How It Began

Vault 101 Overseer's Office, 2281

Amata Almodovar was just twenty years old and already she was the best Overseer the Vault had ever had in a long time. Trading with the nearby town of Megaton and with the caravans was going well, the Vault's population was steady and for the first time in many years everyone felt happy and content. Despite all their hardships, it seemed that life had finally returned to normal.

The young woman looked out onto the atrium and smiled, proud of what they had accomplished. She went over to her desk and answered her intercomm that was persistantly beeping throughout the day. "Probably someone losing a key" she sighed to herself.

"Yes?"

"Overseer, we need the key to the storeroom. Susie's lost it again" grumbled Freddie as an annoyed Susie was heard insulting him in the background, accompanied by a small thud.

"Freddie I keep telling you, call me Amata. I'll bring the key down and open it." Freddie tried to say something in response but was drowned out by Susie. Amata couldn't help but laugh as she ended the conversation.

Amata started rummaging through her desk wondering why she had so much junk in there when a small object dropped out of it. Picking it up she examined it closely, feeling pain and regret pang within her. It was a small photograph of herself and another girl around her age on Amata's 18th birthday. The Caucasian girl in the photo was tall with raven black hair in an untidy ponytail just like her own and wore tinted reading glasses. Although she was not very popular with her peers she was Amata's closest and perhaps only friend. Being the former Overseer's daughter had isolated her from the rest of her peers, who saw either saw her as the same as her father or simply treated her with disrespect. Not like Sofia, who had always seen her as anyone but the Overseer's daughter.

Looking at the photograph brought a painful memory flooding back to her, one that had never really left her.

Vault 101 Medical Clinic, Four Years Ago

The room had fallen completely quiet after Alphonse Almodovar's sudden and unexpected announcement. Only after he had left did his daughter break the silence.

"I can't believe it," Amata said at last, "I'm the Overseer now. Father won't tell me why, but I'm guessing you had something to do with it."

The other woman, her old friend just smiled, "Well you know me Mat" she said, calling her by that old nickname, "I just had a little talk with him. We were quite civil."

"You and him? Civil? I expected you to change in the Wasteland, but not that much!"

Sofia gave a little laugh as Amata continued.

"But I guess we'll all be learning a bit about the outside now, won't we? As the new Overseer, I'm planning on opening the Vault, this time for good. It's a bright new day for the Vault...but I'm afraid there's one thing that has to change."

With an eager smile on her face Sofia boasted "No problem. Whatever it is I am glad to help." Amata's expression however changed into a small, concerned frown as she sighed.

"I know you are, and on behalf of the Vault I thank you for all you've done. But there are still many who blame you for everything that happened" said Amata. Sofia's smile began to slowly fade away.

"So I have to ask you to leave. I'm sorry, but the situation is just too delicate for you to stay. Please, if you really want to help the Vault, you have to go."

The room fell quiet again, save for the beeping of the computer nearby. Sofia had done so much, suffered more than anyone in the Vault could imagine, and now she was being told she had to leave again? Despite saving all of them?

"I saved the Vault, and now you're kicking me out?" she said slowly in disbelief.

"No it's not like that. But if you stay, it'll just keep causing more problems. The Vault can't take anymore in-fighting. It's just what has to be" Amata replied. Amata truely regretted having to say this to her best friend, but she had no choice. It was more painful for her than anyone could imagine.

"It'll be a while before we're ready to really go outside. But once the Vault is stable again, maybe we'll see you out there. So I guess this is goodbye for now" she said as she handed Sofia a modified utility jumpsuit, "It's not much, but take this with you, to remember us by. With luck, we'll meet again."

For a moment Sofia stood there stunned, the words repeating in her head, and with each word a harsh impact was felt, worse than any punch or bullet. Her face of disbelief and sadness quickly changed to one of burning anger.

"You're kidding right? You are kicking me back out into that land of death after everything I have done, and all you do to make up for it is to give me a fucking jumpsuit? I help, no, fucking save all of you and all you can do is give me some cloth and tell me to fuck off!" she managed to yell to the shock of everyone in the room, before regaining her temper. She looked around at everyone, who were too shocked by her outburst to say anything.

"Fine, if that's what you want. You can all go fuck yourselves!" Sofia took out a small item from her backpack, then slammed it on the nearby table before storming out of the room. No one said a word, not even Butch. Amata was filled with guilt, but remained silent. Looking at the table, she picked up what Sofia had slammed there. It was a small photograph, taken on Amata's 18th birthday.

Vault 101 Overseer's Office, 2281

"Amata? Dear are you feeling alright?"

The reassuring voice of Old Lady Palmer woke Amata from her daydream and brought her back to the present.

"Huh? Um yes I am alright Mrs Palmer."

"Honey I've been around long enough to know when someone is feeling down. What's the matter?" she asked. Glancing at the photo she quickly understood. "Don't blame yourself Amata, it wasn't your fault."

Holding back some tears, Amata couldn't help but feel responsible.

"Who else is there to blame? I was the one who told her to leave. She helped us so much and I threw her out. What if I made the wrong decision?"

"Amata, you made a hard decision, but everyone knows it was for the best of the Vault. Sofia would have understood that, it wasn't easy for her due to her experiences out there."

"Which makes me wonder if I shouldn't have kicked her out even more."

Shrugging off the thoughts of that day Amata picked up the storeroom key and walked out of the office, leaving Old Lady Palmer by herself to say "Poor girl."

I do not own Fallout 3, nor any of the characters save for Sofia.

This story is set in 2281, four years after the events of Broken Steel and after the Lone Wonderer was once again cast out of Vault 101. This will be the only chapter where I use a lot of dialogue from the game.