//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 Loss and Gain 
// Story: The Strange Pair, a story from the wasteland 
// by Wubsy 
//------------------------------//

Authors note: Story really picks up after this chapter. I just was trying somethings out and getting the ground work ready.

Like the beginnings of a Dupstep song it sounds like shit and wait for the beat drop...
~

I left my familiar home behind when I passed through the gate of the rusted barbed wire and chain link fence that isolated us. The sun had set no more than an hour ago, its light lost over the dunes and ridges of the Mojave. The localized sandstorm that hides the bunker from any prying eyes began to kick up with sand that could strip flesh from bone. The sand washed over the shoulders and chest plate of my power armor obscuring the crest I wear so proudly. As I left the storm behind I stopped to dust off the sand left on my shoulders revealing the crest of the Brotherhood. The crest was a sword in the middle of three gears on the left and one cog on the right with two wings encircling them.

My feet clanged when my armored boots met the concrete of the road as I walked toward my first objective; a camp set up by some locals calling themselves Powder Gangers. It was set up in too close a proximity to the chapter’s home. Elder MacNamara’s orders stated that the camp and its inhabitants have to be removed, then I was to go investigate a new-found vault door just past the town of Goodsprings.

I took on this task happily. Scaring witless savages with shiny energy weapons and armor was a perk I thoroughly enjoyed. As I traveled off the road to head into the camp, the Gangers walked towards me attempting to intimidate me as they got up from their seats around a campfire.

I laughed carefree then spoke in a jovial assholish manner, “Move your little camp fire along or I will crush you.” I pointed down with my right hand towards my right boot. The lights of my helmet gave my facemask an eerie look in the night’s air.

I didn’t care for their attempts at looking big. I wear a T-45D Power Armor I personally fitted and modified. It’s fitted with a back-mounted TX-28 MicroFusion Pack which generates 60,000 Watts to power. The HiFlo hydraulic systems built into the frame of the suit enables me able to lift and throw far more than a normal man. Made of the poly-laminate composite, the T-45D’s shell is lightweight and capable of absorbing over 2,500 Joules of kinetic impact and it’s for the most part bullet proof. The 10 micron silver ablative coating can reflect laser and radiation emissions without damage to the composite subsurface. I really didn’t think I need to worry about anything they could do to me.

“Looks like the robot’s got a big mouth.” One of the Gangers said.

“Wonder how much the scrap’s going to be worth?” Another said while upholstering a 9mm pistol.

The other ones took their friend’s lead and began to pull pistols from their blue jackets. I raised my H&K L30 Gatling laser with both hands already getting into a stable firing stance. I sighed then spoke again.

“And I just polished my armor this morning…”

One on the Gangers pointed at me and yelled, “Get the tin can!”

Their lack of skill showed when they opened fire peppering mostly the ground instead of me. The rounds they were using did nothing against my armor. They just ricocheted off as I began to fire my L30. It tore down one of them in seconds. Wearing no armor may have given them the chance to run quickly for cover but it did not help them stay in one piece. I let loose another volley this time vaporizing another one, leaving only a pile of ash that was scattered by the wind.

The enemy was now thoroughly suppressed only leaving cover for moments to let loose an unorganized but futile counterattack. I stopped firing to give the heatsink time to cool the weapon down. Using this time of silence the Gangers popped out from their cover armed with something pretty damn archaic, dynamite. They lit the fuses and threw four sticks of dynamite yelling for either retribution or revenge for their fallen comrades. I quickly or as quickly as I could when wearing heavy power armor shuffled away from the nearing blast.

I didn’t make it too far before the blast knocked me over and onto the ground. They must have thought me killed because the Gangers left their cover and began to walk over to me. The armor stopped the blasts from causing any real damage but my ears where still ringing and my brain felt as if it had been chewed up by a Deathclaw.

As they came closer I slammed a fist onto the ground to gain leverage and rise up off the ground. They opened up with small arms fire once again but to no avail. I stood back up the L30 already spooling into a torrent on laser fire. I cut them down like the ignorant dogs they were. Their blue NCRCF jackets became stained with their owner’s blood and burned by my weapons’ continued fire.

With the last of the Gangers slain I searched their bodies to find any dynamite they had not used. I liberated a handful of caps two sticks of dynamite and a letter saying orders are to kill the Courier on sight. I shrugged then put the letter back and took the dynamite to the makeshift housing the Gangers made. I lit one stick and threw it into a small tent made out of sheet metal. It blew apart into pieces as little bits of metal rained down around me. Then it came down to the other pieces of makeshift bedding. I took the last stick of dynamite lit it and threw it atop top the bedding. I turned away to walk to Goodsprings and off to my next objective; the vault door found by our scouts.

I marched away as the blast echoed into the quiet night and I turned off the headlights to keep a lower profile.


As I reached the town of Goodsprings, it was quiet and much darker since it must’ve been about 9 P.M. now. The town was quiet; the bodies of a few gangers were kicked off to the side of the road and almost picked clean by the local carnivorous fauna. I walked through the town assuming that at this hour I would not see anything hostile. And I was right, only Bighorners were up at this hour grazing on the small amount of grass or plants in the area. 

I walked past a decrepit gas station and pressed forward out of the town. The road leading out of town was broken or torn up from age and erosion. Tumble weeds and the wind were all that followed me as I marched to the cave’s mouth. The entrance of the cave was blanketed in utter darkness. I turned on the lights in my helmet. Its light pierced the darkness like a dagger.

I entered the cave and noticed that its walls seemed man-made. I walked down a rather cramped corridor with a lone wooden door at the end of it. I kicked down the door then stepped into the main chamber to see an unnumbered vault door. The door was still sealed and the colors painted on it are in the design of the Enclave with its symbol, or at least the crest of the old world in the middle.

The crest was a single white star in the middle encircled by twelve other white stars with a background of metallic black. I inspected the door for a way to open it and found only a console on the left side of the door. I brushed the dust off the console and began to type with the keyboard any kind of command prompts to open the door. It asked for a password and after about fifteen attempts I slammed my fist onto the console and swore loudly. I tried a few more times when finally, I figured out the password to open the door. With that the door began to move inward with a screech of metal dragged across itself. As the door rolled off to the side, I tentatively stepped forward and peered my head in with my weapon still drawn.

The light gave the uninhabited chamber an eerie sheen. I stepped forward looking intently for any sign of the populace of the vault and found only dust and a sense of isolation. I walked to the end of the chamber and up to a door with a valve in its center. I walked forward the light of the helmet reflecting off the door. I searched for anywhere else I could go instead and found nothing.

I placed both hands onto the valve and began to try to pry the door open. The HiFlo hydraulic systems groaned as the door slowly gave way and the valve broke off in my hands. I tossed the valve aside and snickered while I spoke with pride.

“Keys are for cowards.”

I pushed the door forward then entered the main hallway looking for any kind of distinctions or signs to lead me to a power source to get the lights on. My eyes scanned the gunmetal gray walls for any movement or landmarks to help me find my way to a generator. I found a poster on the wall just before a kitchen and dining quarters. The poster made me stop for a moment just to observe it in greater detail. It read: “Building a better America today.” A lone figure in a black suit stood proudly with several Enclave troopers standing at the ready with pride while in their jet black and much more advanced power armor.

My head still hurt as it if it had been removed and kicked around in a game of soccer; but I still found the strength to day-dream about a better life or at least a better suit of armor. I shook my head and set off down a hallway with a door labeled Lab 32b at its end. I looked side to side with my helmet light scanning the hallway as I traversed it. The light spilled over turned off computers and small broken windows caked in dust and grime. The sound of my boots meeting the metal floor echoed throughout the hallway as I walked. I came up to a massive metal door labeled Project Lazarus. The door was secured tightly with a magnetic lock. Power still ran to it so maybe if I find the source I can open this door and find out more about this place. I peered through a window that looked into the room I had tried to enter. I saw many tools and items useful to the Brotherhood.

I swiveled the L30 to lead the way as I searched for the engineering wing knowing that would be my best bet to find the reactor. I found a large open chamber that looked to be some kind of recreation area that was never put to use. The stock folding tables were lined with board games, decks of cards and books lined the tables as my eyes were drawn to a door with a sign above that read Armory. My heart sored the thought of the unused tech; weapons and armor that need liberating from their tomb. I bolted over to the door and tried to pull it loose or find a console or just something to pry the door open with. But to no avail; the door was sealed like the one before and I am unable to enter. I slammed my fist onto the door.

“I will come back for you.” I said faking a dramatic voice and wiping away a fake tear like the ones from the old videos unearthed by the chapter.

I scanned the rest of the chamber to find a hallway labeled ‘Reactor Level’, so I set off for it in hopes of bringing this place some light. The door leading down to the reactor level was sealed with a valve just like the last with some kind of blast door only slightly closed. The armor’s motors groaned as I pulled the valve from the door to enter the lower levels. As I descended a flight of stairs to the lower levels I began to feel strange, the Geiger counter read a steady green showing no deadly background radiation present. I put aside the feeling chalking it up to a minor concussion or other injury from the Ganger’s futile assault.

The area seemed to grow ever darker the farther I went in. My helmet’s light flickered and faded as traversed the reactor level. I heard a quick metallic noise. I turned L30 posed and ready with my faded and flickering light to see a can rolling on the ground. I sighed then lowered my weapon…

I started to hear a low throat shredding growl as if the hounds of hell beckoned… I turned to see a sight so horrid and pitiful, a large Ghoul. The creature’s flesh seemed to have been burned away. With its muscle exposed to the air and its eyes red with an animal-like ferocity. It was a terrible sight as it charged. I dropped my weapon as it grabbed onto my shoulders. I punched it in the right arm with a hard right, snapping it like a twig. I grabbed it by its neck and lifted it off the ground its legs kicking and it flailing its broken arm while holding onto my left arm with its unbroken limb.

I threw the Ghoul down onto the ground. It looked up at me and shrieked harshly as I raised my boot to firmly plant it downward onto its skull. I slammed my right leg down crushing its skull into a red paste. The sound of snapping bone and a low gurgling noise where all that was heard in its last moments.

I picked up my weapon again readying myself as I heard the snarl of more Ghouls most likely enraged by my victory. I locked down the hallway moving backwards slowly weapon drawn as I got to the point where there was only the dark hallway in front of me and the stairs behind me. The growing roar of Ghouls in the darkness of the level reached ear splitting levels then stopped all of a sudden.

I scanned the hallway with my light much less faded now to see the formers’ hands-now-claws prying around doorways entering the hallway kill zone. The harsh sound of the claws grinding against the metal walls and floors was all that could be heard over their combined voiced malice.

I turned off the heat limiter on the L30 and began to fire a constant barrage into the horde as they approached. Ghoul after Ghoul was hit hard; some fell only to crawl towards me. They marched forward inhumanly in an uncaring sea of red flesh and tattered clothes. The casualties I inflicted seemed to not matter as they simply marched into the meat grinder. Some lost limbs to my attacks yet they shuffled forward as if I’d done nothing to them at all.

I kept firing the weapon starting to really heat up even with my armor the heat I felt began to eat away at my resolve. I didn’t stop knowing full well this could be my final hour. I would take as many of them down before they or my weapon ended up killing me. They climbed over the bodies of their dead to get at me. As if to make matters worse my weapon stopped firing and began to glow red and give of a high pitched hum. I took of the battery pack that supplied the armor and tossed it and the L30 at the horde of Ghouls knocking them backwards I shielded my eyes as it detonated.

The aftermath was almost as horrid as the hordes themselves. The once gunmetal-gray metal walls were now scorched from the blast. Blood, small bones and chunks of the vile creatures were fused into the walls and floor from the heat. The lack of noise was comforting as I walked past the melted walls and the smell of burnt flesh that entered my helmet over powering my air filter. I heard the sound of another one just down the dark hallway. I readied my fists knowing full well if there were too many I would be torn apart like an armored lamb to mutated wolves. I charged down the hallway, bathing it in a light green glow. It was an extremely irradiated Ghoul giving off radiation making my Geiger spike with noise and activity. I charged it knowing that the suit would mostly protect me against this new foe.

I met him in a grapple. I lifted him off the ground and slammed him into the wall breaking his spine and dropping him onto the floor. It snarled and tried to crawl towards me unaware of the loss of the use of its legs. I grabbed it by the throat lifted it up off the ground looking at the walls as I moved the creature along a wall to my right noticing that it was quite a good deal brighter than my light.

“You will make a good glow stick till I turn on the lights.” I said my voice warped by the helmet making my voice sound deeper than it naturally was.

I placed my right hand atop the thing’s head began to twist and pull… With a crack and a snap his body convulsed and his head gave way as I tore it from the rest of its warped body. I dropped the now limp and still glowing body onto the floor as I held its head out with my right. Now with some light I could actually see things better even with my head light giving out as I walked farther into the reactor level.

After about five minutes I found a doorway labeled ‘Service Station’. As I walked inside; the eerie green light gave the sets of tools and random repair equipment strange shadows as I looked for anything of use. I found on the table a tool box and what looked like blueprints. I rushed over to read them. I looked upon them with joy seeing that they were a floor plan layout for the vault. I set down the glowing head like a lamp onto the table then began to look into the blueprints. I found the service station I was in and ran my finger along a few hallways to find the room labeled reactor.

As I looked at the blueprints mapping out where I had to go, the sound of two Ghouls dragging their feet on the metal floor behind me echoed throughout the room. I turned around they clawed at my armor doing only cosmetic damage while pushing me onto the table. I with my back to the table and the two in front of me trying to pry me open like a can of food, began to feel around the table for the tool box. I found it and I pulled from it the first thing I could find. I slammed the object into the head of the one on the right popping its skull open the green light gave the crimson blood a strange look as it fell to the floor. The surviving one on the left side was female, or was female before the radiation got to her. She started to try to rip off a piece of my armor. I punched her in the right eye with my left hand caving in that area of her face. She fell onto one knee and still snarled like a horrid, untamed beast. I slammed the tool hard onto the right side of her jaw almost severing it from her head she fell to the floor dead.

I looked at the tool to see what had helped me survive that last attack. It was a red wrench with Robco inscribed on the side. I held it proudly like a sword in the hands of the knights of old as I heard the noise of one running down the hallway. As it turned to look at me from the doorway I already have my wrench ready for the swing.

It entered the room and jumped at me. I swung hard into its ribs and dropped the Ghoul onto the floor on its left side. It kicked and thrashed as I placed my boot onto its chest and slammed the wrench down on its skull. After several hits, its skull fully caved in I got up off the Ghoul and went to the table to gather up the ‘lamp’.

After a torturous five minutes of wandering through the hallways and dispatching a few more Ghouls that seemed to wander out from any open area, I made it to the reactor room. I walked into the large, cold room, the only light in it was from my ‘lamp’ and a lone computer with food cans stacked around it. The put the ‘lamp’ atop the computer then set about turning on the lights or just learning something about this damn place. I read several error messages until I found a few files not overly corrupted.


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To: Commander Michel

Re: Moving the Ghouls to engineering

Why are you trying to put a strain of the systems down here? Furthermore why does this ‘Project Lazarus’ get its own wing of the vault? I know you run some important experiments up here ever since Washington went dark, but that doesn’t excuse a blatant disregarding of the safety protocol.

You moved these ugly things down into storage and then tell me to put up an electronic fence to keep them in there and don’t even think about the drain on power that causes? Hell if the power goes out for even a moment we may lose more than a few good people. Just because we aren’t ‘scientists’ doesn’t mean we’re expandable! Get the damn Ghouls the fuck out of here and tell the lab coats up stairs they don’t run this place.

From: Frank Cornel, proud Enclave grease monkey!


******


To: Frank Cornel

Re: Re: Moving the Ghouls to engineering

Do you think you could stop whining and keep the damn lights on up here?! We sent four troopers down there after you didn’t report in yesterday and they did not come back! We will seal the door if we don’t hear anything in the next hour. Get off your asses and stop playing with the lights!

From: Commander Michel


******


The last messages were audio logs recorded at intervals over a few days’ time. I could only make out a few lines over sobs and cries as I listened to the log. I immediately wished I hadn’t.


******


“This is Frank I… I am trapped in the reactor room. If this log is received, send troopers down here... I… I think I’m all that’s left!”

Next one is a few hours later.

“That damn glowing one! It’s scrambling the signal… If anyone is still alive on this level please respond over the PA… please anyone… anyone.”

The one next was a day later.

“*Crying* they got everyone, everyone! *Sob* the doors are holding but the reactor will only last so long when that goes… I…I’m… *low crying*”

The last one was recorded three hours after the last.

“I hear them… their scratching at the door… *Low sobbing* they, they keep… *Cry* I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! I don’t… I… don’t want to… the reactor stopped! The door! *Roar of Ghouls smashing themselves against the door* I need to get to the spares from the locker...! Oh god the doors are opening… *Sound of Ghouls running into the room was followed by terrified screaming and sobs… then the feeding noises…*


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I rose up from the computer shuddering as I turned it off not wanting to hear the rest. I looked around for the locker mentioned it was not hard to find as the half eaten corpse lay against a set of lockers. I walked over to the reactor to check what part I would need… Upon checking the reactor I found that the conductor snapped. I walked over to the lockers but stopped for a closer look at the body.

The name Frank was still legible over the dried blood and tears of his uniform. I pushed him aside trying to not disturb the body much more. Now that the locker doors were not obstructed I began to search for the belt. All sorts of parts lined the shelves everything from HEPA cartridge filters to reverse pulse cleaners but I finally found the conductor.

I returned to the reactor with the conductor to install it and get the doors on the top floors open. With a snap, some elbow grease and that wrench I found, I got the part installed. With a roar then a steady hum the reactor came to life I stepped back to admire my work. Then the reactor discharged a large amount of electricity, I tried to run but the suit was unresponsive. I fell onto the ground as the lights came on and I heard a roar as any Ghouls left alive began to charge into the hallways.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I yelled as I pulled the emergency switch that pops the chest piece and half the limb covers off to allow me to escape my metal coffin.

My head pounded as I slipped out from the T-45D and I got up and ran out the reactor room hoping to not end up like the last occupant. As I ran, Ghouls began shrieking while they crept out from the now illuminated rooms and hallways. I’m now practically in my skivvies as I ran passing the service station with a growing horde in tow. As I rounded the hallway where my weapon decided to have a catastrophic backfire I could swear I could feel their breath on the back of my neck. I passed the patch of melted metal and charred Ghouls and saw the stairs. With that sight, I quickened my pace while trying to rush up the flight of stairs. I could hear the noise of them surging up the stairs like a wave of certain death. I jumped as I passed the final step into the recreation area. I, while still on the ground, reached up and slammed my fist onto the door controls. As the blast doors began to close I took a deep breath and sighed in relief. But suddenly my happiness came to an end as I felt a sharp pain in my left leg. I turned to see a gnarled hand with the exposed bone tearing into my leg like tiny daggers. I screamed then kicked at the hand with my right leg. The blast door finally closed with a shrill crunching noise accompanying the sound of it locking in place. The hand fell onto the floor twitching. I laid there panting.

Then I began to cheer and thank every God I ever read about. It damn near felt like I had bested the Hounds of Hades but again my joy was short lived as a burning pain began to take over my leg. I clenched my teeth as the wound bled profusely as I started to get up off the floor. I began to limp over to the Armory door. I pressed the control for the door that opened the door. With it now open I hobbled in looking for something to cover my wound and my now-armorless body.

I wished to find something to bring back to make up for my losses here, but found only a mostly empty room. My heart sank if I could not find anything to bring back to the bunker I would be banished or worse; killed for my failure to the chapter. All that was before me was a room filled with open lockers most empty some had ‘old world’ items in them. I wander over to one such locker to find a black uniform hung up with care and a pump action shot gun resting against the right wall of the locker with a mirror on the inside of the door. I looked around further inspecting the locker to find an extra pair of pants for the uniform folded neatly. I picked up the pants and tore one of the legs from it turning that leg into a makeshift bandage for my leg.
After I bandaged my leg to stop the bleeding I looked to the uniform for something to cover myself with. I put on the uniform it fit well enough but I look in the mirror to make sure. I stood six feet three inches tall, almost the full height of the lockers yet the uniform seemed to be tailored for me. It was dark black with pouches and small plates stitched into the fabric and a thick vest that covered my torso. The armored vest was labeled with the name of an old world law enforcement group. Along the back it read POLICE. I looked at myself wearing the police uniform, the vest and pads gave me some armored protection but it was nothing compared to what I’d lost. As I put on a cloth face cover that only left my eyes exposed I looked into that mirror my brown eyes stuck out against the black fabric. I put on the helmet and goggle combo to put the police uniform on in its entirety. With the armor on finally I pulled the shot gun out from the locker. With the weapon and armor I felt like some kind of old world hero I loaded the weapon and then pumped the shell into the chamber while looking at the mirror.

“Hopefully I will not need to use this much since I don’t know how to fix these. Wish it was just a plasma rifle instead.”

I search the rest of the Armory to find a few boxes of 12-gauge shells and a 10mm pistol with a few loaded clips tucked away under a picture too faded to see who’s in it. With a shot gun and pistol for a sidearm, I felt that I could continue to search for something to bring back to the chapter. I moved through the hallways my new armor made me look like some kind of black phantom of the past. I walked throughout the hallways retracing my steps to find Lab 32b again. I contemplated why this suit would be in here anyway. I chalked it up to the Enclave’s sense of patriotism to a dead state. Maybe they just wanted to look the part went they brought order back to the land? Too bad they never got the chance.

When I reached the lab again, I walked the hallways looking over the rooms with the shot gun raised and ready. Upon finally reaching the door to Project Lazarus again I felt uneasy. This was my only chance to get let back into the chapter, because if this is not revolutionary piece of tech, I’m doomed. I shook my head and pushed a button on in the middle of a console on the wall, the door began to open.

I entered with my gun raised and scanned over the room. I saw many things that the chapter could use but nothing that made up for the loss of power armor and an L30. I began to hang my head in disappointment. I looked around once more to find anything. All I found was a strange piece of equipment in the middle of a glass chamber off to the side with a lone computer in the room sitting in front of it.

I entered the room and turned on the computer seeing that it was my only hope. I was signed in as Professor Clark. A lone file stood out it was labeled as ‘Test Fire’. I opened the file to find it held lists and lists of data but the end was what stood out.


*************************************************************************************


I wish we could have tested it this was one of the greatest hopes for humanity; a new world to colonize. A fresh new start for the U.S. But we will never see it. We had to move out due to Michel’s incompetence and inability to use sense by letting loose Ghouls near the reactor. To the reclamation team that reads this; Use the machine. You are about to enter the glorious new world! God speed and may you bring humanity back from the brink of extinction.


*************************************************************************************


I was confused. Surely the Enclave could not do this. Even with the tech of the old world and their advances, they could not have found a new world. My eyes lit up with curiosity and hope as spoke searching for more information.

“A new world… A new chance for humanity…”
I found the command prompt labeled ‘Activate Project Lazarus…’ I contemplated my next actions.

“Should I do this? What if it back fires or worse, traps me in some strange world worse than this one?” I shook my head then spoke again with resolve in my voice.

“Well, I’m dead man anyways.” I said as I pressed the enter key.
The door to the chamber closed and locked in place I rushed over to find it wouldn’t budge. I removed the 10mm pistol from a holster on my right side and fired the whole mag into the glass doing nothing. I reloaded the weapon and holstered it. My voice betrayed my calm demeanor as I spoke.

“I guess this is a one way trip…” I said checking the shot gun.

The machine had a large gyro that began to move slowly at first then increasingly faster as the seconds passed. The base on the machine was a platform that had many wires running to it. Time seemed to slow down, maybe due to the machine or just from my adrenaline as a blue orb began to grow floating in the middle of the gyro. I stood there paralyzed by wonder and fear. The orb began to grow ever larger as the gyro started to shake going faster and faster with each millisecond. The blue orb now expanded into what could now look like a doorway. The gyro began to fall apart shaking violently the orb collapsed inward and the machine looked to be powering down.

“That’s it? Really? Fuck this plac…” I was cut off.
The orb reappeared and expelled massive surge of blue light, the shockwave throwing me back against the door. I slammed my head the helmet helped but I laid there my eyes growing heavy as I looked at the machine. The area around it gone in a huge blue sphere that began to turn purple as my eyes shut and slipped into sleep…


********


“What is this place? Celestia what’s that creature?” A gentle female voice said.
She continued, “It’s bipedal. Something like an ape maybe?”

My eyes began to quiver as I tried to open them.
I felt something like a fist press down on my chest as she spoke again.

“Heart beat 114 and steadily dropping to normal levels.”
I shuddered a little under her hand. I am trying to fight my body’s unresponsiveness witch she seemed to notice.

“Is it listening? Fascinating!” She said cheerily. Clapping quickly her hands?

I felt as I had been picked up, not with hands but just lifted into the air with nothing pressing down onto me. I was propped up with my back against the door and legs still on the ground. I felt that same bone-hard fist on my forehead.

“Are you ok? Can you understand me?” She said again showing interest in me like I was some science project.
My eyes slowly open a crack at first then in full force. It was some purple equine with the fictional unicorn’s horn jutting from her head. My mouth dropped then I spoke.

“I think that hit to my head did more damage than I thought…” I said, my voice shaky.

“Wow! This is amazing! A new creature! I can’t wait to write to Celestia about this!” She said excitedly.
I winced a little as she stepped forward.

“Don’t be afraid. I am just doing to check you and jot down some notes.” She said as a notepad floated next to her with a quill pen hovering just above the paper.

I sat there utterly confused I looked around and this place did not look any different.

“So let’s test eye sight how many hooves am I holding up?” She said raising her right foreleg.

“One?” I said back.

“Good perception, check!” She said happily as the quill wrote something down.

“I don’t understand. What’s going on here?” I said softly she seemed not to notice.

“Okay now, intelligence. 2x - 5 = 4x – 1 what’s X?” She asked staring at me intently.

“Umm, negative 2?” I said back.

“Great!” She said as the quill scribbled down something.

“My turn! What the hell are you?” I asked snidely as I removed my helmet and face cover to try to get some air. The room felt like its growing warmer.

“A pony. How about you. What are you?” She asked inquisitively.

“Human and I don’t feel like playing twenty questions in a hole in the ground.” I said as I rose up off the ground growing tired of this and wanting to level to collect what’s left of my sanity.

“But I have so many questions!” She exclaimed as walked closer to me.

“Ok fine! I’ll be happy to answer them when we leave. Seeing this place has only brought me pain and an annoying sidekick.” 

I said as I tried to open the door it not moving.

I swore loudly then turned to her, “Well seems we are stuck here and your looking mighty tasty.” I said jokingly as I pointed to the door.

“I think I have a spell for this.” She said as her horn began glow a light purple and everything went dark for a moment.
Just as suddenly as it went dark did the world come back into focus and we stood on the other side of the door.

“How did you manage that?” I asked her amazed.

“Magic!” She exclaimed proudly.

“No really? You species must be so advanced to do that.” I replied.

“I am a unicorn and I used a magic spell to teleport us past the door.” She said with a straight face.

“Ok. If you don’t want to tell me how you really did that, you don’t have to. Can you at least tell me your name?” I asked her trying to sound peaceful.

“I did and my names Twilight Sparkle. What’s yours?” She asked extending a hoof.

I shook her hoof with my hand, “Names Darius, pleasure to meet you.” I put my head gear back on.

As we walked through the bunker we talked and talked. She told me of her home Equestria and the various creatures that inhabited it. I told her of human history trying to skip over the harsher parts to make us look better. She told me of their technological progress and it seemed to be strange that war really wasn’t a factor in their advancement. I told her about what we, the humans, made tools for war and education. As we left, we walked down the cave to leave before. We reached the end, the sun light flowed in almost blinding me as I spoke in a peaceful tone.

“Twilight you are about to see what’s left of humanity and what’s left of my world… Be ready, the last war may have destroyed the old world but now new nations managed to rise to power. War never changes, only the people fighting it do.”

We stepped out into the light it blinding our eyes…