The Ghoul’s History
Cooper Howard x OFC!
Just a little storyline starter idea.
Summary: What if there was someone else Cooper Howard knew before the bombs dropped? Her name was Adeline, she’d been at one of the many meetings Lee Moldaver had held. Adeline was an actress, though she often went by the name of Addy simply for her addictive personality. People loved to be around her. Even Cooper as one of her closest friends. At least until he became the face of Vault-Tec.
Semi spoilers regarding the start of season 2 and potentially season 1 of the show.
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Cooper walked beside Lucy, the Vegas heat was boiling his blood, and not doing his radiated skin any better. Lucy stopped in her tracks, seeing a small settlement off into the distance. Seemingly a market, maybe an opporunity to find more clues locating her father, or Cooper’s family.
“Shall we? I mean if you can of course restrain yourself from shooting everyone before we even get a word out.” Lucy looked to the Ghoul, who simply replied with a grunt before continuing the journey.
“Maybe if people had some common courtesy still left.... I wouldn’t have to shoot them.” He grumbled back at Lucy, not even turning his head to look back at her. She simply rolled her eyes and jogged to walk in step with him.
The settlement was lively, similiar to that back in California. People trading, speaking, arguing. Many heads turned seeing a Ghoul, but Cooper had been used to it for the last two hundred years. The pair continued to walk, though Lucy stopped, being her usual friendly self and questioning people as she went. Yet, Cooper stopped in his tracks, hearing a familiar voice.
“I’m simply trying to buy this off of you. Are you comprehending me?” The woman hissed at the merchant, holding up a small metal device. She looked the same as he’d remembered. She had golden hair and a thin frame. Her eyes were like ice reflecting off a small lake, dark and light hues of blue. His hand settled on his gun.
Cooper stood in shock at first, before the usual rage and frustration rose in his head. It simply couldn’t be Adeline. At least, not the one he knew. The one with the loud mouth who would argue with him over the idea of Vault-Tec. The idea his wife was part of an insane idea to end the world. The one who would surely have said I told you so the day the bombs dropped and the day he had heard Barb recommend Vault-Tec drop the bombs themselves.
The pip-boy on the woman’s wrist over her black leather trench coat concerned him even more . Maybe a Synth, though he’d only come across a few of those in his time wandering the wasteland. Cooper was only pulled from his thoughts when he registered that Lucy was walking up to her.
“Excuse me? Are you from a vault?” Lucy questioned, though quietly, Cooper heard her clearly from where he stood. Adeline looked to Lucy then to the merchant, tossing a few caps down and pocketing the piece into her long black coat before returning her gaze to Lucy.
“Unfortunately. What’s a vaulty like you doing out here?” Adeline questioned, yet continued to walk, not registering Cooper a few strides behind them.
“Its a long story. Is your vault still, in existence?” Lucy questioned to which Adeline nodded.
“It is, I want grabbing this replacement part. To help the humans left in it. The ones too scared to leave.” Cooper pondered what he heard, maybe Adeline was like Hank, frozen for the future. Then again, he reflecting on his memories, remembering her openly speaking out against Vault-Tec. Heavily at that before the war.
“Addy?” He said, almost too quietly, just to test out what would happen or if she’d even react. Adeline stopped dead in her tracks, the dust settling as her boots stopped moving and Lucy stopping right alongside her.
“You know her?” Lucy looked to the Ghoul as Adeline turned around. Her eyes locked onto him. He couldn’t read her expressions, maybe it was pity or shock. Potentially a blend of the two.
“Coop? No. It can’t be.” She said gently. “Did you. Did you go into a vault too?” Cooper shoot his head, the group still in the market, yet more off to the side, out of the way from the crowds.
“No, I wasn’t that unfortunate or lucky I suppose depending on the vault.” Adeline nodded, looking down at her hands before she shoved them in her coat pockets.
“I think it all depends what kind of vault you’d have landed in. Rumor has it there was handful of normal vaults. No experiments.” Cooper watched her deamor change, instantly he knew, whatever vault she’d come from wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
“What was your vault’s experiment?” Lucy asked gently, her eyes locked onto Adeline. Lucy always showed such a gentle nature, Cooper swore anyone would probably open up to her. Adeline sighed, looking to Cooper then Lucy.
“Vault 3. It was um. Unwilling participants. Before the bombs dropped, I remember being in Vegas for a movie and at a priemier and the next thing I know I woke up in a cell in a vault with 50 others all in cells as well.” Adeline’s gaze settled on something on the ground, as if she was reliving the memory. “The scientists had their families and cute little homes. While the 50 of us were experiments on what one could consider immortality. Chems to see if they could hurt us and we could heal."
“As in creating Ghouls?” Cooper questioned, Adeline raised her eyes, she was holding back tears.
“Yeah, each of us was injected with different doses, some with different Chems. For over a hundred years. Another hundred years we were down to just ten or so of us. Some looked a bit more ghoulish than otheres. Then some were just shells of who they used to be. An eight by eight cell will do that to you. Finally, about 30 years ago, the generation of the scientists realized the experiment was a failure. Especially when I was the only one left. All the others had died, been killed, or well, failed. They invited me to join the society, opened the vault. Sort of like vault 4 that I came across.” Adeline pulled her hands from her pockets, pulling up her sleeve. Right where an IV would go was Ghoulish flesh. A small blemish. “I suppose I was a success. As long as I get a little vial of chems now and them. I stay like this. I heal normally unlike a regular Ghoul."
“You were caged? For over a two hundred years?” Lucy questioned quietly, fear and sadness filled her eyes as she looked at Adeline. Cooper still saw the loud actress he remembered and mentally could hear her laugh. Now a completely different, destroyed woman before him now.
“Yeah. Gives someone a lot of time to think. A lot.” Adeline said gently, putting her hands back in her pockets after she pulled her sleeve down. A huff of a laugh escaped her before she looked back at Cooper. “Vault-Tec was pissed a few of us spoke so openly against them. Mr. House especially. Guess it was only fitting that I ended up in the very hell I thought Vault-Tec would create, huh?"
“Addy.” Cooper started, yet she shook her head.
“It’s okay Coop. We’re alive, aren’t we?"
“In some capacity. Was Barb?” Coopers voice trailed off before he finished the question.
“Wasn’t in my vault. Maybe she did get her wish. Vault-Tec management huh? I hear New Vegas is a good place to start. Vault-Tec headquarters is rumored to be there."
“I say you join us then, maybe you could help us out?” Lucy asked to which even Cooper responded.
“This time, I’ll listen.” Coop said gently, Adeline laughed, simply nodding her head in the direction of the North.
“We have a few miles to walk. Considering your hard headed personality Coop. I can’t say I’m too hopeful for you to listen. Nonetheless we need to stop by my vault. Bring them this part.” Cooper huffed a laugh as the trio began to walk. For once Cooper didn’t feel so alone in the wasteland. Even if it was with a Vaulty and Addy.
