Been bouncing this idea back and forth in my head, and felt it was best to start it from the scene in which the two meet in the game... Most of the dialogue is word for word. I just love Fawke's character, and how crazy he sounds half the time. Haha.

Wiping sweat from my brow and peeling my bangs from my forehead, I breathed heavily and turned from the massive body of the mutant. I gritted my teeth, taking the bullets out of his rifle and replinishing my dwindling supply of ammo. I continued to stumble down the sector of the vault which my Pip Boy deemed "Test Labs". I shuddered for a moment, but kept moving down the hallway. I could hear the heavy steps of another Mutant up ahead, and I ducked low and held my breath. Peeking over the side of the corridor, I viewed the giant ahead of me, and opened fire.

"I thought I heard something!" It howled and stumbled toward me despite the array of bullets that filled its' belly. "Time to die!" It shouted, swinging a nail board at my and hitting my shoulder. I heard my shoulder crack and for a moment, pondered if it was broken. I was on my back now, staring as it raised the board over its' head and grinned intensely. I finally snapped out of it and shot at the beast's head, knocking it off of its' shoulders. I quivered for a moment on the ground, then pulled myself to my feet. The only thing I could think about right now was Dad dying in vain, and I couldn't let his dream fall apart before it had even begun. I walked down the hallways quietly, peeking inside the rooms. One room held a mass of flushed pink flesh. I stepped a little closer, feeling the heat from the vat in the floor. I quickly moved out of the room, touching my skin to make sure nothing had changed. I stifled a nervous laugh and pulled my gaze from the mound of distorted flesh on the floor and continued down the hall.

I peered into an empty room, in which a skeleton lay on a table gathering dust. I could still see a tattered vault uniform covering the pearly white bones, and for a moment I wondered how long it had lay in the room. Stepping lightly I walked past a closed door, and toward another windowed room. I was just about to save myself the sight of another mangled body, when a voice crept into the hallway. "You... Over there. Please, come speak to me. I'm in the room to your left. Use the intercom next to the window."

It was one of their voices, no doubt, and I gripped my assault rifle like a child grabs a stuffed toy on a stormy night. My dark eyes peered into the room at the hulking mutant, and then to the intercom. I clicked the button, simplying stating, "Yes?"

"It can't be! Either you are quite real, or I am going quite mad. Could you actually be a pure human?" It questioned, occasionally turning its' somewhat benevolent gaze toward me.

"Yeah, I'm human." I said stiffly, staring at the creature. "But what are you?"

"Me?" His reply came hastily. "You care who I am?"

I scuffed my shoe on the cracked floor, and cocked a brow at him. Instinctively I turned around to glance at the hallways, pondering if this was some sort of trap.

"Forgive me, but I'm not used to such pleasantries. I'm more used to grunts and being struck around by the others. My name's Fawkes. I've lived in this... Cage, all my life."

I shrugged, pulling my bangs from my forehead once again, the black locks feeling greasy against my skin. "How ironic that the others consider you a mutant of their kind."

Fawkes nodded his head, "Yes, indeed it is ironic." He mused, "Forgive my astonishment, but I hadn't expected to meet someone with such a learned outlook of these things. It is a pleasant change." He paused, looking over my face and putting two and two together. "I suppose I shouldn't be suprised, it was only a matter of time before someone like you showed up for the G.E.C.K."

I perked up for a minute, my eyes wide. "What do you know about the G.E.C.K.?" I questioned eagerly, our gazes meeting.

"I know what it is, I know where it is, and best of all, I know how you can get your hands on it."

"Good," I said hastily, already feeling I was wasting too much time on this beast. "Tell me everything you know about it then!"

"Not so fast," He responded, turning the conversation in his favor. Quid pro quo, my friend. If I'm to do this service for you, I expect to get something in return."

I stared at him, biting my lip. Of course he would say this. "Release me from this makeshift prison and I will personally take you to the G.E.C.K. and retrieve it for you."

I shook my head, fearing this was too good to be true. Althought I was lying, I didn't exactly want this one walking around and swinging at me, either. My shoulder throbbed dully, and I replied flatly, "Im not worried. I can mow down whatever's in my way."

Fawkes seemed to anticipate this, "Unless your weapons can destroy radiation," He laughed heartily at this, and it sent shudders down my spine. "I'd say that will prove difficult. The G.E.C.K. is in a chamber flooded with deadly radiation. I doubt you could survive inside very long. However, I can." His eyes met mine through the thick plate of glass, and he looked pleadingly at me. "Let me out of here, and I will place the G.E.C.K. safely in your hands."

I shifted my weight to my left foot and frowned, realizing he was right. "Alright," I finally replied. "How do I get you out?"

"At the end of the hallway to your right is a maintenance room. Inside, you'll find the fire control console for the medical area. Trip the alarm on it, and I'll be able to get out."

I started to turn from the cell when he piped up, "Oh, a word of warning though. Tripping the console activates a failsafe and will open ALL of the recovery rooms in the medical area. So, what do you think? Can you do it?"

All of the cells open? This just gets better and better. Who knows what kind of twisted creatures would come running out of the cells at me. Then again, no one had said this would be easy. "Okay Fawkes, you've got a deal." I replied, shifting my gaze from him and down the hall towards the supposed maintenance room.

"I'm glad to see you are a sensible person. Now, get me out of this place. I can't stand it anymore!" I heard him respond, and I rolled my eyes. Yeah, yeah. I bet you are, I thought bitterly. You're not the only one, bub.

Peering down the hall, to my dismay a few Centaurs slithered around inside one of the cells, tongues whipping around eagerly as their souless eyes locked on me. I turned from them and peered into another cell, in which a man was running around frantically and screaming to himself about how everyone was dead. I felt a pang of guilt in my heart, but I couldn't exactly rescue him when I wasn't sure how I was even getting out of this Hell of a Vault myself.

I shifted and there was a door before me, of which I was sure was the maintenance room entrance. Well, here it goes. I opened the door and my heart sank when my gaze met with two very angry looking mutants. One roared at me, and as if on instinct I flicked a plasma grenade from my pocket and shut the door again. I heard them roaring for a moment before it detonated, and then I heard nothing else stirring inside of the room. I opened the door, my eyes burning from the stench of death and their already naturally pungent odor. Quickly entering, I stumbled over their bodies and reached a terminal. Hacking it after a few tries, I tricked the alarm and ran like hell back to Fawkes. He had better keep his word!

I quickly passed the cells before their tomb like doors had opened and unleashed the creatures inside, and hastily stopped in front of Fawkes' cell, panting heavily. My hands were on my knees, and I was doubled over, the pain in my shoulder throbbing worse now. He came out of his cell clutching a sledgehammer, and for a moment I almost flinched, thinking him to bash me over the head with it. He stepped out of the cell, looking down to meet my gaze. "Finally... Freedom! True freedom! I cannot thank you enough for this gift." I grinned sheepishly for a moment, standing up straight and uncomfortably listening to the slither and step of the creatures from down the hall exiting their cells.

"You have no idea how long I've pictured this moment in my mind... And it feels far better than I'd imagined. Now, for my part of the bargain." He added, then stepped passed me and continued down the hall. "Follow me." We exited the Testing Chamber before the mass of monstrocity's could catch up to us, and I shuddered as the door shut tight from the testing room. I swallowed hard, still a little nervous in trusting this mutant.

But what other choice did I have?