Fallout: Florida , The Sunshine State's Post-Apocalyptic Wastes Options

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Well, I never thought I'd be posting in this particular subforum before now. But with all these ideas bouncing in my head of what post-Great War Florida would look like in the Fallout universe, I have taken to jotting them down and (hopefully) making a cohesive guide to it. I don't really write fiction, so I don't think I'll be writing actual stories like you all do, but I suppose we'll see. For the time being, it's really going to be a guide of sorts, somewhat like a wiki or what textbooks would say.

This will obviously attempt to adhere to Fallout canon as much as possible. I chose Florida as the setting not only because it is my home state (though that is definitely the biggest reason) but because, from what I can tell, so little about the Southeastern United States is talked about in Fallout lore, giving me a lot more room to operate in. And, of course, it's the state I know best and would love to see the most as a setting for a Fallout game.

So here's the plan for all this:
[*] I'm going to break up each section of the guide into its own post to separate it sufficiently. This one will be the introduction to the setting.
[*] I may include some incomplete information on here for several reasons. For one, it'll be an easy repository to refer to just in case the Word doc I am using has something go screwy or that my computer messes up or whatever. Two, it can be a little taste of what's to come. Three, I just want to get down as much content as comes to me.
[*] The tentative list of sections to have here include, but are not limited to (and not necessarily in this order):

[*] General overview of the setting and how I am breaking up the parts of Florida
[*] The Bestiary
[*] The Timeline
[*] The Factions
[*] Profiles of each of the regions I am making

Some of the stuff you see will definitely be subject to change if needed to make it cohesive. I'll try to document what I change to make it clear.

And most of all, I hope you all like it and I'd like to hear whatever feedback you have. Presenting and communicating information is one of the things I enjoy most, although I'm more used to doing so for real-life content (particularly political science).

First section of the guide coming up!

The Setting - Basic Overview

While not experiencing the same level of nuclear barrage as places such as Southern California, New York, and D.C., Florida was plunged into nuclear fire just like virtually everywhere else in the world. This was especially true of the Tampa Bay Area, Orlando and its surrounding areas, and South Florida, centers of great economic and political importance in Pre-War America. Being the 3rd-most populous state in the country, the Great War extinguished far more lives than average here and left plenty more to pick up the pieces in the post-apocalyptic, anarchic wastes. The exceptional biological, geographical, and human diversity of Florida led to a far more varied impact on the former Sunshine State when the bombs fell.

Nevertheless, many settlements started to crop up in the decades just after the Great War, even in those once-densely populated cities and metropolitan areas. In time, former towns and cities were beginning to be resurrected and reclaiming their old names, and brand-new ones started to form. But post-War Florida--and the rest of what used to be the country's Gulf Commonwealth, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi--was still highly fractured. In the 22nd century, the first of many ambitious attempts was made to reunite this once-thriving landscape. While extraordinarily difficult at first, a string of successes in reunification gave birth to the Gulf Coast Union, a nation similar in concept to the future New California Republic (NCR). The so-called Great Reunification--a somewhat hyperbolic title, at least currently--started extending through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and even some of southwestern Georgia, though it has yet to reclaim the whole of any of these former states.

The process is far from completed, however, and many other factions both big and small struggle with the Gulf Coast Union for dominance in the former Southeastern United States. Many of the conflicts take place in what used to be the Sunshine State. The Gulf Coast Union was successful in claiming virtually all of Northern Florida and has made inroads into the Central Florida wastes. Major and minor powers violently feuding with each other and with the Gulf Coast Union have made the GCU's grip on these lands somewhat tenuous, preventing any attempts at expanding into South Florida.

As of this guide, it is currently the year 2130, over a half-century since the world was irrevocably changed. To most easily understand the lands that were once called Florida, it is best to divide the area into ten distinct regions--even if the divisions are a bit crude, arbitrary, or too convenient. Each have their own set of conflicts being waged, major and minor players vying for power, and civilizations trying to carve out a life in these harsh wastes. Welcome to the Sunshine State's post-apocalyptic wastes.

The Ten Regions and Their Counties

County Map
Here's how some coasts in Florida got their nicknames, though not all are explicitly mentioned here

Though these broken-up zones are somewhat crude and arbitrary, it'll be easiest to understand post-apocalyptic Florida this way. However, major conflicts in one region can definitely spill over into another.

1) Panhandle (13): Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Gadsden
2) Big Bend (8): Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Lafayette, Dixie, Levy
3) North Central Florida (8): Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Gilchrist
4) The First Coast (6): Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler
5) The Space and Treasure Coasts (7): Volusia, Seminole, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee
6) Central Florida (8): Marion, Sumter, Lake, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Hardee, Highlands
7) The Tampa Bay Area (6): Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee
8) The Gold Coast (3): Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade
9) Southwest Florida (7.5): Sarasota, De Soto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, Collier, Monroe (mainland only)
10) The Keys (0.5): Monroe (Keys only)


Just a quick side-note: The Panhandle West/East dichotomy is one I totally made up for my own purposes. They are, as far as I know, not referred to as such in real life. It is just the Panhandle, and the real-world Panhandle doesn't necessarily include all of the counties in Big Bend.

This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Jun 9 2020, 01:30 AM

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Chapter 10: The F.A.C.T. of the Matter

[Fallout Soundtrack – Metallic Monks]

The old U.S. Route 98 was the major thoroughfare that ran through Panama City, and one of the longest roads in the state. It was also going to play a critical role in the GCU operation. One direction went directly toward Tyndall while the other cut through the ruins of Panama City Beach and to the vestiges of Laguna Beach. To reach these destinations, the GCU would have to traverse bridges over large bodies of water. These bridges miraculously still stood mostly intact, except for some makeshift crossings of wood, steel, and concrete laid out over gaps.

Lieutenant Carmichael was betting his money that the Brotherhood would mostly go for Tyndall, as the location of that was relatively well-known and it was definitively a real place, not to mention the major Pre-War military center in the Panhandle. But there was still the distinct possibility that this fabled military bunker in Laguna Beach was real, and there was no way to know for sure if the Brotherhood knew about the myth and were going to look for it as well. Commander Darius was going to lead the charge there, with his second-in-command Jordan staying in Niceville to lead operations there in the interim. Sunny Hills’ Commander Bradford was able to spare some of his men and women to be led by Darius. “I would have Bradford leading the outfit based on proximity, but Darius has more experience in combat, and he does have familiarity with GCU personnel around Sunny Hills as well,” Carmichael explained.

Meanwhile, Commanders Bertrand and Masako would follow Carmichael into Tyndall Air Force Base, with Mariah coming with them. There was likely to be some resistance from feral ghouls and various robots at Tyndall, but there was no way to know for sure. The GCU set up their base just after they crossed the bridge in what used to be the Tyndall “FamCamp,” a facility where military personnel’s children could play while not at school. It was, hopefully, far enough away from the base that they wouldn’t be seen. Bertrand and Masako’s squads took different sections for camp.

Mariah and the Apalachee were getting significant upgrades in gear for the operation. Mariah finally got to trade in leather armor for the much sturdier defense of GCU combat armor. Even with the new equipment and her penchant for rushing into danger, she started to feel some level of apprehension about this mission. She had not been a part of anything like this before. A lot of people’s lives depended in part on her performance, when before her reckless actions mostly only directly affected her, at least in her mind.

Masako must have noticed Mariah’s nervousness, for the former clasped a hand on the latter’s left shoulder. “Are you alright, Mariah?”

“Oh, hey, Masako—er, Commander Masako. Yeah, I won’t lie. I’m feeling anxious. I know that’s not helpful for the GCU but—"

“There’s nothing wrong with being nervous about this mission, Mariah,” Masako assured her. “It’s a normal feeling. I’d actually be more concerned if you weren’t nervous at all. But judging from what I have heard about you and meeting you face-to-face, I’m confident that you have really grown from your experiences in the Panhandle.”

Mariah was a bit surprised at the statement. “Really?”

“Absolutely. You’ve been impetuous in most of your actions, even if they have mostly turned out to be a boon to our cause. But already now, you’re listening more to authority. You’re being more thoughtful about what you are doing. And you’re being more cognizant of how your actions are affecting and will affect others. I think you should be proud of that. I am.”

Mariah was blown away by the compliments and couldn’t help but blush a bit. “Thank you, Commander Masako. That means a lot.”

“Well, I also appreciate how you handled the Apalachee. I know what it feels like to be unwelcome because you are different.”

“What do you mean?” Mariah asked.

“I have Japanese ancestry. When World War II happened—close to 200 years ago at this point—Japan was one of the main enemies of the U.S., the U.K., and Russia. And when the U.S. got into the war, they indiscriminately threw many Japanese-Americans into internment camps. Some of my ancestors had to live in those camps. They weren’t unlike the internment camps that Chinese-Americans were thrown into before the Great War. The Japanese and the Chinese may have had some long-standing bad blood between them, but I still don’t believe how many Chinese-Americans were treated before the War was right. But war shows you just how terrible human beings can be too each other. Any group of people is capable of treating another group of people inhumanely and finding some excuse for why it’s justified. And I do mean anyone. Doesn’t matter what is your race, religion, gender, politics, whatever. It’s basic human psychology.”

Mariah didn’t know a whole lot about Pre-War history and told Masako as much. “That’s awful. But what about you? Have you personally felt unwelcome?”

“Well, I was born outside of GCU lands and didn’t move to Florida until I was already into adulthood. A lot of people can tell easily if you are from outside of the GCU, not just this state. And with groups like the Dissidents, Brotherhood, and some from Pre-War Georgia or in Florida outside of the GCU, it makes it easier for citizens here to show blanket hostility to outsiders. Not everyone in the GCU does it, of course, but a lot of people are feeling tense.

“And even when my general presence was warmed up to, some people weren’t too keen on me climbing up the military ladder to becoming Commander in Panama City. It wasn’t even the fact that I’m a woman—other Commanders have been women—although for some people, that didn’t help. It’s more that I was not a card-carrying member of the establishment. When you aren’t a member of an ingroup, you tend to be looked down on as someone in an outgroup. My small stature gives them a convenient excuse, though.” Masako was only about 5’6” and 125 pounds, but she was tough. She had to be to be a Commander. “Anyway, I know the Apalachee were met with suspicion when they came to Florida, and they were suspicious towards anyone outside their tribe. The Lieutenant, as you could see, isn’t very fond of them either. Same with some other GCU personnel. They’re outsiders in a time where outsiders are putting people on edge. My experiences probably haven’t been quite the same as theirs, but I know a bit about what that’s like.

“But you didn’t treat them like that. You helped them out and you found a way to bring the GCU and the Apalachee together for a common cause. That takes a lot of guts and effort, and I commend you for that.”

“Well, it’s nice that someone noticed,” Mariah said with a single, slight laugh. “Maybe it helps that I’ve traveled a lot and met a lot of different kinds of people.”

Commander Bertrand then walked into their tent. “Hello, Bertrand,” Masako said, saluting him.

“Hi, Masako,” Bertrand reciprocated the salute. “Can I speak to Mariah for a few alone?”

“Of course,” Masako said, patting Mariah on the back and leaving.

“Long time, no see, Commander,” Mariah greeted him. “Definitely not how I imagined us meeting again. Or hoped.”

“Indeed. It’s amazing how much can transpire over a simple matter of a couple of weeks. How are you holding up?” His frustration with her from the last time they saw each other was long gone.

Mariah started to feel like she was going to be sick. “To be honest, I’m pretty nervous. I know I can be pretty stubborn and head-first and all, but I haven’t been a part of anything like this before. There’s a lot at stake here.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Mariah,” Bertrand said, leaning in slightly. The ‘secrecy’ was a bit tongue-in-cheek. “I still get those proverbial butterflies in my stomach on major missions.”

Mariah’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really? But you’re so experienced at this.”

“If you don’t have at least a bit of nerves when you’re part of an operation like this, then you are not approaching the situation correctly,” Bertrand answered, echoing Masako’s sentiment. “This is giving me some flashbacks back to Birmingham. All the death and destruction that felt avoidable to some extent. And then to top it off, we didn’t even acquire the tech. The Brotherhood and the Dissidents are still around. The seemingly endless fighting means a lot of opportunity to die in the wastes. At the same time, however. . .” Bertrand gestured to outside of the tent, indicating all of the GCU soldiers there. “I know what our forces are capable of, and I’m a firm believer that we can win the day. And you know what the major difference is now?” Mariah just shrugged after thinking for a moment. Bertrand pointed towards her and cracked a smile, something Mariah had not seen from him before. “We have you. And we have the Apalachee. Not to mention we are much more familiar with our enemy now. I’m determined to defeat the Brotherhood of Steel for good—and the Dissidents when the time comes.”

“Well, I’m with you there,” Mariah said. Bertrand’s determination and confidence began to rub off on her. “By the way . . . thanks for vouching for me the other day. That meant a lot.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve seen and heard of what you are capable of, Mariah. I’m glad you are on our side and that you are here. I believe in you. But I need you to promise me that you will follow the plan. Do not go off on your own unless it is a last resort. We need you to make it through this and we need you to make sure this whole campaign goes accordingly. Can I count on you for that?”

Mariah’s resolve solidified. “You got it. You have my word.”

“Good. When this is over, we’ll have to find time to celebrate. But it’s time to focus on what’s at hand first. Let’s go back and meet with the Lieutenant and the others.”

Mariah grabbed Bertrand’s arm before he turned around. “Oh, before we go: Is Valentina here? Feels like forever since we last saw each other. I . . . still feel kinda awful about not telling her that I was leaving town.”

Bertrand nodded. “Yes. But she is with the squad I am leading on our side of the base, so you won’t be able to see each other for now. I’m hoping to keep her out of combat as much as possible, as she isn’t as experienced as we would like for this mission. Still, she’s a valuable member and has other talents at her disposal.” Mariah was disappointed but understood. She planned to meet Valentina first thing after this whole ordeal was over.

//////////

Lieutenant Carmichael reiterated the plan with the GCU and Apalachee leaders as well as Mariah. The Apalachee’s penchant for reconnaissance and stealth would be key to scouting the area for any signs of the Brotherhood, along with the possibility of robotic and feral ghoul threats. Tyndall Air Force Base was a sprawling, wide-open complex. The remains of aircraft and other military vehicles was strewn about the grounds, providing extra cover in case of a firefight. Yet there was one building that was ostensibly the main area of operations for Pre-War military stationed here, and it was likely what the Brotherhood would be most interested in. Meanwhile, the forces for Commanders Bertrand and Masako would be split up in an attempt to flank any Brotherhood when the time came to fight them, with parts of each force designated to move into this main building while others stayed outside. Carmichael would be coordinating between the two overarching squads.

The Apalachee scouts were given two-way radios that the GCU was able to spare for the mission and moved further into the base’s grounds. After several minutes, one of them reported on the GCU frequency to Chief White-Feather, who was with Masako and Mariah. “I only see some dead ghouls and inactive robots, Chief. Looks to be fresh activity but can’t tell for certain. No clear indications of the Brotherhood being outside.”

“Understood. Stay vigilant,” White-Feather responded.

“Do you think the Brotherhood know we are here?” Mariah asked, more so for a confirmation of her suspicions than as an actual question.

“Not necessarily. But I’m certain they are prepared for us to be here.” Masako replied. Then she turned on her two-way radio. “Alright, division one, move in very slowly and stay low to the ground and close to cover. Always better to prepare for traps than to be surprised by them.” Her squad did as she commanded.

The seconds passing by were starting to feel like minutes, and the minutes felt even longer. The base was quiet—too quiet. Mariah was getting restless and anxious. She had to suppress her impulsive nature to stick to the plan. As GCU and Apalachee personnel walked further into the complex, signs of recent entry into the buildings became more noticeable. The dead feral ghouls were still warm and steam from laser weapon shots still emanated from wounds. The Brotherhood was definitely here.

[Prodeus Soundtrack – Hot Spot]

As the time dragged on, soldiers were awaiting further orders. Before Carmichael or Masako could give them, the sound of weapons could be heard in the distance. Everyone’s adrenaline began pumping again as they frenetically looked in all directions. The weapon firing was coming from near the GCU camps. That was when Bertrand tuned into their frequency and bellowed, “S---, we got Brotherhood inbound! Patrol was walking around, and they found us! They’re calling in reinforcements from inside the complex, so get ready!” Bertrand and most of his squad were still at the camps and the sound of energy and ballistic firearms could be heard through the radio.

The time to fight was now.

“Soldiers take cover! Brotherhood will be pouring out of the buildings at any moment!” Masako yelled. And sure enough they did, not long after the declaration. Out first came several Knights and Paladins clad in Power Armor, but most of the Brotherhood only had their own style of combat armor to protect them. Many of the Brotherhood had energy weapons like laser rifles and even a few plasma rifles, while the GCU and Apalachee mostly had ballistic weapons. They undoubtedly had been searching for more technology to claim while they were here. Mariah wondered if there were some Power Armor units inside the complex that were still usable. If so, the Brotherhood were undoubtedly scrounging through the place for them as well.

And so the pandemonium ensued once again.

Mariah still had her 10MM pistol and sword, but along with her upgrade in defense came an automatic combat rifle and a couple stimpaks. It was a lot to carry, but luckily her armor was designed to accommodate a bigger inventory. She took cover with Masako and White-Feather. Grenades, bullets, and profanity flew seemingly everywhere. There was already a need for GCU leadership to improvise, but they were pinned down behind a rusted-out military truck. Mariah wasn’t confident she was going to get out of this situation this time, but she did her best not to show it. “Commander Masako! What do we do now? We can’t get any shots off!” She had to yell over the incessant firing.

“Let’s try this!” Masako quickly ducked underneath the truck. There was still enough a gap to get under and she tried shooting low at any Knights and Paladins she could. She managed to drop a couple of them by shooting out their feet and lower legs. One of them writhed in pain but was able to desperately crawl back behind her cover. The other Knight wasn’t so lucky as either a GCU or Apalachee member dispatched him. It seemed that other Brotherhood saw what Masako was up to and fired at her position underneath the truck. She scurried back behind her defense as quickly as she could, but she may have died if it weren’t for White-Feather’s quick thinking. He grabbed Masako’s legs and pulled her away before she could be shot. “Whew. Thank you, Chief!”

“As long as we are allied, I will see to it that I keep alive as many of my allies as possible,” White-Feather replied matter-of-factly. “We need to get Mariah and some of my warriors into the main building now! She seems to have a penchant for solving these problems and they will be best suited for sneaking around the facility if they have to.”

“But we can’t!” Mariah said as more lasers and bullets hit their truck. “They’ll kill us the moment we pop out of cover!” White-Feather pulled hard on the truck’s passenger door to see if he could find anything that would help. The condition of the vehicle was so deteriorated that the door was unintentionally pulled off of its hinges. “Well, that sure is convenient,” Mariah noted.

“This door is big enough to protect you.”

“But how is it going to hold up against weapon fire? You just broke it off its damn hinges!” Mariah was flabbergasted at his suggestion. White-Feather quickly whipped out a pistol and started firing into the door before she put it in front of her, startling Mariah. He looked at the other side of the door and found none of the bullets penetrated. “You could’ve warned me, Chief!”

“Every second counts, Mariah. I was careful anyway. This was an Old-World military vehicle, so they were going to give its exterior extra protection. But perhaps there is something in this truck I can use to provide better covering fire.” He rummaged through the glovebox for any sort of big weapon, but to no avail. The truck was angled enough that he could search in the truck bed without being shot by Brotherhood soldiers. “As your people might say, ‘bingo.’” He was referring to the fact that he found a missile launcher. It only had a few missiles with it, which was hopefully enough for this situation.

Yet as was always the wastes’ wont, things got more complicated—for both sides. Loud mechanical noises blared as some of the inactive robots started to wake up. Most of the gunfire from both GCU/Apalachee and Brotherhood ceased as they turned their attention to a new enemy. It soon became apparent that neither faction turned them on, because the robots were ready to kill any and all humans. Were they programmed to awaken if fighting broke out on the Tyndall grounds, or did somebody else turn them on? In any case, most of the robots were the usual types: Protectrons and Mr. Gutsies. But there was another type Mariah hadn’t ever seen before. They walked on spider-like legs and sported dual .50 caliber rifles and long serrated blades they could switch between. “What the hell are those things?!” Mariah blurted out as the automatons started discharging their own weapons. It felt a lot like Holt, only this time with machines instead of irradiated monstrosities.

“Aegis bots! As far as I know, they’re only in Florida,” Masako said, her face turning grim.

“Seems like a lot of things happen only in Florida!” Mariah responded with a mixture of sarcasm and seriousness. They all still had to yell to each other over the gunfire.

“It’s a crazy state, I’ll give you that! Heard it could be that way Pre-War, too. Anyway, it’s got two rifles and sharp blades, and it can arguably be worse than a Sentry Bot. Might be able to go toe-to-toe with an Assaultron. Can jump short distances, too. We got a few up-and-running in a few places in the GCU, so I’ve seen them in action.”

White-Feather interjected. “This is the best time to get Mariah out of here! The robots aren’t preoccupied with our position yet.” They were busy attacking the Brotherhood and other spots where GCU and Apalachee soldiers were. “You must go now, Mariah!” White-Feather called to a couple of his warriors a short distance away, who were not being attacked by the mechanized entrants of the battle yet either, to go with her to the main building. “And may the Great Spirit be with you!”

“Watch yourself and come back in one piece!” Masako chimed in.

Mariah nodded to both and readied her makeshift shield, bolting across the open field with it on her left side. She met with the two Apalachee who were to escort her as they ran to the main building. They found one of its doors, but it was locked tight. Mariah pulled out a bobby pin, always carrying a few with her wherever she went. As she was focused on picking the lock, one of the Aegis bots turned the opposite corner and caught sight of them. “Trespassers, lower your weapons and stay where you are,” it uttered in a deep, robotic voice. “Obey or you will be swiftly terminated.” Mariah’s hands started to sweat and fumble with the lock as she lost focus and tried to improvise what to do next.

White-Feather must have noticed the issue because he shot a missile right at the Aegis bot. It was severely wounded, though not down for the count. But that gave Mariah all the time she needed to reconcentrate on the lock. After about another ten seconds, the door was opened. Mariah and her Apalachee companions quickly filed into the door as the Aegis bot retargeted them, barely missing with them its rifle shots. It tried a last-ditch effort to pounce on the door, but they closed it just in time before the Aegis bot could reach inside with its blades. It tried to break in, but the door material was heavily reinforced. Mariah quickly locked the door back up.

//////////

[Fallout Soundtrack – Vats of Goo]

Mariah and the two Apalachee walked carefully through the hallways of the complex’s main building, crouching down intermittently in case there were enemies nearby. As they got deeper into the building, the sounds of war outside faded further. So far, it was silent inside the base. But they had no idea where anything was in the building. All the clocks they found walking around were broken, making it difficult for them to tell how much time was passing.

“We need to figure out where the supercomputer is in here,” Mariah whispered in case there were any adversaries around, Brotherhood or robotic. “There’s got to be a map or something somewhere. Maybe a terminal. Then we can relay the information back to the leadership.”

“Maybe there’s an . . . office? Around here somewhere. That’s what outsiders call them, right?” one of the Apalachee said. His cheeks had four red stripes of war paint. “Maybe this room down the hall to the left.” It was indeed an office for a Colonel by the name of A. Jackson, judging by the nameplate on the door. This time, it was unlocked. The room also featured a terminal and a map of the complex on the Colonel’s desk.

“Perfect!” Mariah said excitedly but still at low volume in case of danger nearby. Miraculously, there was still power running through the terminal, but she needed a password. “Damn,” she lightly pounded the table. “Come on, there’s got to be something . . . aha!” She found a journal of the base’s colonel in one of the desk drawers. After thumbing through the journal, she came to its final entry. Apparently, the Colonel—despite what his status might have suggested—was a forgetful person and had to constantly have a map of the complex at his side and wrote down his password. I already have trouble remembering things at my age, and now we have to change our passwords every fricking month. Mariah read in the last journal entry, dated October 22nd, 2077. I’m a Colonel. Why should I have to? I’ll have to devise some sort of hint system or something. Not the best move to write a password down, but what else am I supposed to do? I can’t even remember where everything in this fricking complex is. The sentence after that contained the password. Mariah logged into the terminal.

As she scoured through emails and other entries, she found all sorts of interesting information. One of them talked about some tech called a G.E.C.K. Mariah wondered to herself what that could be all about, because the email itself didn’t say much about what it was or where it was going. If the GCU won the day, they would have to look through all the data. She then finally came across information about the supercomputer, so there definitely was one here. Further details noted it was somewhat similar to the ZAX supercomputers created by Vault-Tec, but obviously designed with military usage in mind. The same entry talked about the F.A.C.T. and how it was indeed supposed to make its way to Tyndall. Mariah’s jaw dropped at all the new information and how it came together. But there was no time to go through any more of the data on the terminal. “I think we got what we need, guys. Let’s move out.”

As the three of them followed the map and walked through the facility, Mariah hoped that some of the GCU squads made it inside. Mariah and her two Apalachee compatriots certainly couldn’t take on Obadiah and whoever else was with him on their own. She couldn’t help but wonder about whether Bertrand, Jacob, and Valentina survived the Brotherhood patrol that attacked them. Pessimism about their fates creeped into her mind and she had to promptly shake it off. Positive thoughts, Mariah, she started telling herself. Focus on what we need to do. But she wasn’t sure what exactly to do next.

The three of them came closer to the supercomputer’s room. A chamber above the room, protected by a set of bulletproof windows, contained the supercomputer’s primary controls. They knew they were near when the sounds of whirring and electricity got louder. Mariah feared that Obadiah was already making use of the F.A.C.T. They quickened their pace, but as they rounded another corner, two Brotherhood guards came into view, facing toward their direction. “Halt! You’ll go no further!” One of them shouted.

Mariah gasped as the Brotherhood soldiers readied their weapons. “Mariah, get out of here,” the second Apalachee, who had similar war paint to his fellow tribesman but in white, urged her.

“I can’t just leave you guys,” Mariah protested.

“My brother is right,” the red-painted Apalachee said. “You are more important to this mission. We’ll hold them off.”

“But. . .”

“Go!” He pushed her into a different connecting hallway as the two Apalachee preemptively fired on the Brotherhood, who returned the attack. Reluctantly, Mariah bolted down the corridor. She could hear four distinct yelps of pain from their direction as she ran, followed by complete silence except for the mechanical whirring. It ostensibly appeared that the Apalachee and Brotherhood had both killed each other.

Mariah had to reorient herself to her location after the detour, but she realized that she didn’t have the map anymore. She couldn’t remember if she had it and accidentally dropped it or if she had given it to one of the Apalachee. It was too late to go back to retrieve it. She did not recall where they were relatively to where she was as she focused on running away as fast as she could. Doing her best to follow what she thought she remembered on the map, she looked for location-identifying information on the walls. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath, readied her combat rifle, and walked slowly. The corridor she soon found herself in was riddled with debris, more so than the rest of the building she had explored so far, and had several connecting hallways in all directions. Mariah creeped slowly past the rubble. A couple more minutes passed by as she tried to decide which direction was the right way.

Her pondering stopped, however, as the clicking of a pistol cocking came from directly and closely behind her head. “Well, well, what do we have here?” the pistol’s wielder said. The color drained from Mariah’s face as she froze. The voice was unmistakable. She immediately recognized it.

“Gerald?”