บท 672: Culture Rock
...
"About that..." Afton walks over and grabs his father's cuffs, easily warping the metal and allowing them to drop to the ground. "I'll show you around, as long as you promise not to freak out." he states.
Zach looks down and glares long and hard at the remnants of his restraints. "I'll agree if you tell me how you did that. I know that wasn't ordinary steel." he states.
...
Afton walks to the airlock and opens the door, "I was infected by an incredibly dangerous species of fungus, there was no cure. I knew I'd be dead soon so I left to find some hail mary lead that probably wouldn't amount to anything. By the time I reached my destination, I was half-dead, and on my last legs. But luckily, I'd arrived to the one place that had the tech to save my life." he explains, leading his father through the hallways underneath the Think Tank.
"What does that have to do with your ability to bend steel?" Zach continues pressing.
Afton shrugs, "Well, while the operation I underwent did save my life, it didn't completely remove all of the fungus." he says, taking his gloves off and revealing his plant arms. "The neutralised fungus improved my body, making me resistant to diseases and poison, enhanced my strength and healing... Even grew back my arms when I was dismembered." he flexes his hand.
Zachary eyes the limb, the brown bark-like material covering the top, half, while the bottom was a sickly green, looking like incredibly rough, discoloured skin. It was confirmed, his son was a mutant... But, it sounded like the circumstances leading to it weren't up to him at all... Unfortunately, the Codex doesn't make exceptions...
The fact he himself would also be considered a mutant wasn't lost on him, which is why he was struggling so much with his core tenets. By all rights, he should drop to his knees and smash his head against the floor until he perished, to ensure the prolonged existence of the human race.
He was honestly still considering it, rejoining his wife wherever she was didn't sound all that bad. But that would also mean leaving his son, again. "How did the Brotherhood react? If you were even still in contact with them?"
Afton grimaces slightly, "Well, I was kind of banished for stopping them from killing a Ghoul companion of mine. I don't know if any of them noticed my mutations."
"...Banished..." Zachary rubs his face, having expected something like this when Afton said he'd left the bunker.
Afton continues leading his father through the maze-like laboratories until they reach the Think Tank doors. He pushes them open, revealing the steadily growing city within the massive crater that composed Big Mt. Plants and flora were abundant, with many farms and high-tech buildings scattered around the place.
To most people's eyes, it'd look like a utopia, especially when compared against everything else in the wasteland. But for Zachary, he saw a complete and utter misuse of dangerous technologies, he instantly put two and two together, realising that this place wasn't affiliated with the Brotherhood at all.
This was concerning as only the Brotherhood, Enclave, and some parts of the NCR should possess holographic tech like had been shown in his cell. Before he's able to say anything though, Afton begins his introduction.
"Welcome to Bulwark, my answer to the weaknesses and corruption of the Brotherhood." he grins, "I've built this place with my blood, sweat, and tears, now finally it's starting to look how I envisioned."
Zach eyes the people walking around, their comfortable-yet protective clothing, the guards with high-tech armour and weaponry, the robots both rolling along the ground and flying above their heads... Even those Cyberdogs that seemed to eye him warily. "
He chews his lip and glances at Afton, "Are we still in the Mojave? Is the Chapter still around?" he tentatively asks, knowing that the Chapter wouldn't stand and let this place be built if they had a choice in the matter.
Afton shrugs and waves at the landscape, "You're looking at what's left. Hardin kinda went crazy and started making drastic actions, seemingly ignoring the mounting NCR threat on their doorstep... They only lasted so long because the NCR was afraid of my retaliation. In the end, I was forced to intervene." he states.
"Intervene?" Zach tensely parrots.
Afton nods, "An NCR army was about to lay waste to them, so I invaded the Brotherhood base that Hardin had set up above ground and gave them an ultimatum. Join Bulwark, or leave. For those that didn't want to join, I sent them all to Mexico, where the NCR wouldn't be able to follow. Everyone else was integrated into my forces." he explains.
...
"But, what about the Codex? Did I teach you nothing? This. place... It's like spitting in the face of everything the Codex dictates! This, irresponsible use of technology, it can only lead to disaster!" Zachary lectures with slight indignation, grabbing Afton's arm to make sure he was listening.
Afton shakes his head, "What disaster!? The shit the Codex peddles was just the fears of paranoid larping ideologues! They just echoed what each other said, slowly getting more extreme in their practices and prejudices... Look around you, dad, do you think the Brotherhood could have created any of this? Or would they have squandered the technology they unabashedly tore from their owners, in the name of preventing more 'atrocities'?"
Zach growls, reminiscent of what Mr X had sounded like before, "The Brotherhood isn't perfect, I never said it was. But it was the best way we had to protect the wasteland! Can you imagine if the Enclave was in our place? If they had this kind of technology?... How long will it take until this, Bulwark, becomes corrupt as well? Or how long until another country seizes this place for its own ends!?"
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บท 673: Familial confrontation
...
Afton suddenly starts chuckling, holding his face in exasperation, "You know, I've already had this talk with Christine when I rescued her." he says, causing Zach to quieten down at the name of his lost 'niece', "I've heard your arguments before from her, not to mention my own experience with the Brotherhood and the Codex! You think I haven't thought this through? I'm not stupid, dad!"
"I'm not saying you are, Afton, maybe just misguided... I know you probably think you're doing the right thing, but this isn't the right way. I don't want this." he pauses, "Your mother wouldn't want this." he continues, gesturing around at all the technology in use around them.
Afton sighs, "Look, can we just agree to disagree? You won't be convincing me, and I probably won't be convincing you... Besides, there are other things more important than this that I'd like to talk about."
...
"Fine, but I'm not dropping this, Afton." Zach growls, mind still racing to find something to convince Afton to stop while he was ahead.
Afton nods, "Before I show you around, there's someone I'd like you to meet." he says while leading Zachary back into the Think Tank and up into the Sink where Josie was waiting.
They enter the room but pause when they spot a visibly pregnant Josie, standing next to Alfred in just her panties and a tank top, all while chewing on a ketchup-covered pickle...
...
They stare at one another for a moment, Josie continuing to slowly chew on her snack, at least, until she realises who Afton's guest was.
*Cruunch... Cruuunch...*
"EEEeek!" she yelps, dashing towards the bedroom to get properly dressed for her first-no, second meeting with her father-in-law.
Afton glances at Zachary and grimaces at his father's disbelieving expression, finally coughing into his hand to get his attention. "Ahem!... Er, sorry about that, I probably should've let her know that you were coming."
"Who was that?" Zach asks after composing himself.
"She's... My wife." he quietly replies, hoping Josie hadn't made a bad impression on the man.
...
Zachary covers his face with a large hand, trying to hide the amused grin that'd made its way onto his face, "You know, she kind of reminds me of your mother... Pickle'nd all." he chuckles.
Josie reenters the room now wearing trousers, sheepishly looking at the duo as Afton tries to get the image of his mother mimicking Josie. "Afton, is this...?"
He nods, "Yeah, Josie Parker, meet Zachary Parker. My dad."
"H-hello!" Josie sheepishly greets with mock confidence, extending her hand towards Zach.
The man reciprocates and envelopes her hand with his own, giving a light shake and a small nod, "So, this is the woman who'd captured my son's heart? This is quite the pickle..." he trails off, with a small smile on his deformed face.
...
Afton and Josie look at one another before breaking into laughter. The dad jokes were back, or, grandad jokes?
Three hours later :
After that, they all get comfortable, the duo regaling Zachary with stories of how they met, and the adventures they'd been on together. Zach recounted some of his own stories with Verna, how they met, her time while pregnant with Afton, and the weird habits she formed from it... But eventually, the atmosphere got serious as Josie mentions the Battle of Hoover Dam.
...
"Battle of Hoover Dam?" Zach questions, causing the duo to suddenly go silent.
Afton rubs the back of his head after sending an accusing glance at Josie, "Ah, well... She was referring to the second battle... The first was the NCR against the Legion, ah, you know, those Sportswear wearing freaks that worship the Romans?" he nods after Zach affirms that he remembers them.
"The NCR barely came out on top with some tricky tactics, securing the Mojave for the NCR... The second battle though, included the NCR, Legion, New Vegas... And us, Bulwark." he explains.
"So you've already started waging war?" Zach asks with a regretful look.
Afton gives a nod, "We had no choice. The NCR was bound to lose, and I wasn't about to let a bunch of slaving, raping, ass holes claim the region... Not to mention, my revenge against the NCR hadn't quite finished at that point." he states.
"New Vegas, controlled by Mr House, was it?" Zach asks, not all that familiar with the place. He continues at Afton's nod, "What was Bulwark's role in the battle?"
"Ah, well... I won't go into details, but we wiped out the NCR and Legion, claiming the Dam for New Vegas."
...
"For New Vegas?"
Afton nods, "I've made an agreement with Mr House, he has the appearance of owning the Mojave, but it's Bulwark who truly controls the region."
Zach shakes his head, "I don't care about that... I just want to know why you are working with that... Thing! Mr House is reported to have existed from even before the great war! Meaning he's either a sentient and malicious AI, or he's somehow immortal! Do I even have to tell you what the problem here is?" he angrily asks at Afton's nonchalant expression.
Afton just shrugs while rolling his wrist disinterestedly. "Yada, yada, Codex, yada... What's your point?"
"My point!? My point is that you're working with an incredibly dangerous individual, who could spell the end of human civilisation as we know it!" he exclaims and jabs a finger towards Afton's face, "The Brotherhood has committed evils in the past, but we never attempted to subjugate land!"
Afton sighs and slumps in his chair, "This again? I thought we were over this? Leave the politics and enjoy your time with your family... You're going to be a grandad for god sake!"
Zach growls under his breath, but before he does anything he'd regret, he stands and marches out of the room, leaving the Sink and Think Tank as Afton and Josie watch.
"Glados, could you... 'Lead', my father to some accommodation... Try not to make it look too blatant, I wouldn't want him to feel restricted... Ah, don't let him leave Big Mt though, that'd probably go down badly." he states.
"Affirmative."
He looks back at a somewhat heartbroken Josie, who seems to have taken his father's anger towards himself as a rejection of her. He sighs and begins consoling her, explaining that that wasn't the case at all.
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