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]

About time I got the next chapter out, eh?

----------------------------

Part 2: Big Bend

Chapter 14: Capitalizing on Opportunities

“And what will you be having tonight, dears?” The waitress asked Mariah and Valentina soon after they were seated inside the bar, Wakull-Over-Ya. The hit Pre-War tune “Poison Ivy” by The Coasters was playing in the background of the establishment.

“Brahmin steak and purified water, please,” Valentina said, handing a menu back to the waitress.

“I’ll have the Radfrog omelette and a purified water as well. Thank you,” Mariah said, handing back her menu.

“Absolutely. We’ll bring them out as soon as possible,” the waitress cheerily replied as she walked back to the bar’s kitchen.

Purified water was not a common commodity throughout most of the post-War world, though the city of New Tallahassee was fortunate to have the nearby Wakulla River, along with the means and people with the expertise to create water purifiers. With ready access to such a precious resource, the profits that were generated helped New Tallahassee rise from the ruins of Wakulla Springs as the city could export surplus water throughout GCU-owned Florida and beyond. The post-War world was harsh, but at least in settlements like New Tallahassee, many aspects of that unforgiving nature could be somewhat mitigated.

“This is for all those times a Radfrog tried to eat me instead,” Mariah joked, though for her there really was an element of retribution to it.

“Ha ha! Well, I don’t want to ever be in the same vicinity as one of those even when they are dead. Hearing about them is enough for me,” Valentina said, putting her hands up as if to stop something. “You actually came to face-to-face them before?”

“Yeah,” Mariah recalled as a chill went up her back. “Once in Holt when I followed the GCU and once when I found the F.A.C.T. near Niceville. Got poisoned the latter time and was saved by Chief White-Feather.”

“Well, you’ve certainly got some incredible endurance and luck, then.” The waitress came back with the waters for the two of them. “Thank you, ma’am,” Valentina said to her.

“With your penchant for tech, I think you’ve got me handily beat when it comes to intelligence.”

“I think you should give yourself more credit, Mariah. Intelligence isn’t all about knowing how to click a bunch of keys or reading computer screens or making some complex algorithms. You have a knack for figuring things out too, you know.”

“Well . . . thanks, Val. That’s very kind. You know, it takes a lot of endurance to go through what you have personally and professionally. It’s not just physical.”

“I suppose. But hey, that’s what makes a good team, right? Everyone has their strong suits, and they complement each other for maximum effect. It certainly worked for us in the Panhandle. I sure hope it works out that way here, too. I have no idea what we are supposed to do to resolve the issues in this area,” Valentina sat back and sighed, pursing her lips. The issues in Big Bend already seemed like a step up from those in the Panhandle. A mysterious city that was ostensibly impenetrable? Belligerent groups that claimed to be the continuations of the Florida and U.S. governments and were causing trouble in the region? And for all they knew, another faction could be involved in whatever was happening. There were a lot more unknowns here than just to the west.

“You certainly have me there,” Mariah said after thinking for a moment about what to say next. “Do you at least have any thoughts on who this Langston is?”

“I guess he ran afoul of whoever is running Old Tally. They went so far as to send some agents into this city to find him. But it sounds like there have been small squads sporadically attacking this area for some time now. Why would they do that? What’s to gain from that? Who or what else would they be looking for?” Valentina leaned forward on the table and shook her head. “It just doesn’t seem to make sense. Maybe that’s just because we’re new here, but it seems that Sergeant Waller and Commander Callahan don’t have any idea either. Maybe the mayor and the council could give us some ideas?”

“If they even see us,” Mariah reminded her. “I’m not exactly hopeful that some politicians are going to even give us the time of day. But we have to try. And these tensions between ghouls and non-ghouls can’t end well. I hope we can do something about that, but something tells me the hatred is deep-seated. Perhaps it is because of the attacks from Old Tally. Seems to be mostly ghouls there.”

“Maybe. Guess there’s only one way to find out.” Mariah and Valentina finished their meals, paid their caps, and headed for the place Sergeant Waller had set up for them to sleep at.

//////////

Mariah and Valentina were up bright and early, heading down to the city government center in the hopes that they would be granted an audience with the mayor and council. As luck would have it, the original early appointment that the elected officials had—with traders that came from the town of Perry, east down the old U.S. Route 98—was canceled. The traders seemed to be late to arrive. Sheila, the receptionist that Mariah and Valentina met the day before, contacted the mayor on an intercom to notify him of the situation and told him of the newcomers’ arrival. “Very well, send them up,” the mayor said. “But if those traders come in soon, we must see them immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” Sheila replied. She turned her attention to Mariah and Valentina. “Well, good news for the two of you! Mayor Treadwell will see you. You can take the elevator or the stairs up one floor. Signs will point you to the audience chamber. Sounds like the council is tied up with some other business at the moment, so you’ll just be seeing the mayor.”

“No problem. Thank you, Sheila,” Valentina said. She and Mariah followed the directions and opened a double door to a room that could fit about 120 audience members in it. On the other side of the room was a long, curved dais for the mayor and the four council members to seat themselves at. It even had working microphones. For the damage from the Great War that could be seen on the outside of the building and elsewhere in town—even the lobby of the government center to some extent—the audience chamber was noticeably cleaned up and restored.

On the other side of the dais was a rotund man in a gray three-piece suit staring out a large window. He wore a black bowler hat and sported a gray-and-white handlebar moustache and goatee. He held up a gold pocket watch in his right hand. The man was unapologetically old-fashioned even by Pre-War standards. It was Mayor Treadwell.

“Excuse me. Mayor?” Mariah piped up to get the man’s attention.

“Ah, forgive me. I was lost in thought. You don’t get much time to just passively think about things when you’re the mayor in this city,” the man said, speaking in a throaty voice. He turned around to greet them. “Welcome to our fine, humble city! I believe formal introductions are in order first. I am Mayor Justin Treadwell. You must be Valentina Santiago and Mariah Walker, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” the two women replied.

“Hmm, yes, I do believe that I’ve heard about you from the Panhandle. Oh, it is so exciting to have newcomers pay a visit to New Tallahassee—the only Tallahassee, as far as I’m concerned! But from what Sheila told me about the two of you, this is more than some simple business trip, unlike some certain tardy people,” the mayor said with a bit of sarcasm unsubtly mixed with irritation at the traders’ lateness. “Nevertheless, I help whenever I can. What can I do for you?”

“Well, we were wondering about a couple things actually,” Mariah said. “First, we’re with the GCU conducting an investigation into these recent attacks on the city. We were hoping to find any new info about why they are happening and who exactly is behind them.”

“Ah. And I see your GCU identifications,” the mayor said with a slight frown, pointing to their badges. “Did Waller and Callahan send you in their stead instead of coming to talk to me themselves?”

“Um, sort of. We petitioned them to . . . wait. Is there a problem between you and the Sergeant and the Commander?” Mariah noticed that Treadwell didn’t sound fond of talking about them.

“Oh, it’s nothing you need to worry about,” Treadwell laughed, motioning his hand as if to dismiss the question. “The city administration and the GCU military arm just don’t always see eye-to-eye, that’s all.”

Mariah’s inquisitive nature led her to press for more info about Treadwell’s comment. She made a charismatic bid to get more data from him. “Well, Mayor Treadwell, this could help us with the investigation. If there is any issue between you and the commanding officers, it could shine a light on some holes in this probe and we could fix them. We’re just here to help.”

Treadwell seemed to find it a convincing argument—or maybe he really did want to say something and changed his decision. “Oh, very well. I suppose the two of them would mention it eventually anyway.” The mayor took a deep breath. “We’ve butted heads with the GCU military personnel stationed here in New Tallahassee a lot. They see themselves as the rightful governing force, believing they are the ones that should be running everything here, not the city government. And it’s not just here. GCU military often have little regard for the GCU government. They’re very independent from each other in some respects, and people like Waller and Callahan are of the opinion that they should be calling the shots when it comes to governing. They disregard the legitimacy of our governmental institutions and processes whenever they can. They even supplant the city guard when it suits them.” Anger was slowly but steadily rising in Treadwell’s voice. He stopped to recollect himself, clearing his throat. “Ahem, I apologize again. This is not your concern and I’m not trying to turn you against your superiors—though I’m quite confident they would try to do so against me. But I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Mariah wondered if this hostility was the real reason that Waller and Callahan were reluctant to let her and Valentina chat with the mayor. How much was what Mayor Treadwell said the truth? Mariah wasn’t sure how to respond to Treadwell’s diatribe, so she tried to push it to the side for now. “So, can you give us a basic rundown of when all this started and how it has progressed? Any idea what these hostile units keep trying to attack the city for?” She refrained from mentioning Langston for the moment.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that they come from Old Tallahassee. I don’t know why they repeatedly harass us, but it is awfully strange that they do so in small, erratic packs. Perhaps they don’t want to risk an all-out assault. Maybe it’s reconnaissance they are trying to perform, and they get a little too spirited in their mission. I can’t say. But if they keep coming here, there must be a reason. Something that would make them go so far as to put their lives on the line. Even if we can’t discern a rhyme or reason to it all.”

“Are you sure this isn’t another group?” Valentina asked. It was her suspicion that they came from Old Tallahassee too, but as an investigator she was doing her due diligence. “We’ve had reports of other named bands that have been operating in Big Bend.”

“You must mean this Enclave and Old Guard.” The mayor started stroking his goatee thoughtfully. “Yes, I’ve heard all about it. I’m the mayor, after all. I have to know about any potential threats to the city. But they have not been verified to be near this area. Those reports come from way to the northeast. Plus, the groups that have run themselves to their deaths here have been found to have some ‘New State of Florida’ emblems when we’ve examined their bodies. I doubt that would be something that this Enclave or Old Guard would display. After all, they’ve made clear what their organizations’ names are.”

“Well, do you know anything about this New State of Florida?” Mariah said.

“I’m afraid not,” Treadwell shook his head. “I’ve had city employees search through library records and official documents. Nothing about this New State of Florida has turned up, save for these ruffians and louts that think they can take on this city.” The mayor said, pointing in the direction of Old Tallahassee. “That speaks to how well that eyesore excuse of a city is keeping what they are doing under wraps. We know basically nothing about them, even in all this time that they have been operating there.”

“And how long have they been operating there?”

“Oh . . . the better part of two or three years, probably? Hard to say when the city was still dangerously irradiated until these past few years. Expeditions that were attempting to brave its ruins suddenly found a civilization building there one day. How anyone could get a semblance of a sovereign city-state in such a short span of time is beyond me, especially in that hellhole. Somebody, or a bunch of people, clearly knew what they were doing when they set up shop there.”

While they were piecing together new bits of information, Mariah and Valentina were disappointed that it was nothing close to a breakthrough. But perhaps mentioning this Langston individual would lead to something substantial to work with. Valentina posed the question. “In this last attack, Commander Callahan reported that multiple people recalled the group mentioning someone by the name of ‘Langston.’ Does this name ring any bells for you?”

“Langston? No, that . . . nobody briefed me on that detail. Waller and Callahan must be keeping me in the dark deliberately as much as possible,” Treadwell scoffed. He cleared his throat again, quickly steering back on topic. “Anyway, no. That name does not mean anything to me. I’m guessing he is another new arrival, because to my knowledge it has not been reported that any New State of Florida—let’s just refer to them as NSF to make it easier—combatants have mentioned this ‘Langston.’ But the new arrivals to this city have been mostly ghouls, and there are a lot of ghouls in these NSF parties, so perhaps this Langston fellow is also one of them.”

It was clear to Mariah and Valentina that there wasn’t a whole lot more that Treadwell could tell them, but they still had one topic to address. “Speaking of the ghouls,” Mariah said, “Val and I have been hearing about these tensions between them and regular humans. We even heard a citizen of this city refer to ghouls derogatorily. Has the city government done anything about this?”

Treadwell was indignant. “You don’t think we’ve done anything about this?” Mariah and Valentina were caught off-guard by his heated response. He quickly reigned himself back in, laughing uneasily. “Please forgive me for that outburst. There’s been a lot more stress than usual lately, and even I can lose patience too quickly. I’m only human, you know. But I assure you, the city’s laws regarding physical harm, theft, and so on apply to everyone in this city equally. Ghoul or human. Citizen and non-citizen. GCU and not. But such deep-seated passions often do not respect laws. When it is reported and when it is verified, the city guard takes swift action. More than can be said for certain . . . apathetic parties.” It was clear he was taking another shot at Waller and Callahan. “Rest assured, we are doing everything we can, and we will resolve this.”

It wasn’t a satisfying answer, but there was no more time to press Treadwell further. The time that Mariah and Valentina were ordered to be at the GCU station was near, and the traders that were supposed to meet with Treadwell had finally arrived. “Apologies for our late arrival, Mayor Treadwell. There was trouble on the road here,” one of the traders said.

Treadwell masked his displeasure at their tardiness and put on a good politician face. “Oh, no reason to worry, Marcus. There’s always time to discuss business.” He turned to the two women. “I apologize, young ladies, but I must tend to this original appointment. But it was a great pleasure to meet the two of you.” Treadwell shook their hands firmly. “Please excuse us.”

“Sure thing,” Mariah said. Something about Treadwell didn’t sit well with her, but she wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Maybe it was just the fact that he was a politician. But while her hopes for getting workable information were higher, there was some useful information—perhaps the discord between the mayor and the GCU leadership most of all. How much would Waller and Callahan entertain questions about it? Mariah would inquire about it when the opportunity presented itself.

Mariah and Valentina waved to Sheila the receptionist as they went down the stairs and through the first-floor lobby. “That was sort of disappointing,” Valentina said to Mariah. “I’m not sure having more time to question the mayor would have revealed much more than we already know.”

“But we do know the sergeant and the commander are not friends with the mayor,” Mariah said, pointing a finger up in the air as if to rebut. “That may be really helpful to know and we could question them about . . .”

“I don’t think they will look kindly on us asking about it, Mariah,” Valentina cautioned. “They want us focused on the mission they specifically gave us. They’ll think all that stuff about their relationship with the mayor is superfluous and that we are losing our concentration.”

“Oh, come on, Val,” Mariah pleaded. They stopped at the front steps to the city government center. “I know you are very observant of the military structure and all, but I have a hunch talking to them about it is going to tell us something valuable. Why wouldn’t they say anything? It just makes them seem like they are hiding something if they don’t and they’ll want to put out their side of the story. Look, I’m not even a formal member of the GCU. This is my idea, anyway, so if they do get upset, I’ll take the heat.”

Valentina placed a hand on Mariah’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to be in trouble, Mariah. You already almost were when we first got here when you were getting testy with the commander. But between you and me,” Valentina said, lowering her voice, “I agree with you. There is something more there that they don’t want to tell us. But I don’t believe that asking them outright is going to help. Maybe they’ll just bring it up naturally, telling their side of the story.”

As they were talking, a ghoul man in sunglasses walked up to them. “Excuse me. May I speak with the two of you for a moment? It’s very important that I discuss something with you.”

Mariah and Valentina looked at each other, pondering how much time they had to spare before they had to meet with the sergeant and commander and whether they should talk to this random stranger. “Sure. But we have to be somewhere soon.”

“You are Mariah and Valentina, are you not?” The ghoul asked in a raspy voice, getting straight to the point. Excessive radiation typically did a lot of damage to ghoul vocal cords, or at least mutated them.

Mariah and Valentina were taken aback at this stranger knowing their names. “How do you know who we are?” Valentina asked with some suspicion and nervousness.

“I do not mean to alarm you. But I cannot tell you too much about who I am or how I know. Though, I am aware that you have been looking into the issues between ghouls and smoothskins . . . er, non-ghouls. It is rare that someone takes notice of our plight, let alone demonstrates a desire to resolve it. It is unusual for people that are working in the GCU. And the city administration, for that matter.”

“What do you mean?” Mariah asked. She and Valentina were still slightly apprehensive, but more so curious. “And how do you know that we were looking into that?”

“I am afraid I am not at liberty to say,” the ghoul said, keeping up the mystery. “But for what it is worth, I and others trust that the two of you are trying to do the right thing. It is just that we must constantly keep our guards up, given many residents’ . . . distaste at our presence. And both the GCU military and the city government have mostly been, at best, uncaring about us unless it causes serious trouble that affects or reflects badly on them. Maybe they want to believe that it is the other’s responsibility. Apathy is almost as dangerous as unequivocal antagonism. And the relatively few humans who do try to help us are looked upon with condescension by their fellow citizens.”

If this ghoul knew so much about what they were doing and who they were, Valentina reasoned that he may know about Langston. “If you are from the southwestern district of the city and you know this much about us, then perhaps you can help us with a sort of missing persons case,” she said. “We are looking for someone named Langston. A recent attack from people identified as ‘New State of Florida’ agents has indicated that they are looking for someone by that name. Does it ring any bells for you?”

“Most certainly. And I can let him explain the whole story,” the ghoul added after seeing their reactions. “But first, we need some guarantees from the GCU, and you two are our only option to go through.

“Look, sir,” Mariah said. “Val and I are not in a position to be making guarantees. We aren’t high-ranking officers. I’m not even a formal member of the GCU. The only thing I can promise is that we will do our best to help you.” Valentina nodded in affirmation. “How exactly can we meet with Langston? We have to tell the commanding officers about all this.”

“Ah, but that is why I have prepared precautionary measures for our segment of the community.” The ghoul’s expression did not change as he crossed his arms. “It’s also why I have not told you my name yet—for the sake of simplicity, you can refer to me as ‘H,’ when you report to your superiors. We need something tangible that says that more will be done to protect the ghouls from discriminatory actions in this city. Their safety is one of my utmost concerns. For your sake, I want to help you. It benefits us both. But given that you are not in charge, I need your help convincing those who do run the show. I promise that it will be well worth the GCU’s time to make a deal with us.”

Mariah and Valentina still weren’t sure what to think about the situation, but there wasn’t much choice. This could be their best chance at finding Langston. “Okay. What is your idea, H? We really need to meet with this Langston,” Valentina said.

H pulled out a letter sealed in an envelope. “Deliver this letter to your bosses. You don’t need to concern yourselves about all the details and trying to remember everything. This letter will circumvent such burdens, as it outlines all that we are seeking and the problems that plague us. What I will tell you, however, is how to find us. When you come to the district’s main gate, you will find an old cul-de-sac several blocks directly ahead. In the middle of this cul-de-sac are several cooking fires, a place where the residents often commune while eating. Out loud to the people there, say the following words in this exact order: ‘Quiet waters mask the dangers hiding underneath.’ One of them—though I will not tell you who—will address you and take you to where Langston is. But,” H added with emphasis, “It must be either you, Valentina, or you, Mariah, that utter this phrase. We know you are on our side and we will cooperate if you are present. But if your superiors insist on doing it themselves, nothing will happen.”

“But why can’t you just tell us who this specific person is that we must talk to? Or where exactly to find Langston? Or why it has to be me or Val that say this specific phrase?” Mariah asked. She was confident that H was well-intentioned, but she still wasn’t fond, nor entirely understanding, of the level of secrecy.

“If I did, your commanding officers may find an excuse to keep the two of you away because they have all the details they need,” H said matter-of-factly. “As aforementioned, we do not trust the GCU leadership. The city administration is no better. In case your . . . supervisors are of the notion that they will handle this themselves, we have taken measures to have two of the few people we believe we can trust be present in all of this. The way that I understand it, your bosses don’t want you to concern yourselves with our troubles, since there is another mission that you are here for.” How in the world did H know about all these things? Who has been watching and listening to Mariah and Valentina? Even though they seemed to be on the same side as the two women, the latter were somewhat creeped out by the surveillance. “But remember these words, which would be a good lesson for the city government and the GCU—as a great man once said, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’” It seemed that H was well-versed in American history, even as the nation died along with every other country in the world over a half-century ago. Being a ghoul, though, H may have been alive when the Bombs fell. “Hopefully, they will realize that a body cannot withstand external pressures if the internal strains are too great.”

Mariah had felt that Waller and Callahan were dismissive about the ghoul situation earlier, but to be wholly untrustworthy about it? Perhaps there has just been some misunderstanding, Mariah thought. Or they could have been so swamped with all these issues with this ‘New State of Florida,’ the Enclave, and the Old Guard that they didn’t want to put another conundrum on their plate. Whatever the case was, it wouldn’t be satisfying to Mariah, but there was a fine line that she and Valentina would have to walk if they wanted to have a chance at fixing this mess. Mariah would have to be wary of keeping her temper in check.

“Okay, H. We’ll take this letter and tell the sergeant and commander everything. Speaking of which, we must meet them as we are almost late. Thank you for your help.”

“No. Thank you,” H said with a bow. “We eagerly await your arrival tonight.” With those final words, he casually strolled away. As he left, Mariah and Valentina continued down the street toward the GCU headquarters in the city.

“That honestly made me uneasy,” Valentina remarked. “I understand they want to protect themselves and they aren’t trusting of others, but to go to these great lengths to set something up is awfully strange. Knowing as much as they do is unsettling. Has someone been following us?”

“I don’t think we have any choice but to trust them,” Mariah said. “This is probably our best shot at finding this Langston. It’s kind of creeping me out, too, the way they went about this, but maybe it was the only way for them. In any case, we need to let the Sergeant and Commander know.” Valentina nodded in approval as they continued to the station.

//////////

Sergeant Waller and Commander Callahan, for now, didn’t say anything about Treadwell when they heard about the meeting, save for some clear facial expressions of antipathy at his name. They had turned up next to nothing in interrogating civilians and going through documents regarding Langston. If his name hadn’t even be mentioned by the band of New State of Florida agents before they died, no one would even know to look for him. With next to no info on him, the officers were starting to think that this wild goose chase was seeking a nonexistent person. But instead of being relieved or please about a potential breakthrough when Mariah and Valentina told them about their encounter with H, Waller and Callahan met it with intense skepticism.

“This is a joke, right?” Waller said indignantly, already in a sour mood at the fruitless time he had spent looking for information on Langston since they last met up. “This is absolutely absurd. You’re being shadowed by this person and you trust him?”

“Sergeant, we’re just relaying what we were told,” Mariah said, surprised and, although she hid it, upset at his reaction. “This is all we have to go on to find Langston.”

“And you didn’t think about this possibly being a trap?” Sergeant Waller shook the letter that H wrote. “And why are they so trusting of you, exactly? Why do they specify that the two of you have to come to their district tonight? I hope you didn’t spend much time looking into the ghoul situation.”

“No, sir,” Valentina quickly answered. “But perhaps that is intertwined with what is going on with Langston. The ghouls don’t trust the city or the GCU. . .”

“If so, being surreptitious is not a way to get law enforcement on your side,” Waller said, wanting to yell at the ghouls that weren’t even in the building. His anger was directed at them, but Valentina and Mariah were getting an earful in their stead. There was a vibe that Waller gave off when he was mad that intimidated even Mariah. “Cooperation is key to building such relationships. We aren’t here to play games with them, so they should stop playing them.”

Mariah had several things in her head that she wanted to say in response. Valentina could sense it after getting to know her. But for both their sakes, and to Valentina’s relief, Mariah did not rebuff Waller on any of his points. “Sir, this could be the break we’ve been looking for. We haven’t found anything else about this Langston guy, and time is short for us.”

As frustrating as the situation was for Waller and Callahan, Mariah had a point. “Sergeant, if I may,” Callahan said. Waller motioned for him to continue. “She makes a good case. This man has made himself exceptionally difficult to find and it would not be efficient for us to try turn over every stone we possibly can. I don’t exactly trust this H, and we should still be on our guard. But there was nothing that said that our officers here have to go alone or that we cannot be there. Maybe the people there want to strike a sort of deal with us. For what reason is beyond me, but if this New State of Florida wants to get him, then maybe it has something to do with them.”

Callahan got a harrumph out of Waller, who thought it over for a moment. “Fine. We’ll do it their way, then. But the two of you—do not let your guard down. You can never be too wary, especially with this clandestine operation they are running. And that is a shady part of the city we are going to. We don’t need to bring an army with us—not that I want to, anyway—but I’m going to enlist a handful of officers to come with us. A squad will be on standby outside the district in case something goes down.”

“Sergeant, what if they get scared off by the GCU presence in . . .” Mariah protested before Waller cut her off.

“Mariah, I did not ask for extra input,” Waller snapped. Mariah flinched. “I’m handling the strategy here. You just do what they asked you to do, and what we tell you to do. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Mariah affirmed.

“Valentina, is that clear?” Waller said, turning his attention to her.

“Yes, sir.” Valentina saluted.

“Good. Then tonight is settled. In the meantime, we’re researching this Old Guard and Enclave. Quite ballsy of them to so openly conduct themselves the way they do and to outright state who they are. We’ll see to it that that cockiness makes them sloppy and puts an end to their operations. There is an old library in the city that has been largely restored with a surprising number of texts that have been preserved. See if you can find anything about them and who they say they are, what makes them so brazen, what the reasons are for wanting into Old Tally, and so on. And see if you can find some of the eldest residents of New Tally to see if there is anything they can tell us. There’s still a few people that were alive before the Bombs. Return here at 6:00 and then we will go into the southwestern district. Dismissed.” Waller adjourned the meeting. Mariah and Valentina left without saying another word.

/////////

Rummaging through old books and scouring through running terminals brought the pair no closer to understanding what the motives of the Old Guard and the Enclave were. The names didn’t appear even once in all of the information that bombarded their eyes.

The next best bet was going off of what little Mariah and Valentina heard about in reported sightings in Big Bend. Given that the Old Guard was supposedly the self-proclaimed continuation of the Florida state government and that the Enclave was that of the federal government, they researched information on those administrations. Mariah remembered hearing in the Panhandle about how the two regimes were hostile to each other, and some of the research expounded on that. While it was not clear when it all started, some texts noted many ways in which the bitter rivalry manifested itself. Perhaps chief among them was how some national corporations infringed upon the market territory of the state-based and regional corporations. Nuka-Cola was trying to cut into the market share of Fusion! soft drinks. Super Duper Mart—a hugely popular supermarket chain in the northeastern United States, among other areas of the country—was in the infancy of its campaign to supplant the likes of UniMart and others. National utilities like Poseidon Energy took a different approach and bought out some local and state utilities, who were themselves major players in Florida’s state politics.

Mariah recognized the names of Nuka-Cola, Super Duper Mart, and Poseidon Energy from her various travels. She also vaguely remembered the name of Panhandle Gas, Electric, and Nuclear (PGEN) early on in her Florida adventures. It appeared that there was no situation like these, however, with Vault-Tec, which surprised her. There was no regional or local competitor from what she could tell, save for smaller businesses or personal projects resulting in bunkers on a much smaller, cheaper scale. Perhaps the market just didn’t lend itself well to another major corporation being involved. Mariah’s knowledge of the Old World was quite limited, but she still wondered about Vault-Tec’s presence in Florida. There wasn’t much data she could find on it, including what Vaults were being constructed. Even with the troubles between federal and state, surely a high-population, prominent state like Florida would have some Vaults hidden somewhere, right?

There was one old citizen, who said he was in his 80s, that did talk to Mariah and Valentina about the Old World. The words “Old Guard” and “Enclave” did not mean anything to him, but upon hearing their supposed ties to the Pre-War governments, he symbolically spat upon the name of the latter. “I don’t know about these Old Guard folk,” the old man said in a gravelly voice, “but if them Enclave are the federal government, then to hell with ‘em. No respect for state or local sovereignty. Hope they get what’s a-coming to them.” He then regaled Mariah and Valentina with several stories about the rivalry between the groups’ predecessors. Tensions were so bad that some in the Florida state government advocated for secession well before the Great War. While the U.S. fought with China, Florida smostly dealt with a Cuban government that allied with the reds, which the U.S. ostensibly was content to leave Florida alone on. The old man even claimed to be involved in a “Second Cuban Missile Crisis,” the importance of which was lost on Mariah and Valentina. Other transgressions that the federal government were guilty of, at least according to him, dealt with a “New Plague,” secret biochemical experiments, and more.

The amount of information the old man recited made the two ladies’ heads spin. They couldn’t keep track of it all. What could be gathered could be useful in the long run, perhaps, but it did not seem like they were demonstrably closer to understanding this Old Guard and Enclave. Valentina suggested that, if they were to finally meet Langston tonight, that maybe he would know something. It seemed to be a longshot since they had little idea who Langston was supposed to be, but Valentina called it a hunch. “Couldn’t hurt to ask, right?” Valentina shrugged.

//////////

Mariah and Valentina met with Sergeant Waller and Commander Callahan at the appointed time. A group of 16 other officers were accompanying them, much more than the handful that Waller suggested it would be, and 12 of which would stay on the outskirts of the district in case backup was needed. Waller wasn’t quite throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this situation, but the GCU presence made it clear how little he trusted the ghouls with this meeting.

As the crew came through the district, with Mariah and Valentina following the instructions laid out by H, the residents of the district became quickly aware of their presence. Many of them would get quieter or stiffen with apprehension as the soldiers came by, and it was not just the majority-ghoul community. The humans were just as suspicious of the military and the city guard. Waller and Callahan didn’t seem to be aware of the sentiment, or perhaps they chose to ignore it. Mariah, and even Valentina, did not like how the two commanding officers approached the overall issue, but they kept their objections between each other.

They soon came to the cul-de-sac that H had talked about. Some of the houses were of a standard Pre-War model in style and size, remnants of the old American suburban image, but rundown and in the process of being restored by some of the residents. Other tenants had set up wooden and metal shacks right next to the houses. When they came to the communal area where a group of ghouls and a few humans were eating, the locals were almost completely silent at the GCU presence.

Mariah and Valentina decided that the former would say the passphrase H gave them. Mariah stepped into the middle of the commune as some of the people eyed her warily. It was a very awkward moment. “Uh . . .” Mariah stuttered nervously in front of the strangers. Without any sort of lead in, she said, “Quiet waters . . . mask the dangers hiding underneath?” with an inquisitive inflection at the end. Besides the obvious oddity of the situation, Mariah felt the phrase was strange with a pseudointellectual quality when it came out of her mouth. In what world would something like that naturally come out of my mouth? Mariah thought.

Perhaps the locals thought something similar. In any case, it changed the mood. Instead of the hushed atmosphere, some of the residents returned to talking to each other in a low register. Soon after, another ghoul walked toward Mariah and Valentina while looking at the other GCU soldiers nervously. “You must be the two that our mutual friend told us about?” She said sheepishly.

Mariah nodded. “I assume so. H said that he had some information for us. I take it you will take us to meet . . . well, whoever it is we are supposed to meet.”

“Yes, but we . . . don’t have room for all your friends in the house. Is there a way they can stay outside?”

Sergeant Waller walked up as Mariah and Valentina looked to him, both unsure of how to answer. “I’m Sergeant Waller,” he introduced himself to the ghoul gruffly. “This is Commander Callahan to my right. I won’t ask you to take in everyone here, but the Commander and I will be going inside with the two of them. I urge your cooperation in this matter.” For Waller, ‘urging’ was more of a demand. The ghoul got the picture.

“Oh, uh . . . of . . . of course,” the ghoul replied slowly and nervously. Waller ordered the rest of the GCU squad to stay guard outside of the house the ghoul was taking them to. He was making it clear to the community that he was not messing around. The residents would keep to themselves as the GCU soldiers stood on watch.

Mariah, Valentina, Waller, and Callahan followed the ghoul into a two-story, faded-green house. The inside still had some restorative work that needed to be done, but it looked to have come a long way from whatever its previous state was. The ghoul lady invited them to take seats in the living room at the front of the house. Mariah and Valentina sat together on a couch while Waller and Callahan took their own leather-backed single seats. The ghoul excused herself, saying that she would return shortly and asked if they wanted any refreshments, but everyone declined. Waller and Callahan were leaning forward in their chairs with their right hands on their handgun holsters, waiting for some sort of ambush.

No ambush came. After a minute or two, the ghoul lady returned with another guest. “This man is much better suited to answering your questions.” Mariah and Valentina recognized that it was H, even though he was wearing different clothing from before.

“H? Is that you?” Mariah asked, surprised. She did not expect to see him again.

“Hello again,” he replied cordially. He had on a different outfit this time, a plain white, dirty lab coat. The label near to his left shoulder had some letters forcibly taken of, but it was clear that it once read ‘New State of Florida.’ “Yes, it is me. But also, no.”

“Huh?”

“H is just a random letter I came up with in the attempt to stay undercover until the right time. Nobody calls me that.” He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “My real name is Dr. Vernon Langston.”