My whole life has lead up to this moment. From the moment of my first breath and my mother's last, my destiny was carved in stone to lead me here. I realize that now. I wished I had known sooner, because now I stare into my own death. It will mean life and renewal for so many, but I will never witness the rebirth of this land.
They say before you die your entire life flashes before your eyes. This isn't true. As death looms in the shadows, moments before you lose your mortal spark, you reach an incredible level of clarity. I felt it as I stepped through the emergency bulkhead. There was no question; I wasn't coming out of there alive. And yet, I wasn't scared. I felt at ease, at peace.
Even with the power armor protecting me and Rad-X pumping through my system, the radiation still bombarded me. The power helmet was stifling, so I ripped it off. I wanted to see with my own eyes and not from within a steel can. The console looms before me, calling me to the culmination of everything since I stepped outside of Vault 101. I know the key code without even thinking; father never let me forget it. My hand shakes as I punch in the numbers.
2-1-6. The passage my father and mother adored. What they wanted to bring to this desolate wasteland: pure, clean water for all who thirst. Mother died dreaming of it. Father died protecting it. Now I will die beginning it.
I press enter, and the machinery around me whirs to life signaling my end. The water chamber before me filled with tainted liquid glows brightly. All I can think of is how much more I wanted to do. How much I never knew, and yet all that I have experienced these past few months. The path I took leading me here: my leaving the Vault, following father across a ruined landscape, reuniting with him, and only to lose him once more. It all comes crashing down on me as the radiation pumps into the chamber. My body aches as every cell howls and dies within me. Tears prickle the corners of my eyes as my vision blurs slightly, but I don't scream.
The energy to stand leaves me, and I buckle to my knees. My mind buzzes but that perfect clarity still remains with me. I remember everything. I see the blinding light of the sun as I feel it for the first time in almost 19 years, the view from the Washington Monument, the restored Lincoln Memorial, the green life of Oasis, returning to Vault 101.
And I see father. He's standing tall before me, proud and young with a faint smile on his lips. I extend my hand and try to call out to him, but my voice remains soundless. But he knows. He knows my words without hearing them, and I find comfort in that.
The radiation continues to assault my body, and what little strength I had is slipping away exponentially. I fall off my knees onto my back, hand lingering in the air briefly before slamming into the metal grating beneath me. I can still barely see father, and he continues to look down upon me with that soft smile. For all the time he wasn't there, he stays by my side in these final moments.
The light grows stronger again, stinging my eyes further. I can't close my eyelids. I won't. The brilliant illumination bleeds into everything around me, leaving my father and I enveloped in the purest radiance. I depart from this world, with hope left behind in my stead. With honor. With my family. With freedom, at last.
A/N: I know I should be writing other things, but I forgot to finish this a while back and wanted to finally post it. That, and since it basically is the BIGGEST spoiler of the game, I wanted to wait a while before posting it. So, here it is: my musings on the vault dweller's last moments. I aimed for sad and moving while keeping the main character ambiguous, and I think I got it. I took the name from the inscription of the Jefferson Memorial. Hope you like it! Review and tell me what you think.