“ — You just come out the other side. Or you don’t.”
BENJAMIN WEBBER IS A FORTY-NINE YEAR OLDMALE SURVIVOR. THIS IS HIS STORY OF HOW HE CAME TO BE OF THE FALLEN…
⚠ ALL BIOS ARE EXPECTED TO BE HEAVILY TRIGGERED. BE WARNED BEFORE PROCEEDING. ⚠
Benjamin was only 13 when the bombs hit Chicago and the world began crashing down around him. He and his parents managed to get out of L.A. before it was hit and ended up making their way to Fort Irwin Army Base. It was there that they entered one of the last strongholds of the United States Military in a post-nuclear war world. Things were black and white at Fort Irwin and it was understood that any able person would contribute to the machine that had once been the U.S. Military. Every person had a role– you worked so you could eat. Mrs. Webber had been a teacher before the end and continued as one of five tasked with continuing the education of the youth, at least those under 13 years old. Anyone between 13 and 18 was put into a more formal education system– still learning but now obligated to start training from a young age to fight. In the early days, no one knew what was happening in the world around them, only that they’d somehow managed to survive the fallout. No one knew what was coming but the military officials weren’t willing to take any risks.
Mr. Webber was a civil engineer and was tasked with helping upkeep the base, vehicles and equipment along with some others. Thanks to his efforts, along with several other engineers who’d managed to find safety at Fort Irwin, they maintained energy and a generator for nearly a year longer than most people. It was a year they needed to stabilize their new colony of sorts, one where the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few and where everyone was a cog in the machine. Benjamin took his role as a cadet seriously, unlike some, and he strove to be the best that he could. His only job was to learn how to defend, fight and survive. It’s what was drilled into all of their minds from the start– an innate sense of duty to their people– to what was left of their country. When he was finally of age at 18, he was inducted into the Marines, his chosen path at the time. Beyond preserving life, those in charge were determined to preserve tradition. While things were no longer official, with government gone, the military officials at Fort Irwin had decided to keep their branches of military for as long as they could, though working more closely with each other than ever before. They’d divided up responsibilities between the branches now present at Fort Irwin which was one of the reasons Ben chose the Marines in their makeshift society.
The Marines were tasked with what many considered the most dangerous task of supply runs and reconnaissance missions. Due to Fort Irwin’s location and their already limited capabilities, these runs would take about a week to complete, sometimes more. They never knew who or what they’d find out there. It was on one of these runs when the small group of Marines Benjamin had grown close to over two year got another addition. A woman by the name of Ashley Sterling. She was as strong as they came– the limitations placed on women in the military long forgotten when it became all hands on deck. And even though some of the men in his battalion didn’t like the new addition, Benjamin didn’t treat her with any less respect than he did the rest, more so, even, as she seemed unfazed by snide comments or judgmental looks. It was through this mission and then, many others, that she and Ben formed a close friendship which turned into more and, about a year after meeting, they were married.
Things progressed naturally from there as they continued going on their missions, continued to bring back what supplies they could scavenge from L.A and Las Vegas. The dangers weren’t insignificant, with raiders and bounty hunters and pillagers in every place they went along with animals and the dangers of radiation poisoning amongst other toxic waste still present in areas that had been hit the worst. Still, their battalion was one of the most successful, bringing back the most supplies and food and, sometimes, survivors in need of help. And about a year after they were married, the Webbers were expecting their first child. Ashley had to stay back at the base from then on, for obvious reason and while she worked in other capacities around the base whilst expecting, it bothered her to not be out in the field with Benjamin– the two of them having worked so in sync with each other for so long. Nine months later, the two had their first child: Alexander Webber.
He was a reminder of why they did what they did and what they were fighting for, what they were doing everything for: to give him a future in a more stable world. And they did for a while but not nearly long enough. About a year after Alex was born, Ashley had begun to go back into the field with Benjamin, though never on any of their very long missions, more so ones to towns on the outskirts of the base and a bit beyond that, finding any pickings they could. Alexander stayed with Benjamin’s parents during this time. However, about two weeks before Christmas, sickness took the base and hit several in their battalion particularly hard. It was no use fighting Ashley as they’d become her close friends to and she insisted on joining the mission to find medicine as what they had wasn’t sufficient. And what was supposed to be a cut-and-dried mission turned into a nightmare. They’d made it to a hospital located on the eastern side of Los Angeles and had procured the medicine when they caught in an ambush. Apparently they weren’t the only ones who’d fallen ill over the past month. Things were a blur and what happened was never clear but all Benjamin could remember in those moments where time seemed to crawl by was Ashley firing by his side and the next moment she was down on the ground.
Though their group of soldiers fought their way out, Ashley was in critical condition. Their team medic did what they could and they tried to shorten the travel time as best they could. But by the time they got back to Fort Irwin, Ashley was on her last leg. She’d lost too much blood. She was fading fast and within hours, she’d slipped through Benjamin’s hands. Things didn’t make much sense afterwards, sounds ringing in his ear as he walked through the base in a blur. He hadn’t even checked on his son and parents– too much in shock when someone came running in, telling them he needed to go see them right away. He arrived at their quarters and it was as though someone had kicked him in the gut. The irony of it wasn’t lost on anyone– the fact that he and Ashley had gone on the mission in search of medicine only to come back to their son and his parents in dire straits. It was a virus outbreak, they’d tell him later, from water that had been contaminated. There was nothing anyone could have done. And Benjamin felt his entire world breaking as he held his son in his final moments, as he gripped his parents hands while they took their last breaths.
SALVATION FOR THE FUTURE:
The death of his family wasn’t something anyone could have predicted, considering just how much they’d all done to make sure that survival was possible. In the weeks that followed, Ben found it hard to focus on anything at all and no one blamed him. But, the laws of the land remained and their new world didn’t give them time to mourn. Many had been lost over the years but that didn’t matter to the man. He’d never experienced such a monumental loss and he knew he couldn’t stay there. So he deserted.
He went on a weapons run, trying to find more ammunition in Las Vegas where he went AWOL. He didn’t care about anything anymore, he just needed to get away and there was nothing but grief left for the man at Fort Irwin, a place that had been home for a decade and a half. After he left, he made his way on his own for a while before meeting some other survivors who were leaving the city in search of somewhere more secure. Violence within Vegas had grown since the virus had spread and claimed many lives. Order, already scarce before, was practically non-existent in any capacity. Ben decided to go with them and they slowly made their way east.
In that time, after learning he was a marine (not that he deserted), Ben became something of a make-shift leader to them. For people who had no means of really protecting themselves or navigating outside of the city, he was an incredible asset. He ended up staying with the group and as they gathered more survivors, a destination formed: Chicago. There’d been rumors that the city had better means of supporting itself and less chaos due to the camps on the outskirts. It was as good place as any and so they began the arduous trek there, traveling for nearly three weeks before arriving. For the next year, their group stayed small, they made sure not to take in more mouths than they could feed or people who might cause strife. They claimed a somewhat intact apartment building as their own, fortifying it. Benjamin took what he’d learned through his training and from life at Fort Irwin for all those years to establish a similar system of work and training and security to ensure everyone stayed secure.
He never asked anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do, including supply runs for anything from food and weapons to toiletries. It was on one of these runs when he discovered the Lafayette sisters and brought them back to their camp. After two decades of leading this group of survivors, he has, by some miracle, managed to keep nearly everyone alive. Though there’d been deaths over the years, a majority of the original group he’d traveled with remained, along with new additions. However, his most recent and biggest regret is the death of Adrian Bell. It was a year ago now but it haunts him because he feels it was his fault. He saw the man be taken down into the water and he made the call to leave him for dead, something he knew was necessary but regrets nonetheless. He’s not told Sydney about her sister’s involvement, seeing no need to add more strife to their already strained relationship. He’s always viewed the younger Lafayette as something akin to a daughter or niece, never forgetting that his son would have been around her age had he lived all those years ago. Still, Benjamin knows that his responsibility is to the many in the group and that sometimes the hard calls have to be made.
Recently, though, he’s taken one big risk in allowing the cryos to join their group. He didn’t accept them blindly, though, making them go through as extensive security protocol testing as possible with the resources in their community. He needed to make sure they weren’t a threat and having determined that they aren’t (yet, anyway), and that they actually have useful skills (most of them), he’s allowed them to stay. He often feels torn in a hundred different directions and rarely looks out for himself because of it. He carries his own burdens and tries to keep his second-in-commands on track to keep everyone alive. It’s his first thought every day and his last thought each night. Benjamin’s first concern is, and will remain their group’s survival, health and security.
✔ - DISCERNING, RELIABLE, SELFLESS.
✘ - DISSATISFIED, OBSTINATE, RESTLESS.
✚ ISABEL LAFEYETTE: Since rescuing her and her sister, Ben made sure that they were taken care of within their group of survivors. He couldn’t help but admire how dedicated she was to her sister and how she became dedicated to their group. As she got older and proved herself a capable fighter with a tactical mind, Benjamin slowly began to give her more responsibilities until she became one of his advisors later on. He can count on her to get the job done but recently, he’s begun to wonder if he’s put too much on her, especially with her sister’s issues. He hasn’t said anything yet but is beginning to second-guess if he shouldn’t relieve her from her duties, at least for a while.
✚ SYDNEY LAFAYETTE: While he’d never admit it, he’s always viewed Sydney as something akin to a daughter or niece. Someone he’s always looked out for since she was a child. Even after two decades, he can’t help but look at her and think of his son who never saw his second birthday. Maybe that’s why he’s always tried to look out for her and protect her, though once she was a teenage, she began to resent it. He wishes that she didn’t hate him but would gladly take her resentment than see her pour any more of it out on Isabel. He’s learned to give her space, especially in light of Adrian’s death, even though it was a year ago. However, while he’s inclined to give her room to breathe, he’s begun to suspect that, in her grief, she’s taken to spending time some less-than respectable characters. He’s not confirmed anything yet but he’s noticed some discrepancies with inventory numbers and with her whereabouts of late and is keeping an eye on her, even from the distance. The last thing he wants is for her to get into a situation she can’t handle or, worse, get herself killed.
✚ RENEE HAVERFORD: She’s one of those discovered in the cryogenic chambers and someone Benjamin isn’t entirely too comfortable around. She’s a psychologist and while she’s been more than willing to help around camp and do her fair share, he thinks she’s too observant. He’s skeptical with all of the cryogenics as it’s that skepticism that’s long since kept all of them alive but he doesn’t like how she seems to read people. Maybe it’s because he has a few secrets of his own, having never disclosed about his family nor how he’d deserted those he’d sworn to protect. He’s purposely been distant around her, even though he’s engaged with the other cryos more. Benjamin just knows that once there’s any doubt in leadership, everything else collapses and he won’t give anyone any reason to doubt him.
✚ ADRIAN BELL: A regret. There’s no other way to explain it. He was a good person, a loyal man and he’d become family much like everyone who joined the Webber group eventually did. Benjamin tries not to think of that night but, much like he sees his wife get shot or the last bit of life leave his son’s face in his dreams, he sees Adrian being dragged into the water and wakes in cold sweat. Adrian’s death is something that’s made Benjamin all the more determined to keep everyone alive at all costs and has made him crack down on safety protocols and on anyone whose taken unnecessary risks.
✚ JASON VIRGLE: Jason is someone whose always been willing to do what’s needed. Though a bit serious at times, the younger man has shown himself to be a team player. The one thing, though, that causes Ben to doubt him is that it seems his loyalties stem from his “crush” on Sydney Lafayette. It’s not something he would discourage but he needs to be confident that everyone who is part of their “family” is part of their family. Not just there for one person because that’s how reckless decisions get made and how people get overlooked and hurt. Still, Jason is also someone with plenty of ideas and is someone who volunteers first– something that Ben does admire and keeps in mind whenever questions of his loyalty start to arise.
✚ SAMUEL SOUSA: He’s one of the cryos that Benjamin secretly thanks whatever powers that be exist for finding. As a botanist, he’s someone Ben believes can help them through the winter, a time that’s consistently proven difficult and deadly. Each year they’ve lost at least one person to poor rations, sickness and cold and, often, the latter two stem from the first. He’s taken to meeting with Samuel more formally than with the others, gauging his ability and his commitment to the group of survivors before entrusting him with such a task but he’s optimistic to say the least.
BENJAMIN WEBBER IS PORTRAYED BY CHRISTIAN BALE && IS OPEN.
