Also, one more thing:
Guys! I got a crazy idea for a story based in Marvel! I'm so excited for it! I'm already working on it!
**
Everyone stared at Animus in shock. Their eyes were wide. Their bodies were frozen stiff by his words.
Daphne was the first to speak.
"Impossible! A nuclear winter lasts a decade, if not more!" Daphne said shakily, raising her voice.
Animus looked back at her calmly.
"You're shouting because deep down, your heart is feeling hope. I am correct, Daphne." Animus pointed out, his eyes locked on Daphne.
She shuddered.
"My analysis has no loopholes. The black rain and the nuclear winter outside will abate in a year from now. The tactical nuclear arsenal used in the Great War that destroyed the world had lower individual yields and dispersed quickly, preventing a permanent blanket of stratospheric soot," Animus stated, his voice firm.
"That...is true. The Arendelle intelligence network discovered that the biggest nuclear powers were shifting strategies: they were choosing to retire megaton-class weapons in favor of kiloton warheads to maximize radioactive fallout." Elsa muttered, eyes wide.
Jasmine's mouth hung open at Elsa's words. She turned to stare at Animus in confusion, awe, and slight anxiety.
"Animus, how did you figure that out? You shouldn't be aware of classified military intelligence," Jasmine asked.
"Let me answer this one, Animus." Gwen said, turning to look at Animus who nodded with a smile.
"Animus is building a super artificial intelligence for years. Recently, he had a breakthrough and is closer than ever to finishing it. I think he found all this out from the AI's prediction models. Most importantly, Animus is just eighteen like us. And he is already changing the future of technology." Gwen said, smiling proudly at Animus.
Animus smiled at her.
Zoe lifted an eyebrow at the exchange of smiles.
"Oho..." Zoe muttered with a sly grin
She leaned into whisper in Animus' ear.
"Is my Bro growing up? Are you hiding something from your little sister?" She teased.
"Zo, not now. I'm talking about how we can head outside to find Mum and Dad." Animus deadpanned.
Zoe's gaze turned serious.
"Can we really go outside in one year? What things would we need? Can I bonk Rachel once before leaving the vault? Pretty please?" Zoe asked cutely, her eyes wide in a puppy-dog expression.
Animus chuckled. Gwen and Yor giggled.
"Zoe, please don't hit the Overseer. But yes, would it be safe to head outside right after the winter ends?" Yor asked.
"It won't be simple." Animus shared, looking at Yor. "Due to the lower yield nukes causing wide-area environmental destruction, we would need to constantly battle radiation. Moreover, houses, roads, and vehicles would be completely unusable. Travel would become highly challenging. The irradiated soil would make farming impossible. Moreover, the ozone layer must be severely depleted by then. We will be facing intense UV radiation and a dry nuclear summer."
Everyone frowned at Animus' words.
"Then, how would we survive outside?" Daphne asked.
"Wouldn't it be better to stay inside the vault, then?" Malty asked, her voice quietly hinting at them to stay.
"No." Animus said firmly, his voice gaining a hard edge. "I refuse to rot inside a vault for the rest of my life. Moreover, my family is out there somewhere. I plan to find them with Zoe."
"Yeah. We are going to find Mom and Dad no matter what." Zoe nodded, her gaze hardening.
"But, Animus. They..." Jasmine began before hesitating.
"I know, Jasmine." Animus turned to her. "Even if they are gone, the least I can do is bury their ashes."
His words made everyone fall quiet. Zoe leaned into Animus and hid her face in his shoulder. Animus gently wrapped an arm around her. Jasmine's eyes widened in profound realization.
"You're being absurd." Daphne spat. "We have unlimited food, water, and electricity here. We are safe. If you want to go ahead and die outside, be our guest."
Zoe turned her head from Animus' shoulder to level a glare at Daphne.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Zoe growled.
"Daph!" Jasmine raised her voice, glaring at her twin. "Do not say that! In fact..."
"I am going with Animus." Jasmine declared.
"WHAT?" Daphne shouted, getting up. "Do not be a fool like him, sister! He is walking towards his own death! And you said you want to join him?"
"Daph, don't be rude! Animus must have a plan!" Jasmine said, getting up to stare at Daphne at eye-level.
"Daphne, sit down. We can talk this through calmly." Gwen said, trying to calm the aggressive Agrabah twin.
"You! You're siding with him! You must be out of your mind!" Daphne snapped.
"I am not out of my mind. I have an IQ of 250 on the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale. I began speaking two languages when you finished learning how to walk." Gwen snapped back, her expression hard.
"I am siding with Animus because I believe in him. I will head outside the vault with him to find my father." Gwen said, breathing heavily.
Animus gently rubbed Gwen's back. Gwen nodded shakily, relaxing a bit.
"Thank you for believing in me, Gwen. I won't let you down." Animus smiled.
"I know you won't." Gwen said, her voice soft.
She leaned a bit closer to Animus.
Jasmine looked at Gwen in surprise.
"Yes." Jasmine said, nodding at Gwen with a smile. "I want to head outside to find my father, too. He came to America with us."
"Sultan Hamed, the chairman of Agrabah Enterprises? I heard he was a noble man. I was wondering why I didn't spot him here when his daughters are here already." Elsa mentioned, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Sister!" Daphne raised her voice at Jasmine. "Father is gone! He abandoned us."
Jasmine gave a stony look to her twin. Daphne's breath hitched.
"Father would never abandon us. Not over his dead body. And you have insulted our family enough with your behavior for one day. Sit down, Daphne." Jasmine said, her eyes cold.
Daphne's eyes widened in shock. Color drained from her face. She sat down quietly.
Jasmine sighed and sat back down. She wrapped an arm around Daphne, rubbing her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Gwen. I'm sorry, Animus. We... had an issue when we came to America. Daphne's been on edge ever since then. In fact, we've been under stress for years. The wars between Europe and the Middle East over oil, which Agrabah Enterprises managed, constantly put our lives in danger." Jasmine said, lowering her head.
"I just... I just don't want to lose you." Daphne said, her voice broken as she hid her face behind Jasmine's shoulder.
"I know, Daph. But you also know that we must find out the truth." Jasmine said, looking at Daphne.
"Do you want to tell us about what happened, Jasmine? Maybe I can help." Animus said, giving a gentle look to Jasmine.
"I don't think you can, Animus. What happened was beyond all of us." Jasmine smiled sadly.
A feeling of dread rose within Animus. He leaned forward.
"Jasmine, I won't pressure you to share anything. But know this, I am a man of my word. If I say I want to help you, I will help you," He said seriously.
Jasmine stared at him with wide eyes. Her eyes misted slightly. She looked down.
"Okay..." She said.
She began sharing the tormented history of her family.
"Agrabah had fallen from glory. The Resource Wars between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East over the last scraps of oil had destroyed them both. By the end of it, both sides had collapsed entirely," Jasmine said.
Everyone listened attentively.
"Father took me and Daphne both out of the chaotic Middle East. We escaped right when the European soldiers were about to destroy the last cities. There was only one safe place left in the world: America. We came here and settled close to a branch of Agrabah Enterprises. Our main business was oil, but we dealt in lumber and paper too. For a little while, things were slowly going back to normal." She said, her smile bittersweet.
"We were no longer as rich as before, but we were happy. That is, until someone contacted father." Jasmine said darkly, the smile gone from her face.
Animus waited for Jasmine to continue. No one interrupted her.
"Knowing about this might put all of you in trouble. Are you guys sure?" Jasmine asked, her face downcast.
"Yes, Jasmine. I am." Animus said, his expression confident.
"Me too, Jasmine. I'm pretty good with a gun." Zoe grinned.
"Me too." Gwen smiled.
"I would like to hear the rest." Elsa said, looking intently at Jasmine.
"You are not alone, Jasmine. You too, Daphne." Animus looked at everyone and said with a smile.
Daphne flinched in surprise.
Jasmine's eyes widened, and then softened. "You're truly..."
She smiled. "Fine. I will tell you."
Everyone felt like Jasmine was about to reveal a major secret.
"They call themselves the people running America." Jasmine took a shaky breath. "My father was a genius when it came to anything related oil. Consumption, efficiency, ratio, engines, oil machinery, pricing, and negotiation. It is how Agrabah Enterprises thrived. And those people wanted that. They gave my father a proposition: join him for a meeting or...they would kill him and kidnap us. You won't believe it, but they had people who surrounded us at all times. People dressed in black. Until my dad left with them."
A hushed silence fell over the group. Gwen and Zoe's eyes widened in surprise.
But Yor's expression darkened. And Elsa shivered at Jasmine's words.
Animus caught their expressions.
'They know something. And so do I.' He thought.
'The Enclave took Jasmine and Daphne's father.' Animus thought with a frightening look. He hid it quickly.
Rage filled him to the core.
"I believe you." Animus reached out and squeezed her Jasmine's hands gently.
Jasmine smiled, not shying away from the touch.
"Back when the Middle East was falling, the last of the political elite eyed me and Daphne like we were objects. I could see it in their gaze, Animus. They would have done something horrible had father not taken us to America. And once again, he has sacrificed himself for us. I know for a fact that he did not abandon us. It's impossible." Jasmine said, her expression filled with certainty.
"I know. Your father is a brave man. A hero. Do you know anything about these people or where they took your father?" Animus asked, looking into her eyes for support.
Jasmine shook her head in despair. "I don't. I have no clue where they took him or who those people were. They were terrifying, Animus. They took away our only sense of safety. It felt like we were back in danger. That is why we escaped our house and came here. We purchased tickets to the nearest vault and landed in this place."
"It's okay. You're safe now. Nothing will happen to you. The political elite of the Middle East are dead. Right now, you are with us. I will find those people running America and then find your father. Don't worry," Animus smiled, giving his most reassuring smile.
Deep inside, rage boiled within him. How badly he wanted to find the people responsible was something only Animus would know.
For they were responsible for everything wrong in the Fallout universe.
His words, his posture, his aura – it projected confidence and chilling calm Jasmine had never seen. She stared at him, her eyes wide.
Her heart thundered in her chest.
The two looked into each other's eyes for a long moment. Animus smiling, his mind hiding a storm. Jasmine staring at him, spellbound that a man who only knew her for a few days was willing to risk his life for her.
"Ahem." A voice interrupted.
Jasmine flinched. She reacted like she was hit with a jolt of electricity. She withdrew her hands and looked down at the floor.
Animus tilted his head in confusion. He turned to look at Zoe, who waggled her eyebrows.
Animus rolled his eyes.
"Alright. Are we all on the same page? Our goal is to leave the vault when the skies clear. We will find our families." Animus asked.
"We will need ample preparation. But it might not be a bad idea to leave the vault once the nuclear winter has ended. Staying holed up underground is not my style." Elsa said while looking at Animus.
"You're making a brave choice, Animus." Elsa added, smiling slightly at him.
"Thanks. It's what I do." Animus smiled.
"I... I am not sure if it is the best idea for me to exit the vault with you. Anya is just six years old. She needs me here. And the world is too dangerous to take her outside." Yor said unsurely, her voice hesitant.
"That's alright, Miss Yor. I understand." Animus nodded kindly.
Animus looked at Malty. She was the only one who had not spoken yet.
"And what then? Do we return to the vault?" Malty asked, her eyes narrowed at Animus' interaction with Jasmine.
"No." Animus smirked. "I plan on helping the people who survived the war."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock once again.
"I believe several million people are still alive outside. They need our help," Animus said grimly.
"WHAT?!"