Ground Zero
You've had your mind debates before about whether to leave or not, but it looks like this is the final one. You never sought this path and you certainly don't want to be commanding anything, but staying here really isn't an option anymore. Time to move on. In some ways you always thought it would come to this one day.
"I can't do it Colonel. Sorry."
"Very well then, I guess I can only hope Harry's ruthless nature and hamfisted way of leading works. After you leave, send him to see me. We won't speak again."
You leave and for once go find Harry. He's in the cafeteria screaming at someone to scrub the floor harder. When he sees you, he gives you the typical hostility.
"What the hell do you want Cupcake?" he sneers.
"The Colonel wants to see you, better hurry too he doesn't have much time."
Harry doesn't bother to retort, his eyes seem to light up at the prospect that the Colonel is dying and that this could ONLY mean he's getting official command. In his haste of rushing past you, he doesn't notice your foot, which you purposely stick out to trip him. He falls on floor and lands squarely on his nose, breaking it.
"AH SHIT!" he yells holding his nose while still on the floor.
"Whoops, sorry about that, cupcake." You say walking out the cafeteria.
You go back to your room and start packing your belongings and determining what might be useful, Marina is there and wondering what's going on.
"What're you doing?"
"Leaving. My time here is done; Harry's going to take control of the Combine, which probably won't be for long if the Colonel's predictions are true. Now Marina, you know I love you, and you say you love me. So if you really do, you'll come with me."
"And where the hell are we supposed to be going?"
"I know a place. A place I found in my travels which I never told anyone about, and apparently nobody else found, hopefully it's still a friendly place."
"Well hold on, isn't there some other way?"
"Not unless Harry's attitude towards me does a complete turn around. I'm not going to stay some place where my life is in constant danger and besides the Colonel's going on about some robot invasion he think is going to take place. Can't say I want to stick around for that either. And I can't say I want YOU to stick around for it. Just come with me, why is that so difficult?"
"Because I don't believe in fucking running from my home! Do you understand that THIS place has basically been my home longer than it's been yours? And that most of these people I'm friends with, and they're like a family to me? Maybe YOU don't have that bond, but I do. I'm not just going to abandon this place. Look, maybe you can talk to the Colonel, I mean he respects you more than you might think, maybe he'd see you as a more stable candidate to command this place, and then "
"He already tried to offer me the job. I turned it down."
"You what?!"
"I turned it down! I don't want the fucking responsibility. I never did. I've always said I've always just stayed here for you and for how you rescued me from dying in a nuclear firestorm, but my survival is severely at stake if I stay here. I mean what do you want me to die for you or something?"
"I wanted you to be a fucking man and be ambitious, which I thought you were. I always saw potential in you, I saw it way back before the bombs hit. I thought you were trying to take some initiative by moving up the ranks like you did. Like you had your eyes set on becoming leader of this place. I saw you being able to really help the rebuilding process. I mean you were vital in many of our alliances. And what did you do? You just threw all of that work down the fucking drain, because you're fucking scared of more responsibility."
You've always known Marina to be a bit of a "Lady Macbeth" type with her always wanting you to strive for power and be ambitious. And out of your feelings toward her, you have tried to oblige that to a degree, but after hearing this shit, you can see you were almost nothing more than some sort of pawn. You don't need this. You never needed this. Yet, there's no point in arguing. This is hard enough as it is. You take the high road with Marina.
"Marina, I'm just gonna say this, you saw something in me that was never there to begin with. I'm sorry to disappoint you thanks for saving my life and hopefully you have a nice one. Maybe you can marry Harry or even better, take control yourself, since you seem to have the proper mindset and already a lot smarter."
Marina is silent. You finish packing and open the door, you linger a bit hoping she changes her mind, but you can tell she isn't when she turns her head to keep you from seeing that she's obviously upset and going to cry.
You slam the door and go back up top to the surface; you take one of the motorcycles and zoom off. You do it all the time so nobody finds you leaving out of the ordinary. Eventually you head back to Lost Springs. Looks like it did when you found the place four years ago. You're welcomed again, but they tell you they still aren't interested in joining the Compound. You laugh and say that's not why you're here and immediately ask if there's any work that needs to be done since you plan of staying on a permanent basis.
A year passes relatively uneventfully in Lost Springs.
One day a wandering traveler passes through. For whatever reason he strikes up a conversation with you while you're sitting the local cafe.
"Hey friend." The traveler says.
"Hmn." You reply still reading a book.
"This place is pretty remote huh? It was only by sheer dumb luck I stumbled upon it, you guys don't get many people coming here do you?"
"Other than me, you'd be the first in a long time. We're pretty self-sufficient here and like to keep to ourselves." You say still without looking up.
"Hey, good idea. It's a crazy fucking world out there. I say you got the set up. Still, doesn't the Cybernetic Evolution worry you?"
"Cybernetic Evolution?" you ask finally looking up.
"Yeah! You never heard of them? Well I guess I should warn you then. It's this group of killer cyborgs that want to remake humanity or exterminate them if they don't comply. There's robots too, but mostly cyborgs. I heard they're lead by some nut case called Alex. They've been spreading all over the place; the Combine is losing the war with them. That's mainly why I'm trying to get out of the area."
"Hold on, the Combine?"
"Yeah! Come on you never heard of them either? Wow you are in your own little world! The Combine is an alliance of towns with the head base called Fort Justice. Of course Fort Justice was razed to the ground months ago, and now the current towns are wondering how to proceed since Fort Justice was where the line was being held not to mention where the best soldiers were. I heard nobody was spared. Now most of the towns are suffering raider attacks again who are taking advantage of the chaos as well as attacks from the CE. Looks fucking bleak man."
Bleak indeed. While the traveler concentrates on his drink, you stay silent thinking about Marina. What might've happened. Did she get killed, did she escape, or even if maybe she was turned into a cyborg? You'll never know you suppose.
"Well, I have to get going. Nice talking to you and hope the CE doesn't find this place." The traveler says finishing his drink and getting up to leave.
You continue remain silent while you reminisce. You wonder if you could've done a better job if you'd stayed behind. You do a lot of second guessing for awhile, of course that's been in your nature in the beginning.
You didn't know whether or not you wanted to buy a bomb Shelter, and you were re-thinking the decision that you didn't. You spent what you thought were going to be your last days with your co-workers and you were re-thinking that decision after you did that. You thought about leaving the Compound several times, before you actually did it and now you're re-thinking that decision as well.
"Shit, I would've made a lousy leader; it takes me forever to make up my mind and then I agonize over the decision." You say to yourself. Oddly this revelation makes you feel somewhat better, like you did make the right decision to leave.
If nothing else you've at least been able to make good decisions concerning your own survival and you're about to make another one. You go to the run down motel that you've been staying at, and pack your belongings. Its time to move on again, you figure you should get out now while you can.
You say goodbye to the few acquaintances you've had since your time here and warn them about the CE before leaving. It's up to them what they're going to do. You can't make people leave if they don't want to even if you want them to.
And once again, you're off, with the unknown future dead ahead of you.
"I can't do it Colonel. Sorry."
"Very well then, I guess I can only hope Harry's ruthless nature and hamfisted way of leading works. After you leave, send him to see me. We won't speak again."
You leave and for once go find Harry. He's in the cafeteria screaming at someone to scrub the floor harder. When he sees you, he gives you the typical hostility.
"What the hell do you want Cupcake?" he sneers.
"The Colonel wants to see you, better hurry too he doesn't have much time."
Harry doesn't bother to retort, his eyes seem to light up at the prospect that the Colonel is dying and that this could ONLY mean he's getting official command. In his haste of rushing past you, he doesn't notice your foot, which you purposely stick out to trip him. He falls on floor and lands squarely on his nose, breaking it.
"AH SHIT!" he yells holding his nose while still on the floor.
"Whoops, sorry about that, cupcake." You say walking out the cafeteria.
You go back to your room and start packing your belongings and determining what might be useful, Marina is there and wondering what's going on.
"What're you doing?"
"Leaving. My time here is done; Harry's going to take control of the Combine, which probably won't be for long if the Colonel's predictions are true. Now Marina, you know I love you, and you say you love me. So if you really do, you'll come with me."
"And where the hell are we supposed to be going?"
"I know a place. A place I found in my travels which I never told anyone about, and apparently nobody else found, hopefully it's still a friendly place."
"Well hold on, isn't there some other way?"
"Not unless Harry's attitude towards me does a complete turn around. I'm not going to stay some place where my life is in constant danger and besides the Colonel's going on about some robot invasion he think is going to take place. Can't say I want to stick around for that either. And I can't say I want YOU to stick around for it. Just come with me, why is that so difficult?"
"Because I don't believe in fucking running from my home! Do you understand that THIS place has basically been my home longer than it's been yours? And that most of these people I'm friends with, and they're like a family to me? Maybe YOU don't have that bond, but I do. I'm not just going to abandon this place. Look, maybe you can talk to the Colonel, I mean he respects you more than you might think, maybe he'd see you as a more stable candidate to command this place, and then "
"He already tried to offer me the job. I turned it down."
"You what?!"
"I turned it down! I don't want the fucking responsibility. I never did. I've always said I've always just stayed here for you and for how you rescued me from dying in a nuclear firestorm, but my survival is severely at stake if I stay here. I mean what do you want me to die for you or something?"
"I wanted you to be a fucking man and be ambitious, which I thought you were. I always saw potential in you, I saw it way back before the bombs hit. I thought you were trying to take some initiative by moving up the ranks like you did. Like you had your eyes set on becoming leader of this place. I saw you being able to really help the rebuilding process. I mean you were vital in many of our alliances. And what did you do? You just threw all of that work down the fucking drain, because you're fucking scared of more responsibility."
You've always known Marina to be a bit of a "Lady Macbeth" type with her always wanting you to strive for power and be ambitious. And out of your feelings toward her, you have tried to oblige that to a degree, but after hearing this shit, you can see you were almost nothing more than some sort of pawn. You don't need this. You never needed this. Yet, there's no point in arguing. This is hard enough as it is. You take the high road with Marina.
"Marina, I'm just gonna say this, you saw something in me that was never there to begin with. I'm sorry to disappoint you thanks for saving my life and hopefully you have a nice one. Maybe you can marry Harry or even better, take control yourself, since you seem to have the proper mindset and already a lot smarter."
Marina is silent. You finish packing and open the door, you linger a bit hoping she changes her mind, but you can tell she isn't when she turns her head to keep you from seeing that she's obviously upset and going to cry.
You slam the door and go back up top to the surface; you take one of the motorcycles and zoom off. You do it all the time so nobody finds you leaving out of the ordinary. Eventually you head back to Lost Springs. Looks like it did when you found the place four years ago. You're welcomed again, but they tell you they still aren't interested in joining the Compound. You laugh and say that's not why you're here and immediately ask if there's any work that needs to be done since you plan of staying on a permanent basis.
A year passes relatively uneventfully in Lost Springs.
One day a wandering traveler passes through. For whatever reason he strikes up a conversation with you while you're sitting the local cafe.
"Hey friend." The traveler says.
"Hmn." You reply still reading a book.
"This place is pretty remote huh? It was only by sheer dumb luck I stumbled upon it, you guys don't get many people coming here do you?"
"Other than me, you'd be the first in a long time. We're pretty self-sufficient here and like to keep to ourselves." You say still without looking up.
"Hey, good idea. It's a crazy fucking world out there. I say you got the set up. Still, doesn't the Cybernetic Evolution worry you?"
"Cybernetic Evolution?" you ask finally looking up.
"Yeah! You never heard of them? Well I guess I should warn you then. It's this group of killer cyborgs that want to remake humanity or exterminate them if they don't comply. There's robots too, but mostly cyborgs. I heard they're lead by some nut case called Alex. They've been spreading all over the place; the Combine is losing the war with them. That's mainly why I'm trying to get out of the area."
"Hold on, the Combine?"
"Yeah! Come on you never heard of them either? Wow you are in your own little world! The Combine is an alliance of towns with the head base called Fort Justice. Of course Fort Justice was razed to the ground months ago, and now the current towns are wondering how to proceed since Fort Justice was where the line was being held not to mention where the best soldiers were. I heard nobody was spared. Now most of the towns are suffering raider attacks again who are taking advantage of the chaos as well as attacks from the CE. Looks fucking bleak man."
Bleak indeed. While the traveler concentrates on his drink, you stay silent thinking about Marina. What might've happened. Did she get killed, did she escape, or even if maybe she was turned into a cyborg? You'll never know you suppose.
"Well, I have to get going. Nice talking to you and hope the CE doesn't find this place." The traveler says finishing his drink and getting up to leave.
You continue remain silent while you reminisce. You wonder if you could've done a better job if you'd stayed behind. You do a lot of second guessing for awhile, of course that's been in your nature in the beginning.
You didn't know whether or not you wanted to buy a bomb Shelter, and you were re-thinking the decision that you didn't. You spent what you thought were going to be your last days with your co-workers and you were re-thinking that decision after you did that. You thought about leaving the Compound several times, before you actually did it and now you're re-thinking that decision as well.
"Shit, I would've made a lousy leader; it takes me forever to make up my mind and then I agonize over the decision." You say to yourself. Oddly this revelation makes you feel somewhat better, like you did make the right decision to leave.
If nothing else you've at least been able to make good decisions concerning your own survival and you're about to make another one. You go to the run down motel that you've been staying at, and pack your belongings. Its time to move on again, you figure you should get out now while you can.
You say goodbye to the few acquaintances you've had since your time here and warn them about the CE before leaving. It's up to them what they're going to do. You can't make people leave if they don't want to even if you want them to.
And once again, you're off, with the unknown future dead ahead of you.
