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Author's Chapter Notes:

A bit of a different style of chapter here. Hope it's not confusing since it is literally just what's on the audio holotapes. More actual story stuff next chapter.

Tape 1

How did it come to this? Trapped here with the super mutants. I’ve been here, what? Six months? The Greenskins have only just started trusting me enough to actually give me some alone time meaning I can finally start recording these.

For the last six months or so, I’ve been working on FEV. They want to continue what The Master started all those years ago, whoever the Hell ‘The Master’ is. For some reason, they think I can do it. I might be from a vault and a doctor, but that doesn’t mean I know anything about this stuff.

Still, in about half an hour the mapping will be complete and I’ll have the entire makeup of the FEV analyzed. I don’t know if that means I can make more of the stuff or not. I’m not sure I even want to. For all I know as soon as I develop the means of reproducing the stuff, the super mutants will dispose of me.

The truth is, if I don’t find a way of developing FEV, then they’ll dispose of me regardless. I’m not the first they’ve had locked up here, and if I fail, I won’t be the last.

Speaking of which, I went over the notes of my predecessors and the first one apparently got the farthest along before the Greenskins lost their patience and killed him. Though it’s difficult to tell when most of those records were lost. The second one had no clue and they killed him pretty much immediately. The third and fourth met the same fate and the fifth managed to escape, but not before wiping away a lot of the progress that had been made.

I don’t have the same illusions of escaping. My leg was broken by one of the brutes when they captured me. It’s healed wrong, and I couldn’t run even if I wanted to. I know, I could have set the bone, and believe me I tried. They tore off the splint calling it weakness, re-breaking my leg in the process. That was six months ago now. Six months of torture.

I had better get back to work, otherwise, they might just decide to do more than break my bones.

Tape 2

So, it’s been about three weeks since I recorded my first log. My intention was to make them a regular thing, but it just didn’t turn out that way. I’ve been too busy and the Greenskins have been breathing down my neck.

Well, suffice to say that I’m not yet dead and that is because I’ve made actual progress. The FEV is a mutagen and an extremely organized one at that. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was ever actually finished. From the old records, it appears that there were two main points of research, maybe more. Somehow Vault-Tec got hold of some samples and decided to continue research in one of their vaults out east near DC.

Well, I guess none of that is important because I don’t have access to any of those records or how their research went. I only have the samples that the super mutants brought me and what research logs I can scrounge up.

This place holds all sorts of secrets well beyond FEV research. As it turns out the United States was up to all sorts of grotesque types of research and this place held secrets on a lot of those projects.

For instance, many believe the deathclaw to be just another wasteland mutant creature, but it isn’t. The thing was made by the US before the war. The most deadly creature out there was made on purpose. It beggars belief.

I plan on erasing all those records at some point. I don’t want anyone finding this stuff. It would be bad for the already precarious future of humanity.

Well, I mentioned some success. That success comes in the form of a sort of super mutant Squirrel that I managed to produce. That thing bit the hand off of one of the super mutants before another beat it to death and ate the thing raw.

Still, they were pleased. Well, the one that lost his hand wasn’t particularly happy, but the others see the potential and I am the first one to actually create a viable test subject.

Super excited to see where this goes. Well, I would be if the end result wasn’t the potential creation of more of those vile brutes.

Well, it sounds like one of the green bastards is coming to see me, so I had better end this.

Tape 3

They brought in some poor soul they found out there in the wasteland. They want me to do my next test on him and I’m honestly not sure I can.

I knew this day would come eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. I’m supposed to take away this person’s humanity, his memories, and his sense of self. It’s barbaric, but to the Greenskins it’s some kind of reproduction. A means to create more of their kind.

I am honestly thinking of sabotaging it so he dies quickly. That should delay them for a short while at least. If I do that, though they might bring more. They do have cages on wheels down here which they could use to gather dozens or maybe even more if they cram them in there.

Still, they will bring more, that much is clear. But perhaps I can convince them that more animal testing is needed before moving on to humans?

They are pretty dim, even the smartest among them. Not to say they are all idiots. Their leader is almost indistinguishable intelligence-wise to your average wastelander. That makes him especially dangerous.

So, I guess I should also note a potential problem. That problem is that radiation-induced mutation may result in the FEV not working as it should, which is why my predecessors suffered so many failures. I have tried to remedy this, but I don’t know if it’s something I can truly fix. I’ve reduced the chance of catastrophic mutation errors which result in writhing monstrosities, but there is still a chance.

Still, the squirrel and the radstag I mutated late last week survived, but that’s two out of perhaps fifty or more failures.

I’m rambling a little, I know that. The truth is that I don’t know what to do here.

Actually, I do. I’m just not certain I’m truly ready to take a human life.

Tape 4

It has been four months since my last recording and by happenstance, this is the fourth one.

Three more Super Mutants have joined the fold. Not because they turned up on our doorstep, but because I helped make them.

While they survived they are incredibly stupid to the point where they can barely feed themselves. They can follow orders but that is about it.

The super mutant warlord, the one in charge, is rather pleased and feels I am heading in the right direction.

I don’t share his feelings.

Still, I believe I have isolated some parts of the FEV that cause the reduction of intelligence. It is exacerbated by subjects that have had their cells mutated by radiation.

I don’t intend on fixing anything regarding intelligence just yet, though. The last thing I want is to create a super mutant smart enough to take over from me. I would prefer they all remain woefully ignorant of things scientific.

At the end of the day, though, I know where all this must end. I don’t want it to happen, but I know that eventually, it must. I might have a plan, but I don’t know yet.

I guess whoever listens to this will know if it worked or not. Or maybe these tapes will be lost to time.

Tape 5

It feels evil, but I know it has to be done. There is no other real choice.

Slowly, better and better super mutants are coming out of the vats. I have convinced the Warlord to step up production and use all the vats we have available. I want to be able to stick twenty people in and get out twenty monstrosities. I’m not talking about super mutants, either, but something else. All I have to do is give up my soul to do it. But I feel that I gave that up a long, long time ago.

Funnily enough, even though I practically spelled it out to them, and told them I was going to make the strongest, fiercest creatures they’ve ever seen, the dumb bastards actually liked the idea. Then again, they do worship strength above all else so maybe the thought of some monstrosity powerful enough to kill them turns them on in some sick sort of way.

Honestly, I don’t know how this will go. I might be making abominations far worse than the super mutants, but I’ve isolated pretty much every single part of what makes the FEV work and what it’s doing.

I can’t believe I’m saying this because it is monstrous and also because, again, I might be creating something far worse than the super mutants themselves.

What I need is time. Time to make the preparations. Time to see if it can be done and done correctly. The DNA I need is stored right here in this facility. All I need to do is sequence it into the FEV template and with luck, it should work. The keyword being ‘luck’.

Actually, that’s a lie. I know it will work, I just don’t know if the subjects will survive the transformation and I doubt they will survive long after. It is why it is perfect. They kill the super mutants and the changes eventually kill them.

Tape 6

That was unexpected. Very unexpected. On a whim, I made a slight alteration to the FEV, and humans came out of the vats. Six of them. But they weren’t normal humans, they were bigger. The leader of the super mutants was not happy and went to kill them. Managed to kill two but the rest fled and I could swear they were still getting bigger.

The best thing was that they didn’t appear to be overtly hostile. As to where they have gone, I don’t know. But they had to be upwards of eight or nine feet when they left.

Of course, the super mutant leader hit me so hard that I was out of it for a few hours. He said I was lucky he didn’t kill me. He wanted more super mutants, not bigger humans. I’ll give the bastard super mutants. I’ll give him mutants so super he won’t know what to do with them. I’ll make sure that he and the rest of them die. I don’t care if I join them. They are too dangerous to live.

Truth be told, I had decided against doing what I intended on doing but not now. As I said before, I have the DNA right here. All I have to do is sequence it into the FEV template and unlike last time, this time I am not going to be a coward and I am actually going to do it.

Tape 7

There is a small town up north across the border in Canada. I know it is evil, I know that I should probably just erase all my research and end my life, but if I do that then the super mutants will just keep searching and many more will die.

But who is to say that I won’t bring something worse into the world?

Hell to it. It has to be done.

I believe I have successfully integrated deathclaw DNA into the FEV profile. In essence, the FEV will mutate the subject into what I believe will be a fairly good approximation. I have been working tirelessly to ensure that what comes out of those vats will be able to remove the Greenskin threat.

Of course, I understand the risks, but the FEV makes its subjects unable to breed or rather has an extremely high likelihood of doing so. They will have limited lifespans, or at least I hope so. There is still a variable which means they might live five years or they might live for five hundred. I have a terrible feeling that the latter will be true and I believe this due to how the deathclaws themselves were made.

Within the next few weeks, I will make the final decision on whether to proceed or not.

Right now, I feel like I have to go through with it. For good or ill, the super mutants must be stopped.

Tape 8

No, I cannot go through with it. Turning people into super mutant deathclaws is a step too far. Not to mention that what I create might bring far more death and hurt than the super mutants could ever hope to achieve.

Unfortunately, they have already set off to the small town up north, taking the animal cages with them. Within the next week or two, they will have returned with prisoners to be changed.

I could make it so that the super mutants that step out of the vats still have their memories. But I need more time to figure out how exactly to do that. There doesn’t seem to be anything apparent that should cause them to forget. Maybe it’s trauma or the physical change to the brain that causes the memory loss. Ultimately, I don’t know.

Tape 9

They are late. Is it too much to hope they’re dead? I doubt it, but if they are, then maybe there is a chance. The Warlord went with them. If he’s dead, then things might turn out okay after all.

I can only hope

The super mutant in charge here, though, is not nearly as smart or patient as the Warlord. He has been talking about taking the role of leader for himself and I fear that he won’t be nearly as forgiving.

Hold on, I hear footsteps.

Tape 10

To Hell with it. I was right, he isn’t nearly as forgiving. I have sabotaged it all, though the new Warlord thinks everything is fine.

They stick humans in those vats and they’ll get the biggest, meanest proxy deathclaws they’ve ever seen and they’ll be wanting blood.

I need rest. I’ve been working overtime and I don’t know if I got all the calculations right. I believe, though, that it will work. The question, of course, is intelligence and humanity. There is no way to tell if they will keep either. I’m half-willing to step into one of those vats myself.

Fuck it, maybe I’ll sneak in tonight.

Tape 11

The old Warlord wasn’t dead at all. They just got lost on the way back from the old town and after almost a month they’re back and with maybe twenty people.

If only that was the end of it.

The old Warlord killed the new one after he challenged his authority and then sent out more of his people to gather even more poor bastards. He said it was time to create an army. Two weeks after that, they returned with another twenty-five.

Turning twenty into those monstrosities is one thing, but forty-five? Oh, God, what have I done? If they stick those people into those vats then they’ll be changed forever and not into super mutants who have no memory of who they were. They might remember everything. If they’re lucky they won’t. If we’re all lucky, then they’ll kill all the super mutants and then each other.

Shit, this is bad.

Shit.

Fuck it. Let it happen. I don’t care anymore. Let the end come. I welcome it. Those green bastards deserve to die and honestly so do I.

Tape 12

It is done. They stuck the first of the prisoners into the vats. When they brought them out, they were changed and they were definitely not super mutants and thankfully not conscious. I thought the warlord would kill me there and then, but he grew excited and stuck more in. Altogether that will make forty of the monsters. Forty of them that I have unleashed on the world.

He should have waited. The ones that went in first have awoken and they are not happy. I am in my office and even now I can hear the fighting outside. They are monstrous beasts with impossible strength, especially the males. They are far more hostile and violent than the females, so much so that they are attacking them as well. It is by sheer chance that the females are bigger than the males, but the ferocity of them makes up for it.

I suppose this will be the end. Either the warlord finds me and kills me or one of the green proxy deathclaws do. Either way, I’m dead.

Strangely, I’m okay with it. Let the end come. I deserve it.

Chapter End Notes:

Fun Fact: This was the first chapter I wrote for this story.

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