So, I finally got up the courage to post some of my writing on this site. I figured I'd start off easy, do a pseudo-novelization of one of my favorite games, Fallout 3. I apologize in advance for any holes missing from the actual game; I'm getting most of the from my memory and walkthroughs. I would also, for annoying legal reasons, like to say that I own nothing. This story is merely my attempt to make a not-for-profit novelization of their amazing game. That is all.
My first memories are of an incredibly loud noise, like tons of metal scraping against each other. I'd asked my father about it in the past, but he always brushed it off or ignored me altogether. But I know I heard it, and I fully intend to learn more about it.
I walk through the halls of Vault 101, pondering that memory as I always do. I barely realize I haven't seen anyone yet. What's more, I woke up around noon, which never happens. My father always has me wake up early with him so he could tell me stories as I help him work. As my mind juggles between my strange memories and the ominous feeling I'm getting, I reach the Vault's cafe. I casually press a button and walk in, noticing immediately that all the lights are off. But suddenly, they're on.
"Surprise!" I hear familiar voices shout as my eyes begin to recover from the sudden light. As my vision returns, I see the cafe full, all but some of the security guard standing throughout the small room. My dad is walking up to me.
"Happy birthday, honey!" he says to me proudly. "I can't believe you're already ten. Your mother would be so proud." He smiles softly down at me and pats my head. Embarrassed, I try to swat away his hand, and he seems to understand. A hand rests on his shoulder for a moment. I can see the Overseer behind him, gently prompting my father to move aside.
After a few formal pleasantries, he gives me my new PIP Boy 3000 before walking off. I've never really liked him, but he's my best friend's father, so naturally I treat him with respect. A few of the other adults wish me a happy birthday and give some gifts, but I don't really care. I have never understood what the point of birthdays are in the first place; admittedly, I had forgotten it was today. I'm touched that Amata put all this together for me, and would deal with it for her sake.
As I strolled around talking to the adults, I noticed Butch and his "gang" sitting at their usual table, trying to make a point of avoiding them, I go talk to Amata for a bit. I share the sweetroll I was given with her, and we just hang out in the corner chatting. I don't even notice Butch walking up to me.
"Hey, birthday girl.!" he almost yells. "Give me that sweetroll you had!" He was taking advantage of having me in a corner.
"Sorry Butch," I say with a small smile, "I already ate it. Why don't you just have some cake?" Immediately after saying that, I hear a saw, and the voice of the robot who started it.
"Alright everyone, It's time to cut the cake!" Butch, Amata, and I run around the corner just in time to watch cake pieces fly everywhere. Everyone freezes, just standing in shock at the damage done to the cake. Butch, who was in front of me, slowly turns to reveal a face covered in cake and frosting. Amata and I start trying to hold in our laughter. We fail.
"I don't think that's what she meant," Amata says, and bursts out laughing. I do as well. Butch just scowls at us and storms out. That only fuels further laughter. It takes a bit for us to recover, and by the time we do most of the cake is cleaned up and Andy has been banned from cake-cutting duties forever.
"That was great," I say to my friend as we catch our breath.
"Yeah," Amata replies with a sigh, followed by a small giggle. "Did you see Butch's face?" I let out my own giggle, confirming that I did.
"Hey sweetie," I hear from behind me. I let out a small yelp of surprise and quickly turn to see my dad standing behind me.
"Dad!" I yell, my face definitely bright red.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he says in the same soft tone as always. "I just wanted to show you something."
I look at him with confusion. "What is it?" I ask/
"Follow me. Amata, could you stay here? We'll be right back, and you two can have the rest of the day to yourselves.
"Of course sir," she replies, nodding respectfully. With that, my dad begins leading me out of the cafe, and into the winding halls of the Vault. We walk in silence, and finally stop as we reach a locked door. It was just one of the many places I've always wanted enter, but couldn't without the right clearance. My dad types a code into the pad next to the door, and if slides open. He gestures to the stairwell leading down.
"Go on ahead, I'll be down in a moment," he says, waiting for me to head down. I look at him, but he just gives me a reassuring look and nods. Trusting my father, I begin to descend the stairs.
I reach the bottom to find Jonas, my dad's friend, standing in a corner. I move to hide, but he catches me before I can.
"Just what do you think you're doing down here young lady?" he asks, approaching me.
"I- My- I was told-" I stammer, not sure what to do. Jonas just chuckles, kneeling down and placing a hand on my head.
"I'm just joking. You're not in trouble." I look at him, unsure if he's telling the truth. His face tells me he is. "Now, where's your dad?"
As he asks that, I hear footsteps and turn to see my father standing with his hands behind his gifts.
"Hey James," Jonas says, standing to greet him. "You have the gift?"
"Yeah," my dad says, not revealing what he has behind his back. Looking down at me, he smiles the same proud smile he always has. "Xian, I have a surprise for you." I look at him in confusion. He rarely has surprises, knowing I don't like them. He also rarely uses my name, preferring to say 'sweetie' or 'honey'. Seeing my confusion, he continues. "Jonas' as I had a very hard time getting this, but I think you'll like it. We figured that if you're ready to have a Pip-boy, you can have this." He reveals what he'd been hiding, and my face almost explodes in happiness. "Your very own BB gun!"
6 YEARS LATER
"Do I have to?" I ask my father, trying to get out of this
"Yes. Everyone in the vault has to take the GOAT when they're sixteen, and that includes you. Now go." He's stern, but I can see him smiling. "Trust me, I wish we could train more too, but you need to do this. We'll do it later."
"Ok dad," I submit, happy to know we'll train later. Since my 13th birthday, he had been teaching me 'the ways of the ninja'. He said my mother descended from a great clan of the old world, and that she taught him everything she knew. The training mostly involved going to the hidden shooting range he showed me and sparring, but we also did a lot of sneaking around, going into restricted areas, pulling pranks on the other residents, and eavesdropping on them. It was fun, and I had learned so much. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't give in so easily when it came to taking the test.
I give my dad a hug, walking out of his office. As I turn the corner, I see Butch and his gang harassing Amata, like normal. I'd of thought they would've learned not to by now, but I just shrug. Amata notices me, and I make a signal not to alert them I'm there. Moving slowly, I wake my way towards them, making no noise. My father had helped me modify the vault suit to muffle the noise of my steps, and it had helped so many time before. The guys are so engulfed in bullying my friend that none of them see me coming. Coming up behind Butch, I make a quick, precise jab, hitting him just right to bring him to his knees, paralyzed. The others don't last long, Wally going down with a quick throat-punch and the other taking a kick to the nuts shortly after.
"Why don't you ever learn?" I ask, kneeling down infront of Butch. Bopping him in the head, I knock him over, and Amata giggles.
"Thanks," she says as I stand. We leave the gang to recover from their loss and head into the classroom. "Man, those idiots only treat me like that because of my father's the Overseer. Why can't they just leave me alone?" Amata groans as we sit down.
"It's like you said: they're idiots. Just don't let them get to you," I say to her, turning quickly as the teacher walks up.
"Are you two ready for the test?" he asks, clearly unaware of the scuffle that happened just outside his classroom.
"Yep, just waiting for it to start," I say, trying to stay polite.
"Good, because it starts now," he says, walking away as Butch and company walk into the room. All three give me dirty looks as they sit down. I just look over to Amata and smile.
The test goes by uneventfully, the class answering the ridiculous questions one by one. I try to answer as truthfully as possible, but it's pretty hard, as there aren't many answers I can really say I relate to. Luckily, the test is short, and soon we're done. I bring my test up to the teacher.
"Well Xian, looks like you're in luck," he says. "You've been selected to work as a cook." He smiles, and so do I.
"That's great! I was hoping for that!" I say with excitement. Truthfully, I really was. I've always been drawn to cooking, spending many of my days watching the current cooks work when I have free time.
"Well good. It's always nice to get what you want - not many do." Nodding, he signals that it's time for me to move along. I nod back, giving my thanks and quickly turning, my long black hair flowing behind me. I hadn't put it up yet, despite being down to my knees. As I'm reminded to do so, I make a point to grab a hairband from my room after telling my dad the good news. Suddenly, my mind goes back to the memory of the loud sound, and I find myself pondering it the rest of the day.
3 YEARS LATER
I look around, trying to find the source of the noise. The screeching fills my ears as I run through the darkness. Then I see it. I see a light in the distance. I run, trying to reach it, but the more I run, the farther it gets. I hear a yell, and come to a stop. I see Amata there, a bright light behind her. She's yelling my name
"Xian!"
I hear it, but her voice is quiet. She yells again. This time, she's louder.
"Xian! Wake up!" I look at her, confused.
"What do you-"
"What are you doing! Get up!" I hear Amata, opening my eyes.
"What is it?" I groan, slowly sitting up. I look to the side of my bed, seeing Amata standing by my bed. "Oh hey, I was just dreaming about you," I say, blinking the sleep from my eyes.
"Come on, you need to be serious!" She tells me in a frantic voice. As my eyes adjust to the light, I see the state she's in. Her normally nice blonde hair is a mess, her eyes are bloodshot, and she's covered in sweat. I immediately know something's wrong. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I stand. I take a moment to look over the rest of my friend. She's grown much taller than me, and she's grown much more beautiful over the years. I had hardly realized how attractive she had become until a year ago. But now she was different, worried, even scared. Recently, seeing her stressed out had begun to bother me in more ways than just worry for a friend.
"Amata, what's wrong? Why are you here?" I ask, placing a had on her shoulder.
"It's your dad, he's escaped the vault!" I pause, taking a moment to process what she said.
"What do-"
"He's gone. My father's going crazy. They- he- Jonas-" She has trouble saying what she wants, so I try to help her.
"What's going on. What do you mean, my dad's gone? What happened to Jonas?" I keep my hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. I give my best attempt at a comforting look, and it seems to work. She takes a deep breath.
"Your dad escaped the Vault. I don't know how, but Jonas helped him and now he's gone. My father- the Overseer learned what Jonas did and- my dad-" she stops again, and I begin to expect the worse. "Jonas is dead," she finally manages. I look in fear, tears forming in my eyes. Jonas was like an uncle to me. If what Amata said is true, then…
"Why are you here?" I suddenly ask. Amata's eyes meet mine, hers filled with fear.
"The Overseer thinks you were involved too. He's after you." I look into her eyes with horror. "I ran here to warn you. We have to do something. I can't just let you-" she breaks off into sobs, and I pull her into my arms. Normally, I would relish in the embrace, but now I had to be serious. As her sobs disperse, an Idea comes to me. I release the hug and look at her again.
"You said my dad escaped?"
"Yeah, just a little while ago."
"Than so can I," I put bluntly. I quickly move to my desk, taking the BB gun and my lucky knife I used as a cook. Amata watches me in shock.
"What do you mean?" she asks.
"Simple: my dad taught me everything he knew. If he can get out, so can I." I secure my knife in the sheath I made for it, and load the BB gun, electing to carry it with me. I see a light spark in my friend's eyes.
"That's perfect! If you can get out, you'll be safe." My idea seems to have revived her, bringing back the happy, go-getting girl I'd grown to have feelings for. "I'll go ahead of you, see if I can learn how he escaped." She begins to leave, but stops, turning quickly. She runs to me, gives a quick hug, and whispers into my ear. "Good luck," she says, then runs out of my room. I stand around for a moment, then snap out of it and head out after her. I keep low, listening for noises outside of the alarms blaring. I move slowly, remaining quiet and alert. As I reach a corner, I hear the sounds of a fight. Peeking around the corner, I see a guard being attacked by Radroaches. The huge bugs managed to find their way into the Vault every now and again, but they were weak and got taken care of fast. Naturally, I leap from cover and take a shot at the roaches, getting lucky and killing them with a single pellet. I'm staying low, and the guard slowly turns to see me, gun raised. His eyes go wide, then fill with rage.
"There you are!" he yells, readying his baton and charging. Surprised and caught off guard by the charge, I barely dodge the attack, still taking a sharp blow to the side. I wince at the pain, but have to move quick, as the guard presses the attack. He turns, his eyes filled with a blood rage as he makes a wide swing at me. This time, I get out of the way, but he doesn't quit, delivering a quick followup attack. By now, I can tell he's out for blood, and I get into a rhythm of dodging his wild attacks. Compared to my father's training, the guard's assault is nothing. But I know I don't have time to dodge. I take my chance when he makes another wide sweep with his baton, and move in. He can't react in time, and I hit him in his exposed neck with the butt of the BB gun. He drops like a rock, but he's not out. I take a second to remove his helmet, then bring the butt of the gun down on the back of his head. That leaves him unconscious. I take a deep breath, and gather myself after the experience. I make a point to remain undetected, as most of the guards will likely react similarly to seeing me. I quickly make sure the one who attacked me isn't dead, and hide his weapons in case he wakes up, then head off again.
I make slow progress through the Vaults winding corridors, trying to make it to the exit without another incident. As I pass by the bathrooms, I begin to hear loud footsteps, as if someone is running. Sure enough, I peek around the next corner and see my old nemesis Butch sprinting down the halls. Seeing his face filled with horror makes me jump from my cover, BB gun aimed at his face.
"Woah!" he shouts, skidding to a halt with his hands in the air. "Calm down, I'm not gonna hurt ya!" Butch's voice is frantic, but I can't quite trust him, not after all he's done to Amata and I growing up.
"How can I trust you?" I ask, not lowering the rifle.
"Please, you gotta help me!" he pleads. It's then that I realize that it's not sweat covering his face. He'd been crying. "It's the damn roaches, they've got my mom! Please, I'm sorry for what I've done, just please…" He looks at me, and I can tell he's not lying. I nod, lowering the gun.
"Show me the way," I say, and Butch doesn't hesitate, turning and sprinting towards his apartment. I've never liked him or his mom, but I can't just let her die. As we run, I sling the BB gun across my back, and draw my knife. I know how small the Vault apartments are, and I don't want to risk shooting the person I'm trying to save.
As we get closer, I hear the yells of a woman crying out in pain. Butch picks up speed, and I know it's his mom. The door is open, thankfully, but Butch stops just outside of it.
"What are you doing!" I ask, annoyed.
"I can't- I don't want to see what it's like in there." I scoff at the weakness he's showing, but I understand. I proceed into the apartment alone.
The first thing I notice, apart from the screams of Butch's mother and the roaches, is how the entire apartment is a mess. Furniture tossed about, whiskey bottles and trash lying around- I can finally see some of what made Butch who he is. Not wasting too much time, I rush into the bedroom where the screams are coming from. Inside is a horrific sight. The roaches have really torn up the woman. She's lying in a pool of her own blood, her jumpsuit ripped and her body scarred. I only hesitate for a moment before jumping into action. None of the roaches seem to have noticed me yet, and I use that to my advantage. Moving fast, I kick the roaches away from Ms. Deloria. It hurts my foot like crazy every time my foot connects with their hard shells, but I ignore the pain. Looking between the bugs, I see two of them landed on their backs, and are therefore defenseless. I go for them first, plunging my knife into the roaches exposed bellies. It takes a moment for each to stop squirming, but they die nonetheless. Distracted by finishing those two, I don't notice a third skittering to my ankle and taking a bite out of it. I yelp in pain, kicking it away. It falls on its back, and I put an end to it in the same fashion as the other two. The fourth and final roach had completely ignored me, returning to it's previous victim. It had a firm grip on Ms. Deloria's leg, and I again take advantage of the distraction. I reach down, gripping the roach by its shell and yanking it away. The woman screams in pain as a good chunk of her leg is ripped out along with the bug, but I ignore it, tossing the roach into the wall. Like its buddies, it fell on its back and I jammed my knife into it, ending the life of the last roach in the room. Breathing heavily, I slowly turn to Ms. Deloria. She, breathing quickly, tears streaming down her face. She turns to me, and through the tears and horror from what just happened, I see a look of gratitude in her eyes. I nod, realizing she can't speak right now. With that, I turn and leave the apartment, limping slightly from the bite on my ankle.
As I exit the Deloria's home, I am immediately confronted by a still worried Butch. He just looks at me, as if unable to speak.
"It's ok Butch, she's safe." I barely finish speaking before he leaps into a huge hug, crushing me in the embrace. I had never realized how strong he was, having never taken a direct hit from him before. My gasping for air is likely what convinced him to release me from his tight grip.
"Oh my God," he says, face beaming with excitement and thanks. I would go as far as to say I saw some regret in his eyes. "Thank you so much. I'm so sorry for what I've done in the past, to you and Amata. Oh man, I'm so sorry."
"It's OK Butch," I say softly, not really comfortable with this new Butch. I pause for a moment, then hear the alarms again, reminding me of just what I had been doing. "Look Butch, I've got to go. Everything's crazy right now, and I need to get moving. Remember to get some first-aid for your mother, fast." I look at him, and we nod in silent agreement to forget our past. After the exchange, he runs into his home, and I begin my journey through the Vault once more.
Things go smoothly for a little while after leaving Butch. I pass by the cafe, now filled with roaches, but decide not to take them on, as my ankle wound is still fresh and I can't waste much more time than I already have. As I make my way to the Atrium, I begin to hear sounds of fighting ahead of me. Slowing my pace, I try to listen and find out who's fighting. I can hear the noises I have come to realize are those made by Radroaches, as well as grunting from two familiar voices and what seems to be fire. I slowly peek around a corner, and see that my suspicions are correct.
Two good friends of my father, Officer Gomez and Stanley the engineer, are fending off a good amount of roaches. There are many bodies of the overgrown bugs strewn about in front of my father's office. The sounds of flames I heard are coming from Andy, the Mr. Handy who worked around the Vault. He was also a close friend of my father.
Andy had just finished frying a few roaches, and moved on to the last group, which Gomez had been fighting. The officer stepped back, letting the robot handle them. One of the bugs lept at Andy. I almost felt sorry for it as the robot's saw revved up in an instant. It was like my 10th birthday again, only instead of delicious cake covering the walls, it was the guts and blood of a disgusting bug. If the other roaches could feel for their dead ally, they didn't have time, as the flamethrower on Andy's other arm burnt them to a crisp seconds later.
After the battle is over, I carefully step out of my cover, Stanley and Officer Gomez unaware of my presence. I raise the rifle, ready to fire if needed. I'm happy the gun is non-lethal; I don't want to hurt anyone too bad.
I make my way forward quietly, hoping to get around the trio without being seen, but fate would not have it. I'm carefully stepping over the few radroach corpses which haven't been incinerated when Andy's eyes suddenly swivel towards me. I quickly point the rifle at the robot, but he doesn't move.
"Ms. Ling!" he calls out, his voice not hostile. He slowly begins to float towards me, and the two humans follow his gaze. I begin to step back as Gomez raises his hand.
"Whoa there missy," the guard says quickly. "Lower the rifle, will ya? We're not gonna hurt ya." As if to reinforce his words, Gomez, moving slowly, outs away his baton. Stanley, taking a hint, slips his wrench into his pocket. Still wary, I lower my BB gun, but keep a firm grip on it, ready to snap up at the first sign of trouble. With the gun lowered, Gomez begins to walk towards me. "Thank goodness it was me who found you," he says with a sigh of relief. "The others would probably attack on sight."
"Thanks," I say, relaxing. "And I know; I already ran into another guard a ways back." I point in the direction of my apartment.
"That's too bad," the officer said, a grim look on his face. "You didn't… is he-"
"I knocked him out," I interrupt.
"Good. But... " Gomez pauses, trying to think of what to say. "Lets just say the closer you get to the exit, the fiercer and more loyal the guards will get. I've already passed by a few carrying loaded guns."
"How do you know I'm headed to the exit?"
Stanley bumps in now. "Where else is there for you?" he asks. "Your father's gone and the Overseer's gone crazy, wants your head on a pike; all you can do is go up." He says it so bluntly, as if it's impossible for me to talk my way out.
"Look," Gomez starts, "you've got to get goin'. Stanley and I have managed to lock most of the doors on this floor, giving a clear path. But you can bet every guard between here and there is against you." He pauses, a small smile forming on his face. "Just stay low and out of sight; I know you're used to it." That makes me smile as well, remembering all the times Gomez caught me sneaking into areas I wasn't supposed to go.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," I say, nodding. It's as if a silent understanding passes between everyone present, agreeing that the time for words is over. I pass by Officer Gomez, only taking a quick look at him, Stanley, and Andy before moving at a quick pace. I know I'll need to pick up the pace, my run in with Butch and now this slowing me down greatly.
Again, my journey goes by fast. I see a few guards armed with 10 mm pistols, so I avoid them as I progress through the Vault. Gomez wasn't kidding - the guards are ruthless. In my rush to escape, I see two people I don't recognize trying to escape. One of them, a guy about my age, tried to approach two officers, only to be gunned down. I look away quickly, doing my best not to think about what I just saw. It was just a glimpse, but seeing an innocent man gunned down like that had me sick to my stomach. Knife out now, I proceed through a door, only to be attacked by radroaches. With the guards who killed the guy in the room right behind me, I opt not to fight and risk being found, breaking into a sprint past the bugs.
Hugging the wall, I soon find myself in the computer server room for this floor of the Vault. As I enter, I again hear the sound of radroaches scratching across the floor. I see three, gathered around a body. I almost gag at the sight, the roaches having torn into the man's skin and reached his insides. I feel last night's dinner rising in my throat, but manage to fight the vomit. Not risking taking a breath, I move quickly and silently. As much as I hate it, the roaches eating the corpse keeps their attention from me, and I get by unseen.
I know I'm getting close now, and I speed up. Then I hear a scream. It's Amata. I can tell that right away. My pace grows faster, and soon I'm looking around a corner near the Overseer's apartment. I see a guard pacing, his helmet off and his back to me. Not wasting any time, I silently rush up behind him, covering his mouth with one hand while the other delivers a sharp blow to his neck. I feel him go limp, and I slowly lower the unconscious guard to the ground. I see the 10mm pistol on his side, and take it. I don't want him to wake too soon and have a clear shot at my head.
All throughout this, I can hear more yelling from the apartment. It's clear Amata is being interrogated. I hear a loud slap, and approach the window outside the room. Peaking in, I see one guard and the Overseer, their backs to me. I also see my friend, the Overseer's own daughter, in a chair, her face bruised and bloodied. I feel a measure of rage rise in me, only to quell. My father had always taught me to control my emotions. I take a deep breath, and look again at Amata. She lifts her face, and soon notices me at the window. Her eyes go wide, and I quickly move out of sight, next to the door. The pistol shakes in my hand. I can barely hear the Overseer's voice over the alarms and my own shaking.
"What is?" I hear him ask in a cruel voice.
"Nothing," is all Amata says in response, her voice quiet but strong. I can almost imagine the look in her father's face.
"Look outside," I hear the Overseer say, probably to the guard with him. He hadn't been wearing a helmet, and I hope that he doesn't put one on. I raise the 10mm, ready to whip him with it if the door opens.
Mere seconds later, though it feels like minutes, the door slides open. I see the guard start walking out, his helmet still off. He quickly sees his friend on the floor and reaches for his baton. As he turns to face me, I'm already bring the gun towards his head. His eyes grow wide for less than a second, then they're closing as the handle of the gun slams between them, KO'ing him instantly. I hear a yelp of surprise from Amata as his body falls to the ground. Taking a deep breath, I raise the pistol again, still shaking as I turn the corner and enter the room.
Amata is already standing when I enter, her father in front of her. The Overseer's eyes are wide for a second, as if in surprise, but his gaze soon fills with hate.
"Well well," he says, a small smirk forming on his face despite his eyes still burning with hatred. "Look who we have here. A little girl, trying to act tough." He pauses for a moment, as if trying to find the words to say. He finally speaks again after the long pause. "My biggest mistake."
I look at him, my whole body shaking as I point the gun at him. I am fully aware that what I'm holding will do more than just annoy him like the BB gun on my back. I can feel the tension in the air, the Overseer standing confidently, his gaze burning into my skull. If Amata feels it, she doesn't let it on, taking this moment to sprint past her father and me and out of the room.
"And then there were two," the Overseer says, unfazed by the gun. "What, are you afraid?" he asks. "Come on, I'm unarmed and you have a gun. You have the upper hand here. So, what's your move." He's not backing down. He takes a step forward and I take one back.
"Let me out," I say, my voice shaky.
"What?"
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Let me out of the Vault," I repeat, more confident.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Ling. That's just impossible." He takes another step forward, but this time I stand my ground.
"I… I don't want to hurt anyone," I say, my body calming as my mind does. "Just let me go, and you'll never see me again." Unfazed, the Overseer steps forward again.
"I can't do that Xian," he says as he gets closer.
"Why not?" I almost yell.
"Simple," he says, closing the distance more. "So many have already died." His voice goes quiet. "Because of you." He stops moving, letting the words sink in.
"You're the one who hurt them!" I do yell this time, defending myself.
"Did I?" He asks. "Isn't it your father who left? Isn't it his fault the Vault went into disarray? Aren't you his accomplice?" He asks the question, hate growing in each one.
"What do you mean? I never knew about him leaving!" I'm confused, but angered at the accusation.
"Of course you did! You think I didn't notice you two sneaking around all the time? You don't think I noticed you were up to something?" The Overseer's yelling now, voice filled with rage.
"I never knew anything!" I yell back, unable to suppress my anger.
"Yes you did!" His face starts to change, almost like worry is forming in him. "If you didn't, all this death has been for nothing!" Tears start falling from the Overseer's eyes. "If you're innocent, then I'm just a murder!" He yells, a battle cry rising as he begins to charge. I can't react in time, and before I know it, he's in my face and knocking the gun out of my hand. I'm impressed by his speed, given his age. But I don't have time to think, going on the defensive as he takes a wide, uncontrolled swing at me. I block the hit with my forearm, but his knee catches my stomach. I gasp as the air is knocked out of me and his fist meets my jaw. Stumbling back, I trip over the body of the guard in the doorway. The Overseer is on me in a second, sending vicious blows at my head. All I can do is raise my arms and block.
He pounds on my arms for a few seconds before taking a quick breath. I know this is my only chance, my arms not able to stand much more. A few of his blows had already gotten through my defense, and I can feel my cheeks swelling.
As he takes his breath, I give two quick jabs to his stomach, Stunning him for a moment. I take the chance and flip him, switching out positions. Still recovering, I take my knee and deal out a cheap shot to his nuts. I follow up with four hard hits to the face, and I can see the Overseer's strength fading. Whatever adrenaline he had was clearly gone, and he was breathing sharply. As much as I hated to do it, I knew I had to take advantage of my position. I moven my knee onto his stomach, making it harder for him to breath, and I pinned his arms.
"Tell me how to get out," I say sternly. He looks up at me, his previous hatred and stubbornness replaces with a look of submission. He tries to speak, so I release the pressure on his belly. He can still barely speak.
"M-My… pocket," he says with difficulty. "Code... my office… use terminal… never…" he coughs. "Never… come back." With that, he breathes deeply and releases, his eyes closing. I check his pulse, happy to see he's still alive. I stand up, and look to see Amata standing in the doorway of Jonas' office, one hand covering her mouth as the other held something tightly in its grasp. Tears are running down her face. It had to hard, watching her father and best friend go at eachother's throats. She's just looking down at his body, and I quickly move towards her. She looks up, fear in her eyes.
"Amata," I say, "he's fine." I see her eyes go wide. "He's just tired. He'll wake-" I can't finish talking as my friend tackle-hugs me, sobbing loudly.
"Thank you, thank you," is all she can say. I hold her tightly for almost a minute before we separate. Amata is much more composed by then, and can speak to me, though quietly. "Thank you for not killing him. Thank you so much." I can understand why she's happy. Her father was a horrible person, and a terrible father. He had just gotten done beating and interrogating her. But he was still her father. He had raised her. And I couldn't really blame him for the detachment; he was the Overseer and had to keep hundreds of Vault residents happy. Raising his daughter was important, but he never really had time.
"It's okay Amata," I say, smiling at her. She looks me in the eye and smiles back. Then she puts a hand on my head.
"You really should cut your hair," she says, catching me off guard/
"What?" I ask.
"I've been telling you for years to cut it, but you just keep it at your knees." Amata laughs a little.
"What's so funny? Why are you bringing this up?" I'm confused and a little embarrassed, standing like an idiot while she rubs my head.
"I don't know," she says with a giggle. "It kind of just came to mind. You look cute."
I blush and turn my head away to hide it, but that just achieves a bigger laugh from my friend.
"Anyway, I guess we should get going," she says. Passing by me, she kneels down and searches her father's pockets. A second later, she stands, a small piece of paper in hand. I again notice she hasn't let go of what's in the other hand.
"What's that?" I ask.
"The password. It'll get us to the door. Come on." Amata walks away, and enters her father's office. Looking back, she gestures to me. "Are you coming?" I jump a little and start forward, following her. By the time I enter the room, she's already at the terminal. I hear some clicking of keys, followed by a loud noise.
"What the-" I begin to say, but stop as I watch the desk rise. Amata walks to my side and we watch in awe as a hidden pathway reveals itself. We look at each other, and a simple nod is all that is needed to start down the stairs. I hear skittering and draw my knife. I barely see the radroach approaching in the dark. Moving fast, I kick it, flipping it on its back and finishing the bug quickly. Amata stares at me in amazement. I just smile and shrug, and we head off again.
Soon the dark tunnel opens into a large room. It's dark, and no guards are present. A lone terminal sits against a wall. Next to it, looming in the dark next to a lot of complex machinery, is my objective. The huge door that has stood between the vault and the surface for hundreds of years. Earlier today, my dad had opened it for the first time ever. Now, I was going to open it again. I look at Amata, and she gives a small nod before I move forward, toward the terminal. She walks by me, and in seconds we are in front of the final obstacle. I take a deep breath, and activate the terminal. It's as if time has reduced the terminal to nothingness. Like it has been devoid of all purpose for hundred years. The terminal seems to know exactly what I intend to do, as the mechanisms by the door jump to life in seconds.
That's when I hear it. First, I can't quite put my finger on it, but the whirring of gears and shifting of metal sounds all too familiar. Then I hear a click. All sound stops, only to be replaced seconds later by the loudest noise I've ever heard. A loud scraping noise, metal against metal. The recognition hits me like a nuclear blast: this was the noise. The very noise I had spent my life searching for, fantasizing about. The noise from my very first memory. I look at Amata, who's standing awestruck as the door slides slowly open. She looks over at me, speechless. But I can see in her eyes that she's thinking the same thoughts as me. I had told her about my memory before, described it many times.
I see a dim light pouring through the tunnel the door revealed. It lights our faces like never before. Amata looks beautiful in the light as we stare at eachother, then back to the door, then back to each other. The noise stops, and we stand in silence. Minutes pass before Amata breaks the silence, staring at me.
"Oh my god, you actually did it!" she says, almost with a disbelieving tone.
"Yeah, I- no, we did it," I say back in a similar tone.
"We?" Amata asks.
"Of course; I wouldn't have made it here without you." I look into her eyes, hoping she can understand how serious I'm being.
"I…" She can't seem to think of what to say. "You did most of it," she finally says with a small blush.
"Nope," I say bluntly. "If you hadn't woken me up, I wouldn't have even gotten out of my room." I'm smiling, trying not to laugh as Amata blushes a little. She looks like she's about to say something when I sense the presence of another in the room. I look past Amata to see Butch in the doorway.
"Butch!" I yell, and Amata turns around, quickly moving to hide me.
"Go away!" Amata yells at him. "You can't stop her!"
"I don't intend to," Butch says, walking forward with his usual swagger.
"What?" Amata asks, stunned. She looks back at me.
"It's fine," I assure her, walking past her and to Butch. I hadn't really noticed how much bigger he was than me earlier, but now it was obvious. Of course, everyone was taller than me; I topped out at five feet and three inches. Butch is almost a foot taller than me, as was Amata.
"Hey, I just wanted to thank you again for earlier," Butch says, holding out a fist. I pause for a second before bumping it with my own. He smirks.
"No problem," I say, backing away so I don't have to bend my neck so much..
"What's going on?" Amata asks, clearly confused at our friendliness.
"Let's just say we've put some stuff behind us," I say with a smile at her reaction.
"Yeah, it's…" Butch pauses, a hand scratching the back of his head, "I'm sorry 'Mata," he finally gets out, turning his gaze away. I see the look as shock on her face, and struggle not to laugh. "For everything," Butch adds. Amata just looks at him in awe.
"So, why else are you here?" I ask.
"Well, I felt I should see you off, and-" he's cut off by shouting at a door I hadn't noticed before. I can see sparks across the opening, letting me know it's time to move. "And to get your but moving," Butch finishes his previous thought.
"What's going on?" Amata asks.
"There are two experienced guards behind that door," Butch says. "I managed to lock it down before they got here, but you don't have much time. Go!" he yells, almost pushing me towards the exit. He looks back at me, an annoyed look on his face. "Move!" he yells, pointing at the door. I look at Amata, and don't waste a second, I pull her into a deep kiss on a whim, breaking apart only because I don't have time to waste. I look deep into her eyes as we part, and I make my way to the door. Her eyes follow me as I pass the Vault door and into the tunnel. I stare into her eyes, a look of sorrow and regret in my eyes. I can see Butch looking back at me.
"You take good care of her!" I yell the the leader of the Tunnel Snakes.
"You better come back someday! And bring the old man!" He yells back.
"Will do!" Tears are streaming as I activate the console on my side, starting the closing sequence. "Goodbye Amata! I'll see you again!" I call out to my best friend. She looks at me, tears streaming down her face. The loud noises start again, and the door begins to close. I see Amata's mouth move, but the closing door drowns out all sound. Not that it matters. My dad had taught me to read lips. As the Vault door slowly removes Amata from my sight, I felt tears rolling down my face. Seconds later, I hear the last noise from the door, and then there is silence. I place my hand on the door, and, quietly, just above a whisper, through sobs, I say the words Amata did.
"I love you too." With that, I steel myself, stifling my tears and wiping off my face. Slowly, I approach the broken wooden door at the end of the tunnel. Through the cracks, I see light pouring in, blinding light. I have to blink a few times before my eyes adjust. The tunnel is hot as well. Extremely hot. The only time I had experienced heat like this was when I was put in the back room of the kitchen, where all the cooking was done. It feels like hours have passed by the time I reach the door. I can't make much out through the cracks, so my only choice is to open it.
I pause for a minute, hand resting on the handle, and my other hand idly slips into my pocket. I notice something off, and realize something's in it. Grasping what feels like a small box, I take my hand out of my pocket and find a small holotape. I barely recognize it as what Amata had in her hand as we walked to the door. She must have slipped it in as I kissed her. I turn the small tape around to see a label with writing on it. "A note from Dad" is written in my father's handwriting. I look back at the closed Vault door once more, then plug the tape into my Pip-boy. As My father's message plays, I bring my hand back to the door, and, slowly, I push it open, not sure what to expect.
The door creaks open, and the light blinds me as I step out. My eyes adjust, and I take a look around. For miles, I see barren rock, no color in sight. I see the ruins of a small town just ahead. Everything finally sinks in. This is it. This is the surface.
This is the Wasteland.
And so ends the first chapter. I would like to thank all who read this to the end and encourage you to leave any comments, good or bad. Thanks again.
