October 23, 2277

Jefferson Memorial, Capital Wasteland

There he was, the man who caused him so much pain—the Enclave's lap dog and the man who killed his dad. The Lone Wanderer glared at the Colonel with a raging passion behind the visor of his T-51b power armor. He already aimed his Tri-beam laser rifle at the Enclave official.

The Colonel, however, looked annoyed as he saw the Wanderer, his dog, and Sarah Lyons, the leader of the Lyons Pride, enter the Main Chamber. "You again?" Augustus Autumn gritted his teeth as he saw the power-armored Wanderer aiming his rifle at him. "I can't say I'm surprised. You and your ilk seem hell-bent on destroying everything our government has worked to achieve."

The Colonel aimed his laser pistol at the Lone Wanderer. The Wanderer's Australian Cattle Dog dog took a defensive stance and barred his teeth, showing that he was ready to protect his master. Sarah also kept her laser rifle aimed at the Colonel. Out of the shadows, two Enclave Soldiers wearing Advanced Power Armor Mk II armed with a Minigun and Gatling Laser appeared, covering Colonel Autumn. Their orange visors glowed. "There's nothing to stop me from killing you this time. Let's end this." Autumn taunted.

The Wanderer took a deep breath. "Give it up, Autumn. You've lost."

"I beg to differ. The Enclave is at the height of its power." Autumn gestured around him. "Once this facility is operational, the masses will flock to the Enclave for fresh water, protection, and a plan for the future."

"Why are you doing this? Why give your allegiance to a machine?"

"I am sworn to protect the Presidency. The chain of command must be upheld." The man scoffed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

The vault dweller squinted in confusion. "Eden's not the President. He was never elected! Hell, he's not even human..."

"And your point?"

"My point is that your government isn't legitimate. You have no right to rule."

"And what of the chain of command? When the Enclave fell on the west coast, Eden was next in line for leadership."

The Wanderer rolled his eyes. "He's not human. He assumed control... it was never given to him."

Autumn and the soldiers seemed to waver. "Yes... You're right. I had not considered it from that viewpoint. But then... Where does that leave me?"

The Wanderer forced down the hatred in his gut and gestured toward the exit. "Just walk away. It's not too late."

Autumn raised a brow. "And you... You would just let me leave? How can I be sure you won't just shoot me once I turn my back on you?" He stared at the vault dweller's expression for any sign of deceit and found none. "I suppose it doesn't matter much now. Very well. I shall leave you to your fate."

And with that, Autumn, with his soldiers, walked away as the dog growled threateningly.

"Stand down, Dogmeat." Autumn was right. The Lone Wanderer was tempted to gun him down, but that wouldn't change anything about his dad.

Soon, the Enclave soldiers were gone and out of sight.

Behind him, Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you'd let him just walk away. It's amazing the world hasn't beaten that out of you."

"I don't know what my mother would think of me if I had."

She sighed. "I'll go along with it, but I don't like it. You'd just better hope it doesn't come back to bite you. Now, let's get this place locked down."

Racing up the stairs to follow Sarah to Project Purity, they heard Dr. Li's voice on the radio. "Hello? Hello?... Is anyone there? It's Doctor Li. Something's wrong with the purifier... Please, someone answer!"

Sarah quickly opened her radio and answered, worried. "Doctor Li? It's Sarah Lyons. I'm in the control room; we're both here. What's going on?"

"I've been monitoring the equipment remotely, and we have a serious problem. The facility has been damaged during the fighting. Some of it looks accidental; some of it may have been sabotage. There's pressure building up in the holding tanks. It needs to be released now, or else the whole facility could explode. To release the pressure, you're going to have to turn the purifier on. Do you understand me? It has to be turned on NOW. If I'm reading this right, I'm afraid there are lethal levels of radiation inside the chamber. I'm sorry. I wish there were some other way, but there's just no time. It has to be done now, or the damage will be catastrophic."

"Well, so much for celebrating. One of us is going to have to go in there and turn the damned thing on. And whoever does it isn't coming back out." "Not exactly how I imagined going out, you know?" she joked with a bitter undertone. "So, what should we do? Draw straws?'

The Wanderer stared at the console. "There must be some other way..."

"I wish that were true. Really, I do. But you heard Doctor Li. We have to do this right now, or who knows how bad it'll be. One of us has to go in there."

He didn't want Sarah to sacrifice her life. "I'll do it. I'll start the purifier."

Sarah needed a few seconds to respond. "Are you sure ?"

He knew this was the final chapter of his journey through the wasteland. The Wanderer placed a hand on the glass window. "My parents devoted their lives to Project Purity. The idea of free, clean water for everyone drove them to succeed. So many sacrifices were made for that idea. My responsibility is to see it through to the end, to make sure those sacrifices mean something."

Sarah steeled herself, no matter how much hearing his conviction hurt. "You're going to have to be quick about it. If the radiation is bad enough, you won't have much time. I won't forget what you've done here. No one will. Thank you."

The Lone wanderer turned to Dogmeat, his only companion throughout the journey. "I think it's time for us to say goodbye, old buddy. Take care of yourself, okay?"

Dogmeat whined in response.

He knelt and started scratching the dog behind the ears. "You're the first friend I made outside. We've been through so much." He gave his dog a warm hug. "I'll miss you. Goodbye, Dogmeat." He then stood up and made his way to the purifier door.

He turned to Sarah. "Please, take care of him."

Sarah smiled solemnly as she picked up Dogmeat to keep him from following his master. "I won't let you down," she said.

He opened up his radio. "When I'm gone, Doctor Li. I want my father and I to be buried alongside my mother."

"I'll arrange it. You all deserve that much for everything your family has done for us."

The Lone Wanderer gave the two one last hug. "You and Dogmeat should leave the building while you can. I don't want either of you hurt if the radiation leaks out. Once it's clear, I will pass on my armor to you. Tell your father thanks for everything. No matter what the Outcasts say, you're doing good for everyone. Keep up the good work."

With that, the two separated, Sarah Lyons and Dogmeat heading off after one last salute.

'Now to face the music.' Turning towards the console, he headed inside, and Sarah closed the airlock door behind him. The emergency bulkhead slid open. Activating the auxiliary filtration input allowed for the input of additional filtration chemicals.

Do you wish to add any chemicals to the system?

The Lone Wanderer scowled as he pulled out the vial of FEV President Eden had given him. "Like hell I would do it after everything I've gone through." He had to activate the purifier. Stepping inside, he saw a dead enclave scientist and his father. He felt James' hand. It was cold. Lifting his father's body, he sat it up against the wall. 'He deserved better.' Stepping deeper in, he saw the main console.

His mind reflected on the conversations with his father before he died.

"You must understand. As much as I love you, this project has been my responsibility since long before you were even born. Too many people have made sacrifices to give up on it now. Your mother... If you'll let me, I'd like to show you what we've accomplished. I want you to be there when we change the world. After so many years, I can finally see it through to the end. I can't stop now."

"Here we are. Where it all began. You remember your mother's favorite passage? Revelation Twenty-one six. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life, freely. Don't you see? This is what it all means. The water, the purifier. THIS is the water of life. Your mother's dream."

"It's more than just a poster on a wall. Your mother and I, we lived by that ideal. Water, clean and free, for everyone in the Wasteland! Think about that for a moment. No more radiation sickness, no more mutated crops, no more struggling just to stay alive. Finally... hope. Isn't it worth taking a risk to give that hope to people?"

Slowly, the Lone Wanderer entered the code in the terminal.

Two. One. Six.

*Bing*

The chamber started to fill with more radiation. By now, not even power armor could protect the user. The radioactive stinging got worse by the second, and the Wanderer felt like a million tiny needles were pricking his skin simultaneously.

He was overwhelmed by the radiation. He could feel the blood running down from his mouth as he started coughing. He walked to ward his father. His lungs were burning, and he felt his legs give up as he crashed against the wall next to James, wracked with convulsions. Before he fell to the ground, he saw the murky, opaque water of the tidal basin begin to clear. 'It's working!' "It's working.' Weakened, he sat on the cold metal floor.

His vision blurred. Every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass, and his limbs trembled. He could feel darkness take over him, and the pain started to ease.

Leaning his head on his father's shoulder, he let his mind wander, memories of his adventures flooding back. The enemies fought, the friends lost, and the hope that he left the world a better place because of it.

In his final moments, he felt a strange calm wash over him as if a weight had been lifted from his weary soul. Then, darkness enveloped him.

The Lone Wanderer died.

#

And so it was that the Lone Wanderer ventured forth from Vault 101 intent on discovering the fate of a father who had once sacrificed the future of humanity for that of his only child.

The Capital Wasteland proved a cruel, inhospitable place, but the Lone Wanderer refused to surrender to the vices that had claimed so many others. The values passed on from father to child – selflessness, compassion, honor – guided this noble soul through countless trials and triumphs.

But it was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer learned the true meaning of that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. Stepping into the irradiated control chamber of Project Purity, the child followed the example of the father, sacrificing life itself for the greater good of mankind.

Thankfully, when selected by the sinister president to be his instrument of annihilation, the Wanderer refused. Humanity, with all its flaws, was deemed worthy of preservation. The waters of life flowed at last – free and pure, for any and all. The Capital Wasteland, at long last, was saved.

They called him A Paragon. A Saint. A Shepherd. An Angel. A Messiah.

So ends the story of the Lone Wanderer, who stepped through the great door of Vault 101 and into the annals of legend.

Or does it?

The tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes.

#

And then, in the darkness, a glimmer of light appeared. Slowly at first, then growing brighter with each passing moment until it engulfed him.

As the Lone Wanderer's eyes fluttered open, he found himself lying on a soft bed of clouds, surrounded by the gentle glow of celestial light. Gone was the pain. Instead, he was enveloped in a sense of peace unlike anything he had ever known.

He turned his head and saw several trees and flowers. The ones he saw in the Oasis couldn't compare. In the background, a city of pristine white marble seemed to be surrounded by towering columns. Above him, the sky shimmered with a soft gold. Confusion momentarily clouded his mind as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"Oh. Hello there. I didn't see you," a soothing voice spoke, like the melody of a distant song from outside his view.

An instinct born from wasteland survival urged the Lone Wander to get up and back against a tree trunk. The person in front of him was not what he expected.

She was a young woman with silver-like skin and long tinted hair with white tips. She had darker-colored pupils, deep-purple eyelashes, and white freckles. That alone, while strange, wasn't something he couldn't expect to encounter in the capital wastes. He had already met green super mutants. She even wore a princess-like light periwinkle gown and gloves.

However, the six white feathered wings on her back and the light blue halo hovering above her head threw him off. Everything about her was like the angels his father used to tell stories about growing up. The Lone Wanderer blinked in disbelief, trying to comprehend the reality of the angel before him.

Her presence exuded an otherworldly calm, her eyes filled with compassion as she regarded him with a gentle smile. She approached him with a hint of guilt and concern. "Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Not many souls come outside the main city."

He chuckled. She seemed sweet, definitely not from the wasteland. 'Wait.' "Did you say souls?"

She tilted her head and blinked. "Yeah? Is something wrong?"

Seeing her halo, the Wanderer reached up and felt a strange object above his head. From the feel of it, he easily deduced it was a halo of his own. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. He pushed off the tree and got another look at the area around him. "I... don't know. Where... am I?" he whispered, denying his gut instinct.

It was her turn to laugh. "You're in heaven, silly. Didn't Saint Peter tell you that on the way in?" Getting a good look at him, she knew that he retained his human form. It was an uncommon occurrence, but nothing out of the ordinary. 'I wonder what the 101 is supposed to mean.'

The Wanderer didn't have an answer for that as even more questions filled his head, swelling his heart. Were his parents here, too? Could he see his mom and dad again? Suddenly, rows of feathers burst from his back, throwing off his balance and sending him to the floor. If these wings were real, heaven was starting to sound more likely.

She giggled at his antics. "I suppose you are new here. Allow me to introduce myself." The angel held out a hand to him. "I'm Emily, a seraph. What's your name?"

After a brief hesitation, he reached out, and Emily pulled him to his feet. "It's nice to meet you, Emily. My name is Jordan. Jordan Neeson."

#

A/N: Special thanks to Jebest4781, Charles, and Seana!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did, please follow or review/comment. See you guys in the next chapter.

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With Hebrew origins, Jordan means "to flow down." This biblical name is derived from the River Jordan, where John the Baptist famously baptized Jesus Christ. The name Jordan comes from the Hebrew word Yarden, meaning "to go down" or "descending," and refers to the River Jordan flowing towards the Dead Sea.

His father was also voiced by Liam Neeson

Inspired by Redemption Lies Within.