Killing Strangers - Laavu - The Lord of the Rings (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

General Occupational Aptitude Test aka the G.O.A.T.

That is where it all had really started for him. Everyone has to take it when turning 16, and Aragorn was no exception.

It had been two years from it and he could still remember some of the questions from it.

Perhaps feeling bitter about it.

"You are approached by a frenzied Vault scientist, who yells, "I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!" What's your response?" He thought in his head while rotating a screw tighter.

The answers he could remember too.

1.But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?
2. Yeah? Up yours too, buddy!
3. Say nothing, grab a nearby pipe and hit the scientist in the head to knock him out. For all you knew, he was planning to blow up the vault.
4. Say nothing, but slip away before the scientist can continue his rant.

And all the other questions, very similar to this one.

The point of G.O.A.T was to point the youngsters of the vault getting at a certain age to their respected professions inside the Vault. Everyone had a place and a duty, dictated by the result of the test.

And there he was, tightening screws in his formfitting blue vaultsuit, a proud number 113 in bright yellow the back of it, bored out of his young mind.

It certainly was not what he had wanted - being a handyman.

It was not that he wouldn't have been very good at it, he really was great at building, repairing and tinkering, but it just was not what he had wanted to do as a duty for all his life.

Being raised up with the stories and honorable speeches on how everyone are so important inside the Vault to help maintain the wonderful life outside of it possible for other people. How they were special, maintaining this place where the science teams kept working on different and majorly important things like cures on terminal illnessess or purifying food products and water from plastics and such things.

All those pictures of blue oceans and tall buildings and sunshine, cars and planes, beautiful forests and beautiful people...deserts and jungles...the books and holotapes he had consumed while growing up, filled with wild stories of the outside world.
His parents had loved them too.
It had been a dream of theirs to leave the Vault one day and see it all with their own eyes.

His parents always had a dream of establishing a more open relationship with the surface world, more interactions and connections and possibilities. They had both worked on the medical field and had possessed very inquisitive minds.
Unfortunately both of them had passed away not far from each other a few years ago and without any siblings, Aragorn was alone. He did have friends and people who had looked after him, but still.

He did have things generally good; he was healthy and smart, resourceful, he had friends and people who cared. He had a home, even though he had been transferred from the unit he had lived with his family to a unit meant for a single person after both his parents had passed.

He did not have a sweetheart of his own, but he had many young ladies of the facility interested of him though.

And why wouldn't they be, he was fit and very handsome, kind and smart.

Life was alright, but he just did not feel like really belonging anywhere the way others did.

Tightening screws did not feel too special to him, no matter how important it was, and he knew it was that too, he absolutely appreciated every single person doing the same work he did and any other person working with whatever inside their facility. There were people who lived and breathed duties of theirs, them being their passion.

He just had always wanted to be something else. He wanted express that passion too. He did have it, just towards other things. He felt like his G.O.A.T would have been unfair someway, but he just could not point his finger on it.

"Okay, Éomer, I am going now." He said to his friend who also was a mechanic and a handyman of their Vault.
"Good luck, Aragorn. Don't get your hopes up."

Aragorn left his post and climbed up a set of ladders. Then he took a right and went up the stairs.

He greeted people as he went on, being a quite liked person in the Vault many offered him smiles and cheerful hellos as he passed them by.

Aragorn had felt confident on his matter, but that started to wear down once he had passed the security officers watching over one of the staircases.

When he finally stood behind the door that said "Overseer", he felt pure dread.

He did not really like their overseer. His parents had not either. Not many did. But he tried to play it as nice as he could, atleast he had been given the opportunity for a talk, which was rare from their leader.

The door slided open after Aragorn had knocked on it.

"Sit down." The grey haired man said with a dry look on his face.

And the boy did.

"What is it?" The man asked, pleasantries fully left without use, hands crossed on the table and a tight gaze laid on the young man.

"Overseer Denethor, I..."
"I hope this has nothing to do with your displeasem*nt of your post." The man said flatly and had Aragorn frown a bit.

He did know the overseer knew a lot of what was going on in the Vault, but Aragorn thought to himself of never really having spoken out about that. Unless Éomer would have mentioned it to someone, it should not be open news around the facility.

"U-uhm, well..."
"There is nothing wrong in being a mechanic."
"Oh, I know that, it is not that I would have not have the highest pride and appreciation towards that work - I really do - it's just that-"
"What?"

Aragorn took a deep but discreet breath.

"I would like to have chance to aspire at something else." He then said. "I would like to be an explorer."

The overseer looked at him.

And then laughed.

"You know those positions are reserved." He said after his anything but friendly laugh had ceased.

"Yes, to people related only to you..." Aragorn muttered silently.
"What was that?"

The boy shooked his head.

"Atleast please give me a chance to switch to medical. I could continue my parents work! I am sure I could excel in that field!" He tried. "All my stats speak for it, I have the capabilities, and my parents told me a great deal over the years from many things. It is not an unknown field to me."

The overseer was not laughing anymore.

"It is time to stop this nonsense." The man said with an annoyed snapping tone. "You are where you are supposed to be in life. Accept it and be productive, like everybody else. Lose all your silly little dreams and embrace where you are meant to make a difference."
"But-"
"End of discussion, Aragorn!" The man said sternly. "My word is final. Get back to work."

Aragorn felt a heat of anger run through his veins.
The overseer could easily give these chances to people. He has all the power in his hands to do so.

His hands had squeezed into fists.

He shared a very poisonous gaze with the leader of their facility.

The boy's parents had not gotten along with the Overseer either while they still had lived. He was no different.

Aragorn got up and simply walked out from the brief meeting without even saying a thank you or a bye.

"Do not make yourself more trouble than your worth."
Was the words of the overseer accompanying him out.

~~~~

"It is just so unfair, Éomer!" Aragorn groaned through gritted teeth.

"Well, it...sort of...isn't." The blond young man said and lifted up a small cabinet Aragorn had shoved down. "We all have taken the G.O.A.T. and we had our S.P.E.C.I.A.L's updated to our Pip's just before the test to go with it. The test has a premade scale that points people towards their profession due to the selection of their answers - you can't kind of blame anyone else except yourself on ending up as what you are."

Aragorn sat down and sighed.

It just had never felt right.
He had always wondered what would have been the answers and traits then, to end up somewhere different, if his were not them.

"Who ever had made the decision for only the relatives of the overseer to have the right of becoming explorers anyway..." Aragorn questioned very much annoyed.

"Come on, let it go Aragorn. Let's go eat. You feel better with a full stomach." Éomer tapped his shoulder and grudgingly, the brunette followed his friend to the cafeteria.

"But haven't you ever wanted to see the outside yourself? See the wondrous world we work so hard to better and maintain?" Aragorn asked.
"Not really." Éomer replied and glanced at his friend. "I am happy, Aragorn. I get to do what I am naturally meant to do, I have someone I love, I have family and safety and a meaning." He said firmly. "One would think with the amount of books you have read and holotapes you have listened that you know the outside world not being just this sunshine and laughter filled paradise. There are diseases and poverty and crimes and politics and economics and a whole different system of duties than here."
"Yes, but we have diseases too. Maybe a lot of things are taken care for us but I would not mind to work that way for myself and the society. I would not mind the freedom of choice, Éomer..."
"Aragorn, why is it so hard for you to understand just how special we are?" Éomer asked and shook the other man from his shoulders a bit. "We are the descendants of special people that were chosen long ago to be the protectors of the world! We have all mundane things organized and taken care for us so that we could help the outside to the best of our abilities - which are supreme do to our education and equipment here! You cannot be ungrateful of that."

They glanced at each other.
And with a sigh, Aragorn nodded.

"Hi boys!" A blond woman chirped as she filled both of their trays with different foods to eat. "Why the long faces?"

"Bad day, sis." Éomer chuckled.

"Éowyn, a moment please."
"Coming , Faramir." Éowyn sighed a bit. "I'll be back soon, I will bring you water to drink."
"Thanks." Éomer replied and Aragorn muttered something alike.

They sat down to eat.

"Don't be so gloomy, pal. Have you thought at all how are we going to tackle the water heater problem?" Éomer asked and Aragorn sighed deeply.
"Well...I think we might need to go search for the problem below, I went to have a look and I did not see a problem on the outer surface or the pipes showing..."
"Aragorn, wait a bit!"

Éowyn came to them with fast steps, their water bottles and something else in her hands.

"Don't eat that!" She halted the man and grabbed a dumpling from the man's tray. "Have this instead, I - uh - have been brought to the understandment that I almost served you some tainted food." She chuckled a bit nervously. "Here, I will switch it."
"Ooookay..." Aragorn dragged as the woman switched the dumpling infront of him.
"Be sure to eat it, it is very good."
"I will, thanks."
"Hey, Éowyn!" Éomer called when the woman was about to leave. "What about mine? It is the same he had."
"Hm?"

His sister had turned to look.

"Right." She thought a bit absently outloud. "I think yours is fine." She then said and left.

The two boys looked at each other and shooked their heads.

"My sister can be quite scattered sometimes..." Éomer said and continued eating.
"Yeah, well...who wouldn't..." Aragorn sighed and ate his tray empty.

~~~~

After that particular day with his meeting with the Overseer and the lunch that had a strange vibe to it, life was strangely good.

For a while.

That had happened to a few people of the Vault before.

First they would be bothered or upset or tired about something and then, they just take a complete 180° turn, suddenly being happy and full of life.

His father had experienced that too before passing away. When Aragorn's mother had died due to a disease, his father had gotten very depressed and workdriven. Then he had experienced a streak of utter happiness, before killing himself.

In a way Aragorn had understood why his father had done what he had. His mother had been the love of his life and they had been very close. Still, he could not but feel bitter about him leaving him here alone.
In a way he could not understand how could he had done it, as much as the man had claimed to love his son.

Most of the few people experiencing this happiness had just stayed that way, or close to emotionless if nothing else.

Perhaps it required a certain type of person for it, to be caught in that faulty web of happiness.

Maybe someone more lenient and accepting, someone with a easier and perhaps weaker mind.

But not like his father had been.

Not someone like Aragorn.

He had enjoyed this nice feeling for several days.

This nearly euphoric happiness got him going from waking up till going to sleep with a lightness in his step and a smile on his face. But inside that strange shell, he felt hollow.

And he had noticed something else as well.

Like he would feel a bit groggy just before eating.

Before lunch and before his last meal of the day.

People around him acted strange, he thought.

People closest to him too. They were so keen on him eating.
Éomer at the top of that list, urging him to eat because it would make him feel better.

And he did.

He had mentioned to Éomer a couple of times as half a joke, wondering was there something out of ordinary in his meal and the man had just brushed it off, joking back nervously of him being paranoid and urging some more again.

Then came the day he didn't comply anymore.

At one lunch he only faked of eating, distracting the man with frivolous, odd things so that he could make it only seem like he would eat.

Put food in his mouth, chew even, then spitting it out on a napkin discreetly.

He managed through it without a single swallowed bite.

And by the day was closer to it's end, he was thinking much clearer.

The shell started to break away and his hollow fill up with his old self and feelings.

He kept faking the happiness he had experienced lately not to raise any suspicions.

But one thing he was sure off.

He had indeed been drugged.

And he was going to find out why.

TBC

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Aragorn laughed heartily.

"That was a good one, Théodred." He sighed to a joke his friend had made from the overseer treating his sons completely differently. It was obvious the man favoured his older son over his younger. No one really knew why, but Aragorn did not even care that much. He did not really get along with either of the sons.

"Éomer, will you walk back to our units with me buddy?" He asked joyfully and squeezed his friends's shoulders with one arm.
"Of course. I am ready to call it a night." The blond man said and they bid their farewells to the others for the night.

"This was a fun evening." Éomer said as they walked. "It does good for the mind to unwind, doesn't it."
"It sure does, buddy. Hey, let's walk through the filter room, I think I left a small box of tools there and I hate to misplace things."
"Sure."

Together they walked to the lower level of the Vault, and instead of going to the resident housing units, they made a turn and walked to the filter room which contained a large water pump and some pipes here and there, a steady yet strong humming sound filling the space.

"So where you did leave your - hey man, what do you think you are doing?"

There had been a small struggle, but Aragorn had managed to shove his friend harshly against the wall and pin him there.

"What the fu-"
"I know there has been something strange going on and I am positive you know something about it!" Aragorn growled angrily, his act dropped and reality out.
"Aragorn-"
"Spill it, Éomer! You are supposed to be my friend!" He slammed the blond man against the wall even more harshly to inflict some pain.
"I AM YOUR FRIEND!"
"THEN TELL ME WHAT THE f*ck IS GOING ON!"
"FINE, BUT CAN YOU CALM DOWN?!"

Aragorn huffed and puffed deeply in his fury but with an angry motion, he let go of his supposed friend.

"Aragorn-"
"I have been drugged, haven't I?"
"Listen to me-"
"HAVEN'T I?! YES OR NO, ÉOMER!"
"OKAY FINE, YES!"

There was a silence.

"How...how can you do this to me, Éomer?!" Aragorn breathed out, feeling utterly betrayed.
"Let me explain, okay?" The man pleaded with his hands up in surrender. "I - there..." he let them drop. "We were told, that your mind is unwell and that you are too stubborn to accept help if it is directly offered at you. We only wanted what was best for you!"
"We? Who else is in this?"
The blond did not answer.
"Who, Éomer?"

His friend looked at him.

"Just about everyone close to you." He said silently and Aragorn scoffed, throwing his hands in the air from disbelief. "You became so happy, Aragorn. For the first time in a very long time you have seemed happy and carefree! I...I did not mean to harm you by it. I only wish you well."
"By drugging me behind my back!?"

Éomer had no answer, only a sad look on his face.

"Alright, think..." Aragorn muttered to himself. "Who ordered this?" He asked but needed no answer. "Denethor...of course, that f*cker...Did you tell him about my wishes to switch fields?!"
"What? No! You swore me not to tell anyone!"

Aragorn looked at him with an angry gaze and had stopped to think.

"Aragorn, could you just consider having the help, I...I do not want you to fall in to despair and do what your-"

He did not continue when the man shot an angry look, teeth tightly gritted together.

"Can you forgive me, please?" Éomer asked a bit sheepishly.

"I do not believe that Denethor did this because he cares about my wellbeing..." Aragorn thought outloud. "No, there must be more to this...there is something wrong in this place, I just know it." He suddenly looked around. "I believe we are being watched. More than we know."
"Aragorn, why would there be any mischief at play here? This is our home! We are important!"
"Or that is what they want you to think!"
"Who is they?!"

Again they looked at each other.

"Aragorn, I am serious. I worry for you, you are being-"
"Paranoid?" Aragorn spat at the man and took a step closer. "Paranoid, Éomer? Do keep in mind that I have been DRUGGED BEHIND MY BACK AND YOU DARE CALL ME PARANOID!"

Another silence.

And Éomer sighed, a bit in desperation.

"Okay...Aragorn - I am sorry, okay? I really, really am. Is there anything I can do to get you to forgive me?"

The betrayed man looked at his friend.

"There is." He said silently. "You want to make this up to me? You want to prove you really are my friend still? Then help me break in to the overseer's office. I want to know a few things, and I would even give up my life to get them."

Éomer looked horrified for a moment.
But then sighed and nodded in defeat.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked.

"We need to plan this, carefully." Aragorn replied. Come with me, let's go to my unit." He halted. "No, we will go to yours. And Éomer..." Aragorn said with a venomous tone. "If I catch you stabbing me in the back - ever again - I will beat you up and I can not promise you would survive it. Got it?"

His friend nodded.

"Good. I also want food that is not filled with mindnumbing medicines, got that? Let's go."

~~~~

Aragorn did feel his paranoia to be justified. But he really did feel paranoid, amongst other things. Those being fear, nervousness and anxiety mostly.

"Okay..." Aragorn sighed. He and his friend were lying on the floor of the latter's room, trying to make up a plan.

"It is clear we have to do it at nighttime...I do not think the door can be hacked too easily...so we definitely need a key...but where..."

They tried to think.

"Maybe Faramir has one..." Éomer said silently.
"You are right." Aragorn seemed a bit happier. "But I suppose it is a slim chance he would give it to us, even slimmer to get it from Boromir..."

And they thought some more.

"I got it!" Éomer nudged his friend. "Faramir plays basketball with his friends twice a week and he always showers in the sanitation area by the athletics room then. Maybe we could search his clothes, see if he carries a key?" "Great idea, Éomer!"

Both of them startled a bit from the door opening.

"What are you boys up to?" A man asked.
"Nothing, dad. Just making some repair plans for tomorrow." Éomer replied quickly.

The man looked at them both.

"Alright. Are you staying for dinner, Aragorn?"
"Thank you, I would like that."
"Good, I will let Théodwyn know. I will play some chess with your uncle Théoden and will join you a bit late."
"Okay, dad."
"See you, boys."
"Bye, dad."

The door closed and Éomer shooked his head.

"Don't do that. Your father is great and you are lucky to have him." Aragorn said and Éomer did nod.

"So, after we possibly get the key, we have to..."

The planning went on for quite a while. The planned what to do, when to do it and how to be before putting things to motion.

Having a complete plan did not help the feelings of dread off of them.

Dinner had been nice though. Aragorn enjoyed spending time with his best friend's family, which had been a substitute one for him ever since his own parents had passed.

Aragorn knew they were in the overseer's plan to keep him affected as well, but held no grudge against them. He was annoyed with Éomer, but the young man had good intentions too. Also, Aragorn had been thinking, and wondered would it have been wise for them to even go against the overseer's direct orders.

He kept the charade up and picked up any signals from Éomer what foods to avoid.

The blond man was now his double agent.

~~~~

A few days went by, before they got to go ahead with their plan.

As Éomer had said, there was a day Faramir left the cafeteria earlier where he worked as a supervisor and went to the athletics room to play sports with his friends.

The two friends gobbled down their lunch in record time and sneaked after the overseer's son.

As the young and agile handymen of the facility, they knew every vent and airduct like their own pockets. No one even questioned them when they opened one on the upper level of the atrium and climbed inside.

They could travel most everywhere through there, the two only exceptions being the overseer's quarters and the entrance area to the Vault, where the tightly shut and only door in and out resided.

Through the meandering air pipes the two friends crawled and traveled to a lower level in complete discretion.

Soon they were above the athletics room and heard the sounds of the game.

They silently crawled a bit further, until they were above the locker room by the showers.

And then, they waited in silence.

Éomer had also been correct about the overseer's son taking a shower after his game.

They listened to the silly banter of the players, observing through narrow openings of the vent hatches that were in certain distances apart.

Once the players left the locker room, Aragorn nodded and opened one of the hatches.

He had better physique than Éomer, so he dropped down from the pipe and his friend kept watch up above. Aragorn also thought that if they would be observed more keenly without them knowing, it would be better to not have Éomer do anything indiscriminating.

Éomer had a lot to lose, he had absolutely nothing.

The basketball players who had went to the shower had left their clothes on a long bench, which were everyones blue Vault jumpsuit, boots and utility belts.

He had seen where Faramir had stripped down his and quickly went through the belt, finding a special keycard quite fast.

He was in and out of the room almost faster than a person could spell pip-boy, Éomer reaching his hands to him and help pull him up.

Aragorn dangled the keycard victoriously to him and then nodded the man to move, he closing the hatch neatly before following.

They got out the same hatch they had entered.

"Now let's hope he does not need his card before tomorrow." Aragorn whispered as they shut the hatch there too.

"When have you ever seen Faramir go to his father's quarters from free will, he is not summoned even to meetings Denethor has with Boromir and the security half of the time." Éomer whispered back.

They took their tool boxes they had left there and walked down a set of stairs as casual as possible, Aragorn happily greeting everyone with a smile to keep his act up.

That had been easy and not too scary to do.

The tougher part was still ahead.

~~~~

They waited until it was the middle of the night before going on their second adventure.

They used the same tactic as earlier, traveling in complete silence using the vents.

Aragorn suddenly stopped and poked Éomer, pointing down through a small opening.

There was the blond man's sister in the company of the man they had stolen the card from, in a subtly romantic atmosphere behind the cafeteria serving counter.

Aragorn bit his cheek not to smile or laugh at his friend's murderous face.

Éomer did not feel bad about stealing from him anymore at all.

They continued on as close to the overseer's quarters they could and saw a familiar sight of two guards by the staircase.

Éomer backed down some way from where they came and with a napkin in his hand, he pulled out a small ball children play with from his beltpouch. He looked at Aragorn at the other end of the straight pipe and opened a hatch just a little bit as silent as he could, and then he dropped the ball.

The drop the guards could not see, but they sure heard the thudding sounds.

"What was that?" They thought together outloud and to their fortune, both of them lazily left to investigate. They did not really seem worried, after all, there had never happened just about anything in the Vault that would have been counted dangerous.

After the guards were at a safe distance, the two slipped down from the pipe and made a silent run to the overseer's office door.

Aragorn already had the keycard in his hand and they got through the door easily.

"Do not turn on any lights." Aragorn said and Éomer nodded.

The office did not really have anything flashy inside it. There was a large half round table that had a computer on it and there was a large window behind a black curtain where the overseer could see the whole atrium.

Aragorn went straight to the computer and pressed it on.

"Damn it...I think this is where our plan ends. How on earth we did not discuss how to get access to this thing! We do not know any passwords nor do we have the time to figure it out!" Éomer hissed.
"No need to worry, pal." Aragorn said silently and opened his pip-boy around his left wrist, then he pulled out a thin wire from it and connected it to the overseer's computer.

Pip-boys were great, they are like miniature computers. Every Vault member had a personal one, it was standard issue equipment, but only some professions needed it to be used daily. The rest just kept them at their housing units and stored personal information on them if need be. There was where the name came from: it was a Personal Information Processor.

It had many great qualities besides just storing peoples S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats and notes and some games and have the capability to play holotapes with.

One could have programs in it too.

"Father had many hack programs he put on my pip and taught me how to use them when I was a kid...before mom passed away..." Aragorn said silently while concentrating. "He always said that this will be a useful thing to know how to do in life...""What, breaking into peoples computers?" Éomer asked and Aragorn hummed as a yes.

Hacking programs were not too common. Only certain people in certain professions might have the chance to make one or possess one. To be honest, they were not allowed in the Vault except for a few people and those were the ones who searched equipment and things the explorers brought from their surface travels.

He might have been a pretty good handyman, but he definitely had other skills too. And hacking was something he liked to do as a hobby almost.

"There we go..." he said when the screen lost it's lockdown and opened up a menu.

"Keep an eye out for me, will you?" Aragorn said and started typing with a fast pace.

Éomer did as asked, while Aragorn searched the files on the computer.

"How are we going to get out of here by the way? I trust that the guards have found their way back..."
"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it..."

Quite quickly Aragorn found his own file.

"Bingo..."

"What does it say?" Éomer glanced at his friend. "Aragorn?"

The brunette young man read the file with a frown.

"I knew it!" He then exclaimed triumphantly. "Come have a look!"

Éomer returned to his friend.

"See, here is the chart how the G.O.A.T is scored, the points S.P.E.C.I.A.L's add and with what you end up with." He typed a little bit. "And here are my scores - twp different ones. See?!"

Éomer looked at the screen with a frown. It certainly did have two different scores there, the ones Aragorn had been given and ones saying "classified".

"I knew I should have ended up with either the medical or the science team!"
"Does it say why you didn't?"
Aragorn searched a bit more again.
"Aragorn Elessar, subject level: risk. He will be given a chance and be directed to the maintenance team in the mechanical branch..." he read outloud, and fell silent for a moment, before he continued. " 'The subject will be closely observed and any acts of anarchy will be immediately dealt with'." He read the last passage and the two glanced at each other and then scrolled the file to the last entry. "The subject will have mood medicines started due to unstable behaviour. There is an increased risk to Vault security.' What?! Unstable behaviour? Is asking an audience for a profession switch considered unstable behaviour?"

"A risk?" Éomer wondered. "Does it say why you pose as a risk? I don't think you have caused that much trouble here to be considered a risk..."

Aragorn kept reading, his file seeming otherwise fine and true and had nothing out of the ordinary in it. Then he saw something.

"Aragorn, maybe you really shouldn't..." but the young man had clicked his mom and dad's files open.

Éomer tapped the man's shoulder a bit and left him in his thoughts for a moment and went to keep watch again.

Aragorn still missed his parents very much, even if he had gotten over their deaths as well as one can. He only ever wanted to make them proud, no matter were they gone or not.

A sad smile lingered on his lips as he read their files.

Devoted, hard working, excellent talent.

Wholesome family, having a baby as a new addition to their union.

Experimental and groundbreaking work.

He scrolled further down.

"Pursuing open work between the surface and Vault..." He muttered. "Not giving up on wild ideas, compromising Vault integrity and security..."

He scrolled even further with a frown.

And started to feel sick to his stomach, even if he felt disbelief for a moment.

"Subject is not backing down even after several formal notions. Subject is a hazard to the structure within the Vault and must be dealt with. Due to her popularity amongst other subjects we must tread with caution. Subject will be removed eventually from complications of exposure to radiation."

The further he read, the sicker he felt.

About how his unsuspecting mother had gotten sick by design and at the end dying from it. How she had been directed to a team of "specialists" whose job was to make sure she would not be treated correct. A group of people covering up for the whole incident, keeping his father out of the truth too and not allowing him to be a part of the medical team because of his personal relationship with the patient.

His father's file did not look any better on this part.

He had been on mood medicines too after he had tried to pursue their research and goals onward alone. Mentions how he had been given a chance because of the child in the family. A note how he had become aware from the drugging. How there had been no other choice.

"Subject terminated. Necessary measures has been taken to make it seem like suicide." He whispered with a tear falling down his cheek. "He...killed them..."

"Aragorn, I think we gotta go! Whatever it is you were supposed to do to make us a clear path back - do it, preferably now!" Éomer said. "Aragorn?!"

The man flinched out of his thoughts.

Before he used the automated system on the computer to make the fire sprinklers snap on in the atrium and make a commotion, he copied some of the files to his own pip for more inspection later.

He and Éomer fled the office while the false situation was on in the atrium.

Aragorn felt like his entire mind was a blur. This whole time he had thought his mother had gotten ill just by poor luck in life and his father following her out of grief in the end.

He had never even suspected a chance they would have been killed. He thought most likely no one did, the tracks had been covered good by the overseer.

Nothing was never the same after that night.

After that night he made decisions that would change his entire life.

TBC

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Aragorn laid in his bed and stared at his ceiling.
It had been a strange few days.

His mind was filled with thoughts and questions; had his father found all about his mother or only about himself being drugged just like Aragorn had.
What would have his father done about it? He certainly wouldn't have left it at that.
Most of all, he kept thinking what was it that had cost his parents their lives. Why would it have been such a horrible thing to open freer communication and travel possibilities with the surface? If it was out of fear that the surface people would want to harm them, why would they? Was it all just assumptions with some over cautiousness?

He had read his parents files over and over and over again from his pip-boy, he had become nearly obsessed about them. He tried to find any clues, any reasons why things had happened they way they had, no matter how much pain it caused him to read about his mother's tormenting disease and his father's and his own sorrow, it all bringing back vivid memories of that time.
He had come to the conclusion that without his parents research data and writings, he probably would never know did they have something that would have caused fear in general more than just wanting to go to the surface.

He did not think so.

His parents had been the most loving and caring and compassionate people there had been. There was no way they would have been doing anything with ill intentions.

There was a beeping sound and with a sigh, he got up and dragged himself to the door. Without opening the intercom, he just opened the electric lock, letting Éomer in.

"Hey, is it a poor moment?" The blond man asked.
"No, I suppose not." Aragorn replied tiredly.

He went back to his bed and slumped to lay down. He had not really slept lately.

This entire place, the Vault, felt it was suffocating him. If he had not felt paranoia enough before, he really did now.

He even realized of following his father's footsteps before his death.

First high and happy from the medicines and then suddenly, a crash down into a depression and exhaust like state. In his father's files there was a mention that he was suspecting of being doped.
With his father it was most likely the way he really felt without the medicine, it had been before it. He did not need a lifechanging revelation to be in that state. It was the cause for his son though.

Aragorn instead had kept his charade up, before he had "gotten sick from something he ate" and asked for a couple of days leave from his duties. During that time he had mostly processed everything and of course, read the files.

Denethor passed his mind way too many often even if he tried to avoid thinking the man, the burning hate he felt was something quite overwhelming. And even if Aragorn had felt anger from unfairness of life before, hating something this deeply had never entered his heart and mind.

"Mom and Éowyn made poundcake for the annual bake-off and wanted me to bring you some." Éomer said and placed a small wrapped package on the table. "How are you feeling, still ill?"

He worried for his friend. Aragorn had not been exactly a light of the party after his parents passed, but never had he been like this either. Éomer knew it was about their trip to the overseer office and what he had found about his scores.

Aragorn had not told him about his parents. Not a single word.

He had made the decision that it was best to keep Éomer out of it. For many reasons.

"Do you think you will be up for work the day over tomorrow? I would rather fix the plumbing of the kitchens with you than alone, but I can't let it wait too long." Éomer said with a light tone.
"I suppose so..." Aragorn sighed.

Éomer sat down and looked at the other one.

"Look, I know it is not what you want to do and that you have been a right about not belonging to the mechanics field, but...we have had it good ever since we started working. Couldn't you just...would it be so bad to just drop it and continue life as it has been?" He asked.

Aragorn looked at him. Oh if he would only know. If it would be safe to tell. For his friend and for himself.

"I guess so." He replied silently. "I am feeling better, thank you for your care. I will enjoy the cake later, I still get a bit squeamish at times. Now I would like to sleep a bit, this problem of mine has kept me up quite a lot and I am exhausted."

Éomer smiled and nodded.

"Okay, good. I'll see you."

His friend got up and left.

After the door had shut, the man got up.

He walked over to the table where the cake was.

He opened the package and then dismantled the whole piece to small crumbles. He put his nose closer to smell it and he did get this bitterish whiff from it. He had learned that to be the scent of danger what came to the medicine.

He wouldn't have suspected any foul play, if Éomer wouldn't have left the treat without a single comment. Whether the food was clean or not, he made a mention from it each time; whether he should have it or that should it be discarded. But he said nothing, just offered him a small almost an apologetic smile, leaving without even trying to overstay his welcome.

He knew he worried. Éomer was a good person, but perhaps a bit easy to manipulate at times. Also the man was very much like everybody else in the Vault; feeling special of living their and considering to do important things on his part to keep the system and goals working and not understanding anyone who didn't.

He wiped the whole thing with it's package to the trash bin next to the table and went back to bed.

This only added to a plan he had been creating in his mind.
There more he stayed alone in his own thoughts, the more his plan driven by hate and anger sounded reasonable and gave him courage.

~~~~

"Hand over me that smaller wrench and the new mounting bolt, will you buddy." Aragorn said lightly while pointing a flashlight towards the faucet he was putting together.

"Here." Éomer said and placed the asked things next to him on the ground.

"This should be done in a beat and then we can open the valves..."
"Great." Éomer replied and fixed a different part higher up.

They worked in silence for a moment.

"There, that should do it." He spoke to himself and started to assemble the rest of the parts with a swift pace. "So...tell me all that happened while I was toiling away with my upset stomach." Aragorn asked.

"Well, for one you should have seen the utter relief Faramir had when he found his keycard we "loaned" from him the other day." Éomer chuckled and Aragorn let out a short laugh too, fake one to the core.

But he had to keep appearances up, after all, his caring friend was under the impression that the brunette was eating medicated food again.
Aragorn had told himself that everything was possible in that place, who knew if Éomer or his family is being threatened if they do not comply, he could not see any other reason Éomer would continue doing this behind his back after he had made it clear not to.

"Éowyn has been avoiding me, I have made her some implying questions but she has chosen to hide rather than face me. For crying out loud honestly, why Faramir..."
"From the two, Faramir is not the worst." Aragorn said.
"You are right, if it would be Boromir I would be shedding tears by the gallon right now." Éomer breathed out. "Oh, and how could I forget! Did you hear that Théodred got knocked out cold a couple of nights ago in the armory?"
"What?" Aragorn asked surprised. "Who did it? Is he alright?"
"I have no idea. He is okay but is away for a few days."
"Oh, that is good to hear he is alright. But who on earth would want to hurt him?"
"I don't know, but I will tell you this, whoever did it will pay if I get my hands on him." Éomer scoffed.
"I agree." Aragorn said with a firm nod.
""The armory had been in a state of mess, it will be days until it has been rearranged and have an inventory done." Éomer said and wiped his hands.
"Do you think someone had been looking for something there?"
"I really don't know that either..." Éomer sighed. "Who knows, maybe it was old man Radagast having one of his episodes or something...but the oddest thing is that there was nothing on the surveillance tapes! No one going in or out, Hama thinks that the system got glitched or something. Of course, not everything is recorded there, so whoever did it must have been either lucky or knew where the surveillance overlooks. Hama was the one who found Théodred, when entering his shift there the next morning."
"That really is very strange..." Aragorn wondered outloud.
"Yeah, no kidding. Hey, I am gonna go open the valves so that we can see is anything leaking and hopefully have this finished finally. I don't know about you, but I am starving." Éomer said and tapped Aragorn's shoulder as he walked by him.

"Yeah, you go do that..." Aragorn said silently in his thoughts.

~~~~

It was late in to the evening, almost night.

Aragorn looked around his small single room unit that he called home and sighed.

He then glanced at a small picture of himself and his parents together. It was the only he had, pictures were not common and they were not too easy to make, requiring skill and resources they did not have so much for them to use in frivolous things. The Vault mostly had it's resources directed towards scientific research and projects and things like that.

He folded the picture neatly and put it in one of the pockets on his belt.

To Éomer he had left an encrypted message he was sure to find at some point of his life.

Then he took a look and walked out of the unit.

He did not make any attempts to hide his roaming through the halls at that hour.

When he was closer to the staircase leading to the overseer's office and also his private quarters, he walked to a trashbin. He kicked it on the ground, the sound being alarmingly loud, the contents of it spreading all over the cafeteria floor.

He squeezed himself against a wall and nearly right after two security officers ran past him while heavily cursing.

He slipped in to the staircase they had come out from with fast steps.

At the door he had reached, he started to press the buzzer with an infuriating rhythm.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Soon a voice rumbled. "Haven't I told you Bo-"

Aragorn shoved the man inside his housing unit and closed the door quicker than the man had even time to realize what was happening.

"You..." Denethor said with a low voice.
He saw the flames in the younger one's eyes.
"What may I do for you at this hour, hm?"

The overseer looked at the unarmed boy for a moment and then backed from him towards a table, where he took out a glass and a bottle.

"This is highly not the hour or the way to continue obsessing with your profession, if that is your issue." He poured himself a drink and took a sip of it. "Not enough sleep and not eating makes a person erratic. Did you perhaps miss your dinner today?"

To Aragorn that sounded like a mockery of some sort, it being the overseer's will of having him eat uncompromised food.

"I have not been hungry of late. Too much rot in this place, tainting everything." Aragorn answered and the man laid an angered gaze at him, knowing that to be a mockery back.

The two looked at each other.

Denethor took his glass and walked behind a desk he had in the room, sitting calmly behind it.

"So, what is it that you want?" He asked.

Aragorn looked at him.

He did have a plan of coming there that night, and do quite finishing things.

But as he stood there, he noticed his hands shaking a bit and nerves taking over. He was a very young man still, and never had had a violent cell in his body really, unless counting out some playful or half serious tumbles he has had with his peers while growing up.

His nerves failing him made him question everything he came there to do. He had wanted to threaten the truth out of the old man. He had wanted a confession from the murders of his parents. He wanted justice. To reveal that he knows about it and about himself being drugged too. The latter he suspected the man to assume at that moment, considering the remark and his current behavior that was anything than happy and docile.

He really did want to hurt him and bring him pain. But standing there, his mind had started to work more reasonably. He knew that killing the overseer would not be seen as a liberating act amongst the others. He would be killed too, not that he wouldn't have prepared to lose his own life in this process of his.

Perhaps he had been too rash. He could bring everybody close to him in danger with what he wanted. There was no way anyone would believe that he would have gotten the information on his parents from the overseer's personal files by himself and Éomer was his best friend, everyone knew that. It would most definitely get him in trouble.

"I...I want you to reconsider my request I made some time ago." He got out, far too hesitantly than he had with his false reason.

Denethor looked at him with a frown.

And then sighed deeply.
He seemed to take the bite.

"Fine." He said. "I see you are very serious with this matter. It takes courage to enter my quarters uninvited and unscheduled." The old man said flatly and reached something from under his desk. Then his hands returned back to it's surface. "Well, let's talk then. What was it that you said aspiring for, hm? Medical was it? Like your parents?"

Aragorn stood silent, his heart beating in his chest and a thin layer of nervous sweat making him feel very uncomfortable.
He felt disappointed in himself at that point, after all the self psyching he had done to get there in the first place.

And the overseer had detected that unsureness.

"U-uhm..." he muttered with a slow nod. "I believe it would be a more...truthful...place for me to be at..." He replied.

And again they looked at each other.

"So you wish to be like your parents, is it?" The old man said draggingly. "Dear boy, you have no idea how much of that you already fill. Much like your mother and father, you do not know when to stop, do you."

Aragorn had not heard a different door than the main one to the unit open and someone enter.

"I told you not to make yourself more trouble than your worth." He said with a low voice. "You want to be like your father, is that it? So be it!"

To those last words a strong thin wire was tried to be circled around his neck from behind, but he managed to get his hand in between before the grip tightened.

There was a struggle, his assaulter trying to get him either move his hand or choke him despite of it, the brunette doing everything in his power not to let that happen.

"Get him, Boromir!"

The struggle went on for a small moment, before Aragorn managed with all his strength to back his assaulter to the wall behind harshly. It momentarily loosened the grip and the steadiness of the person, and with a harsh yank forward, he managed to make them both stumble down and the grip go loose.

Aragorn scrambled himself up and frantically went for something he had with him the overseer had not seen or even anticipated.

The co*cking sound of the gun and it's barrel turned towards the overseer halted the situation, making even Boromir freeze to his spot.

"Aragorn-"
"Shut up!" The boy commanded, with a shaky yet loud voice.
"Aragorn, put the gun away. Perhaps the moment got too heated." Denethor said. "You are no killer, Aragorn."

The dark haired boy drew short shaky breaths and kept his gun pointed at the overseer. The old man was right. But he could not back down.

"You wanted that switch to medical? I can make it happen for you. I can even see that you get more than enough of resources and guidance to catch the lost time you feel like having lost. We can lose the medicine, even if it strongly does seem like you should be on it."

Aragorn felt sick to his stomach. The urge to judge the old man as a killer and deal justice felt so strong. But he kept having Éomer and the rest of his substitute family cross his mind.

"Tell me what is it that you want to end this situation. A bigger unit? Privilidges to all the facilities above all others?"

He hated that man.
He hated his sons.

And he hated the Vault.

"I want out."

A silence fell.

The overseer had the coaxing look on his face turn to a half angry frown.

"You have made everyone close to me repeatedly stab me in the back. They do not know I know about their little sneaking with your drugs, but oh I know. I can not believe they cared so little of me. I bet you have shared a few laughs with them of how big of a fool I am!" He had to make it seem like he had no ties to the people there anymore. "I have nothing left here, I want out!" He halfly shouted.

"I should have known it was you stealing from my armory." The old man said lowly. "You want to kill me, boy? Then kill me! My sons will see my will after I am gone. I do not negotiate with terrorists! You think taking my life will help you get what you want? Take another guess!" Denethor spat out.
"Father no, do not urge him!" Boromir exclaimed nervously.

The young man with the gun looked at the father and son.

"Not yours." Aragorn said emotionlessly to the overseer. "But the possibility of he losing his might." He added and slowly the barrel of the handgun moved from the overseer to his eldest son.

He saw the flash of fear his action had made on the old man's face. Aragorn was lucky it was Boromir there, he was unsure would Faramir have been enough for his cause.

"Father do something, he has gone completely insane!!"

Boromir was the same age he was, still very young. They were both fit but obviously Aragorn had just a bit better physique and strength than the blond boy had, considering he won their little tumble.
They had never been friends.
Boromir had always kept himself someway better than anyone else, but that was his upbringing. His father had always kept him on a high pedestal, spoiling him and handing everything to him on a silver platter, no matter did he deserve things or not.

"Aragorn, for the last time - put down the gun!" Denethor ordered firmly.

Aragorn shooked his head slowly.

"Let me out of the Vault or I will paint your walls with him." He said, the words feeling strange and unknown coming out of his mouth.

Perhaps he was losing it just a little bit.

When nothing started to happen, he slowly pushed down the empty of the trigger to emphasize how serious he was.

"Say goodbye, Bor." He said flatly.
"Wait wait WAIT!" Denethor shouted. "Fine...I...I will let you out." The old man said in defeat he did not want to face. "Just...do not harm him."

Aragorn looked at them expressionlessly.

"Fine. Do as I say, and you get to continue breathing." He gestured with his gun for the man to move. "You walk in the front and Boromir right after you, I will not take any chances of being treated like a fool by you again."

After this statement, the three men walked in the order the brunette had dictated.

Denethor guided them through a door that led to a secret tunnel Aragorn could not remember ever seeing in any constructional maps of the Vault.

He followed with the gun firmly in his hand from a safe distance that Boromir could not do any surprise moves on him.

They came out of the other end to a large cave through another secret doorway and he now saw gear shaped huge door that was the Vault entrance from the place that still served as a hideout.

"Get rid of them." Aragorn said tightly, seeing two guards and a scientist at the door console further away. "No." He tutted and yanked Boromir back a bit when he was about to follow his father. "You stay as my guarantee."

"I always knew you were f*cking nuts..." Boromir said through gritted teeth. "You will not get away with this."
"Shut it."

Aragorn watched the old man talking to the people and them soon leaving.
After that he shoved Boromir to walk again and followed with the gun in hand.

"Open it." He ordered.

Denethor landed one more hateful gaze at him and started to operate the consol.

Aragorn could not believe this was happening.

He would finally get out.

He would go and see the entirety of the beautiful surface world he had read and heard stories so much of his whole life. Go and see what his parents always dreamed of. He would miss Éomer and the others terribly, but...he really could not stay. He would have taken Éomer with him in a heartbeat, but he knew the man would not have come. Also, he did not even know to be able to get himself in that spot when he had left his home unit that late evening. And Éomer definitely would not have joined him in an attempt to hurt the overseer.

His heart beated faster than it ever had when soon the gear-shaped door budged to a movement with a sound, some dirt and dust floating down on the ground as it turned and slowly creaked open.

"You are free to leave." Denethor said dryly.

Aragorn glanced in to the dim tunnel that the door had revealed, then looked at the overseer and his son with suspicion.

"Go on." The old man urged.

"You go first, Boromir. Once I am completely out of this place, you are free to return." Aragorn said after a brief thought.

"Once you leave, you are never welcome back!" Denethor said firmly.

Aragorn only scoffed.
Like he would be allowed to live there after this night anyway. No. It had gone too far.

"I suggest you rule wise and kind from here on, Denethor. If I will ever hear anything else than that through anything or anyone, mark my words - I will return. And I will not be this kind to you or your sons then. Move it, Boromir!"

Boromir glanced at his father, who nodded.

And the blond man led Aragorn in to the tunnel.

Once they reached the other end, Aragorn knew of making a smart move. It had another heavy gear-shaped security door at the end and a console away a safe distance from it.

The old man would have probably locked him in the tunnel between and let him die there.

Aragorn kept the gun pointed at Boromir.

"You know how to open this?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Then do it."

He walked close to the door but not over the yellow security line drawn infront of it.

Boromir opened the panel and through it, the door.

"I hope you die out there." He spat at the brunette once the door was open.

Aragorn saw a tunnel go upwards a bit but there blew air in he had never felt before. He was sure there was no other doors anymore.

He backed out of the door with his gun still on the blond.

"You will not be missed." The blond said and operated the door to shut again.

They stared at each other with hateful gazes for as long until the door was firmly in it's place again.

And that was it.

He was out.

He let out a breath, or a few, before he turned around.

This was it, he thought when he slowly walked up the tunnel. Soon he would see the first glimpse of the splendour that was the surface world. He did not know where would he go or what would he do, but surely he would find ways and make a life for himself.

Just a few more steps...

...and he gasped.

He dropped down to his knees, feeling like all of the air would have been sucked out of his lungs.

TBC

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

Aragorn walked slowly in a complete daze.

He was unsure had he felt so much different things at once that he was unable to feel anything at all that moment.

Maybe he was in shock.

But this was definitely not what he had expected.

Maybe it was the darkness or perhaps it was time of the year he did not have too much knowledge about.

But everything seemed dead and eerie.

There was nothing around than half dead trees and stunted grass. No buildings, no people, not even animals.

He had not taken more than fifteen steps away from the tunnel entrance and already he regretted everything. He regret of not settling for his position in the Vault. He regretted leaving Éomer behind. And he regretted leaving his safe and familiar home.

The anxiety he felt in his throat and guts was overwhelming.

But he could not really do anything else than swallow it down and continue taking steps, unless he would have wanted to shoot himself with the gun he had.

He had realized how little he had anything to survive with out there. Only things he had was the gun, his pip-boy and a family photo.

He let out a small cough. The air felt strange to breath and it tickled his lungs quite a lot.

He walked for a good long whilr in the night without coming across anything than a small creek he took a drink from.

At some point he had found himself on a small hill, overlooking a wide road and a small building by it.

The thought of finding someone who could help down there put some lightness to his step and he was down the hill in no time.

There was not really much there either, just rocks and dirt, some strange looking small structures outside the tiny building, broken crash fences alongside the road and a very deteriorated car abandoned at the far side of the yard.

He went to study the tiny building. It had a picture of a rocket on it's roof and the letters by it said "Red Rocket".

The door was locked and the windows were boarded.
He circled around it and to his happiness he saw a room with a big upwards sliding door that was halfly open.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" He called out a big cautiously. He felt safer having the gun in his hand, so he did. "Hello?"

But there was only silence.

He looked at the cabinets and shelves that the room had and to his delight, there was a sortment of tools there. There was also a couple of car tires and empty paint and oil cans that had seen better days.

There was a door, that also was locked. But he thought of helping himself in when there was no answer to his calls and with the help of a borrowed flathead screwdriver and some persistance, he forced the lock open.

"Hello? Anyone here?" He called again. The space was pitch black, so he put on the flashlight on his pip-boy.

It looked like an extremely small cafeteria. There was a counter and two small modest tables with just as modest chairs, that half of had been tipped over to the floor.

There was a cabinet with a heavy glassdoor that had some canned food and preserved food and a couple of water bottles in. Then a device Aragorn had never seen before sitting behind the counter that had numbered buttons on it. There were cardboard boxes on the floor with empty bottles in, the etiquettes all saying "Pickaxe Pilsner" from a company called Durin and Sons. On the top of the counter was a slim stack of papers, advertisem*nts mostly.

He walked pass the counter and peeked in to two small rooms that had no doors anymore, them used as material to board the windows.

There was a toilet in the other room and a small office on the other that had a thin makeshift bed on the ground, a small lamp with a candle in, a ham radio, two packs of cigarettes with a name "Sauron's Smoke" on the label and a flip lighter.

He tried the lighter and it actually worked.

He put a light on the candle and flipped the lighter shut. He then took the small lamp, stood up and went back to the bigger room with the tables.

He worked on the doorlock a bit and locked himself in the room. If the owner of the place would come, he would plea his case of needing shelter.

He would make up for everything if need be.

He took a packaged food box from the glass doored cabinet and a bottle of water.

He inspected the water in the candlelight a bit. Either it was the bottle or the water, but it was not nearly as clear and delicious looking as water back in the Vault. But he was thirsty and hungry, so he did not play nitpicking.

He opened the "Shire's Steak" food box and looked at the food inside. It was cold, but looked and smelled edible, so he downed it without stopping to think too much. He drank the water as well and after that, he just sat by one of the tables and thinked.

It felt like a dream to sit there.
Not necessarily a good one.

He kept telling himself that maybe, just maybe, the Vault was located in a place that did not have anyone living near or anyone taking care of the area for a reason. He and everyone in the Vault had been told their entire lives how secret their important existence was to the world, so perhaps that really was it. That maybe all that he has read about resides somewhere further away.

He really waited to see a sun shine. He had never in his life seen a natural light, but he had read about that too. People lying on beaches and lake shores, by big pools of cool and refreshing water with the sun shining it's warmth down on them.

He could not avoid his mind slowly traveling back his home and to Éomer. And his parents. He wondered what would they think about him having left the Vault.

Denethor and his sons will probably tarnish his reputation completely with every single way they could, he was absolutely sure of that.

He sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

He felt exhausted. The adrenaline rush his "great escape" from the Vault had driven him, was slowly reducing and it wore him down as it did.

He waited for a while for anyone to show up, but when no one did, he got up with the lamp and moved to the small room with the makeshift bed.

He sat on the bed and put the lamp next to it. He looked at the radio, and just because why not, he tried did it work.
The radio did make sounds as he tuned the buttons on it.

He found a signal, but the only sound coming from it was laborous, heavy breathing which gave him chills.
So he shut the radio and sighed again.

He laid on the bed in the dark room. He did feel like an intruder being there, but still it seemed the best option.

Against all his idea of not being able to catch sleep faded away quickly, him drifting off quicker than he could have even imagined.

~~~~

Aragorn was unsure how long had he slept when he suddenly flinched awake.

The room was dark.

It was silent.

He sat up slowly and grimaced from the stiffness of his back. His resting place had sufficed, he had just always been used to his own bed.

He left the small room and went to the main one. He considered the place most likely being abandoned, considering that he still was alone in the darkness.

He unlocked the door and took a peek outside.

It was so bright.

He slowly walked out of the tiny building completely and just stood there for a moment, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin, marveling the magnificently different light. The lights inside the Vaults were bright too, but white and cold. This was something very extraordinary.

He looked at the beautiful blue sky and the white fluffy looking clouds, having to narrow his eyes and raise his arm for cover from the sun.

He then looked around.

The world did not look any better during daytime. If anything, it seemed very depressing.

No matter did this small place feel somewhat safe - he could not stay there. There was enough food to last for him only for a couple of days, if he would ration it.
No, he would need to find a better position in life for himself.
He would also like to find people. His whole life he had lived with others in a tightly working harmonic system, and this full quiet and lonesomeness felt strange and distant.

After admiring the light and warmth some more, he returned to the small building.

He did a thorough search and to his luck, he found a small backpack stuffed away in one of the boxes under the counter.

He filled it with the food and water and took a couple of tools and the lighter with him.

He had stopped to look at the stack of papers that had been laying on the counter. There was one paper about the beer company he had seen bottles from. One about some museum and other sights. And one about something called "The Last Homely House" in place called Waterfall Avenue.

He folded the papers in his pack and then he stepped back outside.

The only way he was not willing to take was the one leading back to the Vault, otherwise it did not really matter. So he decided to walk along the side of the road, to the exact opposite direction from his former home.

The weather was nice. There was an occasional breeze alongside the sunshine.

His surroundings just kept baffeling him. Even if it had not been anything he would have expected, it still was new and wondrous in it's coarse and rough ways.

After a lot of walking he saw a house.
It had the same deteriorated fashion the small building he had stayed in had.

He knocked on the door.

"Hello? Anybody home?" He called.

Again the door was locked. The windows were stained and dirty and hard to see through, some having cracks in them and some completely broken in the second floor.

Aragorn had a bad feeling for some reason. It was almost like he was being watched.

He heard odd rustling inside the house and a ragged breathing sound similar to the one he had heard from the ham radio at night, just a much quieter and toned down.

His uneasyness took victory and he fled the premise, not really wanting to know who lived there.

But the feeling of being watched continued even beyond that.

~~~~

He traveled a few days. His rations had lasted somewhat well and he had even got to fill his water bottle from a small creek a couple of times during that.

Life sway from home still was not easy, but he was still alive atleast.

There had been small places where he had expected someone to live, but mostly places were empty. Broken houses, broken cars, broken bridges...

Everything was broken.

The first proper creature he finally saw, was a large corpse on the ground just a few meters away from him now.

He looked around and decided to approach it.

He must have had his mouth open without even realizing it while he stood there, looking at this huge two-headed animal with a greyish skin. It seemed a bit collapsed and empty but from the looks of the utters he would have called it a husk of a cow, even if it looked more like a nightmare of a cow than the ones he had seen in a storybook as a child.

It's entire body was filled with big sting marks, like an oversized syringe would have been poked in and out of it countless times.

He had been in his own thoughts, but they got stopped by a deep, strong buzzing sound that happened in short spurs.

"What the f*ck is that?!" Got out of him when he saw this flying creature, it's body more than a half meter long, six long double-jointed limbs flailing freely with it's movements, one pair of finely-veined wings on it's and a long, pointed proboscis that extended from between two compound eyes.

And before he could think straight or back away quick enough, the proboscis pierced his forearm when he had quickly lifted it up to block the bug from coming any closer, the young man yelping from the pain.

A stupid mistake, if he had lifted his other arm it would probably not have pierced the pip-boy.

The bug managed to get good few drags of his blood before Aragorn got it off by basically ripping the proboscis out with his free hand.

Immediately when the sucking organ was out, the man made a run for it. The sound of the bug got more silent but he felt a splash of something warm on his calves while he ran.

While he was running, he saw more of those things hovering around here and there now.

He did not stop and his route was now dictated by the spaces that had no bugs flying around.

At some point they did not pursue him anymore and he was safe again, leaning against his thighs and catching his breath. He had ran so fast it almost had felt like his lungs would tear.

His forearm hurt and still a small amount of blood was leaking from it. The warm feeling he had felt on his legs appeared to be blood as well, his blue vaultsuit having now a red taint to it.

His heart beated like a jackhammer.

Never had he read about creatures like that in his life.

Never.

~~~~

When he had walked himself to a point of exhaust that same day, he finally saw a silhouette of a city or a large settlement in the distance. It looked strange, but then again, everything had so far.

He sat down on the ground and leaned against on a rock.

He dug out the last of his food and a freshly filled bottle of water.

He was happy of his view. Perhaps he could find people there. And a place to rest.

It must have been his long traveling in the sun or the bug sting or both, but he did not really feel well.

His head hurt quite often and he felt nauseous. Despite of the warm sun, he had cold shivers passing his body.
And he was very tired. Even straight after waking up he already felt fatigued and this oppressing tiredness in his muscles and joints.

His forearm was red and sore from the bug bite.
All in all, he felt miserable.

He was halfway eating the last of his boxed steak, when he really felt uneasy again. He had also heard twigs snapping and perhaps a soft thud.

He had felt for a good while that he had been watched, even before the hellish bugs, and maybe that hunch finally made itself true and his pursuer wanted to make the presence known.

He slowly and silently chewed his mouthful while very unnoticed slipped his hand inside the backpack and slided the gun out that he carried.

He would not be ambushed unarmed again.

He swallowed and took a good hold of the gun, finger gently on the safety switch.

He let out a deep, calming breath and when he heard some sounds even more near him, he whipped up behind the rock and pointed his gun to the sound.

"Do not move!" He had shouted before even seeing what it was.

He had his gun up for a moment, but allowed it to drop just a bit.

A shepherd dog, an alsatian, was looking back at him with big eyes and a tilted head.

"You won't attack me, will you?" Aragorn asked carefully.
Of course the dog would not answer.
But it looked friendly enough, so Aragorn let his gun drop to his side fully.

He sat back on the ground.

"You hungry, dog?" He called and a moment later the canine appeared next to him with it's tongue hanging out with a pant.

Aragorn took one more bite of his last meal and placed the box infront of the dog on the ground, the animal accepting the food happily.

"You're welcome." Aragorn said when the dog had eaten and licked his knee.
He scratched the dog from it's neck after pouring some water in the foodbox for it to drink.

"I have nothing left for you. Scram, go on!" Aragorn urged with a smile and the dog did happily jog off.

He watched the dog while finishing his water and then got up.

He felt better for them to go their separate ways, he could not really take care of an animal and getting attached to it could be bad. And how could he know was the animal safe in that crazy world.

~~~~

When he finally reached the city he had seen further away. There were other buildings surrounding the heavily fenced place, but he did not really pay attention to those.

A huge plague decorated a heavy main gate that was guarded by armed men. The plague said "Loudwater City".

He was about to walk towards the guards when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, man. You are new here, aren't you."

Aragorn had stepped back and looked at this other young man in a short tanned jacket and same colour trousers. He had an odd looking hair, half of his head was shaved but he had three red streaks of hair that stood upward.

"Uhm...yes." Aragorn said a bit draggingly.
"Do you have a pass to enter?"
"A pass?" Aragorn asked and glanced at the guards at the gate.
"Yeah, of course a pass."

Now he looked at the young man a bit hesitantly.

"They will shoot you at the door if you do not have one to show when they ask for it. Do you see the amount of bloodstains around?" The young man asked silently. "See the turrets that help the guards with that task?"

Aragorn looked at the stains. Of course he had seen them when he came there; on the ground, on the walls. And the automated turrets on the wall above them.

"Where could I get a pass then?" He asked.
"I might be able to sell you one." The man replied.
"I do not have any money." Aragorn replied silently.

The man let out an exaggerated exhale.

"Well, you know what. I am in a good mood. I am sure we can work something out. Come on, come this way."

The young man guided Aragorn between some buildings further away from the city gates.

"Okay, just stand here a bit."

"You are kind to help."
"Yeah well, that's what I do."

Aragorn looked up at the tallish buildings.

"What is this place anyw-"

His question ended short when a fist landed on his face, knocking him on the ground.

Countless kicks and strikes landed on his body without him being able to do anything about it.

His body really had been exhausted and ill for a while.
And even if he would have been at his best, he couldn't have taken all five of his assaulters down.

"Take the pip, take the pip!!" He heard a hasty urge.

He felt the pressure around his left arm lighten.

There was angry growling and barking.

"Shoot the f*cking mutt!"
Gunshots.
"f*ck, just leave it, this is alarming the whole f*cking neighborhood!"

Running footsteps retreated from his beaten body.
The growling and barking had ended.

Aragorn let out an involuntary cough and felt a shooting pain in his ribs.

He tasted blood.

For a small minute or two he just laid there, drawing in painful breaths.

"Oh no, you poor thing!"

A woman's voice said.
It was soft and kind.

"Can you get up?"

Aragorn did not really want to get up.

Put the gentle tug made him work for it even though his body felt like it was in flames. With a groan he managed himself up to his feet with the help of the woman and a sturdy stone wall.

The lithe figure offered some support and slowly she led them away from the alleyway.

Through his dizziness the young man saw the name of the place above the door before walking in with the woman.

The Last Homely House.

TBC

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Aragorn let out a small hiss.

"I am sorry. It is meant to sting." The dark haired lady, who had introduced herself as Arwen, said apologetically. She wiped the man's cuts with a rag and some antiseptic. "This is my father's own mixture, it is a tad stiff but takes off the pressure from finding pre-mades."

Aragorn felt extremely confused. He honestly did not know what to think from anything anymore. It had started to seem that it was not just the area around the Vault but quite far around that differed from his stories.

There was a thick scent of smoke in the room and a softly played music filled it, a woman singing along with a beautiful voice to the few patrons in the place having a drink.

He had not at first thought when seeing the add that The Last Homely House was a bar.
It was a cozy looking place, if anything in the surface world could be called cozy.

It was dimly lit and there were table sets here and there, a long wooden barcounter and a small area where the woman was singing.

There was a sign pointing to the restrooms and some other halls leading elsewhere, some he had seen even having stairs.

The man spotted a familiar dog lying on the floor further away.

"Is he yours?" Arwen asked.
Aragorn shooked his head.
"He owns me a dinner, but otherwise no I guess..." the man said and the woman hummed amused.

They were silent for a moment, the woman tending the cuts and the man looking around the unknown place.

"So, how long have you been out of the Vault?" She suddenly asked and the man laid his confused eyes on her.
"Uhm...only a few days..." the man muttered.

Arwen smiled a little.

"I assume you have never been out here before."
The man shook his head.
"It is easy to spot. All vaultdwellers has the same look on their face when they are out the first time."
"All vaultdwellers? You mean there has been others who has escaped out here too?" Aragorn asked and now the woman looked confused. Aragorn thought that the explorers must be in the overseers pocket, considering that in their Vault they had never told anyone about the surface world.
"Uhm..." she dragged and put her supplies away. "Perhaps we should get you to health again and once you feel better, talk a little more..." she looked at him with kind eyes. "Trust me, these are matters that should be talked with time and thought."

Aragorn looked at her and then nodded faintly.

Arwen studied his face with a keen gaze, a small frown forming.

"How long have you had a radiation poisoning?" She then asked.

Aragorn felt like his stomach was filled with ice. The only time he had come across with that was his mother's classified file, she dying from radiation poisoning, an uncurable disease.

"R-radiation poisoning.?" He asked with a nervous voice. "I have a...radiation poisoning.?"
The woman nodded.

The man felt absolutely defeated.
How he had been happy not too long ago of atleast being alive and now that was it.
He would die.

"C-can you tell...how much do I have.?" He asked silently.
The woman was confused again.
"Have what?"

They looked at each other.

"Time, until I will..." Aragorn tried to finish with a meaningful gaze but she just would not pick it up. "...die."

She laughed.

Laughed?

"You won't die, silly." She said kindly and petted the back of his hand. "Wait here, I will go fetch some RadAway from my father's office and you will feel better in no time." She said lightly, took the supplies from the table and left, leaving the baffled man to just sit there.

He did not stay without company for long, two men, obviously twins, appearing by the table he sat at quite soon after the woman had left.

"Who are you?" One of them asked tightly.
"Uhm..."
"What is your business here?" The other one asked.

Aragorn looked at them.

Both had long dsrk brown coloured hair that had a few braids, much like Arwen did. They had grey eyes and piercing gazes in them. Much like the woman, their ears looked a bit different than his did as well, being slightly pointy from the tips.

Aragorn could not be without seeing how armed the two were, the other one having a handgun sticking out from under his belt.

"I..."
"El! Ro!" Arwen chided. "Do not tell me you are here roughing up an injured man, are you?"

She came by the table with something in her hand.

"No one is roughing up." The other one said.
"You would know if we would be roughing up." The other added.
"Well whatever you are doing - stop it. The poor thing is nervous enough as it is." She chided some more and tore something out from a small paper cover.

Then she removed a small cap off of a tiny needle that had a small pouch with some liquid in it attached. The whole thing was smaller than a palm.

"Okay, hold still, this won't hurt too much."
"Hey, no, no, no." Aragorn had gotten to his feet.
His heart was beating wildly again. He had been drugged enough to know when the alarms in his head should go off. "I will not let you stab me with anything." He said firmly.

The woman and the two men glanced at each other.

"But...this is medicine." She then said innocently. "Have you honestly never seen RadAway before?"

Aragorn only looked at them.

"Vault 113." The other man said outloud and laid his eyes to the other man after circling around Aragorn, seeing the number in the back of his blue vaultsuit.
"Never heard." The other one said.
"Well must be a pretty decent Vault if there is zero exposure to rads."

There was a thoughtful silence.

"Just let him be." Arwen then said and turned her attention to the vaultdweller. "Your poisoning is not that bad, given your condition. But you do look like you feel ill. This will only help, it is completely safe." She still held the needled pouch in her hand. "Nothing is safe to consume here on the surface, most everything give you rads more or less. And then occasionally you put in some RadAway and you will be fine. Left untreated, the radiation poisoning will kill you eventually."

She looked at him with those kind eyes.
"I did help you in the first place, why would I start to hurt you now?"

And the man gave in with a sigh, nodding his head.

He sat back down and with a very swift and smooth move, the woman pierced his neck with the small needle and squeezed the contents of pouch in, then pulled it out. It felt less than a small pinch.

In less than a minute, the man felt better. No headache, no nausea, no exhaust in his limbs or joints.

"May I give you one more shot? It is a Stimpak, they-"
"Stimpaks I know..." Aragorn said. "We had those in the infirmary if there was any accidents or injuries on the workers..." he almost muttered. He had never had or seen one, but he did know of them, or of a medicine by this name. His mother had been given them as well and he only remembered seeing these faint needle marks on her skin.

The woman peeled a similar looking small object from a different coloured paper pack and pierced the needle through his skin in a similar fashion like the RadAway.

And that was it. Even if there were visible cuts and bruises on him, he felt just great.

Mentally very low, but physically great.

Just to think that his mother could have been saved from all the suffering she had to go through ending at death with something that took less time than spelling an average name and felt less than a tiny pinch.

"Thank you." Aragorn said and the woman squeezed his shoulder in a friendly way.

"You look terrific." The other man said sarcastically. "Who beated him up anyway?"
"I did not get a look, he was alone when I got there." Arwen replied. "They took everything he had, his pip too."
"There was, uh...this man with strange red hair, it had three streaks and-" Aragorn started but did not need to say any more.
"Uldor." The twins stated simultaneously with an annoyed tone.

They made their leave.

"Be careful." Arwen said with a melodic tone and wiped a table clean.

After that she went behind the counter and returned with a drink.

"You are very kind, but-"
"Don't worry, it's on the house." She said.
"Thank you..."

The woman smiled.
Aragorn observed her and her light step going around the place; cleaning tables, serving drinks, taking a bowl of water for the dog and other small tasks.

Up until that moment therr had not really been anything light or positive about the surface world. It was amazing that something that cheerful and kind even lived in a place so dead and deteriorated, and filled with horrible things like automated turrets, giant bugs and unfriendly people.

She disappeared for a while.
The dog had come to the man to be scratched and petted.

Aragorn liked the dog. He had never seen one for real before either, but again it was something familiar from books and holotape stories. Often dogs were depicted as loyal companions to those they trust.

Aragorn sniffed the drink, and despite of the strong scent he downed it with one go, grimacing right after.

"Would you like to be my friend, boy?" He asked and pat the dog's head.
The animal let out a long soft whine and lift it's paw on his knee.

What could he say, he was sold. He would take care of the furry beast as well as he could. It's just that he did not really know how to take care of himself out there yet.

He listened to the song being sung in his thoughts, hand lazily traveling in the dog's fur.

"Aragorn?" Arwen asked softly and the man looked at her. "My father would like to have a word with you. Just go through there." She pointed towards a door.
"Uhm...okay." Aragorn frowned but said nothing else to it or asked for the reason.

He stood up.
"Stay, boy." He said to the dog, who sat back down after an intention to follow.

Then he went to the door Arwen had pointed.

He knocked on it and entered when a man's voice allowed him to.

Aragorn closed the door after himself.

There was a man with the same kind of long half braided hair with the same colour Arwen and the twins had. He had thought had they been siblings.

The man sat quite leisurely in an armchair, his legs lifted on the edge of the desk he sat by and a lit cigarette in hand.

"Have a seat." The man said.

Aragorn sat on the other side of the desk, the man observing him as he did.

"My daughter told me you got into a little bit of trouble." The man said and tapped the cigarette lightly to an ashtray.
"You could say that..." Aragorn replied.

"She also told me you are new here. Never been on the surface."
Aragorn only nodded.

The man took a drag from his smoke before putting it out and blowing the smoke towards the roof.

Then he crossed his arms to his chest and thought for a moment while looking at the young man.

"Can you shoot?"
"No..." Aragorn replied silently but honest.
"Can you mix a drink?"
"Uhm...probably not in a way you are thinking..."
"Well, you can sweep a floor, right?"
To this Aragorn nodded.

The man let out a long hum.

"I can clothe you, feed you and house you. I am aware you can not pay me, not yet atleast. But you will work for me, and I will not pay you before you do work that earns me first. When you do, you get a cut after you have paid any expenses I have put your way. You are free to come and go as you like, but your fealty lies with me and not my enemies. Take it or leave it."

Aragorn was surprised by this offer. But he had been shown kindness by this man's daughter and he himself seemed kind as well, even if there was this small intimidating feeling coming from him.

"That is very generous, thank you. I accept." Aragorn said, maybe even feeling a bit relieved. "Oh, u-uhm...I have someone with me-"
"The dog can stay. You will pay for him as well when you start to earn and make sure he does not mess the place."
"Thank you." Aragorn said now, truly relieved.
"You answer to my sons and daughter when I am unavailable. Do what they tell you and we will not have a problem." He laid a sharp gaze to the young man. "And no funny business with my daughter."
"Understood."
"Good.

The man stood up from his chair and reached out his hand, which Aragorn took.

"I am the owner of this joint, you can call me Elrond."
"Aragorn." The young man intoduced.
"Welcome Aragorn, to The Last Homely House east of the Glowing Sea."

~~~~

After his brief meeting with the owner, Arwen showed Aragorn a room he could call his own and soon brought him a few sets of clothes to wear.

"Here is the shower, you can check in there is there water and then just pull here and water comes out." She said happily. "It is quite cool most of the time, but you will get used to it."
"Cool water is the least of my problems." Aragorn said with a small smile. "Thank you for...everything."
"Don't mention it. And it's not like I would not benefit from this, I am going to make you do all the tasks I feel too lazy to." She said firmly.
"I will do what you tell me to, it was your father's orders." Aragorn confirmed while still looking at his new surroundings.
Arwen laughed a bit.
"I was just joking." She said. "I will treat you fair, as long as you won't slack."
"Oh." Aragorn chuckled too a bit. "Of course, I won't."
"Take your time, and come down when you have settled in."
"Okay, thanks."

Arwen offered one more smile and left the man in peace.

Aragorn did not want to seem lazy or ungrateful, so he immediately removed his vaultsuit, took a shower with the said cool water, dried himself and dressed up in one of the sets of clothes he was given; a black t-shirt, a white long sleeved shirt on top he left unbuttoned and rolled up the sleeves a little, a pair of black trousers and some boots. They fitted him quite well, the woman obviously had a good eye for sizes of clothes.
Someone unfamiliar looked back at him from a mirror, but he could not really roam around in his bloodstained and torn Vaultsuit.
He dried his hair a bit but it was still a bit damp when he stepped outside of the room and went downstairs.

~~~~

"Hey, look who is much more fresh now." Arwen greeted when he entered the bar section. "You could have just gone to bed, we will close soon."
His face did have painful looking marks but she was correct, he did seem more fresh. Aragorn was tired, but perhaps a bit restless, so working did not really bother him.

"So, what would you like me to do?" Aragorn asked.
"Uhm..." Arwen looked around. "You can clear those tables. Take the dishes through there, you can also wash them."
"Okay."

And the young man got to work. He did what Arwen told him without any complaints. It was mostly cleaning and serving, he was even taught how did the paying system worked, but the pace was more than leisurely and he had a lot of time to talk with the lady.

Everybody seemed to know and like her a lot who came to the place, and Aragorn could see why. She was friendly and caring, not just because of her work but genuinely.

"Arwen, food." They heard a shout some point in the middle of a conversation, after they had closed the place.
"And a Stimpak!"
"Two!"

"Okay, okay, keep your pants on!" Arwen shouted back.
"We might not if it takes too long."

She disappeared in the kitchen and fairly soon returned.

"Take these to Hurry and Haste over there will you." She said with two plates in hands, a Stimpak accompanying each meal on the side.

Aragorn took them with a small smile and approached the sons of the owner.

The food was the same on both, so he placed each one infront of a twin, who began to eat without as much as a thank you.

"Sit down, vaultdweller." The other one said with his mouth full.

Aragorn glanced at Arwen, who was busy with some things at the counter.

So he sat down.

He felt the other young man push something to his feet under the table by his own.

He looked down and saw a backpack.

After a split second he actually realized that and grabbed it.

"My stuff!" He breathed out after looking inside.
"Your pip is in there too." The other one said.
"Mighty impressive S.P.E.C.I.A.L.'s you have. No wonder you were able to take on a few days of rads without keeling over if you have such good endurance. I liked your hack programs too."
"You don't really need to know your S.P.E.C.I.A.L.'s out here that way though, but I suppose it helps a bit to know. Cuts some corners. Father said you can't shoot, why do you have a gun?"

Aragorn looked at the twins.

"You searched my pack?" He asked. "How did you open my pip? It is safely secured."
"Of course we searched it." The other one laughed shortly. "El here is quite a good hacker himself, he got in to your pip under 5 minutes." Obviously this one being Ro added. "So, about the gun?"
"I, uhm..." Aragorn was a bit annoyed by the break-in but he did not want to be ungrateful, the two young men did get his items back. "I have never shot one in my life. I needed this one for...getting out of the Vault. And for protection after that..."
"Protection?" Ro snorted out a laugh.
"What is so funny?" Aragorn asked, some annoyance in his voice now.
"You have a gun for protection, yet you get stung by a Bloodbug and beaten up by a raider - without even a single shot for protection fired!" He laughed.
"I am glad my misery and misfortune amuses you." Aragorn scoffed.
"Your Luck was the lowest of the scores." El stated and Ro laughed some more.

Aragorn looked unhappy.

"Come on vaultdweller, don't be so serious. When you get used to this world some more, you will laugh at these things yourself, just give it some time." Ro said lightly and injected the Stimpak he had to himself. "Well, if you are not lucky and can't shoot, what was it that you did in the Vault?"
"I am...was...a mechanic."
"A mechanic?" The twins faces had brighten up. "Can you fix guns?"
"Uhm, no, I never have..."
"Shame." Ro sighed ligtly.
"What did you work on then?" El asked.
"Well, you know..." Aragorn shrugged. "Plumbing, lights, waterpumps, ventilation, generators-"
"Whoah, really?" El asked excited. "Do you think you could build a generator?"

Aragorn thought for a moment.

"Maybe?" He answered slowly, if for nothing else, atleast he showed some worth and tried to be nice back.
"Maybe is good enough." El said.
"Don't worry vaultdweller, we will teach you how to shoot. You have too good of a build to be cleaning floors with Arwen here." Ro stated. "Also, I do not believe you have done any crime that bad to be cleaning floors with Arwen here."
"Hey, I can hear you!" Arwen shouted and the twins laughed, Aragorn only smiiing a bit.

"Uhm, okay...thank you. For my belongings." He said.
The twins hummed in sync.

There was a small silence where El put his Stimpak in and Ro lit a cigarette.

"Could either of you, possibly...tell me about txhis world.?"
His and Arwen's conversations had been mostly about his chores and the owner of the place and about the place in general, but not so much of anything else. "What has happened?

The twins glanced at each other.

"You smoke?" Ro offered.

~~~~

Arwen had brought food for Aragorn and for herself as well. The young man had been mostly listening to the twins, his appetite gone.

He had told about how he had thought the world to be; lively and peaceful and vibrant with a great system and balance in work and private lives, the freedom and opportunities. How they had been told their entire lives, and generations before them, that they had been working to upkeep, better and maintain that level of life on the surface from the Vault.

The twins had told him how all of the Vaults had been designed to serve as shelter from the war and aftermaths of it, but most Vaults also being experiments on how people behave and adjust in different scenarios and living conditions. Every Vault was different.

And about the war...

A long period of arm wrestling between countries about who is more mighty and capable to gather and rule over important resources that had started to grow less with time, all of that creating battles between different places and finally, over 200 hundred years ago, it all escalated into "The Great War", ending at full blown nuclear war that left the world as it was now.

Or it really had not ended, the struggle had continued ever since in many different ways; countries still worked to make their stance to be the most strongest, people tried to survive and rebuild, or all tried to survive and some tried to rebuild, and everyone had always feared a complete atomic annihililation, considering what the rulers had been capable long ago to get the world to this state that it was in.

What Aragorn had read about growing up had all been true.
Not just for a very long time anymore.

Remnants of those beautiful stories did exist, like the stories themselves.

But reality...was quite different.

Radiation, irradiation, past and most likely ongoing government experiments with varying levels of gruesomeness, mutants, ghouls, giant insects, other terrifying creatures, gangs, raiders, hacking, shooting, killing, looting...

The list of horrendousness was extensive.

And the twins spoke about it all like they would have talked about something very ordinary, like what they have had for breakfast.
It was the only world they had ever known.

"So you...have been...experimented on.?" Aragorn asked cautiously.
"Oh, oh no, not us in person, but people down our line before and after the war were. We are like the eighth generation existing. We have genetic transformations from birth that make us different. We hear and see better than an average person and we are quicker and more agile." El said.
"And we have pretty ears." Ro added with a sarcastic smile.
"The reason for the experimentations was to try and make soldiers that can move faster and more silent, be more stealthy. Our line was a less experimented one. The Firstborns..." the twins glanced at each other. "There are people called the Firstborns. They were the first experiments and were the ones taken the furthest. But when the scientists saw that there started to become more and more problems with their subjects before reaching the point they wanted them to, they started experimenting with another batch of people to find the optimal point to stop before the problems occured."
"We are called half-breeds." Ro slipped in between.
"But the projects to make us through laboratories was too time and resource consuming, with many of the subjects dying from the complications and the surviving ones not reaching near the point for it to be worth it, so the projects were discarded. And the people that had been experimented on, and alive, were thrown out in to the world to either survive or die."

There was a silence.

"There has been many experimental projects over the long years, some to make people smaller and sturdier with the idea that they could live underground and inside mountains better, or creatures that could have an extremely high tolerance of radiation and still function reasonably - which was a no-go...the post-war world created creatures to fill those stats, but they are more than tricky to have as soldiers, probably impossible." El mused. "Then there are viruses made for biological warfare, like FEV which is a forced evolutionary virus and serves as a base for the existence and mutation of many creatures..." he sighed.

Aragorn felt a tad overwhelmed from all the information, which made him exhausted again. Mentally, not physically.

"It is a lot to take in, I am sure. We have seen a few vaultdwellers before, so don't worry, buddy - you will be just fine." Ro said surely and leaned back on his chair, stretching his arms long towards the roof. "Considering your pip-boy info it is safe to assume that things down in that Vault was a little f*cked up so you only have like what, the rest of your life to get used to the surface?"
El nudged his twin, who looked innocent like there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he said or how he said it.

"It will be fine." Arwen reassured and petted Aragorn's shoulder a bit, maybe seeing that bit of desperation in him. "You have some things good. Atleast you are not alone in the world, right?"

All three of them liked the vaultdweller. He was quite humble and harmless, and seemed like a hardworking person.

The man looked at the three half-breeds, and the dog.

And he nodded. They might be right.

"That's the spirit." El said. "Hey sis, how about a round of drinks and well call in the night?"

The woman got up with a soft sigh and a smile. She started to clear the table but Aragorn stopped her, doing it himself.

The thought of not being alone did feel good.

Bad Luck stats or not, he had been lucky to find them. Or be found by them.

It would be all alright.

TBC

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Aragorn looked at the guards and the turrets above on the reinforced walls when they approached the gate to Loudwater City.

They simply walked through, no passes of any kind were asked.

He felt annoyed of being so easy to fool with that, but then again, when he thought about it he reasoned it to be the most normal way to think there was. The guards and turrets could have just as well really shoot people without passes at the gates.

"Why is there so much blood on the ground and walls?" He asked when they walked deeper in.

"Oh, at times raiders or muties try to get in by force, raiders mostly." El replied. "Raiders far more dangerous than Uldor, he is just a jerk who only wants to be something."
"Neither of the mentioned are welcome." Ro added.
"It does not happen too often, but occasionally." Arwen said.

They got to the center of the city and stopped, allowing Aragorn to look at the view of it.

It was quite open, there was some round shaped shop in the middle and it was circled by makeshift, shabby houses and some more shops.

More or less armed people walked around, did business and talked with one another. There were children running around and playing with each other, almost bumping in to them while passing by.

"You want to go too, boy?" Aragorn asked from the shepherd that walked by his leg. The dog glanced at him and left after the running children with it's tail wagging.

"First, we need to get you a cap case and because it is dad's wealth we are using, we are going to buy one instead going to the Wastes and honorably loot one." Ro chuckled.

"I am going to shop around." Arwen said lightly.
"Of course you are." The twins said.

The two instead led the young man to a small shack that said "Meriadoc's Miscellanious" above the door.

"Merry?" Ro called. "Merry!"
"Hold on, coming!" A cheerful voice hollered and soon this short person with light curly hair popped out of another room with a stick that had meat on it in his hand. "Ah, you two. How can I help you today?"
"You would not happen to have a cap case in decent condition, would you?" El asked.
"Hmmm, I might. Let me look there - here, hold this." Merry shoved the stick of meat to El's hand and climbed a set of steps to reach a box.

"It is iguana-on-a-stick." Ro whispered to Aragorn's questioning face towards the shady looking snack.

"Aha! Here we go."

Merry climbed down and placed this slim palm sized, rectangle shaped object on the table.

"Does it work?" El asked and Merry pressed it on inside a hole it had with a thin needle, numbers 0,00 lighting up in red on a narrow strip of a screen.

El took it after handing over the shopkeepers snack and looked any damages on it.

"It works." Merry said surely and wiped his mouth.

"How much?" El asked after putting it back on the table.
"400."
"What?! For this scratched piece of junk?" Ro let out.
"Merry, Merry - we are all friends here, right? Come on, tell me, how much did it have credit when you got it, hm?" El coaxed. "Come on, Merry, tell me truth."

The short owner sighed.

"Fine, it had a bit over 250 caps in it." Merry said.
"How about I pay you 250 and you surely have made your profit there, right?" El offered.
"Fine, fine, deal."

Merry pulled out a similar one out from his own pocket that he was selling, it just assumably had his initials on it.

El took one out too and pressed it on. Now that Aragorn looked more carefully, he saw that the devices had small buttons on the sides.

El pressed one as long as the narrow screen had a red "-250" on it. Then he pressed something and a small piece popped out of it that he pulled with a thin cord following, joining it with Merry's device. Soon a green "+250" flashed on Merry's screen and El's obviously had the total amount what he had in general on it, after losing the 250.

"Thank you for your purchase. Might I interest you with anything else? I just hauled in a few very good conditioned cartons of smokes straight from a distributor in Outlands."
"f*ck yes, pay the man El." Ro said with a smile and El sighed, requested a bottle of Wonderglue and a sheet of paper to go as well, then dialed the number Merry told him as price and made the purchase.

"When are you leaving again?" El asked.
"Oh, not for another week or two. I will come back in a month, cousin Frodo is having his birthday and we are celebrating." Merry replied.
"Wish him a happy one for us."
"Sure will."

"Uhm...is he one of those designed to live inside a mountain -people.?" Aragorn asked with a whisper from Ro, who snorted out a dirty laughter.
In Aragorn's defense, he had never seen an adult of that size and the twins had talked about small people, they did mention they were sturdy though, Merry was not that at all.

"No, definitely not." Ro said after getting a hold of his amusem*nt. "Hey Merry, he thought you are a rock-runt."

The short person had his mouth hang open in shock.

"I will have you know mister, I am a person with restricted height, not one of those ale devourer from the mountains." He said very matter-of-factly.
"But you do devour beer though." Ro said thoughtfully.
"And restricted height does fit you both..." El added.
"Hey, you jokesters get out of my shop, or I will have you buy my days meals for me!"
"Oh no, we must go, I don't think dad's cap case could handle that."

They all laughed, except Aragorn who felt a bit apologetic.

"Alright, see you. Travel safe."
"Pleasure doing business with you!"

They left the shop.

"I suppose it is safe to assume that bills and coins are not what are used in this world anymore..." Aragorn said thoughtfully.
"Oh no, that is pre-war money, you can find that laying around everywhere but it is worthless." Ro replied.

"Let's go there, I will show you how this works." El pointed the center circle of the market.

~~~~

"...you press here, and pop! Out comes the wire. When you want it back you either tug it a little like this and it pulls it back, or you can press here." El explained. "Questions?"
"Nope, it seems simple enough...thank you."

Aragorn took the device and Ro snatched it from him right after, doing something to it and then giving it back.

"A-113?" Aragorn read the decoratively written code the brunette had glued to the case.
"I did not know your lastname so you can have your vaultnumber, vaultboy." Ro replied. "It is important to stick to you roots."

Aragorn put the device in his pocket.

"It is empty right now, but that will change eventually when you start to earn some." El said. "Of course depending how long that will take, it will take longer for you to enjoy it, dad is precise with his fortune and wants every cap back."

"Hey, did you find a case?" They heard Arwen ask when she got within earshot.
"Got it."
"Great!" She gleed as she sat down. "You are well on your way of becoming a proper wastelander." She looked at him with a smile.

Aragorn nodded and right after shooked his head in refusal when a pack of smokes was pointed his way.

"Why bother with this whole system anyway?" He asked and let his gaze slowly travel on the shops. "Can't everyone just loot and hoard what they need and want, whenever they need to."

The twins and the lady looked at each other.

"This is how the world worked before the war and that is how it worked and works after the war. Sure, a lot of people thought different after the horrors had started to become a norm and other ways of survival had been established. But...what would you think would happen to the world if there would not be a structure? And a civil way for everyone to live by?" El asked.

Aragorn shrugged his shoulders.

"Everything would slip into chaos I suppose..."
"Yes." El said firmly. "There are a lot of good, kind and loving people out in the world, even in ones the world has shaped harder. Those kind of people are not all capable of shooting and killing and plundering things inorder to survive. Then there are people who can and at the same time enable survival to those who can not. Then there are the people who do not care and work only for themselves, not caring about rules or agreements good people make to have that civil world. Like what is the alternative? Thousands of years of life in this world, and we just give up even when we are still breathing?"
"He is very passionate about this." Ro chuckled and nudged the man.

"We need to do our best to keep the society running with the means we have, bad guys and hardship in it or not. We can not let the outlaws and side effects of the war allow to extinct us. And that needs order and structure and so far we are doing pretty good, considering all. I do not even care do people find that strength for good through religion or whatever, as long as it is there." El said and nodded. "I believe that one day, the world could even be close to what it used to be, if we just work hard enough. Already there has been made huge steps to make food and drink cleaner and get electricity back again bit by bit over the years. We have medicines and knowledge and perseverence more than ever now after the war." El preached.
"He is right though." Ro said.

"Sure, we kill and loot too. But we do not just walk in anywhere we please and steal from good people for our own gain. No, we plan where we go and how we proceed, even if it would not be the easiest way." El said and Ro nodded.

Aragorn looked at them and nodded as well.

"So how do these cities work? Except for the guards outside, I have not seen anyone to keep order. What if someone tries to steal something? Are there any laws here I should know about?"
"Well, for once, you will never pull out your gun inside a city, unless it is for self-protection. Even if they do not patrol here constantly, the guards will come faster than you think to settle a situation."
"Some places do have Protectrons prancing around for safety." Ro added.
"The ones whos families have established each city in the beginning are the once in charge. They are the mayors. Everyone who lives inside the city or has a shop inside the city pays a certain amount to them for that privilidge. Of course living inside a city gives the benefits, like the constant protection from the outside threats and safe trade."

Aragorn frowned.

"Your father's bar is not inside the city. Is there a reason why?"
"Father likes not being accountable to others with his money. Also, dad has a knack for medicine and he likes to give healing and opportunities on the side to people who might not be let inside the city for different reasons. Like if they are too much in chems. He can also keep his prices low or even free when he does not have to pay high sums to someone just for living and having a business."
"Okay, I understand that..." Aragorn said, how could he not when he has been given this exact kindness. "Keeping a bar can't be that profitable though, now can it?"
"Dad has other sources for money. And he does not have to pay for certain resources because of us."
"Aren't you afraid that someone will attack the bar or try to steal something from you?"

The twins laughed.

"No one will steal from our father." Ro said.
"He has even added to those bloodstains outside the city." Arwen said lightly.

The young man had been right, intimidating was a good word for Elrond, even if he was kind.

"Father cares about others and wants to help. All of us half-breeds do. We might not have large areas or factories and places under our full control, but we make a difference. People around the Wastes seek out dad's help for various things and shelter until they get to their feet. We use our enhanced abilities to help, heal and protect, even if it sometimes means that we have to fire our guns."
"You do sound like good people." Aragorn thought out. "I might have been a bit gloomy, I know I have the right to and everything but...I am happy my way crossed with yours from all the people."

They smiled at each other.

"So what about the Firstborns then? You said they are more enhanced and advanced than you are, they must be making quite a difference around too."

There came sharp, declining sounds.

"The, uh, Firstborns...they...how could I put it...they are not very good people." El said. "They are on top of the foodchain so to speak. They have the resources; caps, areas, supplies-"
"-weapons."
"But they...they do not use them for others. They do not care about others, only about themselves. Or maybe in a way not even about themselves come to think of it, atleast sometimes...or then they just think they are plain invincible or something."
"They live under the strict rule of their leader who has been responsible for most of their success and wealth. And they do not really fear walking on deaths way to get what they want." Ro scoffed.
"Perhaps the uncaring is due to the influence of the said leader to some extent. I have once seen a Firstborn who seemed alright." El said.
"What, you saw him pass a Brahmin without shooting it in the head, if that is the line of being considered kind, we can drop our standards of ourselves too right. You think too finely about people sometimes, El."

El shooked his head a bit.

"They are not like super mutants, they-"
"Not like what?!" Aragorn asked with wide eyes.
"We'll...tell you later. The Firstborns, it is not like they would shoot you and eat you raw from sight. You can have a conversation with some of them and even walk out alive, dad sure has. He has even had a favor or two from them in the past. But they just are...strange, I guess. Far less wise than us half-breed are, but far more reckless. And dangerous."

Aragorn had frowned while listening to this. The twins were right, that did not sound too good or nice.

"I heard that the leader is missing though." Arwen said nonchalantly.
"What, really? Where did you hear that from?" Ro insisted, El looking very intrigued as well.
"From a regular patron at the bar."
"Oh..." the disappointment on her brothers was visible.

"I would not trust the rambles of drunks on these kind of matters, sis." El laughed shortly. "They will say most anything to get your interest and attention a bit more than the next guy."
Arwen just rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Hi, boy. Where did you get that from?" Aragorn asked when the shepherd dog dropped a ball to his feet. "I hope you did not steal it from anyone, I want us both to play by the rules."
The dog barked and nudged the ball a bit.
"Fine..."

Aragorn picked it up and threw it to a direction that had nothing on the way.
Then he turned back to the twins and Arwen.
He had had some time to think.

"Elrond said that working for him will not earn me anything right now and I will be in debt to him. I would very much like to pay the man as soon as possible. Any idea where to start looking for work?"

They got up and thought together while walking.

"You could always ask around here if someone needs an extra pair of hands they could pay for or have other chores they are too busy to do themselves." Arwen said. "Or-"

"Hey, look who's there!" Ro suddenly exclaimed. "Hey Stockton!"

An old man turned to look at them.

"If it isn't the double trouble." The man scoffed but shooked Ro's hand and then El's. "I hope you do not have anymore surprises for me - like throwing a live grenade inside a molerat nest! Dammit it, I almost lost the hearing from my good ear!"
"Did we do that?" Ro dragged innocently. "Okay, I am sorry. We will try to warn you next time. Try, did you hear that?"
"Scram, you rascal." The man said and smacked Ro on his leg with a cane.
"So, have anything?"

The man looked at the two and then sighed deeply.

"A map to a cave near the Golden Woods. I heard there might be something good hidden there, but folk seem to keep their distance to the place." The old man said.
"Sounds like a place for us." Ro said excited. "What do you want from it?"

The man thought.

"The map cost me nothing, so ten percent of the sum of the loot and don't you even dare try to fool me, I will hear if there was something good there!"
"Can you, though?" Ro let out and got another smack from a cane.

"Thanks, Stockton. We will keep our end of the deal if we find something." El said.
"Good. Give my regards ro your father."

They continued their way out, the dog joining them.

"I hope this will be good." El said and folded the map in his pocket after inspecting it a bit.

"Uhm, I was thinking..." Aragorn said slowly. "...could I go with you guys, do what you do?"

The twins and Arwen stopped.

"Oh...I think you better stay with me. Their line of work, it is, uhm...it is not safe." Arwen said worriedly.

"What do you think, Ro?" El asked.
"What, let vaultboy come and eat our share?" Ro asked back and El hummed. "Of course!"
"Okay, you can come." El said.
"Great, thanks guys!" Aragorn said genuinely happy.

"We are going to have so much fun together." Ro said and tapped Aragorn's back. "For once El gets to relax and does not need to do things like be the bait to lure out Bloodbugs, they seem to like you." He said and laughed heartily.

Aragorn was unsure had his request been a grave mistake.

"Come on, future wastelander or not, we still have duties at the bar now!" Arwen called.
"I'm coming..."

Maybe it would have been much better to stay indoors, wiping tables and sweeping floors with her.

But what's done is done.

TBC

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

"Hey, you are not half-bad!" El joiced.
"I think it depends on who us the judge of that." Ro said and shooked his head.
"Does the gun feel okay?" El asked.
"Can a gun even feel okay?" Aragorn asked back.
"It sure can!" Ro said with a captivating smile. "You just know when you are having a gun that suites you best. It says a lot about the person who carries it."
El snorted a laugh.
"Does that mean that you want to just deal destruction and maniacal chaos, considering your love for weapons that has a good 'spread' ?" He jested.
"As much as it does for you to play mental tag with your targets."

Aragorn stood there a bit awkward. The twins had made him try out many different weapons and shoot for the entire evening.

To a person who had never made a shot before, having to repeat the said action numerous times felt a tad straining.

Sure, it was easy now knocking down empty cans. Every now and then the thought came to his mind, circling around the subject what is he practising for.

He had wanted to kill Denethor real bad, and was not able to do it. Would he be able to take a life now?

"Hey, you guys. I promised Arwen I will stack the shelves with her before neither of goes to sleep. Can we finish for the day?" Aragorn asked.

The twins glanced at each other.

"Sure, it is enough for the day. We can practise tomorrow too but then we got to go." El said. "You can always change your mind if you feel unsure about leaving."

The man did think for a moment.

"No, I will go with you. Atleast I can say what it is like before making a choice of doing or not doing it full time."
"That's the spirit." El said and tapped his shoulder. "Ro, you coming?"
"Hm?" The other half-breed had been examining some weapons in his own thoughts. "You go, I'll stay here a bit."

~~~~

As agreed, the next day Aragorn worked at the bar and all free time that he had in between, he spent with the twins, learning how to shoot and re-load weapons while listening to the two telling him what the pecking order on the road would be and what to expect.

Which was very simple; they were in charge and Aragorn would listen and obey to their every word for the safety of everyone and he was to expect just about anything happening from a wild animal attack to a full blown gang war.

That was fine by him to obey the twins, he did not know the surface and the Wastes more than what he had when he traveled to Loudwater City. He felt no need to solo on their exploring mission.

The night before he was restless, not able to sleep from the nervousness he felt for their upcoming travel.

The twins had told that they had not left their home at the bar building once without having to shoot something dead on their way.

They just spoke so lightly of it.
To him the idea felt horrible.

But he really wanted to show his worth, earn money and not be in debt to anyone. He would not cross these people even if he would not be trapped in a paying position.

By first light he was with the young half-breed men, soon ready to leave.

~~~~

"This is actually going to be so good..." El sighed, Aragorn having his left arm up with the half-breed examining his pip. "You can have a general map here, you can find radio stations...if we find a proper program somewhere, we can even keep an eye how much rads does a person have and it can alarm if there is too much radiation nearby!" he spoke dreamily like it would have been some great gift of the world.

"I am glad it can be that helpful." Aragorn said and closed the screen of his device. "Where is Ro, weren't we supposed to leave already?"
"I'm here, no need to panic." Ro chuckled right after this question. "Here."

He gave the man a handgun. Actually it was his and he had no idea that he had even been missing it.

Aragorn took it and gave it a look.

"I made a few mods to it. Now it has a better grip and a dot scope to help you aim. Of course it eats the energy away to use it, but you do not have to use it all the time. Just press there." Ro said.

Aragorn did and there came a thin, just visible red light out of a small lense on a small device on the gun that it now had, the light making a small red dot on the wall.

"Just remember that in the dark especially this light will give you away so try to use it only when you get attacked for real." Ro said lightly.

When.
When you get attacked.

Aragorn nodded.

"Thanks." He did get out.
"I also modded a hunting rifle for you, I tried to make it have less recoil and also have a better grip so it would be more user-friendly."
Again Aragorn nodded.
"This is sort of Ro's hobby; he can tinker and make small modifications to weapons but that is just about where his building and mechanic skills ends." El laughed. "But around that subject, he is quite good. I have not had a problem with any of his mods."

Again a nod.

"So, shall we go?"
"Sure."
"Wait!"

They turned to look at the bright voice calling for them.

"I put a little something for you to take on the road." She said and gave a small boxes of dried meat to each of the men. "There is also excess RadAway, RadX and Stimpaks. Oh, and I put an extra bottle of purified water in each of your packs."
"Awesome, thanks Arwen." Ro replied genuinely and the woman smiled.

"Stay safe." She said cheerfully. "And try to keep this one alive, he actually gets things done around here and I like to have him around."
"Hey, you know what happened to the last vaultdweller was not our fault." El said and Ro nodded.
"Of course not, just saying." She shrugged.

Aragorn looked at them.

"He did not follow our instructions." Ro simply said and El nodded in his turn.
"You should get going, the day seems to turn warm and you know how the warmth attracts Bloatflies." Arwen said.

The man could not help himself. Anything that had a name like Bloatfly seemed to make his stomach twist and turn.

Arwen gave her brothers a big hug and a smaller one to Aragorn as well, with a gentle tap to his back.

The dog Aragorn would leave in the Homely House, thinking that the animal could use a safe place to rest for a while longer. The dog did not mind.

And then they were off.

~~~~

"Don't worry, it will get easier." El said with a friendly tone.

Aragorn felt uncomfortable. It had totally been a different thing walking in the Wastes in his flexible and movement adjusting vaultsuit, than the clothes he was wearing now.

A longsleeved shirt with a pair of coarse pants that can endure a bit of traveling life, boots, a leather jacket long enough to reach his knees and gloves that showed his fingertips, all clothing either black or grey. It was not enough that the clothes were hot to wear but on top of that there was gear to be carried; a backpack with food only enough to help them survive for a day or two because the twins told that they will definitely find food on the way, medicines, extra magazines of bullets, a couple of lighters, knives and other assorted things that might come in handy.

And of course he had guns. A hunting rifle that hung from his shoulder by a strap and a handgun in a holster. And more bullet magazines in easier reach than his backpack and then his capcase. The twins had told that they liked to keep their packs half empty when they head out because there is always things they can haul back and mostly they have the problem of where to fit everything they want to take with them or a needing to have a deep discussion what to leave behind.

Aragorn was happy beyond believe to be in good physical shape. But obviously the twins were far more seasoned and of course had their special traits as half-breeds, making them more energetic and endurent.

He tried to hide his uncomfiness and nausea the heat and his nervousness made him feel as well as he could and look like someone who was not a burden to his fellow travelers as they trekked on.

In the sun.

That was absolutely scorching.

Warm day had been an understandment. It was practically hell on earth before it was even noon.

Occasionally he would wipe his sweaty face to his sleeve or waggled the collar of his shirt a bit to cool down, like it would help.

It didn't.

He liked the brightness of the sun and he had learned the importancy of it through his studies while growing up, but oh goodness how he hated that melting heat from the bottom of his very soul.

"Does heat really attract those...what was it that you called them?" Aragorn asked. "Bloatflies.?"
"I guess. They swarm around much like the Bloodbugs do but they are quite harmless." El said. "Oh, but don't get me wrong, they will attack relentlessly. They have this thing in their abdomen they can spit full grown larvae out to latch on to their prey that spreads a toxin which makes the prey disabled before they feed on it, but the toxin affects only other animals and beasts, not humans. To us it only causes local necrosis that can be treated, but treating it needs a proper doctor and some rarer medicines, so it can be a drag."

If Aragorn had not felt nauseated enough before - larvae shooting flies managed him to reach a new height.

"Some people do hunt them for the meat. Food made from them in cities and diners are quite cheap because they are so common and not too high on quality. And of course they are easy to kill. We do not really prefer them, but I suppose one would rather eat it than starve if push came to shove."

The twins stopped to a retching sound.

"What do you think brother, a good time for a break?" Ro asked thoughtfully.
"I think so, brother."

~~~~

Aragorn dangled a bottle of water in his hand and kept his eyes on the asphalt.

They had stopped to the side of a deteriorated road, on a spot that had a broken car sitting there.

He sat on the hood of it quietly.

"Try to eat a little, it will make you feel better." El encouraged. "Don't worry about it, that can happen even to the best of us. And there is so much to take in here, I can imagine you are feeling overwhelmed."

A regular gesture of Ro handing a pack of smokes his way and the man declining happened, before both of the twins lit one up and blew some smoke in to the air.

Aragorn let out a sigh.

"I can not believe myself...to switch airconditioned quarters with missus Éadigs poundcakes and stews to larvae infested flymeat because of boredom and a foolish dream..." he muttered and dropped his gaze even closer to his feet on the asphalt, sighing again. "And Éomer..." he could not even continue his sentence.
He missed his best friend and the safety his company had.

The novelty of his escape had worn off quite fast, even though whenever he thought of Denethor and his own parents, he did not wsnt to return either.

"Why did you leave the vault?" El asked. "I mean, we did read that your parents died and much like Ro said when we got to know each other, that things were a bit f*cked up down there, but we sort of are missing the bigger picture."

Aragorn was silent for a moment, before glancing at the twins, his gaze leaving them just as quickly.

"Well, uhm...the overseer...had my parents killed. My mother and father wanted to come to the surface, have a cooperation with the beautiful world we had always read and heard stories about. I guess they got too close to the flame, threatening the secret of this world being exposed to the other residents, so they had to be..."

Taken out of the picture. He did not need to say it outloud for the twins to catch it.

"I shared their dream..." He continued. "I always wanted to work on the medical or science field and I had all the scores too...but the overseer saw me as a threat as well and in secret tweaked the results and made me a mechanic. I did put my heart and soul to be the best one there was, even if it did not really feel like my thing..."
"I can see that, your Intelligence on your S.P.E.C.I.A.L.'s was the highest we have ever seen scored on a young vaultdweller. Or in general even." El said.

Aragorn smiled, only a little bit. He knew his intelligence was high, it had become clear when he had been comparing S.P.E.C.I.A.L.'s stats with the other teenagers in the vault and even some adults had talked about it. He had always been humble about it and he never really had flaunted with it.
But he really was smart.

"How did you end up here?" El asked and Aragorn glanced at them again.

"I wanted...confirmation, I guess. I always knew and felt that there was something odd going on with my position. I asked for a transfer in field, which I got denied. So then I just...I just wanted to know for sure was there something wrong or was I really meant to be a mechanic. So I broke into the overseer's office one night and turned out: I was right." His gaze dropped again. "While doing so, I...I saw my parents files and opened them and learned that..."

A silence.

"That's heavy." Ro then said outloud with El and Aragorn both nodding.

"Your vault definitely is a social experiment unit." El said soon and shooked his head. "We have met a few people coming from those. We knew this one guy who came from a vault where people annually voted and sacrificed a member of the Vault. It was a study of population's willingness to sacrifice individuals for the safety of the majority, and the higher ups used things like falsified threats of collective punishment and sh*t like that to maintain it...Vault 11 I think it was. And of course then there is one of the famous vaults, Vault 87, where the scientists studied the Forced Evolutionary Virus and made..." El and Aragorn glanced at each other. "...super mutants in the process. There are a lot of vaults out there, some have been repurposed or taken over by gangs and some, like yours, are still very much observed and operational."

They were quiet again for a moment.
Aragorn still could not believe almost his entire life had been nothing than a dirty, outrageous lie.
Feelings of depression were not unknown to him, he had had his lows and he had also observed his own father sinking into a depth of darkness.

But despite of he feeling happy from the help he has and was receiving from the half-breed family, his personal misery was intense.Some of that misery seeped out in to his otherwise blank and still somewhat gently bruised face.

The twins looked at each other, having a sort of wordless conversation.

"We uh...we sort of know what it is like. We have lost a parent too."

Aragorn looked at them, the twins looking back.

"You have?" He did ask, realizing that none of them had mentioned their mother once in any conversation they had had so far.
El gave a confirming hum.

Aragorn was unsure was it really proper to ask what had happened, but the twins felt they were having a moment of sharing so...

"She took her own life." El said silently and had started to draw a figure to the sandy ground next to the crumbled driveway. "When we were children."

There was a silence again but Aragorn could not help himself from asking...

"Why.?"

"Mom was a Firstborn." Ro said bluntly before El could answer. "Remember El telling you that some of the Firstborns suffer from the genetic modifications that passes on in them?" Aragorn nodded. "Mom started to lose her mind. She started to have these psychotic episodes and they got more and more worse. In her clearer times she feared that she would harm us. In her unclear states closer to the end she could not recognize us. So in a clear moment that ended up being her last..." as a courtesy, Ro did not have to continue with Aragorn gesturing of fully getting the rest of it. "Dad did his best to raise us alone; taking care of us and trying to make sure we do not lack of anything too much while growing up."

"The Firstborns tend to breed with other Firstborns." El said after a silence. "The majority of them want to keep their line pure because they feel that the utter suffering of their forefathers would have been in vain otherwise if the uh...gifts or talents they have would be erased by mixed breeding. Of course with the "talents" passing on, there is also a high risk for them to have those troubles and problems we mentioned a little. Like what mom had. Not all of them do and it is a sore subject for them but...some develop them."
"Mom had been fine when she had met dad. Mom was a Firstborn who wanted children very much but she wanted to break the genetic flaw and not pass it down to her youngings. I think she had seen too much of the terror that the flaw creates in general..." Ro shrugged. "We three are all fine, we do not possess the skills or the troubles they do due to dad being a half-breed. But mom...she unfortunately was a Firstborn who had the problems take her."

Silence.

"Dad tried to help her as much as he could, with all of his capabilities, but in the end he was not able to. Maybe no one is, perhaps the problems are so strong in those who do have them that they simply can not be helped..." El thought outloud.
"I think mom was the first and the only good Firstborn..." Ro muttered. "...and do not mention that one guy leaving the Brahmin alive." He nudged El, making his twin smile a little.

The morbid subject had made them all a bit blue.

"I, uh...I am very sorry for your tragedy and loss." Aragorn said genuinely while looking at the twins.

They looked back.

"Likewise, vaultboy." Ro said and El nodded.

They smiled at each other a bit.

"Hey, enough of this gloom, huh?" El said, making himself have a brighter voice as he got up. "Let me see can I find a station out here to listen to while we eat."

He hopped to sit down next to Aragorn and took his left arm after the man had opened his pip.

He went through some settings and soon started to tune with a scrollable button, making the pip let out whimsical electronic sounds mixed with some static.

"I found a ham radio in a building I first slept in while getting to the surface." Aragorn said, changing the subject as well. "But I could not find any stations, when I opened it the only thing I could hear was this heavy, sort of ragged huffing sounds - it was so strange."

Ro sat on his other side.

"Maybe you found a radio that had a connection to another one in a ghoul nest or something. Feral ghouls especially tend to hover over ham radios whenever they come across one, I have no idea why." Ro said nonchalantly. "Some radio signals can be heard only from certain locations."

Feral ghouls.
Just when the man had though that Bloatflies sounded bad.

He remembered the house he had heard similar sounds coming from a broken window and it gave him the chills.

"Hey hey hey El, stop here!" Ro exclaimed.

"...one man lurks in the shadows. Shielding the innocent. Judging the guilty. That guardian is... the Celeb Fân! Be ready folks, for today's episode is...episode three, In the Parlor of Mysteries!" The announcer declared with a deep impressive voice, sound coming from the pip-boy.

"You must have heard these all like a hundreds of times, Ro." El chuckled.
"So what, Celeb Fân is f*cking awesome." Ro laughed and had put his arm on the man's shoulder as a friendly gesture who still was horrified from the idea of feral ghouls.

Celeb Fân: "Jasmine, chamomile, pain... ecstasy. This can only be... The Parlor of Mysteries."
Mistress of Mystery: "Shhh... Be still, sweet Fân. I removed that scumbag's slug, but you're sick with fever and still suffering."
Celeb Fân: "Mistress of Mysteries! No, I'm... all right. But the mayor, Fat Fahey. We stumbled upon a most sinister plot, old friend."
Mistress of Mystery: "Ha! No, dear heart. The Fân stumbled -- the Mistress maneuvered. I knew of the mayor's misdeeds for many days. I followed him to that fateful meeting with Fat Fahey. I was about to..."

There the three sat, listening to the show through Aragorn's pip while eating dried meat Arwen had packed them.

The twins had assured it was not Bloatfly.

And for a moment...sitting there in the sun, even having a laugh with the twins of the radio show...the man felt not so miserable again. None of them did.

Even if he had known the two for a few very short days, he did feel that there had been this camraderie form between them all. And even if their company was not safe the way Éomer's had been back in the vault...in a way there still was safety.

TBC