Chapter 10: Catch-up

Micheal proved to be a lot stronger than he looked, but that didn't stop him from breaking a few bones and getting a few scars. Death, however, is something that seems to not agree with The Prodigy. Maybe it was the vaccine in him, maybe it was pure luck, or maybe he had a guardian angel making sure he doesn't drop so easily. Either way, the boy from Vault 25 wasn't out of the game just yet.

Micheal had just got back up to the surface, only to find himself somewhere in the torturous Lincoln City ruins. With no team, barely any survival skills and having no idea where he was, Micheal chugged forward, hoping to reunite with his companions. He walked down a random street that appeared to be empty and continued his journey. Hopefully, he could find the hospital and he could meet up with the others.

Meanwhile, the others weren't doing so hot. The raiders that jumped them caused a lot of ammo to be put to waste, loss of weaponry... and a fallen ally. Phyllis was forced to use Micheal's shotgun in place of his Anti-Material Rifle that fell down the hole, Jenkins took lead and made sure there were no more surprises, and Bonnie wasn't talking to anyone. The only sound that could really be heard from them was the occasional whimper from Dogmeat. Needless to say, things weren't great.

"We should be close to the hospital now." Ana said.

"Oh yeah? That's the third time you've said that and we've yet to see any form of medical center." Phyllis quipped, obviously irritated.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think there is no actual hospital." Jenkins was on the rangers side.

"There is a hospital, it's just deep in the city. We should be close by now." Ana tried to reassure them.

Bonnie wasn't really interested in the mission anymore, but she was going to get paid and the only way out was the car. Still, what was she to do now? She's in the middle of the Badlands, the car is out of fuel and her employer is dead. However, some part of her didn't want to believe that.

She wanted to believe that Micheal may have survived and they'll go back on the road in no time. But... it seemed like Micheal danced with death too much and ended up tripping. Little Becker came all this way to save his vault, and died just short of achievement. Now, his vault will die off underground and with no possible cure. That sucked. That really sucked. What's worse is that the only thing left of him is his shotgun and the dog... and the constant memory of him.

"Look alive!" Jenkins called out. "I see something."

The patrol looked over rubble and debris to see a dilapidated building with a large Red Cross on the front. They have finally made it to the hospital, but another surprise awaited them. The hospital wasn't abandoned; a local raider gang had decided to take up shop in the old ruins and it wasn't looking as if they were accepting of strangers.

"What're we gonna do?" Phyllis asked. "That place is raider junction."

"You lot stay here." One of Angel's commanded. "We'll take care of the raiders."

The Angel troopers gather together, pulled out a device, flicked a couple switches on it and vanished in the blink of an eye. They were carrying stealth boy's which made them invisible. The troops snuck away from the gang to go and clear the area of the raiders. While the group waited for the all clear, our little vault dweller had found something interesting.

"Come on." Micheal mumbled to himself, trying to picklock a door to a rather large, fancy-looking building. After a few tries, Becker eventually got the door open and went inside. He walked through the entrance and was met with an incredibly large lobby. It didn't look as bad as the other buildings, but there was definitely some decay. The only source of light that illuminated the lobby was the darkened sunlight coming from the large sunroof.

"Wow." He said with some feeling of childlike wonder.

In the center of the room was a desk with some destroyed terminals, burned documents and skeletons laying dormant in chairs. There were entrances that led to different hallways with labeling above them. After analyzing the place, Micheal concluded that this building must've been some kind of museum.

Micheal left the lobby and traversed down one of the hallways. Along the walls were ancient paintings and scriptures from the before times, some still recognizable. After following the hall, Becker found himself in a large room filled with old relics. There was a sign on the wall that read: 'World War 2 Exhibit opening soon.'

"Interesting." Micheal said after reading the sign.

The Prodigy followed the sign and found the remains of the World War 2 exhibit. Among the remains were some old weapons, vehicles and attire used in the Second World War. It looked almost pristine, minus all the dust of course. Its strange. It's almost like someone was taking care of all this.

"Second World War? Interesting... CHOICE!" A voice said from behind Micheal, which made him jump.

He ripped his revolver out and spun around to see what had spoken to him. Facing him was a massive, mutated creature. Or, in the case of the wasteland, an average sized supermutant. The creature looked down to Micheal.

"A..Apologies for..FOR SCARING.. you.." The creature grunted, appearing to have a speech impediment. "This place.. usually doesn't get.. get MUCH.. visitors."

Micheal didn't say anything. He had seen a behemoth, but never a normal mutant. The creature wore rags on its bulking, green torso and goggles atop its head. It didn't seem hostile, but past encounters don't give such confidence.

"Don't..Be..hnnn.. ALARMED! ..I'm not.. not gonna.. gonna hurt you.. tiny man.." The mutant said. "I am.. Am not like.. other mutants..." the creature analyzed young Becker. "You.. you are a..a VAULT DWELLER.. yes?"

"...Yeah?" Micheal hesitantly responded. "You know about vault dweller's?"

"Yes.. YES! I know.. I know about v-vault dweller's." It said. It seemed as if the mutant had some form of intelligence, but Micheal was still not letting his guard down. "Where are.. are my manners?... W-Welcome to.. to the.. the LINCOLN CITY MUSEUM... of history... or.. what's left of it.."

"... Alright.." Micheal said. "You're not gonna attack me if I lower my weapon, right?"

"I.. I promise." It said.

Micheal slowly lowered his revolver and... the mutant kept its promise. Becker could finally catch some relief, but still was hesitant around the beast.

"If.. if it's not too much.. too much trouble... may-MAY I know.. know your name?" The creature asked.

"...Micheal. Micheal Becker." The Prodigy replied. "You got a name?"

"Hnnn.. Yes... though, it is.. has been A LONG TIME since I've heard it.." The mutant blurted out. "I am.. am Troth.."

"Well, 'Troth', why are you in a museum?" Micheal asked.

"I search.. search for..hnnnn.. FOR KNOWLEDGE!" He said. "Long have.. have I been under.. under the CONTROL.. of The Master.. but, when The Master died, I WAS FREE! I roamed the wasteland, searching for enlightenment.. Then.. I found this place.."

"So, you're the one who's been taking care of this place?" Becker questioned.

"Yes. It is.. it is my home.. my world away from the outside.." Troth said. "I am sure.. a-a VAULT dweller can understand..."

"I mean, I guess." Micheal said. "But what makes you different?"

"I.. I do not act.. on instinct.. I ACT ON JUDGEMENT!" Troth blurted. "Hnnnn... I'm sorry.. di-did you say your name.. name was BECKER?!"

"Um, yeah. What of it?" Micheal asked.

Troth started walking further into the exhibit, urging Micheal to follow. Becker followed the mutant, curious as to why his name was so important.

"I have.. have studied MANY.. many stories of old. Some of.. of which have more.. more meaning than others.." Troth started. "But the.. the stories of the Resource War are all.. forgotten. Especially those.. those of the men who served."

"Okay? What does that have to do with me?" Micheal asked.

"Hnnn.. some may think.. that the most.. most dangerous place was.. THE BATTLEFIELD! And.. and for the most part.. they'd be right... But, some of the most danger-dangerous terrain, weapons and intelligence had to be known.. known to the soldiers." They stopped at a different exhibit: an exhibit about the war on Anchorage. "That is where.. THE COURIERS come in.."

Troth had led Micheal to a certain mannequin of an Anchorage soldier - winterized combat armor and all. Among the mannequin were photos of the supposed individual. There were photos of the person in the snow, crossing mountain scapes, lining up with other soldiers and handing out letters. This man seemed to be a courier during the war. Micheal looked to the sign to get any information about what he was looking at and was surprised to see the name 'Becker' pop up. The sign read:

"Pvt. Julian Becker- Courier. During the war, the Chinese had developed stealth suits capable of turning completely invisible to the naked eye. They infiltrated U.S. military camps and slaughtered soldiers in their sleep. Pvt. Becker got hold of vital information about the stealth suits as well as their next attack. If not for Pvt. Becker returning with the information, the Americans would have lost to an enemy they couldn't see."

"Okay, that's cool, but I'm not Julian." Micheal said.

"Yes.. that-that I KNOW.. But, I b-believe it is.. DESTINY that brought you here." Troth said.

"Destiny? I'm sorry, but I'm not a big believer on destiny." Micheal said.

"Perhaps.. But I.. I have seen ENOUGH to believe that some form of DESTINY is real." Troth blurted. "I.. I d-do APOLOGIZE.. It's not.. not often I get to-to share these stories.." Troth had very little when it came to company, so he took any chance he could to talk about history with anyone.

"It's alright. Hey, do you know any hospitals around here?" Micheal asked.

"Hospital? Why?" Troth questioned.

"I'm suppose to meet my friends there. We kinda got separated." Becker answered.

"I see... I do know of a hosp-hospital nearby.. but it is.. overrun by-by RAIDERS!" Troth howled.

"That's probably it." The Prodigy said. "Can you point me in that direction?"

"I.. I can.. FOLLOW!" The mutant said.

Troth set off in and Micheal followed as instructed. The two remained silent; the only noise being the massive steps of Troth.

"So, why do you stay here? Aren't worried about what's outside?" Micheal broke the silence.

"The outside.. does not concern me... They are merely.. DISTRACTIONS.. from my.. my interests.." Troth said.

"Mm. I guess. After all, you are a giant, so you'll be fine." Micheal said. "You're probably the first supermutant I've seen, besides that behemoth."

"Behemoth... I-I haven't seen-a-a behemoth in many a nights." Troth said. "There aren't.. aren't any b-behemoths out West... but, they-they are common out- out East.

"You've been out East?" Becker asked.

"Yes.. The East is-is a whole.. different world compared to-to where I.. CAME FROM!" The supermutant answered.

"What's it like?" Micheal questioned.

"It is.. more-more of a SAVAGE.. area out East... But, it-it does have some... some form of civ-civilizations..." Troth explained. "In Boston.. there-there's a settlement built in-inside an old..BASEBALL.. stadium. They call it... Diamond City.."

As Troth explained more about the East to Micheal, the others were finishing the job. The Angels has taken care of the raiders, so the hospital was clear. Ana went into the hospital with the troops while Bonnie, Phyllis and Jenkins stayed outside.

"I never understood this game." Phyllis said to Bonnie. They had begun a game of Caravan while waiting.

"It's not easy at first, but it'll get easier when you understand it more." Bonnie remarked. Bonnie knew how to play and played it well, but her mind wasn't focused of the game.

"Hey." Bonnie said. "Do you.. what're you gonna do now?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Phyllis questioned.

"Well, now that Micheal's...Yeah. What're you gonna do?" She explained, not being able to say the words that everyone knew.

"...Well, I still need to get back to California. So, I'll probably find some way there." He said.

Jenkins walked over to them. "How're you two?" The two-ton armored man asked.

"You want the answer you want or the honest answer?" Bonnie said.

Jenkins sighed. "Yeah, I know... It's a shame too. He could've made a good soldier."

"What makes you think he would join the Brotherhood?" Phyllis grilled. "He was on his own quest." He said as he flipped over a card.

"Yeah.. I suppose.." The Paladin said.

"What're you gonna do after this?" Bonnie asked.

"Me? I'm probably gonna try and head back to the Brotherhood. Maybe try and find that patrol from out East or something." Usually Jenkins would have known exactly what he was gonna do, but he was at a loss at the moment. "What about you?"

"I don't know." Bonnie answered with. "Most likely gonna try and head to Vegas for a bit, since we're so close."

The group fell silent for a few moments.

"Does this..." Bonnie broke the silence. "Do we have to call it quits?"

"What do you mean?" Jenkins asked.

Bonnie sighed. "Micheal.. ain't here. That's for certain. But, we could try and... finish the mission?" She suggested.

"Why do you want to do that?" Phyllis asked.

"I don't know. We've made it this, we know where we're going and we have a way to get there. It's not like it's impossible now that the kids gone." Bonnie unraveled her statement. "Besides, that whole vault is in danger. Isn't the first rule of the rangers 'Fight for the people at any costs'?"

"That was the first rule of the Desert Rangers. The first rule of the NCR Rangers is 'Keep the peace by any means necessary.'" Phyllis explained. "But...there's a lot of people in vaults..." Phyllis looked down to Micheal's shotgun propped up on the makeshift table they were playing on. "And Micheal did mention that vault was chaotic..." The Ranger pondered.

"What about you, tin man?" Bonnie referred to Jenkins. "You just gonna give up that goldmine of Pre-War tech and go home empty handed?"

"...I would be reprimanded for coming back with nothing." Jenkins pondered his decisions as well.

"But why would you want to help? It's not like you're getting paid anymore." Phyllis asked Bonnie.

"Well, Mr. Ranger, there's a lot more to mercenaries than just work and caps." Bonnie said.

"Do you even know where the vault is?" Jenkins interrogated.

"No, but we did find Micheal fresh out of the vault. So, if we just go back to that location, we can probably find the vault nearby." The mercenary answered. "I know the dog is gonna follow, but what about you pricks?"

Phyllis and Jenkins were left to think. "I mean..I guess I can come along." Phyllis said. "I do need to get to California anyway."

"I can't go back with nothing, so I guess this adventure ain't over yet." Jenkins accepted as well.

"Good. Maybe we'll have better luck." Bonnie said as she lit a cigarette.

Ana came out of the hospital ruins and rejoined the group. "Hey. We found the supplies we need, so we can start heading back." She said.

"Great. We still want our end of the deal, and a bit more for the troubles." Bonnie said.

"You're gonna have to talk to Knoxon about that. But I can probably spare a few stimpak's for your trouble." Said the Follower doctor.

"Well, I'm gonna have a long talk with Knox." Bonnie said.

Meanwhile, Troth had led Micheal out of the museum and into the dangerous streets of Lincoln City. They had been walking for a while, feeling as if they were getting nowhere.

"So, how much farther until we get there?" Micheal asked.

"Patience young...Becker.." Troth said. "We-We'll be there soon."

The two travelled farther and farther into the ghoul and raider infested city, but they weren't attacked. Probably from Troth's size being intimidating, or some other attribute. After what felt like forever, the two eventually found the hospital Troth was talking about.

"There.." Troth pointed. "The-There is the..THE HOSPITAL..."

Troth was right about the raiders inhabiting the place, but he didn't mention them all being dead.

"Well, this is a surprise." Micheal said as he poked a raider corpse with the end of the Anti-Material Rifle. Micheal analyzed one of the corpses and found burn wounds on the body... still smoking too.

"If I-I were to make..AN OBSERVATION...it l-looks as if your friends were...already here.." Troth said.

"Looks like it. Looks as if they just left too." The Prodigy said. "My guess is they're heading back to base, so I should probably head back."

"If that's..the case...t-then I guess this is...goodbye.." Troth said.

"Looks like it. Thanks for the help, Troth." Micheal thanked.

"N-Not a..PROBLEM...Come back if-If you ever need any-anymore help..." Troth said and walked off back to his museum, leaving Micheal to fend for himself.

"Well, here we go again." Micheal said as he readied himself for the journey. He looted some of the containers and bodies around him and set off.

While Micheal was trying to get back, the others had already arrived at the walled off settlement with the supplies. The troops had reported back to Knoxon about what happened and Ana went back to help her patients. The trio were standing by the car, prepping themselves for the journey ahead. Knoxon came out of the control tent and met with the group personally. He went up to Bonnie to discuss with her.

"My men have informed me of your loss. I am truly sorry." He said in a deadpan voice. Experience makes hardened men. "I believe you want your reward for such troubles." He looked over to one of his men and gave a signal. The soldier walked over with a bag full of microfusion cells, stimpak's, and even some caps.

"That all?" Bonnie asked.

"It should be. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, but it's time for you all to leave." Knoxon said and then walked away back to his tent.

"Not a man for conversation." Jenkins remarked as he climbed into the trunk. "Hopefully we never see him again, but something tells me that won't be the case."

Dogmeat hopped in the back seat and Phyllis sat in the passenger seat while Bonnie drove. She put a microfusion cell in the compartment and the Highwayman sprang back to life.

"You sure you wanna do this?" Phyllis asked.

Bonnie sighed. "It's better than staying here. That's for sure." Bonnie stepped on the gas pedal and the car was in motion. Some of the troops opened the front gate and the Highwayman was back on the road and ready to leave this place. The car drove down the ruined streets of the city and eventually disappeared among the ruined buildings. After the car drove off, a familiar face had finally arrived.

Micheal has finally returned to the encampment, but it was just a bit too late. The gate was still open, so Micheal walked in. He looked around, but didn't see the car anywhere. He walked back into the medical tent to ask Ana what happened. As he entered the tent, he saw Ana resupplying one of the cabinets with the new medical supplies. He tapped the doctor on her shoulder and she turned to him. Her face immediately sank at the sight of him.

"Dios mío.." She muttered and wiped her eyes. "I must be seeing ghosts.." She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Ain't no ghosts around here, despite the constant howling." Micheal said. "You guys complete the mission?"

"Um..Yeah. Yeah! We, uh, got the supplies." She stuttered. "H-How are you alive? We watched you fall!"

"I landed on a pile of dead ghouls. But that's not important right now." Micheal said. "Where is everybody?"

"Huh? Oh! They, uh, they just left awhile ago. I don't know where to."

"They left?! So I'm stuck here?!" Micheal almost shouted.

"I mean, I guess. You can probably catch up to them, but they have a car." Ana said. "I don't know where they're going though."

"Surely, you gotta know something. Anything. Did they mention anything that could help me?" Micheal pleaded.

"Hmm...I did overhear them mentioning something about 'continuing the journey', but not much else." Ana said.

Micheal thought for a second. "Continuing the journey..." He echoed. "They're probably talking about getting to California. That would mean..." Micheal's eyes shot wide open as he realized the answer. He bolted out the tent, ran out the campground and back into the ruined streets.

The young Prodigy knew where they were going and he was short on time. He can't just walk his way West now. No, he needed something that could go fast. The lack of vehicles was a problem, but there was one place that could give him what he needed.

Troth was back in the museum, dusting some artifacts from the days of old. Everything was calm, until he heard footsteps rushing through the halls and saw a figure rush toward him.

"Troth! Troth!" Micheal had ran back to the museum to find help in his newfound mutant friend.

"Becker? What-What are you...doing b-back so soon?" Troth said as he grabbed hold of Micheal to calm him down.

"Troth, I need help. My friends have taken the car and are currently on their way to California. I need to catch up with them, but I don't have wheels!" Micheal explained.

"California?...hnnnn..I can-can't h-help you there, friend." Troth said.

"Come on, Troth! There's gotta be something. Anything!" Micheal pleaded.

"Hnnn...maybe...Maybe t-there's one thing.." The mutant said. "However, it..it's not done yet..."

"Whatever it is, I need it." Micheal said.

"Hmnnmn... I-I suppose..But, you have to b-be careful.." Troth said.

Troth picked Micheal up and took him back to the World War 2 exhibit. The mutant put Becker down in front of something in the center of the room. The object was under a large tarp, but there were tools scattered around the thing. The mutant removed the tarp to reveal a WW2 Harley Davidson motorcycle that appeared to be put back together, but not entirely.

"I have b-been trying to FIX...this bike for..for months now...but, these g-giant hands are not good for-for engineering..." Troth said. "Perhaps..perhaps you-you can finish it.."

"Where'd you get it?" Micheal asked.

"It's been-been in storage for who k-knows how long..." The mutant answered.

Micheal took a good look at the bike and saw that all the pieces were there, he just had to put it together. Becker stepped up and began working on the bike as fast as he could. He could repair a car, so a bike wasn't much trouble for him either, but it did take longer than just rewiring an engine. It took about an hour and a half until the bike was finished. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do.

Micheal took a second to marvel at his creation, but that time would be a waste. Troth was kind enough to find some spare gasoline and fuel the thing. The two took the bike outside onto the road.

"Alright. I guess we'll see how this goes." Micheal said as he hopped on the bike.

"W-wait!" Troth called out. "You'll need..b-better PROTECTION...if you're going t-to California.."

Troth went back inside the museum and came back out with a duffel bag. He opened the bag and pulled out Julian's Winterized Combat Armor and some essentials like water and canned food.

"Th-this will..hnnnn..help you..." Troth grunted.

Micheal looked and the armor and decided to put it on over his vault suit. He was no longer wearing upgraded leather and metal armor. Now, he was dressed in Military Grade Winterized Combat Armor. Micheal held the helmet in his hands and noticed the name "BECKER" written on the side. He strapped on the goggles, put on the helmet and was now ready to ride.

"Thank you, Troth. I guess there are some good people out here." Micheal said.

"Yes..I w-wish you luck on your q-quest. And I hope you FIND..hnnnn...what you're looking for..." Troth said.

Troth said his goodbyes and went back inside the museum. Micheal looked at the road ahead, took a deep breath, revved the bike and set off down the street. As the engine of the bike roared, Micheal's mind went blank. The world went silent as his focus was put on the concrete road. It was rare for Becker's head to be blank, so he relished in the moment. Finally, that constant voice could stop for just a second.

Time passed quickly for Micheal and, before he knew it, he was outside the city and back out into The Wasteland. He couldn't tell if it was day or night for the sky was blocked out by the black clouds and the red horizon called to him. This place wasn't a wasteland, it was a graveyard. The dirt turned black, the trees bent and burnt and the air tasted as dry as ashes.

As Micheal kept driving, he saw a sign on the side of the destroyed road. "Welcome to Utah." It read. Granted, the sign was charred black and bent forward, but it was somewhat readable. The sky somewhat cleared up, but the sun or moon was still blocked out by the dark clouds. As Micheal drove further and further into Utah territory, his geiger counter ticked faster and faster. Micheal parked his bike on the road and looked around. He looked down at his Pip-Boy and saw the digital clock read "7:58 P.M." It was nearing nightfall, but he couldn't stop. Not now.

The Prodigy saw a campfire close to the road and a few people surrounding it. He slowly drove the bike up to them. When they noticed him, the group quickly stood up and faced Micheal. The group consisted of an adult, an adult female, a boy and a girl. This was a family.

"We don't want any trouble stranger." The woman shakily said to Micheal. "We're not looking for a fight, so please just take what you want and leave-leave us alone." The kids hid behind their mother and the father held onto her.

"Woah. Calm down." Micheal said. "I'm not one of those people." Micheal took off his helmet and goggles to show his face. "I'm just looking for some people."

"How do we know you ain't trying to trick us?" The father spoke up. "You could be one of those Canaanites, or those 80's raiders, or Legion!"

"I don't know what the Canaanites are and I don't have a good history with the Legion." Micheal said. "I'm a vault dweller, trying to get to California, but I lost my friends and I need to catch up with them. I was wondering if any of you have seen a black car drive by - a Highwayman to be exact."

"Why would we tell you anything?" The father said.

This was getting annoying. Micheal took a closer look at one of the kids and noticed they were wearing a cross around their neck.

"You believe in Christ?" Micheal asked.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, we believe in God." The father said.

"So what religion are you? Catholic, Christian?" Becker interrogated.

"Mormon." The mother answered.

"Mormon? We learned about Mormons in the vault. That was part of a class project about old world religion." Micheal said. "You guys, uh, what was it? You guys believe in Jesus Christ as the literal son of God and the Messiah, uh, his crucifixion as a conclusion of a sin offering. What else? Ah! However, Latter-day Saints reject the ecumenical creeds and the definition of the Trinity. Is that correct?"

"Y-Yes. Yes, that's correct." The father said. "How do you know that?"

"I told you, I'm from a vault. I ain't with the Legion, Caananites, or whatever. I just want information is all. Nothing more." Micheal said.

The family hesitated. "There was a car that passed by here." The father eventually admitted. "They asked for directions, so I pointed them towards Zion. It's safer than going to Salt Lake City. Or, at least what's left of it."

"Can you point me that direction?" Micheal asked.

The father pointed towards his right. "Keep going Southwest and you'll eventually reach a sign that should lead you to Zion. I warn you though, that place is crawling with tribals."

Micheal looked to the direction he was told to go and looked back at the family. He opened one of his pouches, pulled out some bottled water and tossed it to the father.

"Thanks for the help." Micheal said. He put the goggles and helmet back on and drove off as the family watched him. Micheal followed the I-80 for miles until he reached a fork in the road. He looked at a street sign and saw one say "Zion National Park" and pointing to his left. Micheal knew where to go and he sure as hell wasn't gonna let this moment pass. He turned his bike and drove off toward Zion Canyon.