D'ne Saeed's Story

Theme

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An old deserted gas station on a backwater road in Arizona, a broken sign hanging off the front creaking from the wind, a holotape player buzzing with the tunes of the Old World, and me trying on a belt as my pants fall down.

"Son of a...Who the hell were these belts made for?"

I pick my pants back up. The gecko leather still warm from the hot desert sun, a shimmering mix of oranges, reds, and greens over black. The black leather belt looks a perfect replacement for the ugly rope belt. The tightest adjustment and its still a girth and a half my own. "Humph." At least the leather isn't that hard, a single nick with my fang and ive got a new fitting belt. I search through the front counter. Little of value. Smokes have all been taken, knives laughably small but enough to sharpen my claws until it gets dull.

I wonder what I can find in the back. Door's locked. And now its not so says my foot. Desk, bathroom, safe. This will take a bit more finesse, time to see if this worn pocket knife has any use. And click and its open. Revolver, a .357 that's certainly a catch. Not much ammo just whats in the cylinder. Some extra pre-war money in here. Kindling I guess, it always burns an interesting color. Some more papers, cant read them, more kindling. Whats this? A bottle? Looks like alcohol. What did they call it? Whine? Eh, I remember it used to taste good at least. Wont serve to hydrate.

My stomach growls but I don't trust the food here. Pre-war foods no good with the radiation in them. Wouldn't trust the water either. Guess Ill look out back. Hey...what do we have here? What do you know, gunpowder. Or at least it will be as soon as I get these things out of the package and get the powder inside. Precious resource and all they use it for are some lights and sounds. Wasteful.

Not much outside. Already saw everything out here. A lot of old trucks still rest here, none of them look like theyd move more then a few feet though and I don't know how to fix them. Besides they'd draw too much attention. I take a closer look at around the trucks. Broken vehicle part filled with water, algae growing, I jump at the chance and drink it down quenching my dry throat. I don't care what it tastes like as long as something is growing in rain water ill drink it closest thing to unirradiated water I can find. There really isn't much else of use to me here, best move on. Just as I turn to leave I spot three men approaching dressed in black and red. Legion. I start walking towards the holotape player.

"Ah finally caught up to you" says their leader by the look of his feathered headdress. "Another white wolf that didn't bury their own bones in that graveyard. Hey-Just where are you going? Halt!"

I change the tape out for something more appropriate. I start walking back towards the Decanus.

He chuckles. "That's quite the tune. What do you think you are? Some cowboy?"

I say nothing. The two others keep their distance one brandishes a machine gun while the other keeps a rifle on his back.

"The quiet kind huh? Well what if I told you that I'm the ranger and you're the outlaw?" He swings his shotgun from his back. "And this is the big iron on my hip?"

"Deal, 21." I snap forward. Left hand grabs the gun and swings it away. Right hand strikes the guard away and then below the ribs and armor, fingers stretched out, stabbing into the flesh. The gun fires. Right hand goes back and strikes the elbow snapping it. His grip loosens. Hands change, left gripping his shoulder right grabbing the gun and cocking it against his body. Shot goes through his knee severing the leg and crippling the other. Side step behind him. Left hand stabs into his neck digging the fingers into his flesh using his body as a shield and dropping the shotgun.

The two others are dazed but quickly draw their arms. I rush forward his broken body thick enough to stop most of the bullets. I reach the man with the machine gun and push the corpse against him. He shoves it away but I go for his throat. Teeth meet flesh. Air meets blood. Bite, pull, rip. The last man sites down on me with his rifle. I draw and site down on him the moment he can fire. Shot to the lower shoulder above the heart. I fire as fast as I can unloading all six shots. Some meet steel, some meet flesh, and one even meets dirt. Each shot keeping him from cocking the lever long enough for me to close in on him. He pulls off another round ending in my leg I throw the empty pistol in his face. He draws a machete and I grab it with my hand the bullet in his arm weakening his strike while my muscles ignore the injuries. I knock him to the ground and grab the rifle from his hand. A shot for each eye and I wont have to worry about him anymore.

I look to my shoulder. Hemorrhaging badly. The bullet didn't go through either. I press a thumb into the wound and pick out the bullet. The bloody piece of metal falls unto the dirt. I quickly grab the dead man's machete and cut apart his shirt wrapping the leather tight around the wound and pressing against it. It soon starts to clot. That's mutant anatomy for you. The bullet in my leg isn't near as bad. Removing the bullet just makes it bleed more. I can walk it off....sort of.

Lets see what they have on their bodies. Lots of guns obviously. Ah, grilled mantis legs and maize, delicious. I don't care what anyone says the Legion have the best rations. Still not a whole lot but enough to keep me going. Some water on them too. Idiot used up his last magazine on me. Still the other showed some restraint at least. Should start moving the gun shots are going to attract a lot of unwanted attention.

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This also makes a great example of my posting style. Sometimes music gives a scene that perfect touch or feel. And OOC footnotes aren't working hence why this is here.

Sniff. Sniff. Yes, brahmin, finally picked up scent of food. Smells like a slaughter but their should still be more or at the very least someone with food. I should have just enough bullets. I grip the rifle in my hand. Had just enough bullets to reload the pistol and rifle with a few extra for the shotgun on my back. Alright, let's do this.

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Meanwhile, not far west...

Ranger Ericson leads Robert Huhn's squad through the minefield with no incident and into the ruins of the abandoned Daiyokai settlement. Unreadable markings cover the walls of the burned out buildings and farming equipment is scattered on the ground. The Ranger leads them to a secluded fortification with a radio tower and leads them inside. Their they meet other rangers standing guard.

"So who are these guys, Ericson?"

"These are the men sent by the same people who keep shipping in all the extra ammo."

"Ha, well the more the merrier I suppose at least they got through the minefield."

"Yeah so tell me about this situation then, Ranger." said the Sergeant.

"This station's job is to keep an eye on the Legion outpost in northern Arizona and to act as an early warning system should the Legion try to send assault teams or scouts from this flank." She steps over to a table with a map of the area and continues. "Recently something seems to have stirred up the Legion in the area. Its like someone kicked up a hornets nest. They have been sending out a very large number of patrols looking for someone or something. This has led to their own outposts being severely unmanned."

She turns back to the Sergeant. "That's where you come in. With your squad we will have enough men to assault Legion outposts here, here, and here." She points at the map at each point.

"So what exactly is your plan?"

"Since the Brass has decided to issue this outpost ten times the required ammo each month we have stockpiled a large excess of munitions. We will flood their camps with hot lead in a shock and awe campaign to minimize casualties and do as much damage as we can until their patrols figure out what happened."

"But as soon as we attack the first camp they'll just radio their patrols back."

"The Legion is low tech sergeant. They only keep radios in outposts and even then only the really important ones. As long as none of them escape they wont know what we are up to until its too late. That's the thing about the Legion: Great at taking territory, crap at holding it."

"Alright...so what it is their looking for anyway?"

"I have no idea. Maybe some slaves had a revolt and their cleaning up. Whatever it is its important enough to take full local priority but not enough for them to send additional reinforcements. In any case we cant worry about that right now."

She opens up a door revealing the sleeping bunks. "Let your men gets some sleep Sergeant. We move out at 03:00. Oh and remember: Don't leave this building without an escort and never go poking around old buildings. The Daiyokai booby trapped this whole place before they left. They may not be explosives but it'll kill you either way. They probably left a lot more here too but none of us have been willing to risk our lives for a Daiyokai MRE."

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Meanwhile, somewhere in the farm lands of the Core Region.

A group of three men approached the Reed family farm. Two young men with shotguns on their backs and a fat man with a cowboy hat and a large brahmin skull belt buckle. Nina would not recognize these men as the drug dealers that continue to plague her farm.

As they reach the gate they spot the commotion caused by the Flint brothers. "Samuel, Jakob," says the fat man. "See what you two can do to help those poor fellers."

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I dont get it. I dont see or hear anything, cant even find any tracks but these hills reek of brahmin blood. Suddenly, I hear a noise echoing from what sounds like a cave. Ringing alarms and loud machinery. I start moving in that direction climbing a hill and sliding back down it. A group in yellow outfits with blue strips stand at the cave's entrance. Masks cover their heads but you can still see their faces. Trying to shield themselves from the dangers of the outside.

"Hey! Whats that?!" They all suddenly turn their guns to face me. "Hold it right there!" The man at the front of the group says. "Who are you?"

Before I can speak I feel a hand clench my throat. It feels as real as the sand at my feet but I see nothing.

"What the hell is he doing?" And neither can they apparently. "Take him d-" before he can finish speaking a whirl of gunshots fire out of nowhere in front of him tearing him in pieces. With a flash the gunner appears in front of them as does the one choking me to death. Nightkin.

"We know you have Stealth Boys in that briefcase normies. Give them to us!" They freeze in fear. Idiots.

I lift my rifle over it's arm stabbing the barrel into it's eye socket and firing. I sure hope that alone will put him down. He drops and I slam the rifle butt into his wrist and gasp for breathe. I swing the rifle back around towards to the second nightkin and cock the rifle. I sight down it's minigun and fire before it can turn and rev it back up. The loaded ammo detonates filling it's arm with shrapnel with a loud bang.

I drop the rifle, pull the shotgun front my back and charge as it does the same. I leap into the air and fire a shot into it's face. Cocking the gun on air time, I land behind it as it grips itself in pain and fire 2 more shots into its neck and let it bleed out.

"Well, thats done. Now then-" I turn back around to face them only to find their guns already facing me. "Are you aiming at me again?! Are you really aiming at me again?!!"

As they brace to fire I sprint to the side. I can circle strafe faster then a bunch of Vault Dwellers can keep sight on a target. Argh! Damn it. Maybe not as well as I thought. Pick up the pace Saeed!

"What the hell is this guy?!"

A click of an empty magazine is my opening. Longest four and a half seconds of my life. And I only get a few bullet holes in the left arm. Im glad these guys can't shoot worth a damn or id be in big trouble right now. Never thought I'd fight a poor enough enemy that a trick like that would work.

Another leap to get into position and a few punches and jabs to a few who move so slow you'd swear they were drunk and the fight is over. I take another glance over. A woman, unarmed and holding a briefcase. She looks scared to death. Cant blame her. I hear the click of a gun hammer behind me and look over my shoulder. One of them pulled out a pistol aimed right at my face.

"When are you gonna realize that if I wanted you dead you'd already be?", I ask. He fires.

My right hand grips the gun, the bullet ripped through the flesh between the thumb and index finger and passed over my right shoulder. I lean in towards the man's face as hes frozen in fear.

“I've been shot at enough today.” I push him back down with my free hand and take the gun. “This is mine now.”

I stand back up look at my hand. The thumb is still holding on, it'll heal. I walk a little away and look down at them.

“For the last time I'm not going to kill you. Now tell me whats in that-” The sound behind me, heavy breathing, a body dragging against the ground. I turn around but the Nightkin still grabs my throat. I draw the pistol on it and fire 5 rounds before it knocks it out of my hand. My hands go for its arm digging my fingers into the wounds made by the shrapnel from before. It squeezes harder and punches me across the face. I bring my feet up kick against him loosening his grip.

I gasp for breathe, my fingers now gripping bone as it flails its arm. I can feel the sinew snapping, it's screams muted from the bullet holes in it's neck. I pull myself back towards him and my right hand goes for it's throat and digs. It tries to grab my throat against but it only meets my fangs and I bite off half it's hand before it recoils and he falls flat against the ground. I press my foot against his chest and grip with both hands pulling as hard as I can, gritting my teeth, the flesh tears away exposing the bone.

His arm comes back around and strikes, tossing me away from him. I roll against the sand. It gets up crawling towards me unable to keep it's head from slumping against it's chest before it falls back down dead. I stand back up and turn to the Vault Dwellers.

I spit blood. “So, where were we?”

Before I even notice it the woman who was holding the briefcase is at my feet holding my hand.

“Your hand” she says.

I look down and see my thumb is missing and shes wrapping it up.

One of the men speak up. “What are you doing?!”

“Hes hurt.”

“Yeah I shot him! And why aren’t you helping Trevor?”

She turns back and raises her voice for the first time. “Because hes dead!” She points to the Nightkin. “They killed him!” And then at me. “And he killed them. Understand now?”

She stands up and turns to me. “Hold still, please.” She touches my neck. “The bruising has already formed...Oh no I think something might be broken...w-wait.” She moves my neck around in some very awkward ways.

“What are you doing to my neck?!”

“There is an additional cervical vertebra in your neck. Remarkable!”
“Does that mean your going to stop twisting it into a bow now?”

“Oh sorry.” She pulls back. “Oh! How did I miss these? Multiple gunshot wounds in the arm. Listen, we need to get you inside for treatment.”

“Whoa whoa. No, there is no way we are letting this thing inside the Vault besides we've got a mission to do.”

“A mission me and Trevor were put in charge of Daniel and without him that leaves me. It's a lot more dangerous out here then we thought. We cant's deploy the G.E.C.K. with more of those...things around.”

The G.E.C.K. An item my father told me about. An artifact which was stowed away in Vaults and said to be able to form an oasis from the most lifeless wasteland. If they have one...

“Nightkin.” I say.

She turns around. “What?”

“Nightkin I said. Made from what was left behind when humanity tried to destroy itself.”

“And just what are you?” Daniel says.

“I am Yokai. Born from the ravaged world left behind after the Old World died.”

She looks at me silently for a moment. “Follow me please.”

I gather my guns and follow them into the cave as they carry their dead. We meet a large metal gear shaped door with a console next to it. She approaches it.

“This is surface team one requesting clearance for medical treatment and debriefing.”

A voice comes from the console, “Who is that with you?”

“Hes a friend. He saved us from an attack. You'll wanna hear what he has to say.”

We wait for a few moments before alarms go off and the door begins to slide forward and a metal arm moves it out of the way. We walk inside and it closes behind us. White gases spray from the walls and ceilings. Smells like battery acid and egg yokes.

“Here put this on.”

“What?”

“Just a precaution,” she says holding one of those blue and yellow sealed suits they are wearing. “We don't know what you may have on you.”

I put it on. They take off their suits revealing blue jumpsuits and the door ahead opens up. As I walk out I find more gun barrels pointed at me.

I growl, “This again?!”

The woman stands between me and the gun wielding man.

“No!” She yells, “Stand down!”
“Move aside-”

“I am Doctor Meryl Stryfe, Chief of Medicine I am ordering you to stand down so this patient can receive medical treatment!”

They put down their weapons and she says. “Thank you. Come, this way and I ask you leave your weapons with them. Don't worry I'll make sure they get back to you.”

I put down my guns and follow her. I don't need them in here anyway. We walk to an elevator and step inside.

“So, why did they send their head doctor on such a risky mission?”

“Ah, well only two people were trained to- uh...”

“To deploy the G.E.C.K.”

She looks at me nervously then smiles. “Yes, only myself and the Chief of Science know how to use it and he was too much of a chicken to go outside.”

“Chicken?”

“Uh yeah you know a chicken. A fat little bird that walks on the ground? Oh never mind, what do you know about the G.E.C.K.?”

“It's a pre-war relic that supposed to be able to change any environment into an oasis. It's also able to unlock hidden functions in the Vault's themselves.”

“Well you are certainly well informed.”

“I’ve seen the results. Twice actually.”

She looks surprised. “You mean other Vaults were able to deploy their G.E.C.K.s? Life has come back to the world?!”

“It's more complicated then that.”

The elevator stops. “Yes...I'm sure it is. Nothing's that easy. I'm sure you can explain it all to the Overseer later.”

I follow her into a medical room.

“Okay just sit down there and take off that suit and your shirt while I get into my suit.” she sighs. “Darn contamination rules. Let's take a look at those gunshots”

This suit is a bit more complicated getting out off. She just there staring at my chest for a moment.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Oh! Sorry it's nothing just so many scars...”

She looks at my arm. “Hm, the bleeding has already stopped. That's quite the clotting rate.” She walks over to a nearby counter and grabs some pliers and a small knife. Hear we go.

“Okay just hold. Uh...”

“What?”

“Oh I'm off my game here! I need to apply the anesthetic first.”

“Anesthesia wont work on me. Unless you mean using it on yourself in that case I'd rather have a different doctor.”

She laughs, “After a day like this that might not be such a bad idea...”

She sighs and gets to work. “Right just...hold still.” She starts cutting into the bullet wounds. “Rgh, you've got some tough skin I'll give you that.” She grunts and struggles. “Grr..Ah! Okay...this knife isnt gonna work.”

She walks back to the counter and takes out a strange looking tool. Looks like a square hook. “Here we are.” She presses a button and a laser fires up completing the rectangular shape. Oh no, no, no. I run to the other side of the room.

“Um...what are you doing?”

“I don't like lasers.”

She starts blankly at me for a moment. “Well its either this or the bone saw take your pick.” She picks up an electric saw and fires it up with a loud buzz.

“I'll take the bone saw.”

“Okay now sit back down on the table.” I do she asks.

She cuts into the flesh much easier and pulls out the bullets. She stares at me nervously when she notices my lack of reaction besides a grunt or two. She sowing up me up.

“Okay let's take a look at that hand of yours now.”

I show her my hand and she unwraps it. “Heh...took slow long fixing the other that this one's fully clotted...it..the cells already seem to have gone into advanced replication around the wound. Amazing. I just need to swab it down this might sting.” She swabs my hand with a wet cotton ball. Feels like alcohol. She wraps it up again and looks sadly at my hand.

“Whats wrong with you?”

She looks up at me. “Uh, its just...” Her eyes dart away. “You saved us and ended up getting crippled in the process you'll never really be able to use that hand the same again.”

“It grows back.”

“W-what?!”

“Well it won't like this,” I loosen the bandage. “You've got it too tight against the wound.”

“Wait, what do you mean it will grow back?!”

“It means I'll have a new thumb in about 4 or... 5 days. “

She looks blankly at me for a moment and then shakes her head. “Uh, anything else then. Your neck seems fine.”

“Anti-rad.”

“Ah of course let me just give you a quick medical scan here.” She presses a button on her pipboy. “There, a lot easier then going through a standard radiation estimate.”

She walks back to the counter and gets out a syringe. “Alright let me see your arm.” She swabs it down presses the needle against my skin. It breaks.

“Oh...Right. I forgot... Um, here this might work” She comes back with a much much larger needle. “This one is supposed to be used to pierce bone but I guess its all we have. Hold still.”

She grits her still and the needle goes in. Not sure why I didn't let her we usually make a cut where we want the need to go before hand. But I guess I really don’t want a second sitting with the bone saw.

I keep following her until we reach what appears to be a bath.

“Yes, we will need to scrub you down before I can actually let you move around the rest of the Vault Now where did they pu- Ah!!!”

“What?!”

“You're...n-naked?”

“You said scrub...”
“Yes but-Oh!” She presses a button on the door and it slams shut. She says, “Oh never mind. Ah there they are.”

She puts on another one of those sealed suits and turns on the water. She looks at me.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Time passes...

“Alright you're all clean. Take one of the suits on that shelf your clothes still haven't been decontaminated.”

Ah that feels much better. A nice warm bath. I stretch and get dressed


“Okay all done. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go report to the Overseer.”

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Meanwhile at Ranger Station Charlie.

“Alright everybody up and ready wake up ladies!” yells Ranger Ericson. “Everybody needs to be dressed and ready to move in fifteen!"

Grey walls of steel, dirtied and overpopulated. The belongings and bedding sprawled past original design. Some try to avoid me as I pass through these halls, others cant find the space to hide from me. Or maybe they just don't care. I can barely breathe down here. The stench and fog of man’s forgeries, the same fog covering the world above, is compressed down here. Trying to escape it, they only suffocated themselves in it. Even the clothes they where keep the smog tight against their skin.

“Right this way, Sir. The Overseer and Society Board will see you now.”

I step into the room. A long table almost fully seated with one spot left on the opposite end to a grey haired man. The woman from earlier, Meryl, is also here. I squat on the chair. Too bad my legs don't bend that way.


“Well then?” I say.

“Yes…I am the Overseer of Vault ten. Also seated here are Chief of Security James Clockworthe, Chief of Science Kirk Arnold, Chief of Maintenance William Bennett, Chief of Sociology Eliza Fowler, Chief of Requisitions Nicole Grant, and you’ve already met our Chief of Medicine Meryl Stryfe.” He points to each one has he does the introductions.

“Now who might you be?”

“D’ne Saeed.”

“Well its good to meet you. Tell me, is this report accurate?” He slides some papers across the table. I slide them back.

“I cant read.”

“Oh come on. Do you really expect Meryl and my men to submit a false report?” says the Security Chief.

“No, of course not. I expect your men and Ms. Stryfe to submit accurate reports from your perspectives but vantage points vary and I’d like to shed as much light on this situation as possible.”

The Science Chief stands up. “This is a waste of time. If you want to shed light on what this thing is just put it on the slab with the rest of the bodies whose autopsy have been delayed because of this meeting.”

“I’m looking for more then your surgical tools can tell me Arnold. I need to know more then simply the organism we are dealing with. This man is from the outside and right now we all need to know as much information about it as we can. As a member of the Society Board you need to be attending this meeting.”

“Look,” says the Sociology Chief. Whatever that means. “We all know that Arnold is out of his element right now. His specialty is terminals and test tubes, not people. We cant expect him to contribute to this meeting besides listening. But Arnold, let’s not forget what you can learn from observational science. Poke your petri dish too much and you’ll contaminate the results. I'm sure you’ll get all the time you need to examine the two other subjects in the lab later.”

It seems that the members of the board are all of high education and their knowledge isn't limited to their individual specializations. Looks like they know how to pick their leaders well.

“Fine.” He sits back down. “Let’s just hurry up with this.”

“Okay so let’s start from the top then. In the report it suggests you are familiar with the subjects that attacked the surface team. What can you tell us about them?”

“As I said before they are called Nightkin. They were created through salvaged pre-war tech as soldiers by someone called The Master. At least that's what I’ve heard. Their army was already crippled and their leader dead long before my people discovered them.”

“Interesting…Pre-War technology. That's as interesting as it is troubling. What of you? What exactly are you?”

“I’m a Yokai. We are born from the left overs of the Great War. I’m no scientist. I've no idea how radiation works. I'm tougher, stronger, and faster then you.”

“Are all humans topside like you?”

“No but there is nothing like you up there either.”

“Also in this report you state that you knew of previous uses of G.E.C.K. units. So are there other civilizations out there?”

“Countless ones. Who I was talking about there is the New California Republic. They control California, Oregon, and parts of Nevada and the Baja. Funny how those territory names stuck for all these years. They are one of the largest tribes. The other is Caesar’s Legion, an army of slaves, there territory goes from Arizona eastward though no one knows how far. We are actually in Legion territory right now. Or under it that is."

“Look, I can already tell where this line of questioning is leading. You want to leave the Vault?”

“Yes…I suppose it wouldn't be hard to tell. The Chief of Maintenance can fill you in.”

“I’m supposed to explain this to a person who cant even read?” He sighs. “Whatever. Look the bottom line is that the Vault was never designed to keep living occupants for this long. The Vault was forcibly and irreversibly isolated shortly after closing, only now to reopen for seemingly no reason. Air, water and food processing degradation is only a fraction of our issues. Our power supply is going dead fast. If we keep this up the reactor will go super-critical in a few months. That is to say it’ll do the same thing as the bombs that blew up the whole damn world if we don't shut it down and we cant live down here without it."

“There is also the issue of overpopulation.” Says the Sociology Chief. “Vault ten was only designed to hold approximately one thousand occupants comfortably and up to ten thousand with hot bunking. Currently, we have a population of over twelve thousand. This has put even more strain on our resources and has caused a degeneration of our society. At this point in time I think the only department that isn't on the fringe of failure are the science and security departments.”

“Not quite true,” says the Security Chief. “Our high population hasn't offset our ratio of civilians to law enforcers thankfully but we don't have the weaponry available to arm our security teams without breaking into the emergency weapons cache. Often times my men have had to bring in trouble makers with their bare hands. Piety thievery and sexual crimes are at an all time high due to the lack of privacy and despite having plenty of men their is little we've been able to do about it.”

“You know I would have been just fine with the short answer.” I can't believe I'm doing this but...