Journey of a Lonely Wanderer
All right… This is it.
The Lone Wanderer paused for a moment to gaze at the foreboding chamber before him. The dim glow of the central machine filled the room with a strange sort of calming piece. All about his feet, various bits of gore and blood were scattered about from the fight that he’d had not moments ago. None of that mattered though. The explosions outside, ringing through the air as the entire building shook, signifying the massive war going on outside only served to rush the Wanderer towards his inevitable fate.
He found a comforting irony in the fact that the fate of the Wasteland would be saved by the one who would stand to gain the least from it. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he basked in that light blue glow that was so beautiful and so menacing. He’d fought through so much to get here—slaughtered so many of the Enclave and triumphed over so many obstacles. And now it would end where it all began.
Ah, such poetic justice.
Beyond the clear glass containment before him laid the work of his now deceased father and Dr. Li’s team of scientists. It was a dream that his family had fought so hard to protect for their whole lives. As he simply stood there, staring at the machine as the whole foundation of the building shook around him, he couldn’t help but remember his father.
He remembered the grateful if somewhat worried smile that his father had given him when he’d been rescued from Tranquility Lane. He remembered the long jog over to Project Purity after his release. Most of all, however, he remember his father’s dying face. The way that his eyes sank into his head as his body was filled with radiation… And how could he forget the rasping, wheezy gasps for air as his father’s hand left a small smudge on the door as it trailed down before going completely limp?
The Wanderer put his hand on the glass, matching it up to the mark that his father’s deteriorating flesh had left on the otherwise pristine glass. They matched up perfectly.
I’ve grown so much, but how could I ever forget?
There had been no warning—no time for closure. One second there, and on second gone. Everything had always been so close, yet so far away…
This is it, isn’t it? The day that pure, free water finally flows for the people. The day that life finally returns to the Wasteland. If only dad were here to see this…
“Hey! Snap out of it soldier!” The loud, commanding voice of Sentinel Lyons pierced through his thoughts and brought him out of his deep revelry. As her turned to her, he saw that her mouth was curled into a slight frown, and her brows were furrowed in worry. He simply sighed and smacked himself mentally for taking so long to reminisce instead of doing what he had come to do.
Beside him stood his two allies; Sentinel Lyons of the Steel Brotherhood and Lyon’s pride, and his recently acquired friend, Fawkes, whom he had rescued from his prison in the mutant infested ‘vault eighty-seven’. Both of them had their heads tilted in worry, with a small frown on their faces. He had only recently won their respect and friendship through his grand accomplishments, and yet in the short time that they’d known each other, they’d already overcome so many obstacles.
They’d faced death, despair, and loss together, yet their bond still held strong. The Enclave had been defeated, and their position had been secured for now. The foundation around them had ceased shaking for the moment, signifying the momentary victory over the Enclave outside. No doubt they’d return in full force after they’d had time to regroup, but that was just enough time for the trio to accomplish what they’d set out to do. Now all that was left was to put in the code to the system and activate Project Purity once and for all.
Sentinel Lyons pushed the Wanderer to the side and held her hand up as she put her geiger counter to the glass. In an instant, the peaceful silence of the chamber was interrupted by the frantic clicks of the geiger counter. “Hold up. I’m reading lethal levels of radiation coming from the main chamber. Whoever goes in there… isn’t coming back out.” She gave a small sigh before turning to face the rest of the group.
“Which one of us should go in? We have to make the choice now, or else the energy compounding in there will cause this whole place to explode.” Her eyes twinkled in both eagerness and desperation. Time was of the essence, and a decision had to be made quickly.
For the Lone Wanderer, there had never been any choice. His fate had been decided the moment that his mother had given birth to him, and he wasn’t going to let this chance to honor his family slip away from him. He would not see another good person die if he could help it—especially not one of his allies. There had been too much death in the Wasteland already.
“I’ll do it.” His voice echoed throughout the empty chamber, causing the other two to wince. There was a certain conviction and desperation in his voice. This was his destiny, and he needed to follow through. No matter the cost.
Fawkes walked up behind him and place a calloused hand on his shoulder. “My friend, perhaps I should go in instead? I’m a super mutant. Maybe my body can withstand the radiation and we can al—”
“No. I know it’s selfish, and I know it’s stupid, but… this was my father’s work. This was my family’s work, and I have to finish it. I have to finish it the way it should’ve ended long ago, and make sure it gets done right. I can’t risk it, Fawkes.” The Wanderer grasped Fawkes’ hand and removed it from his shoulder, stepping towards the inner containment door. He placed his hand on it and took a deep breath, as Fawkes frowned and stepped back.
“If this is truly your choice, then I will not attempt to stop you. It’s clear that you have your mind set on this. If it is your destiny to die in that chamber, then I pray that destiny be in your favor.” Fawkes returned to his place next to Lyons side and sighed.
Sentinel Lyons merely looked the Wanderer straight in the eye and nodded to him as he walked past. In a silent sign of respect, she removed her right hand from her side and gave him a small salute. And then she did something that the Wanderer had never seen before; she smiled.
The Wanderer gave a small chuckle as he turned back to the door that would spell his fate. So after all this time, I finally get to see it on my death bed. He shook his head and steeled himself. As he place his hand on the airlock, he felt a strange chill run through his body that caused him to hesitate for a moment.
Might as well get the full experience… make those Enclave bastards feel the irony, even if it means nothing. He brought his pip-boy up to his face, its light casting a warm and comforting green glow over his face, like the soothing embrace of an old friend. His laugh boomed out loud as he set the Enclave radio station to play through its speakers, blasting patriotic music through the room. My, how fitting this is.
His very first step into the chamber caused his skin to crawl and shiver. He could almost feel the radiation grabbing his DNA and altering it, as if his body were some sort of experimental knitting project. A few more steps in and his vision began to blur. The geiger counter in his pipboy exploded with sound as it counted nearly twenty-two rads a minute. Still, he had to push through.
His friends watched through the window as he continued his slughish trudge through the tangible air that surrounded him, walking as if his body were trapped in a bog. Black spots began to dash about his vision as he finally drew up to the console. The red buttons were barely visible to his clouded mind, and he knew he had to act fast.
He quickly punched in the code for the machine, doing his best to hit the proper buttons through his tunnel vision. He heard a series of satisfying beeping noises as the password was accepted. The whirring of the engine sparking to life, and the sloshing of water marked the beginning to restoring freshwater to the world. In a few years, or even months, clean water would once again run through the dry corpse that was the capital wasteland.
Like father, like son… I’m going to die in the exact same room as my dad, in the same way. How appropriate… The Wanderer laughed as he lurched forward and leaned against the console to support himself. At least I’ll get to see mom and dad again. And we can all be a family. I wonder if they’ll have cake in heaven? He gave one last sad smile to his comrades on the other side of the glass.
His knees buckled and his feet gave out from under, causing him to slowly slump against the console. He slid down slowly as his vision grew darker with each passing moment, the blackness on the fringes of his vision slowly pushing the color inward. Through tunnel vision, he watched as the ominous but serene blue glow in the room started to grow brighter. His jaw dropped open in awe as the vibrant blue glow increased in intensity, spreading throughout the whole room. Before he knew it, he could see nothing at all but the vibrant blue-blackness that coated his eyes.
“Read… assiv… energy… spikes through central… repeat… evacuate facility!” Was that Sentinel Lyons? Was she yelling something? Some kind of warning?
He struggled to listen to the voice on the other side of the glass, yelling a warning to the world. It sounded so familiar… He knew he should recognize it, but the pain and weariness were quickly overtaking him. The beautiful glow expanded around him, filling the chamber with its magnificence.
So tired… can’t stay awake… I was supposed to do something, wasn’t I? What was it? Did I leave the oven on again?
The Wanderer’s slowly deteriorating brain working as quickly as it could, trying to remember what had been so important in the first place. He couldn’t remember anything anymore. Only vague faces and shadows of events that once were.
The glow engulfed the whole room, sending waves of energy throughout it as the Wanderer’s eyes slowly closed. The blackness enveloped his vision, and he now floated in a massive, empty expanse. It was a void of nothingness. No sound. No vision. No sorrow.
No pain…
The pain was gone now. At this moment he only felt one thing: warmth. In fact, it was slowly getting warmer. It was like somebody was wrapping him up tightly in a blanket for safekeeping. He had time for one last thought as the darkness welcomed him to Death’s embrace, ready to guide him to his rightful place in the after-life.
So warm… So beautiful… His eyes slowly drooped as he struggled to keep them open. It had always been a losing fight, however. They closed for the last time in that world as he felt a pulse of energy shoot through him. Falling… falling so fast, through the never ending darkness, never stopping… He couldn’t open his eyes or move around to see where he was. Falling too fast…
I’m going to hell aren’t I?
He was finally able to open his eyes. Colors… colors everywhere. They filled his vision and nearly blinded him with their vibrancy. These were not the dreary greys and muted browns of his own wasteland. They were so much more beautiful and full of life than he’d ever seen before. He observed that he was quickly descending into a large forest, not unlike what he had experienced at Oasis.
Maybe I did make it to heaven? His thoughts were cut short as the ground rushed up to meet him. Landed hard against something soft and warm, and he knew no more.
Author's Note
And so the first chapter is rewritten. To old and new fans alike... this story is being rewritten and revised in its entirety. As it was started at the end of season two, obviously some things have happened and this story will not be the same as it once was. Everything will be knew, including the plot and the characters since I'm so much more experienced now. I'll be uploading chaps one at a time as I complete them, but once again this story is continuing after over a year of hiatus! Any feedback is welcome in the comments below, so have at it! (The first chapter with ponies will be uploaded tomorrow, as it's not quite completed yet, if you were wondering about that.)
