Prologue

The sun beat down relentlessly onto Ember's Vault 101 suit. She moved her hand above her electric blue eyes and took in the world before her. The wasteland was endless and demolished, with buildings and houses littering the earth. She licked her lips which were already drying from the heat, and began walking away from the vault that had nurtured and protected her for the past 19 years. Her heart ached as she realized that she had been evicted from her home. Her heart ached for her father, who had abandoned her without a goodbye. Her heart, along with everything else in her body, ached.

She continued walking on the dry earth and spotted a large circular shaped wall. She squinted to improve her vision and decided to head there and check it out. A friendly robot greeted her as she approached and stated that she was in Megaton. She checked her Pip-Boy and the Megaton map marker appeared. She smiled at the robot and entered the gates.

Her mouth opened slightly in awe as she saw the civilization.

"Ah, a new face." said a low masculine voice.

She glanced at the dark man with a cowboy hat standing in front of her and tilted her head slightly to the side.

The man chuckled and held out his hand. "Name's Lucas Simms, the town sheriff and mayor when the need arises."

She wiped her face with her sleeve and swooped her medium length raven hair into a ponytail. "Ember." She shook his hand hesitantly. She suddenly remembered her father and blurted out, "Have you seen my father? He's a doctor, middle aged, he's from the vault too."

Lucas Simms shook his head. "Maybe you oughta ask Moriarty. He owns the saloon up there."

Ember nodded and immediately jogged in the direction Simms signaled. She spots the saloon and stops to catch her breath outside of the entrance. She takes a deep breath and hopes that this Moriarty guy knows where her father went as she steps inside.

She glances around at the worn out walls and curtains throughout the saloon, and walks up to a man with short blonde hair slicked back. "Excuse me, I'm looking for someone named Moriarty? Can you tell me where he is?"

The man smiles and says, "Yeah that's me. Colin Moriarty. Hey i know you. You must be James's kid. You look just like him. He passed through here a little while ago."

Ember's eyes lit up, "Really? Can you tell me where he is? I've been looking for him."

"Well things don't come for free kid. I gotta get paid. How about..100 caps and I'll tell you where your old man went. Deal?"

Her excitement vanished and she looked at her feet. "I don't have any caps.."

"Well sorry kid. Don't waste my time."

A spark of anger rose from within her. She will not leave here empty handed. She felt a stare on her and turned around to find a strange creature from behind the counter looking curiously. He must work here she thought, and headed over to him.

"Hey, smoothskin. Can I get you anything, anything at all? I'm Gob by the way." his voice was raspy but kind.
"Ember. Do you know anything about a middle aged guy named James passing through here a little while ago?"

"Nah, Moriarty doesn't tell me jack. But I'll tell you a little secret. He usually writes that kinda stuff on his terminal in the office back there. Now you didn't hear it from me, I'm already in a deep enough hole with Moriarty."

"Thanks man. I really owe you one." Ember smiled genuinely at the ghoul.

In disbelief, the ghoul said, "Wait.. you're not gonna hit me? Yell at me? Not even berate me a little bit?"

Ember's eyes widened. "Hit you? Why on earth would I hit you? You helped me.. I owe you a huge favor."

Gob relaxed a little and sighed, "Well, now that's a surprise, I'm used to every asshole smoothskin in this town giving me shit just 'cos I look like corpse."

Ember shook her head and smiled. "Well you won't be hearing any from me."

The ghoul returned her smile and they parted with him saying, "See you soon, smoothskin. Good luck with that terminal."

When Moriarty stepped out of the saloon, Ember quickly darted into the office and approached the glowing green terminal on the desk. She cracked her fingers and began hacking into the system. She used the beginner skills her dad had taught her back in the vault and was in fairly easily. She scrolled through the various entries until she found one regarding her dad. She read until she discovered that he had traveled to the GNR Building Plaza. Her Pip-Boy lit up as a new map marker was added. She grinned for her success and quietly slipped out the backdoor, making sure to toss Gob an appreciative wink on the way out.

The sun was slowly lowering from the top of the sky and she ran to the gates of Megaton. She checked her Pip-Boy and analyzed the location of GNR. She could make it before nightfall if she was quick. She looked at her worn jumpsuit and wondered if she should go back and ask around for some better equipment. She shook her head and assured herself that she could take on anything that stood in the way of her finding her dad. She held her head high and with her weathered vault suit and a 10mm pistol, she headed back out into the Capital Wasteland.

As she trudged along she discovered how horribly she underestimated the surprises of this radiated dump. She encountered mole rats and viscous dogs that attacked in packs of three. If that wasn't bad enough there was the occasional group of raiders scanning for people like her to murder. She cursed when she saw the tear in her sleeve and the vermillion blood that soaked through the fabric. She approached a metal gate and entered into the metro station which was dark and littered with trash and debris. After fighting through the tunnels and traveling a bit longer after that, she saw the GNR building and a group of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers fighting off an enormous mutant. She immediately went to help them although she couldn't do much with her clumsy shooting and blinding fear.

After finally taking down the beast a blonde girl in thick steel armor stood before her.

"Thanks for the help out there. Even though you can't do much with that lousy pistol." She pointed to Ember's hand, which she was subtly trying to hide behind her back. "I was screaming at you to get that Fat Man and kill the mutie but whatever."

Ember looked down in embarrassment for her naivety in combat and then remembered her purpose for being here. She looked up and asked, "Three Dog. Is he here? I need to speak with him, I'm trying to find my father."
She nodded and motioned to the door of the building. "He's upstairs, just go right on up."

Ember followed the woman into the building and then leaped up the stairs to find Three Dog.

Before she could speak he held up his hand and said, "The look on your face says it all. You're wondering who the heck this guy is and why you should care. Well, prepare to be enlightened."

Ember quickly interrupted, "My father.. He was here. James? I need to find him. Please if you know anything I'd-"

Three Dog smiled and said, "Yeah I know, but in order for you to get anything out of me I need a little favor. You see there's this dish that some stupid mutie decided to shoot on the top of the Washington Monument. That "dish thing" is what lets my station be heard throughout the entire wasteland. Thankfully, there's a replacement, but ya gotta go to the Museum of Technology to get it. Get the replacement, Put it on the tallest thing in DC, and I'll tell you where your dad went."

She was about to protest but her Pip-Boy flashed that bright green and added both markers to her map. She sighed and merely nodded before walking out of the building she had just gotten into. She sighed and realized how tired she was but promised herself she'd rest as soon as she finished this one.

She set out and walked and walked, occasionally checking her Pip-Boy to make sure she was headed the right way. She blended into the night and snuck past oblivious super mutants who scanned for any intruders of their territory. She came up to a large building and saw a girl, who had similar features to Gob, walking around the entrance.

The girl squinted at the movement of Ember and smirked. "Hey Tourist. Name's Willow. On patrol for the Underworld."

Ember, exhausted, mumbled her name and asked the location. Her raven hair blended into the night but her eyes stayed a vibrant hue.

"You're at the Museum of History in the Mall, and you look tired, Tourist. Maybe you oughta head into the Underworld and rest up a bit. It's just through those doors, you'll know it when you see it. Just don't cause any trouble and you should be fine."

Ember nodded thankfully and walked through the entrance until she saw a huge skull that led to the Underworld.

She smiled with relief that she could finally have a place to rest, and proceeded through the doors. Her drowsy eyes widened as she realized the inhabitants of the Underworld were all ghouls. She was greeted with some smooth skin remarks as she walked about but they were easily ignored. She approached a door with a sign saying "The Ninth Circle" and curiously opened it. A few ghouls sat around the small tables and the man behind the counter smirked. To the side in a corner stood a ghoul about a foot taller than her who was very still with his arms crossed and an emotionless face. She stepped over to him.

"Hi.. I was ju-" She began.
"Uh uh. Talk to Ahzrukhal."
She cocked her head to the side and began again. "But I jus-"
"Talk. To. Ahzrukhal."

She walked over to the man behind the counter and glanced back at the cold, mysterious ghoul who was staring straight in front of him in the same position she had first seen him. She was definitely curious, and she wanted to know why he had to be so damn rude. She turned back around to ask the man, Ahzrukhal.