Desolation Ed

Desolation Ed is fanfic in progress by Jspyster1. The plot is mainly about World War III turning the world into a nuclear wasteland, the Peach Creek kids survive the war by hiding out in huge, underground vaults, the water supplies are running low in the vault and Eddy is forced to venture out into the Peach Creek wasteland to find a water purification chip. As you may notice, the plot of the fanfic is heavily based off the Fallout video game series, more specifically the first one. Rest assure that this story won't be entirely ripped off from Fallout, I plan to incorporate my own original ideas and adventures into this fic. A sequel has been planned.


 * Desolation Ed at FanFiction.net

Prologue
The time of the story takes place about a few years after the events of The Big Picture Show. War, war never changes... The world's energy resources have almost been extinguished, entire countries are waging war against each other for the last few drops of oil. Tensions between the U.S. and Russia are high, with their nuclear missiles pointed directly at each other ready to fire. During these times the U.S. government commissioned the Vault-Tec Corporation with "Project Safehouse". The purpose of this project was to build giant underground vaults for America's population to hide in if there was ever a threat of the U.S becoming under attack by nuclear weapons. The bombs eventually fell... Thus beginning World War III. On April 20 all of the world's nations, simultaneously fired their nuclear war heads at each other thus turning all of the earth into a nuclear wasteland. Thankfully, some of the population managed to make it into the safety of the Vaults. but this isn't the story of the Vault project, this is the story of a certain member of Vault 23 and his quest to save the closest place he can call home. Vault 23 was built in a mountain on the outskirts of Peach Creek, near the junkyard factory. It was this vault where the kids of the Cul-de-Sac took shelter in when the bombs fell. It was one of the few vaults to hold out during the initial explosion of the nukes. And it is this vault where our story begins...

Main Characters

 * Eddy: The protagonist of the story. Eddy was one of the lucky few to have a spot reserved for him in Vault 23 before the bombs fell. he and the rest of the kids have spent more than half a year inside the vault. Eddy is fed up with the vault lifestyle and wishes that things could be different. Fortunatley (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) one day, Eddy was chosen by the Overseer to venture off into the Peach creek wasteland to find a replacement water chip for the vault. Eddy's previous job in the vault (you know, before he was sent out on his quest) was the "Pip-Boy Mechanic" despite the fact he claims he doesn't know anything about mechanical repair. Working in the maintenance department is one of the lowest jobs you can get in the vault (the other being "Sanitation Specialist") which accounts for one of the many reasons why Eddy has a negative view on life. He also suffers from Vault Depressive Syndrome.


 * Edd: Edd is still a good friend of Eddy. He accompanies Eddy during his quest near the second half of the story. His job in the vault is "librarian's assistant".


 * Ed: Ed is still friend with Edd and Eddy even after a nuclear holocaust. Ed accompanies Eddy on his journey during the second half of the story. His job down in the vault is "Sanitation Specialist", which basically means he's the guy who unclogs all the stopped up toilets, he doesn't seem to mind his job despite how crummy it is.

Major Characters

 * Elron H. Tompson: An original character created by the author. Elron is the overseer of Vault 23, which means he is in charge of managing all that goes on in the Vault. Elron is a 19-20 year old boy (or should I say young adult) from Lemon Brook. He was appointed overseer of the vault because his father supposedly has ties with the government. Elron always tries to portray a cheery attitude to the other vault citizens in hopes to increase their enthusiasm in their work, however most of the citizens find him extremely annoying. Elron was the one who chose Eddy to recover a replacement water chip for the vault. His first name is a pun of science fiction novelist L. Ron Hubbard, which is a subtle hint of his true nature...


 * Robert "Rosie" Conagher: An OC created by the author. Rosie is a a traveling junk merchant whom Eddy meets in Chapter 5. An unnamed character that briefly appeared in Chapter 4 scooping fecal matter out of a cow pen was retconed into Rosie. He speaks with a southern accent and is always seen wearing a welder's mask over his face to hide a hideous mutation that gave him his nickname. He carries an antique LeMat revolver with him at all times.


 * Joey Black: An OC created by the author. Joey is the leader of a malicious group of raiders. After a scouting party of raiders attacks Eddy and his friends, Eddy swore revenge against Joey. A posse was formed in Hubcap Flats dedicated to bringing him to justice. Not much else is known about Joey at this time. His facial appearance is described as "An emo kid crossed with Thomas Edison". Joey is trigger happy and has been known to shoot at his own team mates.

Minor Characters

 * Kevin: Kevin is somewhat of a minor antagonist. He is mostly seen teasing Eddy while inside the vault. Later, he holds a secret meeting with the rest of the Peach Creek kids regarding his views on vault life and the overseer. Kevin works as an engineer for the vault's power grid.


 * Jonny: Jonny is also a citizen of Vault 23. He, along with Plank, act as door guards outside the Overseer's office on the 3rd level of the vault. He still retains his energetic personality. He also likes to gossip with the other kids in his spare time.


 * Rolf: Another citizen of Vault 23. Rolf is sick of vault life and wishes to return back to the simple life of a farmhand. He has a larger appearance in Chapter 11. Rolf is also the "Fry Cook" for the cafetorium.


 * Nazz: Nazz finally makes an appearance in Chapter 11 where it is revealed she works as a nurse in the vault's clinic. Unlike most of the kids, Nazz has adapted well to life in the vault.


 * Sarah: Sarah, like Jimmy was mentioned in Chapter 2 but didn't make a full appearance until Chapter 11. Being a few shy years of the working age, Sarah spends most of her time in the vault forcing other vault dwellers to please her. She usually achieves this goal by threatening to report them to the overseer for with wrongful accusations.


 * Jimmy: Jimmy made an appearance in Chapter 11. The threat and the effect of a worldwide nuclear attack had a negative psychological impact on Jimmy. He views the vault as the safest place on earth and has adapted well to it's rather unextraordinary lifestyle.


 * The Kanker Sisters: The Kankers have all been bestowed with tasks dealing with work in the maintenance department; a position frowned upon by vault society. The Kanker Sisters make an appearance in Chapter 11 where they still tried to hit-on/sexually harass the Eds.


 * Various Kids from Lemon Brook: Vault 23 is also populated with many other kids from Lemon Brook. These kids are a lot older and stronger than the Peach Creek Kids. Due to their greater strength, they are usually tasked with working on the more difficult maintenance jobs in the vault those some are given more glamorous jobs such as a position in the vault security team.


 * Keith: Keith first appeared in Chapter 3 where he helped defeat the scorpion attacking Eddy. He then invites Eddy into his settlement for brief protection. He is described with a southern accent and the appearance of a hobo.


 * Dr. Morbid: Dr. Morbid first appeared in Chapter 4 where he patched up Eddy's injured hand.


 * Killian Darkwater: Killian is the Mayor, Sheriff, Chief Justice and occasionally the Executioner of the Junktown Settlement. He was almost assassinated by a hitman working for Gizmo until Eddy saved his life.


 * Gizmo: Was first mentioned in Chapter 4 but didn't make an appearance until Chapter 5. He is a morbidly obese mobster who owns a casino in the southern end of Junktown. He hired an assassin to take out Killian because he saw him as a "goody-goody-two shoe". Eddy managed to get his confession which eventually lead to his demise.


 * Sydney Watson: Sydney is the bodyguard of Rosie's caravan and lifelong friend. She first appeared in chapter 6 where she helps escort Rosie's caravan. She wields an Uzi sub machinegun.


 * Ivan Abelev: Ivan is the overseer and the only male inhabitant of Vault 69. He spends most of his time drinking, partying, harassing women, or any combination of the three. He appears in Chapter 10.


 * Tom: An eccentric hermit Eddy meets in Chapter 12. Tom lives in a small tent in a rocky outcrop and offers directions to Eddy. He also has an obsession with tending a rather large cooking pot.

Original Characters Submitted by the Readers

 * Daniel Santiago: An OC submitted by "Akuma no Musuko". Daniel is a Hispanic man taught in the ways of repair and sheet metal by his father, Gabriel. He lived in a village near the Mexican-American named Oaxaca Nueva. when he was 17 his village was overrun by Super Mutants. Daniel and a few others managed to survive. His father wasn't so lucky. Saddened by his father's death, Daniel took some of the fallen scrap metal and forged a battle axe out of it. He then left the remains of his village and moved to the safety of Hubcap Flats where he joined the city police force, swearing to prevent the town from suffering a similar fate as his village. Daniel first appears in Chapter 7 where Eddy joins the posse he's in.


 * Lucas G. (Gerald) Smith: Lucas Smith was submitted by "LucasBravvus97" a.k.a. User:Terribith0997. Lucas (Smith) managed to get a spot in Vault 18 before the bombs fell, the rest his family wasn't so fortunate. After the vault opened Lucas moved to Hubcap Flats, tired of Vault life. He appears in Chapter 7 in the posse.


 * Cody Sanderson: Cody was submitted by User:Gamechanl44. Cody lived in an unmarked vault by himself. He ventured out one day in search of food and eventually came across the settlement of Hubcap Flats. He joined the police force in order to make money to put food on his table. He appears in Chapter 7 as a member of the posse.


 * Jean Quake: Jean was submitted by "Key and Lock". Jean is a mysterious man, his face shrouded by a black mask. He claims to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat and trap disarming. Not much else is known about his back story. He prefers to stay silent. He appears in Chapter 7, in the posse.


 * Jay: Jay was submitted by User:Eddlikeshotsauce. Jay is a teenage boy with a hereditary condition that causes him to twitch and flinch. His father was injured by a raider and is the reason why Jay joined the posse. He appears in Chapter 7.


 * Kyle Cornwell: Kyle was submitted by "Atlas59". Kyle has been in the Hub police force ever since the town first started. He was the man who organized a posse together to take out Joey Black. He appears in Chapter 7.


 * Atwater Renstad: Atwater was submitted by User:Kirkland22. Atwater first appeared in Chapter 8 wear he is mostly seen drinking beer along with Jacoren. Like his comrades, Atwater is trigger happy and enjoys the suffering and murder of others. He is skilled with knives and close-quarters combat.


 * Jacoren: Jacoren was submitted by Kevinbman. A flaming pyromaniac, Jacoren is skilled with the tactical uses of thermal energy and has a burning desire to see his enemies ablaze (OK, I'll stop with the fire puns). He is a heavy drinker and enjoys taunting the victims he has captured during his career as a raider.


 * Frederick von Richter a.k.a. The Baron: The Baron was submitted by Evil Tim 17. The Baron is a Nazi-wannabe with a passion for all things Hitler. Ever since he raided a museum of its WWII possessions, The Baron has thought of himself as the unofficial leader o Joey Blacks gang. He serves as the right hand man to Joey Black and oversees all of the gang's activities.


 * Spearhead: Spearhead was submitted by User:Dr. Angryslacks. A mysterious figure who acted as a spy during Chapter 7. Spearhead was responsible for leaking the posse's plans to the raider gang. Spearhead masks his voice with a strange accent and wears a hooded robe in order to conceal his identity. He is also addicted to jet.

Major

 * Vault 23: A large underground vault built by the Vault-Tec Corporation which was to act as a shelter to the children of Peach Creek and the surrounding area. The vault cost about $620,000,000,000 to build (Believe it or not, I'm not exaggerating). The Cul-de-Sac kids reside here as well as the kids from Lemon Brook for a reason yet to be revealed. The Overseer of the vault is Elron H. Thompson. Vault 23 was originally supposed to come with an extra water chip in case the first one ever malfunctioned but in a mix-up the chip was sent to another location. It was from this vault where Eddy emerged to start his quest for the water chip. The vault is located around the outskirts of Peach Creek, in the mountains to the north west of the junkyard.


 * Vault 69: This is the vault Elron told Eddy to search first for the water chip. According to past records, the occupants of Vault 69 consist of 999 women and only one man. It finally makes an appearance in Chapter 10 where it is revealed to host 24 hour nonstop parties. Ivan Abelev is the single male occupant and as well as the overseer.


 * Junktown: Junktown is a settlement located in the junkyard built by survivors of the war. Killian Darkwater's father founded the town and was the mayor until his death. The town is now lead by Killian himself. Eddy took shelter in this town after a radscorpion attack. The town consists mostly of shacks built from sheet metal. It includes a medical clinic, a general store, and a casino run by a local mobster.


 * Peach Creek Suburbs: The suburbs are home to the Rockwell's residence as well as the Cul-de-Sac where the kids used to live. Most of the houses in the neighborhood have been devastated by the nukes while very few managed to hold out. Ed's House was among the very few to stay intact.


 * Hubcap Flats: a.k.a. "The Hub", is a location first mentioned by Rosie in Chapter 6 and later debuted in Chapter 7. It is a major settlement for traders and merchants. It was supposedly named by a man called "Jethro" who named it after the used car dealership he hid in. The town is located on the outer rim of Downtown Peach Creek is a district formerly called "The Slums". Residents occupy pre-war buildings. It was here where Eddy joins a posse to take out Joey Black.

Minor

 * The Junkyard Factory: The factory first appeared in Chapter 3. It somehow survived the nuclear blasts from when the bombs fell. Eddy first ventures into the factory after he left the vault. The factory's previous machinery has been cleared out and remains mostly empty except for the occasion pile of junk (it is a junkyard factory after all). An over-sized rat dwells within the darkness of the factory, possibly due to the radiation emitted by the nuclear bombs that destroyed Peach Creek.


 * Sullen Souls Funeral Home: A pre-war funeral home that now serves as the hideout of Joey Black and his gang. It was first mentioned in Chapter 7 and later made a full appearance in Chapter 8. The funeral home is two stories tall and contains a tunnel system, dug out by the raiders and filled with jail cells to trap and torture their victims, and a cemetery, complete with its own ossuary that serves as Joey Black's throne and treasure room. The funeral home is located in an old strip mall.


 * Apple River: A location mentioned by Tom in Chapter 12. Little is known about this location other than that a group of tribals live there who are, as stated by Tom, "too weird, even for me". The location has been named akin to that of both Peach Creek and Lemon Brook.

The WaterChip Arc

 * Chapter 1: An Imperfect Routine

The daily life of Eddy down in Vault 23.


 * Chapter 2: A State of Emergency

Eddy is called forth to seek out the water chip.


 * Chapter 3: Welcome to the Wasteland

Eddy gets a rude welcoming in the wasteland.


 * Chapter 4: The Proposition

Eddy discovers a settlement of survivors in the junkyard.


 * Chapter 5: Espionage

Eddy carries out the deadly proposition offered to him by Killian Darkwater.


 * Chapter 6: Reminiscence and Contention

Eddy discovers the ruins of the Cul-de-Sac and runs into trouble.


 * Chapter 7: The Heart of Commerce

Eddy explores the town of Hubcap Flats and joins a posse of law bringers.


 * Chapter 8: Retribution

Eddy and the posse assault the Sullen Souls Funeral Home.


 * Chapter 9: Devious Endeavors

Eddy takes care of some last minute business in Hubcap Flats.


 * Chapter 10: Gomorrah's Vault

Eddy reaches the infamous Vault 69.


 * Chapter 11: Conspiracy

The kids hold a secret meeting back in Vault 23.


 * Chapter 12: Apocryphal Appetites

Eddy finds a mysterious stranger in the mountains. No, not that Mysterious Stranger.


 * Chapter 13:

1% complete

Wasteland Oddjobs Arc (Working Title)

 * TBA

The Mutant Terror Arc

 * TBA

Eddy's Inventory
Below is a list of items Eddy has in his backpack, or on his person, that he has collected throughout the story.


 * 10mm handgun
 * Box of 10mm ammo
 * Combat Knife
 * Medkit: (Bandages, a roll of gauze, aspirin, ointment, 5 stimpacks, “Coping With Mr. Virus” Pamphlet)
 * Food Packages: Meat Jerky, 1 Pep-Bar, Can-O-Spam, Meal-Ready-to-Eat bag (Liver & Yogurt Flavor).
 * Vault 23 Water Flask (Full)
 * 1 Bottle of Purified Water
 * Hunting Rifle
 * Box of .32 rifle ammo (limited)
 * 394 bottlecaps
 * “Undertaker” minigun
 * 1 belt of custom ammo for the minigun.
 * 4 Bobby Pins
 * Vault 69 Overseer Notes + Ms. Kattswelle’s medical file + passkey to the clinic.

Trivia

 * The shortest amount of time it took to write a chapter was 1 day (Chapter 1) while the longest time it took to write a chapter was 6 months (Chapter 4).


 * In Chapter 1, Ed is reading a "Grognak the Barbarian" comic book. Not only it this a parody of Conan the Barbarian, but it is also an actual item featured in Fallout 3.


 * The final line of Chapter 1, "...but life in the vault was about to change." is an homage to the ending line of the original Fallout intro "Life in the vault is about to change."


 * The Overseer has Eddy's full name listed as "Eddy Skipper McGee" though Eddy admits in Chapter 2 that "McGee" isn't really his last name and he only pretends it to be "because it rhymes”. This pokes fun on how some people believe that Eddy's last name is "McGee".


 * Lower numbered vaults are located on the West Coast of America while higher numbered vaults are located on the East Coast. Since Vault 23 is considered a lower number, this suggests that Peach Creek is somewhere on the West Coast of America even though Vault 69, which is a "middle" number and would be located in the Midwest, is only a few miles away. This was purposely done to add mystery to the location of Peach Creek.


 * Vault 23 shares similarities with Vault 29, as both only allowed children in their vault and their parents were redirected to another vault.


 * Running Gag: Eddy believes that anything marked with the label "Standard Issue" is Communist. This is most prevalent in Chapter 1.


 * In Chapter 6, Eddy stumbles upon an issue of "Fox Paws" magazine. Not only is this an homage to "Cat's Paw" magazine from the Fallout series but it is also a play on the phrase "Faux Pas". The description of the magazine from the story is also an homage to the description of the magazine from the game.


 * The initials for Desolation Ed are "DE" which happens to spell "ED" backwards. This was an unintentional coincidence.


 * Many stores from the show are mentioned by Eddy in Chapter 7. These include the Candy Store, Danny's Meat Shop, Lih's Supply Co., AKA Shoes, as well as Parsley Haven from the Edtopoilis.com tabloid "The Gravy Inquirer".


 * The Super 6 Motel is based upon the "Super 8" and "Motel 6" chain of motels. The sign in front of the motel in Chapter 7 is a parody of Motel 6's slogan "We'll keep a light on for ya".


 * The "Sicilian Eagle" restaurant in Chapter 7 is a parody of the "Maltese Falcon", a 1930's detective novel as well as the name of a bar in the original Fallout game.


 * The "Liver and Yogurt Burrito" bag that Eddy has in his backpack is a reference to the episode "Oath to an Ed", where the Eds attempt to microwave a Liver & Yogurt burrito for an Urban Ranger badge.


 * The way Eddy talks while trying to sell the vacuum cleaner in Chapter 7 is an homage to Vince Offer, better known as "The ShamWow! Guy". Eddy uses similar phrases such as "You followin me?" and "We Americans make good stuff." and "Cuz we can't do this all day."


 * Some of the names on the wanted posters in Chapter 7 are references to people who worked on the show. These include Scott Underwood and "Big" Jim Miller. The name "Kril" is an homage to a character from Evil Tim 17's story on FanFiction.net.


 * The quote Jacoren shouts down to the trapped woman in the well at the beginning of Chapter 8 is a reference to a famous quote spoken by the antagonist of the movie "Silence of the Lambs".


 * In Chapter 10 Rosie claims to have met several interesting people during his travels, two of which are references to characters in the Fallout series. He mentions a ghoulish fella, as well as a robotic metal fella, the latter of which he could relate to.


 * The advertisement for Vault 69 Eddy looks at before entering the atrium is based on an actual piece of concept art for Vault 69.


 * The stack of movie holotapes Eddy picks up in Chapter 10 are references to movies in the Fallout World. The first movie, "Prepare for the Future", is the title of Fallout 3 teaser trailer, "Leaving the Vault", was a movie shown in the intro of Fallout 2 which taught people how to successfully step out of a vault, and the third movie, "Happy Trails", was a movie played to every overseer within Vault 11.


 * Eddy's final line of Chapter 10 "...Little slice of paradise" was the original working title for the chapter.


 * The substandard operation system Edd works with on the computer in Chapter 11 is a mockery of Windows Vista.


 * In Chapter 11, the description of how Rolf's chickens died during the war is a reference the description of Kentucky Fried Chicken's secret recipe.