Chapter 1: "You're growing up too fast, my son."

NOTE: I'd just like to preface this with: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS. I know Bethesda is uptight about this sort of thing, and I don't particularly feel like getting myself sued. Furthermore, whilst this fanfic quite obviously is based off the plot of Fallout 3, there are some things that are unique to this story. It doesn't strictly adhere to the the story of the game, in that dialogue, characters, items, and even plot elements may be unique to this fanfic. In any case, sit back, relax and enjoy :)

Light. Dazzling, bright and blinding light. It filled his vision as the cold metal door hissed and slid open. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but as they did he was pleasantly surprised. Before him was the cafeteria, decked out with streamers, balloons, signs, party hats... Essentially everything associated with a party. People were jumping up and down, yelling sentences along the lines of, "Happy Birthday!" or "Cake time!". Jake grinned broadly, his lips parting in a toothy flash.

The group calmed down a little, and most went back to what they apparently been doing prioor to his arrival. The crowd seemed to part around a tall man, with greying hair and a serious face. He clasped his hands in front of him, addressing Jake with a level, deep voice. "Happy Birthday, young man. 10 years old, my my... Growing up so fast. But you do know what that means, don't you? You're now officially old enough to start doing small work assignments. How... exciting." Jake managed to suppress a grimace at that. "But, you also probably know what comes with being 10 years old. As the Overseer of Vault 101, I'd like to present you with your very own Pip-Boy 3000. Here," he extended a metal wristband looking contraption, with a glowing green display. Jake accepted the gift gratefully, slid it on and watched as the metal clipped around his arm, adjusting automatically to the shape and size of his wrist. Jake smiled as the display pulsed green and powered up properly. Multiple icons were present on the touch-screen, one for audio files, one for video files and the other for the user to input his or her own text. A slot on the back end of the device allowed for discs to be slotted in and new software loaded and installed. This included maps, medical software and even military upgrades (these were generally used during the war to give an in-battlefield advantage over the enemy, but could still be found from time to time in the deepest storage areas of the Vault). Satisfied with his new piece of technology, Jake clicked the Pip-Boy onto standby by puushing a small red switch on the tip right of the actual device.

The Overseer smiled a tight smile, one that was clearly not the slightest bit genuine and continued. "I also have this for you," he said slowly, handing Jake a small black disk. "Slot that into your Pip-Boy and it will load your class timetable oto it. You can access and view it any time you want, after that. That seems to be it, I think. Enjoy your birthday while it lasts. You're not 10 every day."

Jake grinned his bright, toothy grin again. "Thanks, Alphonse," he said, almost laughing. He could see in the Overseer's eyes that he despised being addressed by his first name. Jake had only ever heard one other person call hm that: his father. James never addressed the Overseer by his title, much to the Big O's distaste. Seeing as he was James' son, it only made sense that he did the same, right?

The Overseer turned away and moved off to sit with Old Lady Palmer. As he left, Jake heard him grunt, "The apple didn't fall far from the fuckin' tree..."

Shrugging it off with no further though, Jake stayed put as his more prefered member of the Almodovar family rushed over to say hello. Short, brown haired and sporting a bright red party hat, Amata. Daughter of the Overseer and only a few months younger than Jake. She was his one true friend in the Vault. Well, excluding Jonas. But he was more of a brother (from another mother) than a friend. That made Jake wonder; could you be brothers and still be best friends? Do brothers have a better friendship than regular friends? He thought it could be possible, yes. That settled it. Amata and Jonas were his two best (and possibly only) friends in the entire Vault.

"Happy Birthday, Jakey! I bet we surprised you, didn't we?" Her voice was sweet and kind, as it always was. To tell the truth, they really had surprised him. That prompted a question.

"You really did, Amata, thanks! Did you organise it yourself?" Jake was genuinely curious about the answer, and wasn't just making simple smalltalk.

"Not really... Your dad did most of the work, but I did the invitations and decorations and stuff." She was smiling widely, clearly hoping for his approval.

"It looks great, Amata. You and dad did a really great job. Thank you," he added, meaning it sincerely.

"Aw, you already said thanks once. I guess twice means you really mean it, huh?" Amata pulled him into a tight hug, to which he replied in kind. "Happy Birthday, Jakey," she said, once again using the name that Jake only allowed her to use. He didn't even let his dad call him that. It was something special between the two of them, something that sort of set them apart from all the other friends in the Vault.

Amata let go of Jake, and excited look on her face. "Oh, I almost forgot! I got you something. Can you guess what it is?" Jake considered making a joke involving a date with Christine Kendall, one of their birth group members. He decided against it and simply said, "I haven't got a clue. What is it?"

She dashed over to the cafeteria counter, where James and Stanley the aging engineer were sitting. Snatching up something and rushing back over as fast as she could, she extended it before him. "Ta-da! Who's your favourite barbarian? That's right, it Grognak, issue #14." Amata handed it to Jake, who grasped it wide-eyes, already beginning to flick through the pages in awe. It was in pristine condition. "There aren't even any pages missing. I found it in a box full of my dad's old stuff, could you believe it...? I guess even he was 10 once, too. Anyway, Jakey, I hope you like it. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you so much, Amata, this is awesome." Jake was estatic, and couldn't wait to get some peace and quiet to read in.

"You're welcome! Now go and enjoy your party!" With that, Jake's friend dashed off to sit with her father and Old Lady Palmer, hair bobbing as she went.

Sliding the timetable disc into a pocket on the outside of his jumpsuit and placing his new comic in a larger one on the inside, Jake set about greeting all of the guests. He quickly chatted with Old Lady Palmer, who rambled on a bit but was always very kind to him. she even gave him a sweetroll as a birthday present, despite Jake insisting that she needn't get him anything. With a curt nod to the Overseer, Jake strolled off to where his father and Stanley were sitting.

"Well look here, we've got ourselves a young man now!" Stanley joked, noticing Jake's arrival. "How does it feel to have hit the big one-oh?"

"Not much different, to be honest," Jake said, somewhat glumly. "I'm still not big yet."

"Are you kidding me?" Stanley laughed. "Jake, that's as big as you need to get, if you ask me. Any bigger and you'll start growing pimples and chest hair. No-one wants THAT, do they?"

Jake chuckled as Stanley ruffled his messy blonde hair. "I guess you're right, Stan. I wouldn't mind having bigger muscles though..."

"Jake, despite what Butch and his gang think, being bigger and stronger than everyone else isn't always a good thing. Just because they're a tad larger than you now, doesn't mean you won't catch up. Got it? Good man."

"Thanks, Stan."

"No problem, kiddo. Oh hey, like that new Pip-Boy?" Stanley inquired.

"Oh, nice piece of hardware, son," James commented, examining the device on his arm. "Is that the 3000?" he asked.

"Mhmm, fixed it up myself," Stanley replied, taking a sip from his drink.

"Really? Thanks, Stan, it's working great so far."

"Not a problem, Jake. I personally think the 3000 is better than the newer models. Sure, it's bigger and heavier, but it's sturdier and won't break as easy. And just think how much that extra weight is gonna help build those muscles, huh?" Jake chuckled along with the two adults. He was enjoying his party quite a bit. "Alright, kiddo, run along now," James said.

"Gotcha, dad."

As Jake turned to return to the fray of the party, Andy, an all-purpose robot with several mechanical arms, fired up its buzzsaw arm. It hovered in front of the birthday cake, quite clearly looking to cut it.

With a roar and splatter, the cake was suddenly everywhere. Andy's buzzsaw was probably not the best option for cutting the cake, and had resulted in the cake being completely and utterly destroyed. Jake laughed as he picked pieces of icing and cream off of his blue and yellow Vault jumpsuit, licking the mess off his fingers. Stanley wasn't as pleased though. "God damn, good for nothing, hunk of scrap metal. I thought I'd calibrated everything properly..."

Shaking his head in mock exasperation, Jake found himself a seat next to Amata, who he shared his sweet roll with. Considering the cake was now destroyed, he may as well share with someone, right?

Almost as soon as he had finished, he was confronted. Butch DeLoria, tall for his age, brown hair slicked back and fists perpetually clenched, was the Vault asshole. Constantly picking fights with Jake and bullying Amata, it was quite safe to say that the pair weren't greant fans of him.

"Oi, nosebleed," he said, shoving Jake in the shoulder. "That damn robot destroyed the cake, and now there's nothing to eat. Give me that sweetroll you got from Old Lady Palmer."

Jake got to his feet, standing just a few inches shorter than Butch. Their eyes locked and the pair were staring daggers at each other, while Amata cowered behind Jake, munching on the last bit of her half.

'Sorry Butch," Jake smiled. "Already eaten it. Oh but here," he added, picking a bit of cream off his jumpsuit and flicking it in Butch's face. "There's something for you."

Butch fired up, face going red and fists raising. "I'll teach you, you little punk..." Butch swung his fist in a large arc, trying to connect with jake's jaw. Jake didn't really know how to fight, but a simple arm in the crook of Butch's elbow stopped the blow dead in its tracks. Before Butch could throw another punch, Officer Gomez had seized him by the collar of his leather jacket and was dragging him back to his booth seat. "Sit the hell down, Butch. You'd better behave yourself, or you'll get extra hours on your next 100 work assignments. Got it?"

"Yes, Officer. Sorry, Officer," Butch grumbled into the table. As soon as Gomez turned, Butch was once again leering at Jake. Jake brushed it off, and faced Gomez who was now talking. "Sorry, kids. Butch has been a pain, ever since he was born. Let me know if he troubles you again. Happy Birthday, Jake."

Jake sighed as Gomez took a seat near James and Stanley, who was angrily examining the back of Andy. "Is that reall all that he's going to do about it? Give him a stern talking to?"

"Apparently," Amata agreed. "Hey, I thought that was really brave. You know, standing up to Butch and all that. Not many people would do that. He's pretty intimidating."

Jake flexed his muscles in mock bravado. "Yeah but check me out, my guns are huge!"

Amata giggled, "Yeah they're massive, Jakey. You would absolutely destroy him..."

"Ok it started out funny, but no you're just being mean," Jake said, putting on a serious face that was quite obviously fake.

Amata giggled again. Jake was aboout to say something else when he heard a buzzing coming from the wall. It was the intercom panel, coming to life with static and general noise. He could faintly hear a voice, but it was muffled further as his father moved to answer the call. "Yep," he heard James say. "Ok, no problem. Thanks Jonas."

Jake watched in interest as his father clicked off the intercom and waved him over. "Jake, that was Jonas on the intercom. He and I have been working on a surprise for you. Come on, down in engineering."

Jake waved a quick goodbye to Amata, then led his dad down to the engineering section of the Vault (despite knowing the way anyway, he pulled up a map of the Vault on his Pip-Boy and used that to navigate through the metal encased corridors). Down in the engineering bay, he spotted a dark skinned man with glasses and a shaved head waiting for him. "What are you doing down here, young man," the man said, his voice deep and flecked with laughter. "Children aren't allowed down here."

"Oh come on, Jonas! I'm 10 years old, you can't really call me a child anymore..."

Jonas laughed heartily. "No, I guess not. Every day you're getting bigger and stronger, smarter and more mature. Nothing we can do about that now, is there?"

"No, I guess not," Jake smiled, mimicking Jonas.

"Anyway, Jake, your father and I have been putting together a present. If you'd like to do the honours, James..."

James stepped forward, retrieving something from inside a steel case in the corner of the room. He turned, presenting it to jake. It was long and wooden, with a few visible mechanical parts. He had seen similar things in photos before, but never quite like this. "Here you go, your own BB gun!" James proclaimed, giving it to Jake. He examined it up and down, taking in all of its glory. "We couldn't exactly give you a real rifle, but this is pretty similar."

"Thank you so much, dad. And you too, Jonas," Jake said, meaning it as sincerely as possible. "But... I can't shoot it in here can I?"

"Don't worry, we've sorted that out too. Come with us." Jake followed close in tow behind Jonas as the three of them went through a small hallway. After a short walk, it opened up into a close chamber, with storage boxes lining the walls. Further into the room, it was difficult to pass due to a makeshift barricade having been set up. Beyond that were three targets at varying heights and distances. It was pretty easy to see what the room was intended for.

Jake looked in awe at the room, and almost jumped when James put a hand on his shoulder. He had almost forgotten that the other two were even there. "How do you like it, Jake?" James asked, a broad smile on his face. He needn't have asked the question. The answer was plainly written across Jake's face.

"I get my own shooting range?" Jake mumbled, almost not believing it.

"Yours and yours only, young master Rickard," Jonas answered. "Unless you choose to share it, of course."

It took Jake a minute to formulate the words for a reply. "I... this is... I love it!" he finally managed. "Can I shoot now?" he asked eagerly, gripping his new miniature rifle with excitement.

"You sure can," James said. He reached into one of the pockets in his clean, white lab coat, and pulled out a small clear capsule full of mini ball bearings. "You'll need these though," James informed, tossing Jake the capsule. "It's ammunition, all you need to do is slot that into the side of the gun, yeah just like that. Now push that bolt forward, there you go. I think the rest is best done by pointing and pulling the trigger."

Jake turned so that he was standing side on, facing towards the three padded targets. Bringing the BB gun up to shoulder height and peering down the wooden sights, Jake lined up his first target.

POP!

The ball bearing pinged into the edge of the closest target, to Jake's immense delight. Eager to fire another round, he squeezed the trigger twice more. Both rounds found their marks in two separate targets, however not quite as accurately as he would have hoped. "Well would you take a look at that!" Jonas exclaimed. "With a little more practice we're going to have a sharpshooter on our hands. Whatever shall we do then..."

"Cower in fear," Jake answered, and was met with laughter from the two older men.

James slapped his son on the shoulder with pride. "You'll need to slide that bolt back and forward after every five rounds, so it loads the next set of ball bearings. Oh, and if you ever need more ammunition..." He moved to one of the medium sized containers propped up against the wall of th room. "You'll find plenty of those capsules in here. It would be safe to say that there are over a thousand of them in there. God knows why... Oh and all this comes with one very important condition: Alphonse can never catch wind of this. Understand?"

"Yeah, no worries, dad. Al' won't ever hear about this."

Jonas shook his head in exasperation. "Like father like son," he murmured, more or less echoing the words of the Overseer.

Jake began to voice his thanks once again, but as he did so a sharp clicking noise resonated from behind the box barricade. Gripping his BB gun, Jake swivelled to peer over the top, and saw that a large, brown, scaly looking creature was scuttling around on the floor. it looked exactly the same as one of those cockroach insects he'd read about in Science class, except 10 times bigger.

"Radroach," James sighed. They were an occasional issue in the Vault. Despite looking relatively harmless at first glance, these creatures were known to devour humans when in larger groups. Just as he was trying to decide what to do about it, a perfect idea came to mind. "Reckon you can take it out, Jake?" he suggested. "Yeah, it shouldn't be a big deal," Jake replied, shouldering his gun once again. Taking aim at the creature's face, he let pop two rounds. The first collided with the Radroach's eye, splattering a yellow goo all over the ground and sending the roach skittering away. Because of the impact of the first round, the second merely pinged off the hard metal flooring and sailed into the pile of scrap on the far end of the room.

"We-hell, would you look at that!" James exclaimed. "Jake Rickard, Radroach slayer. Has a nice ring to it. Hey Jonas, get a picture of me and the big game hunter, you know, to mark the occasion." As James put his arm around Jake, who lifted his BB gun in triumph, and the flash of Jonas' camera went off, he had a single, saddening thought.

You're growing up too fast, my son.

Author's Note: Yeah, ok, I know that this first chapter is essentially a retelling of the first section of the proper game, but what else could I do? Believe it or not, these events were essential to the character I had in mind. Plus, I sorta tried to personalise the story a bit with dialogue that isn't ripped straight from the game, so that's a bonys. I intend to keep it that way too, never taking anything too much straight much from the game. In any case, reviews would be muchly appreciated. Thanks guys :)