it. That's right. I went to the Memory Den in Goodneighbor. They brought me back to that damn day. The day I lost Nate. The day they took Shaun.
I had to calm down. My breathing was unsteady and my heart was racing. The pod opened and I got out as fast as I could. Irma was standing in front of me.
"Easy there, sweetheart. Easy...I'm so, so sorry. If I had any idea that we were going to put you through that again, I would've said no."
She seemed sincere about the apology, but that didn't help with what I just saw.
"Wasn't there any other memory you could have found," I ask, seeing as there was a lot to choose from that dated before the war.
"I told you, we find the clearest memory we can for the first time. The one...stood out."
No shit it stood out. It was the most traumatic day of my life.
"Well, I'm sure as hell NOT recommending this place to my friends," I try to add humor to the situation. Maybe it'll help me put the memory back where it was before I got here.
"I'm sorry we couldn't help you, honey. I do hope Nick helps you find your son," Irma said, seeing as Nick was sitting by the exit. She went back to her work after that, Don't blame her. How often do their clients experience a bad memory instead of a good one?
I sigh, walking over to where Nick was sitting.
"You alright there, Rhys," he asks, seeming concerned.
"I'll be alright. Always am," I say, sitting next to him on the bench near the door.
"That's not always a good thing,
you know," He said, taking a pack of cigarettes out of his trench coat pocket.I sigh, standing back up, "I need a drink. Let's head to the Third Rail."
"You sure that's a good idea? The Third Rail isn't exactly what you would call an honest establishment."
"Do they serve alcohol?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go," I grab my pack, walking out the door into the streets of Goodneighbor. I prefer here over Diamond City any day of the week. Everyone is a misfit here. I feel like I actually belong here, seeing as I've been disconnected from the world for over 200 years. This place has helped me adjust a lot.
"Nick, if you really don't wanna go into the Third Rail, then you can wait for me by the gate. I won't be long. Just need one stiff drink," I tell him, stopping just in front of the entrance to the bar.
"Sure, give me a chance to finish my cigarette."
"Give me 5, maybe 10 minutes tops," I walk into the old metro station, passing Ham to go down the stairs and into the bar itself. Magnolia was on the small stage, waiting for her cue to come in with the song. I always did like her singing, it was beautiful. The regulars in their usual spots either by the bar, or at one of the tables. White Chapel Charlie behind the bar, cleaning a glass.
I walked up to the bar, sitting on one of the bar stools and setting my bag on the one to my right.
"Hey Charlie, what do you have that's strong," I ask, taking out my bag of caps.
I usually separated my caps out into groups of 50 before I would head out to travel again. Makes it easier with paying for ammo and more expensive things."Whiskey or bourbon."
"Whiskey, and could you really fill the glass. I'm gonna need as much as I can get," I say, taking out one of my smaller bags of 50 caps.
"You could just buy the whole bottle, you know."
"I don't have time to down the whole bottle. Besides, I have to be sober enough to shoot straight for the walk back to Diamond City."
"Fine, 34 caps," I just hand him the whole bag, not really feeling like giving him the exact number.
"Keep the change. Consider a tip for you and Magnolia," I say as he hands me my glass.
"Whatever."
As charming as ever, Charlie. I take a very large drink my whiskey, feeling the burn that comes with it. It doesn't bother me anymore. Not since I left the Vault.
I looked around the bar, seeing everyone either enjoying Magnolia's song or just talking amongst themselves. I saw two men walk down the stairs. one was dressed in an only military uniform with a hat to match, and the other had a green bandana and a harness. They both had a green color scheme to them. The only people I've seen with that kind of uniform were the Gunners.
What are the Gunners doing in Goodneighbor?
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Through The Fallout (Fallout 4 Sole Survivor Story)
FanficSaturday, October 23, 2077. It was the last day that Rhys' life was normal. The last day of the world she knew. The world she woke up to was a wasteland. The once green and lively Boston was now dead, a husk of what it used to be. There was no time...