He felt a variety of sensations. A reforging of the vessel that housed his soul. Mental clarity. Physical weakness. The universe's blessing granting him unsurpassed luck. Then, his soul became dormant, and he forgot everything. Until the right time.
He could feel the ground beneath him. It was solid. It was real. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He saw a vibrant, burning world. The horizon bloomed red like a rose, a flower wrapped in a garden of tragedy. The first thing he heard was a deafening roar. It was quickly followed by screams, the sound of crashing vehicles, the smell of burnt tyres, and the feeling of wind on his skin. The ground shook.
People were running around him in a frenzy. Some were carrying shopping bags, others were empty-handed, and few were with their families. People were crying. They were running around in an attempt to find shelter. He could see the beginning of the end unfold in front of him.
He glanced at his right. A girl was crouching next to him, covering her ears while muttering incoherent sentences.
He looked to his left. He seemed to be in a cozy, suburban area. The buildings were short, which helped him see the massive cloud in the distance. The sky was rapidly changing as fire and ash engulfed it. The ground shook every now and then, like the beating heart of a dying world.
The memories hit him with a tidal wave. He swayed unsteadily for a second before forcefully pushing the wave of memories and the nausea down.
'Damn it, there's no time to think! I have to move!' He shouted to himself inside his mind, his roaring inner voice drowning the chaos inside and around him.
He lifted the girl next to him.His body recognized her before his mind could do the same.
"We need to go! Now!" He shouted. He attempted to lift her. He couldn't do so. He gritted his teeth and pulled her with all his might. His muscles screamed.
The girl looked distraught. She looked utterly lost. But she didn't resist.
The two were now standing in the middle of the road. He dragged her to a house on the left. It was theirs. There were on their way back. He fished the keys out of his pocket and opened the door.
BANG!
The door hit the wall with force. He brought the girl inside and ran into the hallway. His movements were pathetically uncoordinated and sluggish. He gritted his teeth in rage.
'Damn it! What do I need right now? Food, medicine, car keys, and weapons.' He thought quickly. His mind was sharp.
He turned to his room. Shoving the door open, he quickly moved to grab a large backpack and two duffel bags. The room didn't have much; a bed, a large cupboard, a separate wardrobe, and a table with a chair. The simple decorations of the room hit him with another wave of nausea. Memories poured in. He unsteadily held onto the chair for support.
'There's no time for this! The bombs have dropped. All Vaults are supposed to close in 30 minutes after a nuclear strike!' He groaned.
He screamed in frustration as memories poured inside his mind. Loving parents, an adorable little sister, a youthful childhood, and quiet teenage years missing the rebellion one would normally see in kids.
'Anchor yourself! Who are you? You are Primulus and now you are Animus!' He roared at his own thoughts.
The sea of memories seemed to have calmed down a little.
Using the moment of respite, Animus quickly shoved clothes, a flashlight, and a survival knife in one of the duffel bags. Rushing outside to the kitchen, he grabbed canned food. Moving to the bathroom, he grabbed a box of medicines and a first-aid kit. He quickly ran to the master bedroom next.
On the way, he saw that the girl had awakened out of her stupor. She was his little sister. The same one from his memories. She had black hair and blue eyes, unlike his own grey ones. She was only sixteen.
"Zoe, run to your bedroom and put your clothes in a backpack! Fast!" He said in a commanding tone.
"O-Okay!" She said anxiously, getting up and rushing to her room.
Animus dashed inside the master bedroom. It had a king-sized bed, a night stand, a desk and chair, and several wardrobes. He quickly grabbed the car keys from the night stand and knelt under the bed. A wide compartment was built inside the bed itself. He clicked it open. The compartment revealed rows of guns ranging from pistols to automatic rifles. His father was in the military.
"Gotta love America." He chuckled.
He grabbed everything. He stuffed as much ammo as he could everywhere. He almost collapsed under the weight of his luggage. Gritting his teeth, he dragged himself.
Within ten minutes, they were ready to go. Running outside, he loudly called for his little sister before moving to the garage to start the car, "Let's go! We don't have time!"
"I-I'm here!" A voice called out, and his little sister entered the garage before him. She carried a small bag on her shoulders. Her eyes were puffing up.
Without thinking, Animus pulled her into a hug.
"Don't worry, Zoe. It's going to be alright. We're only a few minutes away from the vault. We'll be safe there. But we have to go now." He spoke gently.
"But...what about Mom and Dad?" Zoe sobbed.
"They will be fine. Mom is...most likely in a safe haven. Dad is in the military. They have dedicated bunkers." He answered.
His memories were settling in.
'Our...father is a Major in the US army. He is a decorated veteran of the Sino-American war. That explained the weapons. But... I don't understand. Our mother is a field archaeologist who is supposed to be in South Africa right now. Is she even safe? Never mind, I can think about this later.' He wondered.
His feelings crashed like a tide against his mind, demanding he worry about them. Years of a life lived together threatened to overwhelm him. Cold logic broke their wave.
'I will not let my memories overwhelm me. The time for assimilating my feelings comes later.' He thought, his eyes cold.
"Let's get inside the car for now." Animus said, ushering his sister inside.
Pushing the thoughts away, he placed all the bags in the car's storage. Then, he sat inside the car. It was a G-Wagon. He revved the engine and started moving out of the garage and driveway.
The world had descended into chaos. People were screaming and running like headless chickens. Some scrambled to grab things and escape to shelter, while others simply stared at the end, having lost all hope.
Animus swerved around the chaos and drove out of the suburb. The ground shook intermittently from the bombs, testing his control of the car. Luckily, he managed to avoid all the people running on the streets and the litter thrown around.
He glanced at his watch.
"Fifteen, no... Perhaps, twenty minutes have already passed. We need to hurry." He frowned and pressed the throttle.
The car roared down the chaotic streets, narrowly missing people several times while smashing into bags and belongings. It quickly exited the suburb and reached an open area with trees on one side and water on the other. He could make out an odd structure with massive blast doors.
Suddenly, the telephone in the car rang.
Animus stared at it for a split-second before picking it with his right hand.
"Hello?" He said with a questioning tone.
"...Son?" A rough voice emerged from the other end. Static marred its clarity.
A sense of discordance momentarily hit Animus. The voice was familiar and unfamiliar.
"Dad!" Zoe exclaimed.
"Is that... Zoe? You're with her? Thank God." The man on the other end whispered in relief.
'The bombs are blowing out communications. This call won't last.' Animus thought.
"Y-Yeah. Where are you?" Animus asked with uncertainty.
'I'm not ready to call this man father. Even if I have all these memories. It feels alien.' He thought.
"I'm at the... Lost Hills bunker... California. Meeting... went wrong before... Son, something's wrong! You... stay safe! Head to the... vault... I'll come! Be careful of–" The voice broke off.
Animus frowned.
"I can't hear you. I'll try to contact you again once things are safe. Stay put. Take care...father." Animus spoke slowly. The man placed his own children before himself. That earned Animus' respect.
He couldn't hear a reply. The call cut off.
Animus parked the car a hundred meters before the vault. Several cars, a blend of luxurious and simple vehicles, occupied the area. There were already scores of people running inside. Animus looked down for a second.
'Did my voice reach him? Lost Hills... That is one of the safest places in the Fallout universe. He will survive. I just hope he doesn't try to reach us right away. The world is going to be suffering from a nuclear winter soon.' Animus thought.
"Come, we need to enter the Vault!" Animus said to Zoe before exiting the car.
He moved to the storage andslung his backpack over the shoulders. He grabbed a duffel bag in one hand and his sister's hand in the other. Zoe grabbed the other duffel bag. Animus' arm and back screamed in pain. His muscles burned. His breath caught. His feet lagged. He groaned in anger. They somehow rushed beyond the huge blast doors and made it inside the vault.
They barely made it inside before abruptly stopping. A huge crowd of people blocked their path. Zoe clung to him, and he placed a reassuring hand on her back. A harsh, groaning sound echoed behind them.
The vault doors were closing.
'We...barely made it.' He breathed shakily.
One mistake, and all of their plans could have crashed. Animus dropped the backpack and duffel bag. He collapsed on his knees and heaved.
'Damn it, Robert. Couldn't you have made the soul awakening smooth?' Animus cursed.
"Brother! Are you fine?!" Zoe cried out and knelt beside him.
"I...I'm fine. Just tired." Animus heaved, giving a strained smile.
"It's alright. We're fine now. Just don't...push yourself further. Your body is frail. Leave things to me." Zoe replied in worry.
Animus chuckled.
"No, I'm fine. Really." Animus reassured, smiling properly now.
Zoe looked conflicted.
"Okay... But what happened to you before the-"
The vault doors closed with a loud thud.
Lights lit up instantly. The people around them were hysterical; many began crying immediately, some started screaming, several began shouting for people they knew in an attempt to find them, others spoke in hushed whispers, and a few collapsed on their knees.
Animus looked around with uncertainty. Zoe hugged him in fear, tears once again streaming down her face.
"I'm scared, Animus..." She whispered.
He looked at her, and made up his mind.
"Don't worry, Zoe. You have me here." Animus smiled and rubbed her back gently.
He held his sister's hand and got up. Animus moved the people in front of him with difficulty, walked up the stairs with purpose, and turned around to look at them all.
"EVERYONE, QUIET DOWN!" He roared at the top of his voice.
Some of the shouts died down. A few of the whispers silenced. Some continued, but Animus knew they too would fall quiet.
"I know what you are all thinking! But we need to get it together! We should first search the vault to see if it can sustain all of us until things outside calm down!" He shouted at the top of his voice.
To calm a crowd, give it a powerful distraction. Exploring the vault was the only available option right now. A few more people quietened down. Many stared at Animus now.
Animus scanned the crowd. A sense of incongruence hit him.
'Something isn't right...' He thought. He felt that there was something deeply messed up.
'This shouldn't be a well-known vault with a horrific experiment, right? Robert assured me it wouldn't be the case.' He worried.
A voice echoed behind him.
"Yes, but we have strict protocols in place. Could you please head back down the stairs, sir? We will be conducting a screening to confirm your registration with Vault-Tec."
Animus quickly turned around.
A smiling woman with blond hair and brown, unsettling eyes looked back at him. Her smile was stretched wide, as if it was artificial. Her eyes looked at him as if he wasn't human in her eyes. She was wearing a blue jumpsuit with the symbol of Vault Tec on her left breast.
Using a megaphone in her right hand, the woman announced, "Please calm down and wait in a line. You are safe. We will be screening everyone for confirming registration and then move to a decontamination chamber. We will try to settle everyone in personal housing within the vault!"
She then turned to glance at Animus with a creepy smile.
"Welcome to Vault 69."
**
Author's Note
Hello, everyone! I apologize for not uploading the past two days. A severe storm swept up my area and damaged the power grid. Moreover, a puppy fell in a sewer two nights ago and I was trying to rescue it. Then, last night, while conducting research, I discovered a few inconsistencies in my plot and the Fallout canon regarding stat baselines. I started working to correct that. Chapters 3 and 4 have edits regarding the stats now! I will also be uploading another chapter in eight hours to bring Animus of the New World more visibility! Stay tuned!