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[p] Jared sat down in his chair, watching the television play his favorite program. He picked up the Nuka Cola sitting on the desk besides him, sipping it luxuriously.[/p] He knew of the terrible war happening across Canada in Alaska, but as long as the U.S. had the upper hand, he knew he was safe and sound in his comfortable home.[/p] He removed the bottle from his lips, shaking the empty canister. "Wadsworth, please bring me another bottle, if you will," he said to a seemingly empty hallway.[/p] "Right away, sir!" said a voice with a British accent, with a metallic hint. A robot with three arms, three eyes attached to eyestalks and a metal sphere as a head floated into the hallway. Jared had bought this robot from RobCo, the leading company in robotic design, five months ago. While Jared had been hesitant to let this robot into his home at first, he quickly accepted him as a friend and a helper, as he was programmed to be. Even if he was a bit disturbed by it.[/p] The robot glided into the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle, handing it to Jared. "Thank you, Wadsworth."[/p] "You are very welcome, sir!"[/p] Jared sank back into his chair, enjoying the peace of his street and the bottle in his hand. He closed his eyes, taking in how lucky he was to not be in a town of war.[/p] The doorbell rang, shaking him from his relaxed stupor. He got out of his chair, walking to the door.[/p] As he opened the door, he spotted a man with the symbol of Vault-Tec on his hat. "Hello, good sir!" The man asked, too optimistic, considering there was a war going on.[/p] Jared sighed. "Yes? What do you want?"[/p] "I am a representative of Vault-Tec, and we are going door to door to let people register for life in the Vaults! So, would you please jus-"[/p] "I'm not going to one of your underground death-traps," Jared said, frustrated at Vault-Tec. They had sent three representatives already, and in truth, they were glorified salesmen. Also, he didn't trust Vault-Tec. They seemed too sure of success, too sure of themselves. He knew they'd crash some day, and he didn't want to be inside one of their tin cans when it happened.[/p] "But, sir, we have reservations specially designed for the need of human beings! You'd be safe for the holocaust coming, you and your family! That is, if you, uh, have a family..." The man asked, looking over Jared's shoulder, as if checking for anyone else in the house.[/p] "Look, I'm fine as it is. I've survived worse, pal. So how about you and Vault-Tec stop annoying me with your 'deals'?" Jared said forcefully, already starting to close the door.[/p] "Wait, sir, you have a spot in Vault 10-" He had no time to finish, as the door was shut by the time he finished. Jared angrily sighed, and walked back to his chair, settling back down. They'd be back again, soon enough, as he had similar conversations with the other Vault-Tec salesmen before. After all, they never change.[/p] His eyes cleared, and the brightest light he had ever seen flushed into his eyes. His skinned burned, and he felt as if he were burning alive... What had happened?[/p] Jared turned off his television, looking at the clock on the wall. It was 10:23. Might as well go on and get to bed, Jared thought, getting out of his chair. "Wadsworth?"[/p] "Yes, sir?" The robot replied, floating over to Jared. Even with years of owning him, he still felt uncomfortable near him. His three eyes seemed to always stare directly at him.[/p] "Can you go set up my bed, while I get my medicine?" He asked, already walking to the cabinet.[/p] "Very good, sir."[/p] He sat up, looking through the glaring light now identified as the sun. There was shattered glass, wood and stone scattered around him... Dust floated in the air, and everything seemed... dead.[/p] Jared woke with a jolt, his alarm blaring in his ear. He could hear Wadsworth call from the kitchen, "Good morning, Mister Jared!"[/p] Jared got out of his bed, still feeling groggy. He got dressed and walked out, eyeing Wadsworth. "What're you making?"[/p] "Eggs and bacon, sir, your favorite!"[/p] "Thank you, Wadsworth," Jared stated half-heartedly, pouring some coffee into a cup.[/p] He drank the coffee, looking over the cup at Wadsworth, who was busy over the stove. While he was unnerved by the robot, he had to admit he was a good cook.[/p] He settled down in his chair, grabbing the remote to see the news. It was probably the same thing as it always was; the Government tying loose ends after winning the war with the Chinese. They had finally, after twenty five years, taken Alaska from China, the new Communist party.[/p] The war had started when he was but one year old, and he couldn't comprehend it at that time. At that time, Jared couldn't comprehend the reasons for people's' panic and fear. He thought it was just a game.[/p] As he turned the television on to the news, the man at the desk appeared, the same as always. Yet, this time, something was different. He seemed nervous, afraid, and worrying for the worst.[/p] "This just in... they're getting reports that... Oh god... The Chinese are stocking up their nuclear missiles... They're firing... Oh god..." The man spoke, glancing at the camera and the crew behind it.[/p] Jared froze, not able to believe what he was hearing. "What?"[/p] "Sir, you need to get out of here!" Wadsworth cried, already holding an open suitcase with items stuffed inside it. Jared stood up, running to get important things.[/p] That was when the sirens began.[/p] "Sir! Hurry up! We need to get to saf-" Wadsworth was interrupted by a loudspeaker yelling through the neighborhood.[/p] "GET TO THE VAULTS. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE," The speakers repeated this message over and over again, and Jared started to regret shutting the Vault-Tec salesman out.[/p] He heard people running through the streets, screaming. The noise that made it above them all was a baby crying and a mother failing to comfort it. He heard vertibirds fly overhead, outside of his home. There was much shouting from - he guessed - soldiers, directing the people to their shelter.[/p] He started to open the door when he was greeted with a searing white light, accompanied by a deafening explosion. He was able to make out a mushroom cloud before a wall of dust and smoke rushed into the street, flooding the house and his vision. He coughed, then collapsed, consumed by the radioactive glow.[/p] His eyes cleared, and the brightest light he had ever seen flushed into his eyes. His skinned burned, and he felt as if he were burned alive... What had happened?[/p] He sat up, looking through the glaring light now identified as the sun. There was shattered glass, wood and stone scattered around him... Dust floated in the air, and everything seemed... dead.[/p] He looked around, dazed. He was in something akin to a ruin in science fiction... He could see a television, still active somehow. He glanced at it, only seeing a shattered remain of a studio... Oh god... he thought, and he realised that this, this wreckage...[/p] This wreckage was his home.[/p] As his initial shock sided, he was suddenly filled with panic. There was nothing left... Nothing but wreckage and death everywhere. The bombs had fallen, his world was collapsed. Yet... he was still alive... How was he alive?[/p] He re-gathered himself, looking down at himself. His clothes were tattered...[/p] But so was his skin.[/p] He panicked, and the burning sensation came back, accompanied with a strange tingling in his limbs. He lifted his hand to his head, and felt few pieces of hair still attached to his scalp. His skin on his head and everywhere was as if it was stuck in a shredder. He could feel patches of muscle all over his head, exposed to the air from the tattered skin... What am I... What happened?! Jared thought to himself, looking around at his neighborhood.[/p] There were no other survivors that he could see... only their bodies. Skeletons and tattered corpses lay everywhere, on the streets, in the ruins of the houses. Some were intact, others were... not.[/p] Why am I the one to survive... Why me? Jared thought to himself, suddenly feeling disgusted by the mutilated corpses. He closed his eyes, discovering that his eyelids were one of the few things that had stayed intact. He shuddered, imagining the last moments of all those people... the people of which he could have, should have, been one of.[/p] He dared to open his eyes, and glared at the destruction - the wasteland. For the first time, he noticed many soldiers lying dead in the streets. Many had armor and weapons with them.[/p] Putting aside the thought of this being akin to robbing a grave, he walked over to one of the bodies. He noticed a laser rifle, akin to the one he had seen on the multiple propaganda posters. The soldiers commonly used them. He lifted the rifle from the grip of the man, and looked up at his face. A skull looked back at him.[/p] He swallowed a scream, hoping not to attract attention to himself. He didn't know what he was going to attract, but better not to take chances...[/p] As he lifted the rifle, the armor shifted, yet it made no sound. Just then, Jared realised he hadn't heard anything since he woke.[/p] He lifted a hand to his ear, finding it filled with congealed blood. Putting aside his disgust and panic, he scooped out the blood. Sound filled his ears, wind rushing in, causing pain to his injured ears.[/p] He covered his ears, hoping not to further the wound. It was most likely already healed, but best not to test it...[/p] After a while, his ears adjusted to the sound. He lowered his hands, wincing at the wind. He listened, hearing only silence, the only sound the occasional creaking of wood and the wind.[/p] He sighed, and lifted the rifle up, putting it on his shoulder, looking around at the place that he used to live. He remembered with a jolt about ammunition, and searched the soldier's body for ammunition. He found something with the label 'Microfusion Cell' and decided that that would fit it well enough.[/p] He tested the rifle, slowly reloading. It seemed intact, yet some parts were broken or missing, most likely blown around by the explosion.[/p] With a start, he looked in the direction of the nuclear blast. The area was extremely charred, and few things were left standing. There were a few dead trees, some standing, some knocked over. There were many charred corpses of animals and other people around the radius of the explosion.[/p] With a sickened feeling, he looked back at his home. He knew he kept some things he could use in this new world... his new reality.[/p] He searched through the ruins of his home, looking for anything that he could use. He spotted a book on a table, wondering what it could have been. It seemed intact and un-charred, somehow. As he lifted the book, the table collapsed, disturbed by the sudden change in pressure.[/p] The noise seemed to ring, the loudest sound in the world since the blast. Jared looked around nervously, yet he didn't know what could have heard. Nothing, but him, apparently, could have survived the explosion... could they?[/p] There was some heavy clunking, as well as the sound of something powering up. "Hel-llo? Is an-anyone ther'?" A high-pitched British voice sounded from the only room left standing in the ruins.[/p] "Wadsworth...?" Jared asked hesitantly, slowly starting to walk towards to voice.[/p] "Sir! You-u are ba-ack!! Oh, come, I bet you're-re famish-shed!" Wadsworth continued ranting as Jared started to creep into the room. As he finally saw Wadsworth, he saw that he had one eyestalk completely gone, just a sparking stump left. One of his arms was missing, blown off by the explosion presumably.[/p] Jared was filled with relief when he discovered Wadsworth, alive and working. "Wadsworth, I'm so glad to see yo-" Jared stopped talking, listening to his voice. It sounded grated, strained and rough.[/p] "Wh-Who are y-you, sir? Whe-where is Miste-er Jared-d?" Wadsworth, spinning around and looking around, as if hoping the 'real' Jared would appear in the doorway and tell this intruder to go out.[/p] "It's me... Wadsworth, it's me!" Jared said, hoping if he said it enough Wadsworth would believe him.[/p] "No, yo-you can't be. You'r-re some ki-kind of... zomb-bie! Yes, tha-at is what you are, a z-zombie!" Wadsworth cried, pivoting his arms so that his flamethrower was pointing at him.[/p] "Wadsworth... don't do this, it's me!" Jared cried, stepping back into the doorway frame.[/p] The flame flickered at the mouth of the flamethrower, and Jared ran. He unholstered his rifle and aimed it at the doorway, walking backwards slowly. Wadsworth floated around the corner, and flame burst in front of him, aimed at Jared.[/p] Jared closed his eyes for a moment, thinking through all of what he was about to do. He put that aside and readied the rifle.[/p] He pulled the trigger.[/p] Jared shivered, staring into the night sky, into the stars. He shook his head, risking one last glance towards his home before he went off into this... wasteland. He couldn't see the metal body, but he knew it lay there, waiting for its master to come, only to have it's life stolen by...[/p] He wasn't a human anymore... he was something new. He was... he didn't know what he was. With his skin, his hair... nothing was human.[/p] He shook his head, hoping that that would be able to dispel his thoughts. He looked down at himself once again, yet this time he couldn't see much of his tattered skin. In his home, he had scavenged a business suit he used to own, yet it was dirty from the dust.[/p] Now that he had actual clothes and a weapon, he felt brave enough to travel into the wastelands and look for, if any, survivors. He was hoping he could find help for whatever had happened to him. He just hoped they would accept him as he is.[/p]