Endzeit Geschichte

The Flag of the USA in Endzeit

99 Jahre Krieg ließen keinen Platz für Sieger,
Kriegsminister gibt's nicht mehr
und auch keine Düsenflieger.
Heute zieh ich meine Runden,
seh die Welt in Trümmern liegen.
Hab 'nen Luftballon gefunden
denk an dich und lass ihn fliegen.
- Nena, 99 Luftballons

Since I copied almost the entire history section from the Fallout Bible, I did not deem it necessary to replace "Fallout" with "Endzeit, there is no shame for me to admit where these ideas come from.

Endzeit, like the Fallout computer game series and my personal evergreen Wasteland, takes place in an “alternate universe.” This means that, sometime after World War II, “real” history and Fallout history diverged, although where this happened is not exactly clear. The alternate reality, henceforth referred to as the “Fallout Universe,” is awfully close to the real world, but with some major differences. The Soviet Union survived well into the 21st Century before it finally splintered in the Resource Wars. This did not hinder the advances in technology, as supercomputers, advanced robotics, and fusion power all flourished before the War.

It should also be noted that the nuclear weapons used in the Fallout universe are not as strong as the nukes in modern arsenals; they are much closer in yield to warheads developed and tested in the late 1940s and 1950s, which means that the level of devastation is slightly different (and potentially far less severe) than it would be in the “real” world. In addition, the dust cloud necessary for nuclear winter never formed, so that phase of nuclear war is unheard of in Fallout.

In 2052, the Resource Wars erupted, threatening to tear the world apart. Famines in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, massive pollution in Southeast Asia, religious extremists in the Middle East and the Pacific Northwest, coupled with an ever-growing need for irreplaceable fossil fuels, led the planet to a breaking point. American corporations, desperate for now-nonexistent cheaper labor and new markets so they could continue to make profits, became more and more brazen about their ties to the American government, which in turn became more and more brazen about its imperialistic tendencies.

China, along with the European Commonwealth, began its own form of imperialism, raiding resources in the American sphere of influence. While the world had not experienced a massive war in over 100 years, the house of cards created by ailing superpowers and limping business interests could not withstand the strong breeze. As the EC and the Middle East squabbled over oil, China turned its attentions towards North America.

There was no one incident that decisively led to the declaration of war on China by America (or on America by China), but the Chinese invasion of Alaska and its still-flowing oilfields in 2066 was all the excuse either side needed. After brutal but indecisive trench-and-plane warfare dragged on for months and then years, it became obvious that both sides had too much to lose to back out – and the corporations running both countries would never allow such a profitable war to quit. America eventually took back most of the Alaskan frontier, but more than a decade of intense warfare left a good deal of the formerly-pristine land a scorched, useless wreck.

In the early morning hours of October 23, 2077, the war became the War, and reached its inevitable conclusion. Spears of fire rained from the sky, destroying the planet’s major cities, polluting the oceans, and creating nightmares no scientist could imagine. Tens of thousands of soldiers, scientists, artists, and wealthy people reserved spaced in enormous underground shelters called Vaults, but because of the constant false alarms, only a fraction made it inside on that day. High-ranking US officials took refuge on an oil platform off the coast of San Francisco, evidence at last of the corporate control over the government and its army.

As the radioactive dust coated the planet and the last matchsticks of civilization snapped, the surface survivors died by the billions, leaving those that were left to try to fend for whatever scraps they could find. The Government, safe on Poseidon Oil’s provided offshore platform, took to calling itself the Enclave and secretly began plotting the return of their “pure” version of humanity to the mainland. Their sense of genetic and mental superiority allowed them to justify their actions, just as regular survivors stronger than the others justified atrocities by the same twisted logic. Fortunately, the Enclave’s influence was limited to the extreme American West by its location on the platform, and the rest of the world limped toward civilization – or descended into darkness – at its own pace.

Eventually, though, the Vaults opened, some at pre-appointed times, others by apparent mechanical or planning errors, releasing the inhabitants to mix with surface survivors in a much-changed United States, on a much-changed planet Earth: the setting for Endzeit.

Countdown

Much of the following text comes from the timeline in Fallout Bible 0 written by Chris Avellone. Much of the information in Avellone's timeline comes from the original Fallout 1 timeline created by Brian Freyermuth and Scott Campbell, some post-FO1 stuff was laid out by Rob Hertenstein, and some dates were added by Chris Avellone himself.

Note that the Endzeit world is not our own, but it diverged from ours soon after World War II. So while it takes place in the future, it is not our future, but the future as imagined in 1990s science fiction. Though I've only carried the original timeline through to the end of the Resource Wars (October 27, 2077), the current year is 2177. For a complete version of this timeline, visit the Fallout Wikia Timeline

1942

Sierra Army Depot is erected. Its mission is to store and maintain a defensive supply of military ordinance. This mission continued until 1991. This is a real event, before the Fallout universe diverged from ours.

1943

The Los Alamos Nuclear Research and Development facility, codename: The Reservation, completes construction. Los Alamos becomes part of the research team for the Manhattan Project.

1945

The Second World War comes to an end. Shortly after this, the Fallout Universe begins to diverge from ours, at first in minor respects, then major.

1961

May 5: Captain Carl Bell of the United States Space Agency (U.S.S.A.) became the first human in space. This claim is disputed by both the Soviet Union and China. Captain Bell's flight in Space Capsule Defiance 7 lasted twelve minutes and seven seconds, and made a full revolution around the Earth. Bell died when the capsule crashed on its return to Earth.

1969

By this year, the United States is divided into thirteen commonwealths, each of which encompasses several states. The national flag is changed to reflect this and depicts thirteen stars - twelve in a circle and one in the middle.

July 16: The Virgo II Lunar Lander Valiant 11 with U.S.S.A. astronauts Captain Richard Wade, Captain Mark Garris, and Captain Michael Hagen lands on the moon. The astronauts become the first humans to walk on a celestial body other than Earth.

November 14: Virgo III Lander Valiant 12 lands on the Moon.

1992

The mission of Sierra Army Depot is changed. It is now responsible for the demilitarization of stores of surplus ammunition that have been deemed unfit or obsolete for military purposes. This mission is to be overseen by the Industrial Operations Command (I.O.C.) in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.), providing a greener, cleaner way to dispose of military ordnance. This mission continued until 2050.

2010

The Delta IX rocket is commissioned by the U.S.S.A. The Delta IX rocket is the last of the manned rockets to the Moon.

2021

Hubris Comics begins publishing comic books.

2034

The Delta IX rocket is converted for U.S. military purposes. Crew and instrument sections are replaced with a nuclear warhead.

2037

The Mr. Handy series of robots is first brought to market as a general construction and maintenance unit by General Atomics International.

2039

Prometheus Coal, a division of Poseidon Energy, opens a coal mine in central Utah. A small village opens up nearby. It is called Eagle Rock.

An early bug in Mr. Handy robots that caused interference in the operation of the multiple arms is fixed with a hardware update, with no major problems since then.

2040

The Tibbets Prison is commandeered by the United States government in association with Vault-Tec and Poseidon Oil to tie into their Safehouse project. On 5 April 2040, the Secretary of the Army makes the decision to build a new Disciplinary Barracks, with a capacity for 456 inmates. A cost ceiling of $363 million in allocated construction dollars is set. The target budget year for funding this project is fiscal year 2041. Construction begins in the Fall of 2042, with completion projected for the Fall of the year 2045.

2042

A major earthquake takes place in Mexico City. The Mr. Handy general construction robot becomes the leader in sales in Mexico.

July: discussions with Vault-Tec to determine space and functional requirements for the new Tibbets facility.

September 3: the Combined Arms Center Commander is given a decision brief of the USDB project, and selects one of three design options for further development. He also requests the Corps of Engineers to research an alternate location for the placement of this facility, since the geological evaluation of the site adjacent to the Trustee Unit revealed unsuitable subsurface conditions. Discussions involving the possible movement of the prison and relocation projects are also discussed, leading to the eventual three-rail system.

2044

Nuka-Cola is invented by John Caleb-Bradberton.

The Great Passion Fruit Famine hits America. People actually notice the taste difference in Nuka-Cola when the flavor was changed.

The X277 Viper Magnetic Rail Cannon developed for the U.S. Military by West-Tek is deemed too costly to produce on a mass scale and abandoned.

2050

The mission of Sierra Army Depot is changed again. It is refurbished with the latest in technology and is from now on used as a secret research installation for developing and testing robotic, biological and conventional weapons until 2076.

2051

Seeking to protect business interests and their oil supply, the United States begins to exert increasing pressure on Mexico, citing the political instability and pollution stemming from Mexico as a threat to the United States. Various economic sanctions serve to destabilize Mexico, and the United States military enters Mexico to keep the oil refineries running and making sure oil and fuel continue to make their way north across the border at Mexico's expense.

The N99 10mm Pistol becomes standard issue military sidearm following the phase out of the N80.

July 27: The United Nations is officially disbanded.

The United States closes its borders to the flood of immigrants.

The last manned mission to the moon occurs.

The widely known Nuka-Cola’s Dazzling Blue bottle color was adopted as standard after market research programs indicated that the blue color was the favorite in 86 people out of a hundred polled.

2053

The socially transmitted "New Plague" arises, killing tens of thousands. The United States closes its borders and the first-ever national quarantine is declared. The source of the plague is unknown, but rumors persist that it is a genetically engineered weapon.

ZAX 1.0 goes on-line, developed by Vault-Tec. Initially a prototype of some of the systems designed to govern the vaults, it is given to the government to help the Department of Energy collect resource data. Within a year, it is taken by the military for plague and tactical research; one version, ZAX 1.2 is constructed for West Tek (below).

December: Like an exclamation mark on the end of a very bad year, a terrorist nuclear weapon destroys Tel Aviv.

2054

January: Limited nuclear exchange in the Middle East raises fears throughout the world.

In light of the Euro-Middle Eastern conflict and the plague scare, the United States officially sets Project Safehouse in motion. The project, financed by junk bonds, is designed to create shelters, called Vaults, for the populace in the event of a nuclear war or deadly plague. Construction begins late in 2054 and proceeds rapidly due to advances in construction technology.

2055

The West Tek Research Facility starts working on a new virus to kill the New Plague. Their viral research and close ties to the federal government eventually lead to them being chosen for the Pan-Immunity Virion Project twenty years later as well as Power Infantry Armor and laser research.

ZAX 1.2 is brought in to regulate conditions in West Tek. It is not part of the Vault-Tec preservation software, so it does not have any orders to protect humanity after the bombs fall. In the meantime, it calmly calculates data and plays chess with the scientists. Many scientists claim that ZAX is a "big ol' cheater" and draws the game out too much for a computer of his considerable abilities.

2059

The Anchorage Front Line is established, as the United States increases its military presence in Alaska to protect its oil interests. The Anchorage Front Line causes tensions in the United States and Canada, as the United States attempts to pressure Canada into allowing American military units to guard the Alaskan pipeline.

The first artificial intelligence is born. Limited by memory constraints, its expansion is rapidly halted. The discovery paves the way for future A.I. research in laboratories throughout the United States.

2060

Traffic on the streets of the world stops moving. Fuel becomes too precious to waste on automobiles, so alternatives are explored - electric and fusion cars begin to be manufactured, but factories can only make limited amounts while conserving fuel. The U.S. economy teeters on bankruptcy. Pressure on fusion research increases.

The Euro-Middle Eastern War ends as the oil fields in the Middle East run dry. There is no longer a goal in the conflict, and both sides are reduced almost to ruin.

The European Commonwealth dissolves into quarreling nation states, fighting over the remaining resources.

2061

March: Construction of Vault 108 begins.

2062

May: Construction of Vault 92 begins.

Despite quarantine measures, the New Plague continues to spread, fueling national paranoia.

Many Mormon congregations come together to purchase places in Vault 70, located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

U.F.O. codenamed "Paladine" crashed just north of Hagerstown, Maryland. Could not be recovered.

2063

August: The construction of most Vaults completed, except for Vault 13, whose construction finally gets off the ground...heralding a development cycle that seems plagued with problems. Drills begin in the other cities with completed Vaults, but the increasing frequency of the drills has a "cry wolf" effect, and the turnouts for drills trickle off as the years go on.

Dr. Willem Clark, a top nuclear physicist in his day, is put in charge of all scientific endeavors at the Reservation. Colonel Green, a career soldier in the U.S. army, is put in charge of security.

2064

March: Construction of Vault 106 begins.

2065

February: Construction of Vault 76 begins.

June: Due to enormous demands for electricity from a 17+ million population, a nuclear reactor in New York City goes supercritical during the summer of this year, almost causing a meltdown. The near meltdown brings into effect power rationing, and the term "Hot Summer" is used to refer to the New York incident.

August: Increasing need for mobility in the United States mechanized cavalry leads the military to focus the efforts on creating a man-based tank - essentially, a two-legged walking armored unit: Power Armor.

2065 - 2067: Power Armor research grows and several prototypes are developed, many of which prove to be unworkable in the field. These prototypes pave the way for future advances in military, construction, and fusion technology.

The Reservation is given orders to research and produce nuclear missiles that can be fired from an orbiting space platform.

2066

May: Construction of Vault 87 begins.

Spring: As the oil resources dry up across the globe, China's fossil fuel dependency causes an energy crisis in the nation. China, bordering on collapse, becomes more aggressive in its trade talks with the United States. Unwilling to export oil to China, talks between the United States and China break down.

Summer: Adding further insult to the Sino-American relations, the first crude fusion cell is unveiled, one of the results of the Power Armor project. Devices designed for the fusion cell begin to be manufactured. Incorporating fusion power into the general U.S. infrastructure begins, but the process is too slow to supply power to the regions that need it. Nearly eleven years later, few sections of the United States were supplied with fusion power.

Winter: In the winter of 2066, China invades Alaska. The Anchorage Front Line becomes a true battleground.

Winter: As a sign of increasing tension between the two countries, Canada proves reluctant to allow American troops on Canadian soil or allow American planes to fly over Canadian airspace. American and Canadian tensions rise, but Canada eventually backs down, and U.S. troops pass through Canada. This sets the stage for the Canadian annexation in 2076.

The U.S. Navy Missile Cruiser U.S.S. Ebon Atoll is accidentally sunk by the U.S. Navy Submarine U.S.S. Interference during the Anchorage Campaign. The Interference mistook the Ebon Atoll for an enemy vessel and shot it with a nuclear torpedo killing all on board. It is one of the worst U.S. Navy disasters since World War II.

Resource rationing in Denver causes riots. Midwest U.S.A. and Mexico start having food shortages and can't supply Denver with the food it needs. Food riots occur. National Guard called in. With more important things to spend their money on, Poseidon Energy closes the inefficient and dangerous Eagle Rock mine complex and sells it to the U.S. government.

2067

The first suit of T-45d Power Armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this Power Armor is incredibly effective against Chinese tanks and infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordnance becomes key in various localized conflicts, and it has the power to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. China rushes to create its own versions, but they are many years behind the United States.

Senator Todd Peterson decides to build a secret bunker to house himself and his family should war break out. Senator Peterson is a wealthy man in his own right, but lacks the funds necessary for such a project. Through secret dealings with Poseidon Oil and a covert branch of the government known as the Enclave, the final funding for the project is attained. A construction site is chosen in southern Colorado and work begins.

By this year, a Nuka-Cola machine can be found on almost every street in America.

2068

May: Construction of Vault 92 ends.

November: Construction of Vault 112 begins.

2069

Canada begins to feel the pressure from the United States military as the U.S. draws upon Canadian resources for the war effort. Vast stretches of timberland are destroyed, and other resources in Canada are stretched to the breaking point. Many Americans refer to Canada as Little America, and Canadian protests are unheard.

March: Vault 13 is finally completed - it is the last of the Vaults on the West Coast, and drills begin. Due to its late completion, the "cry wolf" effect that hurt the other Vaults is not as pronounced.

October: Construction of Vault 76 ends.

December: Construction of Vault 106 and Vault 108 ends. Vault 108 was in construction for 8 years due to work stoppage.

2070

The first of the Chryslus Motors fusion-driven cars are developed. Reassuringly big and American, the limited models carry a hefty price tag but are sold out within days. Many Chryslus plants have long since been converted into making military ordinance.

2071

December: Construction of Vault 87 ends.

2072

The United States' increasing demand for Canadian resources causes protests and riots in several Canadian cities. An attempted sabotage of the Alaskan pipeline is all the military needs as an excuse to begin its annexation of Canada, which had already begun in 2067.

June 3: Canada fully annexed by U.S.A.

Completed B.O.M.B. missiles are sent to different space centers around the U.S. so they can be carried into space and installed into the B.O.M.B. satellites. The process is slow, but it is being carried out fairly regularly.

2073

August: The Ballistic Orbital Missile Base, or B.O.M.B.-001, is completed and partially functional (for security and maintenance bots) using a temporary on-board generator. The only thing the base needs are the manually inputted final launch instructions and codes, and the main power reactor.

September 15: As China becomes increasingly aggressive with their use of biological weapons, the United States government felt that a countermeasure was needed. The Pan-Immunity Virion Project (PVP) is officially formed and plans are made to begin experiments at the WestTek research facility in Southern California.

2074

Negotiations between the U.S. and other world powers come to a dramatic end, with the President walking out of oil talks with the other world powers. After a much heated debate, the President stormed out of the meeting and declared that the last known supply of petroleum will be used exclusively by the U.S. and the U.S. will not sell or trade any oil to outside parties.

Contrary to their claims of seeking only to retake Alaska from the Reds, American Power Armor units, infantry, and mechanized divisions are deployed to China, but they become bogged down on the mainland, putting a further drain on American resources and supply lines.

Government decision makers order the dumping of radioactive waste into Eagle Rock's lower mines. Enclave politics help secure a contract for Poseidon Energy to develop and use their AGRICOLA mining robots in the operation of the dumping ground. Not surprisingly, the AGRICOLA lab turns out to be a pretty good bunker as well.

June: Construction of Vault 112 ends.

July: The new Bloomfield Space Center completes construction. The facility’s first task is to complete the space rocket Hermes-13 to fly to B.O.M.B.-001 (originally slated for a Mars mission before new orders arrived). The mission: have the crew deliver and install the base’s main power reactor, manually enter final launch instructions, manual check for safety nets and protocols, and do a manual inspection of the station.

2075

The Sierra Army Depot A.I. (Skynet) becomes self-aware. RobCo Industries copyrights the Unified Operating System. This system is used for operating the Robco terminals. The copyright is renewed for each of the next two years.

March 21: PVP experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, in the wake of successful tests of the virus on single-celled organisms. Experiments on plant cells are postponed. The pan-immunity virion is renamed FEV - the Forced Evolutionary Virus.

May 9: FEV experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, in the wake of successful tests on flatworms, the flatworms exhibit increase size and heightened resistance to viral contagions. Experiments with insects have less success, and further experimentation on insects is postponed by Major Barnett.

June 30: FEV experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, with white mice as subjects. Increased size, muscle density, and intelligence are noted.

November 9: FEV experimentation (batch 10-011) on rabbits is concluded. Increased size, intelligence, and (this time) aggressiveness is noted. Apparently, it was hard to determine whether the flatworms in the previous experiments were angrier and more violent than normal. Frankly, the researchers cannot be blamed for this.

2076

January 3: A military team under the command of Colonel Spindel is sent to the West Tek research facility to monitor the experiments in the interest of national security. Captain Roger Maxson (the grandfather of John Maxson, the High Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel in 2161) is among the team personnel.

January 12: Splicing in several new gene sequences into their test virus, dogs are injected with batch 11-101a at West Tek. Although increased strength was noted, increased intelligence was not. Using batch 11-011, experiments are conducted on raccoons. Same results are noted, but the attempted escape of several infected raccoons causes Major Barnett to terminate the escape...and the test subjects. Two pairs of raccoons, however, are unaccounted for.

Note: Scott Campbell and Brian Freyermuth intended these escaped raccoons to form an intelligent animal community NW of the Glow called the "Burrows". This location was never implemented.

January: The United States annexation of Canada is complete. Canadian protesters and rioters are shot on sight, and the Alaskan Pipeline swarms with American military units. Pictures of atrocities make their way to the United States, causing further unrest and protests.

April 15: Once all secondary tests and studies are done on the test subjects, all dogs from the batch 11-101a FEV tests at West Tek are terminated...from a safe distance.

June: Power Armor prototype completed, resulting in the T-51b Power Armor. This is the pinnacle of Power Armor technology before the Great War. Many of these units are sent to China, and they begin to carve a swath through the Chinese forces. The Chinese resources are strained to the breaking point, and the supply lines from the nations China has annexed begin to break down.

July: Flotation Homes and Seaweed book is published by Vault-Tec. August: Food and energy riots begin in major cities throughout the United States. Military units begin to be deployed in cities within the United States to contain rioters, and many temporary jails are constructed. A state of emergency is declared, and martial law soon follows.

August: Hermes-13 & 14 space rockets are completed and await final funding and the orders to launch.

October: Production of B.O.M.B. nuclear missiles is put on hold due to budget cuts. The Reservation is put on reserve.

October: Due to the seriousness of world events and the threat of nuclear war, Hermes rockets' launch is postponed while funds are routed to vault technology. Launch is rescheduled for 2077.

October 4: At West Tek, fifteen chimpanzees are infected with batch 11-111. The most successful test to date, growth and immunities in the chimpanzees surpass all other subjects to date. The military practically drools over the results. Plans are made in secret to begin testing in small quarantine towns in North America, and the Mariposa Military Base construction is sped up in anticipation of moving the West Tek project to a location under military supervision.

November: Enclave personnel seize control of Bloomfield Space Center and begin researching and developing a way to convert Hermes-13 into a personnel transport to transport important individuals off-planet.

December: Fifteenth edition of Coping With Mr. Virus! is published by Vault-Tec.

2077

New Plague hits Denver. Rioters burned down large parts of the city in their fear of contamination and anger at their treatment. Many panicked and fled the city by car, clogging the freeways when they ran out of gas and trapping everyone behind them.

January

January 7: Major Barnett orders transfer of all FEV research to the newlyconstructed Mariposa Military Base, despite objections by the research team.

January 10: Alaska is reclaimed, and the Anchorage Front Line is again held by the Americans. January 22: The first domestic use of Power Armor within the United States for crowd and quarantine control. Units originally serving in China and the Anchorage Front Line find themselves fighting Americans at home. Food riots increase, and many civilians are killed. Several soldiers defect from the military both in Canada and the United States. They are captured, and are sent to military prisons.

February

February: FEV Research is leaked to the world through an unknown source. Protests in many major cities and governments around the world, as well as accusations that the U.S. was responsible for the New Plague. FEV is seen as the threat it is, and serves only to fuel tensions. The governments of the world fear what the U.S. is up to. Speculating anything from trying to make a breed of super soldier, to trying to make Hitler's master race, they begin to panic.

March

Prepared for a nuclear or biological attack from China, the President and the Enclave retreats to remote sections around the globe and make contingency plans for continuing the war.

Vault Dweller's Survival Guide is published by Vault-Tec.

July

Between July 10 and October 23: Sierra Army Depot is evacuated.

August

Sometime prior to August 15, General Constantine Chase, the hero of the Anchorage Reclamation, begins testing a virtual reality simulation of the Reclamation at the VSS Facility in Washington, D.C.

September

September 6: Technicians at the VSS Facility notice General Chase is making radical, unrealistic changes to the Anchorage simulation. They believe Chase is becoming obsessed with the simulation and is gradually going insane, but refrain from confronting him out of fear that they will lose their jobs to military contractors.

October

October 10: Captain Roger Maxson and his men discover that the scientists at Mariposa have been using "military volunteers" (military prisoners who didn't have their brains scooped for use in Brain Bots) as test subjects in their experiments. Morale in the base breaks down, and in light of the mental breakdown of Colonel Robert Spindel stationed at the base, Maxson's men turn to him for leadership.

October 13: After an interrogation, Maxson executes Robert Anderson, the chief scientist.

October 15: Colonel Spindel commits suicide. All scientists are executed.

October 20: Captain Roger Maxson, now in control of Mariposa, declares himself to be in full desertion from the army (via radio)...and nothing happens.

October 21: Maxson orders all families stationed outside the base moved inside the Mariposa facility. October 23: Nuka Cola Quantum is released to the public hours before the bombs are first dropped. Due to its late release, Quantum is now labeled a rare item.

October 23: Great War: Bombs are launched; who struck first is unknown... and it is not even known if the bombs came from China or America. Other countries, seeing the missiles on their way, launch their planes and fire their warheads as well. Air raid sirens sound, but very few people go into vaults, thinking it is a false alarm. The Vaults are sealed. What ensues is two hours of nuclear bombardment upon the earth's surface. The effects are far worse than most imagined. The earth's faults shift violently. Mountain ranges thrust themselves through the soil. Whole lands are submerged under floods of water.

October 23: Necropolis Vault never closes. Once it becomes known that the other vaults have sealed, people within Bakersfield attempt to force their way into Vault 12 to protect themselves and their families.

October 23: The West Tek research facility is hit by warheads, breaking open the FEV tanks on levels four and five and releasing it into the atmosphere. Mutated by radiation, it loses its mutagenic abilities, but it later complicates things for the Master.

October 23: The Mariposa Military Base survives, the soldiers and scientists within protected from the radiation and FEV flooding the wasteland.

October 23: Two Poseidon scientists are still trapped in the Eagle Rock's AGRICOLA lab.

October 23: All Enclave personnel leave Bloomfield to either take cover or maintain "hot spots." Sub-reactor is turned off. Bloomfield, B.O.M.B.-001, and Hermes-13 & 14 are completely forgotten.

October 25: Two days later at Mariposa, a scout in Power Armor (Platner) is sent out to get specific readings on the atmosphere. He reports no significant radiation in the area surrounding the facility.

October 27: After burying the scientists in the wastes outside of Mariposa, the soldiers seal the military base, then head out into the desert, taking supplies and weapon schematics with them. Captain Maxson leads his men and families to the government bunker at Lost Hills. (This event was called the "Exodus," and the surviving soldiers went on to eventually form the Brotherhood of Steel.).