You grab another TV and sit quietly by yourself in a separate office, watching world events unfold and get worse before your eyes as your co-workers reenact something out of a porno movie. You block out the sounds of ecstasy and turn up the TV. You’re starting to wonder if you shouldn’t have just stayed home, or better yet bought that damn bomb shelter…

Just then someone else comes in to disturb your solitude. It’s Marina.

“Oh. I didn’t know anyone was in here. I thought everyone was at the orgy.” She says.
“So did I…um how come you aren’t?” you ask nervously.
“Eh not really my thing, how come you aren’t?”
“Same here.”
“I see…so what are you doing to pass the time?”
“Keeping up on events to see if things will change for the better.”
“Ah an optimist eh?”
“Not really, I think I just get a kick out of living in a fantasy world and delusions to make myself feel better…that and I have a morbid fascination of the utter chaos that’s occurring throughout the world right now.”
“Hmm, interesting approach to life…I’ve always noticed you seem to keep to yourself. You like solitude don’t you?”
“It’s easier.”
“Yet, you stayed here for the end.”
“Yeah, and I’m really wishing I hadn’t now, I can’t mix with anyone here. Never could. Not even on the primal level that everyone seems to be favoring right now. I don’t know why I thought things would change in the end…ah fuck it the world’s gonna end and it’s probably a good thing if our co-workers are an example of humanity. Still…I kind of wish I bought that bomb shelter…”
“So you don’t want to die?”
”Of course not! I just don’t really see how to avoid it at this point.”
“Well, for starters you could come with me; I’m getting ready to leave the city. It seems like things have died down for the most part out there, hopefully nobody’s vandalized or stolen either of our vehicles.” Marina suggests.
“What? Leave? And go where? It’s not like there’s any place really safe to go at this late stage.”
“Sure there is. Look, I’ll level with you, since you seem to be the only one here that’s different. I stayed around here to see if there was anyone who was worthy enough to be saved, and apart from you, it pretty much looks like I wasted my time.”
“Save? What do you mean?”
“Well despite the fact that you kept to yourself and never took any interest in any of the private lives of your co-workers doesn’t we don’t have them.” Marina laughs. “But like you I never really mixed with any of our co-workers either, however unlike you I do have a very active social life filled with people who are close like a family, people who live clean and have a strong sense of freedom…and who have been preparing for this day ever since the Commies started the first Cold War. You don’t have to die and you don’t have to be alone anymore. Come with me, you’ll be accepted as long as you’re willing to work hard and from what I know, you aren’t averse to doing that.”

You’re not entirely sure of what Marina has in store for you, but it sounds better than staying here waiting to die. You agree to leave with her. You both make your way past the mass of naked bodies and head immediately to the parking structure. Unfortunately Marina’s car is gone, it’s been predictably stolen in the looting frenzy during the city exodus; however your old van is perfectly fine. It hasn’t even been vandalized, of course the thing looks like it’s already been vandalized which is probably why nobody bothered to steal it. You both get in the van and you drive while Marina tells you where you’re going.

While you’re driving through the city, you keep expecting to be attacked by lawless hold outs still lingering in the city or open fired on by Nation Guardsman, but you suspect either they were ordered to pull out to reinforce a more important city or most of them abandoned their “job” long ago when they realized the futility of it. You make your way out of the city with no problems. Of course now you’re just wondering if you’re just going to get nuked at any second. You listen to the radio to keep up on events, which is more of the same that you were watching on TV. Eventually Marina turns it off and tells you not to worry about the old world anymore, a new one is going to be built.

Your drive takes you far from the city, where ever Marina’s leading you it’s even further than where you live and you lived pretty way out. You drive through the night and into next morning; while Marina’s asleep you turn the radio back on and keep it on low…

Monday 8:00 AM

“…BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…”

The radio suddenly stops broadcasting anything except a loud warning sound; it wakes up Marina before you can turn it off. Seeing her current surroundings, Marina hastily tells you to turn at a dirty road that’s coming up, which then leads into a wooden gate. Looks like a compound of some sort, where a man is standing guard with an assault rifle. Marina gets out and talks to him a moment, to which he nods his head and opens the gate.

As soon as you drive in another woman comes running out of one of the many log cabin like structures in the compound. She immediately starts talking to Marina through the passenger window.

“Marina! Thank God you’re here! We thought you were dead! Come on we gotta get down into the underground, its beginning!”

Wasting no time Marina and you follow the woman into the cabin and down into a trap door in the floor. You find yourself in a wide tunnel with dim electrical lighting to what looks like a pretty elaborate underground complex. Marina and the woman are running ahead of you, but you can’t help but stare in wonder of all this.

“Holy shit, they really were working on this since the Cold War…” you say to yourself as you slow down to examine everything.

Then it happens. You hear a loud noise above and you fall to the ground due to the tremors. Then all the lighting goes out. You attempt to get back up and try to feel the walls to get your bearings. You don’t know where the hell you’re going, but you can hear voices and shouting; some of it close and some of it far away. You have no idea where the hell you’re at, let alone the layout of this place. Instead of getting yourself lost, you decide to just stay put until the lighting comes back on; surely they probably have an emergency generator that will kick in soon.

The lighting suddenly comes on and you’re just in time to see Marina and a man dressed fatigues arrive on your position.

“Are you alright?” Marina asks you.
“Yeah, I’m okay.”

No sooner do you get out those words when the man in military fatigues begins giving you the hard stare.

“I’ve heard about you before from Marina, but don’t think that hiding behind her skirt is gonna give you a fuckin’ free pass in this place! You better prepared to pull your goddamn weight everyday! I catch you slipping and you’re outta here!”
“What the hell? I didn’t say anything!”
“And you better not say any fuckin’ thing either if you don’t wanna get on my bad side! The Colonel doesn’t like slack offs in his compound and neither do I! So if you intend on staying here, you better get REAL used to the idea of getting your head outta your fuckin’ ass and living like a real fuckin’ person instead of the goddamn disgusting parasitic shit maggot you are!”

You’re about to reply to GI Jerk, but Marina stops you and insists on taking you to your room, leaving Harry to his own devices.

“Alright Marina, what the hell was all that about, and who’s full metal asshole back there?”
“That was Harry, and don’t pay any attention to him, he’s just really gung ho and is second in command around here. The Colonel is the one who runs this place. He’s actually a more even tempered man than Harry is.”

Marina and you arrive at a small room by itself at the end of one of the corridors.

“Well here’s the room you’ll be staying for now. Things might change mind you, but rest assured this is the safest place you could be right now. We’ve prepared for this day and will definitely survive the aftermath of what’s to come, and now you will too.”

Marina leaves with a smile, but you don’t really share her optimism, given the fact that Armageddon has just happened. That reality has only just now sunk in that the world is probably one big radioactive desert at this point.

Then again, Marina might be right, this place is probably safer than most and its better than being dead. At least you hope it is. You lie down on the bed provided and fall asleep; surprisingly it’s the best rest you’ve experienced before the bombs dropped.

A few weeks pass and you get acquainted with the compound. You and most of the others are to remain underground while until some scouts in radiation suits determine if the radiation level is low enough. In the mean time you’re forced to do extensive combat training like everyone else. Most of the people are okay with you, even though you’re an outsider. Harry gives you a hard time though. Still, you’re probably in the best shape of your life and you got to brush up on your aim. Sometimes you get to spend time with Marina, funny how you find it easier to talk to her now. One day you finally see the Colonel you’ve been hearing about, he gives a speech to all of you in the cafeteria.

“Well, I’ve been informed that the surface part of our compound only suffered minor damage and that the radiation level is fairly low all things considering…anyway we all knew this day would come, and we would be prepared for it, but we can’t just sit on our asses hoping things will be alright! NO! We must take a proactive approach if we have to survive! As we speak, there are probably low lives scavenging the shell of the old world, we must secure as many abandoned resources as we can to ensure our future and some of you will be sent out into the world to do just that for the good of the compound. We’re going to tame this new world and rebuild a new society! You have undergone rigorous training before hand, to ensure you will be able to survive the dangers. Now I’ll be accepting volunteers first.”
> You stay silent
Maybe you’re a leaner meaner fighting machine now, but that’s still no reason to be foolish and volunteer for things. Eventually The Colonel picks someone at random and tells Harry to start assigning recon detachments.

“Alright you fuckin’ bottom feeders, its time to put all that fuckin’ training to good use! We’re gonna go scout out the nearest towns we know of. Now I’m sure you know there were a lot of little towns dotted all over the place in these parts, are job is to make contact and see what the situation is. Don’t be surprised if they open fire on you immediately. Catastrophes tend to make people behave like animals…and that’s where we’re coming in. We’re here to be the tamers, just like the Colonel said, now then, Dixon, Bradson, Wilson, Copperheim! You’re Alpha Team. Sams, Barns…”

Harry goes down a list assigning people. Time passes and you’re one of the last people left. You can’t help but notice that the ones left aren’t exactly the most competent. You start wonder if you’ll just be assigned to Compound duty, which you wouldn’t really mind since it offers less opportunity to get shot at.

Your wonder is soon dispelled, when Harry puts down his list and addresses the rest of you directly.

“Alright now the rest of you fucking shit eating pansies get a different assignment, because you’re so goddamn special like a fucking epileptic retard. You folks get to go to the CITY!”

Nobody looks too enthusiastic about that idea, except you’re the only one with any balls to protest since you know Harry hates you anyway.

“The fucking city, are you kidding? It’s probably been nuked into slag! There can’t be anything useful there!”
“Y’know, I expected that kind of cowardly shit from you, so that’s why you’re going to be point man for the entire mission! Anyway, we don’t know if the city has been completely destroyed, chances are that it not being a major city and its low importance, it may not have been hit with anything larger than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima back in old World War 2.”
“OH well then, I’m SURE it’ll be safe to enter then!” you reply.
“Shut your fucking mouth and stop being a bitch! You’re all going to be wearing radiation suits anyway, which will keep your yellow ass safe. That alleviate your worries cupcake? Fuckin’ pussy ass faggot. You oughta be glad you’re even here in the first place. You don’t like the fuckin’ rules, you can fuckin’ leave and see how well you fare on your own. Now what’s it gonna be Nancy Boy?”
“Fuck it, fine, whatever.” You retort giving in, but still weighing the option of possibly leaving later.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought cupcake. Alright, go pick up your equipment and get ready to set off, you’ll be using one of the vehicles since the City is pretty far away. If in the event that cupcake IS right and the place is a glowing hole, then return immediately. Another thing the Colonel wants this mission secret, so don’t fucking mention it to anyone else in the Compound! I find out you have and you’re fucking history! This means you don’t tell your little girlfriend, cupcake!”

You all leave, with Harry still giving you a dirty look for your insubordination. You wonder if you shouldn’t just leave when you exit the Compound. Take the equipment and then just disappear, who’s going to come after you? It’s not like there’s going to be MPs searching for you all over the wasteland.

The night before you leave, Marina comes to see you.
“I hear you’re leaving tomorrow, and I know we didn’t get a lot of quality time with each other, but I wanted us to spend at least what could be the last time I see you together.”

Marina’s apparently not familiar with the fact that you didn’t really have a choice in the matter, but since she’s on top of you right now, you’re not going to bring up the issue…

The next day you load up with what you think you might need, water, food, rifle, pistol, knife, Geiger counter, radiation suit, all the basic essentials, before you zoom off in the beat up car that’s passing for your transportation to the city.

You sit in the back seat, while your other three teammates Steve, Albert and Roger are talking with each other. Mostly about things that don’t matter, none of them seem to even be thinking about the fact that you’re possibly driving into a glowing hole in the ground. And you don’t give a shit what you’re wearing. All the lead panties in the world aren’t going to completely protect you, if you’re standing at ground zero! You end up going back to sleep for the first day of the trip, only being periodically awakened by the laughter your team mates.

On the second day you stare out the window and see that the landscape has gotten worse looking as you get closer to your destination. The surrounding countryside around the Compound looks relatively untouched compared to what you’re starting to see now. For shits and giggles, you roll the window open and shove part of the Geiger counter outside to get a reading, it starts clicking like a cricket and crack.

“Hey! Roll up that window; you’re letting all the radiation in! Ha ha!” Albert exclaims, who’s sitting next to you. Idiot.
“Check it out, looks like the city survived after all…well more or less.” Steve says who’s doing the driving.

You turn your attention forward and see the shattered “skeletal” remains of skyscrapers looming in the distance. The city got hit, but apparently by something “small” and probably exploded high in the air. Of course that doesn’t make you feel any better.

Steve stops the car just outside the city limits mainly because the road is being blocked by burned out shells of other vehicles. You all pile out of the car.

“Alright I think we can take it from foot on here, we probably shouldn’t try to drive the car in the city anyway, we need to conserve gas. Alright you’re in the lead.” Steve says to you.
“What? Why am I in the fucking lead?” you ask.
“Because Harry said you fuckin’ were, CUPCAKE! Ha ha!” Albert laughs.
“Yeah, besides, you worked in the city, none of us did, so you probably know the place than we do.”
“What, so none of you assholes ever visited the place?”
“Maybe a few times, not really enough to get deeply acquainted with it, look you’re outnumbered, and you’re taking lead, and that’s that. Don’t worry we’ll be right behind you.” Roger replies.
“After seeing how you fuckers shoot, I don’t know if that’s stupider than going into a radioactive city to begin with.”

You take lead and begin walking; meanwhile your team members go back to talking about shit that doesn’t matter again. Given their attention span, you wonder if you wouldn’t just be better off exploring by yourself.
> You explore by yourself
You start briskly walking ahead, Roger suddenly notices.

“Hey what’s your fucking hurry?”
“I’m not waiting around for your slow asses, you’re taking too fucking long with all the goddamn talking. I’m gonna scout out ahead, I’m supposed to be on point right? I’m taking the risk, so what the hell do you care?”
“But…oh fuck it, go on ahead and get yourself killed then, we’ll be right here. Better be back by nightfall though, because we’ll assume you’re dead and leave without you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”

You leave the three stooges to their idiotic conversation, and proceed to go about your way, amongst the ruined buildings. It’s weird to walk through the city and it being so quiet with no other people around. Ah, by yourself again, it’s been awhile since you’ve had any private time to yourself. The Compound doesn’t really allow for it. In fact with all this time to finally have to yourself gives you the opportunity to seriously consider leaving the Compound like you were thinking about earlier. It would be easy, all you have to do is wander off, and Roger did say they would assume you were dead by nightfall. You think about Marina though, you do like her…but you also like not having to have an asshole who hates you barking orders at you all the time too.

While you’re struggling with the delimma of your current living situation, you suddenly hear a gravelly voice nearby and some slow shuffling.

“Meeeeeeeeat...(Wheez)”

You turn your head to see a walking horror. A man with badly distorted features and limbs hobbles in your direction. One of the bomb victims no doubt. You knew you had to run into them eventually. The problem is now more of them are starting to appear, and they look like they can do more damage. Many of them have a half-crazed appearance and severe radiation burns. Apparently their minds have damaged along with their bodies.

These ones aren’t even making an attempt to speak; they’re just looking at you menacingly and growling. They’re beginning to encircle you.
> You run back to your team
You hastily make a break for it back to where your team is situated; unfortunately, “the survivors” are in your way and attempt to stop you. You shoot a couple of them, but not before a few of them manage to wound you. A couple of them manage to tear through your suit with their ragged and jagged, dirty nails (Which are almost like claws at this point) You suffer some scratches to the back and shoulders, but the worst is when one of them actually bites through your suit drawing blood.

“Motherfucker!” you shout shooting your assailant in the face and breaking away from the cannibal mob.

You run like mad with the horde chasing not far behind. When you finally reach your team, they all finally pay attention for the first time and start running back to the car!

“HEY WAIT FOR ME YOU BASTARDS!” you yell, stepping up your pace.

Eventually you just barely manage to get inside the car before Steve drives off. A couple of the city dwellers jump on the back of the car, but a shotgun blast through the back window gets them off.

“Holy shit Albert! What the fuck?! Was it necessary to destroy our back window?” Roger shouts.
“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t know we were taking back survivors to the Compound, oh shit you’re wounded man!” Albert says looking at you.
“Ah I’m alright, there’s medical supplies back at the Compound.”
“No man! I mean you’re bit and shit! You’re gonna turn into one of those things!”
“For fuck’s sake Albert, this ain’t a low budget zombie film. It doesn’t work like that!”
“I dunno, I mean how do you know? I mean you saw them, sure they were still alive, but radiation might do all kinds of weird shit!”
“Yeah, Albert’s got a point. We don’t know what the hell was in the air either and your suit was ripped. For all we know there was some sort of biological agent in the air too. Who knows what was dumped on the place. You could bring back some virus and infect everyone.” Roger says.
“If you think these suits protected us from everything, you’re a goddamn idiot in the first place…”

Suddenly you feel the butt from Albert’s shotgun smack against the side of your skull, while Roger tells Steve to stop the car. You’re too dizzy to fight back properly so you just pull the trigger on your rifle which results in you shooting Steve through the back several times before you get another smack in the head and getting your rifle taken from by Albert.

Roger then gets out of the car and opens up the door on your side to drag you out. Giving you a few kicks before pointing his gun at your face.

“Now I’m not killing you because you might be infected, I’m killing you because you just murdered my friend you sonofabitch!”

Roger then shoots you in your half-conscious state.


You start briskly walking ahead, Roger suddenly notices.

“Hey what’s your fucking hurry?”
“I’m not waiting around for your slow asses, you’re taking too fucking long with all the goddamn talking. I’m gonna scout out ahead, I’m supposed to be on point right? I’m taking the risk, so what the hell do you care?”
“But…oh fuck it, go on ahead and get yourself killed then, we’ll be right here. Better be back by nightfall though, because we’ll assume you’re dead and leave without you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”

You leave the three stooges to their idiotic conversation, and proceed to go about your way, amongst the ruined buildings. It’s weird to walk through the city and it being so quiet with no other people around. Ah, by yourself again, it’s been awhile since you’ve had any private time to yourself. The Compound doesn’t really allow for it. In fact with all this time to finally have to yourself gives you the opportunity to seriously consider leaving the Compound like you were thinking about earlier. It would be easy, all you have to do is wander off, and Roger did say they would assume you were dead by nightfall. You think about Marina though, you do like her…but you also like not having to have an asshole who hates you barking orders at you all the time too.

While you’re struggling with the delimma of your current living situation, you suddenly hear a gravelly voice nearby and some slow shuffling.

“Meeeeeeeeat...(Wheez)”

You turn your head to see a walking horror. A man with badly distorted features and limbs hobbles in your direction. One of the bomb victims no doubt. You knew you had to run into them eventually. The problem is now more of them are starting to appear, and they look like they can do more damage. Many of them have a half-crazed appearance and severe radiation burns. Apparently their minds have damaged along with their bodies.

These ones aren’t even making an attempt to speak; they’re just looking at you menacingly and growling. They’re beginning to encircle you.
> You run elsewhere
They’ve cut off a clear escape for you to go back, so you wisely run in the direction that’s open in the opposite direction, while unleashing a burst of bullets just before your retreat.

The cannibal freaks run after you, while you attempt to figure out how to lose them, since their noises are starting to attract others.

When you manage to get out of sight of the horde, you see an open manhole you could enter, or you could just duck into one of the ruined buildings.
> You go into the sewers
Now it’s understandable that you’re not exactly thinking clearly right now with a bunch of cannibal freaks chasing you, but going into the sewers is usually NEVER a good idea!

As soon as you enter the manhole your senses are assaulted by a terrible stench that smells like something is rotting in the very radiation suit you’re wearing. You attempt to block it out of your mind and distance yourself from the manhole opening just in case some of those freaks get the idea to follow you down here. Of course it’s dark and you don’t have a flashlight so you’re at a disadvantage when the overwhelming number of mutants living down here manage to sneak up and attack you.

Your first reaction is to fire at everything.

Your second reaction is to struggle.

Your third reaction is to scream.

Your fourth reaction is to die.


They’ve cut off a clear escape for you to go back, so you wisely run in the direction that’s open in the opposite direction, while unleashing a burst of bullets just before your retreat.

The cannibal freaks run after you, while you attempt to figure out how to lose them, since their noises are starting to attract others.

When you manage to get out of sight of the horde, you see an open manhole you could enter, or you could just duck into one of the ruined buildings.
> You run into one of the buildings
You duck into the nearest building and hope you don’t bump into anything inside. From what’s left of it, it looks like a regular office building, similar to the one you used to work in. You find a relatively secluded office and lay low, hoping to hear the mob of freaks pass by the building. You really need to get out of this place. What the hell was Harry thinking sending you here, there’s nothing here except death…well actually you just answered your own question.

As the time passes, you think to yourself that the three stooges must’ve assumed you dead and left by now. They probably ran off when they heard your gunshots echo through the city. You were going to leave the Compound anyway, so you guess you’ve done that, now you just have to get out of this city alive and you’ll be safe…well safer anyway.

You explore a little bit of the building which has four floors, fortunately none of them inhabited. The fourth floor is exposed to the outside air and partially destroyed, so you don’t linger too long, you never know who or WHAT might be watching. You do notice that it’s getting to be night time though. You don’t hear anything anymore maybe you should leave now, you really don’t want to be here any longer than you have to be and its not just the crazed cannibals either, it’s the fact you’re standing in a radiated city with just a suit on that’s probably not protecting you from all the damage your chromosomes are experiencing every second you stick around.

Then again running through the city at night is probably even more dangerous than running through it during the day.
> You leave now
The longer you stay, the more likely you’re going to get attacked again, and you certainly don’t want to fall asleep here. You take a quick look outside one of the completely destroyed windows and see if the nearby street is empty and make haste. Of course its night and with no working lighting you can’t see too well, so you’re relying mainly on the moon to light your way. You try to retrace your steps back from where you came from, but all these damn streets look the same in the dark even with the dim moonlight, you end up taking the incorrect one and it isn’t until you run into a blind alley that you realize you’ve made the wrong turn in more ways than one.

“Do you want to see my dolly? It’s soft and pink…just like yoooooooooou.” Some sort of mutant freak lying against the wall says to you holding some sort of plush toy.
“Holy fuck!” you shout as you’re caught off guard, and waste not time in shooting the damn thing. Unfortunately you bring about unwanted attention, and more figures start to appear nearby, you can’t get a good look at them, but their glowing eyes don’t look friendly.

You start running and firing again, but to your great surprise, some of them fire back! They’re also better shots, having night vision and all.

Your last moments are somewhat merciful though since you die of the gunshot wounds first as you hear the insane victory sounds the mutants are making as they approach your bloody body.


You duck into the nearest building and hope you don’t bump into anything inside. From what’s left of it, it looks like a regular office building, similar to the one you used to work in. You find a relatively secluded office and lay low, hoping to hear the mob of freaks pass by the building. You really need to get out of this place. What the hell was Harry thinking sending you here, there’s nothing here except death…well actually you just answered your own question.

As the time passes, you think to yourself that the three stooges must’ve assumed you dead and left by now. They probably ran off when they heard your gunshots echo through the city. You were going to leave the Compound anyway, so you guess you’ve done that, now you just have to get out of this city alive and you’ll be safe…well safer anyway.

You explore a little bit of the building which has four floors, fortunately none of them inhabited. The fourth floor is exposed to the outside air and partially destroyed, so you don’t linger too long, you never know who or WHAT might be watching. You do notice that it’s getting to be night time though. You don’t hear anything anymore maybe you should leave now, you really don’t want to be here any longer than you have to be and its not just the crazed cannibals either, it’s the fact you’re standing in a radiated city with just a suit on that’s probably not protecting you from all the damage your chromosomes are experiencing every second you stick around.

Then again running through the city at night is probably even more dangerous than running through it during the day.
> You wait until daytime
You’ve already spent enough time in radsville to get sick, or mutate, what’s one more day? If something bad’s going to happen to you internally there’s really not much you can do about it now except hope the suit is more protective than you think it is. You can however probably lessen you chances of getting ripped apart and eaten if you don’t go wandering the city at night. You decide to search the building before it gets too dark; you don’t find anything really useful though, at least nothing that’s any more useful than what you’re already carrying. You end up looking in lunch area refrigerator and find some rotten food along side what would undoubtedly be flat pop at this stage. Nope you’re not going to find any supplies in this place, you’re just glad you had the sense to take extra water with you; you’ll probably need it assuming you manage to get out the city alive.

Eventually you go to an office that looks relatively secure and intact. You barricade the door and slump against one of the corners and fall asleep…lightly.

The next day arrives and you’re half surprised that you don’t find something gnawing on your arm (And relieved!) now that you’re fairly well rested again you take a quick check of your belongings, reload your rifle and prepare yourself.

You exit the building and start quickly tracing your way back to where you first arrived in the city. You don’t care where you end up, just as long as you’re out of this place. You’re about halfway to your destination when you come across a couple of bloody mangled bodies, radiation suited bodies. It’s hard to tell who’s who, since the heads have been taken and the entrails are lying all over the road, but it’s obviously two of three stooges. Something didn’t go well.

Your brief inspection is interrupted by a shotgun blast that splatters the remains of one of the bodies all over your own suit.

“HAAAAAAA MORE MEAT!” a raspy voice shouts, with a clicking reload of a shotgun. The thing that just tried to take your head off is shooting at you from an upper window of one of the buildings. You spin around and firing a burst causing it to duck for cover, but with his fellows being alerted, you really need to get the hell out of here.

You start running with the horde of freaks chasing you again. You can’t help feel like you’ve done this before! You see the end of the city though and can only hope they’ll stop chasing you when you finally leave it.

Of course THAT doesn’t happen, even after you leave the city limits a lot are still in pursuit, In fact you even see a few lingering outside that join the chase, you turn around and unload a clip into the mob hoping it’ll slow it down a bit.

While the mob tends to back off and disperse a bit, they still aren’t ready to give up completely, however you see more trouble, but possibly hope as well.

The car you arrived in is still there, there’s also another suited body lying close by it, you can only hope its Steve and that he still has the keys on him. Of course the cannibal freaks lingering around the body might be inclined to stop whatever plans of escape you might have.

You step up your speed, raise your empty rifle and smash it into the skull of the first ugly radiated cannibal that attacks you. To your surprise your force causes the damn thing’s face to completely cave in, killing it instantly. The other two grab on to your arms, causing you to back kick one in the stomach freeing up your other arm to punch the other one in the face. You grab Steve’s pistol still on the ground and quickly put a couple of slugs in the pair of them before they can recover. You then thank gods of luck that your next find is his keys still in his hand, as the rest of the mob has regrouped and quickly approaching.

Firing another few rounds into the mob, you quickly get in the car and start it up, which it does immediately. You spin the car around and drive off, the group chases you for a little while still, but eventually you leave them far behind. You’ve escaped.

“Fuck yeah! That was just like a fuckin’ zombie movie!” you say to yourself half laughing in victory.

In fact it’s a victory that’s better than you could’ve thought, you now have a car to drive around in, well until it runs out of gas, but you’re hoping you’ll find someplace that’s still somewhat civilized by the time that happens (Or at least some more gas). While you’re driving you wonder if you shouldn’t just go back to the Compound, but you shake your head at this idea. There has to be better places than that to stay, and even if there aren’t you’ve proven to yourself that you’re able to survive on your own under strenuous conditions. You like being by yourself anyway, though it’s too bad you won’t get to see Marina again, but as they say you can’t have everything.

You don’t know what the possible future holds, but you’re confident that you’ll be able to handle it.


Maybe you’re a leaner meaner fighting machine now, but that’s still no reason to be foolish and volunteer for things. Eventually The Colonel picks someone at random and tells Harry to start assigning recon detachments.

“Alright you fuckin’ bottom feeders, its time to put all that fuckin’ training to good use! We’re gonna go scout out the nearest towns we know of. Now I’m sure you know there were a lot of little towns dotted all over the place in these parts, are job is to make contact and see what the situation is. Don’t be surprised if they open fire on you immediately. Catastrophes tend to make people behave like animals…and that’s where we’re coming in. We’re here to be the tamers, just like the Colonel said, now then, Dixon, Bradson, Wilson, Copperheim! You’re Alpha Team. Sams, Barns…”

Harry goes down a list assigning people. Time passes and you’re one of the last people left. You can’t help but notice that the ones left aren’t exactly the most competent. You start wonder if you’ll just be assigned to Compound duty, which you wouldn’t really mind since it offers less opportunity to get shot at.

Your wonder is soon dispelled, when Harry puts down his list and addresses the rest of you directly.

“Alright now the rest of you fucking shit eating pansies get a different assignment, because you’re so goddamn special like a fucking epileptic retard. You folks get to go to the CITY!”

Nobody looks too enthusiastic about that idea, except you’re the only one with any balls to protest since you know Harry hates you anyway.

“The fucking city, are you kidding? It’s probably been nuked into slag! There can’t be anything useful there!”
“Y’know, I expected that kind of cowardly shit from you, so that’s why you’re going to be point man for the entire mission! Anyway, we don’t know if the city has been completely destroyed, chances are that it not being a major city and its low importance, it may not have been hit with anything larger than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima back in old World War 2.”
“OH well then, I’m SURE it’ll be safe to enter then!” you reply.
“Shut your fucking mouth and stop being a bitch! You’re all going to be wearing radiation suits anyway, which will keep your yellow ass safe. That alleviate your worries cupcake? Fuckin’ pussy ass faggot. You oughta be glad you’re even here in the first place. You don’t like the fuckin’ rules, you can fuckin’ leave and see how well you fare on your own. Now what’s it gonna be Nancy Boy?”
“Fuck it, fine, whatever.” You retort giving in, but still weighing the option of possibly leaving later.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought cupcake. Alright, go pick up your equipment and get ready to set off, you’ll be using one of the vehicles since the City is pretty far away. If in the event that cupcake IS right and the place is a glowing hole, then return immediately. Another thing the Colonel wants this mission secret, so don’t fucking mention it to anyone else in the Compound! I find out you have and you’re fucking history! This means you don’t tell your little girlfriend, cupcake!”

You all leave, with Harry still giving you a dirty look for your insubordination. You wonder if you shouldn’t just leave when you exit the Compound. Take the equipment and then just disappear, who’s going to come after you? It’s not like there’s going to be MPs searching for you all over the wasteland.

The night before you leave, Marina comes to see you.
“I hear you’re leaving tomorrow, and I know we didn’t get a lot of quality time with each other, but I wanted us to spend at least what could be the last time I see you together.”

Marina’s apparently not familiar with the fact that you didn’t really have a choice in the matter, but since she’s on top of you right now, you’re not going to bring up the issue…

The next day you load up with what you think you might need, water, food, rifle, pistol, knife, Geiger counter, radiation suit, all the basic essentials, before you zoom off in the beat up car that’s passing for your transportation to the city.

You sit in the back seat, while your other three teammates Steve, Albert and Roger are talking with each other. Mostly about things that don’t matter, none of them seem to even be thinking about the fact that you’re possibly driving into a glowing hole in the ground. And you don’t give a shit what you’re wearing. All the lead panties in the world aren’t going to completely protect you, if you’re standing at ground zero! You end up going back to sleep for the first day of the trip, only being periodically awakened by the laughter your team mates.

On the second day you stare out the window and see that the landscape has gotten worse looking as you get closer to your destination. The surrounding countryside around the Compound looks relatively untouched compared to what you’re starting to see now. For shits and giggles, you roll the window open and shove part of the Geiger counter outside to get a reading, it starts clicking like a cricket and crack.

“Hey! Roll up that window; you’re letting all the radiation in! Ha ha!” Albert exclaims, who’s sitting next to you. Idiot.
“Check it out, looks like the city survived after all…well more or less.” Steve says who’s doing the driving.

You turn your attention forward and see the shattered “skeletal” remains of skyscrapers looming in the distance. The city got hit, but apparently by something “small” and probably exploded high in the air. Of course that doesn’t make you feel any better.

Steve stops the car just outside the city limits mainly because the road is being blocked by burned out shells of other vehicles. You all pile out of the car.

“Alright I think we can take it from foot on here, we probably shouldn’t try to drive the car in the city anyway, we need to conserve gas. Alright you’re in the lead.” Steve says to you.
“What? Why am I in the fucking lead?” you ask.
“Because Harry said you fuckin’ were, CUPCAKE! Ha ha!” Albert laughs.
“Yeah, besides, you worked in the city, none of us did, so you probably know the place than we do.”
“What, so none of you assholes ever visited the place?”
“Maybe a few times, not really enough to get deeply acquainted with it, look you’re outnumbered, and you’re taking lead, and that’s that. Don’t worry we’ll be right behind you.” Roger replies.
“After seeing how you fuckers shoot, I don’t know if that’s stupider than going into a radioactive city to begin with.”

You take lead and begin walking; meanwhile your team members go back to talking about shit that doesn’t matter again. Given their attention span, you wonder if you wouldn’t just be better off exploring by yourself.
> You stick with the team
You may not like this mission, and you may not like the people you’re with, but it’ll be a lot safer if you stick with these idiots, because you have a bad feeling about this place. In the meantime while you keep your eyes open, your ears are assaulted by your teammates’ conversation.

“I’m telling you she touched my hand dude! She’s totally into me! I’m gonna talk to her more when we get back.” Albert exclaims.
“Bullshit, you didn’t get anywhere with Vivica! I should know because I fuckin’ tried once and she didn’t give me any kind of play! I think she’s a fuckin’ dyke anyway.” Roger replies.
“Why the hell does she have to be some kind of dyke? Couldn’t be that she didn’t like
your ugly ass?”
“Fuck off Albert, go ahead and make an idiot of yourself trying to hit on some carpet muncher. I don’t give a shit; I’m just trying to keep you from wasting your time.”
“Oh…well maybe she’ll let me watch or something.”
“Yeah, right. That never happens except in the movies.” Steve says.
“The other problem with that plan, I can’t think of any other woman in the Compound that might swing that way. Not unless you were some smooth pimp motherfucker that could talk her into it and given that you’re far from that Albert, I’d say you’re shit out of luck.”
“Well couldn’t one of you guys help me? I mean, you could try to talk your girlfriends and we could all watch or something.”
“Yeah, there’s a problem with that plan too Albert, namely neither one of those fuckers got girlfriends either.” You interrupt.
“Ha fuckin’ ha. Nobody asked you for your opinion smart ass.” Roger remarks annoyed.
“Hey, do you think you could maybe talk to Marina then?”
“Everyone shut the fuck up I hear something!”

After looking around and up, in a split second of total silence, Roger speaks again.

“There’s nothing here, this city was fucking annihilated, ain’t nothing alive except maybe rats and roaches. I dunno even know why we’re so worried to begin with, do you think if anyone WAS still left alive they would be in any condition to…”

Suddenly Rogers head explodes like a ripe melon after getting hit by a shotgun blast coming from the second floor window of a nearby building. The “thing” holding the shotgun is reloading and alerting his fellows.

“MEEEEEEEEAAAT!” it screeches in a raspy voice.

More figures start appearing. Most have a half-crazed appearance and severe radiation burns. Apparently these bomb survivors have had their minds damaged along with their bodies.

“Holy shit, we’re gonna die!” Albert screams and starts firing at everything. You and Steve do likewise while retreating back to the car. Before you all manage to leave the immediate area, the thing with the shotgun manages to get off another shot, blasting Albert in the leg, tearing it off. He screams and tries to crawl away, but is quickly mobbed and the last thing you see of him is some of the freaks sinking their teeth into him.

“GET THE FUCK MOVING STEVE!” you shout stepping up your pace.

Eventually you and Steve manage to get back to the car and speed off back to the Compound. Steve is pretty upset and while there isn’t any traffic on the road, you still don’t want him to be crashing into something else.

“Steve calm the fuck down, and get a hold of yourself!”
“Fuck you man! Didn’t you see that?! They fuckin’ killed Roger! And they ATE fuckin’ Albert! Aw shit man! Shit! They’re gonna come after us!”
“I doubt that, they don’t even know where we’re from. Just be glad we got out of there. It was a stupid idea to go there in the first place. There’s nothing there except crazed radioactive cannibals. I’m gonna tell Harry that much when we get back. Nobody’s going there again, especially not me!”

You’re pretty pissed about this whole affair really and the more you’re thinking about it; maybe you should just not return to the Compound, you have enough equipment and supplies to keep you in good shape for awhile. All you’d have to do is get rid of Steve and take the car.
> You return to the Compound
Nope, in for a penny in for a pound. If nothing else, Marina’s still there and the fact her actions basically saved your life is enough to make you stay.

The rest of the trip is Steve still ranting to himself about the deaths of his friends. True, they weren’t your friends, but you guess you can see why he might be upset. You’d radio in to the Compound, but Roger was the one carrying it and he’s a headless (and probably now eaten) corpse back in the city.

You don’t say anything else until Steve nearly drives the car into the gate of the Compound at which point you step out of the car and remove the hot ass radiation suit and demand to see Harry. Everyone is wondering what’s going on.

Harry hears your shouting and comes out of barracks, the Colonel does as well; good you want him to be here as well.

“What is your major malfunction you screaming queen?” Harry asks angrily, as if you’re the one at fault.
“My malfunction is sending us to the goddamn city was a fucking stupid ass idea! What made you think there would anything of any use there anyway? You just trying to get us all killed?”
“No, just you, cupcake.”
“You call me fuckin’ cupcake one more time and me and you are gonna go round and round you dumb fucking gung ho military wanna be asshole!”

Before Harry can respond to your insult the Colonel steps in.

“ALRIGHT ENOUGH! I won’t have infighting in my Compound! Harry we talked about this before that I didn’t want any recon missions to the city! At least not until we got better established!”
”But Colonel, I though we should…”
“You DON’T THINK! That’s for ME to do! You obey fucking orders! I’M in fucking charge around here and you better not forget that!”
“Yes Colonel.” Harry utters grudgingly.

Now the Colonel turns his attention to you.

“And YOU do not fucking rant like a goddamn maniac in front of everyone lowering morale and encouraging dissention! Like it or not, you’re going to be sent on dangerous missions. If you want to stay here you better start learning to get with the fucking program and follow orders!”

You’re getting really tired of hearing that one.

“So, all this aside, what exactly happened in the city and what did you find?”
“Nothing! There’s just a bunch of crazed cannibal freaks living there, armed and dangerous.”
“I see, well then all future missions to the city are going to be called off. I’m not risking anymore of my people’s lives by sending them there. We’ve lost too many people on these recon missions quite frankly. I sent a couple of people on a special assignment and I haven’t heard any word back from them, not to mention the people we’ve lost trying to contact other known towns. Fortunately, it hasn’t been a complete loss we how found a few pockets of civilization. We need to start developing good relations with them now though. This will help in our rebuilding process. For now you’re dismissed, but don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be sending you out again soon.”

You turn away and go back to your room in the underground part of the Compound wondering if you shouldn’t just fucking leave, just then you get a visit from Marina. You’re kind of glad to see her despite your pissed off mood.

“Are you okay?”
“Hell if I know I just spent a day in radiationville. I’ll find out when my balls start shriveling up in three days!”
“I think those suits would protect you from that happening.”
“Yeah, I know everyone thinks they’re magical…nevermind I’m not even mad about that, I mean I understand we all got this lofty mission of re-establishing civilization or some shit, but I just don’t see the fucking point in it. And I REALLY don’t see the point in getting sent on suicide missions!”

Marina sits next to you and tries to explain.

“Okay, that WAS a mistake. In fact I wish you would’ve told me! I could’ve told the Colonel and he would’ve cancelled the mission! Harry likes to think he’s second in command, but he’s really just louder and more aggressive than most around here and that’s why he’s in a command position, but I think you could do just as good a job. I mean you’ve already braved and lived through going to the city and from what you described and Steve’s mental breakdown it sounds like it was pretty bad. Total anarchy and lawlessness. And that’s one of the reasons why rebuilding civilization is important. Do you really want to live in a world like that? I know you think this is all some sort of paramilitary bullshit, but we DO have a plan. Isn’t it more advantageous to try to make the world a better place and have some sort of order?”
“Trying to make the world a better place…yeah a lot of people in the past have thought they were doing that too and you can see how that turned out…THIS! Look, it’s a nice idea, but I don’t see it happening, not then, not now, not ever. I’d say our best bet would be to just try to live out the rest of lives as comfortably as we can in this hellhole of a world and not go messing around with shit unless its necessary.”
“…so I take it you’re going to leave?”

You look a Marina before responding.

“No, I’m not leaving, but I’m staying for you, not an ideology or plan. My feelings for you override whatever disagreements I have with the current political agenda, if that’s even the proper term for it.”
“Well that’s sweet, but I do hope you develop a more positive attitude about this place.” Marina says hugging you.
“Doubt it, but I suppose anything’s possible now.”

A year passes…

You don’t feel any different, but you’re used to the Compound’s plan of “re-building” civilization. You’ve moved up the ranks due to the fact that you’re competent, something the Colonel realizes and respects even if Harry hates you. But due to your “loner” attitude you’re usually sent on scouting missions by yourself rather than given any kind of command position. Ironically, you’ve been one of the key people in developing good relations with the nearby towns, since you’ve developed the knack of the sniper’s art over the past year which really comes in handy when killing raiders. The Colonel’s of the idea that if the Compound can prove its able to help defend towns from raiders, more people will want to join, the towns will be more willing to trade or even better a whole town will want a formal alliance.

Perhaps slightly imperialistic, but what the hell, it’s better to be the top dog and at least the intention is somewhat for good reasons. All part of the rebuilding process.

Right now you’re in the town that you found called Lost Springs, it’s a remote little town that doesn’t have any problems with raiders due to its somewhat hidden location (Though the wandering mutant bear is a problem sometimes) and while they’re friendly with you, it’s clear they just want to be left alone and keep to themselves. This might not be a problem, except they have a continual supply of fresh water from some underground stream. Not even mildly radioactive! (Though you’re still convinced you’re going to start mutating any day now since your trip to the city) It’s a resource that can’t just simply be ignored, but you’re not exactly a diplomat, so you’re not going to be convincing them on your own (And it’s not like you can impress them with your super duper raider killing skills)
> You leave them to their own devices
If they don’t want your help; they don’t want your help. You can understand that. No point in bringing in anyone else to debate the issue. You get on your motorcycle and depart. When you get back to the Compound you just say you didn’t find anything on this little excursion. Life continues.

Four years pass…

Five years total have passed and The Compound has grown somewhat, not much though. The theory to that of course is the background radiation has probably made a lot of folks sterile. (And you’re damn sure you probably are, after that trip to the city that you still continue to think about) however it has become much more than “The Compound” now. Alliances have been forged with other towns thanks to you and others. The Compound has been renamed Fort Justice and the alliance itself is known as The Combine.

However, not everything is stable. The Colonel hasn’t been well lately; in fact he’s been sick for the past year. Everyone’s wondering if he’s going to die. You’ve noticed Harry has been taking a lot of liberties with orders lately, which you’re constantly always arguing with him about. If it was up to him, he’d put all the towns you’re allied with under martial law. You can’t even believe he suggested sending people to the city again, since he thinks that all the survivors were probably dead by now and it would be “safe”.

One day the Colonel wants to see you in private as he lies on what is probably going to be his death bed soon. He addresses you immediately when you enter.

“Good you’re here, I don’t have long and I need to talk to you.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Go look at those schematics on the table over there.”

You do as the Colonel says, and see some blue prints of what looks to be a base of some sort. You also see the logo “GZS” in several places. You remember that was the logo of that corporation that was trying to sell everyone their Shelters before the bombs hit. You sometimes wonder how things would’ve turned out, if you bought one. While you’re looking, the Colonel continues to speak.

That’s the floor plans to a top secret military base, my friend Alex got them for me a long time ago before the bombs dropped. He used to work there. It was some place where the government and the Ground Zero Survival Corporation were doing a secret joint project. Something to do with weapons. I always thought it would be a great benefit, if we could ever get a hold of whatever they were working on. I tried to make contact with the base since I know the radio frequency it used, but I never got any response from Alex or anyone.”
“Hmm, so why didn’t you ever send some people there?”
“Wow, you really are in your own little world, I figured you at least heard other people talk about it in the past. Anyway I did. Several times about five years ago. Everyone I ever sent never returned. Got to the point where I couldn’t in good conscience sent people to what looked to be their deaths, besides a lot of people were less than enthusiastic to accept the mission, the last few times I sent people out they just deserted. Eventually I just wrote it off that maybe the place is occupied by a superior hostile force. Just one of the reasons why I was really keen on the idea of creating an alliance with surrounding towns. Who knows when that force would decide to venture out and start heading this way? Actually a couple of years ago, I thought about sending YOU out there. I figured you being the most capable; you might actually survive and get back to be able to report something.”
“What stopped you?”
“I couldn’t risk lose one of my best people, especially since you were doing a good job at proving we could help protect the other towns. Besides you already got sent to one unnecessary death trap five years ago, didn’t seem right to send you to another.”

You’re wondering where the Colonel going with all this, so you get to the point.

“So what’s all this ultimately have to do with me?”
“I’m promoting you right now since I want you to take over after I die.”
“What?!”
“This place needs someone stable, Harry isn’t suitable. In fact, I dare say he won’t be pleased with this decision…you may even have to kill him.”

You’re a little overwhelmed by all this.

“Whoa, whoa, hold the fucking phone! I don’t want this!”
“I know you don’t, but it’s the best chance for the Combine’s survival, because that hostile force I mentioned? It’s real. And it’s on its way. Recently I’ve been picking up radio signals and they are from the base. They didn’t say much, except that they were coming to cleanse this place. I haven’t told ANYONE about this yet.”
“What, is it some sort of heavily armed professional military group or some shit?”
“I wish. I question if they’re even human. The voice sounded cold and robotic. I think we’re going to find out first hand what exactly the government and GZS were secretly working on.”
“Well hold on, couldn’t they be masking their voice?”
“I suppose it’s possible, but I dunno…something in my heart tells me that this is going to be really bad…like it won’t just stop here. I’m almost glad I won’t be around to see the destruction.”
“I still don’t understand why you want me to take over; I’m not exactly the leader of men. In fact I’d say they’d listen to Harry before they listen to me.”
“I can’t argue with you anymore…maybe you’re right…maybe not…the choice I suppose will be up to you…all I’ll say is with Harry in charge you might as well leave the Combine now, because I don’t wager you’ll be alive under his reign long enough to even see the attack occur. Maybe it might even be for the best, I wonder if even the total strength of the Combine will be enough to drive this attack back.”

The Colonel sounds like he’s being a bit over dramatic, he’s making a lot of assumptions here. You not sure you want all this responsibility, but if you’re going to take it, you better do it now.
> You take Command
This was never anything you ever had in mind, but you’ve come this far, you have made a life here for yourself with Marina; you might as well stick with it. Besides, you’ll be damned if you’ll leave because of Harry.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

The Colonel looks relieved. He struggles to get out of bed.

“Alright, I still have some strength left, let’s make this official.”

A meeting is called in the main courtyard where the Colonel weakly addresses everyone, while you stand by. He explains how you’re going to be in charge and he also mentions the “robot invasion” he’s convinced is going to happen. You see Marina in the crowd, who looks very proud and pleased. Harry however is severely pissed and makes it known immediately by confronting the both of you.

“What the fuck is this shit? I’VE been here longer! I’VE been training all these fucking maggots and faggots INCLUDING Cupcake over there!”
“Yes, and you’ve done a good job of that, but your temperament isn’t suitable for taking command of this place. Besides, I’ve determined that…”
“FUCK YOU OLD MAN! YOU WILL NOT DENY MY GOD GIVEN RIGHT!” Harry suddenly pulls out his pistol and shoots the Colonel in the stomach. He then tries to shoot you, but you’ve developed more experience than he has in terms of quickness. You pull your own pistol and drill Harry directly between the eyes, dropping him.

“Wish I’d done that to begin with.” You say while Vivica rushes over to the Colonel to try to help him, it’s hopeless though, he was dying anyway. He calls you over one last time.

“…well…I told (cough) you, that you’d probably have to kill him…defend the Combine…follow this man…(cough) he’ll lead you…to victorrrrreeee…”

The Colonel’s passing is mourned by all, as everyone respected him. A major funeral ceremony is held. It’s probably his last words (and Harry’s shooting) that stabilizes most people’s attitude towards you. They’re willing to follow you, which gives you at least one less thing to worry about.

Of course now you just have to worry about whether or not there is a bunch of robots coming to attack. You decide not to take any chances though and immediately order scouting to be done on the outskirts of the secret base that the Colonel had schematics of. You also order the area around Fort Justice to be heavily trapped along with increased training exercises.

When your scouts return, only a couple of them do so, and they’re badly wounded. They confirm the Colonel’s suspicions. There IS an army of robots (though they say most of them are really cyborgs, but that hardly matters) in the area. They’re very organized and heavily armed with high tech weaponry.

Within a week, the first wave of cyborgs arrive. Surprisingly they give you the option of surrendering and be “remade” to serve the Cybernetic Evolution. You of course decline this offer and fight the steel bastards instead. They’re tough, but your traps ensure you to defeat them much easier. During this time you send a few people to get more help from other Combine towns. You get it for the most part due to large participation in defending most of those towns in the past. You didn’t think about it before, but that might’ve been another reason why the Colonel thought you’d be a better candidate for command, you had a high respect standing with the other towns even if you didn’t initially have it in Fort Justice.

A couple more months pass and you’re assaulted by the second wave. Then again in another few months by a third wave. The cyborgs do a hell of a lot of damage, they breach some of the walls and you lose a lot of people, you’re even heavily scarred in one of the attacks, but yet the Fort still holds and that’s one of your main concerns, you know if the Fort falls that’s it; The Combine will lose this war as the main trained combat force is here. You have to make sure that doesn’t happen.

You start to notice when the cyborgs retreat they attempt to take away any casualties that you have. In fact you could swear a few of the last few cyborgs you destroyed looked VERY familiar. This gives you the idea that this army is probably a lot more limited in number and not unstoppable. In fact even though they come in great force, it seems to take them awhile to gather up the same force in-between attacks. And while there’s robots mixed in with the cyborgs, they aren’t nearly as numerous. Looks like there’s a shortage and the Cybernetic Evolution needs more warm bodies even more than you do.

It’s possible that if you just sit tight and defend, you’ll win by sheer attrition, of course you could just finish it quicker by taking the fight to them.
> You finish it
In these past few months you’ve actually been fighting for something. Not just “following orders” or “going through the motions”. You haven’t even been doing it for mere survival, if you were interested in just survival, you would’ve just taken off and put as much distance as you could between you and the Combine before the cyborgs appeared. It took awhile, but you finally have a sense of purpose. You finally “got” all that shit Marina was talking about. Rebuilding civilization and all that. The Cybernetic Evolution is a real threat to that ever happening. It needs to be stopped here and now while it’s weak.

You get organized first and muster ALL the help you can from the rest of the Combine towns. This includes a bit of conscription from them and puts somewhat of a strain on relations and general feelings. Many think the war is “won” and you can just sit back and defend now, but you know you need to press the Cybernetic Evolution now before they “recruit” elsewhere and just attack you again and maybe successfully. Enthusiasm isn’t exactly the highest, but you have proven to be a successful military leader so the people are willing to put up with your orders.

The assault on the Cyborg Base occurs and it is not easy. The location and rough terrain prevents most vehicles you might’ve used in the assault to get close. The siege lasts months the losses are horrendous, and there’s a point where people are really starting to question your leadership. However before a revolt in the Combine occurs, the Cyborg Base is breached and the topside is taken.

The base’s second level is easily accessed and the war is nearly at an end. Finally the leader of the Cybernetic Evolution is cornered and unceremoniously blown to bits by a grenade while he was trying to hide in one of the rooms. Oddly he wasn’t a robot or even a cyborg. He was merely a human with megalomania, in fact after some investigation; it was the Colonel’s old “friend” Alex.

The threat to the Combine is at an end, but the threat OF the Combine is just beginning…

Even though you were the one who orchestrated the defeat of the Cybernetic Evolution and probably saved not only the Combine, but the hope of humanity with your actions somehow a lot of people aren’t all that grateful. They only see the immediate loss that was suffered rather than the larger picture. Fort Justice is of course firmly still under your control as well as the newly acquired cyborg base, but most of the other towns are wanting out of the Combine saying that you’re being a dictator.
> You let them leave
Once again, you think back to that town of Lost Springs that didn’t want to be part of the Combine, and you thought then “If they don’t want your help, they don’t want your help.”

Maybe they’re calling you a dictator, but you know if that were true you’d enforce your will upon all of them. No, you’re not going to do that.

One by one the towns disband from the Combine. You still remain in control of Fort Justice and the newly acquire Cyborg Base, but “The Combine” as you know it is no more. One might even call it a Pyrrhic victory, however you do not.

You saved civilization and humanity from a threat that might not have been stopped otherwise. Maybe you aren’t going to be recognized for it, but then again some good deeds aren’t recognized. Sometimes Marina thinks it’s incredibly unfair of how you’ve been labeled, but you take it all in stride and always tell her after kissing her…

“It was worth it.”

 and you remain in control of Fort Justice and Base Victory, you never experience any more real threats mainly due to the superior high tech weaponry that was acquired when Base Victory was taken. Expansion is never seriously considered again however stable relations with towns are re-established eventually when they start having raider problems again. Many of your citizens hire themselves out as mercenaries in exchange for goods that are needed and to make a living. Indeed the “Old Combine” becomes known as the place one goes to; to get help, but nobody wants to be under Combine rule again.

Civilization is re-establishing itself slowly, maybe very slowly, but at least it has a chance now. You spend the rest of your remaining years running your little section of civilization making things better when you can.

One day you’re stricken with sickness that progressively gets worse. All help is done for you, but you’re dying. You’re reminded of the Colonel except you don’t have to worry about getting shot like he did, as you’ve already picked out a suitable successor. Your first choice would’ve been Marina, as you know her to be capable, but as she’d said many times in the past she’s never had any desire herself for command. You never knew why, since she would’ve been perfect for it. After all right from the beginning she pushed you in the direction.

You hold her hand as you talk to her one last time on your death bed.

“So, you really don’t mind Vivica taking charge of this place? You’re sure you don’t want it?” you ask while Marina shakes her head.
“No. I never wanted it. I always wanted you to have the glory, and the recognition. You had so much potential…and you were never fully appreciated for the deeds you did.”
“Hey, you know what they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Don’t worry about it, I never did.”
“I always wished we could’ve had kids…I’m sorry I couldn’t give you any…to carry on your name…”
“Marina, stop it. You know I never cared about that, besides I doubt if it was your problem anyway. I’m sure the time I spent in that fucking radiated city made me sterile. Hell, it’s probably what’s killing me now. Knew it was only a matter of time before that shit caught up with me. Marina, I don’t want to spend my last moments of you sad and wishing for things that didn’t happen. Let’s just spend it together in silence.”

After telling each other you love one another, she holds on to your body until you draw your last breath.

You funeral is a quiet and respectful one. Your loss is felt, but as always life goes on. Marina tries to make sure people don’t forget what you did until the day she dies. Some heroes aren’t meant to be remembered though and with her death, eventually you’re virtually forgotten when Fort Justice is abandoned and a new one is rebuilt elsewhere. You become part of obscure history.

However your now well worn tombstone (next to Marina’s) in the Old Fort Justice cemetery still displays words that would sum up what your attitude about your obscurity would be if you were still alive.

“It was worth it.”


In these past few months you’ve actually been fighting for something. Not just “following orders” or “going through the motions”. You haven’t even been doing it for mere survival, if you were interested in just survival, you would’ve just taken off and put as much distance as you could between you and the Combine before the cyborgs appeared. It took awhile, but you finally have a sense of purpose. You finally “got” all that shit Marina was talking about. Rebuilding civilization and all that. The Cybernetic Evolution is a real threat to that ever happening. It needs to be stopped here and now while it’s weak.

You get organized first and muster ALL the help you can from the rest of the Combine towns. This includes a bit of conscription from them and puts somewhat of a strain on relations and general feelings. Many think the war is “won” and you can just sit back and defend now, but you know you need to press the Cybernetic Evolution now before they “recruit” elsewhere and just attack you again and maybe successfully. Enthusiasm isn’t exactly the highest, but you have proven to be a successful military leader so the people are willing to put up with your orders.

The assault on the Cyborg Base occurs and it is not easy. The location and rough terrain prevents most vehicles you might’ve used in the assault to get close. The siege lasts months the losses are horrendous, and there’s a point where people are really starting to question your leadership. However before a revolt in the Combine occurs, the Cyborg Base is breached and the topside is taken.

The base’s second level is easily accessed and the war is nearly at an end. Finally the leader of the Cybernetic Evolution is cornered and unceremoniously blown to bits by a grenade while he was trying to hide in one of the rooms. Oddly he wasn’t a robot or even a cyborg. He was merely a human with megalomania, in fact after some investigation; it was the Colonel’s old “friend” Alex.

The threat to the Combine is at an end, but the threat OF the Combine is just beginning…

Even though you were the one who orchestrated the defeat of the Cybernetic Evolution and probably saved not only the Combine, but the hope of humanity with your actions somehow a lot of people aren’t all that grateful. They only see the immediate loss that was suffered rather than the larger picture. Fort Justice is of course firmly still under your control as well as the newly acquired cyborg base, but most of the other towns are wanting out of the Combine saying that you’re being a dictator.
> You enforce your will
This ungratefulness doesn’t exactly help you NOT become a dictator…

You saved the Combine, you saved civilization, you fucking saved humanity, you aren’t going to let it fall apart after all the shit you’ve been through. Not after you finally believe in it.

Using the newly acquired technology from the cyborg base you establish a more intimidating presence in the Combine towns. Having depleted most of their fighting power during the CE War they really can’t do much to stop you. There are a few initial protests, but a few executions squash any hint of rebellion.

Five years pass…

It’s been ten years since the bombs dropped and you first entered Fort Justice when it was only known as “The Compound”. Of course Fort Justice goes by the name Fort Bane

Expansion eventually occurs again, in a less diplomatic way now though. Typically the option is given for the town to submit peacefully to the Combine, or else it will be incorporated by force. The first town to suffer this fate of the new Combine ruthlessness is that old remote town you found nine years ago, Lost Springs.

The next one is a distant place called Ashtown. They put up a good fight, but eventually they too fall and put under martial law. When you come across them, you even start forcing open the underground Shelters that were created by GZS and incorporate the misguided souls who decided to hide during the nuclear holocaust under your ever expanding territory. Most of those folks put up little to no resistance. While they were cowering under the Earth YOU were surviving and making the blasted world a safer place for humanity.

Despite the whispered discussions among everyone wishing you were dead, nobody actually does anything. The reason? The same as always. Your way works and has shown results.

Yes you’ve had to be brutal; yes you’ve had to make some harsh decisions, but you’ve done it for the greater good. You’ve completely eliminated lawlessness within most areas, as most of the nearby raiders have asked for Combine citizenship since it’s actually more profitable to be a soldier than a bandit. You gladly accept them. (Amusingly they’re some of the most loyal citizens) Trade thrives, and the only thing the Combine citizens need to fear is YOU.

The Combine is no longer a collection of small towns and a fort, it’s an Empire and it can only grow. You’ve made all this possible, yet you know it is only you who can hold it together. You begin to ponder successors and while you know there are many who would covet your position, you also know that none of them are worthy. Its times like this that you wish had a child with Marina. Someone who could carry on the divine right as it were. As you know Marina’s never once gotten pregnant in all your years with her, but you wonder if it’s you, for all you know maybe that trip to the city didn’t make you sterile. Maybe SHE’S sterile.

You wonder…
> You take another lover to try to create a successor
The power has gone to your head in such a way that you’ve finally crossed that one line that was your downfall.

You order your troops to scour the Combine for the women known to be fertile and to bring them to Fort Bane all for the purpose for you to pursue some delusional notion of spawning a successor. The fact that tearing most of these women away from their established families doesn’t make you anymore popular. Of course that doesn’t bother you. The fact that you’ve basically bullied these women into submitting to you doesn’t make you anymore popular. But again that doesn’t bother you either.

What should bother you is that Marina finds out very quickly what you’re doing. She’s very hurt by this infidelity. She’s stood by you from the very beginning, indeed she was the whole reason why you’re in the position you are in the first place, and now you’ve treated that sacred bond and loyalty like it never meant anything to you.

Perhaps if you had addressed this to Marina, she MIGHT have even understood your desire and allowed you to proceed with your plan to a limited degree, she is a pragmatic sort after all. But you didn’t even do that, instead you made her an embarrassment as you carryon with other women some of which are little more than common whores, in fact you never get ANY of them pregnant, which pretty much confirms that you WERE sterile all along.

Of course by this time you’re so wrapped up in your new decadent activities that you forgot why you were doing it in the first place. This new reckless and careless behavior does not become you, and Marina has finally had enough of it. Part of her may still even love you, but she’ll not be made a fool of and treated like this.

One night, while you’re eating a meal, you take a large swig of water. It tastes funny at first, but you dismiss it since funny tasting water’s not exactly too unusual. You just order another bottle of it to be brought to you…then you start to feel dizzy.

You stand up only to collapse on your dining floor. One of your servants goes to help, but then Marina appears to tell him to stop.

“Ma…Marina? What’s going on?” you say as her figure begins to get blurry.
“A change. You always wondered who would take your place, and I’ve decided that I’m the only one worthy enough to do it. Don’t worry, The Combine will live on, even if you will not. At least that was one thing you did right. I’m very sorry it had to end this way…I take no pleasure in this…but you can’t betray your king maker without some sort of consequence. I’ll try to remember the good times… Goodbye.”

And with your last breath, Marina kicks you in the face.


This ungratefulness doesn’t exactly help you NOT become a dictator…

You saved the Combine, you saved civilization, you fucking saved humanity, you aren’t going to let it fall apart after all the shit you’ve been through. Not after you finally believe in it.

Using the newly acquired technology from the cyborg base you establish a more intimidating presence in the Combine towns. Having depleted most of their fighting power during the CE War they really can’t do much to stop you. There are a few initial protests, but a few executions squash any hint of rebellion.

Five years pass…

It’s been ten years since the bombs dropped and you first entered Fort Justice when it was only known as “The Compound”. Of course Fort Justice goes by the name Fort Bane

Expansion eventually occurs again, in a less diplomatic way now though. Typically the option is given for the town to submit peacefully to the Combine, or else it will be incorporated by force. The first town to suffer this fate of the new Combine ruthlessness is that old remote town you found nine years ago, Lost Springs.

The next one is a distant place called Ashtown. They put up a good fight, but eventually they too fall and put under martial law. When you come across them, you even start forcing open the underground Shelters that were created by GZS and incorporate the misguided souls who decided to hide during the nuclear holocaust under your ever expanding territory. Most of those folks put up little to no resistance. While they were cowering under the Earth YOU were surviving and making the blasted world a safer place for humanity.

Despite the whispered discussions among everyone wishing you were dead, nobody actually does anything. The reason? The same as always. Your way works and has shown results.

Yes you’ve had to be brutal; yes you’ve had to make some harsh decisions, but you’ve done it for the greater good. You’ve completely eliminated lawlessness within most areas, as most of the nearby raiders have asked for Combine citizenship since it’s actually more profitable to be a soldier than a bandit. You gladly accept them. (Amusingly they’re some of the most loyal citizens) Trade thrives, and the only thing the Combine citizens need to fear is YOU.

The Combine is no longer a collection of small towns and a fort, it’s an Empire and it can only grow. You’ve made all this possible, yet you know it is only you who can hold it together. You begin to ponder successors and while you know there are many who would covet your position, you also know that none of them are worthy. Its times like this that you wish had a child with Marina. Someone who could carry on the divine right as it were. As you know Marina’s never once gotten pregnant in all your years with her, but you wonder if it’s you, for all you know maybe that trip to the city didn’t make you sterile. Maybe SHE’S sterile.

You wonder…
> You stay true to Marina
You’ve undergone a lot of changes after the bombs hit. Many changes. Not all of them for the better, but there’s still one thing that hasn’t changed, and that’s your love and loyalty to Marina. She’s been there with you from day one. You’re not going to betray that for the thin hope of creating some bastard that probably won’t do as good a job as you anyway. Besides, regardless of Marina’s fertility, you’re damn sure you’re sterile anyway, you’re just still glad your balls didn’t turn green and shrivel up after your trip to the city.

Sometimes you get so wrapped up in your Empire that you forget to spend time with those who are REALLY important.

“Fuck it, I’ll be dead anyway. Really what the hell do I care who takes over?” you mumble to yourself and go spend some time with Marina. In fact from this time forward you vow to take more time out to spend with Marina, she seems very happy with this new attitude.

Oddly this revelation makes you slightly more agreeable and as a result some of the more restrictive laws are lightened in time. The average Combine citizen is a little happier as a result. (Though mostly all of them still think you’re a son of a bitch)

Ten more years pass…

Twenty years since the bombs hit, and you’re the head of the largest known area of civilization. Hard to believe sometimes.

You’re thinking about this on your death bed. You’re very sick and the best physician you have doesn’t know what it is As usual, you’re convinced it has something to do with that trip to the city so long ago, and you’re probably right. Radiation shit is probably finally catching up with you. If Harry wasn’t a pile of rotten bones underground, you’d kill him again for sending you to that fucked up place.

Right now you’re surrounded by advisors, military leaders and doctors, but right now you just want all of them to leave except Marina.

“But…but whose’s taking over after you die?” one of them asks.
“Goddamn it I ain’t dead yet! But if you don’t get the fuck outta here I’m gonna make sure I outlive YOU! Now leave!”

Soon you’re left alone with Marina, who stays with you until the end.

“Well it is a valid question, who is going to take over?” Marina asks.
“Why don’t you do it? I mean I’ve never understood why you never wanted it, you’re certainly capable.”
“Maybe…but I prefer to be behind the scenes I guess…you know there’s a lot less assassination attempts on the puppet master rather than the puppet.” Marina half-jokes.
“Ha ha, well, I hope you find another.”
“Never. I’ll never find another like you.” she says touching your face.

You and Marina are just silent as you look at each other for awhile. Finally you begin to close your eyes and feel one last kiss.

After composing herself, she exits the room to inform the top brass of the news. They of course are like vultures fighting over scraps.

“So did he say who was taking over?”
“Is it me?”
“No! It’s me!”
“What did he say?”

“Whoever can hold it.” Marina answers and walks off.

The years that follow your death aren’t pretty for the Combine. A civil war occurs as several factions vie for control. Eventually it collapses into petty warlord fiefdoms. Your accomplishments are soon forgotten as other would be dictators try to establish their own “legacies”.

As for Marina, she moves on from the Combine after your death to parts unknown, always carrying your ashes in an urn with the inscription:

“I’ll never find another like you.”


This was never anything you ever had in mind, but you’ve come this far, you have made a life here for yourself with Marina; you might as well stick with it. Besides, you’ll be damned if you’ll leave because of Harry.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

The Colonel looks relieved. He struggles to get out of bed.

“Alright, I still have some strength left, let’s make this official.”

A meeting is called in the main courtyard where the Colonel weakly addresses everyone, while you stand by. He explains how you’re going to be in charge and he also mentions the “robot invasion” he’s convinced is going to happen. You see Marina in the crowd, who looks very proud and pleased. Harry however is severely pissed and makes it known immediately by confronting the both of you.

“What the fuck is this shit? I’VE been here longer! I’VE been training all these fucking maggots and faggots INCLUDING Cupcake over there!”
“Yes, and you’ve done a good job of that, but your temperament isn’t suitable for taking command of this place. Besides, I’ve determined that…”
“FUCK YOU OLD MAN! YOU WILL NOT DENY MY GOD GIVEN RIGHT!” Harry suddenly pulls out his pistol and shoots the Colonel in the stomach. He then tries to shoot you, but you’ve developed more experience than he has in terms of quickness. You pull your own pistol and drill Harry directly between the eyes, dropping him.

“Wish I’d done that to begin with.” You say while Vivica rushes over to the Colonel to try to help him, it’s hopeless though, he was dying anyway. He calls you over one last time.

“…well…I told (cough) you, that you’d probably have to kill him…defend the Combine…follow this man…(cough) he’ll lead you…to victorrrrreeee…”

The Colonel’s passing is mourned by all, as everyone respected him. A major funeral ceremony is held. It’s probably his last words (and Harry’s shooting) that stabilizes most people’s attitude towards you. They’re willing to follow you, which gives you at least one less thing to worry about.

Of course now you just have to worry about whether or not there is a bunch of robots coming to attack. You decide not to take any chances though and immediately order scouting to be done on the outskirts of the secret base that the Colonel had schematics of. You also order the area around Fort Justice to be heavily trapped along with increased training exercises.

When your scouts return, only a couple of them do so, and they’re badly wounded. They confirm the Colonel’s suspicions. There IS an army of robots (though they say most of them are really cyborgs, but that hardly matters) in the area. They’re very organized and heavily armed with high tech weaponry.

Within a week, the first wave of cyborgs arrive. Surprisingly they give you the option of surrendering and be “remade” to serve the Cybernetic Evolution. You of course decline this offer and fight the steel bastards instead. They’re tough, but your traps ensure you to defeat them much easier. During this time you send a few people to get more help from other Combine towns. You get it for the most part due to large participation in defending most of those towns in the past. You didn’t think about it before, but that might’ve been another reason why the Colonel thought you’d be a better candidate for command, you had a high respect standing with the other towns even if you didn’t initially have it in Fort Justice.

A couple more months pass and you’re assaulted by the second wave. Then again in another few months by a third wave. The cyborgs do a hell of a lot of damage, they breach some of the walls and you lose a lot of people, you’re even heavily scarred in one of the attacks, but yet the Fort still holds and that’s one of your main concerns, you know if the Fort falls that’s it; The Combine will lose this war as the main trained combat force is here. You have to make sure that doesn’t happen.

You start to notice when the cyborgs retreat they attempt to take away any casualties that you have. In fact you could swear a few of the last few cyborgs you destroyed looked VERY familiar. This gives you the idea that this army is probably a lot more limited in number and not unstoppable. In fact even though they come in great force, it seems to take them awhile to gather up the same force in-between attacks. And while there’s robots mixed in with the cyborgs, they aren’t nearly as numerous. Looks like there’s a shortage and the Cybernetic Evolution needs more warm bodies even more than you do.

It’s possible that if you just sit tight and defend, you’ll win by sheer attrition, of course you could just finish it quicker by taking the fight to them.
> You wait
You’re unwilling to risk more lives and so decide to just shore up your defenses.

Another couple of months pass and a much smaller group of cyborgs arrive which confirms your ideas that they’re running out of troops. One thing that’s a little strange is that they don’t immediately attack, they just make their presence known while attempting to stay out of the way of your snipers. They also make some “raiding” like attacks on anyone trying to leave the Fort to travel anywhere. They never directly attack the fort though.

These annoying raids go on for a year, until you get sick of them and finally decide you need to get rid of these things once and for all. You order a concentrated attack on all the cyborg raiders in the area, after a few weeks it’s confirmed that they’ve all been eliminated. Afterwards you send a scouting force to the secret base, to see if that’s the end of this cybernetic thorn in your side.

A week passes and you don’t hear anything from your scouts. You curse and figure the cyborgs still have enough troops to defend their own base, but the truth is much worse as you come to find out.

A week after you sent your scout team, a new cyborg army appears within the sight of Fort Justice. Better improved looking this time too. Obviously while you were playing around with the cyborgs raiding you, someone else was upgrading and gathering more “recruits” from elsewhere while you still haven’t replenished your own losses from last year…

Another battle is joined, but this time not in your favor. The fort is destroyed and in flames. Soon people are either, running, killed or captured. In the chaos of Fort Justice’s final days, one of those you see captured is Marina as a big cyborg drags away her unconscious wounded body.

You desperately try to rescue her, but your head is completely incinerated by its high powered laser beam as soon as your bullets fail to penetrate its armor. Your headless carcass falls to the ground and left to burn up with the rest of Fort Justice.

Within the year, the Combine is no more and only the Cybernetic Evolution remains to continue its mission.