After DC it was hard for me...

Everyone who once called you a hero now called you the Anti-Christ, Even three dogs the man I once thought who was a friend turned on me after he got 'reports' of Sarah's death and me being the one who did it all in an attempt to take the brotherhood for myself.

Those who I trusted hunted me like an animal.

Fawks the one I saved from a life of imprisonment, Butch sure we had our differences as kids but who didn't, and even Doctor Li someone I considered to be family.

The only ones that didn't turn on me were Dogmeat gave his life in protecting me from the execution squad that the brotherhood sent my way, I still carry his ashes with me. RL-3 set himself in a blaze of glory to kill the hellfire-wearing brotherhood kill team then and only then I learned something about trust.

If they fur or metal then you could trust them...

But seeing how I'll never have that bond with any other dog I went with the ladder.

Though it's not like I had any robot allies before, to say the least like Andy still you can't survive in the wasteland alone even if you are a cyborg mutant-like myself.

In my travels, I found a few robots in my path from one side of the country to the other... West Virginia was 'unique' to say the least. Besides it had this stuff called Ultracite which honestly is confusing so I avoided the stuff and the like but one of the robots there that wasn't as armed as a sentry bot but faster than a protectron was the Assaultron. They were deadly even with the hellfire power armor (3/New Vegas power armor) those things were bitches to kill but still, I met one at a lumber mill who was kind of its owner after the original resident died off who told me a few stories with the cost of a drink.

Apparently, I reminded her of someone that she knew but besides that, I took what I learned and the Assaultrons parts to do something with them I guess still had them on me for a while along with many other robot parts. Ran into a few tamed deathclaws too when I was there while looking for vault 79 to find these 'plans' turns out this kid's something-great grandfather got himself a deathclaw egg and raised it to be the first tamed deathclaw on the east coast. So I learned a few tips about taming deathclaws... It not like I was ever going to need those tips now...

Maybe I can grow a deathclaw I have a few eggs on me or maybe an assaultron ally?

Nah...

...

Going through other states till finally landing in NCR territory, walked down the road of the two legends before me but something felt familiar about walking down the paths of Vault city, Shady Sands, and New Reno. Got to meet some interesting folk there some power armor-wearing tribal ghoul who fought alongside the Chosen one who back when he was still human. Along with a few ghouls who were surprised when I told them I knew Harold though they laughed at me when I told them he back a fucking tree.

Though the one that surprised me the most was a talking death claw named Goris who like me was a seeker of knowledge...

I didn't remember all this when I meet Marcus man if I did maybe I would have kept my promise to Goris to tell any other allies of the chosen one he said hi. Also found this guy calling himself a storyteller, like Goris he seeker knowledge, and unlike the brotherhood, in the wasteland, he was willing to share it.

So a few hours and drinks later I learned a bit of the two living legends of the west.

Still a nice guy... nice enough to forgive me for attacking him thinking he was a brotherhood assassin sent to kill me.

Then I ran into hopeville...

The one-shot I had at a fresh start.

A place where I could one day live out the rest of my days, a fresh start that need to bury the past...

So I did...

Removing the pip-boy I had worn for nearly my entire life and hand so much information and equipment that groups would go to war over only for me to bury the thing in a box before pouring cement over it and building a house over it, never thinking I would use it again.

Though the caps I had left from DC went so far and I need a job.

What else did I pick that the job that would leave me nearly forgetting the many years of my life until I was called back to the divide after one package...

That one damn package, the one I was told it was a water chip for the people was a damn nuclear football!

I almost have to thank that bastard Benny for making me forget everything if it wasn't for the fact he put two in my damn brain.

But luckily for me.

A metal-covered skeleton, a Synth implant, and some animal DNA kept me alive.

After all, I did have some of my brains ripped out of my skull at a point lookout.

The west like DC changed me slowly over time.

But my visit to the big mountain took it all!

More advanced cybernetics than what the brotherhood in the east had and Genetic splicing turning me into what I am now.

A god damn animal...

Claws, Fangs, even fur...

When Ulysses saw me again he wasn't sure that the radiation was already starting to get to him.

Damn mod...

Still, the one I would soon call 'brother' would help me remember who I was before, and finally, I returned home and dug out my past to use it to help me finish off the Legion. I should have known though that these NCR bastards are no different than the east brotherhood for a second time another person I cared for forgave their life to protect me from those I wanted to help.

Melted that damn golden branch into a few golden bullets that I used to shot the damn president and general.

Then from there, I arrived here, though I still remember the nuclear fire that killed me before all there but these memories just felt.

Real.

Now I'm here serving this tyrant and lying to myself he won't betray me knowing all too well that he will, one I could 'maybe' trust was Tempest...

A strong 'maybe'.

She doesn't talk to me much but from what I've done I don't think she is brave enough.

I don't bite... much.

At least from I'm no longer human and that itself is a whole other can of worms if I was.

The storm king isn't too bright and seeing how there is a race similar to me then yeah I played him like a fool...

Natural 9 plus the bobblehead?

10 with a skill check of 100?

Heh...

Everything is at least 10+ with skills at 100+

Level 99.

Where's Ainz I want to see if we can have an arm wrestle to see who would win?

He'll give me a space marine I don't care if they are first born or not just give me one damn it.

Now then Tempest...

You are smarter than this, me you have been betrayed and you know damn well that surviving by yourself is the best way even if you must work for a bastard like the stormking from time to time. But damn it kid but as you said before 'open up your eyes' he's playing you like a violin!

Once he has what he wants he'll throw you aside like I have been so many FUCKING times.

DC.

The Pitt.

That alien mothership.

Point lookout.

Then to the Mojave.

The only way to survive in any world is again your words: 'is alone'.

Think Tempest think!

What will you have when he has what he wants?

Your horn?

Don't make me laugh girl.

You are a survivor, yes but you've yet to understand the true mean of survival.

Another number like myself did the same to someone who saved her but she knew not to take any chances.

Giving trust is stupid.

Don't trust anyone.

Solo made that point clear.

Even me.

Because when the chips are down, I'm going to have all the cards in my hand and just in case have an ace up myself because it pays to be prepared.

Sure it's not a robot army like I had in Vegas to overthrow the NCR all the way to shady sands and vault 13.

But a few brainwashing that I learned from a vault I visited in DC and implanting micro explosive in every soldier in the storm king's army under the gaze of a 'performance boaster'... well I wasn't lying fully it did improve somewhat the troops. If those all fail some 'ghosts' would help loyal, mindless, and immortal holograms that could be used in a tight spot when necessary can't let them get the drop on me.

My last line is something...

Nuclear.

Sure it sounds bad but a nuclear deterrent is not always a bad one, but no nuclear fallout this time more like a...

Blood red cloud that will remain for three hours can consume an area of effect of five miles.

My lungs can filter the cloud out if I don't have my mask on but only for a short amount of time, then again I can hold my breath for a while.

You're going to learn not to fuck with me stormking.

Sure James and mom aren't Russian, German, and Scottish (maybe) but even as my factory-made blood pumps through my veins and my DNA isn't 'stable' as the enclave would put it.

I'm from a state you don't fuck with either.

Have you ever heard the term 'don't mess with texas'?

And all animal-like myself?

Heh...

What's the saying?

Oh yeah.

"You in for a whole of pain,"

Even now as you send Tempest, Grubber, and I to this damn party to crash well sure you might have one of those stone magic orbs for me but magic is just science you don't understand and I've done plenty of reading mate.

A fucking lot of reading.

*Flip*

*Flick*

*Shut*

*Flip*

*Flick*

*Shut*

*Flip*

*Flick*

*Shut*

"Are you going to smoke or not?" Tempest asked to which the courier just looked at her as he played with Benny's lighter.

He silently stared at her with his bionic eyes before pulling out a New Reno cigarette from his pipboy's data storage and lighting it. At least these people from New Reno didn't take this drug from ghoul cow shit like that puck ass kid who thought he was all high and mighty before underestimating an addict who was going to withdraw and need a fix from him and making the mistake of saying 'no'.

Never did touch jet? Though he did try this one from DC that he helped made by finding some old-world kid's cereal.

But the DNA, Cybernetics, and being brain fucked barely got him high at all...

Just like Joshua Gram.

Actually more like the complete other than Gram, it's just he couldn't get high or addicted...

But the effects?

Were doubled.

As he lit the homegrown coyote tobacco that was a natural growing planet in the west was still a nice feeling though unlike him if you smoked the damn thing it could give you cancer.

Got to love the replacement lungs that those jar brains gave him.

...

As the ramp went down Grubber licked his paw and ran through his 'hair' before whispering: "Showtime," and going down the ramp.

Showtime indeed.

'Just another day at the office,'

Author's Note

Well this was... different.

Don't know what came over me when I did this but...

Yeah...

Kinda threw it a few quotes at the end there.

Can you guess where the last one was from?

Heh, yeah...

See you in the next one where havoc really starts.