Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout or any of its characters nor do I own Sword Art Online or any of its characters

Chapter 11: Escape

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

January 9th, 2015

The sun was still shining and the air was a bit cooler, but everything at the orphanage changed. No one orphan knew why things played out like they did, but many were starting to connect the dots. It was when that boy came, that outsider that no one wanted anything to do with. That's when it began to happen. Under the old system, the kids would have given that Travis a piece of their mind, but things were different now. The children dared not anger the Men in Black Suits.

They just showed up one morning, a whole load of them—asking questions and rifling through things like a bunch of big dumb jerks. Mrs. Mercado spoke out against them and the kids rallied behind her, throwing toys and shouting playground insults like they were really hurting them. The outburst didn't affect the stoic invaders all that much and Mrs. Mercado was whisked away and none of the kids had seen her since. A couple of rumors started to spread amongst the kids about the fate of their beloved teacher. Scary stories of Mrs. Mercado's murder at the hands of the Black Suits generated both fear and hatred amongst the children. Granny came along to quell the rumors after a while, telling everybody that "she went home.", in an effort to stop some of the older kids from scaring the younger ones. Of course, the older ones didn't believe her but, it did help the younger ones sleep better at night.

That still didn't dispel the general fear that everyone seemed to have about these mysterious men who showed up out of nowhere. Other than their hushed talk amongst one another none of the orphans had ever heard one of them speak. They just stood there, each one accompanied by another that was no more than six feet apart and watched them. Their attempts to talk to them proved pointless as they never replied and in their frustrations, a couple of kids decided to show them "who's boss."

None of those kids were seen around the orphanage afterwards. Granny appeared once again to quell the nasty rumors, this time explaining to everybody that they were 'adopted'. No one believed Granny this time, because at this orphanage, nobody got adopted. Of course, they kept quiet and nodded their heads. The Black Suits, as the children called them, were watching. In the privacy of their own rooms however, a different story was told as the orphans agreed to be on their best behavior to avoid 'adoption'.

Two orphans in particular however, weren't all that affected by the suited men. Katrina Alfina, the most popular orphan at Rising Sun and lover of all things orderly. Although she didn't really like the Black Suits, she had nothing against them either. All she did was complied, especially when they implemented the Three Rules. Rule Number One: All children are to be in bed by 8:30. Rule Number Two: Every child must remain within sight of at least one suited official. Rule Number Three: Under NO circumstances, is any child permitted to leave the Rising Sun Orphanage UNLESS that child has been 'adopted'. While others expressed discontent for the new rules, Katrina just decided it'd be better to follow them. It wasn't like any of the new rules made any drastic changes to her life anyways. The new system was the least of her problems, as she was preoccupied with a promise she made to herself concerning the other orphan who remained unfazed by the sudden changes brought upon them.

Travis Redford had a very different reason for his apparent disregard for the happenings at Rising Sun Orphanage. He was very well aware that some of the other kids were blaming him for what was going on and he knew that he wasn't well liked either. A normal child facing those kinds of issues would have a tough time dealing with them, but Travis was no normal kid. The pronounced troublemaker didn't even try to hide it, he just didn't care.

"This is all your fault!" some of the more daring kids yelled at him. Now, Travis didn't care much for rules but he wasn't a complete idiot. While he wasn't too keen on letting the others blame him for something he definitely had no control over, he also wasn't going to try anything funny while the Black Suits were watching. Distant as he was, he had heard enough about the recent 'adoptions' that he knew better than to go about causing a scene with the new system. Still, that wasn't going to stop him from having a little fun.

"You're right." He would say. Travis always found the surprised looks on their faces to be priceless after he agreed with them. "It is all my fault. The 'adoptions' are also my fault too. So, unless you want to end up like the other orphans, I would suggest that you losers leave me alone." He'd add in afterward. Of course, Travis had no such power but the rest of the orphans were too afraid to try and call him out on it so they (reluctantly) let him be.

"Whatever. They can't protect you forever." They'd puff one last time before going back to whatever it was they were doing. Travis didn't get it. He hadn't done a damn thing since he got here but, avoid everybody and blow off that girl, and everybody managed to find a way to hate him. Not that he cared, but it just didn't make any sense to him. How could they be so quick to pass judgement on him when none of them even bothered to learn more about him?

"Ehhh—forget em! They're just a bunch of losers anyway." He shrugged it off as he lay in his bed. Everyone else had gone off to play outside, but Travis preferred the peace and quiet that was his own room. Besides, he didn't have to be worried about being watched by the Black Suits as the children's rooms were the only place they were not allowed. It was the only hole in their system and Travis figured it out perfectly. They couldn't force their way into his room nor could they bring him out of it, at least until they found out where he was hiding. All Travis had to do was show up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everything was perfect for the young boy. That was, until he heard a knock on his door.

Knowing he wasn't supposed to be in his room, Travis dared not make a sound. The knock came again, this time with more force than before. "Damn! Someone must've ratted on me. I need to find a place to hide and fast!" Frantically searching around his empty room, Travis looked for a good hiding spot. The knocking only grew more violent and more frequent as the seconds passed on. Travis did not have long before whoever was knocking broke their way in. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" his mind raced. With time running out, Travis slipped into his closet and buried himself beneath all his dirty clothes. He managed to hide just in time too, as he heard the door to his room unlock and Granny came in.

"All that bashing to find that he isn't in here. I have half a mind to knock you upside the head! These doors ain't cheap you know!" She scolded someone after a quick scan of the room.

"Sorry about that. Any idea where he could have snuck off too?" a voice that Travis had never heard before asked from outside his room. From its pitch he could tell it was a man and that it wasn't anybody that he'd ever heard in his time at the foster home. Just hearing the man speak sent shivers down his spine. He had a bad vibe to him and the fact that he was looking for him made Travis even more afraid.

"No, I do not, sadly. Travis has had some issues with the other kids. After everything that he's been through I don't blame him. I just wish he'd warm up soon. It's not good for a child to be so isolated like he is." Granny revealed. Hearing how the head of the orphanage felt about his behavior made Travis feel a little guilty. All this time he was acting like no one cared about him that he was just another lost cause. He never expected someone to actually care about how he felt or about what he was doing.

"I understand your concern for the boy. Hopefully after spending some time with us, he'll learn how to get along with others and appreciate the things he has now." The man soothed. Again, Travis had this feeling that this man was nothing but trouble and should be avoided at all cost. It was like listening to a walking snake, and Travis hated snakes.

"I sure hope so. You gentleman have done a fine job of disciplining some of these kids. How are the others doing? Did they move on to find nice families?" Granny asked.

"I can assure you ma'am, those kids are as happy as can be." Even from within his closet, Travis could hear the crooked smile of the man outside of his room.

"Wonderful! Those kids really do deserve the best. Thank you for all you work Mr. C! Now, what do you say we go find Travis and tell him the news?"

"Of course! Lead the way." Mr. C. replied as the duo left his room in a hurry. As soon as he was sure that they were gone, Travis crawled his way out of the closet and over to his open door. The hall was empty, devoid of any Black Suits or children. While he wasn't sure what the news was, Travis had a bad feeling that it wasn't going to be good news. If Granny was going to hand him over to that man for 'adoption', then he needed to find a way out of the foster home and quick. After listening to the stories of what happened to the other kids, Travis wasn't about to allow himself to suffer the same fate. Retreating back to his closet, Travis donned his backpack and went through its contents to make sure he had everything he needed for his upcoming escape.

"Snacks? Check. Bandages? Check. Flashlight? Check. Batteries? Check. Knife? Check. Compass? Check. Journal? Check. Water? Check. Clothes? Check. Alright, looks like I have everything that I'm going to need. All I need to do is get into Granny's office to get the keys and sneak past the Black Suits and I'm home free." He thought to himself. Having spent years dodging his drug-addicted parents and the police that searched for him, Travis was a natural when it came to slipping away unnoticed. "Hmm, what time is it?" he wondered as he reorganized his bag with his equipment. Grabbing the watch that was lying on top of the drawer next to his bed, Travis saw that it was almost time for dinner. "5:48. Dinner will be in 12 minutes and that's when most of the Black Suits will be in the dining hall along with the rest of the children. If I can make it to the bathrooms on the other side of the dining hall unnoticed, I should be able to get out using the small bathroom window, then I wouldn't need to get into Granny's office." He took a break from his mental planning to put on a black hoodie and pants. When he finished changing he put on a pair of wool gloves and thick socks, packing his shoes tightly into his bag for when he got outside. "Alright! I shouldn't make much noise in this getup. Now, where was I?" he paused to recollect. "Ah! That's right, the dining hall escape. If I go there, I'll definitely make it to the bathrooms the quickest, but there are Black Suits guarding every exit. I could tell them that I need to use the restroom, but with Granny and that man looking for me, they'd probably turn me over before letting me go. Even if they did let me use the restroom, if I didn't come out soon they would probably figure out I escaped and would come searching for me right away. Then again, that can't be any different than what Granny and that Mr. C. guy are doing right now."

He continued to test different scenarios in his head, making sure to go over every possible outcome. While he didn't know to what extent that he was currently being searched for, he did know that it was only a matter of time before they organized a search party. With time being his biggest enemy, Travis knew that he had to leave sooner than later or risk being caught in the orphanage or during his escape. "5:52. Only eight minutes until they call everyone for dinner. Mostly everyone will be in the dining hall, including the Black Suits. If I take the hallway on the left, I can cut through the garden which will take me to the classrooms. If I bounce from room to room to avoid any Black Suits, I'll be able to get around the dining hall and to the restrooms. If I take the hallway on the right, I am heading straight for the dining room. I can take my chances and try walking into the restrooms and hope that they won't notice me. Given the amount of people it is possible but, not necessarily the best choice. It seems my best option is to take the left hallway." He finally concluded his escape plan. With everything set in motion, Travis slipped into his backpack and pulled his hood over his head. To be safe, he went over everything in his head one last time to make sure he hadn't overlooked anything that might throw a wrench in his plans.

Then came the wrench…

"Uh, what're you doing?" came the voice of the girl that he'd blown off when he first arrived. Her sudden appearance was enough to jump scare Travis back into his drawer.

"Gah!" was the only sound he could make as he managed to catch himself from tumbling to the ground. "Grrr—what the hell! Don't you knock!?" he questioned angrily as he quickly recomposed himself. Katrina had to hold back a giggle as she watched him recover from his jump scare. In truth, she didn't mean to scare him. She was just passing by on her way to the dining hall when she noticed that he was alone in his room looking through a backpack. Her curiosity got the best of her and she decided to investigate.

"The door was open." She said simply. "What's in the bag?" she asked curiously.

"None of your business. Now leave me alone!" Travis replied quickly. Unwilling to let him blow her off a second time, Katrina stood her ground.

"Not until you tell me what's in the bag." She said with her arms crossed. "Ha! I've got him now!" she thought in triumph.

"Why does it matter to you what I have?"

"It doesn't matter to me. I just want to know. Is there anything wrong with that?" she countered.

"Yes." He answered.

"What?"

"It's none of your business." He repeated.

"That's not a reason."

"Is too." He argued.

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"UGH! I don't have time for this!" Travis gave up as he swung his backpack on and made to leave the room. Only problem was, Katrina wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily. "Get out of the way!" he demanded as she kept stepping in front of him.

"I told you, if you tell me what's in the bag then I'll leave you alone."

"Like I'd ever…" he said beneath his breath.

"GRANNY!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Hey! Keep it down will ya? Jeez, you're really serious about this aren't you?"

"Yup." She answered with a nod of her head.

"Fine—if it'll get you to leave me alone." He finally gave in, much to Katrina's excitement. "In this bag, is a special surprise that I've been working on that all of us are going to have so much fun playing with. I know that I'm not liked here very much and so, I thought if maybe I did something for everyone, then we could all get along. Y'know? But, now that you know about my secret you can't tell anybody about what I'm doing. It'd only ruin the surprise and all my hard work." He lied.

"Oh my gosh! Really? Is that why you've been by yourself all this time? To work on this gift for everyone?" The sparkle in her eye told Travis that she actually bought his story. All he needed to do now was sell it and he'd be on his way to freedom.

"Yes, but remember—you can't tell ANYBODY about this or else it'll ruin the surprise. I'm going to go set it up right now so that tomorrow we can all play with it."

"YES! SEE! I knew you weren't all that bad. Don't worry Travis, your secret is safe with me! I know how everyone's been treating you lately and it's horrible. Hopefully when tomorrow comes they will all see how wrong they were about you!" she exclaimed happily.

"I sure hope so." He answered, feeling a little bad about how he treated her before. This girl was the first person in the orphanage to even bother learning his name and furthermore, she was perhaps the only person who didn't think he was a lost cause. "Maybe if I hadn't—OH what am I saying!? It's too late for friends now—come on Travis! Don't let her get to you!" he mentally berated himself.

"I know so." She reassured him with a smile. "Well, I guess I'm going to let you go now but before I do—just one more thing."

"What's that?" he asked, hoping it wouldn't be another question.

"When you're done setting up the surprise—maybe if you know—you want somebody to sit by during dinner, you can always sit by me." She said with a faint blush.

"Good to know. Now if you don't mind, it's not like I have all day to get this thing set-up now." He said with a little gesture for her to get out of the way.

"Oh! Of-f course!" she nodded her head in embarrassment before stepping out of the way to let Travis through. He stepped past her without another word and breathed a mental sigh of relief.

"I can't believe she actually bought that!" he thought incredulously as he tried to look as normal as possible while checking his surroundings. The last thing he needed was another barrage of questions that would cost him more time.

"Travis?"

"Yeah?" he replied whilst hiding his irritation.

"If you don't mind, can I just ask you one more question?"

"Fine, but make it quick." He agreed reluctantly.

"Why did you wait this long—I mean—why be alone all this time?" she asked.

The question caught Travis off guard. Given his treatment over his brief stay at the orphanage, Travis didn't think that anyone cared about him especially not someone that he deliberately yelled at to leave him alone. "Hmm—I don't really know. Maybe it is because it's the only thing I've ever really known." He answered honestly. Travis then disappeared around the corner before Katrina could ask him another question, but despite his rush he could not deny the feelings that had surfaced because of her.

Katrina found the response heartbreaking.

As he raced down the hallway, his mind pondered over the things that could have been if only he'd acted differently. Maybe he would have friends that he could count on. Or maybe he would have ended up the most-liked orphan of all. Maybe—just maybe he could have mended the relationship between his parents. The more he thought about the maybe's in his life, the more upset he became. He realized that was all that they were going to be. He didn't need to spend his time pondering the 'what-ifs' because he was currently facing the 'right-now'. Maybe he could have had a different life, but none of that mattered now—because his only focus was on his escape.

Current Day…Fallout Online

"Ooooohhh man! I know that this is just noodles in cup, but this stuff is HEAVEN ON EARTH!" Ash cheered as he slurped down the last of his instant meal. Ash's outburst was the first break of silence that enveloped the room after the duo realized that they could be living some sick roleplayer's fantasy.

"You can say that again." Gray agreed. Since narrowly escaping his vault, Gray hadn't had much of a meal in his time in the Wasteland. He was always getting himself caught up in something and for once, it felt relaxing to take a break from it all—even though it meant he had to be put through the ringer to do so. "Thanks Ash, I needed that."

"The hell you thanking me for? I used your share of the funds to buy it." He laughed to himself. Gray raised an eyebrow and thought about saying something, but ultimately thought against it since he hadn't really done anything to earn his share.

"Fair enough. So, what's the plan for tomorrow then? Thalia told me that Rias is planning to get after the trail on a couple of Slavers heading toward Silverfort." Gray asked to spark up a conversation.

"She said that? I know that Rias plans to go after a couple of slavers here soon, but not tomorrow. It was my understanding that Rias was planning to get more information before making her move. I'm guessing she didn't want us to go on a wild goose chase with just some old lady claiming where they were heading." Ash explained. "Then again I wouldn't take my word for it though. Rias does seem to hate my guts…" he began.

"She doesn't hate you—"

"Say that to my arm man!" Ash interrupted with fake tears. "Haha! But in all seriousness though—I'd hate to be you right now. She is P-I-S-S-E-D at you my friend. I'd keep my arms at my sides if I were you." He joked.

"I don't think she's going to break my arm Ash." Gray replied with a smile.

"Bullshit! If she doesn't I'm calling bullshit!" He started to make a fuss.

"Why?" Gray chuckled. Finally growing tired of his cot, Gray stretched and stood up. For the first time in the last couple of days he didn't feel any sort of pain. "I really do heal quicker here. The doctor said I'd be out for weeks. Then again, he wasn't a real doctor so what does he know? Still, I feel amazing."

"What do you mean why!? Because—because that's discriminatory! Your arm is just as breakable as my arm is!" Ash cried out.

"As true as that may be, the satisfaction just won't be the same." Rachel surprised the two males.

"Aw shit! Who invited the Dragon Lady!?" Ash complained.

"Hey Rachel." Gray waved.

"Gray." She acknowledged with a bow of her head. "And another outburst like that and I'll shove my boot so far up yours that you'll be shitting leather for a month." She said with a look that practically invited Ash to test her patience. After the last few days he had, Ash decided not to try his luck this time around and gulped before saying:

"As heavenly as that sounds, I think I'll pass."

Gray chuckled at the exchange between the two, but switched demeanors when he addressed the elephant in the room. "Alright, as much as I'd love to hear you two bicker the rest of the night, I think it'd be best for everyone if we just got right down to it. What brings you here Rachel?" he asked. It wasn't like he didn't already know why she showed up, but confirmation never really hurt anyone did it?

"What? I can't visit a friend?" she said somewhat defensively. Her response earned her an incredulous look from both Gray and Ash. "Why are you looking at me like that!?" she turned a cold shoulder towards them like it'd fend off the stares the duo had sent her.

"I think we can agree that our relationship has not reached that point in development." Gray replied, earning a defeated sigh from Rachel.

"Alright, you got me. I'm here because of Rias." She admitted.

Gray's stomach sank, as Rachel confirmed what he already knew. "Did she send you?" Gray asked.

"No." she said quickly. The blonde sniper leaned uncomfortably against the wall, seemingly debating on how she should proceed. Her behavior was unlike any she had shown since they agreed to become a group, signaling to Gray and Ash that whatever she had to say wasn't going to be good news. "Look, Rias can be—somewhat stubborn." She said.

"No shit!" Ash cried out, happy that someone other than him had finally said it. Rachel sent him an icy glare, but ignored the outburst and continued.

"With that being said—I'm sure Ash has already told you, but Rias hasn't been herself these last few days. Normally, I'd just let this all resolve itself but since we are pressed for time I think it'd be in everyone's best interests to not let this drag out."

"Okay. So why come to me first? Isn't Rias supposed to be your best friend?" Gray argued, unsure of why he was being singled out first. He didn't say it outright, but Rias did overreact that night.

"You go ahead and try reasoning with Rias when she's angry." She laughed at the irony of the situation. Honestly, she was just glad she wasn't the one that Rias was upset with.

"Yeah, but you didn't just come here to tell me that there was a problem. The whole reason you're even here is because you want me to do just that." Gray pointed out.

"Well, you saved me from having to explain that part. To be fair though, this whole conflict started because of you—"

"No." Gray interrupted. "She overreacted. She started this. Not me." He defended himself.

"Okay, but that doesn't change the fact that we still have a problem. Look, I don't care about who's right or who's wrong. The only thing I care about is that we move past this stupid argument." Rachel responded.

"Then why is it on me to fix something that I didn't even start? Frankly, I don't even have a problem with her." Gray countered.

"Because Rias won't." she said seriously. "Do you really think that I would come all the way down here to convince you of something if I could convince Rias to do the same? You made it clear yourself, we aren't friends, but we are teammates and I'm asking for your help."

"What if she won't listen to me?" Gray asked.

"Then you make her listen. You did when we held at you gunpoint and you did when you made it clear you weren't going to give her the names of the people who put you in this place. There are not a lot of people who could say that they've stood up to Rias without paying the price. Whether you believe it or not, she respects you. Look Gray, I'm not telling you to go and apologize. All I want is for you to put this conflict to an end. Is that too much for me to ask?" Rachel said with her hands on her hips.

"When it's Rias—yes." He chuckled, much to Rachel's disappointment. "However…" Gray began, knowing he'd caught Rias' second in command off guard. "That doesn't mean I won't try." He grinned. Rachel smiled with delight and although she didn't say it, her respect for Gray had grown a little bit. She still had her doubts on exactly why Rias recruited them, but the more time she spent with Ash, Thalia, and Gray, the more she was beginning to see what Rias saw in them.

"Good. See you tomorrow then!" Rachel said having finished her business.

"Not so fast. I'll only do this on one condition."

"What?" Rachel whipped back around to make sure she heard Gray right.

"Everyone has to be there. You, Kota, Thalia, and Ash."

"Why?" she asked.

"You said it yourself, we're teammates aren't we? It's one thing to face Rias on my own, it's another for us to show her that we can stand together even in our disagreements." Gray argued.

"Huh." Rachel shook her head in disbelief. "Yes, yes I did. Kota and I will be there. You can count on us—and for what it is worth—thanks." She gave a nod of approval before bowing out of the small room, leaving Ash and Gray alone once more.

"Man, I'd hate to be you right now. Talk some sense into Rias? That sounds like talking to a wall—a wall that can break your arm if you say something that's even slightly offensive. Yeah, the odds are not in your favor my friend." Ash sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

"When have they ever been?" Gray countered. Having stood long enough Gray fell onto his cot and stared up at the ceiling. Although his last comment seemed dismissive about his upcoming battle, deep down he was dreading it. The problem wasn't Rias at all. Gray's worries were all about was what he was going to say. The last thing he wanted to do was make the situation worse than what it already was. "Guess I'll just have to figure it out."

"Whoa man. That's deep." Ash laughed. "You okay dude? Don't go getting all depressed on me now Gray." He wagged his finger, earning a chuckle from Gray.

"Shit. I won't if you won't." Gray joked.

"Ha ha! Now that's a promise I can get behind!" Ash cheered. "Well man, I think I'm gonna head on back to the hotel for the night. I'm pretty beat and I'm gonna need all the rest I can get for tomorrow's bout with Rias." Ash yawned as he rose to his feet and stretched.

"No one is going to fight tomorrow. I'm just going to try and reason with her. That's all."

"Ha! You say that now. Until tomorrow!" Ash waved and exited the room.

"Later man." Gray called before shifting to his side and getting himself comfortable. "Tomorrow's going to be a looooong day." He groaned. With one last sigh, Gray closed his eyes and waited for his dreams to take him. Unfortunately for him, a certain resident within had other plans.

In Gray's Subconscious…

"Hey! Welcome back!" Big Blue greeted him as he came to.

Gray felt groggy, like he hadn't gotten any sleep in the last week. "What? Oh—hey BB." He yawned as he took a moment to collect himself. The lab-like room had changed since the last time he'd been there. There was now one giant computer screen at the far end of the room that was hooked up to some sort of console. He watched as BB manned the console and brought up some files on the large monitor before turning around to face him. "Where's Little Blue and CB?" he asked curiously.

Big Blue reached up and tapped her forehead twice before responding. "They're up here for now, resting. Being apart really puts a strain on her—them—or—er—us." She stammered.

"I see." Gray replied. "Well, what'd you need? I assume we are speaking for a reason?"

"Precisely! Remember what I said just before we ran out of time the last time we got together?"

"Hmm." Gray crossed his arms. "I remember you saying a lot of crazy things. Let's see, wasn't it something about you helping me for me helping you?"

"So you do remember. Well Gray, we've got a lot to talk about and plenty of time unlike before. Are you ready to begin?" she asked.

"Doesn't sound like I have much of a choice anyways, but yeah I'm ready."

"Okay, let's start at the beginning. Are you familiar with the concept of 'Virtual Self?'" she began.

"I've heard it once before, a girl named Eve explained it to me during our escape of Vault 406. From what I understood, it has to do with a person's memories within the virtual world. They can use whatever skills that they've learned from other VR games and apply them, but within reason."

"There is much more to it than that. It was a good thing that she mentioned that there were limits to the things a person can do while in VR. Did she happen to go into detail with those restrictions?" BB asked.

"No. We didn't really have the time to get into specifics." The memory of Vault 406's events caused Gray to shudder noticeably. The events of that day still caused him nightmares. It seemed like every other day, Gray would wake up screaming in the dark of night. His teammates would send him their puzzled looks but, he'd just turn over and ignore them. While Binary Squad thought he'd gone back to sleep, Gray would just lay there—hurled up in a little ball of silence. Every time they brought it up, Gray would just tell them it was just a nightmare. He couldn't bring himself to talk about what happened. He didn't know if he ever could.

"That is—unfortunate." BB replied, noticing her host's change of behavior. "Allow me to explain them in greater detail. Since you are familiar with the overall concept of 'Virtual Self', you understand that it encompasses your entire being through the virtual dimension, yes?" She paused and resumed when Gray nodded his head in understanding. "In theory, this means that a person could learn complex physical skills that they would not have normally been able to learn in a real-life setting. Without fear of injury or any physical limits like fatigue, this method provides an accelerated learning experience, as everything the person does is actually a mental action."

"So, essentially what you are saying is as long as I can think of performing the action then I can actually do it?" Gray asked for clarification.

"Almost. It's basically taking the skills that you have learned from other simulations and applying them here. That is the catch."

"Alright, this is all useful information and everything—but, I'm sure this is common knowledge to most VR players by now. How does this give me an edge?" Gray asked.

"It is the fundamental principle of everything you do in this world. While this information may be subconsciously known to VR players across the globe, many of them do not know just how much their 'virtual memories' can take them."

"Yeah, but that is just a general rule of combat anyways. At this point, the only advantage I have is that I can learn new moves in less than half the time, and that advantage also applies to everyone else." Gray pointed out.

"True, but everyone else doesn't have someone else living inside their head do they?"

"I would hope not." Gray chuckled.

"Essentially, we are two brains in one. That means your memories are mine and mine are yours. Not only do you have access to all the things that I have learned but, can also learn twice the amount of information. As an extension to your subconscious, we can perform simulations within your head that can help you learn new combat mechanics quicker and although it isn't much—I picked up on a few self-defense techniques that I learned during my—sessions—that I could teach you." The way she stressed the word 'sessions' told Gray that BB had her own nightmares to confront. While he did like the idea of sharing a conscious to gain an advantage, he wasn't too fond of being able to witness the things that she went through or that she could rifle through his memories at any given moment.

"Okay, this is really cool and all, but I'm not really sure how comfortable I am with someone being able to go through my personal memories. Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't exactly want to see the things you went through either." Gray admitted.

"Understandable, but you don't have to worry about any of that. See, even though we share a conscious, we are still two separate people within. It's why we haven't been finishing each other's sentences. I can't read your mind and you cannot read mine. Anything we share will be because we want to share it. Make sense?"

"Well that answers that I guess. So when can I start learning those self-defense techniques you talked about?" he asked with a wide grin. BB shook her head at the gesture. She knew that he'd want to get right down to business as soon as he learned about her offering, but there were still things that she needed to discuss with him beforehand.

"As soon as I finish explaining all the ins and outs of our wondrous new relationship."

"Great. So, what if I don't have a 'virtual memory'?" Gray asked out of the blue.

"What?" BB raised an eyebrow.

"Like—what if this is my first VR game."

"You're joking right?"

Her answer alone was enough to convince Gray that his lack of a 'virtual memory' was not exactly beneficial. "Yes?" He said, unsure of himself.

"Oh my—you're actually serious." BB said, slapping a hand to her forehead. She massaged her temple as she contemplated on how to move past this setback.

"What? It's not my fault that the Virtual Gear RIG is so damn expensive! Not everybody just has 500$ just lying around!" Gray defended himself.

"The millions of players logged onto this game says otherwise." BB countered.

"Okay, that's beside the point." Gray dodged her rebuttal.

"How is that beside the point!?"

"Look—who cares? It isn't like I've never played video games in my life, alright? I just haven't happened to have done it in Virtual Reality. Can't I just use my experience from the games I played on the Zbox and the GameStation?"

"There is a possibility, but there is no guarantee that it will actually work. In theory, if your memory was good enough to perfectly recall the skills you learned from those games, we could use that as a template for you to learn them here."

"Then what's the problem then!?" Gray cried out.

"That I can't turn you into a ruthless killing machine."

"Whoa, calm down, Satan." He said, earning a laugh from Big Blue.

"I was only joking." She laughed it off. "The problem is that we have to rely on your memory of how you saw those things being performed. Mashing a button and pushing a joystick doesn't exactly translate to experience. Not only that, as a first time VR player—all of your senses are still 'fresh'. Your mental receptors—"

"English." Gray interrupted.

"Your body still needs to get used to the virtual world." She said with a groan.

"So this is cool and everything—but exactly how do I bring those skills here?" Gray asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I knew."

"You're hopeless." She said underneath her breath.

"What was that?" Gray asked quizzically.

"Nothing. To answer your question, we're in YOUR head. Everything in this room is just a product of your and my imagination. All you have to do is recall what you saw and it'll appear here like a projection. I'll analyze the move and then you'll practice it here in scenarios that I dream up. Basically, your mind is now a dojo."

"That's awesome." Gray smiled geekily. The thought of the intense training sessions flashed through his mind like an 80's workout montage.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. There are limits."

"Isn't there always?" Gray huffed.

"Unfortunately, but it isn't that bad. The only limit is that you can't just think about doing a triple flip kick if you've never learned how to do a single flip kick. There are no workarounds here. Also, don't expect to be able to do anything outlandish either. You can't do a rising tornado punch or some of those other ridiculous moves that you see in fighting games." She explained.

"Wait that doesn't make any sense. In this raider hideout that I was in—there was this guy with purple-like eyes and he could manipulate gravity and pull people toward him. That is outlandish. If he can do that then why can't I?"

"Hmm. You're sure he wasn't an NPC or anything?" BB inquired.

"I mean, he may have been, but I highly doubt it. This guy was looking for me. Last I checked, AI in videogames don't just decide to hunt a specific player down." Gray answered.

"Well, then that brings me to my next point. The person you encountered may be like us."

"Like us?" Gray said in confusion.

"Yes, as in he may have someone else in his head."

"Ah, so like a Runner? Still, I thought Runners were only supposed to help you find this Nightingale person. This guy slaughtered people and was after this—serum thing." Gray explained.

"That serum thing—was me you dope."

"That was you? I mean, that sure does explain a whole lot, but what were you doing in a stimpak? It's kind of funny to think that your whole consciousness was uploaded into an inanimate object don't you think?"

"Ugh—yes—don't remind me. Anyways, as you've probably figured out—I'm not the only one who has tried to escape the White Coats. Naturally, you'd think that they would come after us themselves to hunt us down but they aren't that stupid."

"How so?" Gray asked.

"While they did use virtual reality to torture us, their experiments did have some interesting results. Some of their tests brought out 'otherworldly' abilities from subjects that we would have normally thought impossible in the real world. If they were to come after us—they'd be slaughtered. They may have a hold on us in the real world, but in the virtual realm, we are in control."

"Then how do they catch you?" Gray inquired, generally curious about the workings of the White Coats.

"Well, some of these new abilities proved to be too much for the normal human body to handle. It drove some of us to insanity. It's like they say, the only way to catch a criminal is to think like one. All the White Coats had to do was implant the Deprived as we called them, into a 'real world' subject such as yourself and indoctrinate them afterwards. The result of this deadly combination is a twisted super-soldier that we have dubbed 'Hunters.' Unlike us, the Deprived don't care for freedom. They've been molded to do one thing—and that is to hunt us Runners down by whatever means necessary. Being that Fallout: Online was to be the Runners largest escape platform, it is no surprise the Hunters took the game over and prevented all of you from logging out. They will stop at nothing until every last one of us has either been captured or killed."

"Well, if you all have these crazy abilities then why don't you take a stand against them?"

"Because their abilities have been honed and taken to a whole another level. These are trained killers. While some of us may possess extraordinary abilities, we aren't exactly combat tested. If you see a Hunter the only thing you do is run. No ifs, ands, or buts. Trying to go toe to toe with one is a death sentence as I'm sure you saw first-hand."

"How will I know I'm facing a Hunter then? It isn't like every single one of them is going to have those weird eyes and be as destructive as the one I saw."

"This is going to sound weird—but we can kind of sense each other."

"You can sense each other? Then what's the point of running?" Gray asked.

"Well we have to be really close to each other in order for it to work. It isn't like I can sense them from a mile away, but if they are within a 50 meter radius I'll know they are in the area and they will know we are there too. Even so, that doesn't mean we can directly identify one another. The closer they get, the stronger the sensation will become but that is about it. They won't know you are a Runner unless you do something like start running or do other things that make it seem like you've got someone in your head."

"Alright—so don't do anything stupid. Noted! Just a question, can you sense other Runners too? I mean like do they give off like a different signal when compared to Hunters?" he asked.

"Yes I can. Runners do give off a different kind of vibe but I cannot accurately say whether or not they are a Hunter or a Runner. Despite my readings, it will ultimately be up to you to decide who is friend and who is foe." She said.

"That's comforting." Gray remarked sarcastically. "So, does that mean that I can tell my group—"

"NO!" BB yelled out.

"Why not? It isn't like they are Hunters or anything." Gray reasoned.

"That may be true, but that does not mean that they could be trusted. Just because they may not be Hunters, does not mean that they cannot be employed by the Hunters. No one is to be trusted Gray. The only person that needs to know that I'm in your head is the Nightingale. For both of our sakes, I hope you can understand the importance of this secrecy."

"Alright—I won't say anything. Anywho, you said that the experiments gave you 'otherworldly' abilities. What exactly is your ability then?" he asked.

"You might find this a little disappointing but—I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Exactly what I said. I have no clue what my ability is or if I even have one to begin with. Based on what I know about the abilities though, they came after some sort of 'Awakening'. None of us really know what causes them or why they are required to get an ability in the first place."

"Hmm, could it come from a memory maybe? Maybe a horrible experience?"

"There is a possibility. I couldn't say for sure." She replied.

"Guess we'll figure it out some other time then." Gray said. Although she didn't directly say it, Gray had this feeling that the subject was causing her some discomfort. Having understood that feeling more than most, Gray decided not to pursue the subject any further. "Is that everything then?"

"Almost." She replied quickly.

"Of course." Gray let out an exasperated sigh. It was nothing against BB, but his fatigue was really starting to catch up to him. "So, what's next?" Gray asked as he leaned back against the wall for comfort.

"The neural load."

"The what?"

"The neural load." She repeated after his confused response. "Although you have the ability to learn at an accelerated pace, there is still a limit to how much you can learn within a certain period. You can't just learn a new fighting style in a day. It would be too much for your brain to handle. In the virtual world, overloading your brain is the equivalent of a heart attack. Too much and your body will just shut down."

"Well that doesn't sound very pleasant." Gray muttered.

"That's not all."

"It can't be much worse can't it?" Gray joked. The look on Big Blue's face said otherwise. "Oh no."

"Although we share a conscious—we haven't actually completed the process—yet. You remember how earlier, that I said that we could choose what memories the other could see and what not? Yeah—I umm, kind of lied—because well to complete this process—we have to link our brains." BB started to explain.

"What?"

"I know! I know! It sounds crazy and I know it's weird—but it is the only way. If we stay like this—our senses will begin to crash with one another. You won't be able to separate my feelings from your own and you'll be driven to insanity. A part of me just wishes—"

"Just do it." Gray interrupted.

"Huh?"

"I said just do it. I promised that I'd help you. Whatever it took. This isn't something that I like—but if it'll give me an edge to survive in this world to get you home and myself home—then I'll take it."

"Gray—I—um—I…"

"Don't." he interjected. "There is no need to thank me. I'm not even doing anything worthy of your thanks. I'm using you and you are using me. It isn't a perfect relationship but, it is better than nothing. So, let's just get this over with."

"O—okay. Right." She took a moment to regain her composure. "Just a fair warning, this may or may not cause you a lot of pain. I'll try my best to make the blend as easy as possible. Come over here." She ordered. Even though he did as she asked, BB could see the hesitation in his eyes. Regardless, this was something that needed to be done, so she'd put aside her feelings of guilt in the pursuit of the greater good.

Gray watched as she started typing away on her console. He noticed that the keyboard was made up of weird symbols that he'd never seen before. They kind of reminded him of the Greek alphabet in their design, but he could tell that the symbols did not exist in the real world.

"Put your hand here." She directed him. Gray placed his hand on a small silver square on her console and flinched when it enveloped his hand.

"Beginning mental link in 3-2-1!" A computerized voice called out in front of him. Looking to his left, Gray saw BB take a step back just as the countdown finished. A part of him instinctively tried to retract his hand, but he was too late. The process had already begun.

At first he felt a jolt run up the length of his arm. He remembered thinking that it wasn't so bad and then the real test came. The memories came rushing in like a great flood. One after another he saw them—like a flash before his eyes. The surge of memories quickly became too much for his brain to handle. He collapsed against the console, as the pain in his head continued to increase. He wanted to cry out in agony, but found it difficult to control his body whilst the memories invaded his brain. If that wasn't bad enough, then came the senses. Everything that she had ever felt—Gray too was now feeling. He felt his body go into shock—once—twice—and then the pain. Oh—the pain. One area of his body felt like it had just been bitten by a thousand bullet ants and another felt a toxic-acid like venom coursing through his veins. He felt like he had been beaten by a thousand men and trampled beneath a mountain. The machine had long since let him go, but the feelings still lingered. Gray lay on the ground—untouched—but in sheer turmoil. If this is what she had to go through—Gray didn't know how she managed. All he wanted was for the pain to stop. He wanted the nightmare to end. He needed it to end. The overwhelming sensations were driving him to the edge. Each agonizing second seemed like an eternity as Gray fought to overcome her memories.

The last thing Gray remembered was his vision beginning to come back to him and BB kneeling over him protectively. "Is it over?" he thought as he still fought off the aftermath of the pain. There were tears in her eyes as she stood up slowly. "Where are you—what are you…" he started to ask.

"I'm sorry." She said once. Gray raised his eyebrow in confusion. Nothing was making sense to him at the moment. What did she have to be sorry about? "I'm sorry." She repeated, this time raising a small dagger in the air.

"What are you—what are you—doing?" he said weakly.

"I'm sorry." She answered one last time before bringing the knife down. Gray remembered feeling one final surge of pain before his body gave out and he succumbed to the darkness.

Removing the knife, BB took a step back before falling to the floor—her body too, weakened by the mental link. She heard an eerie witch like laugh echo across the expanse. BB immediately recognized it as her deprived self—CB. "What do you want?" she asked in irritation.

"You know why I'm here." CB's voice rang out over the expanse. Although she couldn't be seen, BB knew that this was all going on from inside of her head. After all, CB was just another manifestation of herself. "The truth…" CB hissed. "Why would you hide it from him?" CB teased.

"He isn't ready for that kind of information. The world isn't ready for it. If he found out what we could do—the things we've done—he'd never trust us."

CB laughed her witch-like laugh, knowing that she'd had the upper hand in this mental debate. "You're afraid aren't you? Why do you insist on hiding behind this fake persona? Why not let me take over—"

"No." BB declared firmly.

"Suit yourself. It's only a matter of time before your lies catch up to you and the truth comes out. It always does." CB hissed.

"Whatever. I'll worry about that when the time comes. For both of our sakes I hope it never does." BB admitted. CB replied with another laugh, knowing that she'd won their brief little debate. To BB it didn't matter though. All that she cared about was getting to the Nightingale. That was her mission. If she had to use Gray to do it, then so be it. All she had to do was hope for the best. Little did she know that after tomorrow, things were going to take a turn for the worst.

Ain't that a kick in the head!?

A/N: And that ends another addition to the world of Fallout Online! Hello again Wastelanders! I know it has been awhile since the last update to this story, but that's because of well school, work, and the fact that I decided to re-do the first chapter of the story. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, go check it out! See, Chapter One was a special entry because I was just putting something out there. Now that I've got a plot (or at least I seem to think I do) I decided to go back and clean up the first chapter so that it flows more smoothly with the rest of the story. With that being said—chapter 2 will also be getting re-worked—continuing off of where I left off in Chapter One.

Other than that—I don't have much else to say guys. So please leave a review and if you have any comments, questions, concerns, and or suggestions please feel free to PM me. Until next time Wastelanders! Frosty out!