(Here we go !) October 9th 2002 Riverton, Wyoming. The sun was setting outside the window of the hospital. Charlotte Cooper was flocked around by doctors as she took sharp breaths, her water had broke and was expecting her child soon. Andrew Cooper was holding her hand, giving her a smile that gave the mother to be an expression that everything would be alright. The Cooper’s were not as rich as many other families were, barely making it across the line as it was after Andrew’s work closed down. “The baby is coming.” One of the doctors said just as Charlotte screamed in agony. After what felt like an eternity, the sounds of pain were replaced by the cries of a baby boy. Charlotte could finally relax after spending almost three days in labour. The mother and father looked at each other in happiness as they looked as they held their child. The child was Edward Alex Cooper. And the future that remained ahead of him was nothing short of legendary.
June 18, 2003 Chicago, Illinois "It's a boy!" The doctor exclaimed as he held the crying, squirming baby, "Congratulations! " The mother weakly smiled at the baby, reaching out her arms to hold him as the father came in, "A boy?" He asked, "That's great!" To which the mother weakly nodded, "What shall we name him?" "W-well...I was thinking...W-why not honor our parents with naming him after them? You know...take your father's middle name and my father's middle name..." The father smiled, "Perfect." He turned to the doctor, "Put James Thomas Fullard on his birth certificate." The doctor nodded and left, leaving the new parents coo over their new baby
2003-2020 Riverton, Wyoming While growing up in a small town, Edward attended the local school and would perform quite well academically. He made a really close knit of friends from his entry into kindergarten right until he graduated high school, one of them being a girl who would develop a large crush upon him. Edward had short blonde hair and milky blue eyes that gave him a handsome physical appearance. Despite that he had above average grades throughout school and was described as being a solid student, he never had the money to go to college due to his poor livelihood. However, ever since he was first introduced into them at an extremely young age, Edward was obsessed over spaghetti western movies and western cowboy culture. He would spend hours as a child watching old cowboy movies and playing with cowboy action figures and toy sets. When he got old enough, he practised tricks and spinning with a toy revolver. At some point, he would practise and practise with a toy version, replica version and eventually, a real loaded revolver, mastering it at a young age and even competing and winning back to back competitions. He would even go to school with boots and cowboy themed clothing. While he was mocked and bullied for what he loved, his friends always stood at his side and made the grey clouds go away. Upon finishing high school and unable to continue his education and therefore not facing a good life ahead of him, Edward enlisted into the military. While leaving his family and friends behind, Edward regularly kept in contact with them.
2004-2026 James would prove to be a very average person in all but a few fields. He consistently made average grades outside of geometry and art. In athletics, he was also utterly average. Despite this "averageness" he proved to be a great student and was highly imaginative. He found his way into college thanks to his parents upper-middle class wealth, where he majored in architecture and suddenly took off, graduating valedictorian of his class and quickly got an internship at a major architecture company, where he thrived.
2023-2026 Upon enlisting in the military in 2020, Edward was trained and stationed and transferred across several military bases across the United States. However, he did not see any real action until 2023 where war would break between Turkey and Syria. With border disputes about water escalating to a full blown war between Syria and Turkey, American and European intervention did not occur until several months into the conflict when Syria threatened to launch nuclear weaponry at Istanbul if they did not fall back in order to protect Syria’s interests. And Edward alongside his regiment was sent over to assist Turkey. By the time Edward returned to America at the end of the conflict within the end of the year, roughly 600,000 soldiers on all sides involved had lost their lives and Syria had lost the war. Edward however saved plenty of lives when his unit was ambushed by a small company of Syrian troops, holding the line before American and European reinforcements arrived. The war ended quickly with minimal loss of life, but it only began to ignite the small spark in the middle east that would ultimately burn into a chaotic wildfire within the next thirty years during the Resource Wars.
2027-2040 Following the almost nuclear war in the Middle East and fears of war over the dwindling supplies of oil (prices were already at $700 a barrel in most places), James was brought to Europe with the idea of building something that could withstand a nearby nuclear attack. Over the course of a few years of intense work, he came up with a revolutionary design. Taking into account a building had to A): withstand the initial extremely bright flash and not let anyone inside get burned to a crisp, B): the double whammy of the Shockwave then the wind gusting back towards the explosion due to the rapidly rising super hot air (which is why atomic explosions have that distinctive mushroom cloud), C): be resistant to the Fallout and radiation, and D): still be light enough to stand. To achieve this, James designed a building that was essentially a conical geodesic dome with both an external(being made up of super strong construction shapes such as triangles and even outward facing arches) and internal support system (with the internal being an extremely strong concrete shaft that could serve as an evacuation route and a safe haven from radiation, and each floor being one large barrel vault), space - proven tempered glass, and a deep underground bunker that could support and house all the workers and some civilians for a year. All and all, an extrordinarily expensive design, but companies and countries rich enough to afford them demanded him to design versions of it for them, mainly yo protect the national government or serve as the company's headquarters. By 2040, James had become quite a rich man in exchange for the protective designs of his. Little did he know that the debt some European countries had gone deep into to pay for the buildings would ultimately prove one of the foundations for the Resources War that would see Europe and the middle East nearly destroy each other
February 12th 2040 Edward sat inside of a seemingly boring waiting room, bland sea foam green walls with nothing serving as a decoration other than a plant and water cooler in the corner and a painting sitting in the back. A clock sat high above the room, the sound of every passing moment being audible to Edward, the only one in the room. It was not long before a secretary walked into the door, her brunette hair tied back into a ponytail alongside her glasses. “President Freeman would like to see you now.” Edward stood from his chair as he rose from his chair and walked alongside the secretary. His hair was far longer than it was during his time in the military, now being gelled back until it went right down to his neck alongside a rough beard. His blonde hair was now greying. He wore a long light brown duster with a red scarf around his neck, even wearing spurs on his boots. Upon being escorted into the room, he found two large secret service agents in the back of the room nearby an African American man in a blue suit with short black hair that could have not been a few years older than he was. Upon making his way into the room, he stood in front of the president of the United States and simply saluted. “Major Cooper. Just the man I wished to see” President Freeman spoke with a surprisingly baritone voice. “Please take a seat.” Edward took a seat inside of the room as the President leaned forwards him and he cleared his throat. “I’m personally very pleased that you have come and accepted my invitation. Unfortunately, It’s a shame we could have not met under a more ideal location, but onto my offer at hand.” Freeman said. “I’ve heard alot about you, Cooper. You seem to keep your head cool when everything goes to hell. You skills with a handgun are nothing short of amazing, especially with a revolver. A natural leader, a hero...I could speak about you and your accomplishments for a while, but I have something else far more important.” The talk continued between the two for a while until the President wrapped up the conversation. “Because you have caught my attention, I wish to extend a very special offer to you.” Freeman then handed over a document to Edward, who had remained silent throughout the talk. “I wish to extend to you a one in a lifetime offer. This offer is for you because you’re somebody I could trust absolutely, somebody I can depend on. Somebody who would not leave his own country in the dark. I wish for you to become my own personal agent, an experiment I have been creating.” Freeman replied. “You might need to be deployed when anything is not going particularly to plan. It’s dangerous only when necessary, but a man of your talents would not see this without a problem. This would make you a very powerful man in both the military. It’s alright if you do not accept this offer Mr. Cooper, I understand your concerns if you do not accept. However, America would remember you for decades or even centuries to come. Do you accept?” “It would be an honour, Mr. President” Edward accepted the offer without hesitation. President Freeman was overjoyed with this as he shook hands with Edward, who was now secretly one of the most powerful people in America. Within the next year and a half, Edward would remain out of the spotlight performing tasks the president and the pentagon required to keep the best interests of America. Amongst spending time with the president as a friend, Edward would go on the first of his many many missions for the president and the presidents that would come in the future. It was not until the next decade that he would make a serious impact.
(...I have no idea what to post xD I guess James would just keep designing buildings and other stuff for quite awhile...)
(You could go ahead with that unless you want to switch things up and make another character. That and that I think James could be involved with other projects, maybe being heavily involved if not the creator of Project Safehouse (The Vaults). I have something special focused around power armor once we to about 2276.)
(Hm okay, he probably just designed the Vaults, likely not knowing the full intentions of Vault Tec. So let's just say all that happens. Can't really think of a way to put it into text...)
(Hm...alright. Putting it into text could sound tricky. He could get approached by the US government or he simply joined the project. Can't really think of an excellent idea at the moment, I've just woke up.)
January, 2054 James went through his daily mail, avoiding the newspaper as it likely only had more bad news of the European - Middle Eastern conflict which was on verge of going nuclear, and that New Plague that was starting to spread. He found a particular envelope with the Vault Tec seal on it. Confusex, he opened it and read it. Dear Mr James Fullard, In light of the ongoing conflict in Europe and the Middle Easr, and the disintegrating economy and New Plague at home, Vault Tec is pleased to present to you a unique opportunity in which you could play a part in saving tens of thousands of lives should the ever ominous doomsday come. Vault Tec has been commissioned by the Government the United States of America to build one hundred twenty two "Vaults". What is a Vault? And what might this have to do with me? You ask, well, it is very simple really. A Vault is, as of now, an underground protected bunker in which a group of lottery winning Americans will live out doomsday for twenty years before coming to the surface to rebuild the great nation of America. What role would you play? You might also ask, but the answer is simple. Vault Tec was extremely impressed with the work of designing skyscrapers capable of surviving a 10 Megaton blast a half mile away, and would like to hire your skills to design a variety of Vaults and help them withstand the vigors of apocalypse! Enclosed are tickets to come to our headquarters in Washington DC if this job interests you. Sincerly, Giles Wolstencroft Vice-president of Vault Tec Industries
2055-2060 With America invading Mexico four years ago, Edward had been serving the collection of presidents for the previous fifteen years. At 53 years of age, he had to keep himself under extreme physical training that gave him the body of someone decades younger. His once long blonde hair was gone, now silver in color and had a single mustache. Underneath a custom black duster was a light blue vest with red outlines underneath a red tie. Edward's last mission underneath the newest president, President Armstrong, was to assassinate former Mexican president turned resistance leader, Samuel Ortega. Not only was this mission an overwhelming success, but it also began to solidify his reputation. By 2055, he was known as "The Legendary Gunslinger" for his superhuman skill with a revolver, making his existence public but still remaining a shadowy figure in the government. While he did catch up with his friends throughout his life, he had to attend to the death of his parents, who died three weeks between another. Returning to Riverton, he attended his parents funeral before returning back to DC. Edward was still serving for the US, and would continue to do so for many years to come. Because of who he was, he was given VIP access to take refuge in any vault of his choosing when a potential apocalypse occurs, wishing to prefer refuge in a civilian vault. If what he believed would happen occurred, he would be with the president again within several months after the apocalyptic event. He selected Vault 12...
2060 Although he at first designed his Vaults extremely well (his initial designs included plans for Vault 13, Vault 101, Vault 3, Vault 102, and more), James grew more and more frantic with designs as he grew hard pressed for time. He was never told why certain Vaults had to be built a certain way, such as having an extra large armory, the ability to grow its own food for generations, etc, but the unique designs of each one meant by the time he reached what would be the "control Vaults", other than Vault 3, he just quickly drew up a basic layout for the workers who were waiting for his designs to use to begin construction. He could at least take heart in that in the limited nuclear exchange the previous years between Europe and the Middle East had proven his designs, one of his buildings was rumored to have even survived a direct hit.
2066-2076, Sino-American War At 64 years old and still in brilliant fighting condition despite starting to feel the effects of old age, Edward was on flight over Canadian airspace towards Alaska, in which China had invaded Anchorage and claimed it as Chinese territory, finally triggering the war Edward knew was going to be an absolute bloodbath. While not as agile as he once was and not as muscular, he was still a force to be reckoned with. He was no longer being sent frequently on missions as he once was, instead going on an authoritarian approach in the Sino-American war. Being a master infiltrator and gunslinger, he was still an immeasurable asset to the war effort. Edward would conduct several missions throughout his time in Alaska. From infiltrating Chinese held areas and assassinating officers to even fighting and taking down Crimson Dragoon assassins in his lonesome, Edward would remain in Alaska while the United States simply destroyed the Chinese when the T45d suits of Power Armour were deployed, turning the war on its head entirely. When enough progress was made in Alaska, he would then be sent to the Gobi Desert and mainland China for an incredibly brief amount of time after nearly spending an entire decade in Alaska. By 2076, Edward still had great endurance despite nearly being 74 years old. Upon a medical examination, he was still incredibly healthy and built despite his advanced age. But despite the positive success, he was told to retire within the next year in fear of health concerns. However, he was one of a very special group of people invited to witness something extremely special alongside the newest technological innovations. It was in secure location with ridiculous security measures. Amongst the people invited were... President Samuel Anderson, 52nd President of the United States of America Edward Cooper, Head Agent of the United States of America Robert House, Founder of RobCo Industries General Constantine Chase, General of the Army Doctor Stanislaus Braun, head of Future-Tec and the creator of the Garden of Eden Creation Kit. James Fullard, head designer of Vault-Tec ‘Vaults’ Jay Devereux, President of Vault-Tec The list went forever onwards, with a total of fifty seven extremely important guests invited to this gathering. Edward knew one thing that was going to be a serious conversation starter, the first prototype of the newest generation of Power Armouran invention that could supposedly win the ground-war against China. Edward took Air Force One, alongside President Anderson and headed to the top secret location.
(The Americans were actually deep inside China by 2076, in fact, the reason why the Chinese launched the missiles, because the Americans had actually just taken Beijing)
(The wiki said that both campaigns occurred in early 2077, but I thought that they could have happened much earlier (2073). Never mind.)
2074 Despite claiming that it fights a purely defensive war, United States units are deployed to China. Long supply lines and difficult conditions on the mainland lead to the units becoming bogged down in fighting. American infantry, mechanized divisions, and power armor units suffer from strained resource and supply lines.[100] From the Vault wiki(
2075 Edward performs his last serious mission for the President before taking it slow for the rest of the war. His last mission was to take own General Wei's stronghold in Shanghai, which was almost completely leveled after a fierce American bombardment. In his trademark western styled duster and revolvers, the old man infiltrates the stronghold while American Power Armored forces distract the main force and kills the General with a 44 magnum round to the head, blowing the back of his head apart. With an American victory in Shanghai and a devastating loss to the PLA, Edward undertook several medical exams and retired from active combat several months later in fear of health concerns. However, he instead acted as the head of the Presidential Agents and the newest Director of the CIA.
