text: Knowing Alex, he's probably killed his assistants too; you go in with your weapon ready.
  
  "FUCK! Goddamn GZS equipment! Always fucks up!" Alex says as he's trying to install some sort of implant in the head of some corpse on a table. Its one of his assistants and his brains are leaking all over the place, you don't even know what the hell Alex was trying to accomplish, and you get the impression he doesn't either. He stares at you with eyes telling you he's finally gone over the edge for good this time.
  
  "You see? You see what I have to work with? Can't fucking work under these conditions! Not enough equipment! Plenty of bodies, just need the equipment...is it lunch time?"
  "Is that why you infected Ashtown? So you could rebuild your insane dreams of cyborgs again?"
  "It's not insane! Its evolution! You really think the Atomic Alliance can last in its current form? NO! It NEEDS to be remade! Y'see I tried...I really did...I really tried to delude myself into thinking civilization can be rebuilt and survive in its current form...but it wasn't until I came here and found this diary...this Elliot guy...had lots of good ideas about the nature of man...and how control IS the only way to maintain order...of course he obviously failed when his so called "obedience serum" had a long term detrimental health effect on the inhabitants here. Comes in handy as a virulent toxin when altered a bit and dumped into a water supply though. Strange how it doesn't affect pre-pubescent children."
  "You fuckin' sonofabitch..." you say pointing your rifle at him, he doesn't even seem to notice, he just keeps talking.
  
  "His ideas were sound, just his method was flawed, and it made me realize I was right in the beginning, I was just prevented from seeing my plan come to fruition due to YOUR own ambition and meddling! Shit, you can barely keep the Alliance leaders to agree on anything! The only reason why they follow you is because of the polite threat of superior firepower that you have access to and the major food source you have under your direct control in Eden. If that advantage ever disappeared, you'd have another civil war on your hands. You're petty dictator hiding in democracy. Your own method of control is as clumsy as Elliot's."
  "I'm not controlling anyone, you psychotic fuck!"
  "Bullshit! You've built your whole career on it! Your destruction of my plans, your war with the Combine, creating the Atomic Alliance and being the head of it. You really expect me to believe you did all this without ambition?"
  "Actually yeah. Had it not been for Marina's influence, I probably wouldn't have bothered..."
  "How long are you going to hide behind THAT ghost? Perhaps she did have influence on you in the beginning as far as motivation was concerned, but nobody, NOBODY that has gotten this far can say they've been doing this all this as some sort of monument for the love of a dead woman! You're lying to yourself because YOU don't have the fuckin' balls to admit you're a goddamn friendly fascist! And after you're dead? Do you think the Atomic Alliance will really live on? I predict it falls apart and in fighting occurs within a month! Humans are incapable of ruling themselves! The LAST WAR PROVED THAT! The Cybernetic Evolution is the ONLY thing that makes sense!"
  
  You think about some of the things Alex's insane ranting, before responding.
  
  "...you might be right Alex. You might be right, but there's just one thing..."
  "Oh what's that?"
  "Your method sucks too, mainly because you were too idiotic to ever get it off the ground in the first place and this isn't for Marina, its for my daughter Laura you fucking mass murdering motherfucker."
  
  You riddle Alex's body with bullets until he's such a bloody heap that he's actually ripped in half by your burst. You then pull out your pistol and blast his face into a red pulpy mess.
  
  Its over.
  
  You return to Base Pandora where Vivica has been trying to keep control of things as everyone is starting to wonder what's going on exactly. You give a full report to the entire Atomic Alliance about what happened. It's a big event that nearly shatters the Alliance. When you think about it, maybe that was Alex's "back up plan", as even if he had been killed, he must've known you'd catch heat for what happened.
  
  Some say it really wasn't your fault, others say it was, since you left an unstable element like Alex to his own devices. Some say your past deeds should be taken into consideration, others say it doesn't make up for the death of an entire town. Some say you tried to make things right, others say you shouldn't be applauded for attempting to fix something that was your fault in the first place. Still others say it wasn't your fault to begin with since the opening of the Shelters was most of the OTHER town leader's idea not yours. It's apparent everyone is divided on the situation, so you do the only thing that makes sense and step down from being the head of the Atomic Alliance.
  
  This has more of an effect than you hoped. Some people still think you should be punished directly, but for the most part most are just satisfied that you aren't the head of the Alliance anymore. The ones closest to you think it's unfair, but you don't really care. You probably saved the Alliance again with your actions, another civil war would've occurred otherwise. You can only hope in time people will see that.
  
  Vivica becomes the new head of the Alliance. Some object to her as well since she's somewhat close to you, but most accept her since her reputation is pretty spotless and fair minded. You remain in control of Base Pandora, which now mainly concentrates on strictly military matters as in defending the AA borders. Less politics, but not less responsibility since you now have a daughter to take care of...
  
  Ten more years pass...
  
  Twenty years have passed since the bombs dropped, and the Atomic Alliance is the largest known stretch of civilization known in the immediate area. It's now become an official democratic political entity rather than just a collection of separate towns and forts which were merely aligned. Vivica is now officially the President.
  
  GZS Shelters have been converted into major the supplier of water. Gone are the days of wondering if water was safe to drink. These Shelters have also been modified to have surrounding land to become agricultural centers like Eden; the water is piped in from underground to help grow crops. They're probably more useful than what they were initially intended for.
  
  Ashtown was repopulated, but a big memorial is now standing there in memory of the dead, the Shelter near Ashtown was destroyed. Explosives were placed in the entryway such a manner that it imploded in on itself forever burying the place.
  
  As for you, you find less and less to do each day at Base Pandora. While it's foolish to think that the world is now a safe place that an Atomic Alliance military isn't needed, it's just that it has fewer threats. Raiders might lurk on the outskirts of it, but to actually attack it now would be folly. Only the craziest and most desperate raiders do that nowadays, and they're usually easily dispatched by the AA Police Force. (Most of course having trained at Base Pandora combat academy) Civil unrest mainly consists of a few normal complaints, never anything like what happened in the past. It almost like the "Old World" again.
  
  You however are glad of this, since you have enough trouble trying to look after your daughter Laura. She's quite willful now that's she's a teenager, but fortunately your relationship isn't really bad though, you just never did get a hang of this whole father thing. The best thing you did was train her to take care of herself. Though now you're wondering if that was such a good idea.
  
  "I want to join the Atomic Alliance City Project!" she says.
  
  Having tamed most of the surrounding area, the next big agenda for the Alliance is to restore the City. You never really thought this was the best idea Vivica had, since the City has always been considered a very dangerous place, with nothing but deadly radiation levels and mutant monstrosities. In fact you turned down the option to head up the project when she proposed it to you. You remember way back in your early days of the Compound, when a few people were sent to the City, and only one returned speaking of the horrible creatures inside. Since then, nobody ever really went there. Every now and then you heard about a few hostile mutants wandering from the city, but it was rare, it seems as if they were content on living in their own area.
  
  You lived on "your side" and they lived on "their side" and that's the way it should stay. Seems like fucking around with the City might be inviting trouble, sort of like when you decided to fuck around the Shelters ten years ago...
  
  Your daughter on the other hand like most youthful sorts, sees "adventure". True she's not some delicate flower and she grew up relatively fast (She did see her mother die in front of her along with the rest of the town) but its not like she's had any real combat experience, plus she's only fifteen and you do feel the need to protect her.
  
  > ask Vivica to make you the head of the project
  If your daughter's going to insist on this foolishness, you're going to make sure you're at least observing her. You travel to New Justice (Formally called Fort Justice) to see Vivica. Lately you and Vivica haven't been agreeing on too much about this, so you end up storming into her office and demanding the position.
  
  "Vivica! I want that City Project job, I don't give a shit who you've already applied the position to already, I'm fuckin' taking it!"
  "Sure. You got it. Anything else?" Vivica says not looking up from her writing some document.
  "...uh no? You don't mind?"
  "Why would I? I asked you to take this position in the first place."
  "Yeah I know, but I was sort of an asshole about turning it down before."
  "Well I figured you'd come around, even if you don't agree with this project."
  "I still don't...I mean don't you think we'll be doing more harm than good by fucking around with the City? I mean the mutants inside don't normally come out, if we start going in, we might be stirring up a bee's nest."
  
  Vivica stop writing and looks at you.
  
  "Let me ask you something...didn't you stir up a bee's nest when you first confronted Alex at Base Pandora twenty years ago? Think about it. Had you not gone in, isn't it possible that he would've actually built up a large enough army of cyborgs and robots to attack us later and we wouldn't have been able to defend against?"
  "Well MAYBE, but..."
  "How about when we fought those cultists at Eden? Your actions saved a woman who you would later give birth to your daughter. Not to mention that once run down farm house became a great agricultural center that is still a big supplier of AA food today. Not to mention Biofuel."
  "Yeah, but..."
  "How about standing up to Harry and the Combine? I'm sure you could've easily run away from the situation, but you didn't."
  "Well I stayed because of Marina."
  "True, but you also stay because deep down you KNEW that the Combine was corrupt and evil and needed to be destroyed and yes the loss was great, to you especially. But look what happened, the Atomic Alliance was created, and is still the closest thing to civilization in this little part of this fucked up world, well that we know of anyway."
  "I guess, but..."
  "What about the opening of the Shelters? Now I know that's a sore point with you. I know some people blame you for what happened due to that bastard Alex's treachery. I know you probably still blame yourself to a certain degree, but think about it we use most of those Shelters as the major suppliers of food and water now. I don't even think Atomic Alliance would be as prosperous as it is today without them. You've done more for the Atomic Alliance than anyone. Marina always said you never gave yourself a lot of credit for what you were capable of, it's one of the reasons why she always felt the need to push you a bit."
  "Okay, but..."
  "And you want to know why I wanted you to head this project? Because you're the only one capable of pulling it off. Seriously if anything this shitty new world has taught us is we can't just leave things alone. We have to take a pro-active approach to things just like we always have. I mean sure the mutants aren't leaving the city NOW, but who knows what the hell the future holds? Shouldn't we find out if those muties are forming their own army rather than finding out about it when it's crossing our borders? Shouldn't we find out if they aren't ALL insane freaks and perhaps some of them are even civilized enough to make friends with? You've dealt with situations like this so many times that you're about the only expert on the matter; you always seem to have made the decisions that turned out for the best in the long run. Maybe you aren't running the Alliance, but you ARE the fuckin' founder. So while perhaps you're only taking this position to keep an eye on your daughter, you'll eventually realize that you're doing the right thing anyway, just like you always have."
  "...how'd you know that's why I was doing this?" you ask totally surprised.
  "Because a few weeks ago Laura snuck into my office begging me to let her join and I told her she better clear it with you. I figured your reaction would've been telling her no, or you would've let her only to demand to be head of the project to keep an eye on her. Glad it was the latter." She says with a grin.
  
  So it happens, you take control of the Project. You organize and plan and all the rest that goes along with it. A relatively large force made up of the best Pandora's combat academy has to offer make a trip to the City. The radiation levels aren't quite as high as expected, but everyone is still expected to wear their radiation suits. While you aren't worried about yourself, you are sort of worried about Laura. Even if the mutants aren't a problem, the higher radiation levels could render her sterile. You never thought about it before, but you would like to have grand-children someday...but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. No more regrets or wondering about what could be done differently. You've done enough of that in the past, and Vivica was right, you don't give yourself enough credit for your accomplishments.
  
  You personally go on every patrol Laura does. It embarrasses her a bit, that you're being so over protective, but she appreciates it later when a gang of hungry mutants attack. (Though some snickering is heard later from some of the others in the squad when you help her up, and she has to endure a few taunts of being "Daddy's little girl", but she soon proves to be able capable in combat which makes you proud)
  
  After a few weeks of exploration, you find that there's a whole little world going on in the city. There are more factions here than you've ever come across! Some mutants are just mindless cannibals roaming the streets, while others are more organized and vicious. Still others follow weird new religions (Never friendly types in your experience) and others are actually friendly and have collected, fixed and horded lots of equipment over the years and would be willing to trade with "pretties" such as yourselves. (You don't like the way they look at Laura though even if she is in a radiation suit)
  
  Oddly new mutants are being born, not a lot, but a few. Seeing as they're going to be a factor in years to come you guess it would be best to make alliances with the friendly mutants and provide them with help...this of course comes in the form of firepower. Of course you aren't so idiotic to start giving them rocket launchers and such, but ammunition and few extra rifles to your new mutant "friends" can't hurt the balance of power in the city since you don't see it as it ever being fully part of the Alliance. You think it'll always be known as Zeropolis (As the mutants call it) where the mutants live and chaos will always be a way of life where only the fittest survive. Hmmm, just like before the bombs hit actually...
  
  One other good thing about this experience is after her first tour in Zeropolis, Laura decides to pursue a slightly safer career as a member of the Atomic Alliance Police Force. You're beyond relieved.
  
  Thirty years pass...
  
  Fifty years have passed and you're now celebrating the forty fifth anniversary of the founding of the Atomic Alliance at its capital of New Justice, of course you and Ex-President Vivica are about the only ones still alive who were around from the VERY beginning when it was only just "The Compound".
  
  You personally are receiving some sort of honor for all your deeds in making the AA possible. You even get a statue and while you're publicly humble about it, you do secretly really like it. After all you do deserve the recognition, and you're finally being given your credit. After you and Vivica give your speeches and get off stage, Laura hugs you and says how happy she is for you. Your grandson David does as well. You were always happy Laura's fertility wasn't affected by the trip to Zeropolis. Though David's six fingers on each hand display some of the effects, but he's normal in every other way. (If anything he may make a great diplomat to the mutants when he grows up!)
  
  After the grand night of celebration, you go back home to rest. You're really tired. Like you feel like you could sleep forever.
  
  Sometimes it weird to think that before the bombs hit, you were never really a social person, but then afterwards, you became a warrior, a diplomat and a founder of a new civilization leading people through it all.
  
  "I guess you were right Marina...I always did have it in me..." you say as you drift off to sleep...
  
  > Epilogue
  100 years later...
  
  Another night at a small bar in New Justice, Sirus was telling another tale of his latest mission.
  
  "...and so I said to those mutants: Yeah, but after you eat me, who's gonna stop the GZS lawyers from coming here?" Sirus says while the rest of the bar patrons laughed, of course as always there's ONE person that has to be a dickhead.
  "Hey Sirus, I wouldn't insult your fellow mutants so much seeing as you're one of them, having six fingers on each hand and all."
  
  Sirus didn't take offense, he'd heard it all before and after his many trips to Zeropolis, he certainly wasn't afraid of some drunk.
  
  "Ah yes, my six fingers...and might I say your wife is very appreciative of them when I touch her in that special way that makes her call out in ecstasy..."
  "YOU FUCKING MUTIE BASTARD!" the drunk shouted and clumsily attacked Sirus who nimbly dodged and back kicked him in the head dropping him.
  
  "Ha ha! Let him sleep it off and put his bill on my tab! All of you are my friends tonight! Drinks for everyone!" Sirus said while the entire bar applauded this act of generosity.
  
  "Hey Sirus, you're like a big time Atomic Alliance agent and shit, how come you hang out in places like this?" another patron asked
  "Well given that most of my assignments are in Zeropolis, I feel more at home here! Ha ha! No, but seriously I just never was one to associate with the higher class, I much prefer to tell my stories to you folks where it's appreciated."
  "Hmm, sounds like they probably just got sick of hearing you brag."
  "Quite observant! Give this man another drink!"
  "Hey brag all you like, just as long as you're buying!"
  "Yes, I have a lot to brag about I suppose, but I'll never be able to top my Great-great-great-grandpa. Now there was a great man. He accomplished so much, and he did it all without any type of innate radiation protection or six fingers on each hand! From what I heard though despite all his accomplishments, he was always a humble and reserved sort. Very serious minded."
  "Hmm, you sure you're related?"
  "Wondered that myself sometimes, but when I look at that statue, the resemblance is uncanny, well except for the six fingers of course. In some ways I like to think I'm so jovial because he couldn't be. Things were a lot worse back then, I'm sure there was less time for bragging and carousing."
  
  The bar gets silent as Sirus reflected on his ancestor. A sense of great respect welled up inside him as he thought about the statue of you in front of the capitol building. He prevented himself from displaying too much emotion in front of these bar patrons, but it was there as it always would be. Soon he began talking again like his old self, but bragging about a different person.
  
  "You know what that's enough about me for tonight, how about I tell a story about him that's less well known in the history books; in fact my Grandmother told me if it hadn't been for this event, I would not be here today to grace you all with my presence! Now this happened about a hundred and fifty years ago, give or take a year. My ancestor was scouting with his squad and they came upon an old farmhouse..."